05122017 - We won't roll with Atiku in the mud — PRESIDENCY

BOKO HARAM VICTIM:

ANTI-SARS CAMPAIGN:

IGP orders immediate reorganisation of SARS

Mrs. Hanatu Ahmadu and six-year old Boko Haram Victim, Ali Ahmadu, from Chibok, shortly after arrival from medical trip in Dubai, where he had corrective surgery, at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja, yesterday.

Photo: Gbemiga Olamikan.

See story on Page 7

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North not afraid of restructuring — Tambuwal, others

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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017

VOL. 25: NO. 63435

We won't roll with Atiku in the mud — PRESIDENCY •It's a last act of frustration – Odigie-Oyegun •He can't beat Buhari in his ward – Onochie •He is an opportunist – Mohammed •More defections from APC coming — Timi Frank

By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor, Gbenga Oke, Levinus Nwabughiogu & Omeiza Ajayi

‘Mumu don do’ protests against slavery in Libya

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B U J A — President Muhammadu Buhari is not moved by the defection from the All Progressives Congress, APC, of Continues on Page 5

CBN depreciates 5 naira to N307/$ in official market

Mr & Mrs Members of ‘Our Mumu Don Do', led by Charles Oputa (Charly Boy) protesting against slavery in Libya at the entrance of Foreign Affairs Ministry in Abuja, yesterday. Photo: Gbemiga Olamikan.

Court orders arrest of ex-gov, Nnamani

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Senator Ayo Arise 7 Adeboye partners Oritsejafor, kidnapped; abductors Okonkwo, Otabil, others for 37 demand N80m ransom Congress 2017 COLUMNISTS TENIOLA C M Y

18 ODUMAKIN

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Moody's raises fresh concerns over FG's credit profile 19 Witchraft allegation: NAPTIP, DIA operatives rescue 40 children from torture chamber

DELE COLE

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MAILAFIA

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SEE INSIDE

2—Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017 :Vanguard News

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ANTI-SARS CAMPAIGN: IG orders immediate reorganisation of SARS  Appoints CP to head squad  Orders investigation of anti-robbery squad

By Kingsley Omonobi & Joseph Erunke

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B U J A — FOLLOWING public outcry over the activities of Police Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, across the country, the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Ibrahim Idris, has directed the immediate and total reorganisation of all SARS outfits in the country.

The reorganisation, according to the IGP, is to reposition the unit for more efficiency and effective service delivery to all Nigerians and ensure that its operated based on International core value of policing with integrity.

Similarly, the IGP also ordered the S–Squad, which is directly under his command, to investigate all allegations levelled against personnel of SARS and recommend punitive actions for them.

Force Headquarters, in a statement signed by Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Jimoh Moshood, said: “The Nigeria Police Force has observed the recent trends of event in the social media on the#ENDSARSNOW and the controversy being generated by the innuendos from the allegations and other misconceptions as it concerns the operational roles and activities of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, a detachment of the Nigeria Police Force.

“Undoubtedly, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, had been doing very well in fighting

violent crimes such as armed robbery, kidnappings and cattle rustling in the country in recent time and this has resulted in drastic reduction of incidents of the mentioned violent crimes nationwide.

“However, the Inspector General of Police, IGP Ibrahim Idris, is concerned about public interest and the need to reposition the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, for more efficiency and effective service delivery to all Nigerians and ensure that SARS operates based on international core value of policing with integrity and make sure the rule of law prevails in the operations and activities of the outfit. ‘’He has, therefore, directed the immediate reorganisation of SARS nationwide and instant in-

vestigation into all the allegations, complaints and infractions levelled against the personnel across the country by the IGP XSquad of the Force.

“In the new arrangement, a commissioner of police is now the overall head of the Federal Anti-Robbery Squad nationwide under the Department of Operations, Force Headquarters Abuja.

“The Police Zonal Commands, state commands and divisions will continue to operate anti-crime units/sections, crime prevention and control squads and teams imperative to prevent and detect crimes and criminalities in their area of responsibilities, and other crack squads necessary to sustain law and order and protection of life and properties in their Area of

Responsibilities, AOR. “Federal Anti-Robbery Squad, FSARS, will now exist and operate in the state and zonal commands under the Commissioner of Police, F-SARS at the Force Headquarters.

“A Federal SARS Commander of the rank of Chief Superintendent of Police, CSP and not below Superintendent of Police, SP, will be in charge of FSARS in state and zonal commands across the country.

“All commissioners of police have been directed by the Inspector General of Police to comply with this directive with immediate effect and warn their personnel not to pose as SARS operatives.

“The IGP X-Squad has been mandated to go round the commands and police formations nationwide to ensure strict compliance and apprehend any erring police officer."

PRESENTATION: From left—Bola Adeeko, Head, Corporate Services Division, the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE); Oscar Onyema, Chief Executive Officer, NSE; Herbert Wigwe, Group Managing Director/ CEO, Access Bank Plc; and Roosevelt Ogbonna, Group Deputy Managing Director, Access Bank, during the presentation of Access Bank’s Group five-year strategy to stockbrokers and investors at the NSE, yesterday.

North not afraid of restructuring — Tambuwal, others

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OS—THE Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, has said the 19 northern states of Nigeria are not afraid of the proposed restructuring of Nigeria.

Tambuwal stated this yesterday in Jos, Plateau State, at the annual Law Week and memorial lecture by the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Jos Branch for Justice Dauda Azaki, who died 20 years ago.

His position came barely a week after Borno State Governor, Mr. Kassim Shettima, dismissed the clamour for restructuring at the launch of the book

written by National Publicity Secretary of All Progressive Congress, APC, Bolaji Abdullahi, in Abuja.

“I can confidently say here that we in the northern part of Nigeria are not afraid of restructuring,” Mr. Tambuwal said.

The governor, who was former Speaker of the House of Representatives, said contrary to insinuations that northern Nigerians were opposed to restructuring of Nigeria, stressing that those saying so were merely raising a false alarm.

Governor Tambuwal noted that northerners

were not afraid of the economic implications of restructuring, stating that most states in the north had enough mineral deposits to be self-sustaining.

Similarly, the Governor of Bauchi State, Mohammed Abubakar, said restructuring was a welcome development as long as the proposed restructuring would not ignite rancour in the country.

The governor urged that Nigerians be properly educated on the issue to allay fears among some of them.

On his part, the Plateau State Governor, Simon

Lalong, however, called for caution on the issue, adding that the agitation for restructuring almost caused the country another round of unrest.

“A misunderstanding of the concept of restructuring among the younger generation has also undoubtedly given rise in some quarters to the provocative and inciting calls for secession and the dissolution of the Nigerian state,” he said.

Lalong said while he supported the policy of restructuring, he, however, lamented that some of the agitations for restructuring had veered into hate speeches.

OPL 245: Cour t defers hearing on Abacha’s move to reclaim disputed oil bloc

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

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BUJA—THE Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday fixed February 13, 2018, to hear a motion the Federal Government filed to stop move by son of late military head state, Mohammed Abacha, to reclaim ownership of disputed Oil Prospecting License, OPL, 245.

Justice John Tsoho adjourned to hear government’s objection on a day Mohammed, who was personally in court to witness the proceeding, through his lawyer, Mr. R.O. Atabo, applied to amend some of his claim with respect to the said oil bloc, which is regarded as one of the richest in Africa.

Justice Tsoho said he would hear both FG’s objection and Mohammed’s application on the next adjourned date.

The Federal Government had in a process filed by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, asked the high court to dismiss or strike out Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/201/ 2017, wherein Abacha is claiming ownership of Malabu Oil & Gas Limited.

Those government also urged the court to ignore their joint claim with Mohammed Abacha were Oyewole Fashawe and Pecos Energy Ltd, saying their claims of membership/

ownership of Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd, “is not yet ascertained and same is still the subject of adjudication in suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/ 206/2017, between Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd & 2 Ors V. Mr. Kweku Amafagha & 9 Ors which is pending before this honourable court”.

In a six-paragraph affidavit deposed to by one Friday Atuh, a litigation officer in the office of the AGF, the federal government told the court that the outcome of all the pending suits would determine the existence of any legal rights in favour of Abacha, Fashawe, Amafagha, Munamuna Seidougha, Dan Etete or any other person or entity laying claims to having any interest in OPL 245.

“That plaintiff was well aware of the re-allocation since May 2011 up to September 2016 as evidenced from available facts in suit No: FHC/ABJ/ CS/206/2017 between Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd & 2 Ors V. Mr. Kweku Amafagha?& 9 Ors. “That the re-allocation of OPL 245 to plaintiff was not subsisting as at the time of execution of the bloc 245 resolution agreement.

Plaintiff could not have been involved in the execution of this agreement as it had already relinquished its entire interests in OPL 245,’’ the federal government stated.

Kwapoly tuition fee increase unacceptable —Saraki

By Demola Akinyemi

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L O R I N— S E N AT E President, Dr Bukola Saraki, has intervened in the tuition fees crisis rocking Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin.

The students union of the institution had serially protested in Ilorin against what it described as outrageous tuition fees, insisting that the authorities must revert the tuition fees to the old regime.

I n t e r e s t i n g l y, management of the institution insisted that it had not hiked fees payable by all categories of students.

But Saraki yesterday in a statement he personally signed, agreed with the students’ position, saying information at his disposal showed an upward review of the tuition fees by the Polytevhnic’s management.

The Senate President,

who appealed to the students and their parents to remain calm, assured them that Kwara State government would revisit the issue.

Saraki’s statement read:” Just this morning, students from my constituency sent me the details of the school fees the Registrar of the Kwara State Polytechnic released for the 2017/2018 academic session through Whatsapp.

“After reviewing it, I found that there had been a deliberate attempt to confuse and mislead the state government and the general public.

“It is obvious that a second year student in 2017/18 is now expected to pay N20,000 more than second year students paid in the 2016/17 session. This is contrary to the claim contained in the statement released by the institution just last week."

VANGUARD, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017 — 3

4—Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017 :Vanguard News

Bode George advocates unity, harmony

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EADING contender for the chairmanship position of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olabode George, has pledged to unite all rival groups within the party across the country and enthrone peace and harmony, if elected.

He made the promise while addressing Ogun State delegates for the national convention of the party and other stakeholders in Abeokuta, Ogun State, yesterday.

He said he will bring all groups together and ensure that litigations involving the party were amicably resolved as the party cannot afford to waste the little time between the convention and the 2019 elections on unnecessary infighting and other distractions.

He noted that PDP lost Ogun State to All Progressives Congress, APC, years ago because of disunity, adding that the time had come for all

to come together and take the state back.

George had also preached the same message of unity and harmony in Ekiti, Ondo, Osun and Oyo states, which he visited at the weekend.

He assured party stakeholders that unity, peace and harmony were a top priority in his agenda for the party, because they were necessary ingredients for a strong and formidable platform to win elections any day.

In Ekiti State, he paid a courtesy call on Governor Ayo Fayose, where he commended the governor for his good performance in the governance of the state and in the party as leader of the governors’ forum.

Governor Fayose commended George for his invaluable contributions to the party in the South-West and across the country.

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Gov Shettima's comments row: Stop insulting Northern leaders over Jonathan’s failure, Omokri told

By Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor

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HE controversy triggered by comments made by Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State, at a book launch in Abuja, chronicling how and why former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, lost the 2015 election, escalated last weekend, with northern leaders warning the former President’s aide, Reno Omokri, not to insult Shettima over his comments.

At the ceremony in Abuja last Thursday, Governor Shettima, who chaired the event, had chided Jonathan for blaming him over the kidnap of Chibok girls and for not doing enough to rescue the young women.

Shettima also carpeted those calling for the

restructuring of Nigeria, saying he did not find any merit in the advocacy.

Omokri’s points

However, latching on to the comments, a former aide to Jonathan on Social Media, Reno Omokri, lampooned Shettima for casting aspersions on Jonathan, who he claimed did more than any other leader for the country.

Omokri claimed that Shettima paved the way for the abduction of the Chibok girls and should blame himself and not Jonathan.

Irked by Omokri’s claims, Northern leaders, on the platform of Northern Emancipation Network, weekend rose in defence of Shettima and warned Omokri to desist from pouring invectives on the governor.

President of the group, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman,

said the North held Shettima in very high esteem and will not allow Omokri to abuse their leader.

Suleiman asked Omokri to also note that Shettima had distinguished himself in governance and delivery of dividends of democracy to his people in his capacities as Governor of Borno State and Chairman of Northern Governors Forum.

His words: “Omokri should note that the North of today does not tolerate disrespect for its leaders from any quarter. We find Omokri’s argument as pedestrian as it is disappointing.”

He advised Omokri to always secure “solid grounds on which to base his arguments, lest he keeps embarrassing his paymaster in the market square.

“It is no longer acceptable for irresponsible commentators like Omokri to insult any northern leader and expect to get away with it.”

‘The Nigerian we want’

Suleiman said northerners will only be disposed to a Nigeria in which leaders from every section were mutually respected.

He described Omokri’s assumption that grades scored in a secondary school examination should be a yardstick for gauging leadership capabilities in real life, as a mockery of intellectualism.

Suleiman urged Governor Shettima not to be distracted from the task of rebuilding Borno after the destruction wrought by the mismanagement of power during the wasted years of Omokri’s master.

FG releases N5bn to local miners

By Kabir Dankatsina

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IRNIN KEBBI— F E D E R A L Government, yesterday, said it has given out N5 billion to local miners to boost the mining industry in the country.

The Minister of Mines and Industry, Mr. Kayode Fayemi, made this disclosure at Garin Auwal in Fakai Local Government Area of Kebbi State, while addressing local miners.

Kayode further stated that the money will be given to local miners as a

loan, adding that “each local miner is supposed to register with the Ministry of Environment or the state office of the Ministry of Mines and Industry of his/her state of origin to get the loan.

“We understand that the local miners are honest and sincere in term of contract agreements, only that they took more time than professionals to reach or get what they are requested to obtain.”

The minister, however, advised the local miners to coordinate themselves and abide by the rules governing mining.

Web-based accommodation solution launched

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NSTANT Apartment, a web-based platform that provides easily-accessible and luxury short, medium and long stay property rentals has officiallly been launched in Lagos.

Speaking of the company’s objectives and services, CEO, Instant Apartment, Ubi Franklin, said: “Our platform’s goal is to help customers gratify their various taste and needs with the wide range of luxury apartments, which have been made available.

“It is also an avenue for property owners to advertise their property to

customers across the globe.

“Apartments on our platforms are carefully selected and the hosts are thoroughly verified to provide the best accommodations and additional services like free meal on first day of arrival, restaurants, events, recreation centres, among others.”

He described the launch of the company, whose platform is www.instantapartment.com, as a paradigm shift in the sphere of serviced apartments as their standards are above par.

GBENGA DANIEL: From left—Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Ogun State, Mr. Sikirulai Ogundele; former Governor of Ogun State, and aspirant for PDP national chairmanship position, Otunba Gbenga Daniel; Prince Gboyega Isiaka; and former PDP Caretaker Chairman, Ogun State, Mr. Tunde Odanye, during a stakeholder's conference as part of Daniel's campaign, in Abeokuta, Ogun State, yesterday.

Reps task new NAFDAC boss on standards, drug drugs had become the support of the National abuse among youths commonplace.

Assembly to upgrade the

By Levinus Nwabughiogu

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BUJA—THE House of Representatives Committee on Healthcare Services has enjoined the newly-appointed Director General of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, to maintain the standards raised by her predecessors.

The lawmakers said

taking the agency back to the good old days, especially during the era of late Professor Dora Akunyili, will help it realise the set objectives.

Chairman of the Committee, Chike Okafor, gave Adeyeye the charge yesterday, when she paid a courtesy call on the House Committee at the National Assembly.

The lawmaker also bemoaned the spate of drug abuse among youths, stating that substandard

Okafor, while calling for new ideas to tackle the menace, also asked the new DG to adopt measures that will make the agency proactive.

He promised the new DG the support of the House of Representatives in terms of financial appropriations.

Responding, the new DG, Professor Adeyeye, said NAFDAC, under her watch, will be re-energised to rid the country of fake and substandard drugs.

She, however, solicited

agency’s laboratories, staff training and operational preparedness to help reposition the agency.

Her words: “Thousands of Nigerians have died due to the consumption of fake drugs. This is why it is in my heart to reduce the sale of counterfeit drugs to the barest minimum.

“We want to make NAFDAC greater. We need a lot of resources to do this and this is where the House Healthcare Services Committee comes in.”

Vanguard, TUESDAY DECEMBER 5, 2017—5

POCKET CARTOON

Buhari can’t wallow in the mud with him

ALLEGED WITCHCRAFT: Some of the 40 children rescued by NAPTIP and DIA operatives from a torture chamber in Abuja, yesterday.

We won't roll with Atiku in the mud — PRESIDENCY Continues from Page 1

former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, and will not take his bait to preempt the 2019 presidential campaign, high-level Presidency sources have affirmed.

National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, has, however, described Atiku’s defection as an act of frustration for a man determined to become president at the last opportuned time in his old age, saying the party had for over a year, known of his move to jump ship.

Atiku’s defection and challenge to Buhari were, however, dismissed as inconsequential by Mrs. Lauretta Onochie, the President’s Special Assistant on New Media, who in an interview yesterday, affirmed that Atiku could not defeat Buhari in his ward.

The assertions nonetheless, Deputy Nation-

al Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mr. Timi Frank, yesterday, warned that more high-level defections from the APC could occur in the near future, if the party leadership failed to mend its ways.

Mr. Frank, a well-known ally of Atiku, however, vowed not to defect from the APC, saying he will stay put within the party.

Meanwhile, anxiety about Atiku’s defection from the APC has kept senators in a state of unease, with many leading senators shying away from comments on the defection by the former vice-president.

Second Republic lawmaker, Dr. Junaid Mohammed was, however, not so inclined, dismissing Atiku yesterday as overreaching himself.

Presidential spokesman, Mr. Femi Adesina, could not be reached yesterday, following his return from Jordan after the presidential trip to

TAKE HEART —ELLA RANDLE When the thing we do and the words we say bring upliftment to another person or persons, that is defining moments —Take Heart Quotes

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EFINING Moment is about living and breathing a beautiful consciousness. It is those times when our actions and words align beautifully to uplift our hearts and others too, and the realisation may come as a sudden understanding, call it an epiphany, you’ll know if you are open and aware that to be revealing means to no longer hide in one’s shell but to be yourself. Those who love you always will love you anyway. So light your world and bring a smile to someone else.

SAYINGS OF OUR PEOPLE

You identify a ripe corn by merely looking at it.

that country.

However, a senior presidential official told Vanguard, yesterday, that the President would not be dragged into a precampaign spat with the former vice-president who he said was being dismissed by the Presidency as inconsequential, noting that Atiku had serially lost proxy elections with Buhari in his home state, Adamawa.

The Presidency source, who spoke on the basis of strict confidentiality said: “We will not take the bait by Atiku to enter into a presidential election campaign when the season is yet to take off. ‘’If Atiku must be taken seriously, let him go and beat Bindow (Governor Umaru Jibrilla) who has beaten his candidate three straight times.’’

He said in reference to the defeat by Governor Jibrilla of Alhaji Ibrahim Mijinyawa, who was largely believed to be Atiku’s preferred candidate to be governor during the APC primaries in Adamawa State in 2014.

Jibrilla defeated Mijinyawa in the APC primaries and subsequently turned around to appoint him (Mijinyawa) as a commissioner in his cabinet.

“Let him go and sort it out with Kwankwanso who defeated him to third place in the APC presidential primaries in 2014. When he finishes with these people, let him then come and face Buhari,” the source said.

Also speaking on Atiku, special assistant on new media to the president, Mrs. Onochie said Atiku’s assertion that he would defeat Buhari in an election was an idea not based on reality.

Speaking on a Channels Television pro gramme, the presidential aide said: “Atiku may have had that weight some years ago, but over the years he’s been losing that weight, and at the moment, I can tell you that even in his local government area in his native Adamawa, he can’t win any election.

“So where is the weight? I think Alhaji Abubakar Atiku has lost touch with reality; I think he needs to check again.

“He is known to hop from one party to the other when he cannot have control in that party.

“President Buhari is not competing with him at the moment. What he’s trying to do is to pull President Buhari out of the good work he’s doing and to come to wallow in the mud with him.

“The president also knows that the ban on politics has not been lifted; so, he is not going to come out to wallow in the mud with him.”

Asked to react to Atiku’s claims that the Buhari government has failed to deliver on its electoral promises, she said: “Absolute bunkum!

There is nothing that is farther from the truth than what the former vice-president Atiku Abubakar has said.

“Nigeria was on its knees when this present government came into place, and it was the same PDP that he has now returned to that has kept Nigeria on its knees for a period of 16 years.

It was not under the APC that the economy of the nation almost collapsed right under our eyes.

“I don’t see how this government has caused this problem that it is grappling with today.

And this government is trying very hard to clean the mess that this government made over the last 16 years.

“Nobody should expect that these problems will be sorted out in three years. It is not done anywhere.

“As we speak, there is no inch of this country that is still under the oc-

cupation of Boko Haram.

A lot needs to be done, and this government is doing more.”

Speaking specifically on Atiku’s claim that the government has failed to deliver the three million jobs it promised annually, she said: “jobs are being created every day.

It is doing all the best it can. I will not accept nor agree that this government has failed in the aspect of job creation.”

Why Atiku is desperate to be president now — Odigie-Oyegun National chairman of the APC was equally dismissive of Atiku’s political prospects saying it was an act of desperation by an aged politician who sees 2019 as his last opportunity to be president.

Odigie-Oyegun in an interview with Vanguard said: “We are not happy losing anybody, certainly not anybody of his status. But why are people surprised that he left? I can’t understand it.

More than 12, 18 months ago, it was clear that he

would leave. The only doubt was when and how?

“The issue is this, when a man is determined to be president, and his history tells all of that, from his period as Vice President, and then you perceive that the current president is serving four years, he may wish to serve another four years, and I pray he does. For Vice President Atiku, at his age, it is either now or never because if President Buhari serves another ( four years), that will be eight years. Convention will have it that the presidency may go South. That’s another eight years. So, game over for Vice President Atiku. It is either now he makes this last throw of the dice, or he will permanently forget the presidency.”

More defections from APC coming — Frank Meanwhile, the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Comrade Timi Frank yesterday, warned of massive Continues on page 43

NAIRA WATCH CBN depreciates naira to N307/$ in official market

By Adaeze Okechukwu The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, yesterday depreciated the naira to N307 per dollar for the first time in the official inter-bank market.

For months now, the CBN n had pegged the naira exchange rate within a range of N305 to N306 per dollar whilst it sells $500,000 daily to meet up with dollar shortages in the market.

However, the naira yesterday appreciated to N360.32 per dollar in the Investor and Exporter (I&E) window, while the volume of transactions rose by nine percent Data from the Financial Market Dealers Quote (FMDQ) showed that indicative exchange rate for the I & E window, rose to N360.32 per dollar, yesterday, from N360.65 per dollar on Thursday, last week, translating to a 33 kobo appreciation of the naira.

Meanwhile, the amount of dollars traded in the widow increase by 9 percent to $114.07 million, yesterday, from $104.07 million recorded on Thursday, last week. Consequently, this increase led to the naira appreciation in NAFEX.

6—Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017 :Vanguard News

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Anambra primary school teacher killed for flog

By Vincent Ujumadu

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WKA—A primary school teacher, Miss Rita Odilinye, in one of the private schools in Ogidi, Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, reportedly died during a scuffle with a parent of one of her pupils, who she allegedly flogged for not sweeping the class.

A source in the school said the teacher had reported in school only to discover that her class was not swept and on inquiry, she was told that one of the pupils (names withheld) was supposed to have swept the class, according to the roster.

The source said: “When the late teacher queried the student, her response angered

the teacher, who then flogged her.

“As she was being flogged, she ran out of the class and scaled the school fence since the gate was locked. She made straight home and told her mother that she was flogged by her teacher for not sweeping the classroom.

“Furiously, the mother came to the school armed with sticks,

accompanied by her daughter and one other person.

“On getting to the school, the mother did not see the teacher who was said to have gone out to attend a meeting of private schools administrators.

“Efforts made by other teachers in the school to calm the aggrieved persons and

allow the school authorities to handle the case fell on deaf ears.”

According to the source, as the aggrieved persons saw the teacher at the entrance of the school gate, returning from the meeting, they confronted her and during the ensuing scuffle, she slumped.

It was gathered that she was rushed to a nearby hospital,

Pandemonium as gunmen invade burial, kill late woman's son

By Simon Ebegbulem

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ENIN—THE remains of one Deaconess Taiwo Albert that was laid in state in Benin, the Edo State capital, were abandoned as gunmen invaded the venue of the ceremony, killing her son, Dupe Idahor.

It was gathered that family members and sympathisers, who thronged the TV Road venue to pay their last respects to the late 84-yearold woman, took to their heels when they heard gunshots rending the air.

An eyewitness said: “We all scampered for safety, abandoning the corpse of the 82-year-old woman, Deaconess Taiwo Albert, which was laid in state.”

The victim, Dupe Idahor, 42-year-old, was said to be under a canopy with friends and relatives when the gunmen arrived in a car and opened fire on him.

The eyewitness said after killing, the armed men abandoned their operational vehicle, snatched another car belonging to the deceased's friend and sped off.

The car was recovered yesterday by the Police.

However, the body of the woman was later laid to rest Sunday morning.

A family member, who confided in Vanguard, alleged that a friend of their brother organised the attack that led to his death.

It was gathered that a suspect has been arrested by the Police.

Edo State Police spokesman, DSP Chidi Nwanbuzor, said he was yet to get details of the killing, promising to contact the Textile Mill Police station DPO.

PROTESTING VIOLENCE AGAINST MEN: President, Women Arise, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin (middle); Executive Director, CEE HOPE, Ms Betty Abah (2nd right); friends of victim's family and others, during a peaceful protest, demanding justice for Lawrence Idoko, at the Magistrate's Court, Ebute Meta, Oyingbo, Lagos, yesterday.

Social media friend blackmails varsity girl with sex video, nudes PPRO collected money from me, suspect alleges from hiding female student of a Auniversity in the North- He escaped during interrogation—Police Central (names withheld), has narrated how a man she met on Instagram drugged, had sex with her and took her nude pictures in a Lagos hotel.

While speaking in Ilorin on Sunday, the lady said she met the man on Instagram.

Her words: “He asked for a relationship, which I was reluctant to accept. But I later accepted. I met him for the first time in Lagos, when I was on holiday.

“He later invited me to a hotel in Ojo area of Lagos; that was when I met him for the second time. It was when I was preparing to return to school; he demanded sex, which I turned down.

“He promised me N15,000 and transferred it to me. We had a drink, but I noticed that I was becoming dizzy.

“So it was when one of the hotel waiters brought a condom that I started to create a scene before people came to my rescue.

‘Why I had sex with him’

Continuing, she said: “Later that day, he called and threatened to send the nude

pictures he took to my father. I was surprised how he got my father’s number.

“It was because of the threat that I had to go to him again to have sex and to ask him to delete all the pictures. But he again said he had the video of when we were having sex.

“I couldn’t confront my parents because I was scared.

I told my pastor and so it was my pastor that reported the matter to the Police.”

She described the man as a

devil, who had taught her a painful lesson.

Police story

Confirming the incident, Kwara Police spokesman, Ajayi Okasanmi, said the suspect was arrested, but escaped during interrogation.

Okasanmi said: “We invited the suspect to Ilorin with the help of the lady he was threatening. We arrested him and seized the phone which

has the nude pictures.

“So we asked an officer to go and search where he lodged in Ilorin, only for him to escape in the process. We have not seen him till date.”

Okasanmi said the suspect later went on social media, claiming that he (Okasanmi)collected money from him.

The Police spokesman challenged the suspect to come out and sue him if his claims are true.

Witchcraft allegation: 40 children rescued from

By Kingsley Omonobi

A

BUJA—OPERATIVES of the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, and the Defence Intelligence Agency, DIA, weekend, rescued about 40 children from a torture chamber.

The chamber, operated in Abuja by a witch doctor, is where witches and wizards are exorcised.

According to sources, the children, aged between five

and seven years, are taken to the said witch doctor, one Mr. Ikoh, at the Torture Clinic in Mararaba area of Abuja, by parents and guardians after they have been hypnotised by persons suspected to be working in partnership with the witch doctor.

Tortured

The children are then chained and tortured into confessing that they are witches/wizards, after the parents or guardians of the

children would have been made to part with sums of money ranging from N50,000 to N100,000.

The sources said the alleged witch doctor has raked in nothing less than N10 million from unsuspecting members of the public within the last two months alone.

It was further gathered that Ikoh maltreat the children to the point of death, sometimes through starvation and flogging.

Ikoh, who hails from Akoh

Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017—7 :Vanguard News

gging pupil where she was confirmed dead.

The Divisional Police Officer in charge of the area, Mr. Mark Ijarafu, who confirmed the incident, said an investigation into the matter had begun.

He said: “We have arrested the mother, the daughter and one other person. The corpse of the teacher has been deposited at Iyi-Enu Hospital mortuary and investigation is ongoing.”

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Undergraduate beheads mother in Osun

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HE Police Command in Osun, yesterday, said it had arrested one Joseph Mark, a 25year-old undergraduate of a South-West university, who beheaded his mother on Sunday.

The Public Relations Officer of the Command, DSP Folashade Odoro, told newsmen in Osogbo that the incident happened at about 6:30a.m., at 25, Zone 5, Ajetomobi Street, Eko-Ende Road, Ikirun, Osun State.

According to Odoro, the

suspect’s father, Mr. Adewale Mark, reported the incident to Ikirun Divisional Police Station.

She said the father explained that he left his house around 5:30a.m. to visit his friend at the next street and on returning home at about 6a.m., he discovered that his son had cut off his wife’s head with a cutlass.

Odoro said the culprit, who was suspected to be insane,

was arrested when the team of police detectives visited the scene of the crime.

She said exhibits—the medical examination of the suspect, the weapon used and photographs of the scene and victim— were taken by the Police.

She said the corpse of the victim, Mrs Christianah Mark, 62, had been deposited at a mortuary and that further investigation had begun.

Members of Charly Boy's OurMumuDonDo protest slavery in Libya

By Luminous Jannamike

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BUJA—A mild drama ensued in Abuja as members of the group of good governance protesters, OurMumuDonDo, led by maverick musician, Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy, led a protest to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, yesterday, to demand a wellcoordinated government action to ameliorate the plight of Nigerians allegedly sold as slaves in Libya.

The protesters bound themselves in chains, handcuffs and sealed mouths to drive home their points theatrically.

Last week, Charly Boy led a protest to the Libyan Embassy to register the group’s displeasure over the alleged inhuman treatment of Nigerians by the Libyan authorities in the North

African country.

Raphael Adebayo, spokesman of the protesting group, urged the Federal Government to take urgent steps to ensure that the sale of Nigerians as slaves in Libya is brought to an end.

He said: “Our message to the Federal Government today is very simple and clear: issuing press statement is not enough to give respite to the Nigerians who are suffering in Libya.

“Concocting and fabricating phone numbers is not enough to give respite to the Nigerians

repatriating Nigerians who are detained in Libya.

Speaking on behalf of the government officials, Ambassador Fachano said: “By rule, as civil servants, we do not speak on what we do. But let me tell you what the Nigerian embassy has been doing in Tripoli.

“So far, we have registered over 3,000 Nigerians in Libya and repatriated about 2,000. On Tuesday, December 5, we are expecting a batch of 250 returnees by 7p.m. in Lagos.”

Senator Ayo Arise kidnapped; abductors demand N80m ransom

By Rotimi Ojomoyela

m torture chamber A village in Nasarawa State, has been handed over to the Police and is said to have been in the business for several months.

Officials of NAPTIP, while confirming the story, noted that the rescued children are being moved to a facility where they will undergo medical tests to ascertain the level of torture they were subjected to.

The impact of their experience on their mental state will also be acsertained before working out how they can be reunited with their families.

suffering in Libya.

“What we are demanding is that decisive and genuine actions are taken to repatriate Nigerians who are in Libya and give them a reason to want to be Nigerians. We hope that they are going to act on these demands of ours.”

Top Federal Government officials in the Ministry, including the Nigerian Charge D’Affaires to Libya, Ambassador Iliya Danladi Fachano, while receiving the protesters, said the government is already

DO-EKITI—EIGHTY million Naira ransom is being demanded by the kidnappers of the former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Privatisation between 2007 and 2011, Ayo Arise, who was, weekend, kidnapped by gunmen alongside his driver on Okene-Abuja Highway.

It was gathered, yesterday, that the abductors of the Senator, who represented Ekiti North Senatorial District on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, made the demand when they contacted his family members.

Arise was reported to have been travelling in his Mercedes SUV, when the gunmen attacked and ferried him to an unknown

destination.

A family source said he was abducted while returning to Abuja from Oye-Ekiti, his home town.

Arise defected to All Progressives Congress, APC, prior to 2015 general elections.

He was said to have attended a ceremony at Ikere-Ekiti on Saturday, where a chieftaincy title was conferred on retired Assistant Inspector General of Police, Mr. Tunde Ogunsakin.

He returned to Ado-Ekiti and visited the golf course along Federal Polytechnic Road before he heading to his home to see his associates.

Meanwhile, Kogi State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP William Aya, said,

yesterday, in Lokoja that the Command was not aware of the kidnap.

Aya said Okene-Lokoja Road, where the Senator was said to have been kidnapped on December 3 was under effective policing, saying the claim was doubtful.

Ekiti State Police Public Relations Officer, Alberto Adeyemi, who earlier confirmed the incident, however, said he could not make comments because it did not happen within his jurisdiction.

Asked where it happened, he said: “I cannot say. I am not allowed to comment on incidents that did not happen within my jurisdiction.”

Chibok boy maimed by Boko Haram walks again

By Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor & Favour Nnabugwu

A

LI Ahmadu, the sixyear-old boy whose spinal cord was damaged

by Boko Haram members, yesterday, returned to the waiting arms of excited family members and wellwishers in Nigeria after a successful corrective spinal cord surgery in the United Arab Emirates.

The boy, who had been on a wheelchair for the past four years, walked freely to the admiration of the huge crowd, which welcomed him at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.

Full of smiles, Ali moved about freely amid hugging and handshake with many people.

He had arrived with his aunt, Hannatu Madu, the Coordinator of Global Initiative for Peace, Love and Care, GIPLC, Nuhu Kwajafa, and representatives of Dickens Sanomi Foundation, which sponsored his treatment.

He stunned the crowd when he said his main aspiration was to be a policeman in order “to save people from harm.”

Meanwhile, Taleveras Foundation has said Ali will enjoy scholarship from primary school up to the university level.

The Chairman of Dickens Sanomi Foundation, Mr. Igho Sanomi, who is also the owner of Taleveras Group, said: “About three months ago, we all witnessed at this same airport Ali Ahmadu being taken away on a wheelchair.

Today (yesterday), we are here to receive Ali Ahmadu, walking handsomely into our arms.”

On his part, the Coordinator of GIPLC, Mr. Kwajafa, said: “About four years ago, in a small village at Chibok Local Government Area of Borno State, a toddler named Ali Ahmadu Chibok fell victim to one of Boko Haram’s murderous invasions.

“That fateful night, he suffered excruciating pains all over his body, brought upon him by the senseless marauders.

“They crushed everything in their path, severely damaging his stillforming vertebral column in the process, but the hand of God preserved Ali, so we may give glory to His name.”

8 — VANGUARD, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017 :Vanguard News

Edo govt plans colourful cultural fiesta, unveils EDOFEST logo

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ENIN CITY—THE Edo State Government has assured culture and art enthusiasts, as well as tourists, of a parade of the state’s prized culture and tourist destinations at the forthcoming Edo Festival of Arts and Culture, EDOFEST, holding between December 17 and 22 in Benin City.

Speaking at the unveiling of the festival logo at Government House yesterday, the Deputy Governor of Edo State, Rt. Hon. Philip Shaibu, said: “The main focus of EDOFEST is to promote our people, our wealth of history and civilisation and of course our much-revered rich cultural heritage which will be manifested through our colourful traditional festival.”

He assured that the festival will attract “a large number of visitors from diverse regions within and outside the country to partake in the weeklong event that will be filled with attractions and exciting engagements reminiscent of the arts and culture of our people.”

