...towards a better life for the people
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VOL. 25: NO. 63002
ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com
N200
FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016
PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR AWARDS: Vanguard honours Buhari, Jonathan, Ekwueme, others today •See Pages 9-56 &A14
Buhari
Ekwueme
Jonathan
2016 BUDGET: Buhari,
ministers study details •To borrow $2bn from China to finance N3trn deficit •OBJ at Aso Rock Villa, says he never signed budget without details •Feigns ignorance of Saraki’s travails
By Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor & Levinus Nwabughiogu
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B U J A — PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari and his ministers are studying the details of the 2016 budget transmitted to the Presidency by the National Assembly on Wednesday. Recall that President Buhari had said he would not sign the budget unless it was accompanied by the details.
Continues on Page 5
PDP to INEC: Uba, Oduah duly elected senators A13
Mr & Mrs FOR ALAMS—Governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson (3rd left) in a handshake with the former Governor of Cross River State, Mr. Donald Duke (right) during a public lecture organized in honour of the first civilian Governor of Bayelsa State, Late Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha as part of activities to mark his burial ceremony in Yenagoa, while the Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah, retd, (2nd left); the first son of the deceased, Mr.Tombara Alamieyeseigha (left) look on. Photo: Lucky Francis.
NDDC, oil firms trade blames over 3% budget remittance 4
PIB: Withdraw draft bill to pave way for dialogue, N-Delta groups tell NASS 4
2 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016
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Vanguard, FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016—3
CCT trial: Orubebe’s lawyer, judges clash over admissibility of evidence By Ikechukwu Nnochiri
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BUJA— TRIAL of the erstwhile Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe, over allegation that he falsely declared his assets in 2007, kicked off on a dramatic note, yesterday, as his lawyer, Mr. Larry Selekeowei, SAN, exchanged hot words with the Justice Danladi Umar-led panel of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT. The clash followed moves by the Director of Public Prosecution, DPP, Mr. Mohammed Diri, to tender into evidence the Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) and the Right of Occupancy (R of O), of Plot 2057, Asokoro District Abuja, which Orubebe was said to have failed to declare as his property. The DPP had, through the star witness the Federal Government brought to testify against the former minister, Mr. Samuel Madojemu, who is an investigative officer at the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB, attempted to tender the documents into evidence. Meanwhile, the war-of-words ensued at a point Orubebe’s lawyer was adducing reasons the documents and an accompanying letter from the Federal Capital Territory Department of Land Administration, should not be admitted into evidence. Mid way into his submission, one of the judges on the CCT panel, Mr. Agwaza Atedze, interjected and asked the defence lawyer to streamline his argument to specific contents of the document before the tribunal. The remark infuriated Mr. Selekeowei, who reprimanded the judge for unduly interfering with his submission. He said: “Why are you interjecting in my submission like this? I am making a point, you have not even allowed me to land. You are interfering with this proceeding and it is wrong. “You are the judge, you should allow me to make my submission while you rule. Allow me do my work, yours is to be neutral. Why are you doing this?” Effort by Chairman of the CCT panel, Justice Umar to pacify Orubebe’s lawyer proved abortive as he kept shouting “I am making a submission and someone is interfering and you expect me to keep quite, that cannot happen.” “I apologise, though I still insist that it was wrong for anyone to interject like that,” Selekeowei said.
Total, Shell, 2 others to provide $200m to 4 oil marketers As scarcity continues despite Kachikwu’s promise By Michael Eboh with agency Rrports
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BUJA — MINISTER of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr. Ibe Kachikwu, yesterday, disclosed that four oil majors had agreed to provide foreign exchange valued at about $200 million, over the next one year, to four major oil marketers to help fund fuel imports. This was even as fuel crisis continued in Abuja and other states of the federations, despite promises by Kachikwu that the queues would end in Abuja and Lagos yesterday. Kachikwu, it was learned, had to shelve his planned visit to some parastatals and agencies under the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, due to queues which had refused to vanish. On efforts to address the
unavailability of foreign exchange, Kachikwu, in a video posted on the social media, listed the four oil majors providing the funds as Total, Exxon Mobil, Shell and Eni SpA. According to Kachikwu, Total SA and Exxon Mobil Corporation will provide dollars to their local retail units—Total Nigeria Plc and Mobil Oil Nigeria Plc, while Royal Dutch Shell Plc was paired with local oil importers as Conoil Plc and Eni SpA with Oando Plc. He said: “I have been able to convince the upstream oil companies to provide foreign exchange buffers over the next one year for those who are bringing in products.” He further stated that the oil ministry had been in talks with the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to make special foreign-currency
allocation for fuel importers. “I have had to box my way through the Central Bank of Nigeria to get a little bit more allocation because we provide the bulk of this foreign exchange; we should have a bit of it to help stabilize the fuel situation,” he said. Kachikwu once again blamed the unending fuel crisis witnessed across the country on the shortage of foreign exchange, which had made it difficult for major and independent oil marketers to fund their fuel imports. In spite of the many promises and assurances, long queues were recorded at major petrol stations across Abuja and Lagos, as many other petrol stations were shut down due to unavailability
PUBLIC HEARING: From right, Acting Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Ibim Semenitari; Director of Finance and Supply, Jimoh Egbejule; Director Legal Service, Kalhingo Moljengo and Executive Director, Corporate GSR and Business, Total Nigeria Limited, Kingsley Ojoh during a public hearing on the reconciliation of account on three per cent development levy at the National Assembly, Abuja, yesterday. Photo: Gbemiga Olamikan.
PDP vows to make governance difficult for Buhari if Saraki is removed we allowed it to pass."
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By Henry Umoru
BUJA —THE Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, senators will make governance more difficult for President Muhammadu Buhari in the event Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, is convicted and forced out of office, two PDP senators warned, yesterday. Senators Matthew Urhoghide, PDP, Edo South and Clifford Ordia (PDP, Edo Central) speaking separately, yesterday, affirmed that the All Progressives Congress, APC, lacked the numerical leverage to toy around with Senator Saraki, saying the PDP caucus would definitely produce a replacement for Saraki in the event the incumbent is forced out through a conviction in his ongoing trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT. Speaking with journalists, yesterday, in Abuja, Senator Urhoghide, Chairman, Senate Committee on Culture and Tourism, said the APC was naïve
to have allowed the ongoing CCT trial of Saraki to drag to this point. He said the conviction of Senator Saraki would lead to his replacement with a PDP senator which would redefine the pattern of relationship between the legislative and executive arms of government. Senator Urhoghide vowed that the current ease with which the Presidency gets things done with Saraki in charge will change if the PDP produces the next president. He said: “We the PDP will decide who will be the President. Anybody they are thinking of will not succeed. The number has not waned. Saraki is getting more support from Nigerians. “Once PDP takes over, the President will find it difficult to have anything passed. They have brought a lot of things that are not okay. But we just overlook some things. Some of the ministerial nominees that were brought were not qualified, but
Speaking in the same vein, Senator Ordia said: “PDP will produce the next Senate President if Saraki is removed, we are behind him. What is going on at CCT is political persecution and this is not allowed in any democracy. We will win, we have the number to produce the next Senate President."
Bankers C'ttee to address N649bn bad loans By Babajide Komolafe
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AGOS — THE Bankers Committee, yesterday, said it was working to address the problem of bad loans which rose to N649 billion in the industry last year. Director, Banking Supervision Department, Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mrs Tokunbo Martins, disclosed this at a press briefing after the Bankers Committee meeting in Lagos. She spoke in company of the Managing Director/ Chief Executive, GTBank Plc, Mr. Segun Agbaje; Managing Director/ Chief Executive, Fidelity Bank Plc, Mr. Nnamdi Nwankwo; Managing Director/ Chief Executive, Unity Bank Plc, Mrs Tola Somefun, and the Acting Director, Corporate Communication Department, CBN, Mr. Isaac Okoroafor. A CBN staff report had revealed a sharp increase in bad loans, which rose to N649 billion last year, and as a result, the ratio of bad loans to total loans rose to 4.8 per cent, implying the industry may soon exceed the regulatory threshold of 5.0 percent. Martins said while the problem was not unexpected, given the downturn in the economy, the Bankers Committee was, however, not resting on its oars. She said the committee discussed measures to tackle the problem, adding that one of the measures considered was debt factoring. She said: “We all know that we are in an economic downturn and things are being hard at the moment. If people are finding it difficult to pay their staff salary and they are not able to pay their loans, it is not unexpected. “Therefore, if corporates are not performing as they should do and they are not able to pay their loan, it is not something unusual. The figures you quoted, which is about five percent, is not out of this world."
4—Vanguard, FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016
PIB: Withdraw draft bill to pave way for dialogue, N-Delta groups urge NASS By Festus Ahon, Egufe Yafugborhi, Godwin Oghre, Perez Brisibe & Ochuko Akuopha
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S A B A — N D O K WA National Youth Movement, NNYM and Isoko Development Union, IDU, yesterday called for the withdrawal of the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill, PIGB, as proposed by the National Assembly, to give room for dialogue and wider consultations by stakeholders. They insisted that with the removal of the host communities fund from the PIB, the National Assembly had dashed the hope of the oil bearing communities. NNYM in a statement said: “The National Assembly and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources should take it as a matter of urgent national importance and come clean over the proposed PIGB”, stressing the need for it to be available to citizens to enable them scrutinize it and make comments based on knowledge rather than rumours. The statement by the group’s Secretary, Comrade Presley Idi, warned that “youths from Ndokwa nation will resist the removal of the host community development funds, as well as the tempering of the Local Content Act,” urging
President Muhammadu Buhari “who doubles as the Minister of Petroleum Resources to clarify what the intentions are with regard to the communities and indeed the oil field environment." Similarly, President General of IDU, the apex socio-cultural organization of the Isoko nation, Chief Iduh Amadhe, said: “This bill is not in the favour of the oil producing communities and it
will generate bad feelings in the communities. They have been neglected and have not experienced meaningful development despite their immense contribution to the nation’s wealth. Everybody thought that with the PIB, the communities would be carried along, and the removal of the communities fund is a very bad signal and so, the communities will not cooperate with the oil
companies. In the same vein, Chairman of Warri North Local Government Council, Delta State, Mr Francis Eyituoyor-Maku, said: “I urge both chambers to reconsider the issue as the fund will help the communities to fast track the developmental projects. They should not tamper with the equity fund which President Yar’Adua proposed in 2012. Tampering with the fund will send a wrong signal and put the coastal communities in further economic danger.”
VISIT: Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State (right) presenting a memento to the United States Consul-General, John Bray, during a courtesy call on the Governor at Government House, Uyo.
IRDC different from traditional institutions —Itsekiri group
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A R R I —T H E Association of Iwere Liberated Indigenes, AILI, has stated that the Chevron created development organization, Itsekiri Regional Development Council, IRDC, is separate from all traditional institutions even as it applauded the inauguration of the Austin Oniyesan-led new executives. In a statement by AILI General Co-ordinator, Mr. Ayonmi Oritsebemiwuno, the group said: "We applauded the Oniyesanled executive on the ground that due processes known to IRDC constitution were upheld and duly adhered to in its enthronement and official inauguration.” The group condemned Mr. Roland Yomere for dragging the respected name and institution of the Olu of Warri into IRDC affairs.
Pa Ohwoavwodia for burial
Alamieyeseigha to be buried without his foot soldiers —Evah P
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By Azu Akanwa
HE Ijaw Monitoring Group, IMG, has described the first executive governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Alamieyesegha as Ijaw nation’s fallen hero and a field mashal of the Ijaw army that will be buried without his foot soldiers. In a farewell tribute by Comrade Joseph Evah ahead of the burial taking place this weekend, the Ijaw group lamented that Alamieyeseigha died at a time the Ijaw nation was at a cross road and disorganized. “Ijaw Nation is facing the worst shocker, Alamieyesegha known as the man of the people fondly called Alamco, will be buried without the people. A handful of politicians are dancing round the grave. It is a shame. Ijaw army is in disarray. Ijaw army ’s field marshal (Alamco) will be buried without his generals. Some of his generals missing in action are General Asari Dokubo, General Tompolo, General Tom Ateke, General Boyloaf, General Kingsley Kuku, General Anne Kio Briggs, General Felix Tuodolo, General shot at sight, General Kimsi Okoko, General Ogoriba, General Okah, General Joseph Evah, General Udengs Eradiri, General Chris Ekiyor, General Fara Dagogo, General Egberipapa, General Oronto Douplas, General Mezeh Akpos, General Oboko Bello, General C M Y K
Rosemary Naigba, General Ragent Youmor e.t.c” “Ijaw Nation will rise again,
field marshal Alamco may be given insignificant burial, but his legacy will endure like our first
and foremost fallen Hero, Isaac Jasper Adako Bora of blessed memory, Evah said.
NDDC, oil firms trade blames over 3% budget remittance By Henry Umoru,Emma Ovuakporie,Johnbosco Agbakwuru & Joseph Erunke
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BUJA—STA RTLING revelations emerged, yesterday, on how oil firms operating in the Niger Delta region had over the years, failed to remit mandatory three percent from their annual budget to the Niger Delta Development
Commission, NDDC. But most of the companies, which claimed they did not default in payment, accused the commission of wrong records of their payments even as they declared that they made payments in dollars, contrary to the commission’s records which indicated naira payments. To this end, the National Assembly said it would dispatch its team of
consultants and auditors to the commission’s head office in Port Harcourt to verify the conflicting claims and report back for reconciliation of the various accounts. These were disclosed at an interactive session held by the Senate and the House of Representatives joint committees on Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, with heads of the firms.
Akpomerha Ohwoavwodia of Evwreni, Ughelli North Local Government Area, Delta State, is dead aged 88. He will be laid to rest in his home town, Evwreni, today. Service of songs took place at his residence, Uneni Quarter, yesterday. Interment takes place at his residence after a funeral service at Saint Pauls Anglican Church, Evwreni. A
Iara Oshiomhole flags off 10-day skills acquisition programme the flag-off, expressed and tailoring, ICT basic for IDPs By Victor Ahiuma-Young
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IFE of Edo State Governor, Iara Oshiomhole, has flagged off the first phase of a 10-day skills acquisition programme for 160 students at International Christian Center, ICC, Uhogua, venue of the Internally Displaced Persons, IDP, camp in the state eliciting wide jubilation and hope for a better future. The governor ’s wife who personally inspected and participated in the second day of the training to mark
satisfaction at the rate the trainees were learning and promised to donate all the training facilities to the camp. S h e inspected students undergoing training for fish farming, f o o d production a n d packaging, creative arts
computer training and thereafter kicked-off the Comrade FC and Project Focus FC novelty match.
Late Pa Ohwoavwodia
Vanguard, FRIDAY, APRIL 8 , 2016—5
POCKET CARTOON
AWARD—Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo (L) receiving an award on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari from former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, during a dinner to mark International Day of Sports for Development and Peace in Abuja, Wednesday night. Photo: NAN.
2016 BUDGET: Buhari, ministers study details Continues from Page 1 The President’s receipt of the budget, yesterday, came on a day former President Olusegun Obasanjo paid him a courtesy visit, with a declaration that he never signed budgets into law, without details during his tenure. This came as indications emerged that the President will be travelling to China on Sunday to shop for $2 billion loan to address the N3 trillion deficit in the new budget. Competent sources said the aim of studying the document presented by the NASS by the executive was to compare what was
eventually approved with what was sent in by the President. It was learned that the executive was expected to spend one or two days to go through the document to enable the President assent to the bill before travelling to China next week. One of the sources familiar with the budget told Vanguard, yesterday, that the ministers were expected to examine the budget of their respective MDAs to see whether there was a substantial addition or subtraction which could adversely affect implementation. The top official said that although the Presidency
IT'S UP TO YOU
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BY AYO ADIO
HE true test of a vision is when it meets with stiff opposition and yet finds a way to thrive even against the odds. It's up to you.
TAKE HEART BY ELLA RANDLE
Destiny is not a matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited, it is a thing to be achieved —William J Byran
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HAT is your life purpose, maybe you know it and are living your best possible life. But really to live a fullfilling life comprise mastering your gifts, talents, desires and challenges. Your destiny is what you do best, combined with what you want and what challenges you most. The process is the means to an end...as you overcome challenges and develop character strengths. You’re unfolding into greater opportunities in mastering your destiny.
SAYINGS OF OUR PEOPLE
I
F they tell a man a proverb and he demands an explanation, it means that the dowry paid on his mother's head is a waste.
was not expecting the NASS to return the fiscal document as he presented it to them, it was, however, mindful of the need to prevent undue ‘padding’ of the budget with unnecessary items, which had little or no real benefits to majority of Nigerians. The source said President Buhari was eager to sign the bill into law to ensure immediate implementation and to give a new lease of life to the people and arrest the hardship in the land. “There is a groundswell of opinion that Mr. President should sign the bill into law if there was no substantial deviation that could affect the performance of the budget,” the official said. Asked whether he knew when the president would assent to the bill, the official said that he was certain that he would do so before travelling to China next week. President Buhari had, last week, served notice that he would study the budget to be transmitted to him by NASS, ministry by ministry, before assenting to it, a development that drew flaks from prominent members of the legislature. Most of them claimed that Buhari has no power to tamper with what they have passed. Buhari was said to be afraid that any undue padding of the budget could make it difficult for his administration to implement it.
Competent sources said one controversial area that the Presidency would look out for was money meant for ‘constituency projects’, which could have been substantially raised as has always been the practice and a source of friction between the legislature and the executive. Under the tradition, the NASS allocates some projects and attaches some money to them, with the principal officers getting higher allocations than ordinary members of the NASS. But President Buhari is said to be opposed to such practice and wants the funds meant for capital projects to go straight to the respective MDAs for implementation. It was learned that key government functionaries familiar with the process, had drawn the attention of the President to the trick usually applied to import some projects into the budget after presentation by the executive.
Buhari to borrow $2bn from China Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari will visit China on Sunday to sign a loan infrastructure projects deal worth about $2 billion and the low interest loan is to be deployed to finance the N3 trillion deficit in the budget. Though the exact figure for the loan is yet to be confirmed, the Presidency and Chinese foreign affairs ministry confirmed the visit. The President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, who disclosed this in an interview with Reuters, said: “I can’t tell you how much until the day the loan will be signed. Both countries will also be signing some bilateral agreements to strengthen their relationship, that is all I can say for now.” In February, financial and government sources said the loan could be as high as $2 billion, but officials have not provided an update since then. The federal government had said it would raise about $5 billion abroad to cover part of its 2016 budget deficit which could be as high as N3 trillion. Lu Kang, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, had earlier said Buhari would visit China from April 11-15 to sign “cooperation
agreements” and attend a business forum. When the Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun, visited China in February, a Nigerian government official said the loan deal she agreed on could be signed by President Muhammadu Buhari. “The Finance Minister, in the company of the Central Bank Governor, is scheduled to be in China sometime next week to conclude negotiations on the $2 billion loan,” the official said. Adeosun had earlier said the country was looking for a loan with about 1.5 per cent interest. “We looked at our debt profile and we recognised that one big problem is interest rate. So, we are going to try and borrow as far as possible externally. “We are borrowing at the cheapest rates. So, multilateral loans are the cheapest. If someone offers me 1.5 per cent over 20 years, I think I should take it. "That is why we are going to the multilateral agencies first and, thereafter, concessional borrowing and also tap into the Eurobond market,” the minister had said at a KPMG forum in Lagos.
OBJ in Aso Rock Villa At the Presidential Villa in Abuja, yesterday, former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, expressed surprise over comments credited to the National Assembly that during his time, he signed budgets into law without seeing the details. Obasanjo said the purveyors of the news at the National Assembly needed to be contacted the second time to prove the authenticity of their claim. The former president also feigned ignorance of the travails of the senate president, Dr. Bukola
Saraki, at the Code of Conduct Tribunal over false assets declaration. Obasanjo, who spoke in an interview with State House correspondents after a private meeting with President Buhari, said he was at Aso Rock to share some of his experiences with the President. He said: “You know that not too long ago, I was out there and I came to share some of my experiences with him.” Asked what those experiences were, Obasanjo said: “If I say I share experiences with my wife, will you ask what I discussed with my wife?” On claims that he signed budgets without details during his tenure, he said: "Anybody who told you that, go and ask him again” On his feelings about the 2016 budget, Obasanjo said: “To be able to tell you about the budget, I have to read the budget to know what it contains and what it doesn’t.” On the delays in signing the budget and the attendant effect on Nigerians, Obasanjo said “the constitution allows you to continue with the budget, provided you did not go beyond the previous year ’s and that can be done up till the middle of the year.” On Senate President’s travails, he queried: “Emm, What is happening to him?" The former President had arrived the villa at exactly 12:13pm in a tinted black Toyota SUV, marked ABJ 425 PY. On alighting from the vehicle, he exchanged pleasantries with reporters who cracked jokes with him on his “dancing steps” during the burial of the late mother of Ebonyi State governor, Martin Elechi, in Ebonyi last week.
6—Vanguard, FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016
Adams tasks FG on tourism devt
Appeal Court grants Nollywood actress, Ibinabo, N2m bail By Onozure Dania
By Dapo Akinrefon
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HE National Coordinator of Oodua Peoples’ Congress, OPC, Otunba Gani Adams, has called on the Federal Government to use tourism as a veritable tool for national development. Adams made the appeal at the grand finale of the 2016 edition of Eledumare Festival, which held in the Iganmu area of Lagos. THE Olokun Convener suggested that with the current economic situation, all historical monuments in the country should be renovated and new ones built, where necessary, to drive home the Buy Nigerian message. Otunba Adams also commended the effort of the South-West governors, who made Yoruba language compulsory in public and private schools in their respective states.
Caleb varsity VC counsels parents By Tare Youdeowei
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HE Vice-Chancellor of Caleb University, Professor Ayandiji Aina, has charged parents and guardians to stop abandoning their children and wards on campus at the expense of business pursuit or other social engagements. Speaking while addressing parents under the aegis of Caleb University Parents Forum, Aina lamented that many parents pay tuition and provide ‘pocket money’ for their children, but do not bother to keep tab on their activities and performance because of commitment to financial engagements. According to him, this accounted for depression among students, who are hardly visited or cared for by their parents, while others indulge in vices that in the long run adversely affect their morale and academic performance. He appealed to parents to desist from such acts and urged them to cultivate the habit of looking after the welfare of their children. This, he said, would assist all the stakeholders.
C M Y K
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AGOS—THE Court of Appeal, sitting in Lagos, has granted N2 million bail to the embattled ex-President of Nigeria Guild of Actors, NGA, Ibinabo Fiberesima, yesterday, pending the determination of her appeal at the Supreme Court over five years imprisonment slammed on her for manslaughter. Justice Deborah Oluwayemi of the State High Court had, in 2009, convicted Fiberesima of manslaughter, holding to the fact that her reckless driving was responsible for an auto crash, which claimed the life of one Dr. Giwa Suraj on the Lekki-Epe Expressway. While sentencing Fiberesima to five years imprisonment, Justice Oluwayemi overruled the decision of the state Magistrate’s Court, which earlier ordered her to pay N100,000 for the offence. Dissatisfied with the judgment, she approached the Court of Appeal to nullify the judgment, but the court also affirmed it. She further approached Supreme Court and the matter is pending. Subsequently, Fiberesima filed an application before the Court of Appeal, praying the court to release her on bail pending when the Supreme Court would hear and determine her appeal against the appellate court’s judgment.
