PRESIDENTIAL TUSSLE: Admission by INEC's ad-hoc staff vindicates us — PDP

ONION LEAVES: Bauchi govt denies

4

ECONOMY

Ohanaeze kicks as Ooni 15 insists Igbo are from Ile-Ife

N50,000 Application Fee: Insurance brokers task in-coming Lagos govt

19

LCCI calls for urgent review of Automotive Policy, prohibitive 19 cost of vehicles

claim, says no IDP camp in Bauchi TCN, DISCOS lack capacity to deliver generated electricity—Stakeholders

VOL. 26: NO. 63792

19

TUESDAY, APRIL23, 2019

PRESIDENTIAL TUSSLE:

Admission by INEC's ad-hoc staff vindicates us — PDP

•If they made the statement on oath, we'll respond ——Keyamo •Our lawyers will prove our case, says INEC

STORY ON PAGE 5

EASTER PICNICKERS...

Picnickers at Elegushi private beach, Lekki Lagos (above) and Ndubuisi Kanu park at Alausa, Ikeja Lagos (Above right). Below right: Fun seekers at the Pleasure Park, Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, yesterday. Photos: Bunmi Azeez, Nwankpa Chijioke & Akeem Salau.

Mr & Mrs

North-East safer 2 under me — BUHARI EASTER TRAGEDY:

13

10 killed in Gombe COLUMNISTS

TENIOLA 18

SARAKI TO TINUBU: You’re backing 41 Lawan, Gbajabiamila because of 2023 MAILAFIA 31 ODUMAKIN 17

See Inside

2—Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 23 , 2019 :Vanguard News

:@vanguardnews

:@vanguardnews

NEWS HOTLINES: 08052867023, 08052867058

Rising bank fraud: ICPC vows to flush out bad eggs

By Soni Daniel

A

BUJA —RUFFLED by rising bank fraud across the country, chairman of Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, Prof Bolaji Owasanoye, has vowed to take concrete measures to rid the nation’s financial sector of bad eggs and instil sanity in the system.

Owasanoye said he would, however, work with the financial institutions in

his bid to flush out the sticky hands and save the banking system from further rot.

He spoke in Abuja when the management of the Federal Governmentowned Bank of Industry, BoI, visited him to share ideas on how to improve the system.

Owasanoye, who expressed dismay over the involvement of many of the institutions in aiding and abetting financial crimes, which had tended to slow down the nation’s progress,

asked the compromised elements to retrace their steps, saying: "One bad apple can ruin the entire bunch."

He noted how some financial institutions condone unethical conducts by opening accounts for “criminals” and how they use innuendos to make suggestions of criminality to lure customers.

He also pointed out that unethical investors undermine the ethics of the industry, and promised to deal decisively with those who infringe the law.

Managing Director of BOI, Mr. Olukayode Pitan, explained that they were on the visit to intimate the commission of their activities and operations, adding that BoI has always counted on the cooperation of ICPC as a stakeholder.

He also noted that BoI, as one of the only two Development Financial Institutions in Nigeria, was used to disburse the TraderMoni and FarmerMoni Policy of the Federal Government.

According to the MD, over 1.8 million Nigerians have benefitted from the disbursement so far.

Ortom, at 58, lists achievements

T

HE Benue State government, yesterday, reeled out the achievements of Governor Samuel Ortom’s administration in the last four years as part of activities to mark the governor’s 58th birthday.

Mr Tahav Agerzua, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Information Communication Technology, ICT, in a statement in Makurdi, identified the governor’s political sagacity as a key attribute that was outstanding.

“Governor Ortom has defected from Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to All Progressives Congress, APC. He has also defected from APC to PDP. On each occasion, he won his elections. Ortom always win against all odds in his political endeavours,” he added.

Agerzua listed some of the achievementsofthegovernor to include amnesty programme, enactment of Anti-Opening Grazing Law, and the graduation of 200 medical doctors, in quick succession, at Benue State University.

He said that the governor had also completed 42 primary healthcare centres and the deputy governor’s office, while construction works at the new state Assembly Complex were ongoing.

He said: “Contractors have been recalled to 11 abandoned road projects, including Oshigbudu to Obagaji, and Zaki-BiamAfia- Gbeji have been completed, while more contracts have been awarded for the construction of other roads, including two major highways among others."

Telecom operators engage in 14,639 porting activities in Feb — NCC networks through Mobile

N

MEETING: From left, Senator-elect (APC Ekiti North) Olubunmi Adetunmbi; Deputy National Chairman (South), All Progressives Congress, APC, Otunba Niyi Adebayo; Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan; Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State; Senator-elect (Ekiti Central), Opeyemi Bamidele, and Senator-elect (Ekiti South), Dayo Adeyeye, during a dinner meeting with newly elected Ekiti State National Assembly members, in Abuja.

North-East safer under me —Buhari

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

A

BUJA—PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has said the North East geopolitical zone is safer under his administration, contrary to insinuations in some quarters that he was not doing much to curtail killings in the area.

Buhari was reacting to the commentcreditedtoCatholic Bishop of Yola Diocese, Bishop Stephen Mamza, where he allegedly described the president as “sleeping on duty as Commander-inChief.”

Describing the comment as unfair, the president through his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja, yesterday, said he had done enough to protect the people than previous administrations.

According to him, “there is so much that has changed in the past three to four years in and around Yola, and the Catholic Church in particular that a true assessment would show that but for the change administration of President Buhari, things would have continued the way they were, or even got worse. These could not have happened if a Commander-in-Chief was

asleep.

“Bishop Mamza was, and is still a strong member of the Adamawa Peace Initiative, API, composed of religious and community leaders, which did the lovely work of housing and feeding 400,000 displaced people from Northern Adamawa and Borno States in 2015.

“The API also did the extraordinary work of easing tensions between Muslims and Christians during that period and ensured that both groups did not turn on one another based on suspicion.

“As widely reported by the local and international press, in the premises of St. Theresa’s Cathedral where Rev. Mamza ministered, there were more than 1,500

IDPs, mostly women and children on whom the church administered food rations and issued bags of maize, cooking oil and seasoning.

We are truly touched and very grateful for the work that the Bishop and the others had done in that difficult period.

“NowthatBokoHaramhas beendegraded,themorethan 400,000 displaced people absorbed by the Adamawa communityhaveallgoneback to Borno State and to those council areas in northern Adamawa.

“Without an iota of doubt, theNorthEastisbetteroffwith President Buhari than it was under the previous administration. That should explain the massive turnout of voters in the region,

despite threats to life and property, to vote for the return of the President for a Second Term of four years.

“Sadly, one of the realities of today’s Nigeria is that it easy to blame President Buhari for the violence all around us. Community leaders are too scared to blame the warlords and the sponsors of killings we live with because they fear for their own lives.

“What is happening in several communities racked by inter-ethnic and religious violence is arising from the refusal of community leaders to point at known criminals in their midst for the law enforcement agencies to act against them. They rather blame President Buhari for their woes.

FG to introduce solar-powered tricycles — Minister

By Luminous Jannamike

A

BUJA —MINISTER of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has said the Federal Government has concluded plans to introduce solar-powered tricycles and motorcycles into the Nigerian transportation system.

He made the disclosure at the swearing-in ceremony of newly elected executives of

Amalgamated Commercial Tricycle and Motorcycle Owners, Repairs and Riders Association of Nigeria, ACOMORAN, in Abuja.

According to the minister, the initiative would solve the fuel challenges faced by motorcycles and tricycles riders in the course of their business activities.

Represented by Dr. Anthonia Ekpa, Director of Road Transport and Mass

Transit Administration in the ministry, Amaechi said: “What we have done is to ensure that we introduce into the Nigeria environment, solar-powered tricycles. We are going to introduce into the sector tricycles that will not need to use fuel."

He urged the new ACOMORAN president to ensure that his members obey all traffic laws.

I G E R I A N Communications Commission, NCC, yesterday, said telecommunicationsoperators carried out 14,639 Mobile Number Portability activities in February 2019.

The NCC made this known in its “Incoming and Outgoing Porting Activities of Mobile Network Operators’ Report on its website.

The commission said in the report that 10,650 subscribers ported within the networks in January, hence an increase of 3,989 activities in February.

It said of the 14,639 porting activities recorded in February, 7,735 were “Incoming Porting Activities,’ while 6,904 were “Outgoing Porting Activities.”

The regulatory body said in the outgoing table, 2,281 subscribers moved from Globacom Nigeria to other

Number Portability in February.

According to NCC, those that left Globacom increased by 1,094, as against 1,187 customers that deserted the network in January.

It said that in the month of February, 1,643 customers moved from MTN Nigeria, showing an increase of 571 subscribers against 1,072 that left the service provider in January.

NCC said that 1,801 subscribers moved from 9mobile in the month under review, representing an increaseof197customersthat left the network as against 1,604 that left in January.

It said that 1,179 customers of Airtel Nigeria ported to other networks within the same period, a decrease of 225, when compared with 1,404 users that left in January.

Ghana lobbies ECOWAS’ support to host AU Free Trade Zone hqtrs According to her, Ghana

By Victoria Ojeme

R

EPUBLIC of Ghana is soliciting the support of Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, in its bid to host the secretariat of the proposed African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA. Ghanaian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Botchwey, made the request at the ongoing ECOWAS Parliament Delocalised joint Committee Meeting in Accra, Ghana.

has since its independence in 1957, committed so much to Africa’s unity to deserve the hosting of a continental initiative like AfCFTA. She said: “Our government has decided to and has, indeed, formally expressed its interest to have Ghana host the Secretariat of AfCFTA, here in Accra.

“We are of the firm belief that Ghana’s history and credentials on PanAfricanism, and her continuous commitment to the ideals and values of the African Union will make her to qualify as a worthy Member State of the African Union to host the Secretariat."

4—VANGUARD, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019

RMAFC workers warn banks against dealing with consultants on remittances

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

A

FISHING: Children fishing, during the Fishing Festival at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, ATBU, in Bauchi, yesterday. Photo: NAN

ONION MEAL: Bauchi govt denies claim, says no IDP camp in Bauchi Soni Daniel & Charles Agwam

B

AUCHI—BAUCHI State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, has denied the allegation that children in the Internally Displaced Persons, IDP camp located two kilometres from Rindebin community in Bauchi Local Government Area of the state feed on onion leaves to survive.

Speaking with Vanguard, yesterday in Bauchi, Director Relief and Rehabilitation for SEMA, Kabiru Kobi said there is no registered IDP camp in Bauchi, adding the IDPs come to the state to farm.

He however, acknowledged that over

2,000 unregistered displaced persons migrated from Borno State to Bauchi State after they were dislodged from their community by Boko Haram.

“We read a report that IDPs eat onion leaves in Bauchi. That’s not true, they don’t eat onion leaves.

First, we don’t have an IDP camp in Bauchi. When they came to our state, we told them that we couldn’t camp them because we didn’t have the resources to accommodate them. But they chose to stay and farm.

“They called and got a large piece of land from Mariam Abacha, who happens to be their sister, and they have been farming

there since last year. They are not our responsibility, but because we are humans, we are looking at how to integrate them into our communities,” he said.

However, an inside source in SEMA who spoke to Vanguard on the condition of anonymity confirmed that the IDPs have not been receiving food and relief materials because no help comes to them from the state government.

She said most of the IDPs are Shua-arabs who migrated from Borno State, where safe spaces provided for IDPs had been overstretched following incessant attacks by Boko

Haram and other armed militias.

“You know, government has a data base of people in IDP camps in various states across the country.

Although, I don’t have enough information, but I think the reason they have not been receiving support is because they are not registered.

“I learned of their plight very recently, and to be honest, they are really suffering. Most of the people moved from Borno State because the camps over there have been overstretched. I hope government looks into their situation and do whatever is necessary to alleviate their sufferings,” she said.

REPS SPEAKERSHIP: Don’t pitch APC members against Buhari, Bago tells Tinubu House of Representatives. ...urges him to allow Gbajabiamila run on his records

By Levinus Nwabughiogu

A

BUJA— AN aspirant for the Speakership of 9th House of Representatives, Mohammed Bago has challenged the National Leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to address the issues of equity, justice and fairness in the formation of the House leadership.

He was reacting to Tinubu’s comment that he had no ulterior motive in backing President Muhammadu Buhari and APC’s position on the adoption of Senator Ahmed Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila for Senate presidency and Speaker of the House of

Representatives, respectively.

In a statement by the spokesman of his campaign organisation, Mr. Victor Ogene, yesterday, in Abuja, Bago stated that Tinubu deliberately circumvented the sensitive issues which were also germane to the party and country at large and dwelt more on pitching party members against President Buhari.

He said, “We have perused the statement released by Tinubu, especially as it concerns the leadership of the House of Representatives, and wish to respectfully disagree with him on some of the conclusions therein.

“For starters, even though he took extra care not to mention his choice

candidate by name, the laborious attempt to pass off same desire as the onerous craving of President Buhari clearly leaves his real intentions exposed.

“Not too long ago, in 2015, when Tinubu tried to foist the same mentee of his as Speaker, despite the rational voices of caution by many stakeholders, many had been left wondering if the enforcement effort was at the instance of President Buhari and the party.

“Although, a greater portion of the statement centred on his probable scheming for the 2023 Presidential election, real or imagined, our concern revolves around the oblique reference to loyalty as basis for his decision to stand by his adopted candidate as the next Speaker of the

“It is our contention that nobody has the monopoly of loyalty. Put succinctly, it is not anyone’s exclusive preserve and no one is a custodian of it. Indeed, the pursuit of equity and fairness in an enterprise where we are all stakeholders cannot vitiate our candidate’s long standing, earned reputation as a loyalist of President Buhari, our party, the APC, and above all, the people of his constituency, his state, Niger, and the North Central zone who have invested their trust in him to represent them.

“Instead of seeking to pitch party faithful who seek their just due against the President, we rather expect Asiwaju Tinubu, as a father to all, to critically consider the legitimate aspiration of the NorthCentral zone and ensure that justice is done."

BUJA—STAFFERS of Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC, have warned commercial banks to stop dealing with consultants on revenue collection and remittances

by Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS. The workers operating under Nigeria Civil Service Union, NCSU, an affiliate of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, also appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in their matter as the commission was using consultants to make them redundant.

Briefing journalists after protesting in Abuja, Chairman of NSCU, Amanabo Josiah, told commercial banks not to entertain any consultants or groups on behalf of the commission as their (commercial banks) activities at the moment is considered illegal.

Expressing their grievances with placards with different inscriptions, Josiah, stated that RMAFC was set to probe 22 banks over sundry misdemeanours, including stamp duty collections which the banks allegedly failed to remit to the Federal

Government despite a secured approval from National Economic Council, NEC. He said that NEC, recently requested the commission and not consultants to probe banks, but surprisingly, companies and firms had a field day on the premises of the commission with their proposals.

He said upon NEC approval for RMAFC to verify and reconcile revenue collection and remittances by FIRS and Nigeria Custom Services, NCS, from July 1, 2012 to December 31, 2015, "the commission speedily engaged the services of over 100 consultants with a mandate of completing the assignment within six months with effect from November 1, 2016."

He called on the presidency and the National Assembly to wade into the matter so as to enable RMAFC perform its statutory role.

Josiah further expressed dismay that the acting Chairman of the Commission was yet to intimate the management team on the modalities to prosecute the assignment given to it three weeks after approval was granted by NEC.

Released results that fail screening test ‘ll be cancelled activities at all centres via —JAMB CCTV recordings before

By Joseph Erunke

A

S candidates who sat for the 2019 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, await their results, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has said any result already released but later found that candidates that earned them engaged in malpractice when writing the examination, would be cancelled It said its eagle-eye Close Circuit Cameras, CCT, captured all activities during the examination, adding that it was screening the results before release.

It, however, told those who may get their results not to celebrate in a hurry as it could cancel them “even after release if found that they were not obtained in genuine ways.

“The board would continue to act decisively with regard to any irregularity discovered even after results are released. However, the board has made it a point of duty to screen all

releasing the results to ensure that it does not release the results of c o m p r o m i s e d examinations,” it said in its weekly news bulletin, released, yesterday, by its Head of Media, Dr Fabian Benjamin.

JAMB also said it cancelled the results of two Computer-Based, CBT, centres in Abia State over what it described as “widespread irregularities” during the 2019 UTME. It insisted that “all the results of the examination sessions conducted in the two centres from April 11 to 18, 2019 were null and void.”

It gave the names of the CBT centres as Heritage and Infinity CBT centre and Okwyzil Computer Institute Comprehensive School Ugwunabo, Aba, Abia State.

According to the examination body, the drastic action was necessitated by the visual evidence obtained from a careful review of the CCTV recordings by a panel of experts engaged by the Board.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019—5

POCKET CARTOON

CONTINUOUS EDUCATION FOR PROFESSIONAL WOMEN—Wife of the President, Hajia Aisha Buhari (2nd left) receiving some documents from the Director-General, National Centre for Women Development, Mary Ekpere-Ita (right) while the Special Adviser to the wife of the President, Dr. Hajo Sani (left)) and others look on during the meeting on continuous education for professional women at the First Lady's Conference Room, State House, Abuja at the weekend. Photo: Abayomi Adeshida

PRESIDENTIAL TUSSLE

Admission by INEC's ad-hoc staff vindicates us — PDP

By Dapo Akinrefon, Dirisu Yakubu & Omeiza Ajayi

A

BUJA — The P e o p l e s Democratic Party, PDP, has said the alleged admission by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, presiding officers

in Borno and Yobe states that they transmitted the result of the February 23 Presidential election to the server of the commission was a vindication of the party’s stand. This came as the All Progressives Congress, APC Presidential Campaign

Council, said if it gets the document by which they (presiding officers) made the admission, it would respond appropriately.

The PDP insisted that more confessions were imminent, noting that the wheel of justice will turn the tide in favour of

its presidential candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, adding that it was becoming clearer that its candidate (Atiku) was rigged out in favour of President Muhammadu Buhari by INEC. Reacting also, Spokesperson for the

APC Presidential Campaign Council, Mr. Festus Keyamo, SAN, said: “Did they say it on oath? You should go to the root before asking this question. We should get the document by which they said it, whether it is on oath or not. You will now get the document by which INEC gave them the instruction so that your story will be a full and complete story.

“You don’t call to get responses when it is from another source.

These are one of the complaints we have. It is a serious matter. Before you ask for comment, you need to go to the root of the matter, get the document by which they said it.

“If it is on oath, we know what to say. Once we get the document by which they made the oath, we will now ask Professor Mahmood Yakubu whether the document is authentic or not. We will also ask him

whether they are INEC officials or not.”

Meanwhile, INEC has expressed optimism in the ability of its lawyers to defend its position at the Presidential Election Tribunal, saying it would not want to be drawn into any argument on issues that are subjects of litigation.

The commission was responding to enquiries

by Vanguard in respect of alleged claims by some of its ad-hoc staff who are witnesses of Atiku Abubakar in the election petition against Buhari and APC. The witnesses, contrary to the position of INEC at the tribunal, had reportedly claimed to have electronically transmitted presidential election results to the INEC Server.

PDP’s Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Diran Odeyemi in a chat with our correspondent, said Nigerians voted overwhelmingly for Atiku Continues on Page 41

By Bose Adelaja,Yinka Latona, Chiamaka Uba, Tolulope Oke&Erinfolami Abdulkudus

Collapsed state of Lagos roads, worsening traffic gridlock (2)

M

any cities were once bedevilled with the kind of traffic congestion we face in Lagos. These cities, beyond managing it, found a way to solve the problem. The Federal Govt should start by fixing bad roads with appropriate drainages. Reckless drivers should be heavily sanctioned.

The more time residents spend in traffic, the more financial misfortune the state suffers.

Mr. Onwuzurike Evaristus, Administrator

T

raffic is bad for individuals and national economy. Like other challenges facing the country, authorities should apply sanctions to motorists who violate traffic rules.

This should be without compromise. Also, bad roads should be fixed regularly after working hours not during working hours when traffic is high.

Comrade David Lawal, Activist

T

he state of roads in Lagos is rather unfortunate as it has brought more hardship on transport system in the state.

Most roads are damaged andconstructionhasstopped.

This has made life more miserable for commuters. The Government needs to find ways of making the road construction companies to fix the roads.

Mr. Mayowa Ademuyiwa Serial Entrepreneur

I want to appeal to both Lagos State and federal governments to find a solution to congestion on Apapa roads.

The roads are so bad and trucks are parking on the highways.

The Lagos State Government should fix all the bad roads in the state for easy access for commuters.

Mr. Ikechukwu Ebose Engineer

T

he state of roads in Lagos reflects the general poor handling of infrastructure, both in construction and maintenance. The opaque budgetary system of the state makes it even harder to offer a proper analysis or public oversight. The consequent gridlock makes movement, which is a fundamental right, a hellish activity.

Peters Adeshina Analyst

I

t will be false to say the government is not fully aware of the current condition of this road, but the issue is just that most times the government is nonchalant about some issues, especially when they are not directly affected.

We are optimistic that the government would act on this gridlock issue before it is too late.

Mr. Oladoye Sunday Corps member

6—Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019

2 die, cars vandalised as hoodlums clash in Surulere

By Monsuru Olowoopejo

T

WO persons were, yesterday, killed and several others injured when hoodlums in Adetola and Pako streets in Surulere Local Government Area of Lagos State clashed over disagreement on sports and other sundry issues.

Vanguard gathered that the clash that later spread to other adjourning streets led to the vandalisation of cars and destruction of other property worth millions of naira.

Other streets, where the residents also suffered injuries during the clash that lasted for hours, were Enitan, Adefowope and Willy Omiyi in Coker Aguda Local Council Development Area, LCDA in Surulere.

A resident, who spoke under anonymity, told Vanguard that they were able to prevent some property from been vandalised by the hoodlums, who brandished different weapons, before the law enforcement agencies arrived.

He noted that the arrival of police and detachment of military personnel further prevented the fracas from spreading to other adjourning streets.

Efforts to get the reaction of Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos Command, Bala Elkana, proved abortive, as several calls were made to his phone but no reply.

Undergraduate, one other nabbed over murder of bizman

By Esther Onyegbula

A

N undergraduate, Francis Obi, and one Semiu Abiodun have been arrested by operatives of Lagos State Police Command in Ajangbadi, Ojo area of the state over the murder of an Italian-based businessman, Oboile Obinna Efenkade.

According to the police, the 30-yearold Efenkade was reportedly killed when a four-man robbery gang stormed his apartment in Ajangbadi area at about 2:40 pm on March 19, a day before his return to his base in Italy .

Vanguard gathered that Efenkade’s gate-man was shot on the head for refusing the gang entrance into the house, while the deceased was shot on the chest.

The gang members fled the scene but were arrested after weeks of painstaking investigation by men of Special Anti-Robbery Squad.

While parading the suspects at Lagos Police Command

headquarters in Ikeja, Commissioner of Police, Zubairu Muazu, said the suspects had travelledallthewayfromImoState to strike.

Muazu said: “ On March 19, 2019 at about 2:40 pm, police officers attached to Special Antirobbery Squad, Igando Base arrested Francis Obi and Semiu Abiodun both residents of Imo State.

“During interrogation, the suspects confessed to have killed the 30-year-old Efenkade in an attempt to rob. They said they came from Imo State to operate in Lagos.”

Suspects' accounts

Recounting how he joined the gang, Francis Obi said he never knew his friends were taking him for a robbery operation.

According to him, “three of my friends called me to accompany them to a friend’s house, who owed them at Ajangbadi. I followed them to recover the debt.

The suspects.

It was when we got there and they brought out a gun that was when I knew they had another motive. I could not run, but stayed with them.

I used to be a cultist, a former member of Vikings.”

Denying the allegation, 24-yearold, Semiu Abiodun, said: “I am a

Police arrest 19-yr-old man over abduction of toddler the alarm, which attracted a nearby in Lagos police patrol team from Satellite Divisionthatarrestedhim andrescued my child.”

By Esther Onyegbula

O

PERATIVES of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested a 19-year-old man, Chisom Obiora, for allegedly abducting a toddler at Number10,BaleStreet,Satellitetown.

The suspect, Chisom Obiora, was arrested on April 12, 2019 after the victim’s mother, Rofiat Ayode, reported at Satellite Police Station that her three-year-old son, Al-Aamin Rofiat, was abducted.

It was learned that trouble started after the victim’s mother, Rofiat Ayode, found a stranger holding her son by the hand. Alarmed, Ayode confronted the stranger, who attempted to escape with her child.

Irked by the confrontation, the suspected kidnapper punched her on the face, forcing her to raise alarm, which attracted a nearby police patrol team from Satellite Division that promptly arrested the suspect and rescued the child.

Suspect’s account

to search for him. Luckily down the street, I found a stranger holding his hand. Immediately, I was alarmed and confronted him.

“In his bid to facilitate his escape with my child, he attacked me.

After he hit me on the face, I raised

Denying the allegations, Chisom said he needed the child to show him direction because he doesn’t know his way around the area.

He said: “I missed my way; I needed someone to direct me to where I was going, that was why I was holding the child’s hand. I didn’t want to kidnap the boy. “ Confirmingthearrest,spokesperson Lagos State Police Command, DSP Bala Elkana, said "the baby was rescued unhurt. Investigation is ongoing and suspect will be charged to court."

Killing of Korean at LADOL Free Zone, deliberate — Samsung

By Gabriel Olawale

S

AMSUNG Heavy Industries Nigeria, SHIN, has come up Account by victim’s with video evidence, which they mother said showed that the shooting of According to the mother of the a Korean employee at LADOL victim , “when I noticed that my little free zone by an operative of boywasn’twithinthecompound,Ihad Nigeria Security and Civil Defence C o r p s , NSCDC, was not in error.

Speaking w i t h journalists, Managing Director of SHIN, Jejin Jeon, said L A D O L guard fired deliberately at his NSCDC colleague, killing him with three shots at the before BLOCKED: Residents of Nariya community barricaded Kaduna- scene, moving away Abuja expressway protesting the kidnapped of five persons, including two pregnant women in Kaduna State, Sunday . Photo: Olu to a different location Ajayi.

where he also deliberately shot the Korean employee that had been working in a crawler crane within the SHI-MCI yard.

Jeon, who also showed journalists video evidence of the incident to back his claim, stated that the statement by the Commandant-General of NSCDC, Mohammed Gana, that the NSCDC guard opened fire “in error” was also false, insisting that the shooting was a deliberate and unprovoked attack.

He recalled that after the killings, the gunman then made his way to the front gate of the SHI-MCI yard where he threatened SHI-MCI’s unarmed guards and demanded to pass the gate, adding that the shootings could not have been accidental.

He also faulted the press statement

by LADOL where it claimed that the Korean employee was in a “stable condition,” when the employee had already died.

According to him, the Korean employee was never in a stable condition as his injuries were lifethreatening, adding that he was in a critical condition from the moment he was shot until the moment he died.

commercial motorcyclist. The guys just told me to carry them to the place and I did not know they were going to rob or kill someone.“ Asked who owned the guns that were recovered from them, both suspects claimed they were given to them by their friends who are on the run.

2 die, 10 injured in auto accident on Lagos-Ibadan expressway

T

WO persons were confirmed dead while 10 others sustained injuries in an accident involving a Mazda bus at Danliti Ayetoro area on LagosIbadan Expressway .

Spokesperson, Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps, TRACE, Babatunde Akinbiyi, who confirmed the incident in Abeokuta, yesterday, explained that the accident occurred around 11 am, saying it was caused by excessive speeding, which led to loss of control.

He noted that the commercial bus with number plate DDA 729 XA , after losing control, hit a culvert and somersaulted, adding that the driver and the bus conductor died in the accident.

“The accident was caused by excessive speeding, which resulted into loss of control. Four females and eight males were involved in the accident but the driver and the conductor died, “ he said.

The TRACE spokesperson noted that the injured were taken to Famobic Hospital, Lotto in Mowe, saying that families of the dead were already at the hospital to claim their bodies.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019—7

Man sells 60-year-old hunchback mum to ritualists for N7m in Ondo

By Dayo Johnson

A

KURE—DETECTIVES in Ondo Police Command are on the trail of the son of a 60year-old fishmonger in Ondo State, Rukayat Abodunde, who allegedly sold her to suspected ritualists for N7million.

Police sources said the deceased son, who is now on the run, sold her to some alleged ritualist for N7million having convinced them that she has a natural hunchback After the deal was sealed, two of the ritualists reportedly stormed her residence located at Ayetoro Street, in Ondo town at about 10pm and pretended that they wanted to buy fish.

While the old woman was attending to them, reports had it that one of them pulled out his gun and started shooting sporadically into the air and in the process the victim was abducted.

Sources said the deceased son deceived the killers that his mother had a natural hunchback, hence her kidnap and murder for rituals.

Botched hunchback The bubble reportedly burst when the ritualists after paying the son of the victim the N7million requested for and after killing her, discovered that she was not born with any round lump.

The deceased reportedly had an injury from birth at her back, which looked like a hunchback.

Her assailants reportedly contacted the son of the deceased, accused him of defrauding them and requested for a refund.

The son of the deceased reportedly told them that he had used the money to

renovate the deceased house and bought some clothes for his mother before they abducted her.

Vanguard was informed that the son of the deceased told the ritualists that he would refund their money if only they bring back his mother alive.

The whereabouts of the deceased son remained unknown since the disappearance of his mother.

Contacted, the police spokesperson, Femi Joseph, confirmed the abduction of the 60-year-woman.

Joseph said two suspected kidnappers invaded her home and whisked her away at about 10pm.

He said: “The incident was reported at the police station by one Omotola Oseyemi, while the police swung into action to ensure the release of the abducted woman.

Joseph claimed ignorance that the kidnapped woman had been killed for rituals by those who are in need of a victim with natural hunchback.

He said: “We interrogated the people in the area but it was unfortunate that members of the family are not showing enough interest in the disappearance of the woman.

“Some family members visited the station to notify the police that they are no longer interested in the case but will like to handle it in a traditional way.”

... with Emma'nKen (08163121378)

Ah! overtake don overtake overtake

Gunmen kill 10, injure 5 in Katsina

By Bashir Bello

K

ATSINA— TEN persons were reportedly killed and five others sustained injuries, Sunday evening, when some gunmen attacked Yar-Centre, Sherere village in Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State.

Local sources disclosed that the gunmen stormed the area on motorcycles, shooting sporadically, leading to the death of 10 villagers, though police confirmed nine dead, and five injured.

The source said the five injured have been transferred from Kankara to Federal Medical Centre, FMC, in the state capital.

Another source disclosed that the gunmen also set ablaze shops and vehicles belonging to residents.

Contacted, spokesperson of

Katsina State Police Command, SP Gambo Isah, insisted that nine persons and not 10 were killed and that bodies of persons killed have been evacuated by the police and members of the community.

According to SP Isah, “Yes, nine persons not 10 were killed.

They have been evacuated by combined efforts of police and community members.

“Operation Puff Adder has been deployed to the area to restore sanity, trace and apprehend the perpetrators.

“The command is appealing to members of the public to always assist us with timely information about the movements and whereabouts of the bandits, including their willing collaborators.

“The CP condoled with the families of the deceased and promised to do all he could to avert the recurrence of this ugly incident.”

FREE TRAIN RIDE : A cross session of indigenes and non-indigenes of Osun State alighting from free train ride provided by the state government in commemoration of Easter celebration, at the railway coporation station, Osogbo, weekend.

Wetin concern men with names?

Our lives are too simple

10 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019 :Vanguard News

By Kingsley Adegboye

L

AGOS—ONE of the major reasons for the inability of the task force to control the flow of traffic on the Oshodi Apapa expressway is the extortion of money from truck drivers by members of the task force Vanguard authoritatively gathered.

Investigations revealed that the task force officials have converted the sordid situation into a bribe taking venture thereby adding to the problems responsible for the gridlock.

A number of check points have reportedly been set up from the Mile 2 Bridge for task force officials to extort money from desperate truck drivers.

A number of these extortion points have been identified from the Mile 2 Bridge. At these extortion points, Task Force officials collect between N10,000 and N15,000 from each truck driver to allow them to park around the area.

Otto Wollf bus-stop outward Apapa is another point of extortion by these officials.

As a result, they allow truck drivers to park illegally between Berger Suya and Otto Wolff.

Berger Yard by UBA junction is another extortion point by these officials who are often clad in military camouflage.

Here, they openly collect cash from truck drivers and position them on the adjoining streets.

One of the avenues created by these officials is the only access road to Vanguard.

