PDP senators walk out as Amaechi is confirmed

...towards a better life for the people

N150VOL. 25: NO. 62616

ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015**

Mr & Mrs

COLUMNISTS:

Continues on Page 5

See inside

Blair should singfrom jail •P.19

•Senate dismisses report of Ethics & Privileges C'ttee•APC applauds Senate as PDP denounces confirmation

A nefariouscalumny! •P.17

WALK-OUT—PDP Senators, led by Senate Minority Leader and ex-Akwa Ibom governor, Godswill Akpabio (left), walkingout of the Senate Chamber to register their opposition to confirmation of ex-Governor Rotimi Amaechi as minister by the Senate,yesterday. Photo: Gbemiga Olamikan.

By Henry Umoruand Joseph Erunke

ABUJA — THEintrigues that

shadowed theconfirmation hearing ofthe 36 ministerialnominees reached ananti-climax yesterdaywhen all but one senatorin the PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDPcaucus walked out toprotest the confirmation

PDP senators walk outas Amaechi is confirmed

My experiencein conducting2015 polls— Jega 8

8

Welcome...the Arole Oodua

N1.4trnpenalty tooheavy to bear— MTN 9

Five Customs chiefs quit 42

BVNDEADLINE:26m bankaccountsto befrozen

11

Ooni-electbegins 21-daysolitaryconfinement

2 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015

CMYK

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015 — 3

CMYK


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POCKET CARTOONVanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015—5

Continues from Page 1

PDP senators walk out asAmaechi is confirmed

OPENING: From left: Group Head, Commercial Banking, Heritage BankLimited, Mrs. Rabi Momoh; Managing Director/CEO, BTVA Media Limited,Mr. Rotimi Pedro; Executive Director, Abuja & North Regions, Heritage BankLimited, Mr. Niyi Adeseun and the bank’s Company Secretary, Mrs.Oluwatomi Ojo, at the official opening of BTVA Media Limited, a customerof the bank in Lagos, yesterday.

of former governor ofRivers State, RotimiAmaechi, as minister.

In their absence,Amaechi wasunanimously confirmedafter the Senate hadsummarily dismissed thereport of its Committee onEthics and Privileges thathad recommended thatthe nomination be put onhold.

Besides Amaechi, 17other ministerialnominees were alsoconfirmed by the Senatein a session that wasdramatically sketched inpartisan political hues.

Responding to the spiritof unanimity APCsenators brought to bearin the confirmation ofAmaechi, one of thedrivers of the party ’svictorious presidentialcampaign, the APC,yesterday said it wasindicative of the fact thatall internal crises in theparty were now in thepast.

The Rivers State chapterof the party was equallyeffusive yesterday, sayingit was a victory over theforces of darkness. Whilecommending PresidentMuhammadu Buhari fornominating Amaechi, theparty urged Muslims inthe state to use today forthanksgiving andChristians to use Sundayto thank God for the powerto overcome the forces ofdarkness.

The signpost to thedrama that unfolded wasindicated by the caucusesbefore sitting, and thedecision of the Senate tofirst screen and confirmthe President’s nomineesfor chairman andcommissioners of theIndependent NationalElectoral Commission,INEC. Following that, theSenate retired into aclosed-door session thatlasted nearly two hoursduring which issues aboutthe nominees werearticulated. It was learnedthat the Senate President

had prevailed on the PDPcaucus that he wouldallow them expressthemselves before a voteon Amaechi’sconfirmation.

No consensusHowever, indications

that a consensus was notforthcoming were shownby the trenchant stance ofthe PDP senators and theAPC senators once thevote on the confirmationof the ministerialnominees got underway.

Remarkably, Amaechiwas listed last on the listof nominees to beconfirmed, indicative ofthe fact that the Senateleadership had envisagedtrouble.

While the preceding 17senators were almost allconfirmed withoutdisapproval, when it gotto Amaechi’s turn, SenateMinority Leader,Godswill Akpabioreminded the Senate ofthe earlier agreement thatthe report of the SenateCommittee on Ethics andPrivileges would beconsidered prior to theconsideration ofAmaechi’s nomination.

Upon that, the SenatePresident, Senator BukolaSaraki signalled thechairman of theCommittee on Ethics andPrivileges, SenatorSamuel Anyanwu topresent his report.

Senator Anyanwu in hisreport read the findings ofthe committee in which henoted among others thata petition was presentedto the committeealongside the report andthe White Paper on thereport was endorsed byGovernor Nyesom Wike ofRivers State.

In his findings, he saidthat Amaechi wasrepresented by hiscounsel who submittedthat the constitution of thepanel by the Wikeadministration was thesubject of a judicialprocess and thus, thatAmaechi had decided notto appear in order not topre-empt the ruling of thecourt.

In his conclusion,Anyanwu said thecommittee recommendedthat in line with the factthat the issues againstAmaechi were stillpending in court that theSenate should hold thenomination at bay.

The report of theCommittee was signed byeight of the 11 membersincluding three APCmembers, the SenateDeputy Majority Leader,Bala Ibn Na’Allah, DinoMelaye and OmotayoAlasoadura.

Others who signedwere Senators SamuelAnyanwu, PDP;Omogunwa Yele, PDP,Ondo South; PeterNwaoboshi, PDP, DeltaNorth; Jeremiah Useni,PDP, Plateau South; andObinna Ogba, PDPEbonyi Central.

Those who did not signwere Senators BintaGarba, APC, Adamawa;Muhammed Shitu, APC,and Olaka Nwogu, PDP,Rivers, who the nominee,Amaechi had told theSenate was his roommatein the university.

