NASS soft-pedals, reaches truce with Presidency

...towards a better life for the people

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VOL. 25: NO. 63009

ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com

N200

TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016

CCT rejects Saraki's plea to 9 preside in plenary

EFCC 6 arraigns Tompolo in absentia

PETAN raises alarm over depletion of crude oil reserve

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2016 BUDGET ROW:

NASS soft-pedals, reaches truce with Presidency

By Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor

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BUJA—AFTER a week long face-off between the Presidency and the National Assembly, indications emerged, last night, that the lawmakers had softpedalled on their tough stance by accepting to review the budget.

Vanguard learned that the change of heart by the legislators, who had earlier threatened to veto the President on the matter, followed series of

•Agrees to revisit budget and accommodate key projects

Continues on Page 5

Nigeria loses N127bn annually to cybercrime — NSA

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Mr & Mrs CONDOLENCE—Wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari (right), condoling with parents of slain students of Buni Yadi Secondary School, Yobe State during a visit to the state.

COLUMNIST : Akwa Ibom communities angry with NDDC over abandoned projects See Inside C M Y K

Re: Tinubu's unfinished business (2) •P.17

N10BN CASH: DSS arrests, transfers Jonathan’s ex-SA to EFCC 4

2—Vanguard, TUESDAY,

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APRIL 19 19, 2016

Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 19 2016—3

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4—Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016

NUPENG warns against privatization of refineries, jetties through backdoor

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FORUM: From left, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Ogun State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Otunba Bimbo Ashiru, at the National Economic Forum, in Lagos.

PETAN raises alarm over depletion of crude oil reserves Says no new addition in over 10 years Highest exploration wells drilled in 1967

By Clara Nwachukwu

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AGOS— INDUSTRY operators have expressed worries over the depletion of Nigeria’s crude reserves, saying no new addition had been made in this regard in the last 10 years.

A country ’s oil reserves represent the amount of technically and economically recoverable oil.

The National Petroleum Investment Management Services, NAPIMS, a Corporate Services Unit, CSU, of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, in charge of managing government’s investment in the upstream petroleum industry, puts Nigeria’s reserves at about 25 billion barrels.

On the other hand, Venezuela, a member of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, like Nigeria, is reputed to have the world’s largest proven oil reserves with 297 billion barrels as at January 2014.

The lack of reserves addition also puts at risk, Federal Government’s production targets of four million barrels daily and 40 billion in reserves, which have now been moved to 2020, after failing many previous targets.

The reason for the lack of reserves addition is due to the fact that very little exploration activities have been going on in the industry for years due to the uncertainty over regulatory issues on account of the non-passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB. Chairman, Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria, PETAN, Mr BankAnthony Okoroafor, in an exclusive interview with Vanguard, in Lagos, said the issue about reserves addition was not about setting targets, but about swinging into action.

According to him, “government

should encourage more oil exploration activities, so that what happened to us with the refineries will not happen with oil production as well. We had four refineries and we failed to maintain them as and when due until they gave up.”

Okoroafor further noted that since the oil price crash was not permanent, now was the time for government to encourage exploration to shore up reserves, adding that “for every volume of crude produced, Nigeria should set aside some quantity to build our reserves. Nigeria will benefit more from this when oil prices rise again as they will surely do in the future.”

Exploration activities

Sharing his sentiments, a top management executive of one of the international oil companies

toldVanguard in confidence that Nigeria drilled the highest number of exploration wells in 1967.

According to him, “about 77 wells were drilled in 1967, but in the last 10 years, we have not been able to drill even 20,” adding that if Nigeria had continued with the 1967 tempo, it would have exceeded even the four million barrels daily or 40 billion in reserves targeted since 2010.

Getting the production targets right and not allow them to derail, like the refining targets, Okoroafor urged government to encourage more investments in oil exploration activities.

He argued that the best way to do this was to stabilise the fiscals of both the IOCs and the National Oil Company, as represented by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.

By Victor AhiumaYoung

AGOS— NIGERIA Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, yesterday, warned against clandestine privatization of Nigerian refineries and jetties, saying labour would not accept privatization in downstream sector of the petroleum sector without carrying the two unions in the sector along.

It said of recent, the management of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, had been placing suspicious advertisements in the national dailies.

The union in a statement by Mr. Joseph Ogbebor, its Acting General Secretary, insisted that similar adverts were placed by the NNPC inviting pre-qualification for rehabilitation, upgrade, operatorship, management, maintenance and security of NNPC jetties, storage depots and pipeline infrastructure on joint venture partnership basis.

According to the statement, “NUPENG believes that the current move by the NNPC is a form of privatization of our national assets through

N10bn fraud: DSS arrests, transfers Jonathan’s ex-SA to EFCC

By Soni Daniel

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BUJA—SPECIAL Assistant to former President Gooduck lonathan on Domestic Matters, Dudafa Waripamemowei, was

FG optimistic of output freeze deal, as oil price dips

By Michael Eboh with agency report

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BUJA — MINISTER of State for Petroleum Resources and Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, has emphasised the need for members of Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, to work towards achieving consensus in their quest to achieve output freeze and ultimately ensure a rebound in the price of crude oil.

This was even as oil prices, reacting to the failed deal, dropped sharply, yesterday, with Brent crude falling seven per cent at one point before recovering some ground. Earlier in the day, it fell 3.4 per cent to $41.70 per barrel.

According to reports, the price of US crude oil initially fell 6.8 per cent, or $2.82, to $38.68 a barrel. It too clawed back some of those losses and was trading down 3.6 per cent in the afternoon at $38.90. It, however, closed at $42.92 per barrel.

In a statement in Abuja, yesterday, Kachikwu disclosed that despite the stalemate on crude oil production freeze, OPEC would continue to work towards achieving consensus on the issue and also ensure that everyone was brought to the negotiating table.

“We are just going to work at it.

It is a supply and demand issue and we need to consult and bring everybody into the circle and thank God that a committee is now in place to try and work towards getting everybody on board,” Kachikwu said while

the backdoor is doomed to fail and bring about more hardship to the citizens just the way the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, privatization failed to bring the desired results but darkness all over the country.

"For security reasons and in the interest of protecting the jobs of oil and gas workers that the present joint partnership bid will be resisted by NUPENG. No investor will want to put its money in the joint venture partnership arrangement without having a say in the running of the refineries, storage depots and jetties.

"We want to warn that we will resist the move as the fate of the oil and gas workers cannot be guaranteed, more so, that the unions in the oil and gas sector were not consulted."

NUPENG stated that the panacea of these challenges is not in joint partnership basis that will alter the ownership and operatorship structure but the need to have the political will to make the refineries, pipelines, storage depots work optimally.

addressing newsmen after the protracted meeting of OPEC and non-OPEC oil producers in Doha, Qatar.

He explained that once every member country of OPEC was brought on board, it would become easier to convince other major oil producers to sign up to the freeze policy which is designed to remedy lingering decline in the price of crude oil in the international market.

Kachikwu expressd optimism that the consensus issue would be pursued vigorously in the next OPEC ministerial meeting slated for June 2016 in Vienna, Austria.

The Qatar meeting had 18 countries in attendance, including Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Russia, Mexico, Ecuador, Trinidad and Tobago, Iraq, Mexico, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Angola, Bahrain, Indonesia, Venezuela and United Arab Emirates.

yesterday taken into custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. Dudafa was arrested by the operatives of the Department of State Service, DSS, at Lagos airport and handed over to the EFCC. Spokesman of the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed the arrest last night.

Dudafa was said to have received N10 billion from former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd), for onward distribution to Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, delegates in 2015.

The money is said to have been handed over to him by the ADC to the former President, who was also detained for weeks.

Dudafa is said to have disappeared from th country in the wake of the scandal and the security agencies have been on his trail ever since the former President left office.

Many other aides of the former president are in detention for fraud related offences.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016—5

POCKET CARTOON

Protest rocks communications ministry over NITDA recruitment SARAKI AT CCT—Senate President Dr. Bukola Saraki arriving for his ongoing trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal in Abuja, yesterday. Photo: Gbemiga Olamikan.

2016 BUDGET ROW: NASS

soft-pedals, reaches truce with Presidency Continues from Page 1 rapprochement between the Presidency and the top echelon of the NASS since the return of President Muhammadu Buhari from China.

A competent Presidential source confirmed, last night, that the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, had also met severally with key functionaries of the NASS and explained to them the imperatives of reworking the budget in the overall interest of Nigerians.

The source said that even before Buhari

returned to Abuja last Saturday, the major infractions committed by the Finance and Appropriations committees of the NASS, which had rendered the budget inoperative, had been laid bare before the leadership of the legislature and their support sought in reviewing it.

The top-ranking official explained to Vanguard that the leadership of the legislature was shocked to see the extent to which the budget had been distorted and huge sums of money diverted to what the Presidency considers ‘irrelevant’ and against national

IT'S UP TO YOU

BY AYO ADIO F you found out today that all you had was just one year to live, how would you live it? The answer you give is how you should be living right now. It's up to you.

I

TAKE HEART

BY ELLA RANDLE

Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes— Carl Gustav Jung TO love deeply is like making a masterpiece of art, loving is constant unfolding, there is always room for improvement. It comes with an awareness to know what really is...for me, it’s beyond being beautiful, beyond success, beyond the everyday striving to just being and learning to live life in the moment with joy and gratitude.

SAYINGS OF OUR PEOPLE It's only relatives of a mad man that feel the shame.

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interest.

According to the official, the Presidency viewed what the lawmakers did to the budget as virtually ‘rewriting’ the budget by removing provisions for key national projects and replacing them with ‘personal’ items which add no real value to Nigerians.

The source said the distortions, which had already been compiled by ministers, who used most of last week to work on the fiscal document, caught the lawmakers napping in eight areas.

The eight major areas of budget infractions were said to have been presented to Buhari upon his return to Nigeria and he felt disappointed by the antics of those who committed the act against the nation.

The Presidency officials said the areas had been shown to the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, who were shocked to learn of the development.

One source close to the rapprochement said it was the stunning revelations from the Presidency that convinced the two leaders that the budget should be taken back and reviewed, given the

level of distortions found in the document.

“After some formal and informal interactions, both leaders of the NASS have indicated willingness to reconsider the controversial appropriation bill,” a Presidency official confirmed last night.

Efforts to speak with the Minister of Budget, Sen. Udoma Udoma, proved abortive, as he did not pick his phone.

The minister ’s Media Adviser, Mr. Akpandem James, could not also be reached for comments as at press time.

By Grace Udofia

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BUJA—SCORES of protesters, yesterday, staged a peaceful protest at the Federal Ministry of Communications over the decision of the Federal Government to withdraw their appointment and cancel their recruitment by the National Information T e c h n o l o g y Development Agency, NITDA. Spokesperson for the protesters, Mr. Daniel Nkpabo, called on NITDA to immediately issue them with their letters of posting, since they were duly recruited by the agency.

According to him, NITDA had denied that they were given any appointment letter and asked them to go, that their appointments were made through the back door.

He said: “We are law abiding citizens of the country, we want to work and it is our right to work, and as such, we are demanding that they

give us our posting letters to the different places for us to resume work. ‘’Our recruitment was not done illegally because constitutionally, government has a commission that is responsible for the recruitment of staff, which is the Federal Character Commission, FCC. “This commission has given approval for our recruitment, so, I do not know how else the recruitment can be legal because they are aware of our recruitment.

"It has been a long wait and we are tired already, most of us had to resign from our previous jobs to take up this appointment. We have bills to pay; our children are there, their fees need to be paid too. ‘’They cannot say the agency is short of funds because some of us were opportuned to be posted before they sent us away, and we discovered that we were all captured in the agency's budget for 2016."

Nigeria loses N127bn annually to cyber-crime —NSA ....As FG inaugurates 31-man Cybercrime Advisory Council

By Gabriel Ewepu

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BUJA—THE National Security Adviser, NSA, MajorGeneral Babagana Monguno(retd), yesterday, disclosed that Nigeria lost N127bn to cybercrime through software piracy, intellectual property theft and malware attacks between 2013 and 2014.

Monguno stated this during the inauguration of a 31-man Cybercrime Advisory Council, in Abuja.

The NSA, who is also chairman of the 31-man committee, decried the

situation and described it as a serious challenge members of the council must confront.

He said: “The protection of activities in our cyberspace has become increasingly important to the security of our great nation. ‘’You will agree with me that activities of hackers and cyber criminals in recent times have threatened government presence, economic activities, security of Nigerians and vital infrastructure connected to the internet.

“Experts have shown that the cost of cybercrime

to the nation is quite significant. The 2014 annual report of the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, NDIC, shows that between 2013 and 2014, fraud on e-payment platform of Nigeria's banking sector increased by 183 per cent.

“Also, a report published in 2014 by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, United Kingdom, estimated the annual cost of cybercrime to Nigeria at about 0.08 per cent of our GDP, representing about N127 billion."

6 — Vanguard, TUESDAY APRIL 19 , 2016

LUTH probes death of Ngozi Udebu

By Sola Ogundipe & Chioma Obinna

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HE Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH has set up an investigative panel on the death of Mrs Ngozi Udebu, who died in the hospital on Monday, March 28, 2016.

In a statement, the Public Relations Officer, Mr Kelechi Otuneme said the panel had been mandated to look into the issues surrounding the death.

He said the hospital management sympathised with the family of the deceased on the loss and implored the public to wait for the report of the panel which would be made public soon.

Meanwhile, a Non Governmental organisation, Hope Alive Child Care Initiative alongside Medical Police has called on the management of LUTH and the Federal Ministry of Health to urgently release the result of the investigation.

The founder, Mrs. Adaugo Nwalema, said the rate Nigerians die in the hands of medical workers out of negligence and lack of facilities is no longer acceptable.

No victim of collapsed building worked with us—LEKKI GARDENS

By Oboh Agbonkhese

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A G O S — T H E management of Lekki Gardens yesterday said none of the 35 persons killed when a building under construction collapsed on March 8, in Lekki Gardens, was its worker, even as it expressed concerns over the deaths.

Speaking on behalf of Mr. Richard Nyong, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Lekki Gardens, owners of the collapsed building, Juliet Obiorah told journalists in Lagos that: “They were not our employees, whether directly or on contract basis. We do not know them.

They were Beninoise. We later learned that they used the uncompleted building as shelter while it was raining on that morning.

“As a rule, we close work and barricade our sites at 4p.m. This incident happened at about 3:30am. Our security personnel called the Human Resources person, Mr. Akin Ojo, and the 13 survivors were taken to hospitals and are still going for check-ups on the company’s bill.”

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EFCC arraigns Tompolo in absentia ...As Akpobolokemi's trial resumes

By Innocent Anaba

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AGOS—THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, yesterday, arraigned in absentia, former Niger Delta militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo (alias Tompolo) before a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos.

This came as a prosecution witness in ongoing trial of Patrick Akpobolokemi, former -Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Orji Aosihiuwu, an operative of EFCC, narrated to a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, how N1 billion allegedly looted from the agency was shared.

Tompolo was arraigned alongside six brothers of a former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Patrick Akpobolokemi.

They are: Igo Akpobolokemi, Julius Akpobolokemi, Victor Akpobolokemi, Norbert Akpobolokemi, Emmanuel Akpobolokemi and Clement Akpobolokemi.

They were arraigned on a 22count charge bordering on N47 billion fraud.

They were however, declared as being “now at large” when the charges were read.

Meanwhile, Akpobolokemi was also arraigned alongside three others, Josephine Otuaga, Rita Uruakpa and Kime Engozu.

The charges bordered on conspiracy, advanced fee fraud and money laundering.

All accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The judge, Justice Ibrahim Buba, however, admitted the accused persons to bail.

The judge allowed Akpobolokemi, who had earlier been arraigned before him, to continue with a N50 million bail earlier granted him on March 22.

In the charge, the EFCC alleged that the accused persons conspired to defraud the Federal Government between December 2, 2014 and April 10, 2015.

The prosecution alleged that the accused falsely declared that a parcel of land and its appurtenances situated at Mieka Dive Training Institute in Warri, had been acquired by NIMASA. The land was said to be for construction of the temporary campus of the Nigerian Maritime University, Okerenkoko, the declarations of which were said to be false.

The EFCC also alleged that sometime in 2014, the accused fraudulently converted the sum of N13 billion belonging to NIMASA for private use.

Meanwhile, a prosecution witness in ongoing trial of Patrick Akpobolokemi, former -Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Orji Aosihiuwu, an operative of the

VISIT: From left; CEO, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Mr. Oscar Onyema; MD/CEO, Unity Bank Plc, Mrs. Tomi Somefun; and Director of Unity Bank Plc, Mr Gboyega Asabia, during a courtesy visit by Management of NSE to Unity Bank at the new Unity Bank Head Office in Lagos, recently.

Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, yesterday, narrated to a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, how N1bilion allegedly looted from the agency was shared.

The witness, who is in the Special Taskforce Unit, STU of EFCC, identified all the defendants and gave account of the role played by each defendant in the N2. 6 billion scam.

The case is before Justice Ibrahim Buba. The accused persons are standing trial for allegedly converting N2.6 billion between December 23, 2013 and May 28 last year, to which they pleaded not guilty.

The witness said on October 2, 2013, Akpobolokemi wrote letter to the then President Goodluck Jonathan through the National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd), to release the sum of N1,123bn for the implementation of International Ships and Port facility Security, ISPS, project.

And on November 4, 2013, the money was released by the Federal Government for the project, it was transferred to NIMASA and it was later transferred to account of ISPS committee opened at Access Bank and the signatories to that account was Agaba who took

orders from Akpobolokemi.

The witness said that out of N1.123 bilion released for the project, N1b was converted by the accused and their accomplices to their personal use.

He said the fund was shared among six companies; Seabulk Offshore Operator Ltd- N437.7m, Ace Prothesis Ltd-N66.8milion, Extreme Vertex Nig Ltd- N21.8m, O2 Services Plus Ltd- N14.2m, Southern Offshore Ltd- N402.4m, Caniz Ltd-N12.2 million.

While the sum of N 45million was withdrawn from the ISPS account by the accused.

Further hearing in the matter has been adjourned till April 29

Landlords, not tenants mandated by law to pay Land Use Charge — LASG

By Olasunkanmi Akoni

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HE Lagos State Government, yesterday,

said that owners of landed property were mandated by law to pay the Land Use Charge as at when due and not tenants,

Consumers lay siege to Ikeja DISCO, protest poor service, crazy bills

By Franklin Alli

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AGOS—AGGRIEVED consumers of Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company, Ikeja DISCO, yesterday made good their threat to protest the increasing poor service delivery by the company among others, as they stormed its Alausa headquarters, demanding improved services and end to crazy bills.

Led by Citizens’ Access to Electricity Initiatives, CATEIN, and Federation of Informal Workers Union of Nigeria, FIWON, they lamented that their businesses had been crippled as a result of erratic or no power supply power to their shops, saying “We can’t run our machine on 'I better pass my neighbour generators' and the cost of big

generators have hit the roof.

“Three years after government handed over power sector to private sector, electricity supply is worse. We are tired of increase in electricity tariff; we are tired of darkness, load shedding, estimated billings, etc,'' Gbenga Komolafe, General Secretary of FIWON said.

Komolafe, who addressed the aggrieved protesters, noted that since the power sector was privatized, there had been no improvement in services, and there was no investment in transmission and generation instead; ''What we have is retrenchment every day, and incremental decline in service provision. Nigerian are tired of darkness. So, privatisation, obviously of electricity sector is not working. It is a fraud.''

even as it said the contribution of the Land Use Charge to the state’s Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, in 2014 was N7.14 billion, while in 2015, it went down to N6.0 billion.

Commissioner for Finance, Dr. Mustapha Akinkunmi, who announced this at a briefing said since introduction of the Charge, there had been controversies on who should pay it between landlords and the tenants.

“It is the landlords that are expected to pay the Charge. They can have agreements with their tenants but from the government’s perspective, it is the landlord that the law recognises in paying the Land Use Charge,” he said.

Akinkunmi said that payment of the Charge was a requirement of law adding that property tax defaulters would have their property sealed and prosecuted in court, noting that government had established a complaints centre manned by professionals to address issues that might arise.

Akinkunmi added that payments were expected to be made within 30 days from the date of bill delivery with penalties accruing from the 45th day.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016 — 7

Police read riot act to herdsmen over killings in Ondo

By Dayo Johnson

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KURE—WORRIED by the menace of Fulani herdsmen, the Ondo State Police Command has read a riot act against further bloodshed.

The state Police Commissioner Hilda Harrison, who met with Hausa/Fulani farmers, traditional leaders, village heads and Miyyatti Allah, in Akure said the bloodbath should stop.

Harrison pointed out that the police command would no longer tolerate the activities of trouble makers in the state.

She warned against anybody trying to cause problem, just as she urged the stakeholders to work together and shun violence.

The Police chief said “all of you are aware of the recent problem and challenges facing the state .

I am almost a month old in the state, persons have been

reportedly killed on farmlands, kidnapped, murdered on the road. There is no need for us to fight one another because we need one another to survive. We need to work together to achieve sustainable peace in our state. We must pursue peace.”

She noted that a “register would be opened with the village heads, community leaders and major stakeholders. For them to ensure that anybody entering their territory must have to sign the register. The person must be known to the community or

village heads for security reasons.”

“Herdsmen must be known to the heads of their Communities in the localities where they operate. We must all realize that we are all created by God and as such need to give peace a chance,“ she noted.

Besides, the Commissioner warned that “any community or village head that allows herdsmen after signing register with them to carry out nefarious activities would be held accountable.”

19 states, 50 countries storm Ogun for Nigerian Drum Festival

By Daud Olatunji

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BEOKUTA—NO fewer than 50 foreign countries as well as 10 African countries and 19 states across Nigeria have signified their intention to participate in the first Nigerian Drums festival organised by the Ogun State Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

The Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Bashorun Muyiwa Oladipo said this, yesterday in Abeokuta, during a press conference to herald the festival that begins today (Tuesday) and ends Friday.

Oladipo, who was flanked by Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Alhaja Salmot Otun disclosed that the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed and the state governor, Ibikunle Amosun would unveil the world's tallest traditional drum made in the state.

According to him, the world's tallest drum which was made by an indigene of the state with 16 feet high was in correlation with Yoruba history.

He added that 19 states in Nigeria would feature while 50 countries such as United States of America, United Kingdom, Germany, China and France have confirmed their participation through their ambassadors.

BOOK PRESENTATION: From left; Bashorun J.K Randle, book reviewer; Prof. Ayo Banjo Chairman of the occassion; Mr. Tunde Durosinmi Etti, Commissioner for Wealth Creation & Employment, Lagos State; Prof. Olufolabi Olumide, author/celebrant; his wife, Folashade and Mr. Yemi Adeola, MD Sterling Bank at the book presentation, "If I Had Wings" at Prof Olumide's 80th Birthday Celebration in Lagos yesterday. Photo by Akeem Salau.

Osun Speaker faults Senate over CCT amendment

By Gbenga Olarinoye

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SOGBO—SPEAKER of the Osun State House of Assembly, Mr Najeem Salaam has kicked against the ongoing amendment of Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB and Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, Acts, by the Senate, saying the timing was wrong and the perception negative.

In a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Goke Butika, Salaam said the insensitivity displayed by the sponsor of the bills has further aggravated the conception of the people about the disposition of the National Assembly towards the

Be patient with Buhari, lawmaker tells Nigerians him and shows a kind

By Dotun Ibiwoye

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member of the House of Representatives, Mr Bosun Oladele, has appealed to Nigerians to be patient with the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, saying that it is not easy to correct the damage of the past.

Oladele, who represents Irepo/ Orelope/Olorunsogo Federal Constituency of Oyo State, pointed out that for a man of 73 years of age to stay long at night to scrutinize budget, it bellies of what opponents always say about

of determination to make sure that things are done correctly.

Speaking to newsmen in Oyo State, Oladele said that he was very confident in the ability of the president to build a better tomorrow for the country.

“It is not always easy to correct the damage of past, long years.

Change usually comes gradually just like a process, so there is hope that Nigeria would be great under Buhari. We must acknowledge that this hardship was not a creation of this regime rather a backlog of ineptitude of the previous administrations.''

anti-corruption fight of President Muhammadu Buhari-led government.

He charged the lawmakers of the All Progressives Congress, APC, to dissociate themselves from the legislative rascality being championed by some Senators, who enjoyed confrontation with the executive.

He said: “Our party promised to be fair and just to all Nigerians irrespective of party affiliation,

and the normal way to do that is to allow the course of justice to run without fair or favour. But for some Senators to come up with controversial bills that could be perceived as designed for personal interest suggests that some people are enjoying the confrontation between the National Assembly and the Executive, and any progressiveminded APC lawmaker must not be found in that mode.”

CHINESE LOAN: Fayose’s aide chides Oyegun, Oni, Sagay, APC

By Rotimi Owomoyela

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DO-EKITI—SPECIAL Assistant to the Ekiti State Governor on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka has described the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Chief John OdigieOyegun, Deputy National Chairman, Chief Segun Oni and other critics of Governor Ayodele Fayose’s letter to the Chinese government on the $2 billion loan sought by the Federal Government as brazen display of political hypocrisy.

He described President Muhammadu Buhari’s nonsigning of any direct loan agreement with the Chinese

government during his visit as a vindication of the governor’s position, maintaining that “ what Nigeria needs is the collaboration of the Government of China in the area of technology transfer, rather than granting loan that will be mismanaged under the guise of building infrastructure.”

In a statement issued in Ado Ekiti on Monday, the governor’s spokesperson said “people like Oyegun, Oni and Prof Itse Sagay lack moral rights to complain even if President Muhammadu Buhari is called whatever names because they never complained when as a sitting president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan was called unprintable names by APC stalwarts and leaders.”

We’ve powers to impose fines — FRSC

By Gbenga Oke

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HE Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, has restated that it has statutory powers to impose fines on traffic offenders.

FRSC said contrary to reports that a Federal High Court has stopped the commission from imposing fines on motorists, the agency can still impose fines on motorists who violates traffic rules.

In a statement, yesterday, by its spokesperson, Bisi Kazeem, the FRSC stated that those opposed to payment of fines, have the option of challenging their notice of offence in court.

The statement reads: “The FRSC is aware of the post trending on the social media which is the handiwork of mischief makers that a Federal High court in Lagos has just decided that the FRSC has no powers to arrest, issue fines ticket, impose fines and impound offenders vehicles.

What happened was that one Barrister Tope Alabi challenged the powers of the FRSC to arrest him and impound his vehicle and make him pay fines for offences alleged. The FHC presided over by Justice Tsoho held that FRSC had no such powers. This was in September, 2014, but the agency has appealed the court judgement and the appeal is yet to be decided.”

Ekiti no longer leads in cannabis production — NDLEA

By Rotimi Owomoyela

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DO-EKITI—THE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, in Ekiti State, yesterday declared that the state no longer leads in cannabis production and consumption in the country.

This was just as a USA-based Army Officer, Capt. Sunday Adebomi and the NDLEA have partnered to rid the state of the menace.

Ekiti at a time was rated the highest producer of cannabis in the country, with a single largest seizure of 77 tonnes with a market price of N83 million destroyed in the state in 2009 by the agency.

The NDLEA commander, Mr Suleiman Jadi, made the disclosure yesterday during the grand finale of the Ekiti chapter of a national essay competition for secondary school students on the theme: ‘Drug Abuse, Cultism and Youth Violence in Secondary Schools in Nigeria’.

8—Vanguard, TUESDAY,

C M Y K

APRIL 19 19, 2016

Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016—9

Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, at the CCT, in Abuja, yesterday. Photo: Gbemiga Olamikan.

CCT rejects Saraki's plea to preside in plenary Okays day-to-day trial As witness makes more revelations Confusion in Senate over who presides in plenary My trial won’t disturb Senate proceedings — Saraki

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri, Henry Umoru & Joseph Erunke

A

BUJA — IN a bid to save his position as the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, yesterday, begged the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, sitting in Abuja, to reconsider its decision to conduct day-to-day hearing on the 13-count criminal charge the Federal Government entered against him.

Saraki, through his consortium of lawyers, led by former Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Kanu Agabi, SAN, prayed the tribunal to at least allow him to conduct legislative duties three days in a week.

The Justice Danladi Umar-led tribunal had at the resumed sitting on the case, yesterday, said it would henceforth try the defendant on daily basis.

Justice Umar said the decision of the tribunal was based on provisions of Sections 376 and 315 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, 2015.

“Let me state it here for both the prosecution and the defence that the trial of the defendant shall proceed on a day-to-day basis till the conclusion of this matter and it will begin from 10am to 6pm,” Justice Umar held.

The panel, however, said it would on each day of the trial, allow a break period at 1pm and 4pm.

Remarkably, the day-to-day trial order came on the heels of an intensified bid by the Senate to amend the Code of Conduct

Bureau/Tribunal Act, a move that has continued to elicit negative reactions from different quarters.

Saraki begs tribunal to reconsider stance

Meanwhile, perturbed by what the application of the order could portend for his office, Saraki, subsequently urged the tribunal to reconsider its stance.

“My lord, we pray that you consider the position of the defendant as the Senate President. The Senate sits on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. We beg you to allow the defendant and his colleagues, who accompany him to this court, to, at least, conduct their legislative duties,” Agabi begged.

His submission infuriated the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, who contended that the fact that Saraki was on trial was not a ground for his colleagues to abandon their legislative duties.

He said: “My lord, this is very bad and should be condemned.

We are not trying the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, it is the defendant. It is a shame and national embarrassment for such excuse to be given.

"It is the defendant that is on trial before this court, his colleagues absolutely have no business to be here.”

His position was also re-echoed by the CCT panel which said it could not shelve its decision to allow Saraki sit as Senate President.

“The Senate should sit. The only thing here is the personality of the defendant who happened to be the Senate President. The

Senate should continue to sit,” Justice Umar held.

Saraki, who appeared tensed all through the verbal exchange, was accompanied to the tribunal, yesterday, by about 16 senators.