Last Wednesday, some Vanguard staff were prevented from driving out of the road by the trucks while the Task Force officials stationed at the junction looked on.

Often, the entire bridge linking Berger Yard, Kirikiri Town and Wilmer are taken over by these truck drivers who are emboldened because of the token they pay to these Task Force members.

Vanguard observed that from 7:00pm, motorists plying the ever busy expressway are denied access, as trucks would have blocked the service lane which serves as the only access way.

As if the untold sufferings faced by motorists on this route are not enough, Customs officers stop loaded trucks from the ports at Otto Wolff, Mile Two and

:@vanguardnews

:@vanguardnews

NEWS HOTLINES: 08052867023, 08052867058

APAPA-OSHODI EXPRESSWAY NIGHTMARE: Our problem with task force personnel — TRUCK DRIVERS Jakande bus-stops, to check their documents.

Musa Aliyu, who drives an articulated vehicle, told Vanguard that the policemen attached to the area extort certain amount from them before allowing them to park their trucks on the road.

He said: “We are helpless here. These policemen, (pointing at one of the police spots around Berger Yard), collect at least N20, 000 to allow us park here (Vanguard Avenue) for quick access to the port for loading.

“Because we spend weeks waiting for consignments to load due to heavy influx, we have no alternative than to give money to minimize endless wait. We are also tired of this logjam, we honestly are not happy about it but must work for our sustenance so that we do not resort to crime.

Another truck driver, Umaru, was seen arguing with one of the task force officials at Otto Wolff.

Umaru claimed he had paid an unspecified amount to the task force officials at Mile Two before he was allowed to pass.

He became angry when he was asked to make uturn at Otto Wolff, to join the queue.

Efforts to explain to the officials were rebuffed as the latter insisted he must make a u-turn.

This caused another hitch at the junction, as Umaru also resisted the order.

When his colleagues gathered to know what the matter was, he spoke in Hausa dialect which was translated as “How would they tell me to go back after collecting money from me at Mile 2? I will remain here if I am not allowed to go. They should go and call whoever they want to call.”

Also narrating his ordeal, Kehinde Aderibigbe, a truck driver said that unless strict measures are applied at all levels, the solution to the gridlock along Oshodi Apapa expressway will remain a mirage.

Aderibigbe said: “I have been here (Second Rainbow) for three days now because I do not have money to part with. If I had, I would have loaded.”

Information gathered

HELL ON THE HIGHWAY: The ever-present traffic snarl on the road. from the truck drivers revealed that some of their colleagues who part with money were eager to load another round before returning the empty containers.

On his part, Sanni said: “We are usually given some time to return the empty containers, each time we load at the port.

For some drivers who may be lucky to offload their goods, they may get calls from businessmen to help them load goods from the port.

"If these drivers still have much time before the designated time of returning the trucks, they utilise the opportunity to run that business before finally taking the empty containers back.

We pay N15,000 to N20,000 “There are usually those who pay as much as N15,000 to N20,000 to have their trucks positioned close to the ports, while those of us, who do not have money to part with, are left with no choice than to wait patiently on the queue.”

Sadly, there is no solution to the gridlock along the axis and other areas of Lagos.

Reasons for presence of trucks While several reasons have been given for the gridlock, those in position of authority have continued to attribute the resulting gridlock to unnecessary checks and delays at the ports gates and the zeal by truck drivers to return empty containers to the ports.

Vanguard gathered that before any container loaded with goods leaves the port, N1 million is deposited and to be refunded when empty containers are returned.

However, a deadline of 48 hours is given to owners of the goods to return empty containers, failure of which N16, 000 would be deducted per day, until the empty containers are eventually returned.

To beat the deadline, truck drivers queue up to return the containers back.

Relevant stakeholders Although, concerned security agencies have deployed different means of clearing the trucks off the Oshodi expressway, unfortunately, such efforts have not yielded the desired result.

It is, however, noteworthy that the Nigerian Navy’s arrival to

the scene produced significant changes, particularly on Malu road up to the Island end.

Before now, trucks took over the entire axis, depriving naval personnel of free movement.

But when the commander of the Nigerian Navy Ship Beecroft, Commodore Okon Eyo assumed office, he took it upon himself to address the situation, particularly at the service end.

To set the ball rolling, he held a meeting with the relevant stakeholders, which was characterized with accusation and counter-accusations on which agency’s doorsteps the blame should be.

However, subsequent meetings produced appreciable results, especially between Marine-BeachBoundary-to Liverpool.

Introduction of call card system Investigations revealed that the Commodore Eyo led committee introduced a call card system where only trucks issued cards would be allowed entrance into the ports while others were turned back.

In a chat with Vanguard, some non-governmental organisations blamed the development on lack of supervision by appropriate bodies like the Nigerian Ports Authority and law enforcement agents which have relaxed enforcement of the law.

President, Association of Maritime Truck Owners, AMATO, Remi Ogungbemi told Vanguard that one of the causes of the gridlock in Apapa is the fact that the original plan of the port has been tampered with as the designated places for trucks have been cancelled by government.

Kwara South elders back North for Assembly Speaker

I

LORIN—ELDERS of Kwara South Senatorial District, yesterday, called for the zoning of the position of Speaker to the northern part of the state in the interest of fairness and justice.

In a statement by chairman of the Elders of Kwara South Senatorial District, Chief Bamisaiye Ayeni said: “The people of Kwara South Senatorial zone hereby echo their support for the emergence of the Speaker of the House of Assembly from Kwara North Senatorial zone. We are totally committed to this position,” Ayeni said it was only fair

to concede the speakership slot to the north since the remaining two districts of the state, Central and South, have each got the elective position of Governor and Deputy Governor respectively.”

He said while there was nothing bad in anyone nursing an ambition, such ambition must engender peace and unity among the people.

The statement added: “While people reserve the right to pursue their ambition, Kwara South Senatorial elders believe that ambition must be tamed and must not be wild to the point of threatening our unity which is capable

of truncating our focus on good governance and commitment to providing dividends of democracy to the good people of Kwara who have been so marginalized for so long.

“We can better achieve this in the atmosphere of fairness, equity and justice.”

The elders also called for support for the incoming administration, adding: “while we must savour our hard earned successes during the elections, we must not be complacent as it is not yet uhuru. The task ahead is humongous and requires total commitment in order to achieve our corporate objectives.”

Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019— 11 :Vanguard

:@vanguardnews

:@vanguardnews NEWS HOTLINES: 08052867023, 08052867058

BIRTHDAY: From left: Group Capt. Stephen Osugo; Pa. Peter Chukwuma Osugo, celebrant and Mr. Olaseni Da-Silva, during Pa Peter Chukwuma Osugo's 90th birthday thanksgiving mass at St. Dominic Catholic Church Yaba. Reception held at YCC Hall, St. Dominic Catholic Church, Yaba, Lagos on Sunday. PHOTOS: BUNMI AZEEZ.

Mr. Gerald Osugo, celebrant son (left) and Mrs. Ameka Dafeta, celebrant's daughter and her son.

ARSON, KILLING IN OGUN: Police declare 25 suspects arrested Inspector missing

By Daud Olatunji

A

B E O K U TA — TWENTY FOUR hours after hoodlums set ablaze the campaign office of Deputy Speaker of Ogun State House of Assembly, Olakunle Oluomo and his five buses in Coker bus stop in Ifo Local Government area of

the state, the state Police Command has declared a Police Inspector missing.

The state Police Command, however, said, no fewer than 25 suspects have been arrested in connection with the violence that erupted following the death of a resident by Police officers.

The Police Public

Second term: I pray Buhari appoints the best people this time — BAKARE themselves? Crime would

S

ERVING Overseer of the Latter Rain Assembly, Pastor Tunde Bakare says he prays President Muhammadu Buhari appoints the best, brightest and fittest people for his second term in office.

Bakare, who ran for presidency with Buhari in 2011, on the platform of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, said Nigeria has so much asset, which can be employed for the development of the nation.

“It is in our corporate interest to ensure that there is a future for our young people and for the children, to ensure good healthcare delivery, to ensure transportation system that is flawless; there is so much asset in this country.

“I pray that President Buhari will do his best in the second term to appoint the best, the brightest and the fittest, so that you will see Nigeria turn around as we maximise the potentials of the nation.”

Bakare called for the need to create jobs for teeming Nigerian youths in a bid to steer them away from crime, stating that the country is facing a scourge of insecurity as a result of unemployment.

“We are being invaded from outside and from within, what do you think will happen to millions of jobless youths who have no way of providing for

be the next option,” Bakare told Channels Television.

“So we need to create jobs, and more job, and more jobs, we have neglected the greatest asset of any nation — human capital. Our education sector has gone down the drain, we need to revive all that.

“I heard they are giving 300, (licences), for universities; I am just amazed, they are glorified secondary schools. Let us solidify the ones we have; it is ok to start university, it is ok to have private universities, but let us maintain standards.”

Bakare added that he does not believe in prosperity surrounded by poverty.

Relations Officer in the state, Abimbola Oyeyemi disclosed this to newsmen in Abeokuta on Monday.

Oyeyemi confirmed that both campaign office and five buses parked at Coker Bus-stop belonging to Oluomo were burnt by the arsonists .

He, however, declared that the whereabouts of an Inspector of Police was unknown since Sunday when the incident happened.

Oyeyemi said: “A police inspector is missing. The police inspector was macheted during the mob attack and up till now his whereabouts is unknown.

That gave the credence that they were attacked.”

Oyeyemi said the Commissioner of Police, Bashir Makama and some top officers of the Command have visited the scene of the incident on Monday for an on-the-spot assessment.

He said a young man, Akeem was killed by a stray-bullet while policemen were making efforts to scare the mob which was ready to attack them.

He said men of the zonal Intervention Squad had already arrested a suspect for being in possession of guns.

He said: “That suspect mentioned another person that he was part of the notorious cult group which they all belonged to.

“The suspect was taken to Ifo to identify the suspect and they have successfully arrested him.

But, while returning, they mobbed and attacked the officers and in the course of escaping from the attack, they released gun shots and incidentally, it hit one person, who died in the process.

“Some people mobilised themselves and attacked the office of the Deputy Speaker, burnt down the office and five vehicles in that area.

“The correlation between the incident that happened and the reaction of the people is what we cannot establish.

There is no nexus between the two.

25 suspects arrested “For now, we have arrested 25 suspects. The 25 suspects have been handed over to the State Criminal and Investigation Department; they are going to be screened. Those not directly involved will be released and those who are directly involved will face the law.”

Ekiti gets World Bank support to revive farm settlements Rural Access and areas to focus on their agBy Rotimi Ojomoyela

A

DO-EKITI—THE Ekiti State g o v e r n m e n t ’ s agriculture and rural development initiative has received a major boost as the government has secured the World Bank’s support for the initiative.

Governor Kayode Fayemi disclosed this on Sunday at his Isan Ekiti country home.

Fayemi said the initiative,

Marketing Programme, RAMP, will connect Ekiti rural communities to the urban centres and market places as well as help in the reconstruction of farm settlements many of which were built in the fifties by the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo but were not put to good use.

The Governor explained that the initiative would help provide basic amenities at the farm settlements so as to encourage farmers in the

ricultural activities.

“One of my assistants is going to be focusing on agric and farmsteads because in the course of my campaigns, I went round those farmsteads. My wife also toured the farmsteads extensively. There are things that are required by the people in those farms that will make their work a lot better in terms of social amenities, social investment, in terms of ensuring that we connect the farms to the market.''

OLOWO STOOL: I’ll not interfere in selection process — AKEREDOLU  As Mimiko describes late monarch as epitome of good deeds

By Dayo Johnson

A

KURE—AHEAD of the selection of a new Olowo of Owo, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has vowed not to interfere in the process.

Governor Akeredolu speaking in Owo said he would support whoever is selected by the kingmakers when the process commences.

The governor pleaded with the people of the town to remain peaceful and avoid anything that can cause crisis in the town.

Meanwhile, the former governor Olusegun Mimiko, while describing the late monarch as an epitome of good deeds, said he lived a fulfilled life.

He said: “I have no doubt in my mind that he is in the bosom of our Lord Jesus Christ. As a former governor of this state for eight years, I benefited a lot

from his counsel as traditional ruler.”

The former governor who was received at the Olowo palace by Chief Jamiu Ekungba, Prince Adenekan Olagbegi other Omolowos and Omo Owas, as Owo princes said the departed Olowo only transited as his good deeds are there forever as worthy legacies of his greatness.

He asked the people of Owo to sustain the peace that reigned in the era of the late Olowo as he prayed for a successor of like mind for the kingdom.

Chief Ekungba, who welcomed Mimiko on behalf of the kingdom, told him to prepare to be part of the funeral events.

He said: “You were seen as a friend of the kingdom by the departed Kabiyesi and indeed Owo people, you must be prepared to join us as we plan and execute his final rights,”

We’ll reclaim our mandate, Olujimi, Faseyi assure Ekiti PDP members

By Rotimi Ojomoyela

A

DO-EKITI— SENATE Minority Leader, Biodun Olujimi and Chairman of Senate Committee on Airport, Senator Duro Faseyi, yesterday, assured members of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in Ekiti State that they would reclaim the mandate given to them during the February 23 National Assembly elections through legal means.

Speaking with the constituents, Olujimi said: “We have come to personally visit you our people in order to felicitate with you on the Easter period and season. We wish you and the generality of

Ekiti people happy Easter and we also want you to see this visit and our rubbing minds together today as a morale booster to assure you to keep hope alive as the nearest future is very bright.

“We also want to inform you that we have sought a solid legal redress in order to reclaim our freely given mandate for the sake of rendering our usual quality service to our people and ensure that they continue to enjoy real dividends of democracy.

“You and I also noticed that there are many irregularities in the last poll which led to the stealing of our mandate by our enemies. We assure you that we will reclaim the mandate. So don’t despair.“

12—VANGUARD, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019

OML 30: Ex-militant leader accuses security operatives of aiding pipeline vandals

A

SABA—A former militant leader, Godday Gallant has raised the alarm over massive vandalism of oil and gas pipelines of the OML 30 running through Kwale, Isoko, Ughelli South and some parts of Bomadi Local Government Areas in Delta State.

Gallant, who revealed this in a statement in Asaba, said activities of vandals in those areas were worrisome, saying security agents were aiding the vandals.

He claimed that military operatives drive around to collect what he described as dues from the vandals at the sites of illegally refined products.

In addition, he said pipeline-bearing communities in Isoko land, Ewu axis of Ughelli South and Bomadi local governments are worse hit by the activities of vandals.

The Isoko-born ex-militant leader decried the silence of law enforcement agents, who allegedly shield the vandals and tacitly give them protection to commit the crimes, adding that most community leaders are not ignorant of the development.

Gallant said workers of a security firm, who were hired to protect the facilities from vandalism were also involved in the vandalism, a development he feared could make ‘Jesse’ out of the communities concerned.

He added that workers of the security firm often bring vandals, show them pipelines in the most difficult terrains in the creeks, while the vandals in turn drill holes into the pipes, create “cooking points’’ in the same environment.

FG restates commitment to rehabilitation of IDPs ...empowers 64 Bakassi returnees in Yenagoa

By Samuel Oyadongha

Y

ENAGOA—THE National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons ,NCFRMI, has restated its commitment to the rehabilitation of displaced persons.

The Federal Commissioner, NCFRMI, Mrs. Sadiya Farouq, stated this yesterday in Yenagoa at a capacity building workshop for Bakassi returnees.

Beneficiaries, numbering over 60 were trained in soap making, fish processing and given starter packs as well as capital after the programme.

She said: “The commission is not only looking beyond supporting displaced persons with relief materials but lifting them out of their present challenges and rehabilitating them economically to become self-reliant.”

Represented by Akintunde Oyesanya, South-South Zonal Coordinator NCFRMI, Farouq said: “Giving the displaced persons skills and start-up capital will make them self-reliant and they will be reintegrated into the society.

“Sixty-four beneficiaries many of whom had been at a makeshift camp for more than 10 years were given soap making and fish

processing kits as well as a take-off grant.

“NCFRMI had extensive counseling sessions with the selected beneficiaries to discourage them from selling the start up equipment donated to them.”

“The training curriculum included entrepreneurship education, marketing as well as small business management skills.

“The trainees would be mentored, monitored and given further financial support to expand their businesses and make them employers of labour.”

One of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Esther Mike, commended the federal government for the new approach to managing the

welfare of displaced persons.

She said, “I am glad to be selected for this pilot scheme, this approach of empowering people with skills, starter kits, and capital is going to change the life of people who were dependants.’’

Another beneficiary and leader of the Bakassi returnees in the state, Mr. Jeremaih Jerry-Wemi, noted that the training he had in fishery and processing would help improve his standard of living and that of other displaced persons.

He appealed to the commission to increase the skills areas covered to give displaced persons more choices.

Edo women support Obaseki’s policy on adult education

B

By Gabriel Enogholase

ENIN CITY— WOMEN leaders in Edo State have pledged support for the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration’s drive to enhance access to education for women, especially through Adult Education and Non-Formal Learning Centers to bridge the gender gap in the state.

Speaking during the campaign to drive enrollment of females in the education centres in Ovia North East and Egor Local Government Areas, the women leaders commended Governor Obaseki for implementing the initiative to redefine the role of women in the state.

Special Adviser to the Governor on Gender Issues, Ms. Efosa Uyigue, said the Obaseki-led administration would continue to support the education of the girl child.

She said: “Education is fundamental in building the character of an individual and social relationship skills. That is what we aim to achieve.

“I encourage women to get young females under their care, who dropped out of school, to enroll in the adult education programme, which is free.

This is an opportunity for them to get educated, which will enable them to seek better job opportunities or become better employers of labour.”

NIHORT trains Ndokwa youth on mushroom, ginger

By Festus Ahon & Ochuko Akuopha

K

WALE—NATIONAL Horticultural Research Institute, NIHORT, has embarked on the training of over 200 unemployed

youths on mushroom and ginger value chains.

The training which was organised for participants from Ndokwa West, Ndokwa East, and Ukwuani Local Government Areas of Delta State, was sponsored by the lawmaker representing Ndokwa/Ukwuani Federal Constituency, Mr. Ossai Ossai as part of his constituency projects.

Speaking at Kwale, Ndokwa West Local Government Area, during the training, Chief Executive Officer of NIHORT, Dr. Abayomi Olaniyan noted that: “Successful cultivation and trade in mushrooms can strengthen livelihood assets."

CELEBRATION: Rivers State youths performing, during the 2019 Easter celebrating in Port Harcourt, yesterday. Photo: NAN

Ijaw group faults FG on issuance of mining the North alone, while the oil and gas from the East licence in northern states and the Niger Delta are for

Y

By Samuel Oyadongha

E N A G O A — Movement for the Survival of Ijaw Ethnic Nationality in the Niger Delta, MOSIEND, has declared as “double standard” and “injustice” the decision of the Federal Government that mining companies in Northern states should consult host communities before being granted mining licences.

It said though the decision was based on the provision of the exclusive list of the constitution, the decision showed that the government was applying a different template in the north unlike in the Niger Delta where it said the people were not consulted.

The government had recently declared that it would not issue fresh permits to solid minerals mining firms without the consent of host communities.

The government through the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, also stated that it had reviewed

the country’s Mining and Mineral Act of 2007, and fixed some of the loopholes.

But MOSIEND in a statement issued in Yenagoa and signed by its National Secretary, Ambassador Winston Amain, wondered if Nigeria now operates two different constitutions for the north and south.

The statement reads: “How can communities in the north have the right to mine gold while communities in the south can not refine their own crude oil and gas resources.

“How can the country be described as one Nigeria when the resources in Zamfara, Taraba, Bauchi, Nassarawa and Kogi are for

the North and South.

“We call on the multinational oil companies to renegotiate with the host communities, noting that, the federal government can not continue to decide what happens to the oil and gas resources in the south while giving the north a free hand over their own resources.’’

Polls: Vote-buying denied credible candidates opportunities, says Etuk kidnappers, and even miliBy Joseph Erunke

A

BUJA—THE Young Democratic Party, YDP governorship candidate in the 2019 election in Akwa Ibom, Mr. Ezekiel Etuk , has lamented that votebuying denied credible and well-prepared people opportunities to offer their services to the nation.

Etuk, who is the Director General of Nigeria First Project, a social housing scheme, insisted that credible people, who wanted to get into elective offices to render selfless services had their ambitions

truncated because of votebuying.

To this end, he tasked the National Assembly and the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately address the issue ahead of the 2023 general election.

The politician, who addressed the media in Abuja, said the development brought illprepared people and money bags into public offices.

He said: “Vote-buying is going to do this country more harm than Boko Haram, killer herdsmen,

tants.

“I have decided with a few other like-minded people, who were part of the last election and those not even part of the vote buying to take the issue of vote buying to the highest level, not just in this country but the International Criminal Court, ICC. “At that level, vote buying is already seen as a crime against humanity and we want to make it such that any President directly or indirectly linked to the act, even if he is able to dodge the laws of the country, will not be able to dodge the ICC."

Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019—13 :Vanguard News

:@vanguardnews

:@vanguardnews

NEWS HOTLINES: 08052867023, 08052867058

NITDA DG inspects agency's project in UniJos

J

BRIEFING:From left—Health Desk, Sterling Bank, Oluwaseunayo Lojede; Maccme Board Member, Juliet Kego; former Minister of information, Frank Nweke Jnr; Founder, Maccme, Nicole Adigwe; Head, Technology & Digital Compliance, Lekan Akintemi, during a press briefing on Maccme Malaria Child & Maternal Mortality Eradication, by Sterling Bank, in Lagos.

Easter tragedy: 10 killed in Gombe NSCDC officer lynched for ramming vehicle into Christian youths Gombe Specialist Hospital IGP orders investigation into incident where the driver, one Corp Sequel to the incident, the Assistant Adamu CAN, Dep Gov appeals for calm Inspector General of Police,

By Evelyn Usman

G

OMBE—EASTER celebration by some Christian youths in SabonLayi Area of Gombe State was marred Sunday night after a vehicle driven by an official of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC rammed into the gathering killing eight of them, with 30 others injured.

Those killed were members of Boys’ Brigade from ECWA Church , Bamusa in Barunde and St Peter ’s Anglican Church, Madaki . They were on procession to Sabon-Layi Area of Gombe Metropolis ahead of Easter celebration on Monday.

The incident sparked off a protest as some of the survivors, chased the vehicle and lynched the NSCDC officer and his passenger. Report alleged that the NSCDC officer deliberately rammed into the procession.

The Gombe State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, Mary Malum, who confirmed the accident, said 10 persons died in the incident.

Malum said eight out of the 10 dead persons were members of the Gombe State Boys’ Brigade while the others were the driver of the car and his friend.

Captain of the ECWA Church’s Boys’ Brigade from Bogo (Gombe State), Michael Achika, appealed to government to offset the bills that would be incurred by those undergoing treatment. Achika, also urged the state government to compensate families of the deceased.

He commended the staff of the Gombe State Specialist Hospital for attending to the injured when they were seen there, adding that the victims

were responding to treatment.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Governor of Gombe State and the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, North East Chapter, Rev. Abare Kala, yesterday appealed to the Christian Community in the state to remain calm.

Rev. Kala made the appeal during an interview with newsmen in Gombe, saying the association would follow due process to seek redress on the situation. According to him, CAN was putting in efforts that would ensure that the situation was properly managed.

“We call on the Christian Community in Gombe to take the situation in good faith, be calm and also follow the right channel in seeking redress on the issue on ground.

“Two wrongs cannot make a right. So, I appeal for caution in the process of addressing the issue. If we apply the wrong approach, it will lead to another issue.

For now, we are trying to calm the situation by appealing to Christians to see reasons for calm and allow the authorities concerned to take necessary measures. We have informed the security agencies concerned about the situation on ground. We are aware of the pain this sad event had caused, but let’s be calm and allow the leadership to handle the matter,” he said.

On his part, the State Deputy Governor, Mr Charles Iliya, appealed for calm, adding that government would take all necessary measures to ensure justice was done.

Iliya noted that it was a painful experience but appealed for calm to allow the relevant authorities carry out their duties.

Mohammed Adamu, has ordered a comprehensive investigation to ascertain the circumstances that led to it.

Spokesman for the Nigeria Police Force, DCP Frank Mba, however, said that eye witnesses report during Police investigation, revealed that the accident occurred as a result of loss of control by the NSCDC driver, late Adamu Abdullai .

The driver he said, was “ driving along Gadan Malale and heading towards central round about and on reaching a point at Unguwan waja, rammed into a procession of crowd evidently celebrating Easter.

“With assistance of policemen from Gombe Division, the victims were immediately rushed to

Abdullahi, a staff of the NSCDC attached to Government House Gombe and 9 others were confirmed dead and their bodies deposited at the morgue while 30 other persons injured are currently receiving treatment. “ The Gombe Commissioner of Police visited scene of the accident to have an on -the-spot assessment as well as the hospital to monitor the treatment of the victims.

“The IGP, while condoling families and friends of the dead and injured victims, has advised motorists to exercise utmost caution by obeying all traffic signs, rules and regulations while driving, especially this festive period and beyond”.

By Marie-Therese Nanlong

OS—DIRECTOR General/Chief Executive Officer of the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, Dr. Isa Pantami, has visited the University of Jos, to ascertain the level of work by the contractor on the Virtual Library Project the agency is carrying out in the University following the fire incident which engulfed the University’s library and others in October, 2016.

D r. Pantami said he and his team were on an unscheduled visit to the University to ascertain the level of work especially as NITDA had been deploying intervention funds for several projects across the country.

He added that there was need to always ascertain whether these

jobs were being executed according to the prescribed standard.

The University’s Deputy Registrar, Information and Publications, Abdullahi Abdullahi in a statement issued in Jos, yesterday said Dr. Pantami commended the University Authority for the transformation taking place in the University and challenged the Management not to relent in doing their best to uplift the University.

Speaking during the visit, the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Seddi Maimako who conducted the NITDA delegation round the Naraguta Library Complex, commended NITDA for sponsoring the development of a Virtual Library Project in the University, describing the project as transformational and would add value to the University Library as a repository of academic resources and knowledge generation.

Nasarawa attacks: NEMA to provide respite for victims

By David Odama

L

AFIA—National E m e r g e n c y Management Agency, NEMA, has begun a headcount of the Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, in three communities of Nasarawa State following recent attacks by suspected herdsmen in Akwanga, Nasarawa State.

The Director-General of NEMA, Mustapha Haja who led a team of NEMA officials on the head count exercise in Akwanga Local Government Area, LGA, said NEMA officials were in the affected communities to take inventory of the number of people displaced, access the level of damage done aimed at

bringing respite to the victims.

Represented by a Director in charge of NorthCentral, Mr Ladan Ayuba Haja, he said “We have the mandate of the DG to profile all the IDPs from Mante, Nidan and Numa villages of Andaha in Akwanga LGA that were recently attacked. We also have the mandate to take inventory of the number of persons killed and the properties destroyed during the attacks in the communities.”

Similarly, the Executive Secretary of Nasarawa State Emergency Management Agency, NASEMA, Allu Maga, said the headcount was to enable the state government provide adequate relief materials for the victims.

Atiku urges FG to arrest killers of Mooney, Oguche Briton killed was a victim of propaganda — Shehu Sani

K

A D U N A — PRESIDENTIAL candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, yesterday, asked the Federal Government to identify and arrest the killers of the British aid worker, Faye Mooney, and her Nigerian partner, Mathew Oguche, killed two days ago in Kaduna State.

This came as Senator Shehu Sani, senator representing Kaduna central, claimed Mooney was a victim of propaganda.

Atiku who lost to President Muhammadu Buhari, in the last presidential election, conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, condemned the killings, noting that Nigeria

does not have time any more for empty rhetoric but time for urgent national action.

In his tweets, he said “We need to keep Nigeria safe for Nigerians and foreigners. The death of any Nigerian or foreigner from terror, crime or insecurity grieves my heart.

Nobody ’s life is worth taking to advance a religious, political or criminal cause. I condemn the killing of British aid worker, Faye Mooney, and her Nigerian partner, Mathew Oguche two days ago in Kaduna State.

Several other Nigerians were kidnapped during the episode.

“I want the government and people of the United Kingdom to know that these atrocious actions do not reflect Nigeria’s national character. These

killings must end or Nigeria will lose friends, partners and investors. Not only do I condemn this recent killing, but I make an urgent call for the federal and state authorities to track down the culprits and make them pay for their crimes.

“The time for empty rhetoric is long gone. Now is the time for urgent national action to stem insecurity.

“Nigeria must once again become synonymous with peace, progress and prosperity. This can only happen when crime and punishment are a natural cause and effect. As long as there is impunity, our nation will lack unity and security. Impunity must end and must end in earnest. These crimes continue to reoccur because previous killings

have not been met with justice.

When the punishments for crimes are not forthcoming, criminals are emboldened to commit even worse crimes.”

On his part, Senator Sani, in a statement yesterday said “Her killing reflects the danger and disorder that has become of the crime of kidnappings in Kaduna state and other states in northern Nigeria. Faye Mooney is a martyr and a heroine who believed in us and we as a state failed to protect her. Faye Mooney was lost to a failure of leadership and the perilous collapse of security in the North West.

She was a victim of the propaganda of those who falsely advertised the state that everything is well. Faye Mooney’s death was needless if those in the position of executive authority woke up and rose up to the challenge of insecurity in the state.”

14 — VANGUARD, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019

Int'l community hails Buhari’s economy reform agenda — LAI MOHAMMED

T

HE international community has expressed satisfaction with the economy reform programmes of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration especially for nurturing the nation’s economy from recession to sustainable growth.

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, disclosed this, yesterday, while speaking on his post election trip to the United States and United Kingdom on a live TVC News Programme, “This Morning.”

The minister who just returned from working visits to Washington and London said, he interacted with international think-tanks and influential media organisations who were happy with the agenda of the administration at reforming the economy.

“The global community was happy that the administration have succeeded in diversifying the economy away from just oil.

“Though oil still remains an important part of the economy, but you will

understand that in 2018, oil accounted for only 9.6 per cent of the GDP while the non-oil sector accounted for 54 per cent of the GDP. “This is significant in measuring the economy recovery of the country.

“They also hailed the fact that post elections, the international investing community has invested so much in Nigeria,” he said.

The minister added that since the country came out of recession, the economy has recorded growth for six consecutive quarters.

“The international community hails certain initiatives such as the National Single Window, an e+platform, which allows for registration of companies online and filing of tax returns.

“These have eliminated the contact between the authorities and the companies and that has helped in reducing complications and making doing business easier.

“Our massive investments in infrastructure including power, rail, roads have also helped in stimulating the economy.''

Presidency working for Leah Sharibu’s release — ADESINA Says Nigeria'll overcome challenges

By Olayinka Latona

L

AGOS—SPECIAL Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, Sunday night said the Muhammadu Buhari government has not abandoned negotiations for the release of Leah Sharibu, the abducted Dapchi schoolgirl, from her captors.

Adesina disclosed this at the Easter concert of Apostolic Faith Church West Africa themed: “Christ the King” held at the church’s national headquarters in Anthony Village, Lagos.

He stressed that the

Federal Government was working frantically to secure Sharibu’s release, as well as that of the other girls abducted by Boko Haram.

Addressing journalists on efforts being made to secure the release of Leah Sharibu, the presidential spokesman said efforts being embarked upon to free the teenager are classified and cannot be made public.

He, however, urged Nigerians to keep faith, saying that the Federal Government was doing everything possible to secure her release as soon as possible.

He said: “We believe that

Leah Sharibu will come back one day, a lot is being done, and you know you cannot begin to proclaim sensitive things like that on the pages of the newspaper.

“We should not relent in our prayers, keep hope alive and I am assuring you that the Federal Government is doing everything possible to secure the release of Leah Sharibu.”

He also expressed optimism that Nigeria would overcome her problems just as Jesus overcame death.

He said: “Whatever the problems that besiege this country, whether killings, economic, political or

social problem can be overcome.

We will overcome all the problems facing the country.”

Also speaking, District Superintendent of Apostolic Faith Church, West and Central Africa District, WECA, Rev. Adebayo Adeniran, urged Nigerians to love one another and eschew selfishness, corrupt acts and bitterness.

He said: “We need to look at the significance of Easter in Nigeria. We are not to live selfish lives, we should be able to invest in our country. All that we have is for a purpose. Jesus made the provision for the cleansing of corruption, God is averse to corruption.”