‘She’s needs care after breast cancer surgery’
In an affidavit of urgency filed before the court in
support of her bail application, one Victor Eden said Fiberesima had just undergone surgery for breast cancer and was still under the watch of her doctors. Eden said Fiberesima’s surgical wound had yet to properly heal, adding that the actress was afraid that her life might be endangered if kept in the prison custody. He said it would best serve the interest of justice to release Fiberesima on bail, while the Supreme Court’s decision in her case was being awaited. The Lagos State government, in its opposition to granting
the applicant bail, said the presumption of innocence no longer inures in Fiberesima’s favour since she has already been convicted. The applicant has also made no appeal against her conviction, but against her sentence. There is also no evidence that she visited the clinic at the prison for treatment even though she has been in prison for about three weeks.
Judges disagree on bail
The state lawyer, Mrs Rotimi Odutola, said if the appeal for bail is granted, it should contain conditions that will compel the applicant
VISIT: Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. Idiat Oluranti-Adebule (right) and Head, Sub-Saharan Africa Department at Agence Francaise de Development, AFD, Mr. Jean-Pierre Marcelli, during a courtesy visit to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode by Marcelli and his team at Lagos House, Ikeja.
to pursue her appeal at the Supreme Court. After listening to submission of both parties, Justice Sidi Bage, who led the three-man panel, granted the convict bail in the sum of N2 million, with two sureties in like sum. Justice Samuel Osuji, who read the lead judgment, held that there was nothing in the record of the court that showed that the convict once jumped bail, adding that there was enough evidence before the Court that the convict has health challenge. However, one of the three-man panel, Justice Y. B. Nimba, did not agree with the panel. She held that no special circumstance exist for the grant of bail.
Lagos @ 50: Honeywell launches campaign
Lagos Assembly amends LASIEC bill By Olasunkanmi Akoni
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EMBERS of Lagos State House of Assembly, yesterday, amended the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2016 and Local Government Election Tribunal (Amendment) Bill, 2016. Speaker of the House, Mr. Mudashiru Obasa, after the third reading of the bill, directed the Clerk, Mr. Olusegun Abiru, to forward a copy of the bill to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for his assent. The amendment concludes the preparations for the muchawaited conduct of polls into 20 Local Government areas and 37 Local Council Development areas, LCDAs. Meanwhile, the House has called for the prosecution of the masterminds of violent acts during the 2015 general
election in the state. Mr. Sanai Agunbiade, who represents Ikorodu Constituency I, noted that the
violent incidents that occurred in different parts of the state during the elections remained unresolved.
Mile 12 riot: Case file stalls proceeding By Abdulwahab Abdulah & Jane Echewodo
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HE inability of police to send the case file containing details of investigations and statements of suspects linked to the last month Mile 12 riots to the Ministry of Justice stalled their trial yesterday. The 117 suspects, arrested at different locations during the March 3 Mile 12 market riot, were expected to appear before the court to answer different charges yesterday. However, at the resumed hearing of the matter before Magistrate Mrs. B. O.
Osunsanmi, the state Assistant Director of Public Prosecution, Mr. Jide Martins, informed the court that police was yet to forward the case file to the office of the Director of Public Prosecution, DPP, for consideration. According to Martins, until the file is perused by the office, much cannot be done. He, therefore, asked for an adjournment to enable police to forward the case file. Magistrate Osunsanmi subsequently granted the request and adjourned the case till May 23 for hearing.
By Providence Obuh
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N commemoration of Lagos at 50, Honeywell Flour Mills Plc has launched a campaign to support activities lined up by the State Government as part of its corporate social responsibility initiatives of the company to support development of the Nigerian youth through partnership with Vision of the Child, VOTC. In a statement, Managing Director, Mr. Lanre Jaiyeola, described the celebration as a significant landmark that provides an opportunity to celebrate the state’s past achievements and showcase its potentials for growth and development. He said the company will use the opportunity provided by the event to delight its consumers and offer chances of winning prizes.
Vanguard, FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016 — 7
Tope Aluko seeks police protection, alleges threat to life
IFE-CENTRAL BYE-ELECTION:
INEC assures of safety
By Dapo Akinrefon
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ORMER Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Ekiti State, Dr Temitope Aluko has called on the InspectorGeneral of Police and to grant him protection, alleging threat to his life. Aluko, who addressed a press conference, yesterday in Lagos, accused Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State of plans to undermine his safety. He, however, called on the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister for Justice to fast-track the happenings of the 2014 governorship election in the state. His words: “I have not fled the country and equally on bail from the agencies while snippets of issues ensuing from these statements are filtering into the ears of the actors/beneficiaries such that attack are now coming from all direction targeted at me. “While the army council sacked their officers as a result of the investigation, it is unfortunate that the civilian actors/ beneficiaries of the Ekitigate are
By Gbenga Olarinoye
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VISIT: From left; Ogun State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Otunba Bimbola Ashiru; Corporate Affairs Director, Unilever Nigeria Plc, Mrs. Soromidayo George; Managing Director, Unilever Nigeria Plc, Mr. Yaw Nsarkoh; Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun; Finance Director, Mrs. Desola Sotande-Peters and Legal Director, Mrs. Bidemi Ademola both of Unilever Nigeria Plc, during a courtesy visit by Unilever Management team to the Governor in Abeokuta. not only walking the street freely, but also threatening my person and family.” Describing the happenings of the 2014 governorship election as gross abuse of power executive power, illegality, harassment and intimidation, he said “this is a call on the Attorney General of the Federation not to allow all these to be swept under the carpet in
view of recent happening. The far reaching effect and implication on our electoral process and procedure are obvious.” He dismissed the claims by a former speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Mr Dele Olugbemi, that he prostrated by governor Fayose describing it as blackmail. He said “I never prostrated
FOREX: LCCI proposes flexible exchange rate regime By Naomi Uzor
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HE Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, LCCI, yesterday proposed a flexible exchange rate regime to mitigate current crisis as depreciation remains huge with the value of naira weakening by almost 100 per cent at an average of N320 to a Dollar. Speaking at the 2016 first quarter press conference, the President of LCCI, Chief Nike Akande, said the recent sharp depreciation of Naira exchange rate in the parallel market is cause for concern and a trend that should not be allowed to continue, adding that, all necessary steps need to be taken to stem the slide and volatility. She noted that a flexible
exchange rate regime is often adopted to cope with changing demand and supply conditions in the forex market and that the benefits of this approach enhances liquidity in the foreign exchange market, it reduces uncertainty in the foreign exchange market and therefore enhances the confidence of investors, it reduces opportunity for round tripping and other
Minister tasks Nigerians on health budget cannot make the country By Chioma Obinna
L
AGOS—THE Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole, has urged Nigerians to take the pursue possible increase in health budget as the sick
Ekiti Day holds in Lagos
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HIS year’s Ekiti Day, organised by a socio-cultural group, Ekiti Parapo, holds in Lagos tomorrow. The event, billed to start by 11am, will be graced by Ekiti sons and a daughters from across the world. The Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, the Grand Patron of the group, is expected to
sharp practices, it minimizes discretion in the allocation of forex and it is more transparent as a mechanism for forex allocation. According to her, the current framework adopted by the CBN is a fixed exchange rate regime and that this model is better suited for a country that has adequate reserves to support the fixed rate.
lead other notable Ekiti top government functionaries to the occasion. The Special Guest of Honour is the former Military Governor of the old Western State, MajorGeneral Adeyinka Adebayo, while the Chairman of the Occasion is the former Minister of Health, Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi.
strong. He also described the current 60 percent case fatality of Lassa fever outbreak as a ‘national embarrassment’ . Speaking during a facility tour of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, in Lagos, Adewole admitted that government spending on health “is quite poor.’’ According to him, there is chronic underfunding of the Nigeria health system. “When you look at the 2013 data released by World Bank, Nigeria has the least contribution from government spending on healthcare in Africa. We were only behind South Sudan in terms of the percentage of the GDP devoted to health.”
with Hon. Olugbemi anywhere. Olugbemi will do anything for Fayose after all, he is an appointee of Fayose. Please note that I understand Fayose and I understand the working system. I can tell you that Olugbemi’s press statement was composed directly by Fayose and delivered to Olugbemi though his media aide.”
SOGBO—OSUN State Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Alhaji Nasiru Ayilara has assured all the personnels of the commission expected to participate in the Saturday IfeCentral House of Assembly bye-election of adequate security. Ayilara, who gave this assurance at a press briefing in Osogbo yesterday also assured of adequate security of voters and electoral materials. The Ife-Central House of Assembly State Constituency seat became vacant following the demised of Hon.Oladejo Makinde of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on December, 27, 2015. He said due to the political nature of the council, the commission has emplaced security measures that would guarantee the safety of INEC officials and the electorates.
8 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016
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Periscoping Our 2015 TorchBearers By Adekunle Adekoya, General Editor
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ERE at Vanguard Newspapers, the celebration of excellence has become an annual event, made more worthy in order to fulfil the yearnings of a people continuously in search of heroes that will better their lives in all ramifications. This year, our awardees are aptly tagged “The Torchbearers,” for many of them really are pointing the way forward, especially in areas where some of their forebears could not see the trees for the woods, or vice-versa. Take President Muhammadu Buhari for example. Here is a reserve general of the Nigerian Army that first tasted power through a military putsch, experienced incarceration for months after he was ousted in another putsch, and rebounded on the political scene seeking power through the ballot box. Contesting serially since 2003, he had lost repeatedly at the polls until last year when fate smiled on him. He is a living example of what tenacity, fortitude, and perseverance mean in human experience, and until future experience proves otherwise, he is the closest yet that Nigeria will have to America's Abraham Lincoln. And then, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, General Buhari's predecessor. Almost everything that could be written about him has probably been written but he stands out as a Torchbearer because he not only conceded defeat before the final tally of the votes, but because, by that singular act, Dr Jonathan threw doomsayers off balance by declaring that his political ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian. This is profound because it is against the grain of political experience in Nigeria for an incumbent to lose election. By this, Dr. Jonathan earned for himself a reserve space among the world's better appreciated statesmen. Buhari's coming to power through Jonathan's electoral loss just did not happen; much credit for that will go to a man that is now serially celebrated in the country as a skilled political strategist and consummate planner. Enter Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former Governor of Lagos State, better known by the sobriquet, Jagaban, which is actually a traditional title bestowed on him in the Emirate of Borgu by the late Emir, Alhaji Haliru Dantoro, Kitoro III. Alongside other political juggernauts (apology to late K.O. Mbadiwe), the Jagaban worked tirelessly and forged an unlikely political alliance from four legacy parties — Action Congress, a faction of the then ruling PDP, Buhari's Congress for Progressive Change, and the rump of the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP. This alliance, which then became known as the All Progressives Congress, APC, became the nemesis of the ruling party, PDP, which had previously boasted that it would be in power for over 60 years. It is a lifetime achievement because previous alliances and coalitions to oust the ruling party from power in the First and Second Republics did not succeed. It is a major reason that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Jagaban Borgu is not just a Torchbearer, but a Hero of Democracy. Again, in a country where people are also continually searching for role models, four elder citizens stand out. Otunba Michael Olasubomi Balogun, Founder of the FCMB Group is one. This Ijebu prince, from the onset had his eyes on the top and worked tirelessly to get there. When passed over for the post of managing director in favour of another at a merchant bank where he worked, the lawyer turned banker saw his opportunity and grabbed it, vowing to found a bank that will eclipse the one he was leaving. That turned prophetic; the bank finally disappeared into the mists of consolidation and banking reforms that started about 13 years ago, while the FCMB Group remains a strong and competing financial institution. His octogenarian peer, David Dafinone is another role model. Coming into national limelight in the Second Republic, David Omueya Dafinone won election into the Senate in 1979 representing Bendel South Senatorial District. Scoring 59,632, votes, Dafinone of the National Party of Nigeria, NPN, beat Thompson Salubi of the UPN who scored 24,874, and E.E. Idigbo of the GNPP who scored 20,767 votes. He would later soar into global fame when the Guinness Book
of Records listed him as head of a family with the largest number of chartered accountants — all his six children took after him into the accounting profession. His accounting firm, founded in 1966, D.O. Dafinone & Co, is now run by his children, and has rebranded into Howarth Dafinone & Co. Then there is the amazon among The Torchbearers, Chief Mrs Nike Akande, current President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Born Onikepo Adisa in Ibadan, Oyo State, Mrs Akande became Nigeria's first female Minister of Industry after she was appointed twice in December 1997 and August 1998 under the General Abacha administration. Former President Goodluck Jonathan once described her as "an inspiration", which indeed she is, given the fact that she has used her brains more than her beauty to get to where she is. Our Businessman of The Year is Mr Jim Ovia, current chairman of Zenith Bank Plc. Fondly referred to in Vanguard as the man who took banking to the zenith, Ovia's fondness for computer technology made him join hands with other investors to found Zenith Bank in 1990. Now, he has created a business empire spanning banking, telecommunications and real estate, with Zenith Bank the sixth biggest financial institution in Africa. He also founded Visafone, a CDMA operator recently acquired by transnational telco, MTN. Along the line, as Zenith grew, he also amassed personal wealth in excess of $850 million, making him the sixth richest man in Africa. In governance, another role model is to be found in the person of Nigeria's VicePresident in the Second Republic, Dr. Alexander Ifeanyichukwu Ekwueme. His varied education is intimidating; apart from degrees in his profession, architecture, Dr Ekwueme also holds degrees in sociology, history, philosophy and law from the University of London, and later obtained a Ph.D. in architecture from the University of Strathclyde, Scotland before a BL (honours) degree from the Nigerian Law School. To serve Nigeria properly as Vice-President, his firm, Ekwueme Associates, Architects and Town Planners, the first indigenous architectural firm in Nigeria with 16 offices spread all over Nigeria was wound up. This enormous sacrifice in national service stands Dr Ekwueme out as a Lifetime Achievement Award winner. It was not easy voting Governors of The Year; but in the case of Dr. Ibrahim Dankwambo, OON, Executive Governor of Gombe State, what qualified this accountant-turned politician is his loud quietude; he is very silent about his achievements. What's more, he is the only PDP Governor, until the courts rescued Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba, to withstand the APC tsunami in Northern Nigeria. His neighbour in the troubled North-East, Kashim Shettima comes in for his resilience in the face of daunting impossibilities. Managing a state with the peculiar challenges of Boko Haram, managing fallouts of suicide bombings and internally displaced persons, with thousands of children unable to go to school must be nerve-wracking for a state chief executive. Down south, there is the Comrade Governor, Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State. The man came and demystified a long-held myth that Edo has no money, and somehow, under him, a dilapidated state started working again. Edo, a transit state through which millions of Nigerians must traverse to get to their states of origin, has witnessed rapid and tremendous transformations under this former labour leader. SIA, as he is fondly called is the Ogun State Governor who came determined to make a difference. Senator Ibikunle Amosun identified what he called failures of governance, for which he said he is not blaming anybody because the problem was jointly created by leaders and the led. The focus on agropreneurship as an enabler, using the California (US) model is particularly attractive. Please follow the minds of our Torchbearers in individual conversations in today's special edition.
Our awardees are aptly tagged “The Torchbearers,” for many of them really are pointing the way forward, especially in areas where some of their forebears could not see the trees for the woods
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10—Vanguard, FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016
which he argued was characterised by irregularities. In rejecting the result, he warned of dire consequences if the 2015 elections were rigged. After the 2011 elections, there was no sign that Buhari was still interested in the presidency. However, he became the choice of major stakeholders and coalescing forces that merged to form the APC and he eventually won the APC's presidential ticket. The stage was thus set for a re-match with President Jonathan in the 2015 Presidential election. In the keenly contested March 28 elections, Buhari scored over 15 million votes to Jonathan's over 12 million votes to become the first opposition candidate to defeat an incumbent in an election in Nigeria. He also became the second man after Chief Olusegun Obasanjo to lead Nigeria as a military and later civilian head of state.
Early life, career
Presidential candidate
Born on December 17, 1942, in Daura, Katsina State, Buhari's circumstances of birth and early childhood prepared and toughened him for the big hurdles that laid ahead. Sired by Adamu Buhari and his mother, Zulaihat, the President was the 23rd child of his father. Buhari was raised by his mother, after his father died when he was about four years old. He attended primary school in Daura and Mai'adua before proceeding to Katsina Model School in 1953, and to Katsina Provincial Secondary School (now Government College Katsina) from 1956 to 1961. He joined the Nigerian Army by enrolling in the Nigerian Military Training College (NMTC) in 1961. In February 1964, the college was upgraded to an officer commissioning unit of the Nigerian Army and renamed the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) (prior to 1964, the Nigerian government sent cadets who had completed their NMTC preliminary training to mostly Commonwealth military academies for officer cadet training). From 1962 to 1963, Buhari underwent officer cadet training at Mons Officer Cadet School in Aldershot in England. In January 1963, he was commissioned a second lieutenant, and appointed Platoon Commander of the Second Infantry Battalion in Abeokuta, Nigeria. From November 1963 to January 1964, Buhari attended the Platoon Commanders’ Course at the Nigerian Military Training College, Kaduna. In 1964, he facilitated his military training by attending the Mechanical Transport Officer’s Course at the Army Mechanical Transport School in Borden, United Kingdom.
As expected, Buhari was the CPC presidential candidate in the April 16, 2011 general election, running against incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP; Mallam Nuhu Ribadu of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN; and Ibrahim Shekarau of the ANPP, the major contenders among a crowd of 20 contestants. Once again, he was trounced at the polls even though he made a huge impact garnering 12,214,853 votes, his best in the three attempts. His conqueror, Jonathan scored 22,495,187 votes. Buhari picked holes in the conduct of the election,
For Buhari, the main victor, it is reward for uncommon persistence and resilience. Indeed, many Nigerians especially the younger ones have learned a lesson or two from the outcome of the elections
•President Buhari: Personality of the year 2015
MUHAMMADU BUHARI:
Lessons of uncommon resilience By Clifford Ndujihe
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On three occasions and at younger ages, he aspired for the presidency and lost but he was not discouraged C M Y K
HEN Major General Muhammadu Buhari was announced as the winner of the 2015 presidential election, on March 31 and eventually swornin as president on May 29, 2015, it meant many things to different people. To the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, it meant loss of power after 16 years in the saddle. To then President Goodluck Jonathan, he became the first incumbent to lose re-election in Nigeria. For the All Progressives Congress, APC, a party that was barely two years old then, it was a humongous victory because no party had attained that level of success within such a short time of birthing in the history of electioneering in Nigeria. For Buhari, the main victor, it is reward for uncommon persistence and resilience. Indeed, many Nigerians especially the younger ones have learned a lesson or two from the outcome of the elections. Buhari's victory shows that it pays to be persistent and resilient. For 12 years, his eyes were on the ball and he remained determined and focussed until he reached the zenith. On three occasions and at younger ages, he aspired for the presidency and lost but he was not discouraged. In 2003, Buhari contested the presidential election as the candidate of the All People's Party, APP but lost to Chief Olusegun Obasanjo of the PDP, who won a re-election by a margin of more
than 11 million votes. Undeterred, Buhari was on the starting block again in 2007, also flying the flag of the APP, which had become All Nigerian Peoples Party, ANPP having been nominated as the party's consensus candidate. His main challenger in the April 2007 polls was his fellow Katsina State born-politician and the ruling PDP candidate, Umaru Yar'Adua. In the election, Buhari took 18 per cent of the votes as against 70 per cent for Yar'Adua. After Yar'Adua took office, the ANPP agreed to join his government, but Buhari denounced this agreement and rejected the results. In March 2010, Buhari left the ANPP for the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, a party that he had helped to found "as a solution to the debilitating, ethical and ideological conflicts in my former party the ANPP."
From 1965 to 1967, Buhari served as Commander of the Second Infantry Battalion and appointed Brigade Major, Second Sector, First Infantry Division, April 1967 to July 1967. Buhari was made Brigade Major of the Third Infantry Brigade, July 1967 to October 1968 and Brigade Major/Commandant, Thirtyfirst Infantry Brigade, 1970 to 1971. Buhari served as the Assistant Adjutant-General, First Infantry Division Headquarters, from 1971 to 1972. He also attended the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, India, in 1973, and from 1974 to 1975 Buhari was Acting Director of Transport and Supply at the Nigerian Army Corps of Supply and Transport Headquarters. Federal Commissioner for Petroleum and Natural Resources In March 1976, the Head of State, General Olusegun Obasanjo, appointed Buhari as the Federal Commissioner (which is now Minister) for Petroleum and Natural Resources. When the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation was created in 1977, Buhari was also appointed as its chairman, a position he held until 1978. During Buhari's tenure as the Federal Commissioner for Petroleum and Natural Resources, the government invested in pipelines and petroleum storage infrastructures. The government built about 21 petroleum storage depots all over the country from Lagos to Maidugiuri and from Calabar to Gusau; the administration constructed a pipeline network that connected Bonny terminal and the Port Harcourt refinery to the depots. Also, the administration signed the contract for the construction of a refinery in Kaduna and an oil pipeline that will connect the Escravos oil terminal to Warri Refinery and the proposed Kaduna refinery.
Construction of a refinery From 1978 to 1979, Buhari was also Military Secretary at Army Headquarters and was a member of the Supreme Military Council. From 1979 to 1980, at the rank of colonel, Buhari (class of 1980) attended the US Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in the United States, and obtained a Masters Degree in Strategic Studies. Among others, Buhari was also General Officer Commanding, 4th Infantry Division, August 1980 – January 1981; General Officer Commanding, 2nd Mechanised Infantry Division, January 1981 – October 1981; General Officer Commanding, 3rd Armoured Division, Nigerian Army, October 1981 – December 1983; and Head of State 1983-85. Chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund: Giving his no-nonsense anticorruption status and ability to manage resources prudently and transparently, Buhari served as the Chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF), a body created by the government of General Sani Abacha, and funded from the revenue generated by the increase in price of petroleum products, to pursue developmental projects around the country. A 1998 report in New African praised the PTF under Buhari for its transparency, calling it a rare "success story." The New African was apt. Buhari is indeed, a rare political success.
Vanguard, FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016—11
•Former President Jonathan: Personality of the year 2015
GOODLUCK JONATHAN:
Drawing strength from his loss By Jide Ajani
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HICHEVER way you look at the 2015 presidential election, ultimately, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was a gallant contestant; he did the unfamiliar in this part of terra firma — for the first time in Nigeria, an incumbent President accepted defeat. Again, a President seen by many as weak actually reached into the recesses of his psyche and drew inner strength to unflex taut muscles and let go, preferring the way of peace to that of conflict, the beginning of which all may know and see, but whose end not all will see and know. This is because ours is a polity of contentious and unimaginably clashing socio-political and economic interests where it does not take long to ignite the fire of hate, acrimony and general disturbance of peace.
Result of the election
While some hawks around him wanted toughness and brute force, Jonathan opted for conciliation
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It does not take long to incite the public and call out people who quickly transform into a mob. It happened just after the declaration of results of the 2011 presidential election because the loser let loose on the polity some supporters who did not agree with the result of the election. In conceding defeat, Dr Jonathan told a nation on tenterhooks in a broadcast: "I promised the country free and fair elections. I have kept my word. I have also expanded the space for Nigerians to participate in the democratic process. That is one legacy I will like to see endure. Although some people have expressed mixed feelings about the results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, I urge those who may feel aggrieved
to follow due process based on our constitution and our electoral laws, in seeking redress. As I have always affirmed, nobody’s ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian. The unity, stability and progress of our dear country is more important than anything else…” This, at a time when some hawks in the leadership cadre of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, his political party, did not want him to relinquish power. Up till the last moment Jonathan called Buhari, some leaders of his party and government did not want to concede.