My trial won’t disturb Senate proceedings — Saraki

However, Saraki said, yesterday, that Justice Umar's ruling would not disturb Senate proceedings.

According to Saraki, the Senate remains an institution where the absence of a principal officer or a presiding one will not affect plenaries.

In a statement by his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, the Senate President said: "I am the one on trial not the Senate. Even though I have been overwhelmed by the solidarity displayed by my colleagues, it is important that the work of the Senate is not unduly affected by this process."

How Saraki deceived presidential c'tee —Witness

The star prosecution witness, Mr. Michael Wetkass, who is a Detective Superintendent with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, yesterday, narrated how Saraki deceived the Presidential Implementation Committee on the Sale of Federal Government Properties, into selling three government property to him.

Wetkass told the tribunal that whereas the committee was only permitted to sell only one property to an individual, he

said Saraki bought one with his name and used names of two of his companies to purchase other property from the committee.

He said: “The property at 15, McDonald, Ikoyi in Lagos was bought from the Presidential Implementation Committee on the Sale of Federal Government Properties in the name of a company, Tiny Tee Limited.

“In the assets declaration filled by the defendant, he declared No15 (a) and (b) McDonald, Ikoyi, Lagos. So when we wrote to the implementation committee to verify that property, they responded that from their records, the property is 15, McDonald, Ikoyi, Lagos and another one at Block 15, Plots 1-4 McDonald, Ikoyi Lagos.

“They said those were the property they have in respect of McDonald, Ikoyi, Lagos. The policy of the Presidential Committee was that one person was not allowed to get more than one property.

“Our findings revealed that the defendant got three property from the scheme using company and his personal name.

Meantime, the witness, yesterday, admitted that the prosecution asked him to write the statement he tendered before the tribunal, one month after the charge was filed.

He further admitted that his team never investigated any petition lodged against Saraki from Kwara State.

Protesters besiege CCT

Protesters, yesterday, besieged the road leading to the CCT premises, chanting solidarity songs for the Senate President.

The protesters, who were mainly youths, brandished several placards, among which read: “Leave Saraki Alone”, “Say No To Political Witch-hunt”, “Who Is Afraid Of Saraki?”, among other inscriptions.

The protesters were, however, barred from gaining access to the CCT by armed security men.

Confusion in Senate over who presides in plenary

Meanwhile, there appears to be confusion over who would preside over the Senate plenary beginning from today, following the absence of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, whose trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, is to be on daily basis from today.

But the Senate has remained silent on what will happen today as Saraki would not be around to preside over plenary.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Rules and Business, Babajide Omoworare (APC, Osun East), who is in charge of setting the day to day activities of the Senate, has remained silent on what the Senate intended to do.

Several efforts to his known mobile lines to speak on the issue failed as he could neither pick calls or respond to text messages sent to the lines.

Raising VAT is punishment for those that pay —Adeosun

W

ASHINGTON, DC— Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, has said raising Value Added Tax, VAT, would amount to penalising those who pay, maintaining that it was better to bring more people into the tax net.

Speaking at a press conference in Washington, Adeosun said the VAT compliance rate for Nigeria stood at 10 percent, when 50 percent of Nigeria’s gross domestic product was derived from “VAT-able services.”

She said: “On the issue of broadening tax base and raising VAT, currently we have a five per cent VAT rate; it is one of the lowest in the world indeed.

“But we also have a very low rate of compliance, as low as 10 per cent. So, our strategy is that we need to get more people to pay, more people to comply first, and when the economy is a little bit more robust, then we can look at raising VAT. “If only a few people are paying and then you double the rates, then you are penalising those who are complying.”

She said the way to go about increasing government revenue from VAT was to broaden the base before increasing VAT, if the increase became necessary.

According to her, “the solution is to be getting those who should be paying to pay, and if you look at the percentage of our GDP that is service, it is over 50 percent.

Most services are VAT-able, so actually the VAT compliance should be much higher than it is.

“I know that the chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Services, FIRS, has started a very aggressive programme of pulling those who should be paying into the tax net.

“I think that is the right way to go and I think when the compliance has been improved, then we can definitely look at the rate and that is something we can look at towards next year, when we have broadened the base.

“The most important thing we believe is to spread that culture of people complying to tax laws, paying as at when due, because that is really the most sustainable source of funding for any government.”

Adeosun had earlier said the government had succeeded in bringing 363,000 companies into the tax net in the past two months.

10—Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016

Woman arrested over alleged attempt to set husband ablaze

By Evelyn Usman

O

PERATIVES OF the C r i m i n a l Investigation and Intelligence Department, SCIID, Yaba, have arrested a woman, who allegedly attempted to set her husband ablaze, during a squabble at their Ejigbo residence in Lagos.

The couple, Mr. and Mrs. Chukwuma, as gathered, had been having issues which culminated in the husband leaving home, and filing for a divorce suit.

Vanguard gathered that the unexpected happened, last Wednesday, after Chukwuma visited his children at school, and brought them home.

The wife locked the gate, went for a jerrican containing petrol and poured it on her husband.

She dashed inside again and came out with a lighter to ignite fire on her husband, but he escaped through the fence.

5 remanded for kidnap, murder of Corps member in Rivers

By Davies Iheamnachor

P

O R T H A R C O U R T — A Rivers State magistrate's court sitting in Port Harcourt, yesterday, remanded five kidnap suspects in prison for abducting and killing, Mr. Sampson Worlu, a National Youth Service Corps member.

Mr. Chijioke Wisdom, Chinwendu Alozie, Wilfred Jumbo, Igwe Chikezie and Gift Amadi were arraigned in the magistrate's court for kidnapping, killing and burying their victim, who hailed from Ogbogoro community in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, after collecting ransom.

Vanguard gathered that the victim, a 32-year-old man, who was recently called to the bar, was still performing his National Youth Service in Imo State before he was abducted.

The defendants are facing a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy, kidnap, and murder preferred against them.

Police corporal arrested over alleged robbery Inspector, others on the run

By Faith Ake

T

HERE WERE indications, yesterday, that a Police Corporal was arrested in connection with a robbery operation, Saturday night, at Shagamu area of Lagos. Three others alleged to be members of the robbery gang are still on the run.

Vanguard gathered that the policemen numbering four, who

were on night duty, drove to Shagamu in a Lexus jeep, where they allegedly attacked a 20ft container loaded with with auto spare parts.

They reportedly tied the trailer driver and his conductor, and dumped them in a bush around Ijebu-Ode and diverted the trailer to Okokomaiko in Lagos State, where the auto parts were allegedly sold to a ready buyer for N30m.

Luck, however, ran against

them after the company alerted policemen at Shagamu division of the incident. It was gathered that the truck was traced to Lagos through its tracking device.

Sources hinted that when the Lagos State Police Command was informed, its operatives at the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, swung into action. However, when policemen attached to Okokomaiko flagged the trailer and the Lexus jeep down, the

Citizens’ Access to Electricity Initiatives and Civil Society Coalitions, yesterday, protested Against increase in electricity tariffs, erratic power supply, among other issues, at Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company, Lagos. Inset: Police blocking the protesters at the entrance of Ikeja Electric. Photos: Bunmi Azeez

occupants were said to have opened fire on them.

But they were reportedly overpowered. At the end of the shootout, one of the occupants in the diverted truck was arrested, while others managed to escape.

On close observation, he was reportedly discovered to be a Constable, whose identity was given as Victor Omorokai, attached to Federal SARS, Ikeja.

During interrogation, Vanguard gathered that he confessed that the operation was led by one Inspector Taiwo attached to the same unit, adding that the loot was with Taiwo.

The policemen were said to have been transferred from the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, SCIID, to FSARS three months ago.

The visibly angry Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, was said to have ordered a thorough investigation into the incident.

As at yesterday, the arrested policeman, as gathered, was still being quizzed.

However, when the command’s spokesperson, Dolapo Badmus, was contacted, she described the claim as untrue.

She said: “It's not a confirmed story. Ignore it. If investigation reveals they are policemen we will let you know.”

Communal clash claims 7 lives in Kebbi

S

EVEN PEOPLE have been confirmed dead in a communal clash over land in Zuru Local Government Area of Kebbi.

It was learnt that the land dispute between Isgogo and Rumu communities in Kubala village of Tadurga district, had been on for over 10 years.

Already, the state Deputy

Governor, Alhaji Samaila Yombe, visited the area, yesterday, and urged the villagers to desist from taking the law into their hands.

He described the incident as ‘’unfortunate,” saying that the land dispute between the two communities was already before the court.

Yombe said that seven people

comprising five women and two men were killed while eight others were hospitalised.

He said security personnel had been dispatched to the area to restore normalcy.

An eye-witness, Alhaji Sani Skandia, in Zuru, said that 14 people lost their lives in the dispute, which occurred on Sunday.

“The two communities have a long history of land dispute for over 10 years, which has resurfaced now and resulted in the death of over 14 people, with houses and other properties burnt to ashes.

“Many people have also been hospitalised while police have been deployed to the area to restore normalcy,” he said.

....Women, children killed in Cross River

By Emma Una

C

ALABAR—SEVERAL children, women and aged people were killed, weekend, in Inyima village in Yakurr Local Government Area of Cross River following a communal conflict between the community and neighbouring Onyadama community in Obubra Local Government Area.

The conflict, which had been raging since Friday left many persons, particularly children, women and the aged killed while several houses, churches, farmlands were also destroyed, rendering many people in the village of Inyima homeless, forcing them to seek refuge in neighbouring Nko and Agoi villages.

Kieran Mfam, the Chairman of Obubra Local Government Council, told Vanguard that the conflict started “five days ago

when a young man from Inyima, shot his Onyadma counterpart in the bush over a piece of land, luckily the man did not die, but what is going on now is a revenge action by the Onyadama people.”

He said it was not the entire Adun nation that is engaged in the fight with Inyima, but the

Onyama people who have a boundary with Inyima.

“You remember in 2014 the two communities fought over a piece of land and what is going on now borders on the struggle for the same, just like the 2014 incident,” Mfam said.

Mr. John Eluu, the Cross River

State Police Command spokesman, said Mr. Henry Fadairo, the Cross River State Commissioner of Police visited the warring communities, Sunday, and addressed the people on the need to stop the fight, but was almost mobbed in the process.

Ambode donates N.5m to injured Task Force officer ...hoodlums’ kingpin, 15 others nabbed

By Olasunkanmi Akoni & Bose Adelaja

L

AGOS STATE Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, yesterday, compensated the injured paramilitary officer attached to the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences Unit (Task Force) with the sum of N500, 000.

The officer, Mr. Duncan Daniel, was attacked by a group of hoodlums, last Friday, when the

Task Force embarked on demolition of shanties around Gbagada dump site, but the exercise was resisted by the hoodlums, who attacked the officials with broken bottles and cutlasses.

Daniel had his fingers shattered and was rushed to two government hospitals where a surgery was immediately carried out after which the gang leader, Tunde Aigboje, popularly called “Tallest,” and 15 members of his

gang were arrested.

The governor, represented by the Task Force Chairman, Superintendent of Police, Olayinka Egbeyemi, said the compensation was to enable the victim take proper care of himself and to boost the morale of other Police and paramilitary officers.

He commended the governor for his unflinching support for the Agency, saying the morale of the Police and paramilitary officers had been boosted.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 19 2016—11

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12—Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016

Tompolo: Court adjourns hearing till May 4

By Innocent Anaba

A

Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, yesterday, adjourned till May 4, further hearing in the suit by Chief Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, challenging sections 221 and 306 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, to the extent of their inconsistency with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999.

Respondents in the suit are the Federal Government of Nigeria, Attorney-General of the Federation, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Inspector-General of Police, Chief of Army Staff, the Chief of Naval Staff and the Chief of Air Staff.

At the hearing in the matter before Justice Olatoregun, Mr Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, counsel to Tompolo, informed the court that the 1st and 2nd respondents in the case, the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Attorney-General of the Federation, had been served with the originating motion.

Meanwhile, there was no appearance for any of the respondents.

He further informed the court

that the EFCC and the IG both declined service of the court papers on the ground that the date for hearing was too close.

He applied for a short adjournment to enable the court bailiff serve the court processes on EFCC, IG and the other respondents.

The court, consequently adjourned the case to May 4, 2016.

It will be recalled that Tompolo, in the new suit, is contending that the provisions of sections 221 and 306, of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, in so far as they purport to oust

MEETING: Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside (left) with the Chief Executive of Maritime and Port Authority, MPA, of Singapore, Mr. Andrew Tan, during their meeting on the sidelines of the Maritime Administrators' Forum in Singapore.

Judge’s absence stalls Metuh’s trial

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

A

BUJA—THE absence of the Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Justice Ishaq Bello, yesterday, stalled the trial of the embattled National Publicity Secretary of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, over his alleged destruction of incriminating evidence against him.

Metuh is facing a two-count charge preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. The charge is separate from another seven-count charge the anti-graft agency filed against the PDP spokesman before a Federal High Court in Abuja following his alleged complicity in a N400 million fraud.

Meanwhile, Metuh, who was earlier granted bail by Justice Bello to the tune of N300 million with two sureties in like sum, yesterday, refuted reports that he was not in court to face his trial.

A statement by his Special Assistant, Mr. Richard Ihediwa, read: “Our attention has been drawn to a report being circulated by a section of the media suggesting that the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Metuh, was C M Y K

the jurisdiction of the court from entertaining any application in respect of a criminal charge or a stay of proceedings, violate his constitutionally guaranteed right to fair hearing and should be declared null and void and expunged from the ACJA.

absent at the scheduled resumption of his trial before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory today, (yesterday) April 18, 2016.

“This is false and quite erroneous as Chief Metuh

was in court as can be testified to by the court registrar and the prosecutor.

The fact is that the court did not sit wherein the case was duly adjourned and a new date was fixed accordingly.

We, therefore, do not understand the basis of this false report.

“While we understand the excitement of a section of the media over the trial, we plead that reports should be crosschecked and balanced in the interest of fairness, and in line with the ethics of the profession."

Stop witch-hunting Saraki, Amori tells APC

By Festus Ahon

A

SABA—SPECIAL A d v i s e r , Reconciliation and Conflict Management to the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Ighoyota Amori, has asked All Progressives Congress, APC, to focus on delivering its electioneering promises to Nigerians and stop further political persecution of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki.

Amori in a chat with newsmen, alleged: "There are forces within the APC that are behind the plot to unseat Saraki as Senate President at all cost.

“The persecution of Saraki is based on his emergence as Senate President against the expectation and plan of a cabal in the APC. But majority of senators are committed and united to jettison the old order where the executive dictates to the

leadership of the Senate.”

Wondering why the APC which had clamoured for change in the polity would be interested in having a rubber stamp leadership in the National Assembly, he told the party to desist from further actions that were capable of creating an unhealthy relationship between the executive and legislative arms of government at the centre.

He said: “Saraki has charted a new direction for the Senate and the National Assembly, which is accounting for the immense support he has continued to enjoy across party lines despite his present travail.

“Any attempt to remove Saraki as Senate President will spell doom in the Senate with its attendant consequences on the political landscape of the nation. The APC should allow the current stability in the Senate to continue to reign while it takes measures to rescue Nigerians

from the present harsh economic situation.”

Amori drew the attention of the APC to similar scenario which played out in the House of Representatives under the PDPled government of former President Goodluck Jonathan, where Mr Aminu Tanbuwal emerged as Speaker against the wish of the party.

Bayelsa govt seals off SPDC facility

By Samuel Oyadongha

Y

ENAGOA—BAYELSA State Government has sealed off the premises of Gbaran Ubie Integrated Oil and Gas facility, owned by Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC. According to the state government, the facility was built without a building permit (called development permit) as required by law.

A statement, yesterday, by Executive Secretary of Bayelsa State Physical Planning and Development Board, Chief Boro IgeEdaba, said that the sealing off of the company located at Gbarantoru in Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state, followed an eviction order issued by the state High Court in Yenagoa.

According to the statement, the eviction order granted the state government leave to effect the eviction of SPDC and all occupants of the premises to enable the Physical Planning and Development Board conduct environmental, health, technical integrity and safety checks on the facility.

The court, the statement added, also directed the Commissioner of Police, the Commander of the Joint Task Force, JTF and all security agencies to facilitate the enforcement of the eviction.

Ige-Edaba said, “The Gbaran Ubie facility was developed by Shell on a two million square metres of land (more than half of Lagos Island) in Bayelsa State without a development permit contrary to the provisions of the law and commissioned in 2010 despite subsisting stop-work order and notice to discontinue the development without the permit."

Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016—13

Ogoni killings: Monarch, others relive tales of woe

By Jimitota Onoyume

P

ORT HARCOURT— OGONI women wailed, yesterday, before the House of Representatives Committee on Army, during its visit to Port Harcourt, Rivers State, as witnesses gave testimonies of how their relatives were allegedly killed by soldiers who invaded Yeghe and Bori communities in search of an ex-militant leader, Solomon Ndigbara, in February.

Paramount ruler of Yeghe community, His Royal Highness, Israel Barinada, told the committee that there was no justifiable reason for the Army storming the community as the place was peaceful.

He alleged that the military invasion resulted in the death of over 15 persons in his community and Bori, headquarters of Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State.

He enjoined the House Committee to prevail on the Nigerian Army to vacate the community, stressing that the presence of the soldiers had made indigenes and residents to desert the area for fear of being arrested or harassed.

“Please, I beg this committee to ask the Army people to go back to their barracks. My community is not barracks. If we need protection, we will call the Police,” he said.

He assured that there will be peace in the community without military presence.

“The Army is terrorizing the people when there is no war. The Army should not have come and be shooting as if there was problem. Soldiers are going in and

out of my community terrorizing the people.

“I want to assure you that if they leave my community today and Solomon comes in, there will still be peace. Solomon supported the police to rescue a kidnapped victim. He is a responsible man,” he said.

Women decked in black from Yeghe, Bori and Tai councils, mid way into the monarch's presentation, started wailing as Chairman of the Committee, Rima Kwewum, called for testimonies from those whose relatives were allegedly killed.

The women rolled on the floor,

screaming for justice over the alleged killings.

Another resident, Mr Thomas Nwanfor said the soldiers allegedly killed two of his younger brothers at the market in Bori.

Some others who testified were Gladys, Penu Barile and Leme Akwe, who all alleged that their relatives were shot and killed by the soldiers. Some also said the soldiers killed their husbands and children.

Earlier, South-South Chairman of the Civil Liberties Organisations, CLO, Mr Karl Uchegbu, who filed the

petitions on behalf of the various victims of the invasion to the National Assembly, told the committee that the army also allegedly forcefully took over 46 acres of land belonging Agbagbo family in Ogbunabali community, Port Harcourt Local Government Area of the state, adding that the family members had been told not to come close to the area.

Chairman of the House Committee, Kwewum, in his opening remark said that the committee was on a fact finding mission to the state, stressing that they were not in the state to blame anyone.

BIRTHDAY: From left: Kelechukwu Mbagwu,MD, CMB; Ven. Anthony Akande; Revd Dawuk Danfulani; Revd Williams Aladekangbe, Anglican Bishop of Oyo;Most Revd Ephraim Ademowo, Dean Emeritius, Church of Nigeria and Bishop of Lagos and Chief Ezekiel Ainabe, celebrant, at the Order of Holy Communion service in honour of Chief Ainabe on his 70th birthday in Lagos, yesterday. Photo: Akeem Salau.

Budget: Rep slams Amaechi over Lagos-Calabar rail project

By Gabriel Enogholase

B

ENIN—AS controversy continues to trail the Lagos-Calabar rail project, a member of the House of Representatives Committee on Transport, Mr. Ehiozuwa Agbonnayima, has said that Minister for Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, lied when he claimed that the N100 billion Lagos-Calabar rail project was in the budget presented to the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari.

He, therefore, called on the executive to own up and accept responsibility for the mix-up and stop blackmailing the National Assembly, adding that no provision was made for the project in the first and second budgets presented to the National Assembly.

He said: “First and foremost, the N100 billion for the Lagos – Calabar rail project which the Minister of Transportation claimed was in the budget, was never in the budget presented

by President Buhari to both chambers of the National C M Y K

Assembly when they had a joint session.

“I can also tell you that when the budget was later brought back after the rumoured paddling, it was never in that second budget that was brought to the National Assembly. Let it be on record, yes, that there was a time the Minister wrote a letter to the National Assembly, not even to the entire National

Assembly but to the Committee on Transport which I belong to on the issue,” adding that such a move does not remove the fact that the project was not included in the national budget.

The lawmaker, who represents Ikpoba-Okha/Egor federal constituency of Edo State, noted that accusing the National Assembly of

removing the project from the national budget amounted to inciting Nigerians against members of the National Assembly.

“It was shocking to read on the pages of newspaper that N100 billion was removed from the 2016 budget. This is just another way of blackmailing the National Assembly. It is high time we stopped this blame game," he said.

Edo Assembly to LG bosses: Hand over to HOS

By Simon Ebegbulem

B

ENIN—EDO State House of Assembly has directed the 18 local government chairmen in the state to hand over to the Head of Service in the councils latest April 21, 2016, as their three-year tenure comes to an end on Friday.

Meanwhile, there has been intensive lobbying within the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, for caretaker committees that would oversee the

councils pending when elections will be conducted in the councils.

Vanguard learned that there were alleged attempts by the council chairmen to persuade the state House of Assembly members to elongate their tenures for another one month. But the attempt hit the wall, particularly when the governor, Mr Adams Oshiomhole allegedly found that some council chairmen parted with some money to

induce the lawmakers.

The matter became worse for some of the chairmen, who, under the guise of inducing the lawmakers, were alleged to have diverted the funds meant for that purpose to their private pockets.

That led to a protest by some of the staff of the councils, who accused some of the council leadership of allegedly enriching themselves while they failed to pay their workers.

Aisha Buhari flags off project in C-River

By Ike Uchechukwu

C

ALABAR—MRS Aisha Buhari, wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, has called on stakeholders to step up efforts to stop the high rate of infant and mortality child birth in Nigeria.

Making the call, yesterday, in Ikom, Cross River State, at the flag-off of Project Future Assured, she said that Nigeria was one of the countries with the highest rate of infant and mortality child birth in Africa, adding that there was the need for all stakeholders to join hands in curtailing the scourge.

She said: “There is need for all stakeholders, including donor agencies, NGOs and the private sector to work together to reduce this scourge.”

Speaking also, Mrs Ayade, described the high rate of infant mortality and child birth in the state as worrisome, attributing the trend to some religious and traditional beliefs.

Delta govt empowers 540 youths

By Festus Ahon

A

SABA—AS part of efforts to create jobs for the unemployed, Delta State Government, yesterday, empowered 540 youths with starter packs worth millions of naira under its Skill Training Entrepreneurship Programme, STEP. The youths who were empowered in three categories, ranging from computer hardware programme, fashion and design, and electrical installation, were issued with the necessary working tools in their respective areas of trade.

Speaking during the empowerment ceremony, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa said that the state government would monitor them through its post graduate monitoring programme, adding that it was their commitment that would make them succeed and not the starter packs.

He said that the success story of the prosperity for all Deltans initiative will be dependent on their individual breakthrough in their areas of trade.

Meanwhile, the Delta State Government, yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, on infrastructural development with North China Construction Company.

14—Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016

Trading disrupted at NSE, investors lose N34bn

ROTARY: From left— Incoming President, Rotary Club of Maryland, Lagos, Mr. Babatunde Ojo; President, Mr. Femi Akodu; Chief Commercial Officer, Accion Microfinance Bank, Mr. Promise Nwankwo, and Charter President, Mr. Bola Oyebade, at the signing of Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with the bank.

By Nkiruka Nnorom

T

HE Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, yesterday, experienced disruption in trading which resulted in extension of transactions by another two hours, ending at 4:30p.m.

The NSE starts trading by 9.30a.m. each day and closes by 2:30p.m.

The exchange said in a statement by Olumide Orojimi, Head, Corporate Communications, that it maintained open communication with the trading community throughout the incident.

He said: “However, trading recommenced at 2.15p.m. and was extended to 4p.m. to give investors the opportunity to complete their desired transactions for the day.”

The Exchange reassured investors and stakeholders of its commitment to provide best in class trading services with optimal availability, saying it intended to open for trading at the normal trading hours today.

Meanwhile, investors lost N34 billion to bearish run, yesterday, as NSE market capitalisation went down to N8.469 trillion from N8.503 trillion. This represents 0.4 percent decrease.

Similarly, the All Share Index, ASI, nose-dived to 24,620.56 points from the previous 24,719.27 points, representing 0.4 percent decrease.

Twenty losers emerged in the day, against 12 gainers. Conoil Plc led the losers, dropping by 9.37 per cent to close at N16.45 from N18.15, followed by Oando Plc with 8.33 percent loss to close at N4.18 from N4.56 per share.

Cement Company of Northern Nigeria, CCNN, closed as the third on the losers’ chart, declining by 4.98 percent from N7.03 to N6.68, while Law Union & Rock Insurance Plc went down by 4.92 percent to close at N0.58 from N0.61.

On the other hand, Transnationwide Express led on the gainers chart, rising by 9.0 percent to close at N1.08 from N0.99.

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ICPC investigates governor over alleged diversion of bailout funds

By Ben Agande

A

BUJA—THE Chairman of Independent Corrupt Practices and Allied Offences

Commission, ICPC, Mr. Ekpo Nta, has revealed that the commission was investigating a state governor for alleged diversion of bailout funds

meant for the payment of workers’ salaries.

Nta disclosed this when he received students of the National Institute for Policy

Ex-PHCN workers protest non-payment of benefits

By Chris Ochayi

A

BUJA—FORMER staff of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, yesterday, vowed to oppose liquidation of assets of the company until the exworkers were fully paid their severance packages and other benefits.

They asked Federal Government to honour its subsisting agreement with the workers’ unions that all benefits would be paid before the liquidation of PHCN’s assets.

The workers, under the umbrella body of National Union of Electricity

Employees, NUEE, who shut down the former PHCN complex while protesting the unresolved issues with government, also called for the sacking of Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Power, Mr. Louis Edozien.

Government had entered into an agreement with the unions during negotiation that the PHCN headquarters, a legal entity with headquarters at Maitama, Abuja, shall not be dissolved until all labour issues that arose from the privatisation of the power sector, were fully resolved, with PHCN former workers fully paid their benefits.

Secretary General of NUEE, Mr. Joe Ajaero, while addressing journalists in Abuja when the union staged a peaceful protest over what they described as forcible occupation of the PHCN office complex by the authorities of the Ministry of Power, revealed that over 3,000 former PHCN workers were yet to be paid.

While appealing to President Muhammadu Buhari to call Mr. Edozien to order, Ajaero also faulted the Minister of Power, Works, Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, over the crisis rocking the sector.

108 SUVs for senators, criminal—NLC

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

A

BUJA—ORGANISED labour, yesterday, condemned the planned purchase of 108 SUVs for senator, describing the alleged inflation of the prices of the cars as shameful and criminal, which must be resisted by the people.

A statement by the Ayuba Wabba-led faction of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, in Abuja, accused the Senate of inflating the unit cost price of the vehicles by over 100 percent as, according to the union, each car that was

supposed to cost N17 million was hiked to N35.1 million.

Wabba also wondered where the senators got such huge sums to buy vehicles at such price when it was not appropriated in the 2016 budget.

The statement read: “We consider appalling, insensitive and greedy the decision of the Senate to acquire 108 Toyota Landcruisers after collecting car ‘loans’ in August last year for the same purpose.

“It is equally morally despicable and shameful that they are doing this after publicly admitting that the standing committees of the

Senate was unable to perform their statutory functions due to paucity of funds.

“Nigerians are keen to know from where they got money for the purchase of these cars without appropriation.

“The defence offered by the Senate spokesperson, Aliyu Abdullahi, is laughable and childish. According to him, Special Advisers use jeeps, why not Senators or do Nigerians expect them to trek to work?

“Couldn’t this have been put to better uses such as constituency projects?”

and Strategic Studies, NIPSS, who were on a study tour to the commission in Abuja. He said the commission would soon publish the outcome of its investigations.

According to the ICPC boss, the commission was working with ministries, departments and agencies to prevent corruption in the system before they manifest.

He said: “Last year, 27 states got bailout funds from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN. We decided to go into collaboration with the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, to monitor the movement of the funds from the Central Bank of Nigeria to the final destination.

“One state, where bailout funds were moved to three different accounts, is being investigated and we will soon publish the outcome of our investigations.”

The ICPC boss explained that the commission relied on petitions from members of the public to investigate allegations of corruption, because it did not have access to early financial intelligence that would have given it an edge in identifying early cases of corrupt practices.

According to him, by the law establishing ICPC and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, it is only the latter that has such access.

This, he said, explained the seeming prominence of the EFCC in the fight against corruption, suggesting that such early warning signs should be shared amongst all security agencies.

He said despite this seeming disadvantage, ICPC had recorded success, especially in the area of seizure of property that were product of corruption.

Nta said: “We have done a lot of seizures. We seized 61 houses from a staff of one organisation, whose income could not justify such massive accumulation.”

Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016—15

Fulani herdsmen abduct Enugu auditor, demand N5m ransom

By Chinenyeh Ozor

T

ENSION has mounted at Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State, following the abduction of an auditor, weekend, by Fulani herdsmen along Nsukka-Adani Expressroad. They have demanded N5 million as ransom for his release.

Vanguard gathered that the state auditor, identified as Ogbobe Stephen, who hailed from Ukpabi Nimbo in the local government area, had gone home in company of six others for a town hall meeting of the community, only to be kidnapped by herdsmen on his way back to Nsukka after the meeting.

Investigations revealed that the herdsmen blocked the busy Nsukka-Adani road at Ukpabi junction around 4pm, waiting for unsuspecting victims.

Reports have it that the kidnappers flagged down the car conveying the six men, ordered them to lie face down, bound the the hands and legs of three of them for about 45 minutes, before untying two and then dragged the victims into the bush.