Brickbats overcommitteereportSenate Majority Leader,

Senator Ali Ndumeresponding to thesubmission moved toamend the report to theeffect that the Senateshould adopt the findingof the committee in 2 (b)(II) to wit:

“Since the matter isalready a subject oflitigation in a competentcourt of law, and since theSenate could not workcontrary to its own rules(Order 41(7), it isconstrained in taking anyfurther action.”

Ndume’s submissionimmediately put the PDPsenators in disarray astheir puzzled leaderslooked at one another tothe intent of the newsubmission.

Akpabio who ordinarilyshould second themotions brought forwardby the Senate Leader,Ndume, drew back andafter recovering himself,cited Order 43 of SenateStanding Rule, to theeffect that the Senate hadearlier resolved to firstconsider the report of itsEthics Committee beforeconfirming the nominee.

Responding to Akpabio,Saraki said his point wasnoted following which hepointed to SenatorBabajide Omoworare,APC, Osun East, whothrough a number ofconstitutional orders andstanding orders of theSenate sought to dismissthe import of the reportsubmitted by SenatorAnyanwu.

He observed that theintent of the petitionsubmitted againstAmaechi barring thoseindicted by administrativepanels of inquiry hadbeen amended by theConstitution and was assuch inconsequential tothe confirmation hearing.

While Senator JoshuaLidani, Gombe Statecontended against hissubmission, SenatorGeorge Sekibo from RiversState charged the Senateto side with theadministration’s anti-corruption stance byupholding the report ofthe committee on ethics.

PDP senatorswalk outWith the APC senators

increasingly taking aposition in favour ofAmaechi, Senator BiodunOlujimi (PDP, Ekiti), saidthe PDP senators wereresigned to their fate thatthey could only have theirsay while the APC wouldhave its way on the issue.As she spoke, PDPsenators as if on aprompting, began tosignal to one another andled by Senator Akpabiothey walked out of theSenate chambers.

The only PDP senatorthat was left behind wasDeputy President of theSenate, Senator IkeEkweremadu. Followingtheir exit, Senator Sarakiraised the question as towhether the Senateshould endorse the reportof the Committee onEthics and the Senatewith unanimity rejected it.Following that, Sarakithrew the question onwhether the Senateshould endorse Amaechias a minister and he wasunanimously endorsed.

PDP senatorsdenounceconfirmationOutside the chambers,

Senator Akpabio led otherPDP Senators todenounce the process thatled to the confirmation.

“The reality is that oncea case is before the law,anything about the case isdropped. The issue oftaking further actionshould be stayed, butAPC is not willing to abideby the law. We have nooption than to stage awalk out. We have aresponsibility toNigerians not to partakein that kind of action. Itwas not normal for PDPSenators to walk out. Thisis the first time, and wefeel strongly there was abreach of the NigerianConstitution.”

The APC, however,welcomed the process.Praising the sense of unity

among the APC senators,outgoing partyspokesman, Alhaji LaiMohammed saidyesterday:

“The cohesion and unityexhibited by the APCSenators on Thursdayhave shown that ourlegislators are ready towork with the executiveand the party to ensurethat the agenda of theparty is implemented forthe benefit of allNigerians. We commendall our members andleaders in the Senate andindeed the leadership ofthe APC for this show ofunity,” the party said.

Saying that theconfirmation of Amaechidespite the walkout by thePDP caucus was reflectiveof democracy in action,the party said:

“It is part of democracythat while the minority canhave their say, themajority will have theirway. Therefore, thedecision of the PDPSenators to walk out isnothing but democracy inaction,’’ the party said.

APC laudsSenateWelcoming the

confirmation of Amaechiyesterday, the spokesmanof the APC in Rivers State,Chief Chukwuemeka Ezesaid:

“The Eighth Senate hasby this action proved thatthey are not only patrioticand nationalist but alsothat they cannot allowpetty politics to becloudtheir sense of reasoningas they seek toaccomplish the oneroustask of building a virile,vibrant, united and strongNigeria.”

Other nominees whowere confirmed beforeAmaechi were BarristerAdebayo Shittu, KhadijahAbba Ibrahim, HeinekenLokpobiri , CladiusOmoleye Daramola, BabaShehuri Mustapha,Ocholi E. James andAdewole Isaac Folorunso.The rest are HonourableBawa Bwari, Mr. GeoffreyOnyeama, Zainab S.Ahmed, MansurMohammed Dan Ali,Pastor Usani UsaniUguru, Mr. OkechukwuEnyinma Enelamah,Professor AnwukahAnthony Gozie,Mohammed Musa Bello,Adamu Adamu andAisha Abubakar.

IT'S UP TO YOUBY AYO ADIO

TAKE HEARTBY ELLA RANDLE

SAYINGS OF OUR PEOPLE

THERE is one timeless secret to success, it issimple- find your own path. It's up to you.

You can't put a limit on anything. The more youdream, the further you get —Michael Phelps

YOU will never know your limits until you pushyourself beyond your current effort. It is easy to

do just the same old same thing and get caught upin routine. A manager in an organization got passedon a promotion, he was really upset that a muchyounger colleague got the position instead ofhim.There is a reason for this, the manager hadbecome complacent and not being ingenious andcreative. He had spent two decade doing same thing.Decide to do and accomplish more, believe in yourability to do more.

THERE is no opportunity for a sale at thesuccess store. Find it yourself.