Unthinkable gesture Besides, the doomsayers had looked at their crystal balls and fingered 2015, the election year as the year Nigeria’s fate as one nation will unravel; Jonathan’s “unthinkable” gesture deflated the tyres on which the predictions were rolling. The beneficiary of Jonathan’s electoral loss, President Buhari, knew fully well the import of the path his predecessor chose to tread. At his inauguration on May 29, 2015, Buhari had this to say of Jonathan: "I would like to thank President Goodluck Jonathan for his display of statesmanship in setting a precedent for us that has now made our people proud to be Nigerians wherever they are. With the support and cooperation he has given to the transition process, he has made it possible for us to show the world that despite the perceived tension in the land we can be a united people capable of doing what is right for our nation. Together we co-operated to surprise the world that had come to expect only the worst from Nigeria. I hope this act of graciously accepting defeat by the outgoing President will
become the standard of political conduct in the country.” Jonathan’s tenure from 2011 to 2015 would raise many questions about his choice as Personality of The Year. He made flashes of statesmanlike conduct by expanding the political space and allowing the opposition to blossom in a country where his predecessors had practically emasculated and muffled the voice of opposition. While some hawks around him wanted toughness and brute force, Jonathan opted for conciliation. But there are those who would argue for him; while many would also argue against him; but this is 2016, and Nigerians are still living in peace because one man conceded power. He cannot be held responsible for the insurgency and the activities of Boko Haram but he can be blamed for the way he handled the abduction of the over 200 Chibok girls. True, there may have been political undertones at the commencement of the insurgency but when the presidency was quick to splash the tar of politics on every act of insurgency, it belied the fundamental issues which were related purely to a lack of capacity from the seat of power. Yes, he was not perfect. In fact, were perfection to be a factor in the choice of Vanguard Editors, the tox-
A President seen by many as weak actually reached into the recesses of his psyche and drew inner strength to unflex taut muscles and let go, preferring the way of peace to that of conflict, the beginning of which all may know and see, but whose end not all will see and know
icity that would greet mention of Jonathan’s name would have had an annihilating effect on the senses. An example was laid bare in February by otherwise intelligent people, largely in the opposition, who chose to look the other way in the face of a shambling preelection distribution of the Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, the main legal instrument that would allow you vote. It did not matter that just a week to the first presidential election date of February 14, about 40% of PVCs were yet to be received (not collected as INEC would want Nigerians believe because you collect what is ready for collection). Three of Dr Jonathan’s predecessors drew opprobrium because they couldn’t let go when it was called for. General Yakubu Gowon (postponement of handover date), General Ibrahim Babangida (serial handover postponement and June 12 annulment) and civilian President Olusegun Obasanjo (Third Term pursuit), in spite of all they achieved while in power, lost all because of the charming yet potentially destructive lure of power and a determination not to know when to allow a process of transition manifest.
Latent power struggle At each turn, doom loomed. In other parts of Africa, the story is similar. The over 500,000 lives lost in Rwanda can be traced to the latent power struggle spiralled out of control..There was Samuel Doe who refused to relinquish power in Liberia - Liberians are still recovering from the war that followed almost a quarter of a century ago. Zaire, Central Africa Republic, Cote D’Ivoire, Sierra Leone are countries that have gone through needless wars because of power struggle. Nigeria should by now have become a more stable, prosperous democracy had the June 12, 1993 presidential election not been decidedly made controversial by the military junta that refused to relinquish power. 22 years after, the nation has not recovered from that hurt. Lives were lost during the struggle to return the country to democracy. There was the Peace Committee that ensured that both Buhari and Jonathan signed a deal to ensure that the outcome of the election would be accepted by either contestant. Without legal teeth, it could have as well been a fool’s errand. Jonathan, with a demure demeanour, verdant and unacquainted, for sparing Nigeria and its over 180 million people the chaos, conflict and needless loss of lives, things that had been predicted to happen after the 2015 general elections, as well as the possible dismemberment of the country - not forgetting that a chaotic Nigeria would have meant an unstable West African sub-region - and by conceding victory to Buhari in a presidential contest, we have chosen him as Vanguard’s Personality of The Year, in tandem with his electoral nemesis, President Buhari.
12—Vanguard, FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016 By Emmanuel Aziken
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HE significance of it was not lost on many when last month Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu moved the annual colloquium hosted on his birthday from Lagos to Abuja, the federal capital. The annual colloquium had in recent past been a forum for the political class to ponder Nigeria’s sociopolitical milieu, and of course, an opportunity to celebrate the man generally applauded as the Pathfinder. The movement of the colloquium spoke for itself; to wit, the elevation and enlargement of Tinubu’s political power from Lagos and his Southwest base to Abuja, reflective of his bourgeoning his political strides and repositioning from opposition leader to national leader of the country’s ruling party, the All Progressives Congress, APC. Though President Muhammadu Buhari as president of the country remains the undoubted leader of the party, no one Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in the party doubts who moves the gear when it comes to political locomotion. Speaking just before last year’s presidential election, Mrs. Aisha Buhari had made an open confession of how Tinubu is celebrated in the Buhari household. “My husband, General Muhammadu Buhari has been contesting presidential elections for over a decade now, but this particular election is unique because our leader, Asiwaju Bola PDP marauders. The last man Tinubu jettisoned his personal in- standing in 2003 then became the bastion of the progressive bloc. In terest for the sake of Nigeria.” his second term as governor between 2003 and 2007, Tinubu was Political prowess faced with the double task of not and patience just wading off the sustained political darts of the PDP from home Buhari himself speaking at the Abuja colloquium had praised Tinubu for creating a “formidable opposition party in Nigeria that worked vigorously within a short period to oust a party that had been in power for 16 years.” However, Tinubu’s emergence on the national platform was not without much stress. It took a lot of political prowess and patience for the former Lagos State governor to survive intrigues weaved against him by successive administrations controlled by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Abuja. In the 2003 elections, he was the only one of the five governors Though President elected on the platform of the Al- Muhammadu liance for Democracy, who surBuhari remains the vived the political tsunami contrived in an ethnically inspired undoubted leader of conspiracy supposedly framed to the party, no one in help return President Olusegun the party doubts who Obasanjo to power. While all the other Yoruba AD shifts the gears when governors lost to the PDP, Tinubu through sheer guts and political it comes to political wizardry sufficiently checked the locomotion
ASIWAJU BOLA TINUBU:
The strategist as game changer
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and Abuja, but also ensuring that Lagos did not slip away from his political fold into the hands of the PDP in 2007. Remarkably against many intrigues including the withholding of local government funds by Abuja, he succeeded with great aplomb in ensuring that Lagos remained within the pace and pattern of progressivism. Indeed, the 2007 transition was challenging especially as he sought to project a successor that would actualise his visions of Lagos.
Channels of dialogue The emergence of Babatunde Fashola as his successor was a personal victory for Tinubu, the Pathfinder. It also was to pose some little challenges as politicians from within the camp sought to create a division between father and son, but both men to a remarkable degree managed the issues. Unbeknownst to many, the issues between Pathfinder and Actualiser may not have challenged Tinubu as much as engaging the then seemingly frail new leader of the PDP, President Umaru Musa Yar`adua. Arrowheads of the new president seeing Tinubu
as a possible obstacle to their 2011 dreams were halfway into the regime already seeking for how to divide the Tinubu camp by poaching and punishment. Remarkably, President Yar`adua’s short stay passed on, and Tinubu was faced with President Goodluck Jonathan. The initial reaction of the Jonathan team was to intimidate and hence the arraignment of the opposition leader before the Code of Conduct Tribunal for allegations ranging from many years back. The charge was easily dismissed giving a firm legal cover which also helped embolden the opposition leader. After the 2011 election, it became apparent that a national coalition was needed to successfully tackle the PDP. Drawing from his contacts with the North maintained since his days in the Social Democratic Party, SDP among whom was Senator Abu Ibrahim, channels of dialogue were opened with other oppositionists in the country. Undoubtedly, Tinubu and Buhari turned out to become the anchormen in the building of what some regarded as a purpose built political infrastructure to demystify the PDP. It was not an easy task, and Tinubu’s prominent role in raising the new platform is recognised by both friends and foes. It was, however, not an easy task for the Jagaban of Borgu. It took the prescient cognition of Tinubu to navigate the political landmines laid by the involvement with many strange fellows in the merger of the former Action Congress of Nigeria, All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP and the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC.
Reconstruction of the opposition There were subtle brushes with two men during the negotiations – Chief Tom Ikimi of the ACN and Ali Modu Sheriff of the ANPP – but Tinubu and other elders helped to maintain tact in order not to derail the reconstruction of the opposition. In the end, patience paid off as both men left the platform, and Sheriff, ironically is now the chairman of the PDP! That spirit of endurance is one of the knacks that has helped to make Tinubu the political enigma that he is. Tinubu’s tact and tractor of the political landscape helped in the construction of the first national based opposition party to grab power from a ruling party; and he is for that for that and much more, Vanguard’s Hero of Democracy, 2015.
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A12— Vanguard, FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016 The Sunday, March 6, 2016 ghastly road accident that claimed the lives of the Minister of State for Labour, Chief James Ocholi (SAN), his wife and son, was another instance of avoidable deaths on our highways. Taiwo James Elegbede, the driver of the ill-fated Lexus sports utility vehicle, died in a hospital the following day. The fatal car crash which occurred along Kaduna-Abuja road was attributed to over-speeding. The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) Road Traffic Crash Investigation Interim Report identified the cause of the accident as excessive speeding and a hard slam on the brake following the bursting of the left rear tyre. The FRSC report also indicated that failure to use the vehicle’s back seat belt contributed to Ocholi and his son’s death. The tragic loss of a cerebral lawyer in a road disaster barely four months after he assumed public office has thrown up
Minimising fatal road accidents fundamental issues of safety on our roads. Government vehicles, particularly those attached to top functionaries, are often guilty of road use violations that result in some of the carnage. Often, siren-blaring convoys of governors, senators, ministers and other political officeholders travel at break-neck speed that sometimes result in fatal accidents. The terrible state of most roads and highways has turned some of them to death traps. Most of the mishaps tell something about the drivers’ suitability for the job. It was
not a surprise when the FRSC said it would prosecute Ocholi’s driver for not possessing a driver ’s license. The question is, why would a driver be employed to drive a minister if his papers and credentials are not up to date? Why would such drivers be employed as part of a ministry ’s pool? Obviously, some people somewhere are not doing their job. We strongly support the Commission’s recommendation that a certification and recertification of convoy drivers every two years after issuance of drivers licence should be put in
place. We further recommend that this should be extended to private and commercial vehicle drivers. This would enable the Commission to determine those who are no longer fit to continue driving. We advocate a more strenuous public enlightenment media campaign to sensitise the general populace – even the non-driving public – on the benefits of respecting road safety rules. The efforts of the FRSC in this direction are grossly inadequate. The Commission should not be left to handle public sensitisation alone. The mass media and social advocacy groups should also contribute as part of their social responsibility functions. Road safety awareness is a very important component of efforts to reduce the carnage on our roads, and we encourage everyone to play their roles in promoting it, right from our homes and in schools nationwide.
OPINION Break
the
silence
ByAyodele Adio
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OURTEEN years ago, a student movement, the student democratic forum at Ahmadu Bello University Zaria invited President Muhammadu Buhari to deliver a lecture titled Discipline and Accountability in Democratic Leadership. Typical of the gap tooth general, his delivery was highly pragmatic and void of the usual rhetorical rigmarole that politicians have used to deceive the populace for decades. However, it was the Q and A session that gave the fine General away as an unrepentant dictator refusing to show remorse for his excessive use of force during his short spell as Head of State. Little did we know that this thorough military professional had his eye on the presidency. It did not take long before the announcement was made that he was running against the incumbent Obasanjo. There is not a single Nigerian then and even now that could doubt the uprightness, honesty and integrity of PMB, the real question however, has always been about his democratic ethos. Can a highly decorated general escape the totalitarian command and control style of leadership that had define his long and enviable career for a more liberal approach of getting things done by consultations, compromise and inclusion? Could this old dog learn new tricks? C M Y K
Surprisingly, delivering his final speech to a mammoth crowd at the end of his campaign in 2011, the general in Muhammadu Buhari gave way for his humanity. His words were not only filled with compassion but they sailed on the rarely seen tears of a war hero. “I joined the race out of a personal conviction and love for my country and concern for the welfare of its people. I therefore ask the support of everybody and every interest group in advancing the cause of this nation”. Quite frankly, like millions of other Nigerians, that singular moment of empathy opened a door to accommodate Buhari in the league of true and progressive democrats. This of course was what the Lagos press and the superefficient propaganda machinery of the APC built upon to create The New Progressive Buhari. His following became cult like and the love of the masses earned him pet names like “Baba” and “The peoples General”. Finally, Nigerians could say that they elected someone from amongst them, who was never shielded from the realities of the
The tables seem to have turned so fast, so much so that the man who cried for his people has isolated himself from their realities
Nigerian challenges and who could feel the pulse of the common man. The tables seem to have turned so fast, so much so that the man who cried for his people has isolated himself from their realities. The once passionate statesman is suddenly becoming a megalomaniac. Mr. President, where is the humanity here? Are the people of Agatu not Nigerians? Do they not deserve at the least a word of consolation from their father? These people came out enmasses to give you victory in a state where you had never won before and yet you go mute when they bleed. How about the killings of hundreds of young Nigerians in Zaria by the soldiers? Don’t you think their families deserve an apology rather than further condemnation? It wouldn’t scar the President’s ego to reach out to the hundreds of young shites who feel maltreated by the government they brought into power. Mr. President recently admitted that the young easterners protesting in the South East where not born when he fought the Biafra war. Why then treat them like they were responsible for the war. Since when do the lives of young easterners not matter anymore? There is video evidence that unarmed protesters were murdered in cold blood by the institutions that are supposed to protected them yet not a word from him. He even declined to see the video of those murdered in broad day light, why? If they have done wrong in any way let the words of Robert Mugabe, in his independence speech in 1980 be a guide . He said: “The wrongs of the past must stand forgiven and forgotten. If we ever
look to the past, let us do so for the lesson the past has taught us, namely that oppression and racism are inequalities that must never find scope in our political and social system. It must never be a correct justification that because the whites oppressed us yesterday when they had power, the blacks must oppress today because they have power”. Mr. President, there is too much bloodletting in the land, too much injustice to the vulnerable, too much pain for the average Nigerian to bear, and just like the words of a spouse encourages the partner, Nigerians want to know that you stand with them through thick and thin. Or are we to accept the wisdom of the gods that no matter how much rain wets the leopard, it never changes its spot. In all humility, I would like to remind the President of the truism in the Ahiara Declaration that “those who aspire to lead must bear in mind the fact that they are servants and as such cannot be greater than the people, their masters. The leader must not only say but always demonstrate that the power he exercises is derived from the people. He should never allow his high office to separate him from his people. He must be fanatical for their welfare. He should be the symbol of justice which is the supreme guarantee of good government”. Leadership isn’t solely about cerebral sophistication or strong character but largely about compassion for the led. Please break the silence, Mr. President.
•Mr.Adio, a social critic, wrote from Lagos.
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Nigeria facing image problems over fuel crisis, others —FG By Michael Eboh
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HE FEDERAL Government has stated that the myriad of problems currently facing the country is creating an image problem for the country. Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Culture, Mrs. Ayotunde Adesugba, who stated this at the Monthly Meeting of the Nigeria Institute of Public Relations, NIPR and launch of the Institutes monthly newsletter, lamented that the fuel crisis and other economic challenges are denting the image of the country. Adetugba, who was represented by the Director, Information and Communication Technology, ICT, Mrs. Veronica Adeyemo, called on professionals, such as the NIPR to always remember the country in their deliberations and engagements.
Fuel scarcity: Commercial drivers threaten to withdraw services By Chidi Nkwopara
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WERRI—CITIZENS are likely going to face more severe economic pain, as
vehicle operators in Imo State, have threatened to withdraw their services, following the escalating price of premium motor spirit in the state. The aggrieved drivers, who
issued the threat yesterday, when Vanguard sought their opinion on the fuel situation in the state, vowed that they will effect their resolution if the relevant government agencies fail to address the
PDP to INEC: Uba, Oduah were duly elected senators By Vincent Ujumadu
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WKA—SOME members of the Anambra State branch of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, have advised the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, not to allow itself to be intimidated and blackmailed over the recent Supreme Court judgment concerning National Assembly elections of March 28, 2015, insisting that as far as they were concerned, Senator Andy Uba and Senator Stella Oduah were duly elected to represent their zones as senators. In a statement issued yesterday in Awka, Mr. Chidi Oji and Andy Mordili, on behalf of PDP supporters, told INEC that “enough is enough”. The statement called on the state chairman of the party, Mr. Ejike Oguebego to embrace peace,
reminding him that only peace could return the party to the path of glory in Anambra State. The statement said: “Contrary to all the stories that have been peddled around, no court judgment held that the state chapter of a political party can conduct primaries and submit lists to INEC.
“No judgment also held that the sitting members of the PDP from Anambra State emerged from primaries conducted by the caretaker committee. “Anambra State should not continue to be in the press for the wrong reasons. The court has spoken and we the Anambra people have also spoken.
Biafra: Group calls for int'l enquiries into alleged murder of IPOB members By Nwabueze Okonkwo
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NITSHA —THE leadership of International Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law, Intersociety, a human rights group, has renewed their call for
international enquiries or investigations into what they termed as dastardly acts perpetrated by soldiers, against unarmed members of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB. The group also renewed its call on President Muhammadu
72yr old widow drags IGP, others to court, demands N50m
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MUAHIA—A 72 year old widow, Lolo Paulina Ibewuike Egeruo and her family have dragged the Inspector General of Police to court for alleged illegal detention for three days. They are demanding N50 million general damages for the violation of their fundamental human rights. Joined in the suit are the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 9, Umuahia, the Commissioner of police, Imo state, Assistant Commissioner of police SCID, Owerri, Imo state, the Area Commander, Okigwe, Imo state, the Officer in charge of SARS, SCID, Owerri, Imo state, the DPO, Mbano Divisional Police station, Imo state and the Zonal police Public Relation Officer for zone 9, Umuahia, Emma Jiakponna. In the suit filed by their lawyer, Mr. C. O, Azubuike, they claimed that they were arrested in connivance with some of her community members, on imputation of criminality.
HAND-OVER: Governor Rochas Okorocha (middle), cuts the tape at the official hand-over of Resin Paint Industry Limited, Aboh Mbaise, to Chinese-owned company, and investors, Skyrun Group of Companies. Right of the governor is Mr. Shai Slao, Chairman/CEO of Skyrun Group.
Eradicate cultism, Gov Ikpeazu tells university By Anayo Okoli
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current scarcity and rising cost of the petroleum product. One of the drivers, who simply identified himself as Sunny said that “the ugly situation is getting out of hand and government appears not worried about the effect of the hardship on innocent citizens”. Sunny further lamented that the cheapest any vehicle operator pays for a litre of petrol is N200 and this is too high for any commercial driver and his passengers. In his own reaction, an Owerri based businessman, Rotarian Izuchukwu Ugochukwu, said “we have been condemned to pay whatever bill the marketers slam on us.”
M U A H I A — FOLLOWING gruesome beheading of two students of Abia State University, Uturu, last month, by cultists, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has inaugurated a new Governing Council of the University, Uturu with a charge to eradicate cultism in the institution. Ikpeazu lamented the negative image cultism created for the university and urged the new Council to ensure that it is eradicated in ABSU. The Governor therefore directed the council to carry out complete profiling of the students of the institution and to do
everything possible to nip cultism in the bud. According to him, the new Council led by former Senate President, Adolphus Wabara should be stringent in their admission policy to be able to admit students who are really out to study. The Governor also noted that there was a huge gap between prospective university undergraduates who cannot find space in other universities in the country and urged the Council to try to provide space in the school for the teeming youths. Ikpeazu also charged the Council to commercialize research activities to generate funds for the university, saying that the University is the pride of Abia State.
Buhari-led Federal Government to stop the ongoing ethnic cleansing and mass murder of unarmed and non-violent members of the IPOB and to refrain from pushing the innocent race to the wall. In a press statement issued yesterday, entitled: “Butchery Across The Niger: How Jubilant IPOB/Pro-Biafra Activists Were Shot, Abducted, Murdered & Dumped At Onitsha General Hospital By Soldiers Of Onitsha Military Cantonment”, Intersociety demanded for international arrest and prosecution of Nigerian Military, including Lt General Turkur Buratai, Chief of Army Staff, COAS; Inspector-General of Police, IGP Solomon Arase (retiring Police boss); Col Issah Abdullahi, Commander of Onitsha Military Cantonment; Lt Kasim Sidi Umar, Commander of 144 Battalion, Aba; CP Hosea Habila, Abia StatePolice Commissioner; ACP Peter Nwagbara, Aba Area Commander; among others for their collective and individual involvements in the dastardly acts under reference.
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Court orders EFCC to release Jonathan’s cousin
Insurers cough out N11bn for outstanding claims
By Ikechukwu Nnochiri
By Rosemary Onuoha
A
BUJA—AN Abuja High Court, sitting at Maitama, yesterday, ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to immediately release Mr. Azibaola Robert, cousin of former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, who has been in detention since March 23. Robert was arrested by the anti-graft agency following his alleged involvement in the illegal diversion of $40 million that was earmarked for the security of oil pipelines. The money was allegedly diverted through a firm, One-Plus Holdings, which was identified as a sister company of Kakatar Construction and Engineering Company Limited. EFCC maintained that the $40 million was released to Robert and the firm by the embattled former National Security Adviser, NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd). Dissatisfied with his prolonged detention without trial, Robert, through his lawyer, Chief Chris Uche (SAN), had approached the High Court for enforcement of his fundamental human rights. He predicated the application, dated April 5, on the provision of Section 35 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, as well as on Section 168 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015. Specifically, Uche, prayed the court for an order granting his client an interim bail pending his arraignment before a court of law by the respondent (EFCC) or pending the determination of the substantive suit challenging his detention. Consequently, the court, in an order it issued yesterday, a copy of which was sighted by Vanguard last night, declared the detention of the applicant for over two weeks without trial as illegal and unconstitutional. Olasunbor, who gave the ruling, held that the applicant disclosed sufficient evidence before the court to warrant the granting of his relief.
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SUMMIT: From left— Executive Director, Corporate and Transactional Banking, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Ms Yewande Sadiku; Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State; and Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc., Mrs Sola David-Borha, at the inauguration of Kaduna State annual Economic and Investment Summit co-sponsored by Stanbic IBTC in Kaduna.