Boko Haram activities now restricted — BURATAI

M

ONGUNO—THE Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, has said that the Boko Haram terrorists are being contained with the recent renewed joint military offensive against them in Northern Borno and border areas.

Buratai said the offensive

had pushed them to the remote Islands on the Lake Chad basin.

Represented by Maj.Gen. Lamidi Adeosun, Chief of Training and Operations, Buratai disclosed this in an interview with newsmen at Monguno in Borno North after celebrating the Easter with troops.

He said the containment of the terrorists was made possible by joint operations by troops of the Lake Chad Basin countries, including the Multinational Joint Task Force, MNJTF. “You will discover that the Boko Haram terrorists are now lurking around the borders, especially the dangerous and inaccessible areas of the Tumbun and Islands (of Lake Chad) and the best way to handle them is to have concentration of forces,” he said.

On the ongoing joint operations between

Nigerian and Chadian troops in Northern Borno, Buratai said the coming of the Chadians had given a troops a boost and equipment concentration in the area, adding that this was necessary to route the terrorists from their hiding places in the Islands.

Earlier, while addressing troops of Sector 3 of the Operation Lafiya Dole, he expressed satisfaction that they had turned the tide against the terrorists, adding that it was no longer business for them as usual.

“I urge you not to relent; you must continue to heat the iron now that our iron is very, very red so that we can beat the iron to the shape that we all like.

“You must maintain the momentum; we must never ever allow the reverse to be the case again. Now that we are moving, we must continue to move.

“Now, we are pursuing,

we must continue to pursue, we are on the offensive, we should never withdraw to defensive position.

“You must remain bold and continue to do all that it takes to take the power, life and breath out of Boko Haram,’’ the army chief charged the troops.

Buratai also visited the Chadian troops deployed alongside their Nigerian counterparts for a joint operation at Cross Kauwa, the Headquarters of Sector 2 of Operation Lafiya Dole.

In an address, he commended them for their zeal, courage and commitment, saying that they were not only working for the safety of Nigeria and their country, but humanity.

He described the Chadian troops as brave soldiers, and assured them that their requirement in terms of logistics would be provided.

FAAC shares N1.92 trn to FG, states, LGs in 1st qtr — NBS and March, 2019 In addition, the report said

By Emmanuel Elebeke

A

B U J A — FEDERATION Account Allocation Committee, FAAC, disbursed N1.92 trillion to three tiers of government in first quarter of 2019, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS. Also, the Federal Government, 36 states and the 774 local government councils in Nigeria shared a total of N8 trillion from the Federation Account in 2018 despite the shut-ins in several oil installations during the period.

The current sources of revenue flow into the Federation Account are collected by agencies of the Federal Government with little or no contributions from state or local government council.

The NBS said this in FACC monthly allocation for January, Februar y

Disbursement statistics published on its website, yesterday.

The bureau said FAAC disbursed N649.19 billion to the three tiers of government in January, 2019; N660.37 billion in February while N619.86 billion was distributed to the three tiers in March.

Out of the N1.92 trillion, the Federal Government got N803.18 billion in the quarter, states received N530.14 billion while the local governments received N398.43 billion.

The breakdown showed that the federal government received N270.17 billion in January, N275.33 billion in February and N257.68 billion in March.

States received N178.04 billion in January, N182.17 billion in February and N169.93 in March while the local concils got N133.83 billion in January, N136.88 billion in february and N127.72 billion in March.

the amount disbursed in January comprised N547.46 billion from the Statutory Account, N100.76 billion from Valued Added Tax, VAT and N976.53 million exchange gain differences.

The sum of N45.36 billion was shared among the oil producing states as 13 per cent derivation fund in the month.

Revenue generating agencies such as Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, and Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, received N4.69 billion, N4.04 billion and N8.04 billion respectively as cost of revenue collections.

Further breakdown of revenue allocation distribution to the Federal Government revealed that the sum of N216.57 billion was disbursed to the federal government’s consolidated revenue account.

VANGUARD, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019—15

Cleric laments insecurity, Making reference to the corruption significance of Easter,

By Anayo Okoli

U

CONCERT: From left—Head of Public Relations, Apostolic Faith Church, Kayode Adeleye; Head of Media, Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Segun Babatope; Wife of the Special Asst to the President on Media and Publicity, Mrs Adenike Adesina, her spouse, Femi Adesina; General Superintendent, Apostolic Faith Church, Rev. Bayo Adeniran; and MD, Philosoville Ltd, Mr Kufre Ekanem, at the Apostolic Faith Church Easter Concert in Lagos. Photo: NAN

Igbo have their origin in Ile-Ife —Ooni ...invites Olugbo for clarification Igbo, original owners of Ile Ife —Ohanaeze

By Chioma Gabriel & Gbenga Olarinoye

O

SOGBO— OONI of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi has reaffirmed his position on the family ties between Yoruba and Igbo nations, that the Igbos are from IleIfe, saying the two major ethnic groups in Nigeria are inseparable members of the same family.

Ooni Ogunwusi stated this, weekend at his IleOodua palace in Ile-Ife, while receiving the President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Lagos State, Chief Solomon Ogbonna who accompanied the delegation of African Farmers And Cultural Organization on a courtesy visit to the palace.

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Moses Olafare, Oba Ogunwusi said: “I am so happy to have the President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos State President here as part of this empowerment

initiative.”

The monarch said: “Lagos is part of Yoruba land, we are all one, we are all the same, the history is there, the facts are there and we should actually put these facts out. Why are we fighting?

“This is your root. I said it recently, some of our Yoruba kinsmen with ignorance of our history came out with nugatory beratement of my position on the family ties between Yoruba and Igbo people. We have to say the truth and the truth must set us all free, we are blood brothers. We should be inseparable. Please feel at home in Yorubaland and respect your Yoruba brothers and sisters too.

“We still have House of Igbo right in this palace till date. We call it Ile Igbo up till now. Our ancestors are buried and transfigured there. That is where kolanut was first discovered and nurtured.

The Igbo are still the

biggest consumers and users of kolanut which is only planted in Yorubaland till date. Can the Igbos do without kolanut?

“The ancient Igbo house is one of the most sacred places in the palace till date.

One of my brother kings Aka Arogundabi from Iremo quarters saw the mysteries of house of Igbo(Aka-ri-Igbo). Till date, Akarigbo of Remoland still sees house of Igbo as a common heritage of his forebears.

"He also maintained that he is a reincarnated spirit of his ancestors, asking Olugbo of Ugbo in Ondo State, Oba Fredrick Akinrutan Obateru to visit the Ile Oodua in Ile-Ife for proofs and evidences on the Igbo/Yoruba ties and also various tribes of Igbo ancestory in Ife. “We have a lot of discoveries that the Igbo and Yoruba people once lived together as one family and this will be revealed to

Court to hear N2.8m fraud case against Nnewi United manager May 30

A

By Vincent Ujumadu

WKA—A Federal High Court sitting in Awka will on May 30, 2019, begin hearing on the case of obtaining by false pretence involving the manager of Nnewi United football club of Nnewi, Mr. Olisa Onuchukwu.

Onuchukwu allegedly obtained the sum of N2.8 million from an Awkabased businessman, Chief Ndubuisi Nwobu on the pretext that he would use it to facilitate travel for

young players who wished to play football in foreign countries.

According to the charge sheet, the suspect allegedly committed the offence between July and October, 2017.

The charge read: “That between July and October 2017 at Awka within the Judicial Division of the Federal High Court Awka, you did by false pretence and with the intent to defraud, obtained from Hon Ndubuisi Nwobu the sum of N2.8 million paid into Zenith and Ecobank

account numbers.

“You pretended that you will use the said amount to procure visa for Chukwunonso Anumba, Ikechukwu Nwinoh and Uchendu Jideofor to enable them travel abroad which you knew to be false and there is no truth in it, thereby committing offence contrary to section 1(1)a and punishable under section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other related offences Act 2006.”

At the last sitting of the court, Onuchukwu pleaded not guilty to the offence.

the public. We should look at things that connect us together, not those that separate us.

“I am a reincarnated spirit of our ancestors; my name is Enitan which means a child of stories and mysteries. I had come to this world before, that's why I am Babatunde also and I am back again to establish the truth and nothing but the truth and the truth will set us all free.

“Let us all reconcile our differences and look at things that connect us rather than things that divide us”, Ooni added.

In his remarks, the President of Ohanaeze in Lagos State assured Ooni Ogunwusi that the Igbo people hold him in high esteem and will always appreciate his efforts in unifying all the races in Nigeria to peacefully coexist as one inseparable family, calling him an uncommon bridge builder who is well loved and respected across Africa.

Igbo, original owners of Ile-Ife —Ohanaeze

However, reacting to the statement from Ooni’s palace yesterday, National Deputy Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chuks Ibegbu said Igbo people were the original occupants and owners of Ile-Ife before the arrival of the Yoruba. The reaction by Ohanaeze read: “Odudunwa (Last born), later called Oduduwa was an Igbo Prince who occupied Ile-Ife, but the Yoruba saw him as a god because he was very powerful and had magical powers.

“The Yorubas learnt and spoke Igbo language then and that is the reason for the similarity between Igbo and Yoruba language.”

M U A H I A— T H E M e t h o d i s t Archbishop of Archdiocese of Umuahia, Abia State, Most Revd Chibuzo Raphael Opoko, has lamented the rising level of corruption and insecurity in the country and called on the nation’s leaders to recreate a Nigeria of a new Nigeria that would inspire confidence and hope for the people.

Archbishop Opoko particularly lamented the high level of insecurity and wanton killings of the innocent people in many parts of the country, saying “we must as a nation say no to this act of wickedness”.

He called for a change of the nation’s security structure to include competent men and women from all the major regions of the country.

Opoko, whose charge was contained in his Easter Message, tasked the nation’s leaders to build a Nigeria that would be “politically stable, economically viable and socially happy.”

Archbishop Opoko urged “all leaders across board to sacrifice self and work for the eventful and purposeful transformation of our society and the environment. Let us be proud of our Nation”.

He lamented the level of killings of innocent Nigerians going on in different parts of the country due to the high level of insecurity and called for something drastic to be done to tackle it.

“I use this opportunity to call on the government of President Muhammadu Buhari to rethink on the present status of the security leadership of the country to include competent men and women from all the major regions of the country.

“How can we conclude without making reference to the high level of insecurity and wanton killings of the innocent?

“We must as a nation say no to this act of wickedness.

We must be willing to expose those we know that are involved in this wicked inhuman act. We must continue to pray for our nation Nigeria."

Army commends Ugwuanyi for training traffic personnel

By Chinedu Adonu

T

HE Nigerian Army has commended the administration of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State for its commitment towards the training of Provost personnel of the state’s Traffic Management Authority for discipline and improved service delivery to the people of the state.

The Army spoke through the Commander 82 Division, Provost Group Nigerian Army, Lieutenant Colonel Wya Jonah Kore, during the closing ceremony/presentation of certificates to Provost Personnel of the Enugu

State Traffic Management Authority trained by the division.

Colonel Kore also applauded the present government in Enugu State for realising the importance of training and welldisciplined staff among its workforce.

He disclosed that the Military Police arm of the Nigerian Army saddled with the responsibility of law and order undertook the training of the traffic personnel because of the importance of the exercise towards the efficient and effective delivery of service by the traffic personnel in the course of managing the transportation system in the state.

SMEDAN boss tasks youths on entrepreneurship, skill acquisition

E

By Chinedu Adonu

NUGU—DIRECTOR General of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, SMEDAN, Dr. Dikko Umaru, has urged youths to focus on entrepreneurship and skill acquisition to reduce the alarming rate of unemployment in the country.

Umaru made this call during the training of youths between the ages of 18 and 35 in the Small and Medium Enterprises

Development Agency of Nigeria, SMEDAN, talent hunt in fashion, arts and craft in Enugu.

He said the programme was designed to discover hidden talents and showcase innovative talents.

Umaru, represented by Director of Quality, Partnership and Coordination, Dr. Friday Okpara, said that the project was aimed at job generation, wealth creation and self-reliance in order to reduce poverty among youths.

16 — Vanguard TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019

Bitcoin Price: BTC might rise by 6787% over golden cross above resistence

E

COMEDY SHOW From left— Brand Manager, Peak, Olabimpe Orimoloye; Tinsel actress, Linda Ejiofor, Marketing Manager, Peak, Maureen Ifada; Head, Media and Digital, FrieslandCampina WAMCO, Ehis Emokare; BBA 2018 finalist, Tobi Bakre and Senior Brand Manager, Peak, Afolarin Ojo at the recently-concluded AY Live comedy show, supported by Peak Milk in Lagos.

Itsekiri community laments alleged abandonement of Ogidigben Central Hospital by govt As Ayiri appeals to Buhari for intervention

W

ARRI—THE people of oil rich Ogidigben community in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State, has lamented the alleged abandonment of the Ogidigben Central Hospital, by both the State Government and oil companies operating in the area, saying that several persons have died due to lack of medical equipment and doctors in the hospital.

When journalists visited the hospital which is supposed to serve about five communities including Ajudaibo, Ode-Ugborodo, Madangho, Ijale, Ugbegun and its environs, bushes and reptiles have taken over the hospital.

It was said that one person had died after snakes invaded the hospital a month ago. No doctor or nurse was found at the hospital just as the wards were under lock and key.

The Ologbosere of Warri Kingdom and chieftain of All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief Ayiri Emami, who was in his community for the Easter break, reacted to the situation when newsmen met him.

He regretted further that the hospital and the Madangho Cottage hospital built by Chevron but was burnt during the Ijaw/ Isekiri war in 1997 and 2002, is yet to be rebuilt, adding that his people are dying due to lack of health care and appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari

to come to their aid.

According to him, "my people are suffering due to the fact that we have no hospital. The only place we have a health center is at Ogborodo which is about 30minutes from our community. Sometimes people die before they could even get to the place.

"It is most unfortunate because the PDP administration in Delta State has abandoned that hospital which was constructed by Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan led administration. Meanwhile

some people from Ogidigben even voted for PDP. "Snakes and other reptiles have taken over the only hospital we have, infact one person died as a result of snake bite at the hospital last month. The hospital at Madangho which was burnt by the Ijaws is yet to be rebuilt.

Though we are aware that the funds meant for the project is already with the Itsekiri Development Council and the project will commence after we are

able to resolve some internal issues.

"But what is more heart breaking is that the Delta State Government had abandoned the Ogidigben community hospital which is a state government project and that is very unfair to my people. And I use this opportunity to appeal to President Buhari to come to our aid because our people are dying everyday as a result of this unfortunate situation" he stated.

B

ENIN CITY—AS preparation continues for the inauguration of the 9th National Assembly, the re-elected member represesnting Etsako federal constituency, Hon Johnson Oghuma, yesterday disclosed that the incoming 9thNational Assembly will ensure that the new assembly creates a harmonious relationship with the executive arms to fast track good governance for the

Nigeria people.

He regretted that the outgoing assembly though dominated by the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC became opposition to itself and obstacle to the executive arm of government thereby frustrating developmental plans of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Oghuma spoke in Auchi, Etsako West local government area shortly after distribution of empowerment

items worth millions of Naira, to members of his constituent.

He also said the horse trading for leadership at the national assembly is expected as every lawmaker is free to contest for any leadership positions adding that the APC as the dominant party in both houses will smoothly produce the leadership with its numerical advantage.

Okowa's aide lauds DESOPADEC boss at 58

A

By Ochuko Akuopha

SABA—MANAGING Director of Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC, Olorogun

William Makinde has been described as a highly detribalised, result oriented and prudent manager of scarce resources, for the good of oil producing communities in the state.

Executive Assistant (Communications) to the Governor of Delta State, Dr Fred Oghenesivbe made the commendation in a goodwill message on the occasion of Makinde's 58th birthday anniversary celebration.

He noted that DESOPADEC under Makinde, executed several key projects across oil producing areas and also played strategic roles in the SMARTAgendaofthisadmin-

Nigeria oil output to decrease 8 percent daily after fire

A

N oil company in Nigeria is declaring a "force ma jeure" shutdown after a fire.

The temporary closure is expected to cut Nigeria's oil production by about 8 percent per day.

Aiteo Oil Exploration and Production Company said the shutdown took place Sunday.

The Nembe Creek Trunk Line has a carrying capacity of more than 150,000 barrels per day and is used to transport crude oil from the eastern Niger Delta to the Bonny Export Terminal in Rivers state in southern Nigeria.

The company said it suspected the fire may have occurred through "an illegitimate third-party breach."

Over the past two years, Nigeria has been steadily recovering in crude oil production, due to cessation of hostilities by the Niger Delta oil militants.

Wall Street dips ahead of earnings deluge

U

9th NASS'll compliment Executive for better Nigeria —Oghuma

By Alemma Aliu

VER since Bitcoin (BTC) tested the $5,400 resistance level, the bear has taken its price down, and the 30 days market chart revealed that BTC has been stalemating between a band price of $5,100 and $5,300 with no sign of a breakout.

Investors and market experts, nevertheless, have been at vigil for a caption of mechanical trend that would bring gestures of crypto bull above the historical resistance.

However, Bitcoin and some other altcoins in the market have been painted green and the entire market cap of over 2,000 coins has risen to $179 billion. Bitcoin seems to be looking for a golden cross after testing the $5,300 level for the first since April 11.

There are great signs that Bitcoin will maintain a rally above the $5,300 resistance level this week.

istration, especially in human capital development, empowerment, girl child education, peace building, community relations and security.

Oghenesivbe, a Rotarian and memberoftheAmericanPolitical Science Association (APSA), further described Olorogun Makinde, as a man with "heart of gold" as can be seen from his numerous philanthropic and people oriented empowerment projects and activities; which in nosmallmeasurescontributedto the huge success of the job and wealth creation programmes as well as infrastructural development of this administration under the state governor, Senator IfeanyiOkowa.

.S. stocks pulled back slightly on Monday as in vestors awaited a barrage of major earnings reports this week, the busiest this earnings season, while a jump in energy stocks kept losses in check.

The S&P 500 logged slight losses for the holidayshortened week, however the benchmark was about 1% away from a record high hit in September, boosted in part by largely positive earnings.

About a third of the S&P 500 companies, including Boeing Co, Amazon.com Inc and Facebook Inc, will report this week, determining whether investors should be concerned about the start of an earnings recession or whether back-to-back quarters of negative growth can be avoided.

S&P 500 profits are expected to drop 1.7% yearover-year, according to Refinitiv data, in what could be the first earnings contraction since 2016.

“Q1 earnings have largely been a pleasant surprise thus far, but have not ignited investor enthusiasm enough to move the needle in a meaningful way.”

No signs of global recession in next 12 months - BlackRock's Fink

T

HERE are no signs that the global economy is slid ing towards a recession in the next 12 months, BlackRock Inc’s Chief Executive Larry Fink said in remarks published on Saturday.

In an interview with German business daily Handelsblatt, Fink warned, however, that the global economy was in the late stage of a long growth cycle, suggesting that downturn was becoming more likely.

“I see no signs of a global recession in the coming 12 months,” said Fink, who leads the world’s largest asset manager.“The central banks have loosened their policy above all because of the weak fourth quarter of 2018. We will go through a phase in which things are not great but also not bad.”

He added: “But we are naturally in a late phase of the economic growth cycle.”

The International Monetary Fund cut its global economic growth forecasts for 2019 this month and said growth could slow further due to unresolved trade disputes and the risk of Britain leaving the European Union without a deal.

All stories credited to Reuters

Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 23 23, 2019

Gorbachev’s “inability for health reasons” to carry out his presidential duties, the coup leaders declared a state of emergency. While tanks rumbled through Moscow, thousands valiantly poured into the city streets to link hands in human chains and build barricades to protect the Russian Parliament, known as the White House.

Outside the parliament, Yeltsin rallied the crowds from the top of a tank, and the popular uprising made the coup a failure after three

The Soviet Union’s final hours: Lessons for Nigeria

T

HE enemies of Nigeria who oppose the calls for the restructuring of the country have been at their most strident lately as if in some form of triumphalism .No reasonable person can understand them because even the most pathetic of retards can see that Nigeria is fast disappearing and the last line left for it is those of us standing between two extremes clamouring for restructuring. I have said it before and I say it confidently again that once our column disappears, Nigeria becomes a past tense. It is appositive at this stage to review the last hours of the Soviet Union in case the opponents of restructuring may still pick one or two lessons and make hay while the sun still shines.

One of the most powerful empires in world history came to a surprisingly peaceful end when the Soviet Union dissolved into 15 independent states. I intend to review how they are faring 28 years after in due course.

Progressive socialist state

By December 25, 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev had become a president without a country.

Three of the Soviet Union’s 15 republics had already declared independence, and days earlier, the leaders of 11 others agreed to leave the USSR to form the Commonwealth of Independent States. Once the republic leaders signed the Soviet Union’s virtual death warrant, all that was left was for Gorbachev to pull the plug for another one to bite the dust.

In a 10-minute televised speech on the night of December 25, a weary Gorbachev addressed a nation that no longer existed. He announced the dissolution of the Soviet Union and his resignation as its eighth and final leader. The Soviet Union died at 69,Nigeria is now 59!

Five years after revolutionary Bolsheviks overthrew the Russian czar and established the progressive socialist state, Russia joined with its neighbours on December 30, 1922, to form the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics under its first leader, Vladimir Lenin. The communist power transformed Soviet Union rapidly but bureaucratic dictatorship arrested the development and turned it to a Republic of Fear until the 54-yearold Gorbachev came to power in 1985. Hidden behind the Iron Curtain was a decaying empire that had been torn apart by overC M Y K

centralisation based on command and control.

Gorbachev believed restructuring was necessary for survival, and he brought desperate actions to the desperate situation at a late period. He ushered in political openness (“glasnost”), which brought new freedoms and democratic elections, and perestroika (“economic restructuring”), which loosened government control on the Soviet economy and permitted

While tanks rumbled through Moscow, thousands valiantly poured into the city streets to link hands in human chains and build barricades to protect the Russian Parliament, known as the White House

limited private enterprise. The changes made Gorbachev a hero abroad, but opinions of him fell at home as the USSR struggled through the reforms.

The changes brought by Gorbachev set the stage for a series of mostly bloodless revolutions that swept through the Soviet satellite countries of Eastern Europe in 1989. As the Berlin Wall fell, the Soviet leader chose not to use military crackdown. The historic changes

earned Gorbachev the Nobel Peace Prize and Time Magazine’s “Man of the Decade” honour, but the USSR was no longer at ease.

Increasingly, Gorbachev was being pulled in two different directions by democrats who wanted more freedoms and autonomy for the republics and conservatives who wanted to end the reforms that they believed were breaking the union apart.

They were like the ACF which said it opposed Atiku for promising reforms. The maverick leader of the Russian republic, Boris Yeltsin, was a particularly radical thorn in Gorbachev’s side.

Yeltsin, who had dramatically quit the Communist Party in 1990, called for Gorbachev’s resignation after the Soviet army cracked down in Lithuania and other republics that sought independence a greater sovereignty.

In March 1991, the USSR held a public referendum to determine whether the union should be preserved or dissolved. More than three-quarters of voters wanted the USSR to endure, but six republics abstained from voting altogether. In spite of the results, the referendum did little to stop the fracturing of the country.

Yeltsin and other democrats continued to push Gorbachev to introduce more radical reforms, and the Soviet president negotiated a treaty that decentralised power from the central government to the republics.

Communist hard-liners in the government and the military had seen enough. On August 18, 1991, they placed Gorbachev under house arrest at his vacation villa in Crimea. Announcing

days.

Gorbachev flew back to Moscow on August 22, but it wasn’t he who became the acclaimed hero as a result of the coup, but Yeltsin.

The last gasp of the old order had been melted with the failed coup, and an emboldened Yeltsin quickly eclipsed Gorbachev.

On December 8, the Russian president met with the leaders of Belarus and Ukraine at a villa outside of Minsk and signed an agreement to form the Commonwealth of Independent States. “The Soviet Union as a subject of international and geopolitical reality no longer exists,” read the text of the agreement. Less than two weeks later at a meeting in the Kazakh city of Alma-Ata, another eight Soviet republics agreed to join the new entity. With the Baltic states of Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia having declared independence months earlier, the USSR was down to one republic Kazakhstan. The Commonwealth

—17

of Independent States also accepted Gorbachev’s resignation - although it had yet to be tendered. “We respect Gorbachev and want him to go gently into retirement,” said Yeltsin, who had already taken control of the KGB, parliament and even Gorbachev’s presidential office.

Left with no choice, the Soviet president tendered his resignation on December 25.

“Due to the situation which has evolved as a result of the formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States, I hereby discontinue my activities at the post of President of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics,” Gorbachev said in his address.

“The policy prevailed of dismembering this country and disuniting the state, which is something I cannot subscribe to.”

“We’re now living in a new world. An end has been put to the Cold War and to the arms race, as well as to the mad militarisation of the country, which has crippled our economy, public attitudes and morals,” he said before lamenting that “the old system collapsed before the new one had time to begin working”.

Shortly after the end of the speech, Gorbachev signed the nuclear codes over to Yeltsin. Then with little pomp and even less circumstance, the red flag of the Soviet Union was lowered like that of a surrendered army and all the defenders of the old older washed away in a flash of history.

The Russian Federation was then hoisted up the flagpole. The end for a country that had seen such violence over its history came without a soundtrack of gunshots but just the swapping of a banner in the breeze and the wail of a drunken man stumbling around Red Square, screaming: “Why are you laughing at Lenin?”

Putin in his speech to Russians in 2005 lamented the collapse of the Soviet Union thus: “Above all, we should acknowledge that the collapse of the Soviet Union was a major disaster of the century.

As for the Russsian nation, it became a genuine drama. Tens of millions of our co-citizens and co-patriots found themselves outside the Russian territory.

Moreover the epidemic of disintegration infected Russia itself”.

It was avoidable if the USSR power elites were not blinded to reality. If only they had embraced reforms at the right time.

FEEDBACK

Re: Ajasin was honorable and incorruptible Dear Yinka, AM one of your admirers.

Your accurate and exact information at all times have stood you put from the pack.

One can clearly see from your piece that truth and facts are scarce commodities in Nigeria.

Look at the issue of geopolitical zones and those found honourable in their sight.

The case of Prof. Ambrose Alli was was also a great injustice. Thank you and keep doing what you are doing and God will richly bless you.

—Felix Okigala

I

B

Y the time I read the opening to your column with Ajasin’s statement that he did not come back with any of the two cars he took into government ,I couldn’t ask the question that was agitating my mind anymore.

The question would have been: Did any of Ajasin’s children buy a power bike that cost more than the salary of the old man in office for four years?

May our land never be in short supply of men like him.

—Kunle Adewumi.

18 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019 RELATIONSHIPS between the Nigeria Police Force and the public have deteriorated so much. Not many Nigerians actually believe the maxim: “Police is your friend”, except theyhave had the good fortune of being rescued from the clutches of violent criminals like armed robbers, kidnappers and the like by dutiful police officers.

Hardly does a day pass without innocent members of the public being killed by trigger-happy policemen, particularly their special squads such as the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad, FSARS, and groups detailed to track down cultists and fraudsters.

The cases of Kolade Johnson, who was shot dead by a police officer on the heels of cultists in Lagos and two young lovers who were killed by policemen on night patrol in Apapa, Lagos, recently, are still fresh.

So is that of a young man in Lagos whose two phones were seized by the

Redefining Police/public relations police over his alleged refusal to cooperate in their efforts to search them for possible evidences of crime.

The Police in Delta State also announced that an officer who smashed a GSM handset of a student for being “too expensive” had been put on orderly room trial.

It is beginning to seem if a good number of our police officers and members of the public no longer understand the rules of engagement between the two sides.

It is either that the police officers are being unduly aggressive and

oppressive towards innocent civilians or the latter exhibit unnecessary antagonism when stopped by policemen in the course of their lawful duties. This shows a serious breakdown in the roles that governments and other stakeholders play in harnessing healthy relationships between the citizens and the agencies set up for their protection and the maintenance of peace.

The attitudes of most policemen show they lack adequate training. How else would a police spokesman justify the arrest and detention of youth

wearing dreadlocks and tattoos because “they are against our culture”?

We must resume the regular retraining of our law enforcement officers, properly equip them and upgrade their welfare packages to put them in better frames of mind to serve the public.

We call for the speedy passage of the Police Reform and the Police Trust Fund Bills by the National Assembly because all issues towards making the Police better are contained in them.

The public should also be sensitised to the fact that, pursuant to the Police Act Section 29, the Police have the lawful right to stop and search citizens within the limits of respect for their human rights.

The Police and the public must know and honour the rules of engagement between them for the good of all.

OPINION ON December 16, 1977, Alhaji Abdulrazaq gave me a copy of his speech which he read at the first reading of the bill on the Presidential System of Government at the Constituent Assembly. I hereby reproduce his speech on that day.

ANNOUNCE that I am Alhaji Abdul Razak (CDC). Mr. Chairman, I have a triple role to play in this Constituent Assembly. Firstly, as the seconder to the Federal Republic of Nigeria Draft Constitution Bill ably moved by my esteemed and learned friend Chief Fredrick Rotimi Alade Williams, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, it is my duty to assist actively in promoting, sponsoring and piloting the Bill through its passages into law.

Secondly, Mr Chairman, as the Chairman of the Sub-Committee on Executive and Legislature, I assist in promoting, sponsoring and piloting the Bill through its passages into law.

Further, Mr Chairman, as Chairman of the Sub-Committee on Executive and Legislature of the CDC, it is my duty to deal with the chapters of the Bill on Executive and Legislature by way of explanation, clarification and education. It is also my duty to answer criticism levelled against those parts of the Bill by those honourable members of this august Assembly and give reasons why the CDC Draft Constitution as it is before you came to be so.

Thirdly, Mr Chairman, as a CDC member of this august Assembly, I should play the role of putting a bridge of understanding between the

‘I

Folorunsho Abdulrazaq reclaims his glory in Kwara (2) CDC and the thinking of this Assembly. Sir, the CDC was guided by, one: the recent history of this country, particularly its traumatic experiences from 1964. Secondly, the public debate in this country on the causes of our failures under the 1963 Constitution. Thirdly, we were also influenced by over 300 memoranda submitted by the public of this country to the CDC. Fourthly, the absolute desire of every member of the CDC to make a constitution that will promote unity, solidarity, happiness and prosperity of all Nigerians; and fifthly, the address of the late Head of State, General Murtala Ramat Muhammed, at the opening session of the CDC on October 18, 1975. It is contained in the copy of the Draft Constitution which is given to every member of this august Assembly. It is a consideration of all these five factors which have combined to produce the Draft Constitution on which we now deliberate.

The opponents and critics of executive presidency can be

classified into six groups. The first group or category I would call copyists. They are those who charge that CDC Draft Constitution is a copy of the American Constitution which we seek to transplant into Nigerian soil. They charge that it is foreign and that the CDC did not show its

Nigeria needs a Constitution which will ensure our economic, political and social development advantages over the Westminster system which has been tried though unsuccessfully in this country. They argue that it is more sensible to deal with the devil we know, rather than to go into the unknown, into that which is alien to our tradition.

My answer to the copyists is that a constitutional system is judged by its utility and intrinsic value to the particular country to which it is applied. Comparison of Westminster

and the American systems is inept and futile because they both belong to different environments. I aver, Mr Chairman, that the Draft Constitution Bill before you is not a copy of the American type. There are important differences which reflect our history and experiences; differences which are suitable to Nigeria but not to America; differences provide for the future stability of Nigeria. The Westminster model has been tried and failed in Nigeria and, as I have already shown conflicts of power between Prime Minister and the Ceremonial Head of State is a permanent feature of Westminster system in Nigeria, no less in some African countries.

Nigeria needs a Constitution which will ensure our economic, political and social development. The Westminster model which separates the Head of Government from the Head of State, if replanted into Nigeria, would continue to yield the seeds of instability and national disunity under which our national aspirations for development cannot be achieved. Under the executive presidential system there is little or no conflict of power. The President would run the day-to-day affairs of government in a more efficient manner.

Mr Chairman, the second category opponents of critics of the executive presidential system are those I would call dictators. They see the executive President as a dictator, a master, a pilotical Giant Alakuku who is out to trample on helpless

Nigerians and grind them into powder and make them putty in his political hands. They see him as a Head of State, Head of Government, Commander- in-Chief of the Armed Forces, and a person who is vested with such enormous powers as the power to declare arbitrarily a state of emergency, the power to veto Bills, the power to spend money the way he likes, the power to appoint the Chief Justice in order to undermine the Judiciary, the power to appoint his cronies as ministers and to other political offices and the power to use the Army and the Police the way he likes.

