Stocks surge as CBN releases new forex rules

CONVENTION: IMO gives Nigeria 90-day ultimatum

By Godwin Oritse

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A G O S — In t e r n a t i o n a l Maritime Organisation, (IMO) has given the Nigerian Maritime Administration and

Safety Agency (NIMASA) 90 days ultimatum to formulate a long term strategy for the implementation of instruments and convention in Nigeria.

Giving this ultimatum,

leader of IMO’s audit team, Captain Yalscin Cahit said that the country Member States Audit Scheme (IMSAS) has submitted an interim report after its week long audit of the Nigerian

...towards a better life for the people VOL. 25: NO. 63051

maritime sector. He called on Maritime stakeholders especially Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to develop and formalise a long term

**

strategy for the implementation of IMO instruments in the country.

Presenting the interim report, Cahit harped on the need for the Agency to develop its systems.

He noted that NIMASA has no problems with human resources as he lauded the expertise, competence and

Continues on page 21

ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com

N200

THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016

Stocks surge as CBN releases new forex rules •Introduces Futures forex trading •Creates primary, non-primary dealers •New regime takes effect Monday •Stock market gains N294bn •Morgan Stanley isolates Nigeria from global market •Economy: FEC okays more external borrowing >>9

By Emeka Anaeto, Economy Editor, Emma Ujah, Babajide Komolafe, Peter Egwuatu & Nkiru Nnorom

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AGOS — THE Nigeria stock market, yesterday, gained N294 billion in reaction to the decision of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to allow market forces determine the Naira exchange rate in a new single Continues on page 5

OSUN HIJAB CRISIS:

Gov orders controversial school shut >>11

Mr & Mrs PROTEST: Members of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, in Oyo State during another round of protest in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital over the state government's alleged anti-workers policy, yesterday. Photo: Dare Fasube.

Obanikoro dares FG to extradite him from US >>9 COLUMNISTS:

June 12’s second annulment

•P.17

Edo Primaries: What role for money? •P.17

Nigeria does not know volume >>8 of oil it produces —NEITI Oando, USAID to educate displaced children in North-East >>39

2—VANGUARD, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016

VANGUARD, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016 — 3

4—VANGUARD, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016—5

POCKET CARTOON

Stocks surge as CBN releases new forex rules

moderate volatility in the exchange rate by moving non-urgent foreign exchange demand from the Spot to the Futures market; •The OTC FX Futures shall be in nonstandardized amounts and different fixed tenors, which may be sold on any date, thereby ensuring bespoke maturity dates; •Proceeds of foreign investment inflows and international money transfers shall be purchased by authorized dealers at the daily inter-bank rate; and •Non-oil exporters are now allowed unfettered access to their foreign exchange proceeds, which shall be sold in the interbank market.

Emefiele said the primary dealers would be about eight or 10 banks with the capacity to go to the market with as much as $10 million.

Continues from page 1

Timelines

BRIEFING: From left, Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele; Deputy Governor, Economic Policy, Sarah Alade and Deputy Governor, Operations, Suleiman Barau, during a press briefing to unveil guidelines on the new flexible exchange rate market in Abuja, yesterday.

Photo: Gbemiga Olamikan.

structured foreign exchange market.

CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, yesterday, announced the introduction of a new foreign exchange policy, termed the “automatic adjustment mechanism of the exchange rate” in a flexible foreign exchange regime. The new regime is aimed at boosting supply of foreign exchange and reducing the pressure on the Naira.

CBN had been under pressure to devalue the Naira for over a year now, which had been resisted by monetary and fiscal authorities, claiming that past devaluations did not benefit the economy, being import dependent.

Instead, the apex bank had adopted a controlled market with predetermined supply and exchange rate.

Announcing the major policy shift, Emefiele said: “The Central Bank of Nigeria has always maintained that it would

continue to monitor situations on ground and ensure that the bank’s policies reflect these facts and developments rather than the sentiments of any groups or sectors.

“It is in the light of this principle that we now believe that the time is right to restore the automatic adjustment mechanism of the exchange rate with the reintroduction of a flexible inter-bank exchange rate market.

“The workings of this market will be consistent with the bank’s objectives of enhancing efficiency and facilitating a liquid and transparent foreign exchange market."

Highlights of the flexible regime

The new regime would operate as a single market structure through the interbank/autonomous window.

•The exchange rate would be purely marketdriven, using the Thomson-Reuters Order Matching System as well as

IT'S UP TO YOU

BY AYO ADIO - 08104802192

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F you don’t stand for anything, you will fall for everything. Our values are like a map that guides and directs our affairs. It allows us to conduct ourselves appropriately and upholds our character.

TAKE HEART

BY ELLA RANDLE- O8084919482

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OVE, like air, does not deplete. No amount of air you breathe can diminish what another receives.

The source is inexhaustible just as love is infinite — Take Heart Quotes.

Life has taught me to allow a little more room to understand a shift in perception. It is a choice to choose how to react to stimuli. When we open our hearts to divine love, we gain more ability to look clearly through the glazed faceted glass pane, to see beyond and to know something more beautiful and uplifting always come through for us.

SAYINGS OF OUR PEOPLE

W

HEN a child begins to insult his father, then know that he has become a senseless stooge of another man.

the Conversational Dealing Book; •The CBN would participate in the market through periodic interventions to either buy or sell foreign exchange as the need arises; •To improve the dynamics of the market, the apex bank will introduce Foreign Exchange Primary Dealers (FXPD), who would be registered with the CBN to deal directly with the apex bank for large trade sizes on a two-way quotes basis; •These primary dealers shall operate with other dealers in the inter-bank market, among other obligations that will be stipulated in the Foreign Exchange Primary Dealers (FXPD) guidelines; •There will be no predetermined spread on foreign exchange spot transactions executed through the CBN intervention with primary dealers, while all foreign exchange spot purchased by the authorized dealers are transferable in the interbank foreign exchange market; •The 41 items classified as “Not Valid for Foreign Exchange” as detailed in a previous CBN circular shall remain inadmissible in the Nigerian foreign exchange market; •To enhance liquidity in the market, the CBN may also offer long-tenored foreign exchange Forwards Contract of six to 12 months or any tenor to authorized dealers; •Sale of foreign exchange Forwards Contract by authorized dealers to end-users must be trade-backed, with no predetermined spreads; •CBN shall introduce non-deliverable over-thecounter (OTC) naira-settled Futures, with daily rates on the CBN-approved FMDQ Trading and Reporting System. This is an entirely new product in the Nigerian foreign exchange market, which would help

•Selected foreign exchange primary dealers would be notified by Friday, June 17, 2016. All other nonprimary dealers would remain valid and eligible to participate in the market; •Inter-bank trading under the new guidelines will begin on Monday, June 20, 2016; and •The tenors and rates for the OTC naira-settled FX Futures will be announced on Monday, June 27, 2016.

Why CBN introduced new policy

Emefiele said CBN had to take the measures as the nation “ witnessed a significant decline in our foreign exchange reserves from about US$42.8 billion in January 2014 to about US$26.7 billion as of June 10, 2016.

“In terms of inflows, the bank’s foreign exchange earnings have fallen from about US$3.2 billion monthly to current levels of below a billion dollars per month.”

He blamed the poor foreign exchange receipts on the over 70 per cent drop in the price of crude oil, which contributes the largest share of our foreign exchange reserves; Global growth slowdown and geopolitical tensions along critical trading routes in the world; and normalization of monetary policy by the United States' Federal Reserve.

According to Emefiele, “the interplay between reduced foreign exchange supply and rising demand accounted for a substantial reduction in our foreign exchange reserves.”

He, however, stated that “our reserves, despite having fallen, is still robust and is able to cover about five months of Nigeria’s imports as against the international benchmark of three months.”

He said his team at the CBN would ensure

transparency in the new foreign exchange market regime and that there would be no place for speculators.

His words: “Let me note that the Central Bank is strongly determined to make this market as transparent, liquid, and efficient as possible.

Therefore, we would neither tolerate unscrupulous behaviour nor hesitate to bring serious sanctions on offenders.

“The CBN expects all authorized dealers, particularly, to display the highest level of professionalism. We expect them to understand the spirit and letter of this transition to a market based system. The CBN will not allow the system to be undermined by speculators and rent-seekers.

“Permit me to emphasize that any attempt to breach any aspect of this new framework will be heavily sanctioned by the CBN and this may, indeed, result in the suspension or withdrawal of the foreign exchange dealing licence of an offending authorized dealer.”

Implications of the new policy

Most questions from the public, yesterday, focused on what the role of the CBN would be in determining the exchange rate and what the rate will be like under the new regime. Emefiele said the price will be known when the market opens officially on Monday.

He also said the supply side would be market determined, while the apex bank would intervene with supply from time to time to influence market trends in the desired direction.

E m e f i e l e ’ s pronouncements also indicated that the end of the black market is near as buying and selling of foreign exchange is now open to anyone at any bank or with authorized dealers at a price that is market determined.

Consequently, black market rates would drop if the CBN announces a float as individuals, investors and businesses, who had refused to import their dollars into Nigeria, can now supply their forex at a price they believe is market

determined. The drop in exchange rate may take some time at the worst but the market will be flooded with liquidity in due course.

But analysts anticipate some volatility in exchange rate in the short run as the market takes shape and tracks how liquid the market will be. However, the spread rate between the interbank market and the parallel market is expected to narrow in a short while.

CBN is also expected to relax the controls currently in place such as limits to withdrawals of dollars from domiciliary accounts or spending limits when abroad as Emefiele stated that exporters were immediately granted unfettered access to use their foreign exchange in their domiciliary accounts.

Stock market reacts positively, gains N294bn

Values of shares on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, rose sharply by N294 billion as investors reacted positively to details of the new foreign exchange regime announced by the the CBN. “Nigerian equities rebounded from a threeday losing streak to close at its highest point in June 2016 as the CBN announced a new foreign exchange policy guideline with improved flexibility,” said Afrinvest Plc, a Lagosbased investment and research firm.

In its review of activities in the stock market, yesterday, the company stated: ”The market initially opened on a high note as investors anticipated the CBN’s guideline but dipped at mid-day before closing bullish subsequent to the press briefing of the CBN Governor.

"The benchmark All Shares Index (ASI) surged 3.2 per cent to close at 27,891.96 points, bringing MTD return to 0.8 per cent and paring YTD losses to 2.6 per cent. Market capitalization added N294.6 billion to N9.6 trillion while market activity was equally strong with volume and value traded advancing 244.7 per cent and 43.4 percent to 588.4 million units and N3.5 Continues on page 41

6—Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016

08023019505 08034073107

Policeman dead, 46 arrested for murder, kidnap, cultism in C-River

By Ike Uche & Emma Una

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ALABAR—A 300 level undergraduate of Estate Management, Cross River State University of Technology, CRUTECH, is among the 46 suspected criminals involved in different criminal activities ranging from murder, kidnapping and cultism across Cross River State.

The state Police Commissioner, Jimoh Ozi Obeh, who disclosed this to journalists, said the command lost a police sergeant, Ekerette Dick, during a shootout with the armed robbery gang, with his AK-47 snatched.

According to Obeh, 33 suspects were arrested for murder, two for kidnap and two for armed robbery. Others are eight cultists and one other for unlawful possession of .9mm ammunition.

He added that fourlocally made pistols and other dangerous weapons were also recovered.

Gunmen kidnap GSM dealer in Aba

By Ugochukwu Alaribe

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BA—A four-man gang, yesterday, abducted a GSM dealer, identified as Pastor Okey from his shop at St. Michael’s Road, Aba, Abia State.

Pastor Okey, who is Chairman of St. Michael’s Road Phones and Accessories Dealers Association, was said to have barely opened for the day’s business when the gunmen struck.

Vanguard gathered that the gunmen, who drove a black Lexus 300 at about 10a.m., pretended to be waiting for someone and on sighting their victim, pounced and whisked him away.

Though no shot was fired by the kidnappers, the incident caused tension as other dealers scampered for safety, while commercial banks located within the area shut their doors.

Lagos task force nabs Awawa cult kingpin, 2 others

By Olasunkanmi Akoni

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PERATIVES of the Lagos State Task Force, Environment and Special Offences Unit, yesterday, arrested the notorious Awawa Boys cult leader, identified as Tobi Akinbayo, 28, alias, Scorpion, and two other suspected members, at Aluminium Village, Dopemu, Agege area of the state.

Chairman of the Task Force, Superintendent Olayinka Egbeyemi, while parading the three suspects, confirmed that the nefarious activities of the dreaded group had posed serious challenge to his agency and other state security services.

He stated further that reported cases of rape, armed robbery and killing of innocent citizens by the cultists had become worrisome to security agencies in the state.

According to Egbeyemi, the agency received lots of petitions about the activities of the Awawa Boys and, based on the petitions, directed the surveillance unit of the agency to closely monitor their activities in different parts of the state, which later paid off with the arrest of the suspects in Agege.

He admitted that the group had been terrorising the area, saying that other gang leaders, who were at large include One Paul, alias Bouncing, leader of ‘Nokia Group’ and Habeeb, alias Oluwa, of ‘Shita Boys’ who have killed, raped and robbed innocent citizens of their valuables in the area.

Egbeyemi said wraps of Indian hemp, also known as cannabis, were recovered from the suspects during the operation, adding “all those arrested will be charged to court as soon as possible.”

Confessions

During interrogation, Akinbayo, a.k.a.Scorpion, who lives at 10, Salako Street, Alluminium Village, Dopemu, confessed that he and his boys raped, burgled and killed innocent citizens who confronted them during any of their operations around Dopemu area.

Tobi confessed: “We sell Indian hemp to commercial bus drivers and area boys around Dopemu and its environs.”

According to him, the group during one of its operations raped one Miss Rufia Ogunbowale, daughter of one Mrs. Taiwo Iyabo, who lives at 26, Bello Street, Dopemu, Agege on May 5, at about 12 noon.

Akinbayo, a native of KutaIlegbo Town, Abeokuta, Ogun State, disclosed that Awawa

END OF AWAWA BOYS? From left—Tobi Akinbayo, alias Scorpion; Ibrahim Olaniran and Muyideen Olayinka and their packects of Indian hemp, at the Lagos State Task Force Headquarters, Alausa, Lagos.

Boys is an umbrella name and that they only have branches at different parts of the state and that he is the leader that controls Dopemu and its environs.

‘He gagged, then raped me’

Meanwhile, a 12-year-old Rufia said Akinbayo jumped the fence to enter their room

on that fateful day, when her mother had gone to the market. He gagged her with the scarf on her head before raping her.

She said her mother, who could not do anything for fear of being attacked, quickly took her to Abeokuta, where she was treated and she had since been living in Abeokuta at her late father’s house.

She said: “Akinbayo threatened to kill my mother if I dare report them to any security agencies.”

Her 46-year-old mother said: “They raped my daughter. But as they threatened to kill me and other children if I report to the police, I took her to her late father’s house at Abeokuta for treatment and she has been staying there since.”

Man, 33, defiles 5-yr-old girl; 4 men gang-rape 13-yr-old

By Peter Okutu

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BAKALIKI—EBONYI State Police Command, yesterday, said it arrested a 33-year-old man, Nweke Monday, for allegedly defiling a five-year-old girl in Amuzu Amuda community of Ezza North Local Government Area.

Just as four other suspects were arraigned before a Magistrate’s Court for allegedly gang-raping a 13year-old girl in Umunaga Agu-Ugwu Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area.

Contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP George Okafor, said the defilement of the five-yearold was reported to the police by the youth President of the community, Uchechi Elechi.

He noted that the youth President reported that Nweke Monday lured the girl (names withheld) to an abandoned Isuzu SUV, where he defiled her.

According to him, Elechi also reported that the victim was rushed to a hospital in

Ezzamgbo, Ohaukwu Local Government Area of the state, but that the girl’s parents have refused to officially report the matter to the police.

Okafor said: “The youth President decided to bring the matter to the fore. Though the parents of the child may be afraid of the stigma, the culprit will never go unpunished no matter how long he runs.

“We must charge him to court. We know that God himself will punish him. I wonder how someone could ever think of defiling her; it is unheard of and is complete wickedness.”

Meanwhile, the four persons that allegedly defiled a 13-year-old girl, Emmanuel Okereke, 27; Chukwuebuka Okoro, 22; Christopher Nwaeze, 31 and Obinna Njoku, 25, were arraigned on two count charges.

The suspects pleaded not guilty and were remanded in Abakaliki Federal Prisons.

Also, one Henry Ngwuta has been arraigned by an Abakaliki Magistrate’s Court for alleged defilement of a

nine-year-old girl.

The suspect, Ngwuta, in a one-count charge, was said to have, on May 10, at Onoko village in Ishinkwo, Onicha Local Government Area, raped the girl (names withheld).

28-yr old dismisse

By Evelyn Usman

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28 year-old dismissed soldier has been arrested in connection with the abduction

Emmanuel Audu

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016—7

08023019505 08034073107

How we kidnapped Babington Macaulay's students; Chinese national

By Esther Onyegbula, Faith Ake & Chika Ukele

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T

HE Lagos State Police Command, yesterday, paraded those involved in the kidnapping of Hang Kumming, a Chinese, of GMC Construction Company, located at Ibeju Lekki of Ajah, three weeks ago.

One of the arrested suspects revealed how they carried out the kidnapping of three students from Babington Macaulay Seminary School at Ikorodu earlier in the year.

The five kidnappers, identified as Felix Silver, 38; Oluwadare Segun, 32; Taye Videznon, Loco Amos and Adebowale Johnson, were arrested after they kidnapped the Chinese.

Parading the suspects, Lagos State Commissioner of Police,

Funmi Odusina (left) and Adesola Ogunmefun Owoseni Fatai, who disclosed that Felix Silver was arrested last week, said he is the leader of armed robbery and kidnapping operations in

Ikorodu, Epe and Ibafo axis.

Suspect’s account

Narrating how they carried out the kidnapping of the

Lagos govt blames UNILAG post-graduate students'deaths on beach operators

By Olasunkanmi Akoni

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HE Lagos State Commissioner for Waterfront and Infrastructure Development, Engr. Ade Akinsanya, yesterday, blamed the death at Elegushi Beach of Adeshola Ogunefun and Olufunmilayo Odusina, both postgraduate students of the University of Lagos, on operators of the beach in question, saying they failed to adhere to the standard safety practice of the state.

It will be recalled that the students met their sudden deaths when they drowned at Elugushi Beach during the birthday bash of their colleagues.

Akinsanya, therefore, directed operators of beaches and other public spaces, earmarked for leisure, to give priority attention to safety measures that will

Funmi Odusina (left) and Adesola Ogunmefun prevent avoidable mishaps.

He said government has the responsibility of safeguarding the lives and property of all residents and thus was greatly concerned about avoidable and needless deaths.

His words: “There is no doubt that the operators of the beach in question failed to adhere to the standard safety practice. The

Lagos State Government, through its safety commission, set safety standards for all sectors involved in socioeconomic activities in the state.”

While commiserating with the families of the deceased, the commissioner directed beach operators to henceforth ensure that lifeguards, first aid medical facilities with qualified hands, as well as wave-warning signal equipment are provided at their various locations.

Akinsanya said: “Henceforth, Lagos State Government shall not hesitate to take appropriate action against operators of beaches and other public places, who fail to comply with the state’s safety regulations.”

three students of Babington Macaulay, 38-year-old Felix Silver said: “We bore a hole in a section of the school fence through which we gained entrance and kidnapped the girls.

“We got N5.4 million as ransom and my share was N300,000.

“When the police began to look for me, I went underground. They arrested my sister and my son. I have been on the run till a friend, Adebowale Johnson, called me to assist him to kidnap his Chinese boss, Hang Kumming, because they have been slashing his salary.

“The operation was successful, but we were arrested after some of the workers confessed. I was in a hotel with my girlfriend in Ikorodu when I was arrested by operatives of Special AntiRobbery Squad.

“In Lagos State, I have participated in about three kidnap operations. I have never killed anyone during operations.

“I was not among the group that killed the DSS operatives.

I was a trader before I got involved in kidnapping.”

ed soldier in abduction, robbery saga of a private guard with Costa Link Companion, Kirikiri Lagos, and a botched robbery plot, last week.

The suspect, identified as Emmanuel Audu, 28, in the company of two others, were alleged to have abducted the guard, identified simply as Chinedu, in Maza-Maza area of Lagos and taken to Monkey Village, Kirikiri, where he was beaten comatose and N8,000 collected from him.

After his arrest, Audu claimed to be an officer of the Intelligence Unit of the Nigerian Army, at Child Avenue, Arakan Barracks, Apapa. But when authorities of the unit were contacted, they denied having anyone by the name Emmanuel Audu in their record.

Kidnapped Kogi judge regains freedom

The suspect who was paraded by the Lagos State Command spokesman, Superintendent Dolapo Badmus, yesterday at the command headquarters.

He admitted to have been dismissed in 2013, but claimed to have been reinstated in 2015 and two uniforms given him at the Military Staff College, Jaji, Kaduna State.

The suspect, according to Badmus, would be charged to court soon.

Audu’s story

Speaking on his alleged involvement in the abduction saga, Audu said: “A primary school mate, whom I met at a drinking joint in Lagos, Bandi, introduced me to one Chinedu (private guard) and Obiakpor.

He told me they were members of same cult group.

“In another meeting, Bandi told me to go and snatch a vehicle and when I asked him what I was going to use for the operation, he said he had a pistol. But I refused to do it.

“In this case, he called me on the phone to follow him to Maza-Maza. When I got there, I met him, Obiakpor and Chinedu. All of a sudden, an argument over payment of money ensued between them, in the process of which Chinedu was taken to Monkey Village, where he was beaten by Obiakpor and Bandi, while I stood watching and begging them to leave him alone.

“They claimed he refused to

give them money with which to prepare themselves for a car-snatching operation. They collected N8,000 from him which was handed to me. That is all I know about it.

“I am still a serving soldier.

I was dismissed in 2013 for abandoning work for 21 days to attend to my sick mother without permission. But I was reinstated by President Muhammadu Buhari.

“I was told I had been posted to serve at Arakan Barracks, Apapa. But the signal had not reached them when I got there. It was while I was trying to look for how to keep body and soul together that I came across Bandi, who landed me in this trouble.”

USTICE Isiyaka Momoh-Jimoh Usman of Kogi Customary Court of Appeal has been freed by his abductors.

A statement in Lokoja, yesterday, by the Public Relations Officer of the state Ministry of Justice, Mr. Saeed Saqeeb, said that the judge was released in Okene area at about 7p.m. on Tuesday.

It will be recalled that Usman was returning to Lokoja when he was kidnapped at gunpoint on Itakpe-Okene Road on June 12.

His police orderly, Corporal Abubakar Aba, was shot dead by the abductors while his driver was also shot several times.

“The judge has since reunited with his family members,” Saqeeb said in the statement.

Wife wants 16-yr-old marriage dissolved over Ogboni summons

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35-year-old housewife, Tomilola Ogundele, yesterday, asked an Ikole Customary Court to dissolve her 16year-old marriage to Olanrewaju Aluko over alleged threats to her life.

She also alleged that her husband was threatening to deal with her by reporting her to the Ogboni cult.

Ogundele filed for divorce on grounds of alleged “threat to her life, no rest of mind, nonpayment of her bride price and lack of care for her and the three children of the union.”

The defendant, Olanrewaju Aluko, however, denied the allegations during crossexaminations and told the court that he would explain his own side of the story when he opened his defence.

The Court’s President, Mrs Yemisi Ojo, adjourned the case to July 11 for continuation of hearing and warned the parties from harassing or assaulting each other anywhere or “else defaulter will be criminally liable.”

8—Vanguard, THURSDAY JUNE 16, 2016

Reps divided over purchase of 360 SUV

Abandoned Ajaokuta Steel: All govts after Shagari guilty —Sen Murray-Bruce

....Insist on release of N35.8bn Amnesty fund

....Summons minister with mgt staff ...vows to meet the Presidency over problems $513m needed to complete project —Sole Administrator

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BUJA—THE House of Representatives, yesterday, was sharply divided during its executive session over the purchase of Prado LandCruiser Jeeps for oversight functions of its members.

It also mandated its leadership to liaise with the executive to ensure that additional N35. 824 billion was made available to the amnesty programme for the reformation of militants in the Niger Delta.

The House equally lamented that Nigeria loses about N2 trillion annually in capital flight to foreign countries due to the inability of indigenous ship owners to participate in lifting cargoes from Nigeria, including crude oil.

On the car purchase, the lawmakers were angry over the continuous retention of chairman of the Appropriation Committee, Abdulmumin Jibrin, by the speaker, Yakubu Dogara, over his role in the controversy surrounding padding of 2016 budget, especially on constituency projects.

Though the speaker did not disclose what were discussed at the closed door session which lasted about one hour, Vanguard reliably gathered that the issue of purchase of vehicles for oversight functions and the controversy over constituency projects in the budget, which pitched the Presidency against the National Assembly dominated discussions.

A member who attended the closed door session, told Vanguard on condition of anonymity that some of them were not disposed to the purchase of Prado Jeep, following the reduction in the allocation to the National Assembly from N150 billion in 2014 to N120 billion in 2015 and N115 billion in the 2016 budget.

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By Henry Umoru & Joseph Erunke

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BUJA—NIGERIA does not know the quantity of crude oil it produces at the moment, Nigeria Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative, NEITI, has said.

The revelation came as the Senate,yesterday set up a ninemember ad-hoc committee to probe the 2013 audit report of the federal government agency.

The NEITI Executive Secretary,Waziri Adio, who

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri Communications Plc, High Chief BUJA—-THE Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed October 19 to commence full-blown hearing on the sixcount charge the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, entered against the Chairman of DAAR

by former President Shehu Shagari.

Senator Bruce, who blamed previous administrations and governments after Shagari, for the rot and abandonment, said the Senate, after a public hearing, would meet with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to find lasting solution to the problem to ensure that the companies worked.

Bruce, who was angered by

Nigeria doesn’t know volume of crude oil it produces — NEITI As Senate sets up 9-member c'ttee to investigate $5.9bn stolen oil

Alleged N2.1bn fraud: Court shifts Dokpesi’s trial to October 19

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the management of the companies.

Speaking when he led the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Privatization on tour of the projects, Chairman, Senate Committee on Privatization, Senator Ben Murray- Bruce, said the Senate was highly disappointed that successive governments could abandon the projects put in place

what he saw, said: “The presentation has been enlightening. I am deeply BUJA—THE Senate depressed as a businessman and yesterday summoned as a senator.

Minister of Solid Minerals, Dr. ‘’ After spending about $5 Kayode Fayemi, to appear before billion, it does not make any sense it to explain why Ajaokuta Steel to abandon the plant. The Complex and National Iron Ore government should have had a Company, Itakpe, all in Kogi State plan. We are disappointed that should be in a sorry state. successive governments after The Minister is to appear with Shagari abandoned the projects.

“There is a public hearing. We will not leave the venue of the public hearing until we find a solution. After everything, we will meet with the vice president who is the head of the economic team.

We will fix this problem.’’

Earlier in his remarks, Sole Administrator of Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited, Isah Joseph Onobere, who described the complex as the bedrock of Nigeria’s development, said the government must be careful about concessioning as any attempt to do so now, would amount to selling out scraps.

According to him, $ 513 million is required to complete Ajaokuta project.

“This place is the bedrock of Nigeria’s development. The first phase of the project has reached 98 per cent completion. ‘’It was abandoned in 1994. For 22 years, no new inputs, N23 SEMINAR: From left, Mrs. Julie Onmoke, a lawyer with Nigerian Export Promotion Council, NEPC; trillion worth of steel products Mr. Michael Nwogu,Co-Ordinator of South-South Regional Centre, NEPC; Mr. Tonye Pepple, MD, imported into Nigeria in 9 years.

Earthworks International, and Anani Ben, Chief Trade Promotion Officer, NEPC, Port Harcourt, $513 million needed to complete Regional Centre, during an export seminar by NEPC, entitled, 'Legal Aspects of Export Contract,' at the project.

Total investment is Sparklyn Hotel, Port Harcourt. Photo: Nwankpa Chijioke $4.6 billion,’’ he said.

By Henry Umoru

Raymond Dokpesi.

Trial Justice John Tsoho slated the date for the ant-graft agency to open its case against the defendant who is facing trial alongside his firm, DAAR Investment and Holdings Ltd, owners of African Independent Television, AIT, and Raypower FM.

disclosed this when he appeared before the Senate in plenary to explain it on the 2013 NEITI audit report, said the country was yet to know its oil and gas production capacity.

The Senate decision to investigate the report came after Adio took over two hours to explain what he knew about it.

Speaking, Adio, while regretting the level of mismanagement of resources in the oil and gas sector of the nation’s economy over the years, insisted that the country has no specific record of its quantity of oil produced over the years.

He said the NEITI 2013 Industry audit reports showed that revenue in the oil and gas industry were not fully remitted to the Federation Account, adding that the danger posed to the economy due to the misappropriation of these funds were much.

Senate President, Bukola Saraki, who presided over the session, said the issues raised by the NEITI boss was grave and

must be looked into.

Following this, he set up the committee, cutting across nine different standing committees, as he remarked that in view of the enormity of the money involved, the general opinion was that an ad hoc committee be set up to probe the report.

He said the terms of reference of the committee, led by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources ( Downstream ) Senator Jibrin Barau, would be to re-examine the financial processes and the fiscal audit report of NEITI. The Senate President also said the committee would look into the financial loss and leakages to government in all its ramifications, the remedial measures and come up with sanctions where necessary.

He noted that the committee would determine any relevant legislative action that would be required to block all forms of leakages.

The nine-member ad-hoc committee has as chairman,

Senator Tayo Alasoadura, who is the chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream).

Others are Senators Bassey Akpan, who is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Gas, Senator Andy Uba, Chairman, Public Accounts Committee, and Senator John Enoh, Chairman, Committee on Finance.