Vanguard gathered that the police and local vigilante group have been patrolling the road at intervals, but the herdsmen defied the security network along the road to abduct the victims.

Mrs Ogbobe, wife of the victim, told Vanguard that she was informed of the kidnap of her husband by one of the people that travelled to the village with him a night after the incident.

She said on Sunday night, the kidnappers opened up discussions, demanding N5 million as ransom for his release, while the entire family has resorted to prayers as they could not raise th ransom.

Mrs Ogbobe noted that while the family were fasting and praying, the kidnappers reduced the ransom to N1.5 million yesterday, but that the ransom was still on the high side for the family of a state civil servant.

She added that the family could neither lodge the matter at Adani Police Station nor Area Command, Nsukka, for fear of his being killed by the kidnappers.

Meanwhile, a combined team of policemen, numbering over 70, have combed the forest without any fruitful result.

The transition committee Chairman, Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area, Mr. Cornell Onwubuya, told Vanguard on phone that the council pays about 30 vigilante people to assist police beef up security along the said road, yet the kidnappers strike at intervals without fear.

UBA AWARDS:

From left— Chairman of UBA Plc, Mr. Tony Elumelu; Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State; Group Managing Director/CEO, UBA Plc, Mr. Phillips Oduoza; Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State, and Group Managing Director-Designate, UBA Plc, Mr. Kennedy Uzoka, at the 9th edition of CEO Awards, organised by UBA to reward outstanding staff in Lagos.

N500bn social intervention fund intact— Ngige

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

A

BUJA—THE Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, yesterday, reiterated the Federal Government's commitment to implement the approved N500 billion for the social intervention scheme.

The Minister, who also said that the fund will take care of one million jobs to be created as proposed, explained that 500,000 graduates from various disciplines will be trained and employed under the Teaching Aid Corps scheme, while over 300,000 school leavers and holders of First Leaving Certificates will be trained in various skills acquisition.

Senator Ngige dropped the hints in an interview with journalists in Abuja, saying there were plans by the Federal Government to partner with state governments on the revival of 74 skill acquisition centres, Trade Test centres and technical schools across the country.

According to him, “under the intervention programme for the social intervention policy of the government for which we have budgeted N500 billion, nobody has gone to that area of fund. So that N500 billion is intact.

“Operation Teach Nigeria is like Teaching Aid Corps, where 500,000 graduates in various disciplines will be taken in from the army of unemployed graduates and trained to become teachers.

“The next programme that will touch big volume is the

skill acquisition or general education skill training, which conservatively will take about 300,000 persons.

“We initially wanted to take 370,000 persons, but the initial target is that within the first six months, we will do 300,000.

“These people are not graduates. Some of them have O’ Level and others have First Leaving Certificates.

But they will be trained using their hands in various vocational trainings.

“If we have 300,000 in one

year, 300,000 in the second year and 300,000 in the third year, then we are having about one million persons.

“We will have more than enough because of our population and the quantum of people we have in the unemployment market.”

He said that already the Federal Government was collaborating with International Labour Organisation, ILO, state governments and organised private sector.

Protest in Anambra spare parts market over court order

By Chimaobi Nwaiwu

N

NEWI—TRADERS at the New Auto Spare Parts Dealers Market Nkpor, near Onitsha, Anambra State, yesterday took to the streets of Idemili North Local Government Area in protest against an Idemili High Court order restraining the newly-elected leadership of

the market from piloting the affairs of the market, pending the determination of the substantive suit.

The protest, which started shortly after the traders weekly prayer session yesterday, saw the traders closing their shops to join in solidarity with the entire market to register their grievances against the court

order.

Spokesman for the protesting market traders, Chief Eugene Nwajiobi, said some group of people came into the market to disorganise it with their own selfish interests.

“We are not happy, we do not know the devil that came to our market and caused trouble.”

Lawyers excited as Appeal Court begins sitting in Awka

By Vincent Ujumadu

A

WKA—LAWYERS in Anambra State were excited yesterday, following the commencement of sitting of the Court of Appeal in Awka.

No fewer than 50 cases are to be decided during the period the two panels of the court would sit in the area.

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Chief J. O. Nnadi, said it was a huge relief for lawyers in the state that the court was brought down to Awka, noting that most of the cases being handled by the Court of Appeal in Enugu emanated from Anambra State.

He said: “One is overjoyed that the Court of Appeal is sitting in Awka. This is because statistics show that most of the cases we go to Enugu to handle actually emanated from Anambra State.”

Another SAN, Mr. Anthony Anaenugwu, commended the decision of the court to come to Awka.

He said: “We are very happy to be here today, being the very first time in the history of the Court of Appeal Enugu Judicial Division to sit in Awka “In those old days when we started practice, I was privileged to know one occasion when the Supreme Court sat in Enugu. I think it is in the same spirit that the Court of Appeal moved from Enugu to sit in Awka, thereby bringing justice nearer to the litigants.

“I must say that the credit goes to the Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal, Justice Helen Ogunwumiju, for her foresight.”

16 — Vanguard, TUESDAY APRIL 19 , 2016

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Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 19 2016—17 the meeting to a small group which met Papa Adesanya to draw his attention to the fact that Obasanjo was playing games with the engagement.

Worried, Adesanya requested for another meeting with Obasanjo and now called in the Awujale of Ijebuland, Bishop Bolanle Gbonigi and Bishop Ayo Ladigbolu. Papa told Obasanjo at the meeting that he is aware that in the military there is a strategy to lure the enemy into false safety and launch a ferocious attack. He said he had a feeling that was what Obasanjo was up to. The Ebora kept a straight face.

Bishop Gbonigi thereafter said he had information that fake solders were being kitted to rig the South West for the PDP. Obasanjo asked him his source and he said it was Chief Adefarati."

Adefarati is a liar" thundered Obasanjo. "I have known Adefarati from our schooldays, he is not a liar," Late Senator Abraham Adesanya responded Bishop Gbonigi.

Awujale came in at that point to say the onus was on Obasanjo to conduct a free and fair elections.

While the AD Governors were sold on the idea of a pact with OBJ, his footmen were already digging in. One Bola Shofu was Ex- President Olusegun Obasanjo carrying on all sorts of legal shenanigans in Ogun state but Chief Osoba wrestled him down through Mr N i y i Akintola(SAN).

Re: Tinubu's unfinished business (2)

A

FTER Chief C.O Adebayo and Senator Femi Okurorounmu had presented Afenifere's position , Obasanjo cleared his throat and got up to speak. Chief Olusegun Osoba asked him to sit and address the meeting as one of his legs was hurting him but he responded: "How can I sit to address my leaders?

He started off by appreciating the delegation for honouring his invitation. He then picked the issues raised one after the other.

First, he said he was for free and fair elections as he believed in "cooperative competition". He said that informed his decision to have lunch with Chief Adebayo Adefarati after he finished the PDP campaign in Ondo state. He added that when he got to Oyo state and discovered there was trouble in Oyo state when he visited, he had to wade in and resolve the rift.

The missing billboards He said the problem in Oyo state started when Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu went to town removing Alhaji Lam Adesina's billboards in retaliation over the uprooting of Senator Rasheed Ladoja's billboards. He was able to call the three of them together and he asked Ladoja why he did not call Lam when he noticed his boards were removed, his response was that he only reported the matter to Adedibu.

He then asked Lam what happened and the governor explained that it was the agency in charge of environment that removed illegal billboards and that they removed some of his as well.

He then turned to Adedibu to know why he did not call his two younger brothers to resolve the problem asking him what type of legacy he would want to leave behind. He said Adedibu replied thus: "I created a problem and you president of Nigeria is here to resolve it,what legacy are you asking me to leave behind again?".

On the issue of census, he said he was already talking to some foreign company about aerial mapping and that things were being done to know the number of school age children across the country and all those who were enrolled. And that with the National I.D card and Voters registry,only random sampling would be required to C M Y K

have accurate census.

On restructuring,he said that he did not personally accept that Kano which was same division with Lagos would have two states and 77 local governments now while Lagos has only 20. He however said it is not only Obasanjo who would restructure Nigeria, all stakeholders had to be involved .He then turned to Okurounmu and asked "what are you people doing about the bill for restructuring before the National Assembly."

As usual, the meeting did not end without him throwing his usual banters. He exchanged some with Chief Ayo Adebanjo.

He also turned to Otunba Niyi Adebayo to mention their meeting at a Parents-Teachers Association meeting. Otunba Adebayo replied that he didn't know that Obasanjo still had children who could be his own classmates and Obasanjo said "Look at you, I still have in Nursery schools."

The meeting ended with a decision that both sides should

That he already developed a new game plan became manifest when his Information Commissioner Mr. Dele Alake went on LTV telling Lagosians to vote AD in all elections have smaller teams to expand the discussion in a fortnight .

The Afenifere team therefore retreated to Gateway Hotel where Chief Osoba arranged refreshments to review the meeting. It was at the review meeting that Chief Ayo Adebanjo said Obasanjo who

Tactics and strategy

Sen. Bola Tinubu

obviously spoke with sugar in his mouth appeared a "born again".

The fortnight follow up meeting was a disappointment as Obasanjo arrived the Presidential Lodge in Abeokuta ahead of the agreed time.

Senator Adesanya who had Chief C.O Adebayo and myself with him arrived the venue to meet Obasanjo who came with Chief Bode George and Haruna Elewi with Chief Osoba and Chief Bisi Akande.

Obasanjo announced to Papa that "we have discussed" and went on to add that he had received reports that some of the AD governors have been campaigning for him.

I reported my observations at

The same attorney fought Adefarati's case in Ondo state. While Lam was doing "Aremu Isale and Aremu Oke" in Oyo state, Adedibu and his army were being armed to the teeth to rout him.

By the time elections came in April, Obasanjo took out five of the governors except Lagos where Asiwaju Tinubu remained "the last man standing". After Obasanjo got the results, he was said to have tapped his renowned belly and said "this my stomach is full of tactics and strategy."

I must not to mention one little incident in this narration. When Senator Adesanya turned 80 in 2002, Obasanjo attended the Church service in IjebulandIgbo. When the service was over, he stopped over in Papa's house at Oke Agbo but refused

any refreshments and left. As we got to the first meeting of Afenifere in the compound after the event, the heaven opened immediately after the opening payer and we could not hold the meeting. Papa went upstairs and some of us went to meet him. I recalled Mr. Funminiyi Afiuye asking him what was happening as no such thing ever happened in all the years we have been holding meetings in that compound and Papa answered "Ko yemi (I don't understand what is going on) Now to the issue in contention.

Senator Adesanya came on the radar in the long episode. The involvement of Adesanya in this whole process was between January-March 2003.

Meanwhile, Obasanjo held the first meeting with the AD governors in January 2002.

That meeting was facilitated by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. He had gone with Obasanjo to the University of Lagos convocation that day to use his popularity to shield the President who feared the students might attack him. After the convocation,the duo joined the rest of the AD governors at Dodan Barracks.

Interests of Yoruba people Obasanjo told them he had called them to discuss with them in the interest of Yoruba people and expressed gratitude to Governor Tinubu whom he said had been in consultations with Alhaji Atiku Abubakar for facilitating the meeting. It was at the meeting the issue of electoral pact was first broached.

Asiwaju Tinubu was to later declare at a rally that Lagos would give Obasanjo the maximum votes any presidential candidate can have. He would later turn his back on this promise due to the fact that Atiku who had fallen out with Obasanjo briefed him on what Obasanjo was up to. It is doubtful if he shared the privilege information with his colleagues.

That he already developed a new game plan became manifest when his Information Commissioner Mr. Dele Alake went on LTV telling Lagosians to vote AD in all elections. That was where they developed "Jeun Soke"(chop up) as AD was the first party on the ballot.

I have gone to this extent as a public intellectual in service of the cause of truth. There is so much revisionism going on in our society concerning recent history to which some of us were in the first row. I have records of all Afenifere meetings held in all the period I have run through in this narration if anyone wants to dispute my narration.

To the memory of that selfless and distinguished patriot, Senator Abraham Adeasnya I say:you served your people with your life.Your life practically ended after the 2003 perfidy by the grand fox and we owe your memory the duty to state the truth of what happened.Sun re o!

18 — Vanguard, TUESDAY,APRIL 19, 2016 THE Federal Ministry of Education’s move to reduce the workload of primary and junior secondary pupils from 20 to a maximum of ten subjects under the nine-year basic educational curriculum was welcomed in most quarters as it would align our system with international paradigms.

However, under this scheme which was developed by the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), Christian and Islamic Religious Studies, which are separately taught, will now be merged under a compulsory subject known as Religion and National Values (RNV). Other subjects brought under the RNV include Civic Education, Social Studies, and Security Education What irks us and other wellmeaning and worried Nigerians is the problem of portraying the persons, significance and teachings of Jesus Christ, the founder of the

Don’t merge Christian, Islamic studies in schools Christian faith and Prophet Mohammed, the Prophet of Islam, to our children in a way that will not cause religious upheavals in the country. A major source of the conflicts between adherents of the two religions around the world for nearly two thousand years is that they do not have a unified viewpoint on the places of these two. Secondly, the Bible and the Qur’an are not on the same page on major issues about man in this world and hereafter.

One of the most objectionable aspects of the RNV is that it forces

Christian children to memorise and recite the Qur ’an while Muslim children are made to study Biblical texts even in predominantly Muslim areas where exposure to Christianity is strictly forbidden in Nigeria. It also encourages children to disobey their parents if they forbid them to follow Allah.

Two prominent religious leaders, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, and the Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, Alfred Adewale Martins, have condemned this move, calling on the Federal Government to

OPINION Ayade: New bride of organised labour

By Emmanuel Ifenyi

T

HE Bible did not make a mistake when it amply said in Proverb 22:29 “that a man found diligent in his ways will dine before kings.” This clearly depicts the commitment his Excellency Governor Ben Ayade has shown towards workers welfare in cross river state that have earned him great accolades across the country and from organised labour and other Nigerians. The governor in his inaugural speech vowed that no worker in the state will go hungry which have resulted in his faithfully ensuring the regular and prompt payments of salaries of the state’s work force before the 25th of every month.

Some of the workers who spoke said they are surprised how the governor gets the money to pay regular salaries considering that the allocation accruing to the state from federation account is dwindling every month with the decling price of crude oil. must be commended.

He is a pride to workers in cross river state and Nigeria.To buttress this, a recent Channels television news analysis of states owing workers salaries in the country, Governor Ayade was used as a model to show it is possible to pay workers on time.

Ayade’s love by the organized labour in Nigeria is not only because of his commitment to payment of salaries but that in spite of the dwindling resources C M Y K

in the country where so many states have downsize their workforce while many others are contemplating retrenching, the governor, popularly known as digital Governor has rather initiated innovative measures to create more jobs for Cross Riverians. Some of the initiatives include the establishment of the Calabar garment factory where over 2500 cross Riverians will be employed and the Green Police where

Popularly known as digital Governor has initiated innovative measures to create more jobs for Cross Riverians another 1000 jobs have been created. In the same vein, the establishment of the ongoing construction of the Calabar pharmactical industry and the Thai Africa Rice city where over 3000 people will be engaged and given a means by the government to provide food for their families. No wonder these positive developments by the governor recently prompted the Organised Labour in Cross River State to declare the state governor, as the Most-Labour Friendly Governor in Nigeria.

For this feat, organised labour have concluded arrangements to honour the

governor with an award and dinner as part of this year’s May Day celebration .

A clear pointer that Governor Ayade is the newest bride in town and the most sought after bride of Nigerian labour movement.

Disclosing the excitement of organised labour in the state Chairman, Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) in the state, Comrade John Ushie said the workers in the state are very happy with the governor for his pro –workers policy and pledged total support of all the workers in the state to his administration. The NLC state chairman stated this when he led executive members of the NLC, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Public Service Negotiating Council in the state on a courtesy call on the governor in Calabar.

According to Ushie, "The Organised Labour has resolved to single you out in the whole Nigeria and West Africa as the Digital and Best-Labour Friendly Governor. We have resolved that on May Day, we shall formally honour you with an award. " He explained that Ayade was chosen for the award for a number of reasons including prompt payment of workers salary and the courage to embark on economy changing projects like the 260km superhighway, the Bakassi Deep Seaport, the Calabar Garment and Textile Factory and the establishment of Green Police.

The NLC chairman who reiterated the

maintain the separate teachings of these faiths to avoid unnecessary confusion and conflicts.

We remind the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari that Nigerians have inalienable right to religious freedom. Furthermore, the Child’s rights Act of 2003 preserves the right of the child not to be exposed to any religion contrary to that of his parents or guardians.

The RNV is a vain and reckless attempt to “harmonise” Christianity and Islam, which is as impossible as mixing water with oil.

It is unconstitutional, unpatriotic and unwarranted; and we vehemently oppose it.

We condemn the surreptitious moves to impose the preferred faith of some adherents on the rest, and call on those pushing this unholy and explosive agenda to think of the grave consequences they could pose to the unity and stability of Nigeria.

resolve of the Organised Labour in Cross River to work in harmony with the governor, prayed God to grant him the needed wisdom to steer the ship of the state.

"We will not deceive you as we will speak out on anything we feel strongly about. As you know, Labour leaders cannot be coerced, and nobody will instigate us against your government.

We also believe that nobody will instigate you against us."

Responding, Governor Ayade applauded the Organised Labour in the state for the honour and promised to do more for workers in the state despite the downturn in the nation’s economy.

"I thank you for all your kind words.

For labour to find me worthy of an award calls for celebration because you are a people who cannot be bribed. You are not a people who can be sold, you very courageous people," the governor said.

Touched by the plights of retirees who have to wait for their benefits for long after service to their fatherland, Ayade said "society will be so unfair if this continues,” stressing that "the primary thing for a man who fears God is to ensure that those who toil do not do so in vain."

The governor assured that issues of pensions, promotions and gratuity will be looked into.

He also lauded the Organised Labour in the state for their concern towards good governance in the state.

* Mr. Ifenyi, a public affairs analyst, wrote from Calabar, Cross River State

Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016— —19

A year after: An appraisal of the change

By Sunny Ikhioya

I

T is important for all of us to know that, irrespective of our ideological, sentimental, ethnic or religious position, the country belongs to us all. If things go well, everyone benefit - whether you are a critic of the government or pro government - and if things go bad, we are all deep in it. It has been a downward trend this past year and whatever picture our politicians try to paint for us, everyone of us is feeling the pinch, feeling the hardship. That is why there is a need for an analysis of this change; has it been worth the effort put in by the Nigerian people? Or, could it have been better? One thing is clear; when all the politicking, muscling and wrestling are over, everything comes back to the basics, that is to governance.

Everybody, collectively irrespective of parties and affiliations - work at making things work for the country, work at moving the country forward, work at giving the masses the best, work at a common goal, that is; putting the country’s interest first is of utmost importance. But, that is

the ideal situation. Has it been so with our country Nigeria? Since this new government came into being this past one year, have we worked with a common purpose and aim? The answer obviously is no. If no, why have we failed to do so as is done elsewhere? In other words, where did we get it wrong? The change was supposed to bring succour, relief and opportunities for better life for the average Nigerian. One year after, we are yet to kick start the process. How did we miss the opportunity to make Nigerians happy after a whole year? Given the situation, would things have been better? As usual, depending on our position on the pendulum swing, the answer could be in the range of an outright yes to an absolute no. So how did things come to this pass?

Let us first examine the position of the Nigerian polity on the eve of the elections of March to April 2015. The PDP had been the ruling party since the army voluntarily relinquished power in May 1999. A few in the hierarchy of the military deemed it necessary for power to be handed over to one of their kind and so began the process of bringing Olusegun Obasanjo from the dungeon of prison to

become the President of Nigeria.

If Nigerians were alert and were keen students of history, they would have realised that the

It does not take one year to bring about positive change check out President Mangufuli of Tanzania - even if change is not manifest on the daily lives of the citizens, a road map should be seen by all position that Nigeria found itself in 1999 was as a result of the various misrule of the Nigerian military, which Olusegun Obasanjo was an active participant. Our military personnel were trained to obey orders, take control, dominate and rule without opposition.

They were not schooled in the democratic processes and so Obasanjo came and introduced the military style of ruler ship into the PDP party. That was the beginning of the end of true democracy in the new dispensation.

For an efficient Civil service (2) Ccontinued from yesterday

By Patrick Cole

C

LEANLINESS of Civil Service environment must be undertaken.

Too often the offices are dirty and dingy. It is not always necessary for efficiency to cost money e.g. Old Police College in Ikeja was a fantastic clean Police college, roads well laid out, lawns beautifully kept, police recruits, ultra clean and well behaved. In fact, efficiency can save money.

Mr. Kale the head of Bureau for Statistics rebased our economy last year. Rebasing our economy was patently a political move.

Now, Mr. Kale says Nigeria’s population may not be 170 million. How can the DirectorGeneral of the Bureau of Statistics be so vague?

Cheating in travel expenses is rampant now in the Civil Service. A crack down is called for. Money paid to principals or Head of schools are not spent on the teachers or civil servants. Some principals put the money in 30 day deposit accounts. Others do not pay transfer allowances or setting down allowances in full – they convert most of the money to their personal use believing that newly recruited civil servants or those on transfer dare not report.

There should be sanctions for waste against the State and Local Governments.

This is because today the waste is really incredible. A good 30% to 40% of expenditure could be saved, if the Government is seriously minded to do so.

The State Government, when efficient, collects greater internally generated revenue.

Maintenance of roads, budget performance monitor should be reinstituted and enforced. The Civil Service is too unresponsive and too arrogant, for example, the civil service does not reply to letters.

Governor Lateef Jakande’s example is worth following. Every day he was in his house at 5 pm and anyone who wanted to see him was admitted into the hall and he listened to complaints from 5 pm to 7 pm. I do not believe there was one instance of reported corruption. The President and Governors should have time to listen to people directly.

The whole mess of withholding tax; dormant C M Y K

accounts in banks are all avenues of corruption and inefficiency: dividend payments which run into billions are not collected and paid. All these matters should be dealt with.

Registration of birth/deaths – who does this? Should it be Local Governments? If it is in the Local Government’s schedule of duties, why are they not doing it? The Local

Pensions of entitled political holders including the President and Governors, must be drastically reviewed with a view to reduce them substantially – the present terms of pension are ridiculous and unsustainable Governments must be made efficient: if they are not, the Federal Government should withhold further advance of money. Let them go to court: the Federal Government must enlist public support: and it will get it to fight State and Local Government inefficiency.

General taxation of all adults above a certain age has become an urgent necessity tax receipts – already people have forgotten that without tax clearance you cannot get passports, bid for jobs, open bank accounts etc. More restrictions should be applied to those who do not pay taxes.

Payment of tax gives the right to demand accountability from the Government, which must strive to reduce the gap between Government and the Governed through projects and better communications. If we are poor, why these sirens, 14 car escortsmany of them, bullet-proof and all those Mobile Policemen? They should be sent to their duties and the work of keeping peace and investigating crimes.

Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) should monitor deteriorating GSM services. Roaming charges are ridiculous and a clear rip off.

And so, there were impositions, government by cronies, tribal and regional cliques in the new government. Of course, where all of these are present, the obvious end result is corruption, At the eve of Buhari’s in coming, the PDP party had guaranteed it’s implosion by continuing with these undemocratic acts, as they say ‘a house divided against itself can never stand’. The result was a movement of the PDP rebels to the new APC party and that was how the new APC became the ruling party. The question people are asking is; what is the difference between the PDP of old and the APC of today? Discerning minds saw it as the obverse side of the same coin but others view it as the real change that has come to be. A lot of us questioned how the true ACN party of progressive bent will blend with the reactionary CPC party, of fundamentalists but, again, the optimists say it didn’t matter.

One year after, this fusion is yet to blend and the die hards are attributing it to past misrule and we ask; is it the past misrule that has made it possible for the APC a party with the majority in the National Assembly to be in a continuous logger head with the Executive over padded budget?

Is it the past misrule that has made it impossible for the various APC state governments to pay their workers' salaries, while such poor PDP state like Ekiti are

Audit Departments in parastatals and ministries should not only be expanded especially now in the digital age, but strengthened. It is possible to have effective monitoring in a digital age: from monitoring to enforcement is but a short step. All ministries and Local Government Areas etc. to be online. Attempts must be made to tackle inefficiency in the National Assembly, State Assemblies and Local Government Area Councils.

Roving body of Auditors should be established to check all expenditure; expand the role of Code of Conduct Bureau – and the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission: there must be some statement as to how money was spent: and how it was mobilised.

In this period of austerity and in tune with the economic indices, pensions of entitled political holders including the President and Governors, must be drastically reviewed with a view to reduce them substantially – the present terms of pension are ridiculous and unsustainable.

The Government should strengthen the position and role of the Ombudsman – Public Complaints Commission: give them originating functions.

If DPR is efficient, we would not have 5000 registered tankers and twice or three times that number unregistered.

All tankers should be moved to places designated outside towns and only those due for loads to come in – they have chocked Lagos almost to death. Government should revive the distribution pipelines especially in the North and also revive the use of rail tankers. Efficiency drives in Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Maritime Authority must be undertaken to save cost of operations and therefore remit more to the treasury.

All monies belonging to Federal, State and Local government from collection etc. must be paid into official accounts of the Federal Government or relevant respective Government within 48 hours of collection: the Federal Government itself must pay its debts also when due within 48 hours. Delays would not to be countenanced.

A Banking Ombudsman to be established to check bank sharp practices to clients: strict guidelines of what banks may do to be established..

Nigeria should do what it says: if election petitions are to be finished by a certain date, let it be so: so that incumbents are sworn in

striving to settle workers' despite the the harsh conditions? Is it the past misrule that has made it impossible for the APC ruling party to formulate and articulate clear cut policies that will lift the country from its doldrums? Is it past misrule that has made it impossible for us to move the power challenge from where the Jonathan administration stopped? Is it the past misrule that has made the country to suffer the siege of fuel scarcity in the past four months - non stop, a record by Nigeria’s standard? Is it past misrule that is responsible for our inability to contain the incessant attacks of the cattle herdsmen against innocent farmers striving for their daily living? Is it past misrule that has made it impossible for the government to produce a clean, clear, simple and implementable budget for the National Assembly to pass with ease?

It does not take one year to bring about positive change check out President Mangufuli of Tanzania - even if change is not manifest in the daily lives of the citizens, a road map should be seen by all.

Where is the road map of this government?

To be continued *Mr. Ikhioya, a commentator on national issues, wrote from Lagos.

without fear of recall.

How can the Chief of the Air Staff allegedly appropriate for his personal use N550 million monthly for nearly two years without the connivance of almost all the officers in the Airforce and the Ministry of Defence? Were all the other top Airforce officials unaware?

If they were and said nothing then they were complicit either through active encouragement to look elsewhere or vicariously complicit and negligent to the uniform and rank they hold.

Has such an extensive audit equally been done for the other services i.e. the Army, the Navy, the Police and the Customs and Immigration Services too? What level of rot are we expecting to unravel there? Are we to say that the above mentioned service chiefs did not know of such practices or if they did was their silence an indication of what they equally were doing or would do if given the opportunity? We certainly do not have a proper and accountable Military in Nigeria. Were officials of the Ministry of Defence, the Permanent Secretary, the Accounts Director and the Auditors all unaware? And they signed off on what apparently were legitimate papers but did not follow up on whether what they signed off was actually done and done properly.

Ministry of Labour had many departments including a register of unemployed i.e. an unemployment register.

Where are these registers? What is the basis of the 70% unemployment rate in the country?

Co-operatives existed in all facets all over the country – self run co-operatives for farmers, carpenters, masons, market women and in every work of life. A little encouragement will awaken and strengthen these entities which are efficient message carriers with effectiveness. The Civil Service is not a place where lazy people find a home. It is a place for hard work; a place to help people, not stifle and frustrate them.

How helpful is the Civil Service to industry, to business, commerce, agriculture, transport, communications, Labour, productivity and growth?

But none of this is possible without a clear vision and political will to revamp the Civil Service.

Concluded Dr. Cole, OFR, a former ambssador, wrote from Lagos.

20 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016

Kirikiri residents cry out over failed road abandoned by contractor …Contract on road to be re-awarded soon — Lagos govt

By Ikenna Asomba

R

ESIDENTS of Kirikiri com munity in Oriade Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, have continued to groan as a result of the rapidly deteriorating condition of Dillion Street, one of the access roads in the community, which has become worse on account of the early rains.

Neglected by successive governments over the last 16 years, the road, according to residents, would have become completely impassable but for the palliative work carried out on it through communal efforts.

The community hosts the popular Kirikiri Maximum Prisons, over five tank farms, trailer dumps, St Joseph Catholic Church, St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Tincan Hospital, EcoBank, Sterling Bank, Macdons Fast Food, among other private and public establishments.

When Vanguard Metro, VM, visited the area recently, the road was heavily flooded, even as articulated vehicles and tankers which besiegethecommunitymeandered through the deep ditches dotting the road. Cars, tricycles and motorcycles were not spared as they were also hampered as while trying to pass through several failed sections of the road.

Government’s attention Speaking to VM, Arch-Deacon of Kirikiri Diocese and Vicar of St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Kirikiri, Venerable Levi Opara, disclosed that his church has over the last two years been making frantic efforts to draw government’s attention to the road, stating that it has written severally to the Lagos State Ministry of Works as well as the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, FERMA, but to no avail.

Venerable Opara, however, said residents as well as members of the church were joyous when they read in the papers that the road was among the 114 new roads earmarked last year September to be constructed across the 57 local government areas, LGAs and local council development areas, LCDAs, by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, as part of his administration’s efforts to create access in rural communities of the state.

But he said their joy was shortlived. Unlike contractorsfor roads in other communities who had mobilized to site since February this year, the contractor that was supposed to handle Dillion was nowhere to be found. Opara who spoke as he led members of his church to protest the state of the road said: “I have been here as the Minister in charge of the St. Paul’s C M Y K

*The failed Dillion road...still waiting for reconstructive intervention Anglican Church for over 10 years, and this road has been unmotorable since then. I came to meet the road unmotorable like this.