The deputy governor who was represented by the Commissioner for Arts, Culture, Tourism and Diaspora Affairs, Hon. Osaze Osemwengie-Ero,

said the choice of the festival theme “Arts, Culture, Our Wealth,” was informed by the fact that “Edo State is deeply rooted in history and civilisation, with global noteworthy monuments such as the arts of Benin Kingdom, the Great Walls of Benin and a host of others that need to be driven and remunerated to the greatest possible extent.”

Day one of the event will feature the opening ceremony and there will be a carnival and parade display by indigenes and other invited tribes and countries. The day will climax with a movie premiere titled ‘ESOHE’.

The festival will also feature music and cultural shows; seminars and talk shows; photo exhibitions amongst others.

Congratulating the committee of EDOFEST for a great job, the Secretary to Edo State Government Osarodion Ogie Esq., said art is an area that will surely engage the youths positively if properly repositioned.

Ogie noted that the youth would not leave the state, or country to seek greener pastures because the greener pastures are in the state.

He expressed delight and confidence in the project and urged the team to ensure there is synergy in delivering the project.

Kogi unveils plan for physically-challenged

By Boluwaji Obahopo

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OKOJA—KOGI State government has urged People Living With Disabilities, PLWD, to see beyond their physical limitation and made themselves relevant personalities to the society.

The government also said the state has planned big for PLWD, urging them to avail themselves of programs and activities planned by the state to help their situation.

Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Bolanle Ampitan, stated this yesterday during the commemoration of World Day for People Living With Disabilities.

She said the state government has concluded plans to bring in motivational speakers for a summit that will enlighten them (PLWD) on how they could still achieve their aims and be relevant in the society.

Ampitan said though paucity of fund could not allow the state to have an elaborate celebration for this year, she, however,

stressed that the forthcoming workshop, summit and symposium would provide opportunity for them to become change agents.

She also said the state government has made available the recently renovated State Rehab Centre for use as vocational training center for them.

“The state government will offset the training cost as well as provide starter packs for successful graduands,’’ the commissioner said.

She also said the rehab centre would host abandoned children and aged people.

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Military appoints Maj-Gen Rogers Nicholas new Theatre Commander for Operation Lafiya Dole

By Kingsley Omonobi

A

BUJA—THE Military High Command in Abuja has appointed a new theatre commander, Major General Rogers Nicholas, for ‘Operation Lafiya Dole’, the joint military force fighting to rid the North East of Boko Haram terrorists.

The new Theater Commander was until his appointment, the Chief of Logistics at Army headquarters in Abuja.

Earlier, he served as the Commander of the Special Security Task Force (STF) in Jos as well as Chief of Civil Military Affairs at Army headquarters.

Nicholas is taking over from Major General Ibrahim Attahiru, who is redeployed to Army headquarters as the Deputy Chief of Policy and Plans.

Attahiru, who took over from Major General Leo Irabor, was at different times, Director of Administration, Defence Headquarters and General Officer Commanding, GOC, 82 Division, Enugu.

Major General Irabor is currently the Force Commander of the Multinational Joint Taskforce fighting to clear Boko Haram, cross border bandits and other criminal elements in the Lake Chad Basin Commission countries.

Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole, Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, Dr. Lanre Tejuoso and Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on HIV, AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Control, Honourable Davematics Ombugadu at the flag-off of the Health Intervention Project today at the Federal Ministry of Health Conference room, Abuja.

Dangote crashes cement price for online customers, partners Jumia on sales

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AGOS—IN a new move designed to reduce price and ease logistics inherent in the purchase of its products, the management of Dangote Cement Plc has signed a pact with the foremost e-commerce platform, Jumia Nigeria, to offer for sale its cement to customers online.

At the unveiling of the deal in Lagos, Dangote Cement, Key Account Director, Chux Mogbolu, said Dangote Cement was happy to partner with online shopping giant, in a bid to make

Unilorin laments non-inclusion in FG’s payment of lecturers' allowance ...Sends SOS to Buhari, NASS

By Demola Akinyemi

I

L O R I N — FOLLOWING almost two decades of nonparticipation in the activities of national leadership of Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, by the University of Ilorin, the former has finally hit back at the latter, following its exclusion from the benefits accrued to universities from

the federal government due to refusals to join strike within the period under review.

In view of this, members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, of the University of Ilorin yesterday sent a ‘Save our Soul’ message to President Muhammadu Buhari and leadership of the National Assembly over their non-inclusion as

Realtors, interior designers, artists to showcase Nigeria luxury homes

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UXURY Villas Group, LVG, in conjunction with African Artists Foundation and Agatha’s Interior Design have set aside December 2017 for what it tagged: Fusion of Real Estate, Interior Design and Art, FREIA'' to showcase Nigeria’s artistry in luxury homes.

Speaking, Group Managing Director, LVG,

Dangote cement available with ease to customers.

According to the deal, Nigerians and corporate bodies wishing to purchase a minimum of 300 bags of 50kg of Dangote Cement and above can now order on Jumia from the comfort of their rooms at a reasonable price of N2,500 per bag as opposed to the price in the open market and have them delivered to any place of their choice without any extra cost for transportation.

Mogbolu, however,

Tommy Odama, said real estate is more than the physical structure of the building, but about the experience the client gets and how it impacts their lives.

Odama stated that lots of real estate firms in Nigeria operate without structure and international best practices, and that is why FREIA is trying to change

that perception in the industry.

According to him, ''FREIA is an event that will be birthed from this union and will bring a conference and exhibition of top interior designers, artists and realtors to expose the realities in the fusion of the three sectors to forge a common front in real estate delivery.''

beneficiaries of the N23 billion Earned Academic Allowance, EAA, released last week to members of the union.

Recall that the university had pride itself with uninterrupted academic sessions as a result of this development,which subsequently made it the most sought after among other universities in the country by candidates seeking degree programmes.

The EAA was in partial fulfillment of the agreements between ASUU and federal government.

Chairman of UNILORIN chapter of ASUU, Dr. Usman Adebimpe, at a news conference in Ilorin expressed dismay that teachers of the institution who did not go on strike for 18 years were being deprived of an allowance meant to compensate those who worked while their counterparts who were perennially on strike were being paid.

disclosed that the purchase would only be within Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja for now.

He said: “Dangote Cement decided to work with Jumia Nigeria based on its credibility and excellent performance over the years in online shopping management.”

He added that the new initiative would help arrest the scams perpetrated by online fraudsters who deceived the people by asking them to purchase Dangote cement for N1000 per bag.

“For now, the pilot scheme is live in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, but we can extend to other cities depending on the level of demand and performance of the new deal.

“With the deal, Nigerians in need of seamless supply of cement from Dangote can now place order and pay online and wait for the delivery in record time from any of Dangote’s nearest cement plant to Lagos, Port Harcourt or Abuja.

“We are starting with Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) of 300, 600 and 900. We may increase depending on demand surge as time goes on,” Mogbolu explained.

Speaking on the deal, Chief Executive Officer of Jumia Nigeria, Juliet Anammah, said the deal with Dangote Cement was part of efforts to deepen service delivery on Jumia Nigeria online platform.

Anammah said she was of the belief that the deal would be beneficial to all parties involved and deepen further online shopping in Nigeria as obtained all over the world.

VANGUARD, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017 — 9 :Vanguard News

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PDP CHAIRMANSHIP: Makarfi denies concession for Atiku  As northern elders make final attempt to push for S/West

By Dirisu Yakubu

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B U J A — ChAIRMAN, National Caretaker Committee, NCC, of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, yesterday in Abuja, dismissed speculations that the party extended special concession to former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, to convince him to return to the party.

Makarfi made the clarification during the inauguration of the PDP Convention Planning Committee and subcommittees.

This came as indications emerged yesterday of fresh moves by the Forum of Northern Elders and Leaders to push for the emergence of a chairmanship aspirant of South- West extraction.

Makarfi said Atiku never asked for any concession from the National Caretaker Committee prior to his return to PDP. “PDP did not extend any special concession to Atiku and the party will not extend any special concession to any other person. Atiku never asked; we conceded nothing to him and we never gave him anything,” he said.

He allayed the fears of party members on the possibility of imposing a presidential candidate on them in 2019, saying “party members reserve the right to give mandate to anyone they wish to give their

mandate to.”

The PDP chairman expressed satisfaction with yesterday ’s judgment of the Court of Appeal sitting in Ekiti which nullified the judgment of a High Court that would have affected the smooth conduct of Saturday elective convention.

He fingered a particular serving senator from the South West as the mastermind of some of the problems currently confronting the party.

Also speaking, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, BoT, Senator Walid Jibrin, declared the readiness of the board to partner with the National Working Committee, Governors Forum and all other stakeholders in the party to ensure a smooth conduct of the

convention.

On the insinuations making the rounds that some BoT members were sponsoring a particular chairmanship candidate, Senator Jubrin declared that the “BoT has no hidden agenda.”

Meanwhile, Chairman, Convention Planning Committee and Delta State governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, has warned aspirants to the various positions of the party to keep their campaigners away from the Eagles Square, venue of the convention on Saturday.

“I Want to urge aspirants to the various positions to please keep their campaigners away from the convention venue and we believe all campaigns would have stopped by Friday.

“For those who want to campaign for future elections, especially the Presidential aspirants, this convention is not the place to display

campaign posters or to display their intentions. ‘’I believe there will be an appropriate convention for that. I want to urge them to cooperate with us as a committee,” he pleaded.

Meanwhile, barely four days to the national convention of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP; there are indications of fresh moves by the Forum of Northern Elders and Leaders to push for the emergence of a chairmanship aspirant of South- West extraction.

Following a week of political horse trading and alignments; the quest of the South-West to produce the party chairman received a boost when at a gathering of PDP northern politicians recently, a case was made for the only zone yet to produce the chairman to be supported by delegates from the

From left—Chief Executive Officer, Gemstone Group, Fela Durotoye; Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Fidelity Bank Plc, Nnamdi Okonkwo; President, Africa’s Young Entrepreneurs, AYE, Summy Smart Francis; AYE Chief Executive Matron, Mrs. Folorunso Alakija; and Vice President, AYE, Miss Ibada Ahmed, at the Networking With Giants Conference, NWG, themed: "Solution to Poverty in Africa" sponsored by Fidelity Bank in Lagos.

NNPC assures of stable supply, as fuel queues return

By Michael Eboh

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AGOS—THE Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, appears to have carried out its threat of embarking on strike, as fuel queues returned yesterday, in major petrol stations in Abuja, Nasarawa state and environs.

Most petrol stations across the Federal Capital Territory were shut down, while long queues were witnessed in the few that sold the product, forcing motorists to spend long

hours trying to get the commodity.

Specifically, as at 10am, the NNPC Mega Station at Kado, in Abuja, was shut down, while officials of the station said they didn't have products to dispense, while at another NNPC mega station in the Central Business District, long queues were witnessed.

However, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, allayed fears over scarcity of the product, stating that it had enough stock of fuel to ensure seamless supply

and distribution of products across the country.

Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of the NNPC, Ndu Ughamadu, in an interview with Vanguard, blamed the queues on the threat by IPMAN, following their disagreement with depot owners and managers, while he clarified that the NNPC had enough quantity of the product to meet the demands of the country.

He also attributed the queues to panic buying,

while he added that the NNPC would continue to make efforts toward ensuring unhindered supply of petroleum products across the country.

Ughamadu enjoined motorists and other users of petroleum products to disregard trending rumour of an impending fuel price hike, stating that it has the full commitment of all downstream stakeholders including petroleum marketers and industry unions to cooperate in achieving zero fuel scarcity this season and beyond.

METUH’S TRIAL: EFCC asks court to vacate witness summon against Jonathan I want Jonathan to testify, Metuh insists

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

A

BUJA—The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, yesterday asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to vacate the subpoena it issued to compel former President Goodluck Jonathan to appear as a witness in the ongoing trial of erstwhile National Publicity Secretary of the People Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh.

According to the antigraft agency, Metuh’s insistence on calling exPresident Jonathan to mount the witness box to give evidence in the corruption case against him has turned “a stumbling block” in the trial.

EFCC noted that three attempts by the court bailiff to effect personal service of the witness summon on Jonathan at his Abuja residence proved abortive.

It accused the former PDP spokesman of deliberately using his request to have Jonathan in the witness box “as an instrument to tie down the hand of the court”.

Consequently, the prosecuting agency, through its lawyer, Mr. Sylvanus Tahir, urged the court to invoke the provision of section 250(2) (b) of the Administration of Justice Act, ACJA, 2015, and dispose off the matter by considering evidence already laid in the trial, as sufficient for the 1st defendant (Metuh) who has so far called eight witness in defence of the charge against him.

EFCC is prosecuting Metuh and and his firm, Destra Investment Limited, on a seven-count charge.

It alleged that Metuh had before the 2015 presidential election, received N400million from the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA, without executing any contract.

It said the fund was electronically wired from an account that ONSA operated with the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to Metuh, via account no.

0040437573, which his firm operated with Diamond Bank Plc. EFCC maintained that the fund which was released to Metuh and his firm by detained former NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki, retd, was part of about $2.1billion earmarked for the purchase of arms to fight insurgency in the North

East.

More so, the prosecution which had earlier closed its case after it called eight witnesses that testfied before the court, also alleged that Metuh was involved in an illicit transaction that involved the exchange of $2million.

However, Metuh insisted that the money he got was on the order of exPresident Goodluck Jonathan.

The PDP chieftain, through witnesses he produced before trial Justice Okon Abang, admitted that fund was duly allocated to his office for media campaigns.

To substantiate his claim, Metuh persuaded the court to issue two separate subpoena ad testificanum to compel both Jonathan and Dasuki to testify in his defence, describing the duo as very crucial and vital witnesses in the matter.

Whereas the Department of State Service, DSS, on November 3, brought Dasuki before the court to testify as a witness in the trial, ex-President Jonathan had yet to appear before the court owing to inability of the bailiff to serve a copy of the subpoena on him.

At the resumed sitting on Monday, the court bailiff deposed an affidavit of nonservice, disclosing that on November 30 when he went to Jonathan’s house, he was told by a security man that pleaded anonymity, that the former President was out of the country and would return on December 11.

Reacting to the development, Metuh’s lawyer, Mr. Emeka Etiaba, SAN, alleged that the court bailiff had refused to disclose to the defence team the outcome of his effort to serve the witness summon on ex-President Jonathan.

“My lord we are just hearing that the service was not effected for the first time. Going by the tenor of this affifavit of non-service, it would seem to me that the bailiff will be able to serve the subpoena on December 11.

“When we needed to serve our last witness, Dasuki, the attempt by the bailiff was not seamless or smooth. At that time, there were insinuations that we did not indeed want Dasuki to come and testify in this court but eventually he was served and had since appeared and testified and we are very happy with his evidence.

10 — VANGUARD, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017 :Vanguard News

N30M BRIBE: Court admits INEC official's statements as exhibits direct and unequivocal as

By Onozure Dania

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AGOS—A Federal High Court, sitting in Lagos, yesterday admitted the three statements made by an official of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, Christian Nwosu, to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC, while undergoing interrogation for allegedly receiving N30 million bribe as exhibits.

The admittance of the statements followed by dismissal of the claims by Nwosu that the three statements he made to the commission on December 28, 2016 and on March 15 and 22, 2017 were involuntarily made.

In a ruling on the contentious issue, Justice Mohammed Idris noted that nothing had been shown to the court indicating that the statements sought to be tendered by the prosecution was an admittance of guilt by the defendant.

The judge held: “The requisite intent and ‘mens rea’ has not been proved by the defendant’s counsel. It has not been shown that the statements were positive,

to the commission of the offences for which the defendant is standing trial.

I cannot in the circumstances hold that these statements are indeed confessional.

The defendant also corroborated the claims of the prosecution that he was cautioned before the statements were written. Though, the defendant alleged that the statements were dictated to him amidst coercion, the said allegation was however debunked by the prosecution witnesses.

However, the defendant failed to prove his own side of the story with any corroborative evidence.

“It has also been argued that the statements were taken contrary to the provisions of Section 17 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015. The word ‘may’ as used in the section appears permissive and not mandatory. I therefore hold the view that noncompliance with Section 17 of the ACJA does not render the statements involuntarily.

In the circumstances, I hold that the statements are admissible in evidence”.

However Justice Idris adjourned further hearing in the trial to January 11, 2018.

2019 POLLS: Lagos east senatorial district supports Ambode’s second term

By Olasunkanmi Akoni

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AGOS—AHEAD the 2019 general election, the All Progressives Congress, APC, leaders, chieftains and members in the Lagos East Senatorial Districts, have expressed their support for the candidacy of the incumbent Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode’s in the 2019 gubernatorial election under the platform of the party.

The leaders, led by Senator Gbenga Ashafa, representing Lagos East Senatorial District at the National Assembly, and Otunba Bushura Alebiosu, the Lagos East Senatorial Leader, made the remarks, yesterday, at a stakeholders’ meeting and the General Assembly of APC in Lagos East, held at Ikorodu Town hall, Ikorodu Lagos.

Some of the APC leaders and chieftains at the meeting include, Senator Olorunibe Mamora, Omoba Sosanya, Chief Abiodun Ogunleye, Former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Sen. Anthony Adefuye, Rt Hon. Joko Pelumi, Mrs. Fausat Gbadebo, Lagos East Women Leader.

Others in attendance include Hon. Jimi Benson (House of Rep member, Ikorodu Constituency), Princess Aderemi Adebowale, Hon. Adeyemi Ikuforiji, Hon. Olusegun Oluade, member, Lagos House of Assembly, Pa Olorunfemi Bashorun, Chief Lanre Rasaq, Alhaji M. Gafar, among others.Ashafa hails Ambode exemplary performance Addressing the crowd, Ashafa, who said the present developmental projects, should be allowed to go on in the state, described, Governor Ambode as the most effective Governor in Nigeria.

“It is important to single out Governor Ambode, the foremost ambassador of Lagos East and by all means the most innovative, effective and dynamic Governor in Nigeria today.

The hard work, creativity, innovation and infrastructure development that your administration has brought to bear on Lagos State in General and Lagos East in particular is not only audible to the deaf, it is equally visible to the blind,” Ashafa stated.

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FG'll sustain Made-in-Nigeria patronage campaign — MINISTER L

AGOS—THE Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said the Federal Government will intensify and sustain the campaign for the patronage of Made-inNigeria products in its drive to diversify the economy, create employment and generate wealth.

The Minister stated this in Lagos yesterday at the launch of the South West Campaign for the patronage of Made-inNigeria products by the Ministries of Information and Culture as well as Industry, Trade and Investment.

“One issue that is very important to our Administration is the diversification of the economy away from oil.

Boosting industrial development, especially through the local production of goods and services, which is a major fulcrum of this policy.

Patronising Made-inNigeria goods and services is also key to the success of the policy.

This is why we are passionate about this Made-in-Nigeria Campaign,” he said.

Alhaji Mohammed restated the Administration’s commitment to institutionalizing the patronage of locally-made products by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) through the review of the Bureau of Public Procurement Act to make it mandatory for the MDAs to patronize local products.

He said the campaign followed the Executive Order signed by the then Acting President, Prof.

Yemi Osinbajo, to encourage the patronage of locally-made products as a deliberate policy to conserve foreign exchange as well as to boost business for Nigerian companies so they could employ more people and earn revenue.

He appealed to private media establishments to join hands with the government to create awareness among the citizenry on the patronage of locallymade products.

He said he had personally undertaken a number of advocacy visits to encourage local manufacturers and also help to showcase their products, citing the visit to Innoson Motors in Nnewi, Anambra State, in June this year and his commissioning of a local manufacturing plant for Set-Top-Boxes in Calabar in October 2017.

WEDDING: From left: Aspirant, Lagos State APC House of Representatives, Hon. Matin Iwonlawe with the newly-weds, Nabila Fasanya and Oritsefemi Majemite at the couple's reception in Lagos.

Alhaji Mohammed expressed the hope that manufacturers would key into the campaign and exchange views with other stakeholders, such as the Standard Organisation of Nigeria, to improve their products and enhance their packaging so they can compete with other products while also taking advantage of ICT to market their products.

In her remarks,

Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Hajia Aisha Abubakar, said the vision of the present administration is to import that which was absolutely necessary for production purposes and export only finished, value-added products.

She said to ensure effective implementation of the vision, a committee had been constituted to handle

Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting on the level of compliance by MDAs with the Executive Order 003 on the Ease of Doing Business and support for local content in PublicPrivate Partnership by the Federal Government.

Foremost Juju music maestro and an Ambassador of the ‘Change Begins With Me’ Campaign, Sunny Ade, entertained the people.

GAS EXPLOSION: Delta Communities appeal to FG for rescue repairs of the leaked gas

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EADERS of communities affected by gas explosion in Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta have appealed to the Federal Government to rescue them from the effect of persistent gas explosions.

Mr Edwin Odudu, who spoke on behalf of the Ikpokpo, Okpele-Ama, Otogbene, Atanba and O p u e d e b u b o r Communities, made the plea on Monday in Warri.

Odudu said a fresh gas explosion occurred on the Escravos to Warri Gas pipeline owned by the Nigerian Gas Processing and Transportation Company Limited, formerly Nigerian Gas Company at Ikpokpo Community.

According to him, the leakage was noticed in the early hours of Saturday.

“There was massive emission of gas into the environment throughout the weekend before the line was shut down by the Company.

“It would be recalled that there was an earlier explosion of the same gas

pipeline on August 25, within the same environment.

“However, after meeting with National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) officials and community representatives, the company carried out the

pipeline.

“This was done without carrying out a Joint Investigation Visit to ascertain the cause of the explosion.

“Even when a JIV test was later carried out, officials of the company refused to sign the relevant JIV forms,” he said.

1,000 youths for skills acquisition training in Lagos

By Esther Onyegbula

L

AGOS—NO fewer than 1000 youths will be trained on different skills during the Gidi jobs summit and young executive job fair taking place in Lagos.

The training holds on December 7, 2017.

The Managing Director Poise Graduate Finishing Academy Mr Asher Adeniyi, told journalists that the jobs summit was part of activities aimed at equipping graduates in Nigeria with the necessary skills that would enable them secure their dream job.

He explained that the

summit with the theme: “Preparing for future work”, would “feature: career planning sessions, job interview session, networking, career coaching sessions, job fair.

We understand the unemployment challenge facing young graduates in the country, which is why we want to bring together a lot of people and train them on the required skills that will make them employable. We will be teaching the participants work ethics, problem solving skills, creative thinking, how to add values to their organisations, how to package themselves, customer service and sales strategies,” he said

VANGUARD, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017 — 11 :Vanguard News

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S’WEST PDP CRISIS: Kashamu’s faction loses at Appeal Court It’s victory over forces of darkness — Olafeso

By Rotimi Ojomoyela

By Dapo Akinrefon

T

A

DO EKITI—THE Court of Appeal sitting in Ado-Ekiti, yesterday, granted an interim order staying the execution of all orders granted by Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court, Ado Ekiti, restraining the Dr. Eddy Olafeso-led Southwest Zonal Exco of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, from functioning.

The order of the appellate court settled the dispute over which Exco body should represent the Southwest at December 9 National Convention of the PDP. The Appeal Court, which also stopped all proceedings at the Federal High Court, Ado-Ekiti pending the determination of the appeal, frowned at a letter dated November 30, 2017, addressed to the Presiding Justice of the Appeal Court, AdoEkiti Division, by Chief Makanjuola Ogundipe, seeking a postponement of the hearing of the motion for a stay of execution brought by the Olafeso group, declaring that it was an attempt to intimidate the court by the first respondent (Ogundipe).”

In granting the application for stay of execution of the Justice Taiwo Taiwo orders, the appeal court, presided by Justice Ahmad Belgore took cognizance of the pending application to commit Olafeso and others to prison for contempt scheduled to be heard today (Tuesday) at the

Physically-challenged group seek Gani Adams’ intervention to get own ministry

EID-EL-MAULUD: From left; Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi; Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi; and Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Lekan Balogun, during the Mawlid An Nabiyy (celebration of Prophet Muhammad's birthday), at the Government House Arcade, Agodi, Ibadan..

Federal High Court, Ado Ekiti.

He said: “All the orders and rulings of the lower court delivered on October 17, October 23, November 8 and November 27, 2017 respectively have been stayed in the interim, meaning that those orders and rulings are of no value as from now

and cannot be used anywhere having been rendered null and void, and that all the proceedings at the Federal High Court have stayed pending the determination of the interlocutory appeal that is before the Appeal Court.”

Further hearing on the appeal was adjourned till January 15, 2018.

It’s victory over forces of darkness — Olafeso Reacting to the development, Olafeso said: “The proceeding at the Court of Appeal, Ado Ekiti should be a clear message to those who have used the crooked judicial process to hold our party down that their game has come to an inglorious end.”

HE association of the Physically Challenged in the Southwest has requested for a separate ministry to take care of the people in the category.

Members of the group made the plea in Lagos yesterday during a solidarity visit to the Aare Ona Kakanfo designate, Dr. Gani Adams, whose intervention they craved with southwest governments, to make the provision possible.

Speaking through their spokesman, Prince Paul Adelabu who said there are over 25 million physically challenged persons in the country, said a separate ministry for them would enhance their welfare and allow government carter for them.

Appealing to the Aare

50 students bag first class in Adekunle Ajasin varsity in Ondo

By Dayo Johnson

of FAYOSE’S XMAS CLOTHES: Muslim AKURE—FIFTY the 9,812 students of youths kick, say gesture one-sided graduating the Ondo state-owned

The gov has been fair to all religions — AIDE

By Dapo Akinrefon & Rotimi Ojomoyela

A

DO-EKITI—THE National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations (NACOMYO) has described Governor Ayo Fayose’s Christmas clothes gifts for 10,000 children in

Ekiti State as an attempt to elevate one religion over another.

NACOMYO described the gesture as “unacceptable and a breach of Section 10 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended)”, insisting that the section provides that “the Government of the Federation or of a state shall not adopt any religion as state religion.”

In a statement by its State Coordinator, Alhaji Tajudeen Olutope Ahmed, NACOMYO said in as much as the group was not aversed to any form of child welfare or development, it was worried that “our commonwealth as a state is being used to promote a particular religion and to placate the subscribers of the religion.”

The statement reads in part: “It is on the basis of the above that we hereby call on Governor Fayose to suspend his planned celebration of Christians and Christianity during the forthcoming Yuletide period.

“In the alternative, if the governor is determined to go ahead with his planned provision of Christmas dresses, he should disclose

the budget for the dresses to the public and be ready to expend the same amount during the forthcoming Muslim festival. This is the justice of the matter.”

The gov has been fair — CPS

In his reaction, the governor ’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Idowu Adelusi said Fayose has been fair to all religions in the state.

Adelusi said: “the governor has been fair to all religions in the state; he has never for once discriminated against any religion.”

“During Muslim festivals, the governor distributes ram and even goes to the mosque to felicitate with them. Have you heard the Christians complained about it once?

I don’t see why the Muslims should complain and in any case, if there should be a screening of the children given clothes, not all of them will be Christians. Some of them will be Muslims, while some will be Christians because it is free. So, those raising dust over this gesture have no point at all”, he said.

Ona Kakanfo designate to make case for the physically challenged in the Southwest, the spokesperson said Adams is better positioned more than ever before to cater for the physically challenged.

In his remarks, the Aare Ona Kakanfo designate promised to do his best to ensure an improved life for the physically challenged.

He stated that it is important for the government to take good care of its physically challenged, adding that if a country is in turmoil, it is as a result of what the government should do that it is not doing.

According to him, the physically challenged should be pampered, adding that it is right time government consider a separate ministry for them because it is important they live comfortable lives.

Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba, Akoko bagged first class division within two academic sessions.

Of this number, 7,786 belonged to the 2014/ 2015 session while 2,026 are of the 2015/2016 session.

Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Igbekele Ajibefun said this while briefing newsmen ahead of the institution’s 7th convocation ceremony.

Ajibefun said that of the 7,624 that bagged First Degree in the 2014/2015 session, 29 graduated with First Class Honours, 1,316 bagged Second Class Upper Division, 5,183 earned Second Class Lower Division while 1,027 had Third Class Honours while 69 got Pass Degree.

“Of the 2,026 that graduated in the 2015/ 2016 session, 21 earned First Class, 609 graduated in Second Class Upper Division, 1,151 bagged Second Class Lower Division, 239 got Third Class while six had Pass Degree.

Ekiti 2018: ERO appoints activist as media spokesperson

E

KITI Rebirth Organisation, (ERO) has named a journalist and human civil rights activist, Mr. Gboyega Adeoye as the group’s spokesperson.

ERO is the sociocultural movement campaigning to see the Special Adviser on Political Matters to the President, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, emerge as the next governor of Ekiti State.

In a statement, the Director General of ERO,

Mr. Aderanti Adebisi said the choice of Mr. Adeoye was informed by the need to energize the group in preparation for the 2018 electoral challenges ahead.

He said Mr. Gboyega Nelson Adeoye has officially joined the Secretariat as the Publicity Coordinator ERO 2018.

He will from now, among other duties, sign ERO official press releases and media materials.

12—Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017 :Vanguard News

Patience Jonathan re-files application to vacate no debit order

By Onozure Dania

L

AGOS—WIFE of former Nigeria President, Patience Jonathan, has re-filed an application seeking to vacate a no debit order placed on her account which has the sum of $15.5 million at Skye Bank Plc by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. Justice Mohammed Idris of a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos had on May 8, 2017, ordered the re-filing of the suit through writ rather than originating summons.

At the resumed hearing of the case yesterday, Justice Idris granted an application by the former first lady seeking an extension of time within which to reply to the EFCC’s statement of defence.

However the judge fixed January 19, 2018, for the commencement of trial.

While ordering the refiling of the suit, Justice Idris held that it would not be proper for the plaintiff to commence the suit by way of originating summons since issues surrounding the ownership of the money were largely contentious among parties.

The judge also noted

that oral evidences would be needed to resolve the issue in contention and ordered parties to file their pleas in line with the Federal High Court rules 2009 for trial to commence in the matter.

EFCC had argued that the matter was not properly commenced by originating summons on the premise that the facts were in total dispute and as such ought to come by writ.

“The plaintiff in her response stated that the affidavit evidence showed largely that there were no disputed facts of substance among the parties and that if the court is not sure of this, it should order pleadings so that a full trial can be embarked upon.

“It is now settled law that originating process is the ideal process to commence a suit where there is no dispute. The issue in contest is on the ownership of the fund in the account of the fourth, fifth and sixth defendants.

“In respect of this issue, the contention appears divided and facts are in substantial dispute. In the light of the above, it cannot be rightly contended that there are no disputed facts and substance as to the ownership of the said fund," the judge said.

APC's call for cancellation of A-Ibom LG poll baseless —PDP

By Emmanuel

Ayungbe

U

YO—THE Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,Akwa Ibom state, yesterday, described as baseless calls by the leadership of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state for the cancellation of last Saturday's local government election in which the PDP won all the elective positions.

The State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Ini Ememobong, who chided the leadership of APC, for not preparing adequately for the election, said the APC had no justifiable reasons to reject the election which was adjudged the fairest and most peaceful by local and international observers.

He claimed that the leaders of APC spent the useful time they should have used for campaign to seek court injunctions to restrain the Akwa Ibom state Independent Electoral Commission from conducting the election while PDP was on door to door campaign.

Ememobong said, “the

APC should not be calling for the cancelation of the same local government election that they didn’t prepare for just because their candidates lost out in the election. While the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) started its Local Government election campaign one month before the election. APC leaders were in court filling court process to restrain AKISIEC from conducting the election.

“APC have no reason to complain about the outcome of the election result because the the leadership of the party didn’t prepare or showed any commitment towards the election.

“You know that the PDP is the ruling party in the state with tremendous support from the electorate. We still campaigned for votes, we undertook door to door campaigns in the 31 local government areas of the state while the APC was waiting for a court ruling."

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S-South sustained PDP through crisis —Wike

By Jimitota Onoyume

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O V E R N O R Nyesom Ezenwo Wike of Rivers State, yesterday, declared that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, existed today because of the investment and commitment of SouthSouth members and leaders of the party.

This came as former President Goodluck Jonathan expressed optimism that the PDP would come out stronger from its national convention where national leaders of the party would be elected.

Governor Wike urged the PDP from other zones to extend their gratitude to leaders and members of the PDP from the SouthSouth for their commitment to the survival of the PDP. The governor, who spoke at the PDP Zonal Congress in Port Harcourt, said: “If PDP leaders and members from the South-South were not committed, there wouldn’t have been PDP today. It is important that PDP members from other zones of the country congratulate South-South PDP members for their steadfastness when PDP was in crisis.“ He urged PDP members from the South-South to remain resolute in their support for the growth of the party.

He said: “We are going as a family and we will continue to work as a family. We will not allow any external force to divide the South-South. We will continue to be together “.

Speaking, Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson said: “We are in very trying times. We are in opposition, facing a very fierce and ruthless government at the Federal level. This is a time the governors need your support.“ Similarly, Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio said for the stability of PDP, it was necessary for the next Chairman to come from the South-South .

“It is important we stabilise the PDP. That is why we need a Chairman of PDP from the SouthSouth,“ he said.

Also, former External Affairs Minister, Chief Tom Ikimi, said the PDP could not afford to allow the South-West produce the chairman because it was prone to crisis.

National Vice Chairman of PDP, South-South, Elder Emmanuel Ogidi, said the South-South would work with other zones to

strengthen the party.

The congress attracted PDP leaders from all the six states of the zone.

Meanwhile, former President Goodluck Jonathan who spoke in Government House, Port Harcourt, assured that with elected executives in place

they would be better positioned to drive the party effectively with all the backings of the constitution.

“You know we have a Caretaker Committee.

When you have a Caretaker Committee, you are not as strong as a fully

elected chairman. The party passed through some challenges. Luckily for us, we have passed through that phase with the pronouncement of the Supreme Court. God willing, we will go through the National Convention and the party will become solid," he said.

RECEPTION: From Right Dame Edith Okowa, wife of Delta State governor (right), welcoming Her Royal Majesty Queen Ihuoma Opuruiche Ararile, Oniemo of Umiaghwa, Abraka Kingdom, when she hosted Delta State trdtitional rulers wives at Unity Hall, Government House, Asaba, yesterday. Photo: Nath Onojake.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017—13 :Vanguard News

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Nigerians'll resist further increment in electricity tariff, GPN warns FG

By Simon Ebegbulem

B

ENIN—THE Green Party of Nigeria, GPN, yesterday advised the Federal Government to halt any plan to further increase electricity tariff, warning that Nigerians might be pushed to the wall and revolt against the government as a result of the prevailing hardship in the country.

The Chairman of the party in Edo State, Mr Roy Oribhabor, who gave the warning in Benin City, said

the proposed increment if implemented, would further worsen the hardship in the country.

According to him, any further increment would not only lead to increase in the prices of goods and food stuff, but would also lead to the closure of factories due to high cost of production.

He said: “As a political party, we are seriously worried about the determination of the Federal Government to increase electricity tariff when we are not even

enjoying electricity. We are worried because government is no longer sensitive to the situation in the country. It is like the government is closing its eyes to the hardship being faced by the people. Why will a government be so interested in frustrating and impoverishing the people?

This policy is anti-people and a practical demonstration of government's insensitivity to the plight the people. As a party, we must ask at this junction, whose interest is the Federal Government

representing? Why is the Federal Government crying more than the bereaved?

“We expect this government to carefully examine the sales policy of the last administration, that heartlessly sold our common patrimony to its cronies in the name of privatization. It is on record that since the sale of PHCN, there has been no meaningful and tangible improvement in the availability of electricity in the country."

Crisis looms in Delta IPMAN over postponement of election

By Festus Ahon

A

SABA—CRISIS is looming in Delta State chapter of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, over the postponement of the election into its executive committee.

It will be recalled that the body ’s election scheduled for December 1, in Asaba, the state capital, was postponed after some delegates had arrived venue of the election.

Concerned members of IPMAN, Delta State, are protesting the postponement, calling for the sealing off of the secretariat until the election is conducted.

The aggrieved

members, in a letter addressed to the State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, frowned at the unwillingness of the present leaders to relinquish power.

In a letter by Adesina Adeshola and Yusuf Adams, the aggrieved members also said collection of money by IPMAN executive should be stopped forthwith.

While saying a new date should be fixed without further delay, they said: “All IPMAN products allocation must be based on programming.”

Effort made to reach the incumbent Chairman, Mr Benjamin Emoefe, for comments on the matter proved abortive at press time as he did not pick calls put across to him by the Vanguard.