The rest are Senators Chukwuka Utazi, Chairman of the Senate Committee on AntiCorruption.Kabir Marafa, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Population and National Identity, Solomon Adeola and Bukar Mustapha.

Adio had alleged that some huge amount of monies, which were in three tranches, were either withheld, lost or underpaid for different reasons.

He said: “The first is in the category of the unremitted funds, which amounted to $3.8 bn and N358m; the second category is the category of losses due to inefficient practices and theft totalling $5.9bn and N20bn,”he said.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016—9

ECONOMY: FEC okays more external

borrowing Approves new debt management strategy for 2016-2019

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By Levinus Nwabughiogu

BUJA—TO reflate the nation’s ailing economy, Federal Executive Council, yesterday, gave approval for external borrowing for the period of three years, starting this year.

The council also approved the review of debt management strategy for the same period.

Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, made the disclosure while briefing State House correspondents at the end of the FEC meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Flanked by the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, at the briefing, Adeosun justified the decision, saying it was necessary to stimulate the private sector and financial institutions as well.

She said: “We would need to be borrowing. We need to borrow at the most cost effective rate and at the most cost effective and beneficial terms. And also the government recognizes that there is need to stimulate the private sector. ‘’For the private sector to really grow, banks must lend to it, so we don’t want government borrowing crowding out the private sector.

exporting easier. ‘’There was a lot of discussions around reforms that we would be needing in Customs and other ministries to make it easier to export Nigerian goods and agricultural produce and solid minerals for which there is demand at the moment.

“Some of the bottle necks that exist in customs and those under quarantine need to be removed. If we do this, that would create foreign exchange earnings so that these borrowings which are in dollars when they need to be repaid, we would have dollar revenues to pay for them.”

New debt management strategy between 2016-2019 The Minister also disclosed that the council approved a debt

management strategy for the years 2016-2019.

According to her, the previous one, which spanned between 2012 when it was started and 2015, had expired.

She added that the policy would also help in the economic diversification of the country.

“Today, I presented a memo to the FEC which was approved for the debt management strategy for the years 2016-2019. Nigeria started producing debt management strategy in the year 2012 and the three-year debt management programme along with the previous ones had expired December 2015 and there was a need for a new one. ‘’There was need for a new one for two reasons. One was that the previous one had expired but two given the current economic challenges and then the economic circus of this government to reflate

and diversify the economy, we felt there was need for a new debt strategy.

“So, the debt strategy to be used is based on medium term expenditure framework as you know was prepared and presented by the Ministry of Budget and National Planning and that MTEF assumed that we would reduce our domestic debt from one percent of GDP to 0.7 per cent by 2019. ‘’The reasons for this is that the government recognizes the need within the next three years to really stimulate this economy and provide the infrastructure that we need,” she said.

Multilateral loans to be restructured for Nigeria’s benefit Adeosun also hinted that Nigeria would restructure its multilateral loans from the World Bank and African Development Bank, ADB, to benefit Nigerians.

Strategic decision

“Government had taken a strategic decision that where possible, we would borrow more externally. That is the external debts in dollars or in any other currencies because the interest rates are cheaper, the tenures are longer and there is more room for banks to lend to the private sector, especially SMEs. So the strategy was approved by FEC after much debate.

“While approving it, FEC suggested some guidelines which were that as we are moving more of our debt to dollars, we need to focus more on exports, especially non oil exports and discussions were held around how to make

SWEARING IN: Members of Batch A Stream II National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, during their swearing in ceremony in Nonwa-Gbam Tai Local Government Area, Rivers State, yesterday. Photo: Nwankpa Chijioke.

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C M Y K

AGOS—A 26-year-old trader, Uchenna Okeke, has been arraigned before an Ikeja Magistrate's Court in Lagos for allegedly hitting a policeman in the head with a stone.

The policeman had intervened to stop the defendant from beating up a woman who he dragged on the floor but was assaulted.

Okeke, a resident of Oluwalimu Street, Ikeja, Lagos, is being tried for breach of peace and assault.

The prosecutor, Inspector George Nwosu, told the court that the accused committed the offence on June 11, 2016, in Ikeja, Lagos.

Nwosu said the accused unlawfully assaulted the policeman attached to MAN Centre Police Station for preventing Okeke from killing his lover.

He said: “The accused beat up the complainant and also caused injury to his head. The Police Corporal saw the accused beating his girlfriend and dragging her on the ground, he rushed to the scene to prevent the accused from committing murder."

Nwosu informed the court that the offence contravened Sections 166 and171oftheCriminalLawofLagos State, 2011, which on conviction attracts three-year prison term.

However, when the charge was readtotheaccusedbeforeMagistrate A.A.Adesanya,hepleadednotguilty and was granted bail in the sum of N100,000 with two sureties in like sum.

We won't join issues with Obanikoro but will do our job—EFCC

By Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor, with agency reports

A

BUJA—A former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, yesterday,

lashed out at the Nigerian government, a day after operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission raided his home and a property belonging to his son, Jide, in

fresh application to disqualify Judge BUJA—THE Federal Government, yesterday, urged the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, sitting in Abuja, to dismiss a fresh application seeking to disqualify Justice Danladi Umar from presiding over the trial of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki.

Government, through its lead counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, further accused Saraki, who is answering to a 16-count corruption charge, of attempting to use “frivolous motions” to frustrate his trial.

L

By Bartholomew Madukwe

Obanikoro dares FG to extradite him from US

CCT TRIAL: FG seeks dismissal of Saraki's

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

Trader, 26, docked for beating policeman

Meanwhile, Saraki, yesterday, successfully used the fresh motion endorsed by his lead counsel, Chief Kanu Agabi, SAN, to stall hearing on the charge against him till June 21.

The CCT panel, headed by Justice Umar, had originally adjourned for Saraki’s legal team to further cross-examine the lead prosecution witness, PW-1, Mr. Michael Wetkas.

Wetkas was the head of a three-man crack team the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, constituted in 2014 to investigate six

petitions against Saraki.

The witness commenced his Evidence-In-Chief before the tribunal on April 6.

At the resumed sitting on the matter on Wednesday, Saraki’s lawyer, Agabi, SAN, notified the tribunal panel of the pendency of the application seeking to disqualify Justice Umar.

Saraki based his application on remarks Justice Umar made on June 7, threatening that he would face thefullconsequencesofchargesagainst him despite whatever delay tactics he chose to employ in the course of the trial.

Lagos.

However, following the challenge thrown to the EFCC by Obanikoro to show evidence of his sons’ involvement in money laundering, the commission said last night it would not be distracted but would do its job.

Mr. Obanikoro in a series of tweets he posted on his Twitter page, @MObanikoro, yesterday morning, said he was not aware of any investigation into his activities when he held different ministerial portfolios in the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, adding that he was being victimised because of his political affiliation.

Mr. Obanikoro said any extradition proceeding against him would not stand the test of a decent judicial system, especially in the United States.

“Rumours of extradition are also lies – false allegations cannot stand up to any decent legal inquiry in a civilised system such

as in the U.S," he asserted Mr. Obanikoro said his travails at the hands of anti-graft officials were calculated to divert the attention of Nigerians away from the “abysmal and ignominious economic records” of Mr. Buhari.

“This is a government determined to outdo the abysmal and ignominious economic records of Dec. 31, 1983 to August 27, 1985 that ended in shame,” he claimed Meanwhile, the EFCC said last night that it would not be distracted by Obanikoro’s outburst but do its job without fear or favour.

The Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, told Vanguard last night that there was no need for the commission to dissipate energy on a matter that was straightforward and incontrovertible.

Uwujaren challenged Obanikoro to come out of his hiding and face the evidencebeforethecommissionincourt so as to prove his innocence and that of his children.

10 — Vanguard, THURSDAY JUNE 16 , 2016

N61M SCAM:

Adegboruwa’s case adjourned till Sept

By Innocent Anaba

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AGOS—A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, yesterday, adjourned till September 23, 2016, further hearing in the trial of Lagos lawyer and human rights activist, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, who is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC for allegedly dealing in property forfeited to the Federal Government through an interim order of court.

At the resumed hearing in the matter, second prosecution witness, called by the EFCC said that he does not know the purpose for which the sum of N61million was transferred to the account of Adegboruwa.

The EFCC continued with the examination in chief of Mr. Teslim Ajuwon, a compliance officer with Zenith Bank Plc, who testified and tendered documents relating to the statement of account of Adegboruwa’s law firm.

The witness told the court that as of August13, 2013, the sum of N61,631,944.65 was credited to the account of Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa & Co through NEFT by Transocean Support Vendor S/A. He told the court that prior to that day the credit balance in the said account was N1,492,232.56, adding that from the said account, the sum of N3,000,000.00 was transferred to Apex Properties Company Ltd, N2,200,00.00 was transferred to Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, N12,150,000.00 was transferred to Mr Jonathan Udeagbala, (the owner of the house) N35m was transferred to Victory Electronics Ltd (the company of the complainant in the case, Mr Leonard Okafor).

An attempt by the witness to give evidence on a particular transfer of N1m to an unnamed pastor was resisted by Mr Tayo Oyetibo, SAN, defence counsel, who objected on the ground that the personal life of Adegboruwa was not in review before the court.

N1.5BN FRAUD: EFCC files 17-count charge against Fani-Kayode T

HE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has filed a 17-count charge against a former Aviation Minister and Spokesman for the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Mr Femi FaniKayode over an alleged 1.5 billion Naira fraud.

A former Minister of Finance, Senator Nenadi Usman, a firm – Joint Trust Dimensions Limited – one Danjuman Yusuf and another Olubode Oke, (said to be at large) were also charged alongside Mr Fani-Kayode.

The defendants are expected to be arraigned at the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos as soon as the case is assigned to a judge.

A copy of the charge showed that while Mr Fani-Kayode was named in all 17 counts, the former Finance Minister was only named in the first four counts of the charge.

In the first count, Usman, FaniKayode, Yusuf And Jointrust Dimensions Nigeria Limited on or about January 8, 2015, within the

VISIT: From left; Mike Ro n n e b e r g e r, Fleet Manager Lufthansa Technik; Deputy Managing Director Arik Air, Captain Ado Sanusi and Jurgen Hupe, Director Line Maintenance Network & Tech O p s Management, Lufthansa Technik Maintenance International during the visit of Lufthansa Technik Director to Arik Air Aviation Centre in Lagos on Tuesday. jurisdiction of the Court conspired to indirectly retain the sum of 1.5 billion Naira, a sum the EFCC said they reasonably ought to have known formed part of the proceeds of an

unlawful act of stealing.

“They, therefore, committed an offence contrary to Section 18 (a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012. The Offence is punishable

under Section 15(3) & 4 of the same Act,” the charge read.

The EFCC had listed 17 witnesses to testify against the defendants including representatives of some banks.

OJB’s family bitter over neglect by entertainers

By Benjamin Njoku, Tofarati Ige & Anozie Egole

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MOTIONS have continued to run high at the Gbaja Street, Surulere, Lagos, residence of late talented music producer and singer, Babatunde Okungbowa a.k.a ‘OJB Jezreel’ following his demise two days ago.

The respected music producer, who passed away in the early hours of Tuesday, had battled with a kidney disease for some time before he eventually had a transplant in India in 2013.

His kidney again completely failed last week and he was on dialysis to overcome the relapse

before he died on Tuesday.

However, family members and friends of OJB are not happy with the colleagues of the deceased in the entertainment industry.

Vanguard investigation revealed that many of OJB’s close friends and neigbhours are bitter, as they accuse the legendary producer ’s colleagues of abandoning him to his fate in the last days of his life.

According to one of the sympathisers at OJB’s residence who spoke to Vanguard on the condition of anonymity, the entertainment industry is full of fake friends and fake love.

The source alleged that the lion share of the funds raised

Jonathan’s aide docked over N5.1bn fraud Financial Crimes Commission,

By Innocent Anaba

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AGOS—FORMER Special Assistant on Domestic Affairs to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Warpamo Dudafa, was yesterday, arraigned before a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, on a 23count charge of alleged N5.1 billion fraud.

He was charged alongside one Iwejuo Joseph Nna who is also known as Taiwo Ebenezer and Olugbenga Isaiah.

They both pleaded not guilty to the charge and were ordered to be remanded in prison custody, pending the hearing of their bail applications.

The accused are being prosecuted by the Economic and

EFCC. After their plea, the prosecutor, Rotimi Oyedepo, urged the court to remand them in prison custody, and adjourned for trial.

However, counsel to the accused persons, Gboyega Oyewole and Sunday Abumere, informed the court that their clients’ bail applications had been filed, and same served on the prosecution.

They urged the court to admit their clients on bail in liberal term.

But Oyedepo admitted receiving the bail applications and informed the court that he was not opposing the bail applications but needed time to respond.

The trial judge ordered that the accused persons be remanded in prisons custody till tomorrow for the court decide on their bail applications.

to foot the bill of OJB’s kidney transplant in India about three

years ago, didn’t come from the entertainment industry.

Nonagenarian withdraws suit seeking return of Lagos schools

By Onozure Dania

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AGOS—A 92-year-old widow, Mrs Roseline Ololo, on Wednesday discontinued a suit before a Federal High Court in Lagos seeking return two schools Metropolitan College and Isolo Secondary School, Lagos, to her.

The applicant had filed the suit through her lawyer, Chief Malcom Omirhobo, praying the court for an order directing the government to return the schools to her.

When the case was called on Wednesday, counsel to the applicant informed the court of a motion on notice to

discontinue the suit.

Omirhobo prayed the court to withdraw the action in its entirety against all persons sued as respondents in accordance with the rules of court.

In a short ruling, Justice Rabiu Shagari struck out the suit with no order as to cost.

Ololo had sued for herself and her company, Akaix West Africa Ltd. The respondents in the suit were the Attorney General of the Federation, the Minister of Education, Lagos State Government, Lagos State Attorney General, and The Lagos State Commissioner for Education.

Lagos releases 54 housing units to beneficiaries improvement and

By Olasunkanmi Akoni

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AGOS State Government, through the Lagos Home Ownership Mortgage Scheme, Lagos H.O.M.S, has released 54 housing units at Oko Oba, Agege to owners.

The General Manager, Lagos State Mortgage Board, Mr. Dehinde Tunwashe, who disclosed this added that the move was in furtherance to the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwumi Ambode’s promise to residents of continuity with

his administration’s commitment to ensure continued access to decent and affordable housing for all, irrespective of class, tribe, or religion.

Tunwashe, explained that the scheme which was recently commissioned, has large sized two and three bedrooms in a gated community.

“It is a way of alleviating the housing problems of the teeming populace as well as meeting up with the resident’s demand of decent and affordable housing in the state,” he said.

Vanguard, THURSDAY JUNE 16 , 2016 — 11

CJ orders Aregbesola to provide Osun’s debt profile

By Gbenga Olarinoye,

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SOGBO—THE Chief Judge of Osun state, Justice Oyebola Adepele Ojo, yesterday granted a mandamus order compelling the state Governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, to provide information about the debt profile of the state and repayment modality.

The order was sought by a human right lawyer, Mr Kanmi Ajibola, pursuant to Order 40, Rule 3 of the High court with 30 paragraphs affidavit in support of motion ex-parte.

Ajibola urged the court to compel Aregbesola to provide the lists of all capital projects being executed by his government since November 26, 2011.

The applicant sought an order compelling the Governor to provide information about the financial cost of all the capital projects executed by him.

He urged the court to compel the Governor to provide evidence of the lodgment of the deductions from the salaries of the Osun State Civil Servants, being their contributions to the Pension Scheme into the Retirement Savings Account.

The human rights lawyer also sought an order of the court compelling Governor Aregbesola to provide evidence of the lodgement of the Contributory Pension Scheme into the Contributory Retirement Savings.

OSUN CHRISTIAN/MUSLIM FACE-OFF: Religious ‘battle' enters physical, spiritual realm •Gov orders school shut • CAN condemns hijab ruling

By Gbenga Olarinoye & Sam Eyoboka

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SOGBO—THE face-off between Christian and Muslim leaders degenerated, yesterday, but the timely intervention of Oluwo of Iwoland, Oba Adewale Akanbi, saved what could have snowballed into major religious crisis as some Christian students of Baptist High School, Adeeke, Iwo for the second day appeared in church robes to attend classes for the day.

In defiance to Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s warning on Tuesday that any student found disobeying school rules and regulations risk expulsion, some students who arrived the school for the day’s lessons in church robes were turned back by security men manning the gate who however allowed female Muslim students who wore hijab as a complement to their uniforms into the school premises.

However, some Christian leaders who initially kept a safe distance watching the unfolding event at this point moved to the gate to ensure that their children also gained access to the school premises.

The Christians eventually gained access into the premises.

Muslim leaders who were around the school premises also moved to the gate and a face-off ensued between the two groups.

It was gathered that the paramount ruler of the town, Oba Akanbi, stepped in by personally

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ALEB International College, Magodo Lagos yesterday bagged the prestigious award of “The Best Private Secondary School in Lagos State in 2015”.

The Award was yet another monumental feat added to the string of previous meritorious recognitions given to the College for academic, moral and spiritual excellence.

The award was presented to the college by the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Education who was represented by a Deputy Director in the ministry, Mr. KassimMufutau.

Speaking moments after the presentation of the Award, the Project Manager of the Zunongene Ltd, the organizer of the event, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Oluwatoyin said the College got the award based on the painstaking efforts of the no-nonsense re-

Ogundeji, was meant to reject the court ruling on hijab and other alleged islamisation plot by the state government.

Dr Ogundiya told Vanguard that the prayer was also meant to seek for peace from God and to “nullify anti-Kingdom laws and dealings with satanic forces that are tormenting the state for the past few weeks”.

Meanwhile, Baptist High School, Iwo where students went to school, yesterday, with various choir and church apparels as well as hijab was condoned-off by the police after it was shut by the state government, as the Christian and Muslim leaders held meetings with the Iwo monarch, Oba Abdulrasheed Adewale Akanbi to find solution to the impasse.

CAN condemns hijab ruling in Osun state

Security men at the gate of Baptist High School, Iwo, Osun State, yesterday.

Residents join NLC mega rally against Ajimobi govt members in Oyo State yesterday at a mega rally to protest non payBADAN—THE national ment of workers salaries for the leadership of the Nigeria past six months.

Led by the Deputy Vice PresiLabour Congress joined its dent, Muhammadu Shuaibu, the workers staged a peaceful protest on major streets of Ibadan chanting anti government slogans.But, quite a large number of civil servants turned search team of the Lagos State up for duties during the protest Ministry of Education. which lasted several hours.

She said the findings of the reThe workers want the governsearch team proved beyond reament to stop the process of sonable doubt that Caleb Interhanding over of some secondnational College is truly commitary schools in the state to their ted to academic, moral and spirowners.They also want the govitual excellence. ernment to drop all charges levResponding, the Principal, elled against some labour leadCaleb International College, ers and members in the state Magodo, Mrs. Linda Olumese who were arraigned in an Iyadescribed it as the marvelous ganku Magistrate Court for aldoings of God. leged disruption of a stakeholdShe said the award is a ers’ meeting the penultimate challenge for the College and week. stakeholders in general to be However, the state Governor more committed to academic, Abiola Ajimobi said (despite the moral and spiritual excellence to protest) he was impressed by the glory of God. workers’ attendance at various She thanked God for being the ministries, insisting that pillar of the College and Caleb workers who shunned their Group of Schools while expresswork would forfeit their income ing sincere appreciation to the for the period of absence.

Proprietor of the Group of Schools, The governor said this while Dr. Ola Adebogun for his divinemonitoring attendance at the ly inspired vision, focus and unministries on Wednesday while flinching support.

By Ola Ajayi

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Caleb is best private secondary school

By Tare Youdeowei

visiting the school to douse the tension by inviting both the Christian and Muslim leaders to his palace for a meeting.

The battle after a while, turned spiritual as Christians in the state, yesterday, organised an interdenominational prayer where they offered prayers to God to intervene on the issue of hijab and the court ruling.

The prayer rally which was attended by over 200 pastors and thousands of Christian faithful across all denominations in the 30 Local Government Areas of the State including Ife East Area Office was held at Dominion Hall of Osun Baptist Conference, Gbodofon, Osogbo .

The prayer called by the State CAN Chairman, Reverend Dr. Elisha Ogundiya and led by his Vice, Pastor Moses Adedeji

Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, yesterday, expressed disappointment over recent High Court judgment in Osun State on the use of hijab in all schools including missionary schools, describing the development as unfortunate which may send a wrong signal that Osun State Government is clearly favouring one religion over the other.

The meeting which was well attended, had in attendance the National Officers of the Association, all the five Heads of blocs, the zonal chairmen, the states chairmen and delegates representing the five blocs of the association; Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN), Christian Council of Nigeria (CCN) Christian Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria/ Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (CPFN/PFN), TEKAN/ ECWA, and Organisation of African Instituted Churches

the protest was on.The protest which started at the NLC secretariat later spread to Oje, Beere, Mapo, Oja-Oba, and other major areas in Ibadan metropolis.

Vanguard observed that several other people who are not workers joined the protest which went on peacefully.

As they moved on, they stopped at every junction to inform residents about what led to the protest. Unlike the

initial rally last week, there were hundreds of people with the union leaders.

The NLC chairman in the state, Waheed Olojede, said the mega rally was a demonstration against untold hardship that they suffered due to non payment of salaries by the state government.

Despite the boycot by some workers who were in their offices, Olojede described the protest as a huge success noting that it was necessary for the government

FG urged to support community policing

By Elizabeth Uwandu

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HE Federal Government has been called upon to support organizations and groups that engage in grassroots mobilization for information and intelligence gathering to assist security agencies in their operations.

Speaking on a topic “Community policing as a modern tool to enhancing efficiency on security matters”, a secutity expert, Mr. Fredrick Davies, President of Global Security Network, Dallas, Texas, USA, said the performance of security agencies all over the world in modern times are enhanced by the embracing of com-

munity policing which gives encouragement to grassroots mobilization and intelligence gathering.

Also speaking, Director-General of PAC, Dr. Martins John-Oni commended the Inspector General of Police, Senate Committee on Police Affairs and office of the Vice President that have been collaborating with PAC in organizing seminars/workshops to train its members and other stakeholders on information/intelligence gathering, and the office of the Vice President that had shown willingness to work with organization, and urged the government to continue to support the committee.

12—VANGUARD, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016

Edo in Safe Hands, Diaspora group back Obaseki

PVCs: Ize-Iyamu's

delegates cause stir in APC caucus

By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor

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FRESH twist to the controversies shadowing the APC primaries emerged yesterday as it was alleged that fresh delegates were appointed to replace delegates who left the party with former party chieftain, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu.

The revelation came at a closed-door session between Governor Adams Oshiomhole and some of the aspirants. The meeting, allegedly called by Governor Oshiomhole to prepare grounds for a peaceful primary was, however, shaken by the revelation that the Ize-Iyamu delegates had been replaced by delegates supposedly

appointed by the Deputy Governor, Dr. Pius Odubu.

Only six of the aspirants were present at the interactive session with the governor yesterday. Among those present were Engr. Chris Ogienwonyi, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, Mr. Emmanuel Arigbe- Osula, Mr. Peter Esele, Prof.

Fredrick Amadasun and the only female aspirant, Mrs. Tina Agbarha.

Controversy broke out when one of the aspirants requested to know the circumstances of the delegates who left the party in 2014 with former party chieftain, Ize-Iyamu, who is now a frontline aspirant in the opposition PDP. It was at that stage that it was revealed by a very top

By Simon Ebegbulem

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government official in attendance that the delegates who left were replaced by Odubu who is from the same local government area as IzeIyamu.

Some of the aspirants took the assertion with curiosity especially given that Odubu was not present at the forum.

Remarkably, the governor also told the aspirants that he was yet to see the list of aspirants a revelation that equally stirred controversy among some of the delegates who expressed concern that the list of voters for the election due in three days had not been made known.

PDP aspirants resolve to back winner

By Gabriel Enogholase

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LL three PDP governorship aspirants screened to contest Monday ’s primary have resolved to work for the success of whoever emerges the party’s flag bearer.

The three screened yesterday by the four-man committee headed by a former Minister of Education; Prof. Tunde Adediran were Pastor Osagie Ize- Iyamu, Chief Solomon Edebiri, and Mr. Matthew Iduoriyekemwen.

Other members of the screening committee included Senator Abiye Sekibo, Senator Joshua Idaini, Mr. Ndubusi Nwingwe and Mr. Faruk Yahaya Idris.

Addressing journalists shortly after the screening

exercise which took place at the party’s secretariat along First East Circular Road, Benin, the chairman of the committee, Prof. Adeniran said, the three men had all agreed to work for the success of the party irrespective of the outcome of the primary on Monday.

He also affirmed that the bid

by Senator Ali Sheriff to reclaim

CRPP back Odubu

By Gabriel Enogholase

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HE Coalition of Registered Political Parties (CRPP) in the state has thrown its weight behind the candidature of the incumbent deputy governor, Dr. Pius Odubu.

The group at a press conference in Benin yesterday, said the adoption of Dr. Odubu as its governorship candidate was based on the outcome of its various consultations with stakeholders in the state on the future of Edo State even as he described the Deputy Governor as a resourceful and tested personality who was well crafted in the art of governance.

CRPP state chairman, Dr. Samson Isibor said: “After

•Odubu: Gets backing reviewing the report of other various consultations, the CRPP resolved to support the Rt. Hon. Pius Odubu as the man Edo state needs this time around to take us to the promise land.

the office of national chairman would not in any way affect the party ’s chances in the forthcoming governorship election.

On the crisis in the party, he said: “We could see the handiwork of some people who are being used. We know what is happening, and the PDP will not allow those being sponsored to have their way.

The era of imposition, impunity has no place in the PDP; the

era of self-imposed leader is not in the PDP and our party members are working to uphold the internal democracy of the PDP”.

Commenting on the imposition of candidates, Prof.

Adeniran said that the PDP has learnt its lessons from the outcome of last year’s general election, saying that due process would be followed and a level playing field provided for all the aspirants.

PC aspirant, Godwin Obaseki was yesterday endorsed by Edo in Safe Hands, the pro-Oshiomhole group that was the backbone of the governor’s re-election in 2012.

Obaseki has also been endorsed by Senator Francis Alimikhena, APC Edo, North, and Diaspora Support Group, (GODSP).

Edo in Safe Hands presently led by the State Commissioner for Works, Barr. Osarodion Ogie, who is also Obaseki’s campaign manager, gave the endorsement at a rally held at the Oba Akenzua Cultural Centre in Benin.

Barr. Dickson Osaretin moved the motion for the endorsement after representatives of the group drawn from the 192 wards of the state signed the motion for the endorsement.

Chairman of the group, Washington Osifo said members of the group took the decision upon the conviction that Obaseki was the best material to sustain the legacy of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

The GODSP on its part made its endorsement when members of the group drawn from America and Europe and led

by Mr. Efosa Ogierhiakhi paid a courtesy call on Obaseki in his campaign office in Benin.

PVCs MOP UP: Imansuagbon, Obaseki in war of words

By Rufus Ike

T

WO of the leading APC aspirants, Mr. Ken Imasuangbon, and Godwin Obaseki were yesterday locked in a war of words over the purchase of PVCs. Mr. Imansuagbon kicked off the war with his allegation that Obaseki who he claimed was being sponsored by Governor Adams Oshiomhole had mopped up the PVCs of delegates with the intention of passing them over to thugs to vote on the day of primaries.

Imansuagbon, popularly referred to as Rice Man, thus charged original party leaders to ensure that other forms of identification were introduced to sift out thugs masquerading as delegates.

Imansuagbon was immediately countered by Obaseki, who accused him, Imansuagbon, of attempting to use money to buy up the delegates. Obaseki represented by his campaign manager; Mr. Osarodion Ogie

•Imasuangbon: Hits Obaseki threw back the allegation at Imansuagbon saying that the latter was also buying up delegates to rig the election.

Meanwhile, Imansuagbon has charged the governor to speak up on the issue of purchase of PVCs. “I was the first to raise the alarm on the purchase of PVCs, and I am wondering why as the Chief Security Officer the governor has not condemned it or spoken on it.

“Why has he not condemned it? I am calling on the party

•Obaseki: Denied charge of buying PVCs leadership not to use the PVCs only for identification of delegates; rather they should employ other means of identification to ensure that only genuine delegates are accredited.

So, I am appealing to all delegates to insist on having their PVCs. They should not mortgage their conscience to this pot of porridge which will draw Edo State backward. The world can now see that the democracy here is worse than that of Nazi Germany.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016—13

260KM SUPERHIGHWAY: Market women, youths

paralyse economic activities in Calabar Slam NGOs; seek approval of EIA for commencement of project

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ALABAR—THOUSANDS of market women and youth groups, yesterday, took to the streets of Calabar, Cross River State to express their support for the state’s 260km superhighway project.

They carried banners and placards with inscriptions such as “Cross Riverians say no to conspiracy against superhighway,” “Superhighway our dream for a better tomorrow,” “our economic development depends on the superhighway,” “You can’t hate us and love our forest,” among others.

The protesters denounced what they described as conspiracy by some international nongovernmental organisations, NGOs, and their local collaborators against the project.

They urged the Federal Government to disregard the antics of the NGOs and ensure timely approval of the Environmental Impact Assessment, EIA, for commencement of construction work on the superhighway.

The rally brought vehicular traffic to a standstill in some parts of Calabar Metropolis for over two hours.

President National Youth Council of Nigeria, Cross River State Council, Ndiyo Ndiyo, who was angry at what he described as unfair treatment of the state, said: “We want everybody

including the International community and the Federal Ministry of Environment to know that the youths of Cross River State say no one should play politics with our developmental efforts. Nobody should sacrifice Cross River State for selfish gains.