6—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015

Gunmen kill 36-year-old man in RiversBy Davies Iheamnachor &

Gift Nwankpa

By Ebere Aham

Matronabductedin Ondo, askidnappersdemandN35m

By Dayo Johnson

By Brisibe Perez

....Kidnap businessmanat Ughelli

The suspected cultist.

AKURE—UNKOWNgunmen have

kidnapped a 53-year-oldmatron with Rubber EstateNigeria Limited, Mrs.Eralkhuemen Unulkiere, atAraromi-Obu in Odigbo localgovernment area of OndoState, demanding a ransom ofN35 million.

Eralkhuemen was said tohave been ambushed alongAlaye-Araromi road by fivegunmen while on her way tochurch.

However, her abductorshave demanded from themanagement of the companyand her family a ransom ofN35m.

Vanguard gathered thatnegotiation was still onbetween the abductors and thefamily of the victim.

Eralkuemen,according tosources in the company,is oneof the old staff of the company

The victim hails from EdoState and is the only matronin the company’s clinic.

Speaking on the uglydevelopment, the ManagingDirector of the company, MrEric Hocepied, confirmed thatthe abductors had demandedN35 million.

Hocepied lamented that theincrease in the cases of kidnapwas becoming worrisome,adding that “anybody could bekidnapped in Nigeria today.”

He said efforts were on tosecure her release

According to him, thesecurity in the company andaround the workers have beenbeefed up to guard againstfuture occurrence.

Vanguard gathered that thestate police authorities havedeployed detectives to combthe area and neighbouringcouncils.

Police spokesman, FemiJoseph, confirmed theincident, adding that somecrack detectives had beendeployed to Odigbo councilarea and beyond.

Joseph said detectives fromthe command were already onthe trail of the kidnappers

The Police spokesmanassured that the victim wouldbe rescued unhurt and would behanded over to her family.

Joseph who said the commandwould make the state too hot forkidnappers, advised them and theirsponsors to relocate from the state.

O Z U O B A —GUNMEN suspected to be

armed robbers, have killed a manof about 36 years at Ozuoba inObio/Akpor Local GovernmentArea of Rivers State.

The gunmen, whose numberand mission were not ascertainedat the time of this report yesterday,killed the victim, Mr. AnthonyWede, simply called Atochi, in hiscompound at Ozuoba and cartedaway a 32inch television set.

Vanguard gathered that thegunmen came to the house,located around Sympathymortuary, in Ozuoba, at about12am, and got access into thehouse of Wede and his familythrough the window.

A source around the placerevealed that the criminals usedan iron cutter to destroy thewindow protector after they hadalready pulled off a net coveringthe window and had easy accessinto the apartment.

The source alleged that when

UGHELLI—A gang ofunidentified gunmen on

wednesday night abducted anUghelli-based businessman whileon his way home at the close ofwork.

The victim, identified asAdetona Olayimika, is father to a5-month-old baby and adistributor to Reckitt BenckiserNigeria Limited, makers of Dettolsoap and antiseptic products.

Confirming the abduction of herhusband, wife of the victim told

LAGOS—A suspected memberof Buccaneer Confraternity

has revealed that his fellowcultists kidnapped him forpurposes of initiating him into thecult group.

The suspect, 20-year-oldDamilola Adeyemi, who wasparaded at Lagos State policecommand, Ikeja alongside fourothers, said: “I was kidnappedand initiated by some of themembers of Buccaneer cult groupin 2011 in Lagos.

‘’They had been asking meever since I gained admission tojoin them but I refused as I comefrom a Christian home and mymother is very prayerful. I waskidnapped at Ebute-Metta andtaken for their initiation whichlooked like a normal night party.

‘’On that day, drinks wereshared and I was told that as soonas I took the drink, I was initiatedand part of them. I am done withmy ND at Lagos StatePolytechnic, Annex where Istudied Business Administration.

‘’I work as an Office Assistanton Victoria Island. I was arrestedvery early in the morning whenthe police found Ibrahim’s locallymade gun in my room after Idenied him in their presence. Wedo not kill people. I am not proudof my actions.

‘’My advice to other people isthat they should be far from thingslike this and report to theauthorities when they arethreatened to join any cult group.I was not kidnapped for ransomor for killing.’’

Other suspects paradedalongside Damilola Adeyemiwere Wasiu Olayola, IbrahimOyelakin and Abiola Alfred.

I was kidnapped to join cult —Suspect

While parading the suspectedcultists, the Commissioner ofPolice, Fatai Owoseni, said thecultists, who were arrested lastTuesday, were responsible forfuelling fights and having clasheswith other cultists in the area.

Confession25-year-old Wasiu Olayola

recounted his exploits as a cultist:“I belong to Eiye confraternitywhile my colleagues belong toBuccaneer Confraternity. Theyare my friends as we all resideon the same street on the LagosIsland.

‘’Last Tuesday, at about 6 am,Ibrahim, who is my junior matein the cult, called me on phonethat he has a locally made gun

that he wants to sell. Ireprimanded him and told himthat he should not involve himselfin such any more.

‘’He told me to come and meethim. On my way to meeting him,the police arrested me. I wasarrested at exactly 6:30 am. I amalready a graduate and I do notbelong to a cult group anymore.I used to be a cultist in Yabatechwhere I studied Marketing but Iam not one of them again. Igraduated in 2014. My motheris late and my father remarriedbefore she even died.”