Why electricity tariff is hiked—Osinbajo By Peter Egwuatu, Princewill Ekwujuru, Monsuru Olowoopejo & Bartholomew Madukwe
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HE Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, yesterday, explained why electricity tariff increased, citing shortage in gas supply and drop in power generation. The Vice President spoke while delivering his keynote address during the maiden edition of the National Forum on the Economy, organised by Vintage Press, publishers of The Nation Newspaper, themed National Economy: The Way Forward. He said generation companies’ inability to supply power to consumers was as a result of short supply in gas and the drop in power occasioned by lost in line of transmission. He said that for this reason Generation Companies, GENCOs, invariably requires increase in electricity tariff to enable them meet demand for power. The Vice President said:
“There is no way the GENCOs can supply enough power to consumers without generating enough fund to drive the necessary processes that will bring about adequate power generation and supply.” Osinbajo, who spoke on diverse issues concerning Nigeria’s economic growth, revealed plans by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government to propel the growth of the economy through private sector stimulation and diversification of the economy to the non-oil sector. He said government plans to make utmost use of its backward integration initiative that will propel and project the growth of the economy and bring to life industries that will drive the country’s development and growth. Also, as part of measures to boost the Nigerian economy, the state governors yesterday, move for decentralisation of power at the federal level to states and local governments, inter-state relations, regional
integration and diversification of the economy from oil to agriculture. The governors also called on the Federal Government to strengthen the educational sector and also address the over-bloated workforce in the public sector of the economy. Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State said: “The problem with the economy is that too much power resides at the Federal level. “It is time for the Federal Government to decentralise power and make the state and local government stronger.” For Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State: “ For Nigeria’s economy to improve, its leaders must have the courage to take difficult decisions. “The nation’s economy is at a critical threshold and, thus, will require its leaders to think outside the box and come up with creative innovations that will trigger economic growth nationwide.”
NSURERS have been forced to cough out over N11 billion to settle all outstanding claims in their books, owed consumers for over three years running, Vanguard investigation reveals. Following the directive given to insurers late last year by the National Insurance Commi-ssion, NAICOM, to wipe out all outstanding claims from their books, the affected insurers were forced to comply. Recall that NAICOM, late last year, collated claims details from all insurance companies and complains on delayed and unsettled claims from members of the insuring public in its efforts to verify the persistent complains of consumers of insurance about the attitude of the providers that has brought the image of the industry to disrepute. Some of the delayed and unsettled claims have been hanging for over three years and more. V a n g u a r d investigations revealed that insurers that were guilty hurried to settle all outstanding claims in their books for fear of being sanctioned. Commissioner for Insurance, Mr. Mohammed Kari, said that the response from insurers to the mandate edged up the confidence level in the insurance industry.
Glitz, glamour at Vanguard awards today By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor
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HE cream of Nigeria’s political and economic players will converge today in Lagos to witness the Vanguard annual awards to some of the leading personalities in the professions and political class. The Vanguard Personality of the Year, 2015 is holding in Eko Hotel with President Muhammadu Buhari and his predecessor as joint winners of the Personality of the Year,
2015. Both men are being honoured for birthing the historic transition at the presidency in 2015. Four Governors Kasshim Shettima, Borno, Adams Oshiomhole, Edo, Ibikunle Amosun, Ogun and Ibrahim Dankwambo, Gombe are joint winners of the Governor of the Year, 2015. The quartet, all second term governors were chosen for the way they positively influenced the pace and pattern of governance in their respective states over a period of time.
Also to be honoured today as Businessman of the Year, 2015 is Mr. Jim Ovia, chairman of Zenith Bank who is recognised for his trail blazing role in the use of automation in Nigerian banking from where he has diversified his contribution to the economy towards other sectors of the economy including hospitality, petroleum and information technology. Four distinguished Nigerians are also to be honoured for their lifetime achievements and
contribution to society. They are former Vice-President Alex Ekwueme, Senator David Dafinone, recognised globally for producing the largest number of qualified accountants in a family, Otunba Olasubonmi Balogun, who pioneered the country’s first indigenous bank and Mrs. Nike Akande, President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Today’s award ceremony to The Torchbearers themed as a celebration of excellence, national pride and impact on humanity is expected to be laced with entertainment.
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ALEX EKWUEME:
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A lifetime of dedicated service, sacrifice By Charles Kumolu
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IGERIA’s first Vice Presi dent, comes across as a phenomenal personality given his beyond the ordinary feats. For Ekwueme, who was born in 1932 in Oko in the defunct Eastern Region, the journey to significance has been excitingly remarkable right from the first school he attended, Saint John Anglican School, Ekwulobia. Sterling performances saw him attending the prestigious Kings College, Lagos and the University of Washington as a Fulbright scholar. With a Bachelors degree in Architecture and City planning, the star in Ekwueme, who holds the title of Ide of Oko, became more constant than ever. Of note are his chains of academic degrees cutting across several disciplines, a yet to be rivalled achievement in Nigeria. Having cut his teeth at a Seattle based firm, Leo A. Daly and Associates and Nickson and partners in London, becoming a global brand upon his return to Nigeria was never a big deal. Ekwueme’s stint at ESSO West Africa, Lagos where he superintended the firm’s Construction and Maintenance department was valuable to the establishment of Alex Ekwueme and Associates and Town Planners. As the trail blazing indigenous architectural firm in Nigeria, the organisation which had substantial presence across the country prospered and flourished. Interestingly, the Ekwueme brand undertook the construction of many national and private edifices especially in Lagos, Abuja and other parts of the country.
Involvement in politics
He aspired to govern Nigeria in 1998 but lost at the Peoples Democratic Party,PDP, Jos convention to former President Olusegun Obasanjo
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His astuteness in the field of Architecture saw him becoming the Head of the Nigerian Institute of Architects and the Architects Registration Council of Nigeria. Like the proverbial gold fish that has no hiding place, his distinguishing profile then, resulting in his involvement in politics when the ban on politics was lifted by the Obsanjo administration in 1978. A joint ticket with then presidential candidate, Alhaji Shehu Shagari on the platform of the National Party of Nigeria, NPN, made the party’s 1979 victory possible. As Nigeria’s Vice-President for a little over four years, Ekwueme was instrumental to the developmental strides of that administration. A committed Nigerian, the former Vice-President did not take the back seat outside government, as he became fully involved in the quest for a truly democratic Nigeria. It was this commitment that saw him daring the barrels of the gun in 1998 to form a political association in the most difficult circumstance Nigeria found itself. The defunct G-34-a group of emi-
nent Nigerians, which pushed for a democratic Nigeria during the regime of the late Gen Sani Abacha, retd, was a product of his consistent advocacy for constitutional democracy. Before then, he had earlier participated in the 1994 Constitutional Conference, convened to fashion out a workable constitutional framework for the country. He is reputed to have proposed the division of the country into six geo-political zones, so as to achieve a just and equitable power sharing method.
stowment of the title of Ide of Oko and other traditional titles across the country. An attestation to his global standing, reflected in his leadership of the team of National Democratic Institute, NDI, which was involved in the monitoring of parliamentary preelection in Zimbabwe in 2000. He also headed the Organisation of Africa Unity, OAU, observer team to the Tanzanian Presidential and Parliamentary election in 2000.
Wealth of experience Ekwueme, who is the chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Nigerian Institute of Architects was involved in the Educational Trust Fund, a feat that has seen to sponsoring the education of several hundred youths to universities. As a member of Adebo Salaries and Wages Commission of 1971, he assiduously worked to ensure better wages for Nigerian workers as a member of the housing sub-committee of the commission. Having served for several years on the board of the Anambra State Housing Development Authority, Ekwueme was actively involved in National Constitutional Conference, NCC, in Abuja, where he served on the Committee on the Structure and Framework of the Constitution. He aspired to govern Nigeria in 1998 but lost at the Peoples Democratic Party,PDP, Jos convention to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who emerged the party’s standard bearer. Ekwueme’s wealth of experience and personality made it possible for him to sit on the board of several companies. On the home front, he is committed to community development and ethnic harmony, resulting in the be-
The defunct G-34-a group of eminent Nigerians, which pushed for a democratic Nigeria during the regime of the late Gen Sani Abacha, retd, was a product of his consistent advocacy for constitutional democracy
Dr. Alex Ekwueme
In 2005, Ekwueme co-led the 28 member NDI/Carter Centre sponsored Observer Team to the Liberian Presidential run-off election. These nation-building efforts earned him Nigeria’s second highest national honour, Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger ,GCON, as well as the Order of the Republic of Guinea and Nigeria. The statesman is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Canada-based Forum of Federations and a member of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Council of Elders. A philanthropist and respected Nigerian, Ekwueme, whose personality is inestimable has a foundation, The Alex Ekwueme Foundation, named after him.
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Otunba Subomi Balogun
How I held Vice President’s dress over my bank licence after church service By Omoh Gabriel
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My father was an enlightened educated person
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F I meet a foreigner at the airport and he said, I met Otunba Balogun, tell me about him, in your own words, what do you expect me to say? I am a very strong personality and very intense and this expression I coined out in this topic, culture of excellence. Anything I want to do, I am always intense, I want to put every fibre in my muscle to be involved, I am not a casual person. In everything I do, you have a reflection of all these qualities in me. Like when I walk out, you saw me smart, strong and alert, it has been part of me, I don’t suffer fools slightly. I am very intense and I want the best out of anything. From what you have said, how was it growing up? I think I have been very privileged, I came from a polygamous environment and my mother happens to be the only educated wife out of five that my father had and that had tremendous influence on me. In spite of the fact that there were still other wives, the way I looked at my parent’s behaviour, infuses in me some confidence, some assuredness that God being with me all will be well. Growing up in a polygamous environment could be very competitive, how did you cope? I was not in any way influenced, my father was an enlightened educated person, he was in the colonial days one of the people in the forefront. I think he and the late papa Odutono, having left secondary school, Ijebu Ode Grammar school in 1919, by 1921,
they were selected by the colonial authorities to be what we call court registrars (Akowe courtu). They were not only dealing with courts, they were the administrative hub. It was the court clerk between the district officer, invariably expatriate and the people. They will do normal interpretations in court but it was more like an administrative officer, so much so that those of us who were children were enlightened and favoured.
Privileged environment We were in the upper court of the society. So in that enlightened environment, privileged environment, with educated parents my father went to the topmost secondary school in those days and in 1921when the colonial authority were looking for people who can be a go between them and the district officers, my father was one of the privileged to be appointed as at that time. Then in the home front, I had an educated, enlightened mother, all these influenced me. So I started sure footed, is a matter of confidence and luckily for me, I was very bright and brilliant, what gave rise to this was that ever before my father put me and some other siblings in school, most of them were older than myself, I had the privilege of being tutored by my mother in addition to some teachers who were revered people in those days. Place of birth: I come from Ijebu Ode, an elitist environment and secondly as God would have it, both of my parents were well to do. So I had privileged parents. My
dad for instance was the ´Daudu,´ the eldest son of a Balogun in Ijebu Ode, Balogun Odunuga. They were Muslims and my dad was always organising the annual “Ojo´ode Oba” an event that happens in Ijebu, so being the daudu, he was very prominent. Then he developed a penchant for education and vowed among his people that Muslim children should not be less educated than Christian children, so he was in the vanguard of setting up Muslim schools. Muslim in religion but not in enlightenment training, for instance I was sent to a Muslim school in 1940, but before then, both my mother and my then teacher, we call them lesson master then, were already brining me up
While my father’s family named me ‘Olasubomi’, my mother’s family named me ‘Adesubomi, olayiwo ola olaonipekun’ these are things that by the time they say them to any Yoruba hearing, they will tell you this is a privileged family
in a way that I had head start with my older siblings who were older than I was, I was about six as at that time but I could speak a bit of English which was not the usual thing, we usually start from Yoruba “A, B D” but at the time I was six, I had gone through all the visible training by mother. She was a seamstress and a trader in clothes. So you could see the radiance of that privilege. In addition to that, my mother come from a highly privileged part of Ijebu, she happens to be a princess from the royal throne of ´Tuwase´, Oba Tuwase was the one that the British met when they came to Ijebu in 1892 after they defeated the Ijebu’s at war and he was the one who allowed Christianity to be preached for the first time in Ijebu Ode. In addition to that he did a lot of remarkable things. For someone to be described as “Alaye omo olowo jooye meji po, oje awujaleton,otun je dagbure” saying that from my own royal throne, I am both a descendant of the Awujale who ultimately went to a hamlet and became an Oba, so they call us “Arojo jooye adele tejuteju.” These were things which were in my environment at birth. My early names: While my father’s family named me “Olasubomi, my mother’s family named me Adesubomi, olayiwo ola olaonipekun” these are things that by the time they say them to any Yoruba hearing, they will tell you this is a privileged family. I come from that environment but I had an educated, foresighted mother who will not allow me to be spoilt.
Descendant of the Awujale She started me with discipline, for me to know what is good and what is bad. But interestingly enough, even though my father loved me a lot and I was a favourable child, my mother influenced me more. As a toddler, my mother during late time when you could hear stories and legends, would always pick from the bible and be reading that to me. When ultimately at Igbobi College, I decided to be converted at 13 or 14 years, my Mother was the only one I could confide in without my father knowing, because my father was a vocal Muslim among the Ijebu. He was so proud of his nobility and that background that he would not want a Muslim to be less educated than any Christian. So he was in the vanguard of setting up what we call Muslim schools. Muslim in religion, but in education they were very much concerned about quality, the combination of these two circumstances, my mother ’s, pedigree, from royalty. Despite the fact that you are a privileged child and had
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How I held Vice President’s dress over my bank licence after church service Continues from page 14 privileged parents, there were challenges, what were those challenges? There were challenges of a privileged child, I had siblings who were not so privileged and I became a favourite of my father than my mother, if you know what it means, “Olasubomi” means; I am overwhelmed by honour, the short way of saying my wealth, honour, privilege. You could translate Ola to mean privilege. Then in addition, I was the blue eye ball of my parents. You actually read law, was it a decision you made yourself or parents decision? It was circumstantial, my father was one of the first Ijebu’s to go to a secondary school and he was in the colonial service, when ultimately the native authority was set up, the district officers who were majorly expatriates, were the people supervising almost the senior most local government officers, it was a colonial administration.
Smart dresses of lawyers
I then became the first Nigerian who single handedly set up a merchant bank without anybody but God
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By some stroke of circumstance, my father was being bossed by a young, Dokun Hanstrob, whenever I see him and my father always saying sir to him because he was a district officer, I felt infuriated that this fellow became a district officer because he had a legal training in the London school of economics in Britain and he came as district officer, he was bossing my father who could be his father. Colonial service being what it was, so I was saying if this man much younger than my father would be boss, what did he do, he was a lawyer, that first of all brought into me the idea of wanting to be a lawyer. When I was schooling in Lagos and initially living in Isale Eko, whenever I wanted to go to school, I went through Tinubu bus stop and the High court was there, you will see lawyers with their beep smartly dressed, many of them, so I started being interested. Then the dressing I saw in Tinubu square that engineered it but in the course of life in secondary school, I was one of the teachers of Latin and people usually believe that if you did Latin you must read law, I was even a teacher to many people, some of whom are about 84. You read law and ventured into business, what was your motivation? I have everything in my book, immediately I finished law or while I was studying law, I have always been far sighted, I envisioned a lot of things, I did not think ending up to be a court judge with excitement, I had a good degree in law, I was called to the bar in December 1959, but I was not. There was this self motivation, drive that I
discovered is always in me. I chose the London school of economics on my own without anybody influencing me. I started wondering where will I end, will I end up being a sedentary judge in a court, I was given a special training by the government of Chief Awolowo to be trained as a legal draftsman, a parliamentary council, the first in Nigeria to be so trained. I was just working in the British parliament when the Nigerian independence act was being passed and I was at the gallery with the officials so much so that the legendary, Dr. Elias and one other legendary judge, S.O Lambo who happened to have attended the Igbobi college, my alma mata, looked up and saw me and Elias said it must be that young boy, let him come in. immediately the bill was passed as they were walking I rushed to exchange pleasantries with them.
Financial transactions I was trained as a legal draftsman, I was the first Nigerian. While I was being trained, the government said I should not only learn how to draft law but I should also be interested in financial transactions so that I could be a legal adviser in the ministry of justice. It was the foresight of Awolowo and Rotimi Williams. I came back into the country after I had had training with the British parliament at the city of London with solicitors who trained me on how to draft agreement. I did this and I was very restless. When I got the Nigeria Industrial Development Bank job, even though I was comfortable as the secretary, I was always interested in what they were doing in finance, so in my usual curious way I threw myself into the Nigerian Institute of management and started learning the rudiments of accounts and also anything that has to do with business, the NIM as at that time was set up to enlighten people about business. The late Gamaliel Onosode and I were friends from school days, he
Alex looked back and said Subomi what is the problem, I said Mr Vice president, where is my licence and Alex said don’t worry, come and see me in Dodan Barracks tomorrow
Otunba Subomi Balogun drove to my house one day, at Glover Road as a senior draftsman, he told me about the job opening at NIDB. He found a lot of imagination in me, you call it precociousness, forwardness, while I was enjoying being called a lawyer, I got more interested in the solicitor work, drafting of laws and from there I got myself involved in finance. At what point did you think of starting FCMB? It started with city securities, so when I made a lot of money from indigenization, something in me, a divine urge tell me why don’t I go for the real banking instead of setting up a stock broking firm, it was then I almost met my waterloo, some people in the central bank derided me that how can you a single individual set up a bank, in fact one of them even have the temerity of saying that I would either go to jail or I would be a multi billionaire and I said your father will go to jail, he is an Itsekiri boy. By stroke of fortune, there was an Alhaji Otiti who was Deputy Governor and CBNgovernor, Abdul Kadir Almed, I put in my application, by some strange fortune, applications at that time will go through the central bank to the ministry of finance, a deputy governor, Olasore, who became an Oba gave it to one Oduyemi, who later on became deputy governor and recently he was chairman of Standard Trust, GTBank then, it went to ministry of finance and I was telephoned that on the day the meeting was to be held my own letter was thrown out while that of Majekodunmi was approved. I am persistent and I do not give up easily, I am always determined and know that my God a divine intervention in everything, I call awesome power of God to intervene in those things that are not going on well with me as a human being. I was prayerful, every morning, evening I will gather my family on the altar, I was told that people
thought I could not do it alone. Majekodunmi was bringing in a French bank but I was on my own. All of a sudden, it just occurred to me that my very good friend was the vice president, Alex Ekwueme, I devised a strategy, my wife and I walked to the cathedral church, we were told that Alex was coming, so I told my wife, when we get to the church today, you will get near me in a row, when Alex is going out I will try to hold his dress, you try to hold the cloth of his wife, when I did that the security people accompanying the vice president thought something was wrong with me and they rushed, Alex looked back and said Subomi what is the problem, I said Mr Vice president, where is my licence and Alex said don’t worry, come and see me in Dodan Barracks tomorrow, the official residence of the President at the time.
Devising a strategy He assured me that after the preliminaries he would get my licence out that some people said some things against me. So on Thursday when they when the executive council meeting will hold, he said the president will not be around, he would be chairing the meeting, at about 4pm I was telephoned by one minister that the vice president said they should tell me that they have approved my liecence and I gave a loud shout. I then became the first Nigerian who single handedly set up a merchant bank without anybody but God. I had in the course of time coined out the expression that culture of excellence which I meant to say that we will not stint at anything we would always go for the best. We would use every endowment the good Lord has given us to get the best, I inculcated this in my style.
16—Vanguard, FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016 developed world. Banking was a nightmare, as queues were common sights in Nigerian banking halls. An economic overhaul and the ensuing banking license’ liberalisation in the early 1990s brought with it a wave of entrepreneurs, among them Jim Ovia, who sought to inspire progressive change in what was then a highly underdeveloped banking climate. Ovia wanted to make a difference; he wanted a change from the past when men who had bank
6th richest man in Africa. From banking clerk to CEO, Jim Ovia started his working career at Barclays Bank, DCO, now Union Bank in 1973. Thereafter he worked as Financial Analyst at International Merchant Bank (IMB) where he rose to Senior Manager Position in 1987. From 1987 to 1990, Ovia was the Head of Corporate Finance department at the Merchant Bank of Africa. He had previously gained experience in the use of computers in 1977 when he worked as a part-time computer operator at Baton Rouge Bank and Trust Company.
The Zenith Bank revolution
Jim Ovia Change agent of banking in Nigeria By Omoh Gabriel
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AMES have a way of affecting an individual. A man’s path and career could be tied, some how, to his name. Perhaps when he was growing up, he might have said that he would, one day, become a colossus on the Nigeria banking scene. He dreamt of being a change agent that would revolutionise the Nigerian banking industry. He had a discerning mind and a knack for figures. He was business inclined and pursued his dream early in life. His detractors during his days of life struggle might have sneered at him. Asking the obvious question: you a business mogul and a bank owner? Impossible, they could have said. The opportunity to test his dream came in the days of liberalisation of banking licenses in Nigeria, he was one of the few who said banking could be a thing of joy but was mockingly described by the older generation of bankers as “cowboy banker.” Nigerians who are much older will look back and say a little over two decades ago, Nigeria was in short supply of the human resources and infrastructure necessary to keep pace with the rapid technological and economic change in much of the
accounts would go to their banks and face a long queue that snaked in the banking hall. Jim Ovia it was who introduced electronic banking that would ease the laborious work load of manual ledger entries in the bank. It was believed then that they would soon fizzle out.
Computer technology But with a magic wand in his hand, he turned the industry around. When Jim Ovia, as an undergraduate of Business Administration at the Southern University, Louisiana, United States, fell in love with computer technology, little did he know that the love will make him one of the pioneers of modern banking in Nigeria. He said “It so happened that halfway through my studies, my keen interest in computer science and information technology was heightened… I couldn’t help it and decided to incorporate computer science into my program. One of my uncles advised me against this, as he reckoned that it was an immature industry at that point. Business administration was the way forward,” His determination and passion for technology has created a business empire spanning banking, telecommunications and real estate, in the process amassing over $850 million fortune which made him the
When Jim Ovia alongside other investors founded Zenith Bank in 1990, banking in Nigeria was at the rudimentary level. Operations and services were manually driven, and as a result customers were subjected to delays and stress. Speaking of these times, Ovia said, “When we started Zenith in 1990, it was extremely difficult as the necessary resources and infrastructure to do business, particularly banking, were not in place. There were no ATMs, no mobile phones and ICT was a rarely known concept in the business space”. Notwithstanding these barriers, Ovia decided to make Zenith Bank an information technology driven bank. This is reflected in the bank’s pay off line which is, “People Technology and Service”. As a result, Zenith Bank, under Jim Ovia’s leadership blazed the trail in digital banking in Nigeria; scoring several firsts in the deployment of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure to create innovative products that meet the needs of its teeming customers. His bank soon became a reference point. Although the race was tough and stiff, he endured and today, with his Midas touch on the bank he cofounded, the bank has comfortably taken a leading position in the banking industry not just in Nigeria, but in the sub-region. At every corner in Jim Ovia’s Victoria Island, Lagos office, shelves of plaques, awards and photographs of him with Bill Clinton, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Goodluck Jonathan, alongside pieces of literature and art, that adorns the huge office. The younger generations of bankers see him as one of the “godfathers of Nigerian banking.” Zenith Bank has greatly impacted banking in Nigeria, lifting the sector from the era of over-conservatism to one of healthy conflict and
Ovia’s passion for technology driven banking service also helped in transforming Zenith Bank from a small commercial bank operating from Ajose Adeogun Street on Victoria Island, Lagos to one of Africa’s biggest financial institutions
dynamism, characterised by a culture of excellence and global best practices. This has been achieved through a combination of the power of vision and a skilful union of banking expertise and cutting-edge technology to create products and services that meet and anticipate customers’ expectations. He is the Chairman of the Nigerian Software Development Initiative (NSDI) and also Chairman, National Information Technology Advisory Council (NITAC). He is a member of the Honorary International Investor Council, as well as the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI). Ovia is a member of the Governing Council of Lagos State University and also a member of the Board of Trustees, Redeemer’s University for Nations, Lagos. He was a member of the Governing Council of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (1999 – 2007) and also served on the board of American International School, Lagos between 2001 and 2003. He also serves as the Chairman of Quantum Luxury Properties Limited and as Director of Africa Finance Corporation. He served as a Director at Transnational Corporation of Nigeria (Transcorp) Plc. He is a motivational speaker and an avid ICT person. He is noted for his philanthropic gestures, earning him the spot as head of numerous NonGovernment Organisations (NGO) at various times including being the first President of the Nigeria Internet Group (2001-2003).