The dictators further argue that the executive presidential system makes for over centralisation of administration; that the checks and balances provided in the CDC Draft are insufficient to prevent a dictator from emerging. Mr Chairman, my answer to all these allegations and arguments is that they are, in my humble submission, naive and fanciful in the extreme. A careful study of the text of the CDC Draft Constitution will disprove without effort the arguments and false conclusions of the dictators. The Presidential power to declare a state of emergency in the country and the power to appoint the Chief Justice of Nigeria, ministers or members of the various Commissions cannot be exercised and, I repeat, cannot be exercised, without the approval of the accredited elected representatives of the people in the National Assembly.

Continues online

Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 23 , 2019

— 19

N50,000 Application Fee: Insurance Brokers task ..Says TCN, DISCOS lack capacity to deliver generated electricity in-coming

By Prince Okafor According to him, availability of fertilizer. challenges across the entire Lagos govt

More challenges confront electricity supply — Stakeholders A

section of stakeholders in the Nigeria’s electricity sector have raised fresh posers to the perennial crises in the sector as inadequate pipelines across the nation to deliver gas.

The Chairman, Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS), Paul McGrath, also said that the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, and the distribution companies, DISCOS, lack the capacity to deliver generated electricity to households and industries.

Speaking during the just concluded Nigeria Gas Association Conference in Lagos, McGrath stated: “Nigeria lacks sufficient pipelines to deliver gas from the fields where it is produced to the current and potential offtakers like power plants, manufacturers, others.

“In addition, the transmission and distribution systems lack the capacity to deliver the generated electricity to businesses and other consumers.

“Building infrastructure requires a sustained joint effort of the stakeholders led by government.

Active government support will help enable a stable investment climate, acceptable commercial terms and contractual risks.”

He explained that the above elements would have helped in attracting the required private investments which would strengthen existing offtakers and ultimately lead to the emergence of new buyers and suppliers.

“Additional opportunity exists in leveraging gas to develop industries that use gas as feedstock, to produce methanol and ammonia used in fertilizer production.”

He noted that, the Nigerian agricultural sector, the largest GDP contributor to the economy, would benefit immensely from the greater

Considering the low nitrate concentration in the soil and gas being the key feedstock for nitrate-based fertilizer, developing the gas industry could contribute to enhancing food security.

He said, “To realize the full benefits of gas as a catalyst for economic growth and diversification, several

gas value chain need to be resolved.

“These challenges related to the development and production of gas include; inadequate infrastructure along the value chain; regulated low prices; legacy debt related to gas and power supply and the challenging business environment.”

From left: Health Desk, Sterling Bank, Oluwaseunayo Lojede; Maccme Board Member, Juliet Kego; Former Minister of Information and Communications, Frank Nweke Jnr; Founder, Maccme, Nicole Adigwe; and Head, Technology & Digital Compliance, Sterling Bank, Lekan Akintemi, at a press conference on Anave movie in Lagos.

By Rosemary Onuoha

T

he Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers, NCRIB, said it has tasked the incoming Lagos State government to take insurance more seriously than the outgoing government.

President of the NCRIB, Mr. Shola Tinubu, who disclosed this, noted that Lagos State has been in the forefront of states that embraced insurance before the present administration.

He stated: “After the election which produced a winner, one of the things we presented to the incoming government is that insurance must be taking seriously than the past regime because Lagos state has always been at the forefront of states that embraced insurance.”

It will be recalled that Lagos State government in the last two years refused to renew its insurance coverage.

This is despite the fact that the state collected N50,000 each from over 40 insurance brokers as application fee for the period.

According to some brokers, despite regular dialogue with Lagos state government on the issue, nothing concrete happened.

An insurance broker who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that the action is retrogressive on the part of Lagos State government given its antecedents of meeting all insurance obligations in times past.

LCCI calls for urgent review of Automotive Policy, prohibitive cost of vehicles automotive fund should be used

By Naomi Uzor

T

he Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, LCCI, has called for the urgent review of Automotive Policy and the prohibitive cost of $89.95 2.90 vehicles in the country.

The Director General 2,400.00 -20.00 of LCCI, Mr. Muda Yusuf, who made the $12.72 0.37 call in a statement, said the Automotive Policy which was rolled out in 2013 is long overdue for $71.59 -0.03 review, adding that, six years after, the policy $63.53 -0.23 has not only failed to achieve the desired CURRENCY BUYING SELLING outcomes, it has US DOLLAR 305.95 306.45 306.95 adversely impacted the 399.3871 400.0398 400.6925 POUNDS cost of doing business, 345.8765 346.4417 347.007 EURO welfare of the people, 303.5218 304.0179 304.5139 FRANC government revenue 2.7317 2.7362 2.7406 YEN 0.5085 0.5185 0.5285 CFA and the capacity of the 424.5686 425.2624 425.9563 WAUA economy to create jobs.

45.7377 45.8129 45.8881 RENMINBI Yusuf stated: “The 81.5845 81.7178 81.8512 RIYAL Automotive Policy has 425.2705 425.9655 426.6605 SDR 46.3336 46.4093 46.485 DANISH caused massive trade . 21.9036 21.9394 21.9752 RAND diversion to CBN Exchange rate as at 18/04/2019 neighbouring countries.

High compliance cost has put enormous pressure on firms moving them into uncompetitive positions in the face of weak institutional capacity to enforce the extant tariff regime.

“The cost of vehicles had risen beyond the reach of most citizens and corporate bodies. The impact has been negative with far reaching consequences. The automobile sector was hit by the double shock of currency depreciation (of over 80 percent) over the last six years and an import duty hike to 70 percent on new cars and 35 percent on used vehicles and commercial vehicles” he said.

He said the Chamber recommends that the Automotive Policy should be immediately reviewed in the light of its copious shortcomings, import tax (duty and levy) of 70 percent on new vehicles should be reduced to 35 percent, import tax (duty and levy) of 35 percent on commercial vehicles should be reviewed downwards to 25 percent and import tax (duty and

levy) on used cars should be reviewed from current 35 percent to 25 percent.

“Government should give further tax concessions to the assembly plants. SKD should all attract five percent duty while CKD should attract zero import duty to incentivize domestic vehicle assembly.

Other incentives for assembly plants and tyre industries for acquisition of machineries and equipment should be retained as contained in the Automotive Policy” he said.

He added that similar incentives should be extended to the local production of vehicle spare parts.

“Patronage of locally assembled vehicles by the government and its agencies should be more rigorously encouraged and enforced in line with the Presidential Executive Order on patronage of made in Nigeria products, vehicle purchase finance facility at single digit should be put in place to boost demand for automobiles.

The

to support this initiative. Age limit of used vehicles should be reduced gradually over time to lessen road safety risks” he stated.

According to him, if these recommendations are adopted, there would be a great relief to the private sector from the logistics perspective; more jobs will be restored in the automobile business sector; maritime sector activities will be boosted; car assembly plant will be better off with a five percent duty on SKD and zero percent duty on CKD. “The welfare effect on citizens will be positive; vehicle affordability by the middle class will improve; the transportation sector will benefit tremendously; smuggling of vehicles will reduce drastically; NPA and ports terminals facilities will be more optimally utilized for better revenue performance; and customs revenue from vehicle imports will improve considerably.

The proposition of a review of the automotive policy fits very well into the Ease of Doing Business Policy of the government” he said.

20—Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019

Inability of some insurers to settle claims affecting sector - Efekoha Stories by Rosemary Onuoha anaging Director of MConsolidated Hallmark

Insurance Plc, Mr. Eddie Efekoha has decried the growing number of distressed insurance companies in the sector, saying that the inability of these firms to settle genuine claims is negatively affecting the image of the industry.

Efekoha, who disclosed this in a chat with journalists in Lagos, said thattheactionsandinactionsofsome insurance companies forced them into the negative situations that they find themselves now.

Efekoha said: "Unfortunately, by our actions and inactions, we have created so many distressed companies in this market. The number of distressed companies is on the increase and for claims payment, not every company is responding as expected.

"The liquidity of some insurers has been wiped out and in all parameters, they have failed. On profitability, they have failed. On claims payment, they have failed because you can see it."

Efekoha, who lamented that inadequate pricing of risk has been the bane of many companies, noted that operators must price right if the sector is to move in the right direction.

He said: "I believe in underwriting and what it tells me is that when you have a good risk, you lower your premium, when you have a bad risk you increase your premium, that is what I was taught and that is what I started with. But what I see today is completely different.

"For instance, I paid N439 million on a claim which is just for material damage last year. I also paid about N300 million for another claim, so I paid about N700 million with some other insurers. So, we paid all of that and when they were doing the renewal, initially they were not willing to increase the premium, but they did eventually and the broker was everywhere trying to place the risk. I told my people 'if you go and take that business, then I will call you to a meeting and you will explain to me who is paying you.'

"Clearly, if the premium is paid like that in the next 30 years, the

By Cynthia Alo

N

•From left: Assistant Executive Secretary, the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers, NCRIB, Mr. Tope Adaramola; Executive Secretary/CEO, Mr. Fatai Adegbenro; President, Mr Shola Tinubu; Honourary Treasurer, Mrs Ekeoma Ezeibe and Honourary Auditor, Mr. Tunde Oguntade at the 2019 first quarter Press conference of the Council in Lagos. claim cannot be made up. Also, it is years. However, the location of the record that we have already paid. not certain that there will be no factory where we paid such huge In fact, I told my people to write to National Insurance repeat incident in the next 30 or 50 claim is below ground level, it is the already prone to the risk and you Commission, NAICOM, and the are not underwriting to remove it. Nigerian Insurers Association, NIA I believe in If something becomes certain, you on the issue. Unfortunately, when it, you don't cover it. It is you look at their lifestyle, you will underwriting and what remove uncertainty that the insurance be amazed as to what they do it tells me is that when industry is made to cover, it is not because when you don't have money to meet your primary made for certainty. you have a good risk, "Meanwhile, after settling a major obligation, you moderate your other you lower your claim last year as well, there is a expenditure. You are a debtor and premium, when you company that is owing us N100 everyday you are eating in Sheraton million. Another one owes us about yet you are a debtor. So these are have a bad risk you N14 million while another owes us issues and we are all competing in increase your premium some little money and this is a claim the same space." we have already paid. It is on

'Insurance sector should leverage technology to reduce management expenses' President of the Chartered T Insurance Institute of Nigeria, CIIN, Mr. Eddie Efekoha has said he

that the insurance industry should leverage on technology to reduce the huge management expenses companies are burning up.

Efekoha who stated this during a chat with journalists in his office in Lagos, said that leveraging on technology to reduce management expenses was one of the lessons from the International Executive Programme embarked on by some members of the Institute in

Sigma Pensions takes Walk to Live campaign to streets of Enugu Pensions Limited has S taken its Walk to Live campaign to major streets of igma

Enugu with a view to encouraging healthy living amongst staff, customers and members of the larger society.

The event which held last week saw participants including pensioners, march from Okpara Square, through Bisalla Road, down to New Haven Junction and back to the starting point.

The Managing Director of the Pensions Fund Administrators, PFA, Mr. Dave Uduanu, said that the walk was aimed at promoting health among staff and their customers.

Uduanu said that the event was also an attempt to promote awareness on the need for every Nigerian to plan towards his or her retirement.

Uduanu said that similar exercise had been conducted in

NCRIB calls for proactive measures against building collapse

Abuja and Lagos, adding that the hinterlands were not left out.

He said: "We are trying to connect with our customers across the country and to encourage them to be healthy to enjoy their pensions. We have done it in Abuja as well as in Lagos and now connecting with those in the hinterlands. You have to live to enjoy your pension."

A retiree and customer of the company, Mr. Adesina Odunmbaku, said he was excited at such exercise organised by Sigma Pensions.

Odunmbaku urged other PFAs to take a cue from the event with a view to ensuring healthy living among their members of staff and customers.

"This is a novel idea which should be emulated by others.

Sigma Pensions has good services and they give customers personal attention," he said.

Houston, USA, last month.

According to Efekoha, the structure of the Houston market is a bit different from the Nigerian market and is very well developed and advanced. Technology is so well advanced in terms of how they use it to drive the business.

He said: "Management expenses is not just about marketing cost alone but involves so many other things. Most of the companies in Houston are paperless. In fact, since some of us came back with that mindset, we want to change things.

"Each time we talk about management expenses, people just think that it is marketing cost.

It is not just marketing cost alone.

In one of the companies we visited in Houston, they had a very big shredding machine. Even when you write a letter, as soon as it comes, they just scan it and shred it. You are not going to find a hard copy of the letter again.

"If you go to our office in Victoria Island, we have a very big space that we use as filing room. In our head office, the space we use as filing room is equally big. At the ground floor, you still see multiple filing cabinets. All of these would have been spaces for people to use or even if somebody is not occupying it, it will be free for people to use. But we have devoted it for keeping junks that are not necessary.

"Let's look at it critically. When I write a hard copy letter or an insurance policy, it will be sent to my admin who will do the

dispatch.Theadminwillrecorditand give it to the dispatch man. The dispatch man will take it and could spend the whole day in delivering it.

When he gets there, he finds somebody to acknowledge a copy so itmeansthathewillphotocopyit.He will bring it back and the admin person will say 'yes, you have delivered it', and it is recorded.

However, all of these processes will be achieved by attaching the policy to a mail and send. If it is acknowledged, it is acknowledged, evenifthepersondoesnotcomeback to you.

"InHouston,foreverythingthatwe bought, they will ask, how do you wantyourreceipt?ItisonlyNigerians that will say 'give me a hard copy and a soft copy'. But for them, they just give email. They are achieving cost reduction.

"Costreductionisnotjustmarketing cost, but is all encompassing. The machine has its own depreciation cost,adispatchriderhashisowncost, the man that sorts the mail has his owncost,theofficethepersonoccupies also has and at the end of the day, the policy doesn't even get delivered on time.BecausewhenIfinishwritinga policy,ittakesanotheroneortwodays at the least to be delivered.

Meanwhile,whenIdothepolicyand send through a mail, it gets delivered inamatterofsecondsandtheperson comesdowntosay'received'.Sothese are learning points.

Sometimes, if you don't go to environmentswherethesethingsare practised, you just think that they are mysteries that cannot be explained."

igerian C o u n c i l o f Registered Insurance Brokers, NCRIB, has called for proactive measures from the government to forestall the rising incidence of building collapse in the country.

President of NCRIB, Mr. Shola Tinubu made this call at the first quarterly media briefing in Lagos.

While attributing the rising trend of building collapse on negligence to regulatory enforcement in construction environment, Tinubu averred that government needs to be more proactive in implementing building laws as well as continually engaging stakeholders and relevant institutions to elicit their input for a long lasting solution to the malaise.

He said: "As actors in the financial ecosystem, the NCRIB is using this platform to advise the government to inject fresh ideas into the running of the nation's economy while at the same time sustaining the tempo of existing positive economic policies already put in place by the government. “The reflection of the economy should be anchored on enhanced promotion of local capacity to reduce overdependence on foreign goods and services, and by so doing, reduce the strain on the nation's currency vis a vis other foreign currencies."

According to him, insurance penetration in Nigeria is still low despite efforts but can only thrive when the economy is booming, therefore government should create enabling environment through special policies.

He said: "In specific terms, urgent attention must be paid to reducing poverty, which has as its by-product, unemployment and poor standard of living. While Nigerians are awaiting government to give more teeth to implementation of oil and gas reforms, Power sector reforms and human capital development and redouble efforts in promoting agriculture, more attention should also be given to the state of security in the country. Since insurance thrives more when the economy thrives, it is our belief that the industry will witness desired northward trend when the economy is on a sure sound footing."

21— Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019

Bayelsa woos oil, gas, other investors • Ready to partner with IOCs, others

By Udeme Akpan

• Key projects to watch

W

ITH the ‘discovery’, de velopment, production and abandonment of Oloibiri – Nigeria’s pioneering oilfield -between 1956 and 1979, the impression created was that Bayelsa remains a state with little oil, which investors could afford to ignore, especially because of prolonged era of hostilities that trailed the agitation for resource control.

However, a recent visit and interactions with experts in Yenogoa, the state capital, indicated that Bayelsa is still endowed with commercial reserves of crude oil and natural gas. Speaking at the just concluded Nigeria Oil and Gas Opportunity Fair, NOGOF, Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State, said the availability of oil and gas has provided several investment opportunities for investors interested in the state.

In a document obtained by Vanguard, the state government that puts its petroleum reserves at about 10 billion barrels stated: “Great Investment potentials exists in the oil and gas sector in Bayelsa State considering the abundant natural endowment and the opportunities created by the peculiar environment.

“The oil and gas or petroleum sector of the economy is the most important in Bayelsa state, and indeed Nigeria, because it forms the pivot of the nation’s economy. Oil and gas from the Niger Delta region as a whole, account for about 90 per cent of national income.

Bayelsa State contributes about 40 per cent of the nation’s wealth, through the mining of the abundant deposit of crude oil and gas in its domain.

“The state’s enormous reserves of crude oil creates a large room for foreign investment interest. Of the three giant oil reservoirs in the Niger Delta with a potential for 1 billion barrels production, two are in Bayelsa state, namely: Nembe Creek and Gbarain fields.

Currently, the state produces 514,800 barrels (about 23.4 percent) of Nigeria’s 2.2 million barrels daily crude oil production. This makes Bayelsa, the

O fewer than 12 young entrepreneurs from host N communities to the Bonny Oil

*Source: Wood Mackenzie second largest oil producing state in the country.

“Bayelsa is a beehive of oil industry activities as operators put up their facilities upland in the swamp, creeks and offshore. The major operators in the state are Shell Petroleum Development Corporation (SPDC), AGIP, ChevronTexaco, Consolidated oil and Statoil.”

It stated: “Recent developments in Nigeria’s petroleum sub-sector have facilitated local and private participation in the upstream activities. Some state governments in the Niger Delta region and indigenous companies have been offered marginal oil fields to prospect. With the abolition of the onshore-offshore, oil dichotomy, the littoral states of which Bayelsa is among; stand to derive enormous gains from oil and gas investments.

“Private refineries have also been licensed. Foreign inves-

tors have opportunities to discuss with the Bayelsa State Government for joint venture partnerships to operate in the upstream petroleum industry.

Currently, the nation has three Refineries located at Port Harcourt, Rivers state, Warri, Delta State and Kaduna, Kaduna state. There is need for a refinery in Bayelsa State.The current production level and known reserves in the state would support investment in a private refinery.”

In the area of gas, it stated: “Nigeria flares about 70 per cent of its associated natural gas in the Niger Delta region.

Such flares are found in all flow stations spread onshore and offshore in Bayelsa and other states in the Niger Delta, even as gas gathering projects of Chevron Texaco and Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Company (NLNG), and Shell (SPDC) Gbarain/Ubie project are

ongoing.The Oluasiri Gas supply plant in Nembe local government area of the state supplies 53 per cent of all NLNG’s gas feed stock in Bonny, Rivers State.

“Opportunities exist for investors to build gas plants and utilize available gas for production of LPG cooking gas and industrial gases, which are in high demand. In the urban centers, LPG is the most sought source of cooking energy. In Yenagoa, the state capital, there is no LPG plant.Retailers of cooking gas get their stock from Port Harcourt, the capital of neighbouring Rivers State.

“Petroleum production in the Niger Delta offers potential for investment in the petrochemical industry for the production of chemicals and allied products for industrial use, for example plastics and fertilizer industries.The oil industry is vast, and technically so.

and Gas Terminal in Rivers State have benefitted from a N150 million capacity development and empowerment programme

by The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC).

SPDC’s General Manager, External Relations, Igo Weli, who handed over the service entry and final settlement to the beneficiaries in Port Harcourt described the initiative as a product of continuous effort by SPDC and its joint venture partners to empower youths, promote Nigerian content and support community participation in Nigeria’s oil and gas value chain.

Weli said, “Developing local skills, talent and contracting capacity in the Nigerian oil and gas industry is very important to SPDC and its partners. That is why we have continued to embark on programmes and projects that have sustainable impact on our host communities and the Nigerian economy.

“This is a demonstration of how much benefit a conducive business environment and cordial relationship between host communities and industry players can bring to the people.” Weli commended the beneficiaries for their industry and determination to champion entrepreneurial rebirth among youths on Bonny Island. He encouraged the beneficiaries to always keep an optimistic business mindset and to translate the opportunities into further empowering others.

Afam Power pleads with NBET over N1bn debt

By Chris Ochayi

T

HE management of the Afam Power PLC has appealed to Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading, NBET PLC to pay up over N1 billion debt owed it for power generation, lamenting that the company is currently facing huge liquidity challenge.

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Afam Power

PLC, Engr. Olumide Obademi, who made the plea while receiving the ministerial media team led by senior officials of the Ministry of Works, Power and Housing (Power Section) on a visit to the plant in Oyigbo, Rivers State, said the company was currently experiencing zero funding of critical projects.

He said: “NBET should endeavour to pay all the outstanding bills owed to Afam

THE average price of Organisation of Petroleum Exporting countries, OPEC’s basket of fourteen crudes in the past one week averaged $70.38 compared with $70.37 recorded the previous week. According to OPEC’s calculation, the highest price of crude was recorded on April 17, 2019, which averaged $70.81 per barrel, while the lowest price for the period under review averaged $70.11.

C M Y K

Shell delivers N150m capacity development programme for Bonny youths

Power PLC in order for the company to sustain the running of the units GTs 17 & 18.”

Mr. Obademi regretted that noninclusion of the Afam Power PLC in the capital budget of the Federal Government and unstable gas supply remained the major challenges affecting the plant’s performance.

He said: “Liquidity problem also is a big challenge to the company as the little amount earned from energy generated is not fully paid by NBET. “I want to reiterate here that the fund challenge faced by the company is so enormous as a result pf the delay in concluding privatisation exercises and emerging market rules.

“Because of privatisation exercises, there was no budgetary allocation to the company since 2012. The company was surviving through Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, from energy generated until January 2015, when the evacuation transformer that serves GTs 17 &18 that evacuates power from the two available units got burnt.

“This left the company with no

source no income. Similarly, since the preferred bidder was unable to complete the payment in order to inject fund into the company, the management of Afam Power Plc could not get fund from the capital market or banks because of ownership issues.”

Engr. Olumide insisted that the company should be funded by the Federal Government since the company has not been fully privatised by included in the Ministry of power budget.

He said: “Ministry of Power in collaboration with other stakeholders to source funding of the Capital Expenditure, CAPEX, required to sustain GT 17 & 18 as well as the payment of outstanding bills to our creditor.”

Olumide called for, “Urgent intervention by the relevant authorities to salvage Afam Power PLC will be greatly appreciated.

“Not minding the privatisation process, the Federal Government should fund Afam Power PLC for capital projects to overhaul GTs 19 & 20 that are relatively new with a total capacity of 276MW.”

22—Vanguard, TUESDAY,

APRIL 23, 2019

Distribution inefficiencies, lack of funds, others hinder 8000MW target — NDPHC •Says DISCOs tariff clamour not justified

By Ediri Ejoh HE Managing Director, Niger Delta Power Holding T Company, NDPHC, Mr. Chiedu

Ugbo said that the much targeted 8000 megawatts may not be achieved so long as the power sector is plagued by deficiency in distribution infrastructure.

Ugbo stated this at the just concluded 12th national conference of the Nigerian Association for Energy Economics/International Association for Energy Economics, NAEE/IAEE in Abuja.

According to him, “At NIPP alone we have up to 4000MW. The country also have an available 8000MW. Also, we have about

13,000MW installed.

Mechanically available is 8000 and what is readily available for the market is about 5000mw.

“It is not because the generation capacity is not there. If the GENCOs are called upon, we can provide more. The transmission simulation as the Minister had said, also shows that we can wheel 8500MW. “If the transmission company calls me, we will supply the expected. The problem is that Distribution companies are not in position to wheel the load we have to offer. The bulk demand from the distribution companies is very low. This is where the popular phrase comes in ‘Load rejection’. And so, it is because

of that impediment at the distribution end, we are unable to optimize the available capacity of 8000MW.” He noted that the distribution companies “have issues with their infrastructures, collection efficiency, and commercial issues with power theft and all that. But when they took over privatization, these are what they were meant to reduce.

“Also, the DISCOs have a lot of factors militating against their operations. They want tariff increase and do cry about it. But, for now, there is no transparency in their books as we don’t know their collection losses because their customers are not all captured or known. That is why the government is saying the DISCOs should engage in customer enumeration and metering.”

TCN completes phase one of Ekim Substation

By Prince Okafor he Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has completed and energized the first phase of the ongoing brand new Transmission Substation in Ekim, Akwa Ibom State. This phase comprise a 60MVA 132/33kV power transformer and three outgoing 33kV feeder bays. The transformer was energized early this month.

TCN, General manager (Public Affairs) Ndidi Mbah, in a statement noted that although the first phase has been completed and energized, the 2x60MVA capacity substation would be completed with the execution of the second phase, which also comprise one

T

60MVA power transformer and three feeder bays.

"The Ekim Transmission Substation project is being executed in collaboration with the Akwa Ibom State Government. While TCN provides and installs the transformers, switchgears and gantries using its in-house engineers, the Akwa Ibom State Government is providing all the civil works associated with the execution of the project.

"Having energized the first phase of the project, we now have available additional 48MW of bulk power supply for PHEDC to off take, through the three feeders to its customers such as the Akwa

Ibom State University, Coconut Oil Refinery, Meter Manufacturing Factory, Syringe Factory, Ikot Abasi and Onna LGAs, Easter Obolo as well as Mkpat Enin.

"It is expected that with more supply to PHEDC through the new substation, these customers would experience more hours of stable and sustained power supply."

TCN noted that the Ekim transmission substation is one of the new transmission substation projects it had successfully executed within the last one year. Several other transmission projects are also ongoing nationwide in line with its Transmission Rehabilitation and Expansion Programme aimed at growing a robust transmission grid.

NERC moves to break DISCOs’ NERC also explained that monopoly since the beginning of the

By Sebatine Obasi HERE are indications that the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, is about to break the monopoly being enjoyed by the distribution companies, DISCOs. NERC has just released what it called a consultation paper on the development of a regulatory framework for electricity distribution franchising in Nigeria, eliciting reactions from DISCOs, customers and other stakeholders, with a deadline of May 6, 2019.

According to NERC, “The overarching objective of the proposed regulation on distribution franchising is to facilitate the development of favourable business models that would attract third-party investments in the supply of adequate, safe, reliable and prudently priced electricity to customers of Discos.”

NERC explained that the Discos were licensed to connect customers for the purpose of provision of electricity supply, installation, maintenance and reading of meters, billing and collection, among others. “The provision of these services by Discos on a nondiscriminatory basis is a fundamental requirement arising from the natural monopoly they enjoy as distribution network service providers.

“The sustainability of this traditional regulatory framework is increasingly becoming difficult due to continued technological improvements and advancement in the capabilities of Distributed Energy Resources.”

T

power sector reform in 2005, the DISCOs have failed to meet the expectations of stakeholders in the provision of access to safe and reliable electricity services to all customers within their franchise territories, as well as those areas considered to be economically unviable.

It stated, “Accordingly, introducing sub-franchising of Discos’ operations and coverage areas is expected to improve quality of supply of electricity to customers through investment in metering, billing, collection and network rehabilitation and expansion.

“Sub-franchising (referred to as distribution franchising for this purpose) means the business model applied by a Disco to authorise a third party to provide electric distribution utility services on its behalf in a particular area within the Disco’s area of supply. Proposals for the franchising arrangement can either be initiated by Discos or customer groups (community) within a specified geographical boundary.”

NERC also said, “Additionally, any unserved or underserved community has the option of exploring the provisions of NERC’s Regulation on Independent Electricity Distribution Network in finding solutions to their supply challenges as may be applicable.”

/

Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019 — 23

Vanguard’s Electricity watch

CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT: From Left: Manager, Nigerian Content Development, The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), Olanrewaju Olawuyi; SPDC Training and Empowerment beneficiaries, Elizabeth Jumbo, Blessing Beresiri, Christopher Irimagha; SPDC General Manager, External Relations, Igo Weli; other beneficiaries, George Banigo and Christiana Green, at a ceremony in Port Harcourt to mark the completion of the SPDC capacity development programme for Bonny youth.

EU to support Nigeria’s sustainable energy investment — Karsen done its part, putting in place Stories by Prince Okafor

T

Source: NCC Daily Operational Report

ExxonMobil expresses commitment to investing in Nigeria

E

XXONMOBIL, a leading oil and gas company has expressedcommitmenttoinvesting in Nigeria.

The company stated this when the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu visited the ERHA FPSO operated by ExxonMobil Nigeria on April 13, 2019. In a statement sent to Vanguard, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, stated that the visit was targeted at enhancing the project. It stated: “This latest round of visits to the FPSO’s is to provoke the oil production fields of Nigeria to ramp up their crude production and unlock gas in line with the gas revolution Agenda of the #7BigWins.

“He was received by Richard Laing, Executive Director and Production Manager of ExxonMobil Nigeria, while Scott Hommema, the General Manager, Deepwater Operations and Joint Interest, took him and his delegation on a tour of the FPSO.” It stated that while addressing key business concerns of ExxonMobil Nigeria, Kachikwu urged them to not only focus on the profitability of the firm but also on giving back to the society having been doing business around the country for a long time. He commended the crew on behalf of the Federal

Government of Nigeria for their sacrifice, urgency of attention and value addition while conveying President Muhammadu Buhari’s deep commitment to the welfare of those on the production fields.

Kachikwu name-checked the Department of Petroleum Resources' automation initiatives that include Crude Oil and LNG Tracking (COLT), Automatic Downstream System (ADS) and Accelerated Lease Renewal Program (ALRP). He also referenced the community engagement drive of the organization evidenced by the peace and harmony seen in operating areas. The Executive Director and Production Manager of ExxonMobil Nigeria, Richard Laing, also used the opportunity to firmly debunk the unsubstantiated rumour about the Organizations exit from Nigeria.

He further noted that the ERHA field is located in Oil Mining Lease (OML) 133 and ExxonMobil Nigeria holds a 56.25 percent participating interest while Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCO) holds the remaining 43.75 percent share. The Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) has about 2.2 million barrels of storage capacity making it one of the largest of its kind, globally.

HE European Union (EU) has disclosed its readiness to support renewable energy investments in Nigeria.

In an interview with Vanguard, at the sideline of the just concluded Nigeria Energy Forum, NEF, in Lagos, the Head of Europen Union Delegation to Nigeria and Economic Community of West Africa States, ECOWAS, Mr. Ketil Karsen, said: “The EU will be there to work alongside Nigeria as partners in this important challenge. Lack of access to modern, sustainable and affordable energy can reverse development and result in increased inefficiencies at all levels.”

He said: “Looking at the Nigeria energy sector is absolutely vital. Nigeria has a population growth, a lot of energetic private sector initiatives and entrepreneurs in the country.

“For the EU, this is another opportunity for us to show how much support we are giving to this initiatives. We have put aside significant funding.

“We launched a new window through what is called Electrification Financing Initiative, ElectriFI, with 30 million euros specifically for Nigeria, coming in addition to the 165 million euros, we had already provided.”

Also, the Chief Executive Officer, All On, Mr. Wiebe Boer, said: “The government has

BEDC links Omozogie Uteh to national grid

I

T was mass jubilation for the residents of Omozogie in Uteh Community, Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area of Edo State last Friday as BEDC Electricity Plc (BEDC) connected the community to the national grid after years without electricity supply.

The commissioning of the substation which started with a town hall meeting organized by the community had in attendance BEDC management team led by the Head, Community Relations Officer, Mrs Virginia Osineme, Business Manager of Ikpoba Hill, Mrs. Ekaete Ntukidem and her Business Head Distribution, Mr.

Mamah, the Odionwere, electricity committee members and residents of Uteh Omozogie community was meant to inform the residents on need to see the substation as a collective responsibility which should be protected against vandalism and energy theft.