In his defence, another suspect,Ibrahim Oyelakin, said: “I wasarrested because of gun issue. Igave Damilola a gun to keep forme. I was fighting someone. I

am a Buccaneer cultist. I am acultist from Lagos StatePolytechnic where I am in ND 2studying Computer Science. Myparents do not know that I am acultist. I joined cult in 2012. WhenI was initiated, I just boughtdrinks for our Oga and others inschool. We do not kill people inour cult. We just fight withsomeone or other cults. Wedefend our members when fightissues come up and it is a thingof pride to be a cultist as no onecan intimidate you in school andeven outside. I did not gainanything as a cultist. It is a badthing. I wanted to leave before Iwas arrested. I now know thatcultism isn’t good. I advise othersstill engaged in it to leavecultism.”

As Police parade suspected cultists in Lagos

the gunmen entered the roomtheir victim and other occupantsof the house woke, adding thatWede tried to escape from hiskillers.

The source also alleged that thegunmen who he said weredetermined to take the life of Mr.Wede, followed him up and shothim as he was trying to jump afence into another compound forsafety.

Speaking to Vanguard, Mr.Chike Alekiri, the CommunityDevelopment Committee, CDC,chairman of Ozuoba, narrated:“Around 12am I was called thatAtochi was shot by armed robbersthat came to his house and hasbeen rushed to the hospital.When we got there, the doctorconfirmed to us that he had died.

“We reported the issue toOzuoba Police Station and theyhave also come to the place tocarry out assessment of whathappened in Atochi’s house, andthey are also conducting aninvestigation.

“The man in question is a very

simple and quiet man who doesnot involve in trouble. The act isa very painful one to the peopleof Ozuoba. We have notexperienced anything of this kindin this community before. Thisparticular one has left us in fear.”

At the moment, following thedevelopment, fear has grippedresidence of the area, especially

around the neighbourhood of theslain man.

When reached on phone, atpress time, the Assistant PolicePublic Relations Officers inRivers State police command,ASP Grace Iringe-Koko, said shehad not been briefed on the issue, addingthat the police would swing into fullinvestigation of the matter.

Vanguard that she had spokento her husband at about 8:30pmwho told her he was on his wayhome from the office located at11 Adonovwe street, Ughelli.

She said: “I dozed off whilewaiting for his return only towake up at about 12:30amnoticing that he still hasn’treturned home.

“Immediately, I dialed hisnumber but it was switched off.At about 3:18am, I got a call froma man telling me that my husbandis in their custody and that theywould get back to me on theirdemands when their bossarrives.”

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015—7

I sold my daughter because of poverty—20-year-old mother

Gunmen kidnap 100-year-old mother of Sylva'srunning mate in Bayelsa

L A G O S — T H R E Einternet fraudsters

known as Yahoo Boys’,Ihechi Charles Okeke(alias Owolabi SundaySunny), Mayowa AfolabiAdigun and Etop UdemeSmith, have been jailed byan Ikeja High Court forstealing N1million from aFirst Bank Plc Account No.2000521715 belonging toone Osunkoya Mary inLagos.

Delivering herjudgement, the trial judge,Justice Kudirat Jose, notedthat the convicts hadreturned N1m to EFCC asrestitution to the victim andordered that the money bereturned to her (Mary).

It would be recalled that theconvicts had earlier pleadednot guilty to stealing andconspiracy charge broughtagainst them by the Economicand Financial CrimesCommission, EFCC.

However, during trial, thetrio entered plea bargain withthe prosecution and thecharge was amended to onecount charge of stealing towhich they pleaded guilty.

The prosecutor, Mr EkeleIheanacho, informed thecourt that the offence wascontrary to section 285 (1)of the Criminal Law ofLagos State 2011.

Court jails3fraudstersoverN1m theft

By BartholomewMadukwe

LAGOS—TEN persons havebeen arrested in connection

with the crisis that eruptedWednesday night betweencommercial motorcyclists andpolicemen in Ajao area of Lagos.

Unconfirmed report had it thattwo policemen were killed byrampaging hoodlums whohijacked the situation. But theCommissioner of Police, Mr FataiOwoseni, stated that thecommand did not lose any of itsmen.

A Police Armoured PersonnelCarrier, APC, stationed at Canoebridge linking Ajao with Ejigbowas also allegedly burnt by thecommercial motorcyclists, said tobe protesting seizure of theirbikes by officials of Lagos StateTask Force.

Report had it that officials of thetask force were out to enforce therestriction of commercial

CALABAR—MARIA Ekanem,a 20-year-old school drop out

from Odukpani Local GovernmentArea of Cross River State, saidyesterday in Calabar that povertyand lack of where to stay after shegave birth made her sell her twoweeks old baby girl for N20,000.

Maria, who was arrested by thepolice along five otheraccomplices, said her boyfriendwho got her pregnant, asked herto abort the baby but said a doctorhelped her with free antenatalcare and food until she gave birth.

This, she added, prompted herto agree to sell the baby whenarrangements were made to sell.

Paraded along with Maria werea 55-year-old medical doctor,Okokon Offiong Okoho, theproprietor of Evangel Clinic,of 2,Atu Street; a 70-year-old matronof Sadatoe Maternity located atUmoh Street and a nurse at thematernity who allegedly made theplans to sell the girl to an Abuja-based lady who is now on the run.

However, plans to sell the twoweeks old girl was leaked to thepolice by a Senior Secondary Twogirl of NYSC DemonstrationSecondary School, Calabar ,

Maria Elemi, whose parentsMaria was living with after shedelivered the baby.

“When I came back fromschool on Monday, Maria toldme she wanted to take the babyto the parents of the boy whoimpregnated her since she canno longer cope with taking care

By Emma Una “I started wondering why theyshould take the girl to the airportwhen the boyfriend to Maria andher parents live here in Calabar,”Maria stated.