“Again, the adjacent Okoduwa Street was also unmotorable. We cried for so many years until the immediate-past Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola, came to our rescue and reconstructed it.

The hardship the impassable state of this road poses to us is unimaginable; car owners are forced to visit the mechanics to fix our cars almost on daily basis

road.WehavespentoverN4million in carrying out palliatives on the road. Even when we do this, the long articulated vehicles and tankers which ply this road because of the tank farms and trailer dumps withintheKirikiricommunitycause more damage to the road. This road posesalotofchallengestomembers of my church. Most of them are discouraged to come to church services during the rainy season because theyare usually splashedwithmud on their way to church or end up falling fall into the numerous ditches on the road,” he lamented.

Also lamenting the state of the road, another resident, Chief Festus Okolie said: “The untold hardshiptheimpassablestateofthisroad poses to us is unimaginable. Car owners among us are forced to visit the mechanics to fix our cars almost on daily basis.”

On her part, Mrs. Ijeoma Christopher said: “We have been going through hell here on this road.

Most times you want to go out for important meetings, you are stuck

for several hours owing to the traffic gridlock caused by these articulated vehicles and tankers that come into the community. The road has caused us myriad of problems. We are pleading with the Lagos State Government to compel the contractor for the road reconstruction to come on site as we are groaning under pains here.”

Rejecting the contract Meanwhile, when contacted, Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Communications and Communities, Kehinde Bamigbetan, disclosed that the state government was aware of the development, adding that the issue of the contractor rejecting the contract wouldbefixedinthecomingweeks.

According to Bamigbetan: “About three contractors bidded for the Dillion Street (reconstruction), when the Lagos State Government called for bidding, but the Chinese construction firm, CCECC won the bid.

“Some few weeks after the contract was given to CCECC, the Oriade LCDA wrote the state government that the construction firm has rejected the contract, saying that the amount bidded was below what will be required in fixing the road.”

Bamigbetan, however, did not disclose the amount that the contract was awarded for.

“What the Lagos State Government has done was to set up a panel of external assessors to review the contract and get back to the state on how much it would cost to fix the road. I believe in a couple of weeks they should be through and submit their report to the state government for further action.

“Our appeal is for the residents andotherroadusersofDillionStreet to be patient with the state government. The contract was not deserted or abandoned as speculated. This is just the truth of the matter,” explained the former Chairman of Ejigbo LCDA.

Edo reconstructs road to Military barracks Over the years, politicians who come here to campaign always promise to fix Dillion Street, but when they get elected, they renege.

So, we were happy again when we learntthatDillionStreetwasamong the 114 roads that Governor Akinwunmi Ambode had earmarked for reconstruction as part of his administration’s commitment to impact greatly on the rural communities.

But, we are shocked that some months after contractors were mobilized in other communities, we have not seen any contractor here.

“The road would have been worse than this if not for our Church, St. Joseph Catholic Church and good-spirited neighbours around who helped to pour rubble on the

E

DO State Government has begun the reconstruction of the road leading to the Ekenhuan Barracks in Benin City, just as the State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole said nothing will stop his government from working for the people until the last day of the administration.

Speaking during an inspection of the reconstruction site of the Ekenhuan Road in Benin City, Governor Oshiomhole said at a time, the road became “a big issue because we have a whole military barracks on this road, and if there was a distress call, it was going to be very difficult to get the military to intervene. And

for our people who are living here, spending a thousand or two thousand naira on transport to town, that takes almost one month salary of an average person. So, I couldn’t do much about it when the rains were heavy, but I did say that when the rains are over, we will do our best to fix the road.”

He said: “I am happy with the progress that has been made. It’s not yet completely done. I have told them to make sure they put stone base, and in those areas where you have boulders, we will use concrete because what I found is that once water gets into asphalt, within a few months, it will tend to wash off. So,

we use asphalt where it is suitable and use hard well-mixed concrete on the road so that it can withstand water and all kinds of season.

“Butletmethankyoualsoforyour patience, for the confidence and for the trust. I assure you that we will continue to work for our people. I have been very favoured by Edo people and I will give Edo people my all.”

Thank you for everything, and continue to remember us in your prayers because, you know, as we are doing our best to make things happen, at this time, many governments across the country cannot even pay salaries, not to talk of doing any contracts.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016

— 21

2016 budget: FG targets 7,000 MW of power in one year T

HE Federal Government says it will optimise 7,000 megawatts installed power generation capacity and provide facilities required to transmit and distribute it in one year. This is contained in a document obtained by News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) from the Ministry of Budget and National Planning yesterday in Abuja. The document, titled as “Strategic implementation plan for the 2016 budget of change”, is an implementation plan for a road map of key macroeconomic and sectoral policies. It is a strategic target for the 2016 fiscal year.

According to the document, government will distribute the capacity through privatisation and concessioning under its priority strategies in power, rail and roads sectors.

Costs of transmission The statement said it would include tariff of all costs of transmission, generation and gas at new price and that DISCO cost required operating, maintaining and upgrading distribution network.

“The government will complete the Kaduna-Abuja and the Ajaokuta-Warri rail lines scheduled for 2016; revise the National Rail Master plan and finalise negotiations for LagosKano and Lagos-Calabar rail projects.” It would en-

sure delivery of 2,192 kilometres of federal roads across 31 projects scheduled for 2016 (through public works and other interventions) and explore Private Public Partnership options for completing other projects. It would resolve all issues on gas pricing, tariff and payment assurance, and also conclude road map on gas development,” it stated.

Other major strategies in the implementation plan include the areas of policy, security, governance, diversification of the economy, oil and gas reforms.

It stated that under the oil and gas plan, government had set deadlines to achieve self-sufficiency and net export of a certain number of agricultural produce and items.

The document listed tomatoes, vegetable oil, cashew nuts, ground nuts, cassava, poultry, fish and livestock as the items.

It would revitalise and expand agro-allied processing, increase manufacturing capacity through operationalisation of industrial parks, free and export processing zones.

The document added that government had developed and adopted a road map to stimulate investment into the solid minerals sector. It also developed and adopted a road map to stimulate investment in tourism and entertainment sectors. It would create high-technology in-

novation hubs to support growth in the digital and technology sector.

According to the document, government has revolved to work with the National Assembly to pass a revised Petroleum Industry Bill to privatise NNPC and ensure the regulation of the downstream sector.

It stated that the government would set deadline to stop importation of refined products. On ease of doing business, it stated the need to move Nigeria 20 places up in the Ease of Doing Business Ranking and fasttrack visa application and issuance processes.

It would implement social

intervention projects included in the budget, invest in housing and urban developments. It stated that government would implement school feeding programme, conditional cash transfer programme, propoor credit, social housing reforms and science and technology.

Privacy issues making cyber threat management complex — EY survey

By Peter Egwuatu

E

RNST & Young, EY has observed that data issues are creatingcomplexityforcyberthreat management in $ 123.70 0.75 companies. This was revealed at $2,948.00 7.00 theEY’s14thGlobalFraudSurvey 0.12 $ 15.16 2016: Corporate misconduct.”The surveystatedthat $ 42.12 -0.98 individualconsequences find a $ 39.21 -1.15 worldwide clamour for enCURRENCY BUYING SELLING hancedtransparency at a time of 196 196.5 197 US increasedgeopo278.0456 278.7549 DOLLAR 279.4642 221.2252 POUNDS litical tensions 221.7896 222.3539 EURO and heightened 202.3748 202.8911 FRANC volatilityinfinan203.4073 YEN cialmarkets.

1.8008 1.8054 1.81 CFA 0.3171 0.3271 0.3371 According to WAUA 274.4894 275.1897 RENMINBI EY’ssurvey“The 275.8899 RIYAL escalatingthreats 30.253 30.3306 KRONA ofcybercrime,terrorist financing CBN Exchange rate as at 18/04/ and, more re-

C M Y K

OPENING: From left, Managing Director, African Markets, iFLUX, Teddy Lee; Head of Marketing, Digital Base Limited, authorized dealer of iFLUX, Abel Emokai, Vivian Emekai, also of Digital Base Limited, and Managing Director, iFLUX LED Nigeria, Victor Okpaluku at the opening of iFLUX Victoria Island office Lagos, yesterday.

cently,therevelationsregardingwidespreadpossiblemisuse of offshore jurisdictions, have increased pressure on governmentstoactandcompanies to identify and mitigate fraud, bribery and corruption issues.”

ConductedbetweenOctober 2015 and January 2016, the survey of nearly 3,000 seniorbusinessleadersfrom 62 countries and territories (including Nigeria) highlights overwhelming corporate support for enhanced beneficial ownership transparency, with 91 per cent of executives recognising the importanceofestablishingthe ultimatebeneficialownership ofentitieswithwhichtheydo business.

David Stulb, EY Global Leader of Fraud Investigation&DisputeServices,said “With the continuing anticorruptionenforcementfocus on third-party conduct, and the recent revelations on the possible misuse of offshore

financialstructures,business leadersarerighttobefocused on securing a deeper understanding of their clients, partners and suppliers.

Enhanced transparency is clearlyafocusofbroadpublic interest.”

Increased transparency is,

however, only one facet of the solutiontoaproblemthatshows no sign of abating. In total, 39 percentofrespondentsbelieve that bribery and corrupt practices happen widely in their country,littlechangedfrom38 per cent in 2014 and 38 per centin2012.

Financial system

The survey also identified a perception in emerging markets (including Nigeria)thatindividuals responsible for corruption are not being held to account

In a question introduced in this year’s survey, 32% of respondentsreportthattheyhave hadpersonalthesurveynoted that regulators recognise the threatthatbriberyandcorruption pose to a financial system already under stress and are increasingly cooperating acrossborderstoholdindividualsaccountableforillegalacts.

Such enforcement efforts appeartobeheavilysupported by survey respondents, with 83percentagreeingthatprosecuting individuals will help deterfuturefraud,briberyand corruption. 98 per cent of the

respondents in Nigeria agree to this view.

However,with42percentof respondents admitting that they could justify unethical behaviour to meet financial targets,and16%offinanceteam membersbelowtheCFOready to justify making a cash paymenttowinorretainbusiness, thoseexecutivesresponsiblefor ethicsandcomplianceappear to be facing a significant challenge if they are to keep their organisations clear from the scrutinyofprosecutors.

The survey also identified a perception in emerging markets (including Nigeria) thatindividualsresponsiblefor corruption are not being held to account, with 70, 62% of respondents in Brazil Nigeria and56%inbothAfricaandEastern Europe believing that although governments are willing to prosecute, they are not effective in securing convictions.

22 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016

,

The increase in cost is largely due to a hike in production fixed cost, which increased by 65.8 per cent

,

INVESTOR' INVESTOR'S

Lafarge Africa: Swimming through harsh operating environment, competition

By Emeka Anaeto, Economy Editor

C

EMENT, a major commodity in the construction in industry, must have suffered a huge drop in market patronage following the massive headwinds in Nigerian economy since second quarter of last year.

Obviously, operators in that line of business took the hit.

Lafarge Africa, a blue chip in the Nigerian Stock Exchange and a major brand in the Nigerian cement market, recently released its full-year 2015 financial scorecard, which showed a 2.5 per cent year-onyear (y-o-y) growth in revenue and a 20 per cent decline in profit after tax, PAT, over the same period in 2014.

The company managed to grow its top-line amid the challenging market and economic headwinds it faced during the year, largely driven by the growth in its Readymix sales and its Nigerian SouthWest operations.

The 20 per cent decline in bottom-line resulted from oneoff costs undertaken during the year for restructuring the company.

Company’s resilience In its full year 2015 financial result, Lafarge’s revenue growth to ¦ 267.2 billion from ¦ 260.8 billion attests to the company’s resilience despite the headwinds and the competitiveness in the market.

Its Readymix operations in Nigeria continued to show great strength with a 29 per cent increase in sales from the previous year which help bolster the top-line growth.

In the same vein, Lafarge South-West operations in Nigeria also grew by 6.0 per cent driven by reduced production costs and improving operational efficiency, while South-East operations had the highest Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortisation (EBITDA) margin at 35 per cent as against 26 per cent in the preceeding year in the group, driven by efficiencies in its gas usage and kiln utilization.

However, activities in Ashaka Cement, a subsidiary of Lafarge Africa, were not as positive as the company ’s operations were disrupted by the insurgency in the North

part of the country where the subsidiary is domiciled, during the first quarter of 2015. Hence, EBITDA reduced to ¦ 4 billion on the back of a 20 per cent drop in volume.

In the fourth of 2015 Lafarge had to respond to the action of its major competitor, Dangote Cement, by cutting the prices of its cement products. Dangote Cement has the larger portion of the market.

But Larfarge was effective in keeping direct costs stable as cost-to-sales ratio inched up by a modest 1.0 per cent amidst soaring inflationary pressure, albeit, cost of sales increased by 4.0 per cent y-o-y to N 184.7 billionn from the previous year’s N177.8 billion.

Lafarge Africa’s management has been unified after the group increased its shareholding in Ashaka Cement Plc from 58.6 per cent to 82.5 per cent during the

year.

Shareholding in Mfamosing operations was also increased from 35 per cent to 50 per cent with full management control and consolidation.

Production fixed cost The increase in cost is largely due to a hike in production fixed cost, which increased by 65.8 per cent to N 8.2 billion as maintenance fixed costs and other fixed costs increased by 19 per cent and 73 per cent respectively.

PAT for the full year 2015 fell by 20 per cent to N 27 billion from N 33.5 billion recorded in the prior year. The decline in PAT can be attributed to oneoff restructuring/ redundancy costs and the unrealized exchange impact of the foreign currency borrowing to fund its Mfamosing operations.

Excluding these costs, profits improved by 6.0 per cent compared to the previous year.

Dividend Payout and valuation With a net profit of N 26.9 billion, earnings per share (EPS) dropped 18 per cent from N 7.7 in the previous year to N 6.3.

Lafarge declared a dividend of N 3.00 per share, which is 16.7 per cent lower than the N 3.6 per share declared in the previous year. The company also declared a bonus issue of 1 for 10. The dividend declared indicates a 48 per cent dividend payout ratio.

According to equity analysts at Greenwich Trust, a Lagos based investment house, “valuation remains positive for Lafarge. Lafarge Africa shares are trading on a 2016 forward P/E multiple of 10.30x and a P/ BV of 3.21x.

“At the current price of N 82.6, adopting a blend of absolute and relative valuations tools, we reviewed our 12 months target for the year 2016 to N 104.1, indicating a potential upside of 28.2 per cent from its share price as at March 23, 2016”.

•Chairman of Lafarge Africa, Mobolaji Balogun

Lafarge Africa PLC. FY 2015 Result - Financial Highlights (NGN Billion)

Lafarge declared a dividend of ¦ 3.00 per share, which is 16.7 per cent lower than the ¦ 3.6 per share declared in the previous year •Source: Afrinvest/Lafarge Africa Financial Report

NGO returns to Ugborodo Ijaws in U.S. pledge support for with free health, food charity 60-yr-old JSS 11 student PAGE 28

PAGE 27

VOL. 1: No. 85

TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016

•Abandoned NDDC six classroom block Afaha Atai Eket Local Government Area

•NDDC abandoned water project at Ikot Udota

Akwa Ibom communities angry with NDDC over abandoned projects

By CHIOMA ONUEGBU

E

KET — COMMUNITIES in Eket and Ikot Abasi Local Government Areas, Akwa Ibom State have expressed disappointment over the numerous projects abandoned by the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC in the council areas.

Among the projects in Eket LGA include a-six classroom block at Afaha Atai primary school, started during the days of Oil Mineral Producing Areas Commission, OMPADEC, and rewarded by the NDDC in 2011, Ikot IbiokIkot Ekid-Afaha Atai road, awarded by NDDC in 2006, part of which has been abandoned; one and half kilometre road in Ikot-Udota village, awarded in 2012, water project in Ikot Udota which was started by C M Y K

OMPADEC and re-awarded

by NDDC and abandoned.

At Ikot Abasi, residents identified some of the NDDC abandoned projects to include civic centre in Ette community, Ette-okopedi road uncompleted with no drainages on the sides, Okongtekong road, Abasute road, water project in Ndauko village, a water project in Ikot Akpan Udo abandoned about 8 years ago.

Niger Delta Voice gathered that some projects like the Solar Power Streetlight along barracks-hospital road in Eket awarded by NDDC in 2012, was completed and the NDDC came to commission it without paying the contractor till today.

Chairman, Afaha Atai village Council, Mr. Samuel Udobong, in an interview with Niger Delta Voice decried the situation, noting that the commission appears not to have a picture of its ongoing

projects in the area and that most of the projects were abandoned due to nonpayment of mobilization fees

The commission appears not to have a picture of its ongoing projects in the area and most of the projects were abandoned due to non-payment of mobilization fees to the contractors

to the contractors.

“We are concerned because by abandoning these people oriented projects they have made the living condition of the people worse instead of alleviating their suffering, especially the roads that have become impassable. They should try and do something about the situation. We are not happy,” he said.

A respected community leader in Eket (the Atta of Ekid) and a former Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Chief Nduese Essien, identified ineffective monitoring by the NDDC management as one of the reasons for the abandonment of numerous projects not only in Eket but across the state and urged the new leadership of the commission to always ensure the completion of projects embarked upon before awarding new ones.

His words, “I am

disappointed with the way and manner the NDDC has handled its projects. The process of awarding contracts is such that projects are rarely completed because contractors will go to site without specifications being spelt out.

Ineffective project monitoring is what has led to so many abandoned projects in Akwa Ibom."

Attention of the commission He, however, noted that since the tenure of the MD, of NDDC from Akwa Ibom state was not completed, an Akwa Ibom indigene from any of the oil producing areas of the state should be appointed as soon as possible to complete the four year tenure.

Also speaking, Clan head of Ukpum Ette in Ikot Abasi LGA, Clement Idemudo, lamented that efforts to draw the attention of the commission to the plight of his community as a result of the abandoned and poorly constructed projects in his domain over the years had proved abortive.

He said: “I have written Continues on page 24

24—Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016

BAYELSA…

‘Terrain no excuse for the slow pace of devt in Bayelsa’

By EMEM IDIO

Y

ENAGOA — AGAINST the backdrop of claims by the government that the difficult terrain of the state has made development of infrastructure especially housing cumbersome, a Yenagoa based real estate developer, Mr. Emelike Ifeayinchukwu Ossy has faulted this claim, maintaining that the terrain in Bayelsa State is not responsible for the slow pace of infrastructural development in the oil rich state.

According to Mr Ossy, during a chat with Niger Delta Voice in Yenagoa, though the terrain is difficult, nature has compensated the state with abundant natural resources to reduce the adverse effects of the terrain on the people.

“When people particularly governments talked about difficult terrain in real estate, I will agree partially, however, I also disagree with the government because if God gives you a sea he also gives you sand, when God gives you a desert he gives you stones, God always has a soft landing for all and a state like Bayelsa is blessed with a lot of mineral resources.

GLORY OF ALL LANDS

“If you compare the terrain in Bayelsa with some places in Lagos like Lekki and other swampy areas you will see that Lekki and Eko Atlantic City have one of the best investments in real estate in Africa and the terrain is far worse than Yenagoa, but they have transformed that place to a hub, which will attract investors.

I don’t really see terrain as a challenge; I see government policies as one of the challenges in real estate in Bayelsa state.

“Has the state government and other stakeholders in the state

If you compare the terrain in Bayelsa with some places in Lagos like Lekki, you will see that Lekki and Eko Atlantic City have one of the best investments in real estate in Africa and the terrain is far worse than Yenagoa

•Mr. Emelike Ifeayinchukwu Ossy asked themselves, what kind of Yenagoa do we really want to have? Do we want to have a Yenagoa we are proud of, or a Yenagoa city we will be running away from? With these questions they should put their house in order; the terrain should not be a problem, they are missing the track.

“Bayelsa terrain is virgin, natural and fresh, and in real estate, when it is fresh it is easy to handle than when people have done unwanted structuring that becomes cumbersome, now that the land is still fresh, the government needs to sit up and do effective town planning because that is what government is expected to do now,” he said.

Ijaws in U.S. pledge support for 60-yr-old JSS 11 student …He is an inspiration to Ijaws in the Diaspora- Dr. Ugula

By CHANCEL SUNDAY

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OMADI — IJAW Community in the United States of America, USA, has pledged assistance to Mr. Adelabu Seribor, a 60-year-old Junior Secondary School (JSS) 11 student of Izon College, Bomadi-Overside in Bomadi Local Government Area, Delta State.

Mr. Seribor ’s educational pursuit in Izon College was made public a fortnight ago by our reporter, who visited the school when information went round the riverine encalve about the old man’s decision to be acquainted with western education.

However, in a bid to verify the story as published penultimate week in the Niger Delta Voice, the Ijaw community in the United States of America last week sent a delegation to the school.

During the fact finding visit, the 60-year-old JSS II student, Seribor and the principal of the school’s contacts were taken and forwarded to the C M Y K

leadership of the Ijaw community in the United States.

Ijaw in the Diaspora laud Niger Delta Voice

In a telephone chat, a leader of the Ijaw community in the USA, Dr David Ogula, thanked Niger Delta Voice, for

bringing to the public domain the story of one of their own (Pa Seribor) from the back waters of the delta who in spite of his old age chose to return to school to acquire education.

Ogula said: “it is a pleasure speaking with you. I wish to thank you personally for

telling Adelabu Seribor ’s story.

“His commitment to pursue his educational goal is an inspiration to all of us, regardless of age. We will do all we can to support him achieve his goal.”

Akwa Ibom communities angry with NDDC Continues from page 23 severally to the Chairman and Managing Director of NDDC, especially about the civic centre but nothing has been done.

"NDDC awarded a contract for the building of a hospital project here in Ette, we gave them the land and today my people are not happy with the abandonment.

“We are the goose that lays the golden egg, because of the oil in our territorial waters, but we are not enjoying the fruit of it, so we feel cheated.”

Meanwhile, Obong Sunday Akpanowong, village head of Iwuokpom in Ibeno LGA has decried the lack of NDDC presence throughout council area stressing that but for the ongoing road at Openikan, the commission has not done any project in Ibeno communities.

“You cannot find NDDC projects in Iwuokpom, Mkpanak and others. In fact, the only project I know that is ongoing now is the major road that links Ibeno to Eastern Obolo. We need more projects to be sited in Ibeno by the NDDC. We do not feel NDDC presence in this area,” he noted.

Though the management of the NDDC could not be reached for comment, the member representing Uyo state constituency and Chairman House Committee on NDDC Hon Monday Eyo said, “Letters have been sent to the management of NDDC and they are to appear before this committee this week to explain why those projects were abandoned.

“It is not just only one place, there are so many projects abandoned by the NDDC in different parts of the state. The NDDC was set up to alleviate the suffering of the people, but they are not doing well. The people are suffering because of the abandoned projects. We are very much concerned about the situation.”

THE TEAM

60-year-old Adalabu Seribor in uniform

Emma Amaize, Editor Jimitota Onoyume Samuel Oyadongha Simon Ebegbulem Gabriel Enogholase Festus Ahon Egufe Yafugborhi Emmanuel Una Akpokona Omafuaire Godwin Oghre Tom Moses Chioma Onuegbu Ike Uche Davies Iheamnachor Emem Idio Brisibe Perez Theresa Ugbobu Ochuko Akuopha Barnabas Uzosike Nath Onajoke Chijioke Nwankpa

Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016—25

NGO returns to Ugborodo with free health, food charity DELTA… FINGER OF GOD

*blames increasing waterways crimes in Niger Delta on government neglect of coastal communities

By EGUFE YAFUGBORHI

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RUNTON — A NON G O V E R N M E N TA L Organisation, Coastal Region Communities (Women & Youth Empowerment Foundation) and Escravos Ugborodo Women Empowerment Foundation, CROWEF/EWEF has attributed the widespread vandalism, piracy, robbery and other social vices in the Niger Delta to government's neglect of coastal communities.

President of the group, Mrs. Praise OritsegbubeneAbraham Igbene made the remark as the body concluded the first phase of its annual food and medical charity to Arunton, an Ugborodo community in Warri South-West Local Government Area, Delta State.

The project was supported by the International Association of African NGO’ s IAAN, USA, Dangote Group of Companies, Agbowu Medical Centre and Prof.

Okalkanwon Taiye.

Community lacks govt presence Mrs. Igbene, who decried the absence of government structures to cater for the basic needs of people in coastal areas, noted that in Arunton, teachers in the only public primary school, Ekpere, do not come to work while the health centre in the area lacks facilities including drugs to cater for the health needs of the people.

“My message to the government and its agencies is that they should really play their role in uplifting the life of every citizen of this nation.

Government should ensure that even the man in the forest is reached out to.

“Coastal communities’ people build their lives on their own in the atmosphere of hardship in the midst of plenty.

This is why we are having problems in the creeks. People sit down in Abuja and judge those breaking pipelines. One of the ways government can resolve the situation and the associated consequences through sustained intervention is to partner committed NGOs to improve lives in these areas,” she said.

This year, Mrs. Igbene’s NGO focused on women and youths, concentrated on free medicare to cushion the health challenges faced by the neglected people in the coastal C M Y K

communities with provision of drugs, food items, and clothing estimated at over one million naira. She wondered if any governor has visited Escravos, host to Chevron Nigeria Limited lately.

Reaching out to the needy “Our mandate is to fulfill the heart beat of God for the needy.

As always, we are happy with the results realised in the treatment of people with diabetics, high blood pressure, hypertension, malaria and typhoid fevers, body pains, minor eye cases and

Coastal communities build their lives in the atmosphere of hardship in the midst of plenty. This is why we are having problems in the creeks. People sit down in Abuja and judge those breaking pipelines.

•The CROWE/EWEF health, food charity mission team sailing on the journey to Ugborodo.

general ailments.

Mrs. Igbene also enjoined the beneficiaries of the free treatment, drugs, food and clothing to have hope and confidence in themselves, believing God has not forgotten them where the world, especially government has neglected them. She charged them to fear God and do His will, stressing that without Him, help will not come their way.

A beneficiary of the NGO’s charity mission, Mrs. Aturene Koko thanked the CROWEF/ EWEF team and sponsors for the

gesture, rejoicing, “my problem don solve as una come so. God go give una more to do more for us.” Another beneficiary, Mrs. Okiemute Irhi called for an extension of the programme to other areas in Ugborodo community.

Tough working environment Headmaster at Ekpere Primary School, Arunton, Mr. Alatan Lucky, however, debunked claims by the NGO that teachers in the school don’t come to work. Mr. Lucky, who spoke through the Assistant Headmaster, Mr. Bankole Bamiyemi, said the NGO’s impression was “false and misleading,” noting that “teachers come to work on a daily basis.”

Highlighting the challenges faced by teachers and pupils, the school head said: “Foul smelling bats have taken over the school.

Basic amenities have decayed.

The toilets have been vandalized and we have not had electricity supply for the past three years while the rest of the community enjoy same from Chevron Nigeria Limited."

•A beneficiary under medical examination by a health personnel.

Tricycle operators threaten strike in Calabar metropolis AKWA IBOM…

By Oke Uchechukwu

LAND OF PROMISE

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A L A B A R COMMERCIAL tricycle operators, otherwise known as Keke Napep, have threatened to withdraw their services from the Calabar metropolis citing alleged indiscriminate daily charges.

Speaking with Niger Delta Voice in Calabar, the operators decried the high cost of daily charges paid before obtaining tickets to operate.

One of the operators, who identified himself as Asuquo Etim said: “We pay N500 to the different government agencies as daily toll before we are allowed to operate within the metropolis.

We are made to pay the Keke Union, Department of Public Transportation, DOPT, Ministry of Transport and Marine Services as well as the local government councils."

Obnoxious charges Etim added: "We are also made to cough out N11,500 and N16,500 as registration for old and new Keke respectively. We also learned that the local

government council is planning to introduce monthly dues of N500 per Keke. This may force us off the roads if the state government fails to stop such obnoxious charges."

Lamenting the arbitrary charges and the present fuel scarcity in the country, he said they might be compelled to stay off the road or increase transportation fares by 100 per cent.

Another operator, Michael Okon said fuel now costs between N150 and N200 per litre while they are still charging N50 per drop. This, according to him, is affecting their daily earning and returns to the owners of the tricycles, which majority of them obtained on hire purchase.

Okon noted with concern that in spite of all the charges they pay, their operations are not only

limited to 8p.m., but also to certain routes and streets in the metropolis.

He said: “If we withdraw our services because of challenges we are facing, it is the commuters that will suffer, especially now that the rainy season is gradually setting in. So we are appealing to our listening and kind-hearted

We are appealing to our listening and kind-hearted governor, Prof. Ben Ayade , to save us from this exploitation before things get out of hand

governor, Prof. Ben Ayade to save us from this exploitation before things get out of hand."

When contacted the Chairman of Keke Operators in the state, Etinyin Ewa, said those parading themselves as keke operators were hoodlums and criminals.

"All those people claiming to be Keke operators are all criminals because we and other stakeholders in the sector recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, to harmonise all charges and levies concerning ticketing both in Calabar South and Municipality,” he stated.

Ewa, who described the supposed Keke operators as miscreants, said they were not members of the union, adding: “The union is not part of any plan by any group to withdraw their services.

"We stand by the MoU that we entered into with the government and the plan to ensure that every operator is properly identified is very vital.

Those, who perpetrate atrocities with Keke, are the people behind the so called skirmishes.”