“When they developed Abuja, was there no forest? When they developed China, didn’t they tamper with their forest? What about other developed countries? Did they develop them without touching their forest? So why is Cross River

State’s case different? We hereby pass vote of confidence on the project.”

Ndiyo called on the Federal Government to expedite action on the approval of the EIA for the project, even as he demanded that the state be paid compensation for preserving its forest over the years.

On her part, leader of the women group, who were mostly market women, Mrs. Vivian Imogbo, said that the need for the superhighway cannot be overemphasised given the deplorable state of the only

existing highway, which is a federal road.

“We want superhighway because the only federal highway that we have is in very bad state. Our women who travel on that road to different markets die on that road every day. Recently some of our Reverend Sisters died on that road.

“Governor Ayade knows what is good for us, that is why he initiated the superhighway project and our deep seaport project to ameliorate the untold hardship we face daily on the bad federal road in the state.”

TRAINING: From left: Commander, 9 Brigade, Brigadier-General Bulama Biu, Commander, NNS Beecroft, Commodore A.O. Adaji, and Customs Officers, during the passing out parade of Nigeria Customs Service officers and men trained by 9 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Ikeja, Lagos.

We won't succumb to intimidation, panel warns warring Delta communities

By Festus Ahon

A

SABA—WARRING Aladja and Ogbe-Ijoh Communities in Udu and Warri South-West Local Government Areas, Delta State, have assured the Panel of Inquiry set up by the state governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa to resolve their land dispute of maximum cooperation.

This came as the panel led by Prof. Abednego Ekoko promised to live up to its expectation by ensuring, impartiality, fairness and firmness in their proceedings, emphasizing that its role was to promote peace, harmony and put to an end the dispute between the two communities.

Speaking at the inaugural public sitting at the Governor’s Office Annex, Warri, yesterday, Ekoko warned that the panel would not succumb to intimidation, threats or subversive influence in the course of its duties.

Youth President of Aladja community, Mr. Onatombre Wisdom and his Ogbe-Ijoh counterpart, Mr. James Christmas in their separate remarks, assured the panel of their C M Y K

support and cooperation during their sittings and visits to the disputed land for survey and

demarcation.

They also appealed to youths in their respective domains to

embrace peace and sheath their sword and allow the panel to carry out its duties.

....As Opudu appeals to warring Aladja, ethnic champions to spoil my Ogbe-Ijoh communities reputation by portraying me as

By Etop Ekanem

W

ARRI—CHAIRMAN, Delta Waterways and Land Security Committee, Chief Boro Opudu, has appealed to warring Aladja and Ogbe-Ijoh communities to sheath their swords and embrace dialogue,

saying, “It’s dialogue that ends conflicts not war.”

In a statement, yesterday, Opudu said: “The communal war is over land dispute which did not start today and so it is totally vindictive, malicious, mischievous and defamatory for

a sponsor of the Aladja-OgbeIjoh communal conflict.

“It bothers me most that the two hitherto friendly communities are currently at war, my resources are always being deployed towards timely cessation of hostilities between the two communities.”

Ajumogobia shuns MEND appointment as negotiator In a statement, he said: “My alleged perpetrators nor have I

By Emma Amaize & Perez Brisibe

W

ARRI—FORMER Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Henry Ajumogobia, SAN, named by Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, as one of its mediators in the planned dialogue with the Federal Government, has rejected the appointment.

attention has been drawn to widespread reports in the media claiming that I had agreed to participate in negotiations with the Federal Government over the issue of attacks on oil installations in the Niger Delta on behalf of some of the alleged perpetrators of these actions or connected persons. This is not so.

“I wish to make it absolutely clear that I do not know the

offered to serve as their representative in prospective discussions with the Federal Government in any capacity whatsoever.

“I was recently contacted by someone, who claimed to represent MEND.Inthatconversation,thecaller askedifIwouldbewillingtoparticipate in an initiative to find ways to end the attacks on oil installations through dialogue towards restoring peace and stability in the region."

Delta council suspends Majority Leader

U

By Perez Brisibe

GHELLI—MAJORITY Leader of Ughelli South Local Government Area legislative arm, Delta State, Andrew Arhavwarien has been suspended indefinitely over alleged misconduct.

Arhavwarien was suspended alongside the councilor representing Ewu Ward 5, Emmanuel Ebikawei for same offence.

According to a statement

by Clerk of the House, Matthew Iboyitete on behalf of the Leader of the House, the motion for the suspension of the lawmakers was moved by the member representing Jeremi Ward 3, Sunday Apah and unanimously adopted.

Meanwhile, the lawmakers immediately voted the member representing Okpare Ward, Dennis Obodje as the acting Majority Leader.

Group dismisses corruption allegation against NAPIMS boss

By Tare Youdeowei

W

ARRI—NIGER Delta Indigenous Movement for Radical Change, NDIMRC, has denied corruption allegation against the General Manager of National Petroleum Investment Management Services, NAPIMS, Mr Dafe Sejebor, saying that the $260 million contracts being quoted in the allegation followed due process.

An online report had accused the NAPIMS boss of a fraud in $260 million illegal contracts.

But in a statement by its President, Nelly Emma, NDIMRC said that the $260 million contracts followed due process, adding that some elements, including a son of a serving governor were just out to tarnish the good image of the NAPIMS boss.

According to the group, “Those behind the sponsored online report are not telling the whole world the truth. The award of this said contract followed due process and it is not true that NAPIMS allegedly approved the contracts illegally.

14—Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016

AOPN holds 2016 Outsourcing Expo

Group marks Gov Ambode's 53rd birthday

From left, Dr. Obiora Madu,Vice President, Association of Outsourcing Professionals of Nigeria, AOPN; Mr. Soji Oyawoye,Managing Director/CEO Resource Intermediaries Ltd, and Mr. Gbenga Adefaye,General Manager/Editor-in-Chief, Vanguard Newspapers, during AOPN 2016 Outsourcing Expo, entitled, 'Building the Nigeria Outsourcing Model: Issues for Consideration,' in Lagos, yesterday.

Photos: Akeem Salau

Lagos State governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (4th right), his wife, Bolanle (3rd right); President, Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede (right); members of Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy, CECP-Nigeria: Dr. Michael Omolayole (2nd right); Convener, Mrs. Tutu Adeleke (4th left), Dr. Christopher Kolade (3rd left), Publisher, Guardian Newspapers, Maiden Alex Ibru, and Chief Kemi Nelson (left), jointly cutting the cake during a Special #GivingTuesday, organized by the CECP-Nigeria to mark the Governor’s 53rd birthday, at the Banquet Hall, Lagos House, Ikeja.

From left, Ify Osineme,Chairman, Planning Committe, AOPN; Mr. Soji Oyawoye, MD/CEO, Resource Intermediaries Ltd, and Oyiza Salu, Group Head, Human Resources, GTBank.

From left, Ngozi Oyewole; MD/CEO, Noxie Limited; Nicholas Nyamali, Group Managing Director,Investment One Financial Services Limited and Mr Peter Bankole, MD, Enterprise Development Centre, Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos.

Cross Section of new members and some members of the Governing Council of AOPN

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (middle), being decorated as Patron of Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP-Nigeria) by the Convener, Mrs. Tutu Adeleke (left) while Dr. Michael Omolayole (2nd left), Wife of the Governor, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode (2nd right) and member of CECP, Chief Kemi Nelson (right), watch with admiration.

Lagos State governor, Mr. Ambode (2nd right), being presented with an award by the Convener, Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP-Nigeria), Mrs. Tutu Adeleke (left) With them are Dr. Michael Omolayole (2nd left) and Mrs. Bolanle Ambode (right)

Lagos State governor, Mr. Ambode (2nd left); his wife, Bolanle (left), Chairman of the occasion, Mr. Jim Ovia, and Group Managing Director, Zenith Bank Plc., Mr. Peter Amangbo (right)

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016—15

Protesting pensioners, students ground Owerri

By Chidi Nkwopara & Chinonso Alozie

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WERRI—TRAFFIC was held for several hours, yesterday, in Owerri, especially at the Wetheral/Okigwe Road roundabout, following the peaceful protest carried out by scores of senior citizens in Imo State.

Some of the angry retirees, including the State Chairman of Nigerian Union of Pensioners, NUP, Chief G. Ezeji, who defied the heavy downpour experienced in the municipality, told Vanguard that they were prepared to remain at the roundabout for as long as their failing health could allow.

The angry pensioners, who rebuffed entreaties by the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Taiwo Lakanu, virtually chased away the Commissioner for Internally Generated Revenue and Pension Matters, Dr. Vitalis Ajumbe, insisting that they wanted to hear directly from the governor.

The situation became more complex when students joined the protest, as they equally outlined a litany of their worries.

Chief Ezeji narrated how their plight started: “When the present Imo State government came on board on May 29, 2011, the citizens, including the Imo pensioners whole-heartedly welcomed and supported the government of Governor Rochas Okorocha.

“On July 18, 2011, he hosted the Imo pensioners at Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri, and commenced the payment of three months arrears of pension owed to civil service workers. That was his first act of friendship towards the senior citizens of Imo State.

“He paid the civil pensioners their monthly pension up to December 31, 2014. As for the local government pensioners, he paid them their monthly pension up to December 31, 2014. The retired primary school teachers were paid up to March 2014.”

Our challenges “Ironically, he started owing the civil pensioners from February 2015 and now owes them 16 months from February 2015 to May 31, 2016. The local government pensioners are now owed 26 months from March 2014 to May 2016. The IBC pensioners are now owed 36 months. The Alvan Ikoku College of Education retirees are owed 68 months.

“The state government is also not paying gratuities to pensioners that are retiring weekly, monthly and yearly. The present Imo State government has refused to harmonize pensions based on Federal Government pension award of six per cent in 2003, and 15 per cent Federal Government award of 2007, as well as 33 per cent Federal Government award of 2011.

C M Y K

“The Imo State pensioners are still receiving pensions based on Chief Olusegun Obasanjo minimum wage of N7, 500 awarded on 2000.

“The harmonization arrears accruing from the Abdulsalami Abubakar and Obasanjo awards totaling 73 months are unpaid to Imo pensioners. The retired permanent secretaries of Imo State are equally suffering with the civil service pensioners in all the problems listed above.”

Genesis of our problems “When the governor stopped paying us the listed entitlements, we decided to bear with him because of the campaign era and voted for him en masse. Immediately, after his victory at the poll, the union congratulated him and that was followed by a paid advert in a local newspaper, during his swearing-in as governor for the second tenure.

“The union wrote and enumerated the problems of Imo pensioners to the governor on May 25, 2015. In the said letter, we sought for audience with the governor on June 10, 2015, but ironically the said letter was not acknowledged and audience not granted till today. On the whole, government only paid about 305 pensioners last October 2015.

“As at today, the pensioners are

owed between 16 and 38 months arrears. All efforts made for governments to change its policy of starving the pensioners to death has not yielded any fruit.

“Retired teachers, retired local government pensioners, civil service pensioners, including Alvan Ikoku College of Education retirees, Imo Broadcasting Corporation, IBC, retirees and retired Permanent Secretaries are suffering untold hardship as a result. A good number of pensioners have died of hunger and diseases.

Our demands “The state government verified pensioners in 2011. Again in 2014, during the tenure of the maiden Commissioner for Internal Resources and Pensions, Chief Nick Oparandudu, the Imo Pensioners were verified for the third time in 2015, under the supervision of the Chairman, Local Government Service Commission. That was followed by the 4th verification in all the community government councils.

“Also from November 30, 2015, government verified those that did not benefit from the payment made by the government in October 2015. With these listed verifications conducted by government, it is unfortunate that the same government is still talking of ghost pensioners. We thought that government,

through these verification exercises, should by now come up with the list of ghost pensioners it alleged are on its payroll.

“These notwithstanding, the leadership and members of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Imo State, is not against verification provided it goes with payment immediately to physically verified pensioners. The leadership and members of our union have demonstrated maturity and patience in our present situation.

We call on the Imo State government to pay us our entitlements.

“If South East states like Anambra, Enugu, Abia and Ebonyi without oil revenue are paying their senior citizens, it is incumbent on the governor of Imo State to follow suit. Why cannot Imo pay her citizens? We, therefore, call on the Imo State government to pay the accumulated arrears of pensions immediately.

Students protest Meanwhile, the students of the Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri, FEDPONEK, and Federal University of Technology Owerri, FUTO, have described the state government as being insensitive to their plights.

The students numbering over 900, marched from their various

LAUNCH: From left, Mr. Tarang Gupta, Marketing Director, Frieslandcampina Wamco Nigeria Plc; Prof. Ngozi Nnam, President Nutrition Society of Nigeria, and Dr. Adegboyega Ogunwale, Consultant Psychiatrist, Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, during the launch of a new Peak Milk product, at Oriental Hotel, Lagos, yesterday. Photo: Joe Akintola, Photo Editor

institutions to the state capital, demanding that the government should come and make their roads motorable.

They also displayed their placards which read, 'We are dying here,' 'Where is the Rescue Mission?' 'Are these institutions not in Imo State, we are tired of promises,' 'Come and repair our roads,' among others.

Speaking to Vanguard, the Presidents of the Students' Union Government, SUG, of FEDPONEK and FUTO, Comrades Ike Emmanuel and Ezenwa Obinna, respectively said that they would continue the protest until their demands were not only given attention but also solved.

Abia N1bn agric loan not for political patronage, gov warns

By Anayo Okoli

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MUAHIA—ABIA State government, yesterday, said that it has received a Commercial Agricultural Credit Scheme Loan of N1 billion from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN. The state governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, has however, warned that the loan should not be used as political patronage, but must get to genuine farmers.

A statement from the new Chief Press Secretary to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, Enyinnaya Appolos, said that the Commissioner for Agriculture, Hon. Uzo Azubuike, and his finance counterpart, Mr. Obinna Oriaku, had confirmed receipt of the loan by the state.

The loan, according to him, “is an intervention in local agriculture to ensure farmers in the state engage in all-season farming,” adding that, “it is a single digit loan of seven per cent interest with moratorium period of six months.”

7 victims of Onitsha explosion die in Asaba FMC as resident doctors’ strike persists ...others in critical condition

By Nwabueze Okonkwo

O

NITSHA—SEVEN of the 12 victims, who sustained injuries in an explosion which rocked Karach Market, Odekpe in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State, near the commercial city of Onitsha, May 3, this year, have been confirmed dead by medical experts at the

Federal Medical Centre, FMC, Asaba, Delta State.

The victims were said to have given up the ghost, last weekend, at FMC, where they were receiving treatment since May 3, when some gallons filled with petroleum products in a building in the market exploded and injured scores of people.

According to a reliable source, five other victims are still

receiving treatment at FMC Asaba, out of which the health condition of four, including a 22year-old Alexander Ezenwa from Ogbaru is deteriorating due to the degree of burns they sustained from the explosion.

The source also hinted that the health care services at the FMC Asaba are currently suffering a setback following the strike action embarked upon by the National

Association of Resident Doctors, NARD. The elder brother to Alexander Ezenwa, one of the victims, Charles Ezenwa, who spoke to newsmen on phone, said: “The explosion took place at a restaurant in Karach Market where the victims were eating, leaving over 20 persons within the restaurant and outside seriously injured.”

16 —VANGUARD, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 16 16,, 2016 – 17 Send Opinions & Letters to: opinions1234@yahoo.com

June 12’s second annulment ROM the moment the June F 12th, 1993 presidential election was annulled on June

23rd by former military president, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, it became a buffet of sorts. So many people – both those who were part of the struggle and those who opposed it – have fed fat on it. Some have even transmogrified from virtually bankrupt chicken farmers to the ultimate leadership of the country from which they exited as “un-probeable” sacred-cow overnight super-rich Nigerians.

After the annulment, some elements (Major General Shehu Yar’Adua and Chief Tony Anenih) in the Social Democratic Party, SDP, the platform on which the late Chief Moshood Abiola won the presidential election, quickly embraced a new transition to enable them bury Abiola’s mandate. They went to the Constitutional Conference which General Sani Abacha, Babangida’s chosen successor, called to legitimise his government. Some were made ministers (example, Chief Olu Onagoruwa and Chief Ebenezer Babatope), and a top military officer from Abiola’s home zone (Lt General Oladipo Diya) was appointed Abacha’s Deputy.

While some “ate”, some paid for it with their lives (Yar’ Adua, Abacha and Abiola) within five years, while some were totally disgraced (Diya, Onagoruwa).

Some of those who insisted on the revalidation of the mandate were either jailed (Chief Gani Fawehinmi) or escaped into exile (Chief Anthony Enahoro, Prof. Wole Soyinka, Chief Bola Tinubu).

Some who remained at home kept low profile (Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe) but maintained the principles of the struggle.

Others went headlong into confrontation with Abacha (Chief Abraham Adesanya, Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu, Chief Bola Ige and others).

When Abiola and Abacha were poisoned to death as the only means of resolving June 12 “amicably” by “unknown (foreign) persons” the biggest, hottest buffet arrived from the June 12 kitchen. Those who annulled the election saw that any attempt by them to produce another president could break up their colonial heritage, Nigeria.

They panicked and decided to “give” the Presidency to a Yoruba man, using the newly-formed, pan-Nigerian political platform – the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

They went and brought out General Olusegun Obasanjo (a man marked for death by Abacha) from jail, pardoned him of treason conviction and sponsored him to hold the Presidency in trust for the cabal for four years and return it to them in 2003. This was definitely a partial realisation of one of the June 12 struggle’s primary objectives – power shift.

It was just a temporary gift given to a trusted servant who obviously did not believe in the struggle for June 12 and its underlying core principles: power shift and restructuring of the Federation.

Unfortunately, Tinubu, a brave soldier of the struggle, personally handed power back to the Northern reactionaries who annulled June 12. And he is not even talking about restructuring anymore June 12 changed Nigeria in so many ways. It not only forced the North to give up the presidency six years after pushing for the annulment of Abiola’s mandate (albeit to their chosen agent, Obasanjo) it weakened the hands of the region in plotting coups.

Otherwise, Obasanjo’s retiring of 93 politically-exposed military officers shortly after assuming power would certainly have triggered a coup in 1999. But OBJ went on to rule for eight years and nearly grabbed an extra term for himself. But after his second coming, he faithfully returned power to the North. If

Edo Primaries: What role for money?

N the next 48 to 96 hours, Edo State I will be engulfed in the primaries of the major political parties for the

September 10 gubernatorial election.

While the primary for the All Progressives Congress, APC, comes up on Saturday, 18 June 2016, that of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is scheduled for Monday, June 20.

The relevance of primaries cannot be over-emphasised. The Constitution of the country provides for election into various offices by the people; but the same Constitution is silent on how the candidates should emerge.

Under any political system – democratic or totalitarian – nothing is more important than the selection of candidates because this could make or mar the political party and the nation.

In a democracy, the nomination process must, in some way, involve the people.

Were the selection of candidates to be left entirely to the political elite, the most fundamental principle of democracy – popular participation – would be denied.

Parties could become tyrannical, totally ignoring the wishes of the followers and the general public.

With every passing election in Nigeria, the phrase, “As expensive as election” incrementally finds expression and relevance.

In the particular case of the APC in Edo State, there is the seemingly misleading impression that whoever emerges victorious at the primary election has won the election proper, thanks to the high performance of the Adams Oshiomhole-led Administration. This explains why to some aspirants, the party’s primary has largely become a door-die affair.

But it will soon dawn on some of the aspirants that electoral success cannot be C M Y K

picked up on the street. Rather, it is earned.

Nigerians constitute a curious paradox.

Why else should a primary, which is put in place for peace and harmony, become the very prescription for acrimony and war? Even in an intra-party squabble, people are still going for broke; and pulling out the big buck; oblivious of the fact that Nigerians have become wiser. Nigerian voters have demonstrated, in large

It still beats our imagination, though, that far into the 21st century, people would enter into a race with the calculation of winning by hook or crook measure, that their conscience cannot be mortgaged or purchased. They would take your money and still vote their conscience.

This played out at the 2012 governorship election in Edo State when one party outspent the other on a ration of close to 4:1 and the results came in reverse order – the party that spent less swept the poll across the State; and won in virtually all the Wards and polling units.

It still sounds like yesterday when Aspirant Muhammadu Buhari, as he then was, moved the world with his emotional submission, “I have no money to give to delegates. And even if I had the money, I would not have given. I would use such money to provide services for the downtrodden masses of this nation”.

At the end of the convention, Buhari came tops, leaving no other explanation than that most delegates who voted for him enjoyed flight tickets provided by

not for June 12, the North would have swept aside Vice President Goodluck Jonathan after President Umaru Yar’Adua died in 2010.

June 12 also gave way to bold agitations by the Southern Minorities for self-determination and resource control. This later advanced into armed militancy with which they now exert enormous influence (including influencing Obasanjo to choose Governor Jonathan as Yar’ Adua’s VP over the more fancied and popular choice from the same Niger Delta, Governor Peter Odili). June 12 liberated the Niger Delta to become a power bloc in Nigerian politics. June 12 made it possible for the Igbos and the Minorities of the South to detach from their master/ servant “traditional alliance” with the North and work together in one political camp, and no more as mutual adversaries.

Meanwhile, many self-exiled June Twelvers returned in 1998/99. One of them, Bola Tinubu, jumped on the June 12 buffet table and grabbed the governorship of Lagos State. He used that prime position to install himself as the current political leader of the new Yoruba mainstream. After Obasanjo destroyed the Alliance for Democracy (the political offshoot of June 12 especially in Yorubaland) Tinubu who refused to pander to Obasanjo’s self-serving political adventures took over leadership of the Yoruba mainstream. He continued to propound the principles of the neo-Awoist, June 12 struggle (especially restructuring and true federalism).

Tinubu was chiefly instrumental to the successful

merger of political forces to form the All Progressives Congress, APC, which eventually dethroned the PDP. But in achieving this “feat” Tinubu unwittingly fluffed the vision and mission of June 12: power shift and restructuring. Buhari does not believe in it, though he allowed it to be used to gather votes for him in 2015.

When the National Democratic Coalition,NADECO, published its charter in May 1994, their demands included the swearing in of Abiola, who would implement power shift and restructuring. “Power shift” simply meant ensuring that power should be taken away from the cabal (and their allies) who saw Nigeria as a colony handed over to them by Britain at independence. Before June 12, this cabal did not believe that a Southerner whom they did not “give” power would be allowed to lead Nigeria. That was the provocative logic of Abiola’s election annulment.

NADECO envisioned a Nigeria where every Nigerian would be free and equity would reign; and not a future where a President Muhammadu Buhari would, once again, enthroned Muslim/ Arewa fundamentalism where Fulani militias would invade communities all over the Middle Belt and Southern Nigeria without check. It did not envisage a return to 1994 when the forces that annulled June 12 were unquestionable before the June 12 struggle came to challenge them.

Unfortunately, Tinubu, a brave soldier of the struggle, personally handed power back to the Northern reactionaries who annulled June 12. And he is not even talking about restructuring anymore!

o t h e r aspirants; they slept in hotel rooms paid for by other aspirants, and consumed some of the best meals provided by other aspirants.

Money hardly makes the essential difference because there are two categories of expenditure targets: Batch ‘A’ is made up of your primary audience, people who have made up their minds to vote for you; while Batch ‘B’ consists largely of the quick fixes, people already committed to other contestants but waiting in the wings to grab your money and run. It is immaterial that you have all their Permanent Voters’ Cards, PVCs, in your possession!

And more so, with some recent electoral reforms in place, violence and manipulations, including ballot box snatching and ballot stuffing, are gradually becoming things of the past.

It still beats our imagination, though, that far into the 21st century, people would enter into a race with the calculation of winning by hook or crook.

While others are busy canvassing for votes, they are busy perfecting their rigging plans, such as buying up PVCs, perhaps oblivious that most things are like chickens – they come home to roost! At this elemental level, they may just succeed in defacing some of the PVCs that would be useful at the election proper.

There is no alternative to working hard to win by fair means.

In the end, the primaries will throw up winners and losers. On the part of the winners, it would be celebrations galore.

But while they bask in the euphoria of their new conquest, they must not be carried away because for every new level, there is a new devil and they require the support of the losers to pull through at the main election.

Let us learn to draw inspiration from positive thinkers. Penultimate Monday, Americans went to bed with former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, and Senator Bernie Sanders, both of the Democratic Party, spitting fire on each other on policy differences.

When Americans woke up the following morning, Clinton had become the presidential candidate of the party. The languages of Clinton and Sanders changed considerably. For Clinton, “I want to congratulate Senator Bernie Sanders for the extraordinary campaign he has run.

He has spent his long career in public service fighting for progressive causes…

Senator Sanders, his campaign and the vigorous debates we had about how to raise incomes, reduce inequality and increase upward mobility have been very good for the Democratic Party and for America… We believe that cooperation is better than conflict; unity is better than division; empowerment is better than resentment; and bridges are better than walls.” And we may as well add that jawjaw is better than war-war.

Even where Senator Sanders was not going to throw in the towel immediately, he was quick to add, “I am not going to do anything to contribute to Donald Trump becoming President of America”.

The foregoing depicts a height of civilised politicking, below which we do not expect Edolites to go.

Here’s wishing Edolites the very best of primaries that would ultimately usher in the freest, fairest and the most credible election the State has ever had.

18 — Vanguard, THURSDAY June 16, 2016 The statement credited to the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige that banks which defy his directive to stop sacking their employees will have their licences revoked is highly tendentious. It is even more perturbing that he issued this directive at the 105th session of the International Labour Congress (ILC) in Geneva, Switzerland, with the whole world listening in.

He was quoted as saying: “the Federal Government gave the licences to the banks to operate and if its directives are not adhered to the licences will be withdrawn if the need arises”.

The Minister must be told in unequivocal terms that he has no power to give such a directive.

Banks are private sector entities.

They are not established or funded by government. They are licenced under the law and their shareholders come from Nigeria and beyond. There is no legislation in the country that empowers the Minister to issue directives to

Ngige’s untenable directives to banks private sector operators on how they should conduct their affairs.

Besides, the Labour Minister did not issue their licences in the first instance. It is the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), an independent regulator that has the power to grant bank lincences and withdraw them, within the rule of law. Loose statements like these are capable of scaring investors from Nigeria as many are led to believe that there is no sanctity of contracts and property rights in Nigeria.

D u e t o a dire infrastructure deficit, the cost of doing business in Nigeria is one of the highest in

the world, and private companies (banks inclusive) are forced to provide for themselves amenities like power, security and other services that are usually provided by government. Banks currently spend N60 out of every N100 they make to provide themselves services that government ought to provide.

It is obvious that the retrenchment gales in the banks owe to the FG’s policies, particularly the withdrawal of Federal Government’s accounts due to the Treasury Single Account (TSA) without any palliative to cushion its effects. We expect the

Federal Government to assist the banks to absorb the shock through policy measures to avoid systemic distress.

We also expect the FG to apply appropriate macroeconomic measures as a means of protecting existing jobs while efforts are made to create new job opportunities.

We completely agree with The Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA). Unilateral actions by government, employers of Labour and Labour unions must be discouraged.

All actions to tackle our economic challenges must be subjected to due diligence, due process, equity and the rule of law.

Re g u l a t o r y b o d i e s s h o u l d b e vigilant to prevent acts of impunity, including unfair Labour practices in the banking and other sectors.

Minister Ngige’s utterances were undemocratic and u n n e c e s s a r y, a n d s h o u l d b e discontinued.

OPINION As Edo APC primaries fast approaches

By Yankubu Eratokhia

LL is set for Edo State guber primary of the All Progressive A Congress, APC, scheduled to hold on Saturday, June 18, 2016. Ordinarily, it is an internal selection process of its flag bearer. But the rather unsportsmanlike attitude of some contestants and the primitive urge to win at all cost seems to have kicked the ball beyond the court of the party. Desperation has become the lot of those who see the race as their last chance having failed to clinch the diadem in previous attempts.

Yet, in spite of the apparent gang up by most of the frontline aspirants, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, a finance and investment expert whose economic management capacity is widely celebrated remains the man to beat in the coming primaries. And there is no doubt about this. But what is now in doubt, is whether the APC as a party has the capacity to manage the after effect of the tsunami after the primaries.

From the last count, not less than eleven aspirants collected nomination and expression of interest forms from the National Secretariat, Abuja, which was sold to aspirants at N5.5 Million. Even before one ballot is cast in the election, the primary is largely seen as a referendum on the popularity of the Comrade Governor Adams Oshiomhole within the party.

The Comrade Governor is said to have rejected overtures from many aspirants with deep pockets who sought his

endorsement in favour of Mr.Obaseki, the Chairman of his Economic and Strategy Team in the last seven and half years . His choice of Godwin Obaseki is seen by his close associates as a patriotic and selfless gesture in view of the independent mindedness of the man in question.

Edo people are in a hurry for development and will no longer be moved by mere political rhetoric It is for all intent and purposes motivated by the need to sustain and improve on the current tempo of development in the State.

According to sources close to the Governor, if he needed a yes-man or his side-kick to hand over power, Obaseki would certainly not have come under consideration. The Governor believes that in spite of the economic challenges, Obaseki has the talents and contacts to navigate through and keep Edo State afloat. He is reputed to have stood his ground against the Governor on several issues.

Obaseki possesses some of the rarest qualities that a Nigerian governor needs to weather the turbulent political and economic storms which the average gubernatorial leader often has to contend with in government. They include organisational discipline and adherence to processes and procedures in the

administrative machinery of government.

One needs to have as a matter of necessity a strict sense of discipline, honesty of purpose and determination to drive a result oriented system. He has exhibited these qualities in the private sector and some of the most successful boardroom giants in Nigeria including Aliko Dangote, Michael Otedola, Hakeem Bello-Osagie can attest to these facts.

No wonder, the man prides himself as a money bag! Most of the aspirants are political adventurers who lack depth and organisation skills to manage men and resources, particularly now that the country is facing a recession.