Imoke awards scholarship to indigent C-River students

By Emma Una

C

BRIEFING: From left: Comrade Bala Mohammed, National Auditor of National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG; Comrade Asuquo Okon, Deputy President, NUPENG and Comrade Igwe Achese, President, during a media briefing, following the union's National Executive Council Meeting, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Photo: Nwankpa Chijioke.

Okowa blasts critics, vows to lessen LGs' salary burden

By Festus Ahon & Ochuko Akuopha

O

LEH—IN an apparent jab at the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Delta State, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has described those accusing his administration of nonperformance as blind, saying, “They have eyes but cannot see.”

Okowa maintained that the National Competitiveness Council of Nigeria, NCCN, using all parameters, had recently adjudged Delta State as second to Lagos State in terms of human and infrastructural development.

The governor spoke at Oleh and Ozoro, Isoko

C M Y K

South and North Local Government Areas, during the flag-off of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, campaign for the January 6 local government election in the areas.

The party’s flags were presented to the chairmanship candidates, Sir Itiako Ikpokpo, Isoko South and Mr. Emmanuel Egbabor, Isoko North Local Government Areas and their councillors.

Lamenting the plight of local government council workers in the state, Okowa promised that with the rising revenue profile, his administration would assist local government councils in the state to lessen their salary burden.

He said: “We feel the pains of our brothers and sisters in the local government councils. We are happy that peace has returned to our state, this will lead to increase in revenue and with such, we will assist the councils to reduce their salary burdens.”

While expressing delight that “our youths have agreed that they will no longer burst pipelines,” Okowa noted that 2018 will be a good year for the people of the state.

“We presented our budget a long time ago,” the governor said, reiterating that the state House of Assembly was the first in the country to pass the 2018 budget.

Expressing optimism that the PDP would win the council polls with a wide margin, he urged “leaders and party faithful to go to their different wards and galvanise votes because, nobody will write result anywhere and the number of votes from your area will show how popular you are.”

Okowa told all political office appointees to cultivate the habit of always going to their communities and wards on regular basis to enable the people feel the impact of their positions, saying the mammoth crowd at the rallies was a clear indication that the PDP was strong in the Isoko nation.

ALABAR— THE immediate past governor of Cross River State, Senator Liyel Imoke , has said giving back to the society where one has benefitted from should be voluntary, purposeful and not forced on individuals.

Imoke spoke in Calabar during a hand over of cheques to secondary school students who benefitted from the scholarship scheme of the Bridge Leadership Foundation in its 2017/ 2018 scholarship

scheme.

He said he derived fulfillment and joy from reaching out and building young people to become future leaders so that the future of the country would not be jeopardized by bad leadership, the bane of most African societies.

He said : “Of all the activities of the Bridge Leadership Foundation this one thrills me the most because it accrords me the opportunity to reach out to young ones who are the future leaders of this country so that it will not fall into the hands of bad leaders.”

United Frontiers urged to be good ambassadors of PDP

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HE convener of the Bridge Builders, a political pressure group in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State, Mr. Peter Idion, has urged members of the PDP United Frontiers in the area to be good ambassadors of the party.

Idion, who was speaking on behalf of the Chairman of the Bridge Builders, Mr. Chuks Emuebie and members of the group, while playing host to the executive members of PDP United Frontiers who paid him a courtesy visit, said the advice

became imperative as it would go a long way in making the PDP a virile, united, progressive and peaceful party.

Idion who is, also, a Special Assistant to the Governor on Community Relations, urged the executive committee of the PDP United Frontiers to carry all their members along in the scheme to promote oneness among them.

Speaking further, he enjoined them not to regard their loss at the just concluded PDP local government primaries as a setback but as a springboard for future political aspirations and endeavours.

14 — VANGUARD, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017 :Vanguard News

2019: Arewa youths tackle Unongo over presidential candidate al and never for the NorthBy Dapo Akinrefon

T

HE Arewa Youths Consultative Forum, AYCF, has faulted Chairman of Northern Elders Forum, NEF, Chief Paul Unongo over his endorsement of President Muhammadu Buhari as sole candidate for the 2019 presidency, saying Unongo lacks the requisite authority to speak for the North.

In a statement, National President of the forum, Alhaji Shettima Yerima, said the north was yet to endorse any candidate for the region to contest the 2019 presidential election.

While absolving the north from the comments by Paul Unongo over its endorsement of President Buhari as sole candidate for the 2019 presidency, Yerima said: “As far as we are concerned, Paul Unongo was speaking for himself as usu-

ern Elders Forum, much less for the whole North.”

The AYCF leader said Unongo lacked the requisite authority to speak for the North on any matter in view of his antecedents, saying “It is quite unthinkable that a person with such little grasp of diplomacy should think himself as a worthy successor to the respectable chairmanship of the NEF vacated by the late Danmasanin Kano. We all know that Danmasani was the convener of the NEF and a noble leader that never steered the group in the path of partisanship.

The leadership of the NEF in the time of the Danmasani has never been so biased and considered every northerner as its own and treated them equally.”

He said as far as the North was concerned, the presidency remained in the region till 2023 adding that it was up to it to present one of its own to fill the slot.

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Senate gives Total Nigeria one week to supply details of $16bn project

By Henry Umoru

A

BUJA—THE Sen ate yesterday gave Total Upstream Nigeria Limited, TUNL one week to appear before it and supply detailed information with reference to Nigerian Content of its investment in a $16 billion deep sea offshore Egina oil Project of which it is currently the major contractor.

According to the Senate, the TUNL should furnish it with the status of the project, evidences of taxes paid, personnel employed and expatriate quota, qualifications and salaries of local and foreign staff and records of usage

Expresses worry over Total Egina’s $16bn project of locally fabricated items as pipes, plastics etc on the project.

The Senate particularly requested TUNL to supply more information on the project in relation to the implementation of Nigerian Local Content Act as well as evidence of over $1 billion taxes allegedly paid as part of an omnibus $4 billion “other expenses” by TUNL. Meanwhile, the Senate Committee on Local Content, has expressed fear over the likelihood of Nigeria not reaping any real benefit from its investment in a $16Billion deep sea offshore Egina oil Project

being majorly undertaken

by Total Upstream Nigeria Limited, TUNL, and other sub contractors.

Speaking during the Committee’s interactive session with the Managing Director of TUNL, Mr. Nicolas Terraz, and his team, Chairman, Senate Committee on Local Content, Senator Solomon Adeola, said Nigeria might not derive any benefit from the project expected to produce 200,000 barrels per day for the next 25 years including capacity building.

According to him, even the huge sum that had so far been expended had not

Reps task NAFDAC boss on standards, drug abuse among youths The lawmaker also beBy Levinus Nwabughiogu

A

BUJA—HOUSE of Representatives Committee on Healthcare Services, has asked the newly appointed Director General, DG, of the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof.

Mojisola Adeyeye, to maintain the standards raised by her predecessors.

The lawmakers said taking the agency back to the good old days especially during the time of late Professor Dora Akunyili would help it realize the set objectives.

Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Chike Okafor, gave Adeyeye the advice yesterday when she paid a courtesy call on the House Committee at the National Assembly.

moaned the spate of drug abuse among the youths, stating that substandard drugs had become common across the country.

Okafor, while calling for new ideas to tackle the menace, also asked the new DG to adopt measures that would make the agency proactive.

He promised the new DG the support of the House of Representatives in terms of financial appropriations.

Responding, the new DG said that NAFDAC under her watch would be re-energized to rid the country of fake and substandard drugs.

She however solicited the support of the National Assembly to upgrade the agency’s laboratories, staff training and operational preparedness to help reposition the agency.

Political leaders urged to rise above ethnic, religious biases

By Elizabeth Uwandu

N

IGERIAN youths under the umbrella of First Massive Literati, FML have said for the country to rise above its current social, economical and political challenges, there is need for political leaders to rise above ethnic and religious biases.

They harped on the need for people to think unity, promote handwork and C M Y K

shun religious-ethnicity variations. This was the focus of 2nd FML economic summit held at the University of Lagos, that drew at least three representatives of youths from all the states of the federation, including two presidential aspirants, in the forthcoming 2019 elections, Mathias Tsado and Ahmed Buhari.

Other guest speakers were Olufisayo Okunsanya and Fela Durotoye.

ANNIVERSARY DINNER: From left; Global Vice President, Federal Government College, Ogbomoso, Old Students Association (FEGOCOOSA), Akin Omoyemi; Global President, FEGOCOOSA, Mrs Yetunde Jaiyesinmi; 2017 Winner ''Most Distinguished Alumnus Award/1st Head Boy of the School, Mr. Olusegun Adekunle; Chairman, 40th Anniversary Planning Committee, FEGOCOOSA, Mr Deremi Atanda, and Pioneer President, FEGOCOOSA, Mr Akin Ogunranti, during the 40th Anniversary Dinner, Reunion & Awards Night for the Association in Lagos.

impacted on the local economy in contravention of the Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry Development Act, 2010.

Senator Adeola said, “From information at the Committee’s disposal, about $11 billion has been expended on the Egina project after some variation in the original cost of $6 billion leaving a balance of about $4 billion for the project expected to come on stream next year. For the next 25 years, Nigeria may not get any benefit from this huge project at all as by law relating to the depth of the offshore Floating Production Storage and Offloading ( FPSO) even royalty will not be paid to Nigeria within the period.”

In a presentation, Mr. Terraz said while he would not claim that the Egina Project was perfect, it had so far been executed as a pioneer project that would serve as a bench mark in the industry for others coming on stream.

Senators present at the sitting were Senator Abdullahi Gumel (Jigawa North west), Senator Sabi Abdulahi (Niger North), Senator Gershon Bassey(Cross River South), Senator Binta Masi Garba (Adamawa North) Senator Biodun Olujimi (Ekiti South), Senator Mallam Wakili (Bauchi State) and Sen Kabir Marafa (Zamfara Central).

PDP NATIONAL CHAIRMAN: Why rivals are after my records and back- tion, insisting that with a me – Secondus ground for total victory. We solid home base and reBy Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor

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EOPLES Democratic Party, PDP national chairmanship candidate, Prince Uche Secondus, has alleged a gang-up by some of his rivals against him, saying his antecedents make him the best qualified candidate to lead the party into the 2019 elections.

In a statement from his media office signed by Bisi Ezekiel, Secondus lashed out at his critics, describing his candidature as that of courage, experience and determination for repositioning the party for victory in 2019.

Noting his records as a party leader and activist, Secondus dared other aspirants to tell the party what political battles they had won and what political school they passed out from, saying he has passed through tough political baptism.

“We have passed through

political hell in the hands of the opposition. We are not scared of them. We are ready to lead our party to victory. How many of my colleagues aspirants can lay claim to our records and courage in the face of political persecution? In 2019, the race is for the compassionately tough as the ruling party will go after our party. We need a leader of

are not lily livered politicians. We have faced political fire and we have survived. They attack us because they know we are the leading contenders and I challenge them to compare their records with my own”, the statement said.

The statement accused other aspirants of running a campaign of falsehood and character assassina-

gional support,” I have the credential and the antecedents to take our party to Aso Rock. ‘’My accusers are scared of me and party delegates know why they are. They attack me severally because they don’t have my records. I have been the chairman before and I know what it takes to reposition the party.’’

HoS charges civil servants on extra skills

By Grace Udofia

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BUJA—THE Head of Service of the Federation, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita has urged civil servants in the country to embrace new skills that will help them manage the challenges of retirement in Nigeria.

Oyo-Ita spoke yesterday during the maiden edition of a stakeholders meeting organised by the Institute of Retirement Manage-

ment, IRM, in Abuja.

According to her, “it is important to equip and empower pre and post retirees with knowledge and skills needed for a seamless adjustment from pay employment to the uncertainties and sometimes disillusionment associated with retirement.”

The HoS, who was represented at the event by the Permanent Secretary, Folayan Ayodele, said, if the wellbeing of the Ni-

gerian workforce was to be guaranteed after retirement, the government and private sector must work together.

“I assure this institute that the federal government which I represent today stands ready to support you in any way possible, today and in the days ahead to ensure that its desires to provide robust and progressive outcomes for retirement management in Nigeria is achieved,” she added.

VANGUARD, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017 — 15 :Vanguard News

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Court orders arrest of former Enugu Governor, Nnamani

By Onozure Dania

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AGOS—A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has issued a bench warrant against the former governor of Enugu State, Dr Chimaroke Nnamani, over alleged misappropriation of public funds while in office.

Justice Chuka Obiozor made the order, yesterday due to the former governor’s failure to appear before the court to take his plea in a criminal charge filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission , EFCC, over alleged N5.3 billion fraud.

Justice Obiozor had on Thursday; last week ordered that the former governor should appear before him to take his plea, on the alleged fraud.

But at the resumed hearing of the matter yesterday, Nnamani’s lawyer, Abubakar Samsudeen, informed the court of the inability of his client to be in court.

He informed the court that Nnamani was yet to return from his medical

treatment abroad.

Samsudeen however pleaded with the court for an adjournment to enable his client return from outside the country to face trial.

The EFCC’s lawyer, Kelvin Uzozie, urged the court to discountenance Nnamani lawyer ’s applicant, saying that court order is meant to be obeyed.

While ruling on the application, Justice

Obiozor, conceded to the submission of the EFCC lawyer, and issued arrest warrant against Nnamani.

The judge rejected the plea by the defence lawyer for longer adjournment to enable the firm adequate time to contact Nnamani.

Consequently, the case was adjourned till December 14, for further hearing.

Justice Obiozor is the fourth judge to handle the

case, which began in 2007.

The case has been handled by Justices Tijani Abubakar, Charles Archibong (retd.), and Mohammed Yunusa, who was suspended by the National Judicial Council over corruption allegations.

The trial has been stalled since July 5, 2015, when some of the defendants entered into a plea bargain and forfeited their assets before Justice Yunusa.

CONDOLENCE: Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, condoles with Her Excellency, Mrs. Beatrice Ekwueme, widow of late former Vice President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, in Enugu, yesterday.

Ohanaeze insists on restructuring Nigeria Blasts FG for re-instatement of Apo Six killer cop

By Chioma Gabriel

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NUGU—IGBO apex organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo yesterday insisted that Nigeria must be restructured for it to move foward. The group insisted that the status quo in Nigeria can only lead to resentment, disaffection and agitations by various ethnic groups that make up the country.

President-General of the group, Barr Nnia Nwodo stated this while addressing a cross section of Igbos in the United States.

He also condemned the re-instatement of the killer police officer who masterminded the killing of six Igbo traders at Apo village in Abuja some years ago, noting that it was a crime against humanity for the Federal Goverment to encourage such evil reinstatement instead of prosecuting the officers.

“It is a very dangerous precedence that has been set in this country," he noted.

On restructuring, he said: “The restructuring of Nigeria will better the lives C M Y K

of all Nigerians contrary to the view of those who want the status quo to remain.

The meaning of restructuring is not ambigous as the revisionists claim. It implies the tinkering of the fiscal, structural and physical paradigms of Nigeria to give all sections a sense of belonging.”

Meantime, the Lagos state chapter of Ohanaeze

has been taken over by the national headquarters of the organisation after the expiration of the tenure of the former EXCO of the body on the November 27, 2017.

A statement signed by Mr Chuks Ibegbu, National Deputy Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze said, the NEC of the organisation from its headquarters in Enugu would soon storm

Lagos to organise a stakeholders meeting and conduct an all inclusive election of the Lagos State chapter of the body.

The statement warned any body, or persons claiming to have been purportedly elected into a non existent EXCO of the Lagos State chapter of Ohanaeze by the outgone regime to desist from doing so in his, or their own interests.

FG abandoned Ekwueme in London hospital —CD

By Chimaobi Nwaiwu

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N E W I — CAMPAIGN for Democracy, CD, yesterday accused the Federal Government of contributing to the death of the Nigeria’s Second Republic Vice President, late Dr Alex Ekwueme in London Hospital, and warned that it should take responsibility for his death.

CD through its National Publicity Secretary and chairman, South East Zone, Dede Uzor A.. Uzor alleged that the Federal Government of Nigeria flew Late Dr Ekwueme to London when his health condition got stabilized in Nigeria and subsequently

abandoned him to his fate and he allegedly became frustrated and died there.

According to CD, “the Secretary to the Federal Government of Nigeria, SGF, made a press statement that Federal Government would not take the responsibility of the medical bills of late Dr Ekwueme, forgetting that he was a former Vice President of Nigeria.

“By the virtue of Section 180 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigerian, as amended, his medical bills must be taken care of by the Nigerian Government. So, when the former Vice President heard that his bills were not going to footed by the government, he felt disappointed by a

country he labored for and collapsed and died; that was what led to his death.

He died as a result of Federal Government's abandonment.

“So Federal Government of Nigeria should be blamed for his death. He was a man who had been taking care of himself since he left office, very content and not disturbing successive governments in the country for any benefit.

They should have allowed him to take care of himself like he had been doing over the years both in and outside Nigeria. Why must Federal Government get involved this time, only to abandon him where they had taken him and allowed him to die there?”

2018 Imo Budget controversy deepens Clerk not sacked—Assembly

By Chinonso Alozie

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WERRI—THE end has not come for 2018 Imo State Budget controversies following its failed presentation, as Imo Assembly, yesterday, denied suspending the clerk of the House, Mr. Chris Duru.

It will be recalled that the people of the state, were thrown into a shock, as the Imo lawmakers could not show up for budget presentation.

However, the House came out from Thursday sitting, with the story of suspending the clerk of the House, through a motion raised by the majority leader, Mr. Lugard Osuji.

However, the Speaker, Mr Acho Ihim, who seemed to be against such a move, had come out to say that it was not true, but disclosed that a committee was set up to look into the issue of “gross misconduct” by the clerk raised by

Osuji.

The position of the Speaker was made clearer through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Marcel Ekwezuo, who said that the members of the public should not jump into a conclusion until the allegations were substantiated and that the committee has a week to submit it’s report.

Ekwezuo said: "Imo State House of Assembly, has debunked the various mass media reports falsely claiming that Clerk of Imo State House of Assembly, Mr. Chris Duru has been suspended from office.

"A five-man committee led by Honourable Kennedy Ibeh, member representing Obowo State Constituency was set up to investigate activities of the Clerk beginning from 2011 till date to ascertain the veracity or otherwise of the allegation against Mr. Chris Duru.”

LIBYA SLAVE TRADE: Obi calls listened to my speech, you for re-think would see deliberate

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AGOS—THE former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi has described the news coming out of Libya about the enslavement of Nigerians in that country, as not only sad but also troubling.

Speaking to the press at the weekend in Oriental Hotel shortly after addressing the conference, "Networking with the Giants," organised by African Youths Entrepreneurs, Obi called for concerted efforts among Nigerian leaders on the Libyan issue, saying that such tragedy required Nigerians to have a rethink about the trajectory the country was headed to.

In Obi’s words: “If you

comparison of Nigeria with other countries of relative development trajectory in the 80's and how those countries had all overtaken us, because of leadership failures of the past. What we are witnessing in Libya is part of the consequences of that failure. Such occurrences should be utilized by us to advise ourselves as a country that we must wake up and put this country on the right path to avoid implosion in the future.

Speaking further, Obi called on those saddled with the responsibility of leadership to immediately commence real governance by doing those things that other nations did that took them out of the woods.

Nkeiru Olumide Ojo encourages women in new book, Pressure Cooker

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nhappy with the n u m e r o u s challenges women face in the course of pursuing their career and running their families, marketing and communication professional, Nkeiru Olumide-Ojo, has come to the rescue of women in her new book titled, Pressure Cooker: Lessons from a Woman at Work.

The book also talked about how women can be successful in their careers while also maintaining a decent home.

Speaking on why she decided to write the book during the book reading

recently in Lagos, OlumideOjo, an advocate of women issues, said that the book was penned in order to help young women in their careers. She hopes that women would be able to learn lessons from her life experiences and avoid errors that are common among women in the work place and at home with their partners.

“I had two young children and was struggling to be great at everything – at home, career and friendships because they were all important to me," she said.

16—Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017

Host communities tasked on protection of oil facilities

By Lucky Oji

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VISIT: From left— Executive Director, Operations, Pathcare Nigeria, Dr. Tolu Adewole; Special Guest of Honour and wife of the Vice President, Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo; Managing Director, Mrs Pamela Ajayi, and Chairman, Dr. Richard Ajayi, both of Pathcare Nigeria, during Mrs Osinbajo's courtesy visit to Synlabs's National Reference Laboratory in Lagos.

GHELLI—AN opinion leader from Ofuoma oil producing communities, Afiesere oilfield, in OML30, Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State, Chris Eriyamremu, has charged host communities to protect oil facilities in their respective domains.

Eriyamremu, also a Media Consultant, who spoke yesterday in Warri, on the reported oil spill in Uwheru community, noted that Heritage Energy Operational Services Limited invested in OML30 assets to make profits from which funds will be adequately provided for human capital and infrastructural development across the

communities.

He said " to the best of my knowledge, the Heritage/ Clusters Engagement Meeting, being anchored

by Heritage's Government/ Community Relations Departmentactuallyprovidedthe opportunity to host communities to present their demands and challenges to Heritage Energy Operational Services Limited, and hopefully, the company will proffer solutions to the demands of the host communities."

Eriyamremu, further pointed out, " I sincerely commend host communities in OML30, they havebeenverypeacefulandlawabiding, and have continued to provideenablingenvironmentfor Heritage'soperations,thisshould be sustained while Heritage continues to synergize with community leaders and stakeholdersforthedevelopment of the host communities."

LOAN faults outgoing President on NEC decisions

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FELLOWSHIP CONFERMENT: From left— Executive Director/Chief Technology Officer, SystemSpecs, Dr. Emmanuel Eze; President, Nigeria Computer Society, Professor Adesola Aderounmu; Provost, College of Fellows, Professor Adenike Osofisan, and past Provost, Deacon Ojinta Oji-Alaka, during the conferment of Professional Fellowship of Nigeria Computer Science on Dr. Eze and others at the Nigeria Information Technology Merit Awards 2017 in Lagos.

ENAGOA—THE National Chapter of Law Officers Association of Nigeria, LOAN, has said that the outgoing President Mr. Solomon Ibhadon has no constitutional right to change decisions taken by the National Executive Council, NEC, of the Association.

LOAN made the declaration in a communique issued at the end of its delegates conference with the theme “The Role of the Law Officer in the Dispensation of Justice” held at the High Court complex in Yenagoa The communique noted

that it is only NEC that can change any decision earlier taken by the association and challenged the outgoing President to tell the world where NEC met to postpone the just concluded delegate conference.

It advised the outgoing President to desist from activities that would destroy the association, pointing out that “the two tenures he had ruled the association was enough for him and he should encourage other legal officers in the country to have a bite in the leadership of LOAN.”

N88BN COMPENSATION: Civil war

veterans laud Buhari, NASS

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KNIGHTS' VISIT: From left— Deputy Supreme Knight, Knights of St. Mulumba, KSM, Sir Diamond Ovueraye; Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, His Grace Most Reverend Dr. Alfred Adewale Martins; Noble President, Ladies of St. Mulumba, Dame Pat Nwachukwu, and immediate past Supreme Knight, KSM, Sir Anthony Onuh, during KSM's Supreme Council courtesy visit to the Archbishop Chancery.

C M Y K

By Kelechukwu Iruoma

AGOS—THE National leadership of exsoldiers of the Nigeria civil war under the aegis of Carefirst for the Aged Welfare Development Association has applauded President Muhammadu Buhari led administration and members of the National Assembly for their efforts to approve the payment of compensation of N88 billion to the affected ex-soldiers who fought the civil war.

In a communique issued and signed on behalf of the ex-soldiers by its national Chairman, Vet Ubi Ikoi, he described the decision by the federal government as a welcome development,

which when fully implemented will go a long way to uplift and assist the affected ex-soldiers and members of their family.

The ex-soldiers also appealed to the present administration to make the payment through the eleven affected states bank accounts and not to persons with the motive of representing the ex-soldiers, adding that it is only when the payments are made to the rightful registered beneficiaries that the exercise wouldbecomplementary.

The ex-soldiers remarked that paymentsmadethroughtheonly registeredandapprovedmembers of the association would also enable the government to checkmate any negative activities that might lead to fraud in the cause of the payment exercise.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 5 2017

Gov Shetima, da taushi da laushi DEAR Mr. Governor, “People are talking about artificial intelligence, other nations are talking about nano technology or robotics engineering but unfortunately, the topical issue in Nigeria is restructuring. Restructuring my foot! To hell with restructuring.

Let us improve on governance, let us work for the people, invest in education, create jobs for our people, this madness will stop”.

The above were your words not only as Alhaji Kashim Shettima but also governor of Borno state at the book launch of Mr. Bolaji Abdullahi, the spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Abuja a few days ago.

In three sentences you used three uncouth phrases that would make any reasonable mind conclude it was Mallam Shekau making one of his inflammatory and hate speeches for which he has become famous as an outlaw.

A state governor with a tempered mind and modicum of civilisation should not have descended into the gutter over an issue of national importance which eminent personalities and senior citizens have taken a position.

Do you by any stretch of imagination suggest that former Military Head of State, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida; former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; former Commonwealth Secretary General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku; eldestateman Chief Ayo Adebanjo, First Republic Minister, Chief Edwin Clark, your colleague governors including all of the South and many others too numerous to mention are all engaged in a mad talk? That only you and few enemies of an inclusive and affluent Nigeria that restructuring will guarantee are the sane ones?

The manner in which you spoke would have been okay if it was a speech in Boko Haram's camp and not a national platform where serious issues about the future of our country was being discussed.

Again,for those who lack understanding,restructuring means only one thing :to restore Nigeria to a federal status where productivity is the cornerstone of governance as against the anti-development unitary structure that we currently operate and which is at the heart of all the crises bedeviling our country at the moment. You don't have to be a C M Y K

Rhodes Scholar (attendance of Secondary School is sufficient ) to understand that we are not at ease in Nigeria today because our politics has descended into inter ethnic struggles over rents. And we cannot get out of this quagmire unless we construct alternative paradigm that makes every space in Nigeria a centre of productivity.

When we go through a hollow ritual of budget presentation as we just did and economic illiterates hear N8.6 trillion, the tendency may be to clap for your ill-informed comments that "to hell with restructuring, let's talk

Poverty will still be our lot even if we stopped corruption and do not expand our productive base which will not happen for as long as we have those 68 items including mines on the exclusive list being supervised by the Federal Government good governance." It takes tutored minds to realise that the heavy sounding Naira figure is just $23b for 200 million people as against $25b Shagari budgeted for 80m in 1983.

Poverty will still be our lot even if we stopped corruption and do not expand our productive base which will not happen for as long as we have those 68 items including mines on the exclusive list being supervised by the Federal Government .

Those of you taking advantage of the system under the unitary structure and sharing culture that we operate may not know what the majority of our people North and South. are currently going through The World Poverty Clock has just come out with projection that Nigeria will become the World Headquarters of Poverty in less than 90 days. By February 2018, Nigeria will overtake India as the country with the most people in extreme poverty. For context, India has fives times the population of Nigeria. According to World Bank standards, living in extreme poverty is living on less than $1.90 (N680) per day.

People living in extreme poverty

are unable to meet even the barest minimal needs for survival.

But for as long as you take your security votes, Paris Club slush funds, and budget support, the rest of the people can go to that place you want whatever you don't fancy to go to:hell.

You want us to improve on governance and ignore the

architecture of it. That's just fine!But how much of good governance have you been able to provide in Borno in the last six years?In 2016,your state collected N73b from the Federation Account generating only N2b representing only 4% of your revenue and the lowest in the country. It is on record that you stoutly resisted the Good Governance Tour in 2013!

Would you be going about in flowing agbada parading yourself as a governor on the basis of N2b budget in a year?What happens to Borno if oil stops flowing today on the basis of this sharing?

This is the imperative of restructuring.Borno is blessed with:Silica Sand, Natural Salt, Sapphire, Topaz, Mica, Quartz, Gypsum, Uranium, Iron Ore, Alluvial, Magnesite, Feldspar, Granite, Aquamarine, Nepheline, Limestone, Kaolin, Bentonite, Laterite Clay,

—17

Refractory Clay, Trona, Gold, Tin, Kaolinitic Clay, Potash, Fullers Earth, Diatomite.

The current constitution says only the Federal government can touch these materials while some indolent governors are content with going with begging bowls to Abuja.Nigeria needs men and women who can appreciate what we are talking about at the helm of affairs.

While we endure the idiocy that prevents development in Nigeria for this season, defenders of the rotten status quo should speak gently(da taushi,da laushi in Hausa) By the way, you listed my late good friend Oronto Douglas among "reactionaries" in your reckless emissions at the book launch. Do you know Oronto at all?Do your findings about him (or ask an aide rather) and you will know it is too late in this lifetime for you to attain the kind of mind Oronto possessed!

Regards .

Feedback

Re: Time to take back our country: Is now a good time?

I TOTALLY agree with you on the need for the peoples of Nigeria to march towards a greater destiny, far away from the trappings of parochialism and nepotism that has blinded us for more than half a century as a modern state. We all were witnesses to the Arab spring, as the ground caved in beneath the feet of the ruling elite…sinking them into oblivion and prosecution like it did to the imperial Romanovs a hundred years ago. In the Russia of 1917, the people were ready to take back their country from the tsarists. But, are Nigerians ready to unseat the career thieves we call leaders?

Governor El-rufai, the Nigerian crusader of all-things-right and of all-things-as-it-should-it-be, has proven that there is a cankerworm in education in thiscountry following the recent events in his state. He has gone further to take action…to take back his state. But I wonder if it was truly the right thing to do in the light of accusations and seeming facts that the sack of the unqualified teachers was based on ethnic bias and that his government encouraged illiterates to also take the test. In trying to solve and probably heal the education sector in his state, he has brought to the forefront the deep resentments that lie in the minds and hearts of the people of southern Kaduna…talk that cannot be swept under the carpet…talk of disenfranchisement, of ethnic cleansing and of a potential genocide. These are claims that the state government is yet to answer to. There is nothing from the intelligence arm of our security agencies…everyone carries on as if nothing was and will ever go wrong. Such things as these, make one wonder if it is truly time to take back our country in the manner that you project.

With so much disparity in the complexity of the plural nature of the Nigerian society; there seems to be forces that have sworn never

to allow the achievement of a state of wholeness for our country.

These forces are brought to bear by the daily decisions of the ruling elite…with their one-sided political appointments and insensitive executive orders that alienate majority more than the few. One would wonder why the governor of Imo State would put up a statue of Jacob Zuma of South Africa when there is none of such in South Africa of a former Nigerian president… or even a governor. Couldn’t he have done the usual commissioning of

We cannot take back or salvage what we have come to know as the federal republic of Nigeria, unless it is restructured and reframed to a parliamentary system of government with true federalism in place uncompleted/flag-off projects that is common in the state than having to deify Zuma with state resources? With all the promises of the government at the centre, electricity supply keeps dwindling and figures, by their calculations, keep showing that the country is out of the recession and yet our politicians speak about 2019 as if the air they breathe belonged to them; with enduring longevity assured by their stolen wealth. The electoral system allows criminals to contest and the elected do their very best to frustrate every form of transparency. Is this worth taking back? A country where criminals are immortalised and good men disappear into nothingness? I bet that many would disagree.

What I do agree to, is that Nigeria cannot make it beyond the competence and ethical content of its leaders in a warped and dysfunctional structure like you pointed out. It is that structure

that makes it difficult to reclaim whatever is left of Nigeria; a structure that is bent on seeing it implode into shards and melting pieces. We cannot take back a legacy of corruption being passed down from the older to the younger, nor can we stand the putrid electoral body with its adherence to the power of incumbency phenomenon and its ethno-religious affiliations. We cannot take back or salvage what we have come to know as the federal republic of Nigeria, unless it is restructured and reframed to a parliamentary system of government with true federalism in place.

That is the only way to stop the local council worker from blaming Buhari for making things worse without first pointing fingers at the council chairman. That way, the culture of non-elected caretaker committees that sit criminally on allocated funds will be phased out. That is the only way to stop the massive embezzlements coined in different phrases like the security vote that governors receive monthly. It is the only way to prevent anticipated bloodshed in general elections. It is the only way to etch secularist ideals into the minds of religious fanatics and make them see that religion was made for man…and not man for religion.

It is the only way that ethnocentrism in politics would die a natural death…on the altar of parliamentary checks and unionist ideals.

If there is no restructuring, Nigeria will one day become the sick-man of Africa; with millions of her educated people trapped in the throes of religious and ethnic divide; with occasional hopes of messianic figures that will come from political parties that wield different logos of gavels, umbrellas, cockerels, brooms and clenched fists; with Messiahs that will always disappoint.

Dr. Ikenna Ejinkeonye.

18 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017

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HE Petroleum sector is perhaps,the biggest source of worry for the Nigerian economy. Its most sensitive sub - sector is the downstream where the populist product, petrol, is messing up both the economy and the fiscal profile of the Federal Government. Key problems surround the inability of the government to domesticate midstream petroleum sector. Rather, the country relies heavily on imports in spite of four refineries on which it spends huge resources in maintaining.

Last year about N3.4 trillion was spent importing petrol amidst excruciating resource constraints that had bedevilled the nation's infrastructure and other development funding requirement: This year, the figure is expected to rise to N4.0 trillion and above. Hence, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu had noted that this has to stop.

Saving the midstream petroleum sector We are sure that Kachikwu is not enjoying the most respect he may deserve in the comity of oil nations due to the parlous state of affairs in the country's oil industry.

He may have initiated several good policy measures to reposition the nation's oil industry but we be-ieve that the most basic and cred-? evidence of his success whenever he leaves office will be if Nigeria exits importation of refined products under his watch.

This achievement would make a huge impact on the nation's economic health and indeed, the stature of her oil industry. One of the key impacts would be a massive relief to foreign

reserves, a large proportion of which has been going into the importation of this singular product for decades now.

A reactivation of the nation's midstream sector would also boost government's job creation agenda as the refineries, petrochemicals and allied industries come back to life. As Kachikwu himself noted, unless we focus strongly on how to bring longterm sustainability in refining and boosting the local supply of products, we will continue to face serious challenges.

As at today, the petroleum products supply chain is on a fragile balance

A

FEW hours before General Yakubu Gowon, who was away in Kampala, was toppled from power on July 29 ,1975 one of the coup plotters, Col. Ibrahim Taiwo, who later became the Military Governor of Kwara state, approached Brigadier Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma, the General Officer 3rd Division of the Nigerian Army in Jos in his house in the Plateau state capital. ”Sir, we have decided to take over the Government”. “Sir, we don’t want you to do anything but we do not want you to go against us because we are sure that the moment it is announced that you are not with us there will be trouble”.

Gen. Danjuma’s reply was”Make sure there is no bloodshed. Let me make this clear, I will do nothing to stop you, but I will not join you”.

Even as at that time, General Danjuma was a man one could not ignore in the scheme of things. Till today, those in authority either in government, religion or business still can't ignore him.?

Only few Generals in this country command our National attention like Gen. Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma.

When he talks people listen and take him seriously. He has been a participant and a key player on major decisions that have affected this nation. He still commands respect and a lot of people still believe him.

On Saturday December 9, he will celebrate his 80th birthday in Lagos.

I am sure all his faithful will celebrate with him.

After the assassination of Gen. Murtala Mohammed on that Friday February 13, 1976, if Gen. Yakubu Danjuma had wanted to be the Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, he would have been. And that would have changed the course of history.

He was then the Chief of Army Staff.

In a rare interview on February 17, 2008, which he granted, Mr. Akpo C M Y K

At 80 Gen. Danjuma still commands respect Esajere, he said: “Then, Murtala was killed. I think it is public knowledge that Obasanjo fled on the day Murtala Muhammed was killed. He remained in hiding until the coup was aborted and he reached out, first, to M.D Yusuf (Inspector-General of Police) who then called him and he came out of hiding, and joined us in Dodan Barracks. We discussed the funeral of Muhammed and made arrangement as to who would accompany his remains to Kano, so on and so forth.

At the end of the meeting, Obasanjo asked M.D Yusuf and I to stay with him in the chambers (Dodan Barracks). After everybody had left Obasanjo told M.D Yusuf and I that what had happened had destroyed his faith in the loyalty of the Nigerian Army. That he had decided that after the funeral, he would retire, leave the Army and go home. But before that he would name me as the successor to Murtala. I told him that, that amounted to desertion and that he could not run away. He was number 2, number 1 had been killed in battle, he as number 2 would take over.