Cross River Police PublicRelations Officer, ASP John Eluu,who paraded Maria along withthe doctor and Matron, said

when information got to the policeat the Federal Housing PoliceStation, detectives swung intoaction and arrested the suspects.

Eluu said investigations werecontinuing to apprehend thebuyer of the girl who is now onthe run.

of the baby,” she said.Maria said when they

got to Fuller by InyangStreet in Calabar South,they met Mrs Elemi andher daughter in an SUVcar, adding that Mariagave the girl to thematron who handed herover to the buyer.

She said: “The womangave Maria N20,000 andasked her to pay thenurse at the EvangelClinic and use the restfor herself.”

The girl said shebecame suspiciouswhen the driver of theSUV told the womanwith the baby that herhusband said sheshould take her to theairport to catch a flightto Abuja . The suspect, Maria Ekanem.

By Samuel Oyadongha

YENAGOA—MOTHER ofElder Wilberforce Igiri,

running mate to Chief TimipreSylva, the All ProgressivesCongress, APC, governorshipcandidate in the December 5governorship election in BayelsaState, has been kidnapped.

The victim, Madam EbifeghaDikoro, aged 100, was reportedlyseized at about 1 am yesteday atForupa on the Atlantic fringe ofSouthern Ijaw local governmentarea of the state and whisked awayto an unknown destination.

The armed men were said to havestormed the home of thecentenarian in three speed boats.

Though the spokesman of theState Police Command, AsinimButswat, said the details of theincident were not available, theabduction of the centenarianyesterday sparked off claims andcounter-claims between thecampaign organizations of ChiefTimipre Sylva and GovernorSeriake Dickson.

While the Director of Publicity ofthe Sylva-Igiri campaignOrganization, Chief Nathan Egba,blamed the abduction of thecentenarian on the alleged violentcampaign embarked upon by thePDP candidate, the PDP, throughthe Chairman of Bayelsa MediaTeam, Barrister Esueme Dan-Kikile, said though the abductionof the centenarian wascondemnable, the claims by the

10 arrested as okada riders, Police clash in LagosPolicemen brutalise Vanguard's reporter

By Ebere Aham & LuckyNwanekwu

APC were unfounded andbaseless.

Chief Egba, Director ofPublicity of the Sylva-Igiricampaign Organization, said:“We call on the PDP, particularlythe governorship candidate, tolower the political temperature in

the state and lead by exampleas he seems to be preachingviolence and insulting the APCleaders in all public events.

“The kidnap of the aged motherof the APC running mate is onlythe latest in a rash cases ofkidnapping and sea piracy that

has apparently overwhelmed thesecurity agencies in the State.

“Recall that last year, the uncleand guardian of our governorshipcandidate, Chief Timipre Sylva,also died in the hands of thekidnappers. Yet, GovernorDickson kept shouting aboutpeace and security."

motorcyclists, popularly knownas okada, around the axis.

However, on reaching IlamoseEstate at Oke-Afa, some okadaoperators reportedly madeaccess into Ajao Estate difficult.

In the process, the officialswere said to have impoundedsome of the motorbikes.However, some motorcyclistsaround Canoe who sightedthem, concluded they werecoming for them as well, anassumption that sparked off aviolent protest yesterday.

When Vanguard arrived thescene, shattered windscreenslittered everywhere, as well ascharred remains of the policevehicle.

Some heady motorcyclists whoresumed work yesterdaymorning, had their motorbikesseized by members of the taskforce. Some armed policemenand soldiers were sighted at thescene, while others were on

vehicular patrol.An eye witness who simply

gave his name as Jola, describedWednesday night’s incident astheatre of was war.

Chairman of tricycle operatorsin Ajao Estate, Mr Ambimbola,said: ‘’This is not the first time weare experiencing such anincident. Such has happenedbefore.

"But yesterday’s incident was avery bad occurrence . We believethat these people (Fulani men)are struggling to feed themselvesbut this does not give them theaudacity to fight with policemenor even burn their vehicle."

Police attack Vanguard’sreporter

Immediately after the interview,while one of Vanguard’sreporters, Lucky Nwanekwu, wastaking shots of the scene, apoliceman shoved him aside andbattered him, asking why he was

taking shots of the scene. Allentreaties on the policeman whoclaimed to be from Area ‘D‘Mushin Command, failed as twoof his colleagues joined inbeating the reporter.

Thereafter, they seized hismobile phone and whisked himaway in their van, to Mushin.They attempted to throw himinside the cell, boasting thatnobody could stop the move. It,however, took the intervention ofa senior police officer whoreprimanded them, forNwanekwu who had blood shoteye and marks of violence on hischest and ribs, to be released.

At time of writing this report,he was being treated atVanguard’s clinic.

However, an angry CPOwoseni, apologised on theexcesses of his men , assuringthat the command would lookinto the matter, with a view tofinding out the circumstancesthat surrounded the attack on thereporter.


Greatnessis aboutservice—Ezekwesili

By Soni Daniel

IN our Blogosphereedition of Wednesday,

October 28, wemisquoted the highlyrespected formerEducation Minister, ObyEzekwesili.

We sincerely apologizefor the misrepresentationin the said page and willlike to assure her thatVanguard will alwayshold her in high esteemand will neverdeliberately portray herin bad light.

The error is highlyregretted.