Their inadequacies and intellectual vacuity played out when they resorted to blackmail and primordial issues to hit at Obaseki rather than proffer solutions to the challenges of the time. How does feasting on the inexactitude of the events of more than one hundred years ago solve the problem of unemployment, the challenge of poor productive base of the economy and the issue of insecurity in Edo State? The people saw through the humbuggery of the sponsors of those reconstructed historical accounts with diabolical spin and discountenanced them as irrelevant to the 21st century Edo State and their quest for prosperity.

Secondly, his campaign manifestoes has superseded all others combined. He talks of the state economy, how the state can overcome the surge of unemployment, uplift education, shelter, health and infrastructural development in the face of the gloomy global economy. He has proved that Edo without Oil will blossom if we embrace agriculture and industrialisation.

The difference between what he says and what other aspirants say is clear; while others generalise their promises in the manner we are used to, he explains to his audiences, where we are and why we are where we are and how it can be corrected going forward. His presentations are persuasive to his listeners, they leave him better informed and confident that it is possible to improve the quality of education, to provide jobs and to live a more prosperous life!

Edo people are in a hurry for development and will no longer be moved by mere political rhetoric. They have not forgotten the decadence and rot that was their lot about a decade ago. They are excited with the present achievements of the Comrade Governor and would like the present situation to be improved upon by successive government.

It is natural for them to hope to see a better future and Obaseki has been speaking like one who embodies the vision of their future!

A combination of his cumulative experience, intellectual depth and well researched policies and programmes stand him out!

While we hope that in the days ahead aspirants will improve the content of their campaigns, and also reduce the name calling and who is supporting who, but focus on what they intend to do for the electorate and how to raise funds if elected. Only when this is done can we say we are near a decent electoral contest. Else,given the situation presently, no one comes close to Obaseki in clinching the party's ticket.

•Mr. Eratokhia, a political analyst, wrote from Benin, Edo State.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016—19

Muhammad Ali: The pugilist as poet and acknowledged legislator of the world (2)

By Ogaga Ifowodo Continues from yesterday’s page 19

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ND so it was that one of the most powerful images in sports history was one taken outside a sporting arena, at a news conference in the wake of Ali’s objection to the draft.

In it, Ali is flanked by some of the greatest American athletes of the time: Bill Russell, Kareem AbdulJabbar (formerly Lew Alcindor), Jim Brown and Willie Davis. All AfricanAmerican sportsmen with everything to lose but choosing to stand up for a cause greater than their individual selves and bank accounts. That moment has not ever again been repeated in professional sports. Christ would have come again before Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods or Lionel Messi, or even Floyd “Money” Mayweather from the sport Ali gave glamour and infinitely larger purses, would speak so openly of the burning political injustices of the day.

But behind, or rather, driving, Ali’s braggadocio was fear. The sort that leads to astonishing selfdetermination by forging an iron will. As Chinua Achebe memorably portrays through Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart, though of course without the pathos of that character. As Ali would later confess when asked what he would have said to Liston had he had the chance of meeting him before his (Liston’s) death: “Man, you scared me.”

That fear, sublimated into the poetry of determination and courage, was what made him rise to his feet the same instant he was decisively knocked down by Frazier, his fiercest rival, in their first bout billed the “Fight of the Century” and emerge the moral winner.

But what is that about Ali being a poet and an acknowledged legislator of the world? The first part, I believe, we can all agree upon: though he did not define himself essentially as such, he was nevertheless the quintessential oral poet, a griot who found the words, rhymes and reasons to express the playful and the profound almost at a moment’s notice. His, indeed, was performance or spoken word poetry before that genre became a jaded fad. He even recorded two spoken word albums and a blues song that led to his nomination for a Grammy Award; achievements that Rolling Stone magazine cites in “Muhammad Ali: Four

Ways He Changed America.” Ali was a poet not only verbally but also in the sublime aesthetics of his skill that turned pugilism from a brute sport plied by men seemingly all brawn and no brain to a study in form and content demanding of the truly great, the agile exercise of mind and body.

Poetry, one can say, was the portal to Ali’s transcendental greatness for the simple reason that its province is imagination, which by definition is illimitable. It is, in short, what Ali himself figures in his definition of the “impossible”: that it is a mere opinion (of those “who find it easier to live

His, indeed, was performance or spoken word poetry before that genre became a jaded fad. He even recorded two spoken word albums and a blues song that led to his nomination for a Grammy Award

in the world they’ve been given rather than to explore the power to change it”), that it is not a “fact” or “declaration,” but a “dare” and “potential”; in short, that impossible is “temporary,” “nothing.”

By insisting on the impossible through the forced association of disimilar things, mostly through metaphor or figurative speech — what the famous American poet Adrienne Rich describes as “the great muscle of metaphor, drawing strength from resemblance in difference” — poetry prescribes alternative realities. And makes of them visionaries, purveyors of a future waiting to be born.

Rich argues that “ when poetry lays its hands on our shoulders, we are almost to a physical degree, touched and moved.

The imagination’s road opens before us, giving the lie to that brute dictum, ‘There is no alternative.”

At any rate, it was words by his earliest champion and later estranged friend, Malcolm X, that saved Ali’s

career. The US Supreme Court had initially decided to uphold Ali’s conviction and sentence. Then “a pair of clerks prevailed on one Justice to read The Autobiography of Malcolm X,” after which “he came to a different view.” The government’s argument “that Ali’s religion was racist was a misrepresentation of the fighter’s true beliefs” and he in turn brought the other justices round to the unanimous view that “the draft board” — read America — had erred.” As Mikal Gilmore rightfully notes in “How Muhammad Ali Conquered Fear and Changed the World,” in effect “Malcolm X’s words — which, I would add, were nothing but incandescent political poetry in their rhythm, cadences and the palpable urgency of their tremulous truth — “had saved him.”

In his 1821 “Defence of Poetry,” Percy Bysshe Shelley claimed that poets are “the unacknowledged legislators of the world.”

This has often been taken literally by poets eager to seize for themselves the recognition too often grudged them by a philistine world. As Rich observes, however, for Shelley “there was no contradiction between poetry, political philosophy and active confrontation with illegitimate authority.”

Shelley believed that art bore an integral relationship to “Revolution and Oppression,” with his own “Ode to the West Wind” as an enactment of this belief.

In a sense, this is the power of words to turn ideas into reality — to create the world out of nothing, as the Jewish account of beginnings has it. And it is what Gilmore says, regarding Ali, was “hope made flesh” and what, I think, poetry at its most sublime and meaningful really is. So if Ali was vilified and then valourised due to the poetry of his pugilistic craft and oratory, then Shelley was right. Only that in his vindication, first through the US Supreme Court’s quashing of his conviction, then his endearment to the heart of every conscientious human of his time, and then the awards by the selfsame US government to him of the presidential citizens medal and the presidential medal of honour, then Ali may just have reversed Shelley by becoming an acknowledged moral legislator. Adieu the Greatest!

Concluded

FCT minister, complete Ahmadu Bello way Dear Sir, NY visitor to the Federal Capital will observe one significant feature – the long stretch of the major roads. Each of the roads stretches several Kilometres. Apart from aesthetic beauty of the roads and its overhead bridges, it makes for easy traffic flow.

The roads in mind include Nnamdi Azikiwe Expressway, Ahmadu Bello Way, Mohammadu Buhari Way, Ibrahim Babangida Way, Obafemi Awolowo Way, etc.

Significantly, all the roads mentioned above have been completed and have long been put to use, except Ahmadu Bello Way. This road is named after one of the country ’s founding fathers Alhaji Sir Ahmadu Bello, first and only Premier of Northern Region of Nigeria.

The long stretch of road runs through Gwarinpa district, Central Business District, Mabushi to Apo and terminates at Gudu market.

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Traffic gridlock Of this long stretch of road, one of the longest in Abuja, only a little stretch of 2.5 kilometres, from the junction of Oladipo Diya road in Apo District by Gudu Market to Lokogoma junction / Lokogoma Express has remained untarred.

This has constituted a major problem. The traffic gridlock on this un-tarred portion, especially in the evenings when commuters return home from work or their various businesses is unimaginable.

Ironically there is a Fire Service station on this untarred area, if there is any fire incident in the environment, how will the Fire Service get easy access to the scene?

The attention of the new Minister of FCT is called to this situation, with a view to his taking urgent steps to complete the tarring of the remaining portion of the road. Having tarred over 97% of the long stretch of road, the remaining less than 3% should not constitute a problem that will remain difficult to address.

The memory of the late sage Sir. Ahmadu Bello

should not be one that has an uncompleted tarred road. He deserves more honour than that. From reports, the new Minister is an action man and should do the needful on this short but very important road in the FCT. If funds for the tarring of the little remaining portion of the

road is not provided in the 2016 Appropriation Act, the Minister should draw from the Ministry’s Emergency Fund to work on this road.

Sir Ahmadu Bello Expressway Abuja should be completed to give honour to whom it is due.

Sam Ekpe, Abuja 08092221903

Ambode: Let the light shine on Ajah-Badore axis Dear Sir, OVERNOR Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State should be celebrating his one year in office with his head high because he has a record of achievements.

Those of us in the Ajah part of Lekki Peninsula are delighted that he has started a flyover at the Ajah Roundabout to ease traffic in the place now known as the New Lagos; traffic congestion here is the worst in the entire state. The governor is also about to start the construction of the Fourth Mainland Bridge connecting Mainland and Island, starting from Langbasa in Eti-Osa Local Government Area.

However, there is a more pressing problem in this area: it is fast turning into a slum, even though it is supposed to be a place for the middle class and upper middle class.

All manner of shacks are springing up on the Ajah-Badore Road, the only part of Lagos where environmental rules are brazenly flouted because the area is off the monitoring screen of the authorities due to its hidden location.

There are several potholes on the same road, which causes enormous traffic congestion up to the AjahEpe Road. To worsen matters, sweeping of the Ajah-Badore Road has practically been abandoned and refuse is discharged mindlessly on the road by residents.

In addition, many of the street light poles here have collapsed. Finally, the Catholic Mission Road which leads to the famous Badore Jetty has for years been in a shambles.

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As Action Governor in the lineage of Lateef Jakande, Bola Tinubu and Babatunde Fashola, we trust Ambode to address the concerns stated above immediately. Let him address these issues as his one year anniversary gift to the people and organisations in this axis of Lagos.

Dr. Kayode Berkley, Badore, Ajah, Lekki, Lagos.

PDP and the North Dear Sir, HE People’s Democratic Party, PDP, is making frantic efforts to reposition itself, rebrand its image and recapture its lost fortunes and supporters, but the party is facing serious power wrangling.

The PDP must bring on board people from the north to help it to ‘come to life’ in the north. Most of the party’s fortunes in the north are lost. Thus, the party needs someone who understands the dynamics of northern politics.

The PDP’s resurgence depends on whether it recaptures its fortunes in the north and how well it takes advantage of its bigwigs from the region. However, for the PDP to make a full come back, some external factors have to play to its advantage. PDP’s future depends on whether it recaptures its lost fortunes in the north and how well it takes advantage of its experienced members who have gone through the mill of the politics of the north.

Zayyad I. Muhammad Jimeta, Adamawa State, zaymohd@yahoo.com, 08036070980.

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20—Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016

Despite ceasefire, soldiers invade Ijaw community •Why we broke away from Avengers—Splinter group

By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South – South, Egufe Yafugborhi, Perez Brisibe & Akpokona Omafuaire

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ARRI—DESPITE the twoweek ceasefire declared by the Federal Government, last Monday, soldiers, yesterday morning, swooped on Tebijor, also known as Okpelama, an Ijaw community in Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South-West Local Government Area, Delta State, in five gunboats hunting for militants.

Meanwhile, Operatives of the Nigeria Navy Ship, NNS Delta on Tuesday arrested three suspected oil pipeline bombers and oil thieves.

These came as a new militant group, Niger-Sea Commandos, NDSC, said it had broken away from Niger Delta Avengers, NDA. Meantime, Niger Delta Liberation Force, NDLF, a nonoperational militant group founded by the late John Togo, has slammed the Joint Niger Delta Liberation Force, JNDLF, for using its name without permission to announce plans

by militants to launch missiles and attack government establishments.

Commander of Nigerian Navy Ship, NNS Delta, Commodore Raimi Mohammed, confirmed to Vanguard on phone that navy arrested three suspects.

“I can confirm that arrest was made, but I maintain my earlier stance that I do not want to attach group names to people.

We are up against oil assets destroyers, oil thieves and other criminals in the waterways. Therefore, it is true we have made arrest of the three, but I am not at the moment concerned about what group people claim to belong.”

A villager, who spoke on the arrest, said: “Three youths from Tebijor were unlawfully arrested by Nigerian Navy. The youths were coming from fetching mangrove sticks to set fish trap when they were apprehended by navy personnel on patrol at Tebijor.”

In a related development, it was learned that military operatives, yesterday morning, invaded the community kingdom with several

gunboats in search of militants.

They arrested two persons during the raid.

Speaking to one of our reporters, an indigene of the community, said: “Soldiers in several gunboats, are currently in the community searching from house to house. They fired indiscriminately into the air as they were searching, I cannot say if they have made any arrest.

They came through the back of the community and chased the villagers towards the waterfront.”

A security source said they arrested two suspects, adding, “I cannot give you details of the incident right now, as it is still ongoing."

while the Federal Government is negotiating with the militants.

“Why is the government not sincere, they are speaking from both sides of the mouth, the Avengers are not in Gbaramatu, and we have said this repeatedly?

They are just blackmailing us and branding us as criminals,” he lamented.

Adding his voice, an opinion leader, Aizaye Piniki, said: “The military attacked Okpeleama community in the early morning.

This is another raid on another Gbaramatu community. The military has become a tool of oppression and subjugation of our people by our enemies. We are not Avengers, we do not know them, these raids are unnecessary.”

People fleeing into the bush again

Why we broke away from Avengers Secretary Gbaramatu Political —Sea Commandos

Forum, Mr Isaiah Ogah, said: “As I speak with you, my people are in the bush as military personnel raided the community from land and water.

“They came in six gunboats, breaking into houses, intimidating and torturing those they find. We are tired and worried by these unending raids

Spokesperson of the faction, Major Osama Blatter, in a statement, said: “As members of Niger Delta Sea Commandos, NDSC, a splinter group of Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, we have not felt the genuine readiness of Federal Government to negotiate with Niger Delta militant groups and the region as well.

Ateke attacks NDA, says agitation devoid of criminality

By Davies Iheammachor

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ORT HARCOURT—THE exNiger Delta agitator, Ateke Tom, has lashed at the new militant group in the region, Niger Delta Avengers, saying “My agitation was devoid of criminality.”

Ateke, a former Niger Delta freedom fighter, said that during his agitation, he never involved in any activity that was criminal, adding that he struggled for development in the region.

Ateke in statement, yesterday, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, cautioned the new militant group, to shun violence and not to drag him into the renewed violence in the region.

NDA had accused Ateke of supporting the Federal Government, noting that his struggle and those of his close associates was based on criminality.

Ateke, leader of Niger Delta Vigilante Force, NDVF, said that his agitation in the region, increased political participation in the area, adding that former President Goodluck Jonathan was a beneficiary of his agitation.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016

CONVENTION: IMO gives Nigeria 90 days ultimatum Continues from page 1 commitment of the Agency’s personnel. He also drew attention to the need to fast track enactment of regulations pursuant to IMO instruments for which Nigeria is party to.

Cahit said issuance of regulations is critical to the enforcement of IMO instruments. He noted that the interim report has 11 findings and one observation emphasized the need for the Agency to respond within 90 days, to the findings and highlight the strategies being developed to remedy the gaps identified.

He also highlighted positive strides Nigerian maritime sector is making.

Meanwhile, Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has promised the IMSAS team that the Agency together with other stakeholders are committed to the implementation of relevant IMO instruments for the overall development of the Nigerian maritime industry.

The DG who restated that the IMO Audit is in line with the vision of NIMASA, also said that the Agency will leverage on the findings and observation of the interim report to repositioning the Nigerian maritime industry for more efficiency and competitiveness.

While thanking the IMO Audit team to Nigeria for a thorough job done, Peterside assured the team that the Agency will take the report

Senate to replace NPA with new body

By Godfrey Bivbere

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FORUM: From left, Dr. Musa Olasupo, Head Research and Development, CBN; Jameelah Ayedun, President, Credit Bureau Association of Nigeria; Musa Aliyasu, Principal Manager, CBN at the Interactive Forum on the National Collateral Registry and Credit Reporting System, in Lagos. very seriously and in the next one year, most of the identified deficiencies will be drastically reduced if not completely eliminated.

“With the active support of the Honourable Minister of Transportation and the leadership of the Agency which is forward looking, focused and determined, Nigeria will certainly regain its lost glory in the comity of maritime nations. NIMASA

will immediately settle down to work to address these findings”, the DG said.

The Audit is aimed at promoting consistent and effective implementation of applicable IMO conventions, resolutions and protocols amongst member nations as well as assist member states to improve their capabilities in the enforcement of these instruments for the overall benefit of global shipping.

Commenting on the development, Engr Akin Olaniyan, ship classification consultant, told Vanguard that the ultimatum was in order, adding that such an exercise can not be carried out without being given a period of time to put your house in order.

He also said that Nigeria stands to lose a lot if it fails to comply within the time frame given by the United Nations agency.

Raw materials scarcity impedes feed milling sector — Ettah

By Nkiruka Nnorom

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he chairman of Livestock Feeds Plc, Mr. Larry Ettah, has said that $137.70 2.60 operations of the feed milling industry was badly affected by $3,154.00 9.00 the 40 per cent hike in the prices of major raw materials $ 19.61 0.27 – maize and soya bean meal – required in the industry.

He spoke at the Annual General Meeting, AGM, of $49.03 -0.80 the company in Lagos, saying that the scarcity of the $47.95 -0.54 major raw materials led to increased cost in the CURRENCY BUYING SELLING industry.

US DOLLAR 196 196.5 197 Ettah added that acute POUNDS 276.8108 277.517 278.2231 shortage of foreign EURO 220.108 220.6695 221.231 FRANC 203. 193 203. 7114 204.2297 exchange and the YEN 1.8492 1.8539 1.8587 worsening exchange rate CFA 0.3175 0.3275 0.3375 also affected businesses WAUA 275. 2696 275. 9718 276.674 in the sector as RENMINBI 29.7078 29.784 29.8602 importation of certain RIYAL 52.2611 52.3944 52.5277 KRONA 29.5979 29.6734 29.7489 ingredients became SDR 275.5956 276.2987 277.0017 difficult and expensive.

“All these increased costs CBN Exchange rate as at 15/06/2016 which could not be

C M Y K

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recovered through price increases, led to shrunken margins in the industry,” he said.

Consequently, he said though the company recorded revenue of N8.9 billion, a growth of 13 per cent over 2014, however, due to the prevailing tough and difficult operating environment, cost of sales increased by about 16 per cent over 2014 leading to a profit before tax of N300 million, a 25 per cent decline in 2014. In the same vein profit after tax declined by about 26 per cent to N187.9 million, he said.

He, however, posited that the company is restructuring its operations for an improved performance, adding that the company is in the process of raising additional capital to support its operations.

He further stated that the company is poised to leverage on improved supply efficiency, develop technical collaborations, enhance

operational efficiency, deepen market development to reach the unreached and launch innovative products to enhance its business fortune Speaking further on the business environment, he said that: “Acute shortage and production of poor quality Day Old Chicks (DOC) by hatcheries affected the ability of farmers to restock birds. The breakout of the dreaded avian influenza in the first month of the year which was thought to be an epidemic that would soon fizzle out proved to be a major setback in the industry as it persisted for the better part of the year.

“The disease ravaged many farms all over the country leading to culling of millions of birds and further worsening the decreased poultry population as most of the affected farms are yet to restock.”

HE Senate is set to scrap the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, through the modified Ports and Harbours bill which seeks to create a new body to be known as Nigerian Ports and Harbours Authority.

The new bill which replaces the old one that has been at the National Assembly for over 10 years, is meant to strengthen the concession of Nigerian ports to ensure transparency, effective management and improved safety.

The Bill which is sponsored by Sen. Andy Uba seeks to repeal the Nigerian Ports Authority Act, 2004 and enact the Nigerian Ports and Harbours Authority to provide for the ownership, management and development of ports and harbours.

A maritime journal, Ships and Ports reported that the bill recommends in part that for the provision of an “appropriate institutional framework for the ownership, management and development of ports and harbours.”

It states further that if privatised, it will “ensure the integrity, efficiency and safety of the ports based on principles of accountability, competition, fairness and transparency, and will encourage private sector participation in the provision of port services and port infrastructure and promote and safeguard Nigeria’s competitiveness and trade objectives.”

The Bill seeks to establish an authority which shall be vested with control and ownership of all ports and harbours on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria, transfer of the technical regulatory powers relating to ports to the Authority,andtransferoftheownership ofthelandandassetsrelatingtoports currentlyvestedintheNigerianPorts AuthoritytotheAuthority”.

Inreformingthesector,thesenators mayalsoseparatethecargohandling sectionoftheauthorityfromlandlord functions within ports and foster greateroperatingefficiency,accountability and transparency in the management and operation of ports.

Thereformofthesectorwouldalso provide for “safe navigation, development and efficient management of harbours, channels andwaterwaysandallotherconservancyfunctions”.

The Bill recommends the facilitation of “transfer of technology, informationsystemsandmanagerial expertise through private sector participationinportoperations,creation of means of planning, coordinating, developing and integrating port policieswithothermaritimeactivities, surface and air transportation systems.”

22—Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016

The first place wealth is created is in your mind. Money is first created in your mind

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Reasons for financial failure

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HY do people fail financially? What does it take to succeed financially?

Financial success is not the exclusive right of some, but a dream achievable by all. Tito Philips Jnr., entrepreneur and founder of DifferentiateOnline, identifies the following as some of the factors responsible for the financial failure of people.

Incorrect beliefs about money The first place wealth is created is in your mind. Money is first created in your mind.

There are basically two beliefs about money - positive and negative. Your belief about money is positive when you have an abundance mentality, that is, believing that there is enough prosperity for everyone on earth. You are not poor because there isn’t enough prosperity or wealth for everyone, but because you limit yourself mentally.

Your belief about money is negative when you have a scarcity mentality, that is, when you believe there is not enough wealth for everyone. It is when you are always thinking of how you can’t afford something rather than focusing on how to get it.

Procrastination Money will not come to you on a platter of gold. You have to cultivate the discipline of execution. This is the ability to get stuff done when they should be done. It is the ability to take action to make your financial goals a reality. Many people fail financially because of their poor work habits. Procrastination is the habit of pushing important work forward with the mind of getting it done tomorrow.

What you must remember is this; today was tomorrow yesterday and tomorrow will soon be another today. What does this tell you? All you’ve got is now, not tomorrow, so your job is to make the most of it.

No financial goals Not having financial goals is one of the factors keeping many poor. How can you expect to grow your income if you don’t have a precise figure in mind? Just confessing that you need more money is not enough; you must be as specific as possible with a particular figure or amount in mind. Why is this so? The human mind only works with what it has been fed. The more specific the data you feed it, through your thoughts and words, the more focused it becomes. The less specific the data you feed it, the more confused it becomes. Goals are how you help your mind to become laser focused. It is how you gain clarity which is a necessary requirement for action. Those who set financial goals with clear deadlines and clear figures often end up having their goals achieved. If you don’t know where you are going, how do you get there? Financial goals give your financial life a direction.

Having no savings habit All that you earn is not meant for consumption. The classic book by George S. Clason, The richest man in Babylon, puts it this way: pay yourself first. Money saved is seed you plant in order to reap more in the future. Without cultivating a consistent saving habit, you will not have excess money to invest (plant) and when you don’t sow, how then do you reap?

C M Y K

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BUSINESS

Why business plan is key to start-up success

By Yinka Kolawole, with agency reports

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ANY entrepreneurs who have brilliant business ideas never find the capital to transform their ideas into real life businesses. Most startup businesses fail to attract the loans and investments they need to grow and succeed. More than 80 percent of businesses fail within their first five years.

The simple reason is that many of them do not have a plan.

A business plan is a formal statement of business goals, reasons they are attainable, and plans for reaching them.

It may also c o n t a i n background information about the organisation or t e a m attempting to reach those g o a l s .

Entrepreneurs who have the discipline to

prepare a business plan are two and a half times more likely to get into business.

increase your interest in bringing your business ideas to life. A business plan has the power to positively affect your mindset.

Focus Writing a business plan helps you to focus and fight procrastination.

Investing time and effort in researching your target market, analysing your competitors and estimating profit figures is bound to

Enables accountability A business plan allows you to set goals and track your progress and levels of achievement over time.

Without this accountability, your business will always be subject to

How to grow small business A

LL entrepreneurs desire business growth but most don’t know how. It is one thing to start a business but growing a business is where the real challenge lies. The big question is how do you grow a small business with little or no money?

Focus on the mission The first strategic step to growing a small business on a lean budget is to focus on fulfilling the business mission. The reason is because the business mission is where the entrepreneurial spirit dwells. The business mission is the reason why the business exists. You might grow your small business to a substantial size but if that growth does not help fulfill its mission, the business growth will be short lived.

Develop a vision The need to grow a business is usually prompted by circumstances and such circumstance can help forge a vision for the business. The kind of vision you develop depends on how fast you want your growth rate to be and the level you want to grow

growth entails strengthening your bottom line, improving your employee’s effectiveness and machine’s efficiency. It may also mean automating your business processes. Once a business effectively grows internally, growing externally Reposition your team “Bringing together the right information will be seamless. with the right people will dramatically Mind the cash flow improve a company’s ability to develop “The most important word in the and act on strategic business world of money is cash flow. The opportunities” – Bill Gates To grow your business, the right people second most important word is have to be in the right position. Analyze leverage.” – Rich Dad. Cash flow is the the strengths and weaknesses of your life blood of business. Growing on a business team and delegate duties to them lean budget, every kobo has to be according to their strength. If there is a accounted for. You must know your weak chain in the business management numbers and above all, you must team; consider bringing someone in to fill know your financial position at all the gap. A strong business management times. team is essential to business growth.

Customer care While growing internally, you can Strengthen internally Most entrepreneurs are always in a haste instigate external business growth by to grow externally because it’s more taking care of your customers and obvious and gives the entrepreneur a sense encouraging word of mouth. Customers of prestige. But more important than are the reason you are in business so external growth and expansion is the make sure they are not ignored during internal growth. Businesses have failed your growth process. Find as many as because of too much success. They grew you can and keep as much as you can. *Source: Mytopbusinessideas.com big but couldn’t sustain the pace; so they shrank and collapsed. Internal business to. Set challenging goals that will force you out of your comfort zone. Don’t develop a vision you are comfortable with, develop a business vision that forces you to use your critical thinking skills.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016 — 23

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& YOU guesses and impulsive actions and will definitely perform below its best potentials.

People who set Specific, Measurable and Time-bound (SMT) targets for themselves usually perform much better than others. A business plan is the only way for entrepreneurs and businesses to hold themselves accountable using SMT targets. It’s the best way to eliminate procrastination, reduce the fear of failure and inspire you to take quick and bold actions that will bring your dream business to a reality.

Raising capital A plan is the most effective way to communicate your business

A business plan allows you to set goals and track your progress and levels of achievement over time

idea to other people in a clear, complete and convincing manner. Partners, investors and bankers are more likely to take you seriously if you have a wellwritten and professional business plan. Banks and investors actually take business plans very seriously. Because the information it provides helps them to properly measure the risk of investing in your business. Banks and investors take calculated risks; they’re not gamblers. It’s highly unlikely that they will give you their money and hope that your business is successful and turns a profit.

Anybody who’s interested in your business idea wants to see that you have taken the time to do a proper and detailed planning. They want to see your profit forecasts. They are interested in your competitive analysis and the quality of experience you have to successfully run the business.

The more information they have, the more convincing your business dream becomes to them.

Whether you’re applying for a bank loan, looking for a partner

or venture capitalist to invest in your business, applying for a government loan or grant, or entering for a fundraising competition, you stand a better chance of winning and raising the capital you need if you have a wellwritten and professional looking business plan.

Success A personal success story by JohnPaul who is the founder, Small Starter Africa about how a business plan helped him to raise $12,600 in capital that he used to start a new business.

“In early 2011, I had an idea to start a business in trading petrol (gasoline) and diesel. It would involve the purchase of a 33,000litre tanker-load of these products and sell them to customers deep in the country. I had already found some willing buyers and was sure the business would be viable. The only problem was, I didn’t have enough capital. I approached the bank for a loan but that didn’t work out. I actually needed $16,600 in capital to start up but I had just about $4,000 in savings at that time. Since I couldn’t go it alone and my bank wasn’t forthcoming, I decided to talk to a few friends about the opportunity and see if they would partner with me. But first, I had to get ready.

Convincing them wouldn’t be easy because of the amount of money involved. I started putting together a business plan that explained my business idea in detail and told the full story. I explained how the business would be run and most importantly, how it would make money.

“Above all, I made sure it looked neat, attractive and able to make a very good impression. When it was done, I sent out a copy of the business plan to four of my friends.

I patiently waited for feedback while my business plan did all the talking and convincing. As expected, they had some questions after reading the business plan. Surely, nobody would give you their hard-earned money without making sure you’ve done your homework.

Because I was the originator of the idea and had disciplined myself to write a detailed business plan, I had convincing answers to all their questions. When people ask questions and want to know more about something you’re offering, it’s usually a sign that they’re interested and need more information to make up their mind. They gave me the money I was asking for and my idea became a real life business.”

Many entrepreneurs waste time waiting and hoping for capital. To attract capital in today’s world, you just have to be prepared. You need to have a plan.

The idea is to compliment one another for the betterment of the organisation that pays our salaries

,

How destructive is the 'blame game' in our organisations?