He said no, no, no; that he didn't think he should stay; that he wanted to go. We argued that. In the end, Yusuf said, "look, let's all sleep over this matter; tomorrow we will decide".

I said, "look, there's no question of

sleeping over it; the point now is we should be looking for who is going to take Obasanjo's seat as number 2 because there is no way we are going

After the assassination of Gen. Murtala Mohammed on that Friday February 13, 1976, if Gen. Yakubu Danjuma had wanted to be the Head of State and Commander-inChief of the Armed Forces, he would have been. And that would have changed the course of history to allow him to chicken out and leave at this time; we must all stay and face the future together." So, we left and I went home. By this time, we had called all the members of the Supreme Military Council to Lagos.

The following day, he (Obasanjo) started to talk in the same vein and I cut in. I said that Obasanjo could not leave; he had to stay and be the Head of State and we should be looking for the number 2 man. I had over night

where subsidy is escalating towards the breaking point, leading to a likelihood of renewed scarcity at any time.

Otherwise, a pump price increase may again become inevitable.

We urge government to become more assertive, clear-headed and transparent in the direction it has resolved to go to put the midstream on sustainable stability.

A situation where government is still saddled with managing importation and selling petrol is, to say the least, undesirable. It is also prone to monumental corruption.

We call for the speeding up and strengthening of government support for private sector-led Green-field refinery projects as well as the structuring and mainstreaming of private sector-driven modular refineries to further increase the supply of petroleum products to end importation.

considered the consequences of what had happened and came to the conclusion that if we were not careful; we would end up with a religious conflict on our hands. Already, that evening - the evening that it became public knowledge that Murtala had been killed - Dimka had made a broadcast in which he said, "good tidings" among other things. He had imposed a curfew - from dawn to dusk (laugh) and said all sorts of things using the expression, "good tiding."

Abubakar Gumi in the North said that the coup that killed Murtala was a Christian coup because of the utterances of the coup leader, who said, "good tidings" because it is an expression of Christians.. Already, there was tension in the North. The governor of Kaduna State, an airforce officer, Usman, had to contain him: that it had nothing to do with Christians, that it was a purely military affair.

I knew that if we were not careful, as time went on, we should be consumed by religious strife in the country. I decided that the new Chief of Staff must come from the North preferably, a Hausa/Fulani man.

From my knowledge, I had two candidates - (Muhammadu) Buhari, who was really my number one candidate for that post and the late Shehu Yar'Adua. Shehu was not in the country; he was abroad as Minister of Transport. You would remember we had inherited a cement armada in the Lagos and Port Harcourt (ports) and his (Shehu's) first assignment was to decongest the Lagos port and get rid of all the vessels that were clogging Nigerian waters, and attracting huge demurrages from our government.. He (Shehu) was abroad attending to that problem when Dimka struck.

So, they were the two candidates.

Buhari, at that time, and even today, is one of the most upright Army officers that the Nigerian Army has

produced - very clean, a very strict officer. Unfortunately for him, he served under me for a short time in Port Harcourt and I observed that he was a very inflexible person. I reasoned that Buhari any day could be a first class Chief of Army Staff.

Why waste him in a political post?

Why shorten his career because if he became Chief of Staff, he would have to leave at the end of the tenure. Why waste him there?

Besides, I observed that he was too rigid, he was too inflexible to hold a political post. If you are in politics, you must be flexible; you must compromise from time to time. In politics, they call it pragmatism. But in the military, if you are pragmatic, it is regarded as a weakness. I said no, not Buhari. Shehu, I didn't know him well except that I knew that, of all the officers of his rank, he was the most politicised. So, sending a politicised Army Officer to a political post, I thought, was a good thing. That was how I named Shehu the next Chief of Staff.

When we came to the Supreme Military Council and Obasanjo started singing the same tune that he had sung to me and M.D Yusuf the previous night, I said no, that was not the issue; he was the most senior person and he had to stay there. He had to stay in office. He made some feeble resistance but I think he had slept over our discussion and concluded that if we insisted, he would stay.

There were a few voices of dissent.

The first came from the Chief of Air Staff, Isa Doko, who said that the problem we were facing was an Army problem and that the Army boys had confidence in me. That we had just crushed an attempted coup, and we should not put somebody there that the Army didn't have confidence in. A few other officers supported him but I overruled them. And so, I imposed Obasanjo on my colleagues in the Supreme Military Council.”

C M Y

Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017

Moody’s raises fresh concern over FG’s credit profile

By Nkiruka Nnorom

M

OODY’s Investors’ Ser vices, a global credit rating agency, has said that Nigeria’s credit profile at B2 Stable is constrained by the country’s continued exposure to shocks, weak institutions and elevated deficits.

The rating agency said in its annual report titled, “Government of Nigeria - B2 stable, Annual credit analysis”, that the country’s credit strengths include the large size of the economy and robust mediumterm growth prospects supported by the domestic demand.

According to the report, the continuing recovery in oil production underpins the country’s more robust mediumterm prospects.

It stated that with a rebalanced economy, a further consolidation of the economic fundamentals will strengthen the recovery, with real growth of 3.3 per cent in 2018 and 4.5 per cent in 2019.

The federal government is projecting real GDP growth of 3.5 percent year-on-year in the 2018 budget.

However, noting that the recent growth in the economy as a result of positive developments in the international oil prices and output level, Moody ’s warned that the growth would remain fragile in the face of weak alternative source of economic strength.

“Only a durable increase in non-oil revenue will improve Nigeria’s resilience to oil price volatility and increase the realisation rates of capital spending on the large infrastructure projects that are crucial for Nigeria’s economic development,” said Aurélien Mali, Moody’s Vice President, Senior Credit Officer and co-

— 19

Stanbic IBTC facilitates N6bn facility to Kellogg Tolaram

By Nkiruka Nnorom

S

TANBIC IBTC Bank and Stanbic IBTC Capital have facilitated a N6 billion medium term facility to Kellogg Tolaram Nigeria Limited to finance the construction of a new cereal manufacturing plant in the Lekki Free Trade Zone, Lagos.

The institutions acted as the sole arranger and lender of the facility respectively.

The factory, with capacity to produce 10, 000 metric tonnes of cereals per year, is a joint venture between Kellogg Company of the United States of America and Tolaram Group, set-up to manufacture snacks and breakfast foods for the West African market.

In his speech at the event, John Bryant, Chairman, Kellogg Company, said the investment demonstrates the company’s commitment to the Tolaram partnership as well as to Nigeria and the West African market.

On his part, the Chairman of AGM: From left, Vice-Chairman, Association of Stockbroking Houses of Nigeria (ASHON), Group, Mohan Mr Akin Akeredolu-Ale, Chairman, Mr. Patrick Ezeagu, General Secretary, Mr. Sam Onukwue, Tolaram Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Ify Ejezie, Treasurer, Mrs Olubunmi Ajayi at the Association’s Vaswaniname, said the factory is an important milestone for the company Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Lagos. as it would ensure that the globally popular Kellogg brand of cereal can author of the report. economy, which are primarily deficit will decline only “Until it does, the cyclical and related to the slightly, to 3.2 percent of GDP, now be enjoyed by the Nigerian government’s balance sheet will strengthening of the oil sector,” comprising a two percent of consumers in a much greater scale, remain exposed to further he added.

GDP federal government bud- adding that Nigerian consumers stand to benefit from the healthy shocks. Deficits will remain elMoody’s further projected a get deficit and around one evated and debt affordability general government budget percent of GDP deficit at the offering from the Kellogg range of will remain challenged. This deficit of 3.6 percent of GDP in state and municipality levels, breakfast cereals. exposure will persist, despite 2017, down from 4.7 percent in as well as arrears that are recent improvements in the 2016, saying that in 2018, the likely to be split between the three levels of government.

Govt agencies, MAN divided over cargo palletization policy

By Adaeze Okechukwu

T

HE Manufacturers Asso ciation of Nigeria, MAN, has expressed discontent with the newly introduced cargo palletization policy.

Director, Corporate Affairs, MAN, Mr. Ambrose Oruche, expressed this disapproval during the ‘Revised Export and Import Guidelines Sensitization Workshop’ held in Lagos last weekend, stating that palletized cargo will only increase $126.15 -1. 40 the cost of doing business in the country. $2,040.00 0.00 Pallets are plane/flat structures utilized in $15.04 0.06 cargo container ships for supporting goods. $14. 71 Oruche stated: “There is an improvement in $63.21 -0.52 the 2017 revised guideline from the previous 57.80 -0.56 one. However, the snag to this one is the introCURRENCY BUYING SELLING duction of pallets for the importation of conUS DOLLAR 305 305.5 306 410. 0725 410. 7448 411.417 POUNDS signments.

The 361. 0285 361.6204 362.2122 EURO palletization will defi308. 9546 309. 4611 309. 9676 FRANC nitely add to the cost of 2. 7147 2.7192 2.7236 YEN doing business.”

0.5269 0.5369 0.5469 CFA Oruche disclosed that 429.3951 430.0991 430.803 WAUA this palletized cargo 46. 0925 46. 1685 46. 2445 RENMINBI 81. 3247 81. 458 81.5913 RIYAL initiative may be 432. 002 432. 7102 433. 4184 SDR counter-productive to 22. 4139 22. 4507 22. 4874 RAND the country’s ease of business CBN Exchange rate as at 04/12/2017 doing agenda.

“The intention of the government is to ease the cost of doing business, by making the inspection of consignment easier; however, the palletization policy will only increase the cost.

“If wooden pallets are used, treatment costs will be incurred; meanwhile, steel and plastic pallets are expensive.

Who then bears the cost of the pallets from the exporting country? If the cost is imposed on the manufacturer, who imports the raw materials, they will eventually transfer the costs to the consumers.”

But the Deputy Comptroller, Nigeria Customs Service, Mr. Anthony Ayalogu, explaining the need for the pallets, asserted that the high cost of freights resulting from palletized cargo is a valuable price to pay to ensure the safety of Nigerians.

He stated: “Palletization is an international practice, so this is not unique to Nigeria. It will enable efficient examination of consignments. When customs officers are confronted with unpalletized consignments, they find it difficult to offload them. Importers sometimes suffer damages as a result of mishandling of consignment via human contact.

“In addition, consignments take a longer time when done

manually by customs officers.

When the consignments are pack haphazardly in the container, it becomes almost impossible to examine. Sometimes due to the difficulty level, they are not thoroughly examined and anything can then be brought into the country.

“At this time, importation is on high alert. We want to make sure that every container is examined properly.

I agree that palletization will increase the cost of freight, but it a worthy price to pay to secure the lives of Nigerians.”

However, speaking on the sidelines of the workshop, Product Certification Director, Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Mr Tersoo Orngundwem disclosed that the government would review the cargo palletization policy.

“We have heard the complaints of the stakeholders.

The government and the committee will take a second look at it and carefully categorize goods that should be palletized and those that should not. I will definitely ask you not to palletize cars and bulk goods. The palletization guideline is not a deliberate attempt of the government to make businesses difficult for people.”

Great Place To Work expands network

G

REAT Place To Work, a glo bal research, consulting and training firm, plans to reach 1000 customers in 12 African countries within the next five years.

Great Place to Work helps organisations identify, create and sustain great workplaces through the development of high trust workplace cultures.

Through its Great Place to Work Awards in Nigeria, launched five years ago, the company has been helping transform the level of productivity at Nigeria and indeed, African workplaces as well as their financial performance.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Great Place To Work Africa, Mr.Kunle Malomo, said part of the 1000 customers the company was targeting for the next five years will come from Nigeria, where it plans to reach six additional states.

Having been operating in Lagos in the past five years, Malomo listed some of the states that will come on line in 2018 to include Oyo, Rivers, Kano and the Federal Capital Territory (Abuja), among others.

Preparatory to its aggressive expansion, the company had acquired a United Kingdom (UK) office through the help of its investors.

He stated: “We wanted to be able to expand across Africa; that we needed the technical and research expertise of a similar business that has a lot more spread. That UK business was 16 year old when we acquired it. It helped us to address some of the challenges in terms of finding the people, the talent to help drive growth.”

20 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017

By Chris Ochayi

E

xperts in the housing sector of the nation's economy at the weekend called on the Federal Government to introduce subsidy in the sector to enable the country achieve the dream of providing affordable housing for the citizenry.

They argued that such measure if applied, would not only help greatly in abridging the over 17 million housing deficit facing the nation, but will also create huge employment opportunities for the teeming youth population in the country.

The experts, who spoke at the Nigeria Housing Finance, NHF, conference in Abuja, also urged the government to introduce a system whereby unoccupied property across Nigerian cities are taxed, especially in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, where such 'ghost' buildings abound.

They also advised the government to channel revenue that will accrue from taxing of unoccupied buildings to subsidise the housing sector with a view to enabling the citizens access affordable housing.

Speaking at the conference with the theme: Financing Affordable Housing: Realities, Necessities and Possibilities, professional fellow, UN-MERIT, Prof. Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, challenged the government to make deliberate efforts in addressing the lull in the housing sector.

Prof. Oyelaran-Oyeyinka stressed further that apart from providing funds, the government can also help the sector to experience tremendous growth through the use of land as subsidy for the sector.

According to him, there is no affordable housing scheme that does not require some level of subsidy. “And one of the ways to do it is to subsidise the land and also provide infrastructure. When you have provided those two, the cost to the individual goes down considerably. You know, this is what we are advocating that rather than government directly building houses, they can provide infrastructure, they can subsidise land for groups, like cooperatives and so forth to build houses.

“So, the advantage of this is that the bank has problems dealing with individuals but they can deal with a group. Then the bank will face the cooperative. It is individuals that pay into their own cooperatives and so it is easier for banks to get back their money over a long period of time,” he said.

On unoccupied houses, he said: “Those houses were built when Nigeria was operating awoof economy, where people got free money. If you get money through a bank or loan and you are paying back, you cannot leave your house empty.

“So, when you see what I call ghost houses, these are empty houses, it means it was probably built with awoof money. There are many ways to deal with this. Tax them and use the money to fund C M Y K

Introduce subsidy in housing, tax unoccupied property, FG told …As stakeholders propose affordable housing bill to NASS

So, the advantage of this is that, the bank has problems dealing with individuals but they can deal with a group

•Residential Housing Estate the affordable housing “You know I call them ghost houses because they are empty.

They were built during awoof economy like I have said. If you use your hard earned money to build a house, even if you have to halve the rent, you will do it.” Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, who was also the former Regional Director for African, UN Habitat, speaking on the importance of cities said: “The first level is that it is the cities

that generate the wealth of the nations. Cities are where people live; cities are where educated people live, where dynamic individuals, entrepreneurs do business. Like Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt.

“That is where everything is taking place. It is not in my village or your village. Cities are where we have factories, where you have services and so forth.

The second thing is that when you build houses, they have

making cement, with factories making aluminum, with factories making steel. So, there is huge integration of activities when you immediately propose to build houses.

“This is what we call forward and backward linkage within the economy. People get jobs, bricklayers, artisans, casting people and others, get jobs; so, the economy grows very fast.

When you see the graph I was showing you, in Nigeria, the

real estate contribution is very low. This is what you do when you set in motion the affordable housing scheme.”

In his remarks, the conference convener and Chairman, NISH Housing Initiative, S.K. Yemi Adelakun assured that the conference will come up with a bill on affordable housing to the National Assembly.

The former Federal Permanent Secretary said: “As part of this conference, we are hoping to come out with a draft bill either as private bill or we get a member of the National Assembly to push it forward.

And the most important thing is funding, we need to create affordable housing bill.“

Instant Apartment launch: Tourists, travellers to enjoy top-grade luxury apartment services

By Kingsley Adegboye

W

ith the launch of Instant Apartment, a web-based platform that provides short stay, medium and long stay property rental, tourists and travellers who don't want to stay in hotels wherever they travel to around the world, are in for a swell time, as the platform offers customers a wide range of outstanding luxury apartment services to make their stay memorable.

The official launch of the new initiative which took place last week in Lagos, allows users to search for short let apartments and connect them with verified real estate hosts as well as property owners looking to monetize their self-owned apartments which can be booked anywhere around the world on www.instantapartment.com.

Instant Apartment has revealed a couple of services which will be rendered to ensure utmost convenience and comfort for customers. Some of the services include free pick up from the airport, provision of a car and chauffeur for mobility, free Wi-Fi, 24 hours uninterrupted power supply, swimming pool, 24/7 security, cable TV and more.

Commenting on the company ’s objectives and services, the Chief Executive Officer, Instant Apartment, Mr. Ubi Franklin, remarked: “Our platform’s goal is to help customers gratify their various tastes and needs with the wide range of luxury apartments which have been made available. “It is also an avenue for property owners to advertise their property to customers across the globe. Apartments on our platform are carefully selected and the hosts are

thoroughly verified to provide the best accommodations and additional services like free meal on first day of arrival, restaurants, events, recreation centres, among others,” Franklin stated.

Some of the apartments on the platform are currently situated in Lekki Phase 1 area of Lagos not too far from the country’s best hangout spots to further make customers' stay a meritorious and adventurous affair.

The Instant Apartment boss who disclosed that he is a traveller who has gone round the world and said he stays in short let apartments instead of hotels, noted that the idea of Instant Apartment was informed by his experience in short let accommodations.

Revealing that those who have property and want to monetise their property, become hosts to the platform. He added that only registered members of the

platform have access to the platform, pointing out that the platform operates 24 hours customers' service. The CEO said the location and how well furnished a property is, determine the price of an apartment.

“Business between hosts and us is based on percentage. Our business is to promote your apartments. We make people pay less for more by our services. We have one, two, three, four and five-bedroom apartments for those who want more spacious apartments, and they can stay as long as one year in our instant apartment accommodations across the world,” Franklin noted.

The company has described the launch as a paradigm shift in the sphere of serviced apartments as their standards prove to be considerably above par.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017 — 21

SON, stakeholders partner on anti-corrosion roofing sheet Stories by Kingsley Adegboye

T

he Standards Organisation of Nigeria, SON, and stakeholders in the galvanized steel roofing sheets sector have partnered to introduce an improved stone-coated roofing steel sheets into Nigerian building materials market.

The composite steel sheets have superior qualities and better performance and efficiency over the zinc-coated sheets.

According to the DirectorGeneral, SON, Osita Aboloma: “Indeed, the standards body has been inundated with complaints over the thickness and coating of galvanized steel sheets in the country, hence the need to improve on the quality and thickness of steel roofing sheets cannot be overemphasized.”

Speaking on the improved roofing sheets with stakeholders at a technical committee meeting in Lagos last week, Aboloma stated that the new zinc, aluminium and magnesium steel sheets are five times better and stronger than the existing zinc-coated roofing sheets, while elaborating on standards for zinc, aluminium and magnesium-coated steel sheets for general application.

The SON boss who was represented by the Assistant Director and Head, Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme, MANCAP Unit, SON, Fred Akingbesote, said: “It is a new technology and this is why we are preparing a standard in conjunction with all the stakeholders. To us, the end user is our priority in drafting standards.

“We have considered the cost and the longevity because there is no need to put a product into the market and nobody buys it.

The zinc, aluminium and magnesium coating will be suitable and would also give the common man value for money

•Ongoing housing project at roofing stage spent,” Aboloma noted.

He, however, stated that the zinc-coated steel sheets would still be in the market, stressing that zinc, aluminium and magnesium would serve as alternatives depending on the choice of the consumers.

“This standard is not just for roofing sheets, but for general application. There are various thickness and coating levels depending on the application,” he said.

Also speaking at the event, chairman of the committee from the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, University of Lagos, Dr. Henry Mgbemere, said standards keep evolving, adding that the technical meeting was

This standard is not just for roofing sheets, but for general application; there are various thickness and coating levels depending on the application

specifically targeted at keeping stakeholders abreast of latest technologies used around the world.

In his words: “Before now, we have been using the zinc coating for coating steel products for roofing, but there is a recent development and we have to key into what is happening around the world, which means there is need for a new standard that would take care of the zinc, aluminium and magnesium coating for general application.”

According to him, when the standards are approved, the common man would be able to purchase more durable and affordable products, adding that

Realtor tasks FG on sanctions against collapsed building owners

F

ollowing rising rate of building collapse in the country coupled with the need to urgently address this worrisome development, the Federal Government has been urged to put in place, laws that would checkmate the activities of owners of collapsed buildings.

The Chief Executive Officer, CEO of Bomarah Group, Hajia

Bola Muse, made the call in a chat with Vanguard in her office at Apapa.

According to her, the absence of the National Building Code, NBC, has turned the construction subsector of the economy to ’an allcomers affair ’ where unqualified persons just foray into.

She pointed out that the "slap

on the wrist" sanction being meted out to owners of collapsed structures in the country has continued to embolden some developers to continue to engage in untoward activities thereby endangering the lives of people.

Muse, a realtor, appealed to members of the National Assembly to revisit without

Family berates encroachment on N700 billion property … Appoints Messrs DHTL, Capital Management as consultant, auditor

By Peter Egwuatu

T

he family of Chief Emmanuel Oyedele Ashamu has berated the encroachment on its N700 billion landed property located in various parts of the country, just as it has appointed Messrs DHTL, Capital Management Limited as manager and auditor of the property.

The family noted that the locations of the landed property include states such as Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Cross River, Rivers, Gombe among C M Y K

the zinc, aluminium and magnesium-coated roofing sheet is more like a composite material that would give consumers value for their hard earned money spent.

“This meeting will provide a workable document that will be agreeable to the manufacturers so that they produce goods that the end users will find consumable. Nigeria is still more of an import-dependent country, but I believe that with the review of the standards and other, we will gradually move from an import-dependent country to a country that manufactures for export,” he said.

The Executive Director, Midland Galvanizing Products Limited, Raj Singh, said zinc, aluminium and magnesium-coated roofing sheet is five times better corrosionresistant product suitable for the Nigerian environment, pointing out that the life span of the product is five times better than the zinccoated steel roofing sheet.

“Zinc coating is a sacrificial corrosion, but if you add aluminium and magnesium, the corrosion reduces drastically.

This trend is the same all over the world. This is a pride for Nigeria and with the help of SON and stakeholders in the industry, Nigerian consumers should expect nothing but quality when the standard is finally approved from the standards council,” Singh said.

The stakeholders commended the efforts of the current leadership of SON under Aboloma for partnering with the various sectors to improve products' quality and competitiveness for export.

others.

According to a statement jointly signed by Omotunde Victor Ashamu, Samuel Ishola Ashamu and Suwebat Abdullalin (nee Ashamu): “We frown at the continuing encroachment, illegal trespass, land grabbing activities and forgery of the family documents, to sell, enter into contract of sale and process of documentation with the inappropriate authorities on the land belonging to the Estate of Chief Emmanuel Oyedele Ashamu.”

The statement stressed further

that the Ashamju family warned the general public from dealing with any agent or representatives on any property belonging to the family in areas such as Anthony, Maryland, Gbagada, Millennium Estate, Atunrase Estate, Ikeja, Isolo among others in Lagos State.

The statement decried the continued harassment and threat to life of members of the Ashamu family and beneficiaries by illegal trespassers, land grabbers and their illegal agents

operating on the family land without any proof of titles.

Accordingly, the family has issued a caution note to members of the public to steer clear of the landed property as stated above or face prosecution, while advising all illegal occupants on the family property to vacate within fourteen (14) days of the statement or regularize all documentations within the same period.

further delay, deliberations on the draft bill of the NBC currently before the lawmakers.

According to her, the bill which has passed the second reading should be brought to the front burner for expeditious passage in order to strengthen the construction industry.

The Bomarah Group boss also decried the menace of the Apapa Tin-can gridlock which she said is killing businesses, adding that the contractor handling the project, AG Dangote Construction Limited should provide alternative routes in order to reduce the current nightmare being experienced on that axis.

She said that the July 2018 completion date promised by AG Dangote was "too far for comfort," pointing out that most businesses in that region may collapse before that date.

Muse noted that the number of man-hour being wasted on that road as result of the gridlock was telling negatively on their business and called for urgent solution to the problem.

22—

Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017

From left, Mrs. Nontobeko Ndhlazi, CFO,Wiphold; Mrs. Mpho Makhura, Wife of the Premier of Gauteng; Mrs. Oluwatoyin Sanni, Group CEO, United Capital Plc; and Mrs. Saloni Wahi, Co-Founder Forbes Africa/CNBC Africa at the 2017 All Africa Business Awards hosted by CNBC Africa in Sandton, South Africa where Oluwatoyin Sanni emerged as the ‘Businesswoman of the Year’

Competition to heighten amongst tier-1 banks ...As Access Bank moves to upstage leaders

A

ccess Bank Plc, yesterday, announced its intention to upstage Zenith Bank and First Bank in the Tier-1 banks’ ranking to become the nation’s number one bank.

The third quarter, 2017 (Q3‘17) financial statements of the five Tier-1 banks showed that Access Bank is the fourth biggest bank in terms of asset base, with total

assets of N3.54 trillion. Zenith occupies the number one position with N5.1 trillion total assets, followed by First Bank with N4.86 trillion and UBA with N3.77 trillion, while GTB comes fifth with N3.2 trillion asset base.

Analysis of the banks’ gross earnings for Q3‘17 also shows that Access Bank occupies the third position with N365 billion, while Zenith Bank came first with N531.3 billion followed by First

Bank with N439 billion, UBA came fourth with N333.9 billion and GTB came fifth with N150 billion.

In terms of Profit before tax (PBT), Access Bank occupies the fourth position with N72.9 billion behind Zenith Bank’s N152.6 billion, GTB’s N150 billion and UBA’s N78.33 billion. First Bank occupies the fifth position with PBT of N55.4 billion.

Access Bank is also presently

the fourth biggest bank in terms of customer deposit with N1.92 trillion in Q3‘17, behind Zenith Bank’s N3.1 trillion, First Bank’s N2.93 trillion and UBA’s N2.5 trillion, while GTB occupies the fifth position with N1.89 trillion.

But in a statement issued yesterday, Access Bank announced a five year strategy that will alter the above ranking and make it the nation’s number bank by year 2022 as well as Africa’s gateway to the world.

The bank stated: “The new 5year strategy will accelerate this growth story to position Access Bank as the No. 1 Nigerian bank by 2022 and create a Universal Payments Gateway to dominate international trade and inter-African payments.

The new strategy has six strategic levers: Digitally led; Retail banking growth and consolidation in wholesale markets; Customer focused; Analytics driven, with robust risk management; Strong global collaboration in key gateway markets; And the creation of a universal payments gateway”.

According to the bank’s Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Herbert Wigwe, “Five years ago we set the ambitious goal to attain top three positions in our chosen markets. Today, we are a strong, diversified institution with a consolidated top tier position in our sector.

“We are setting out a new and ambitious five-year strategy which will put Access Bank at the forefront of Africa’s changing financial landscape by creating a Universal Payments Gateway to dominate international trade and inter-African payments.”

FG urges manufacturers to improve product quality, engage ICT

By Adaeze Okechukwu

T

he Federal Government of Nigeria has urged local manufacturers to improve product quality and packaging, as well as engage Information and Communication Technology (ICT), to enable them to compete favorably in the global market.

Minister of Information & Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who made this call at the flag-off of the ‘Made-in-Nigeria Campaign’ for the South-West region held in Lagos, yesterday, said: “It is our fervent hope that manufacturers will key into this campaign and exchange views with other stakeholders such as the Standard Organisation of Nigeria, SON, to improve their products and enhance their packaging so they can compete with foreign products.

“I urge local manufacturers to take advantage of ICT to market their products. Today, the whole world is the stage for any manufacturer who leverages ICT to market their products.”

The campaign is driven by the C M Y K

Federal Ministries of Industry, Trade and Investment as well as Information and Culture, with the aim of changing the psyche of Nigerians from the penchant for foreign goods and services as well as re-orientating Nigerians to value locally produced goods.

Mohammed explained that the campaign initiative followed the Executive Order signed by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbanjo, to encourage the patronage of locally-made products as a deliberate policy to conserve foreign exchange as well as to boost business for Nigerian companies so they can employ more people and earn revenue.

He stated that the Federal Government is institutionalizing the patronage of Made-in-Nigeria products by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) through the review of the Bureau of Public Procurement Act to make it mandatory for the MDAs to patronize local products, with a view to diversifying the economy, creating jobs and generating wealth.

Also speaking during the campaign, Honourable

Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Aisha Abubakar, reiterated that the initiative is in line with the fundamental objective of diversifying the economy from

over-dependence on oil exports, increasing local industrial capacity and substantially reducing imports of goods and services.

OPEC oil output falls by 300,000 bpd in November

By Ediri Ejoh with Agency report

D

espite recent improvements in crude oil trade at the International market, Nigeria, Angola, Iraq and other OPEC countries, recorded a fall in oil output by 300,000 barrels per day, bpd, in November.

The fall, according to Reuter ’s survey, was the Organisation’s lowest since May this year.

The survey attributed the fall to pressure by a drop in Angolan and Iraqi exports, strong compliance with a supply cut deal and involuntary declines.

According to the survey, the output in November was at an average of 32.35 million bpd, about 600,000 bpd above the target adjusted to remove Indonesia and not including Equatorial Guinea.

OPEC’s adherence to pledged supply curbs rose to 112 percent from October’s 92 percent, the survey indicated.

At its recent meeting, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC reviewed the oil market outlook for the remainder of 2017 and 2018.

It observed that global economic growth forecasts had improved since May, with expectations for both 2017 and 2018 now at 3.7%.

The organisation also noted that, global oil demand has been robust with upward revisions since May, with oil demand growth now standing above 1.5 million barrels a day (mb/d) for both 2017 and 2018.

Transcorp Hilton bags World Luxury Hotel Award

T

ranscorp Hilton Abuja, has emerged the winner of two 2017 World Luxury Hotel Awards in the Best Luxury Contemporary Hotel (Nigeria) and Best Luxury City Hotel (West & Central Africa) categories. The five-star hotel was honoured with the prestigious award at a Gala Ceremony hosted by the historical Kulm Hotel St. Moritz in Switzerland last weekend.

World Luxury Hotel Awards is the pinnacle of recognition achievable by a luxury hotel, for service excellence and earning the respect of guests, industry players, and awarding hotels, as voted for by the public, across 99 different categories Valentine Ozigbo, MD/CEO Transcorp Hotels Plc, who received the awards on behalf of the hotel said, “These awards crown a year of global recognition for all we do to deliver a world class hospitality experience to our Guests. It is gratifying that our commitment to the upgrade of our guests’ experiences is appreciated and recognised by the travelling public. Thanks to the amazing Team that makes it all possible”.

Also commenting on the awards, Etienne

Gailliez, General Manager, Transcorp Hilton Abuja said, “It’s a great honour to receive another international recognition for what we do. It’s a befitting reward for the commitment of our company to service excellence and all the hard work our Team Members put in to delivering unforgettable experiences to our Guests”.

The recognition from World Luxury Hotel Awards is coming on the heels of the hotel winning World Travel Awards 2017 in 5 categories including Africa’s Leading Business Hotel for the third consecutive year and the 2017 Seven Stars Luxury Hospitality and Lifestyle Awards.

Transcorp Hilton Abuja is currently undergoing a $100million renovation project with all 670 rooms and common areas redesigned for refurbishment. This project – the first of its kind in the Hotel’s history – is a testament to its unrivalled status; not only in Abuja as the city’s iconic hub but also as a globally acclaimed brand.

Niger Delta Voice, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017—23

VOL. 1: NO. 163

TUESD A Y, DECEMBER 5, 20 17 TUESDA 201

AKWA IBOM…LAND OF PROMISE

Cross section of participants at the public dialogue on VPs held in Abak Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State.

Security chiefs and community leaders at the public dialogue on VPs in Abak, Akwa Ibom State.

FG hostile measures escalate tension in N’Delta — A’Ibom stakeholders •Advocate guidelines at COMPPART workshop

By Chioma Onuegbu

A

BAK- STAKEHOLDERS at Akwa Ibom State have detected that unfriendly actions taken by the Federal Government to abate conflicts in the Niger Delta region, especially military attacks, not only triggered the formation of the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, and other violent militant groups, but snowballed tension in oil-rich areas.

The participants drawn from 31 local government areas of the state bared their minds at a oneday public dialogue on “Building Host Communities Confidence in the Security Forces through Voluntary Principles on Human Rights’ organized by Community Policing Partners for Justice, Security and Democratic Reforms, COMPPART, at Abak in Abak Local Government Area of the state.

Former Vice Chancellor of the University of Uyo, Professor Akaneren Essien, who led the discussion, identified the use of military options in the face of threats to oil production caused by protests and violent attacks in the region, as part of frosty measures.

They expressed optimism that direct implementation/ application of the Voluntary Principles on security and human rights (VPs) strategy would end the lingering conflict between companies in the mineral and energy sectors and their host communities.

Breach of promises since 70s Essien in his keynote speech

said the failure of the Federal Government to fulfill its promised benefits to the region in the 1970s and 1980s further led an escalation of the conflict between the militia groups and multinational corporations in the early 1990s.

“The restiveness in the Niger Delta region is attributed to the politics surrounding the resource control principles by the Federal Government, in addition to policies, attitudes and activities of the multinational oil companies, MNOCs. “The Voluntary Principles helped government take a proactive stance on conflict

prevention arising out of security and human-rights related issues in the extractive sector. Through information sharing, it could help address challenges such as oil theft, pipeline vandalism, oil bunkering, kidnapping, illegal mining by extractive companies.

“Regular consultations as described by the VPs give the communities a sense of ownership and commitment and contributes to peace building and good relationships between stakeholders,” he asserted.

Continuing, he recommended development of VPs strategy to

focus on ensuring that multinational oil companies address all sources of grievances, treat the wellbeing and health of the host communities as a matter of utmost priority, as well as employ youths of host communities in their companies.

He added that government on its part should effectively enforce the regulations on oil spills by making the MNOCs accept responsibility for their actions.

“If these issues are sincerely and holistically tackled, a lot would have been done to reduce drastically the burgeoning security presence in oil

CROSS-RIVER…THE PEOPLES PARADISE

producing areas and will similarly reduce the incidence of human rights abuses arising from security breaches”, he said.

Our strategy, A’Ibom CP The State Commissioner of Police, Mr Zubairu Muazu, who was represented by the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, DSP Bala Elkana, stated that the command had put in place strategies to bridge the gap between citizens and the police to enhance effective policing in the state.

Muazu in a paper, ‘How Citizens Can Process Complaints for Effective Results to the Police and Other Security Continues on Page 27

Power blackout hits Calabar, residents, business owners grumble

•Armed robbers seize advantage to attack shop owners •We are doing everything to restore power – PHED

By Ike Uchechukwu

C

ALABAR – INHABITANTS of Calabar Metropolis, especially Calabar South, parts of Calabar Municipal and Odukpani Local Government Areas, Cross River State, have screamed over the collapse of power in the areas for more than two months, which not just dislocated their economic and social activities, but led to an upsurge in criminal activities.

Finding by NDV showed that

cultists, armed robbers and kidnappers find the affected areas attractive to operate in at night because of the obscurity and the people were baffled that the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company, PHED, has neither explained the reason for the embarrassing situation nor risen to the occassion.

Business owners, including operators of supermarkets and relaxation spots now close before 9.00 pm because of the worsening development, as armed robbers attacked them

regularly. They complained of the high cost of buying fuel to run their generators.

PHED should come to our rescue – Mrs. Ekpeyong One of restaurant operators at Goldie Street, Mrs. Sandra Ekpeyong, told NDV, “I have two generators that I use in this place, I run the big one from 2.00 pm till 6.00 pm to make sure that my drinks are chilled, while from 6.00 pm down, I use the small one till 11 pm or 12 midnight.

“But things have changed because of a lack of power from

PHED, now I have to make sure that the drinks are chilled because people do not want to know whether you have light or not. It got worse two months ago, I have to buy fuel of N1,500 daily, both for the big and small generators, then N2000 at weekends because we stay longer in the shop.

“However, coupled with the fact that things are changing because of robberies although we thank Ayade’s Homeland security, but power outage is a contributory factor, PHED should help the ordinary people because all our profit has gone into purchasing fuel. We spent N45, 000 for fuel at N1, 500

Continues on Page 28

24—Niger Delta Voice, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017

P-A-N-O-R-A-M-A Anioma Association USA rouses Asaba with 2017 scholarship awards

By Emma Amaize

A

SABA- THE Anioma Association, Georgia Chapter, United States, held its 2017 scholarship awards for undergraduate students of Anioma extraction in Delta State with a top Grade Point Average, GPA, at Asaba, the state capital.