Scholarship for the underprivileged In 2012, he donated N1 billion to the rehabilitation of victims of the then flood disaster. He is the founder and Chairman of Mankind United to Support Total Education (MUSTE), a philanthropic organisation which focuses on providing scholarship for the underprivileged. Today, some of the beneficiaries are qualified professionals in diverse fields. The bank is verifiably a leader in the deployment of various channels of banking technology, and the Zenith brand has become synonymous with the deployment of state-of-the-art technologies in banking. Ovia’s passion for technology driven banking service also helped in transforming Zenith Bank from a small commercial bank operating from Ajose Adeogun Street on Victoria Island, Lagos to one of Africa’s biggest financial institutions. In 2004, Ovia leveraged on the soaring public confidence led the Zenith Bank through a Initial Public Offering (IPO) that was oversubscribed and helped the bank survived the consolidation exercise of 2004. This was followed by massive branch expansion across the country, and establishment of subsidiaries in other African countries. Presently Zenith Bank Plc has over 500 branches in Nigeria with subsidiaries in Ghana, Sierra Leone Gambia, United Kingdom, and Peoples Republic of China. The contributions and influence of Zenith Bank in the Nigerian banking landscape is reflected in the strings of awards and recognition from local and international bodies.
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My father taught me responsible leadership – Dr. Nike Akande, LCCI President
Dr. Nike Akande, LCCI president By Nkiruka Nnorom
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ONGRATULATIONS on your election as the president of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry. So, how does it feel to be the president of the leading Organised Private Sector (OPS) voice in Nigeria? I feel highly elated because I have been a member of the Chamber of Commerce for many years and I have always been particular about women emancipation. The Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1888 and only one woman has assumed this position but she didn’t live long, though she was not young on the job, but she only stayed for less than one year. Since then, we have been looking for an opportunity to have another lady and am here, I am happy.
Secret to success
The only secret to success is hard work; even men too appreciate hardworking women
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I will promote the private sector and everything about the economy of the country. Rising to the top for a woman in Nigeria is not an easy thing, especially in a male dominated profession like yours. How did you manage to break out of the corner that male chauvinists usually box female counter-parts in Nigeria. For a woman to get to the top is not easy at all! I agree with you, but with determination and hard work she can get there. The only secret to success is hard work; even men too appreciate a hard-working woman. Hard-work is the secret. Whether you are a man or a woman, you must be hard-working and be consistent in whatever you do. Since my young age, I was the school prefect at queen, even when I was at Harvard, I was the chairman of the international group. I have always held important
positions in life and may be because I come from a family that is not polygamous and my father only had four girls. I am the first; so they have always groomed me for important positions in life and I have always maintained the dignity and ethics of a very responsible lady. So what you are saying is that the positions you have occupied so far did not happen by chance; it is something you worked through. Yes! I have worked through. I have been a member of the Chamber for many years. I have served as chairman of this, vice president, deputy president and so on. So, what is left for me to be the president of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and industry? I’m sure the success you are enjoying today did not come without challenges. What are some of the challenges you have faced in getting to the top. Nothing comes easy. The challenges were there. You know, I look simple; I smile a lot, but I know my right and I feel that am qualified. So, I stood my ground and I said you cannot try that. You know they have edged a few women out and they tried it and I said no, no, no, you cannot try this and I thank God. You see, everything is God; it is only God that will help you. Even if you work hard and people want to destabilise you or not give the position you deserve, when God is on your side, you will definitely succeed. In other words, you have never felt intimidated by male counterparts? I have never. Let me explain to you. I said my father had only four of us and we are all girls. So, sometimes I forget that I am a woman. My father was a very important and my mother was equally important from Aboderi family. So you cannot intimidate any
of us. My father will say ‘my angels’. He calls us his angels. You know what a man can do, a woman can do. Most of my friends are men; we attend school together, I do whatever they do. So, I have never been intimidated and my father has a l w a y s encouraged me: “try and be a good leader to your siblings’ and it is always there with me. Anywhere I go, I try to be highly responsible. You spoke passionately about your father and your parents. How was growing up like for you. It was such a wonderful growing up age because in those days, my father was like a mother to many people from Ibadan because if you don’t have a male child, your friends those will be making fun of you, ‘go and marry another wife and have a male child.’ My father came from a polygamous home but he didn’t like it. So my father will say, ‘what is the difference. Just show them love’ and he showed us love. And I and my sisters were very close; we are still very close. As a growing child, what was the training that actually kept you going? As a young child, because of the sort of environment I grew up in, when I was young, I was a Unilever scholar at Queen’s School. Dr. Michael Molawole was the Human Relation Manager at Lever Brothers and they gave me scholarship, not that I was an indigent student. Since that time I realised that if I could start early like this and I continue, God will always be on my side. In my final year at Queens, I was a school prefect in school. At every
Even if you work hard and people want to destabilise you or not give the position you deserve, when God is on your side, you will definitely succeed
stage in life, I was always very conscious of whom I am and the family I come from. I like to be important; let me put that way. I like to be important! Being the first child of my parents, you know I will be going with my sisters and I will be doing the big sister. That has always been in me. I don’t know whether you call that ambition, but I always like to be important in carrying people along. I have always liked to lead and God has always helped me; I have always held important positions in life. I like to lead; let me confess but a subtle way. I don’t lord, but even on your own, you will like to associate with me. Let’s say it’s innate Yes, I think so. You are a married woman with kids. How do you combine your role as a wife, mother and your job? I have always been asked this question. It is not that easy but I will say it is a question of time management. If you want your husband to support you, you have to respect him. Once most women get to a certain stage in life, they feel so big. My husband is a successful man; he is a lawyer, he is well-off, but I give him his respect. Anywhere I want to go or want to do anything, I let him know about it. Information is also very important. If you keep everything away from the man and he hears from outside that your wife did this and that, he won’t feel happy. Funny enough, my husband likes successful women.
Successful women You know, not every man can tolerate a successful woman, but he will always encourage me. When I told him what you (Vanguard) want to do for me, he was very happy. He said once he is sure, his radio will announce it at Ibadan, he is that type of person. Not every man can tolerate it, but you know I respect him. Anything that concerns him, I try to give him his due respect and do things that will make him happy. Of course, occasionally, we have our differences, but that is only natural, but we try not to offend each other. Twice a minister of industry, what was your experience and what was your take away from that position The first time I became a minister, I was not even in Nigeria; I was in Ghana. I used to do a lot of things like I said. I am a bit restless about work, but I do it with ease and you know I smile a lot. So, people don’t see stress on me or anything. I used to do consulting work for UNIFEM, UNDP and few other people. I went to do a consulting work for UNIFEM in Ghana and my name showed up was it in CNN in those days. They phoned the ambassador that I was not in Nigeria. So the ambassador then was looking for me and he traced me to the hotel where I was lodged by UNIFEM people and he said ‘now you are my property and I have to send you back to Nigeria’.
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Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State
For Ogun, the best is still ahead —Gov. Amosun Governor Amosun explains how his government is turning agriculture into a money-spinner. He also speaks on the security situation in Ogun as well as the grand design to launch the state into another realm of development unrivaled in the annals of governance in Nigeria. Excerpts: By Daud Olatunji
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Things are tough but we are seizing the moment because we see a lot of opportunities
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HAT was your vision, your dream for Ogun State even before you became governor? I appreciate the honour done to me for the award. For me, I believe that we should be celebrated after our tenure in office. For me, I want this place to be like a better place that everyone from the world over will visit and acclaim its goodness. It’s about changing Ogun State for the better. I never in my life imagined that I would go into politics but when I eventually found myself in politics, which is a very good and veritable tool to work for your people, I thanked God for His mercies. Yes, there may have been moments when people have called black blue, but by and large, through the benevolence of the Almighty God and the people, I have been successful. A testament to what you have said now is the 40th anniversary of the creation of the state and at a time of austerity like this, the challenges of funding project execution and their prioritisation must present some daunting tasks? As an accountant and as a finance person, for me, it is when there are challenges that opportunities present themselves and I believe the best time to dream dreams is when there are challenges. It is not when things are booming that people will be challenged. That is the time to think out of the box.For us as a state, now is the time. Things are tough but we are seizing the moment because we see a lot of opportunities. For instance, while people have kind words for us, I can tell you that this time next year, what people say we have done before will pale into insignificance by the time we showcase what we would have done by this time next year. I’m looking at a time - a century from now - that people will look back and appreciate what we are
doing now. The obvious mismatch between the aspirations and dreams you have and the paucity of funds now is a major concern. How do you prioritise the projects you do? Thankfully, when we came in, we realised that almost all the sectors had deficits and it is not about those that served before me; they did their bit. By the time I’m leaving, there may still be some deficit because governance is a continuum. Of our five cardinal programmes, education is the first, followed by health, agriculture that will lead to industrialisation and we have urban renewal and infrastructural development that would lead to employment generation.
Critical infrastructure
Aside from education that is the peak of the pack so that the people can be in sync with your ideas and we now realised that there are enablers, one of which is the infrastructure, which is not limited to just road construction alone. It is about security, environment, power, water, these are the critical infrastructure to which you can plug in certain things. Today, I’ve attended to about five different outfits like Unilever, Nigeria/British Chamber of Commerce, SAB Miller has been here, and indeed as we speak they are going round to look for where to set up business. We are taking care of the environment and dealing with the issue of flooding. In the area of education, we are looking forward to building an employable populace with skilled and vocational competences. We have resolved the teething problems. Now is the time to build on the foundation. But power is key to some of the things you have talked about? Yes, we want to get the issue of power right. We are building our own power plant. What about transportation?
We are starting our own railway system along the red line of Lagos. We are doing about three - we are looping from Lagos to Agbado. One will take root from Berger to Shagamu, through RCCG and Deeper Christian Life Camp and we are talking to them. We want to give them stations to ease movement of people. It will move on to Olokola and ultimately link the East/West axis. We are recreating the Lagos Abeokuta line through Agbara and Idiroko. By the time I’m leaving office we should be able to test run our rail. What about funding for these projects? We are trying to be ingenious. The Senate Committee and the House of Representatives Committee, during verification was shocked at the quantum of work that we had done because already, we have awarded contracts in excess of N220 billion. The one that we’ve done is about N134 billion. When they came to assess, they said it was about N123 billion. That speaks volumes. Still on financing, how much does Ogun State owe? When we took over, what our predecessor claimed was that the state was owing N50billion. But we said it was in excess of N80 billion. But if today, all our debt now is N75 billion, then it says something about how we have properly managed our resources. Today, Ogun State is one of the few states paying its salaries as and when due. Yes there are issues with deductions but we are paying the salaries. In the area of gratuities, we have tried our best.
We are recreating the Lagos Abeokuta line through Agbara and Idiroko. By the time I’m leaving office we should be able to test run our rail
There was a state where they succeed in paying up to 2010 and the workers were jubilating and dancing. In Ogun State, we have done up to December 2012. That was why people went on strike. We may not be where we should be but we are doing our bit, and are not looking at what comes from Abuja. Look, when we came in, the World Bank rated Ogun State as the 36th state regarding the ease of doing business. But today we are among the best four. That says something about how open we are for business now. We even got a special commendation from the World Bank.
Special commendation
In the four parameters they used, we came first in three. A fellow governor helped arrange a meeting this week with a contractor who said he simply wanted to appreciate Ogun State because he got a job to do without even seeing me or knowing me before. We are the only state in Nigeria among the 29 states that went for bailout which opted for just 10years instead of the 20years because we needed to save money in the long run. I don’t want to leave debts for my successor. We also pleaded that they should insert a clause of bullet payment - that we can pay money whenever we have and not waiting to follow the schedule. So, how much has that financial engineering saved for the state? With that, we have been able to save N84 billion. If we had stayed for 20years, we would have paid N84 billion more. Allocation this month was nine hundred and ninety something million, apart from the about N500 million being deducted. We’ve now paid six months less 10years instead of six months less 20 years. Our projection is that by the time I am leaving as governor we would have about N30 billion left as debt, and even if we now say we agree that the debt left for us was N50 billion, what that means is that we have been able to reduce it. When they verified our debt, we discovered that some banks did not make full disclosures about what Ogun State was owing — about N7 billion. Apart from the road that is N123 billion that we have spent and for which it has Continues on page 51
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Vegetable cultivation
For Ogun, the best is still ahead —Gov. Amosun Continues from page 50 been verified, it shows we have done a lot. But I assure my people, the best is yet to come. Where is the money coming from? How is your IGR doing? Let me situate it in the right perspective. By the time we came in, the maximum we met was N730 million though, in some months they sell land and even at that they made about N1.05 billion. To the glory of God, we once hit N7.2 billion before; N6 billion for some months but things have nosedived a bit. But we struggle to hit our N4billion consistently and with what we are doing now, we are looking forward to going back to making N7 billion.
Investment for tomorrow
My dream is to ensure that after handing over, I will join the train and wave good bye, that your small boy came and is leaving after doing well
It was this same Ogun State that my predecessor collected N9 billion. The highest I have collected is N6.1 billion. Now it is under N1 billion. Our people still think all things are equal; all things are no longer equal. That is the reality today. People confuse recurrent, which is what you eat today, with capital, which is like an investment for tomorrow. Look, there is no project that we are doing that we had the funds before commencing work. What we do is to appeal to our contractors and then reach an agreement on how much to start with, what we can afford to give them regularly on a monthly basis so as to keep them on site, and it has helped a great deal. In some instances we pay as much as N100million in a month to some contractors while there are times we pay as low as N19million. Construction of infrastructure? By the time we are through,
we would have about 24 to 25 flyovers in Ogun State. Indeed, by December, we would have had 15 up and running in Ogun State. We have our model schools and people go there and pray for us. The cots of those model schools now is in excess of N1.5 billion. What we spent was N950 million each with hostel and equipment and all it requires but today, N1.5 billion cannot complete those schools. And we set out with about 29, we started with 15. By the time our people are resuming in September, by the benevolence of the Almighty, we are going to start with a minimum of about 10 or 11. Seven have been commissioned. In Ogun State we have over 500 public schools and we have many tertiary institutions. Our health institutions are there for people to see, ditto the farm settlements. In the area of security, we have improved tremendously. Wouldn’t the creation of LCDAs put a strain on your finances? We have worked that out. We planned for the LCDAs. We didn’t just create them. We planned for them. Now, we can go for some taxes because we have the moral right to do so. Look at Ofada/ Mowe, you cannot pass through that place because of the development level. I’m not making excuses for my predecessors but they just gave up on those places because of the enormity of the challenge. How can you face a road that is about N60 billion. Where would you get the money from? But I said we should at least start something which we have now done. At least we have done a part of it. Our investment on that
Once we get agriculture right, Ogun State will not be the same again. The value-chain of processing, packaging, marketing and selling will create jobs for many
road as it is is over N20 billion. Five of the bridges that we have constructed there are very expensive. They are almost 50% completed. Look at the bridges at Yakoyo, Abule-Ekun. We have finished about seven kilometres now. Once you can get that place right, wit the necessary infrastructure, then you can go there and make requests. Housing? We have put up so many estates without borrowing money. Go and look at the value to those estates now. Even before we advertise for the sale it would have sold out. Look at President Muhammadu Buhari Estate, Orange Valley, HID Awolowo Estate and New Makun, or Agbara, all of them sold out. We are having our Investment Forum for May 10 and 11 and the major theme is Environment, Transportation and Agriculture.
Enabling environment Our agriculture plan is one that is very attractive to graduates and our farmers. You cannot just go into agriculture without taking into consideration all the gamuts of that sphere of endeavour. It is agriculture that will lead to industrialisation. We are getting all our young graduates and people to have an enabling environment, just like we did in Owowo where the amenities are all there for their comfort and encouragement, we are going to recreate that in the LCDAs. When you farm, you are sure that people can get to your farm, electricity is there, we clear the land for them and we are subsidising their business because we are not making it cut-throat. Once we get agriculture right, Ogun State will not be the same again. The valuechain of processing, packaging, marketing and selling will create jobs for many. Our people will be the one to choose our successor. Our people are enlightened enough to know what is right for
them; even at the grassroots. Industrialisation? Because of the environment that we have created the largest base of industrial development in Nigeria. We are number one in industry On fuel scarcity? People are not happy because of this challenge but Nigerians need to appreciate that the problem of scarcity is non-partisan. It is so easy to damage things but to repair will take time.
Problem of scarcity is non-partisan You cannot quickly fix the problem of petrol scarcity as you cannot quickly fix all the other areas of the Nigerian life that had suffered serious damage. President Muhammad Buhari feels their pains and we in the APC also feel the pains of Nigerians. We took over when things had been seriously damaged. To the people of Ogun State I firstly want to thank the people of Ogun State for their support. They are the reason why we are here. We want to be remembered for something. I want to be remembered for the fact that we created a systems driven environment, an environment where you do not have to know the big man before you achieve anything. I want them to be responsive and responsible. They would also need to do their bit. The people must play their part too. There are some roads that we are building now that must be maintained; there will be social tolling so as not to inconvenience them. For me, this second term is the one that I am challenged the most. My dream is to ensure that after handing over, I will join the train and wave good bye, that your small boy came and is leaving after doing well. We want to make sure that everybody, the low and the mighty benefit from all that we are doing for the people of Ogun State. C M Y K
52—Vanguard, FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016
This is my record – Shettima Governor Kashim Shettima in this interview gives an account of his service to his people, the challenges he has faced and how he is managing them
By Ochereome Nnanna & Emmanuel Aziken
S
IR, can we know your background? I should call myself an accidental politician just to borrow from my brother and friend, His Excellency, Malam Nasir El-Rufai who creatively described himself as an accidental public servant in his insightful book. I am an agricultural economist by training, a banker by profession and now a politician by calling. I was born in Maiduguri on September 2, 1966. I attended my primary school in Maiduguri between 1972 and 1978 and thereafter went to Government Community Secondary School, Biu between 1978 and 1980 and finished my secondary education in Government Science School, Potiskhum in present day Yobe State in 1983. Between 1983 and 1989 I was in the University of Maiduguri where I read Agricultural Economics. I did my National Youth Service Corps in Nigeria Agricultural and Cooperative Bank, in Calabar, Cross River State and between 1990 to 1991, I was in the University of Ibadan where I did my masters in Agricultural Economics. From Ibadan I came straight to Maiduguri and I was offered lecturer II in the department of Agricultural Economics and I was there for two years before I got a job with the defunct Commercial Bank of Africa, CBA in Lagos.
Pinnacle of career
Most families in the south have three to five or seven children but in the north there is massive procreation without responsibility C M Y K
I was the head of accounts in Lagos and we were the pioneer staff that opened the Abuja branch of the bank in 1994. I joined the defunct African International Bank, AIB in 1997 and I rose to the position of Manager 1 and I left AIB and subsequently joined Zenith Bank Plc. I started as a deputy manager and I progressively rose to the pinnacle of my career in the year 2007 as a General Manager. So, up till 2007 you were still not in politics? Yes. I was in Zenith Bank and I was in charge of the Northeast and supervising the branches in that region. And it was at that point in 2007 that I became a commissioner. I was variously a commissioner in the ministries of finance, local government and chieftancy affairs, agriculture, health and education. So, I was opportuned to serve in five different ministries which gave me an aerial a view of the activities of government and the key sectors of the local economy. In the year 2011, my good brother, Modu Fannami Gubio, a highly disciplined and respectable
Governor Kashim Shettima man was chosen as the gubernatorial candidate of the defunct ANPP unfortunately he was murdered by the viciously evil Boko Haram and I was thrown up by circumstances. I became the flag bearer and we won the election in 2011 and by the grace of God we succeeded in getting a second term in the last election. This is a brief synopsis of the man Kashim Shettima. What are the differences working in the private sector and working for the people as a politician? As a banker you work within certain guidelines and framework. You pursue a big target but abiding by practical realities of what is achievable, you don’t live in deceit in the bank because you are dealing with finances, how to get the finance and how to grow it for the bank and the person dealing with the bank, so there is no room for double speak. The purview of politics is one that if you are fond of calling a spade by its name you will always have a rocky relationship with a lot of people. They want you to speak from both sides of your mouth, they want you to always tell them lies and engage in deception which I hate to do. That is the main difference between politics and banking. In the banking industry, the sole barometer for assessing you is your
The Sambisa forest is heavily mined and swampy. It is a huge expanse of land covering four local government areas
level of input, your level of competence, how far and fast you are able to hit a target. In politics, a lot of shenanigans tend to come up. You will be amazed at what politicians would do to one another all in the quest for power, and power is the most ephemeral of what keeps humanity. You cannot be in power beyond the stipulated time frame, eight years at most for the executive arm and even for the legislative arm which has limitless number of times people can aspire for office, electorate tend not to allow one individual to seek the same office for more than 12 years, at most one elected four times and those who get that don’t constitute up to 15 percent of the total number of lawmakers in the whole country when you combine that National and State Assemblies.
Coming to terms with reality So, you will spend more years of your life outside power than in power, but it seems we are yet to come to terms with that reality. Many people are desperate, we undermine each other all for vanity. It was claimed that the Modu Sheriff government bequeathed N67 billion cash and near cash to you. Is it true? It is partly true, but it was equally partly tragic in the context that there is more to leadership than stockpiling funds in the banks. If Ali Sheriff had invested half of the funds he stockpiled in banks in agriculture, believe me this madness would not have happened. Leadership is about development, the funds are meant for the development of the people, not to be kept in banks earning interest. But he also left behind liabilities, contractual liabilities were about N25 billion or so. What factors would you attribute to your staying power against Boko Haram? Once there is a will there is always a way. As I said earlier, there is no politics greater than contentment with the masses and those of us from the north we have no option than to
invest in the people. This is a country of two nations. The south is much more educationally advanced, while the north is much more lower in indices compared to our brothers in the south. At the rate of our population growth, Nigeria’s population in 2020 is projected by population experts to become 210 million, by 2030 it is expected to be 270 million and by 2050 Nigeria is expected to be the third most populous nation in the world and would be 410 million and 70% of these Nigerians are likely to live in the north mainly because procreation is stabilizing in the south due to elitism. Most families have three to five or seven children but in the north there is massive procreation without responsibility. Without being disrespectful to their line of duty, in the north a clerk, cook or driver who earns N25,000 per month will marry four wives and have 30 children, he doesn’t care where the next meal comes from. With desertification, deforestation, illiteracy, unemployment, et cetera, these are the recipe for disaster.