“No one wins the blame game” ... Carl Jung

M

to heap OST employees - knowingly or blames on unknowingly have allowed a someone major debilitating virus to creep into else, I will the fabrics of their organisations. The pose a reality is that no organisation (with question the current rate of business that we uncertainties) can attain its rightful always ask position if this unwanted virus is not in all our dealt with. Surprisingly, the leaders, “Achieving executives and their collective BY ‘UJU ONWUZULIKE Enterprise workforce are affected by this – Wide debilitating virus, and guess what; organisations are at the receiving end.

Strategic Leadership Excellence” workshop.

By now, you will be wondering what The question is: When do you think former this virus is. It is the ‘blame game” or President John F. Kennedy was most ‘shifting the blame to someone else’. popular? The larger numbers of participants Any organisation that encourages this always say when he was elected as the blame game will end up stifling American President. Others said when he creativity, innovation and productivity won the Cuban Missile Crisis or when he -the three required ingredients for was assassinated. The reality is that none of growth. The truth of the matter is that the answers given made him most popular. no real result can be He was most popular after achieved without someone flubbing the Bay of Pigs The era we taking responsibility for his/ Invasions. That happened in her actions.

This are now in 1961 when the US military was responsibility is bestowed on the business unsuccessful in the invasion of every one who earns a salary Cuba under the watch dog of and should be predicated world is not President JF Kennedy. So why upon achieving the goals of that of who was JFK celebrated in an one’s organization. The rule unsuccessful invasion that of the game is not about is wrong or brought embarrassment to winning a law suit and right, who is Americans? punishing someone who has President JFK did four key been blamed, but ensuring to be blamed remarkable things: He accepted that we help one another or not responsibility for it; he didn’t achieve the goals of the “pass the buck”. He showed his organisation. humanity and fallibility. He Complimentary roles Unbelievably, someone in a team might have a solution to something or might have an idea of how best to resolve an issue, but simply because he/she was not made the team head might decide to do nothing or not to go the extra mile in achieving the desired result. In a situation where by that particular team’s project did not go well, that same person may be the first to shift the blame to someone else or will decide to proffer solutions when the damage has been done already – probably to ‘shine’ or appear superior to others. Organisations suffer a great deal whenever people have developed the mindset of shifting the blame to someone else when they ought to have helped. Instead of playing the blame game, we should help one another to create value for the organisation. The era we are now in the business world is not that of who is wrong or right, who is to be blamed or not, but the era of helping the weak in your organisation to achieve better results. The truth is that some are weak in some areas and strong in other areas. The idea is to complement one another for the betterment of the organisation that pays our salaries.

History was made in America in 1961 by former President John F. Kennedy.

In order to drive home the need to take responsibility of one’s actions and never

showed his honesty and forthrightness He showed he had a “back” large enough to shoulder his responsibility of office.

Had JFK passed the blame to President Eisenhower who approved the program in March 1960, he could not have earned the respect he had after the incident.

Great leaders and employees take responsibility for their actions whether good or bad. That is the only way our direct reports and subordinates will see us as being truly genuine and honest. And when your subordinates see you as being genuine and honest, they will do all in their capacity to help you succeed. As leaders, managers, supervisors, and as parents, let us take responsibility of what is in our hands.

Points to ponder: Do we achieve any positive results when we shift or heap blame on people?

Instead we create resentment, conflicts, strife, enmity, disloyalty – and all these will hit the bottom-line unfavourably.

What do we want to achieve by blaming people in the workplace? Is it to preserve our ego or help to grow the organisation?

Before you blame someone, always ask yourself, have I done all I can to help out in this situation?

Email: uju.onwuzulike@mclgroup.net Mobile: 09091142093

C M Y K

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Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016

UNFPA Country Rep Ratidzai Ndhlove, Dr. Ongile (Outgoing UNW Country Rep, and Dr. Toyin Saraki wife of the Senate President

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She said, “She (Ongile) went on to do her job as long as there was a woman or child who needed succour or help, and she did not count the danger to herself but just did whatever she had to do.”

Ndhlovu also described Dr. Ongile as an eloquent speaker who spoke from the heart, who was persistent and dogged achiever for the down trodden whom monetary gain was not her aim but comfort and justice for the vulnerable in the society.

In her speech, Executive Director, International Society of Media in Public Health, ISMPH, Moji Makanjuola, said Dr. Ongile, was someone who totally showed her love to Nigeria, the Nigerian way of life and culture.

Harsh conditions

Saraki, Olujimi, others eulogise outgoing UN Women Country Rep

By Funmi Olasupo

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HE wife of Senate President, Dr. Toyin Saraki and Senator Biodun Olujimi at the weekend eulogised the outgoing United Nations Women Country Representative to Nigeria and Economic State of West African States, ECOWAS, Dr. Grace Ongile, after completing her five year tenure.

Saraki said Ongile has been very impactful in affairs concerning Nigerian women and been at the vanguard of issues concerning Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, and also described her as a humble, selfless and passionate action lady.

According to her, the outgoing UN Women boss demonstrated her resolve to make a difference through her service to humanity in Nigeria.

She said: “Dr. Ongile has been somebody who demonstrated her heartfelt service to women and Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, in Nigeria.

“She is one personality I will live to remember because she is always ready to make time out for the vulnerable and cause of women.”

Saraki, who is founder and initiator of Well Being Africa, was full of

commendation and said Ongile will be welcomed to Nigeria anytime she feels like visiting.

Also speaking was Senator Biodun Olujimi, who in her description of the lifestyle and service of Ongile said the UN Women representative has tremendously impacted the ‘go get and can-do spirit’ into Nigerian women.

Olujimi assured her that when the

Protection of girls, women are our priority —AIG Hassan

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S the incessant abuse of underage girls and women continues unabated in the country, the Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG, Zone 2 Headquarters Onikan Lagos, Bala Abdullahi Hassan, has said that the protection of girls and women is one of the main priorities of the police.

Hassan also urged Nigerians to support the police in all ramifications by giving adequate information to the police about suspected perpetrators noting that silence by the victims of molestation will not solve the issues.

Speaking with journalists in Lagos, Hassan noted that each crime has its own peculiarity and history and public support has always helped in solving several crime cases in the country.

Hassan noted that the police are social

Pg 24-25

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INSIDE My dad raised me as his first son —Ifeyinwa Ighodalo

GE&O Bill will be finally passed into Law, Ongile will be in Nigeria to celebrate with them as her significant input and coordination went a long way.

Others who commended Ongile were the UNPFA Country Representative, Ratizai Ndhlovu, wh o said Ongile was doggedly and totally committed to her work for which she had undying passion.

Her words: “Dr. Ongile achieved a lot of visibility for UN Women and got so much done in her time here.

“Dr. Ongile is a sister, a Nigerian and a deep hearted woman who totally cared for the vulnerable and would go beyond the call of duty to alleviate their harsh conditions.

“She cared for the vulnerable, gave scholarships to indigent Nigerians, took charge of orphanages and their needs, and others. She will be missed by all.”

Responding, Dr. Grace thanked everyone for the surprise send-forth party and described Nigeria as home and that her Nigerian sisters and brothers would always be welcome in Kenya.

She said she looked forward to the presentation and acceptance of the GE&O Bill, and also for the reintegration of IDPs into the society to resume their peaceful existence in their own locality.

What’s the appropriate time for child spacing Pg 25

agents whose effectiveness and operations will always be improved when the public p r o v i d e s necessary information when needed and report s t r a n g e occurrence in their environ.

AIG Hassan also affirmed that crime occurs in every part of the world but what matters to the Nigerian Police Force is the ability to fight the crime and bring the perpetrators to book.

According to him, “The protection of girls and women is our utmost priority. We know that there have been constant abuse, and with information this abuse will be curbed to the barest minimum. When the crime is not reported, it gives chance for more occurrences.

If the crime overwhelms you, it will be bad.

When there is a certainty for prosecution, the police will always pursue the case till the end.

“The police-force are social agents and they need the support of the populace. The support and information given to us by the public has assisted us by in unraveling some of the most

serious crimes committed in this country. They can be tamed and this crime can be eliminated if the public gives us the information that will assist us. ‘’It is important also for parents to always watch over their children.

Unfortunately, several parents do not take time to even inquire about their children’s association and his/ her attitudes. Some parents claim to be so busy that they allow their maids to play the role of parents. This is wrong and some can pay a price for this carelessness. ‘’These house helps have now formed a syndicate and we all know what level of kidnappings that they have now been involved in. It is important as parents to open your child’s school bags to know if he takes toy gun to school, check his /her text messages to ascertain the friends he is keeping. All these will help the parent and the society if it is done.

The AIG who has 33 years experience in the police and has been posted to virtually all the positions around the country, noted that the former Inspector General of Police, Mike Okiro, has inspired him because he (Okiro) is one of the outstanding operational strategists that the police force has ever produced.

28—Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016

AFRICA FASHION WEEK NIGERIA:

Creating new frontiers for Nigeria’s economic emancipation

By Yemisi Suleiman

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ome July 1 2016, the first ever textile and garment manufacturing conference will hold in Lagos.

Billed to hold at the Eko Hotel Lagos,the conference will kick start the Africa Fashion Week Nigeria 2016,the three day fashion extravaganza which holds from July 1-3. The conference will bring together industry experts under one roof, to deliberate on ways of maximizing the potentials within the fashion industry for the benefit of Nigeria. This conference is poised to highlight innovative systems that will create a powerful independent economic base for the country using creative energies of young and talented fashion entrepreneurs.

Speaking on the objective of the conference, founder of the Africa Fashion Week Nigeria, Ronke Ademiluyi said it is pertinent to note that, fashion has the capacity to provide jobs, promote creativity and individualism, “It is to channel useful energies to productive use, provide social security, build export capacity and industrial base, create a massive economic base of micro, small and medium scale enterprises, that can lift

a social sector or a whole nation, from poverty and obscurity to wealth and global relevance.”

The textile and garment manufacturing conference will deal with topics such as Job Creation in the Garment Manufacturing Industry, New Channels of E-commerce in the Fashion Industry, is Textile Manufacturing a Viable Option?

Retailing and Setting up a Fashion Business in Nigeria (The Dynamics) and Different Financing Options. ‘ It will feature astute industry professionals and entrepreneurs from across the globe, covering such professional sectors as marketing, banking, e-commerce and manufacturing.

Other issues that will also be discussed on the day are: Is Nigeria ready to become a manufacturing hub for textiles and garments? How do manufacturers deal with infrastructure issues and still make profit. How can we tap into the skills of the foreign market and different funding options.

Some confirmed speakers for the conference are: Dr Mustapha Akinwunmi (Hon. Commissioner For Finance Lagos State) Mr Dapo Adelegan (President, Nigerian-British Camber of Commerce)and Mr Akintunde Oyebode (Executive Secretary Lagos State Employment Trust Fund) amongst others.

All that leg!

My dad raised me a Furniture anywhere in the world is seen as men’s work, but Mrs. Ifeyinwa Ighodalo, CEO, DO.II Designs Ltd, decided to challenge the status quo and go into the business.

In the last 25 years, the business has evolved and can boast of clientèle in the high-end residential, property development, hospitality and corporate markets. Her resilience has earned her local and international recognition as she has won numerous awards in the past. In this chat with Woman’s Own, Ighodalo talks about her stint in furniture making and interior designs which dates back to her days in the university when she used to experiment with available spaces in her room and that of her friends. Excerpts:

By Nkiruka Nnorom

F

URNITURE manufacturing is perceived as a business exclusively reserved for men.

I wanted spaces that could compare with any similar space anywhere in the world and I found that the offerings in Nigeria were not up to standard, so I decided to go ahead and start producing what I wanted according to international trends and standard, and international quality. My father was very instrumental in this journey. I was his first child, he wanted a son, and I was told that once he got over the initial disappointment of not having a son first, he focused his energy in raising me as his first son. So, it never occurred to me to look at the situation, especially when business or my career is concerned and think I am a woman. A job needed to be done and I just decided to get on with it.

What has been the story of DO.11 in the

last 25 years of its existence?

We started the journey as Design and Friends, manufacturing locally to global standard. We continued that process to DO.11, but re-branding and refreshing the company came about a few

We need a lot of power for machines that produce the furniture years ago. People are used to you in certain ways, you are always in braids whenever you come out and suddenly you look different.

….5 celebs who love short clothes

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lot of women are getting better at looking sexy in short outfits and celebrities are not left out of the equation. Like they say, if you’ve got it, flaunt it. Dare to be brave? Then do it short.

Do it like:

Tiwa Savage This mother of one still has what it takes at flaunting her mile-long legs.

Don’t do it like: Emma Nyra Unless you are setting out for a strip tease, this is a “no” for any event, formal or otherwise.

Do it like: Ini Edo This diva is so comfortable in her skin that even her outfit would not raise eyebrows.

Don’t Do it like: Ayo Adesanya Pretty she might be, but baring too much is a no-no. Besides, if you are plump and you’ve got big thighs, then micro short would not do it for you.

Don’t do it like: Annie Idibia If you have to do short, then do something you are more comfortable in.

•Tiwa Savage

•Ini Edo •Annie Idibia

•Ayo Adesanya

•Emma Nyra

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016 —29

as his first son —Ifeyinwa Ighodalo So, we wanted the company to look different.

That was one of the factors that led us to do the re-branding. We were more of a home furniture and interior solution provider. Now, we have done a lot of corporate work in the last two years. It is not that we are no longer focusing on residential furniture because the corporate work we do is for both office and residential, but corporate furniture is a new area for us. We have been involved in a push in that direction so that we can capture and even surpass the residential furniture we have been doing.

What have been the challenges since you started the business and how did you overcome them?

Power! Initially, it wasn’t power, but it is fast becoming power. I remember when we would run generator may be for one or two hours in a day and for the rest of the time, it will be NEPA before it became PHCN and further evolved. It is not just provision of power; we can provide our power, but the cost of providing that power is where the problem is because actually, it would affect our cost. I am imagining the business you can run without power, but furniture manufacturing, especially in the factory is power intensive.

Right work ethics We need a lot of power for machines that produce the furniture. Human resources- it’s been challenging getting the right calibre of people; people with the right work ethics. Again, we have overcome that by being creative. We are creative in our designs; we have become creative in our recruitment process; we have to become creative in our training. We ensure that we do in-house training. We are now more than ever insisting that the corporate culture is imbibed by whoever we bring in. And so with the combination of that, you find that it is actually working.

What has been your staying power in the last 25 years?

There are days when you look at everything and you think, ‘why am I still here?’ Its a lot of things and one of them is that I take pride in my work. I was one of those few who were lucky early on in life to know what I wanted to do. I had friends who have been in banking for 20 years then they now suddenly come out and start their passion, whether it is event planning or whatever. I was lucky to identify my passion at a very early age and so what I needed to do was just to go on with it. That has helped me to stay on. When I hear people talk to me about our furniture, even people I don’t know, it gives me a great sense of pride. For the fact that it is locally produced with a local workforce and locally sourced raw materials, it is an extra pride for me.

I travel all over the world, but am happiest in Nigeria.

To be able to showcase and win awards based on what I manufacture gives me a sense of pride.

One of the awards I won was based on the interior space of my own when we built and we finished the interior of my house from floor to the ceiling.

For me, I should have imported furniture to put in that space, but as a sense of pride and a sense of identity, I made sure that every single furniture was produced by us, so that I could stand up and say ‘yes, this is what I do’; That has helped. The last thing I will say is that success is not lack of failure, but how many times you get up. So, there have been times that I felt like, ‘this thing is too much for me, I want to quit’, but for me, I am very stubborn, so I just keep going.

How do you handle competition?

Furniture is one of the things we do. For us, I think that is what differentiates us from everybody else; we provide interior solutions from floor to ceiling. I think that is what differentiates us.

What is the level of your local content in terms of materials used in furniture manufacturing?

We had a conversation about that earlier and I said 80 per cent of the materials we use are sourced locally, while the remaining 20 per cent are sourced internationally, but am sure if you check it very well, it might even be 90:10. We produce locally.

Now that Nigeria is looking inward, how soon will you start exporting to other countries?

We are looking at that, but I can’t tell you how soon. Like I said earlier, we have been manufacturing for over 25 years. It is almost as if the company has come to meet us. What we have been doing, what we have known is what is coming to pass now. As far as exportation is concerned, we are planning on that, but we want to start with our initial expansion plan which is inside Nigeria, then West Africa and then we can see what happens after that.

As an interior designer, when you walk into an empty room what comes into your mind.

What comes into my mind is, what will she want and that is where I start from. An empty space is just an empty space, so it really depends on what the client wants.

But, do you try to visualize the setting based on the size and the shape of the room.

Definitely, but it all depends on what the client wants because you can have an office space you know can take only 10 people and your client comes and tells you that they wants 15 or they want 20. So, we then have to stretch it a bit, but sometimes, you can’t get to that point. But, yes, there is a lot of visualization.

•Ifeyinwa

What’s the appropriate time for child-spacing?

By Anino Aganbi

R

EADY for your next baby....

Timing for your next pregnancy is purely up to you but in most cases, you have no control over when it happens.

Sometimes, no matter how careful you are or no matter the type of family planning you do, when its time, it’s just time. A lot of women who start having

their children late really do not have the luxury of spacing their children too far apart for risk of complications during pregnancies.

Some risks that can be found with spacing pregnancies too far apart are: High blood pressure and excess protein in your urine after 20 weeks of pregnancy (preeclampsia) Preterm birth Low birth weight Small size for gestational age But in spite of all these, do women still not have the right it space their children?

A lot of medical practitioners might keep preaching child spacing but what methods are safe when it comes to family planning or spacing out your children? There have been instances where women take pills or other types of family planning precautions and end up being sterile after one or two children. How does medical science resolve such issues?

In Nigeria today, it is recommended that women space their children between three –five years, but there are risks involved in giving so much space on the part of the mother and her baby. Talking to Woman’s Own, a generasl practitioner, Dr Niyi Osamiluyi states that “In the past, the recommended time for spacing your children was two years, but now it is three to five years.

You can look at child spacing from two angles, in terms of physiological changes ( the body of the woman) and you can also look at it from the social factor.

The woman’s body after child bearing needs time to come back into shape. That is the physical and physiological aspect, on the other hand, we also need to talk about the socio-economic factor, in terms of bringing up children, sending them to school e.t.c.

He further disclosed that “Although it is not a crime if you do not space out your children but it is what’s recommended now. In medicine, let me if you an illustration if you step on a nail you would need to take TT. Now that is what is recommended. It

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30— Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016

When Bolanle Ambode hosts southern governors’ wives in Lagos

By Olasunkanmi Akoni

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AGOS State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode last Friday received a delegation of wives of the southern governors, under the aegis of Southern Governors’ Wives’ Forum, SGWF, on a courtesy visit at the Lagos House, Ikeja as part of two day quarterly meeting in the state.

The women, who converged on Lagos in a festival like mood, declared that their visit was spurred by the achievements recorded by the Lagos State Government, especially in the area of infrastructure provision and security of lives and property.

The roll call includes: Imo State-Mrs. Nkechi OkorochaChairperson and wife of the Governor of Imo State, Ogun State- Mrs. Olufunso Amosun, Oyo State, Mrs. Florence Ajimobi, Osun State, Mrs. Sherifat Aregbesola, Enugu, State, Mrs. Monica Ugwuanyi

Quarterly meeting Others were: Ebonyi State, Mrs. Rachael Umahi, Akwa Ibom State, Martha Udom, and Edo State, Mrs. Lara Oshiomole, Abia State, Mrs. Nkechi Ikpeazu, Anambra State, Chief Mrs. Ebelechuckwu Obiano, Bayelsa State, Mrs Rachel Dickson and ofcourse, the host, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode, Lagos State.

Speaking during a courtesy visit to Ambode at the State House, Alausa, the forum’s chairperson, wife of Governor of Imo State, Okorocha said they were in Lagos for the second edition of their quarterly meeting, which the state was

Wife of Lagos State Governor, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode (middle), with beneficiaries of the empowerment programme for widows, parents with multiple births and medical support for the less-privileged by the wife of Lagos State Governor in conjunction with Hope For Women Foundation (HOFEWEM), at the Banquet Hall, Lagos House, Ikeja.

hosting, saying that the forum presented members with the opportunity to rub minds and come up with ideas that could trigger both economic and social rebirth in Nigeria.

She said the forum presented members with the opportunity to rub minds and come up with ideas that could trigger both economic and social rebirth in Nigeria.

“While it is very important that we do what we are doing as individuals in our various States, we are looking at what is happening in Nigeria today and we have realized that it is very important that we must be patriotic in all that we do and we must begin to tear down the walls of friction and conflict, that’s the only way we can have the Nigeria of our collective dream and aspiration.

Okorocha, on behalf of the forum also congratulated Governor Ambode for his strides in the last one year of his

administration, saying that the impact of his government was being felt across the state.

“Let me use this opportunity to congratulate you on behalf of

This forum is coming on the platform where knowledge and basic things on governance is going to be shared among people the Southern Governors’ Wives’ Forum on your giant strides towards the massive transformation of Lagos within just one year in office.

“Lagos is indeed our second

What’s the appropriate time for child spacing?

Continues from page 25 does not mean that everybody that steps on the nail contacts tetanus. Eventually, the output is recommendation. This illustration also applies to child spacing.

It doesn’t mean that because some women space their children, it would work for others. There are some women who are grand multifarious. So when the mother tries giving birth, there could be issues of blood being stuck in the uterus during child birth. It does not mean it will happen to

everybody” .

He also added that “There are related occurrences where women have problems conceiving after the first child, we call them secondary infertility. They would have to see their doctors to look at what is happening, depending on what type of family planning was used. There are different injectibles and other things so you try to investigate and look at what could have caused it.

You would realize that as women age, there is an increased possibility on issues when they want to give birth.

There are potential issues

even with the baby they have.

When the recommendation is three to five years, the question is how many children do you want to have? If you want two years or more spacing between your children, it would depend on how many you want to have and how early you started rearing children. If you start having children in your twenties, at least by the time you get to your thirties, you are closing shop. The older you get, there are issues physically and there are potential issues with the pregnancy. ”

home, so we can attest to the fact that Your Excellency has done a great job. One begins to wonder what magnitude of development that Lagos would be experiencing during your tenure.

“As Nigerian women, we deem it fit to give honour to whom honour is due, that first, coming here, not only to pay a courtesy visit but to give you our respect and formally introduce this forum to you” She said the Forum which has 17 members, was poised to support the programmes of Mrs. Aisha Buhari, who according to her is very concerned about the welfare of Nigerians.

“We are poised to complement the effort of our dear husbands, the Governors of the Southern States through our respective pet projects and carry out laudable initiatives in the Southern region.

“We are so passionate about this forum and with God on our side we would make bold statements and at the end, we would leave a worthy legacy for our generation yet to come.

She also solicited the support of Governor Ambode to reach out to his brother governors to buy into the ideals and goals of the Forum.

Receiving the delegates warmly, at the State House, Governor Ambode noted that efforts by Governors to deliver good governance in their states would not be effective without the complementary role by their wives. Ambode said that against all odds, Nigeria has continued to surmount its challenges due to the commitment of governors and their spouses to addressing issues of governance in their respective states.

According to him, the forum is an important platform that would afford wives of governors share knowledge and exchange notes on governance which could be beneficial to their people on the long run.

The governor noted that the governors would require their wives to be ardent supporter of their programmes and policies before they could succeed.

According to him, “No matter what a governor does, if his effort isn’t complemented by someone (wive) that is prayerful and supporting the programme, there isn’t any way the governor can succeed.

“I want to commend you all for supporting the governors in order for our programmes to have impact on the people.

Notwithstanding that there are difficult times, but we will continue to embark on programmes that will have impact on the citizens,” he added.

The governor who also commended wife of the President, Hajia Aisha Buhari, for establishing the forum, stating, “This forum is coming on the platform where knowledge and basic things on governance is going to be shared among people that have the historical instruments to do things for the people.”

Robust contributions Ambode added that the forum would help to impact on governance in the various states. In her welcome address, Ambode’s wife and chief host, Bolanle Ambode, said the forum would seize the opportunity of the two-day meeting to carefully consider all items on the agenda and make robust contributions towards enhancing national growth.

In her words, “We use this platform to exchange and compare note and ideas that will not only complement the tasks of our husbands but also help in building a more progressive society and the nation at large.

However, assessing the outcome of the meeting, Ambode said, “To the glory of God, we have been succeeding largely in our missions. Here in Lagos, our meeting was equally fruitful and successful, as we carefully considered all items on the agenda, and made robust contribution that will go a long way in complementing achievements of our husband.

It was a great session that will soon germinate into positive results.”

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016 — 31

•Too young to be in school?

Pre-school education: At what age?

TODAY in Nigeria, probably due to economic downturn, you see five-month-old babies and toddlers going to daycare centres because both parents have to work to make ends meet.

Stories abound of babies being drugged and made to sleep for hours because the caregiver is overwhelmed by the number of babies she has to care for. Sometimes, such babies learn to talk, sing and scribble by watching and copying the older children; thus, doing things they are not developmentally ready for. This could cause some problems for them in future according to experts. It can be likened to a woman putting to bed before the normal ninemonth gestation period. If certain measures are not taken medically, the child usually dies because he is not ready developmentally for life outside the womb.

In this report, Vanguard Learning presents the views of parents and teachers on sending children to school at very young age. Some of the respondents placed part of the blame at the doorsteps of parents who rush their children through school for reasons best known to them, while some see absolutely nothing wrong. Read on.

By Ebele Orakpo, Tare Youdeowei & Elizabeth Uwandu TIME for everything In an article by child development expert, Elizabeth Hartley Brewer in the UK Telegraph, she noted that significant changes occur around the age of seven when children have a clearer and more separate sense of self that enables them to better understand their mistakes and accept helpful criticism.

Very young children’s brains are programmed to learn differently, to connect and grow through play, exploration and the attention they receive from adults and other children."

Also, Mrs Jane Olatunji-Hughes, an educationist with a Master’s degree in educational psychology said the trouble is that too many people believe that by pushing children harder, they will get better results. "It’s like the arms race and it is counterproductive."

She said in Finland where children start school at seven years, skills development is emphasised in nurseries so by the time they go to formal school, they have social skills, emotional stability, physical coordination and strength,well established concepts of number, volume, space and time, ability to sit still, listen and concentrate.

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"Moreover, nursery staff are facilitators rather than teachers. They observe their pupils and provide the stimulus needed for each individual child at the precise level needed."

The Director, Open Doors for Special Learners, Jos, Prof (Mrs) Joanne Umolu believes that the high rate of failure in external exams is not unconnected with this phenomenon.

Reading clinic

"We get children in our reading clinic who are bright but have been failing because they never had the opportunity to learn to read at the time they were developmentally ready to."

She Parents are partly to blame because they want to rush their children into secondary at age 8 and 9 and so the schools feel under pressure to push them."

Advantages: Some people believe that sending a child to school so early makes such a child smart, intelligent, bold and a great sense of freedom compared to his counterparts at home.

In her contribution, Mrs Christina Ohen, a Preparatory teacher at Tonia International College, Coker, Lagos with 10 years experience, said pre-sch ool education has positive impact on a child’s overall development. "The child has the ability to scribble, learn and pick out things easily compared

to his counterparts at home.

“I have children aged a year plus to two years and above. They can scribble and write well to some extent. But if you keep them at home, you cannot make progress."

Continuing, Ohen said: “Children sent to school early learn things faster than their counterparts at home. Mark you, learning is stage by stage. For instance, a parent that says she doesn’t want her child to cry when brought to school at say, two years; such a child will eventually cry at four when he or she comes to school. You will also see that those children that are four years now in Nursery one or two, would have gone far at school while the other child will be trying to adjust in his new class, and at a slow pace."

Disadvantages: Other respondents, however, noted that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.

In his reaction, Pastor Timothy Ikechukwu of The Church of New Jerusalem, said children who spent time with their parents before going to school show more love, have morals and develop trust, a veritable ingredient to lead a balanced life.

Psychological effect: According to Ikechukwu, there are psychological effects on a child that starts school too early. Such child develops hostile attitudes that tend to breed disobedience that is latent in the child,

only to creep up as he or she grows.

“For instance, a child sent to school at a very tender age, say below five years, feels he is being pushed to a stranger. As a result, he develops hostile attitude not only towards the teacher, but also the parents. The implication is that such a child develops traits of disobedience which is latent at such age, only to surface as he grows,” added Ikechukwu.

The father of five whose children all started school at age five, said another negative effect of early child education is lack of trust such child develops towards his parents.

“A child that spent his early life at school tends to have more respect for his teachers than his parents. You hear children say: “My teacher said this; my aunty said that,” even

If you know you are serious about having children, you quit whatever you are doing to take care of them

if their teacher is wrong and the parents right."

Developing the five senses: The clergyman lamented the loss of moral values and folklore amongst school children and said the policy when he was growing up was that a child should be at least five years

old before attending basic education so as to enable such child fully develop the five senses.

“But nowadays, a child that still needs the mother’s breast milk and wears diapers is sent to school. Thus, the child knows nothing about his parents and is deprived of those little things mothers pass to their young ones like moral instruction, folklore, norms and values.

“These days, our youths lack knowledge of history and this can be attributed to lack of parental tutelage in passing such knowledge to the children in their formative years. What they learn at school cannot make up for what they would have learnt from their parents at home."

No choice: Mrs. Kosiso Nwabunike, a parent said: “Even if I think it is too early, I do not have a choice. Immediately after school, my husband and I got married and started this pure water factory. My mother is still young so I cannot take her away from her work to look after my children.

Parental tutelage The solution is daycare. Even though I am my own boss, the factory is not conducive for them. This business is insurance for us because my husband works in a bank, you know how they are. My daughter started at 4 months, and she is three years old now, her brother is starting at 4 months too. When she is done in her class, she goes to his class to play with him and monitor him. I told her he is hers to protect.