Miss Joy Chineye Ossai,200- level Economics student, University of Port Harcourt, Dennis Oluchukwu Okwechime, 300- level Theatre Arts, University of Abuja and Wisdom Ogechi Owabor, 200- level Computer Engineering student. University of Benin, who excelled in their respective classes, got the group’s 2017 scholarship awards.

President of the association, Mr. Martin Chukwurah, represented by Mr. Godfrey C. Osakwe, at the bubbly event, said, “The annual scholarship is one of the primary goals of the association to encourage deserving students to accomplish their goals and to ensure a better, progressive, and prosperous Anioma land.”

Chief Christopher Nwaoboshi, who represented Commissioner for Information, Hon Patrick Ukah, presenting scholarship certificate to Wisdom Owabor. Standing beside him is his father, Mr. Paul Owabor and Mr. Godfrey Osakwe, representative of Anioma USA president, Mr. Martin Chukwurah.

UNBELIEVABLE: Politicians conjure power with vulture eggs to win votes Continues from Page 26 Agencies,’ said that the 37 Divisional Police Officers across the state had commenced enlighten programme to ensure the citizens become aware that bail is free in the state “So we are creating platforms on which the police and the people will be interacting without intimidation

or harassment. That is why all the DPOs are here at this event.

We are focusing on three main areas of community policing in the state, and respect for human rights. We are working so hard to see that citizens’ rights are not violated and if violated, we have also established platforms in which you can complain for the issue to be addressed,” he asserted.

Community policing involves everybody His words, “We will listen to

THE TEAM Emma Amaize, Editor Jimitota Onoyume, Port-Harcourt Samuel Oyadongha, Yenagoa Simon Ebegbulem, Benin City Gabriel Enogholase,Benin City Festus Ahon. Asaba Egufe Yafugborhi. Warr i Emmanuel Una. Calabar Akpokona Omafuaire, Warri Godwin Oghre, Sapele Chioma Onuegbu, Uyo Ike Uche, Calabar Davies Iheamnachor, Port Harcourt Emem Idio, Yenagoa Brisibe Perez, Ughelli Theresa Ugbobu, Agbor Ochuko Akuopha, Oleh Emmanuel Ayungbe, Uyo Nath Onajoke, Asaba Chijioke Nwankpa, Port Harcourt

your complaints, investigate them and make sure that justice is done. We are also looking out to the extremely poor. How they can have access to justice. Security is for everybody. We are also looking at gender issues.”

He, however, urged citizens, including traditional leaders to be vigilant regarding happenings their surroundings at all times to avert hoodlums unleashing harm on them unawares and getting away successfully.

The police chief noted that the concept

of community policing demands that everybody must be practically involved.

Nigerian govt still aloof – Akpan Executive director of COMPPART in the state, Mr. Saviour Akpan, said the essence of the stakeholders’ public dialogue was to create more awareness on the existence of the VPs and the importance of using the provisions in resolving the lingering conflict in extractive communities in the country, especially in oil producing areas.

He regretted that nonparticipation of the Nigerian government as a stakeholder was slowing down the implementation of the initiative in the country.

“Through this kind of programme our people are gradually becoming aware of the existence of the Voluntary Principles on security and human rights. The tensions we have in our extractive communities are because of disrespect for human rights.

It is expected that this confidence building dialogue will help all stakeholders yet to key into the initiative to do so,” he said.

L-R: The recipients, Dennis Okwechime, Joy Ossai and Wisdom Owabor displaying their scholarship certificates

Hon. Emeka Nmadu, Member of Board, Delta State Library Services, Asaba, presenting scholarship certificate to Miss Joy Ossai. Behind is retired DSP Joseph Iyeke.

DELTA…THE BIG HEART OF THE NATION

Do not harass investors in my kingdom, Delta monarch warns youth

By Sam Eyoboka

A

GHARHOTHE traditional ruler of Agbarho Kingdom, Ughelli North Local Government Area, Delta State, His Royal Majesty, Ajuwe, Samson Owhe Ogugu I, who, recently, received his staff of office from the State Government has charged youths of the kingdom not to molest investors and developers.

Speaking at the ceremony in Agbarho and later during a reception by Agbarho indigenes in Lagos, the traditional ruler enjoined them to allow investors go about their lawful business, as the monarchy would not fold its arms and watch any form of hooliganism in the kingdom.

HRM Ogugu I further warned youths to beware of desperate individuals out to destabilize the community for selfish gains and shun all acts of hostilities and harassment, stressing that the ban on youth organizations was still in force.

The monarch, who noted that the Senator Ifeanyi Okowa administration has blocked leakages, made corruption

unattractive and ensured prudent management and accountability to attract investors, called for support for the state government.

At Lagos, the Agbarho ruler cautioned women to strive always to uphold their marriages through wisdom and fervent prayers to God. “You must be honest with your husband. A marriage built on the foundation of trust cannot fail. Your partner should be able to trust you at any point in time. Everyone wants a confidant, including your man.

A man will always come back to anyone if there is trust, honesty, rather than deceit, lies or storytelling. Be plain, truthful and honest with your partner,” he counseled.

Turning to female members of Agbarho Unity Club of Lagos, the traditional ruler cautioned them to beware of bad friends, stressing, “Friends will always remain a vital part of life because their advice and support may guide you through good times and bad times. But you must understand that friends are the people, who have the greatest capability of destroying a relationship.”

Niger-Delta Voice, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017—25

Mother of CRUTECH student killed by PHED high-tension cable cries to Gov Ayade

By Ike Uchechukwu

C

ALABAR- MOTHER of 16 –year- old David Inyang , a 100- level Mechanical Engineering undergraduate of Cross River State University of Technology, CRUTECH, Calabar, Cross River State, electrocuted by a broken down high tension cable of the PortHarcourt Electricity Distribution, PHED, Calabar District, has beseeched Governor Ben Ayade to intercede in her son’s death.

I’m helpless – Mrs. Inyang Mrs Angela Inyang still confounded by the tragic death, told NDV, “I have lost my only son, the light of my world and I did not come out of the apartment with a pin, apart from the wrapper I tied.

“We lost everything in the incident caused by the collapse of the obsolete and loosely-knit high tension cables on our twobedroom accommodation at No 14 Adak Uko Street.

“I have been managing to train my two children, Cherry and Favid, since thier father died in 2009, now my only son is gone, I am devastated, I do

not even know where to pick up the pieces of my life” “I am appealing to Governor Ayade to intervene, he should help me and my only surviving daughter, I am just a primary school teacher, everything I have is gone, the Speaker of the House of Assembly should also assist me, I have no one, I am helpless.”

Family demands N10m reparation The family’s solicitor, Edet Essien Esq., who also is the benefactor of the deceased, in a letter to PHED, Calabar district, demanded for financial reparation of N10 million to the surviving family.

He asserted, “Before the final onslaught by the PHED defective cables, complaints to the Calabar District office had assumed the level of a recurring decimal , on 17th of September when a similar incident happened ,my client and her children were forced to spend the night elsewhere because of their safety.”

Essien, however, noted that no amount of money was worth David’s life, adding, “The pathetic and struggling life Mrs Inyang has been exposed to since nine years ago when she

lost her husband has been compounded by her son’s tragic death and the loss of her property, including certificates.

“Before his death on Monday, I gave him some money to buy some books, I have been supporting the young boy for a long time now, he is my son, both in church and in all ramifications, “he said.

PHED won’t abandon family

– Onyi Contacted, the Manager, Corporate Communications, PHED, Mr John Onyi, told NDV, “ Our people (PHED) and Nigeria Electricity Management Services Agency, NEMSA, have visited the family of the young man and we are putting modalities in place to make sure that the right thing is done. We also visited

the family of the nursing mother, who died in the incident.

“We, as a responsible organization, will not leave any stone unturned and we can never abandon any of the victims ,we are coming back to see the families becuase these things follow process and we have informed the appropriate department to take immediate action on the matter.”

David (2nd right) and well wishers during his matriculation.

Power blackout hits Calabar, residents, business owners grumble Continues from Page 26

David's mother and only surviving sister.

every month,“ she lamented.

We’re truly suffering– Mr. Okon A resident and proprietor of APC Concept, a barbing saloon at Ekondo Street, Mr. Akpama Okon, regretted the outage in the state capital, saying the action has caused him untold hardship and losses.

“We run a generator 24 hours daily, I have three generators , a big one and two small ones, I spend a minimum of 15 liters of fuel, I have an air conditioner that I must switch on for some of my VIP customers, which is why I have the big generators, while the small one we use them in the evenings . It is even getting worse .For about six weeks now, I have not seen light for up to 8 hours in this shop, and we have been on generator.

“I have people who I pay salaries, I have three employees, that money I spend on fueling the generators can conveniently pay them but it is getting worse by the day because of what PHED is doing. We are really suffering, for how long are we going to continue like this, I wish this Ayade power plant can come on stream this year may be it will help,” he asserted Customers arrest us if their items go bad – Aniekanm, cold-room operator A cold room operator, Mr.Idongesit Aniekanm, bemoaned, “Most times the fishes and meat I store for my customers get bad because to run my soundproof generator is not easy. Before now, the power supplied by PHED helps to compliment while we use the generator too, but now the story is different” She added, “I have to call the owners on phone to

come and pick them. Some of them have even spoiled.

Sometimes, I have to pay for some of these things because the agreement is to make sure the items are frozen and when they go bad, some will just arrest you because it is none of their business how you keep their items preserved. This is where I get money for my family, school fees, house rent and other bills, where do I go from here.”

Accept our apology- PHED Contacted, Corporate Communications Manager, PHED, Mr. John Onyi, said the company was aware of the situation and was working assiduously to restore power to all parts of the metropolis.

“We are re-conducting some of our feeders and carrying out general maintenance on some of our installations, the people should bear with us because we want to give them quality service delivery, we apologize for any inconvenience, some areas are already enjoying our services it will soon be spread across the metropolis,” he said.

26—Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017

Positive parenting panacea to suicide in children living with HIV — EXPERTS

By Sola Ogundipe

A

S more HIV-infected children and adolescents are surviving into adulthood, experts in Nigeria have called for prioritisation of sustained care and support approaches even as the young patients transit into adulthood.

With an estimated 196,000 adolescents living with HIV/AIDS and over 56,000 children newly infected with HIV in Nigeria, the experts note that purposeful, planned paediatric, child-centred and specialised adolescent services are crucial factors in the long-term health and well-being of an adolescent.

Calling for the establishment of special programmes for parents of HIV positive children, they argue that the transition from childhood to adolescence, and from adolescence to adulthood needs to be carefully planned and managed.

Making the call in Lagos recently, Executive Director at PLAN Health Advocacy and Development Foundation, and member of the Africa Community Advisory Board (AFROCAB), Mr. Obatunde Oladapo, said the transitioning from paediatric to adolescent ARV programme in the country could be much better than it is currently.

Speaking last week at a HIV/AIDS sensitisation meeting held at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, NIMR, Yaba, Lagos, Oladapo said parents need to be empowered on how to properly disclose a child’s HIV status to the child.

“I am involved in a programme on preparedness for transitioning from Pediatric ARV to Adolescent ARV, I must tell you the honest truth, it is not good enough. It leaves a lot to be desired in our country.”

“I have seen situations in which children, young children want to comit suicide because of HIV. I have seen situations in which a child will just go into depression, lock himself up in a room not knowing what to do when it comes to coping with the knowledge of status. In some situations, children

Mr Obatunde Oladapo refuse the transition to adults drugs because they refuse to accept their status and in many cases, abandon their treatment, become rebellious and blame their parents for affecting them.

“There is need to have special programmes for parents of HIV positive children on positive parenting. There should be a special country programme design for opportunities and the best place to introduce such programmes. It could even be at facilities where you know every positive parent brings his or child and from that moment, the guiding steps are led on.

On the best way to make HIV disclosure to HIV

Mr Ibrahim Umoru positive children, Oladapo noted that parents really need to first get around thinking out of the box, go beyond ordinary things they do.

I have seen situations in which children want to comit suicide because of HIV. I have seen situations in which a child will just go into depression

“Self-confidence is key just as bonding relationship with children is vital in dealing with HIV/ AIDS. A positive parent needs to be amongst others to acquire skills on how to grow out of fear and be confident irrespective of literacy level.“ On his part, a member of the Country Coordinating Mechanism, CCM, Nigeria, Mr Ibrahim Umoru, noted that most HIV treatment facilities in Lagos and most States of the Federation are not child friendly.

Umoru, who is former Chairman of the Network of People Living With HIV in Nigeria, NEPWHAN, Lagos State Chapter, said

the only facility one can beat one’s chest to have an adolescent clinic is NIMR which he described as far ahead of most.

“When we do not make our treatment centres children-friendly, what is the future our HIV programme? When you have clinics where children aged 1 -15 years come and sit with their mothers and grandmothers, what do you expect?”

Explaining further, Umoru noted: “In HIV Medicine, there is what is called patient-care giver communication. With a child in front of an adult, you will not get any information from the child.

“When you have a clinic

that is child-friendly, the child can relate with the care-giver, express his or her concerns and worries.

Do you know some of these children are just taking these drugs and are not aware of their status?

Imagine what that means.

These are real challenges parents are facing and children are facing as well.

Now, at what point should a parent disclose to his or her infected child the truth about his status?

The problem a lot of us do not understand is that these young ones we call children are far more intelligent and smarter than us. Those things you think you are hiding from your children, they will teach you after they have read it up online. What we need to do as parent is holistic, unbridged communication with our children. Let your child be your friend and tell your child the basics about himself and he will grow to love and appreciate you otherwise he will learn from outside and hate you.”

Also speaking, Deputy Director, Research at NIMR, Dr Oliver Ezechi said separate treatment clinics are preferable.

“My opinion is that we should stop verticalising programes. We should not put children and adults in the same clinic. Yes, people are talking about family centered clinics, because we do not want mother to come separately with father and come again with children three times a week. This can be achieved with segmentation of clinics but for adolescents, you cannot lump them together.”

Scholars blame bad leadership for Nigeria’s poor health indices *As physician launches book on health management & policy

By Gabriel Olawale

N

IGERIA’S poor health indices has been blamed on lack of appropriate planning, execution and monitoring mechanism.

In the view of Adjunct Professor at Harvard University, United States of America, Professor Adetokunbo Lucas, it is time for Nigerians to begin to demand accountability from those in authority when they fail to deliver.

Lucas, 87, who spoke at the launch of a book entitled Essentials of Health Management Planning and Policy authored by

Professor Princess Campbell, said the idea of sectionalism in the country as against competence worsens the situation.

According to Lucas, a Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and one of the first foreign associates of the Institute of Medicine, the Federal government needs to plan the health system in such a way that those who need it get it.

“When you look at some of the programmes executed in the health sector, they are lopsided. A lot of money was put into things that are not of importance and very

important things are not taken care of.

“Also, the question is how much money government is putting into the system . For instance, much of the money used to control HIV/AIDS comes from outside, while our own government is not putting money into it.”

Lucas recalled a time in the country that Primary Healthcare Centres meant to be built in areas without access to healthcare service, were built in places that already had hospitals for political reasons.

“Now those PHCs are overgrown with weeds.

That is misplacing of priority and it cannot help

us as a country. It is time for Nigerians to start asking question, when people in authority promise something and within six months they didn’t see traces of execution.

“Another thing is monitoring, there was a time in this country when Teaching Hospitals were given a lot of money to buy new equipment. What is the impact of that? We don’t know. There was no follow up on benefits of such intervention.

Corroborating his view, Emeritus Professor and Distinguished Professor at the University of Lagos, Prof. Osato Giwa-Osagie blamed the political class

for the woes of the health sector saying there was no justification for Nigeria to be ranking low in global communities.

“Our major challenge is lack of good leadership.

Our leaders are the one that decide what is allocated for Nigeria healthcare and what people will get in actual value when the money was finally released.

Speaking on why she wrote the book, Prof.

Princess Campbell said it answers how Nigeria can improve its healthcare system through proper management, planning and policy.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017—27

Nigeria requires N50b annually to treat 1m PLHIV

By Sola Ogundipe

A

N estimated sum of N5 billion is required every year to provide antiretroviral treatment, ART, for one million People Living With HIV/AIDS, PLHIV, in the country, even as the Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole, has decried the 30 percent, Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission, PMTCT coverage in the country.

Disclosing this last week in Abuja at a World AIDS Day commemoration event, Director General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, NACA, Dr. Sani Aliyu, said challenges that constitute key barriers to universal access to HIV/AIDS services in Nigeria must be met if the HIV/AIDS response is to be taken to the next level.

“It costs about N50,000 to provide ART to a person living with HIV for a year.

With the size of our treatment programme (at over 1 million PLHIV on ART), we will require at least N50 billion annually to keep them on treatment, while we require triple that amount annually to achieve and maintain ART coverage saturation in Nigeria.”

However, according to

Sani, there is huge unmet need for ART services as only nine states have surpassed 50 percent ART coverage.

“We certainly need to increase investment in the health of our citizens, optimize our response strategies and strengthen our coordination and accountability frameworks to achieve optimal returns on our investment in health.

“I appeal to State Governors to align with the Federal Government's commitment to increased funding for HIV/AIDS, by

committing at least 0.5 to 1 percent of their monthly Federal allocation to address the unmet needs

It costs about N50,000 to provide ART to a person living with HIV for a year

for HIV/AIDS in their respective states. This will go a long way in addressing the commodity unmet needs and health systems strengthening in their states.”

“Going by the theme of this year's World AIDS Day, "Right to Health; Make it Happen", it is time to put HIV/AIDS at the forefront of universal health coverage in Nigeria, which is the vision of the National Health Policy of 2016.

Minister decries 30% PMTCT coverage

In a related event, the

BRIEFING: From left: Sustainability Manager, Coca-Cola West Africa, Mr. Osita Abana; former Lagos Coordinator, NEPHWAN, Mr. Ibrahim Umoru and Communication Affairs Manager, Coca-Cola , Mr. Emeka Mba during a media parley to mark this year’s World AIDS Day in Lagos.

T

O mark this year ’s World AIDS Day, Red Ribbon Coalition is targeting 30,000 Nigerians in 11 states for HIV Counselling and Testing, HCT. Addressing journalists at a media parley in Lagos, the Sustainability Manager, Coca-Cola West Africa, Mr. Osita Abana enjoined Nigerians to join the cause of fighting HIV/AIDS and stigma.

His words: “Today is an important day for us because it’s a day to talk about issues very close to our heart. When we talk about public health globally, it’s hard not to talk about HIV/AIDS and the work is in progress to remove stigmatization and discrimination of people living with HIV/AIDS. We are pursuing the mission of making the world HIV free with our partners from other organizations and private individuals to move faster.

“At Coca-Cola we are working along with strong stakeholders to ensure that we drive messages about

HIV/AIDS. We believe we can’t just be a company that only sells drinks because businesses can on drive in healthy society, we can’t do business where there is high mortality. That’s why we are here to drive health and wellbeing to fight stigmatization and discrimination with people living with HIV/AIDS. HIV Cascade of Care Specialist, Society for Family Health, SFH, Mr. Emmanuel Olaoti noted that the coalition is shouldering the need for accessing quality treatment and to provide up-to-date information about HIV/AIDS to the people.

Olaoti explained that since 2014 the red ribbon coalition started with just three states in Nigeria reaching out to just 10,000 and later improved to over 20, 000 and this year we have reached out to over 30,000 Nigerians through our campaigns.

Speaking, former Lagos Coordinator, Network of People Living with HIV/ AIDS in Nigeria, Ibrahim Umoru, noted there are numbers of Nigerians

living with HIV/AIDS who do not have access to quality treatment.

Ibrahim charged public office holders and politicians on fighting the course of government providing and supporting victims of HIV/AIDS in accessing quality treatment and ensuring affordability.

On her part, the executive secretary of Youth Empowerment Foundation, YEF, Mrs. Iwalola Akin-Jimoh stressed that the coalition will be looking more into providing adequate information to the youths to prevent them from HIV/AIDS to secure their future.

“We are ensuring that young people have access to information. We believe that young people have enough energy and we need to shift focus on them so to have access to information on HIV/AIDS and reproductive health.

We need to feed them with information because what causes pregnancy which is sexual intercourse also can lead to HIV/AIDS. So it is important to address

these issues using all forms of activities like; football matches, drama and concerts among others. and all, just to give them up to date information about HIV/ AIDS” she said.

of the pregnant population annually. These poor indicators are unacceptable and require a re-think around our coordination strategies for the containment of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria.”

He said government is working hard to reverse the trend of donor-driven approach to national HIV programmes so that more PLHIV can be on free ARV drug treatment.

Flour Mills sensitizes staff on HIV/AIDs

By Gabriel Olawale

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Red Ribbon targets 30,000 for HIV testing, counselling

By Chioma Obinna

Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole expressed concern that despite several years of interventions, access to paediatric ART services continues to hover around the 28 percent mark for six years running.

Adewole who spoke in Abuja in commemoration of the WAD 2017, observed: “It is equally worrisome that PMTCT services are available only to 30 percent

S part of its commitment to always look after the welfare of its employees, Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc has organised free HIV testing and counseling as part of activities to commemorate 2017 World Aids Day. Speaking during the exercise, the Group Managing Director, Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc, Paul Gbededo, said that there are needs to maintain conversation on HIV/AIDS since there has not been a cure and new cases of infection are rising especially mother to child infection.

He pointed out that Africa continues to record large number of new cases which means that it became impossible to take foot off the gas pedal now.

Gbededo pointed out that the theme for this year’s World Aids day celebration; “Everybody counts” was a reflection of what they believe in as organization, “We believe that everybody has a right to health. We believe that we should not

discriminate based on HIV status of any employee or intending employee, rather we should help people living with HIV/Aids to be able to live a productive live through education, provision of quality health care cover and regular advice from our medical team.

“This year’s event falls on a public holiday, but as a show of our commitment to eradicating the disease, Management agreed that the event should hold today 30th November 2017. Last year we provided 4 testing locations in Lagos. Eight (8) volunteer testers were on ground to test our people. Two hundred and forty-three (243) employees were tested.

“I am challenging you to encourage your colleagues to make themselves available for testing. I believe we can get up to 500 employees this year. I will like to emphasise the need for us to unite to fight this disease by living right, creating awareness and by non-discriminatory behaviour against people living with HIV/Aids.

Experts task Nigerians on reinventing nation’s health sector

By Providence Emmanuel

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XPERTS in the Health sector have said that all hands must be on deck to reinvent Africa, especially Nigeria’s healthcare service delivery.

The experts; Prof. Khama Rogo, Lead Health Specialist, World Bank Group; Mrs. Clare Omatseye, President, Healthcare Federation of Nigeria; Mrs. Toyin Saraki, Founder, Wellbeing Foundation Africa; Dr. Inyang Asibong, Commissioner for Health, Cross River State; Dr. Kabiru Getso, Commissioner for Health, Kano State; among others

spoke at a panel discussion on the background of the Medic West Africa Leaders Conference/Exhibition with the theme: Reinventing Healthcare Service Delivery in Lagos.

They said that there is a need to put human resources to work, looking at different ways of engaging people to work, even as they call for a change in the way the sector is being financed.

Omatseye said: “So much lip service is paid to the health sector. There is a divide between the healthcare providers and the government. Everyone has right to healthcare.

Nigerian patients are not less than any patient in any

country.

“Public-Private Partnership is critical for the sustainability of this sector, it has been abused. It means collaboration, partnership, not people dictating for you to implement, we need to get our policies right. We can do much with collaboration,” she said.

According to Rogo: “This sector is not complex, what is complex is the way we put it; we need to adopt the common sense solution.

Nigeria has 60,000 doctors, 30,000 are in this country and most of them are unemployed, the other 30,000 are outside, treating Americans, English men and the Arabians.

28—Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017

Kidney failure: Help save my husband, renowned broadcaster cries out ...Seeks N15m for transplant

By Sola Ogundipe

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E N O W N E D broadcaster and publisher, Woman of Substance, Mrs Ify Onyegbule Anderson has sent a distress call to all Nigerians to help save her husband, George, diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. Anderson, who is Team Lead, Truespeak Broadcast Academy , said her husband who fell ill in September was rushed to the hospital where he was diagnosed with kidney failure.

Thereafter doctors recommended three sessions of dialyses every week to help filter his blood and stabilize organ functions. Every session costs over N40,000 without the tests and other organ function examinations.

In her passionate message, Anderson graphically describes her pain and fears. “Every day, at the hospital is a very emotional and disturbing experience, I watch my husband, daily and slowly slipping into pains from these diseases. My heart aches. My tears won’t dry.

My husband is weaker at

each sunrise and slower at sunset.

A medical report signed by the Consultant Physician and Nephrologist, Althahaus Medicals, Dr PC EmemChioma, noted that George is a long term hypertensive being managed for End Stage Kidney Disease and Rheumatoid Arthritis.

According to the report, George requires urgent kidney transplant.

His condition requires repeated electrolyte, urea, creatinine and Full Blood Count evaluations as well as three haemodyalisis per week for him to be relatively stable while awaiting kidney transplantation. He also requires monthly shots

of erythropoietin. The treatment, surgery including post-surgery care and support are estimated to cost N15 million.

“Where am I going to get that from,” she asks.”Time is not on my side. I need your help here and now.

Our income cannot meet the financial burden of his medical challenges as he is unable to walk and work due to this illness and I have put a temporary hold on my work to care for and support him.

“I need you to help me save my husband. I do not want to be a widow at the prime of my life. I do not want to lose him to this dreadful disease because of

George Anderson undergoing dialysis with his wife Ify, beside him. our financial status that has been whittled down due to this challenge.

"Hence I cry to you to please help me with whatever you have. Your donations will help me save my dearest husband

and a wonderful father. He is my life and I don’t want to lose my life.

"Help me overcome these challenges. I need your financial assistance to help me save my husband and child's father. Thank you

and God bless you."

If you are touched and wish to help save George, kindly send your donations to Ify Onyegbule Zenith Bank 1002133134 or call 08026265478 for further details.

Cedarcrest begins 3-day free medical screening tomorrow

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O prevent misdiagnosis, reduce morbidity and mortality as well as provide world class treatment options locally, Cedarcrest Hospitals, a foremost private multispecialty hospital group, is providing free medical screening, consultations and drugs to Nigerian citizens at her Lagos Hospital. This is to be

accompanied with the free distribution of Insecticide treated bednets.

Medical Director, Dr. Felix Ogedegbe, told journalists that the exercise is scheduled to hold at their Victoria Island Hospital Wednesday December 6 through Friday December 8, 2017 between the hours of 10am - 4pm daily. It is expected to offer free

healthcare services to hundreds of Nigerans in orthopaedic surgery, eye care, internal medicine, general practice, among others.

He said through specialised medical services offered; Cedarcrest Hospitals has played a critical role in helping to conserve our nation's foreign exchange.

"Nigerians no longer need to go abroad to get specialist care as the hospital has successfully carried out complex surgical procedures hitherto thought of as being only possible abroad."

According to Ogedegbe, the best gift a nation can give her people is access to an effective and efficient healthcare system not

hindered by the citizens' ability to pay.

The Lagos Cedarcrest Hospitals Manager, Dr. Ademolu Owoyele, said that Cedarcrest Lagos is poised to give back to the people by opening its doors to Nigerians every quarter as part of its corporate social responsibility, thereby affording Nigerians access to services.

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Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017—29

For 6% of Cancers, Blame Diabetes, High BMI — RESEARCHERS

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new study carried out by Imperial College London has revealed that diabetes and High Body Mass Index, BMI, contribute six percent to the global burden of cancer.

According to the first study to quantify the proportion of cancers attributable to diabetes and high BMI published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal,the two major health issues were the cause of 5.6 percent of new cancer cases worldwide in 2012 which is equivalent to 792600 cases.

The Lead author Imperial College London, Dr Jonathan Pearson-Stuttard said when considered individually, 544300 cases were attributable to high BMI (equivalent to 3.9 percent of all cancers), and 280100 were attributable to diabetes (2 percent).

"Estimates suggest that 422 million adults have diabetes and 2.01 billion adults are overweight or obese, globally. Both high BMI and diabetes are risk factors for various types of cancer, potentially due to biological changes caused by diabetes and high BMI -- such as high

I

Experts say 1 in every 5 Nigerian woman are overweight. insulin, high sugar levels, chronic inflammation, and dysregulated sex hormones such as oestrogen having adverse effects on the body. Pearson-Stuttard projected that with these two risk factors becoming i n c r e a s i n g l y widespread, the proportion of attributable cancers is set to grow further.

"As the prevalence of these cancer risk factors increases, clinical and public health efforts should focus on identifying preventive and screening measures for populations and for individual patients. It is

important that effective food policies are implemented to tackle the rising prevalence of diabetes, high BMI and the diseases related to these risk factors.

Estimates suggest that 422 million adults have diabetes and 2.01 billion adults are overweight globally

"The study assessed the increase in new cases of 18 cancers based on the prevalence of diabetes and high BMI in 175 countries between 1980 and 2002.

"To conduct the study, the authors gathered data on the incidence of 12 types of cancer from 175 countries in 2012.

They combined this with data on high BMI and on diabetes. They matched the data sets by age group and sex to take account of age differences using diabetes and BMI data from 2002 to calculate cancer incidence in 2012 attributable to these risks.

LG equips Kuje General Hospital with air conditioners, others

By Chioma Obinna

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S part of its Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR, LG Electronics, has donated units of new Gencool Inverter Air Conditioners, Jet Cool Air Conditioners as well as treated mosquito nets to Kuje General Hospital.

The brand has received accolades from Nigerian consumers over the years, for having their interest at heart in the development of cutting edge technological products, embarked on this gesture in order to enhance health care delivery services in Nigeria.

The donated items are expected to meet the needs of the health institution in their mission to provide people in the community with excellent health care services.

Speaking at the formal presentation of the items, Head, Corporate Marketing, LG Electronics West Africa Operations Mr. Hari Krishna Elluru said: "We have remained

Foundation makes case for people living with sickle cell anaemia

competitive while improving sustainability; we have enabled investment and innovation required to deploy new technologies and to safely and responsibly develop progressive products."

He said: "We belief that the Air Conditioning units as well as the other items we are donating today will improve the service delivery in the hospital and provide the enabling environment for the medical personnel."

Also speaking, the Manager, Fouani Nigeria Ltd, Abuja branch, Mr. Morhaf Ghazaly noted that the visit which was part of LG Electronics' CSR activities was aimed at reaching out to health institutions in the country.

"It is my firm belief that the items we are donating today will go a long way to empower this health facility as well as the people of this community in their quest to enjoy sound health by empowering the hospital

staff to do their jobs more efficiently".

Responding on behalf of the hospital Management, the Head of Clinical Services Dr. Musa Ishaku, commended LG Electronics for the kind gesture. "We are proud to be the recipients of these distinctively designed Air Conditioning units and the

treated mosquito nets. We appreciate LG Electronics' generosity and good will to our hospital, which is clearly demonstrated by this donation."

Ishaku called on other corporate organizations and public spirited individuals to emulate LG in responding to the needs of health institutions.

Stories by Oluwaseyi Adeshina

N order to save the lives of people living with sickle anaemia, Bola Omoteso Memorial Watch, BMW, Foundation, has called on Nigerians to show love, care and concern to people living with the disorder.

The founder of BWM, Dr. Omolola Omoteso who made the call in Lagos during the Foundation's, 2017 Colloquium also urged people with sickle cell to study the condition and identify carefully what triggers their crisis and also be alert when the crisis comes.

Omoteso who distributed free drugs and other items explained that this year's colloquium was to advocate proper management of the disease as well as educate parents, guardians and

care givers about the condition.

The programme was also designed to communicate to parents and guardians of those living with the disease to go for their monthly check ups and also take care of themselves because most time parents with kids having this disease put all their efforts in taking care of the child while neglecting their own health."

Speaking, the Executive Director of Sickle cell Advocacy and Management Initiative, SAMI, Mrs Toyin Adesola urged government to provide newborn screening machines in order to detect sickle cell at birth as early detection bring about proper management not only for sickle cell but also for other defects from birth.

GAMSU, GE Healthcare train Nigerian nurses, midwives

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O imrpove skills of Nigerians nurses and midwives, GE Healthcare in partnership with the Gamaliel & Susan Onosode Foundation, GAMSU, has trained nurses and midwives at the School of Nursing, Lagos University Teaching Hospital. The programme included both theoretical and practical training for 40 student nurses and 5 nurse tutors of the School of Nursing, Lagos University Teaching Hospital.

The five-day programme was geared towards significantly reducing the Maternal Infant Mortality indices in Nigeria by applying the right skills and education to frontline staff who attend to women and children at birth.

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund,

DONATION: Cross section of LG staff and Kuje General hospital when LG donated items to the hospital recently.

UNICEF, every single day, Nigeria loses about 2,300 under-five year olds and 145 women of childbearing age.

Speaking on the development, General Manager, GE Healthcare, West and Central Africa, Eyong Ebai, said: “GE is committed to skills development in the healthcare sector in Nigeria and GAMSU is a likeminded organization so there is a natural alignment in our objectives to bridge the skills gap in Nigeria, in this case, empowering nurses and nurse tutors with valuable clinical and leadership skills.

He expressed hope that the programme will have an overall impact on maternal and child indices in Nigeria as it was aligned to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goal Three – by improving the knowledge base and skills of medical practitioners to deliver quality healthcare, specifically for women and children, Speaking, the Secretary, Board of Trustees Gamaliel & Susan Onosode Foundation, Mr. Spencer Onosode, expressed delight in partnering with an industry leader like GE Healthcare in fulfillment of one of GAMSU’s objectives to support educational institutions in Nigeria which ultimately fosters the success of the Nigerian child.

30 —VANGUARD, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017

Anambra Election: Why Buhari cannot do much about vote-buying – Lai Mohammed

By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor

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he minister of information, culture and tourism, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, a lawyer and public relations expert in this interview reviews developments in the polity observing among others that the recent governorship election in Anambra State is a death knell for the Independent People Of Biafra, IPOB, a group that had campaigned for the boycott of the polls.

•Lai-Mohammed

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oing by what transpired in the just c o n c l u d e d Anambra governorship election, Are you not worried that Nigerians are fast moving from ballot snatching to vote buying?

What is the government doing to address this as we move towards 2019?

Frankly speaking, I didn’t follow the Anambra election, so, I cannot really talk about vote buying or ballot snatching. What I know that I can speak on is that number one, the Muhammadu Buhari administration provided a level playing field for all, and he showed that from the manner he restored the security aides of Governor Obiano.

For whatever reason, the Inspector- General of Police (IGP) felt that going by experience; it will not be proper to leave the security aides, so, he posted out the Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to the governor and some other key security officials. But the president felt that it is not enough, to be honest, you must also appear honest and whatever the reasons the IGP might have, that it is about perception. He said that the right thing to do is to restore the governor ’s aides and design a manner to ensure that nobody will abuse his position. This had never happened in the history of

Nigeria. I know that the practice before was that a few days before election, Commissioners of police would be posted out even some times, INEC officials or DG SSS will be posted out.

But for Mr. President, the message is clear: Let the

What I know that I can speak on is that number one, the Muhammadu Buhari administration provided a level playing field for all, and he showed that from the manner he restored the security aides of Governor Obiano people make their decisions.

If the people now decide to sell their votes, there is nothing the government at the centre can do but we will continue to drum it and let them understand that that vote is the single most powerful weapon they have and once they sell it, they can’t

come round again until the next four years to complain about the kind of leaders they have.

But what I believe is that for us in APC as a government, we want the people of Nigeria to decide the outcome of every election. It is not about who is at the centre, but we did not follow the temptation to use our muscle. It was quite tempting, but we felt it is only fair for the people to decide their own fate.

Before the election, the tension was very high because of the activities of IPOB. As the official spokesman of the federal government, how do you feel that in spite of all the tension, election still held and it was peaceful?

I think what that proved really is that IPOB does not represent the good people of Anambra or Ebonyi State or any state in the South East. If truly they represented the people, the IPOB propaganda about the election really showed that they are not on ground.

Anywhere you see a sign that says ‘No Thoroughfare,’ it means there is a road. So, the fact that they were saying that they were going to disrupt the election, the federal government had decided to sew IPOB uniforms for people, and those people will now kill and give the

impression that IPOB members are responsible shows that they have lost the game. The people of Anambra have shown that there is no alternative to democracy and that they believe in one Nigeria and federal system of government. If there are issues to be resolved, let us resolve it. But terrorism and separatism is not the answer.

I think the Anambra election has sounded the death knell on IPOB because they said election would never hold.