Enlightened self interest This is why I have always been an advocate for us to work for the people in our enlightened self interest because the masses are visibly angry. Our only outlets are to provide quality and affordable education to our citizens and to invest massively in intermediate agriculture which by the way, we have to see as the business that should make profit not just developmental intervention like President Olusegun Obasanjo said to me when he came to Maiduguri. Entrepreneurial capitalism is embedded in the body psyche of the average Nigerian, even in the years of the cold war, we were capitalists, Nigeria was never a socialist nation. So, our people lack the wherewithal to climb the access ladder of development and this is Continues on page 53
Vanguard, FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016—53
This is my record – Shettima Continues from page 52 where I owe no apology to anybody, we are on the driver’s seat, we have acquired more than enough agricultural equipment, tractors, irrigation equipment, harvesters, planters. So, how do you intend to put the people to work once the insurgency is finally ended? All we need is for us to get the peace and going by the trend of events, we might get an enduring peace in the next three months. We are already prepared, the moment we secure the peace we will move in spite of whatever challenges, we will definitely restart the development of our communities. We have acquired agricultural equipment that will shock you. We bought them when the exchange rate was fair and thank God we did. We have virtually every tool needed for modern commercial agriculture. We are even building a seed production center in Maiduguri where we will be developing improved seeds for our farmers to multiply their harvest. We have combined harvesters, planters, rice mills, vegetable and groundnut oil mills, tractors.
Mobility of agro produce
All the secondary schools in Borno and Yobe States are not up to the number of secondary schools in Ibadan metropolis alone
Water is the number one component of Land in Agriculture. We have Dando super rigs manufactured in the UK which can drill water in any desert up to 1,500 meters. All we want is a peaceful atmosphere to start deploying these heavy machinery. We are building roads for mobility of agro produce, we are currently building a new industrial layout for about 10 industries including agro processing factories for value chain of produce like tomatoes and corn etcetera. You were in Borno, you saw our Agricultural machinery, you saw the seed production center, you saw that we are building over 2,500 houses and storey building apartments in 6 estates despite the security problems, you saw the roads, you saw jobs we are creating through skills acquisition, you saw what we are doing in education. Believe me, you will see more when you come again, we will change Borno for good Insha Allah. There is one question we have to ask, what is your political ambition after being a governor, would aspire for the Presidency by say 2019 like second term Governors often do at their exit? If I have to be brutally frank I will tell you that given our political dynamics that have been with us from time immemorial, only a fool aspires for the presidency of Nigeria. The presidency of this country is one that you don’t aspire to become if you have regard for our history and if you know what you are doing. President Muhammadu Buhari aspired to be president in 2003, 2007 and 2011, he didn’t succeed because he was the one seeking the office. But ahead of the 2015 elections, Nigerians unanimously wanted him, not him seeking for the Presidency from onset that time
around, he had to be convinced or perhaps begged to re-contest and those who begged him read the body language of Nigerians, majority of Nigerians were fed up with the PDP and because the main issue was about corruption the person Nigerians needed was one that his integrity was absolutely certain; Nigerians wanted a man with capacity to fight corrupt public officials with insanity for corruption and Buhari was that man. If you cast your Governor Kashim Shettima mind back to previous years, President Shehu Shagari wanted they used to, they have been truly, to become a Senator, he didn’t truly degraded in their capability aspire for the Presidency, to inflict pain. It will not be accurate to say that Nigerians choose him through evaluators in the NPN who made there is no Boko Haram in Borno, him the party’s flag bearer; when but by and large, they have been we returned to democracy in 1999, sufficiently decimated that they no President Obasanjo was in prison longer pose any serious threat to the so the issue of aspiring for the territorial integrity of this country. Presidency didn’t even arise, he But note that in November 2008, ten was chosen to come and be President terrorists held, Mumbai, a city of 20 million for three days and these and Nigerians accepted him. When Obasanjo was leaving in guys dwell on the oxygen of 2007, we all know how some publicity because in their campaign outgoing Governors scrambled for to burn, maim, loot and what they the Presidency. The late Umaru are craving for is a higher ranking Musa Yar’Adua was not an aspirant; in the Jihadist world. in fact, someone told me that when he was to be chosen, most Investing massively Governors who were his colleagues in education didn’t have his phone number because he was reserved. His I think that era has to end in our Excellency, President Goodluck enlightened self interest. My Ebele Jonathan was a Deputy mission in the next three years is to Governor and didn’t even aspire to invest massively in education. be Governor but he ended up Is it free? becoming President of this country. Free and compulsory up till the So, Nigeria has its peculiar secondary school level. Without it political dynamics. It is good that the picture will be terrible. Go to the we get to a level people can aspire interiors of the cities of Kano, based on their convictions and Maiduguri, Sokoto and you will readiness but the reality is that for hear what they are saying and you now, you will be foolish to aspire for will not need a soothsayer to tell you the Nigerian Presidency. that they hate us as leaders. Sir can we now say that Boko And that will reach a boiling point Haram has been defeated? very soon and they are the sons of They have been defeated for now. the poorest of the poor who have We have won the battle but winning been neglected over the years. So, the war requires long term planning it is in our enlightened self interest and execution. For now, they have to invest in the education of our been defeated as a fighting force, people. they don’t have the capacity to hold The south is much more on to territory in this country as prosperous largely because of the investments in education. The son of a certified pauper can become an icon within a generation and it is only through education that you can achieve that. I am not speaking now as a politician, I am speaking as a The south is much Nigerian. All the secondary schools more prosperous in Borno and Yobe States are not up to the number of secondary schools largely because of the in Ibadan metropolis alone. So, do investments in we have any reason why we should not provide free education? education. The son of So we need to wake up from our a certified pauper can slumber especially us in the north and live up to our obligations. There become an icon is more to politics than stealing within a generation public resources and at the rate of population growth by 2050, Nigeria and it is only through will be the third most populous education that you nation on earth, more than the can achieve that United States.
In fact after China and India, Nigeria will be the next most populous nation and by 2050, 70% of Nigerians will live in the North because the family size in the South is largely stabilised. Very few people have eight kids in the south nowadays. But in the north, the population is burgeoning, population without responsibility is how I put it. One man will tell you he has four wives and 40 children. So definitely we will invest in education, job creation, agriculture and the whole value chain in agriculture, the one meal per day programme for students and also on primary health care, empower our women, this is because we may have had up to 500,000 orphans of Boko Haram violence in Borno and Yobe alone. So we have to make sure that these ones grow up as contented citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. If they grow up to be frustrated without any visible hope for tomorrow, anything can happen. What are the challenges your administration is facing on account of the large number of IDPs and how can you be helped? The Federal Government has been helping us with regards to the feeding of the IDPs through NEMA (National Emergency Management Agency), but for the past couple of weeks I think they have been experiencing some financial challenges so the state government for the past two or three months has been bearing the burden alone. It is enormous because we have nearly 276,000 persons in camps in Maiduguri alone while over one million live in host communities. In Dikwa we have 120,000 persons, in Bama we have nearly 40,000 persons and they are increasing every day, in Ngala we have quite a substantial number and if I tell you that we are not overwhelmed, I will be lying. We are at our wits end, we are overstretched and this is why my focus is on how we can rebuild these communities and villages so that people can go back to their homes. ICRC is actively helping, UNICEF is there on ground, Doctors Without Borders, is also there. C M Y K
54—Vanguard, FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016
Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo••• contending with the challenge of market
We defined standards for infrastructure in Gombe — DANKWAMBO Adds: Money is a coward SINCE 2011, when he first assumed office, Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo has tried to reinvent his state, Gombe, in the north-eastern geo-political zone of the country so it can truly live up to its sobriquet — Jewel in the Savannah. With its undulating, arable farmlands and equable climate even in the arid zone, a tour of the state will convince a first time visitor that Gombe has immense capacity and potentials, especially in the area of agriculture, while its sizable limestone topography can provide feedstock for as much as 100 cement plants. Sharing borders with Adamawa, Taraba, Bauchi, Yobe and Borno states, Gombe has a high connectivity index which can be a major advantage economically. To actualize the dream of the state for development, the administration of Governor Dankwambo, on assuming office convened an 11-man committee to fashion a blueprint that can be used to develop the state, and ensure continuity of developmental initiatives. In the conversation below, Governor Dankwambo, a former Accountant-General of the Federation who said that his desire is to see the quality of the Gombe man appreciate, also spoke of the many good fruits growing from governance driven by that blueprint. Besides, he noted that an investor uses money, but money is a coward as it doesn’t like to go to areas where there is ranging it from immediate ones, fear. Excerpts: By Adekunle Adekoya, to medium ones, and long term General Editor & Soni Daniel plans for what one will be doing? OW has it been presiding You will find that none of those things existed in the state. It took over Gombe? May 2011 when we came, the me time to form a cabinet because whole thing about governance I wanted to have structures in then was continuity. People place and I wanted to establish require continuity and the governance so that if I give you an essence of maybe voting one assignment as commissioner for party and another party, you finance, I know exactly my know one candidate supported expectations from you and know by a previous candidate was to how to gauge you and when we ensure continuity. But what is are leaving, I know where we this continuity? Is it about our started, I know what milestone we political parties manifesto achieved and where we are because it is just a document learning; the same thing in which nobody has gone out to agriculture, health, other sectors. When I came, just like the develop into the nitty-gritty of coming of Mr President, people human needs and requirements expected a lot from me and the and implementable things. resources were not there. So I Also, if we talk about called an assembly of all Gombe patronage, is it that whatever the people and said politics is over, now former person was doing, I will we have to meet as Gombe people continue to also do, whether they and define our future, irrespective are wrong or right? Or are there blueprints developed, specifying of religion, politics and profession; standards in each of the sectors everybody will do what he/she can to define, determine, and plan do and offer the best for the state. in a holistic way in terms of We had eleven sector committees
H
The issue of market became a challenge because of our peculiar reason and our location
C M Y K
mainly on agriculture, finance, women, works, health, all the sectors. We gave them mandate and time-frame to develop a document that will serve as foundation for the development of Gombe state. And what we found in the document, if you take say infrastructure, we have infrastructure divided into maybe three for road infrastructure, we have rural road, we have semi urban roads and we have urban. So a rural road is defined, maybe just surface dressing road and we have areas that we define where you can do those kinds of roads; the same thing as urban, the same thing as semi urban. In urban or in areas that are marshy, we say you must excavate up to certain depth, you replace the soil up to certain depth, do stone base, do another earth work, then start the stone and so asphalt. Asphalt varies from area to area; minimum of 4cm of asphalt is our standard. So by that we have defined standard for road infrastructure in Gombe. By the time I leave, continuity should mean anybody who’s coming in will not come to do less quality; we will know he is not serving us well. The same thing in education, in education I said what are the variables that we can use to gauge if somebody is contributing to education or not? Because in the first place when I came, the pass
An investor uses money and money is a coward; it doesn’t go to places where there is fear
rate was zero percent. In the year I came in, May, we submitted about 18,000 people for WASCE, only seven passed. So there is a fundamental problem, maybe with the students, maybe with the teaching, maybe it could also be the facilities, or combination of all kinds of problems. They came also with a standard, all these that I have mentioned, the students had problems, the teachers had problems, the facilities had problems, everything combined together. Structurally we had to redefine how to cost and address these problems one after the other. The standards are obvious with regards to roads, drainage, etc. What are you doing in agriculture? In agriculture, what happened was that, there was a time that people cannot even go to farm here, that was what affected the agricultural programme, not only in Gombe but in the entire north east. Gombe has only one river and it is only along that river that we do dry season farming. For other areas we do rain-fed farming. So during raining season we plant commodities of crops, harvest and then market it. In areas where we do irrigation (I didn’t start it), ponds and other irrigational facilities have been installed in some of those areas and some of those areas that are along the rivers are the rivers that is separating us and Borno, the river that is separating us and Yobe and if I tell you about Borno and Yobe you will know exactly what I am saying. So these are areas that maybe they had set backs.
Peculiar reason and location In 2013, 2014, we reached our peak. Output by Federal University of Agriculture, became almost 400 percent yield per hectare increase. The issue then became; we have produced these crops, how do we sell them? The issue of market became a challenge because of our peculiar reason and our location. The people that used to come and buy these commodities in Gombe no longer come. When our people take these commodities outside Gombe, they are faced with oligopolists in those places. For instance, when you carry tomatoes that you have in abundance from Gombe and take to Lagos, you cannot sell in the open market, but to somebody who will have to buy at Mile 12 market. So if you carry tomato from Gombe, maybe one trailer load of tomato and take it to Lagos, the chances that you will get about 50 – 60 percent value may be a little bit dicey. And if you are supposed to sell at maybe N10 here, by the time you reach Lagos, you will sell at N3, if you don’t sell then take it back. So that discourages people from going to the farm. At a time I was the champion that was saying I have N5 billion worth of wheat, who is going to buy? We Continues on page 55
Vanguard, FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016—55
Money is a coward —Dankwambo
Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo Continues from page 54 had N10 billion worth of cotton that the Arabs used to come and buy, now, no buyers. I had some kinds of billions of naira of hides and skin that the Lebanese come to buy to make shoes, no buyer. So to the extent that security affected us a bit and also last year issues of rain, issue of fertilizers and uncertainties because of the change in government; we used to do 50,000 tons of fertilizers that the federal government took off their hands, the federal government because they do 30 and we do 20 which make up 50. They subsidize 50, we take 25 they take 25. Here I subsidize 50 percent, we take 25 the farmer takes 25. So overall I subsidize 75 per cent for the farmer. Last year because of the new government, these things didn’t happen, so no single fertilizer came from the federal government, but we hope this year it will come. But we are making arrangement for it to come; how we will buy it, we are still working to see because the exchange rate is very prohibitive and so many other variables that will work against this. But if I make a call all the time like I do, that ensure that the farmer has a guaranteed in time, then we will have solutions for this.
Commodity exchange
Anybody who says he is attacked by Boko Haram by surprise is not saying the truth. They write a letter to you, that they are coming to attack you
I brought a solution that time to the federal ministry of commerce, trade and investment, and I designed a commodity exchange platform; I drew it, designed it and I gave them a location where we will trade commodities like we are trading shares, where we will invest in commodities, today, tomorrow and next tomorrow and in the future; just like as we are buying oil in futures, that is how you will be advancing farmers money to buy and plant and harvest and store. All sectors of our finances will work, minimum guaranteed price security will work, insurance guarantee will work, CBN guarantee will work, all sorts of financial institutions will come in and that not only helps the farmer, it grows the economy, it grows our sensibility, it grows also our sense of doing business
and are conscious of the things we do. Not everybody need to go and farm, we only need very few farmers, if they farm well, insurance companies working well, insurance can guarantee one farm, one hundred insurance people will get business to do. In a farm that you are investing for three, four, five years, one hundred bankers can be gainfully employed in the bank that is investing and so many kind of multipliers that come out. It is the chain of activities around agriculture that grows the economy and brings the business. So when you see them on television today, they say everybody should go to the farm, why would they go to the farm?
Money is a coward Where is the farm to go to? How many kind of farms will you require to cultivate, it is not the way and it must be changed. What are you doing to process agricultural products? Why must they move to Lagos as full cows, why are they not butchered here and transported out? Gombe can feed the whole of Nigeria, you can feed Africa. So what are you doing in that area? Well, I will not go the normal way other people are going of complaining about power, to say it is power, it is this one. An investor uses money and money is a coward; it doesn’t go to places where there is fear. By our location there is fear, there are a lot of temptations on people not to invest. Going forward, not only Gombe, Nigeria itself, nobody will come because there are a lot of uncertainties in the decisions and business plans that we make for investors. If I invest money I should be able to take back two, three times of my money. I don’t think we have this kind of template now, not only in Gombe but in Nigeria. Back to processing, Vegfru is in Borno state, but the farmlands are in Gombe. The Vegfru factory at Dadin Kowa is incapable of absorbing fresh tomato produced during the dry season through irrigation Vegfru was designed to produce tomatoes in tubes. The cost of producing tomatoes in tubes is four times the cost of tomato because there is nowhere in the world again where tomato is produced in tubes. So a whole line of operations has to be dismantled
to get that and while that was going on, then there is the issue of security. Where Manto is now, from that place to Sambisa forest is not more than 30 minutes. So any kind of decision they take, they will want to talk about Sambisa. For a long time, Manto never started up. Manto was also that kind of bogus tomato factory with the same packaging by tin which is very expensive too; so the whole line is not worth it. We tried to look for other investors; I found one and he became my friend, he went to Morocco and agreed he was coming the following week. That night there was bomb blast in Gombe and it was reported to him. Till today I have not heard from him. We also said that not only tomato, we have rice market, that we have small millers, a lot of small millers were packaging local rice. They did very well, they are employing a lot of people, they are solving a lot of household problems but they require a bigger one. We were working on that one, because of the quantum of resources that was required, the federal ministry of agriculture took it as an initiative at that time and they said they will give me two; I will locate one in Bamaga and one in Kuntu. I cleared the places and as all other government policies are, till today, we are still waiting for those kind of initiative. How have you coped with insecurity challenges posed by insurgency? What is the magic wand that you have used? We have invested so much on security here and I always tell my people that the girls that were taken from Chibok would have been Gombe girls because in those days when Boko Haram was operating, they will write a letter to you, they won’t take you by surprise. Anybody who says he is attacked by Boko Haram by surprise is not true. They write a letter to you, that they are coming to attack you, or that they are coming to attack this facility, or they are coming to kill this man or woman, they wrote a letter to us that they are coming to kidnap the girls. I got the information at 9a.m., by 12 noon I had evacuated the school. One week after that, they took girls from Chibok. Any other thing is a story for another day. We have invested a lot on informants, in all these bushes we have growing around. I have hunters, they help the security agencies; these are mainly security information’s anyway which may not be useful, but we have invested so much in security. From the time you enter Gombe and until you leave, I can monitor you. All my
The issue of market became a challenge because of our peculiar location. The people that used to come and buy these commodities in Gombe no longer come
local governments are networked on a simple facility here, I sit down and monitor the state. So we have invested so much in security. And anywhere they go, they come to Gombe we arrest them, go anywhere and come inside Gombe we will know you and we will arrest you and that was why the prevalence was very low. What we need is the wide opening of the state through provision of roads. To a larger extent all our local governments are connected through road network. In some local governments, in all the wards, we have about 114 wards, all of them are connected through road networks. We have opened up Gombe so clear, the attractiveness in Gombe in terms of road infrastructure is fully provided. What I am saying is that the investible amount of resources that we will require in Gombe going forward will be reducing as we attract people to come and spend their own money, it is not government now; government cannot be spending money to do tomato factory because it is not the business of government. I should be able to provide a land, to designate an area where I can give you land to do this one and to ensure that your security is safe and also the return on your investment is guaranteed. If you are sure about that one then you will come with your money.
Engine of growth
Just like the groundnut millers, I have an area where I designated for them; they have groundnut oil that they are now are exporting. The same thing for the corn millers, they have an area where they mill it and they are exporting it and they are also selling to some part of the country. The same thing for bakery, bakery makers, we group them in bulk, we gave their association, they guaranteed themselves and they are turning around. So to that extent it is a revolving farm with them. For the small scale industrialists, we have a facility of N2 billion, they are managing it themselves through back-to-back guarantee, this shop guaranteeing this shop and that one, and from their own statistics it is one of the finest investments they have done in Nigeria according to the BoI. So essentially what government is going to cater for in going forward is recurrent cost. So for any careful government going forward is to be mindful of recurrent cost, while taking into cognizance the growth of other revenues that will help you. So I think it is not good but it is manageable So it is not easy but it requires very complex planning and monitoring because you are not working alone, you are working with some people with other kinds of mindsets. So with good monitoring it is achievable. But in going forward, all governments at all levels must be careful in the growth of recurrent cost. Move that expenditure mainly in terms of opportunities to the private sector, create more opportunities for the private sector because they are the engine of growth of any economy. C M Y K
56—Vanguard, FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016
Edo is work in progress; I have nothing more to prove — Oshiomhole Governor Adams Oshiomhole in this interview with Vanguard, reviewed his seven and half years in office, and declared that he has nothing more to prove after defeating the Edo political godfathers, revamping the economy of the state and laying solid foundations for future development of the state. Excerpts: By Simon Ebegbulem, Benin City
H
OW has it in the last seven and half years? Quite exciting. Very exciting, no dull moments. I am reasonably happy. Have you achieved most of the dreams you had before getting into office? I think dreams are not frozen. There are couple of things I was clear about, first was to reorder the politics of the state. For me that was the starting point because this state play host to some of the deadliest vicious godfathers in Nigeria political history. Where electoral fraud is celebrated and where the people are dismissed as none relevant for the purpose of electioneering and where pay chieftains advertised that they are no vacancies even at the eve of the elections. They pronounce with arrogance and managerial finality certain decisions and so be it and he people gave up. If you look at my bill boards in 2007, one of the issues I had to address flowing from conversation with various groups was that we should fight against election rigging and instil one man one vote. Today on that political front, I believe its mission accomplished and as I have said elsewhere, I have nothing more to prove.
Political life support
On the governance side, I believe we have impacted very positively on the people of the state
C M Y K
Coming from outside, without money armed with only my reputation, we are able to remove PDP from the local Governments, from the wards from the state and now up to the Federal level. And those who have dominated this state they are all practically retired and those of them who were still living on Abuja oxygen has been banished to their village because that political life support was switched off on May 29, so they are effectively and practically dead politically in every sense of the word. And to crown it all, those who were hurting me over the period they are now the hunted. So on the political side I think it is 99 per cent complete. There is really nothing more to prove. I have proven that these people are not invisible. I have said so at the beginning, seven and half years later, they are out. Down and out. And in compete disarray. It cannot be better than this. On the governance side, I believe we have impacted very positively on the people of the state. There is no senatorial district that we cannot readily point out major infrastructure in terms of roads, schools, hospitals etc, we have the best rural roads
anywhere in the country. Our rural roads are on the same standard in some cases much much better than any federal road. Same 7.3 meters wide, standard designs, drainage where necessary, laterite base, stone based before the asphalt. And none of the roads we have built has failed, whereas in some states if you build a road one season later the road has failed because it is just about asphalt and no solid Governor Adams Oshiomhole foundation. On the educational side I think we have And the result was that every year made tremendous progress. In my you hear WAECH, NECO campaign I saw that we have in this cancelling tens of thousands of state many schools where primary results from Edo state. Again those school pupils were sitting on class are history now. We now have what rooms with potholes and class rooms our people refer to as red roof without roofs, no windows, mud revolution, very decent class rooms, buildings completely dilapidated we have synthetic ceilings, like pig houses or chicken. That was aluminium windows, glasses, the kind of situation we found all beautify ties, principle and teachers over the state. and I found that even offices etc. we have done a lot of at that I saw couple of schools where such schools across the 18 Local teachers where brining plastic chairs Government Areas in the state, we from home to school to have have not finish but the ones we have somewhere to sit, even as we have done, we have seen monumental class rooms without windows, no changes. The last time we had a doors, they were even not enough. review we have such modern class I remembered at Ugbowo there rooms between 40,000-50,000 was a school I saw, to the left primary primary school pupils. And about one, to the right primary two, one 30,000 secondary school pupils. hopeless dilapidated building. We Looking at a ratio of 40-50 pupils have dealt with that. Now if you per classroom. We have seen the impact, we also review Vanguard coverage of education in Edo state you wil find lifted the ban on employment. The that Edo was always in the bad previous PDP government banned headlines in terms of the number of employment into the public service, examinations that are cancelled in both in the education, health, every Edo state,cancelled WAEC result, aspect of the civil service. We lifted NECO results because of the the ban and we employed about 1,000 teachers in 2011, and since activities of miracle centers. Our people had to resort to miracle then we have been recruiting centers because there was no way teachers. children in public schools can pass any exams because they were not Additional being thought. And so for parents teachers who desire their kids to go to university or polytechnic, they And even today we just approved needed miracles to pass and so we the recruitment of 260 additional had miracle centers all over the state. teachers to be deployed to our primary schools and another five hundred to be deployed to our secondary schools. But the result of these interventions has meant that enrolment in public schools has increased by more than hundred per cent because typically now the Edo child tells the parents, I want to go to Osho Baba red roof school because it is more beautiful than any I have proven that private mushroom school. these people are not Since I came here, our teachers have not had cause to go on strike. invisible. I have We pay them salaries as at when said so at the due. A moment ago, some workers in the health sector came to beginning, seven congratulate me for what they and half years later, described as Comrade alert, that when other workers in other states they are out. Down are grumbling they have not been and out paid for six months, they get their
pay before 26th of every month. We have sustained that up till this point. And in the health sector we have employed more doctors, we built a hospital that I believe I more beautiful than any public hospital in Nigeria. Right now we have placed orders for state of the art equipment. Like I told the CMD of University of Benin Teaching Hospital, I told him that when our own equipment arrives, they will find that what they have there is like Mongo Park equipment to compare to our own digital equipment. I am very proud of it because we insist that our people deserves the best and the latest technology. We have equipment to do proper diagnosis so that proper medication can be given to our people.