—Editor

APOLOGY

FOR the first time afterconducting the 2015

elections adjudged to be oneof the country’s best, formerChairman of the IndependentNational ElectoralCommissioner, ProfessorAttahiru Jega, yesterday,spoke about what thecommission went through.

Jega, who is now teachingPolitical Science at BayeroUniversity, Kano, spoke at thefirst University of Abuja PublicLecture Series with the themeElectoral Reforms in Nigeria:Challenges and Prospects.

The former INEC boss saidthe commission had to contendwith unnecessary challengescreated by some desperatepoliticians, who wanted to winelection at all cost.

According to Jega, many ofthe politicians, who hedescribed as ‘militicians’ havea mindset of capturing powerthrough any means, therebytrying to subvert the will of thepeople.

The former INEC boss saidthat the commission was ableto thwart the antics of thedesperate politicians byensuring effective compliancewith the laws and remainingtransparent and non-partisanthroughout the process.

Jega said: “From myexperience, I quite often saythat Nigeria has a specialbreed of politicians(Militicians). They generallytend to believe that politicalpower through elections has tobe ‘captured,’ and this has tobe done by hook or by crook;and by any means necessary.To them, winning election is,literally, a do-or-die affair.

Minefield“INEC faced perhaps its

greatest challenge incontaining the predispositionand reckless mindset ofNigerian politicians. Anywonder then that our politicalarena increasingly resembleda bloody battlefield, withmaiming, killing, burning, andunimaginable destruction oflives and property.

“Navigating the minefield ofdo-or-die politicians as animpartial electoral umpirerequired nerves of steel, andwe had to quickly muster therequisite thick skin, as well asappropriate containmentstrategies.

“A series of badly conductedelections could createperpetual political instabilityand easily reverse the gainsof democratization. Ifadequate care is not taken,badly conducted elections cantotally undermine

My experience inconducting 2015 polls—JEGA

democratization and replace itwith authoritarian rule, of thecivilian or military varieties.

Slams 2007 elections“At best, they can install in-

ept and corrupt leadership thatcan herald, if not institution-alize, bad governance. Thereare many illustrations or man-ifestations of this throughoutAfrica.

“But nowhere is this asamply illustrated as in theNigerian case, especiallybetween 1999 and 2007.

“The 2007 elections weremanifestly the worst inNigeria’s history, as declaredby both domestic andinternational observers. TheEU observer mission, forexample, noted that the

elections fell ‘short of basicinternational standards,’ andwere characterized byviolence and crude use ofmoney to buy votes.

“There was recklessmobilization of ethno-religious cleavages andheightened use of moneyand thugs to influenceresults.

“The pre-electoralprocesses, such as partyprimaries, were conducted ingrossly undemocraticfashion. In many cases, theresults were said to havegone to the highest bidder.

“The winner of thepresidential election, latePresident Umaru Yar’Adua,himself admitted on the dayof his inauguration that there

were serious flaws in the electionthat brought him to power.

Lists challenges“There are also other associat-

ed challenges. For example,meeting the production dead-lines in the production of PVCswas seriously affected by powerfailures, which damaged equip-ment, which the vendor could notquickly replace.

“The use of the SCR was con-strained by the fact that somepolling units were located in ar-eas where there was no Internetcoverage.”

Jega lauded PresidentMuhammadu Buhari over thechoice of his successor, ProfessorMahmood Yakubu, boasting thathe would make Nigerian proudwith his leadership at INEC.

BARELY 24 hours to thedeadline for Bank

Verification Number, BVN,less than half of the 52million bank customers havebeen registered, adevelopment that may havecaused discomfort in thebanking industry.

Central Bank of Nigeria,CBN, had said no extensionwould be made while non-registered bank customerswould be barred fromaccessing their money or anytransaction in their accountafter tomorrow.

About 26 million bankcustomers would be affectedby the shut-out.

An official of the apex bank

told Vanguard yesterdaythat the registration windowwould still be opened aftertomorrow, but unregisteredcustomers would not beallowed access to theiraccounts.

The official, who claimedthat the exact figures ofregistered bank customerswould not be ready untilnext week, howeverlamented that “less than halfof total bank customers havebeen captured as at Mondaythis week.

“Field reports show thatthere has been increasedsurge in the number ofregistrations per day sincelast week, but it is clear thatwe may not exceed 50percent by the deadline.”

Managing Director,

Ecobank Nigeria Plc, Jibril Aku,had said last month that bankcustomers who fail to meet theOctober 31 deadline to enrollon the BVN network will havetheir accounts frozen.

Aku, who spoke at the end ofthe 324th meeting of thebankers’ committee in Lagos,said there was no going backon the new deadline set by CBNfor customers to obtain theirBVN.

He said: “There will be noextension of the October 31deadline. All efforts have beenmade by the committee, CBNand Nigeria InterbankSettlement System for bankcustomers to obtain their BVN.

“The customers, who fail tomeet the deadline will not beable to operate their accountsuntil they comply.”

BVN Deadline: 26m bank accounts to be frozenBy Emeka Anaeto,Economy Editor

FORMER VicePresident of World

Bank, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili,has said that greatnesswas about selfless serviceand not necessarily aboutaffluence and fat banks’accounts.

He spoke whiledelivering a lecture on thetheme Building Greatnessat the 2nd Women inBusiness and Leadershipsummit, convened byGLEEHD Foundation inLagos.

Dr. Ezekwesili arguedthat greatness is “thecapacity to solveproblems, staying true toone's purpose and valuesin readiness for service.”

The former Nigeria’sMinister of Educationnoted that greatness andselfishness were notincongruence just asportfolios and occupyingof public offices were notindications of greatnesseither.