The election has come and gone; the turnout was quite reasonable. Every party competed very competitively, and at the end of the day, the people of Anambra have decided who is going to be their governor.

The president was in the South East just before the election. Will you say this was an attempt to make inroad into the region after allegations of marginalization since his assumption of office?

I think anybody who understands Mr. President will see that he is a man who loves every part of the country equally. For anybody who wants to unite this country, he can’t afford to prefer one part of the country to another. One thing about being in the military is that it is the most national institution. When you are at war, the fellow covering

your back, you don’t want to ask whether he is Igbo, Yoruba or Hausa. That is why they have this strong spirit of esprit de corps. So, for a president who has been in the military and has been Head of State, his only passion is to get things right in Nigeria.

I don’t think he prefers one part of the country to another.

Look at the cabinet. Katsina State where the president comes from has a minister of state in the cabinet. Kaduna State where he has lived all his life after retirement has a minister of state. That shows the kind of person the president is. So, it is not true that his visit to the South East is to market 2019. It is not by visiting a particular place that you show that you are running for 2019.

What will determine your campaign in 2019 is your performance while in office and I can say as a member of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) that we are very careful that projects are spread equally across the country and that the interest of every zone is taken into consideration so that nobody can say ‘I have been marginalised or shortchanged’.

Have you found a solution to this recent threat by Niger Delta Avengers?

Of course, when you are managing a government, you don’t manage it openly always; which means you consult with the leaders and stakeholders. It is not everything you do that you must make open. I can assure you that we have been reaching out to all the stakeholders both young and old and we are very confident that things will be fine. The important thing to me is to let these militants know that it is not just in the interest of the federation but even also in the interest of the region that peace should be sustained and I think we are getting there.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017—31

in Nigeria. These days, Nigerian students can even buy their class of degree. Such things are unthinkable at Oxford, where everyone is held up to the highest standards of character and virtue. An Oxford First is the ultimate Gold Standard. You cannot earn it by stealth. If an examination script is found with even one single grammatical error the candidate cannot be awarded a First.

Oxford as Numero Uno

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HE medieval city of Oxford (population 170,000), is just 92 km from London. The Victorian English poet Matthew Arnold famously described it as the “city of dreaming spires”. Looming large over the city is the university that bears its name, founded in the twelfth century – the oldest in the Englishspeaking world. The universities of Paris Sorbonne, and Bologna, Italy, are older. The prize for the oldest in the world belongs to the Arabs who were leaders in science, mathematics and philosophy whilst Europe wallowed in the Dark Ages. The oldest continually existing university is Al-Karouin in Fez, Morocco, founded in 859; followed Al-Azhar in Cairo, founded in 970.

The University of Oxford is a leading community of scholars and researchers made up of 38 autonomous colleges. The collegiate system can sometimes be confusing to those unfamiliar with it. A perfect illustration would be the Nigerian federation, comprising 36 states but all of them belonging to one sovereign Federal Republic.

Applicants must be admitted both by the university and a college. The college provides residency and teaching while the university provides lectures, laboratories, libraries and other facilities.

Colleges prepare students for university examinations, which in Oxford are a gruelling public exercise. There is a healthy competition among colleges to bring out the best.

Oxford and its great rival Cambridge provide perhaps the best educational experience anyone could hope to get. Each student is assigned a college tutor. Every single week undergraduates present an essay to their tutor. There is no mucking about. If you don’t measure up after persistent warnings you could be sent down.

I spent 5 of my most formative years at Oriel College, eventually earning a doctorate (DPhil) in the Politics and Economics of Development — a life-changing experience I must say. Those medieval cloisters remain for me the most ideal learning environment; an abode of enlightenment and civilisation. Everything is geared towards inspiring you to reach your highest potential. Colour, race, parentage, nationality or religion do not matter at Oxford. What counts is your intellect and what you can bring to the table of world intellectual culture. Children of kings and queens, presidents, prime ministers, billionaires and paupers live and learn together. Oxford is full of extraordinary people.

Competition for entry is inevitably stiff. Scoring all As at school doesn’t guarantee you a place. The dons are always on the lookout for geniuses and mavericks – those unreasonable men and women who discover new frontiers and effect change in the world. Neither the Queen of England nor the British Prime Minister or his ministers can influence the admission process, unlike the norm

On Saturday the 2nd of December, in the ornate meeting rooms of the George Hotel Ikoyi, we interviewed the finalists, ending up with two successful candidates It is by no means a perfect system.

Competition to excel is so severe that suicides and mental breakdowns do happen. A few years ago, a Chinese son of a billionaire from Hong Kong went straight from his finals paper to a bridge, plunging headlong to his death. He believed he had bungled everything, only to be awarded a posthumous First.

Sadly, African and other minorities are heavily underrepresented in the student population as well as in the professoriate. Over the last two decades, we’ve had only three dons of African/Afro-Caribbean origin: Patricia Dalley in Environmental Sciences, Raufu Mustapha in Department of Politics and Wale Adebanwi, recently appointed to the prestigious Rhodes Professorship.

Raufu Mustapha tragically succumbed to cancer in August this year.

Oxford has been ranked in first place in the 2017 Global University League Table. Cambridge came in second place; followed by California Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Harvard; Princeton; Imperial College London; Chicago; and, bracketing in tenth position, University of Pennsylvania and

Women, sex and power

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ARVEY Weinstein has denied all nonconsensual sex. But he seems to be accused of “sexual assault and inappropriate sexual behaviour”. What are we talking about?

And he is ostracised not really for making love or having sex with these accusers but for masturbating in front of some, wearing a bathrobe, etc.

Again we reach the height of hypocrisy. One woman said that Harvey Weinstein assaulted her three times – 2010, 2011, and 2013 in her own house!! Did he invite himself to her house?

If her experience was bad in 2010, why did she go to see him at the scene of the crime one year after?

Only one African American woman has accused Harvey. Was he discriminating? It is no wonder, so few African Americans get top jobs!!

One Jew, one black, Bill Cosby have been the focus of this power of persecution that women now have over men which have left otherwise sensible people quaking in their boots.

It is now so embarrassing that every A-list actress must claim to have been molested by Weinstein otherwise it is impossible to explain any actress’ success. Perhaps, there are other Weinsteins in the closet to come out. But a necessary part of any actress’ CV must now include how these starry-eyed young girls and women came to Hollywood and had the couch treatment as part of a rite of passage to success.

One thing is clear. Harvey Weinstein delivered on his promise that is why so many elite stars are queuing with allegations. Will all these actresses return the money and fame which followed their encounter with Mr. Weinstein on the couch?

What about the timing and the repercussions?

It seemed so highly orchestrated that there was C M Y K

no rhyme or reason following the accusations.

The reaction was precipitous, swift and violent; I suppose the trauma suffered by the victims of such attacks demand summary judgment in their favour. The reaction says more about what women and men regard now as unacceptable behaviour than the gravity of these offenses. Even men, after having slept with a woman sometimes regret doing so. But he does not pursue an orchestrated vendetta against the subject of his indiscretion.

I am told that asking a woman to shop with you is a power game. Any sensible person who lives in a city knows what part of that city you do not go at night. The ladies of Hollywood, to quote President Trump, “knew exactly what they were doing when they went to Hollywood”.

The place was not a holy sacristy: it was a cesspool of unmitigated sex, drugs and any

Now men have to have their videos on and their office doors open when a woman walks in outrageous behaviour that pushed the borders.

The journalists who are now gleefully exposing Weinstein and Cosby knew exactly what was happening, why did they not write it then and now devote inordinate time and space to name and shame sexual “predators”. Journalism itself is a place of hedonism and low sexual morals, deviant behaviour which they have now pushed the public to accept lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) – as legitimate relations.

Yet, they live in the United States where the illegal immigrant is subjected to precisely the same routine as the stars. If we are to go back to history to deal with inappropriate sexual

Zurich Federal Institute of Technology.

Oxford in the old days was a citadel of class and privilege; a bastion of the aristocracy. In a way, it still is.

But today’s Oxford is more about excellence and ability rather than mere swaggering snob value as some American Ivy League institutions are. The institution expects all its graduates to live by a code of chivalrous honour while pursuing excellence — serving humanity with compassion and justice.

Remarkably, the university has produced 28 Nobel laureates, 27 British prime ministers and several world leaders such as Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan; King Abdullah of Jordan; Solomon Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka; Malcolm Fraser of Australia; Lester Pearson of Canada; Manhoman Singh of India; Eric Williams of Trinidad and Tobago; and John Kofi Agyekum Kufuor and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, both of Ghana.

Today’s Oxford is a world leader in medical science, computing, robotics, particle physics, engineering, and earth sciences. The World Wide Webb was founded by Oxford computer scientist Timothy John Banners-Lee. If he had insisted on keeping monopoly over his intellectual property he would have been as rich as the legendary Croesus. Rather, he made it freely available to humanity. Some of the world’s greatest mathematicians have been Oxford people, among them Stephen Hawking, Michael Atiyah and Andrew Wiles who solved the centuries-old Fermat’s Last Theorem. Erwin Schrodinger was an Oxford man as was the even more famous Albert Einstein. Oxford jurisprudence is second to none while the university remains the philosophy and literature.

The university is also the home of the Rhodes scholarship, founded by Cecil Rhodes to educate the brightest minds in the English-speaking world. Selection is extremely competitive. As a basic minimum, you must have a First Class degree.

behaviour, how many white men took advantage of black women who worked for them? In many cases, they had their babies – not one but several. It had started over 500 years and still continues today.

How do we recompense these? There was no Netflix or the Oscar Academy or the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, BAFTA, to punish men who live on a daily basis with such sexual power over black or immigrant women. This same power relationship exists in several professions to-day: - Nurses and doctors, captains and air attendants, men and women who work in radio/television and communication networks, banking and financial services, etc.

In Nigeria, I wish the women would grasp this nettle and expose their unscrupulous bosses, Governors, Presidents, Ministers, Commissioners, Permanent Secretaries, Directors, etc. Few men would not lose their jobs if that was the punishment to be meted out to irresponsible bosses who see every skirt as a lawful prize In Europe today, the women are so aggressive they do the chasing, men run away. The young ones get drunk and approach even old Biddies with inappropriate behaviour or sexual assault.

A wise man quietly checks that his under pant is in place or flees for dear life: if you don’t and the woman decides that you were aggressor – that is when you realise that justice is not as blind as presumed if colour comes into it.

I realise that sexual liberation has produced this hybrid of androgynous beings – men marrying men, women marrying women, adopting children in these circumstances.

But you must also demonstrate exceptional potential for leadership, service and moral force of character.

A Rhodes Scholar should have the potential to become a leader in government, diplomacy, finance or science. Former US President Bill Clinton was a Rhodes Scholar, although he did not end up with a degree at Oxford. Several scholars have gone on to become senators, Supreme Court justices, captains of industry and distinguished scholars and leaders in their chosen fields.

Last week, a team of us were in Lagos to interview the 15 finalists for the West Africa Rhodes scholarship for 2018. Our Chair was Ike Chioke, CEO of investment banking outfit Afrinvest, himself a former Rhodes Scholar. The scheme had been suspended for more than two decades because the Rhodes Trust made the mistake of contracting the selection process to the Federal Ministry of Education.

As you would expect, the candidates that were presented were the type that were unfit for admission even in a second-rate British university. The Rhodes Trust, in their infinite wisdom, have put together a team of men and women of high integrity, most of them Oxford graduates, to take charge of the selection process going forward.

We created a rigorous selection framework that enabled us to weed out the wheat from the chaff. Over 500 candidates applied, out of which 15 finalists emerged. On Saturday nd the 2 of December, in the ornate meeting rooms of the George Hotel Ikoyi, we interviewed the finalists, ending up with two successful candidates: Toluwalase Awoyemi, 24, best graduating medical student of the University of Ibadan; and Miss Emmanuelle Afaribea Dankwa, 21, an outstanding mathematics/ statistics graduate of University of Ghana Legon.

I have no doubt that these young academic ambassadors will not only acquit themselves with distinction; they will present a good image of our beloved West Africa. Floreat oxoniensis!

Some people who are clearly men or clearly women do not want to be so classified; some toilets in Europe and the US do not contain male/female only; some are marked with the symbol for those who believe they are trapped in the wrong body.

To tell a woman these days that she is beautiful or she should not be emotional, or her dress is nice may be construed as inappropriate sexual behaviour. When you are in the underground in London during rush hours the only place you can keep your hand while standing is up on the overhead rails.

An itch in your boom and you want to scratch and turn into a woman in a packed train next to you – be careful – you have committed inappropriate sexual behaviour. But how about the woman who because, of the crush in the train have her breast in your chest or behind you?

Indeed, now men have to have their videos on and their office doors open when a woman walks in because he is not sure what she might accuse him of.

It is interesting that in all the accusations of inappropriate behaviour or sexual harassment – there is no mention of the unfaithfulness of Weinstein or indeed of anybody else – it is as if the power of women to bring top people down is now more important than the earlier perception of what a terrible thing it is to be unfaithful to a spouse.

Continues next week

32 –Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017

LEISURE

YOUR LUCK TODAY

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

By Joshua Adeyemo Phone 08056180139 AQUARIUS; If what you’re doing today’ll depend on tomorrow’s event it’s better you’re more careful now. Even things may not go according to your personal plans today. Yet it’s important you plan both your immediate and far future carefully now PISCES; If you take to aggression, your ego would be deflated by your superior colleagues, but your being co-operative in a civilised way’ll prevent trouble ARIES; Those willing to put you to shame one way or the other’ll be disappointed with the turn of things today. It’s good to secure support of your spouse TAURUS; You’ve had enough of fun in the recent times and it’s now time you settle down for hard work in order to prevent avoidable trouble. Be patient please.

GEMINI; Your concentration level and determination are the pillars of your success today. Yet you’ll need to respect your senior colleagues and protect your image

When you ask these successful and accomplished individuals about their turning points and listen carefully, you will often hear truly enlightening and inspirational stories -stories that can serve as a shining beacon of light to us all. Bernie Swain, What Made Me Who I Am - Inspirational Stories We begin doing things because of a motive; we continue doing them because of both motive and habit; but there may come a time when motive is forgotten and we continue on because of established habit. Andrew Carnegie - Habit

TERROR MUDA

in “Never say goodbye”

By Kola Fayemi

CANCER; It’s true you’re willing to work harder but you just have to drop both aggression and mental arrogance to allow things to roll accordingly. Then, you’re accident prone within your working arena. Respect the law and its agents today.

LEO; Serious thought may be giving to matters of the heart but it’s better you tarry a while. Joint ventures of short duration today may be an invitation to avoidable trouble VIRGO ; If you back your financial plans with concrete and positive actions things’ll go according to your desire. If you fail to realise importance of your spouse you would work your way into avoidable trouble; aren’t you tired of crisis?

LIBRA; Your intelligence, competence and level of concentration may today bring you envy, which you don’t deserve within your working arena in a negative form but, you’ll succeed.. Entertain no fear, and take advantage of your sex-appeal for love.

SCORPIO;. The Moon in Sagittarius highlights your Solar second house of money which is good but, if you try to buy true love with money, you’ll be disappointed

KAPTAIN AFRIKA

in

“Pretty Lunatic’

By Andy Akman

SAGITTARIUS; The. Moon in your Star sign’ll gives you new confidence and with new supports from the powers-that-be, it’s like you are now un-stop-able. But be cautious, especially with the veterans within your base of operation CAPRICORN; Tomorrow is your better day. But you will today need to do away with non-productive argument and/or agreement. Try to be more diplomatic now.

ASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLING Send yyour our dat tr ological datee and place of bir th ttoo the As Astr trological Counselling, PP.M.B .M.B 1100 00 7, Apapa, Lagos 007,

Basic characteristics of Sagittarius Sagittarius is a mutable sign by its quality. It ‘s element is fire, symbolised by half horse half man and/or an Archer aiming at the sky. Mutable means changes and experimentation, while fire is all about enthusiasm, taking of the initiative and leadership ability. Thus, you are the type that will exhibit strong interest in an important project that catches your fancy and you will not mind to experiment with ideas just to achieve your objectives and aims. Sagittarius is 9th of the twelve Zodiac signs that rules philosophy, RELIGION, law, foreign land, higher mind/higher institutions, lawyer, long (distance) travelling, in-laws, future, optimism and bluntness. Major problem or weak points of Sagittarians are excessive openness/bluntness and sometimes fanatical approach to religion.

Being a born adventurer, you are not afraid of exploration and new beginning. Sagittarians are incurable optimists and ever ready to listen to and eager to believe others. Honesty is truly in your inner self You are a tolerant person but you are not ready to compromise your FREEDOM Sagittarius as a fire sign can make you a quick tempered person. Half horse half man as the symbol, of Sagittarius indicates dual (double) personalities known in different circles with different personalities. Yet, you are not a pretender. As the Archer aims arrow into the sky so also Sagittarians have many lofty ideas and ambitions. But sometimes their ideas and/or ideals are not practical enough for realisation. Many times, they start too many things at the same time only to .either forget or lose view of their original target.

Development of practical approach is more important for Sagittarians this is in order to make success of many of their brilliant ideas, otherwise they tend to become dreamers.

In reality, Sagittarians are dreamers (by this 1 mean real dream many use to have at night when sleeping) and many of their dreams usually come to pass. Sometimes their dreams are vividly prophetic.

Sagittarians are born philosophers. That is why they have well developed minds indispensable to rare wisdom, Then, they are humorous, lively, sports loving out going, energetic, good hearted, in love with change/experimentation, ever willing to co-operate, socially inclined, enthusiastic and highly intelligent. Ironically as intelligent as they are, they can surprisingly appear fanatical about their convinction and/or views.

C M Y K

VIRGINIA

dadadekola@yahoo.com

HOME & ABROAD

By Lawrence Akapa

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Delta monarchs decry damage of public property

By Victor AhiumaYoung

M

EMBERS of Delta State Council of Traditional Rulers have asked communities in the state to rise up to the challenge of protecting government property and facilities located in their areas.

The call is contained in a six-point communiqué issued at the end of the Traditional Rulers Council meeting in Asaba.

The Chairman of the council and Obi of Owa, Dr. Emmanuel Efeizomor II, who read the communiqué, condemned the incessant destruction of water pipelines, theft of generating sets and vandalism of critical government infrastructure across communities in the state.

The traditional rulers said the willful destruction of public infrastructure by vandals would henceforth attract severe sanctions,

saying that such damaged facilities would not be replaced by government.

The royal fathers adopted a new set of etiquette designed to regulate the conduct of members.

The primary objective of the new code of conduct, which took effect from November 30, 2017, is to ensure that traditional rulers in Delta State conduct themselves with the highest degree of decorum and dignity befitting of their status as

traditional rulers of their different kingdoms.

The council urged members to abide by the details of the code in the collective interest of the traditional institution insisting that they should remain apolitical as the January 6, 2018 local government election approaches in order not to belittle themselves before politicians and ridicule the revered traditional institution.

Wike doles 16 SUVs to Rivers’ National Assembly members

R

IVERS State governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike, yesterday, released 16 Sports Utility Vehicles, SUVs, to elected members of the National Assembly from Rivers State.

Three of the vehicles are for senators representing the state, while 13 are for members of the House of Representatives from the state.

Members of the House of Representatives, led by Mrs. Betty Apiafi, Leader, Rivers Caucus of the House of Representatives and Bari Mpigi, Deputy Leader, Rivers State

House of Representatives caucus, took possession of their vehicles.

Making the presentation at Government House Port Harcourt, Governor Wike said the vehicles were acquired to aid the federal lawmakers in the discharge of their official functions.

He said the vehicles were for all members of the National Assembly irrespective of their party affiliation.

He said: “Defend the interest of the state wherever you are. This is from the Government of Rivers State which you are part of. This is to aid you in your official functions in Abuja.”

Don tasks A-Ibom govt on geophysical site investigation

By Chioma

Onuegbu

U

ULTIMATE NIGHT: From left: Dr Adeleke Ipaye, representing the governor of Osun State; Mr Segun Adekuwajoro, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Havilia Oil & Gas Limited; Dr Kayode Akinlade, President, Ultimate Circle of Nigeria and Mr Tunji Bello, Secretary to the State Governor, Lagos State, repesenting the Lagos State Governor, during the 2017 Ultimate Night Celebration of Ultimate Circle of Nigeria, in Lagos. Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi.

Why we increased Delta State 2018 budget to N308.888bn —Speaker

By Festus Ahon

A

SABA—SPEAKER of the Delta State State House of Assembly, Chief Sheriff Oborevwori, yesterday, explained that the increase of the 2018 appropriation bill recently passed by the House by N10 billion was necessitated by the need to capture some critical areas that were left out when the budget was drawn up by the executive.

This came as he blasted All Progressives Congress, APC, chieftain, Dr Cairo Ojuogboh, who had accused the state government of operating a blank budget, claiming that Ojougboh was taking his perceived hatred for Governor Okowa too far.

Oborevwori, in a statement, said: “The state governor, Dr Ifeanyi

C M Y

Okowa, had on October 19, 2017 presented the state's 2018 Appropriation Bill of N298 billion, and the State Assembly on November 30 2017, exactly 42 days after it was presented, passed the bill and jacked it up to N308.888 billion."

While debunking the insinuation that it was an affront on the executive, Oborevwori said: “It shows the independence of Delta State House of Assembly. It shows the extent of the free hand Governor Okowa, a seasoned administrator and experienced lawmaker, has given to the House to do its work in line with the dictates of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I respect him for that and I wish other state governors will emulate such. Let me tell you,

from the records, the passage of the 2018 appropriation bill was unique and painstakingly carried out. It went through all the legislative processes of lawmaking.

From first reading of the bill to robust debates during second reading before it was subjected to scrutiny by the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation, with all the other standing committees as subcommittees.

“There were some realignments and adjustments, movement of funds from some heads to areas of more critical need. Following the submission and receipt of the report of the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation, the House resolved into Committee of Supply to further scrutinize the

budget. All the sessions and annexures were accorded critical analysis and considerations with amendment effected by majority votes. In all these processes, there was no single interference by the governor. He allowed us to do our work, while doing his as the state's Chief Executive,” commending members of the House for their renewed dedication to duty since he assumed the leadership of the House.”

Oborevwori assured that the state legislature would continue to be on the same page with all critical stakeholders in the Delta State Project to grow the state, stressing, “every Deltan needs to close ranks to move the state forward. The present governor of the state is very prudent in resource management."

YO—PROFESSOR of Geophysics and Dean, Faculty of Science, University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Idara Akpabio, has called on government, property managers and construction firms, to conduct geophysical site investigation before embarking on any construction work.

Akpabio said most roads, houses, and bridges which failed were due to absence or improper soil testing and excavation by geophysicists.

He spoke, yesterday, while delivering the

university ’s 57th Inaugural Lecture in Uyo on the topic: Geophysics: The Anomalous Science for Better Living.

Akpabio explained that when the level of soil competency was ascertained before any kind of civil construction, problems that could lead to loss of lives and properties would be avoided.

According to him, “Many factors responsible for road failures are traceable to lack of adequate geophysical survey before commencement of construction work. Nonrecognition of the importance of reconnaissance seismic refraction survey before road construction results in failures."

Deltans urged to re-elect Okowa in 2019

A

DANSE Felix S u p p o r t Network, AFSN, has appealed to well meaning Deltans to work for the reelection of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa in 2019, to complete his SMART agenda to take Delta State to the next level.

In a statement, Chief Adanse Felix, Executive Director, AFSN, contended that the SMART agenda was too good to be aborted midway through the election of a different person other than Okowa who initiated the laudable programme for the

good of the state.

According to him, “The Governor has worked and needs reelection to finish his good programmes he has in stock for the state.

On behalf of the network, I am using this medium to urge Deltans to support his reelection come 2019. It is also proper for Governor Okowa from Delta North to complete his eight years term based on equity and justice.

Chief Adanse is also, a former House of Assembly Aspirant, Warri North State constituency,2011 polls.

34 — VANGUARD, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017 :Vanguard News

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Ugwuanyi swears in elected LG chairmen, deputies E

N U G U — GOVERNOR Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State yesterday swore in the 17 local government chairmen and their deputies to run the affairs of the council areas, with a charge to discharge their mandates honestly, effectively and creditably in line with the oath office and “the aggressive rural development efforts of the state government.”

Addressing the newly elected council chairmen and deputies, after swearing them in at a colourful ceremony held at the popular Michael Okpara Square, Enugu, Gov. Ugwuanyi also mandated them to ensure that all campaign promises were fulfilled in full measures, reemphasizing the need for them to reside in their respective council areas to discharge their duties, effectively.

The governor noted that the local government is the nearest tier of government to the greater majority of the people, saying that “unless you dwell among them as their elected leaders and wear the same shoe as the people, you may never know where it hurts”.

Gov. Ugwuanyi who appreciated the people of the state for electing the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in a most peaceful manner during the Local Government Elections, also thanked the independent observers and 37 out of the 40 registered political parties for rating “the exercise as the freest, fairest, most peaceful, transparent, and credible council election in Nigeria’s recent history.”

He equally commended the Enugu State

By Anayo Okoli

U

PRESENTATION: From left; Executive Director, Technical, LASACO Assurance Plc; Special Adviser on Communities & Communications, Lagos State, Mr. Kehinde Bamigbetan and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs, Mr. Fola Padonu at the presentation of death benefits to the beneficiaries of deceased Lagos State Universal Basic Education and Local Government staff.

Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC) “for the professional management of the entire electoral process and for setting a noble standard, which its counterparts will struggle for many years to match”, and assured the commission of his administration’s continued support to enable it perform its constitutional duty for the citizens to freely exercise their franchise.

According to him, “This is what matters most

A

BAKALIKI— EBONYI State government yesterday said its mega water treatment plant, Oferekpe water scheme has started delivering over 50,000 cubic meters of water daily to curb the menace of water scarcity in the State.

In a statement issued in Abakaliki, the state Commissioner for Water Resources, Mrs. Euphemia Nwali called on residents of the state “to visit the Ministry for the connection of water from our distribution lines”.

She noted that another mega water scheme in the state, Ezillo Water

because the process of an election is always more significant than its outcome”, stressing that the PDP won overwhelmingly because it campaigned vigorously in the local government areas, electoral wards, communities, village meetings, trade unions, markets, kindred, places of worship, and homes soliciting for votes.

He noted that his administration is currently creating more urban centres

within the rural areas to make life enjoyable and catalyze more economic opportunities for the people across the three senatorial districts of the state, adding that the government is equally working towards upgrading all the district hospitals in the state to a state-of-the-art medical facilities to ensure that the people of the state do not have to travel a long distance to the urban areas to access quality healthcare services.

Pro-Biafra groups to adopt new strategies — MASSOB

By Vincent Ujumadu

A

WKA—THE Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, said yesterday that it would collaborate with other Biafra agitators to adopt new strategies in

Ebonyi supplies 50, 000 cubic metres of water daily

By Peter Okutu

Abia free trade zone to provide one million jobs — IKPEAZU Enumerating the

Treatment Plant was undergoing rehabilitation and will soon begin full operational services to complement the Oferekpe water scheme.

She dismissed a facebook report that there was water scarcity in the state and called on the residents to visit the Ministry of Water Resources for connection of water from the distribution lines to their residences.

“In addition, the ministry is laying new lines to connect other communities outside Abakaliki to ensure that water gets to every nook and cranny of the state”, Nwali stated.

a renewed vigour for the actualization of Biafra Republic.

MASSOB leader, Comrade Uchenna Madu said in a statement that the new strategies and consolidation would be anchored on the principle of non violence which, according to him, would soon be unveiled.

He said: “The coming together of pro- Biafra groups will multiply our synergies and double our consistent efforts towards Biafra actualization and restoration through our undying demand and pressure for a referendum that will determine our stake in Biafra project.

“We wish to remind the citizens and inhabitants of this geographical expression called Nigeria by the British colonial lords that God did not create us as Nigerians or that our ancestors chose the name called Nigeria. We inherited and anchored our names through our native, cultural and traditional inclinations.

It is only dogs and other domestic pets that retain and maintain names given to them by their lords and owners.

“Some other nations of

Africa who pride their native, cultural and traditional values as a mark of respect to their forefathers, rejected the change of their country’s name which the British colonial masters gave them and which political gladiators in Nigeria want to sustain and preserve.

“We are naturally and ancestrally called Biafra, Oduduwa and Arewa, but British colonial masters named the people Nigeria 57 years ago and these people prefer to kill themselves just to preserve it, than reject it.

It is only an animal that bears the name that is given to it by another person."

MUAHIA— GOVERNOR Okezie Ikpeazu has predicted that the proposed Abia Free Trade Zone would create about one million jobs for the teeming unemployed youths.

Governor Ikpeazu who said this in Aba weekend, during an interactive forum with stakeholders from Ukwa East, Ukwa West and Ugwunagbo Local Government Areas which will host the proposed Trade Zone, explained that governance was about creating better life for the people.

According to the Governor, the land would be put into good use to impact positively to the people and generations to come, and urged people to accept the project in their communities.

advantages of the project, Ikpeazu noted that it is located 30 minutes away from two seaports at Onne and Abonima, all in Rivers State, saying it would be easy for the investors to access their goods.

The governor further explained that the project would be financed by local and international investors.

He urged the communities to own the project by participating from start to finish.

“I think we need to think strategically, we need to think about tomorrow, on the need to plant a seed that will germinate tomorrow”, Ikpeazu said.

The governor assured the land owners and the communities that they would be adequately compensated, while their percentage shares in the project would be managed by any bank of their choice.

Okorocha inaugurates 28 commissioners, gives sister, Ministry of Happiness

By Chinonso Alozie

O

WERRI—Imo state governor, Rochas Okorocha, yesterday, swore in 28 commissioners and 27 Transition Committee chairmen among others.

The ceremony took place at the Imo International Convention Center, IICC, in Owerri.

The governor also announced a new ministry created by his government, Ministry of Happiness and Purpose Fulfilment to be headed by his sister, Ogechi Ololo.

The Commissioner for Information, was given to Prof. Nnamdi Obiaraeri.

Also, Mrs. Angela Uwakwem, former Chief Medical Director, Federal Medical Center, FMC, Owerri, is the Commissioner of Health.

According to Okorocha, the Transition Committee chairmen, have only

“maximum of six months to stay in office, after which an election will be conducted to give way for elected chairmen.”

He also said that by January, the Imo state Council of Traditional Rulers will have their election to elect a new executive.

He added that some of the ministries have been moved out of Owerri to villages, such as Ministry of Agriculture to Ngor Okpala local government area, while the ministry of Tourism will be taken to Oguta local government area.

According to the governor, “You are the privileged group that has the opportunity to make names for yourselves, and put your signatures in the sand of time. I want to remind all of you that this appointment is not going to be business as usual."

‘We are now public slaves, abandoned by our college'

By Anayo Okoli

U

MUAHIA— STRIKING members of the nonacademic staff union, NASU, of the Abia State College of Education, Technical, Arochukwu, ASCETA, have lamented what they called total neglect of their welfare by the management of the college, saying they have been reduced from “public

servants to public slaves.”

The union alleged that the school's management has deliberately continued to refuse to look into its demands but has rather branded union members as members of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB. It added that the college management in a bid not to look into their legitimate demands branded them members of the opposition party and alleged they were

planning to hand over the college to the opposition party in the state.

They claimed further that their chairman, Comrade Daniel Nwosu was accused by the college of “collaborating with a former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu who is now in APC to mob the provost of the college” and described all the allegations as “unfounded and costly propaganda.”

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10 years after, Kogi celebrates Sunday Awoniyi

By Boluwaji Obahopo

L

O K O J A — ENCOMIUMS, yesterday, were showered on the late former Chairman of Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, Chief Sunday Awoniyi, during a special memorial service held at the First Baptist Church, Mopa, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of his passing.

Former governor of Kogi State, Ibrahim Idris, described late Awoniyi as a great man and a role model who was transparent,

forthright and ensured fairness and justice in all his dealings.

Idris said: “The late Awoniyi was one of the personalities that supported my political ambition of becoming a governor. The state lost a rare gem in the late Awoniyi.”

Senator Tunde Ogbeha, on his part, described late Awoniyi as a devoted patriot, who demonstrated a lot of passion for the development of northern Nigeria.

ACF, in its goodwill letter read by its representative, J. P. Uba, described the late

Awoniyi as a man who devoted his service and retirement life to the overall development of the North, adding that the forum will continue to remember him as one of its founding fathers.

The Deputy Chief of Staff to former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, Chief Sola Akonmode, said the late Awoniyi remained an inspiration, even in death.

In her remarks, widow of the late Awoniyi, Florence, thanked the dignitaries for the love and honour done her husband, even in death.

Earlier in his sermon, Rev David Daniyan said late Awoniyi lived a life worthy of celebration, adding that he contributed greatly to the development of the church in Mopa.

Others at the event included former Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Patrick Adaba; member representing Yagba federal constituency, Sunday Karimi; member representing Ijumu/KabbaBunu, Tajudeen Yusuf, and a former Special Adviser to ex-President, Olusegun Obasanjo, Mr. Tunde Olusunle, among others.

MONARCHS MEET: From left—The Tor-Tiv Orcivirigh, Professor James Ayatse; Oba Aderemi Adedapo; Sultan Sa' ad Abubakar III; Igwe Ambassador Lawrence Agabuzu; Eze Eberechi Dick, and Danburan Kano, at the Northern Traditional Rulers General Assembly meeting in Kaduna, yesterday.

PHOTO: Olu Ajayi.

Gunmen burn down 2 Adamawa communities— Eyewitness

By Umar Yusuf

Y

OLA—GUNMEN, suspected to be herdsmen, in early hours of yesterday, attacked two communities of Lawuri and Dong in Demsa Local Government Area of Adamawa State.

The Demsa attack came even as the security situation in neighbouring

Numan Local Government gets worse.

A local said: “The true situation is still not clear yet, as the attack is still ongoing. But security men have been deployed to the areas to maintain peace.

“The attackers are now marching towards adjourning communities.

The entire Lawuri and Dong towns were

completely razed to ashes.”

Meanwhile, Adamawa State government has expressed regret over the sad development.

The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Ahmed Sajoh, said despite series of attempts by the government to bring the situation under control, insecurity in the areas has continued to escalate.

Kano DISCO makes N2.1bn

By AbdulSalam Muhammad

T

HE Kano Electricity Distribution Company, KEDCO, has declared N2.1 billion as revenue in 2017.

The firm’s Managing Director, Jamil Gwamna, who disclosed this at the company’s end of year management and staff conference in Kano, said the company overshot its target of N1.7 billion.

C M Y K

Gwamna commended the staff, but was quick to remind them that the target was a marked improvement towards achieving its receipt of N3.5 billion annually.

He disclosed that the staff had, during the 2017 conference, “set a target of N2 billion and they have achieved the feat, which is a clear indication that even the anticipated receipt of N3.5 billion will one day be

achieved.

“The mission of the company is to be the best electricity company with customer-centric relationship in Nigeria and this we can only achieve if there is good services provision and prompt payment of bills.”

He, however, lamented that the company was still battling energy theft, for which the rich and the poor are guilty.

His words: “It is highly regretted that attacks occurred this morning after all efforts put in place by government, community leaders and security agents to forestall a breakdown of law and order in the area.”

He was, however, optimistic that with the deployment of security men to the areas, the situation will surely be brought under control.

The Commissioner could not, however, give the casualty figure, saying it was difficult since the attack was still ongoing.

Meanwhile, Numan, the third largest town in Adamawa State, has become a ghost town as it has been deserted, following renewed hostilities between the Bachama and the herdsmen.

Numan has been in crisis for two weeks, following the killing of over 45 underaged Fulani.

How we turned tide against Boko Haram—Buratai

By Joseph Erunke Haram-led insurgency,

A

BUJA—THE Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai, has said the Army’s swift and proportionate response to the activities of Boko Haram terrorists shortly after he was made the nation’s Army chief, led to an immediate degrading of the terrorists’ capabilities.

He said at the time he took over the mantle of leadership in the Army, troops’ morale, especially those in the battlefield, was low, a situation he said paved the way for the terrorists to gain advantage over the troops.

Buratai, who also recalled that 14 local government areas in the North-East of Borno were already under the Command of the terrorists when he assumed office, said his decision to have a professionallyresponsive Nigerian Army in the discharge of its constitutional roles, added great value to Army’s war against the insurgents.

The Army chief spoke in Abuja yesterday, in his opening remark at a retreat for past commanders of the ongoing counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations in the North-East.