26 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016

RELIEF MATERIALS DISTRIBUTED TO 2015 FLOOD VICTIMS IN DELTA STATE

From right: Representative of the Chairman, Presidential Committee on Rehabilitation of Flood Victims, Mr. Ifiok Abia; Delta State Commissioner, Bureau for Special Duties, Hon. Chika Ossai, and Director, State Emergency Management Agency, Mrs. Gladys Peugeren, flagging off the distribution of relief materials to 2015 flood victims in Delta State. Photos: Nath Onojake

Representative of the Chairman, Presidential Committee on Rehabilitation of Flood Victims, Mr. Ifiok Abia (middle), presenting some relief materials to Mrs. Ifeoma Chukwu, a victim of 2015 flood while the Commissioner Bureau For Special Duties, Hon.Ossai (left), watches.

Representative of the Chairman, Presidential Committee on Rehabilitation of Flood Victims Mr Ifiok Abia, (middle), delivering his address, while Delta State Commissioner, Bureau for Special Duties, Hon. Ossai (left), and Director, State Emergency Management Agency, Mrs Peugeren, listen.

Mrs. Gbubene Igbene, addressing students on good conduct, commitment to studies and proper hygiene, at Fryo Nursery, Primary, and Secondary School, Arunton, during the official flag-off of distribution of relief materials to 2015 flood victims in Delta State.

Chief (Hon.) Fred Agbedi, member, representing Sagbama/Ekeremor Federal Constituency of Bayelsa State in the National Assembly, making a speech in Yenagoa, at the public presentation of the book entitled, 'Cross over journalist: Reporting the Niger Delta,’ written by Kola Oredipe, staff of Radio Nigeria.

Right is Mr.Yunusa Abdullahi of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria,FRCN, who represented the Acting Director-General of FRCN, and Engr.Emmanuel Frank-Opigo, the book reviewer.

Beneficiaries especially women, jostle for donated clothes during the exercise, during the official flag-off of distribution of relief materials to 2015 flood victims in Delta State.

WHEN TRADERS SACKED UDU LGA LAST TUESDAY OVER NEW MARKET LEVY

Protesting traders bar vehicular movement on Udu- Jeremi Expressway at Otor-Udu junction over alleged imposition of trading levy by Udu LGA, Delta State.

C M Y K

The protesters keeping watch over shut council offices

Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016 — 27

2016 budget controversy threatens stock investments — SEC

By Peter Egwuatu

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HE Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC has said that the controversies trailing the 2016 budget was affecting investment decision in the Nigerian market.

Director General of SEC, Mounir Gwarzo , who disclosed this in Lagos while responding to questions from newsmen said, though it does not affect the commission in terms of funding or operations, rather it affects investors, especially international investors who are waiting to see the policy direction of the Federal Government before taking decisions of how to invest in the country.”

Continuing, he said “For the commission, it is getting support from the Ministry of

Finance. Also the constitution allows us to spend money to some extent, even when the budget is not passed.”

Commenting on the threat to remove Nigeria from the frontier market index by Morgan Stanley Capital International, MSCI, a USbased provider of equity, fixed

The constitution allows us to spend money to some extent, even when the budget is not passed

income, and hedge fund stock market indexes, and equity portfolio analysis tools, Gwarzo said “this will affect Nigerian market, but we will try to see how we can meet with the relevant authorities to see that such decision is reversed.”

The MSCI Nigeria Indexes are currently classified under Frontier Markets. Ease of capital inflows and outflows is one of the key criteria in the MSCI Market Classification Framework.

Introduction of restrictive measures, such as capital or foreign exchange controls, which can lead to material deterioration of equity market accessibility, may result in the exclusion of such market from the MSCI Frontier Markets Indexes and a reclassification to Standalone Market status.

Companies can hedge risk through dual listing — NSE CEO

By Nkiruka Nnorom

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OMPANIES that list their shares on two separate stock exchanges around the world have the advantage of diversifying their risk, says the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, Mr. Oscar Onyema.

According to him, this is made possible through the involvement of multiple investor classes available to such issuer, which it would not ordinarily have in just one market.

Such companies, according to him, also benefit from differences across macroeconomics among others.

He expressed the view at a dual listing conference organized in conjunction with the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) themed: “Leveraging Cross-Border Capital Markets for Sustainable Growth”, saying that that the synergy with the LSEG is meant to reduce risk for companies interested in listing their shares on both markets.

Onyema emphasized that the synergy was deliberate and strategic as it is geared towards encouraging seamless cross-border access between both capital markets to ultimately drive deeper capital markets that enable

capital formation for businesses and governments.

He explained that the synergy would further create larger liquidity pools and greater competitiveness for investors, as well as enhance capacity and promote diversity of investment products to meet the needs of a wide range of investors and issuers.

He assured that NSE is risk free for cross-border listing, saying; “We try to build risk control into all the activities we do, including product roll out and relationships such as this. We looked at the risk aspect and we put a lot of efforts in ensuring that the processes are seamless”.

,

S FORUM

The uncertainty regarding Nigeria’s membership in the MSCI Frontier Equity index will also continue to dampen sentiment

,

Stock Market Outlook (April 19 -26)

L

AST week the stock market reeled through increased pessimistic activities on the back of growing bearish sentiments while investors maintained wary postures.

However, an extensive analysis revealed sustained growth in opportunistic buying despite increased price volatility, particularly in Agriculture, Financial Services and Industrial Goods sectors.

Nevertheless, investors displayed fresh and sustained sell tendency in some active sector(s), particularly in Financial Services, Consumer Goods and Conglomerates sector(s).

In total the bears ruled the week pulling down the All Shares Index, ASI, the key benchmark by 608.79 points to close at 24,719.27.

Although market sentiments remained broadly weak last week, activity level was more robust; hence the Afrinvest Sentiment Indicator rose slightly to 2.9x (from 2.8x last week).

The outlook of macroeconomic fundamentals remains the same

amid tight liqudity policies.

Therefore analysts at Proshare Research stated that “though, not without positive outlooks in near term, which may spur improved demand towards key active sectors, particularly the Agriculture and Industrial Goods sectors. On this note, we advise value and cautious investing approach”.

Similarly analysts at Afrinvest West Africa noted that “as macroeconomic fundamentals remain weak, we expect that the current trend in market performance may continue this week. ’‘The uncertainty regarding Nigeria’s membership in the MSCI Frontier Equity index will also continue to dampen sentiment, despite cheap valuation of securities on the Bourse. ”Also as Q1:2016 corporate results start trickling in slowly, market performance may also be driven by sentiments towards the releases, though we remain broadly conservative on Q1:2016 earnings performance across sectors.

Stock Recommendation for the week

N

Nestle Nigeria Plc

ESTLE is one of the most capitalized stock listed on the Nigerian Stock exchange. The Company is subsidiary of NESTLE Global, the world’s leading nutrition, health and wellness company.

The multinational outfit is known for household brands such as Maggi, Milo, Nescafe, Baby products (CERELAC) etc.

Nestle has a consistent dividend payout history. Latest statement of financial performance (Full Year:2015) noted that NESTLE posted a turnover expansion of 5.5 per cent (N151.3 billion from N143.3 billion in Full Year:2014) while Profit After Tax grew 6.8 per cent to N23.7 billion.

The stock has a Price Earnings Ratio (P/E) of 21.4x versus P/E of 17.1x (15/04/2016) for the consumer goods sector. This implies that the stock commands higher pricing in the industry.

According to Afrinvest analysts ”at current price (N640.0), the stock offers an attractive upside for capital gain when compared to 52weeks high of N860.0 and 52weeks low of N640.01. Consequently, the analysts recommended a ’BUY’ for the stock.

28—Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016

PPMC sold N66bn worth of petrol in February

By Michael Eboh

T

HE Pipelines and Product Marketing Company, PPMC, sold Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, also known as petrol, valued at N66.134 billion in the month of February 2016, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, has said.

The NNPC, in its Monthly Financial and Operations report for February, also disclosed that the PPMC realised N3.43 billion and N5.156 billion from the sale of Automotive Gasoline Oil, AGO or diesel, and Dual Purpose Kerosene, DPK, respectively.

This, according to the NNPC report, brought PPMC total white products revenue for the month under review to N74.724 billion, dropping by 6.99 per cent from N80.388 billion recorded in January 2016.

The PPMC also earned N112.26 million and N161.138 million from the sale of special products, and export/bunker respectively, bringing total special products revenue to N273.4 million.

In general, the report said: “A total value of N74.72 billion was collected as sales revenue for white products sold by PPMC in the month of February 2016, compared with N71.62 billion collected in the prior month of January 2016. Total revenues generated from the sales of white products for the period March 2015 to February 2016 stands at N706.59 billion, where PMS contributed about 89.52 per cent of the revenues collected with a value of N632.55 billion.”

However, the PPMC, due to the recent restructuring carried out by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, had been broken into three companies, namely, Nigerian Petroleum Marketing Company, NPMC; Nigerian Petroleum Storage Company, NPSC; and NNPC Retail.

comparing NPDC performance to national production, the company production share amounted to 5.48 per cent, adding that NPDC is expected to hit production level of 250,000 barrels per day, bpd, after the completion of the on-

Crude production Another NNPC subsidiary, the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, NPDC, the report said, recorded cumulative period-todate production of 37.159 million barrels of crude oil, which translated to an average daily production of 101,806 barrels in the period under review.

According to the report,

Total revenues generated from the sales of white products for the period March 2015 to February 2016 stands at N706.59 billion

going NPDC re-kitting project.

Continuing, it said: “Production from NPDC wholly operated assets amounted to 10.566 million barrels or 28.43 per cent of the total production, with Okono Okpoho, OML 119, alone producing more than 77.98 per cent of the NPDC wholly owned operated assets or 22.17 per cent of the total NPDC total production.

“Also on the NPDC operated Joint Venture (JV) assets, in which NPDC own 55 per cent controlling interest, crude oil production amounted to 15.373 million or 41.37 per cent of the NPDC total production. On the JV assets not operated by NPDC, production level stood at 11.219 million barrels or 30.19 per cent of the company production.

•Terminal

Total ramps up JV production to 190kb/d

By Clara Nwachukwu

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IGERIA unit of French oil giant, Total Exploration and Production, E&P, Nigeria Limited, said crude oil production from its joint venture, JV operations is now about 190,000 barrels per day, kp/d. The production volume, it said, is made up of 105kb/d liquids and 85kb/d gas.

Speaking further on Total’s operations at the company’s regional office in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the Executive General Manager, JV Field Operations, Mr. Jean-Claude Vachet, gave further breakdown of the contributions from its operated assets to the production volumes from both onshore and offshore fields.

They include Oil Mining Leases, OMLs 58 – 25kb/d; 99 – 30kp/d; 100 – 15kb/d; and 102 – 35kp/d, which production is expected to double upon the completion of Ofon 2, offshore project. Total is the operator of all the assets with 40 percent interest and the Nigerian National C M Y K

Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, with 60 percent.

Vachet told journalists that Ofon 2 achieved gas flare out in December 2014, adding that 1 million standard cubic feet will be supplied to the Nigeria LNG. Operating costs He added that despite the challenges brought about by oil price crash, Total did not cancel any of its JV projects in Nigeria, even as it tried to maximise costs.

He told Vanguard in an exclusive chat on the sidelines that Ofon 2 costs were escalated basically because of the long cycle, saying: “Ofon 2 has been a long story, it was decided in 2004, because of the contractual arguments, with so many contracts and so many companies with a lot of interfaces, they didn’t help.

We have really worked to reduce the cost, but unfortunately it is the consequence of long dynamic. Certainly if we start today, probably we will not make the same choices or organise it the same way.”

He also disclosed that of three wells have been drilled in Ofon 2 – 41, 42 and 43, of which 41 and 42 are producing at 33kb/d and expecting to ramp up production very soon.

JV cash calls With regard to JV cash calls, which had stalled many development projects in the industry, Vachet said there is an industry wide discussion on the issue.

Expatiating further, Total Managing Director/Chief Executive, Mr. Nicolas Terraz, disclosed that cash call obligations were the focus of discussions during a meeting between the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu and chief executives of international oil companies, IOCs, last week in Abuja.

He added that the current industry environment is very challenging, especially in terms of funding, adding that “JV partners and the government need to work out an agenda to find a solution to the problem.”

O il g lu t t o ease in second half o f th e y e a r — IEA

By Sebastine Obasi

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HE lingering glut in the oil market may soon be a thing of the past, as the International Energy Agency, IEA, predicts that oil prices would rise in the second half of the year as falling nonOrganisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, supplies and rising global demand bring the market into balance.

Crude oil prices have been climbing recently, in part in anticipation that OPEC would agree to freeze production at current levels or even trim output.

But the IEA said: “If there is to be a production freeze, rather than a cut, the impact on physical oil supplies will be limited.” Later in the year, however, crude oil prices could rise “well above” the current levels of about $40 a barrel, it added.

The Agency also said that petroleum demand would grow to about 1.2 million barrels a day this year, as India, where consumption is rising at an 8 percent annual rate, possibly replaces China as the “main engine of global demand growth.”

It explained that low prices have discouraged oil companies from investing, and as a result, the U.S. shale oil boom has dissipated.

According to IEA, by early April, the U.S. drilling rig count had fallen nearly 80 percent from the October 2014 peak.

U.S. oil production reached as high as 9.6 million barrels a day, mb/d, in June 2015, but this month slipped below 9mb/d, for the first time since October 2014.

Falling U.S. output is the main reason the IEA is forecasting a 700,000 kb/d drop in non-OPEC oil production. “The muchanticipated slide in production of light, tight, oil in the United States is gathering pace,” it said.

Also, the IEA, in its newly released Oil Market Report, OMR, for April, said growth in global oil demand will ease to around 1.2 million mb/d in 2016, below the 1.8 mb/d expansion of last year, as notable decelerations take hold across China, the U.S. and much of Europe.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016 —29

NIPCO expands storage capacity to 84 million litres

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IPCO plc, an integrated oil and gas company, said it has expanded its storage for petroleum products by 34 million litres, shoring current capacity to 84 million litres.

The Managing Director, Nipco Plc, Mr Venkataraman Venkatapathy, who disclosed this on the sidelines of the company ’s 12th Annual General Meeting, AGM, held in Abuja, said the new investment led t o the construction of additional tanks for storage of white products.

According to him, the new storage facility would drive the company to further consolidate its leadership role in the downstream.

Venkatapathy argued that investing in the new project at this point in time is a vindication of Nipco’s belief in the Nigerian economy, stressing “even though this is a very challenging period in the nation’s history, we are still upbeat of better days ahead.”

He told excited shareholders that the additional storage will enhance Nipco’s capacity to take deliveries of bigger vessels laden with huge products with no stress on where to discharge them.

He said the project which is built to international standard can store all grades of white products, and has been effectively linked with the Apapa jetty reception point as well as the 10 point loading gantry in the terminal.

Venkataraman noted that despite the tough operating environment, management is making concerted efforts to contain the effects on the company, with the broad policy outlines from the Board of Directors and active support from workers and other stakeholders.

According to him, Nipco’s sales and marketing strategies and competitive pricing policy had impacted positively on its market share in all its lines of business, adding that to maintain the trend, “we would continue relentlessly to maintain new initiatives to maximise this enviable position in the industry.”

He said the company had stepped up interventions in deepening the use of gas as domestic cooking fuel by distributing free gas cylinders and burners to residents in its host community, Apapa, for the second year running.

Venkataraman noted that Nipco numerous skids across the country has continued to serve as reliable source of getting gas to domestic and industrial users with premium placed on accurate filling.

C M Y K

•Pipeline

Nigeria earns N632.37bn from LNG in 2015 ...As NLNG explains its tax break

By Sebastine Obasi

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ESPITE the dwindling prices of oil and gas in the international market, Nigeria earned about $3.21 billion or N632.37 billion in 2015, through the liquefied natural gas, LNG, project, going by the exchange rate of N197 to a dollar.

This is even as the NLNG said the tax break the company propelled it to expand to six trains, as against the two trains for which it was set up.

Also, within the period under review, NLNG made a pay as you earn, PAYE, payment of N8.43 billion, while value added tax, VAT, earned the country about N3.97 billion

The 2015 revenue is more than $2.79 billion or N549.63 billion earned in 2014. The figures are contained in the Facts and Figures on the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG, presented to journalists by Babs Omotowa, the Managing Director of the Company.

Out of the amount earned last year, $2.16 billion or N425.52 was earned through company income tax and export tax, which accrued to the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, while $1.04

billion or N205.62 billion was earned through dividend to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, which represents the federal government on the board of the NLNG. Also, within the period under review, NLNG made a pay as you earn, PAYE, payment of N8.43 billion, while value added tax, VAT, earned the country about N3.97 billion.

Omotowa, who attributed the reduction in revenue on decline to global crude oil prices, however said that despite the challenges, the company remains the highest tax paying corporate entity in Nigeria.

“We have paid $3.86billion in taxes to governments in Nigeria and our PAYE stands at $334milion since 1999 till data.”

“We have the 4th largest plant in the world, supplying 7 per cent of the global LNG market. We also contribute 14 per cent to Nigeria’s budget.

NLNG provided more than 12,000 jobs each construction year. Overall, the major subcontractors employed over 18,000 Nigerians in technical jobs in the base project,” Omotowa said.

Speaking on the contentious tax which the company has enjoyed, Omotowa said that the money within the period was ploughed back to the company, as it facilitated the expansion to more trains than were initially planned.

He said, “NLNG had a 10year tax period. In the first five years, we did not pay dividend to the shareholders.

BG Technical opens W/Africa first pigging factory

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By Clara Nwachukwu

HE domestication of pigging manufacturing in Nigeria has been described as an affirmation of the benefits of the Nigerian Content Act, as B.G. Technical Limited, commissioned the first Pipeline, Pigs and Accessories, PPA, factory in Nigeria and West Africa.

Pipeline pigs are devices that are inserted into and travel the length of a pipeline driven by a product flow. They are meant to remove deposits which could obstruct or retard flow through pipeline.

Accordingly, the factory is expected to generate foreign exchange for Nigeria, at a time of downturn in oil prices, which is the mainstay of Nigerian economy, while also providing quality products for the maintenance of pipeline to prolong their life span and reduce cases of rupture and leakages.

Speaking during the commissioning of the PPA factory in Owerri, Imo state, the Managing Director/Chief Executive, Pipeline Pigs and Accessories, PPA LTD, a subsidiary of BGT, Mr. Geoff Onuoha, said Pigging manufacturing will benefit the economy, industry and society in many ways.

He said: “Every product

manufactured locally helps to give job to some Nigerians, directly and indirectly. The indirect work includes support services such as security, transportation, sales, importation processing, mold manufacturing.”

He recalled that hitherto, all PPA product designs and development were done abroad, but today; Nigerian engineers have developed the confidence to conceptualise, design and manufacture quality products.

One of the key benefits that is coming with the commissioning of the PPA is that pipeline infrastructure will now be better maintained, as maintenance materials will be readily available unlike before when non-availability of pigging products used to delay major maintenance projects. As a result, Nigerian pipeline networks will last longer and serve Nigeria better.

PPA engineers have worked with some local machine designers, notably, those based in Aba, Abia State, to design and produce some machines that are currently used in the factory. This is great support and major testament to the potential of made-in-Nigeria machinery for manufacturing applications.

Onuoha also said the PPA will encourage people in other segments

of the oil industry to go beyond services to the manufacturing of some of the products they use in their services, as these small steps would lead to the development of a viable manufacturing industry.

“It is about putting Nigerian intellect to work in the country. It is about local content, manufacturing and supporting industry with products that are made in Nigeria,” he said.

He expressed appreciation to industry regulators such as the Nigerian Content Development and Management Board, NCDMB; Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR;, National Petroleum Investment Management Services, NAPIMS; Nigerian Petroleum Exchange, NipeX; and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, for their support over the years.

He also recognised the support of the U.S. Commercial Services in Lagos, in promoting the relationship between PPA and its US partners. PPA was established in 2002 and by 2003; a Memorandum of Partnership was executed between BGT and Knapp Pollypigs Inc. of USA for the establishment of a Joint Venture facility for local manufacturing of pigging products.

30—Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016

FG canvasses investment in solar

By Prince Okafor

V

ICE President Yemi Osibanjo, has said the Federal Government is set to spearhead investment in solar technology, both at utility scale and solar-to-home solutions.

Osibanjo, who stated this at the Nigeria Energy Forum, NEF, in Lagos, also said that government will provide exciting opportunities for private investment in solar technology and product manufacturing.

“This will also create developments in the country that will attract private investors in the privatised generation and distribution segments of the electricity supply value chain,” he said.

Osinbajo, was represented by his senior special assistant on power privatisation and acting head, advisory power team, Mr. Chiedu Ugbo.

He also said: “Currently, 14 Independent Power Plant, IPP utility scale projects, from 100 megawatts that will go to the grid are being negotiated, nine are actually ready to go in terms of documentation, so they can proceed to their financing.

“There are also the challenges of overstretched infrastructure and poor delivery networks resulting in

poor services over the years which we also have inherited.

Nigeria has four petroleum refineries, despite the increase in population and in the demand for refined petroleum products, there has not been any increase in the capacity of the refineries (last capacity upgrade was in 1988 (about 28 years ago). The existing capacities are also not performing optimally thereby necessitating the importation of refined petroleum products.

“There are also the

challenges of inadequate infrastructure to transport the available gas to the power

Currently, 14 Independent Power Plant, IPP utility scale projects, from 100 megawatts that will go to the grid are being negotiated

•Solar Energy

FG urged to boost rural electrification

By Gabriel Ewepu

A

BUJA — THE Federal Government has been urged to boost rural electrification in the face of economic downturn, as this will bring about unprecedented grassroots development and industrialisation to boost the rural economy and drastically reduce ruralurban migration.

The Vice Chairman, Tonwei Refinery Nigeria Ltd, Dr. Thaddaeus Thompson, who said this at the weekend, also urged the government to come up with a downward review of tariff for the rural dwellers.

He said: “Nigerian government both at the state and federal levels may hesitate to advance electrification to rural areas for fear it would be costly, unreliable, wasteful, and to some degree unnecessary.

“The reason it has never worked in Nigeria is not because Nigerians cannot pay; it is because the lack of electrification in rural areas eliminates the possibility of rural development and industrialisation, forcing people to flee the rural areas and congest the cities and subsequently creating short supply of electricity.

“The absence of electrification cost C M Y K

plants and vandalism of existing infrastructure to transport the available gas to the power plants and vandalism of existing infrastructure.

“Just recently a portion of Shell’s Forcados Export Terminal pipeline got ruptured just about the time a portion of Escravos–Lagos Pipeline System, ELPS, was also destroyed by vandals.

For those reasons, power plants in the western axis, like Ughelli, Egbin, Omotosho 1, Olorunsogo 1, Omotosho

National Integrated Power Solution, NIPP, now generate far below optimum. The reported gas constraint as at April 10, 2016, was about 2.8GW,” he said.

Also speaking, the Director, United States Agency for International Developments, USAID’s, Economic Growth Office in Nigeria, Mr. Mathew Burton, said that two out of three people in subSaharan Africa lacked access to electricity, which limits access to quality health care, education, and economic opportunities for over 600 million people.

According to him, “In Nigeria, efforts to diversify the economy are frustrated on a daily basis by the lack of reliable and affordable electricity. The cost of electricity eroded firm level competitiveness by driving up production costs and narrowing margins. As such, many sectors are simply not viable let alone competitive at a domestic, regional, or global level. “The growing call for greater domestic resource mobilisation in Nigeria misses the point that for firms and entrepreneurs to contribute more in the form of taxes, these businesses must first be profitable. It is for these reasons that I view access to electricity as the largest binding economic constraint facing Nigeria today,” he stated.

the government millions of Naira in revenues monthly, which would have been revenue from small and homebase businesses. Electrification of rural areas has environmental benefits in many ways including the possibility to establish a waste recycling plant, which could create jobs and produce fertilizer and renewable energy for the entire region.

“The fact that electrification of urban areas has proved unsuccessful does not mean the government must relent on electrification of the rural areas.

Electrification carries far greater benefits for the government than the cost of supply.”

He argued that government could minimise cost by embarking on renewable energy such as solar power, and reposition its expectations on return to long-term benefits. He added that once an area is powered, it would be prepared to pay to sustain it, as demand will respond reciprocally.

He also urged the government to consider the health of rural dwellers by providing massive rural electrification projects in order to prevent terminal diseases and various environmental hazards by providing.

Kuwait crude output drops 60%

D

UBAI — Kuwait’s crude production tumbled by 60 per cent and its refineries scaled back operations as the state oil company took emergency measures to cope with the first day of an open-ended labor strike.

The Opec member ’s production dropped to 1.1 million barrels a day, Saad Al Azmi, deputy chief executive for finance and spokesman at Kuwait Oil Co. (KOC), said in posts on Instagram and Twitter on Sunday when workers walked off the job. Kuwait Petroleum Corp., the parent company for KOC and other operating units, will continue providing fuel to the local market and can meet demand from international customers for exports, it said on Twitter.

Kuwait is among Middle Eastern oil producers that are cutting spending and benefits to plug holes that the oil-price drop of nearly 30 per cent in the past year has punched in government budgets. Prices have fallen as rising output from the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) and other suppliers has created a global glut. Kuwait produced 2.81 million barrels a day last month, making it Opec’s fourth-largest member, while worldwide supply exceeded demand by 1.6 million in the first quarter, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

‘Shocking’ decline The plunge in Kuwait’s output “is just

shocking,” Edward Bell, a commodities analyst at Dubai-based bank Emirates NBD PJSC, said Sunday by phone.

“That would take care of the surplus right there. There could be quite a bit of upside in oil tomorrow.”

Oil ministers from producing countries such as Saudi Arabia, Opec’s largest member, and Russia are meeting in Doha on Sunday to discuss a proposal to freeze oil output to help prop up prices.

Brent crude closed at $43.10 a barrel Friday, posting gains of about 25 per cent since the freeze was proposed in mid-February. News of a possible deal from that meeting could be overshadowed by the impact of Kuwait’s reduced production, Bell said.

Kuwait’s oil and gas refineries are processing 520,000 barrels a day of crude, said Khaled Al Asousi, spokesman for Kuwait National Petroleum Co. The state-owned refinery unit reduced processing rates at the country’s three oil plants, which have a combined capacity of about 900,000 barrels a day, due to emergency measures and because less supply is available from KOC, he said.

Members of the 13,000-strong Oil & Petrochemical Industries Workers Confederation are protesting cuts in their wages and benefits, Saif Al Qahtani, the union’s leader, said by phone Thursday.

About 6,000 workers walked off the job when the strike began Sunday, CNBC Arabiya cited him as saying.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016—31

PMB’s foreign trips — My takeaway

By Babatunde Fashola, SAN

I

N making this public intervention, I seek to highlight the benefit of global relationships and cooperation in a world that is changing daily as a result of globalization and transborder economics, social and even criminal activities where no one is safe, except all are safe, and to leave the dispassionate observer his opinion after deep reflection on the value, or lack of it, of the President’s foreign trips.

This way I hope every Nigerian who cares about our country will have some information about what their President is doing about the things that concern them.

First I will start with context.

Barely 2 decades ago (between 1994 and 1998) we would not have quarreled with the description that we were a pariah nation. We were ostracized from global events because of bad governance. We had lost the respect accorded Nations like ours were they well-led and wellrun.

I recall that not a few Nigerians complained that the green passport was becoming, if it had not already become, a burden.

That was at the height of the dictatorial government that broke the rules of international relations. It was from there that

BABATUNDE FASHOLA we started to heal. Investors entered our country. Many brands that we sought after abroad started coming to set up shop in our country. The tourist footfalls in our country increased slowly but surely, but again we began to slide.

That was when Buhari declared at a meeting in Lagos during his campaign in 2015, that if elected, he would make us proud about our country again. Proud to be Nigerian again. That is the context in which I view his foreign trips and the manifesto of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Foreign Relations which promised to: •Make the Nigerian national interest the overriding factor in its foreign policy and international relations. •Work to reform global governance in multilateral institutions and agencies. •Work to strengthen the African Union to become a more effective organization on global affairs.

•Engage the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) on the basis of equality.

•Play a leadership role to develop a MINT (Mexico, India, Nigeria, and Turkey) as a counterforce to BRICS. I will limit my takeaways to 4 (Four) trips that I attended with the President namely: the G7 Summit in Germany, the Oil and Gas Summit in Iran, the Renewable Energy Conference in Abu Dhabi and the State visit and Business Forum in China; and 2 (Two) trips that I did not attend, but whose deliberations I followed, namely: Paris for the COP 21 and USA for the Nuclear Energy Summit.

G7 in Germany This is a club of eight of the most industrialized, economic and technologically advanced nations.

For the benefit of those who do not follow international politics it was originally the G8 comprising the USA, Britain, Germany, France, Canada, Japan, Italy, and Russia, who were later suspended and had sanctions imposed on them to make it G7 as a result.

It was formed in 1975 as a club of 6 (Six) before Canada and Russia were admitted.

They look after each other, and the rest of the world to put it simply.

They have gone to war together if you remember Iraq and Libya in recent memory and they are all largely collaborating to fight terror.

(Most recently the FBI was rendering assistance to Belgium in the aftermath of the terror attacks in that Country).

Why G7,one might then ask?

Answer: German Chancellor Angela Merkel, as host, invited PMB on his inauguration to be their guest along with some three or four other African countries.

Their agenda was global security, global economy and global health in the aftermath of Ebola, which was still raging in some African countries.

Apart from the personal aides of the President, Governor Shettima of Borno, General Dambazau and myself were the

I am proud to be led by a President who sees good things outside and seeks to bring them to his people only ones who accompanied PMB. I recall that upon our arrival in Germany they expressed surprise that our delegation was small and asked if others were still coming.

Buhari at the GECF summit in Iran In the pre-departure briefing, in addition to highlighting how the security and economic agenda of the G7 coincided with 2 (Two) of his campaign promises, security, (corruption)economy, PMB stated the reasons 3 of us were invited.

Governor Shettima was in the front line of terrorists and criminal activities in the north east; General Abdulrahman Dambazau, was a former Chief of Army Staff, and also a faculty associate of Harvard University Weatherhead Center for International Affairs; I had run the single biggest economy of a state within Nigeria for eight years and was in the frontline of Ebola.