Addressing the town hall meeting, the Head, Community Relations, Osineme said: “The protection of the substation is everybody’s business. If there is no light, you know who to meet and talk to. If you see anybody in the substation that is not authorized by BEDC and the electricity committee,

Seplat wins NCDMB’s award for impactful local content initiatives

S

EPLAT Petroleum Development Company Plc has emerged the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board’s (NCDMB) most impactful independent upstream operating company for its local content initiatives at the Nigeria Oil and Gas Opportunity Fair (NOGOF) recently held at the new NCDMB headquarters in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

The Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Mr Simbi Wabote, while presenting the award, congratulated Seplat for the

achievement as the Company received accolades from many other stakeholders present at the event. The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, in his address, commended the Executive Secretary on this initiative while reiterating that the essence of the fair was to find lasting solution to current challenges bedevilling the industry. The two-day programme had in attendance major players across the upstream, midstream and downstream sub-sectors of the petroleum industry as well as

the right regulations, securing significant capital from the World Bank, the African Development Bank and others, and supporting private sector actors in important ways.

“Every major development partner in Nigeria is contributing as well in an increasingly coordinated and collaborative manner. International players who two to three years ago were sipping tea and going on Safaris in East Africa with no plans for Nigeria are rushing in.

“There is the AfDB’s Off-Grid Energy Fund. DeutscheBank is coming with a debt fund. Sterling Bank is the first Nigerian commercial bank to lend to space in a serious way.”

government agencies, industry regulators and the National Assembly. It was aimed at showcasing opportunities in the oil and gas industry and expose available in-country capacity to all stakeholders.

In a related development, the Operations Director, Seplat, Mr. Effiong Okon, was among the panelists in a discussion focused on local content during the African Petroleum Producers Organisation (APPO) CAPE VII Congress & Exhibition at the Sipopo International Conference Centre, Malabo,

Equatorial Guinea, April 1 to 5.

Okon said local content was about economic development, capacity building and financial empowerment, adding that Africa needed effective local content initiatives to be competitive and to emancipate its people from poverty. “Local content provides one of those grey opportunities for us to leverage on going forward as it gets local companies engaged in our business,” the Seplat operation director noted.

he or she is a vandal and should be apprehended”.

Osineme also seized the opportunity to educate the people of Uteh Omozogie community on basic safety tips on the need for proper earthing of their premises, the importance of engaging licensed electricians to wire their houses and the need to avoid substandard electrical accessories.

She pleaded with the community leaders to work with BEDC to educate the children, youths and their wives on the importance of electricity safety and also help disseminate the safety tips.

Ikpoba Hill Business Manager, Mrs Ekaete Ntukidem commended the community members for their patience throughout the process of connecting them to the national grid.

According to the Business Manager, meters have been properly installed and functional to provide the customers with fair and transparent billing.

“Please, ensure no new wire is connected illegally to the network, we will know because of the check meter attached to the transformer, vend as at when due and don’t allow electricians to tamper with the transformer.”

She said.

24 —Vanguard, TUESDAY, April 23, 2019

Yellow fever persists, 80 deaths, 4,100 cases in Nigeria since 2017

By Chioma Obinna

N

IGERIA maintains unenviable position as one of the countries with risk of yellow fever transmission. recording 364 suspected cases in 177 Local Government Areas, from 1st January to 3rd March 2019.

According to the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, since September 2017, all Nigerian states (36 + FCT) reported 4,100 suspected cases in 604 (78.0 percent) LGAs. Of all suspected, probable and confirmed cases, 80 deaths were recorded with 29 deaths among confirmed cases.

Giving update of Yellow fever in the Weekly Epidemiology Report dated 25th February – 3rd March 2019, the NCDC, explained that the outbreak which has been active in Nigeria since September 2017 disclosed that between 1st January – 3rd March 2019, cases have been confirmed in 177 Local Government Areas of the country with four confirmed cases.

In the update of the Epi summary from NCDC’s website, it was reported that Nigeria recorded 14 presumptive positives and one inconclusive case from four states in 10 LGAs, viz, Edo (8), Ondo (4), Kebbi (1) Imo (1) and the inconclusive case from Imo. The Centre also reported that out of the five confirmed cases reported from 2019 samples which were sent to Institute Pasteur, Dakar, two were from Edo, another two from Ondo and one from Imo States. The report indicated that between 25th February and 3rd March 2019, 88 suspected cases were recorded and two new presumptive positive cases.

The Weekly Epidemiology Report also showed that; “The NCDC Central Public Health Laboratory (CPHL) reported two new presumptive positive cases from Edo State - 2 (Uhunmwode LGA), No new confirmed case from the Institute Pasteur Dakar.

The last confirmed cases were 20th February 2019 and 18 States have recorded at least one confirmed case from Institute Pasteur Dakar

Trend of confrimed Yellow fever cases in Nigeria from 2017 - 2019. since the onset of the outbreak in 2017,” In the summary, the NCDC explained that from 2017 to 2018, 139 cases were confirmed in 17 States of Kwara (8), Kogi (10), Kano (1), Zamfara (19), Kebbi (7), Nasarawa (3), Niger (1), Katsina (2), Edo (69), Ekiti (2), Rivers (1), Anambra (1), FCT (10), Benue (1), Delta (1), Ondo (2) and Abia (1): in 46 Local Government Areas (LGAs).

Also, from September 2017 to December 2018,

Report shows between 25th February and 3rd March 2019, 88 suspected cases of Yellow fever were recorded and two new presumptive positive cases

276 samples (presumptive positive - 239 and inconclusive -37) were sent to IP Dakar for reconfirmation. All Nigerian states (36 + FCT) reported 4,100 suspected cases in 604 (78.0 percent) LGAs and of all suspected, probable and confirmed cases, 80 deaths were recorded with 29 deaths among confirmed cases.

The case fatality ratio (CFR) for all cases (suspected, probable and confirmed) is 2.0 per cent, and 21.0 per cent for

confirmed cases.

Meanwhile, WHO says Nigeria is a high priority country for the Eliminate Yellow Fever Epidemic (EYE) strategy and planned a phased preventive Yellow fever vaccination campaigns to cover the entire country by 2024. Vaccination is the primary intervention for prevention and control of Yellow fever.

WHO has also recommended that vaccination against Yellow fever for all

UNICEF launches campaign to inspire support for vaccines

By Chioma Obinna

W

ITH only 57.2 p e r c e n t immunisation coverage in Nigeria, United Nations Children’s Fund UNICEF will next week launch a new global campaign to emphasise the power and safety of vaccines among parents and wider social media users.

The campaign will run alongside World Immunization Week from 24 to 30 April to spread the message that together communities, including parents can protect everyone through vaccines.

In a press statement issued by the UNICEF, the Chief of Immunization, Robin Nandy said the UN body is partnering with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World

Health Organisation, WHO, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance to encourage even greater reach.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will contribute USD$1 to UNICEF for every like or share of social media posts using the hashtag #VaccinesWork in April, up to USD$1 million, to ensure all children get the life-saving vaccines they need.

Nandy explained that vaccines save up to 3 million lives yearly and protects children from deadly, highly infectious diseases such as measles, pneumonia, cholera, and diphtheria. Thanks to vaccines, fewer people died from measles between 2000 and 2017 and polio is on the verge eradication.

Vaccines are one of the most cost-effective health

tools ever invented – every $1 spent on childhood immunisation returns up to $44 in benefits.

According to Nandy, “We want the awareness that #VaccinesWork to go viral.

Vaccines are safe, and they save lives. This campaign is an opportunity to show the world that social media can be a powerful force for change and provide parents with trustworthy information on vaccines.”

The Interim Director of Vaccine Delivery at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Violaine Mitchell said: “More children than ever before are being reached with vaccines today. We are delighted to work with UNICEF and all the global and country partners around the world who are working tirelessly to ensure all children, especially those in the world’s poorest

countries, can be protected from life-threatening infectious diseases.”

Despite benefits of vaccines, an estimated 1.5 million children died of vaccine-preventable diseases in 2017. While this is often due to lack of access to vaccines, in some countries, families are delaying or refusing to vaccinate their children because of complacency or skepticism about vaccines.

This has resulted in several outbreaks, including alarming surge in measles in some countries.

Uncertainty about vaccines on digital and social media platforms is a factor driving this trend.

Immunisation coverage in Nigeria was 57.2 percent in 2018. This is far below the Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP) target of 90 percent.

international travellers more than nine months of age coming into the country as there is evidence of persistent or periodic Yellow fever virus transmission.

The World Health Organisation, WHO, describes yellow fever as an acute viral haemorrhagic disease transmitted by infected Aedes mosquitoes and has the potential to spread rapidly and cause serious public health impact. Yellow fever is spread by the bite of infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. A mosquito becomes infected when it bites a person who has yellow fever in his or her blood. Direct spread of yellow fever from one person to another does not occur.

Currently, there is no specific treatment, although the disease is preventable using a single dose of yellow fever vaccine, which provides immunity for life. Supportive care to treat dehydration, respiratory failure and fever and antibiotic treatment for associated bacterial infections is recommended.

One of the reasons why Yellow fever is prevalent in the country is due to inadequate surveillance.

In a report, a researcher at the Nigeria Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Yaba, Dr Abiodun Iwalokun, said the cycle of transmission of the fever must be broken.

Iwalokun, who heads the Immunology and Vaccinology Research Department of the Institute, stated: “We need to step up our vector surveillance patterns to determine first to stop yellow fever transmission before talking about elimination. “This can be done by breaking thetransmissioncycleandget an appreciable number of Nigerians vaccinated as well asencourageearlydetection,” Iwalokunremarked.

On 23 October 1969, the Virus Research Laboratory of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, was notified that cases of suspected yellow fever had occurred in the Jos area. The diagnosis was confirmed by virus isolation and the existence of a widespread outbreak on the Jos Plateau and adjacent areas was established. This was the first recognized epidemic of yellow fever in Nigeria since 1953. Between September and the end of December 1969, an estimated total of 252 patients with yellow fever were hospitalised.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019 — 25

Demanding psychiatric test for road traffic offences is unwarranted

.

— Prof Oye Gureje Says bad behaviour should not be linked with mental illness

By Sola Ogundipe, Chioma Obinna & Gabriel Olawale

A

PROFESSOR of Psychiatry at the University of Ibadan, Prof Oye Gureje, has faulted the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, over its call for mandatory psychiatric tests for motorists caught driving against traffic and other road traffic offences in the country.

Gureje, who is also Professor Extraordinary at the Department of Psychiatry, Stellenbosch University, South Africa, said such decision was “a logically unreasonable, annoying and irritating thing to do.”

Speaking in Lagos at a media roundtable on Depression and Suicide Prevention, he explained that “it is absolutely wrong to link bad behaviour with mental illness”.

His words: “You cannot say bad behaviour amounts to mental illness, bad behaviour is bad

.

behaviour. There are times when people have mental illness and don’t engage in crime. “Such call is nothing but a way of stigmatising mental health services and that will definitely have effect on the mental health service and care seeking behaviour.

“It can also be classified as misusing the service in a country where we have only about 200 psychiatrists to about 20 million people,” he remarked.

At the event, organised by the Nigerian Academy of Science in collaboration with Vitafoam Nigeria Plc, Gureje who is also the Director, WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Mental Health, Neuroscience, Drug and Alcohol Abuse, said that the increasing rate of unemployment is fuelling depression and suicide attempt in the country.

“Many aspects of a person’s life and environment can contribute to depression.

One very prominent and common risk factor is child neglect and abuse because most mood disorders emerge in adolescence.

“Nearly half of people with depression have symptoms before they reach the age of 30.”

He said a critical period of transition in people’s lives is when they start to establish a career and set up families.

“Gender is also a risk factor because studies have shown that the number of

You cannot say bad behaviour amounts to mental illness, bad behaviour is bad behaviour

From left: Professor of Psychiatry, University of Ibadan, Prof Oye Gureje, Public Affairs Secretary, Nigerian Academy of Science, NAS, Professor Olatunde Farombi FAS, Head of Psychiatry, University of Ibadan, Prof. Olayinka Omigbodun, and Dr Doyin Odubanjo, Executive Secretary, NASduring a media round table on on Depression and Suicide Prevention,cide Prevention,organised by NAS recently in Lagos. women who live with depression worldwide is nearly twice as many as for men.

“Depression increases the risk of coronary heart disease, including angina and myocardial infraction as well as of stroke. It also increases the risk of type 2 diabetes.”

He suggested social measures, improving social network and support, psychoeduation, psychotherapy, structured physical activity programme, relaxation training among others in treating patients with

MNCH: Coca-Cola promotes Safe Birth Initiative Donates hospital equipment to FMC Ebute Metta

By Gabriel Olawale

I

N its bid to help reduce high rate of maternal and newborn deaths in Nigeria, CocaCola Nigeria Ltd through its ‘Safe Birth Initiative’ has donated hospital equipment to Federal Medical Centre, Ebute-Metta.

Speaking during the handing over ceremony, Coca-Cola West Africa Public Affairs & Communications Director, Mr Clem Ugorji, said the Safe Birth Initiative is focused on supporting doctors and nurses to achieve successful birth outcomes by strengthening the capacity of target public hospitals in three critical areas.

“Procurement of vital maternal and neonatal medical equipment and supplies to enable safe deliveries and post-delivery emergency care, training biomedical engineering technicians to improve equipment maintenance and uptime

along with reactivating a large stock of abandoned medical equipment wasting away in public hospitals.

Ugorji noted that active and intentional collaboration between members of the private and public sector is key to transforming healthcare in Nigeria.

“We commend the good work our doctors and nurses are doing but recognise that there is a limit to what they can do without the critical equipment required for effective diagnosis, testing and treatment.

Through the Safe Birth Initiative, we are pleased to be able to donate vital equipment to aid the work currently being done to safeguard the lives of mothers and babies here at Federal Medical Centre, EbuteMetta and the 14 other hospitals that will receive donations as part of the first phase of the Safe Birth Initiative.”

Appreciating the gesture, Chief Medical Director, Federal Medical Centre, Ebute-Metta, Dr Adedamola Dada said since receiving the SBI equipment early this year, they have saved just a little under N10 million in medical and administrative costs.

“We have recorded and supported 21 premature births with the newly-installed incubators; 321

mothers and babies have been brought home alive; and 46,000 other patients have benefitted in some way from the SBI initiative. Coca-Cola has also ensured the sustainability of the programme and equipment, making sure we have adequate engineering capacity on ground, through the training of our engineers, for preventive maintenance.”

depression.

Corroborating his views, the Professor and Head of Psychiatry, University of Ibadan, Prof. Olayinka Omigbodun said globally, about 800,000 people commit suicide every year, “more than 50 percent of these are among people aged 15 to 44 years.

“Over 85 percent of all suicides occur in low and middle income countries but they are gross under reporting of suicide. Over 90 percent of people who commit suicide have a mental health problem.

“Although there are no accurate figures on suicide rate in Nigeria, but what we discovered is that there are increasing incidences of suicide attempts. It is fourfold among persons with anxiety disorder, six-fold among persons with substance use disorders and 18-fold among persons with depression.

Omibogun stated that it has been estimated that 50 to 70 percent of all suicides could be prevented if mental health problems, especially depression, were either prevented or effectively treated.

On his part, Company Secretary/ legal Adviser, Vitafoam Nigeria Plc, Mr

Olalekan Sanni said that for most adults, getting seven to eight hours sleep might be the most important thing they need to improve their future physical and mental health. "As we join hands together to create awareness on issues around depression and suicide, Vitafoam, understand the fact that having good quality sleep is one key to healthy living that is while we have beautiful varieties of products that support quality sleep and rest.

Earlier, Public Affairs Secretary, The Nigerian Academy of Science, Professor Olatunde Farombi said it was crucial to create awareness and propagate their findings to government, ministries, agencies and the Nigerian public “People think that depression only happens to adults but recently it has been observed that even children are prone to depression. Getting the media involved in the forum is for them to propagate the information to the public and make people understand the issues associated with depression and proffer solutions to tackling it,’’

26 —Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019

OAU student emerges best pharmacy brain in Nigeria

.

Wins 2019 Shalina Young Talent Award

By Sola Ogundipe

S

HALINA Healthcare, is set to promote pharmacy as a profession in Nigeria by engaging tertiary health institutions in the country in the professional development of young pharmacists.

The Managing Director, Mr. Somnath Malakar, who spoke in Lagos during the grand finale of the 2019 Shalina Young Talent Award, SYTA, said the Award would be a sustainable project and we will keep investing in people who matters the most. This is one of the ways our company is reaching out to its community.

"I agree that most companies start and back out of projects but that will depend on their perspectives too. We have seen a lot of the benefits that it would make more sense to keep this project in place for the future," Malakar said.

He noted that at the regional level, Shalina connected directly with about 365 contestants in the 2019 edition of the contest, with nine emerging at the

grand finale.

In his earlier address, Folorunso Alaran, regional marketing manager (West Africa), Shalina Healthcare, explained that SYTA initially began as an idea conceived with no particular direction but with a clear objective of purpose.

"Several trips were taken to seek opinion across many schools on how best to organize an objective and flawless competition.

The result of those effort is what we have today.

"It involved zonal rounds in various competing schools where each zonal champions were duly recognized and celebrated amongst their classmates.

I am glad that we have eventually discovered the 'Best Pharmacy Brain' for the 2018-2019 Maiden Edition," he said.

The students competed for the coveted prize money at the grand finale of the competition, described as the biggest hunt for the best Pharmacy brain in Nigeria.

Folashade Salako, a final year student of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, clinched the award to emerge the best pharmacy

brain in the country.

She beat two other contestants from Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ibadan - Temiwunmi Akinmuleya and Adeboye Bamgboye to second and third places respectively.

There were debates, case studies, open presentations, clinical and pharmacological quizzes, among a host of other criteria to pick the eventual winner.

President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, PSN, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, in an address read by Pharm. Okame Okah-Arae, applauded the initiative and declared that it is the dream of every parent to see their children excel.

"I know if your parents were to be here, they will be proud of what you have achieved today. I must commend the lecturers for moulding these young brains in preparation for their future career. Kudos must also go to Shalina Healthcare for putting up this innovative programme," he said.

The National Chairman, Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists

* L-R: Dr Gbola Olayiwola, Senior Lecturer, Dept of Clinical Pharmacy, OAU; Folashade Salako, winner, Shalina Young Talent Award (SYTA); Somnath Malakar, MD, Shalina Healthcare and Dr Rahul Mandlik, Head, Medical Marketing, Shalina Healthcare, Dubai, at the grand finale of the 2019 SYTA programme held recently at Ibis Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos of Nigeria, AHAPN, Dr Kingsley Amibor said Shalina had set the pace and called on other pharmaceutical companies in Nigeria to follow suit.

"It is a talent hunt. The idea is to challenge our students to become sound and to realise that there is reward for the hard work they put into their studies.

The event is also quite versatile in terms of knowledge base.

"It is not only restricted to one arm of pharmacy practice. It encompassed all aspect of pharmaceutical care and outside the scope of pharmacy.

"I think it is a worthwhile

programme. From what I have seen today, the students were challenged and I have no doubt that they will be encouraged to take their studies serious from now," he noted.

Amibor said the contest also served as a career guidance for the students adding that many now know more about the various aspects of pharmacy they can veer into after graduation.

In his own views, the National Chairman of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria, ACPN, Pharm Samuel Adekola, Shalina Healthcare had created a

laudable initiative.

"I have witnessed something like this in the past in my final year (Part 4) then. A company held a similar event, which talked about black hypertensive story. However it wasn't as detailed and robust as the one we have here today.

"Competition like this will always stimulate interest.

Through this initiative, these young pharmacists would have a level of motivation and confidence that would impact a sense of excellence in them.

Invariably, this would contribute significantly to quality of graduating pharmacy students," he remarked.

COMMON SEXUAL PROBLEMS AND THEIR NOVELTY BASED SOLUTIONS (ADVERTORIAL)

I

WILL like to order Develop Sex Penis Enlargement Cream. Does it give erections too? Chidi Enlargement solutions in general tend to improve the quality of a man’s erection but not all of them are capable of instant arousal, if that is what you are asking. So if you need an organ enlarger that also arouses, go for Max Man II or VigRx. Be sure to combine any of these with a penis pump as well for maximum enlargement results. Adding a penis pump to your enlargement regimen guarantees you an additional two inches in enlargement. It is that effective.

But you must stay the course and be consistent in its use – Uche Some women I have been with struggle to have an orgasm through penetration except for when I play with their clitoris for a long time. Is there a way around this?

- Femi Clitoral stimulation is generally more pleasurable for women because the clitoris is that part of the female genitalia with the highest concentration of nerve endings, making it very sensitive to touch and hence pleasurable.

Infact the female clitoris serves no other purpose except to deliver sexual pleasure to the owner when properly stimulated. What you have to do is to adopt a sex position or a technique that enables penetration and clitoral stimulation to go on at the same time. You can achieve this wearing a Vibrating Cock Ring, using a Vibrator on the woman during penetrative intercourse or adopting a position that enables penetration and clitoral stimulation to happen simultaneously – Uche My wife and I went on a marriage retreat overseas to revitalise our romance and we ended up watching an adult movie together which we really enjoyed, surprisingly. My wife has never shown interest in adult films. Anyway, we are interested in more of such films – John That is good. Adult movies work wonders for relationships in ways that nothing else can. Women can be shy about them sometimes but when they open up to it, they always

end up benefitting. Ask for the movies Jane Blonde: DD7 and Black Worm. Those are fun feature films for couples too – Uche A friend of mine gave me one capsule of a drug that made me have the best sex I have had in a long time. I have been looking for this drug ever since. He said to call you. The name is Stiff or something like that – Ojega The drug you just described is Stiff Rox and yes it is very good for hard erections and staying power. Few people have access to them and we are one of those. Call the numbers below to order – Uche I cannot last long in bed and my wife complains that sex is painful – Segun She needs a lubricant. Vaginal dryness is quite common.

Get her the Red Lips Arousal Gel. It is both lubricant and Arousal gel. For yourself, get the Max Man Delay Cream.

It will prolong intercourse for you – Uche Do you have massage oils? Tayo Not at the moment but we can source for you from third parties – Uche I bought a rabbit vibrator from you some months ago and started having orgasms which I never had before.

Now my fiancée does not look too happy which is strange – Ezinne Some men will always resentful the fact that a vibrator can give their women the kind of pleasure they have been unable to give. Just reassure him that you love him and do your best to have sex with your fiancée as well. If his sexual needs are met, he will eventually relax and be happy for you – Uche That is all for today. Adults in need of these treatments/ novelties can call us on 08171912551, 08027901621 or 07086754515 for help. We can also be reached via whatsapp on 08188153279 and instagram on zeevirtualmedialtd. Visit www.zeevirtualmedia.com to view our entire range of products or to order online. Zee Virtual Media delivers all over Nigeria. Email us at custserv@zeevirtualmedia.com- Uche Edochie, MD, Zee Virtual Media.

28 — Niger-Delta Voice, TUESDAY, APRIL 23,, 2019

VOL. 1: NO. 189

TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019

Bayelsa villagers cry out as ocean surge ravages homes, land

•Didi, trying to get whatever he could from the ruins.

*Pulls down 10 buildings, cuts off electricity, community jetty in Odi Kingdom *If FG does not act quickly, our central road‘ll be severed in 3 months — CDC chair

BAYELSA… THE JERUSALEM OF IJAW NATION

BY SAMUEL OYADONGHA

O

DI – RESIDENTS of ancient Odi Kingdom, one of the largest settlements in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, struck by a devastating landslide that excavated buildings and rendered several persons homeless, last week, have sent a Save-Our-Soul to the Federal Government.

The overflow from River Nun pulled down no fewer than 10 buildings, electricity poles and other structures built from the ruins of the infamous 1999 invasion of the community by Nigerian troops.

Some persons were injured but nobody died. Worse hit are Isounbiri and Ogboloma communities connecting other parts of the kingdom. Victims, especially those on the bank of River Nun, were still battling to salvage bits and pieces of the havoc when NDV visited.

I lost my only house —Esther

Opuene, 77-year-old woman One of the victims, a 77-year-old woman, Esther Opuene, pointing at where her house once stood, said: “I lived here in my own house before, but now, my house is gone, everything I owned is gone. I am being accommodated now in the community by a Good Samaritan.

“We are still begging government to come and see how

this community can be saved from coastal erosion. They should come and pile the shoreline for the community as soon as possible; otherwise, erosion will wipe off the entire community. As it has taken this section now, the next incident would be that, you would not see most of these houses you are seeing here now.

“I have no husband and no one to take care of me. Coastal erosion has washed away the only house I had as property, which God gave me. I am already old; I am 77 years and I do not know where to secure myself now. Government should pile the shoreline and consider the plight of victims,” she said.

We‘ve been complaining, no response from govt —Niweigha

Lamenting the damage, Community Development Chairman, Odi community, Goddey Niweigha said: “This erosion affecting our community did not start this year; it has been on over the years. We have been calling on the Federal Government to come to our aid, but there has been no response and we have been crying.

“But this current incident started on Saturday, between 1.30 and 2.00 am. Owners of affected buildings received some signals.

They felt something was about happening so some of them were able to remove some of their belongings from the buildings.

Getting to about 7.00 am- 8.00 am on Sunday, the buildings just collapsed. Some of the victims were injured and property lost.

“Victims were helpless, some ran to me asking what they should do. I tried to see how we could rescue the human beings before the property, yes, life

before property. We immediately searched for temporary accommodation for victims and went on to remove leftovers from the affected buildings, zinc and other things.

“But while we were going about trying to take whatever we could from the affected buildings, the wearing away was continuing; eating up the land. From the present riverbank, the overflow has eaten off over 200 metres of our land. Within days, we noticed about 50 metres cut off into the river. So we do not know what to do,” he said.

Niweigha added: “From the day the incident happened till now, affected individuals are restless, especially those who have no place to stay. What we are appealing to government is to come in and provide the immediate assistance needed by victims.

The Federal Government should come to the community’s aid quickly; if not, in the next two or three months, the road, our central road, would be cut off.

“The rampaging erosion pulled down two high tension electric poles, therefore, as it is now; if government restores electricity, there will be no light in parts of the community. We want government to assist us, we are tired of this erosion; we are begging government, it has cut off the community’s jetty.

“Therefore, please, we want government to do something.

Since this incident occurred, my blood pressure has risen as I have been thinking of what to do and the magnitude of the problem.

However, it is only government that can handle this problem; it is far beyond what the community can shoulder. We want government to come and help

•Madam Esther Opuene

*Ruins of Odi earthquake us. About 16 families are affected by the current incident,” he asserted.

I saw the houses at 6.00 am, but by 8.00 am, they were gone —Seiyefa

Another community leader and Caretaker Secretary of the Odi Youth Council, Ibe Seiyefa, said: “As a child growing up in Odi, I saw this particular section of the community now affected by

coastal erosion about 200 metres away from the river. It has washed off many houses. At about 6:30 on Sunday morning when I was going for worship, I passed that particular place and I saw the electric poles and houses in place.

However, as I returned around 8.00 am, I saw a different scenario, everything gone down.

“We are worried and calling on the Federal Government, NDDC

Continues on page 29

How Otuaro is holding fort for Okowa Relights Ijaw/Itsekiri political tie; Bond with Osinbajo rubs-off on Delta

DELTA... THE BIG

HEART OF THE NATION

BY EMMA AMAIZE, NDV Editor SABA- When Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta

A

•Deputy Governor, Barrister Kingsley Otuaro, on the dance floor celebrating Itsekiri/Ijaw new political bond

State proceeded on a 21-day vacation, April 3, he knew he was handing over the affairs of state to a proficient hand, his deputy, Barrister (Deacon), Kingsley Otuaro.

He informed the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, in a letter entitled: Notice of Vacation, that Barrister Otuaro would perform the duties of his office as governor in line with Section 190 of the Constitution

of the Federal Republic.

Like in the past when he embarked on similar ritual, the lawyer, development activist and conflict resolution expert from Okerenkoko, Gbaramatu clan in Warri South-West Local Government Area, where the delicate balancing between the Ijaw and Itsekiri ethnic groups could be unpredictable, has not disappointed him.

Itsekiri/Ijaw happy with the new direction

Celebrations over their 2019 governorship victory were still in the air when Senator Okowa flew out for his vacation.

Bluntly, Otuaro did not expect the powerful bond of unity that Ijaw and Itsekiri displayed, which saw Warri South-West

Local Government garnering 140,000 votes ahead of any other local government area in the state for Okowa’s reelection.

He read a celestial tinge in the profundity of inter-ethnic unity on display, which portends sustainable peace. The deputy governor believes his up-todate inclusive political disposition and insistent peace efforts in the Warri area decades ago were paying off. Really, the Ijaw and Itsekiri had never shown the kind of camaraderie they put up recently in previous elections.

The sometimes reticent deputy governor, visibly enamored by the newfound Itsekiri/Ijaw

Continues on page 29

Niger-Delta Voice, TUESDAY, APRIL 23,, 2019 — 29

How Otuaro is holding fort for Okowa Continues from page 28

•Friends and well-wishers at Tompolo’s 48th birthday celebration in Warri.

N’Delta would have been worse off without Tompolo — Stakeholders Amb Igali, Prof Brisibe explain how ex-militant leader marshaled N’Delta fight back

By JIMITOTA ONOYUME ARRI- WARRI in Delta State came alive in a W remarkable way, weekend, as

key stakeholders of the NigerDelta struggle congregated in the oil city to mark the 48th birthday anniversary of a former General Officer Commanding, GOC, of the NigerDelta struggle and leading son of Ijaw nation, Chief Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo.

Stakeholders who spoke to NDV were of the opinion that the region would have been worse off without the contributions of Tompolo, the Ibe-ebidouwei of Ijaw Nation (he that agitates for the good of Ijaw people) and others, who took up the challenge to dare the Federal Government for neglect of the people.

The celebrant for whom people converged on Warri for his 48th birthday could not physically attend the event because he has been underground since 2016 when security agents mounted a search for him over allegations of sleaze, which he described as witch-hunt. He declined to surrender himself to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, which had declared him wanted.

Not just Ijaw, N’Delta hero —Igali Chairman of the occasion, a former Federal Permanent

THE TEAM

DELTA... THE BIG

HEART OF THE NATION Secretary, Ministry of Mines and Power, Ambassador Godknows Igali, was full of praises for the celebrant, describing him as one of the heroes of the Niger-Delta struggle.

“Many here may not know my curious but very deep relationship with Tompolo. We first met in January 2006 after my return from Cameroun where I had served as Nigerian Consul-General, and on assumption of duty as Secretary to the State Government, SSG, of Bayesla State. At the time, there was palpable tension in the NigerDelta for three main reasons: “The Governor General of Ijaw nation, the late Diepriye Alamieyeseigha had just been

International Community to secure the release of the workers.

This gave birth to the movement later known as MEND. “From then onward, Tompolo played the leading role in assisting to resolve the various incidents of hostage-taking and seizure of oil infrastructure in the creeks of Niger-Delta. He subsequently became a stabilizing factor in the search for peace and unity, not only in the Niger-Delta but in all of Nigeria,” he asserted.

Igali added: “I thank God we are here to celebrate our own, we are here to celebrate the life of Chief Government Ekpemupolo, aka Tompolo, who is 48 years. It has been years of service, committed to redress the many decades of degradation and backwardness of our people. Tompolo is not just an Ijaw hero, but also a hero of the Niger-Delta region.

“Tompolo is a great strategist and applies native intelligence and the spiritual gift of discernment to understand very deep things. Tompolo’s thoughts were ahead of every other person's.

This is despite his limited exposure to formal western education. He was to some extent a clairvoyant and a mystic.”

Tompolo chose to fight for all, not self-centered —Brisibe

•Government kpemupolo, alias Tompolo

Emma Amaize - Editor Samuel Oyadongha - Yenagoa Gabriel Enogholase- Benin City Jimitota Onoyume- Warri Festus Ahon- Asaba Egufe Yafugborhi- Port Harcourt Emmanuel Una- Calabar Akpokona Omafuaire- Warri Godwin Oghre- Sapele Harri-Okon Emmanuel- Uyo Chioma Onuegbu-Uyo Ike Uchechukwu- Calabar Davies Iheamnachor- Port Harcourt Emem Idio- Yenagoa Brisibe Perez- Ughelli Theresa Ugbobu- Agbor Ochuko Akuopha- Oleh Chancel Bomadi Sunday - Bomadi Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu- Benin City Nath Onajoke, Asaba Chijioke Nwankpa, Port- Harcourt

impeached, arrested and detained; Leading NigerDelta activist, Asari Dokubo had been arrested in October 2005 and also put away; the area became heavily militarised.

“This led to a new wave of taking of expatriate workers from oil facilities starting with the EA Field, which lies at the border between Delta and Bayelsa states. The taking over of EA field on 10 January was accompanied by the taking of expatriate workers, who were mostly British and American citizens.