While noting that Boko

which began in 2009 in the North-East, had been one of the most daunting national security challenges that had threatened and undermined the peace and security of Nigeria, Buratai insisted that the military capability of the terrorists had been maximally degraded.

“The situation was so bad when I was appointed Chief of Army Staff in June 2015, that about 14 local government areas in Borno State were under the full control of Boko Haram terrorists.

Commends Buhari

“The need to swiftly respond to this challenge informed the fashioning of my mission statement which is ‘to have a professionallyresponsive Army in the discharge of its constitutional roles.

“I am glad to say that commanders have all keyed in to this vision, with the resultant effect of a change in battle tide against the Boko Haram terrorists, which led to the successful degradation of their military capability to hold any portion of the Nigerian territory,” he added. He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for providing the necessary logistic support needed to battle the insurgents.

Bosch empowers artisans with specialised kits

B

OSCH Nigeria, a global player in the field of technology and power tools, has consolidated its partnership with artisans and tradesmen in Nigeria, following the launch of an innovative tradesman kit designed to help welders and carpenters in the country maximise productivity as well as drive growth in the informal sector.

The kits, which contains the preferred power tools, is a product of several months of field work and collaboration between Bosch Nigeria and the artisans.

According to Mr. Frank Diermann, Country Sales Director, Bosch Nigeria, the essence of the programme is to help Nigerian artisans migrate

from using hand tools to the more sophisticated power tools, which is designed to deliver better efficiency, speed and productivity.

The scheme is supported

by Bank of Industry, Union Bank of Nigeria, Aledin, Bosch-authorised dealers and the Presidents of the Professional Associations for Carpenters and Welders of Nigeria.

According to Jeremy Adesanya, Conversion Manager at Bosch Nigeria, the specialised tool is sold at a discounted rate of N80,000, about 30 percent less than market price.

However, the artisans are only expected to pay N30000. BOI will advance them a micro-credit of N50,000, which they are expected to pay back within six months.

36—Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017

Presentation of 2018 budget to the NASS

FOR WOMEN, GIRLS: From left— Guest Speaker, Dr. M. A. Adewusi; Vice Chairman, Mrs Bimbo Shoga; past Chairman, Olori Kafiat Afodu, and the District Chairman, Mrs Gbemisola Rufai, all of Inner Wheel District 911, at the club's awareness programme on End Violence Against Women and Girls, at the premises of Mushin Local Government Area, Mushin, Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO: Oboh Agbonkhese.

AWARD:

Member of the British Parliament, Mr. Diane Abbott (left), presenting the Community Impact Award to Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Oil Rigs Global Resources Limited, Mr. Chima Anyaso, at the House of Parliament, London, United Kingdom.

The presentation of 2018 budget to the National Assembly by President Buhari is just a yearly ritual because the 2016 and 2017 was not fully implemented, if it was fully implemented there wouldn’t be hardship in Nigeria! All the past budgets by previous governments are all good but the problem we have in these country is sincere implementation. President Buhari should ensure that the 2017 and 2018 budget is fully implemented to create an impact in the lives of Nigerians that are working corpses due to hardship and suffering.

Chukwuma Dioka 08063286727

Alleged sack of primary schools teachers in Kaduna State What benefit will Kaduna state derive from the world bank loan, Gov El- Rufai is seeking for that makes him want to sack over 21,000 primary teachers in Kaduna state? It was alleged that the examination test that was conducted by Gov. ElRufai of Kaduna state was a scam because it was ghost and dead teachers that sat for the examination based on the world bank criteria before the loan can be released to the Kaduna state governor. Gov. El- Rufai should please reconcile with senator Shuhu Sani to move the state forward and please stop the intended termination of over 21,000 primary schools teachers in the state.

Lawal Muhammad 08080796365

Price of cement in Nigeria The federal government should advise Aliko Dangote to reduce the price on cement in Nigeria. It is most important that Aliko Dangote should reduce the price of cement to make the commodity easy to access because in the past it was alleged that he usually used his influence to increase price of cement in Nigeria.

This is the right time he should give back to Nigerians.

Lawal Muhammad 08080796365

ORAL HEALTH WEEK: From left— Head, Dentistry Division, Ministry of Health, Dr. B. O. Alonge; Regional Sales Manager, Middle Belt, Unilever Nigeria Plc, Mr. David Ebah, and Head, Hospital Services, Ministry of Health, Dr. Wapada Balami, during the presentation of Outstanding Oral Health Development Partner of the Year award to Unilever at the National Oral Health Week briefing.

2015 and Ndigbo the opposition What is wrong with being in the opposition? Must every person, people, ethnic group etc belong to the ruling party all the time? Are people no longer free to express their voting right, no matter the consequence. The Yoruba and Awolowo have been in the opposition, yet they survived. So, the presidency should leave Ndigbo alone for been a perpetual political opposition Chukwuma Dioka 08063286727

EKEDC and estimated billing system

The Federal Government should immediately review the privatisation of the Power Holdling Company, PHCN in Nigeria, the rate EKEDC were extorting money from their customers due to high estimated billing systems is alarming! No power supply and yet bills is been circulated for payment! In my area for weeks no power supply and yet, I was asked to pay N9, 150; this is total fraud which the federal government should put a stop to, if really they want to fight corruption. Recently, the Minister for Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola disbursed fund for the purchase of pre- paid meters but yet the meters are not available to customers! EKEDC should provide pre- paid meters to all, generate and distribute adequate electricity through GENCO and DISCO; people should be made to pay for what they consumed not the other way round. Why introducing estimated billing system, when there is no power supply in most cases?

FG, GENCO, TCN and DISCO should please put an end to estimated billing system.

Ugonwanne 234806409142

Unpaid workers salaries and minimum wages State governors should please explain what they do with their internal generated revenue, I.G.R, Paris Club debts refund to all state governors, bail out to state governors from the federal government. They ‘ve no excuses why they can’t pay #30,000 minimum wage less than $90 dollars, they’re expected not to own workers salaries. Amazing, most of the previous governors can not give account of their stewardship.

Anonymous +2348085679627

Grant of stringent bail condition The Supreme Court of Nigeria on a plethora of cases has maintained that grant of stringent bail conditions in any situation as the case may be amounts to no bail. It is even more worrisome when a competent court first in time ordered unconditional release of the accused/ defendant. The question for the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN and Nigerian Judiciary Commission , NJC is whether the judiciary is under the supervisory and direct manipulation of the executive?

Barrister Anthony 08056009586

FG should rejects Morocco admission Morocco is not part of West Africa so, why the alleged proposal to ECOWAS? Is Morocco joining as an observer or a full fledged member?

Morocco proposal should be rejected in its entirely by the Federal Government and other ECOWAS members.

Mike 07045685692

SAYINGS OF OUR ELDERS It is the duty of children to wait on elders, and not the elders on children

PECAN AWARD: From left— Chairman, Organising Committee, Pest Control Association of Nigeria, PECAN, 2017 End of the Year Award Night, Mr. Soneye Adebayo; Treasurer/Financial Secretary, Mrs Kofo Adegboye; President, Mr. Ayo Ogunyadeka, and General Secretary, Mr. Oluyemi Taiwo, all of PECAN, at the end of the year award in Lagos.

- Benin proverb Send us your Sayings of Our Elders. They must be African sayings or proverbs. Biblical or English proverbs are unacceptable. Address your sayings to: opinions1234@yahoo.com

Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017—37 :Vanguard

@ : vanguardnews

:@vanguardnewNEWS s

HOTLINES:

ARRIVAL: Worshippers trooping in through the main gate of Redeemed Christian Church of God along Lagos Ibadan Expressway for the commencement of the RCCG 2017 Holy Ghost Congress. Photo: Lamidi Bamidele.

Adeboye partners Oritsejafor, Okonkwo, Otabil, others for Congress 2017

By Sam Eyoboka & Olayinka Latona

L

AGOS—AT least 40 seasoned gospel ministers drawn from different parts of the globe including the immediate past National President of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, erstwhile Vice President of CAN, Bishop Mike Okonkwo, the founder of International Central Gospel Church, Pastor Mensa Otabil, Prophet SK Abiara are expected to minister at this year ’s Holy Ghost Congress.

The end-of-year annual Holy Ghost Congress started last night with Rev. Isaac Oyebamiji taking intercessory prayers to open this year’s programme with a unique theme; Songs Of Victory.

Adeboye speaks

In a brief address, the General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye welcomed all and sundry to the lifetime experience holding, in the first three days, at the old auditorium, assuring all participants to be prepared to sing songs of victory at the end of the programme.

According to him, “Something NEW is here! But before I introduce it to you let me first welcome you to the Information Gateway of the Redeemed Christian Church of God. Established in 1952, RCCG is a growing church with Parishes in over 178 countries of the world. ”In other to bring our members closer to the heartbeat of God we have provided them with useful resources that will enrich

their spiritual life from this platform. Among other resources available for you on this platform includes: Life transforming Video & Audio Messages, Image Galleries, Sunday School Manuals, Digging Deep & SOD Manuals, Newsletters & Spiritual blogs. These resources will certainly help you to grow. ”We have new additions to this, kindly click on the RCCG ePRODUCTS to download our R E D E M P T I O N HYMNAL, 2015-2016 SUNDAY SCHOOL manual. Please make sure you download versions compatible to your mobile devices. ”Beloved, David once faced a Lion that was the champion of the forest and killed it. This was what gave David the boldness to confront Goliath the champion of the city saying to him that the Lord who gave me strength and wisdom to kill a Lion & a bear that attacked my flocks, the same Almighty God will give me wisdom and strength needed to do the same thing to Goliath of Gad. ”Your ability to achieve a particular goal is a function of the ones you have achieved in the past through the help of the Almighty God. When the Lord decided to move us from the FIRST AUDITORIUM at the Redemption Camp, there were many people who felt that the auditorium we were moving from was the biggest they had ever seen or had. Also, when the Lord decided to move us away from the SECOND AUDITORIUM to the ARENA where we presently worship, many said it was impossible, but

it happened. Today, the Lord is set to move us to a bigger arena because the children need to occupy the present one.

Lost miracles

”Many of us have lost our miracles because we stopped too soon. A divine champion sets goals believing that with God, nothing shall be impossible (Luke 1:37). I have been challenged by people who say, what we want to do now is impossible. The moment you say it is impossible; I will want to show you that it is possible. It could take some sweating, fasting, vigils and a little extra effort, but whatever goals divine champions set before God, they will get it.

As a divine champion, it is not all the time you set a goal that you realize it at first instance. Many times, you have to try and try over and over again before you succeed. The important thing is that as a child of God you will win at the end…and there is a reward of everlasting victory and permanent joy for every divine champion that achieves his divine goals. ”To this end I want to encourage you to join hands with us in completing our NEW AUDITORIUM and if you are ready kindly click on NEW AUDITORIUM to put in your widow’s mite.

You can also click on NEHEMIAH BUILDERS to join a number of committed brethren who had decided to task themselves a little bit more to ensure we achieved this goal for the Lord our God in our time.

God bless you in Jesus name.

“Let somebody shout Hallelujah!” he said.

38 —

Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2017 PROGRESS REPORT PICTURES:DUALIZATION OF LOKOJA-BENIN ROAD: OBAJANA JUNCTION, BENIN, SECTION IV, PHASE I: EHOR -BENIN CITY, EDO STATE

Nigeria's Messiah from Adamawa?

By Rupert Ojenuwa

I

think it was in 2002 that Pastor Tunde Bakare of Latter Rain Assembly released the prophecy about Nigeria’s messiah. I am not a close follower of Tunde Bakare’s ministry but recent happenings and the need to move our nation out of the depth of struggle, unemployment and misery warrant a lot of thinking these days. Only an unpatriotic Nigerian will say he is not bothered by the constant instability in many spheres of our national life. It was in one of my many frustrations about our nation that made me stumble on one of the prophecies by Pastor Tunde Bakare. I still can remember it like yesterday when he said ‘Here comes Nigeria Messiah, the tender plant, the Man from Adamawa’.

Years passed and I am sure that anybody who believed the prophecy would have since waved it off as ranting of a man who perhaps wanted to be in the NEWS. But who would want to be with such a prophecy when there was a sitting president? As time progressed, chances are too that even the Man who released the prophecy may have retorted, ‘May be I missed it this time’ but God’s ways are not our ways like the holy book tells us.

Clue about the messiah Is it possible in the least that we have always had and known this messiah from Adamawa and not some new entrant into our politics as some thought at the time? Could we have missed this messiah already like the Jews missed identifying Jesus as the Messiah because they wanted him to come in a particular fashion?

Tunde Bakare’s prophecy gives us another clue about the Messiah from Adamawa. He called him a ‘tender plant’. After careful study of our political actors in Nigeria, it appears I may have a clue about the Messiah from Adamawa because he shares a lot of similarities with the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and I shall share a few here and leave the rest for other opportunities in subsequent articles.

The former Vice President has always had an ambition for economic prosperity for Nigeria. This perhaps informs the reason why he was one of those who clamored for the urgent need for Nigeria to return to democratic rule. Even though he knew that most

of the Heads of State who had benefited from military rule had been from the Northern part of Nigeria, he wanted a system which would be fair on all. A rule whose goal will be a dividend for the Nigerian people and that rule was a democratic rule and he fought for it. Though the military leadership didn’t take that kindly and his businesses and family where in grave peril, the Man from Adamawa couldn’t care less. The progress of Nigeria was worth more than the discomfort. No matter how grave.

Need for a better society In the pre-93 era, when the military decided to conduct an election for which a president would emerge, Atiku Abubakar decided to run. His goal was a better society, one different from the military.

One in which the people will be the real beneficiaries but the political permutations started and he ultimately decided to concede to the late MKO Abiola so that the military don’t take advantage of several divisions and change their mind. He even went as low as losing the Vice Presidential ticket to Kingibe and yet he supported them. He gave up his ambition to support the prospect of a better nation. Talk of the tender plant from Adamawa.

In the pre-99 era also,

He knew that, as Vice President, there would be a lot of limitations to performance since the final approval rests with the President

when the exemplary Gen Abdulsalam Abubakar decided to hand over power to a civilian government, Atiku, though being qualified and also in the fore front of the vanguard, jettisoned his ambition for President Olusegun Obasanjo to take the stage and settled for the position of the Vice President. Though he knew that, as Vice President, there would be a lot of limitations to performance since the final approval rests with the President, he opted to take

the slot because he sided with reason. He knew that the political tension occasioned by the passing of the late business mongul Abiola was enough to tear the nation apart. The tender plant from Adamawa thought within himself, ‘I could still bring enormous change from the office of the Vice President’ little did he know that he wouldn’t be able to bring as much change as he would desire because he also didn’t understand at the time that political gladiators (being more interested in themselves than in the nation) would form the incurable habit of making the President of the day see the Vice President as a political enemy rather than a partner in progress. Talk of the tender plant from Adamawa.

Experience and expertise Just before the expiration of Olusegun Obasanjo’s first tenure, the tender plant was also prevailed upon not to seek the office of the president yet but allow the president a second term, though it didn’t tally with the perhaps unwritten agreement they had made with him. Like before, the tender plant from Adamawa gave in to their demand deciding to wait until 2007 when his then boss would have been done with a second term and the coast clear for him to unleash his experience and expertise in the private sector in delivery of democratic dividends on a higher scale only for him to be confronted with a third term bid. A quest which he thought was against the constitution.

President Obasanjo’s desire, it would appear, was a quest at continuing and finishing several projects he had started for which Atiku Abubakar in his characteristic nature of being a tender plant would have probably given in to, except the fact that he knew a third term bid would deliver more harm than good.

He knew that Nigeria’s democracy would be mocked and brought to disrepute and he also envisaged that if a third term bid was allowed to scale through, there may be such a time in the future when a president may decide to seek a forth, fifth, sixth or even a perpetual term in office. That was his fear and he did the unthinkable.

Continues online (vanguardngr.com).

Personnel of the Reynolds Construction Company Nigeria Limited, undertaking various construction activities including earthworks, stone base, Asphalt binder course, Asphalt wearing course, sideline drains, median line drains, kerb stones, Bridges and Culverts for erosion control, among others, at the dualization of Lokoja-Benin Road:Obajana Junction,Benin. Section IV, Phase I: Ehor - Benin City, Edo State as captured in the monthly progress report directed during the recent meeting of the Hon.Minister of Power,Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola SAN with contractors handling major projects across the country.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017—39

Don Jazzy Jazzy,, Olamide, others unite against police brutality *Say ‘SARS must be

Don’t e xploit yyouths ouths for exploit your per sonal political personal ambition —Comedian I Go Dye tells Atiku

A

ce comedian and United Na tions Millennium Development Goal Ambassador, Francis Agoda, popularly known as I Go Dye has questioned the move of the former Vice President Abubakar Atiku in using the Nigerian youths in promoting his ambition to vie for the office of the President in the 2019 presidential election.

The humour merchant in a chat with E-Daily, said the former Vice President should not use sentimental empathy on the youths to express his political ambitions, chronicling the former number two man’s political trajectory and pointing out that he has no sagacity to identify with the youths of the country.

“I am motivated to speak, based on your statement that a party that does not take the youths into account is a dying party. You said the future belongs to the young. Please, I ask sir, which of the future? Remarkably, between 1999 and 2007 that you were the Vice president of Nigeria, it is recorded that tertiary institutions witnessed several strikes that wasted seventeen months ,three weeks and three days. Within this period, what did you do?” said the ace comedian.

Sir, you are one of those that have immensely benefited from Nigeria since your birth in 1946. Having worked for 20 years with the Nigeria Customs where you retired at the age of 43 in 1989 as Deputy Director,

your bucket list sure looks good because you were obviously employed at youthful age of 23.

In 1999 you became governor of Adamawa State and ultimately the Vice President, all of these you achieved at 53. What did you do during your time in that exalted position?

When will the youths like in your time get a chance?” he added Continuing, he emphasised that the former Vice President never truly had the interests of the youth at heart, accusing him of never

scrapped’

By Rotimi Agbana

hat law enforcement agents T occasionally abuse their status

*I Go Dye

implementing a programme in the interest of youths in the country.

“If social support were given to youths then, their children will be between 18 and 20 years during the 2019 elections,obviously they would have willingly voted for you or anyone that you endorse in 2019. This is the essence of making sacrifices for the future generation. You cannot be credited to have been philanthropic to the youths. The recent revocation of the NPA contract with Intel,your company,is the major issue. As a company either, the people in the region you operated

as uniformed men to oppress unsuspecting citizens is not news.

Little wonder Nigerian musicians have passionately condemned the unethical practice, calling on the government to scrap the Special Anti Robbery Squad arm of the Nigeria Police Force.

In a series of tweets on social media, top musicians including Don Jazzy, Olamide, Simi, Falz, Reekado Banks, Dremo, Jon Ogah, DJ Spinall, Sam Klef, Tjan, Lil Kesh among others, called on the federal government to scrap the SARS unit of the Police Force as a result of their excesses.

“Over 100,000 tweets from concerned Nigerians. The people don’t feel protected. If we cannot fix SARS then end SARS”, Don Jazzy lamented.

For YBNL rapper, Olamide, police men are meant to separate personal problems from work challenges which in turn cause them to make life miserable for innocent citizens they are meant to protect. cannot accredit Intel to have provided “End SARS brutality, plenty credible support for the youths or suffer man de face. Guide and built skills acquisition centre to curb protect the people not make life unproductivity as part of it’s miserable for them due to the cooperate social responsibility , pressure that comes with your work which has resulted to many youths or what you going through at home. embarking on the sub- Sahara A man with gun should be mentally deserts route travel to Europe,which balanced and well oriented.”

X3M singer, Simi, recounted her has claimed many lives” recent bitter experience with the “Your Excellency, Sir Atiku Abubakar, please don’t use sentimental empathy now dreaded police unit. “People on the youths to express your political are not supposed to be afraid of the people that are supposed to be ambitions,because by 2019 the youths looking after us. A couple of weeks are preparing to substantiate the real ago, at almost midnight, my friends economical,political and progressive and I had a gun pointed at us for change“. laughing. Take guns away from trigger happy people who hide behind the uniform”, end SARS”, she wrote.

Mavin music act, Reekado Banks mocked the police unit for it’s unprofessionalism at executing their job. “How will you ask someone for the receipt of their cars, laptops and phones? Mr. SARS official, Where’s your gun’s multiple queries about the show’s receipt.” return. We are delighted to announce Ex- Big Brother Naija 2017 that the show is indeed returning for a contestant and singer, Jon Ogah, third edition, on a bigger scale than also narrated his ordeal with SARS. ever before. The number of audition “I remember when locations has increased and we expect SARS operatives that the third edition will deliver even forcefully took my more excitement, intrigue and round friend and I to the the clock entertainment that the Big station.

They Brother platform is globally renowned threatened to plant for.” guns in the car and However, the third edition, according make sure we go to to the producers, jail. I was shocked promises to be even when the officer said bigger as auditions it with confidence.

Imagine how many are scheduled to people are in jail for hold in six locations crimes they never across the country, did.”

Phyno an increase from wasn’t left out, the three audition he wrote; locations from “Protect not last year. The six oppress, end locations include, S A R S Lagos, Port *Olamide brutality”.

Harcourt, Abuja,

Big Brother Nigeria returns Brother format remains one of the most popular genres of entertainment and this is also the case *Efe and Bisola in Nigeria. The edition of Big Brother Nigeria was one of the most successful

By Benjamin Njoku reality shows not just in Nigeria, but around the continent with a record ultiChoice Nigeria, has number of votes and many of the a n n o u n c e d housemates going on to pursue the return of Africa’s biggest reality careers in entertainment. We are television show, Big Brother Nigeria, delighted to have the show return for for a third edition. a third edition and cannot wait for our Sponsored by Payporte, leading audiences to once again tune in to online store, the return of BBN follows experience all of the exciting the critical success of the second entertainment that the show is sure edition which saw aspiring hip-hop to provide.” artiste, Efe Ejeba winning the coveted The Managing Director, N25 million prize money and SUV MultiChoice Nigeria, Mr. John Ugbe after almost three months of drama, said: “At MultiChoice we take pride intrigue, betrayal and entertainment in providing the best entertainment in the Big Brother house. available to viewers not just in Speaking on Big Brother Nigeria’s Nigeria, but across Africa. The last return, the Regional Director, M-Net Big Brother Nigeria was a West Africa, Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu tremendous success and prompted said: “Around the globe, the Big

M

Enugu, Delta State and Ibadan.

40—Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017 :Vanguard News

Access Bank appoints Ambursa as ED Commercial Banking, North

A

CCESS Bank has announced the appointment of Ms. Hadiza Ambursa, as Executive Director, Commercial Banking, North.

Ms Ambursa is a thorough bred banking professional with outstanding record of achievements. Until the appointment, she was General Manager and Group Head Commercial Bank, North and NonExecutive Director in Access Bank (Gambia) Limited.

Ms Ambursa has over 20 years banking experience from Guaranty Trust Bank and Access Bankcovering Transaction Services, Public Sector, Commercial Bank and Corporate Finance.

Prior to joining Access Bank in 2003,she was a Relationship Manager Public Sector at Guaranty Trust Bank.

She graduated with a B.Sc in Political Science from University of Jos in 1991 and also obtained

an M.A in Law and Diplomacy in 1996 from the same University.

Hadiza subsequently a t t e n d e d Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, where she bagged an MBA in 2009. She has also attendedseveral Executive Management Programmes in leading institutions including Harvard Business School.

Her appointment has been approved by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Commenting on the appointment, Mrs. Mosun Belo-Olusoga the Chairman of Access Bank said: “We are very delighted to welcome Ms. Ambursa on the Board of Access Bank.

She brings on board a very deep banking industry and board room experience relevant to our Bank.

Her appointment will no doubt improve the skill set and diversity of our Board and support our quest to become the World’s Most Respected African Bank.”

Olodiama kingship crisis: Ijaw leaders urge Buhari to restore peace

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HE Ijaws of Olodiama in Edo State has called on P r e s i d e n t Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in crisis associated with the installation of the Pere of Olodiame, noting that the Olodiama Kingdom is not a newly-created Kingdom.

Descendants of past Pere Okome, Etsofaghan, Disemoh, Ogunoyibo and Perezia title holder, Iyoro family, in a statement signed by Mr. Victor Egwauliyemi Igbiaye said, the Olodiama Kingdom, had been in existence for time immemorial, noting that "the Ijaws of Olodiama are not Edo-speaking people, which gives them the right to their own traditional ruler."

According to Igbiaye,

Olodiama was a great warrior in the late 1550th during the reign of Oba Orhogbua, who helped the Benins in the Coastal wars.

“The president should intervene in issue so that the Oba of Benin can recognise Pere of Olodiama in the traditional rulers council, so that the Pere of Olodiama can control the Ijaws of Edo State, so as to maintain peace in Edo State riverine areas. “ The Edo State governor should quickly recognise the Pere of Olodiama without any delay. There are lots of other monarchs in Edo State, such as the Ilawere of Usen, Auchi, Esan, Akoko Edo kings, e.t.c, so, why should the Olodiama king be an issue” he added.

:@vanguardnews

:@vanguardnews

NEWS HOTLINES: 08052867023, 08052867058

Ayade providing Cross River dynamic leadership —Dokpesi

F

OUNDER of Daar Communication Plc and National Chairmanship aspirant of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, High Chief Raymond Dokpesi, has commended Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State for providing purposeful leadership in the state.

Dokpesi gave the commendation when he led his campaign team on a courtesy visit to Government House, Calabar yesterday in continuation of his nationwide campaign to intimate the Governor and members of his party in the

state of his chairmanship aspiration prior to the party’s National Convention scheduled for December 9, 2017.

His words: “I commend you for your impactful style of governance which has transformed the socioeconmic landscape of the state in such a short stay in power.”

While urging the governor to remain resolute and steadfast in his vision to liberate the state through his lofty projects, the Chairman Emeritus of DAAR Communication called on Cross River delegates to the December

9 convention to rally round someone who will support the governor in actualising his dream by attracting the desired Federal Government presence to the state as they converge on Abuja to vote for a national chairman of the party.

According to Dokpesi: “Only a man who understands the vision and dream of the state will contribute to its developmental strides as well as support its growth,” even as he solicited their votes because he shares in their vision.

Responding, Cross River

State Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, who described Dekposi as a man of courage, integrity and committed member of the PDP whom he believed would succeed because of his resourcefulness, urged members of the party to use the convention as a veritable platform to unite the party preparatory to 2019 general elections.

Ayade lauded Dokpesi for his courage in establishing Daar Communication which he noted has contributed significantly in showcasing the nation positively to the outside world to salvage its battered image.

VISIT: Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State (left) and High Chief Raymond Dokpesi, Founder of DAAR Communications and National Chairmanship aspirant of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, when Dokpesi led his campaign team on a courtesy visit to Governor Ayade at Government House, Calabar, yesterday.

Mainagate: How officials defrauded Nigeria of N42bn —AGF

By Henry Umoru

A

BUJA—THE Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has given more insight into how a pension syndicate defrauded the country of well over N42 billion between 2010 and 2014.

Malami's revelation was contained in a memo he submitted to the Senate Ad-hoc Committee investigating the reinstatement and promotion of the former chairman of Presidential Task Force on Pensions, Abdulrasheed Maina, headed by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Services, Senator Emmanuel Paulker, PDP,

Bayelsa Central.

Following the memo, many of the officials concerned are now jittery as many of them have started seeking transfer out of the department.

According to Malami in the memo, the office of Head of Service that was used to facilitate the fraud, had 66 separate accounts for pensioners.

According to him, in 2014, the office usually presented 258, 000 pensioners for payment monthly, whereas the actual figure of pensioners stood at 141, 762, noting that in the process, the syndicate defrauded the government of billions of naira amounting to over N42 billion.

Malami noted that as a

result of this discovery, many of the officials who were around during the alleged scam, were lobbying to be transfered to other establiahments to be away from the radar of investigation, even as he revealed that the pension syndicate had serious links with the villa to the point of plotting to assassinate Maina.

The AGF assured the Senate Committee that despite the controversy around Maina, his office would still go after the pension thieves, noting that operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, were already finalising investigation of serving officials in the office of the Head of

Service of the Federation linked to the scam.

He also said the government would vigorously prosecute some of the pending cases against the pension scam suspects.

According to the AGF, some of the pending cases of the pension thieves that would be pursued very vigorously in the coming year especially the 21-count charge against Dr Sani Teidi , Omo Eric Uduesegbe and others companies before Justice Gabriel Kolawole, the 10count charge against Abdul Moh’d and 3 other companies before Justice AFA Ademola and 13 other similar cases.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017—41 :Vanguard News

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FG sets aside N28bn to fund primary health care intervention in 2018 A

BUJA—THE federal government has initiated a N28 billion health fund that will target the revitalisation of at least one primary health Centre in each of the 774 local government areas.

The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, on Monday inaugurated the special intervention which he said would be formally rolled out in 2018.

According to the minister, part of the interventions would include Tertiary“Health Institution Project alongside the revitalisation of 774 primary healthcare centres located in each local government area in the country.

The federal government in January this year said it had concluded plans to“engage 200,000 voluntary health workers to improve delivery of immunisation, antenatal care and other health services in rural areas.

The announcement followed the flag-off of a scheme to revitalise about 10,000 healthcare centres across Nigeria.

“One PHC per LGA would be revitalised,” the minister noted yesterday.

Mr. Adewole added that the project would also include the purchase of additional anti-retroviral drugs for 20,000 Nigerians living with HIV/AIDS. According to him, it will also include the conduct of a nationwide

screening of common cancers such as cervix, breast and prostate.

He said that the scheme would carry out free surgeries for 10,000 persons suffering from cataract adding that at least 250 cataract surgeries would be performed in each state.

The minister said the project would also cover free treatment for 800 patients with confirmed diagnosis of hepatitis C infection.

“The tertiary hospitals are designed as facilities at the peak of the healthcare system where most complicated medical conditions are handled.

“Unfortunately these facilities are today faced with numerous challenges including inadequate equipment for tertiary care services.

“Other challenges are

under-funding arising from budgetary and fiscal constraints and d i l a p i d a t e d infrastructure amongst others,’’ he said.

He noted that in spite of government’s special interventions and annual b u d g e t a r y appropriations, the delivery of healthcare services face, ”critical“operational challenges.

The minister said the National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS, has designed“the tertiary health institution intervention as a means to address some of these critical challenges as enshrined in the act establishing it.

He added that one of the core objectives of NHIS was to ensure the availability of fund to the health sector for improved services.

“Besides this, the scheme is to ensure equitable patronage at all levels of healthcare facilities within the federation,’’ the minister added.

Mr. Adewole said 21 Federal Teaching Hospitals, 31 Medical Centres and four Specialist Hospitals including 14 Fistula and Cleft lip and palate centres across the six geopolitical zones would benefit from the intervention.

“Under the project, each of the teaching hospitals will receive N300 million, while the specialist hospitals will receive N200 million each.

“The Federal Medical Centres and the Fistula Centres will each receive N150“million respectively,’’ the minister said.

DRAW: From left: Zonal Head, Delta Zone of First City Monument Bank, FCMB, Mr. Chinedu Ogosi; one of the winners of a television set at the grand finale draws of the FCMB Millionaire Promo Season 4, Mr. Pius Obiora and representative of the National Lottery Regulatory Commission, Mr. Louis Aghante, during the draws event held in Asaba.

Volunteers Day: Obaseki seeks stronger ties between states, volunteers to drive devt

B

ENIN—THE governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki, has made case for stronger ties between volunteers and state governments to drive development across the world.

The governor said this on the occasion of the commemoration of the International Volunteer Day for Social and Economic Development marked every December 5, by the United Nations, across the world.

Obaseki said the fact that volunteers dedicate their time and resources

to take care of people who are not directly related to them – and sometimes, for little or no pay – makes the work they do very crucial and worth acknowledging.

He added that to encourage even more people to engage in such charitable venture, there was need for robust structures that provide opportunities for volunteers to do more in advancing humanity.

He commended Nigerians who have dedicated their time and resources to charitable causes as volunteers,

calling for sustainable structures to engage more youths on volunteering to drive socio-economic progress.

He said: “On a day like this, it is not out of place to commend institutions such as the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the various arms of the United Nations involved in stabilising nations and communities in transition and the generality of other charitable organisations working to bring succour to vulnerable groups across the world. There

efforts have, in no small measure, contributed in maintaining global peace."

Stressing that this y e a r ’ s theme, #VolunteersActFirst.

Here. Everywhere, captured the need for everyone to commit to the ideas of helping others, he said, “much as we commend h u m a n i t a r i a n organisations for their gallantry in upholding the true virtues of good neighbourliness and care, it is pertinent to call on more professionals to join the fold.”

Ortom to jobless youths: Embrace

skill acquisition programmes

By Peter Duru

M

AKURDI— GOVERNOR Samuel Ortom of Benue State has appealed to jobless Nigerian youths to fully engage themselves in skills acquisition programmes in order to be equipped to set up businesses of their own to generate wealth and become useful to themselves and the society.

Governor Ortom, who spoke yesterday at the graduation ceremony and presentation of starter-up kits to 500 graduands of the Industrial Training Fund, ITF, National Industrial Skills D e v e l o p m e n t Programme, held in Makurdi, identified skills acquisition as a panacea to youth restiveness and all forms of social vices.

He said: "Having identified skills acquisition as a step towards reducing unemployment in Benue state, the executive council approved the establishment of three technical colleges across the three geopolitical zones of the state to equip youths with requisite skills to add value to their lives and the society."

He urged the graduands to make good use of the opportunity provided them by the

state government by setting up their businesses in order to generate wealth and also boost the economy of the state. Director General of the ITF, Mr. Joseph Ari, commended the state government for providing starter packs for the trainees and enjoined the beneficiaries to remain committed and dedicated to making a success out of the kits.

He stated that the agency would soon commence another training of 300 youths in each state of the federation, who would be provided with starter packs by the agency and called on the Benue State government to add another 200 youths for training.

Commissioner of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Tersoo Kpelai, expressed appreciation to the Industrial Training Fund for the partnership and for its commitment on delivering on their mandate.He stated that the graduates had been grouped into cooperatives for effective utilization of the kits.

The 500 graduands received training for three months in Plaster of Paris fabrication, Fisheries, Confectionery, Welding and Fabrication as well as Tailoring and Garment making.

Alleged misconduct: 2 Pry school teachers suspended in Katsina

K

By Bashir Bello

AT S I N A — T W O primary school teachers in Katsina State have been suspended for alleged misconduct with their female pupil.

The suspension of the duo, it was gathered, is a result of alleged sexual abuse of the female pupil.

The incident was said to have happened at the Ibrahim Shema Model school, Kofar Sauri, Katsina.

A reliable source in the State's Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB, who spoke to our reporter on condition of anonymity, confirmed the development.

The source said a committee had been set up to investigate the matter and come up with its findings.

"The matter happened sometimes last week and it is still subject to investigation for now.

Though, a committee has been set up to look into the matter. ''It was a case of a female student and two teachers. And the teachers were only suspended and not sacked as it was been speculated. They were suspended pending the outcome of the committee," the source said.

42 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017 :Vanguard News

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Yuletide: MultiChoice extends call center service hours

By Prince Osuagwu

P

ay TV operators, MultiChoice Nigeria, yesterday, announced extension of its call centre operation by three hours, beginning from yesterday, till the last day of December.

The company said it was to shape its business, in anticipation of customer needs in the yuletide. The company’s call centre usually operate from 8am to 9pm, Monday to Sundays but has now been extended to operate from 8 am to 12 am till the xmas period is over, December 31, 2017.

Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria, Mr John Ugbe, said the extension of the Call Centre operating hours, is one of the ways the company is making it easier for customers to reach the company if

there are issue in its services during the festive season.

Ugbe also said that “by extending our operating hours, we will be able to enhance the level of service delivery this

NITDA moves to halt N60b loss on data hosting

By Emmanuel Elebeke

N

ATIONAL Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, has said its priority would be to cut down, to barest minimum, the over N60 billion the country loses in hosting data in foreign databases.

The Director General of the agency Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, said the agency, has made progress in the adoption and utilization of Information and Communications Technology, ICT, in both

Broadband infrastructure gap worries NCC

By Emmanuel Elebeke

T

HE Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta has decried the gap between the National planned and national existing broadband fibre Infrastructure in Nigeria.

Danbatta, at the 16th meeting of the Joint Planning Board and national Council on Development, in Minna, Niger state, regretted that there is presence of deployed broadband fiber infrastructure in the country, which has not sufficiently covered the entire nation.