Installation of the equipment When I told the people that rather than build ultra-modern state of the art government House, governor’s office, presidential lodge, I will rather build state of the art hospital to provide for our people’s health needs. I am very proud of it, it has been completed now, we are furnishing now, it is 75 per cent ready. So I don’t have any fear that oil or no oil, over the next few months they would have finished installing the equipment and the hospital will be open to the public. In Benin City here, our urban renewal program is there for everyone to see, look at the Airport Road, people cannot remember how that road looked like. When we were going to build it people said no, it is not possible. Our opponents trivialized it that we want to pull the Oba’s palace. But we are fortunate we have an Oba that is more exposed than any of us and he said the palace cannot be obstacle to progress, so let no body pretend to love the palace more than the Oba himself. And he asked us to proceed to do it even if his palace has to be moved, he is willing to do so in the interest of Continues on page 57
Vanguard, FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016—57
Gov Adams Oshiomhole
to that number. Those are objective criteria for measuring what has changed and what is changing. And I believe that by the time we are done, we should be approaching the first position. What has happened in Nigeria which is still happening in many states, government just quietly privatize education, including primary education even as we have so much rhetoric about free basic education. In truth it is like giving you watery soup free which no decent person will want to eat because it does not have the minimum n u t r i t i o n a l ingredients but it is free. In Edo what we have done is to give you free education with all the ingredients that you will expect. Not only have we built modern schools, our teachers even now, no teacher in Edo sate will tell you that his salary is owned for two months, no. teachers in primary and secondary schools are our first line charge because education is basic. I have argued that even if we shut down the bureaucracy, we must never shut down the educational sector. The day nations start stop learning that is the beginning of the end. But in addition to that, we have extended free education for example to senior secondary schools, so that for the first twelve years, the Edo child pays nothing if you attend government schools.
Edo is work in progress; I have nothing more to prove — Oshiomhole Continues from page 56 development. And he said with regrets that when he became Oba some years ago, the city was more beautiful than how it was when I assumed office in 2007. And under his signature he had cause to write to the PDP dominated House of Assembly in 2009, regretting that the PDP refused to approve the budget which was meant to kick star the urban renewal of Benin City and other parts of the state. He asked them to respect Benin if not as the headquarter of BENIN Kingdom, but as the capital of Edo state. We have aggressively worked on the moat, removed some illegal structures that blocked the moats. We have done about 90 per cent of the Benin City water storm masterplan under the which we are having a huge comprehensive drainage system that span about 14 kilometres. Just three days ago I conducted the leaders of Benin Forum who are appointed by the Oba round to see various sites where we are working.
Full fledged university
No teacher in Edo State will tell you that his salary is owned for two months, no
So I think there is no question that we have not fixed all the problems but obviously we have re-ordered the politics, we truly have returned power to the people and thirdly, we have shown that Edo is viable, it is not as the PDP used to tell us that it is a poor civil service state where nothing is possible to one in which everywhere we can point out what we are doing. We have built a new university, we have made major investment in the old University. Just a moment ago I had a conversation with a committee of Professors of education on the kick starting of the Tayo Akpata university. It used to be the College of Education Ekiadolor but we behave up graded it. We want to put additional facilities to make it a full fledged university. So I think in every aspect of life, health, infrastructure, urban renewal, I believe effortlessly we can show what we have done and even what we are doing. The whole essence of our intervention in education is the human capital development, it is the most important infrastructure.
The other day I was looking at UNESCO report, where they were trying to make evaluate in terms of what various states and Federal government are devoting to education in relation to UNESCO recommended bench mark of 24 power cent. And I was shocked that UNESCO is not dip in understanding what represents investment in education. First is that they just look at budgetary allocation which can be very misleading. In Nigeria, in many states budgets hardly perform, if I allocate 30 per cent and I release 3 per cent, how could you evaluate government performance by just looking at allocation, for me that was cheap and very misleading. But when you look at the real numbers of actual releases, you have to see beyond your capital expenditure and look at what we are spending in the payment of teachers salaries, all those are in the educational sector, it is not what you use to build schools alone, you have to factor in what it takes to impact knowledge is the presence of a clean and enabling class room, environment and a well trained, motivated and well remunerated teaching staff. And when you add those numbers together, you have done well and you can easily show what has changed. In 2009, Edo came around 30-32nd in WAEC result. Two years ago we came third, last year in NEC we came 2nd, up from 32 position
I am not passing on the bond to my successor, we will liquidate it by the end of my tenure, it was programmed that way
Introduction of free bus ride Six years of primary education free, then under the UBE, first three years in junior secondary school free. We have also extended it to senior secondary school free. And for effect, we also introduced a free bus ride to any child that is in uniform going to school or coming from school, it does not matter whether that school is public or private. Again, that means that parents don’t have excuse to send their children to school. And in the South South, Edo state has the lowest out of school children population which is about 6-7 per cent. Whereas our richer neighbours pose between twelve and 20 per cent. So we are the best in terms of out of school. The logic of universal Basic Education is compulsory basic education that every child must be in school. But we understand that the best incentive to make any child go to school is to make those schools appealing. Like I told the Exco when we were designing this current red roof, I said the idea is to have a primary school class room that is more appealing to the child than the house of his parents. So he will look forward to leaving the house that is not so comfortable to that class room that is comfortable. Now we are buying coloured furniture so that when the child goes to school he is excited by what they see. Prior to 2008, around 10am you see school children wandering
the streets, you wonder whether they were ever in the class rooms, but you don’t find that now. As you talk to teachers, they will tell you that the children leaves the classes because it is hot, it is dirty. The kids prefer now to stay inside class rooms, they don’t rush to close. The request now is that Oga we want red roof too. No future government in this state can reduce those standards, our people will not accept it. But I am the first to admit that what we need to do, is much much more than, one thousand per cent more than what we have done. Which is why we say here that Edo is work in progress. We talk about taking Edo to the next level, we must continue to plan to get to where we ought to be and where I will we will be in the future. But you are being accused of leaving huge debt profile and again do you have any regrets in some of the actions you may have taken? This is an area I quarrel with the media because public finances is not like a secret cult activity where you had to be a member of the cult to know the dirty things they do behind the scene. Public finances is public and because it is public, it is not in the mouth of a mischievous politics opponent or a dead brain as we have in PDP which has no understanding of the rudiment of public financing to throw numbers that are so bizarre and then a respectable paper like Vanguard parrots them, no.
Understanding simple governance Sometimes I am surprised with PDP because when you put a guy who made a pass in History as your best, as chairman of a paper, what do you expect, he is not able to understand simple governance and he reduces governance to his own level and then proceeds on those bogus figures that can only make sense in the world of fools. Sometimes I don’t like joining issues with PDP because I don’t want to be seen as a mad man like them. These PDP people are practically brain dead, so when they say all these lies ask them what do we owe and place a call to DMO, they will give you the figures. So it is not something about speculation. Government finance is not secret. Let me start by saying that in the South South, Edo state is the least borrowed. All the other states are PDP, check out from DMO we are the least borrowed. We also earn less than any of these states in terms of revenue accruing. So the only loan that I have contracted since I came here was the only bond we have taken was the N25billion bond. And one project that we are doing in Benin here is N30billion, the Benin City water storm master plan which has enabled us to construct a six lane from Oba market to Siluko road, all the way to Upper Siluko to Ovia North East LGA. One project N30billion but the bond was N25billion, but of that N25billion by November we would have liquidated it because we are paying N530million every month. So I am not passing on the bond to my successor, we will liquidate it by the end of my tenure, it was programmed that way. So I am not handing obver a huge debt profile. C M Y K
58—Vanguard, FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016
Senator David Dafinone
entire Northern Nigeria. The task entailed the entire paper work on revenue and expenditures of the entire 92 native treasury in Northern Nigeria. Any time the estimates were prepared, they were taken before a special Finance Committee appointed by the c o l o n i a l administration for approval before they eventually received the Governor ’s consent. In that committee were five other notable Nigerians – Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Alhaji Muhammadu Ribadu, Alhaji Aliyu Makaman Bida and Alhaji Yahaya Madawakin Ilorin. Given his excellent performance as A c t i n g Administrative Officer in the Finance Department as well as Assistant Secretary to the Special Finance Committee of the Big Five, Dafinone was recommended for the First Devonshire Course in Public Administration at the University of Exeter in August 1951, where he spent two years and obtained a Diploma in Public Administration. On completion of the course, Dafinone was advised by the then Governor-General of Nigeria, Sir Arthur Richards, who had much knowledge of his performance in Kaduna to read for a university degree if he must come home to cope with the challenges of development in Sub-Saharan Africa. He thus enrolled for a degree in Economics (with specialization in accounting) in 1953 at the University of Hull. He transferred to the University of London as an external student in 1956 where he graduated in 1958. He immediately enrolled for his professional examinations with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. In the same year, he joined J.A. Miles and company, a firm of chartered accountants as an articled clerk. He served his term for three years with the firm and having passed his professional examinations, he was admitted as a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales in November 1963. Chartered accountant: Back home, Dafinone qualified as a Chartered Accountant in Nigeria in
Dafinone: The uncommon accountant, politician, administrator By Clifford Ndujihe
S
ENATOR David Omueya Dafinone, 88, is an accomplished accountant, administrator and erudite politician. The patriarch of the Dafinone family, an accounting family listed in the Guinness book of records as having the largest number of accountants in one family, is the proprietor of D.O Dafinone & Company, which he founded in 1966 and later merged to become Horwath Dafinone and Company. Born on March 12, 1927 in Sapele, Delta State, Dafinone was soundly prepared for the vicissitudes of life by the circumstances of his birth, early childhood, itinerant education and exposure. Thus, his morphing into a successful accountant, family man, administrator, politician and elder statesman was not surprising.
Judicial interpreter
He showed an unflinching commitment to the promotion of high standards in the practice of the accountancy C M Y K
Sired by the famous Chief Tom Omueya Dafinone, a foremost judicial interpreter in the late 20s in Sapele, who later became the interpreter for the entire WarriBenin Province and by 1933 the Interpreter of the Supreme Court, Dafinone, as a child watched his father, who had 13 wives grapple with issues of truth in private and public life and learned from it. His early childhood education, which criss-crossed Roman Catholic School, Sapele; Government School, Benin; Edo College and Abeokuta Grammar School, where he sat for the Cambridge School Certificate and passed out n flying colours, only helped to firm him up for greater accomplishments in life. After a chequered public service career, Dafinone announced his arrival on Nigeria’s political landscape
with his landslide victory in Bendel South Senatorial election in 1979 when he was 52 years old. Then, Delta was under defunct Bendel State, which has now been broken into two – Edo and Delta. Running on the platform of the National Party of Nigeria, NPN, he polled 59,632 votes to beat Thompson Salubi of the Unity Party of Nigeria, UPN (24,874 votes) and E.E.E Idigbo of the Great Nigeria Peoples Party, GNPP (20,760 votes). As a senator, Dafinone, who owns the Ceddi Plaza, Abuja, was one of the leaders of the movement for the creation of Delta State in the 1980s and and the efforts yielded dividends in 1991. The nationalist, who is a member of The Patriots, a group of eminent elder statesmen, of late, has been leading the Union of Niger Delta, a non governmental environmental and social justice pressure group. Growing up: Dafinone attended Government School, Benin, from 1934 to 1938 and Edo College, Benin, from 1939 to 1942. Between 1943 and 1945, the young Dafinone moved to Abeokuta Grammar school where he remained until he completed his secondary education and emerged as the overall best candidate in Mathematics in the Cambridge School Certificate Examination in West Africa for that year. This feat automatically won him a scholarship from the then Governor of Northern Nigeria, L. H. Gobble, to further his studies overseas. Brilliant career: Dafinone joined the civil service on August 28, 1946 as a third class clerk in the Registration and Records Department under the supervision of Mr. E. Ejueyitchie, the administrative officer in the Finance Department. In 1948 when Mr. Ejueyitchie was transferred to the Zaria Training Institute, Dafinone was appointed Acting Administrative officer in the Finance Department. At 21, the consummate accountant was saddled with the responsibility of preparing the native treasury estimates for the
At 21, the consummate accountant was saddled with the responsibility of preparing the native treasury estimates for the entire Northern Nigeria
1970 and joined Delloites, Haskins and Sells, a firm of Chartered Accountants as an audit manager. In spite of the heavy load of work he shouldered at Delloites, he maintained a compact social life. He hobnobbed with several Federal Ministers of the First Republic such as Chief Festus Okotie Eboh and Sir Balewa. He also on several occasions assisted the Prime Minister in drafting some of his short questions and answers in the parliament. On August 18, 1966, he founded a firm of chartered accountants registered in the Federal Republic of Nigeria under the registration of Business Names Act of 1961. He named the firm after himself; D. O. Dafinone & Co. (now Horwath Dafinone). Public service: In 1967, the then Head of State General Yakubu Gowon appointed him into a threeman commission to investigate the assets of public officers in the then Mid-West State of Nigeria. He worked for several months on the commission, but at the end of the day had to make independent, minority recommendations because he found some aspects of the initial report not agreeable with his personal convictions. His politics: In September 1978, when the administration of General Olusegun Obasanjo lifted the ban on partisan politics, he joined the NPN and with the likes of Alhaji Adamu Ciroma, Dr. Ibrahim Tahir and others, they wrote the NPN manifesto inside his office on Broad Street, Lagos.
Compact social life Informed by the call by his people to lead, rather personal ambition, it was therefore not surprising Dafinone’s political journey was very successful. At first attempt, he was elected as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 1979, representing former Bendel South (now Delta Central in Delta State) senatorial zone. Mobilising and impacting on his Urhobo people Before long, he used election to reposition the Urhobo ethnic group which had been dogged by factional fighting among various interest groups. He started the Urhobo Development Association, UDA with other prominent sons of Urhobo to provide purposeful leadership for the people in the 80s. In the Senate, he served as Chairman, Senate Committee on Commerce, Industries, National Planning and Steel Development between 1979 and 1983. He was re-elected for a second term in 1983. He consistently supported the creation of new state as a means of ensuring good governance. As the NPN caucus leader in the Senate, he had a working arrangement with the other parties. Thus on several issues of national interest, he was able to muster his colleagues for the Alhaji Shehu Shagari Administration. He showed an unflinching commitment to the promotion of high standards in the practice of the accountancy profession in Nigeria. Return to private sector Following the truncation of the Second Republic by the Military, Dafinone returned to the private sector.
Vanguard, FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016 — 59
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IJIKERE—I, formerly known and addressed as Ijikere Geraldine Chidinma, Ijikere Boniface Iheanacho, Ijikere Jane Adaobi Chinyere, Ijikere Evelyn Ifeoma, Ijikere George Udoka, and Ijikere Simeon Udeze, now wishes to be called and addressed as Ndubuisi Geraldine Chidinma, Ndubuisi Boniface Iheanacho, Ndubuisi Jane Adaobi Chinyere, Ndubuisi Evelyn Ifeoma, Ndubuisi George Udoka, and Ndubuisi Simeon Udeze. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
SOFOLUWE—I, formerly known and addressed as Mrs. Olotu Mercy Sofoluwe, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Mercy Olatubosun. All former documents remain valid. St. Mary's Hospital, Urua Akpa, Udim Local Govt. Area, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State and the general public, please take note.
ONONIWU— I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ononiwu Jovita Chinwe, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Obasi Jovita Chinwe. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
OYINLOYE— I, formerly known and addressed as Oyinloye Lekan Oreoluwa, now wish to be known and addressed as Oyinloye Lekan Daniel. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
EZE—I, formerly known and addressed as Emetuobi Eze, now wish to be known and addressed as Emetuobi Eze Ogbuaka. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
FRANK—I, formerly known and addressed as Abanum Ochuko Frank, now wish to be known and addressed as Philip Ogheneochuko Frank. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
OGHALE—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Oyisama Oghale, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Frank Philip Oghale. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
AMORI— I, formerly known and addressed as Amori Ighoyefe Michael, now wish to be known and addressed as Amori Michael. All former documents remain valid. Ecobank Plc. and the general public please take note.
GRACE— I, formerly known and addressed as Grace Apini Boyo, now wish to be known and addressed as Grace Apini IriahBoyo. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
FELIX— I, formerly known and addressed as Adjeruo Oghenebrovhie Felix, now wish to be known and addressed as A d j e b r i j e s u Jesubrorhie Felix. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
JOY— I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Benjamin Joy Oghenekume, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ikheloa Joy Oghenekume. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
MERCY—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Mercy Udom, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Mercy Sunday Akpan. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
PETER—I, formerly known and addressed as Isereke Peter Tuasinde, now wish to be known and addressed as Peter Tuasene. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
Correction of Name My name was wrongly written as Mrs Emilia Udoh instead of Emily Udoh in my Stanbic IBTC Account. My correct name is Emily Udoh. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
ONU— I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Lizzy Ijeoma Onu, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Elizabeth Ijeoma Duru. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
EJIGIRI— I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ejigiri Prisca Ego, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Amadi Prisca Ego. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
U G W UA M A J U — I , formerly known and addressed as Miss Ogechukwu Theresa Ugwuamaju, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ogechukwu Theresa Ibeneme. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
N WAG W U — I , formerly known and addressed as Miss Nwagwu Akuyoma Helen, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Uche Akuyoma Helen. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
OGOKE— I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ogoke Precious Amarachi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Uzozie Precious Amarachi. All former documents remain valid. Imo State University and the general public please take note.
EKEANYANWU—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Iheoma Chika Ekeayanwu, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Iheoma Chika Eze. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
OHALE— I, formerly known and addressed as Chidi Benjamin Ohale, now wish to be known and addressed as Chidi Benjamin Awumozo. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
This is to confirm that the name Ezeji Zachary Oddie and Ebisike Zachary Odiobimma refer to one and the same person, but now wish to be known and addressed as Ezeji Zachary Oddie. All former documents remain valid. Fidelity Bank Plc, NSE and the general public please take note.
Confirmation of Name
IKE—I, formerly known and addressed as Ike Chukwuemeka Theophilious, now wish to be known and addressed as Ike Chukwuemeka Kelvin. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.
known and addressed as Abo Lucky Sunday, now wish to be known and addressed as Isreal Lucky Abo. All former documents remain valid. General public, please take note.
60 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016
Vanguard CLASSIFIED The names Awolowo Odiri Endurance and Akpore Odiri Endurance refer to one and the same person, but now wish to be known and addressed as Akpore Odiri Endurance. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
The names Omamadaga Ese and Korhokorho Ese belong to one and the same person, but now wish to be known and addressed as Korhokorho Ese. All former documents remain valid. First Bank Plc and the general public please take note.
Confirmation of Name
ERUEH—I, formerly known and addressed as Blessing Erueh now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Awaise Blessing Erueh. All former documents remain valid. General public to take note.
ANTHONY—I, formerly known and addressed as Anthony Delisle, now wish to be known and addressed as Emmanuel Delisle Nmoka. All former documents remain valid. General public to take note.
OG . UNSOLA—I, formerly known and addressed as Fatai Aribidesi Ogunsola, now wish to be known and addressed as AbdulFatai Aribidesi Abubakri. All former documents remain valid. General public to take note.
BILIAMINU—I formerly known and addressed as Miss Medinat Oyetola Biliaminu, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Medinat Oyetola Abubakri. All former documents remain valid. General public to take note.
OMAKINDE—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Oluwatoyin Lilian Omakinde, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Oluwatoyin Lilian Ogunware. All former documents remain valid. General public to take note.
EMELIKE—I, formerly known and addressed as Dr. Miss Kelechi Emelike, now wish to be known and addressed as Dr. Mrs. Kelechi Uhegbu. All former documents remain valid. General public to take note.
AYAKA—I, formerly
OWHOETE—I, formerly known and addressed as Owhoete Beauty, now wish to be known and addressed as Avworhokai Beauty. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
AIMUYO—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Aimuyo EseOsa Favour, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ese-Osa F. Ogbezuwa. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
UNUAFE—I, formerly known and addressed as Unuafe Okeoghene Believe, now wish to be known and addressed as Emmanuel Joshua. All former documents remain valid. First Bank and U.B.A. General Public please take note.
ONOMUEFOR—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Onomuefor Ufuoma Judith, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ejime Ufuoma Judith. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
EZUGWU—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ezugwu Lovelyn Ginikanwa, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Aleke Lovelyn Ginikanwa Chineme. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
EDITH IFEOMA—I, formerly known and addressed as Maduchi Edith Ifeoma, now wish to be known and addressed as Maduchi Justina Ogochukwu. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
Confirmation of Name
Reconciliation of Name
This is to confirm that the names Oluebube John Ezenwa and Rev ’ed Oluebube John Uwanekezi refer to one and the same person as Rev ’ed Oluebube John Uwanekezi. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
N WA N KW O — I , formerly known and addressed as Miss Felicia Ogwanwa Nwankwo, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ogbonnia Felicia Ogwanwa. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
ONONIWU—I, formally known and addressed as Miss Ononiwu Jovita Chinwe, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Obasi Jovita Chinwe. All former documents remain valid. General public to please take note.
OYINLOYE—I, formerly known and addressed as Oyinloye Lekan Oreoluwa, now wish to be known and addressed as Oyinloye Lekan Daniel. All former documents remain valid. General public to please take note.
AKPAN—I, formerly known and addressed as miss Ekaete Paulinus Akpan, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ekaete Mkpoikana Christian Ukpe. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
AGBAKWURU—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Cynthia-Regis N k e c h i n y e r e Agbakwuru, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Cynthia-Regis Nkechinyere Elebo. All former documents remain valid. Federal Ministr y of Power, Works and Housing, Mabushi, Abuja and the general public please take note.