Reputation of scrupulous integrity Without ministers, one week after taking office, he felt we were the ones best suited to assist, if he needed it, on the issues of security, economy and health on the G7 agenda.

In the event, he did not need us. He held his ground admirably. He was the first person called upon to speak at a Summit in which Nigeria was not a member. I was proud to be a Nigerian.

At global summits we usually got to speak when others had spoken and the hall has emptied. President Obama was the first G7 member to speak after PMB and he said that Nigeria has elected a President that brings a reputation of scrupulous integrity to the table.

I was proud to be a Nigerian.

The opening session was robust and welcoming, we saw some of the world’s most powerful men and women take off their jackets, call each other by their first names in a club-

like setting while addressing the world’s most serious problems.

Problems that affect you and I daily. I was proud that my President was in a room where decisions concerning my planet were being deliberated upon.

Prime Minister Cameron, Chancellor Merkel and others also spoke in similar vein about our President’s reputation and our nation’s strategic position in Africa and the world. They pledged support for Nigeria on Terror and the Economy.

Increasing resistance Importantly, I learned that their scientists were worried about increasing resistance of strains of infections to antibiotics; and that they were committing enormous resources into finding out why and what to do.

They highlighted the difficulty of time and resources that it will take to develop new antibiotics and the risk to global health.

If we all appreciate how vulnerable we can be without effective antibiotics, especially our children, and if we remember how low life expectancy was and how poor global health was before the discovery of Penicillin after the World War, we will appreciate the seriousness of the platform to which Nigeria was invited. I was proud that our President was there. If the seven most powerful nations stand with you, who can stand against you?

I need not say more except that I can attest that PMB has been following up on these matters, and the progress on security is visible, while results on the economic front will manifest soon enough.

Iran Oil and Gas Summit: For those who are not aware, one of the reasons why oil prices went up, and from which we benefited

in the past, was that Iran, the world’s 7th largest producer of oil, was facing global sanctions from which she was due to emerge in 2016.

Because Iran was soon to be selling oil, the likelihood of a further crash of oil prices that had drastically fallen was a threat to Nigeria’s economy if oil prices crashed further. (Our 2016 budget proposals had just been formulated on a $38 per barrel assumption) I was witness to PMB’s persuasion to Iran to come to the market slowly instead of pushing out large volumes which will raise supply and crash prices, even though Iran also needed the cash.

You can’t do that type of diplomacy by letter or by phone, in my view, not when the major players were all there in person.

I witnessed the meeting with the Venezuelan prime minister, who was leading the South American producers to sell more and get cash even if the prices were lower. PMB’s logic was different. Hold your volumes, steady the price, and don’t let us hurt one another.

Recorders of history will recall that the Venezuelan government suffered a major political defeat in Parliament, while PMB’s logic has at least steadied oil prices.

Reality of international politics It might interest you to know that all European nations sent their oil ministers, except Russia, where Vladimir Putin came in person, because having been suspended from the G8 and facing sanctions, this was the meeting where his country’s interests were best served.

For the record, Russia pledged a $5 Billion state support to Iran, and if the purpose of this is lost on anyone, I interpret it to mean, “Take cash, don’t pump out your oil. It will hurt me.” This is the reality of international politics.

Finally on Iran, PMB told us, how when he flew to Iran in his days as Petroleum Minister, he noticed how much gas they were flaring and now he returned as President, all the flares were gone. We found out that all the gas had been harvested and piped to every home for heating, cooking etc. His mandate: “If they can do it, we must do it.”

I am proud to be led by a President who sees good things outside and seeks to bring them to his people.

Abu Dhabi Renewable Energy This is reputed to be the richest of the Emirates in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Apart from seeking cooperation to recover Nigeria’s stolen wealth stored in the UAE [His anti-corruption commitment pursued in person], PMB addressed a renewable energy summit where we learned about initiatives to bring solar power price down to 5 (Five) US cents per kilowatt hour, (approximately N10) as against the price of 17 (seventeen) US cents (N34) per KW/h tariff in Nigeria fixed at privatization by the last Government.

To be concluded

32 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016

LEISURE

YOUR LUCK TODAY

By Joshua Adeyemo Phone 08056180139

TAURUS; It’s important to differentiate between enterprise, gambling and adventure, because you may not go free by unnecessary mistake. Take love very seriously.

GEMINI; Many people are not in the mood to take thing lightly probably because of tension generated by the Moon and Saturn. Thus you’ll need to be prepared to take responsibility of whatever you do and/or say.

CANCER; Unnecessary argument can not help your cause today, no matter how logical you think you are. Take domestic issues more seriously than before.

LEO; good results, your mood looks less buoyant.

Whatever this is the wrong time to gamble with matters of the heart.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

By Richard Eromosele

am sure you know Ikind. what it means to be But if you do not know, let me simply say, it is being generous being caring about other people.

For everything we do, there is a reward for us. Being kind is

Be Kind no exception. If you are one of those that believe that being kind no longer pays, you need to read this: We all know how difficult it is to obtain American visa these

TERROR MUDA

days, so it was on this fateful day a young man went to the United States Embassy to obtain a visa.

He got there early and sat down on a chair. It happened that an eld-

in “Never say goodbye”

erly man came and the young man rose from his chair for the elder to sit down, unknown to him an embassy official was watching him. That was how he was called inside and giving visa. No interview, no checking of documents.

Be kind, kindness has its own reward.

By Lanre Kehinde

VIRGO; Since you cant run away from your shadow it is better you face challenges coming your way both at home and in the office. Eventual success’ll be yours very soon. .LIBRA; Although, partnership related issues are becoming seriously, today you will need to rely on your creative mind to get the desired results.

SCORPIO; Similar to yesterday as money continues to dominate issues. This is the wrong time to rely too heavily on friends either for assistance or advice.

SAGITTARIUS; You’ll continue to be relevant in the scheme of things, although you’ll be made to operate under pressure through career/business related affairs but great success indicated for you today. Be stable.

CAPRICORN; It’s your day when good luck’ll crown your efforts. The more secretive you are the better for your cause. Avoid unnecessary argument.

AQUARIUS; Reliable associates of yours may unconsciously disappoint you .Nursing false hope may force emotion to run very high. Be patient please.

KAPTAIN AFRIKA

in

“Pretty Lunatic’

By Andy Akman

PISCES; If you like to cut-corners you’ll need to prepare for unpleasant surprise as those you least expect’ll disappoint you. Prepare to protect your image.

ARIES; Relying on the element of luck today may fail to give you the desired results. Then it’ll be wrong of you to disrespect the law and/or it’s enforcement agents.

ASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLING Send yyour our dat th ttoo the As tr ological datee and place of bir birth Astr trological Counselling, PP.M.B .M.B 1100 00 7, Apapa, Lagos 007,

Who am I?

VIRGINIA

dadadekola@yahoo.com

Dear Joshua, Kindly analyse my star and tell me the type of person I am. Because not only other people do misunderstand me I do not sometimes know myself.

Please tell me the truth.

Bonny, Oyo. Dear Bonny, As you were born when both career-oriented-Saturn and loving Venus were prominent in the heaven, you are giving to both ambition and love related issues. And with Venus having more powers than Saturn, PEACE, LOVE and harmony will always have final influence whenever you are to take important final decision.

As loving, gentle, caring and good hearted th as you are, with your final-dispositor (Venus) at 90 degree apart to rebellious Uranus in Kingly Leo, FREEDOM and JUSTICE must come to play before the said love and peace will get your final approval.

Naturally Cancer makes it’s natives to appear timid and cool headed but another vigorous aspect in your chart is conjunction formed by aggressive Mars and manipulative Pluto when you were born; thus your will-power is very strong, making it difficult for people to manipulate you at will.

To crown it all the Moon (an indicator of subconscious-self ) was placed in genius related Aquarius. Therefore will power strengthened by educated mind will always want to have FREEDOM. With your natal Sun (basic selfhood) and Moon placed in Cancer and Aquarius respectively, you are mainly a Cancer born person and partly Aquarian; meaning that basic characteristics of the two said Star sings (Cancer and Aquarius) are highly pronounced in your inner-self.

HOME & ABROAD

By Lawrence Akapa

Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016—33

Rivers re-run: Wike faults allegations of political killings R

IVERS State governor, Mr Nyesom Wike, has said that the reports of alleged massive insecurity and political killings before the re-run elections were concocted by misguided politicians to mislead Nigerians.

He said that Rivers State was largely peaceful with increasing internally generated revenue, IGR, that indicate that businesses are thriving and functional.

Speaking when he granted audience to members of the House of Representatives Committee on the Army, investigating the military invasion of Ogoni communities, yesterday, Governor Wike said that after the re-run elections, the sponsored propaganda reports no longer dominate the media because there were no political killings in the state.

He said: “Before the rerun elections, you heard of repeated reports of alleged political killings sponsored by misguided politicians. Now that they elections are over, you no longer see such reports.

“Like every other state, we have our security challenges, but we don’t have political killings. We have cases of cult related violence, but the security agencies are tackling the issue frontally with the

support of the Rivers State Government.”

He decried the tendency to play politics with security, noting that the security challenges in the state were prompted by the politicisation of the state’s security framework.

“We have a secure state where businesses are

thriving. That is why our internally generated revenue is growing steadily,” he added.

In his remarks, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on the Army, Mr Rimamde Kwewum, said that the committee was in the state on a fact finding mission following a petition against

the Army by the Civil Liberties Organisation, CLO, on the killings of Ogoni people in their communities.

He said that the committee was not in the state to apportion blame, but to determine what led to the alleged death of 24 persons during the military invasion.

FUNERAL SERVICE: Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State (right) and former Vice President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, during the funeral service in honour of the late Pioneer Bishop of Anglican Communion, Most Revd. Emmanuel Nglass, in Uyo.

Edo PDP gov aspirant blasts Ize-Iyamu over comments

By Simon Ebegbulem

B

ENIN—A GOVERNORSHIP aspirant of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Edo State, Osaro Onaiwu, yesterday called on the leadership of the party to call one of the aspirants of the party, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu to order, saying that his alleged denigrating comments against other aspirants of the party were unacceptable.

According to him, “Ize-Iyamu made a comment which we have on tape which includes that, among all PDP governorship aspirants, he is the only one criticizing Governor Adams Oshiomhole. He claims to be the only person with the capacity to fight All Progressives Congress, APC, believing that other aspirants don’t have what it takes.

“But let me remind him, he said he has structures more than three of us during the last election. I am from the two Ovia.

We were able to deliver the two constituencies for Omosede Igbinedion who won the House of Representatives election.

Mathew Iduoriyekemwen is from Ikpoba Okhai, he was able to deliver E. J. Agbonayinma as a House of Representatives C M Y K

member today.

“Solomon Edebiri is from Uhumwonde, he delivered Uhumwonde's votes. Pastor Ize-Iyamu is from Orhiomwon and our candidate, Larry Ogieva, lost the House of Representatives election. He

could not deliver Larry in Orhiomwon. Urhoghide, who is a senator in Edo South, went to court because of Oriomnwon votes. So if he says he is the one who can win election, he should have delivered Orhiomwon for PDP.

“Also don’t forget that he is the only aspirant among the four of us who has changed his local government twice. He was operating in Oredo and has now moved to Orhiomwon.

Is that the kind of person you want us to trust?"

Bayelsa Deputy gov lauds Defence Hqtrs over youth devt Edward Johnson, told the

By Samuel Oyadongha

Y

ENAGOA —DEPUTY Governor of Bayelsa State, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John-Jonah (retd), has hailed the Defence Headquarters, Abuja, for initiating a programme to encourage young persons, especially secondary school students, to take up careers in the military.

He stated this in Yenagoa, when a delegation of military officers from Defence Headquarters paid him a courtesy visit.

He said that the idea of visiting secondary schools to give a career talk about the military was a welcome development.

The deputy governor said it was a similar visit to his school in the mid 70s by some military officers that encouraged him to pick up a career in the Nigerian

Navy.

He also advised them to emphasise the issue of teenage pregnancy and its attendant draw-backs so that female students would be careful and serious with their studies, stressing that he was happy that very young officers were part of the team.

Earlier, the leader of the delegation, Air Commodore

deputy governor that the team was in the state to visit three schools to enlighten students on how to make a career in the military.

According to him, they were in the state to educate young students on ways to access the internet to obtain forms for enrolment into the military, emphasizing that the forms were free.

More knocks for Oshiomhole over choice of friends

By Gabriel Enogholase

B

ENIN—A chieftain of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Edo State, Mr Philip Olumese, has berated the state governor, Mr Adams Oshiomhole, for listing the likes of Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Captain Hosa Okunbor and Dr Daniel Ladipo as his friends, pointing out that the pronouncement made a mockery of the governor’s claims to be on the side of the common man, who gave him the mandate to govern the state.

The former chairman of Edo State Urban Water Board added that the governor has finally rubbished his touted ideological attachment to the poor and exposed himself as someone who rode on the back of the people to get to office.

Olumese, who was reacting to a statement credited to Governor Oshiomhole, said that while the governor was proclaiming his valued friendships, Edo people were struggling for life under his “excruciating yoke of the many taxes, levies and economic measures.”

He said, “If Oshiomhole’s ‘friends’ are only found within the marginal area of the rich and famous, what has happened to his much hyped champion of the oppressed, the maligned and the despised?

“Has the welfare and living standard of the people been sacrificed on the altar of business considerations that he has rightly condemned for its short-term focus, belatedness in a two-term time-bracket and the under-the-table deals that the ordinary Edo citizen may not have the luxury of exposing.

“While welcoming his 'friends' with exaggerated tooth-paste smiles and artificial pageantry, his state officials from the lowest rungs of government to the exalted pedestal of governorship, harass and torment petty traders both day and night with extreme degrees of violence and intimidation."

N-Delta lawmakers urged to resist proposed PIB

By Perez Brisibe

U

G H E L L I — N AT I O N A L coordinator of Ijaws in Oil and Gas, IOG, Mr Ebipams Johnny, has urged lawmakers from the Niger Delta region in the National Assembly to oppose the proposed Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, currently before the House.

Describing the bill as pathetic,

the group explained that Ijaws under the IOG frown at the removal of the host communities’ development fund and the weakening of local content in the proposed PIB. IOG said: “As professionals from the Niger Delta region, we feel that the PIB will address youth restiveness holistically, give us a sense of belonging and boost the Nigerian economy via increased returns on oil and gas

production through the introduction of hydro-carbon taxes and company income taxes.

“This is a clarion call to all National Assembly members irrespective of political party, from the region to rise up and save the region from the modern day slavery by the proposed PIB which we are aware has been doctored over to favour some political class and region."

34—Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 19 , 2016

Ikpeazu borrowed N24bn in 11 months Our debt not N78bn —govt

IMSG reads riot act to illegal users of sirens, tinted glasses

By Anayo Okoli

U

M U A H I A — GOVERNOR Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State has borrowed a total of N24 billion since he assumed office 11 months ago.

This was made up of a N14.1 billion bail-out fund and another N10 billion which government sources said was for infrastructural development.

Meanwhile, the Abia State Government has said that its debt profile was not up to N78 billion as reported by the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, which also placed the state as the 5th

By Chidi Nkwopara

O

WERRI—IMO State Government has warned unauthorized users of sirens, fake number plates and tinted vehicle glass to retrace their steps immediately or face the consequence of their illegal action.

Government read the riot act, yesterday, in Owerri, through the Chairman of the State Traffic Law Enforcement Unit, ISTMA, Hon. Ugochukwu Nzekwe, while addressing the press.

“We have arrested some people driving vehicles with tinted glasses without permits. We have since discovered that people use siren and tinted vehicles to carry out dastardly acts.

"Apart from being determined to arrest and prosecute illegal users of siren, tinted glass, fake vehicle papers and numbers, government is also very determined to enforce all traffic laws in the state,” Nzekwe said.

While debunking the rumour that “government has let loose its attack dogs on innocent citizens,” Nzekwe, insisted that “government’s primary interest is not the improvement of its internally generated revenue, but the safety of all road users.”

Continuing, Hon. Nzekwe said: “So far, we have brought back that consciousness and discipline amongst road users."

highest indebted states in the country.

The state Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Obinna Oriaku, disclosed this while reacting to the statistics released by NBS insisting that the figures given by the Bureau were inaccurate.

According to him, the state government has engaged a team of consultants, who are currently working to reconcile the financial position of the state.

“Well, I am yet to see the document. I totally disagreed with the figures they are mentioning and our rating. If I heard you right, you mentioned N78billion, it is totally

unacceptable and I doubt where they got that from.

“Though government is a continuum, from the period we took over, I want to believe that these figures are wrong. For what we got as bailout was N14.1billion, what we got of course was uniform to every state.

What we got from the excess crude was N10 billion which makes a total of N24 billion.

“This is the major make up of our debt, then of course, this does not exclude other little debts by way of foreign loans incurred by the last administration or during the period we were at the old Imo State.

“As I talk to you, we have engaged a team of consultants that are working on reconciling those figures with the DMO and they have made substantial progress.Any moment from now, we will be engaging the DMO based on the deductions from the Federal Allocation Account.

“I strongly believe that at the end of the engagement, we will have some more funds that will be rededicated to us. We have fully extinguished those foreign loans. If I am looking at that figure, it is totally unacceptable, however, like I told you, I am yet to see the document then we will know the make-up” Oriaku said.

NDE to spearhead employment generation —Ngige

By Vincent Ujumadu

A

WKA—MINISTER of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige has said that the task of generating employment for the teeming ranks of the unemployed would be placed on the National Directorate of Employment, NDE.

Ngige, who spoke at a ceremony in Awka for the resettlement of graduates of vocational skills development programme in Anambra State, observed that through NDE, the Federal Government would vigorously push the frontiers of providing decent and sustainable jobs for the unemployed.

He said: “Those of us charged

with the task of creating jobs for the teeming unemployed Nigerians have long put on our thinking caps. In the next two months, the second phase of this exercise would have been carried out and I want to assure Nigerians that over 2,800 new businesses would have been generated across the country through the resettlement scheme

Nigerian Royalty Awards appoints Erelu Abiola Dosunmu, chairman

T

HE NIGERIAN Royalty Awards, a veritable platform for the growth of the traditional institution in Nigeria and grassroots development, has recently at the extra-ordinary meeting of the Advisory Board and Awards Committee Members, appointed as its Chairman, the living legend and custodian of Nigeria’s culture, the traditional Erelu Kuti of Lagos, Erelu Abiola Dosunmu.

In a press release, the National Co-ordinator. NRA, Omoba Agbegbele, said Erelu Abiola Dosunmu is an industrialist, philanthropist, fashion icon, a

tourism enthusiast and culture activist, whose appointment is due to her outstanding credentials in management and her successful drive to change the face of African fashion.

Agbegbele said the board will benefit immensely when she brings her wealth of experience to bear on the organization as a first class royalty awards event organizer in the country, unequalled in Africa.

He said this year’s award with the theme, Good Governance, Transparency and the Challenges of a Developing Economy,’ the Nigerian

Perspective, will be chaired by her.

According to the Awards Committee and Advisory Board, "this is indeed a new dawn and development in the history of the organization which started in 2001 and a step towards the realization of the dreams of our founding father, Amb. Segun Olusola of blessed memory.

"The NRA is an award event for promoting traditional institution, socio-cultural values and grassroots development and is conferred on individuals and organizations with unique distinctions in service to humanity."

of the NDE.” According to the Minister, the resettlement scheme seeks to empower already trained persons in any vocational skill with relevant starter parks to enable them start small businesses, adding that in the last one month, NDE had recruited and placed in training, another 1850 persons nationwide under the community –based training scheme.

He explained that beneficiaries of the training scheme were carefully designed to cater for the needs of the rural dwellers.

He said that apart from the training, another 370 agricultural entrepreneurs under the NDE commercial farmers training project have received soft loans amounting to N37 million to start agro-business in each of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT. Acting Director General of NDE, Mr. Kunle Obayan said that in addition to 30 persons empowered in Anambra State, another 220 in the state, who received training earlier, but were not empowered, received their lifeline, weekend.

By Bartholomew Madukwe (08102479985) nwamad@yahoo.com

PEOPLE SPEAK

On lingering fuel scarcity

W

e've not had it this bad in the last six years where the official pump price is N86, but sold at N200 at petrol stations.

It's a failure of leadership.

A couple of days ago, subsidy was removed and now reintroduced. -Mr. Jerome Samson, Analyst

I

am so short of words.

It is only God that will help us. You need to see the kind of traffic jam the queues at a filling station are causing here in Rivers State. It is very appalling. The Petroleum Minister needs to buckle up. -Mrs. Mbielu Mabel, Corps member

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here is Nigeria Labour Congress?

They staged protest for increase in electricity bills, but they are nowhere to be found now because they cannot face the independent marketers. -Alhaja Oluwatoyin Ikotun, Buisnesswoman

I

f today, a school like UNILAG is shutting down as a result of fuel crisis, businesses are struggling to run effectively, prizes of goods and services skyrocketing and we've not heard a word from the Petroleum Minister, it calls for worry. -Miss Victoria Kelvin, Student

I

t’s tough on Nigerians, the economic implication is that the scarcity causes prices to abnormally rise, thereby reducing the real income of the masses, further impoverishing the people. -Mr. Imanuel Jannah, Graduate

I

t is something that has brought pain to every individual in the country.

Imagine a litre of fuel being sold at N250. This situation is just unbearable. In Abuja, you will have to go miles before you can get fuel to buy. Miss Bukola Okereke, Entrepreneur

Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016 — 35

Labour shuts Jos DISCO over unfavourable working conditions

By Marie-Therese Nanlong

J

OS—MEMBERS of the National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, yesterday shut operations at all offices of the Jos Electricity Distribution Company, JEDC Plc in the four states of Plateau, Benue, Bauchi and Gombe over alleged unfavourable working conditions among other things.

The aggrieved protesters stormed JEDC offices in the four states and prevented management and others from gaining access into the company’s offices for business transactions.

In Jos, the unionists and others stormed the headquarters of the Company at Rwang Pam street, Jos as well as the office along Murtala Mohammed Way, as early as 6.30am barricaded the entrances and prevented Management and others from gaining entry into the offices.

They displayed several placards with inscriptions such as “NUEE say no to sack of workers without justification, Enough is enough of customer exploitation, Disparity of salary is evil, Privatization is evil, reverse it.”

Speaking, the Assistant General Secretary of NUEE, North East Zone, Mr. Anthony Sule, said the protest was over the plight of workers in the company.

According to him, “We are protesting several wrongdoings of the Jos Electricity Distribution Company. They are maltreating workers, no condition of service, salary disparity which means they are paying different salaries to different workers based on their discretion. No salary scale, no public holiday, no leave for

CURVES LADIESONLY FITNESS F R A N C H I S E LAUNCHED IN ABUJA: From left; Mr. Emma Esinnah, Country Director, Curves International, Nigeria; Mrs. Maria E. Brewer, US Deputy Chief of Mission to Nigeria; Dr. Tunde Bakare, Presiding Overseer of the Latter Rain Assembly; and Mrs. Esther Otenaike, franchisee of Curves Ladies-only fitness centre, Apo Abuja, at the commissioning of the facility in Abuja at the weekend.

workers, no increment and they have made workers to sign a bond that they will collect a certain amount from customers’ everyday even if there is no light.

“When the workers are not able to meet up, they are threatening to sack them, there is highhandedness and several wrongdoings being perpetrated that is why we have come out to protest. We have written several

P

R O T E S T I N G Dockworkers of ENL Consortium, yesterday crippled operations at Nigeria Ports Authority, NPA, Marina, Lagos over disagreement on total terminal benefits due to them.

While ENL, operator of Terminals C and D of the Lagos Port Complex, LPC, Apapa, said it was ready to pay off the workers who had elected to quit their jobs, the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, said it was fully behind the payment of the workers based on the industrybased agreement reached with terminal operators in the ports, saying it would only react negatively if the company went lower than the standard agreed.

The workers were said to be demanding equal treatment with workers of another terminal operators, APMT C M Y K

passing through.”

Reacting, Head of Public Relation, JEDC, Hajiya Lubabatu Rabiu, in a statement said, “In line with the on-going protest by the National Union of Electricity Employee, (NUEE), JED wishes to state that talks with the NUEE has been on-going before now and we shall continue to dialogue with them to resolve all complaints.''

‘Nigeria may pay high price for Chibok girls' release'

By Luka Binniyat

K

ADUNA—SENATOR Shehu Sani (APC, Kaduna Central) who once brokered a meeting between former President Olusegun

Dockworkers cripple operations at NPA over terminal benefits

By Gloria Adokwu

letters to the Management but they are not ready to meet us and listen to us. We gave them several ultimatums and they expired, nobody talked to us, seven more days were added, nothing happened. Even the security agencies intervened and asked them to talk to us but nothing happened, nobody is available to talk to us that is why we came out to tell the world what we are

recently disengaged.

The affected workers of APMT were full time workers and not casual workers and their terminal benefit was not only based on the minimum standard in the sector, but also, in-house agreement applicable to only APMT workers.

Reacting to the development, Deputy Secretary General of MWUN, Abudu Eroje, said while payment of Dockworkers in ENL was on tonnage, the payment in APMT was time related (monthly).

According to him: “Based on the agreement reached in 2014, minimum standard terminal benefits for Dockworkers who have served five years above is N350,000 for larger terminals while N400,000 for smaller terminals. We fully support the payment of the terminal benefits of the affected workers based on the agreement. If the management of ENL goes below it, we will react negatively.”

Obasanjo and Boko Haram leadership in 2011, has said Nigeria may have to pay a “very high price” to secure the release of abducted Chibok girls, by releasing some captured Boko Haram members.

Sani, made the suggestion while fielding questions from newsmen in Kaduna after donating assorted materials, equipments and machines to Hospitals, Schools, Women and Youths Centres valued at N42 million to the seven Local Government Areas in his constituency.

He said: “It is very unfortunate that we could not get this out on time. They have spent two years in captivity now.

The good thing now is that the government of Muhammadu Buhari has degraded the capacity of the insurgents to hold unto any territory or to carry out their usual big scales attacks. But we may have to pay a very high price to get these girls out now.

It is possible to free them. ''The best way to get them out is that we need to set up a special committee which has its mandates and responsibilities. It shall be tasked with the mandate to do everything possible including persuading and negotiating with Boko Haram with terms on how to get these girls out.

“There is the need to set up

another committee to ensure that both sides abide by the rules set up for the negotiation. This committee should include international bodies like the United Nations. I think we may need to pay the highest price to get these girls out even if it means freeing some of their members in detention. I don’t like this academic argument of saying, ‘if this happens, then that thing will happen.’

“I believe that why these girls have to continue to stay in the hands of these captives is simply because of class difference.''

Kaduna preaching bill unconstitutional — GUMI

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ROMINENT Muslim cleric, Ahmad Gumi, has described the preaching bill that has been generating controversy in Kaduna State as unconstitutional.

Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, had said the bill was an updated version of an existing law required to curtail inflammatory sermons by faith leaders.

But in an interview in the April edition of The Interview, Gumi said the bill had gone too far.

“If you are trying to fight terrorism and extremism, you don’t clamp on the freedom of speech, freedom of thought and freedom of propagation of thoughts.

These liberties are enshrined in the constitution,” he said.

However, he said that the bill could drive extremism underground.

The cleric also described Boko Haram as “100% a Muslim problem”, accusing some people in the north of “cooperating with and working to protect them.

Boko Haram as it now is cannot prosper in Ibadan, because the locals will expose them. The same in Enugu. The people agitating for Biafra cannot prosper in the north because they will be exposed. We have to understand that these people are from amongst us and that the society is not doing enough to bring these elements out. I can tell you that Boko Haram is 100% a Muslim problem.”

Gumi, who also described the agitation for Biafra as “analogue,” challenged Muslim leaders to do more to combat Boko Haram.

Union kicks over privatisation plans in Unilorin teaching hospital

By Demola Akinyemi

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LORIN—INDUSTRIAL unrest is looming at the University of Ilorin teaching hospital as members of Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals, NUAHP, yesterday began a three-day protest against alleged plans by the hospital’s management to privatize and commercialize services at the diagnostic section of the hospital.

They are protesting using what they called a three-day sit-down strike to force the management to rescind its decision.

But the management dismissed the allegation, describing it

“fallacious” claims by the local branch of the Association of Radiographers of Nigeria, ARN that it had privatised the X-Ray Department of the hospital.

The protesting workers, who displayed various placards, also alleged that the management had contracted the services of the radio diagnostic section to a private consultant.

Some of the placards read: ‘Don’t add to the suffering of the masses. We say no to privatization,’ ‘we are against privatization. Labour is against privatization,’ privatization is tantamount to mismanagement of public health,’ etc.

36 — Vanguard, TUESDAY,APRIL 19, 2016

Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 19 2016—37

C M Y K

38—VANGUARD, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016

Fuel scarcity is not Kachikwu's making - Gbagi •2016 Bugdet is corruption typified FORMER Minister of State for Education and a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi, in this interview assesses the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, his foreign trips, his party, the PDP, attacks on Minister of State, Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu and the governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr. Godwin Emefile among other issues. Excerpts:

By Henry Umoru

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HE government of Muhammadu Buhari will be one year next month. How would you assess the government so far?

Let’s put it this way, it is a very difficult situation. Running a country I can tell you as complex as Nigeria is a difficult process.

States are difficult talk less of Nigeria.

You need what we call a lot of work in balancing it, a lot of work in putting it together and picking from different dimensions whether as a criminologist or as a lawyer or one who has been in government at various levels who became a minister in the country, it is a different technicality and as such we will need a lot of planning.

What is your take on the controversy around the 2016 Appropriation Bill that has been approved by the National Assembly and sent to the president for assent?

I am very happy that Buhari is living up to expectation on the issue of corruption because what happened in the budget will amount to corruption and that is not acceptable.