"I know these places are generally not safe but the school has been there for years and not one parent has had any serious negative complaint. I don’t think their exposure to learning materials is wrong, after all, they learn anything available at that age. Even if they are kept at home, they would still learn from whoever is with them.

Mr. Mayor Okoye, another parent said: “That I am a trader today is because I am short and my father died early. When it was time for school, my hand could not touch my ear. By the time I eventually started, I was only there a year and half when my father died. " My boys started formally when they were one plus. They were in daycare from five months; my mother helped out. My wife had to return to work.”

When asked what she thought about daycare centres, Mrs. Duru, a mother said; “If you know you are serious about having children, you quit whatever you are doing to take care of them. Don’t give anybody your children to look after. At best, you open shop near the house and look after your children."

On early education she added; “I knew something was not right; now science has confirmed it. Why would you spoil a child’s future because you don’t want to shoulder your responsibilities? Three years old for nursery one is okay. Where are they running to?" she asked.

32—Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016

50 orphans get relief materials, one UNIBEN develops to graduate soon software for CBT

By Amaka Abayomi

T

PRESENTATION: 1993 graduates of English & Literature Department, University of Benin, last weekend held their inaugural re-union with a visit to the department where items were donated. Here the coordinator, Peter Okwe with Tina Ogidan and Chairman/CEO HS Media Group, Taye Ige presenting a computer system to Dr. Emmanuel Okwechime and Mr. Tanimola Jegede, both of the English Department.

Addressing problem of carrying capacity ... As 1.7m JAMB candidates jostle for 750,000 spaces

By Dayo Adesulu

A

S the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, pegs its 2016 UTME cut-off mark for universities, polytechnics and colleges of education at 180, stakeholders still believe that the issue of carrying capacity for tertiary institutions is crux of the issue that should be urgently addressed.

JAMB annual examination data revealed that in the past five years the average number of candidates that registered for UTME is 1. 5 million, just as the universities, polytechnics and colleges of education combined have 700,000 spaces.

Therefore, while the Federal Government is considering approval of more universities to alleviate the yearly admission deficit, stakeholders are urging it to concentrate more on expanding the existing universities and also encourage students to seek other options for tertiary education.

Speaking with Vanguard on this issue is the President of Eden Global Business School (EGBS), Mr Tunji Adepoju, who averred that there is a significant problem with the carrying capacity of tertiary education system. According to him, for the past 5 years, we have had about 1.7 million students sitting for JAMB, adding: “the carrying capacity of our tertiary education system, including the polytechnic

and colleges of education is around 500, 000."

He explained that the innovation enterprise institutions, vocational enterprises, NBT have additional 250,000. All in all the total carrying capacity is about 700, 000.

He said: “Every year, we have about 1.1 million students actually qualified; they have passed JAMB, met the minimum cut off point, and here we are, the unified carrying capacity of is 700,000; the polytechnics, colleges of education, federal and state institutions, is about 500, 000. The

Nigerian students should seek global certificates from recognized institutions innovation enterprise is about 250, 000, so we have a shortfall every year of about 500, 000 students that would be qualified and competent but would not get admission.”

Lamenting the fate of the over one million admission seekers, he said that over the years, they have fallen into the hands of crooks and

charlatans.

Many of them, he added have been deceived by mushroom outfits because they are desperate to get admission, adding that crooks have capitalized on this to extort gullible students.

Proferring solutions to the admission deficit , he said Nigerian students should seek global certificates from recognized institutions which he disclosed EGBS offers. “We are offering an educational solution that will offer our students national and global certification.”

According to him, “All EGBS programmes have national certification from university of Ibadan, adding that admission seekers can key in to this professional certification of National and International recognition.

Adepoju who explained further that the IPMA UK certification is global, stated that no certificate in Nigeria is worth anything outside, saying they must first of all write the directorate of evaluation and accreditation to verify holders credentials with his home institution. With EGBS qualifications, he said there is no need for verification out the country, “you can work anywhere in the world without delay,” he said.

Disclosing the idea behind the EGBS, he pointed out that the overriding vision of the business school is to be a world class entrepreneurial management supermarket in the world.

HE Alumni Association of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Oyo State in Abuja has paid a visit to Christ Foundation Orphanage, Kuje, Abuja, to support the children with gifts.

The Chairperson of the association, Dr Toyin AjenifujahSolebo, who is an Assistant Director at the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), Abuja, expressed delight thus; “the association is delighted to back the society by reaching out to the precious gifts from God and encouraging the children to become worthy members of the society. We are proud to be associated with the great work being done by the management and caregivers at Christ

Foundation Orphanage.”

In response to the gesture, Mrs. Patricia Kuta, the proprietor the orphanage disclosed that the orphanage has about 50 children, ranging from infants to students in higher institutions, as she appreciated the alumni association saying; “Thank you for coming to support us. We are making progress. One of the children will be graduating this year from the University of Abuja while three are students at the polytechnic. Another three just completed their secondary school education this year. The orphanage also supports downtrodden widows.”

Other alumni who visited the orphanage include Mr. Kunle Adigun, General Secretary; Mr Oyegoke Afolabi, Welfare Officer; Arc. Taofik Aminu, Engr. Oladipo Agboola and Ms Aanu Rotimi.

Ikoyi Metro Club laments plights of pupils

P

RESIDENT of Rotary Club of Ikoyi Metro District 9110, Mr. Michael Smith Atoe has lamented the long neglect of primary schools due to inability of members of the society to give back to the society, saying Nigerian children in primary school face psychological and environmental torture.

Speaking during a tour/ commissioning of educational project by the club at Dodan Baracks Primary School recently, Atoe hinted that mere looking at the children, one can understand the torture they are going through due to lack of social amenities in the school.

Commissioning the projects which include construction of desks and restructuring of the classrooms, he regretted that: “These children need not go through these harrowing experience, looking at their faces, look at the psychological torture, the environmental torture they are going through, it is not fair.”

Atoe blamed corporate organisations and the church

which according to him, have larger role to play but their presence are not felt in the society.

The church in its own capacity has been able to pull people and funds together and fail to give back to the society.

“Rotary is doing its own part which we have seen, but what about the corporate bodies? There are corporate bodies around and basically there are churches around. The church is pulling its members together and pulling funds together, why can’t the church give back to the society?”

He regretted that corporate citizens have shown more interest in pursuing their businesses, neglecting their society.

He said making a thousand desks is not up to N2 million, a business class ticket costs N1.5 million just to do a six-hour trip whether to the UK or Europe, and yet fails to give back to the society after all profit made.

Atoe, explained that as a rotary member and part of the Rotary objectives is being your brother’s keeper.

BFF rekindles hope among widows, as orphans get scholarship

By Elizabeth Uwandu

B

LESSED Fruit Foundation, BFF, has put smiles on the faces of orphans and widows, as it awarded scholarships to two orphans and gave interest-free loans to 18 widows.

Chairman of the foundation, Mr Patrick Akpala, who made this known in Lagos during an annual general meeting said: “The foundation will continue to cater for the tuition and books of

BFF scholarship awardees."

According to him, Victor Chinaka who was adopted from primary school by the Foundation is now in JSS2. Just as Dimeji Ajayi who was also adopted from JSS3 is now in 300 level, at the Nursing Department, University of Lagos.

He explained that in addition to the above awardees, BFF management has approved N30,000 for Mrs Oyewole, a widow, to offset her daughter’s

school fees at Lagos State University. As well as N12,000 for Mrs Azubuike’s daughter to purchase WAEC form. He noted that in continuation of providing school items for widows, children and orphans, in 2015, school items and writing materials were distributed to about 50 children in primary and secondary schools. Meanwhile, Akpala said that the foundation and its partners have made provision of business interest-free loans to beneficiaries of BFF.

Third left, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Education, represented by a Deputy Director in the Ministry, Mr Kassim Mufutau presenting Lagos State Best Private Secondary School Award 2015 to Principal of Caleb International College, Magodo, Mrs Linda Olumese who is flanked by a student of the College, Halimat Ahmadu (1st L), Director of Basic Education Services, Lagos State Ministry of Education, Mrs. Baiyewu Yetunde and Master Adebisi Adeyanju .

Thurs learning, June 13

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016 —33

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34 —Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2016

LEISURE

YOUR LUCK TODAY

By Joshua Adeyemo Phone 08056180139 LIBRA; Take note that others may break promises made before early afternoon period; that is to say you should not take anybody for granted before 12.43pm.

SCORPIO; Although friends are willing to assist you circumstances may not allow complete help as expected.

9.46am to 12.43pm can be a bit sensitive…..

SAGITTARIUS; Emphasis will continue to be on career related issues. However you will not be wrong if you take matters-of-the-heart more seriously now. Be more loving.

CAPRICORN; Mid-morning till early afternoon period may bring more promises than it can actually deliver; your being clever will see you through. Be very practical.

AQUARIUS; Continue to attach necessary importance to your family values. Here is a day when joint ventures can bring you under pressure between 9.46am and 12.43pm.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

By Richard Eromosele

O

NE of the greatest fallacies mankind is saddled with is the belief that the rich don’t cry. But my questions are: why should the

So, The Rich Also Cry? rich cry? Is the rich not a human being? Has he no feelings? Does he not eat? Does he got not go to the

TERROR MUDA

toilet? has he no blood running in his vein? Does he have more than one head?

I pity the rich

in “Never say goodbye”

man. He wants companionship, yet, no one is ready to offer him any, because, everybody sees him as self-sufficient in everything.

By Kola Fayemi

PISCES; Other people will continue to feature in your activities; that is to say you will need to be as co-operative as reason permits. Watch it between 9.46am&12.43pm ARIES; You will be in good position to consolidate on progress made yesterday. However you will need to watch your mood from 9.46am to 12.43pm.

TAURUS; It is important you don’t take things for granted around mid-morning and early afternoon period so that you will not run into avoidable disappointments.

GEMINI; If you are in position to control your actions you would fare better if you can wait till after 12,43pm before you make an important move. Be family minded.

CANCER; Your being receptive can enhance your prospects but that is not to say you have to be naïve, especially during mid-morning and early afternoon periods.

KAPTAIN AFRIKA

in

“Pretty Lunatic’

By Andy Akman

LEO; Success is boldly printed on your cards and like yesterday if priority attention is given to money the scope of your success will be wider.

VIRGO; Although things may be happening around you, you are the right person to make things happen and give others opportunities.. Be wise.

ASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLING Send yyour our dat tr ological datee and place of bir th ttoo the As Astr trological Counselling, PP.M.B .M.B 1100 00 7, Apapa, Lagos 007,

What is my Sagittarius?

Dear Joshua, I want you to tell me characteristics of my Star; Sagittarius as you have done to others.

Ezekiel, Ibadan.

Dear Ezekiel, BASIC CHARACTERISTICS OF SAGITTARIUS Sagittarius is a mutable sign by its quality. It‘s element is fire, symbolised by half horse half man and/or an Archer aiming at the sky. Mutable means changes and experimentation, while fire is all about enthusiasm, taking of the initiative and leadership ability. Thus, you are the type that will exhibit strong interest in an important project that catches your fancy and you will not mind to experiment with ideas just to achieve your objectives and aims. Sagittarius is the 9th sign of the Zodiac that rules philosophy, RELIGION, law, foreign land, higher mind/higher institutions, lawyer, long (distance) travelling, in-laws, future, optimism and bluntness. Major problem or weak points of Sagittarians are excessive openness/bluntness and sometimes fanatical approach to religion.

Being a born adventurer, you are not afraid of exploration and new beginning. Sagittarians are incurable optimist and ever ready to listen to and eager to believe others; you are not an exception. Honesty is truly in your inner self You are a tolerant person but you are not ready to compromise your FREEDOM Sagittarius as a fire sign can make you a quick tempered person. Half horse half man as the symbol, of Sagittarius indicates dual (double) personalities known in different circle with different personalities. Yet, you are not a pretender. As the Archer aims arrow into the sky also Sagittarians have many lofty ideas and ambition. But sometimes their ideas and/or ideals are not practical enough for realisation. Many times, they start too many things at a time only to either forget or lose view of their original targets.

Development of practical approach is more important for Sagittarians, this is in order to make success of many of their brilliant ideas, otherwise they tend to become dreamers. In reality, Sagittarians are dreamers (by this 1 mean real dream many use to have at night) and many of their dreams usually come to pass. Sometimes their dreams are vividly prophetic.

Sagittarians are born philosophers, that is why they have well developed minds indispensable to rare wisdom. Then, you are humorous, lively, sports loving out going, energetic, good hearted, in love with experimentation, ever willing to co-operate, socially inclined, enthusiastic and highly intelligent. As intelligent as you are, you can surprisingly appear fanatical about your believe and/or views.

VIRGINIA

HOME & ABROAD

dadadekola@yahoo.com

By Lawrence Akapa

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016 —35

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36—Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016

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Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016—37

Clerics raise alarm over alleged herdsmen's invasion of Rivers' forests

By Davies Iheamachor

P

ORT HARCOURT— CLERICS in Rivers State have raised alarm, alleging that suspected Fulani herdsmen armed with dangerous weapons have invaded some forests in the state with a view of launching attack on the state.

The clergymen, from different platforms, Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, and Directorate of Religious Freedom and Church Collaboration of Christian Lawyers Fellowship of Nigeria, alleged that suspected herdsmen with arms had invaded communities in the state.

In a statement, yesterday, Chairman of CAN, Rev. Isaac Anyanasikike, stated that the herdsmen were already intimidating land owners in some rural communities of the state and acquiring land for grazing.

Anyanasikike who read the statement on-behalf of CAN and CLASFON, adding that tension was already rising in communities of the state following the presence of the herdsmen.

The clerics urged residents of the state, especially farmers in the rural communities to be vigilant while on their daily businesses in the forests.

He said: “It has come to our knowledge that Fulani herdsmen or cattle rearers have constituted themselves into an embarrassing nuisance in rural communities in the various local government areas of the state where they graze their cattle with impunity on lands and or

farms belonging to the natives and accompanied by their propensity for violence and other horrible forms of criminality whenever they are challenged by the land owners.

“That the Fulani herdsmen are still roaming the forests and farmlands in Rivers State with

dangerous weapons and other instruments of violence without the security and law enforcement agents doing anything to check this pervasive use of unauthorised or unlicensed arms thereby leaving the lives of the majority of our rural community dwellers at avoidable risk in unacceptable.”

SUMMIT: From left: MD, Environment Communications Ltd, Mr. Gbolahan Adedotun; Akwa-Ibom State Special Representative to the Governor in Lagos, Mr. Samuel Bassey, Chief Operating Director, Africa Clean Energy Summit, Pastor Olawale Akinwumi; D-G, Africa Clean Energy Summit, Dr. Victor Fodake and Covenant University's Director of Centre for Research Innovation and Discovery, Prof. Samual Wara, at a media chat on the First Akwa-Ibom State Climate Change and Clean Energy mega summit/expo in Lagos.

How economic hardship increased number of deaths, by NHDSPS

By Simon Ebegbulem

B

ENIN CITY—THE Body of Heads of Departments and Nursing Services and Principals of Schools, HDNSPS, in federal health institutions in the country, lamented yesterday, that the prevailing economic hardship in the country has led to increase in the number of deaths recorded daily in the country.

The organisation lamented that nurses in the country lack the required tools to do their jobs effectively, but expressed optimism that the Federal Government will assist the nurses in improving their skills in the interest of Nigerians.

Speaking at the 16th National Scientific Conference /AGM of the

committee of Heads of Departments of Nursing Services and Principals of Schools of Nursing in Federal Health Institutions, the chairman of the body, Mr Haruna

Danladi, attributed the economic hardship to the cause of the different ailments in the country, regretting however, that challenges facing the health sector such as inadequate tools to work had worsened the

FG to establish broadband optic fibre in N-Delta government to complete all the Niger Delta region.

A

By Chris Ochayi

BUJA—MINISTER of Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Uguru has said that the ministry was making arrangements with an investor to establish broadband optic fibre telecommunication system in the state with a view to creating employment opportunities for the youths of

Pastor Uguru who spoke on sideline of the Town Hall Meeting of the South-South geopolitical zone held in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State, assured that the ministry was coming up with more incentives aimed at empowering unemployed youths in the region.

The minister, who assured of the determination of

Ughelli South elite hail Izeze's suspension from DTHA Assembly, for refusing to be

U

GHELLI—THE Ughelli South elite group led by Deacon Aghogho Okpogbodu, the Erhi of Ughievwen Kingdom has commended the Delta State House of Assembly under the leadership of Mr Monday Igbuya on the suspension of Mr. Reuben Izeze, representing Ughelli South constituency in the House.

Describing the suspension of Izeze as a welcome development

situation.

Pointing out that the Federal Government was making frantic efforts to fix the nation’s economy, Danladi assured that nurses at the federal institutions would be provided the tools to do their jobs effectively.

that was long overdue, Okpogbodu said: “The suspension of Izeze is the best thing to happen to Ughelli South and we have passed a vote of confidence on the House for doing a good job.”

The group, after its meeting at the country home of Okpogbodu at Egbo Uhurie in Ughelli South LGA, also lauded the leadership of the Delta State House of

intimidated by Izeze, whom they describe as a personification of arrogance.

Okpogbodu said that before this suspension, the elite group and other concerned critical stake holders of Ughelli South were already gathering signatures from the constituents for him to be recalled, adding “Izeze deviated from the principles of true representation.”

ongoing developmental projects in the region, appealed to the militant groups bombing oil and gas facilities in the region to lay down their arms and embrace dialogue offered by government.

Pastor Uguru warned that, no meaningful development will be achieved under a crisis situation, as he expressed concerns that the militants’ activities in the region will continue to discourage foreign investors to the region.

He advised Niger Deltans to give the Federal Government the opportunity to develop the region and remove political affiliation from developmental issues.

On the flagship contract of the ministry, the minister disclosed that the contract for the construction of Section Five of the East West Road ( Oron to Calabar) will be reviewed soon with the contractor before commencement of work on the

LASSA FEVER:

NDDC donates personal protective items, drugs to Delta

A

By Festus Ahon

SABA—NIGER Delta D e v e l o p m e n t Commission, NDDC, has donated Lassa Fever Personal Protective items and drugs to the Delta State Government as part of its efforts to promote healthy living in the commission’s mandate states.

Presenting the items to the state government in Asaba, the acting Managing Director of the NDDC, Mrs Ibim Semenitari, said the materials worth millions of Naira were being distributed across the nine states in the NDDC mandate area.

Semenitari, who was represented by the commission’s Delta State Director, Mr Gbubemi Ogor expressed the commitment of the commission to the prevention of the Lassa Fever epidemic in the mandate states of the commission.

She said that the donation was aimed at saving the lives of those infected and protecting the healthcare givers against infection, adding that the health of the people was of paramount importance to the Federal Government and appealed for the judicious use of the items.

Receiving the items, the Delta State Commissioner for Health, Dr Nicholas Azinge, commended NDDC for its contributions to the development and well being of the people in its mandate states.

Mrs Janet Nwabueze NneNwa passes on

T

HE death has been announced of Mrs. Justina Nwabueze Nne-Nwa of Idumuje Unor, Isele Uku, Aniocha North, Delta State.

She was aged 59 years.

Burial rites will commence today through Saturday, June 18, at Idumuje Unor, Delta State.

She is survived by five children, and many relations, including Nkemdilim Oriekose, a teacher.

Late JustinaNne-Nwa

38—Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016

UNN, Enugu Campus shut down over students’ violent protest

COSON to host Benson Idonije @ 80

By Anozie Egole

By Emeka Mamah

L

AGOS—THE Copyright Society of Nigeria, COSON, will this Saturday, gather Nigeria’s top artistes, journalists, art lovers and critics as the copyright collective management organization hosts the broadcast icon, music man and art critic, Benson Idonije as he turns 80 this week.

Benson Idonije was a prime mover of NBC 2, the first FM Stereo station in Nigeria which later became FRCN 2 and later RN2, thrilling millions of people across Lagos with first class music and other forms of fine entertainment.

His was one of the first voices to be heard on any FM Stereo broadcast in Nigeria. Idonije, fondly known as Benjay, was producer and presenter of such famous radio programmes as The Big Beat and Stereo Jazz Club which made a lot of waves in the 70's and 80's.

He was one of the creators of the Top Ten, Nigeria’s first ever publicly recognized music chart, which was shaped by RN2 in association with a major Lagos based marketing firm.

U

NIVERSITY OF Nigeria, Enugu Campus, UNEC, has been shut down indefinitely following students’ unrest in the

institution.

It was gathered that students of the university staged a protest last Monday over epileptic power supply in the campus and in the process, destroyed cars, water tanks and

street lights before police fired teargas to stop them.

Further checks revealed that the crisis that culminated in the closure of the campus began over a week ago when the Students’ Union Government

World Bank provides succour for erosion ravaged communities in Abia

By Anayo Okoli

U

MUAHIA—THE World Bank in conjunction with Abia State Government has spent over N273 million to rebuild two communities in the State that are being ravaged by gully erosion.

The money is for compensation and rehabilitation of the erosion devastated roads in the affected communities.

Executed under the Nigerian Erosion Watershed Management Project [NEWMAP], the benefitted communities were Amuzukwu in Umuahia North Local Government Area and

Umuezeukwu Nsulu in Isiala Ngwa North council.

Amuzukwu was paid N34 million compensation for their properties they lost to gully erosion and Umuezeukwu Nsulu in Isiala North Local Government Area whose 1.2 kilometer road was devastated is being rehabilitated at a cost of over N238 million.

Meanwhile, the design work for the Amuzukwu and Amuda Isuochi in Umunneochi council gully erosion sites is in progress with a view to awarding the contracts to rehabilitate them.

The design work for other gully erosion disasters sites in Elu Ohafia, Dodds Methodist Church and Umuagu Ibeku have

been completed by the bank.

The acting director of Abia NEWMAP ,Engr. Izuchukwu Onwuhara who disclosed these developments at Umuezekwu Nsulu during the marking of this year’s world environment day, explained that the projects were facilitated by the World Bank following the payment of the state project's counterpart fund.

In his remarks, the Representative of the NEWMAP Communication Consultant, Aries Concept Nigeria Ltd. Mr. Sola Akinsiku stressed the need for the people to protect their environment because according to him, any harm done to the environment returns its negative impact on the communities.

Okorocha inaugurates 135-member elders' council

By Chidi Nkwopara

O

WERRI—IMO State Governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha, has inaugurated a 135member Elders Advisory Council,

with five of the elders chosen from each of the 27 local council areas of the state.

Inaugurating the council Tuesday at the Government House, Owerri, the Governor

explained that their role would not only be advisory but would also provide constructive criticisms for government actions and policies.

“Government has taken time to

US group’s business seminar for Saturday

A

N INNOVATIVE business seminar organised by a United States group, USAF Global Business Development, for Nigerian business enthusiasts holds on Saturday at Ikeja Sheraton Hotels and Towers, Lagos.

According to the organisers, Lagos was selected because of the enterprising nature of the

people and their strong will for success.

The one-day seminar, which also comes up between October 6 and 8, 2016 in the United States, is tagged, “A Day with the World’s Most Forward Thinking Innovators.”

The group further stated in a press statement that the innovative business talk will

enable the teaming Nigerian business enthusiasts to meet and share ideas with some of the world’s foremost enterprising innovators.

The seminar, according to them, will feature speakers on global business opportunities, education, networking, mentorship and inspiration drawn mostly from the United

States and other countries.

The American group said it is its vision to reshape the future of global education and entrepreneurship, develop those, who aspire to be the next world ambassadors to lead with confidence and intellect and to make education and entrepreneurship translate into success for all.

O

On clamour for restructure of Nigeria

T

he current configuration of Nigeria is not the problem. The problem of Nigeria are the elite. It is so funny that those calling for restructuring of the country cannot account for money given to them for local governments. -Mrs. Ifeoma Ayambuba, Businesswoman

I

t is good that somebody like Atiku can without fear of the backlash from some visionless self-centered northerner’s be courageous and hit the nail at point for Nigeria’s greatness. I hope it will not end up calling for creation of more countries. -Mr. Peter Ekpo, Worker

T

he Federal Government should dust up that master piece of document of Jonathan, the 2014 National Conference report and implement 40 per cent to reduce all the self inflated pains we are going through. -Mr. Suara Abass, Sports Analyst

select members of the Council to ensure that none of them is in active politics or has any known political affiliation”, Okorocha said.

According to the governor, the Elders Council must be independent and members would not only advise the government, but will equally offer constructive criticisms from time to time, to government’s actions and policies.

Governor Okorocha equally advised that the elders in the council would serve as a bridge between the political parties, elders across the nation and even between politicians within and outside the state.

By Bartholomew Madukwe (08051019450) nwamad@yahoo.com

PEOPLE SPEAK

ur potentials are enormous. However, I believe that a united country should never be taken for granted or taken as evidence that Nigerians are content with the current structure of the federation. -Mr. Kelvin Mgbeadichie, Businessman

locked up the classes, insisting that classes should not continue until the authorities fixed the electricity generator in the campus.

But calm seemed to return in the campus after meetings with the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Smart Uchegbu. An agreement that classes should be opened was reached which they did on Monday.

However, the generator was unstable when it was switched on Monday, which led to the protests.

In a memorandum issued on June 14, 2016 and signed by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Enugu Campus, Professor Smart Uchegbu, the university authority stated, “This is to bring to the notice of the university community that in the light of the violent protest and monumental destruction of properties on 13th June, 2016, the Vice Chancellor has approved the implementation of immediate suspension of the Enugu campus students union government and closure of the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus indefinitely”

T

here is enough time for everything in the world and it is now time for all to move on their own ways. If anyone doubts it, he/she will live to see Nigeria disintegrate, for religion and tribalism have eaten too deep into Nigeria and Nigerians. -Miss Lawrencia Ankrah, Graduate

W

e can continue pretending things will get better under current arrangement. Our best years had come and gone. We have made trillions of dollars from oil and gas, but today we are borrowing money from countries like China. -Mr. Chibuzor Ogbonna, Worker

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016 — 39

Epidemic looms as over 28,000 IDPS defecate openly in Borno camp

By Ndahi Marama

M

AIDUGURI—THERE are fears of possible outbreak of epidemic as over 28,000 families of Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, from surrounding villages of Bama and Banki border town with Cameroon Republic defecate openly due to lack of toilets at the General Hospital Bama.

The hospital is the only public facility in the area as most public and private structures were destroyed by insurgents.

This came as 61 malnourished infants have been hospitalized on the orders of Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima.

This followed his relocation of 478 children and 219 adults, all malnourished due to two years of captivity in the hands of Boko Haram insurgents before they were rescued by the Nigerian military.

The victims were moved from Bama to a special care unit in Maiduguri on Monday.

The 61 infants are now hospitalized at Umaru Shehu Specialist Hospital, owned by the State government in Maiduguri, and are undergoing medical treatment.

They are part of the 478 children moved from Bama alongside 219 adults who were also malnourished.

The adults consist of 196 women, some of who gave birth to some of the 478 children. The rest of the adults are 23 men, looking thin.

The victims are among those rescued by the military in continued operations against Boko Haram insurgents, who in the last six years have been attacking communities and killing and abducting residents.

Meanwhile, IDPs in the

General Hospital Bama, comprising women, children and male adults, were suffering from acute malnutrition until Governor Kashim Shettima visited and supplied them with relief materials donated by Dangote Foundation.

Briefing Governor Shettima on the plight of the IDPs, the Brigade Commander 21 Armoured Brigade, Col. Adamu Garba Laka said the IDPs were recently brought into Bama following the

liberation of neighbouring villages by troops, stressing that due to prevailing security situation, the IDPs had to be camped at Bama General Hospital, the only public structure not completely destroyed by insurgents.

Col. Laka told the governor that, troops in Bama with support from Civilian JTF had been doing their best in taking care of the IDPs, lamenting that the increase in the number of IDPs and rescued hostages had overstretched the facilities in camp.

PRESENTATION: From left; Member of the American Business Council (ABC) and MD, Coca Cola, Adeola Adetunji; ABC Consultant, Kunle Olumide; Director, US Chamber of Commerce, Leila Ndiaye; President, ABC and President GE, Lazarus Angbazo; ABC member and Managing Director, Dow Chemical, Tony Grossman and ABC member, Ralph Osoude during the presentation of the Report of Pipeline to Power (Gas ) in West Africa by the US Chamber of Commerce and the American Business Council Nigeria, a blueprint for the development of gas in West Africa with focus on Nigeria.

Boko Haram kills 4 in Borno village, as 17 insurgents surrender

By Kingsley Omonobi

A

BUJ A — N I G E R I A N Army yesterday said some Boko Haram fighters operating on 6 motorcycles on Tuesday attacked Kutuva village killing four persons

(civilian JTF) and abducting four women from the village.

This came as the army disclosed that 17 suspected Boko Haram terrorists had surrendered after being overwhelmed by the fire power of the military in the ongoing

MASS SACK: NECA hails Senate’s intervention Olusegun Oshinowo, in

By Victor Ahiuma-Young

A

HEAD of a today ’s meeting of stakeholders called by the Senate to address the looming labour unrest in the banking sector following recent mass sack of workers, Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association, NECA, has commended the Senate for the intervention.

Specifically, NECA is applauding the senate for the intervention sequel to the threat by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige that government may be forced to withdraw the licences of banks that failed to heed his directive to suspend redundancy exercise.

Director General of NECA, Mr.

a statement lauded the Senate for what it called “a very mature, unbiased and inclusive disposition to conflict resolution”.

He assured the Senate that NECA and its members would be in attendance at the interactive session called by the Senate today.

According to NECA, “the meeting is timely, appropriate and will provide the platform to proffer a solution to the issue of management of redundancy with the interests of all - government, workers and employers alike, in mind.