Mrs. Ezekwesili pointedout that many neglect anddisdain knowledge justas they tend to mockpeople who have paid theprice for knowledge andare at the top of theirpursuits.

She warned thatknowledge cannot beseparated from the questfor greatness as masteryis attained through deepknowledge.

Dr. Ezekwesili chargedthe participants toembrace partnership as amodel for building lastingand sustainable businessventures, just as sheidentified partnership,knowledge and finance ascore resources forattaining greatness.

By EmmanuelAsuquo

INEC CHAIR-NOMINEE: From left— Presidential Liaison Officer on NationalAssembly, House, Kawu Ismaila; Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC,Chairman-nominee, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, and Presidential Liaison Officer onNational Assembly, Senate, Senator Ita Enagi, shortly after his screening by the Senate,yesterday. PHOTO: Gbemiga Olamikan.


AFCcompletes10 monthsrestructuringexercise

MEETING: Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (right) and Chief Executive Officer Jim Cowles (left), during Osinbajo'smeeting with the Citigroup official at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, yesterday.

THREE days after NigerianC o m m u n i c a t i o n s

Commission, NCC slammed aN1.4 trillion penalty on MTNNigeria for failure to disconnectcustomers with unregisteredSIM cards, Parent companyMTN group has cried out thatthe fine was too extreme, evenas it continues to engage theregulator on how to resolve theissue.

MTN Group noted withdismay that NigerianCommunications Commissionrefused to listen to its plea toreconsider its stand on thepenalty slammed on itsNigerian arm last week.

According to a report, MTNNigeria spokeswoman, ChinezeGbenga-Oluwatoye, had said inan e-mailed response, that“recommendations were putforward with respect to the non-commensurable nature of thefine but the NigerianCommunications Commissiondid not accept recommendationsthat the fine of 200,000 Naira($1,005) per SIM was tooheavy.”

‘‘MTN Nigeria contacted theregulator with concerns that ademand to disconnect SIMcards by a certain deadlinewould cause “severe disruption”for customers and recommendeda staggered process to limit thepossible impact,’’ saidOluwatoye.

As a result of the fine, MTNshares plummeted about 20percent this week inJohannesburg. The biggest four-day drop since 2008, valuing thecompany at about 284 billionrand ($21 billion).

The phone operator had saidon Monday that the NigerianCommunications Commission

is seeking the penaltiesbecause it missed a deadlineto disconnect 5.1 millionsubscribers and is reviewingits management in the country.

Moody’s Investors Servicehad on Thursday lowered it’srating for MTN to negativefrom stable following the fine.

“Key concerns raised to theNCC highlighted the difficultyof carefully reviewing the dataon 18.6 million records withinthe one week deadline toensure identification anddisconnection of only affectedsubscribers,” Oluwatoye

added.Meanwhile, Financial

analysts have pointedly saidthat Nigeria government is atrisk of scaring off investors itcan’t afford to lose if the N1.4trillion fine slammed on MTNholds through.

With an economy strugglingto cope with sliding oil prices,the experts said currencyrestrictions and no financeminister, authorities are doingthemselves no favors bypenalizing one of their biggestforeign investors.

According to fund

managers including DavidMcIlroy of AlquityInvestment ManagementLimited, the fine equates tomore than 20 percent ofJohannesburg-based MTN’smarket value.

“It’s the last thing Nigerianeeds, given the economicand political struggles it’scontending with at themoment,” McIlroy, chiefinvestment officer at Alquity,which oversees $100 millionof frontier market stocks,including MTN shares, saidby phone from London.

N1.4trn penalty too heavy to bear—MTNBy Emmanuel Elebeke

FACED with persistent fallin crude oil prices,

Nigeria’s main foreignexchange earner, the CentralBank of Nigeria , CBN, andthe fiscal authorities are nowmeeting to restrategise on howto stave the nation’s economyaway from a loomingrecession.

The Governor of CBN, Mr.Godwin Emefiele, told thegathering of Accountants-General of the Federation,AGF, Alh. Ahmed Idris, topofficials of his organization,those from the FederalMinistry of Finance, theBudget Office, and taxauthorities in Abuja,yesterday, that both monetaryand fiscal authorities mustrestrategise and work in acoordinated manner tosurmount the current

economic challenges facing thecountry.

The meeting was under theFiscal Liquidity AssessmentCommittee, FLAC.

His words, “The knock oneffect of the recent globalmacroeconomic shores hasaccentuated the urgent needfor Nigeria to strengthen itseconomic fundamentals andattain self sufficiency so as toensure macroeconomicstability.

“In particular, the fall in oilprices has negatively affectedrevenue projections and in theshort term has amplifiedexchange rate pressures dueto a tapering of exportproceeds.

“I wish to draw our attentionto the principal objective ofmacroeconomic policy which isto achieve sustainable andinclusive economic growth inthe context of macro stability.

“To achieve this, monetary

and fiscal policies need toassiduously play theirrespective roles whilecollaborating to ensure thatpublic expectations areharmoniously and effectivelyanchored.’’

Mr. Emefiele who wasrepresented by the DeputyGovernor, Monetary Policy,Dr, Sarah Alade, observedthat two the parties (monetaryand fiscal authorities) mustwork together to come upwith policies that wouldstrengthen the economy’sfundamentals.