Responsibility of presentation For instance, the National Assembly can’t re create the budget. The responsibility of presentation of what and what we need to do in the country is that of the executive. The legislative arm is responsible and charged to see that those things are right, to see that they are implementable, to see that they are implemented.

Everybody has his own area. If you ask me Buhari noticing those importations, to me Nigerians must applaud Buhari for noticing it and bringing it to the public as opposed to the situation we used to find.

Do you agree with those who say the president is travelling too frequently?

Please leave this nonsense of the president over travelling. I am sure the people don’t understand the government or the running of government.

What is the president travelling for? What travelling has the president not enjoyed all his life from military days to when he was in London, Germany everywhere?

There are a lot of things that C M Y K

needed to be done and you can’t sit down in your cocoon and believe that it will just happen.

How is your party PDP? If you ask me, we are engineering as you know. We will come out of our wounds, the most important thing is if you have a situation of irresponsibility you need to weed out that situation and go back to the people who are the electorate, saying sorry this is the position we will not do it again, accept your mistakes before the world and move on.

What is your take on the recent criticism of the Minister of State for petroleum, over the fuel shortage in the country?

Put it this way, I am a leader from the Niger Delta; particularly I am from Delta State and the minister of state, petroleum is from Delta State.

What the minister has done from what I have investigated because of the ignorance of his critics who said flying a private jet was his pitfall. This is what we call a joint venture agreement.

I see a lot of ignorance being conveyed by Tinubu with due respect. Tinubu and I have come a long way politically at different times, but this is ignorance.

Firstly, he talked about flying a private jet which is where the issues are. Tinubu flies a private

I am very happy that Buhari is living up to expectation on the issue of corruption because what happened in the budget will amount to corruption and that is not acceptable jet, what is the big deal? Tinubu’s younger brother flies a private jet, what is the big deal?

Don’t forget Nigeria has 60 percent of the joint venture between us and either Mobil, Shell, Exxon and what have you and these people have used and leveraged on the resources of the 60/40 to own, claim and are operating planes.

•Gbagi: Nigerians must applaud Buhari

Looking at the issue of fuel scarcity, we can see that this is caused by a marketing cartel where his critics are firmly involved in. It is all a temporary situation to arm-twist Mr. President.

If I know Kachikwu well, if it is the same person I know, Nigerians will be shocked with his master piece and master plan with regard to putting to an end the issue and I challenge Kachikwu that I would be very disappointed if there is no plan in place to permanently cure the issue of petrol scarcity in Nigeria.

They are trying to blackmail Buhari that Kachikwu drives the same plane as Diezani; but the fact is that the same joint ventures hasn’t changed; Chevron is still here, Mobil is still here, Shell is still here, Texaco is still here in whatever form or shape.

So it is the same joint venture.

Diezani didn’t carry the plane away.

Diezani didn’t change the joint venture neither has Buhari done so, those planes will remain the planes of Chevron, of Texaco, of Agip, of Shell.

Have we traced personal things to him? Have we traced that he has bought a plane? It is not the case. So in my opinion attacking

the Central Bank governor is unacceptable. Attacking the Minister of Petroleum who is one of the best materials anywhere in the world; you can’t find his counterpart anywhere in the world.

What is your stance on the calls for the removal of the CBN governor on the basis of the poor state of the economy?

First and foremost what are the parameters? The CBN governor works under the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and as such there are certain monetary policies the CBN governor can’t bring to bear with the president.

What I will expect the Buhari government to do is to make s u r e that we properly document; if y o u properly document the call for dol-

lars and the usage, and you follow it up, we won’t have the situation we have right now.

It is for the government and the Central Bank to sit up and set up a monetary monitoring department and make sure that whatever dollar is collected is actually used for the purpose that it was collected.

So what will you tell those calling for his resignation?

I don’t think he is going to be different from any other Nigerian, what we need to do is what I just enumerated; he needs to sit up and get to the root of where his dollars are.

VANGUARD, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016—39

By Senator Bassey Ewa Henshaw “The old order changeth yielding place to new And God fulfils Himself in many ways Lest one “good” custom should corrupt the world” Alfred Lord Tennyson

I

N fairness to the National As sembly, given the importance of the issue at hand, at the time that the Hon Minster of Transport defended his budget before the relevant committees of the Senate and the House, with the rail project included, the Committees could have accepted the inclusion of the project as they rightly did.

But the Hon. Minister could also have been advised (perhaps in conjunction with his other cabinet colleagues facing similar situations and the Budget office which omitted the projects in the first place) to persuade Mr. President to send further communication to the National assembly detailing the omissions and requesting their inclusion.

Important matters of this nature are best handled through his kind of formal communication. But there again, one can appreciate possible hesitation to adopt this approach in view of the initial embarrassment and uproar occasioned by the clandestine handling of the budget after it was laid by Mr. President.

Powers and responsibilities Having said this, the situation in the National Assembly has brought to the fore, a serious problem that has existed in the Assembly for a long time and has been begging for resolution. This is the need for a clearer definition of the powers and responsibilities of the Committees on Appropriation vis-à-vis other standing Committees.

By the rules of he Senate (as well as the House) the Committee on Appropriation is required to assemble and collate sectoral budgets finalised by the various standing committees into an integrated, well ordered national budget.

But from the inception, the penchant of the Committee on Appropriation to alter submissions of other Standing Committees has gone on unchecked.

The question therefore is, does or should the Appropriations Committee have the power to alter sectoral budgets finalized and submitted to it for collation by standing committees without reference to the relevant committees concerned? I think not.

The old order in Tennyson’s words must now change. And it appears that God may be showing himself through the Buhari Administration to drive the needed change. The leadership of the National Assembly must as a matter of urgency define

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THE CALABAR-LAGOS RAIL PROJECT:

An avoidable controversy ONE has followed with some disquiet even trepidation the controversy generated by the non-inclusion of the Calabar-Lagos rail project in the budget details transmitted to Mr. President for signature. And, given the proper level of cooperation, experience and understanding between the executive and legislature, this type of controversy is entirely avoidable.

•Henshaw

might as well be scrapped as it serves no useful purpose.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Land Transport was spot on when he decided to make the position of his Committee clear.

The ensuing controversy in the wake of the omission of the rail project is quite capable of calling to question the effectiveness or competence of his Committee as indeed it has for the members of the National Assembly from Cross River.

Not many people are familiar with how the National Assembly operates. And certainly very few are aware of the fact that in practice the Appropriations Committee can alter budgets submitted

by Standing Committees without reference to the relevant Committees, let alone any other members of the Senate or House. But our representatives must know that they have a duty to evolve strategies to ferret out information and follow up on issues affecting their state. With deep and sincere gratitude to President Buhari for taking a principled position on this matter, it is hoped that the project will be reinstated and implemented as conceived.

more clearly, and without ambiguity the role of the Appropriations Committee in Budget preparation. And, the Standing Committees must be afforded the protection needed to safeguard them from undue mutilation of their work submitted for collation

by Appropriation.

This is not the first time some thing like will be happening to Cross River State. Some years ago, the State’s National Assembly Caucus agreed to put together all the provisions allowed them for constituency projects and apply the total amounting to about 2-3 billion towards the rehabilitation of the CalabarItu Road and the CalabarIkom road both of which were

in deplorable conditions as they still are today. The entire sum disappeared at the Appropriations Committee. It had been taken out and applied elsewhere and inspite of protests from members of the Caucus in the two chambers nothing was done about it and Cross River lost out.

As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Water Resources for four years,one was constantly confronted with badly mutilated Water Resources budgets which came out of Appropriation very different from that agreed with the Ministry and submitted for collation. Yet, the fact is that the standing committees are the

LG POLLS: How

Lagos PDP 'll floor APC — SALVADOR

CHIEF Moshood Salvador, a former member of the House of Representatives and delegate to the 2014 National Conference is seeking to succeed Capt. Tunji Shelle (rtd) as the state chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos state. In this interview, he speaks on the forthcoming local government elections in the state boasting that the PDP will defeat the All Progressives Congress , APC, in the state.

Excerpts: stakeholders of the party

By Dapo Akinrefon recently at the party secretariat Why have you decided to throw where you indicated your interest to contest. What was the your hat into the ring?

You are all living witnesses to response?

I didn’t meet any stakeholder the crisis and aggression of all sorts in the party in the past few and indicate interest to contest. I years. Having seen all these, I was travelling and I passed believe they will not allow PDP through the secretariat. I saw move forward. I didn’t even have LCDA chairmen holding plans to become the state meeting. So, I seized that as an chairman of the party. Some opportunity to encourage them. leaders of thought, people who I told them to go back to their genuinely love PDP came to me respective wards, work hard and appealed that I should assist because we are approaching them handle the mantle of congress. We want to encourage leadership of the party so that the giving power back to the people, party can be united and move ensure only credible people are nominated into offices. forward.

There are reports the party I am all for a focused, committed and united PDP. I have my plans has decided to base the and I will ensure that nobody will chairmanship position on regret that I lead the party in zoning. Are you aware of that?

I think that will be the decision Lagos.

We understand you met some of the party exco. They are the managers of the party. They must

ones that interface with the Ministries and Agencies of Government. Such interface provides the opportunity to understand the thinking of Government as it relates to any given sector.

It also provides the opportunity for members of the National Assembly to raise issues of concern or interest and ensure that they have an effective input into the final budget of the Ministry or Agency involved. If after this, the Appropriations Committee can unilaterally alter the budget worked on and concluded by a Standing Committee without reference to the Committee in question, then it stands to reason that the Committee is irrelevant and its existence purely academic. It

•Salvador have some information before arriving at their decision. My only interest is moving the party forward if the members allow me to do so.

The outgoing Tunji Shelle-led exco recorded significant achievements during the last election, winning six seats in the House of Reps and eight seats in the state House of Assembly.

If elected, how will you consolidate on those gains?

That is the principle of capability. I believe the leaders of the party believe I have what

•Senator Ewa-Henshaw was chairman of the Senate Committee on Water Resources between 2007 and 2011 and following that was appointed chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.

it takes to consolidate on those achievements. That is why they came to me. I count it as a big honour and therefore the onus is on me to prove to everybody, the PDP family and the nation that under my leadership, Lagos PDP remains one happy, united family.

There are reports a national leader of the party in the Southwest has refused to give you his blessings. How true is that?

I don’t know any personality of such in Lagos who is against my emergence. If anybody tells you that, it is a lie.

Activities are already in top gear for the conduct of the local government election in Lagos.

Do you see your party causing some upset against the APC which is currently in control of the 57 local councils in Lagos?

I can tell you that our local government election in Lagos will come up by August 2016.

Whether they like it or not, it has been approved and we are expecting the letter. It is our target. I can assure you and Lagosians that PDP will get better results in the forthcoming local government election.

40—VANGUARD, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016

Mercedes Benz C-Class: Outstanding mid-size premium sedan T

HE Mercedes Benz C-Class is an outstanding compact luxury sedan, featuring inspiring design and ride comfort like no other in its class. Over the years, the CClass has become the benchmark for luxury compact sedan, setting the pace in comfort, safety, overall performance and innovation.

Despite all these qualities, Mercedes Benz is not relenting in its efforts to make the C-Class maintain its position as a class leader.

The C-Class has many attributes that is hardly found in cars in its class. It might interest you to know that despite being a compact sedan, the C-Class share a lot of features with its ‘big brother’, the S-Class. This has endeared it to many car freaks who know the hidden beauty of the S-Class.

With powerful engines ranging from 2.0 litre to six cylinders, the C-Class is endeared with surplus power to excite even a race driver, yet it ranks among the most of fuel efficient cars in modern day motoring.

Fuel consumption is greatly minimised due to the BlueEFFICIENCY function. This is responsible for shutting down the engine while the vehicle is stationary or in a red traffic light situation. Its powerful four cylinder engine also assures environmental compactibility and diligence as regards fuel consumption. The new C-class has more legroom (due to the longer wheel base) unlike the slightly

Mercedes - Benz C-Class cramped feelings of rear seat passengers in the past, as well as bigger boot space (with a capacity of

480 litres). The C-Class has an intelligent drive system. These intelligent systems actively support

the driver and noticeably relieve the driver’s workload. They help to analyse and monitor the vehi-

cle's environment in order to warn and identify potential dangers.

Other generous safety functions include the attention assist, adaptive brake control system and the blind spot assist, to mention a few.

All C-class models use the company’s tried and true 7-speed automatic transmission.

Other available features in the C-Class include; leather upholstery, ventilated front seats, Audio20-CD with touch-pad, a Burmester audio system, Mercedes’ COMAND infotainment system, navigation, a rearview camera, parallel parking assist, front and rear parking sensors, a head-up display, a Wi-Fi hot spot (requires subscription to Mercedes’ mbrace telematics service), pedestrian and cross traffic detection, a panoramic sunroof, adaptive cruise control, rear wheel drive, active lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring and a hands-free power trunk lid.

All-wheel drive (4Matic) is available in both sedan and coupe models.

All-new Kia Sportage kicks off with safety award

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EMONSTRATING Kia Motors’ ongoing commitment to safety and continuous improvement, the all-new 2017 Kia Sportage has earned the highest designation possible – Top Safety Pick Plus (TSP+) – from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) when equipped with optional front crash prevention. The rating reflects top scores in each of five crashworthiness tests as well as the inte-

gration of driver assistance technologies to aid in crash prevention.

“The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is one of the most recognized and respected organizations in the industry when it comes to evaluating vehicle safety, and as such, the Top Safety Pick Plus designation is a significant achievement,” said Orth Hedrick, vice president, product planning, KMA. “We

are especially proud to have our all-new Sportage earn that TSP+ rating in light of IIHS’ new, more challenging standards, validating

the efforts of our engineers and the priority we place on safety.”

IIHS testing parameters were changed for 2016, requiring each vehicle to earn “good” ratings in five crashworthiness tests – small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side impact, roof strength and head restraints.

Leventis dangles Foton Tunland trucks at customers T

HE Foton auto brand has carved a niche for itself in the automobile world. Though a Chinese brand, Foton has made its marks in all truck segments including the small, medium and large size segments.

Despite being a Chinese brand, Foton competes with Japanese and European trucks in every respect, which has informed its popularity in Nigeria.

Having discovered the qualities of Foton vehicles, Leventis Motors, a leading automobile marketing and distribution company has set up Foton assembly plant in Nigeria with the aim of making it more affordable, available, easier to maintain with availability of spare parts.

One of the Foton trucks models that is being assembled at the Leventis Motors plant in Nigeria is the Tunland one-ton truck, which competes with leading Japanese truck models like Toyota Hilux, Nissan NP200 Pickup, Mitsubishi truck and the Ford Ranger from America.

The Foton Tunland has all it takes to give its competitors a C M Y K

good contest in terms of power, comfort, safety, and roadhandling. It has been described as a workhorse by many of Leventis customers. But Leventis says its goal is to deliver more units of the Foton truck to more customers in Nigeria because of its efficiency, reliability and dependability.

Powered by a 2.4 litre Mitsubishi engine that delivers 134 horsepower and maximum torque of 200Nm, the Tunland can withstand any challenge thrown at it on the road. This powerplant is marched with Aisin Transmission (Japan), one of the best transmission suppliers worldwide, as well as Borg Warner Transfer case (American), also one of the best transfer case suppliers worldwide.

Highest warranty

Coupled with all these, Leventis Motors slammed a three years or 100,000 kilometre warranty on the Tunland to justify the confidence they have in it. This is the highest warranty on any truck

Foton Tunland from Leventis assembly plant model in Nigeria currently.

The Foton Tunland is available in single and double cabins with best in class ground clearance and cargo box. It also comes in 4X2 and 4X4 drive modes with unrivalled load carrying capacity and gross weight. A rugged pickup with attributes of modern saloon car, the Tunland is loaded with an array of features to make every

ride in it memorable and comfortable.

Power windows, air conditioning system, MP3, reversing radar, electrical adjustable rear mirrors, fog lamps and side steps are some of the features of Tunland.

Built to the highest safety level in its class, the Tunland comes with ABS + EBD, front disc and rear drum brakes, for effective

stopping. Dual airbags and seatbelts adds to occupants safety.

To keep the Tunland always on the road, Leventis Motors says it has enough spare parts in all its store nationwide as well as fully equipped workshop with machine shop for overhauling, lightly trained technicians with all approved special tools and machineries.

VANGUARD, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016 — 41

By Theodore Opara

Mr. Kunle Ade Ojo, MD, Toyota Nigeria Ltd poses with the locally-assembled Toyota Hiace which will be presented at the forthcoming Lagos Motor show

Stage set for Lagos Motor Fair •Over 70 OEM from across the world coming

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ITH a good number of the leading automobile brands, spare parts, accessories, lubricants, additives, financials and security gadgets poised to showcase different classes of modern and innovative models, brands and services from their stables, the Lagos Motor Fair is set to kick-off at the Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos on April 28.

Some of the companies that recently confirmed their participation include: Toyota Nigeria Limited, Globe Motors [Mercedes, Hyundai] Briscoe Ford Dana Motors, distributors of Kia brands and Renaults, Leventis Motors, distributors of Volkswagen and Foton truck; and PAN Nigeria, manufactures of Peugeot brand.

According to the head of the organising committee, Mr. Ifeanyi Agwu, the Lagos Motor Fair remains the unparalleled gathering of established brands as well as new entrants, ranging f r o m passenger busses, cars, We have trucks, spare packaged a parts, accessories, show that lubricants, could financials and many more; effectively be adding that the used by the importance of continuously participants staging the and visitors to show cannot be over- maximize the emphasized benefits as all derivable hands must be on from the fair deck to promote and support investments into the sector which he said ‘occupies a strategic position in enhancing the economic development of Nigeria’.

Mr. Agwu said: “As part of our efforts in promoting investment into the automotive sector, all strategies have been deployed to ensure that the fair, more than ever before receives the needed attention from participants, institutional, trade, professional and individual buyers as well as visitors. We have packaged a show that could effectively be used by the participants and visitors to maximize the benefits derivable from the fair.

This edition will bring out all the potentials and investment opportunities that abound in the Nigerian automobile industry, which are very attractive so that C M Y K

the existing and potential stakeholders will utilise the opportunities offered by Lagos Motor Fair and Auto Spare Parts to get the best.

“In our untiring efforts at making the Nigerian auto parts market the hub of the production, distribution and sales of auto parts in West, Central and East Africa with a view to covering the entire continent, we have through the good office of Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture [NACCIMA] extended invitations to trade and professional groups in the sub-sector from different countries and cities within the West and Central Africa regions to visit the Autoparts Expo. So far the interest we are receiving are encouraging”.

With the cooperation of our partners in Turkey, United Arab Emirates, China and India over 70 Original Equipment Manufacturers and Dealers in auto parts and accessories are taking part in this edition which promises to be another remarkable edition. Strategically we are laying emphasis on the Spare Parts sector in this edition.

Development of cottage industries This is as a result of our guided intention to enhance the development of cottage industries in the spare parts sub-sector of the automotive business sector of the economy with the attendant multiplier effects on the economy of the nation. Our target is to attract many reputable Original Equipment Manufacturers of Spare Parts from across the globe to participate in this edition as well as in subsequent ones”.

According to the Chairman of the Organising Committee, “Our intention in bringing them to Lagos which is the hub of automotive business in West Africa is to enable Nigerians and neighbouring West and Central Africans engaged in auto spare business work out rewarding and lasting business relationships with the main companies engaged in the manufacture of auto spare parts. These relationships which can come in the form of sole agencies, distributorship, manufacturers’ representatives amongst others will ultimately boost their businesses.

It would save them the troubles of going abroad to seal such business deals and most importantly it will bring these foreign companies into the country, resulting in increased activities in the sector, more productions and increased products lines and qualities.

42—Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016

“The law applies to projects where government money is involved up to 35 per cent. It encompasses the activities of joint ventures of oil companies and others. In line with this principle, the violation of any section of the Public Procurement Act is criminal. By extension, if we stretch the interpretation of the Act, the federal, state and local governments must comply with the provisions of the Act. “This is because they receive more than 35 per cent of their revenue from the federal government. If the provisions of the Public Procurement Act are complied with, I believe that governments across board will save up to 70 per cent of their expenditure for capital projects.

Government expenditure

Construction site

Corruption in public procurement:

Stakeholder calls for overhaul of BPP Stories by Kingsley Adegboye

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GAINST the backdrop of alleged corruption in the public procurement system in Nigeria, the principal partner of Etudo & Co, a Lagos-based firm of estate surveyors and valuers, Ebube Etudo, a chief, has called for a total overhaul of the Bureau of Public Procurement, BPP. Etudo who spoke to a select media in his Igbosere office, Lagos Island at weekend, said the principle of public procurement says that it must be open, competitive and transparent in order to get the best in terms of quality and price, adding that the Act requires that any firm bidding for a government job must be PensionCom compliant, it must not be newly registered company, it must not evade taxes and must not owe salaries.

Stipulated requirements But according to him, the handlers of public procurement do not adhere strictly to the stipulated requirements which makes the system not transparent, open and competitive.

Disclosing that not up to 30 per cent of the country’s procurements are concluded annually, Etudo & Co boss said if the procurement entity and the government fail to do the right thing, his company will make the issue public as it has more than enough evidence to substantiate its case, explained how he got involved in public procurement.

According to him, “I got interested in 2010 when I read an advertisement for a job by a government agency. I discovered

that my firm could not participate, even though we were qualified in terms of experience and competence. What happened was that we weren’t compliant in other areas.

“As somebody who believes in total compliance, I got interested and saw the public Procurement Act as a water tight legislation that

will help Nigeria to grow the economy if we fully comply to its principles. The section 16 of the Act spells out some fundamental principles guiding public procurement including openness, equity, fit for purpose, transparency and competitiveness to give value for money.

“If we adhere strictly to the principles of the Public Procurement Act fully, we should be able to save up to 80 per cent of government expenditure going by the extent of violations in Nigeria. It has the capacity to create more jobs for citizens as well as reduce the cost of goods and services for government and it opens the field for everybody to participate.

“We fail to see any justice in a system that allows any firm that has not fulfilled the requirements

of the law to compete for government jobs with firms that have complied with the law.

Unfortunately, the Bureau of Public Procurement with due respect, is aiding and abetting corruption as its officials collude with procuring entities to tailor jobs to preferred bidders. We’ve had occasions where our bid envelops were surreptitiously opened to steal our figures” Etudo lamented.

On the way out, he insisted that the BPP should be completely overhauled while there is need to create enough awareness to make majority of Nigerians be aware of the provisions of the Act, emphasising that “It is important that we make Nigerians know about the Act as this will go a long way in helping to ensure high level of compliance. If everybody becomes aware of the provisions, the possibility of joining the crusade will be easier.

“It is a fight all Nigerians must participate in to enthrone accountability and eliminate corruption in our body polity. As we speak nothing has changed, the fight against corruption must be total and the public procurement act is a veritable tool to fight this menace. Corruption is pervasive in our society because we lack the political will to fight the menace forgetting that the architecture of corruption is very weak and it crumbles with minimal force”, he stated.

De veloper laments ef sh economy on real es Developer efffect of har harsh esttate mar markket

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HE Nigerian real estate market has been hampered by the general lull in the nation’s economy with most operators now struggling to remain in business.

Disclosing this at a media parley in Lagos penultimate weekend ago, Mr. Omo Aisagbonhi, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of OMAIS Investment Group, developers and owners of Trinity Mall, Awolowo Way, Ikeja, said the harsh economic situation has become so critical that the concern of most Nigerians today is how to get food to eat and be well but not how to buy property either for investment or to be occupied by them.

According to OMAIS boss, lack of liquidity and harsh economy climate as being currently experienced in the country have made many property investors to be struggling for survival now, while would-be house owners, property retailers, renters, and others are not considering investing in properties, pointing out that banks are not helping matters as cash crunch continues to bite harder by the day.

Lamenting the situation, Aisagbonhi noted that “Banks have refused to lend to real estate investors while the nation’s foreign exchange is dancing naked. As I speak, this

Multiple taxation is another area that the government needs to address quickly, if it really hopes to divest the economy from being oil dependent is no smiling moment for real estate investors. We are all struggling to survive, and it seems the nation itself is trying to survive. As a nation, we are yet to have a clear direction of where we are going. Nigerians have drastically reduced their

spending and investments in real estate. “The disposition of the government to many of these things has not been encouraging to property investors, especially with some of the policies which have done more harm than good for the real estate sector. The asperity of some of the government policies, especially regarding the importation of certain items into the country, has led to a situation whereby investors now take to smuggling or telling lies in order to get some of such goods into the country.

This has led to the enrichment of neighbouring countries like Benin Republic and Togo at the expense of Nigeria.

Policies and bureaucracy “In other parts of the world, the governments encourage people to have their own houses, but in Nigeria, the government seems to be discouraging would-be house owners through some of its policies and bureaucracy, many of which are continuously getting more difficult to meet.

“Multiple taxation is another

area that the government needs to address quickly, if it really hopes to divest the economy from being oil dependent, and turning it into a country which makes huge revenue from the real estate sector.

“Multiple taxation is still another issue affecting real estate, and it has the potential to destroy any business, especially the low and medium- size businesses. To prevent this from happening, the government needs to find means of ensuring that the idea of multiple taxation becomes a thing of the past,” he said.

“Let the government come up with more real estate-friendly policies which will make land cheap, obtaining of titles and other necessary land documents less cumbersome, as well as putting structures in place that will make banks grant mortgage loans with single digit interest rates to real estate investors. Government has no business in building houses for its citizens. It should create the enabling environment for developers to build”, Aisagbonhi stated.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016 —43

of the road is under the third phase of t h e reconstruction of the entire expressway which begins from Cele down to the end of Oshodi, said whatever his Agency is doing now, is temporary because the •Failed portion of Berliet busstop on Oshodi-Apapa expressway portion will b e reconstructed FAILED APAPA-OSHODI EXPRESSWAY: from the 2016 budget when it is eventually passed. The F E R M A official noted that his Agency has been

By Kingsley Adegboye intervening on the expressway even before HE failed Berliet portion of the the idea of reconstructing the entire stretch Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, of the Apapa/Oshodi Expressway was worsened, last week, with no fewer than muted. According to him, the Agency in a five heavy duty truck falling at different bid to make the road usable, had carried points along the road and creating serious boulders and stone base materials to the traffic gridlock for Oshodi-bound vehicles bad spots for palliative repairs. between Saturday and Tuesday.

He gave reasons why the bad portions Indeed, the situation has been a have continued to remain deplorable. nightmare for commuters caught between According to him, the miscreants on the Cele Bus Stop and Ilasamaja, due to the road have continued to sabotage the efforts “go-slow” which has become a daily of the government to bring succour to occurrence on account of the deep craters commuters who make use of the road by that have taken over several portions of carrying out the needed maintenance on the ever-busy dual carriageway. the road, but the miscreants who want to The traffic gridlock on this axis usually perpetuate evil on the road, usually dig starts after Cele Bus Stop where the gullies and widen the existing ones in a second phase of the reconstruction of the bid to slow down vehicles in order to expressway stopped. The worst affected perpetuate their evil plans. area is between Berliet and Ilasamaja He also blamed the situation on which has developed deep gullies and vulcanizers who throw old tyres in the craters. The scenario becomes very terrible drains and road side petty traders who whenever it rains. discard their waste in the drains thereby On such days, traffic will stretch from causing the drains to be blocked, arguing Ijesha to Ilasamaja. Apart from the that the rain water is supposed to be gridlock, trailer and truck drivers who are channelled through the drainage channel not familiar with the bad portions often is forced onto the expressway because of find their vehicles the blocked drains. falling on the road

FG, LASG shun motorists’ entreaties

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thereby worsening the situation of the road.

Va n g u a r d investigation revealed that the normal palliative FERMA works being carried out by the Federal has been Roads Maintenance carrying Agency FERMA annually, were not out routine carried out before the maintenance rainy season. It was also learnt that the on those quantity of granite spots by available for the palliative measure applying carried out by boulders FERMA on Tuesday was not enough to and stone cover the failed base portions. materials FERMA Engineer in charge of Lagos West which comprises Oshodi/Apapa Expressway, Kehinde Afolabi, said FERMA could not commence the palliative efforts due to paucity of funds to the Agency, pointing out however, that the Agency carried out temporary works of spreading granite on the dangerous portions of the road and clearing of the drains for free flow of traffic.

Afolabi, who noted that the failed portion C M Y K

Routine maintenance “FERMA has been carrying out routine maintenance on those spots by applying boulders and stone base materials as well as cleaning of drainage channels and culverts around Berliet and Ilasamaja. This is still ongoing before permanent reinstatement of the expressway by the Federal Government.

The problem with that part of the road is that it is the low point of the road. This explains why that part of the dual carriageway is usually flooded whenever it rains. However, to worsen the situation, vulcanizers will throw old tyres into the drains while road side petty traders will discard their waste into the drains thereby blocking the drains”, the FERMA official noted.

Meantime, the pledge by Lagos state government to fix the failed section of the road has not been fulfilled. It will be recalled that the state government some time last month through its Public Works Corporation pledged to fix the failed portion of the road starting from this month (April).

LSPWC Special Adviser/Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ayotunde Sodeinde, said the Corporation had already started extensive repairs works on Lagos-Badagry Expressway.

44—Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016

Why banana is good for you

By Gabriel Olawale

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RE bananas really too high in natural sugars to be part of a healthy diet? No. Eating bananas becomes risky only if you eat too many. About two bananas a day are okay.

A diet rich in produce—including bananas—can help you lose and maintain a healthy weight.

Fruit provides relatively few calories from its volume, thanks in part to its high water and fibre content. Not only are those who eat plant-based diets thinner they have reduced risks for most chronic disease, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

When it comes to the glycemic index of bananas, all fruit is rich in fructose, which is digested and absorbed slowly by the liver as opposed to other sugars that are metabolized through the small intestine.