Things would not have gone out of hands if the Ministry of labour and employment, who is supposed to be the custodian of tripartism and social dialogue, had acted the way the Senate has done without biases, prejudices and a dictatorial character.

onslaught to dislodge remnants of the group.

According to a statement by Col Sani Usman, “following the killing of the vigilantes, local vigilantes in Kaya Kaya village mobilized immediately and trailed the terrorists up to their suspected hideout located somewhere south of Sabon Garin Bale. The vigilante did their best by engaging the terrorists, unfortunately they escaped into the bush.

“But the courageous vigilantes destroyed the terrorist’s camp and recovered all hoisted Boko Haram terrorists’ flags, three Fabrique Nationale (FN) rifle magazines, two AK-45 rifle magazines and 24 rounds of 7.62mm (NATO) ammunition.

“The vigilantes also rescued an 11 year old girl who stated that she was abducted by the terrorists from Batha village.

Sadly however, the vigilante could not trace the terrorists or the abducted women. However, effort is ongoing to trace and rescue them.”

Continuing, the Army said: “In a related development, a team of local vigilante in Damboa led

by Sarkin Yaki Ali Gwoza intercepted some persons along Njaba road, south of Damboa

town while on patrol. During preliminary interrogation, they confessed that they were Boko Haram terrorists group members that were compelled to join the insurgency against their will.

Bello committed to security, job creation — GOV'S AIDE

By Boluwaji Obahopo

L

O K O J A — GOVERNOR Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has assured of adequate security of lives and properties in the state to boost investors’ confidence and see the state as a safe haven to open the economic space to generate jobs.

Chief Press Secretary, CPS, to the Governor, Kingsley Fanwo in a chat with Vanguard, said Bello's administration was ready to achieve economic growth through investments and improved revenue generation.

According to him, “To underscore the genuineness of the Governor ’s commitment to improving security, he has been able to secure the release of a Police helicopter for aerial surveillance as well as a detachment of speciallytrained anti-crime police officers and men. Also, Local Government administrators have also moved to encourage local vigilante groups to boost security at the major flashpoints across the state. With these efforts, it is hoped that the rate of kidnapping will drop as some arrests have allegedly being made.

“However, the Governor wishes to assure the people of Kogi State of adequate security of lives and properties as well as conscious efforts to gainfully engage the teeming unemployed youth in the state as part of the quick wins of the New Direction blueprint.”

Oando Foundation, partners USAID to educate displaced children in N East

By Elizabeth Uwandu

O

ANDO Foundation, OF, in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development, USAID, Emergency Crisis Response, ECR, has commenced an initiative aimed at taking 60,000 internally displaced outof-school children in Northern Nigeria from informal to formal/ mainstream education institutions by 2018.

These internally displaced children will be transitioned into 11 Oando Foundation adopted schools in Adamawa and Bauchi states.

This endeavour resonates strongly with the 2016 International Day of the African Child theme “Conflict and Crisis in Africa: Protecting all Children’s Rights.”

Nigeria currently has the

largest number of out-of-school children in the world; 10.5 million (UNESCO EFA Report 2014/ 2015).

This number has increased drastically with the displacements caused by the terrorist group, Boko Haram, in the North, putting a strain on an already weak education system.

As at June 2015, research showed that children living in 19 of 42 Internally Displace Persons (IDP) camps, did not have access to any form of education.

The six year insurgency in Northern Nigeria triggered a wave of displacements of over 2 million persons across Adamawa, Borno, Bauchi, Gombe and Yobe state and has led to the destruction of over 10,000 schools, and displacement of 19,000 teachers and over 800,000 children between the ages of 3 and 17, with no access to education.

40—Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016

From left— Executive board member, Sebeccly’s Cancer Care, Engr. Adetoro Omojole; Patron, Professor Josbert Duncan; Executive Director, Sebeccly’s Cancer Care, Dr. Omolola Salako; Brand and Communication, Fidelity Bank, Mr. Tochukwu Ononiwu, and Bristol Helicopter representative, Mr. Mayowa Babatunde, during a briefing on the 10th anniversary celebration of Sebeccly’s in Lagos.

ANNIVERSARY: From left— D. C. I. Mustapha Maikaba, P.C.O, Alausa, Ikeja; member, Lagos State House of Assembly, Mrs Funmi Tejuosho; Lagos State Immigration Service Comptroller, Mrs Clara Okogie; Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr. Obasa Mudashiru; Assistant Comptroller-General, Zone A, Musa Maza, and pioneer P. C. O., D. C. I. Joshua Ajisafe, now with Ogun State Command, at the Alausa Passport Office, Ikeja, Lagos' third year anniversary celebration.

AIRTEL TRACE: From left— Mr. Sam Onyemelukwu; Managing Director, Trace Music Channel, Mr. Olivier Laouchez, and singer, Ms Keri Hilson, ambassdor of Airtel Trace, during a briefing on Pan-African finale of the mobile competition, Airtel Trace Music Star, in Lagos. PHOTO: Kehinde Gbadamosi.

MTN DONATES: From left— Executive Secretary, MTN Foundation, Ms. Nonny Ugboma; Chief Information Officer, Mr. Randhir Bikraj; General Manager, Talent and Development, Mr. Ajibola Calebs, both of MTN Nigeria; Founder, Hopegate Foundation, Mrs. Ojuolape Akinyemi, and Chairman, Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB, Dr. Ganiyu Shopeyin, at the donation of an ICT laboratory to Ideal Primary School, Oshodi, Lagos.

PHOTO: Akeem Salau.

NOT IN MY COUNTRY: From left— Member, Not in My Country crew, Martins Adun; Creator and Producer, Akin Fadeyi; Senior Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Senator Babafemi Ojudu; Nollywood actress, Efe Mayford-Orhora, and another crew member, after a meeting with the Senator in Abuja.

INSPAYA: From left— Producer, Yemi Awosanya-Adefajo; Executive Producer and Presenter, Pastor Banji Adesanmi, and Production Manager, Wumi Raji, all of Inspaya, at the media session/unveiling of Inspaya, a new TV programme in Lagos. PHOTO: Joe Akintola, Photo Editor.

BIRTHDAY: From left— Mr. Eromosele Ebhodaghe; Sir Clement George; Otunba Wale Coker; celebrant, Chief Rasaq Porbeni, Chairman, BOT, Boyz Company of Nigeria; Sam Akpobaro; Otunba Hinds Dumbo; Mr. Lucky Awobasivwe, and Mr. Isobo Jack, all members of boyz company, at Chief Porbeni's 66th birthday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

ICT ASSEMBLY: Acting Registrar/ Secreatary to Council, Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria, CPN, Mr. Idowu Olusile (left), and the immediate past President, Nigerian Computer Society, NCS, Professor David Adewumi, at the 2016 IT Professiaonls Assembly in Kaduna State.

SEBECCLY'S CANCER CARE:

C M Y K

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016—41

Stocks surge as CBN releases new forex rules Continues from page 5

billion, respectively.

“All sector indices closed positive, yesterday, in line with the strong appetite witnessed across board. The Banking Index led advancers with a 4.0 per cent appreciation consequent on buy sentiment on Tier-1 lenders —Guaranty Trust Bank, GTBank (+7.8 per cent), Zenith Bank (+5.4 per cent ) and UBA (+6.5 per cent ) — while the Industrial Goods index (+2.8 per cent) followed at a distance with Dangote Cement (+5.0 per cent), the major mover of the index.

"The Consumer Goods index gained 2.4 per cent as investors positioned in blue-chip brewers—

C M Y K

Nigerian Breweries (+4.5 per cent) and Guinness (+5.0 per cent ). The Oil & Gas index rallied 1.1 per cent on the back of renewed appetite towards Oando (+5.0 per cent) while the Insurance Index recorded the smallest gain (+0.6 per cent ); NEM Insurance (+9.5 per cent ) and AIICO Insurance (+3.9 per cent) drove the index.”

Naira stable at N369/ $ in parallel market

However, the naira remained stable at N369 per dollar at the parallel market as operators adopted a "wait and see" attitude in anticipation of the impact of the new foreign exchange regime.

Morgan Stanley isolates Nigeria

Meanwhile, just as Emefiele was announcing the new foreign exchange regime, which came close to what foreign investors and international financial community have been clamouring for, Morgan Stanley Capital Index, MSCI, United State’s based multinational investment banker, and a leading provider of global equity indexes, announced that the MSCI Nigeria Index may be removed from the MSCI Frontier Markets Index and reclassified as a standalone market due to capital mobility issues.

Due to the urgent nature of this investability issue in the MSCI Nigeria Index, MSCI will announce its decision on the proposal to remove the MSCI Nigeria Index from the MSCI Frontier Markets Index by the end of September 2016.

It was not clear if the MSCI executives were informed of the latest development in Nigeria before their decision.

As at last year, a leading global investment bank, JP Morgan, had suspended Nigeria from its market index due to the foreign exchange regime it felt was anti-market.

MSCI was to follow on the same action earlier this year but moderated actions until yesterday.

According to Mr. Wale Financial institutions, Abe, former Executive economists react Secretary, Financial Market On the heels of the release of the long-awaited flexible foreign exchange policy, some financial institutions and economists have expressed satisfaction with the policy, saying it would eliminate uncertainty and boost inflow of foreign exchange from foreign investors and exporters.

“The immediate effect is that uncertainty will disappear,” said Mr. Bismarck Rewane, Managing Director/Chief Executive, Financial Derivatives Limited.

According to him, “the policy is good, the situation is now much better. But people have to first understand it.”

Dealers Quote (FMDQ), “the implication is that the exchange rate will now be market determined. It means no more foreign exchange subsidy for anybody, and this will lead to efficient allocation of foreign exchange.”

A former CBN Director, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also commended the new policy, saying: “It is a good policy. I hope it will be effectively implemented as specified. The immediate impact is that it would encourage inflow of autonomous foreign exchange, reduce sharp practices by exporters as they now have unfettered access to the interbank market.”

Financial analysts at Greenwich Trust Limited, a Lagos-based investment house, stated: "CBN has taken another step in enhancing its dovish stance on monetary policy in order to increase capital flows and drive economic growth. By adopting the free float and including currency forwards and futures, the CBN has introduced a deep and flexible market structure.

"We recall that the main reason behind Nigeria’s expulsion from the J.P. Morgan Emerging Markets Bond Index was the lack of a liquid, two-way FX market. We anticipate a significant rally in both equity and fixed income markets as investors take positions in fundamentally sound companies trading at depressed prices. We expect the Naira to appreciate in the BDC market for the rest of this week.

"We also expect the CBN to adjust the Net Open Position for Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) to ensure banks have sufficient liquidity to participate in the market.

"In the short-term, despite Emefiele’s caution, we foresee a depreciation when the inter-bank market opens on Monday as investors flood in to exercise pent up demand.

"However, we see an appreciation in the long term as forex supply improves and market participants take advantage of an efficient, broader and deeper market via trades in derivatives (forward and future contracts).

"The success of this bold monetary policy decision will be hinged on the fiscal authority’s ability to negotiate a cease-fire with the Niger Delta militant groups to enable optimal crude production and the resultant accretion in forex revenues."

According to Mustapha Suberu, Research analyst at Eczellon Capital Limited, a Lagos-based investment banking firm, the market would react positively in the days ahead.

42 —VANGUARD, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016 — 43

44—Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016 —45

46—Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016

VANGUARD, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016 —47

Obasanjo’s inappropriate criticism of Justice Idris

By Kolawole Olaniyan

F

ORMER president Olusegun Obasanjo recently launched a stinging attack on the authority of the Federal High Court and the competence of Justice Mohammed Baba Idris after the judge ruled that details on the spending of recovered stolen public funds under Obasanjo’s government between May 1999 and May 2007 should be widely published including on a dedicated website.

Justice Idris’ judgment, which followed a Freedom of Information suit brought by Nigeria’s leading anti-corruption NGO SocioEconomic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), also called for publication of records of spending of recovered funds under the governments of former president Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and former president Goodluck Jonathan.

Transparency and accountability Reacting to the judgment, Obasanjo reportedly made some despicable remarks about the judiciary and Mohammed Idris, The remark coming from a former president of Nigeria, flies in the face of leadership by example and can only help to frustrate the objective of the Freedom of Information Act, and by extension, undermine the authority of the country’s judiciary and erode the rule of law.

Judges are not infallible but there’s nothing stupid in Justice Idris insisting on transparency and accountability of leaders who once

EDITORIAL Innocent Anaba ( Head) Wahab Abdulah Ikechukwu Nnochiri Dayo Benson (Supervising Editor) 08056180119 dayobenson@yahoo.com

held a position of trust and control over the public treasury. Judges don’t act or give judgments according to their personal whims and fancies: they apply the laws as they find them. Although judges may sometimes fail to live up to the ideal-and the present is not a case of such failure-the principle should be generally understood and respected that judges would draw conclusions from the evidence before them in accordance with legal precedent, ordinary norms of legal reasoning, and established constitutional and legal principles.

If judges have to decide cases on the basis of what politicians or someone else wanted the law or the result to be, the very principle of independence of the judiciary would be forfeited. While it’s within Obasanjo’s right to disagree with the judgment or even criticise it, calling Justice Idris “stupid and ignorant” simply for doing his job amounts to inappropriate political criticism as it threatens the judge’s independence and integrity.

It’s unfair to see individual judges as ‘fair game’ because they cannot publicly defend themselves against inappropriate criticism.

•Obasanjo If anything is to be learned from the country’s current experience with disclosures of corruption among high-ranking government officials, politicians and the military, it’s that the government of president Muhammadu Buhari must open public affairs, including regarding details on spending of recovered funds under governments since the return of democracy in 1999, to public scrutiny.

Non-disclosure of Dasukigate would have deprived the Nigerian people of a muchneeded opportunity to know what former president Goodluck Jonathan was doing while in

Inappropriate criticism But Obasanjo’s attempt to browbeat Justice Idris simply for upholding the Freedom of Information Act is hardly surprising especially given that he ignored wise counsel to sign the Bill into law during his time in government.

What is the point of “government of, by, and for the people” if opinion leaders and former presidents like Obasanjo by words or deed seem to want to dodge responsibility for their action or inaction while in office by implicitly promoting policies of secrecy?

Imagine if the disclosures of corruption, compendiously known as Dasukigate, which weakened the ability of the country’s military to fight and defeat Boko Haram, and debased institutions of governance, have remained a secret.

If judges have to decide cases on the basis of what politicians or someone else wanted the law or the result to be, the very principle of independence of the judiciary would be forfeited office, and to cleanse some level of government.

Justice Idris’ judgment is without doubt a great victory for transparency and accountability

in the country. Thanks to Justice Idris Nigerians will now be able to know exactly how recovered stolen funds were spent including under Obasanjo’s government.

They will be able to find out if recovered funds were appropriately spent on real projects, mismanaged or re-stolen.

The judgment recognises that corruption is never flaunted in the open and it’s invariably practised through secrecy-secrecy found in every level of government from local governments to Aso Rock Villa and National Assembly.

It buttresses the point that openness promotes the appearance of fairness and enhances public confidence in the integrity of government action.

Openness serves as a check against incompetence, venality, or bias; and promotes the constitutional values of encouraging elected officials to act in the public interest.

Knowledgeable public consideration This in turn can stimulate more knowledgeable public consideration of transparency, accountability and human rights issues and perhaps even encourage individual citizens to come forward with constructive suggestions.

Thus, by ordering publication on a dedicated website of projects on which recovered funds were spent by the governments of former presidents Obasanjo, Yar ’Adua and Jonathan for inspection by the citizenry, Justice Idris has enhanced the status of the Freedom of Information Act as a veritable legal framework of protection against governmental deception and arbitrariness.

Without the disclosures ordered

by Justice Idris, high-level official corruption will continue to flourish with official action and with almost absolute impunity. And Nigerians will continue to be denied effective enjoyment of their human rights if they don’t know what their leaders and government are doing and unable to hold them to account.

Nigerians do not demand infallibility from their leaders and institutions, but it’s difficult to accept the proposition that a judge granting Nigerians the right to know what their leaders and government are doing is “stupid and ignorant.”

Anti-corruption agenda Nigerians indeed have a right to compel their public officials particularly the high-ranking among them like Obasanjo to keep the avenues of information open so the public can know and evaluate their work, accomplishments and derelictions regardless of whether they are in or out of office.

How Buhari responds to Justice Idris’ judgment will without question be a significant aspect of what defines his anti-corruption agenda.

One immediate step for Buhari to take is to instruct the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the Accountant General of the Federation and the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria to put in place mechanisms for the full and effective enforcement and implementation of the judgment by Justice Idris. *Olaniyan, author of ‘Corruption

and Human Rights Law in Africa’, is Legal Adviser, International Secretariat of Amnesty International, London.

48 —

VANGUARD, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016

Shortly before Justice Muhammadu Uwais retired from the Supreme Court Bench as the Chief Justice of Nigeria on June 12, 2006 at the mandatory retirement age of 70,the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi of blessed memory wrote: “Justice Uwais ,C.J.N conducts himself with decorum when he is presiding in the Supreme Court. He exudes the lustre and aura of the mastery of proceeding and has complete control of the court. Though firm, he does not intimidate counsel however young at the Bar. He gives respect to every counsel and patently allows each one to present his or her argument without inhibition, browbeating or intimidation. The National Judicial Council under his leadership has been effective in fighting corruption on the Bench. In conclusion, no other Chief Justice of Nigeria had achieved these feats.”

By Abdulrasheed Ibrahim

T

HAT the longest serving retired Justice of the Supreme Court has reached the age of 80 is not only a thing of joy but an achievement which any practitioner of law will desire to achieve as reachingsuchamilestoneinNigeria of today is a great privilege. We all must join Justice Uwais in thanking the Almighty Allah for still preserving the life of this great jurist.

Born in Zaria on June 12, 1936 to the family of Mallam Abdullahi Uwaisu and Hajiya Hajara Uwaisu, the young Uwais began his primary education at the Native Authority Elementary School, Kaduna and later at Tudun Wada Elementary School where he schooled with the likes of the late Alhaji Rilwan Lukman, a former Minister of Petroleum.

He was in 1950 admitted to Zaria Middle School where he stayed for two years before he preceded in 1952 to Barewa College, where he was a classmate and housemate of the late General Murtala Muhammed, a former Head of State.

While at Barewa College, Zaria, he used to secure vacation jobs with establishments such as Paterson Zochonis Ltd (PZ), the Veterinary Department of Zaria Native Authority and the United African Company Ltd (UAC). The salaries he earned from those establishments made him to be one of the “big boys” in his class in those days.

It was during his years at the college that he developed interest in reading law as he was inspired by the law practice activities of such lawyers as the late Mr Noel Grey , who then lived and practised in Kano, Mr Beckley ,who later became a judge of Lagos State High Court, the late Mr Sawyer ,who then lived and practised in Lokoja as well as Alhaji A.G.F.Razak (SAN) who was the first indigenous lawyer from the Northern Nigeria.

When he completed his

Nigeria Government Scholarship to study law in U.K, he was invited in 1958 for the interview but the invitation got to him late and he missed the interview

secondary education in 1957, he applied for the Northern Nigeria Government Scholarship to study law in U.K, he was invited in 1958

for the interview but the invitation got to him late and he missed the interview. As a result of this he resigned his appointment as AccountsClerkwiththe Nigerian Tobacco Company to join the civil service as Publicity Assistant in the MinistryofInformation, Kaduna in 1959. His experience in the said Ministry later assisted him greatly when he

UWAIS: Salute to a great jurist at 80

served as the Editor of Law Reports of Northern States of Nigeria between 1974 and 1978.

Justice Uwais later attended the InstituteofAdministration,Ahmadu Bello University from where along with other of his colleagues including Hon. Justice Mustaph Akanbi ,a former President of the Court of Appeal , late Hon. Justice Shehu Usman Mohammed ,a former Justice of the Supreme Court, late Justice Umaru Maidamma, a former Justice of the Court of Appeal, late Hon. Justice Anthony Aina Ekundayo, a Judge of Kwara State High Court and late Justice Adamu Minjibir, a Judge of Kano State High Court left for England where they were called to the English Bar and thereafter enrolled at Nigerian Bar on 17th January 1964.

He was later that same year posted to the Ministry of Justice of

theNorthernNigeriaasaPupilState Counsel from where he rose through the rank to eventually become the Solicitor –General and Permanent Secretary of the NorthCentral in 1971.

His lordship was elevated to the Bench as Acting Judge of the High Courts of North Central ,Benue – Plateau and North Eastern States of Nigeria in 1973 and he became substantive Judge the following year.

He later acted briefly as the Chief Judge of Kaduna State in 1976 and on 1st January 1977 was elevated to the Federal Court of Appeal along with others including Hon. Justice Mustaph Akanbi who eventually retired as the President of that court .

Hon. Justice Uwais was at the Court of Appeal till August 1979 when he was elevated to the Supreme Court togetherwithHon.JusticeAugustine Nnamani of blessed memory. Hon.

Group honours FTC CJ, Bello, Gadzama, others

A

By Onozure Dania

NON-governmental organisation, Law, Media and Social Justice Development Initiative, LMSJI, has honoured the Chief Judge of Federal Capital Territory, Justice Ishaq Bello as an eminent Jurist, therefore conferring him with the Eminent Jurist Award.

Also honoured was Chief Joseph-Kyari Gadzama, SAN, who was presented with Patron of Media Lawyers in Nigeria Award, while Prof. Paul Oboh Idornigie, SAN, was presented with Patron of Social Justice in Nigeria Award.

Making the presentations, President of LMSJI and former Chairman, Lawyers in the Media Forum, LIM, Mr. Charles Odenigbo said: “ I want to use this platform to examine the operations of the judiciary in the Federal Capital Territory and establish if it can be a model for other states to emulate. Our special report on the FCT judiciary shows some landmark achievements under the leadership of Justice Ishaq Bello “Justice Bello has activated two judiciary divisions in the FCT. These are the FCT High Court, Gwagwalada and Bwari judicial divisions. Both of them have Deputy Registrars and administrative staff. It saves the time and energy of litigants as well as those seeking to get affidavits and letters of

Mr Charles Odenigbo presenting an award to the special guest of honour, Justice Isaq Bello, Chief Judge of Abuja High Court while the Chairman of the event, Mr. Washed Odusile (r) applaud during the Law, Media and Social Justice Development round-table on Reporting Court Proceedings by the Media held in Abuja.

administration. They do not need to go to Maitama again.”

On Chief J-K Gadzama, Odenigbo said, “He has always stood as a pillar behind media lawyers in the country over the years. If not that the incumbent Chairman of LIM calls me ‘the father of modern LIM’, Chief J-K Gadzama would have been conferred with that title. He is indeed a father figure to us, always there to advise, protect and promote the interest of media lawyers in the country.

“He is always ready and willing to answer us even at the shortest notice, in fact our

relationship J-K is like that of father and children, hence, we appreciate him with this Award as a symbol of our appreciation for his kindness and promotion of social justice in the country.

“Prof. Paul Idornigie, SAN, my teacher at the Law School has carved a niche for himself as a perfect gentleman. An exemplary teacher of law, internationally renowned arbitrator and a builder of human and material resources. A lover and promoter of social justice. We also appreciate him,” Odenigbo said.

Justice Muhammadu Lawal Uwais sat on the Supreme Court Bench for 27 years out of which he presided over the court as the Chief Justice of Nigeria for 11 years. As at today no justice of that court has spent close to three decades on that apex court bench in Nigeria.

He was the first Chief Justice of Nigeria to retire at the age of 70.

Duringhisstayinthecourtheserved under 5 Chief Justices of Nigeria who are: Hon. Justice Darnley Alexander,Hon. Justice Atanda Fatayi –Williams, Hon Justice GeorgeSodeindeSowemimo,Hon. Justice Ayo Gabriel Irikefe and Hon. Justice Mohammed Bello all now of blessed memories.

Before retiring from the Supreme Court Bench, Justice Uwais worked with not less than 54 Justices of the court.

To be continued

Ikeja Bar elects new officers

T

HE former 1st Vicechairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Ikeja, Branch, Lagos, popularly known as the Tiger Branch, Mr. Adesina Ogunlana has emerged as the new Chairman of the branch.

Ogunlana replaces Mr. Yinka Farounbi, whose tenure just ended.

The Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Adebamigbe Omale, who declared the result at the NBA Ikeja Secretariat, said Ogunlana polled 94 votes to defeat two other contestants.

Other contestants were Aguegbodo Batholomew, 53 votes and Gloria Nweze, 51 votes.

Also elected are Carol Ibharuneafe, Vice Chairman, Muna Esegine, Secretary, Adedokun Issa Akanji, Asst.

Secretary, Akinwale Ajibola, Publicity Secretary, Coco-Bassey Thelma, Treasurer, Okeke Uju, Financial Secretary, Jemerigbe Eyimofe, Social Secretary and Tanimowo Oluranti as Welfare Secretary.

The new executives who will take charge the administration of the association for the next two years have since been sworn in.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016 —49

How early genotype screening helps prevent sickle cell disorder

By Sola Ogundipe

I

N line with its commitment to the health and wellbeing of Nigerian children, Genotype Foundation is conducting a free genotype/blood group testing/ screening and counselling exercise for 1,000 secondary school students as a means of reducing the high rate of child mortality and maternal morbidity caused by Sickle Cell Disorder.

The exercise takes place tomorrow June 17, 2016, at the Osun Hall of the Airport Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, alongside a seminar entitled: Sickle Cell Disorder, Haemoglobin, Genotype/Blood Group, in commemoration of this year’s Day of the African Child.

Executive Director, Genotype Foundation, Dame Doris Gbemiloye, said the event will help a lot of youths to know about issues surrounding their genotype and blood group.

“June 16th of every year has been declared The Day of The African Child.

It is an annual event celebrated in Africa.

One of the rights of the child as highlighted by UNICEF is the right to good health and it is necessary to educate the child on health issues,” Gbemoloye stated.

She said students from various schools shall benefit from the screening exercise, which in effect shall provide education towards reducing the incidence of children with Sickle Cell Disorder (haemoglobin SS) in the country.

Early genotype screening helps prevent Sickle Cell Disorder “Our activities help to prevent and control the disorder through information, communication and education, IEC, as well as screening and counselling as a contributing factor to reducing the high rate of child mortality and maternal morbidity in our nation.

“To participate, you can register / book for a seat by calling. Mr. Femi Thomas. +2348087907768. We have moved from activities awareness to impact.

This involves helping those living with Sickle Cell Disorder, and making sure every child in Nigeria knows his or her

haemoglobin genotype and blood group.

Genotype Foundation is a nonprofitable non-governmental organization (NGO) with an objective to help people especially the young, discover their haemoglobin genotype/ blood group in order to take necessary action to prevent the occurrence of Sickle Cell Disorder. It is aimed at creating adequate awareness at the grass root level and examines every side of important and controversial issues on Sickle Cell in an atmosphere of reasoned argument and respectful discourse.

Know your genotype G

ENOTYPE is the genetic makeup of an individual with reference to a trait or multiple traits. They are the collection of genes passed from parents to the children.

Before marriage, partners should be aware of their genotypes and blood group because ignorance about the genotype is no longer acceptable as excuse.

The knowledge of genotype is important when choosing life partners.

Intending couples should know both their own genotype as well as their partner's genotype at the early stage of their relationship before they are well rooted in love and emotions.

Also, parents should check the genotype of their children during pregnancy or immediately after birth.

Possible outcomes of different genetic combinations In terms of compatibility, someone with AA genotype can marry anybody.

It is safe for someone with AS to marry someone with AA genotype. The combinations of AS and AS, AS and AC should not be risked because there is probability of having a child with SS genotype.

People with the sickle cell trait should not even have a relationship or get married. Individuals with the AA genotype should help prevent genetic abnormalities by marrying the AS, AC and SS.

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50 —VANGUARD, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016—51

Makarfi, Sheriff's supporters invade Wadata Plaza

By Ben Agande

A

BUJA—SUPPORTERS of Senator Ahmed Makarfi and Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, yesterday, stormed the national secretariat of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in solidarity with their candidates, who are both laying claims to the leadership of the party.

While the national convention of PDP sacked Senator Sheriff as chairman of the party and appointed a seven-man committee, headed by Senator Ahmed Makarfi, Sheriff has insisted that he remains the authentic chairman of the party.

In a dramatic fashion, he forcibly took over the secretariat of the party, Monday, which had been under the leadership of Senator Ahmed Makarfi, who took over the affairs of the party about two weeks ago.

Meanwhile, there appears to be no end to the leadership crisis buffeting the party, as the leader of a group called PDP Youths Rescue Group, Aderemi Olusegun, yesterday, declared himself the new Acting National Chairman of the party.

Speaking at the entrance to the PDP secretariat, while the protesters held sway, Mr. Aderemi said he was taking over because the elders of the party have failed.

Aderemi said: “In view of all that have been happening in this party, I, hereby, declare myself as Acting Chairman of PDP.” It would be recalled that the PDP youths had issued a seven-

day ultimatum to leaders of the party to resolve the crisis over the leadership or they would take over.

Protesters take turns

On the protests, supporters of Senator Makarfi arrived at the party’s secretariat as early as 8:27a.m., defying the early morning rain, to demonstrate their support for him.

They came with placards bearing inscriptions such as “Ali Modu Sheriff is an agent of APC,” “Ali Modu Sheriff, please, go back to your APC,” “We will never allow Sheriff to destroy our great party,” “It’s not by force to lead, we don’t want you,” amongst others.

The National President of PDP National Rebirth Group, Mr. Edele Franklyne, who led the supporters, said Sheriff was alien to PDP and should not be allowed to ‘destroy’ it.

As the protest was unfolding, Professor Wale Oladipo, who was Secretary of the party under the dissolved NWC, drove to the gate of the party.

Though some of the protesters attempted to stop him from driving in, policemen weighed-in to allow him in.

Shortly after the pro-Makarfi protesters departed, another set of protesters, this time in favour of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, arrived and barricaded the entrance to the secretariat.