“After protracted negotiations, our efforts to resolve the problem became abortive and Nigeria came under severe pressure from

Guest lecturer and former chairman, Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, Bayelsa State, Professor Seiyefa Brisibe, who spoke on the theme: Tompolo and the Agitation for the Development of Coastal Communities in NigerDelta, said the outcome of the 1966 coup, which gave rise to creation of 12 states, weakened the nation’s federalism and brought about marginalisation of the NigerDelta minorities.

“We bear the brunt of degradation and environmental pollution in the country. These are issues at the root of the agitations of the struggle by Tompolo. There has been lack of patriotism in the country that has been replaced by nepotism, a major problem. We, Niger-Deltans are not fairly treated. If we had not had Tompolo, it would have been worse for the region.

The struggle of our people gave rise to the amnesty. Tompolo had the option of focusing on his comfort, but he chose to fight for you and me."

political tie dug into his bag of wisdom after the Independent National Electoral Commission presented his boss and him with their certificates of return and came up with a social event to bolster the bond.

The show kicked off as the sun gave way to a breezy nightfall.

Sumptuous meals were on parade for the taste buds as participants of the banquet danced to variety of music supplied by Christopher Okunbiri of the Dynamic Musical Band. To the amazement of many, Otuaro, exemplifying his frame of mind took to the dance floor.

He sounded it unmistakably that Itsekiri and Ijaw people made him proud, revealing, “There were genuine rumour of threats from opposing political parties. I want to thank the clergy who took out time and prayed. The women took out time to pray. They denied themselves of the niceties of life; they fasted and prayed. The result was that it was the most peaceful elections ever in the history of Warri South-West Local Government Area.”

He added: “Our royal fathers, custodians of our culture, were there for peace. Their concern was that the processes should lead to greater interaction, peace building and togetherness of the two ethnic nations, Ijaw and Itsekiri, in Warri South-West; Ijaw and Itsekiri who worked together as one and this is evident in the huge result we turned out for Okowa.”

Both Itsekiri and Ijaw stakeholders are happy with Otuaro’s new direction on how the two ethnic groups can work together and the textbook manner Chief Thomas Ereyitomi (Itsekiri) and Hon. Guwor (Ijaw) secured the House of Representatives (Warri) and House of Assembly (Warri South-West) tickets and went ahead to win, is something to behold under Otuaro’s headship.

Delta benefiting from Osinbajo/Otuaro rapport

In addition, while his boss is resting with his family abroad, the lot fell on Otuaro to leverage on the relationship he has established over the years with the Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, through the Delta State Peace Advocacy Committee against Oil Facilities’ Vandalisation which Okowa appointed him as chairman.

Through the Committee, Otuaro, who knows the in and out of the Niger-Delta struggle, has been a valuable asset to Osinbajo in navigating his peace efforts in the Niger-Delta on behalf of the Federal Government. In fact, Osinbajo’s job has been a lot easier for him in many ways because of Otuaro’s deep knowledge and understanding of the real issues at stake.

At the first matriculation ceremony of the Nigerian Maritime University, NMU, Okerenkoko, recently, the acting governor indicated that Niger- Delta people were on same page with President Muhammadu Buhari with both state and Federal Governments

agreeing that the actualisation of NMU, Okerenkoko was fulfillment of a dream and vision.

Specifically, Buhari, who spoke through his deputy, Prof. Osinbajo, said: “NMU Okerenkoko reflected President Buhari’s core vision to rewrite the story of the neglected NigerDelta.” Otuaro said: “Actualisation of NMU, Okerenkoko was the collective aspiration of Ijaw and Niger-Delta people.”

Buhari’s words: “NMU, Okerenkoko is one of the strongest demonstrations of commitment of my administration to developing the Niger-Delta. The new vision for the Niger-Delta is to ensure that the huge resources of the Niger-Delta are put to work for the good of the people of the region.”

Probably known or unknown to Buhari, but not Osinbajo, Otuaro hails from Okerenkoko and had played his part in the past in the NigerDelta struggle.

Since Otuaro’s warm relationship with Osinbajo, the impact has rubbed off positively on the state to the credit of Okowa, who created the platform and endorsed his activities.

Happy birthday my brother, friend —Okowa

On his 51st birthday recently, last Tuesday, holidaying Okowa poured accolade on Otuaro, saying: “On behalf of my family, the government and people of Delta State, I wish to felicitate with my amiable Deputy Governor, a party stalwart and leader of inestimable value on the occasion of his 51st birthday anniversary celebration, happy birthday my brother and friend.

“You have been a worthy and dependable partner in our quest to ensure peace and security in our dear state. I must place it on record that you and your team in the Peace Advocacy Committee Against Oil Facility Vandalism in Delta State contributed largely to the peace we enjoy today in the oil and gas industry in the state.

“Your life symbolises diligence, humility, perseverance, focus and dedicated service. This explains why your people of Warri South West Local Government Area and Deltans overwhelmingly voted us back for a second term to continue in our quest to build a stronger Delta of our dreams.

“Your Excellency, your indefatigable role as the Deputy Governor of our dear Delta State has contributed to the remarkable and modest achievements recorded by our administration and I thank God because with your continued partnership and that of the entirety of Deltans, better days are indeed here for our people,” the governor stated in a congratulatory message.

Otuaro doing well —Safugha

Commissioner for Energy, Mr. Newworld Safugha, who is also on vacation, told NDV: “Oh, I am also on vacation. However, I can say with certainty that His Excellency, Barrister Kingsley Otuaro is doing excellently well as the acting Governor of Delta State. He presided over the Exco on Wednesday, 10th April among other things of governance.”

Bayelsa villagers cry out as ocean surge ravages homes, land Continues from page 28 and Bayelsa State Government to come to our aid. We have been crying over the years for shore protection, but nobody has done anything.

“Unless something is done urgently; even the road would be washed away within a matter of months. So, the Federal Government through the NDDC and Ministry of Niger-Delta Affairs should come to our aid as soon as possible,” he said.

30 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019

Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019 — 31 Send Opinions & Letters to: opinions1234@yahoo.com

The return of people’s power

U

LTIMATELY, it is the people that rule. That’s bad news for tyrants, demagogues, authoritarians, oligarchs, plutocrats and crooks. Sooner or later, the people will rise and demand accountability. The history of freedom is a long and brutal one.

History teaches that freedom is never given; it is almost always taken by force.

The first modern mass revolt in history occurred in August 1791 in the island of Saint-Domingue, renamed Haiti. Led by FrançoisDominique Toussaint Louverture, the oppressed slaves of Haiti revolted against their French masters and took their destinies into their own hands. The Trinidadian Marxist political philosopher and historian C. L. R. James wrote his famous book, The Black Jacobins, as an account of this revolt and of the extraordinary courage of leaders such as Toussaint, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, Henri Christophe, Vincent Ogé and Alexandre Pétions.

History shows that such mass insurrections cannot be kept at home. The Haitian revolution inflamed the rest of the Caribbean, the Americas and the islands of the seas. Toussaint sent soldiers to support Simon Bolivar on condition that he worked for the liberation of the Black slaves in Latin America.

Haitian soldiers also went to support Abraham Lincoln during the American civil war on condition that he freed the benighted slaves of the United States.

Surprisingly, mass revolts are often ignited by very humble people.

Everybody recalls Mahatma Gandhi and his political embrace of poverty and non-violence as weapons of political struggle. A few years ago I had lunch in Brussels with a European member of parliament representing Hungary by the name of László TQkes. The meeting was brokered by my dear friend, businessman Björn Hultin of Sweden.

His story is a remarkable one. He was born of Hungarian parents in communist Romania in 1952.

During the Cold War, Romania was at the very core of the Soviet communist world order.

There had been insurrections in Czechoslovakia and Poland, but they were brutally suppressed. Romania under the leadership of strongman Nicolae Ceausescu was as seemingly impregnable as the hackneyed Rock of Gibraltar. In the late eighties TQkes was a young pastor in the provincial town of Timisoara. He went about preaching against the godless ideology of communism. He soon incurred the wrath of the local stasi, the secret police, and was inevitably thrown into gaol. While in incarceration TQkes went on hunger strike. Before long, a movement had begun around the prisoner of conscience; spreading like a wild harmattan fire to other Romanian cities, including the capital Bucharest.

When President Ceausescu came out to address the angry crowd he was shouted down. Before you knew

it his government had collapsed.

Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife Elena were soon rounded up and executed. The Romanian revolution ignited the cold embers of revolt in Moscow, East Berlin, Warsaw, Budapest and Prague. The Berlin Wall came down in full glare of world television. The once Evil Empire went down like a pack of cards.

Who would have known that a young pastor on hunger strike in a prison in Timisoara could be used

by God to change the world?

The Arab Spring that began in 2010 was started unknowingly by a young man by the name of Tarek elTayeb Mohamed Bouazizi (19842011). An unemployed youth, he had set up a stall illegally selling fruits and vegetables to support his ailing

A small gesture by a person of no power and no consequence could similarly set off a chain reaction that brings down an empire

mother and his sisters. A policewoman had accosted him for opening the stall without a licence.

When he could not give a satisfactory answer she physically assaulted him, calling his father and mother with unprintable expletives.

To an Arab young man, this was the height of public humiliation.

After fruitless appeals for justice, he bought a gallon of petrol and set himself ablaze.

Tunisian strongman Zine Abidine Ben Ali was forced to issue a public statement.

Unfortunately it came too late.

Bouazizi eventually died in hospital on January 4, 2011. The Arab Spring

had begun. President Ben Ali and his family fled to Saudi Arabia. The Arab Spring toppled the governments of Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. It also shook the foundations of Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman.

This year witnesses what looks like an Arab Spring Redux. For much of last year there was a nation-wide demonstration in Algeria against the regime of Abdelaziz Bouteflika who had been in power since April 1999.

In 2008, amid protests, he had revised the constitution to allow himself a third term. In February this year his spokesman announced that Bouteflika would be running for a fifth term. That announcement broke the camel’s back. Bouteflika was failing in physical health as well as in mental powers. He had rarely been seen in public. His minders had become the regents that ultimately called the shots. I was in Casablanca and Rabat in neighbouring Morocco during that week. There were various debates on when, not if, he would fall. A veteran of the Algerian anti-colonial war; top political commissar of the venerable Front National de Libération, FLN; renowned international diplomat; Abdelaziz Bouteflika threw in the towel on April 2, this year.

The latest manifestation of people’s power is in Khartoum, Sudan. Since the beginning of the year a spontaneous movement had begun against the regime of Omar alBashir. It was led mostly by women and youths. At first, they wanted modest political reforms. But when the regime applied high-handed measures against leading opposition members, the movement leaders soon upped the stakes. They demanded nothing less than regime change. Omar al-Bashir took over power in a military coup as far back as June 1989. He had ruled the country with an iron hand. He was opposed to any negotiations with the leaders of South Sudan while covertly arming and financing the genocidal Janjawid killers in the benighted region of Darfur. The

A forged certificate as an allegory of a farce

T

By Onye Imman

HE evidence of participation in a process, school, election or professional course is often a certificate. In the specific case of an election, the proof of victory is the certificate of return issued to the winner of an election.

So, for those who watched the recent high political contest in Rivers State which supposedly ended on April 3, 2019, with the declaration of Nyesom Wike as the winner, nothing demonstrates what happened as a drama more than the certificate. The certificate issued to Wike and others so declared as winners of the controversial election was dated March 14, 2019!

The election which started on March 9 was deferred the following day, March 10 after it appeared that the candidate of the African Action Congress, Biokpomabo Awara, was in the lead in several state constituencies.

On March 27, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, announced a new timetable for the conclusion of the election, saying it would be concluded between April 3 and 5. So, how the commission predated the certificates of return on March 14 is certainly not a puzzle to many stakeholders and observers who wondered at the efforts by the commission to work towards the answer of its original plot.

Some may have wondered at the fixation of the commission in ensuring the return of Wike as governor of Rivers State and the effrontery in pre-dating a certificate of return C M Y K

to award him even before the conclusion of the election! Some have actually asked whether the chairman of INEC, Prof.

Mahmood Yakubu, was aware of this duplicitous act that tended to summarise the serial partisanship of the commission and its officials operating in Rivers State.

Indeed, word has been made of the close relationship between Wike and Yakubu when the governor was supervising minister of education when he had oversight over Yakubu who at that time was also the executive secretary of the Tertiary Education Fund, TETFUND. If the two of them worked well together, even as buddies, the expectation was not that they would take their relationship to sabotage the collective interest of the people of Rivers State as was clearly manifested during the last general election in the state.

Of course, the gaffe over the certificate of return may have opened the eyes of sceptics to the dishonesty that characterized the general election, but it may have been the simplest of the brutal attacks on the people of Rivers State during the election.

The foolishness of predating the Certificates of Return may have only been unwittingly done to expose the fraud that occurred. There were far more surreptitious incidents that occurred before and during the election.

Many will recall the threats against Atiku Abubakar and the distress that permeated through the PDP after Wike and his aides stormed out of the convention ground when it emerged that his choice for the presidential ticket did not win.

That behaviour goes to underscore the willingness and capacity of the governor to undercut any political process that does not favour him. That behaviour was first seen in 2015 when he allegely sabotaged the established zoning pattern for the governorship of Rivers State. Pray, at what cost would a man put his political goals.

The governorship election in Rivers State and the other elections that took place in the state were characterised by some of the most bizarre manipulations that occurred in the country with officials of INEC at the state and federal levels clearly acting as

The commission obeyed orders they were not party to and ignored the ones they were party to in anticipation of a Supreme Court order that would finally nail APC collaborators with Wike. The recruitment of card-carrying PDP members as election officers was about another clearly shown act of partisanship. When this was revealed to the embarrassment of INEC, a promise was made to replace the PDP chieftains with non-partisan persons.

However, despite entreaties the Resident Electoral Officer for whatever reasons failed to act on the issue after initially promising to do so. Even more bizarrely, he went on to accept outrageous results returned by the

Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has indicted him of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

The moral leader of the Sudanese Revolution is, astonishingly, a young beautiful Nubian woman of 23 by the improbable name of Alaa Salah, a student of engineering and architecture at Sudan International University in Khartoum. Through poetry, songs and the power of her rhetoric she stands at the vortex of a movement that has swept away the Old Order. The ousted president and his fellow-travellers are currently in detention, awaiting trial for corruption, crime and murder. Alaa Salah is an articulate and bright young woman from the oppressed Nubian people of the Nuba Mountains of Sudan. Draped in her signature white cotton robe, she is leading a movement that demands social justice, human rights and fair representation for women in Sudan.

Omar al-Bashir used Sharia and Islam to climb up the greasy pole of power. He rode the proverbial tiger’s back for three decades and could not get down without somehow being consumed.

How could anyone have known that a young Nubian woman with a white cotton robe and poetry on her lips could have orchestrated the fall of the high and mighty in Khartoum?

Politics and physics have more in common than we generally imagine.

No social scientist has yet come up with a theory of how people’s power arises and what triggers it. Chaos Theory is a branch of theoretical physics dealing with the behaviour of dynamical systems that are highly sensitive to initial conditions. Chaos theory shows how it is perfectly possibly for a butterfly flapping its wings in the Kerang Hills of Jos could set off a massive earthquake in Okinawa, Japan. A small gesture by a person of no power and no consequence could similarly set off a chain reaction that brings down an empire. Those who are wise will listen and learn!

PDP election officers.

If the State INEC was partisan, the clear lead of the national officers was undoubtedly an encouragement to them. How did the commission at the federal level show bias?

INEC in Abuja removed the APC candidates’ names from their list even before they were required to do so. The commission obeyed orders they were not party to and ignored the ones they were party to in anticipation of a Supreme Court order that would finally nail APC. The commission also ignored numerous complaints and petitions by the opposition and carried out the collation of the governorship and state constituency elections in secret and announced bogus results contrary to already announced results without a care in the world. Where did they get the new result sheets, one may ask? They even disregarded obvious violence and announced results wherever it suited them.

The actions of INEC in the last general election in Rivers State may have appeared as a horror movie to stakeholders who had watched the governor from afar, but as they went away, it came as stranger than fiction.

What is of concern to several other stakeholders was the desperation of INEC in Abuja and Port-Harcourt to partner with Wike in denying the people of the state their right to choose who should govern them.

Many stakeholders, of course, know that the conspiracy was more than the eye can behold, the permutations for 2023 within and outside the APC being a crucial matter, but the truth shall always vindicate the just.

Rivers shall survive the present tyranny.

•Imman, a political activist, wrote from Port Harcourt, Rivers State

32 —Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL23, 2019

LEISURE

YOUR LUCK TODAY

By Joshua Adeyemo Phone 08056180139 TAURUS; Here is a loving day for those of you willing to give priority attention to matters of the heart. Planning for both immediate and far future’ll not be out of place. And it’s good to think money.

GEMINI: This is the wrong time to gamble either with your physical cash or your source of income. Take nobody for granted. Take love more seriously.

CANCER; Partnership related issues are becoming more important and if you try to sweep anything under carpet now, it’ll back fire sooner than expected. Take your love life more seriously than before.

LEO; Hard work will not go unrewarded if not today very soon. Important development coming through your working arena soonest will place you at advantage position. The more practical you are the better.

SAYINGS OF OUR PEOPLE

TAKE HEART — ELLA RANDLE “To live a happy life. Love yourself. Love God and be happy” - Take Heart QuotesWho are you? A divine part of God’s love.

And if you know that all that remains is to recognize yourself.

And to recognize yourself as a divine part of God. You must first of all more than anything recognize everyone and everything also as this part God. Only the ego tries to make it seem difficult. -- Ella Randle

TERROR MUDA

No one gets a mouthful of food by picking between another person’s teeth. ~Igbo Proverb

in “Never say goodbye”

By Kola Fayemi

VIRGO; Love, romance and sentimental things can not be ignored completely today unless you want your concentration to waver .Be more enterprising in the business world Anyway success indicated for you today..

LIBRA; Happenings within your base of operation (both at home and at work) must be taken more seriously now, more especially as there’ll be competition.

SCORPIO; Both your mood and element of luck may not be as friendly as you’ll like.. Matters of the heart may top priority lists of some of you. But mind you your mood will change tomorrow.

SAGITTARIUS; If financial success is your priority you’ll need to redouble your efforts today and tomorrow. Be protective of your possessions and personal family.

DUDU

in

“ROLLING HOT”

By A.O. OLAIDE

CAPRICORN; Placement of the Moon gives you the needed opportunity to assert yourself to the admiration of other people. You can make it a romantic day. Experiment with your personal ideas.

AQUARIUS; Here is your day when element of luck will work favourably for you. Secret lovers are in for an exciting and memorable day. Keep your secrets please.

PISCES; If you wait till tomorrow before you make an important move ,you may be disappointed , because tomorrow’s influence may bring you more challenges than you can rightly anticipate now. Success indicated for you today.

ARIES; Very soon there’ll be important development along your career line. But today will offer you best of opportunity and good luck to achieve your desired results. Be more ambitious now

VIRGINIA

dadadekola@yahoo.com

HOME & ABROAD

By Lawrence Akapa

ASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLING ASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLING Send y our dat e and place of bir th t o the As tr ological datee and place of bir birth Astr trological Send yyour our dat th ttoo the As tr ological Counselling, PP.M.B .M.B 1100 00 7, Apapa, Lagos 007,

WHAT’S MY BEST COLOUR? Dear Joshua, I want your in depth analysis and tell me about my social life, luck and the time I am likely to have my much desired break through in life. Which day of the week was I born. And importantly what is my best colour?

Anonymous Nigeria.

Dear Anonymous, You were born on a Saturday. What you will find here under will answer your questions. Social life will always bring you attention, good luck envy opposition and possibly fame. Aquarius and Leo are two most active social Star signs.

And you will notice that your natal Venus in Taurus, Moon in Aquarius and Uranus in Leo formed T Square aspects putting Venus as point focus, meaning that the best way for you not to be constant loser in the social world is to always study situation practically and know that your finance will not suffer (if it can not be beneficiary) from the setting before taking responsibility.

As for influential friends you will have them but never always take them for granted.

You can be a self made man but it is indicated that there will be times when both human and divine assistance will lift you up. You will have more to gain by your being spiritual .Saturday born people are favoured by BLACK and golden colours.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019 — 33 :Vanguard News

:@vanguardnews

:@vanguardnews

NEWS HOTLINES: 08052867023, 08052867058

Bakassi IDPs camp leader appeals to politicians, NGOs to redeem pledges A

KPABUYO—THE leader of Bakassi Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, camp in Akpabuyo Local Government Area of Cross River State, Mr Etim Ene, has appealed to politicians and non-governmental organisations, NGOs, to fulfil their pledges to the camp.

Ene made the appeal, yesterday, in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria, NAN at Akpabuyo.

“On several occasions, many NGOs have visited this camp to do a need assessment after which they tell us that they are coming back to do something for us and after that we will not see them again.

“The same thing with politicians, some of them came here to promise us this and that and after that you will not see them again.

“We appeal to them to assist us, especially in the area of means of livelihood.

We need shelter, clothing, food, education for our children and so on.

“Cameroun has taken everything from us including our farmland, our homes, our fishing materials and we returned to Nigeria with virtually nothing,” he said.

He commended the National Commission for Refugees for training 60 of their youths on skills

acquisition free of charge, saying that such gesture would go a long way in empowering them.

“That is the kind of thing we are praying for. We are not saying give us fish, but teach us how to fish. We also appreciate the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, they have been very

supportive since 2018.

“They have assisted us with many items including food, medications and even clothing. In the area of medications, many organisations have done well and we appreciate them, but like Oliver Twist, we are still asking for more,” he said.

COMMISSIONING: From left; Mr Obie Sekibo; Mr Ifie Sekibo, MD, Heritage Bank; Mrs Alali Sekibo; Dr Abiye Sekibo, ex-Minister of Transport and Rivers State Commissioner for Health, Prof Princewill Chike during the commissioning of Okrika Island Maternity expansion and renovation by the Sekibos in memory of Tamunodiepiriye Sekibo and Ariyingialafiara Precious Sekibo of Achin War Canoe House yesterday in Wakrike, Okrika, Rivers State. Photo: Nwankpa Chijioke.

TRIBUNAL: Delta PPA guber candidate appeals to Ogboru, others to drop case against Okowa

By Onozure Dania

T

HE governorship candidate of the Progressive Peoples Alliance, PPA, in the recently concluded general election, Dr. O’diakpo Obire, has appealed to the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief Great Ogboru and others that instituted cases against Delta State governor, Dr.

Ifeanyi Okowa to drop their cases in the interest and growth of the state.

Obire made the call at Otorho-Agbon, headquarters of Ethiope East Local Government Area of the state, while congratulating Chief Ogboru on his 61st birthday.

He said his appeal to Ogboru and others was in the spirit of sportsmanship.

Obire and his running mate, Mr Rex Biose were

on a thank you tour of Delta Central senatorial district, where he thanked the people for standing with them.

Calling for understanding and the cooperation of the governorship candidates, Obire pointed out that election cases are longdrawn and retard the development of the state.

He said many a time people allow certain things

Otuaro’s life worthy of emulation — UKORI

By Gab Ejuwa

E

XECUTIVE Chairman of Egbema and Gbaramatu C o m m u n i t i e s Development Foundation, EGCDF, Ambassador Jude Ukori has described the Deputy Governor of Delta State, Mr. Kingsley Otuaro as a community builder, peace advocate and public administrator.

Ukori in a congratulatory message to mark the birthday of Otuaro said, his (Otuaro ) hallmark remain his fierce loyalty and undiluted commitment to the vision of his principal.

He noted that in the light

of Otuaro’s abiding passion for service to the people, it is most heartwarming that such disposition on his part places him in remarkable sync with Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, whose fixation on the good of the common man sets him apart, any time, any day as a true man of the people.

According to him, “Otuaro is a scholar, lawyer, writer, community builder, peace advocate and public administrator of truly enviable credentials. That was why he excelled greatly in virtually every position he has ever manned.

“As a matter of fact,

Otuaro’s life has been a testament to potential actualization. Even the workaholic and apostle of continuous selfimprovement, His Excellency has made it his life mission to add value to the lives of others even as he tirelessly forges ahead in making the utmost best of the talents the Almighty has been gracious enough to endow him with.

“On behalf of the EGCDF, I wish to felicitate with the best deputy governor of Delta State, a party stalwart and leader of inestimable value, on the occasion of his 51st birthday.''

to go not because they cannot follow them through but because of the adverse effect they may have on the generality of the people, mostly when it has to do with election cases.

“Indubitably, every governorship candidate in the 2019 election has an issue, genuine or not, to grind with the winner. I have dropped whatever issues I may have because of the larger interest of the state and that is why I am appealing to others to drop theirs too to enable the governor concentrate on the delivery of good governance.

“Peace is needed for development, therefore, we should not distract Dr. Okowa with tribunal cases.

We should allow him to focus on governance to bring sustainable development to the state.

“Therefore, in the spirit of Easter that epitomizes love and forgiveness, I wish to call on my kinsman and elder brother, Chief Ogboru and other governorship candidates to ‘sheath their swords,’ and support Okowa in the task of delivering good governance.”

Okowa, Oborevwori preach love, unity at Easter

By Perez Brisibe

A

S A B A — GOVERNOR Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State and Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Chief Sheriff Oborevwori, yesterday urged Nigerians and Deltans to show love to one another and be willing to make sacrifices for greater unity, peace, political stability and progress of the state and the country.

Okowa in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, called on Nigerians and Deltans to seize the opportunity of the Easter to reflect deeply on what they need to do as a people to ensure that they live peacefully with one another in their quest for a better future for all citizens and residents in the country.

He said; “As Christians, we must reflect on the import of Easter celebrations in our dealings, not only with other Christians, but with people of other religions. We must eschew bitterness and all forms of violence, because the progress, peace and security of the nation are anchored on good neighbourliness and peaceful coexistence among

Nigerians.

“If we live peacefully with one another, we will not be confronted with issues of armed banditry, herdsmen attacks, kidnapping and other vices threatening the soul of our great nation. I urge you all to let the significance of the celebration reflect in our relationship with one another both Christians and the people of other religions. There is no doubt that these are tough times in our country.”

Also, Oborevwori in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Dennis Otu, said that Jesus Christ laid down his life for mankind and urged Nigerians to emulate his exemplary life.

Harping on the need for peaceful coexistence, tolerance, love, forgiveness and sacrifice among all Nigerians, the Speaker said: “There is no sacrifice too much for Nigerians to make for the peaceful coexistence and unity of the country.

“May the celebration of the passion and death of Jesus Christ bring total renewal of God’s favour, grace and blessings in our lives and nation. We should continue to live in harmony with one another.''

Global Shapers moves to implement SDGs in Rivers

By Davies Iheamnachor

P

O R T HARCOURT— GLOBAL Shapers Community, the Port Harcourt Hub, is to implement the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs in Rivers State.

The body noted that its attention would be centred on four areas, which are bordering on quality education, justice and strong institutions and climate change.

Speaking in Port Harcourt at the launch of the Sustainable Development Goals project, in Port Harcourt, the curator of Global Shapers Community Port Harcourt, Okorisha ThankGod, noted that the four goals are areas the state is facing challenges.

He noted that if these areas are given due

attention ,that development would return to the state, adding that peace and institutional changes will ensure the development of the state.

He said: “We are on the move to achieving SDG goals in Port Harcourt. This is to ensure that people of the state get due development before 2030.

“We have gone beyond awareness now, and we intend to start implementing projects towards achieving the SDGs before 2030. We will start with three pilot.

“They are issues that are pertinent and have plagued Port Harcourt overtime. We will work with the Ministry of Justice to strength our key institutions. We call on the people of Rivers to key into the SDG because of its importance, and we cannot do it alone, everyone must be a part of it so that we can achieve it.”

34—Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019

You achieved nothing in 8 years, Okorocha hits hold our peace because we Udenwa believe that at times,

By Chinonso Alozie

O

W E R R I — OUTGOING Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha has asked his predecessor, Chief Achike Udenwa to publish his achievements in his eight years in office as governor.

Okorocha spoke through his Chief Press, Sam Onwuemeodo in Owerri yesterday, while reacting to what he described as Udenwa’s incessant attack against his administration.

He said that Udenwa was envious of his administration's achievements in the last eight years, pointing out that he (Okorocha) was superior in terms of provision of good governance to the people of Imo State, adding that posterity would judge who was a better governor.

According to Okorocha, the people of the state would judge both himself and Udenwa, if the later published his achievements in office as governor of the state.

His words: “In less than four weeks, Udenwa, who governed Imo State from 1999 to 2007 has launched unprecedented media attacks against Governor Rochas Okorocha, Chief Ikedi Ohakim and President Muhammadu Buhari.

“While Chief Ohakim had replied him, we decided to

silence is golden. But the two term former governor has continued the attack on Imo governor for reasons that could only be known to him.

“Udenwa is adjudged the worst governor Imo State has had in both military and civilian regimes. He blew away the eight years he held sway as governor and should not blame anybody but himself.

“If he feels that this claim is false, let him be patriotic enough to publish his achievements for the right years he was governor and let Rochas Okorocha publish his own achievements for also eight years, since it is now eight years versus eight years.

“Infact, he is envious of Okorocha because while he left no footprint behind, Rochas Okorocha is leaving behind enviable footprints as Imo governor for eight years.

“Let's also narrow the debate down from 1999 to 2019. When someone talks about Green and Green Initiatives, the administration of Chief Ohakim would come to mind. And when you talk about free education, urban renewal and so on; the Rescue Mission Government of Governor Okorocha would come to mind too. But what would one mention today and the administration of Chief Udenwa would be remembered. Nothing, to say the least. It is as bad as that."

Doctors lament high rate of malaria, hypertension, in Abia communities

By Anayo Okoli

U

MUAHIA— M E D I C A L personnel have expressed worry over the rising cases of malaria, hypertension and eye diseases in some communities in Abia North senatorial district of Abia State, saying it gives cause for concern.

The concern was raised by a team of medical doctors and other health workers on a free medical outreach in the senatorial zone who noted the rate at which the abovementioned diseases were ravaging the populace.

The two-day free medical outreach was organized by Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, representing the zone in collaboration with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, NPHCDA. Speaking to newsmen weekend, at Ohiyinta Health Centre, Amiyi Ahaba Imenyi in

Isuikwuato council, the leader of the team, Dr. Prince Anienye explained that out of over 2,000 patients the team had so far examined, malaria, hypertension and eye diseases were discovered to be the leading ailments.

Anienye attributed the prevalence of malaria to environmental factors and lack of health education for the people on the use of long lasting insecticide treated nets.

“Some people use insecticide treated nets to protect their farm crops instead of using it as a protection against mosquitoes”, Anienye said.

On hypertension and eye diseases, he attributed the prevalence to poor feeding habit, age and failure to go for regular screening and advised the rural dwellers to regularly go for medical examination for early diagnosis and treatment of the ailments.

ANNIVERSARY: Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, his wife, Erelu Bisi Fayemi and the Alafon of Ilafon Ekiti, HRM, Oba Akin Owoeye, during Alafon's 20th coronation anniversary and installation of Erelu Fayemi as the Iyalode of Ilafon, in Ilafon Ekiti, Ekiti State, weekend.

Anambra youths protest killing, raping of women by herdsmen Buhari treating killer-herdsmen with kids gloves —Anglican Communion

By Chimaobi Nwaiwu

N

NEWI—YOUTHS in Anambra West Local Government Area, Anambra State, yesterday embarked on a peaceful protest against continued killings of their people, mainly local farmers and raping of their women by herdsmen.

This is as the Church of Nigeria, Ecclesiastical Province of the Niger, Anglican Communion, accused President Muhammadu Buhari of treating killer-herdsmen with kid gloves by his silence on their violent activities.

The youths drawn from Anam and Igala communities gathered at Umueze Anam Bridge, the only link road between Anam and Igala communities to register their grievances over the barbaric killings by the armed herdsmen.

They displayed placards with various inscriptions such as, “Silent killing of our people by herdsmen in the farms and our villages still going on;” “We are running out of patience with the violent activities of herdsmen in Anambra West;” “Farmers/herders clash is a name to play down the heinous killings by gunwielding herdsmen;” “Pushing us to the wall will bring mayhem. Enough of the killings of our people;” and “Police and Army protecting herdsmen, while they kill our people,” among others.

The youths who were numbering over 150 held their protest in different groups and locations at the Umueze Anam Bridge, chanting anti violent killing songs, calling on President Muhammadu Buhari and

Governor Willie Obiano to intervene to stop further killings in the area.