In fact, because bananas provide equal amounts of glucose and fructose and a small amount of sucrose, they have a low-to-moderate glycemic index of 51, which is the same as many other fruits like grapes, pineapple and mangoes.

A medium banana (7 to 8

inches long) has 110 calories and provides 30 grammes of carborhydrates, 3 grammes fibre and has 13 percent potassium and 15 percent of each, vitamin C and manganese.

As a general rule, half of a medium-sized banana or 1 small banana (4 to 5 inches long) is recommended as a serving. When you eat that portion size, bananas are es-

sentially equivalent to any other piece of fruit in terms of calories and carbs.

The unripe fruit also contain resistant starch, a type of carb that your body can’t digest so it doesn’t contribute any calories and acts as a prebiotic.

Prebiotics help boost the amount of probiotics in the gastrointestinal tract. The resistant start and fiber in ba-

nanas help to fill you up and not out. (The greener the banana, the more resistant starch it contains) In addition, smelling bananas has been shown to be a natural appetitesuppressant, so be sure to take in their aroma before eating them.

Bananas are a dieter’s friend and a nutrient-rich fruit that should be part of any diet.

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HE spate of drug abuse, poor diagnosis and lack of access to quality healthcare among Nigerians leave much to be desired. Today, it is no longer news that most Nigerian youths have taken to drug addiction while self medications have become the order of the day in almost every home. Experts say these have resulted to untimely deaths of individuals and severe

F you diligently brush your teeth the recommended two or more times per day, you’ll likely skip out of the dentist’s office cavity-free. But, unfortunately, your dentition might be sparkling at a cost to both you and the environment.

Many big-brand toothpastes contain some nasty and potentially harmful ingredients and you need to beware.

Don’t stop brushing your teeth or give up on toothpaste— but start reading the labels!

Memorize these four ingredients, and look out for them on your medicine cabinet for worry-free brushing.

Triclosan is an antiseptic additive that’s sometimes used in toothpaste to help prevent gingivitis (it shows up in most antibacterial soaps, too). While the FDA has approved its use, stating that there isn’t enough evidence against it, the antitriclosan case has been growing steadily. The widespread usage of triclosan may actually be contributing to bacterial resistance to antibiotics.

Bananas are good for health.

Microbeads

medical complications in many.

Worse still, the non availability of health information has almost made it impossible to prevent even the commonest disease.

However, in what seems like a rescue mission to improve the quality of health care in Nigeria by working within the core principles of primary health care as recommended by the World Health Organisation, Invivo Health & Beauty stores has introduced a one-stop destination

for all health and beauty needs with over 10,000 Nigerians treated free of charge within one year in its stores located in Lagos, Abuja and Ibadan.

Speaking during a tour of its facilities in Lagos and Ibadan, the Director, Mr. John Onyeoguzoro,said plans are on to have 500 stores across Nigeria in order to treat 500,000 Nigerians free of charge annually.

“Already two more outlets are

Health is one of the basic rights of life, but unfortunately a lot of Nigerians don’t have access to it

One of the INVIVO health facility outlets in Ibadan, Oyo State.

C M Y K

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Triclosan

FREE HEALTH: Invivo spearheads plan to reach 5,000 annually

By Chioma Obinna

4 toothpaste ingredients to beware of

currently in the pipeline and these will run a pharmacy and treatment room with a resident doctor offering free consultations on daily basis.”

Onyeoguzoro noted that Invivo, a subsidiary of Smartmark

Limited, was established to address social problems such as lack of easy access to primary healthcare; the menace of counterfeit and fake dugs; self-medication; and lack of early diagnosis of potentially fatal disease conditions.

In line with the company’s objectives led by the founder and social entrepreneur, Mr. Yakubu Gobir, Invivo is determined as a patient-centred and health focused business, to support the government towards achieving its primary healthcare goals.

He said the free check facility in all INVIVO stores allows patients to walk-in; get their vitals checked and a resident doctor or nurse to consult free of charge.

“Health is one of the basic rights of life, but unfortunately a lot of Nigerians don’t have access to it.”

The organisation is managed by seasoned individuals who have spent years in the pharmaceutical sector and understands where gaps exist and to offer solutions.

During the facility tour, Dr. Funto Ogundapo said the clinic collaborates with Ibadan South West Local Government Primary Health Care Department to pro-

Continues on Page 45

As tiny plastic beads in body washes, now microbeads are also showing up in toothpaste.

Less than a millimeter thick, they’re added to some toothpastes for superior scrubbing power. The good news is that they’re nontoxic but the problem occurs when they enter the water system.

FD&C Blue 1

The Environmental Working Group says that FD&C Blue 1 is a synthetic dye produced from petroleum, which can accumulate in the body over time.

Scientists aren’t sure what risks this particular colorant poses, but food dyes in general are potentially linked to allergies, ADHD, and cancer, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)

It’s a foaming agent seen in shampoos, but beyond making our mouths sudsy, it doesn’t serve much purpose. It does not cause cancer, and it is not suspected to be a long-term health or environmental toxin either. Studies have found SLS can irritate the soft tissue in the mouth, and it will definitely inflame them and keep them from healing once they’ve appeared.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016—45

AGONY OF A BEREAVED HUSBAND:

How my wife died at LUTH

By Sola Ogundipe, Chioma Obinna & Gabriel Olawale

Continued from yesterday

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S soon as we got into the ward, I knew that the first thing she was going to need was a fan. It was hot because there was no power and the ventilation was poor. I had to borrow a fan from another patient pending when I could get one for her, because that is the norm in the wards. Anyone that is there who needs comfort must buy a rechargeable fan.

Further, Ausbeth said the practice of first asking for the card of a patient brought to emergency ward, and insisting on payment should be changed.

He said sending relatives to go and buy drugs before attending to patients should also stop because if the relative does not return on time, vital time to save the patient could be lost.

“Government should pay the doctor well and sanction any doctor that engage in running another separate private hospital.

Until the day there is legislation that no government official should travel abroad for medical treatment, our hospitals will not work.

The happiness that I used to get from my wife is gone. She was my jewel of inestimable value, an epitome of beauty on the outside and on the inside. She radiated peace and joy and had a nickname for any one she encountered.

This house is already in darkness as a result of her death. She came into marriage with a concept that marriage

The late Mrs. Ngozi Udebu

I want justice. There should be proper investigation about how she died and those that are culpable should be brought to book

is meant for two imperfect people, trying to make each other perfect.

I never saw any danger at all. When I stayed with her for those two days, I never saw death coming. If I had seen it coming, perhaps I would have taken measures but perhaps that's how God destined it She was born September 12, 1970, and would have been 46 this year. We were married on February 2, 2001, at St. Dominic's Church. So we had a good marriage. The void that has been created can never be filled.

A better part of me has been killed, there are no two ways about that. I don't even know how I am going to survive without her because she was not just a wife.

She was a supporter, the pillar, and a helper. She was pragmatic. If there are certain things that would make me sleepless and by the next morning she would have taken care of it. That is the kind of person she was. She had no limit of what a wife can do in the house.

She would borrow and do all she could to make sure that I do not enter into wrong thoughts about how to solve one problem or the other. She was something else.

She was a teacher at St. Finbarr's College, Akoka, and her records show that she has always been a high flier.

Complaint

I made my complaint to the ward first and instructed my lawyer to write to the authorities officially of my complaint so they explain.

They asked me to give them five days to respond. I expect that the response is going to be a holistic medical revolution. The government must play its own part and afterwards insist on what they want from the doctors.

A doctor cannot be running his own

private clinic and at the same time work for government. It is completely unacceptable. They should pay them what their colleagues earn anywhere in the world, and demand full delivery. Every place must be made in such a way that life must be sustained.

Call for justice “I want justice. There should be proper investigation about how she died and those that are culpable should be called to book. The authorities also should make sure that any equipment that has to do with life must be at the peak. We do not want to see LUTH using oxygen equipment that were used 30 to 40 years ago.

“If they had put my wife on oxygen with electronic equipment, the sound of the beep would have told them when there was malfunction and they would know when to take action. Cameras should be installed so that when things like this happen, there can be proper investigation.

That is my appeal.

Free health for 5,000 annually Continued from Page 44 vide free immunisation for children aged 0-59months and offer vaccination for Hepatitis B at a reduced price.

Ogundapo hinted that the clinic is into preventive health promotion services and awareness.

“Reproductive, maternal and child services are also available with counselling and information are given on family planning and contraceptive use. Body mass index calculation and weight management counselling are also given with subsequent follow-up of high risk obesity patients for cardiovascular risk assessment for all customers.”

COMMON SEXUAL PROBLEMS AND THEIR NOVELTY BASED SOLUTIONS (ADVERTORIAL)

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ELLO everybody. It is that time of the year again when we bring you new adult love products capable of significantly improving our love lives. Today’s products for discussion are predominantly for women. It is no secret that the majority of our weekly discussions center around male performance problems, mainly because majority of our emails are from men.

But very often, women complain about a lack of sexual desire or libido and the inability to enjoy intercourse as well. There are many reasons for this from hormonal problems to psychological problems brought about by stress, family and work related issues. The good news however is that there are solutions to these problems one of which is the supplement Velextra for Women. If you are a woman who struggles to get in the mood, enjoy intercourse and get adequately lubricated during intercourse, Velextra for Women will help you greatly.

It is taken every two to three days, starts working in less than an hour. It is also a food supplement and as a result, it is body friendly and easily processed by the body as well. Remember the name Velextra for Women. It is a very good for women of all ages.

And still on the subject of female sexual enjoyment, there was a time it was believed that ‘some’ women needed vibrators to enhance their love lives. Today we have learned that all women need vibrators. Try as he might, a man will never match a woman’s basic sexual needs. It is either the sex is too brief or that what men do hardly satisfies their women. So in the spirit of meeting women’s sexual needs, we will be introducing three new vibrators today. They are the Ovo K1 Silicone Rabbit vibrator, the Ovo F2 Waterproof vibrator and the Vibrating 9 inch Dong with Balls. The Ovo series of vibrators are very sophisticated and yet simple, durable and effective with a long term warrantee. The Vibrating 9 inch Dong with Balls on the other hand is realistic, huge and capable of going all the way. Any of these vibrators will be of great help to the user and help banish the idea of sexual dissatisfaction.

C M Y K

Last but not the least for today are new adult feature films that men and women can enjoy. Sometimes, when we don’t get aroused, it is not that we are ill or that we have a major problem. Sometimes we just need a little inspiration to help refocus the mind on love matters and adult movies do this very well. The films Dinner Party and Desperate House Wives Confessions will leave the average adult entertained, excited and ready for love.

We will discuss more new products next week. Let us answer a few questions from our readers.

I need a mild erection enhancer that can give me a functional erection. I am 61, hypertensive and I struggle to get an erection. I still desire sex and I have not given up on my sex life – Chike A good and gentle aphrodisiac would be Man Up Now. Take one to two capsules of Man Up Now as instructed and it will give you good erection, staying power and multiple rounds too – Uche I have been using your Extenze Maximum Strength penis enlarger since the beginning of September and by my last measurement over the weekend, I have grown an extra inch in length. I also feel fuller and I am so excited – Edward That is great Edward. Keep up the therapy and you will grow even longer. Combine it with a penis pump and you can get three to four inches in extra length within the next three months – Uche I called you last week about my problem of painful sex and the Mood Sensitive lubricant you recommended really really helped me. I just wanted to say thank you and good job – Chinaza You are welcome – Uche That’s all for today. Adults in need of these treatments/ novelties can now call us now on 08171912551, 08027901621 or 07086754515 for help or visit www.zeevirtualmedia.com to place their orders. Zee Virtual Media delivers all over Nigeria. For enquiries email us at custserv@zeevirtualmedia.com- Uche Edochie, MD, Zee Virtual Media.

46— VANGUARD, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016

Libya’s new govt moves into Tripoli T

•Anti-government demonstrators celebrate a vote for the impeachment of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff as they watch the session of Brazil’s Lower House on a big screen in Rio de Janeiro. Photo: REUTERS

Drama in Brazil as Congress votes to impeach president

ROOPS in balaclavas guard the gate and foreign diplomats arrive daily with offers of aid at Tripoli’s Abusita naval base, where Libya’s new U.N.backed government has begun trying to bring a chaotic country under its control.

Even just beyond Abusita’s well-guarded walls, though, Tripoli is not always a welcoming city.

Since they arrived by ship last month after attempts to fly into Tripoli were blocked, Prime Minister Fayez Seraj and his deputies have edged cautiously into a capital still controlled by a mosaic of armed brigades.

Seraj is under huge pressure from Libyans

•Pro, anti-impeachment protesters gather in capital

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RAZILIAN legislators have voted in favour of impeaching President Dilma Rousseff after a contest that has deeply divided the country and could end more than a decade of left-wing rule.

Tens of thousands of pro and anti-impeachment protesters gathered in the capital Brasilia and other cities to watch the dramatic vote, which was shown live on national television on Sunday.

The impeachment motion will now go to the Senate which will vote, probably in May, on whether to open a trial.

If the Senate votes by a simple majority to go ahead with the impeachment, Rousseff, 68, would be suspended from her post and be replaced by Vice President Michel Temer as acting president, pending a trial.

Temer would serve out Rousseff’s term until 2018 if she were found guilty.

The impeachment battle,

which comes during Brazil’s worst recession since the 1930s, has divided the country of 200 million people more deeply than at any time since the end of its

HE US is to send 200 extra troops to Iraq to help fight so-called Islamic State (IS), officials say.

The deployment will increase the number of US personnel in Iraq to about 4,100.

Alongside the additional troops, Apache attack helicopters will be deployed for the first time against IS in Iraq.

US Defence Secretary Ash Carter made the announcement during an unannounced visit to Baghdad, where he met with US military officials and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

The US also plans to give Kurdish Peshmerga forces, which are fighting IS on the ground, more C M Y K

buildings in Tripoli, he said.

Others remain under the control of various semiofficial armed groups whose loyalty is often uncertain.

Seraj’s U.N.-backed government is an attempt to bring together an alliance that took over Tripoli in 2014 to form its own self-declared government, and an eastern administration set up by the recognised parliament in the far east of the country.

Meanwhile, France, Italy and Spain urged their European partners on Monday to move the EU’s Mediterranean naval mission into Libyan waters, if requested by a new government in Tripoli, to stop a new tide of migrants and uphold a U.N. arms embargo.

military dictatorship in 1985. The 513 legislators voted one by one, all of them given 30 seconds to speak before casting their ballots.

Syrian opposition asks U.N to halt peace talks

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HE mainstream Syrian opposition asked the United Nations to halt peace talks on Monday and rebel groups launched a new offensive against government forces, accusing the world body of bias in favour of President Bashar alAssad.

The opposition’s coordinator at the Geneva talks, Riad Hijab, said earlier it was unacceptable for talks to go on if the government and its allies pushed on with sieges and bombing civilian areas, echoing recent criticism of government offensives elsewhere.

Only three delegates met U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura for talks on Monday,

instead of the usual 15, after a letter signed by unspecified “armed revolutionary factions” said de Mistura and the government were trying to put forward “halfsolutions”.

“We asked for the postponement of talks, only a postponement until the conditions are right,” Mohammad al Aboud, a member of the negotiating team, told Reuters.

The Western-backed opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) later confirmed the decision in a statement, saying a pause would be “a chance ... to respond to the core subject of forming a governing body that has no role for Assad”.

ISIS: US to send extra troops to Iraq

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impatient to put insecurity and economic uncertainty behind them, after years of fighting among rival units of former rebels who vied for power after the 2011 fall of Muammar Gaddafi.

Western allies are also keen for a stable Libyan partner to help them contain the growing reach of Islamic State militants and block the flow of illegal migrants across the Mediterranean.

“We will start operating and working once we see things are settled and we are not creating any bloodshed,” Ahmed Maiteeg, a deputy prime minister of the Government of National Accord (GNA), told Reuters.

The GNA has secured at least six ministerial

than $400m (£280m; •350m) in assistance.

Co-operation between the two forces was evident on Monday when Kurdish officials said they had killed a senior IS commander in the south of Mosul in a joint raid with US special forces.

According to the officials,

the operation in Hamam Alil resulted in the death of Salman Abu Shabib alJebouri, a leading member of the IS military council, and two of his aides.

Most of the additional 200 US troops will be special forces, according to the Associated Press.

Arabic speaker told to leave US plane said he was talking to his

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N Iraqi university student in California says he was escorted off a Southwest Airlines flight for having a conversation in Arabic.

Southwest Airlines said that Khairuldeen Makhzoomi was removed from a 9 April flight before it took off. Mr Makhzoomi

uncle on the phone about attending a speech by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.

A Southwest employee then escorted him off of the plane.

“I was very excited about the event, so I called my uncle to tell him about it,” Mr Makhzoomi told the New York Times.

R-L: British Foreign Secretary, Philip Hammond being welcomed by Libya’s Prime Minister-designate, Fayez Sarraj yesterday in Tripoli where the UK pledged £10m in funding for the new government. (Inset) A Libyan soldier waving his country's flag in the capital while others celebrate emergence of the new government

Ethiopia sends army to rescue abducted operation with South women, children Sudan. Mr Hailemariam

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THIOPIA’S army is trying to rescue 108 women and children abducted in a crossborder raid in the western Gambella region, the government says.

It blamed Friday’s raid, in which 208 people died, on the Murle community from neighbouring South Sudan.

The government said the army has killed 60 of those who carried out the attack.

The Murle have previously been accused of carrying out cattle raids and stealing children to raise as their own. Prime Minister Haile-mariam Desalegn said in an address to the

nation on Sunday that Ethiopia was seeking permission to cross the border for a joint military

said neither South Sudan’s army nor rebel forces were involved in Friday’s attack.

Pistorious for be sentencing after the country’s top court June ruled in March that he had

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ISGRACED Paralympic gold medallist Oscar Pistorius will be sentenced in June for the 2013 murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steen-kamp, after his original conviction was upgraded from the lesser charge of manslaughter.

Pistorius, 29, known as “Blade Runner” for the carbon fibre prosthetic blades he used to race, faces a minimum 15-year jail sentence and cannot appeal

exhausted all his legal options. Dressed in a black suit, he showed no signs of emotion during the brief court appearance and spoke on his cellphone as he left the court.

He denies killing Steenkamp, saying he mistook her for an intruder at his home.

“The matter is postponed to the 13th of June 2016, High Court Judge Aubrey Ledwaba said of the final sentencing. “It will be heard until the 17th of June 2016.”

UN Ambassador’s car kills boy in Cameron

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.N. Ambassador Samantha Power’s trip to Cameroon’s front lines in the war against Boko Haram started horrifically Monday as an armored jeep in her motorcade struck and killed a young boy who darted into the

road.

The incident occurred near the small city of Moloko, in northern Cameroon, where Power, her aides and accompanying journalists were headed to meet refugees and others

displaced by the years of brutal attacks across West Africa.

All those meetings included small children.

Power said she learned of the death with “great sorrow.”

Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016 — 47

Zenith Bank WBL: First Bank too good for Hurricanes

Enyimba, Bassey in tough CAF Champions League assignments N a strange mid our to re establish our I week return fixtures superiority before their of the CAF Champions League, Nigerian Champion Enyimba is set for what may turn out to be a do or die confrontation tomorrow in Sousse, about 150 kilometres from the Tunisian Capital! despite a convincing 3-0 victory back home in Nigeria.

Already in Tunis for the top of the bill confrontation that will be handled by Moroccan officials with Sinko Zeli of Cote D’ivoire as Match Commissioner, the Nigerians are confident of holding on to their impressive 3-0 lead.

The Tunisian media has applauded CAF for the appointment of the Moroccan referees who they consider as “ justice” in reference to the Togolese officials that handled the first leg match.

They are however wondering why a West African has been appointed a match Commissioner same as Alhaji Jawula of Ghana who handled the first leg match No stranger to the vociferous support expected from Etoile Sportive du Sahel supporters in Sousse, the club Chairman Felix Anyansi told the media before departure that they were ready for the worst. “...we have trained under floodlight and on artificial turf, we are ready for a capacity and sometimes unfriendly crowd. We will not be intimidated. The three goals we scored back home cannot be disputed and we will endeav-

Serena Continues from B/Page

The event has been held for a number of years at the tennis star’s home in Florida, and several of her friends and family joined her for the 80s-themed celebrations during the course of the weekend.

Williams’ rivals will look to plot her downfall ahead of her title defence at Roland Garros in just over a month, but the 21-time Grand Slam singles champion looked more preoccupied with defeating the might of Skeletor on Sunday night.

vey own fans.

In another development , respected CAF and FIFA Match Commissioner Paul Bassey is in Algeria to superintendent over what is expected to be an explosive return leg match between Mouloudia Olympic Bejaaia of Algeria and Zamalek of Egypt.

The North African derby will have Tunisian referees headed by Youssef Essrayi.

While flying out aboard Emirate Airlines from Abuja last Friday, Bassey modestly contested the view that he was specifically picked for the match by CAF considering its high risk nature. “......No. I know it will be tough, with Mouloudia hoping to overturn a two goal deficit, but don’t forget that at this stage all the matches are considered tough being the last matches that will guarantee qualification to the group stage “ The Akwa United Chairman said.

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*Goal mouth action during the first leg of the CAF Champions League match between Enyimba of Nigeria and Etoile du Sahel of Tunisia. The match ended 3-0 in favour of Enyimba. Second leg comes up tomorrow in Sousse.

CAF C/L Final Eight to be determined tomorrow over Tuesday and Enyimba in the first leg.

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HE CAF Champi ons League (CCL) will be narrowed down to the final eight clubs this midweek when the return leg matches of the second round are staged

NFF mourns former Board member, Olaiya

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HE Nigeria Foot ball Federation has expressed shock and sorrow at the death on Friday of a former member of then NFA Board, Dr. Thomas Adeleke Olaiya.

Olaiya, a former president of the Nigeria School Sports Federation, was a member of then NFA Board under the leadership of Brigadier –General Dominic Williams was denied victory in the Australian Open at the beginning of the year, as Angelique Kerber overcame her in three sets but the star’s tribute to the comic-book character suggests she is ready to fight back.

Williams wore HeMan’s iconic outfit with an orange wig as she took to Instagram to share a photo of her looking mean and ready to defend her realm against evil forces alongside the 27-yearold Haynes, who is best known for his Jackson Whittemore role in MTV’s supernatural drama series Teen Wolf.

Oneya (rtd), as a representative of inter –collegiate sports. “We are very sad to hear about the death of Dr. Olaiya, moreso when it was only recently that he buried his dear wife. The NFF and the Nigeria football family feel the pain and grief of the children and close family members at this time,” said NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi.

Amokachi Continues from B/Page

Hercules in the Finnish second division, Nigeria’s failure to qualify for Gabon 2017 was due to players’ inability to adjust their mentality when on international duty.

And he is keen for everyone to remain grounded and warned that there is still a lot of hard work to be done to reach the demanded levels. “The players when they return to play in Africa on international duty forget to switch [mentally],” Amokachi told Fifa.com.

“It’s something that we kind of struggle with – not only as Nigerians,

Wednesday.

This represents the first time that CAF club matches have been scheduled for a midweek, with the only other times that games have been played outside of a Friday, Saturday or Sunday due to a postponement because of bad weather or other logistical problems.

This midweek’s matches see several big names in trouble, including defending champions TP Mazembe, who find themselves 2-0 down ahead of hosting Wydad Casablanca in Lubumbashi on Wednesday afternoon. Reigning Confederation Cup champions Etoile du Sahel look set to ‘drop’ back into that competition after losing 3-0 away to Nigeria’s

but as Africans.

“You play in Europe and everything you get is professional from A-Z and then when you come to Africa, the likes of transportation and accommodation can seem a distraction.

“The players forget to switch to being an African when they come back and that always makes them perform less than what they do at club level. I’m sure that has contributed to Nigeria not making it to back-toback championships.

“Not qualifying for the tournament is not good enough for a country like Nigeria, but that’s football. It makes you sit up and say: ‘We have a lot of work that needs to be done,” he concluded.

The Tunisians will need a stunning result at home at the Olympic Stadium in Sousse on Wednesday to continue in the ‘premier’ tournament.

Tuesday’s action sees Zesco United looking to wrap up progression as they host Stade Malien.

The Zambians claimed an impressive 3-1 away win in the first leg in Bamako and will be confident of adding to their advantage in Ndola.

Giwa Continues from B/Page

backward.

The former minister who expressed pain over the ongoing Chris Giwaengineered crisis in Nigerian football, said the group was putting spanners in the country ’s wheel of progress. The former minister does not foresee the country’s return to her pride of place among the comity of football playing nations soon, if the present crisis was allowed to persist.

Anyansi Continues from B/Page

ly. We are going to work round them and be one of the teams in the group stage of the competition,” he added.

The reigning Nigeria champions took a giant leap towards appearing at the lucrative group stage of the competition for the first time since 2011 thanks to a hattrick from on-form for-

ARABA Hurri canes Basketball Club got more than they bargained for in the ongoing Zenith Bank Women Basketball League as they were beaten yesterday roundly 104-17, by their more illustrious opponents, First Bank Basketball Club of Lagos in Asaba, Delta State.

First Bank, who are yet to lose a game since the first phase in Abuja, were at their best as they took control of the match from start to finish. The Elephant Girls, as First Bank are called by their teeming fans, showed better understanding and tore apart the hapless ladies from Taraba.

In other games played at the same venue yesterday, champions, Dolphins defeated AHIP 7754while Immigration defeated Oluyole Babes 38-36 in a low scoring game that could have gone either way. FCT Angels beat Nasarawa Amazons 38-28 to record another victory. First Bank’s coach, Peter Ahmedu noted that the latest victory was a testimony to the good work put in by the coaching crew and the players.

Coach Ochuko Okorogun of Dolphins stated that it is difficult to run over teams as most of them have become better, putting up splendid performances in Asaba.

Ka’Oje called on the Nigerian football fraternity to isolate the group if they want to continue to drag Nigerian football to the dark ages and bring shame to the country.

“The court case is bad.

They should not have gone there in the first place as FIFA frowns at football matters being taken to civil courts.”

He said the consequence of the court action will portend a difficult period for the country’s football which has a rich and robust history. ward Mfon Udoh.

Enyimba, champions in 2003 and 2004, are the only surviving Nigerian side in the continental club championship and travel to Sousse to face Etoile in the return leg tomorrow.

The winner qualifies to the group stage of the premier continental club championship with the loser dropping to the second-tier CAF Confederation Cup.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2016

Anyansi warns Enyimba:

It is not over yet E

AFCON FAILURE:

*Anyansi-Agwu

Amokachi berates Eagles F

*Amokachi

ORMER international Daniel Amokachi has expressed pain over the non-qualification of the Super Eagles to the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.

The three-time African champions were denied a place in the next edition of the biennial Africa football showpiece after tumbling to Egypt in Alexandria.

According to ‘the Bull’ who now manages JS Continues on page 47

Isolate Giwa –Ka’Oje tells football stakeholders

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ORMER Sports Minister, Bala Ka’Oje has lambasted Chris Giwa group, which parades itself as the

duly elected board of the Nigeria Football Federation, saying they are taking Nigeria football Continues on page 47

T OD AY'S PUZZLE ODA

NYIMBA chairman Felix AnyansiAgwu has sounded a loud warning to his players and technical crew that in spite of a 3-0 first leg win over Etoile du Sahel of Tunisia, much work still has to be done to pick the lucrative group stage ticket.

“We are happy that we won the first leg but the job is not done yet. We

still have 90 minutes to battle out in Sousse (Tunisia) for the ticket. We are not celebrating just yet until we return from Tunisia,” Anyansi said.

“Football is very unpredictable so we are going to approach the second leg as if it is a final.

Who says we can’t concede three goals if we fail to prepare adequate Continues on page 47

Serena dresses as He-Man

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ERENA Williams has shown superhuman powers in remaining at the pinnacle of women’s tennis during a career that has spanned over two decades, and the American may have just revealed her inspiration.

The reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion dressed as HeMan as she partied at the seventh annual Williams Invitational in good spirits alongside actor and model Colton Haynes.

Continues on page 47

*Serena Williams dressed as He-Man with Colton Haynes during another action-packed Williams Invitational

QUICK CROSSWORD

FRI DAY'S ANS WERS FRID ANSWERS

ACROSS 1 Assault (6) 5 Equipment (4) 8 Stock (5) 9 Odd (3) 10 Intend (4) 11 Assistant (4) 12 Feat (5) 13 Pale (6) 16 Gull (4) 18 Cheese (4) 20 Individual (3) 22 Fruit (3) 23 Immerse (3) 24 Symbol (4) 25 Detail (4) 28 Dashed (6) 30 Centre (5) 32 Entrance (4) 33 Parched (4) 34 Curve (3) 35 Trivial (5) 36 Watched (4) 37 Combined (6)

DOWN 1 Sudden (6) 2 Falling (8) 3 Consign (6) 4 Satisfied (9) 5 Allowed (7) 6 Revise (4) 7 Smell (4) 8 Owns (3) 14 Defame (9) 15 Beret (3) 17 Groove (3) 19 Entertain (8) 20 Lubricate (3) 21 Recorded (7) 26 Infuriate (6) 27 Elicited (6) 29 Border (4) 30 Trust (4) 31 Attempt (3)

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 2, Shaft 7 Unite 8, Ruled 10, Actor 12, Nee 13, Heart 15, Largest 17, Exotic 19, Toe 20, Content 23, Rota 25, True 26, Angrier 30, Tit 31, Deride 34, Ripened 37, Metal 38, Van 39, Dread 40, Penny 41, Taken 42, Abbey.

DOWN: 1, Index 2, Start 3, Hectic 4, Fool 5, Pungent 6, Geese 9, Lee 11, Rattled 13, Heard 14, Aorta 16, Roe 18, Courted 21, Trait 22, Revel 24, Antenna 27, Gin 28, Remote 29, River 32, Relay 33, Dared 35, Pan 16, Draft.

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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