The protesters, who also came with banners and placards with inscriptions such as “Ali Modu Sheriff carry go,” “PDP governors respect court

Pregnant/Nursing mothers: Fast only if there’s no hardship As-salam Alaikum waramotullai, wa barakatuh!

HIS issue was treated on Ramadan 3, but for those that asked for further clarification on the topic, we found it necessary to treat the issue again. Two scenarios apply to the issue of fasting by pregnant woman and nursing mothers.

First, if the woman is not affected by fasting, and fasting is not too difficult for her and the child does not suffer any difficulty getting the breast milk, then she is obliged to fast. It is not recommended that this kind of person should not fast.

Secondly, if the woman fears for herself or her child; that the fasting may hinder the flow of breast milk, which will make the child to suffer, fasting is not recommended for such mothers.

T

C M Y K

She would have to pay back her fast at the most convenient time, probably after Ramadan and before the next Ramadan.

Some of the scholars stated that if she fears for her child, it is mandatory for her not to fast and it may not be pleasing to Allah to endanger the innocent child when you have been granted the leeway to abstain from fast. Surely, anything that will endanger the child and the mother is not allowed during fasting. Allah does not intend for us any hardship as a result of fasting.

The same goes for a pregnant woman. It is proven in the hadith of Anas ibn Maalik alKa’bi, narrated by Ahmad and the authors of al-Sunan with a saheeh isnaad, that the Prophet (pbuh) granted them freedom not to fast, and he

...as PDP youth leader declares self Acting Chairman orders,” “Nyesom Wike stop causing KATA KATA in PDP,” held sway at the secretariat for a while.

The leader of the new group of protesters, who gave his name simply as Solomon, said the battle for the leadership of the party was not only to save PDP, but to save the entire country.

However, shortly after they left, the pro-Makarfi group reorganised, returned to the Wadata Plaza secretariat, protesting.

Similarly, another group of protesters in favour of Makarfi

again arrived by 11:56a.m. with leaves in their hands, singing, dancing and chanting: “Sheriff must go.”

At about 5:27p.m., supporters of Sheriff returned, broke the gate and entered the presmises.

Oladipo, Adeyanju escape mob action

As the protests unfolded, former PDP National Secretary, Professor Wale Oladipo, and National Auditor, Adewole Adeyanju, who had earlier been allowed to enter the secretariat by the

protesters, were smuggled out of the secretariat.

Some protesters had suggested that the two former members of the party’s National Working Committee be dealt with for collaborating with Sheriff to destroy the party, while others pleaded that they should be allowed to go on the condition that they would not come close to the secretariat in future.

Finally, some security men attached to the secretariat resorted to begging the youths to allow Oladipo and Adeyanju to leave peacefully, and eventually smuggled them out.

L- R: Felicia Obozuwa, Divisional Head, Human Resources & Strategy, FCMB; Mr Adam Nuru, Executive Director, Business Development, FCMB; Rev. (Mrs) Yomi Uteh, General Manager Operations, The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM); Mrs. Yemisi Edun, Executive Director/ CFO, FCMB and Mr. Diran Olojo, Group Head, Corporate Affairs, FCMB, at the FCMB Gbagada Branch, Lagos opening on Monday. regarded them as being like travellers. But they have to make up the fasts later, just like travellers.

The scholars explained that they are only allowed not to fast if fasting is too difficult for them, as in the case of one who is sick, or if they fear for their children. The two are related because when the pregnant woman gives birth, she becomes impure from nifaas and also breastfeeding. The point being made here is that when there is no difficulty in the condition of either of them, they will have to fast. Note that fidyatu-toham is not recommended for these people because their condition is not permanent.

Ramadan timing for today City Fajr Iftar/Maghrib Abuja 4:47am 6:50pm Ibadan 5:07am 7:02pm Ilesha 5:03am 7:05pm Ilorin 5:00am 7:00pm Kano 4:36am 6:51pm Lagos 5:10am 7:03pm Asaba 4:56am 6:47pm Zaria 4:42am 6:52pm Maiduguri 4:18 6:33pm Jalingo 4:32am 6:35pm

Please note that at Fajr time, Sahuur ends and Maghrib time, Iftar, begins.

Job creation'll end pipeline vandalism— Kachikwu

By Iloaze Blessed-Odidi

T

HE Minister of Petroleum Resources, and Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, yesterday said the country would not totally end pipeline vandalism without creating an enabling environment that will empower militants in the Niger Delta.

Kachikwu, who spoke at a town hall meeting organised by the Ministry of Information and Culture in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, pointed out that with the array of pipeline bombings by the Nigerian Delta Avengers, NDA, it would take nothing less than 15 to 20 years to get infrastructure in the oil sector working and full eradication of climatic effects on the environment.

He said: “Modular

refineries are going to be the answer to our problems in the future. We talk about the militants and their agitations; the reality is that until we begin to put things in place that would have these so called ‘militants’ find opportunities in the sector, the destruction is going to continue.

“I have appealed to those who are breaking oil pipelines for now, the Niger Delta Avengers and everybody else, and as you know, we are engaging in negotiations for us to find peace this week and be able to enter a truce that stops all the destruction.”

Kachikwu noted that Akwa Ibom would have an oil depot, as his ministry developed a document basically on relationship with oil producing states.

He said: “So we can find a direct link between what we do and the oil that we produce.

Then the restiveness will go.

More than just the depot, I think Akwa Ibom deserves more.”

52 — VANGUARD, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016

Russia set to release Clinton’s intercepted emails R

E L I A B L E intelligence sources in the West have indicated that warnings had been received that the Russian Government could in the near future release the text of email messages intercepted from U.S. Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s private email server from the time she was U.S. Secretary of State. The release would, the messaging indicated, prove that Secretary Clinton

had, in fact, laid open U.S. secrets to foreign interception by putting highly-classified Government reports onto a private server in violation of U.S. law, and that, as suspected, the server had been targeted and hacked by foreign intelligence services.

The reports indicated that the decision as to whether to reveal the intercepts would be made by Russian Federation President

•Clinton

Vladimir Putin, and it was possible that the release would, if made, be through a third party, such as Wikileaks. The apparent message from Moscow, through the intelligence community, seemed to indicate frustration with the pace of the official U.S. Department of Justice investigation into the socalled server scandal, which seemed to offer prima facie evidence that U.S. law had been violated by Mrs Clinton’s decision to use a private server through which to conduct official and often highly-secret communications during her time as Secretary of State.

U.S. sources indicated that the extensive Deptartment of Justice probe was more focused on the possibility that the private server was used to protect messaging in which Secretary Clinton allegedly discussed quid pro quo transactions with private donors to the Clinton Foundation in exchange for influence on U.S. policy.

Orlando gunman's wife could be charged

T

HE wife of the gun man who killed 49 people at an Orlando gay nightclub knew of his plans for the attack and could soon be charged in connection with the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history, a law enforcement source said.

The source told the Reuters news agency on Tuesday that a federal grand jury had been convened and could charge Omar Mateen's wife, Noor Salman, as early as Wednesday.

"It appears she had some knowledge of what was going on," said US Senator

Wife, son of former senior Chinese leader jailed for graft CHINESE court on A Wednesday jailed the wife and a son of a former

senior politician sentenced to life in prison a year ago for corruption amid an ongoing anti-graft campaign.

The fall of Zhou Yongkang and his family is one of most powerful examples in recent years of how families of Chinese politicians who used their positions to enrich themselves can fall spectacularlyoncetheirpower has dissipated.

A former security chief and member of the ruling Communist Party’s allpowerful Politburo Standing Committee, Zhou was the highest-level ex-official to fall in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign launched in 2012.

State broadcaster CCTV

said a court in the central city of Yichang sentenced Zhou’s son, Zhou Bin, to 18 years in prison for taking 222 million yuan ($34 million) in bribes and running an illegal business trading in restricted commodities.

Alligator drags US child into water near Disney resort

A

UTHORITIES are searching for a child who was dragged into the water by an alligator near Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in Orlando.

Orange County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Rose Silva said the two-year-old boy was snatched and dragged into the Seven Seas

Japanese firm laments decline in oil market

By Iloaze Blessed-Odidi with Agency report

S

ENIOR economist at Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corp, Takayuki Nogami, has said the recent fall in the Japanese oil market was as a result of supply disruptions in Nigeria and Canada, following the Niger Delta militant activities.

Angus King, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, which received a briefing on the attack on Tuesday.

"She definitely is, I guess you would say, a person of interest right now and appears to be cooperating and can provide us with some important information," King told CNN. Mateen, who was shot dead by police after a threehour standoff at the Pulse club early on Sunday, called 911 during his shooting spree to profess allegiance to various groups.

Federal investigators have said that he was probably "self-radicalised" and there was no evidence that

The demand in oil growth forecast which rose by 80 percent from its preceding demandofabout140,000bpd and now at 220,000bpd.

Nogami, in a statement, pointed out that the Japanese economy was on the double at the first quarter and was slow on consumer spending and weak exports which it experienced lately.

Lagoon about 9:30pm on Tuesday, local news outlets reported.

Deputies were continuing the search for the child and local authorities called in the help of an alligator trapper.

A police official said that the father of the boy entered the water and tried in vain to grab his son as the alligator dragged him into the lagoon.

“At some point the mother may have also entered the water, so the parents diligently tried to get the child,” the official said.

The family of five was holidaying from Nebraska and were out relaxing at the beach area of the lagoon. The father and child were wading in shallow water on the edge of the lake when the alligator attacked.

Pistorius walks on stumps to avoid sentence

O

SCAR Pistorius removed his prostheses and hobbled on his stumps in a South African courtroom Wednesday as part of his defense team’s argument that the double-amputee athlete, convicted of murdering girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, is a vulnerable man who deserves leniency when he is sentenced.

Defense lawyer Barry Roux asked Pistorius to remove the prostheses and the former track star and Olympian, who had taken off his suit and put on a Tshirt and running shorts during a recess, then hobbled in front of Judge Thokozile Masipa. The demonstration drew gasps from some onlookers in the courtroom and Pistorius became tearful.

“I don’t want to overplay disability,” Roux said ahead of the demonstration, “but the time has come that

we must just look (at Pistorius) with different eyes.”

Chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel, however, said Pistorius should get the minimum sentence of 15 years in prison for murder, arguing that he had not shown genuine remorse a well as noting the seriousness of the crime and the devastating impact on Steenkamp’s family.

UN approves crackdown on Libya arms smuggling

T

HE United Nations Security Council on Tuesday unanimously authorized a crackdown on arms smuggling in the high seas off Libya by allowing the inspection of vessels to seize and dispose of illicit weapons.

The European Union

Burundi: School sends 230 students home for defacing president’s photo

A

SECONDARY schoolinruralBurundi sent home 230 students on Tuesday for defacing the portrait of President Pierre Nkurunziza in their textbooks, a regional head of education said.

Burundi has been mired in a year-long crisis in which more than 450 people have been killed since Nkurunziza pursued and won a third term. Opponents said his moveviolatedtheconstitution and a deal that ended a civil war in 2005.

Kwizera Guillaume, the provincial director of education in Ruyigi province, 200 km (124 miles) east of the capital Bujumbura, said they had sent home a total of four classes who were sitting an exam.

“It is an option we took to push them to reveal the authors of the acts,” he told Reuters by phone.

Earlier this month police clashed with students protesting at the arrest of other students for a similar offence of defacing the

A judge can reduce the minimum sentence of 15 years for murder in some circumstances.

Masipa will deliver Pistorius’ sentence after hearings end this week.

Pistorius is currently under house arrest and awaiting a new sentence after an appeals court overturned an initial manslaughter conviction against him and changed that to murder for shooting Steenkamp at his home in 2013.

president’s portrait in Muramvya, which is 50 km east of Bujumbura.

Another 300 students were sent home by their school in Bujumbura for defacing portraits of the president.

proposed the council resolution to expand its naval operation in the Mediterranean, which the 15-memberSecurityCouncil authorized in October to seize and dispose of boats operated by human traffickers.

The council resolution expressed concern that “arms and related materiel are being used by terrorist groups operating in Libya, including ISIL (Islamic State).”

French Ambassador Francois Delattre told reporters ahead of the vote that the resolution has “the potential to be a gamechanger,” since a large quantity of arms is smuggled via ship off the coast of Libya.

Facebook launches new tools to fight suicidal thoughts

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EAD of Global Safety at Facebook, Antigone Davis, yesterday said the social media has added new tools to suit people around the world who may be experiencing self-injury or suicidal thoughts.

Davis, in a statement, said the updated resources was first launched in the US with the help of Forefront Lifeline, and Save.org Shesaid:“Today,wearerollingthemoutaroundtheworld in collaboration with local partners and in all languages Facebook is available in.

With the help of these new tools, if someone posts some-

thingonFacebookthatmakes you concerned about their well-being, you can reach out to them directly and you also can also report the post to us”.

Davis noted that they have been working around the world on daily basis with a team that review reports that comes in.

“They prioritize the most serious reports like self-injury. And, as of today, the resources we send to the person who posted something concerningsuicidewillinclude an expanded set of options.

People can now choose to reach out to a friend, contact a helpline, or see tips,” she added.

Paralympic gold medalist Oscar Pistorius walks across the courtroom without his prosthetic legs during the third day of the resentencing hearing for the 2013 murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, at Pretoria High Court, yesterday.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016 — 53

NFF disowns Atta

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HE Nigeria Football Association (NFF) has clarified that a certain Aneke Atta reportedly asking players to pay for a place in the U-17 National Team has no relationship or connection whatsoever with one of its licensed intermediaries, Mr. Emefie Atta Aneke.

Golden Eaglets’ Head Coach, Manu Garba had last week raised alarm that a self-acclaimed Aneke Atta was parading himself as an official of the NFF with the intent of defrauding youngsters desirous of being part of the U-17 National squad.

Nigeria may face Ibrahimovic at Olympics F

ORMER Paris Saint-Germain star Zlatan Ibrahimovic may face Nigeria at the 2016 Olympic Games, with coach Hakan Ericson naming him to the provisional 35-man squad list for the competition in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The experienced striker is one of seven players above the age limit that made the roster, but it remains unclear if he will feature in the Games and will only make a decision after the ongoing European Championship.

The squad will be whittled down to 22 players in mid-July, with only three of those squad members to be born before 1993.

Along with Ibrahimovic, 34, the enlarged squad includes only two other players currently featuring at the European championships in France: defenders Victor Lindelof, 21, and Ludwig Augustinsson, 22.

Coach Hakan Eriksson said the problem he faced was being able to find clubs ready to release players for the August 5-21 Olympics.

“It’s a headache, extremely complicated,” Eriksson said.

“Some clubs say yes, others no, and others have not yet decided.”

‘In the initial phase we felt that those playing the Euros can’t double up, but I’ve had a talk with Zlatan,’ Ericson said, adding that it was not yet confirmed the striker would take part in the Olympic tournament.'

Atiku happy over appointment as Nigeria House Ambassador

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*Ibrahimovic

2016 CBN Snr Tennis Open: N14m up for grabs

By Okeke Chinwe

F

OURTEEN Mil lion Naira will be up for grabs in this year’s Central Bank of Nigeria Senior Open Tennis tournament

which will serve off June 16 through 25 at the tennis courts of the National Stadium, Surelere, Lagos.

Speaking at the pretournament press briefing in Lagos Tuesday

Acting Director Corporate Communications, Central Bank of Nigeria, Isaac Okorafor said, “as it was in the 2015 edition, the prize money for the winners in the men and ladies categories is N700,000 while the runners up will get N500,000 and third placed players take home N250,000.”

Okorafor who spoke through a director in the CBN, Sintiki Thaanda reaffirmed the apex bank’s commitment to the continuous sponsorship of the event.

There will also be the wheelchair tennis category where winners in both male and female categories will get N250,000. There are also prizes for the men’s and women’s doubles.

Responding, President of the Nigerian Tennis Federation, Engineer Sani Ndanusa expressed joy that the CBN Open which is in it’s 38th edition has provided opportunity for thousands of youths to play tennis.

Ndanusa who was represented by the NTF Vice President, Comrade Yemi Owoseni announced that junior players who are ranked by the International Tennis Federation will be given wild cards to participate in the tournament. Those that excel will be selected in the male category for camping ahead of the next Davies Cup next month in Madagascar.

ORMER vice president, Atiku Abubakar has expressed joy over his choice as Ambassador of the Nigeria House In Rio Olympics as well as joining other top Nigerians to visit the Nigeria House Business, Investment Summit Group to Sau Paulo and Rio. Atiku who received the committee members at his Asokoro residence in Abuja said he was happy to have been found worthy for the new role because the Olympics in Rio is another opportunity to showcase Nigeria’s potentials to the world.

“We must realize that every nation has its own challenges and as the time we are going to Brazil the country is facing its worst recession in its life but it has not stopped Brazil from staging the Olympics,” he said.

FOSLA, Excel clash in NNPC/Shell Cup final

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OSLA Academy, Abuja and Excel Education Centre Port Harcourt will today clash in the final of 2016 NNPC/Shell Cup competitions organized for all the 36 Secondary Schools in the Country.

FOSLA defeated Asegun Comprehensive High school 3-0 in the first semifinal encounter in the match decided at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere. In the second semifinal, Excel defeated Science school 4-0 in another entertaining encounter to qualify for today’s final. So much fireworks could be witnessed in this encounter because the two finalists won their respective semifinal game with a high margin without conceding a goal.

ANB set for first stakeholders’ summit

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HE Association of Nigerian Bookmakers, the parent body of Sports Betting companies in Nigeria, will stage their first sports betting stakeholders summit in Lagos, tomorrow. The summit with the theme ‘Opportunities Meet Challenges’, is scheduled for Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, by 10 am, and will see the owners of some of the top sports betting companies in the country making presentations.

Speaking ahead of the summit, the chairman of ANB and the owner of NairaBet.com, Otunba Akin Alabi, described the association as same as other associations like the Trade Union Association, Nigeria Computer Society, Nigeria Bar Association and others like that.

Seasiders of Lagos collapse Idah Pillars *Sam Ocheho-InnJoo Handball tourney

By Solomon Nwoke

L

AGOS Seasiders defied the early morning rain yesterday to thrash Idah Pillars 35-31 at the ongoing 3rd Sam Ocheho-InnJoo International Handball Championship holding at Rowe Park Sports Complex, Yaba, Lagos.

The Seasiders who have proved themselves a force to reckon with in the game of handball thrilled handball enthusiasts with their beautiful jumpshots and fast breaks and leaving no one in doubt about their mission in the match as they wasted no time in despatching the boys from Idah in Kogi state. Another explosive match that captured the fancy of the fans at the Park was that between Delta Force and ‘old war horses’ Sokoto Rima which was keenly contested and ended 25-24 in favour of the Delta Force

54 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016

This is the worst Olympics preparation – Toriola H

AVING been part of six Olympics build up, Africa’s most decorated table tennis player, Segun Toriola has lamented the preparation for the Rio Olympic Games describing it as the worst ever.

Toriola, 42, who will be making history in Brazil as the first African athlete to feature in seven Olympics said he has never seen this kind of preparation since he made his debut at the Olympics at Barcelona 1992 in Spain.“I don’t

Continued from BP

think we ever had it so bad like this because even the last Olympics in London, by this time we have started preparation and I don’t think any athlete can do much in Brazil.

It is disheartening that nobody is even telling us (athletes) what is the next thing we need to do.

I think nobody should expect much from the athletes because most of our opponents are rounding up their preparation now while we have not even started,” he said.

FG

General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Dr. Mohammed Sanusi told Sports Vanguard yesterday that the committee will have representations from the federal government, the NFF as well as Delta and Edo states.

The general secretary further revealed that according to the preliminary plans, the burial will take place by the last week of July.

Meanwhile former world player of the year, George Weah of Liberia and the Ghana-born former France defender, Marseille Desailly are

among some international players who have indicated interest to attend the burial.

Impeccable sources at the NFF Secretariat revealed to our reporter that the players yesterday called the NFF to inquire about the burial arrangements.

“Yes I can reveal to you that one of the renowned African players yesterday called the NFF to know about the burial plans and they have been promised that the details will be communicated to them as soon as it was concluded.”

The committee is expected to be made public before the end of next week.

On the idea of focusing on sports that are going to win medals, Toriola said, “I want our administrators to know that qualifying for the Olympics is now on a platter of gold as you have to compete to qualify to make it to the Olympics. But we have to know that it is the biggest stage for every athlete and all those that have been winning Olympics medal had quality preparation and I think our athletes should be given enough support,” the former African champion said.

O

LYMPIC football team, Dream Team VI, will depart for the Rio Olympics from Miami, USA, on July 29, officials have said.

The team will set up camp in Atlanta, also in

for his father’s burial rites without the knowledge and consent of his children.

Stephen Keshi Jnr, 27, arrived at the NFF Secretariat on Wednesday morning and met with the General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi. He was in company with US –based chemist and friend of late Keshi, Victor Ugoh and former Super Eagles’ star Victor Obinna Nsofor.

“I just came into Nigeria on Tuesday night, and we read in the papers today that somebody has fixed a date for the burial.

I am shocked like my sisters and my brothers.

Since our father died, nobody has spoken to us about how he died, and we have not even seen his corpse. Yet, someone is fixing a date for his burial!”

•Dalung Eighth day Fidau prayer for Amodu on Saturday

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HE famiy of late Shuaibu Amodu has announced that the Eighth day Fiddua prayer of the former Super Eagles coach will be held on Saturday June 18, 2016, by 10 a.m. at his Lagos residence on 41B, Adegoke street, off Alhaji Masha, surulere, Lagos.

month later.

They are slated to play three warm-up matches in the US with fellow Riobound Mexico and Honduras chosen as their opponents.

African U23 champions Nigeria are drawn with European champions Sweden, Japan as well as Colombia.

HE national f e m a l e basketball,D’Tigress’ hope of picking one of the five tickets at stake at the ongoing FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament in France was dashed yesterday fo l l o w i n g Korea’s victory over the European favourites, Belarus thus leaving all three teams on three points but separated on

for the funeral, but we also appreciate that he was a national figure and will harmonize our plans with that of the Government and the NFF. “Our father was a loving family man and we will miss him greatly. Our joy is that he left a worthy legacy for Nigeria football and for his family.”

The Gambia Football Federation, in a letter signed by its president Lamine Kaba Bajo, wrote on the death of Amodu: “This sad incident which came a few days after the passing away of another Nigerian and African football icon and legend, Stephen Keshi has no doubt increased the sorrow and sadness not only in the NFF and Nigeria but African football family as a whole.”

Continued from BP Nigeria Football Association (NFF), Mr Amodu Shaibu N25million, saying he’s being owed only N8million.

In statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Peter Okhiria, it said “let us state from the onset that his death is a huge loss to Edo State and Nigeria. We are certain that no one can fill the void of the shoes left behind by Coach Shaibu.

He was not just a proud Edo son but also a perfect gentleman, community leader among other callings.

“This is why he was invited to work with our young footballers after he was unceremoniously relieved of his appointment as Coach having qualified Nigeria for the World Cup. We remain deeply pained by his very sudden and untimely death. The facts are the late Amodu Shaibu worked with the State Government, on a fixed-term contract basis, as Consultant/Technical Adviser of Edo State Football Development

points difference.

D’Tigress had on Tuesday bounced back from their opening day defeat to Belarus by edging South Korea 70-69 in their second game at the 2016 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament in France.

The win had given the Nigerian women hope after they had lost to Belarus by 11 points.

Arsenal kick off against Liverpool - who will be looking to Continued from BP a week later.

Elsewhere, Jose Mourinho starts life as Manchester United manager with a trip to Bournemouth while Manchester City host Sunderland and Chelsea face West Ham as Pep Guardiola and Antonio Conte make their competitive debuts.

Champions Leicester travel to newly promoted Hull City on the opening day while Tottenham

Edo govt

•Siasia

We learnt that Keshi’s daughter, Ifeyinwa and husband, who are based in North Carolina, USA also flew into Nigeria on Tuesday.

Keshi Jnr, an events producer in Atlanta, expressed appreciation to the Federal Government, the National Assembly, the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Nigeria Football Federation, the governments of Edo and Delta States, ex – internationals and countless corporate bodies and individuals for all the kind words showered on his father since he passed on.

“I cannot thank everyone enough. We have only heard good and great words about our father since his death. I am going to Benin City now.

The family will sit down and come up with a date

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Dream Team fly to Rio July 29 the USA, from June 29 and will then fly out to Brazil a

Keshi’s son Continued from BP

Rio Olympic qualifiers: D’Tigress crash out

Programme, a Football Academy established by the State Government to tap the talents of Edo youths and turn them into world stars.

“In deference to his pedigree, and having informed the Governor of how he was shabbily treated by the Nigerian Football Federation after the World Cup qualification he helped secure for the nation, and also admitting that the new job to manage the State’s Football Academy had lesser attraction than the National team Coach job he had, Amodu Shaibu was placed on a monthly salary of N2 million, which is hundred per cent better than what he was earning as Coach of the National Football team, and also making him the highest paid official of the Edo State Government.

“The said fixed-term contract was however not renewed on expiration based on the dwindling revenues and the necessary cuts in government spending.

It is basic that a fixedterm contract ends

push on from their title tilt in 2015-16 - face Ronald Koeman’s Everton.

Mourinho’s Old Trafford bow as Manchester United manager comes against Southampton on August 20 before he locks horns with Guardiola once again with Man City arriving for an early season blockbuster on September 10, with back-toback trips to Liverpool and Chelsea coming on October 22 and 29.

automatically when the agreed end date is reached and the employer doesn’t have to give any notice. This means that a fixed-term contract is deemed terminated if not renewed.In spite of the fact that the said contract was not renewed, the late Amodu Shaibu continued to draw his monthly wage of N2 million until it was stopped by the Office of the Accountant General in June, 2015, following the discovery after a staff biometric verification exercise.

“The late Amodu Shaibu thereafter tendered his ‘letter of resignation’, in September 2015, even when the said contract was not renewed and had been deemed terminated, following its non-renewal.However, on Wednesday, 8th June 2016, two days before his unfortunate death, the late Shaibu submitted a letter to the Secretary to Edo State Government, dated same day, claiming unpaid salaries for four months, totaling N8 million only.

VANGUARD, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016 — 55

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016

Keshi’s son cries out over father’s burial plans T

HE first son of late Nigeria captain and coach Stephen Keshi has expressed bewilder-

All for Keshi, Amodu 2016-17 EPL season: Arsenal kick off against Liverpool

Keshi: FG to set up burial committee

BY JUDE OPARA, Abuja

A

S part of arrangements to give the late former Super

A

RSENAL will begin the 2016-17 Premier League campaign with a clash against Liverpool after the fixtures for the new season were announced.

The Gunners face a tough start, with the visit of Jurgen Klopp’s side on August 13 followed by a trip to defending champions Leicester City Continues on Page 54

Members of the supporters club, led by President General, Rafiu Ladipo organised a prayer session for late coaches Stephen Keshi and Amodu Shuaibu yesterday in Lagos. Photo: Tony Ubani.

This is the worst Olympics preparation — Toriola PG.54

Arsenal Bournemouth Burnley Chelsea Crystal Palace Everton Hull City Manchester City Middlesbrough Southampton

Russia Romania France

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T OD AY'S PUZZLE ODA

v v v v v v v v v v

Liverpool Manchester United Swansea City West Ham United West Bromwich Albion Tottenham Hotspur Leicester City Sunderland Stoke City Watford

EURO 2016: Results

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM HE Edo state government yesterday described as untrue the claim that it was owing the late Technical Director of the Continues on Page 54

Eagles Coach Stephen Keshi a befitting burial, the federal government is set to constitute a burial committee.

Continues on Page 54

EPL — OPENING WEEKEND August 13/14/15

•Keshi Jnr

Amodu: We’re owing N8m --- Edo govt

•Late Amodu

ment that certain persons have been putting a date forward Continues on Page 54

1 1 2

Slovakia Switzerland Albania

2 1 0

Today’s matches England Ukraine Germany

•Toriola

v v v

Wales N/Ireland Poland

2pm 5pm 8pm

QUICK CROSSWORD

YESTER DAY'S YESTERDAY'S

ANSWERS

ACROSS 3 Trench (5) 9 Cause (6) 10 Ejected (6) 11 Avoid (5) 12 Tart (4) 15 Prevalent (4) 17 Shyness (7) 20 Father (3) 21 Weird (5) 23 Inactive (4) 25 Way out (4) 26 Linger (5) 28 Mournful (3) 30 Closest (7) 33 Prune (4) 35 Singer (4) 36 Slumbered (5) 38 Bird (6) 39 Amatory (6) 40 Late (5)

DOWN 1 Vision (5) 2 Wild (5) 3 Rabbit (3) 4 Ask (6) 5 Cipher (4) 6 Colour (3) 7 Sober (5) 8 Appended (5) 13 Funny (7) 14 Traded (5) 16 Quickest (7) 18 Long (5) 19 Strive (3) 22 Additional (5) 24 Spike (3) 27 Yapped (6) 28 Rascal (5) 29 Lament (5) 31 Chosen (5) 32 Flashlight (5) 34 Excuse (4) 36 Pose (3) 37 Attempt (3)

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 1, Impact 5, Polite 8, Intimate 9, Debt 10, Man 12, Sense 15, Wet 17, Ire 18, Ale 19, Nag 20, Waver 21, Dot 22, Hue 23, Lag 24, Rut 26, Rally 29, Eel 33, Edit 34, Disposal 35, Groped 36, Outlet.

DOWN: 2, Mania 3, Avid 4, Tease 5, Press 6, Lady 7, Table 10, Miner 11, Night 12, Sewer 13, Novel 14, Early 15, Wedge 16, Total 25, Under 27, Aided 28, Lasso 30, Evade 31, Step 32, Host.

How to Play Sudoku

P

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.

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