Addressing newsmen on the bridge shortly after the protest, the coordinator and spokesman for the youths, Odikpo Madubueze and Secretary, Ikechukwu Onuorah said they have been humiliated by visitors in their communities while government is asking them to be patient.

Onuorah said: “We are just respecting Anambra State Governor, Willy Obiano; that is why we have not confronted the killer-herdsmen. If they continue what they are doing, we will confront them and it will be bloody and at the end of the clash, no herdsman will ever come into Anambra West again.

“We are disappointed that the government is paying lips service to addressing the problem. People will be sleeping in their farm settlements and in their homes, while visitors will attack, kill and cut off their heads. It makes us look weak. We do not want to create an embarrassing situation for the governor and so, we expect him to act now."

Madubueze on his part said: “We do not want to take laws into our hands, but the federal and Anambra State governments should not allow us to match the herdsmen, violence for violence. They have killed many of our people and farmers have deserted their farms.

"It is only a few courageous farmers that go to farm in groups now.

Every day, our farmers are chased out of their farms by armed herdsmen who usually lay ambush for

them. This does not encourage peaceful coexistence."

Buhari treating killer-herdsmen with kids gloves —Anglican Communion

Meanwhile, the Church of Nigeria, Ecclesiastical Province of the Niger, Anglican Communion, has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of treating the killer herdsmen with kid gloves by his alleged silence on their violent activities.

The Church therefore urged the President to break his silence on the killings and violent activities of the herdsmen across the country, as Nigerians are beginning to speculate that they are above the law.

The Church of Nigeria, Province of the Niger, spoke through its Archbishop, Rt. Rev Prof.

Godwin Okpala on the sideline, when he attended the Synod of the Diocese of Mbamili, at Umuikwu Anam, Anambra West Local Government Area, Anambra State, alleging that President Buhari-led administration has not taken any proactive and stern steps to stop their wanton killings.

Archbishop Okpala who is also Bishop Diocese of Nnewi, said the call on the President to speak to the herdsmen has become imperative to avoid reprisal attacks by the communities being attacked by the herdsmen who are alleged to be mainly Fulani.

"It has become imperative for President Buhari to speak to the herdsmen in a language they will understand because the

impression being created in the country is that they are the president's kinsmen and he has not spoken to them in such a way that they will know he is against the killings," he said.

Archbishop Okpala also called on the Federal Government and the Police to disarm the the gunwielding herdsmen without further delay or Nigerians who have been disarmed will feel that they were disarmed to arm those who are now killing them.

Surrounded by over 10 Bishops, including Bishop Johnson Ekwe, of Niger West Diocese, and Bishop Alex Ibezim of Awka Diocese, Archbishop Okpala said: “President Buhari’s continued silence on the violent activities of the killer herdsmen is giving a wrong impression about his position on the killings.

"We have seen renewed killing of people in their communities across the country, with recent cases in Anam communities Anambra West LGA. That is unacceptable and calls for worry. The President must talk to them to stop embarrassing his government.

"Nigerians believe that herdsmen are being emboldened to continue their killings with the recent election victory of Mr President. The killings stopped during the electioneering campaigns and immediately the election was concluded and the president emerged victorious, they started again. This is why we are calling on him to act now.

"Herdsmen must not be allowed to carry guns let alone AK 47 and that brings about the question of how they get the guns."

Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 23 , 2019—35 :Vanguard News

:@vanguardnews

:@vanguardnews

NEWS HOTLINES: 08052867023, 08052867058

Church opens free hospital to tackle maternal mortality in N-Delta

By Egufe Yafugborhi & Davies Iheamnachor

P RECEPTION: From left, former Minister of National Planning, Prof. Abubakar Suleiman; former Minister of Transport, Alhaji Idris Umar; former PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Muazu; father of the bride and former Minister of State for Works, Alhaji Bashir Yuguda; former Katsina State governor, Mallam Ibrahim Shema; former Adamawa State governor, Mallam Boni Har una, and for mer Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Adamu Waziri, during the reception for friends of the bride's family after the wedding fatiha for Yusuf Musa and Munirah Yuguda, in Abuja, weekend. Photo: Abayomi Adeshida.

Good Friday killings: Benue govt imposes 24-hour curfew on Katsina-Ala As gov cuts short his leave over security challenge

By Peter Duru

M

AKURDI—BENUE State government, yesterday, imposed a 24hour curfew on Katsina-Ala town, in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of the state effective April 22, 2019, as part of efforts to restore peace and ensure the security of lives and properties in the area.

The curfew came on the heels of recent conflict between Ikurav and Shitile people in the area where lives were lost.

According to a statement

by Chief Press Secretary to acting governor, Ogaba Ede, the curfew, which would take immediate effect, would be reviewed as the situation demanded.

Part of the statement read: “the acting governor of the state, Benson Abounu, urges the people of Katsina-Ala to cooperate with security operatives by obeying the curfew. The government also warns that anyone found fomenting trouble in the area or in other parts of the state will be apprehended and punished according to the law.

“The Benue State government reassures the people that more security personnel have been deployed to Katsina-Ala to end the crisis, and it will continue to give security agencies the needed support to succeed.”

Gov cuts short his leave over security challenge

Similarly, worried by the spate of conflicts in some communities the state, Governor Samuel Ortom has cut short his leave to take full control of governance and also join forces with major stakeholders to resolve the

crisis.

The governor had embarked on his annual leave two weeks ago and travelled out of the country after handing over to his deputy, Mr. Benson Abounu, in acting capacity.

According to a statement, yesterday, by his Chief Press Secretary, Terver Akase, the governor was said to be on his way back to the country to take full charge of affairs in the state.

Part of the statement read: “The decision by Governor Ortom to cut short his leave became necessary following

renewed killings of innocent people and destruction of property by gunmen, especially in the Sankera area of the state.

"He appealed for calm and assured the people of the affected areas that Benue State government would do everything lawfully possible to ensure the end of the crisis and to guarantee their safety.

“Governor Ortom said it was part of the peace efforts that his deputy, Mr. Benson Abounu, recently led a state delegation to Taraba State to meet with key stakeholders in that state where they

engaged on the best approach to end the lingering crisis between the people of the border communities in the two states."

The governor in the statement appreciated Benue State House of Assembly, State Executive and Security Councils, Benue State Council of Chiefs, leaders and members of religious, civil society and other groups, the media and the entire people of the state for the support given his deputy while he was away on his annual leave.

They wanted me dead over alleged election funds — Ayade’s aide

By Ike Uchechukwu

C

ALABAR—THE Cross River State Security Adviser, Ani Esin, yesterday opened up on why gunmen attempted to assassinate him on March 12, at his residence in Calabar.

In a chat with journalists in Calabar, Esin revealed that his attackers stormed his residence about 2 a.m., pulled down the door of his sitting room and bedroom, beat him up and inflicted cuts on him with machete and guns.

Ani, a former chairman of Bakassi Local Government Area, noted that his ordeal started when he was accused by some persons in his local government area that he cornered some cash, purportedly given to him by Governor Ben Ayade of the state to execute elections.

His words: “I believe that the assailants who attacked me were mis-informed and they probably were told that I was given money for

election purposes but I can state categorically that I didn’t get any money neither was I given any for anybody.

“Those allegations were false, there was no money given to me at any point in time to disburse to the electorate in the area with regards to influence or purchase votes.

“If not for God, who am I

that a gun with live ammunition would fail to empty its bullets into my body. All that happened because God was with me.

I owe no man any dime, other than perform the task which Ayade, our dear governor gave me to perform. I do not know where all this hatred emanated from.”

ORT HARCOURT— OMEGA Power Ministries, OPM, known for free education in Rivers State, has expanded its church charity with the opening of a free hospital to tackle maternal and child mortality in Niger Delta.

General Overseer of OPM, Apostle Chinyere Chibuzor, said the health facility, built in Omuohunwo, an Aluu village in Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state, is focussed on ensuring that indigent women receive free adequate antenatal care during delivery and post delivery.

Chibuzor said: “By the grace of God, OPM free schools have ran for over nine years and we sustain it with church offerings. We started with one and moved to two and now we have 11 schools. A lot of money is coming into the church every Sunday, what are pastors doing with it?

“If a pastor can use church money to build a school, why not use same money to run it and sustain it. If we can sustain school and five free estates, we can also sustain this. Some pastors called me and said I should stop disclosing that a lot of money comes into the church every

Aladja citizens in diaspora donate cash to crisis victims

S

By Gab Ejuwa

OME indigenes of Aladja community in Delta State under the aegis of Aladja Concerned Citizens in Diaspora, have made cash donations to some women in Aladja, affected by the recent crisis with the community, Isaba and Ogbe-Ijoh communities.

A delegation of Aladja

Nigeria needs young minds, fresh ideas —Methodist Prelate School Old Girls

T

HE Prelate, Methodist Church of Nigeria, His Eminence, Dr. Samuel Uche, has said what Nigeria needs is fresh ideas from young leaders.

Speaking at the launch of the demolition procedure of the 140-year-old building, Old Block, at Methodist Girls High School, Yaba, Lagos, the cleric said although President Muhammadu Buhari is doing his best, Nigeria will thrive well if his successor is from a younger generation; same thing, he said, should happen at all

levels and arms of government.

While describing the pulling down of the old block and replacement with an edifice as “elimination by substitution,” the prelate said: “The time has come for the old to give way to younger ideas. We have been too analogue for comfort. I congratulate the incumbent. But after him, we want younger people to lead this country.”

In her speech, Mrs Oluyomi Afolabi, President of Methodist Girls High

day, but I will say the truth.

“God’s money should be used for God’s people. We made it a specialist hospital because the rate of maternal death is unbelievable. How can a woman carry pregnancy for nine months without going to a hospital, sometimes deliver at home and dies.

“We are using professionals. I don’t want to compromise standards. We have engaged best hands in the field and they will give good services here.

“OPM is operating 11 schools and it is free. We give free uniforms, books and lunch. This is a world class health facility. All the equipment here are imported. All the rooms are in suits and fully equipped.

The hospital is of high standard. We have also made arrangement that when a woman delivers here, we will feed her till she is discharged.

“The hospital is for everybody, Christians of every denomination, Muslims and even pagans can come here and receive free treatment,” he said.

Dr. Enighe Ugboma, Consultant Radiologist, Head of Department of Radiology, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, noted that hospital had qualified personnel and equipment to achieve its purpose of ending maternal mortality.

Association, MGHS OGA, sponsors of the N300 million project , said: “Despite the nostalgia and sentimental attachment to the Old Block, once it was determined to be structurally defective a few years ago, the Old Girls decided to bring it down and erect a new one.

“Our hearts go out to the families that lost loved ones in the buildings that collapsed in Lagos. What we are doing today demonstrates the fact that such incidents are preventable when

Concern Citizens in Diaspora led by Chief Tiki Iyede, an Ireland-based business mogul, said the cash donated to the victims was to cushion the effects of the crisis on them.

He said: “It is heartwarming that Aladja Concern Citizens in Diaspora still sees the need to augment government’s effort in alleviating the suffering of the people through donation of cash.”

Iyede accompanied by Mrs. Queen Sama, a London-based business woman, said16 women were privileged to receive the cash donations, reiterating that the donation was to enable the woman start a trade and for the enhancement of education of their children.

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Mrs. William and Mr. Expenses Tomre, expressed appreciation to members of Aladja Concern Citizens in Diaspora for remembering them through their kind gesture and promised to make judicious use of the cash donated to them.

36 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019

Africa requires four million housing units per annum to meet its housing need — Shelter Afrique •Says continent is facing housing crisis

•African City

By Kingsley Adegboye with Agency report

T

HE Pan-African housing development financier, Shelter Afrique, has said that African continent requires four million housing units per year to meet its housing needs, adding that the continent is facing acute housing crisis.

According to Shelter Afrique, majority of African countries are facing a housing crisis as a result of high population growth, increased urbanisation and low supply of affordable housing.

Speaking recently in Nairobi at the inauguration of Karibu Homes, a low-cost housing project financed by the organisation, Shelter Afrique Chairman, Daniel Nghidinua, said the situation is compounded by lack of affordable housing finance, high cost of urban land and weak tenure security, rising construction costs and rapid growth in slums.

The company is now calling for a stronger public-private-partnership to address the shortage.

“These high growth rates have given rise to a surge in the demand for urban infrastructure and housing in urban areas. Unfortunately, urban planning and investment in housing are often lagging behind resulting in housing deficits. The surge in demand for housing, in turn, has driven up housing prices and often pushed quality housing out of rich for the majority, especially the poor, low, and middle-income households,” Nghidinua said.

Shelter Afrique Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Chimphondah, said several countries in the continent are facing huge housing backlog, adding that urgent action was needed to stave-off the crisis.

“It doesn’t matter which country you are referring to any more. Uganda is facing an annual deficit of 1.6 million housing units, Kenya 2 million housing units, Tanzania 3 million housing units, South Africa 3 million housing units, and Nigeria 17 million housing units. Wherever you go, it’s a crisis

and it is incumbent upon us to heed the call to action,” Chimphondah said.

Nghidinua noted that even though the housing backlog was a challenge, it wasn’t insurmountable, adding that Shelter Afrique was committed to affordable housing for all in Africa and that the organisation was keen on forging smart partnerships aimed at creating growth with scale.

“We believe this challenge represents an opportunity for coordinated actions and investments by various governments, private sector players, and communities across the continent. Through smart partnerships, we want to focus on the lower end of the affordable housing market chain to be able to address this housing crisis”, Nghidinua said.

In a recent report, the UN-Habitat blamed the huge housing deficits in Africa to poor response of governments to the issue, ignorance by governments on the housing issue, land delivery systems, urban planning and poor organisation of construction sectors in most African countries.

National development: Stakeholders emphasise need for infrastructure development

S

TAKEHOLDERS who gathered at the just- concluded maiden edition of the Nigerian Infrastructure Development Awards, NIDA, held in Lagos have emphasised the need for rapid infrastructural development across the country to ensure national development.

The theme of the event organised by Prospers Strategy Limited was Solid Infrastructural Backbone as Catalyst for National Development.

In his keynote address, Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, who was represented by the

Director of Federal Highways, South- West, Engr. Funsho Adebiyi, said the Buhari administration has embarked on massive infrastructural projects across the nation to ensure national development. Fashola added that the administration is equally playing the pivotal role in ensuring the allocation of resources to enable it deliver on its mandate at a time the country is earning much less revenue from oil, pointing out, however, that he will like to focus on the larger picture of the resolve to renew Nigeria’s ageing

infrastructure, most of which were built over four decades ago. “I speak of projects like the Kano-Maiduguri Highway, the EnuguPort-Harcourt Road, the East-West Road, the Lagos-Ibadan Highway, the Benin-Okene-Lokoja Highway, the 2nd Niger Bridge, the Loko-Oweto Bridge and others. I speak also of difficult projects that appeared to have defied every attempt to start them like the Bobo-Bonny Bridge, which has now commenced, and the Mambilla Hydro Power project which contract has been signed.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019— 37

How smart home technology can advance 21st Century home construction —Etoniru

By Chris Ochayi

T

he management of SinoriaFABCOM, a subsidiary of one of China’s leading business conglomerates, Sinoma, says the company is in Nigeria to help solve the country’s housing problem with its products.

Sinoma FABCOM, is a leading manufacturer of stone-coated roofing tiles and fiber cement board. The company is the only one of its kind in the whole of West Africa with its manufacturing facilities in Kuje Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Speaking with some journalists in Abuja, the Deputy Managing Director of FABCOM, Mr. Jackie Dai Hui, said the major focus of the company centres around the provision of quality products and delivery to Nigerians at competitive prices.

According to him: “We are investing in Nigeria and we have come to stay here for a long time to help build the economy of this country especially the housing sector. We cannot compromise quality because it will damage our reputation in the long run.”

He noted that since the company established its production facility in Nigeria about seven

By CHARLES KUMOLU leading real estate firm in Nigeria, Joe A Etoniru and Associates, has

•Smart home

Chinese firm offers to help develop Nigeria's housing sector years ago, some Nigerians have been coming to them to reduce the quality of their products which they have resisted.

“People can always come to our factory, we will never compromise standard,” he said.

He emphasised that the focus of his company is quality, which is contrary to the perception of the people towards Chinese products. FABCOM maintains quality

standards with a warranty of 40 years.

“If anything happens to our products within the warranty period of 40 years, we would change it at no cost to the buyer. This we can do because we are here, but if a factory is outside the country, they cannot do this for you”, he said.

He also explained that the company has since 2008, ended Nigeria’s dependency on

importation of cement and some other building materials through its servicing of the leading cement companies in the country such as; Dangote Cement, Lafarge Cement and BUA Group which are all major producers of cement in the country.

On the company ’s roadmap in Nigeria, Mr. Hui said, being Africa’s largest economy, the Nigeria building industry has the prospect

of becoming Africa’s giant in the building industry and called on Nigerians to key into the Chinese innovative vision which has helped China lift its people out of poverty.

He noted that Nigeria is at the same stage of development China was about 20 to 30 years ago and that Nigeria has the potentials to become an African and global giant within the shortest possible time.

Fashola, Govs., Oyo-Ita, others to grace 2019 Architects’ Colloquium E

m i n e n t personalities such as Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Gombe State Governor, Alh. Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita and others are expected to grace the 2019 Architects Registration Council of Nigeria, ARCON, annual forum, popularly referred to as Architects’ Colloquium, slated for April 24 to 26 at the Musa Yar'Adua Centre, Abuja.

Though the Colloquium is starting on Wednesday April 24, dignitaries are expected to be at the formal opening ceremony which takes place on Thursday, April 25 at the Musa Yar'Adua Centre, Abuja.

According to Jimoh Faworaja, former president of ARCON and Director of Colloquium, this year ’s colloquium is laced with modern and current topical issues within the construction industry.

Faworaja assured that all participants, including professionals in the building industry, research institutions, agencies responsible for housing

and development control, students, exhibitors and the public would have a lot to learn.

Sub-Themes, he said, include reworking the past architecture, building collapse, contemporary issues in architecture and sustainability with energy efficiency in buildings.

The Colloquium director added that the professional AQ Class 19 will be running professional classes in four subject areas including: The Public Procurement Act

within the framework of procurement planning process; Expression of interest and the procurement of consultancy services, goods and services.

Other areas include The essence and benefits of the Presidential Order 05; Discrimination against persons with disabilities (Prohibition) Bill 2018 – the responsibility of the architects; Current Trends in Glass and Glazing Technology – Key Insights

For Today’s Technology; and The benefits of an inbuilding solution or neutral DAS solution as a reliable and innovative solution to poor coverage inside high rise buildings.

“Also, there are plans to have a session with the prospective registered architects with a view to increasing the number of registered architects in Nigeria,” Faworaja noted.

The organisers further stated that participants, who include all registered

members of ARCON should confirm their attendance at the class and register accordingly.

“It is expected to provide a platform for the participants to relate with other professionals, statutory bodies and stakeholders and other vital benefits”, they said.

Arc (Sir) Dipo Ajayi, ARCON president said this year’s colloquium is compelling, as it would create avenue to interact professionally, discuss and dialogue specifically on architecture,builtenvironment, national development and related issues.

called on Nigerians to embrace smart home technology, saying that it gives prospective homeowners the advantage of prioritising which smart home functionalities they want in their homes at the design and build stage.

It also said the call became necessary as a result of the convenience and security that the technology offers.

Principal Partner of the firm, Mr. Chidiebere Etoniru, who said these in a chat with newsmen, said smart home technology is already evolving in Nigeria, adding that the firm has built modern homes with the technology in upscale areas in Lagos.

His words: "Over the past 10 years, technology has transformed different industries in Nigeria. From retail to agriculture and the construction industry, they have begun to see their own share of innovation. Smart home technology that used to be popular with techsavvy CEOs has now been expanded to include the general populace. Have you ever wondered if you locked the doors after you were already in bed or whether you turned off your home appliances after you arrived at work?

"Would you like to know what your children are watching or how they fared while you were away?

These questions and many more are what smart home technology can answer for you. From home monitoring systems to light and sound control; smart home technology has just begun to scratch the surface of what is possible in the construction industry.

"Every home has some form of safety system no matter how rudimentary it might be. From the kind of locks used on the doors, to whether or not a burglary proof should be added to the home. In the case of an automated home, there is a chance to take this up a notch. First, you can get a smart lock that reduces the need for the use of keys especially in cases where strangers have to access the home for various reasons.

With most smart locks, you can create a code specifically for a person to use which can be deactivated once the person is done with their assigned task. The closedcircuit door camera that takes pictures of everyone who presses your doorbell is another ingenious way to protect your home against unwanted guests or track who has visited your home and at what time. "

38 — VANGUARD, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019

Trump sues to block Congress subpoena for his financial records

P

resident Donald Trump on Monday filed suit to keep U.S. lawmakers from obtaining his financial records, the first salvo in what promises to be an escalating legal battle with Democrats in Congress.

The suit seeks to block a subpoena issued by the Democratic chairman of the U.S. House Oversight Committee for information about Trump’s personal and business finances, alleging Democrats have launched “all-out political war” on Trump with subpoenas as their “weapon of choice.”

The committee’s subpoena sought eight years of documents from Mazars USA, an accounting firm long used by Trump to prepare financial statements, related to its investigation of allegations Trump inflated or deflated financial statements for potentially improper purposes. Elijah Cummings, the House Oversight Committee chairman, issued the subpoena to the president’s accountant after Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, testified to Congress in February that Trump had misrepresented his net worth.

“Chairman Cummings’ subpoena is invalid and unenforceable because it has no legitimate legislative purpose,” Trump’s lawyers said in a filing, arguing it exceeded constitutional limits on the power of Congress to investigate.

“Its goal is to expose Plaintiffs’ private financial information for the sake of exposure, with the hope that it will turn up something that Democrats can use as a political tool against the President now and in the 2020 election,” they said.

President Donald Trump talks with a child as he holds up a picture while sitting with children colouring Easter pictures, yesterday. PHOTO : REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Sri Lanka attacks linked to foreign network *As another blast rocks capital yesterday *Three children of Danish billionaire among those killed

A

wave of bombings that killed 290 people in Sri Lanka on Sunday was carried out with the support of an international network, officials said.

The government has blamed a little-known local jihadist group, National Thowheed Jamath, although noone has yet admitted carrying out the bombings.

Another 500 people were injured in the suicide attacks on churches and hotels.

Police arrested 24 people in a series of raids and the president’s office declared a state of national emergency.

The emergency declaration, which comes into effect from midnight (18:30 GMT) on Monday, will give police and military extensive powers to detain and interrogate suspects without court orders.

On Monday, another blast rocked a street near a church in the capital, Colombo. Police were attempting to defuse explosives in a vehicle used by the attackers when it blew up. It is not yet known if anyone was hurt.

Sri Lankan authorities were warned about a bomb threat from National Thowheed Jamath a full two weeks before the attacks, cabinet spokesman Rajitha Senaratne said at a press conference.

He said that the warnings were not passed on to the Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe,

or his cabinet. Mr Wickremesinghe acknowledged that security services had been “aware of information” but had not acted on the information.

Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando said the intelligence “never indicated it was going to be an attack of this magnitude”.

“They were talking about isolated, one or two incidents. Not like this,” he said.

He said “all important departments of the police” were informed about the warning, but acknowledged that no action was taken Mr Senaratne said that authorities believed the bombers had international support. “We do not believe these attacks were carried out by a group of people who were confined to this country,” he said, adding: “There was an international network without which these attacks could not have succeeded.”

A later statement said President Maithripala Sirisena would ask for foreign help to track down the international links to the attackers.

“The intelligence reports [indicate] that foreign terrorist organisations are behind the local terrorists. Therefore, the president is to seek the assistance of the foreign countries,” his office said.

A curfew is to be imposed from 20:00 (14:30 GMT) until 04:00 on Tuesday, the government

said. A national day of mourning has been scheduled for Tuesday.

Sri Lanka’s National Security Council said a “conditional state of emergency” from midnight would target “terrorism” and would not limit freedom of expression.

In another development, the US State Department issued revised travel advice urging greater caution, adding, “Terrorist groups continue plotting possible attacks in Sri Lanka.”

The first reports of explosions came at about 08:45 local time with six blasts reported within a small space of time.

Three churches in Negombo, Batticaloa and Colombo’s Kochchikade district were targeted during Easter services.

Blasts also rocked the Shangri-La, Kingsbury and Cinnamon Grand hotels in the country’s capital. Police did not release a breakdown of how many people were killed and wounded at each location.

All the attacks were carried out by suicide bombers, officials said.

Police then carried out raids on two addresses and there were explosions at both. One was in Dehiwala, southern Colombo, and the other was near the Colombo district of Dematagoda in which three officers were killed.

Meanwhile, three children of the billionaire fashion tycoon behind Asos were among those killed in the Sri Lanka

terrorist attacks.

Anders Holch Povlsen is Denmark’s wealthiest man with a net worth of $7.9bn (£6.1bn), according to the business magazine Forbes, and is believed to be the largest landowner in Scotland after buying a string of historic estates.

He and his wife, Anne Storm Pedersen, hold an estimated 80,000 hectares (200,000 acres) of the Highlands, and plan to rewild the landscape to preserve it for future generations.

The bombings at churches and luxury hotels across Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday killed at least 290 people. An investigator said seven suicide bombers had taken part in the attacks.

Jesper Stubkier, the communications manager for Holch Povlsen’s wholesale clothing business, Bestseller, said: “I can confirm that three children have been killed. We have no further comment and we ask that the family’s privacy is respected at this time.”

The spokesman declined to comment on which of Holch Povlsen’s four children had died, or whether other members of the family had been visiting Sri Lanka.

Holch Povlsen is best known in the UK for being the largest shareholder in Asos. His 26.7% stake in the group, mostly built during a spell of share-buying between 2010 and 2012, is worth about £866m.

Theresa May faces grassroots no-confidence challenge

P

rime Minister Theresa May is to face an unprec edented no-confidence challenge from Conservative grassroots campaigners.

More than 70 local association chiefs were are angry at her handling of Brexit , have called for an extraordinary general meeting to discuss her leadership.

A non-binding vote will be held at that National Conservative Convention EGM. Dinah Glover, chairwoman of the London East Area Conservatives, said there was “despair in the party”.

She told the BBC: “I’m afraid the prime minister is conducting negotiations in such a way that the party does not approve.”

The Conservative Party’s 800 highest-ranking officers, including those chairing the local associations, will take part in the vote. Mrs May survived a vote of confidence of her MPs in December - although 117 Conservatives voted against her.

Under party rules, MPs cannot call another no-confidence vote until December 2019.

IRAN: US to end sanctions exemptions for major importers

U

S President Donald Trump has decided to end exemptions from sanctions for countries still buying oil from Iran. The White House said waivers for China, India, Japan, South Korea and Turkey would expire in May, after which they could face US sanctions themselves. This decision is intended to bring Iran’s oil exports to zero, denying the government its main source of revenue.

Iran insisted the sanctions were illegal and that it had attached “no value or credibility” to the waivers.

Mr Trump reinstated the sanctions last year after abandoning a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers.

Under the accord, Iran agreed to limit its sensitive nuclear activities and allow in international inspectors in return for sanctions relief.

The Trump administration hopes to compel Iran to negotiate a “new deal” that would cover not only its nuclear activities, but also its ballistic missile programme and what officials call its “malign behaviour” across the Middle East.

Sudan: Military issue protest warning

S

udan’s military government has told protesters to take down their road blocks in the capital, Khartoum. Demonstrators have been manning barricades leading to the military HQ, which has been the focus of the protests that helped lead to the ousting of President Omar al-Bashir.

On Sunday, protest leaders said they had ended contact with the military council that removed the president. They accused it of being composed of “remnants” of Mr Bashir’s regime.

The military says it is committed to handing over power and will consider a joint military-civilian council. But it insisted that it was responsible for security in the country. “It can’t continue like this,” said the head of the military council, Lt Gen Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019—39

Leo speaks on family pressure to get married

I’m happy Davido is a successful artiste

—B-Red, son of dancing senator Stories by Tolulope Abereoje

B

P

opular singer, Adebayo Adeleke, a.k.a B-Red, son of Senator Ademola Adeleke (the dancing senator), who happens to be Davido’s cousin has made it clear that he does not envy Davido’s musical success in any way.

According to him, though Davido got into the spotlight before him, he is happy about his career achievements, adding that it also rubs off on him.

“A record company will always push one artiste before others and Davido was the first on the list. He is my family member and I don’t hate him. I am happy he is a successful and big artiste in Africa because his success rubs off on me too. It is normal for people to always compare artistes, but it is left for you to ignore that. It is just music and everyone can be at the top at the same time. I don’t care about what people say; I just make music,” he disclosed.

The Fall For You crooner admitted that he isn’t satisfied with where he currently is, but he is sure that he is making progress.

“I am not where I would love to be but I am in a better place compared to where I was five years ago. I started music as Davido’s hype man and I travelled around the world with him. That was how I built my career and I started singing from there,” he revealed.

Speaking further, he noted that at a point he was at the edge of giving up on music but seeing Davido’s struggle in the early years of his career encouraged him to put in more hard work.

“Since I worked closely with Davido, I also saw how Davido struggled when he first came into the industry. That gave me the push too. When people were criticizing my music, I didn’t argue with them; I just kept working hard. Now, people show me love.”

B-Red recently released his first song for the year, titled, E Better, featuring Don Jazzy and according to him; the song has the potential to surpass his previous hit songs.

•Davido

•B-Red

Jim Iyke welcomes second son V

eteran Nollywood actor, James Ikechukwu Okolue popularly known as Jim Iyke has welcomed a baby boy, and the excited father took to his Instagram page to share the news with fans.

The 42-year-old actor who happens to be one of the highest paid actors in Nollywood stated that though he is private with his family, he was pleased to share the rare moment with his followers.

“I’m ultra private with my family but this is the rarest of moments. I’m back to 2 hrs sleep nightly, back to cat naps with my sub conscious peaked for the slightest movement, back to groggy mornings and big unknowing smiles.

Welcome home king. I can’t find the right words now. Every being in me is pulsating with raw primordial energy.

A lion beget a lion. Welcome to my pride, dear son. Thank you for choosing me to be your papa.

I am beyond blessed by you. Thank you Lord for yet another blessing this year. I don’t know what I’m doing right to deserve it all. It takes a man to bring a child home. It •Jim Iyke takes a community to raise him. Welcome home JJ. Let’s have the fun of our lives!” he wrote.

Gospel musician, Adenuga Oluwakemi celebrates Easter with worship concert, ‘Kara Africa’ shows but they will worship God at the same

T

he maiden edition of gospel musician, Adenuga Oluwakemi’s music concert titled ‘Kara Africa’, held yesterday, Easter Monday, at Kudos Event Centre, Adeniyi Jones, Ikeja.

Without mincing words, the worship concert was nothing short of an unforgettable experience as it saw the likes of renowned gospel artiste, Pat Uwaje King, Pastor Tosin Martins and a host of other gospel musicians.

Speaking ahead of the concert, Oluwakemi gave an insight into what the concert holds in store for participants “Kara is a Hebrew word; it means bowing down in worship. Organizing a concert is not easy, that is if you really need to do one. It is about me bringing people to create an atmosphere where they can worship God the way they want. It’s not going to be so churchy, people would feel more relaxed just like when they go for comedy

time. I would also be releasing two singles, ‘Rejoice’ and ‘Ku Ise’ (Well done),” she said.

Speaking about the challenges she has had to grapple with in the Nigerian music industry, she shared her displeasure with industry stakeholders who address musicians who are yet to make a name in the music industry as ‘Up and coming’.

“The number one challenge I face in the industry and I will like to correct is that most people call us up and coming artistes because we don’t have the name yet, and that notion is wrong because you have no idea where the person in question is coming from, or the lives he/she has impacted.

Some of these people they refer to as up and coming can do far better than the ones that already have the name,” she said.

BNaija reality TV star, Leo Dasilva has revealed how he’s expecting to be bullied into getting married by his family and loved ones.

The ‘Double Wahala’ edition BBNaija housemate revealed in a recent post that his cousin who got married recently has placed huge pressure on him, as his family expects him to be the next.

“My cousin got married yesterday, the amount of “you should be next” messages on whatsapp for the next one month, like he isn’t two years older than I am,” he wrote.

Leo was once rumored to have a romantic relationship with fellow Reality TV star, Cee-C but much hasn’t been heard of them since t h e i r romantic beach dinner •Leo last year.