Delivering a paper titled: Achieving a Digitally-Led Growth through Information and Communications Technology, he noted that the gap be-

yuletide in a significant way. As a business, we take the customer-first approach, which involves anticipating customer needs especially during the festive season”

tween the National Planned and National Existing Broadband Fibre Infrastructure in Nigeria is critical to achieving broadband penetration target of 30% by 2018.

He stated that more than 10 terabytes of telecommunications capacity currently exists at the nation’s landing point, but pointed out that the challenge is the deployment of fiber infrastructure across the country to effectively distribute the capacity to all areas of the country for sufficient fiber capacity.

He however expressed optimism that Nigeria’s active mobile-broadband penetration has increased within the space of one year from less than 10% in 2015 to 20.95% in 2016, putting Nigeria on the 128 position in the global ranking.

the public and private sectors of the economy, which should make local hosting of data and information inevitable.

He condemned what he referred to as the current practices of both public and private sector organizations hosting data offshore, despite having highly reliable Tier III Data Centers, certified by various international organizations.

He said such data centres guarantee almost 100% availability as well as multiple layers of security.

Pantami noted that hosting data locally, guarantees reduction in cost and capital flight, digital job creation, increased security, and increase in tax revenues thereby boosting the local economy.

He recalled that section 14.1 of the guidelines for Nigerian content development in ICT makes it mandatory for data and information management firms to “host government data locally within the country and shall not for any reason host any government data outside the country without an express approval from NITDA”.

He said it was against this backdrop that the agency has mandated all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) as well as private sector organizations to patronize Nigerian Data Centers.

The Agency however, said it is working with local data hosting firms to set appropriate service level requirements and standards for data service provisioning.

YUDALA floats offline market place in Gbagada

By Prince Osuagwu

O

nline and offline e-commerce company, Yudala, has officially launched its weekly Offline Marketplace at its corporate headquarters in Gbagada, Lagos.

The company said the new Offline Marketplace will offer shoppers a variety of genuine products at the best prices, every Saturday.

Some of the products expected to feature in the offline marketplace included cosmetics, home and kitchen appliances, computing, electronics,

mobile phones, wines and spirits.

Others are fast moving consumer goods like rice, vegetable oil, beverages, cereals and other items from a host of premium brands.

The marketplace attracted a number of Lagos residents, from Anthony Village, Oworonshoki, Bariga, Ikeja, Oshodi, Maryland among others.

One of the shoppers, Mr. Nathan Ikechukwu, who spoke to Vanguard, said: “I came here with my wife specifically to get a feel of the marketplace which Yudala had promised. I was not disappointed. There were so

many products to choose from and at very good prices too. In addition to buying some much-needed items for Christmas such as bags of rice, oil and some wines; my wife was equally able to buy a number of cosmetics for herself. We will certainly be returning here next Saturday to get more items,” The event was spiced up with the performance of ace comedian Akpororo, supported by a strong cast of entertainers including Mr. Patrick, Laff Doctor, Memory Card among others who were on ground to thrill attendees to an exciting time

L-R: Mr. Ayoh Ogon of National Assembly; Director of Operations, Rack Centre, Ezekiel Egboye, Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on ICT & Cyber, Foster Ogola and the Business Development Director, Rack Centre, Frederick Udoaka during the visit of the Senate ICT & Cyber Crime Committee to Rack Centre in Lagos recently.

*Composite offline and online retail store, Yudala, recently flouted an offline market place in Gbagada Lagos. Several visitors visited the venue for shopping.

Vanguard, TUESDAY DECEMBER 5, 2017 — 43

We won't roll with Atiku in the mud — PRESIDENCY Continues from Page 5 defections from the party, saying many of those who earlier left the PDP for the APC have now realised that the ruling party is the worst place to be as it has no regards for laid down democratic tenets.

He, however, pledged to remain in the party.

While warning the APC about its future, Frank said “the lack of internal democracy, disregard for the party’s constitution, irregular schedule of meetings, inability to conduct a convention, the absence of a Board of Trustees and arrogance of the party leadership will bring about the impending doom.

“Nigerians will remember that I predicted what is happening and I am still saying that if this party continues in this direction, an end will come to it so soon.

Though the truth is bitter, but I will continue to sacrifice myself in speaking the truth because I know I am speaking the minds of a lot of members who cannot speak out”, he stated.

According to him, the leadership of the party should be remorseful following the resignation of Mr Atiku and many others from its fold, saying in as much as the democratic system of government permit politicians to move from one party to the other, the failure of APC leaders at the national level must have been responsible for the recent massive defection from the ruling party.

He said, “the beneficiaries of the flagrant disregard for the constitution of the party, impunity, and silence of some leaders are responsible for the misfortune befalling the APC.” According to Frank, “Nigerians should note one very interesting thing in the politics of Nigeria today; in the past, it used to be that people decamp or leave the party that has lost election or that is in opposition to the party that is ruling. But, here we are today, people are moving from the ruling party to the party in opposition. It is saddening but interesting the way politics is played out in Nigeria because here we are, people leaving the comfort zone of govern-

ment and the corridors of power to the opposition party and this should signal danger to those leading the ruling party.”

According to him, “it was high time APC realised that politics is about numbers, every youth, man or woman is important. The kind of arrogance going on in the party led some of us out of PDP in those days, but we have now realized that it is even worse in the APC. Though it is already getting late, but if this impunity is not tackled between now and early next year, APC may witness the mother of all defections to opposition parties.”

He nevertheless pledged to remain in the party saying: “I believe I have worked hard to bring about the ruling party as a young man, but if the impunity does not stop, I will be left with no option. Not only me, but some other serving governors, members of the National Assembly and other known party leaders across the country have to decide their political future elsewhere”, he threatened.

He is a political opportunist — Mohammed

In his reaction, Second Republic Lawmaker, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, said Atiku’s move back to the PDP, does not portend any threat to the APC. “Frankly speaking, Obasanjo (former president Olusegun Obasan-

jo) handpicked Atiku to become the Vice-President because he considered him serviceable to his government. And between when they left office, and now, Atiku has changed party four times. So there is nothing surprising about his latest move. It should be known that Atiku is a

political opportunist and he is only interested in what drives his business and commercial interests”.

He went further, “I have spoken to some Governors and former Ministers about his move, they have nothing substantial to say because he has no people

on the ground even if he wants to rig election. We are all aware he lost an election in his home state, Adamawa and in his ward. Also, he lost woefully during the APC primaries two years ago to people like Kwankwanso. So I don’t see how PDP will take him seriously this time.”

PDP METTING—From left: Gov Nyesom Wike of Rivers State; Gov Seriake Dickson of Bayesla State and Senate Minority Leader, Sen Godswill Akpabio, during the PDP South South Zonal Executive Meeting in Port Harcourt, Rivers, yesterday. Photo: NAN.

Buhari returns after counter-terrorism summit in Jordan

P

resident Muhammadu Buhari has returned to Abuja after participating in a two-day counter-terrorism retreat,

co-hosted by Jordan and Nigeria.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the president’s aircraft which left the King

*Buhari on arrival in Abuja, yesterday.

Hussein International airport at 9.38a.m local time, landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, at about 2.p.m.

While in Aqaba, President Buhari met with King Abdullah II of Jordan where both leaders discussed bilateral issues concerning Nigeria and Jordan.

President Buhari, during the meeting, stressed the need for inter-regional cooperation and information sharing towards tackling terrorism across the world.

According to him, these factors are important in checkmating the threat of violent extremism to global peace and security.

The president used the opportunity to thank the Jordanian King for his support and assistance to Nigeria especially with the recent donation

of armoured vehicles and other military equipment to fight terrorism and insurgency in Nigeria.

In his remarks, King Abdullah advocated broader measures especially the use of cyber security in checking the influence of terrorists.

He pledged the continued support of the Kingdom of Jordan to Nigeria in its war against violent extremism.

President Buhari, who also spoke at the counter-terrorism retreat, urged leaders to speak up against the violent extremism committed by deranged people in the name of Islam.

According to him, all nations, irrespective of religion should partner effectively in implementing national, regional and global action plans to counter violent extremism.

Mr. Buhari reiterated the commitment of Nigeria to playing a leading role in bringing together countries of the West African subregion in a collective security arrangement.

He said that Nigeria was ready to share its experiences with a view to fashioning out comprehensive action plans in tackling the scourge of violent extremism in the region.

He, therefore, called for a stronger collaboration among the member countries of the Aqaba Initiatives to check violent extremism across the world.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that President Buhari and other visiting heads of state from Ghana, Mali and Guinea Conakry were hosted to a royal dinner by King Abdullah II.

44—VANGUARD, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017

Moves grow to stop US from recognising Jerusalem as Israeli capital

O

PPOSITION is growing in the Arab and wid er Muslim world as Donald Trump is expected to announce US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Reports say the president will make the statement this week but will further delay acting on a campaign pledge to move the US embassy to the city.

The head of the Arab League, Turkey, Jordan and the Palestinian leader have warned of consequences of the move.

The city’s fate is one of the thorniest issues between Israel and the Arabs.

The Israeli government has not publicly commented on the anticipated announcement by Mr Trump.

A deadline for Donald Trump to sign a waiver delaying the relocation of the US embassy from Tel Aviv

Zimbabwe swears in first post-Mugabe cabinet People dressed as Santa Claus enjoy the snow during the Saint Nicholas Day at the Alpine ski resort of Verbier, Switzerland. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

UK, EU fail to strike Brexit deal T

HE UK and EU have failedtoreachanagreement to move to the next stage of Brexit talks, Theresa May has said.

The prime minister said talks would reconvene “before the end of the week” and she was “confident we will conclude this positively”.

The talks are understood to have broken down after the DUP refused to accept concessions on the Irish border issue.

Downing Street said that was not the only outstanding

problem.

But Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said the UK appeared to have changed its mind about an agreement over the status of the Irish border after Brexit.

“I am surprised and disappointed that the British government now appears not to be in a position to conclude what was agreed earlier today,” he told a press conference in Dublin.

Mrs May is understood to have broken off from talks with European Commission

President Jean-Claude Junker to speak to DUP leader Arlene Foster.

The UK had reportedly been prepared to accept that Northern Ireland may remain in the EU’s customs union and single market in all but name.

But Mrs Foster then said her party “will not accept any form of regulatory divergence” that separates Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK. “During the call it was made plain to the PM that

MANDELA:Millions misused during funeral

S

OUTH Africa’s cor ruption watchdog has found officials misused millions of dollars during Nelson Mandela’s funeral four years ago.

According to the report, 300m rand ($22m; £16m) was redirected from a development fund to help with costs.

It had been earmarked for things like “sanitation, the replacement of mud schools and the refurbishment of hospitals”, the report stated.

Instead, the authorities allegedly spent it on items like $24 T-shirts.

Allegations of misuse first emerged in 2014, months after Mr Mandela’s funeral, which was held in Qunu, in Eastern Cape, in December 2013 and was attended by heads of state from around the world.

Now, almost exactly four years after Mr Mandela’s death at the age of 95, the country’s public protector Busi Mkhwebane has asked current President Jacob Zuma to pursue the allegations further.

The 300-page report describes how officials in the Eastern Cape pocketed funds, ignored basic rules, and inflated costs.

Ms Mkhwebane de-

scribe the failure to following regulations around the spending of public money as “very scary” and “appalling”, according to South Africa’s Mail&Guardian newspaper.

“How do you charge 350 rand for a t-shirt?” she asked, the newspaper said. “Yes, officials are supposed to be following the public finance man-

agement act (PFMA), but service providers, where is your conscience for charging the state so much money for a Tshirt?”

Ms Mkhwebane also said she was concerned at how the ANC - South Africa’s ruling party - had apparently issued instructions to officials on how the money should be spent.

the DUP had significant concerns about the deal being discussed that gave concessions to the Dublin government,” said the BBC’s political editor Laura Kuenssberg.

“I understand Mrs Foster told Theresa May that she would not be able to support such a deal.

“It’s been suggested too that there are 20 or so Conservative MPs who had serious misgivings about the compromises that were understood to be on the table.”

The DUP’s support is vital to the government being able to survive at Westminster and pass their Brexit legislation.

DUP leader Arlene Foster said her party would not accept any Brexit deal that “separates” Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK. Her party’s Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson claimed Brussels has been trying to “bounce the prime minister into acceding to the shape of a deal they want” and many of her own backbenchers would not accept it.

Yemen’s ex-President shot dead after switching sides in civil war

F

ORMER Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has been killed amid fighting between his supporters and their former allies, the Houthi rebel movement.

Officials from Mr Saleh’s General People’s Congress party said he died in an attack south of the capital, Sanaa.

The Houthis’ leader hailed the news as a “great and significant occasion”.

Abdul Malik al-Houthi said they had foiled a “conspiracy” by a Saudi-led coalition backing the government, to whom Mr Saleh had made peace overtures.

Until recently, Saleh loyalists had been fighting alongside the Houthis in a war against the current

president, Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi.

But a dispute over control of Sanaa’s biggest mosque on Wednesday triggered armed clashes that have left more than 125 people dead.

On Saturday, Mr Saleh offered to “turn a new page” with the Saudi-led coalition if it stopped attacking Yemen and ended its crippling blockade of the country. The Houthis accused him of a “coup” against “an alliance he never believed in”.

The death of Ali Abdullah Saleh at the hands of the Houthis now makes any immediate prospect of peace even less likely.

Together, Mr Saleh’s forces and the Houthis were

strong enough to hold on to Sanaa and repel the forces of Yemen’s internationally-recognised government and its Gulf Arab allies from much of the mountainous north.

Cracks had recently been showing in that alliance, with Mr Saleh turning his back on the Houthis and hinting at a deal with the Saudis. He appears to have paid for it with his life, meeting a similarly ignominious end as that suffered by Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Mr Saleh’s supporters, who are well-armed, will now seek revenge, probably supported by the very Saudi air strikes that had previously been targeting them.

Z

IMBABWE’s new president Emmerson Mnan gagwa swore in his cabinet on Monday, with allies defending him against criticism for giving top posts to the generals who helped his rise to power.

Sworn in as president on Nov. 24 after 93-year-old Robert Mugabe quit following a de facto military coup, Mnangagwa has also come under fire for bringing back several faces from the Mugabe era, including Patrick Chinamasa as finance minister.

Air Marshall Perrance Shiri, who was handed the sensitive land portfolio, defended his appointment in remarks to reporters after a simple ceremony to take oaths of office.

“Who says military people should never be politicians? I‘m a Zimbabwean so I have every right to participate in government,” he said.

Shiri is feared and loathed by many Zimbabweans as the former commander of the North Korean-trained ‘5 Brigade’ that played a central role in ethnic massacres in Matabeleland in 1983 in which an estimated 20,000 people were killed.

Spain’s Supreme Court refuses bail for former Catalonia cabinet members

S

PAIN’s Supreme Court refused bail on Mon day for two Catalan pro-independence leaders accused of sedition ahead of regional elections that Madrid hopes will defuse the nation’s worst political crisis in four decades.

The ruling will leave the leaders of Catalonia’s biggest secessionist groups behind bars during campaigning for the Dec. 21 election, and could generate sympathy for the independence movement just as opinion polls show some voters abandoning it.

The battle between Madrid and secessionists in the wealthy northeast region has hurt the national economy and prompted thousands of companies to shift their legal headquarters outside Catalonia, which accounts for a fifth of the Spanish economy.

The former head of the regional government, Carles Puigdemont, and four of his disbanded cabinet, went in to self-imposed exile in Belgium shortly after a call for secession Oct. 27. They are currently under conditional release after an international arrest warrant was served against them.

German SPD to start talks with Merkel next week if members agree

T

HE leader of Germany’s Social Democrats (SPD) said on Monday he would launch talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives on forming a government next week if members of his centre-left party gave him the green light at a congress this weekend.

The remarks by Martin Schulz raised hopes that the two parties that suffered losses to the far right in an election in September could renew an alliance that has ruled Germany since 2013 and end the political deadlock in Europe’s largest economy.

Merkel turned to the SPD after failing to form a three-way alliance with the left-leaning Greens and the pro-business Free Democrats, plunging Germany into a political impasse and raising doubt about her future after 12 years in power.

“We’ll explore whether and how the formation of a government is possible in Germany,” Schulz told journalists.

VANGUARD, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017 — 45

Risks grow for Rohingya in Bangladesh’s teeming, squalid Malta arrests 10 over death of camps blogger P OLICE in Malta have arrested 10 Maltese nationals in connection with the car bomb murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat told reporters that police operations were under way in the town of Marsa, and the Bugibba and Zebbug areas.

Caruana Galizia was killed close to her home on 16 October in an attack which shocked the coun-

try.

The 53-year-old was known for her blog accusing top politicians of corruption.

The government offered a €1m (£890,000; $1.2m) reward for information about her murder.

International experts, including from the FBI, were called in to help in the investigation.

Police and troops are being used in the security operation, with roads blocked and a patrol boat

deployed.

Mr Muscat said some of the detainees were already known to the police while others had criminal records.

When asked if the eight arrested had participated in the murder, or if they also included the mastermind, Mr Muscat would not comment, Malta Today reports.

“I have a clear idea of what they did and who they are but I cannot give out more details at this time,” he said.

Odinga’s advisor arrested on suspicion of inciting violence, Kenya police say A prominent strategist for Kenya’s opposition who has strongly criticised President Uhuru Kenyatta and called for some parts of the country to secede was arrested on Sunday on suspicion of inciting violence, police said on Monday.

The criminal investigations directorate said in a tweet that economist and anti-corruption campaigner David Ndii was “currently under interrogation regarding matters touching on the offence of incitement to violence” but gave no further details.

The opposition National Super Alliance (NASA) said on Sunday that Ndii had been arrested in the coastal town of Diani and that his whereabouts were unknown.

Opposition leader Raila Odinga condemned the arrest, saying on Monday: “He has committed no crime. (This is)

designed to intimidate and fragment the people of Kenya.”

Pro-democracy groups said Ndii’s arrest raised concerns about freedom of expression.

“Ndii has been at the forefront of articulating the problems with the way the country is run,” said Gladwell Otieno, executive director of Africa Centre for Open Governance (AfriCOG) in Nairobi.

Ndii is an outspoken critic of Kenyatta, who was sworn in for a second presidential term last week after a prolonged elections season that has disrupted the economy and spurred protests that killed more than 60 people.

A senior policy adviser to NASA, he has called since a disputed August election that was voided by the Supreme Court for western and coastal areas that are opposition

strongholds to declare independence from Kenya.

Odinga, who boycotted a repeat poll in October saying the election commission had failed to carry out sufficient reforms, has said his preference is for the country to remain united.

Kenyatta won the rerun election with 98 percent of the vote but the country, a Western ally in a volatile region, remains deeply divided after months of bitter campaigning and sporadic violent clashes.

Salim Lone, an Odinga adviser, said Ndii was helping to organise the “swearing in” of Odinga by a people’s assembly on Dec. 12, Kenya’s independence day, a plan that has raised the prospect of further confrontations with security forces.

Congo used exiled rebels to suppress antiKabila protests — report

C

ONGOLESE security officials recruited more than 200 exiled rebel fighters to help suppress protests against President Joseph Kabila a year ago, ordering them to use lethal force, Human Rights Watch said in a report on Monday.

Security forces killed dozens during demonstrations in December 2016 when a delay to presidential elections and Kabila’s refusal to step down sparked widespread unrest.

Kabila was required by the constitution to step down after an election to replace him in 2016 but the vote has been delayed until December 2018. Opposition leaders and activist groups have vowed fresh protests this

month to try to force him from power.

The HRW report was based on interviews with 13 fighters from the M23 rebel group who it says were recruited in

neighbouring Rwanda and Uganda, M23 leaders and nine Congolese security and intelligence officials, most of whom were cited anonymously.

South Africa to hike petrol, diesel prices in December

T

HE retail price of petrol and the wholesale price of diesel in South Africa will increase from Wednesday due to a weaker rand currency and higher crude oil prices, the energy department said on Monday.

The price of petrol will rise by 71 cents to 14.76 rand per litre in the commercial hub of Gauteng province, while that of diesel will go up by 60 cents to 12.95 rand.

Zuma

By Tom Allard & Ruma Paul

B

ANGLADESH plans to allocate more land for camps housing Rohingya refugees as concerns grow over a possible outbreak of disease in crowded, makeshift settlements clustered at the country’s southern tip.

About 625,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to sanctuary in Bangladesh from violence, looting and destruction in neighboring Myanmar after government forces launched a counter insurgency following attacks by Rohingya militants on Aug. 25.

The swift exodus has taken the Rohingya refugee population to 837,000, making Bangladesh one of the world’s largest, most crowded settlement of asylum-seekers.

More than 60 percent of the water supply in the camps is contaminated with bacteria as temporary latrines overflow into hastily-built, shallow wells, a World Health Organization survey showed. Faecal sludge in the settlements goes largely untreated.

“There is a high risk of a public health event, not just cholera and acute watery diarrhea,” said Naim Talukder of the group Action Against Hunger, who is coordinating the efforts of 31 groups and agencies to manage water, sanitation and hygiene.

A Reuters graphic uses satellite imagery to document the mushrooming spread of the refugee areas. Data show the challenge of meeting international standards for water, sanitation and hygiene in the camps and spillover sites.

Most refugees live in flimsy bamboo and canvas shelters in an area crowded well beyond emergency standards, said Graham Eastmond, an official of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

“You are talking a third of the international standard,” he said. “We need to decongest urgently and obviously, to do that, we need more land.”

The IOM is among the bodies that have urged

Suu Kwi Bangladesh to free up more land and allow a wider spread of settlements.

“The government already allocated 3,000 acres of land for the Rohingya,” Shah Kamal, a disaster management official, told Reuters. That figure is equivalent to 1,214 hectares.

“Considering the cur-

Bangladesh, in partnership with U.N. agencies and charities, has spent hundreds of millions of dollars in responding to the crisis

rent situation, the government is planning to allocate 500 acres more land for them,” he added.

Last week, Bangladesh approved a $280-million project to develop an isolated and flood-prone island in the Bay of Bengal to temporarily house 100,000 Rohingya, despite criticism from rights groups.

The overcrowding spells health and safety risks, Eastmond added, from rapidly spreading water-borne and communicable diseases to landslides and flooding, besides swelling the threat to vulnerable chil-

dren and women.

Single women or children head about a fifth of households, preliminary findings of a population survey by the U.N. refugee agency and Bangladesh show.

By Nov. 11, there were 36,096 cases of acute watery diarrhea since Aug. 25, as infection rates climbed, the U.N. children’s agency said last month.

Bangladesh, in partnership with U.N. agencies and charities, has spent hundreds of millions of dollars in responding to the crisis.

New roads built by the army will open this month, boosting access for camp-dwellers, said Eastmond.

Yet just 23 percent of funding needs for water, sanitation and hygiene services are being met, Talukder said.

Bangladesh and Myanmar vowed to begin the voluntary return of the Rohingya to Myanmar in the next two months.

But the Rohingya will have to present identity documents in order to be accepted, said Myint Kyaing, a Myanmar labor and immigration ministry official.

Relief officials fear that few Rohingya, a stateless and long-persecuted minority in Myanmar, carried such documents in their desperate scramble to leave.

Hundreds of Rohingya villages have been razed, their land given to others and their crops harvested.

Editing by Darren Schuettler and Clarence Fernandez

46 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017

Bayern battle PSG for top spot •Germans eye 4-0 victory A

lready assured of Bavarians won their opening nine games qualification to the with the veteran at the helm and responded UEFA Champions League to defeat at Borussia Mönchengladbach knockout phase, Bayern on Matchday 13 with a 3-1 win over Munich retain a chance of Hannover on Saturday. Injuries to winning Group B outright Manuel Neuer, Arjen Ro b b e n a n d when they welcome Paris Thiago Alcantara mean the Bundesliga champions are depleted, but the return of Saint-Germain to the Allianz Arena on Thomas Müller against Hannover was a major boost, as has been the recent form Tuesday Neymar Bayern must beat PSG of Kingsley Coman, who scored one and by a four-goal margin to made another. Expect him to start against win Group B. The his former club.

Bavarians have won Paris come into the game having suffered their last two home their first defeat of the season, losing 2-1 at games against Paris with an aggregate Strasbourg, although Unai Emery’s side remain nine points clear at the top of Ligue score of 7-1.

It was the 3-0 defeat to PSG that 1. Only Thiago Motta is missing for the signalled the end of Carlo Ancelotti’s visitors, for whom Edinson Cavani, Kylian time in charge at Bayern, but normal Mbappe and Neymar will likely lead the service has been resumed since Jupp line, with former Schalke favourite Julian n Paseo de las Glorias in Buenos Aires Heynckes returned as coach. The Draxler a candidate to start in midfield there is a statue of Argentina captain Lionel Messi, and on Sunday night it became the victim of a vandalism attack, with both legs being removed. avid Luiz missed Chelsea It’s the second time the statue has been Chelsea’s training session at training on Monday ahead of Cobham as he continues his vandalised, following its unveiling on the club’s Champions League June 28, 2016 recovery from a knee The sculpture, which was created by game with Atletico Madrid as problem, but Conte had the Carlos Benavides, will now be the defender continues his rest of his squad available transferred to the Department of recovery from a knee problem. as they prepared for the visit Monuments and Works of Art in the Chelsea coach Antonio Conte of Diego Simeone’s men. revealed last week that Luiz has Among the players to join Argentine capital.

Paseo de las Glorias displays a number fluid in his knee, and will be out up with the first team in of statues of famous Argentinian of action for an unspecified amount training for the first sporting figures, including basketball of time. time were Eden player Manu Ginobili, former rugby star The Brazilian has been receiving Hazard’s younger Hugo Porta, Luciana Aymar who made treatment on the issue at the brother, Kylian their name in field hockey, and Roberto club’s training base in Cobham, H a z a r d , de Vincenzo, Pascual Perez and Juan and is set to miss Chelsea’s g o a l k e e p e r Manuel Fangio from golf, boxing and Champions League Group C game Marcin Bulka at home to Atletico on Wednesday a n d Formula 1 respectively.

Th area has undergone significant after sitting out training on attacking redevelopment as Buenos Aires Monday to work with the club midfielder prepares to host the Youth Olympic physios indoors.

Jacob Hazard Charly Musonda also missed Maddox.

Games in 2018.

Messi’s statue in Argentina has its legs cut off

I

Chelsea stars set for Atletico clash

D

Zidane gets vote of confidence from Madrid president

F

lorentino Perez insists Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane is still the right man for the job despite Los Blancos making their worst start to a season since 2008.

Madrid missed out on the chance to cut the gap between themselves and La Liga leaders Barcelona to six points when they drew 0-0 at Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.

The result means Madrid are fourth in the table and sit eight points behind Barcelona after 14 matches amid a stuttering start to their title defence.

However Perez says he isn’t ready to push the panic button yet, insisting Zidane retains his full confidence in charge of Los Blancos despite Madrid making their worst start to a league campaign for nine years.

‘Zidane is the best leader this team could possibly have,’ Perez said via Marca. ‘What

he has achieved is unique.

‘He is a wonderful coach who is now an even greater icon here and he has already won the Spanish and European Super Cups this season.

‘We have achieved what many thought would be impossible in retaining the European Cup and our team can carry on dreaming.’

Rohr stays back in Russia! oach Gernot Rohr and C team administrator Dayo Enebi are still in Russia

to finalise on a base camp for the team at next year ’s World Cup. The base camp will be home to the team from where they will fly out to their various match venues and return after their games.

“Both the coach and Dayo (Enebi) are a l r e a d y finalising on the camp,” a team official said.

“I am sure it’s 9 0 - 9 5 % completed now.

“That’s why they stayed back after the draw on Friday to conclude on Perez and Zidane the matter.”

The Nigeria F o o t b a l l

Rohr Federation (NFF) had initially submitted two likely camp sites to FIFA before the draw for approval.

Nigeria are drawn in Group D along with Argentina, Croatia and Iceland.

They will play their first round matches in three different Russian cities.

Griezmann: Atletico capable of beating Chelsea •Costa dodges return

*Griezmann

A

ntoine Griezmann says Atletico Madrid are capable of beating Chelsea in their final Champions League Group C game on Tuesday.

“The most important thing is to win,” Griezmann told AS. “This will give us confidence.

Now we are going to try to win [at Chelsea] as we have a team capable of doing that.”

Meanwhile, Diego Costa has dodged a return to Stamford Bridge after it was decided he would not travel with the Atletico Madrid team that will face Chelsea in the Champions League tonight.

He is unable to play until January due to the restrictions of Atletico Madrid’s FIFA transfer ban.

Costa did not travel with team to London and will instead build up his fitness in Madrid.

Mourinho picks Spain among World Cup favourites

J

OSE Mourinho spoke about the Russia World Cup draw, saying Spain are one of the favourites.

“The best teams are always from Europe and South America. It’s always Brazil and Argentina, it’s always Spain, Germany, France and the champions of Europe (Portugal),” he told rt.com. “It’s difficult to consider teams beyond those.”

Including England and Belgium, Mourinho said: “I would like to be mistaken but it’s hard not to see a champion that’s not one of those eight.”

Mourinho also thinks the worlds’ top players - Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez - will continue until the Qatar World Cup. “World Cup 2022 will be the last for them,” said Mourinho.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017 — 47

Russia 2018 World Cup:

Neymar

Good football not names will decide Group D’s fate — Moses

happy to avoid Eagles *Says Nigerians run a lot

•Neymar

•Moses

B

S

razil captain, Neymar has expressed his joy of not having to face Nigeria, nay any African team during the group stage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

While giving his take on the draw, which saw Brazil grouped alongside Serbia, Costa Rica and Switzerland in group E, the PSG forward sad it was a huge relief that the Brazilians would not have to deal with the fast pace and strong physical play of the Nigerians, who are grouped alongside Argentina, Croatia and Iceland in group D Speaking to the media in France, N e y m a r named Nigeria as one of the teams in Africa he is happy to avoid while praising the strength of the other teams in their group. “ We have to be at our best to get a good result particularly in our first game of the tournament. The teams in our group are difficult to play against”, Neymar said. “ But I am happy that we are not in a group where we have to play against African teams like Nigeria. They run a lot and are very physical in their approach. We are no doubt still up against strong sides at the World Cup “.

UPER Eagles attacking midfielder, Victor Moses said there wasn’t any reason for Nigeria to be jittery over the Group D pairings of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Moses who helped the Super Eagles to qualify for the Russia 2018 tournament stated that the outcome of the group will be determined by the teams that played good football and it wasn’t about names. Nigeria will open its World Cup account against Croatia, before playing Iceland and Argentina in the Group D matches.

“We keep getting Argentina for some reason.

“We don’t want to play against Messi, but it is what it is. We’ve got to go and play our football and see what happens.

“After what Iceland did last year (beating England in the last 16 of the Euros), football nowadays, there’s no easy game.

“Argentina are going to be scared of us as well.

“It’s all about football at the end of the day.

“Everyone at Chelsea was saying we’re going to get a thrashing and we’re not going to make it through the group stage. Hopefully we can go out there and make the nation proud and get out of the group.”

Pinnick: Mental

France warns Giroud to leave Arsenal to secure World Cup dream

O

LIVIER Giroud has been told by France to find first-team football in the second half of the season or risk missing the World Cup. The Arsenal striker has been an important part of the France set-up under Didier Deschamps but has fallen out of the first-team picture at the Emirates Stadium.

Giroud has often started ahead of Alexandre Lacazette for Les Bleus but has slipped down the pecking order at the Gunners due to his compatriot’s £53million summer arrival in north London.

The 31-year-old has failed to start a single Premier League

strength will save Eagles

game this term, featuring only from kick-off in Europa League and League Cup matches.

Having only played 234 minutes in the top flight, Deschamps’ assistant Guy Stephane has warned Giroud he must find a solution to his lack of first-team football.

‘It’s clear that he’s not playing enough and Didier has already had the chance to talk about it,’ Stephane told TF1. ‘He has to find a solution in the coming weeks.

‘It’s up to him to see. He’s been very good in the last couple of months, he’s featured a lot and scored important goals, so now he has to play a lot.’

P

•Giroud

Nigeria should not rush Enyeama back for World Cup — Babangida

F

ORMER Nigeria international, Tijani Babangida has said that goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama should not be forced to return to the Super Eagles in time for

Team Nigeria names 21 for African Skating Championship

By John Egbokhan

2

1 skaters are to represent Team Nigeria at the 2017 African Skating Championship holding from December 6 to 10 in Lome, Togo.

Unveiling the team yesterday at the National Stadium in Lagos, President of the Nigeria Roller Sports and Skating Federation, Comrade Joseph Evah, said the skaters were carefully from a pool of over 40 skaters at a rigorous camping exercise.

Evah, who is singlehandedly funding the skaters trip to the maiden African Championship, where they are set to compete for honours with 21 other countries, promised to reward each gold winner with N200, 000.

According to frontline Niger Delta activist, the reward scheme was meant to motivate the skaters for peak performance at the African event, even as he clamoured for a better deal for Nigerian athletes. ‘’Each silver medal winner

resident of the Nigeria Football Federation, Mr. Amaju Melvin Pinnick is confident that mental strength, self–belief and youthfulness will serve the Super Eagles well at the 21st FIFA World Cup finals in Russia next year summer.

Speaking on the World Sport

will get N150, 000 while a bronze medal winner is guaranteed the sum of N100, 000. We need to encourage our athletes in every way possible in order for them to escape the pangs of poverty. ‘’I am confident that the athletes we have selected for this African Championship are the best around and are ready to bring back gold medals from Lome. Our expectations are high and we are sending you out as good ambassadors of our great country’’, added Evah.

next year’s World Cup after he announced his retirement from the team two years ago.

There have been series of calls for the experienced shot stopper to make a return to Eagles for Russia 2018, but the flying winger who played at France 1998 World Cup told ScoreNigeria that it will be counter-productive if Enyeama were pressured to rescind his decision to quit international football. Babangida said Nigeria should rather concentrate on future with the young goalkeepers.

“Enyeama is a top-class goalkeeper no doubt, he has paid his dues and has announced his retirement from the national team. I think we should let him enjoy his retirement,” he advised.

“Same scenario and situation happened at France 1998, and we all know how it went.

programme of the Cable News Network (CNN) from the station’s London studio on yesterday, Pinnick, who is a Member of the CAF Executive Committee and President of AFCON, also commended the African body for its decision to support the continent’s five flagbearers’ preparations for Russia 2018 with much – needed cash.

“First and foremost, I must commend all the 32 qualified teams because they came from very intense qualifying campaigns. What will then matter at the finals in Russia are factors such as the quality of preparation by each team, the mental state of the players and prayers from back home.

“We are in a ‘decent group.’

Argentina have such a high pedigree and Croatia and Iceland are very good. Iceland reached the quarter –finals of the European Championship last year and topped their qualifying group, so there are no minnows in there.

“We are banking on good preparation and the belief that our young players have in themselves. I am also happy that CAF is weighing in with some good money ($500,000 each) to support the preparation of the African flag –bearers. I can also tell you that CAF is looking to see an African team in the semi –finals or even to go all the way to win the trophy.”

Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017

Sudoku TODAY’S PUZZLE

QUICK CROSSWORD YESTERDAY’S ANSWER

YESTERDAY’SOLUTION

TODAY’S CROSSWORD

ACROSS 1 Badger’s burrow (4) 3 Spend wastefully (8) 9 Caliper (anag.) (7) 10 Furious (5) 11 Scatter (5) 12 Assembled (6) 14 Puzzle (6) 16 Merchant (6) 19 Motor fuel (6)

21 24 25 26 27

Dark brown fur (5) Saltpetre (5) Heroic (7) Uncommunicative (8) Nourish (4)

DOWN 1 Emphasised (8) 2 Become narrower (5) 4 Misgivings (6)

5 Operatic songs (5) 6 Cul-de-sac (4,3) 7 Regretted (4) 8 Indian tent (6) 13 Stopped (8) 15 Ridiculous (7) 17 Impetuously (6) 18 Intelligent (6) 20 Rain mixed with snow (5) 22 Burn fiercely (5) 23 Tangle (4)

How to Play Sudoku Place a number (1-9) in each blank cell. (No line can have two of the same number).

Each row (nine lines from left to right), column, (also nine lines from top to bottom) and 3 X 3 block within a bold block (nine blocks) contains number from 1 through 9. This means that no number can appear twice in any block, column or row.

No mathematics is involved – no adding, subtraction, division or multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination.

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