Confirmation of Name
This is to certify that Perpetua Ojoma Amodu-Agbi and Perpetua Ojoma Amida is the same and one person but now wish to be known and addressed as Perpetua Ojoma Amodu-Agbi. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
This is to certify that Arowolo Olukayode Adisa and Muheeb Oladipupo Arowolo is the same and one person but now wish to be known and addressed as Arowolo Muheeb Oladipupo Olukayode. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
DAMA —I formerly known and addressed as Mrs. Peace Adamate Dama, now wish to be known and addressed as Miss Peace Godwin Adamate. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
AZAKI—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Blessing Azaki, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Blessing Bulus. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
ONABE—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Onabe Portia Ada, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Portia Ada Emmanuel Nwosu. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
U G W UA N Y I— I , formerly known and addressed as miss Ugwuanyi Anthonia Ngozi now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Eze Anthonia Ngozi. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
OKOROMADU—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Debra Chika Okoromadu now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Debra Chika Choji. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
OKARA— I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Okara Betty Bubaraye, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Raphael Betty Bubaraye. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
ALLOH—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Loveth Temitope Alloh, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Loveth T. Stephen Osabuase. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
UWUSEBA—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Uwuseba Oghenero Benita, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Okpobrisi Oghenero Benita. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
N N W O K A — I , formerly known and addressed as Miss Nnwoka Susan Nchegem, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ajie David Susan. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
DURU—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Duru Perpetua Chinyere, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ezumah Perpetua Chinyere. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
NZEKWUE—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Nzekwue Sonia Nkechinye, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. Okure Sonia E. Nkechinye. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
UGEDI—I, formerly known, called and addressed as Ugedi Tarela Gloria, now wish to be known, called and addressed as Nwachukwu Tarela Gloria. All former documents remain valid. General public is to please take note.
OGBEMI—I, formerly known, called and addressed as Miss Ogbemi Jemila, now wish to be known, called and addressed as Mrs. Jemila Popo. All former documents remain valid. The general public is to please take note.
EYONWHERO—I, formerly known, called and addressed as Eyonwhero Onoriode Felix, now wish to be known, called and addressed as Ovuakporaye Onoriode Felix. All former documents remain valid. General public is to please take note.
EBIDO— I, formerly known, called and addressed as Miss Ebido Omasan Honeybel, now wish to be known, called and addressed as Mrs. Ogbogbo Omasan Honeybel. All former documents remain valid. General public is to please take note.
PRECIOUS—I, formerly known, called and addressed as Jaiyeola Ishola Precious, now wish to be known, called and addressed as Jaiyeola Ishola Utseritselaju. All former documents remain valid. General public is to please take note.
That the names Ojobor Ufuoma and Ojobor Ufuoma Omasan refer to one and the same person, but now wish to be known and addressed as Ojobor Ufuoma Omasan. All former documents remain valid. NECO, DESPO (OZORO) and the general public to please take note.
Confirmation of Name
known and addressed as Uma Terhemba Ayaka, now wish to be known and addressed as Terhemba Ayaka. All former documents remain valid. General public to take note.
Confirmation of Name
This is to certify that the name(s) Ajaegbo Pepertual Azuka, Ezenyenwe Pepertual Azuka, Mmaduakonam Azuka and Azuka P e p e r t u a l Mmaduakonam refer to one and the same person. That I now wish to be known and addressed as Mmaduakonam Azuka Pepertual. All former documents remain valid. General public take note. Confirmation of Name
Confirmation of Name
The names Ojo Steve Isiaka and Stephen Ogirima Ojo refer to one and the same person, but now wish to be known and addressed as Ojo Steve Isiaka. All former documents remain valid. General public is to please take note.
Vanguard, FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016 — 61
Vanguard CLASSIFIED The name Ovbije Johwo and Elete Tessy refer to one and the same person, but now wish to be known and addressed as Elete Tessy. All former documents remain valid. First Bank Plc and the general public to please take note.
NWA M A R A — I , formerly known and addressed as Miss Nwamara Sylverline Adanma, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Kanu Sylverline Adanma. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
UKAEJE— I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ukaeje Catherine Chioma, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Onyiuke Catherine Chioma. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
ESSIEN— I, formerly known and addressed as Sylvanus Essien, now wish to be known and addressed as Sylvanus Udo Essien. All former documents remain valid. FCMB and the general public please take note.
TEIBOWEI—I, formerly known and addressed as Teibowei Fortune, now wish to be known and addressed as Egi F o r t u n e Woyenimomoemi.All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
KA B E N G WA — I , formerly known and addressed as Miss W a k u s o m b a Kabengwa, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Wakasomba Omeleh. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
This is to confirm that the names Adiki Inesi Esther and Adiki Goodhead Esther refer to one and the same person, but I now wish to be known and addressed as Adiki Inesi Esther. All former documents remain valid. UBA Plc and the general public please take note.
Confirmation of Name
ODUNEWU—I, formerly known and addressed as Oluwatosin Foluke Odunewu, now wish to be known and addressed as Oluwatosin Foluke Ademiluwa. All former documents remain valid. UBA and the general public please take note.
BALOGUN—I, formerly known and addressed as Balogun Serifatu Bola, now wish to be known and addressed as Badmus Serifatu Bola. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
AFOLASHADE—I, formerly known and addressed as Yusuf Afolashade Bilikisu, now wish to be known and addressed as Abdulazeez Yusuf Bilikisu. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
OKORO—I, formerly known and addressed as Okoro Valentine Nwabueze, now wish to be known and addressed as Onwusukwe Valentine Nwabueze. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
ADEBAJO— I , formerly known and addressed as Miss Adebajo Oluwabunmi Adebosola, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. O g u n s a n y a O l u w a b u n m i Adebosola. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
AT U C H U KW U — I , formerly known and addressed as Miss Atuchukwu Chinwe Vera, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Mark Vera Chinwe. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
ELUMEZIEM—I, formerly known and addressed as Barrister Judith Oluchi Elumeziem, now wish to be known and addressed as Barrister Mrs. Judith Oluchi Ikwo. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
ODEYEMI—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Margaret Omotoyosi Odeyemi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Margaret Omotoyosi Owoseni. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
Confirmation of Name
Confirmation of Name
The name Gilbert Ikechukwu Okafor and Gilbert Sunday Okafor refer to one and the same person, but now wish to be known and addressed as Gilbert Ikechukwu Okafor. All former documents remain valid. General public to please take note.
The name Joshua Chukwu Ifeanyi Stanley and Joshua Chukwu Ifeanyi refer to one and the same person, but now wish to be known and addressed as Joshua Chukwu Ifeanyi Stanley. All for mer documents remain valid. General public to please take note.
NGWU—We, formerly known and addressed as : Ngwu Olisa Lawrence, Ngwu Augustine Agu, Ngwu Geraldin Umegulu, Ngwu Helen Ekwutosinam, Ngwu Ogochukwu Davina, Ngwu Ngozi Clementina, Ngwu Ndidy Jennifer, Ngwu Ifeoma Bettina, now wish to be known and addressed as: Augustine Agu Augustine, Augustine Geraldin Umegulu, Augustine Helen Ekwutosinam, Augustine Ndidy Jennifer, Augustine Ogochukwu Davina, Augustine Ifeoma Bettina, Augustine Olisa Lawrence. All former documents remain valid. general public please take note.
A M E G O R — I , formerly known and addressed as Miss Osatohanmwen Precious Amegor, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Osatohanmwen Precious Anenih. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
EGBESU—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ebi Egbesu, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ebiere Duere Gboloko.All former documents remain valid. Bayelsa State Local Government Service Commission and the general public please take note.
OKEMU—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Glory Okemu, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Glory Amose. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
EKEOZO—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ekeozo Joy Nkeiruka, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Nlemeke Joy Nkeiruka. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
WILLIAMS—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Tokunbo Abiose Abiola Bankole, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Tokunbo Abiose Bankole Willams. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
KOBER—I, formerly known and addressed as Mr. Ken Kober, now wish to be known and addressed as Mr. Ken Awanah. All former documents remain valid. General public and authorities concerned please take note.
OKOH— I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ukwuoma Jacqueline Okoh wish to be known as addressed as Mrs. Ukwuoma Jacqueline Nwoke. All former document remain valid. General public should please take note.
ZACHEUS—I, formerly known and addressed as Mr. Zacheus A. Eboda now wish to be known as addressed as Mr. Hector Olaide Eboda. Al formerly document remain valid. General public should please take note.
NWANKWO—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Felicia Ogwanwa Nwankwo, now wish to be known as addressed as Mrs. Ogbonnia Felicia Ogwanwa. All formerly document remain valid. General public should please take note.
This is to certify that the names Ajaegbo Perpetual Azuka, Ezenyenwe Perpetual Azuka, Mmaduakonam Azuka and Azuka P e r p e t u a l Mmaduakonam refer to one and the same person, but now wish to be known and addressed as Mmadoakonam Azuka Perpetual. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.
Confirmation of Name
Reconciliation of Name
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Over 3000 IDPS stranded in recaptured Borno communities By Ndahi Marama
M
AIDUGURI— MORE than 3000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are said to be stranded without food, water and shelter after the Nigerian Army recaptured Rann and other surrounding communities of Borno state from Boko Haram terrorists recently. Troops of newly-inducted 3 Battalion, 22 Brigade, in conjunction with Army Headquarters Strike Group (AHQ SG) and the Armed Forces Special Forces (AFSF), carried out a clearance operation of Rann, the headquarters of Kala Balge, a border community with Cameroun Republic and about 200 km drive from Maiduguri, the state capital. The gallant troops cleared the remnants of the Boko Haram terrorists hibernating in Kala Balge general area. The triumphant troops apart from killing 22 terrorists cleared pockets of the terrorists in Wumbi, Tunish, Tilem and Malawaji. Others are Makaudari, Daima, Buduli, Sadigumo, Jiwe, Sidigeri and Kala villages. But sources told our Correspondent that after the clearance operations that over 3000 people mostly women and children, who survived the onslaught were now taking refuge at Kala Balge without means of having food or water, as there were no presence of officials from National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) or Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to render humanitarian services following inaccessibility. Confirming the development, Commissioner for Local Government and Emirate Affairs, Hon. Usman Zannah in an interview expressed concern on the plights of the stranded victims and promised that Government is taking immediate measures to address the myriads of problems being faced by the trapped innocent civilians in Kala Balge. “We just received a message that more than 3000 people mostly women and children are stranded after the liberation of Kala Balge and other surrounding villages, we have started mobilizing security operatives, SEMA officials and members of the civilian JTF to deliver relief materials to them as soon as possible.”
62 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016
C M Y K
FRIDAY Vanguard, APRIL 8, 2016 — 63 There’s hardly any week that the Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung, does not have a thing or two to talk about football. If he is not orchestrating to settle dispute (even where there is none) he is attending one football event or receiving a delegation of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF or their President, Amaju Pinnick. He occupies himself with things you may not link to football development. That is the state of our sports now. It is not only football. The other day, Solomon Dalung was battling to explain to Nigerians how the National Sports Commission, NSC, ceased to exist. He also made news reinstating foreign athletics coaches disengaged by former NSC Director General, Yakmut Alhassan. But he did not make news on the performance of the coaches. What have they achieved since their engagement or their challenges and how to face them. Before then, he had travelled to Brazil to inspect facilities for the Rio Olympics. Ever heard a thing like that? If the facilities were bad what would he do? If the distance between the athletes’ village and venues is long or short what would he do? What difference would such a visit make on the Nigerian team? The money the minister and his delegation spent on that trip could prepare 10 athletes for the Olympics. I’m yet to see any policy direction for our sports since the Muhammadu Buhari administration came into office last May. And this is largely due to the shortcomings of the man running sports. He simply doesn’t appear to have a clue on the way forward as far as sports development is concerned. There have been more news stories on disputes, occupation of offices and interrogation of the football federation than REAL SPORTS DEVELOPMENT since Dalung assumed the office of minister of Youth and Sports. As far as football is concerned I do not entirely blame him. I blame the Amaju Pinnick-led federation for submitting our football matters wholly to the supervision of the minister, who is enjoying the air that is not even fresh. I don’t think that we have had it so bad in recent years. That to pay match bonuses and allowances of all our teams the minister would have to intervene or interrogate some football officials? That for taking vital and minor decisions in
FIFA ranking Continues from BP
Cameroon, Morocco and Mali. Meanwhile, Algeria remain at the summit of African football after moving four places to the 33rd position in the world while secondplaced Cote d’Ivoire climbed two places to 34th and Egypt zoomed
Strange Sports Minister, NFF and foreign coach! our football the board will meet the minister for approval? That to conclude on sponsors the federation will approach the minister? What a big shame on the side of the federation! And what an aberration or seeming indolence on the side of the minister to focus on trivialities that mean nothing to REAL SPORTS DEVELOPMENT. If the Nigeria Football Federation had the money to hire a foreign coach why would they need the minister’s consent? FIFA will not even be happy with Amaju Pinnick on the way he is corrupting the independence of association football. He is now subjecting our association football to government control. Yes, in as much as you receive money from government you must be accountable to them. But that does not mean that you subject daily administrative football matters to government. Amaju has been long in sports to know better. So are Sheyi Akinwunmi, Barrister Green, Felix Anyansi-Agwu and other members of the board. Dalung is a complete stranger to sports. He doesn’t get it and if the Amajus and Greens are submitting wholly to him instead of guiding him you can imagine the magnitude of our problems. It then means they are not doing the right thing. This probably compels the minister to take the lead in areas he
nine places up to 44th in the world but are fifth in Africa. Argentina leapfrogged over Belgium to take the top spot in the world ranking as South American champions Chile stay third in the world. The two most outstanding performers for April hail from the African continent. Guinea-Bissau (up 45) have climbed the most positions by rank, while Morocco (131 points) enjoy the biggest move by virtue of points.
Tougher times Continues from BP
Nigeria, on the other hand, could now find themselves in a World Cup qualifying group that has at least two teams better ranked than them currently. The Super Eagles will now need to play better rated teams in the FIFA friendly window in June to improve their ranking before the draw. Africa’s top 10 are – Algeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Senegal, Egypt, Cape Verde, Tunisia,
Falcons Continues from BP
Cup of Nations qualifier in Dakar with the winners over two legs assured of a place in the final tournament in Cameroun. Washington Spirit attacker, Ordega and En Avant Guingamp forward, Oparanozie are sounding bullish ahead of the first leg clash which will take place at the Stade Demba Diop, Dakar. “The spirit in the camp right now is quite positive and I am promising Nigerians that we won’t disappoint them,” Ordega said. C M Y K
DR Congo, Guinea and Congo. Cameroon, Morocco and Mali are also above Nigeria. The 2018 World Cup qualifying tournament for Africa will begin in October with 20 teams drawn into five groups of four teams each with the overall winners advancing to the final tournament in Russia. Nigeria have featured at five World Cups thus far - 1994, 1998, 2002, 2010 and 2014.
Oparanozie on her part said the Falcons will try to make Nigerians get positive feelings again following the failure of the men’s team, the Super Eagles to qualify for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Gabon. “I am not going to say it is not a good thing that the Super Eagles did not qualify for the Afcon. “However, since that has happened we (Falcons) will do all we can to put smiles on the faces of Nigerians by qualifying for the women’s tournament,” she said. The 2016 Africa Women Cup of Nations in Cameroun will begin on November 19 and end on December 3.
is not well informed. I blame the federation even as I recognise the efforts of Amaju Pinnick. I thought that he would be among those guiding the minister and education in football matters. I don’t get what is going on. We will appraise the minister better after the Rio Olympics. I doubt if we will win any medal the way we are going. I know that the minister means well. But he appears to lack the wherewithal to develop sports. This piece is largely to tell the sports minister that he is not doing well, that he could do better and that I wish him well. It is also to tell the Nigeria Football Federation led by Amaju Pinnick that the Super Eagles remain the yardstick to measure their success and that they have also failed Nigerians as far as the Nations Cup is concerned. I’m an apostle of REAL SPORTS DEVELOPMENT, the one that will revolutionize sports from school to elite level. In as much as I recognise and appreciate the success the federation attained in winning the Under 17 World Cup and qualifying for the Olympics as African champions I’m yet to see clubs of the league that they supervise own youth teams. I have advocated for this for long and I’m not alone. When we have a good youth structure where these youth teams will produce players for our age-grade teams, having the type of football philosophy that Kojo Williams has been campaigning for will be possible. A respected football coach told me that Sunday Oliseh tried to introduce Dutch system to the Eagles but he forgot that in Holland they start playing the system from their youth level. That is the philosophy that Kojo is talking about. Such a football philosophy, from my own perspective, will help our football more than whatever a foreign coach will do at the senior level. We could have a combination of foreign coaches and local ones to start this and when it is well
established, our coaches could do the work. It is a system that will see our age-grade teams play a common or unique pattern and continue with that way at the senior level. I have heard a lot of campaign on the need or otherwise for a foreign coach. I just want to warn that having worked closely with many of the foreign coaches, who coached the Eagles from late 1980s I can authoritatively say that they have no magic wands. Clemence Westerhof still has an unbeaten record in terms of medals and development of the game. One Nations bronze, one silver, one gold and Nigeria’s first ever World Cup qualification. He introduced a pattern that destroyed teams. It was possession football at the rear, which exploded into a blistering speed when attacking, avoiding slow game in the midfield. It caught opponents unaware. Imagine the speed of Rashidi Yekini, Daniel Amokachi, Samson Siasia, Emmanuel Amuneke. If you didn’t have blistering speed you couldn’t play for Westerhof. Even midfielders had to be quick. Mutiu Adepoju, Sunday Oliseh, Thompson Oliha, Emeka Ezeugo, Moses Kpako were all quick. Jay Jay Okocha was a fine player but simply because he liked to hold on a little bit to the ball Westerhof found him useful in some matches and benched him in some. That era remains our best and Westerhof was a huge success because of his passion for Nigeria. He saw himself as Nigerian, lived here, watched our leagues including amateur leagues, developed players in camp and took them abroad for training. Other foreign coaches that came were not interested in our league or developing local ones. Some lived abroad and came to Nigeria when we had games. They were more interested in their wages than in our football. Amaju can only get it right with a foreign coach if he goes for one with Westerhof’s attributes. This is no campaign for Westerhof but we certainly need a coach with his qualities. Where can Amaju find one? Are they in Nigeria? More on foreign coach later.
Senate summons Dalung, NFF over state of football BY JUDE OPARA, Abuja
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OLLOWING the continuous dwindling fortunes of Nigerian football, the Senate Committee of Sports has summoned the Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung and the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation, (NFF) to appear before it on April 12 . Chairman of the Committee, Senator Obinna Ogba told journalists in Abuja that the invitation is for the two bodies to brief it on the latest stage of preparations for Team Nigeria ahead of the August 2016 Olympic
Enyimba Continues from BP
and will now face the Tunisians with a place in the lucrative group stage on the line. Enyimba coach Paul Aigbogun has praised his side’s attacking ability in recent times, especially after their 51 home win over Vital’O in the previous round, and he hopes to see the same kind of showing when they host the North Africans. “We’ve been doing well, creating chances and thank God we converted these chances,” Aigbogun said. “It’s a process, it’s a new team, a lot of players came into the team, so I kept on saying that it takes time to
Games in Rio, Brazil and to explain the events that led to the elimination of the Super Eagles from the Gabon 2017 All Africa Games (AFCON) qualification. Senator Ogba argued that the upper legislative body needed to be informed on what went wrong with the team, adding that its explanations would also help Nigerians to know the true position of things. He equally hinted the interest of the lawmakers in the rumoured poor preparation of Team Nigeria for the Olympic Games. build a team and we thank God it all came together.” Etoile, who beat Morocco’s Olympique Khourigba 3-1 in the previous round, will see this tie as a chance to gain revenge on Enyimba. The teams famously met in the final of the 2004 Champions League, with the pair drawing 33 over the two legs. However, the Nigerians went on to win the tie on penalties, thereby claiming their second successive African crown. Togolese referee Kokou Hougnimon will take charge of the match in Aba. The return leg is set to be played at the Olympic Stadium in Sousse on April 19-20.
Vanguard, FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016
FIFA ranking: More misery for Nigeria •Eagles slip to 67th
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HE senior national team, the Super Eagles have dropped to 67th position in the latest Fifa world ranking released on Thursday. This is a direct consequence of the Super Eagles’ inability to defeat Egypt in two Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in Kaduna and Alexandria – and in the
process lost the ticket to feature at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations billed for Gabon. The Super Eagles slipped five places to be ranked 14th best African side behind Algeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Senegal, Egypt, Cape Verde, Tunisia, Congo DR, Guinea, Congo, Continues on Page 63
Ordega, Oparanozie confident of Falcons
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UPER Falcons stars, Francisca Ordega and Desire Oparanozie are confident of a win over Senegal’s Teranga Lioness today. The Super Falcons will go toe to toe with Senegal in a 2016 Africa Women Continues on Page 63
•Oshoala
•Mikel •Siasia
2018 World Cup:
Tougher times await Eagles N
IGERIA are set to be served a most daunting 2018 World Cup qualifying draw in June after the Super Eagles fell five spots to 67th in the world and they are now a disappointing 14th in Africa this month. Egypt, who eliminated Nigeria from AFCON
2017, shot up nine places to 44 in the world and are now among the top five teams in Africa. This latest ranking will now enhance Egypt’s chances to be among the top five seeds when the World Cup draw is staged on June 24. Continues on Page 63
Enyimba battle Etoile in PH
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NYIMBA will b a t t l e Confederation Cup title holders Etoile du Sahel in the first leg of their CAF Champions League second round clash on Sunday. Kick-off at the
Adokiye Amiesimaka is set for 17h00 CAT. The Nigerian hosts have overcome Uganda’s Vipers and Vital’O of Burundi en route to this stage of the competition,
Continues on Page 63
QUICK CROSSWORD
TODAY'S PUZZLE
YESTERDAY'S ANSWERS
ACROSS 1 Waterway (5) 5 Method (6) 8 Dry up (5) 10 Selection (6) 11 Greedy (4 14 Spite (6) 15 Attained (7) 18 Weight (3) 19 Lair (3) 21 Tore (4) 23 Flat (5) 24 Family (4) 27 Obscure (3) 29 Rotter (3) 31 Merciful (7) 32 Reviser (6) 34 Sand-hill (6) 35 Stupidity (6) 38 Fire-raising (5) 39 Disclose (6) 40 Birds (5)
DOWN 2 Tree (3) 3 Each (6) 4 Resin (3) 5 Bogus (4) 6 Seaman (6) 7 Demure (6) 9 Ebbed (7) 12 Tank (3) 13 Eat (4) 16 Wicked (4) 17 Satan (5) 20 Retribution (7) 22 Mid-day (4) 24 Talented (6) 25 Tart (4) 26 Character (6) 28 God-like (6) 30 Fellow (3) 33 Genuine (4) 36 Cur (3) 37 Lettuce (3)
YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 1, Desert 5 Obey 8, Augur 9, Lea 10, Disc 11, Till 12, Score 13, Dawned 16, Mere 18, Gasp 20, Arc 22, Sad 23, Elk 24, Alto 25, Item 28, Defend 30, Scrap 32, Glee 33, Boat 34, Ace 35, Adult 36, Gate 37, Recent.
DOWN: 1, Delude 2, Stalwart 3, Redeem 4, Succeeded 5, Outrage 6, Brie 7, Yell 8, Ass 14, Desirable 15, Ask 17, Rat 19, Alienate 20, Ale 21, Concede 26, Mettle 27, Advent 29, Agog 30, Seat 31, Pot.
How to Play Sudoku
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lace 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. Printed and Published by VANGUARD MEDIA LIMITED, Vanguard Avenue, Kirikiri Canal, P.M.B.1007, Apapa. Phone: Newsroom: 018773962. Deputy Editor: 01-4548355. Advert Dept Hotline: 014544821. Abuja Advert Hotline: 09-2921024. E-mail: editor@vanguardngr.com, news@vanguardngr.com, letters@vanguardngr.com. Advert:advertproduction@yahoo.com Website: www.vanguardngr.com (ISSN 0794-652X) Editor: MIDENO BAYAGBON. Phone: 01-7742861, All correspondence to P.M.B. 1007, Apapa Lagos.