Olamide shuts down Goldberg’s ‘Unlimited Faaji’ concert

L

eading Nigerian music sensation, Olamide was recently unveiled as the newest brand ambassador for Goldberg Lager at a media event at the Raddison Blu Hotel, Ikeja on Saturday, the 20th of April, 2019.

As part of the unveil, Olamide Baddoo headlined his first concert of 2019 themed “The Takeover”.

The concert which is a special edition of the •Olamide experiential platform

by Goldberg called Unlimited Faaji, shut down the whole of the Ikeja city Mall.

Hosted by fellow brand ambassador, Odunlade Adekola, the concert saw thousands of beer lovers and residents as they took to the Ikeja City Mall for the groundbreaking event.

With DJ Kaywise on the wheels of steel, the Wo crooner delivered a mind blowing performance with back to back hit songs when he graced the stage.

Adding verve on the night were the likes of Mayorkun, Do2dtun and Zlatan Ibile, who gave fans a thrilling experience, keeping them asking for more.

Music fans, as well as Goldberg lovers look forward to get treated to •Oluwakemi some enjoyable experiences as Olamide joins the Goldberg train.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019—41

SARAKI TO TINUBU: You’re backing Lawan, Gbajabiamila because of 2023 •Says Tinubu is sulking because he couldn’t stop him, Dogara in 2015 •Adds, APC ‘ll fail again if it repeats 2015 mistake hatched by antiBy Henry Umoru

A

EMIR SANUSI IN GHANA—Nigerian High Commissioner to Ghana, Amb. Olufemi Abikoye (L) welcomes the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, at Kumasi International Airport, in Ghana, during a visit by the Emir, yesterday. Photo: NAN.

Admission by INEC's ad-hoc staff vindicates us — PDP Continues from Page 5 at the polls even as he accused INEC of manipulating the results in favour of President Buhari.

He said: “Nigerians should wait for more exposure on how INEC won the election for Buhari. Unfortunately for them, Atiku and indeed PDP were more than prepared for the election.

“While we were campaigning moving from one state to the other, APC and INEC were planning how to rig the election, knowing full well that Nigerians had rejected them.

“Evidence that APC was going to lose was reflected in the empty crowd at their campaign venues. In anticipation of the fact that they were going to rig, PDP did the needful of policing the election thoroughly and the result of our diligent monitoring are what we will produce as evidences at the Tribunal. Our hope is in the judiciary and we believe that Atiku Abubakar’s mandate will be restored very soon.”

Atiku is currently challenging the declaration of Buhari as winner of the polls, insisting that results he obtained from INEC server showed that he

won the election.

Our lawyers will prove our case, says INEC However, INEC’s Director in charge of Voter Education, Publicity, Gender and Civil Society Liaison, Mr Oluwole Osaze-Uzi said it would be sub-judice to react to the issue, but said the commission’s lawyers would do the needful at the tribunal.

“The facts are as stated before the tribunal. So, there is nothing to be said. We cannot comment on the case while it is still a subject of litigation because that would be sub judice. It is only when the witnesses are cross examined that the tribunal can determine the validity or otherwise of their claims. We already stated our point and it is for our lawyers to go and prove our case,” he said.

It will be recalled that some presiding officers in Borno and Yobe states had In their witness statements of oath, said INEC had during their training, instructed them on how to electronically transmit the results to its server.

The 13 presiding officers said they transmitted results of the February 23 presidential

election to the server of INEC. Buhari and APC had tackled Atiku, presidential candidate of PDP, over his claims that results from INEC server showed that he won the election.

INEC also dismissed Atiku’s claim, saying the results he paraded were fabricated.

But the PDP presidential candidate had said he was willing to engage experts from Microsoft, IBM and Oracle to verify his claim.

Atiku and the PDP had said INEC pulled down the results from its server and replaced it with a doctored one to favour Buhari.

According to INEC, figures from the 36 states and federal capital territory (FCT) gave Buhari 15,191,847 votes, while Atiku came second with 11,262,978 votes.

However, in his 139page petition challenging the results at the election tribunal, Atiku said the results from INEC server showed he polled 18,356,732 votes to defeat Buhari who had 16,741,430 votes.

“I took part in the conduct of the Presidential and National Assembly (Senate and House of Representatives)

elections of February 23, 2019 where I served as the Presiding Officer (PO) and I ensured the use of the Smart Card Reader for accreditation, v e r i f i c a t i o n , authentication, collation and transmission of votes in my polling unit,” one of the presiding officers said.

“At the end of voting, the information on the Smart Card Reader with the results inclusive, were collated by me in the presence of the party agents and other ad-hoc staff of the 1st respondent after which my Assistant Presiding Officer (AP0-1) transmitted the result electronically in my presence to the 1st respondent’s server, using the Smart Card Reader, SCR and the code provided by the 1st respondent.”

Another presiding officer said: “I was employed as an ad-hoc staff and trained for three days by the 1st respondent at the Government College, Maiduguri, Borno State to serve as a Presiding Officer (PO) at Waliri Polling Unit with Code 003, of Shehun Barna Ward, Borno State on February 23, 2019 Presidential and National Assembly (Senate and House of Representatives) elections.”

BUJA—SENATE President Bukola Saraki, yesterday took a swipe at former Governor of Lagos State and National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju BolaTinubu, saying that Tinubu’s continuous attack on him was all about his 2023 presidential ambition.

Contrary to Tinubu’s claims in a statement released on Sunday, Saraki said the APC leader ’s support for the Senate Leader, Senator Ahmad Lawan, APC, Yobe North for the position of Senate President and Femi Gbajabiamila for the Speaker in the 9th National Assembly is geared towards the realisation of his 2023 presidential ambition.

Pooh poohing Tinubu’s claims that the National Assembly under his watch delayed and padded budgets, and hampered President Buhari’s developmental projects and policies, Saraki said the 8th National Assembly has surpassed the records of all previous ones in the number of bills passed.

In a statement by Yusuph Olaniyonu, his special adviser, Media and Publicity, the Senate President noted that international institutions hailed the National Assembly for some the bills passed and even "the World Bank commended the National Assembly for the passage of the Company and Allied Matters Act and Secured Transactions in Movable Assets and Credit Bureau Reporting Act." He added that "all these initiatives will be ignored by a man who is still sulking because his vow in 2015 that Saraki and Dogara will never lead the National Assembly did not materialize.

“Tinubu and his mob have been sponsoring the narratives in the media that the emergence of the present leadership of the National Assembly was a mistake. We hereby submit that Dr. Saraki and other leaders of the National Assembly were democratically elected by their colleagues. And it is because they are the choice of their colleagues that they have remained in office for the past 46 months, despite all the plots

democratic, reactionary and fascist elements pretending to be ‘progressives’.

"In fact, Tinubu should know that if there was any mistake made on June 9, 2015, it was the miscalculation by himself and his small cabal in the APC who felt they could decide for the Senators-elect and House of Representatives Members-elect. When they failed after their grand-standing that they could always get whatever they desired, they resorted to undermining the institution of the legislature and waging a campaign of calumny against the law making body. It is now clear that those who took Senators away from the chambers contrary to the directive contained in the proclamation signed by President Muhammadu Buhari on June 9, 2015 are ‘mistake personified’. It is obvious that if they repeat that arrogance during the inauguration of the Ninth National Assembly, they will fail again because Nigeria is greater than them. The institution of the legislature is bigger than the over-bloated egos of these power mongers and dirty schemers.”

The statement read in part: “Let us repeat again that we know that a Machiavellian politician like Tinubu will forever agonize over his erroneous belief that Dr. Saraki frustrated his ambition from becoming running mate to President Muhammadu Buhari through a Muslim-Muslim ticket in 2015.

"In his usual cavalier manner, he will stop at nothing to punish Saraki for that. We know that this attack is not about the interest of the nation or that of President Buhari. It is about his 2023 ambition and it is obvious in the statement as he struggled to explain this away."

“However, Tinubu should leave Dr. Saraki out of his schemes and manipulations towards 2023. It is obvious his arbitrary and tactless interference in the process for the emergence of the leadership of the Ninth Assembly is already falling through.

42 — Vanguard, TUESDAY APRIL 23, 2019

By Patrick Azamosa

A

S Nigerians await the May 29 com mencement of Pres ident Muhammadu Buhari’s second term, many people are apprehensive about what the future holds for the country and her people in the next four years.

Their apprehension is borne more out of the experience of the last four years, which many have described as among the toughest years of their lives and are hoping that the next four years will be better as promised by the president.

During the 2015 campaigns the All Progressives Congress, APC, made lofty promises, which created a lot of excitement among the populace.

Among the promises was Buhari’s pledge to have a slim cabinet that will make a difference in the lives of the people and help the government achieve its people-oriented programmes and policies.

Almost four years after, whether or not the Buhari Administration has delivered on its promises is arguable. However, what is not arguable is the agreement that the next four years must be better than the last four years.

How Buhari can get it right – Ezugwu Speaking on what the government must do to ensure the desired change Nigerians seek, the Secretary General of the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties, CNPP, Chief Willy Ezugwu said the President must first identify ministers who have not done well from the report of their performance he has asked them to submit on or before April 24.

“First and foremost you will know that there are some ministers who haven’t performed and for the President to have asked them to submit their report cards of performance so far is a welcome development. It gives an indication that the President Buhariled government is coming to look into the problems of the country.

“For me, he should be able to know the ministers who have performed well and those who did not. He should remove every minister that did not perform well. I will like to advise him to get the right manpower to help him manage the economy.

“He should go across party line and extend his hands to people who know what the management of economy is all about. I am happy that Mr. President wants to see what the ministers have done so far.

“We should not always blame Mr. President, he is not a technocrat neither is he an economist. It is those surrounding him that are causing the problems for us. Some of the ministers are only interested in siphoning money rather than working for the people. I wish and pray that President Bu-

SECOND TERM CABINET:

Options before Buhari •How he can get it right

– Utomi, Odumakin, Shettima, others

Utomi

Buhari hari will be able to sit up now and remove most of these people.’’

New ministers must give Nigerians a producing economy – Utomi Also speaking, Professor of Development Economics and Media, Prof. Pat Utomi counselled that the incoming cabinet should be such that will be able to take Nigeria from a consuming to producing economy.

“The present set believes in distribution, no country that has preference for distribution over production has done sustainably well in human history. You can go back to the days of plunder and find out how

If Nigeria is going to make any progress, there is a need to retool the system and restructure the system to true federalism. the colonizers, some of whom used the proceeds of plunder for consumption like Spain fared. The countries thriving today are those that invested those proceeds in developing their people, improving their capacity to further produce.

“You can come to more re-

Odumakin

Shettima cent times and you will see that the Arab countries that were more clever to channel the proceeds of oil into better production such as Dubai and others are the ones who will thrive in the long term.

“Nigeria has gone the way of Spain, Haiti, and Venezuela, the challenge is that Nigeria must reverse here and now and the kind of people who can do that must be people who understand discipline of production, who understands the discipline of sacrifice for a better tomorrow and who when they are encouraged will be more concerned about national pride, and long term prosperity than pursuing consumption.’’

Without restructuring ministers can’t perform – Odumakin To the Publicity Secretary the Pan Yoruba social-political organisation, Afenifere, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, without restructuring Nigeria, no amount of effort by those man-

aging the economy of the nation will yield much dividends.

According to him, “if Nigeria is going to make any progress, there is a need to retool the system and restructure the system to true federalism. Bandits and lawless people cannot be mining gold in Zamfara State and you are just taking the oil and gas money from the Niger Delta and VAT from Lagos and say we are making progress. Every section of the country must become productive, otherwise it is a waste of time.

“There are no ministers doing incredible work, Babatunde Fashola was in Lagos as governor, now they gave him three ministries, what has he achieved? So, anybody no matter how credible, no and knowledgeable that goes to Abuja as it is now will not be able to give a good account of himself. The present system is anti-development,” he said.

Buhari needs people of courage, credibility as ministers – Shettima The President of the Arewa Consultative Youth Forum, AYCF, Mallam Yerima Shettima said, “It takes people with courage to take responsibility and from all indications most of the present crop of

cabinet members are just total disappointments. We are worried and cannot be patient and will not want to wait for another six months to have another cabinet, if it could take six months to produce what we now see, it means it might take him another one year to come up with another, so, if this is what we can get after six months of waiting, then there is a problem.

“The President does not need to go far to get credible people, based on competence, not only along party line, but competence, we have a million and one Nigerians who can do better than what we presently have. So, the government must have the will and courage to look at things and carry people along. Until we are ready to put people of good character without being personal friends and relations, the nation cannot progress.

“If he is really ready to work he must realise that the oath of office he took is in the interest of Nigeria and not in the interest of a particular individual or group of people and as such he must discharge his executive duties in the interest of all, because when the chips are down nobody will take responsibility for his actions, he alone will be left to bear his burden, so he must be wise.”

The errors Buhari must avoid now – Folami To former Deputy Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Lagos State, and former Special Adviser to the Economic Community of West Africa State, ECOWAS, Parliament, Mr. Qudus Folami, “the cabinet as presently composed is lacking in competence, lacking in vision, lacking in creativity in all sectors and that has been the problem in the system. The basis of their appointment was more of relationship, family and friends and those who contributed generously and that was the basis of allocating the portfolios, top ministries went to the highest donors, it was a reward for those who bled their states to help install the president, so none of the criteria for appointment was based on competence.

“There are 12 lawyers in that cabinet, I don’t know what they need from lawyers, to now put together such number of lawyers in one cabinet, 12 out of about 37 of them that are there. these are some of the errors in what he did the last time, I want to believe that he has learned from what he did the last time to move the country forward from this economic disaster that we found ourselves.”

Though the counsel to the President may be timely and perhaps needed at a time like this, the onus still lies with the President to do what he deems right. However the expectation of Nigerians is that the next administration will be such that will make meaningful, and positive impact in their lives.

Vanguard, TUESDAY APRIL 23, 2019 — 43

By Ben Nwabueze

I

t is a notorious fact that the 2019 elections were characterised in nearly all the states of the Fed eration by violence caused by thugs and others as well as the fear caused by the intimidating presence of armed uniformed military men deployed in and around the polling units, collation centres and other areas where electoral activities took place. The incidents of such violence and the intimidating fear caused by armed uniformed military men are well-attested.

The Vanguard newspaper of March 16, 2019 carried the report of the invasion of some communities in Rivers State by uniformed armed men who went about rampaging, intimidating, harassing people, including voters, and hijacked electoral materials, and how some women, stripping themselves half-naked, formed “a human shield” to stop the armed rampagers from getting to the collation centre.

In Cross River State, the report continues: “The major challenge of the March 9 elections in Cross River State was the presence of large number of solders on the streets and collation centres wielding guns and weapons of war as if the state was in a warfare.

“Residents of the state woke up the day preceding the election to observe the presence of a large number of soldiers mounting roadblocks, searching vehicles and frisking pedestrians…

“Apart from the soldiers, thugs loaded in unmarked vehicles were everywhere driving and shooting sporadically in some areas. The gunshots often sent people running in different directions. It was difficult to ascertain which party they belonged and this brought untold fear into the hearts of many people, including reporters.

“In Ijom ward Ugep, Yakkur local government area, which is ever volatile, at about midday when voting was in progress, a clash erupted between APC and PDP supporters, which sent everyone, including INEC staff, voters and journalists scampering in all directions for safety.

“The shooting was so fierce that the voters and INEC staff did not show up again in the polling unit. The polling materials were scattered all over the polling unit, but surprisingly, officials announced result from the particular unit at the collation centre, casting doubt in the process.

“There was no case of anybody shot dead, but some security personnel illegally detained people in makeshift detention centres. A commercial driver, who gave his name as Oleka said soldiers, who mounted roadblock along the road, detained him for four hours at a provisional detention centre in Akpet Central.”

In its brazenness, the violence in Kano State during the supplementary election there on 23 March, 2019 perhaps equalled those in Rivers and Cross River States. The polling units and collation centres and the other areas where election activities were taking place were stormed by armed thugs who, in the intimidating atmosphere of fear and insecurity thereby created, carted away ballot boxes and destroyed all electoral materials within sight. A team of police men led by one Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG), three Assistant InspectorGenerals of Police (AIGs), and Commissioners watched on as the mayhem went on, with people running helter skater for their dear lives.

Similar incidents of violence, varying in extent and seriousness, were recorded in many other States of the Federation.

The incidence of such widespread

Professor Ben Nwabueze

How to end militarization of elections (1) – Ben Nwabueze violence and the intimidating atmosphere of fear caused by the presence of armed uniformed military men give rise to the issue as to what its effect is on the character of the 2019 elections as a free, fair and credible election which is what defines an election as a democratic election. Violence, more so the mere presence of armed uniformed military men, creates an intimidating atmosphere, it instills fear in people’s hearts, which undermines their ability for a free and unhindered exercise of the franchise. An intimidating atmosphere of fear and the free exercise of the franchise are strange bedfellows, two irreconcilable factors, which can hardly coexist together. In the circumstances, the 2019 elections were afflicted with the taint of invalidity caused by the widespread violence and more so by the intimidating presence of armed uniformed military men that characterised them; of the two factors, the latter is the more disabling factor, irrespective of the actual occurrence of violence.

But it is said that the deployment, the presence, of armed uniformed soldiers for electoral purposes is dictated by the necessity of securing the life and safety of citizens while exercising the franchise, which entitles it to be accorded primacy over the right to vote in freedom and without hindrance. The argument is unmeritorious. The securing of the life and safety of citizens while exercising the franchise is the function of the police force in most countries of the world, and if, owing to the wild, untamed character of Nigerians which makes us prone to violent behavior, it is necessary to deploy armed uniformed military men for that same purpose, whether in an auxiliary role or otherwise, then, it raises a doubt as to whether we are ripe for democracy (the issue is considered hereinafter).

Assuming without accepting that the deployment, the presence, of

armed military men at elections is necessary, to secure the life and safety of citizens while exercising the franchise, and that priority should be accorded to it, the question arises whether such deployment is in accord with, or is authorised by, the supreme law of our Constitution, and if it is not, whether its unconstitutionality and illegality invalidates the elections to which soldiers were illegally deployed.

The function of the armed forces, as provided in section 217(2) of the Constitution, is to –

The armed forces “should not be called out on the streets or places of elections in the name of security, as that would militarise the process and create an atmosphere of military siege, fear and intimidation of the public (a) defend Nigeria from external aggression; (b) maintain its territorial integrity and secure its borders from violation on land, sea or air; (c) suppress insurrection and act in aid of civil authorities to restore order when called upon to do so by the President, but subject to such conditions as may be prescribed by an Act of the National Assembly; and (d) perform such other functions as may be prescribed by an Act of the National Assembly.(emphasis supplied) Needless to say, an election is not an insurrection by any stretch of lan-

guage. Further, section 217(2) implies a situation where order has broken down and needs to be restored. Section 217(2)(d) above does not enable the National Assembly to confer on the armed forces, functions going beyond the functions stipulated in section 217(2)(c) above.

Section 8(3) of the Armed Force Act is therefore unconstitutional, null and void to the extent that its provision that the operational use of the armed forces “includes the operational use of the armed forces for the purpose of maintaining and securing public safety and public order” implies that the armed forces could be used to maintain public safety and public order at polling units, collation centres and other areas where election activities take place.

The issues raised above were before the Court of Appeal in Buhari v. Obasanjo [2005] 2 NWLR (Part 910) 241; the observations of Nsofor JCA in the case are incisive and pointed as merit to be quoted in extenso. Said he: “Evidence is galore which I accepted that the 1st respondent as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria called out the military and mobilemen armed, to……..each of the States. And there was no state of war in any of those States, no emergency declared therein…….I am satisfied based on the evidence from these States that the soldiers and police were called in in a crisis-free, peaceful and calm States of Nigeria to intimidate and harass the electorate. In several of the States, evidence abound, and I accept it, that there were armed gangs shooting at random intimidating the petitioners and their supporters in the face of the police…..

“Based on the evidence adduced and the facts as found, I am disposed to ask: Could the presidential election have been conducted fairly ad freely in this state of fear and insecurity? Definitely not……

“And I also ask: Has the 1st respondent the constitutional authority to call out the military to perform election functions where there was peace and calm during the elections? See sections 217 and 218 of the Constitution 1999. Based on the evidence on both sides, I am satisfied that the 1st respondent has no such constitutional authority so to do. The deployment of the military was therefore unconstitutional” at page 521.

The implication of his final verdict in the case is that the 2003 election is invalidated by the unconstitutionality of the use of soldiers.

It should be stated that the observations of Nsofor JCA above are entirely his own alone, and do not

form part of the decision of the Court in the case. The other members of the Court, Abdullahi PCA, Mohammed JCA and Tabai JCA, neither agreed nor disagreed with Nsofor JCA’s observations. It is necessary to say this, because Nsofor JCA dissented from the decision of these other justices on the real issue before the Court.

However, ten years later in All Progressive Congress v. Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) & Ors (2015), the Court of Appeal, in a unanimous judgment of all the five participating justices, Aboki JCA, who delivered the one and only judgment in the case, concurred in by Sankey, Ikyegh, Mbaba and Elechi JJCA, affirmed the position on the issue taken by Nsofor JCA in the 2005 case above. What is remarkable and notable about the Court of Appeal’s affirmation of Nsofor JCA’s position is the pungent, unequivocal and uncompromising language, in which its two-page judgment on the issue is couched. It would suffice to quote a few extracts from it. After setting out section 217(1) & (2) of the Constitution, the Court goes on to say that those provisions do not authorise the armed forces to “dabble in civil activities like elections to elect civilian leaders”; that they do not authorise even the President to “call out the Armed Forces and unleash them (Military Officers) on a peaceful citizenry who are exercising their franchise to elect their leaders”; and that, therefore, the armed forces “should not be called out on the streets or places of elections in the name of security, as that would militarise the process and create an atmosphere of military siege, fear and intimidation of the public.”

The judgment then categorically affirms as follows: “We think whoever unleashed soldiers during elections acted in flagrant breach of the constitution and flouted the provisions of the Electoral Act, which requires only the Police and other civil authorities to provide the required enabling environment of law and order for the performance of the civil duties of Election. This point was stated in the case of Yusuf v. Obasanjo (2005) 18 NWLR (pt. 956) 96 at 174-175, when, my Lord, Salami JCA (as he then was) said: ‘It is up to the Police to protect our nascent democracy and not the Military, otherwise the democracy might be wittingly or unwittingly militarized. This is not what the citizenry bargained for, after wrestling power from the Military in 1999.

Conscious steps should be taken to civilianize the polity and thereby ensure survival and substance of democracy’ That, we believe is the law, and must be adhered to, in order to save the electoral process from the virus of illegality, credibility problems and absurdity.

The time has come in our learning process to establish the culture of democratic rule in the country and to strive to do the right thing particularly when it comes to dealing with the electoral process, which is one of the pillars of democracy. In spite of the non-tolerant nature and behaviour of the political class in this country, we should, by all means, try to keep armed personnel, of whatever status and nature, from being a part and parcel of the election processes. The state is obligated to confine the Military to their very demanding assignments especially in these times of insurgencies and encroachment into the country’s territories, by keeping them out of elections.

Professor Ben Nwabueze, SAN, elderstatesman and chairman of The Patriots, wrote from Lagos.

To be Continued.

44 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019

Quicker than Usain Bolt?

Mbappe clocked sprinting at 38km/h to beat pace of Bolt ylian Mbappe has proved he really is a speed demon, by recording one of K the fastest sprints ever seen on a football

Monster Manchester derby:

field.

The 20-year-old was in inspired form as Paris Saint Germain wrapped up the Ligue 1 title and continued to impose their dominance on the French division.

PSG had the title in the bag after rivals Lille could only draw with Toulouse, meaning Mbappe and Co could play without pressure as Monaco visited the Parc Des Princes.

The mercurial youngster certainly flourished as a result, hitting a hat-trick against his former club and registering a sprint which clocked in at 38km/ h. In scoring one of his goals, Mbappe created the move by taking the ball on the halfway line and playing a pass out to the left wing for Moussa Diaby.

The France international then produced a blistering sprint, leaving defenders in his wake as he got into the penalty area to finish off the move and tap home.

French television later analysed Mbappe’s movement and noted the quite ridiculous speed quicker than that which Usain Bolt averaged when he set his 9.58 second 100m world record.

The two events are of course difficult to properly compare. Bolt peaked at 44.72km/h during that race, though his average speed over the 100m was 37.58 km/h.

To give the speed some football context, the fastest Premier League sprint ever recorded was set by Leroy Sane last season at an eyewatering 35.48km/h - significantly slower than that of Mbappe.

De Bruyne OUT M

ANCHESTER UNITED have been given a major boost with Kevin De Bruyne ruled out of tomorrow night's derby.

The Belgian playmaker, 27, picked up a hamstring injury in Saturday's nervy win over Tottenham and is out of the monster Manchester derby.

De Bruyne injured his hamstring against Spurs, but reports claim he did not further damage his troublesome left knee.

The news will come as a blow to Pep Guardiola but a massive lift for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The Norwegian boss' torrid run at the wheel continued on Sunday as United were thumped 4-0 at the hands of Everton.

Now the sixth-placed Red Devils face an almighty scrap to break into the Premier League top four.

A win would go a long way to helping United in their fight to break into next season's Champions League.

Should they finish sixth, they

EPL Decider:

Klopp urges Man United to rise up against City

A

s Manchester United host Manchester City in a derby on Wednesday, Liverpool’s coach Jurgen Klopp has urged fluttering United to rise up to the occasion.

This clash between Man United and Man City could help decided the title, with the Citizens being in a heated Premier League race with Liverpool.

A win for City sitting two points behind Liverpool will almost seal the title with a game in hand. A draw or a loss will cetainly tilt the title towards Liverpool.

“It [the derby] is not something we can influence, and it does not look like United are in a place to, either. What was the [United] score today?

3-0, 4-0, to Everton?”

may even need to qualify for the Europa League - if Watford beat City in the FA Cup final.

Currently, United sit just two points adrift of fourth-placed Arsenal and one point further away from Tottenham in third.

While Solskjaer and Co know a win would help their European case, it would also hand fierce rivals Liverpool the upper-hand in the race for the Premier League title.

Following United's incredible capitulation at Everton, Solskjaer was left with no other option but to apologise for his team’s dreadful afternoon.

The Norwegian said: "We were beaten on all aspects today and the only place we beat Everton – I can’t say we beat them – but we had a fantastic support.

“I just want to apologise for the performance we turned out.”

Hazard agrees terms with Madrid over mega transfer

C

Messi, Mbappe in fierce fight for European Golden Shoe

L

ionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe are embroiled in an interesting battle for the European Golden Shoe between now and the end of the season.

Both the Argentine and the young French forward have seveal league games left and anything could happen. Messi, who has won the award five times and in each of the last two seasons, leads the way with 33 goals (66 points), three more than Mbappe (60 points), who scored a hat-trick against Monaco on Sunday.

The remaining fixtures facing each player will determing who

The former Dortmund boss added: “It [the derby] is a normal game, a game they [City] have to play.

wins the fight. While Messi’s immersed in three competitions, though, with a chance of winning them all, inluding the Champions League, Mbappe can focus exclusively on Ligue 1 and winning the Golden Shoe.

Messi, meabwhile, could be rotated for some games as Barça prepare for a Champions League semifinal against Liverpool. That could benefit Mbappe, whose goals now have the same value (two points) as Messi’s despite Ligue 1 and La Liga being very different competitions.

Hazard agrees terms with Madrid ov

Barca six games away from winning treble

a reluctance within the Sissoko doubtful possibility Despite club to publicly discuss the of the Catalan side claiming for Ajax clash the treble, Ernesto Valverde’s side are

M

oussa Sissoko could miss the first leg of Tottenham’s Champions League semi-final against Ajax, according to Mauricio Pochettino, who said the midfielder could be out “for the next two weeks”.

Spurs lost 1-0 to Manchester City three days after Sissoko picked up a groin injury in the second leg of their stunning Champions League quarterfinal victory over Pep Guardiola’s men and Pochettino said that he was not optimistic about the Frenchman’s chances of a quick recovery.

Home games against Brighton and Hove Albion, and West Ham in the Premier League will give Spurs the chance to continue their push for third place in the Premier League ahead of the visit of Ajax, but Pochettino said he is not expecting Sissoko or fellow midfielder Harry Winks to feature.

just six steps from away from bagging the Copa del Rey trophy, retaining their LaLiga crown and lifting the UEFA Champions League for the sixth time in the club’s history.

Under the guidance of Pep Guardiola in the 2008/09 season the club became one of the few European sides to win their domestic league and cup along with Europe’s greatest honour. This feat was repeated with Luis Enrique on the ‘azul-grana’ bench in the 2014/15 season.

Barça need just six points to be mathematical LaLiga champions and could even be awarded the title as soon as Wednesday should t Atlético lose at home against Valencia on Wednesday night. If Simeone’s side win or draw then Valverde’s outfit can bag the title on Saturday at Camp Nou as they face struggling Levante.

helsea superstar Eden Hazard has agreed personal terms over a move to Real Madrid, it has been claimed.

The Blues winger has long been linked with Los Blancos with manager Zinedine Zidane an admirer. Hazard will enter the final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge this summer. That means it will be the last transfer window Chelsea can demand a big transfer fee for the Belgium international.

And now Telefoot journalist Fred Calenge has claimed Hazard has agreed personal terms with Real Madrid should a move materialise.

And with Zidane looking to overhaul his Real Madrid side this summer, Hazard could be on the move.

Los Blancos goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has admitted Hazard would be a big asset for the La Liga giants.

“I [would] choose Eden, of course,” Courtois told Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad.

Champions League

Barca plan for Liverpool’s showdown E

rnesto Valverde, as he’s paid to do, needs to pick up some paper, a pen and a calendar and decide what players he will take to Vitoria today, where Barcelona have the chance to take another step towards the La Liga tite. A win at Alaves would not seal the crown, but it would be a matter of time.

It could even be tomorrow if Valencia beat Atletico at the Wanda Metropolitano.

Keeping in mind that Valverde’s shown throughout his Camp Nou tenure that he’s not one to speculate, it’s unlikely he will repeat the squad which faced Huesca. On that occasion, three days before the Man-

chester United game in the Champions League, he made 10 changes to his team. However, before the first leg against United, he made no changes, because the game before was against Atletico Madrid.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019 — 45

Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019

Sudoku TODAY’S PUZZLE

QUICK CROSSWORD FRIDAY’S ANSWER

How to Play Sudoku

TODAY’S CROSSWORD

ACROSS 1 Secret (4-4) 6 Public transport vehicle (3) 9 Brink (5) 10 Acrobat (7) 11 Nullified (7) 13 Gloss (5) 14 Aromatic spice (6) 15 Tightly clinging shellfish (6)

THURSDAY’S SOLUTION

18 Travel by car (5) 20 Mean, medium (7) 21 Soon (7) 22 By oneself (5) 23 The sun (3) 24 Late afternoon church service (8) DOWN 2 Vertical (7)

3 Gardening tool (3) 4 Messy (6) 5 English county (9) 6 Beautiful girl (5) 7 Fortified (12) 8 Formal wear (7,5) 12 As a result(9) 16 Group of soldiers (7) 17 Hang loosely (6) 19 Perfect (5) 22 Dolt (3)

Place a number (1-9) in each blank cell. (No line can have two of the same number).

Each row (nine lines from left to right), column, (also nine lines from top to bottom) and 3 X 3 block within a bold block (nine blocks) contains number from 1 through 9. This means that no number can appear twice in any block, column or row.

No mathematics is involved – no adding, subtraction, division or multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination.

Printed and Published by VANGUARD MEDIA LIMITED, Vanguard Avenue, Kirikiri-Canal, P.M.B.1007, Apapa. Phone: Newsroom: 018773962. Deputy Editor: 01-4548355. Advert Hotline: 08027767834; 01-4544821. Abuja office: 7, Dambata Close, Area 7, Garki, 09-2921024. Ikeja office: 73, Awolowo Way. V.I. Office: Murplus Plaza, 27, Sanusi Fafunwa Street. Asaba: 21, Anwai Road. Benin City: 4E, Arusa Street. Port Harcourt: 50, Ikwerre Road; Warri: 102, Efurun-Sapele Road. Advert: advertproduction@yahoo.com; E-mail: editor@vanguardngr.com, news@vanguardngr.com, letters@vanguardngr.com. Website: www.vanguardngr.com (ISSN 0794-652X) Editor: EZE ANABA. Phone: 01-4548355. All correspondence to P.M.B. 1007, Apapa Lagos.