He added, “Policycoordination must entailcommitments towardsachieving the overallobjectives of the nation’smacro-economic goals”,adding, “This event is toreflect on the recent outcomesand challenges facing theNigerian economy. We willalso use the opportunity to

come out with ideas on how torestructure, rearrange andreinvent in order to diversify oureconomy and shift the Nigerianeconomy from the bases ofstrenuous factors’”, he said

He noted that the fall in priceof oil and other commodities wasnot only diminishing the nation’seconomic stability but also hadthe propensity to impairNigeria’s progress in the short,medium and long term horizons.

According to Mr. Emwefiele,the principal objective of macro-economic policy remained toachieve a sustainable andinclusive economic growth in anenvironment of macro-economicstability and that the role of fiscalpolicy and monetary policyformulation is very important inorder to achieve a sustainablemacro-economic stability.

Earlier, the Director, MonetaryPolicy Department of the CBN,Mr Moses Tule, described theFiscal Liquidity Assessment

AFRICA FinanceCorporation, AFC,

has said it had completedthe corporaterestructuring exercise itembarked upon inJanuary this year withthe appointment of Mr.Sanjeev Gupta, asExecutive Director,Financial Services.

In a statement, theCorporation said: “InJanuary, 2015 AFCimplemented a neworganisational structure.The purpose of this re-organisation was toincrease theCorporation’s clientresponsiveness bycreating sector clusters,that would each beresponsible fordelivering all of AFC’sproducts to clients withinthose sectors,simplifying theCorporation’s structureand increasingresponsiveness.”

The statement furthersaid: “In this role, Guptawill have responsibilityfor Treasury, FinancialAdvisory and the newlycreated FinancialInstitutions Division.Mr. Gupta brings awealth of experience tothe Corporation.

Dwindling revenue: CBN, fiscal authoritiesrestrategise for economic stability

By Emma Ujah,Abuja Bureau Chief


Lagos CJre-affirmscommitmentto justice

By AbdulAbdulwahab,Bartholomew

Madukwe & JaneEchewodo

NB/FRSC CAMPAIGN: From left— Corporate Social Responsibility/Sustainability Manager, NB Plc, Mrs EmeteTonukari; Assistant Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, Mr. Nseobong Akpabio; Corporate Media\BrandPR Manager, Nigeria Breweries Plc, Mr. Edem Vindah, and Deputy Corps Marshal, FRSC, Mr. Ahmed Hassan, during theflag off of the eight edition of Don't Drink & Drive campaign oganized by NB in Lagos. PHOTO: Diran Oshe.

L A G O S — C H I E FJudge of Lagos State,

Justice OluwafunmilayoAtilade, yesterday,reaffirmed hercommitment in advancingthe course of justice andeffective dispensation ofsame.

“Our various reformsand innovativeprogrammes are gearedtowards advancing thecourse of justice and toensure quick andeffective dispensation ofjustice,” she said.

The CJ, who wasrepresented by DeputyChief Registrar, DCRLegal, Mrs A. O.Okunnuga, at this year’sNational Association ofJ u d i c i a r yCorrespondents, NAJUClecture in Lagos, saidjournalism had over theyears made impact onsustainable growth andhuman development inthe society.

A Senior Advocate ofNigeria (SAN),Babatunde Fashanu, onhis part, said effectivejustice delivery cannot bethe only way the Nigerianproblems could be solved.

His words: “It is veryimportant that we get ourjustice system right.There are verycourageous judges,especially in the LagosState judiciary. Judgesmust be well paid forthem to work well.”

Another SAN, SylvaOgwemoh, argued that ittakes a lazy judge tocondone a lazy lawyer.

LAGOS State government,yesterday, organized an

inaugural retreat forcommissioners, specialadvisers and body ofpermanent secretaries in thestate, where GovernorAkinwunmi Ambodeexpressed concern over thepersistent traffic gridlock inthe metropolis, and theincrease in spate of robberies.

He also released whatcould serve as the policydirection of hisadministration for the nextthree and half years, just ashe appealed for the supportand cooperation of allresidents in moving the stateforward.

He said in the interim, hehad directed the fixing of allpotholes to ease vehicularmovement, just as securityagencies had beenmandated to enforce the banon commercial motorcycleoperators, popularly calledOkada riders, on highways,noting that aside the risks ofaccidents, such can also be asecurity threat to the people.

Governor Ambode, whosaid he was also working hardto restrict street hawking,urged the people to stoppatronizing them, so as todiscourage street traders fromthe highways.

He said: “We have alreadyhit the ground running. I amdeeply concerned about theissues that Lagosians aresending back to me and theissues range from security,traffic gridlock to theenvironment itself.

“But again, just as we arelooking at the immediatesolutions to them, there aremedium term solutions that

Lagosians will see in the nextfew weeks that we will roll out.

“We have declared zerotolerance on potholes and weare deploying more men toensure free flow of traffic. Aswe are now in the Embermonths, I just want to appealto Lagosians to be morevigilant, and cooperate with us

in all the measures we willbe carrying out.”

Highlighting keycomponents of the LagosDevelopment Plan,Governor Ambode said thefirst pillar of the plan hingeson economic development,and that it wouldfundamentally be about

wealth creation throughemployment.

He also stated that the secondpillar of the plan harps oninfrastructure development,explaining that governmentwould make money available forlong term investment intransportation, power, housingand water.

Lagos exco, perm secsparley over state’s challenges

PRICE WaterhouseCoopers, PWC, yesterday,

projected that imported usedvehicles, popularly calledTokunbo cars, would becomeextinct as a direct result of localproduction by 2044.

Speaking at the 2015symposium/luncheon of theAutomobile and AlliedProducts group of the LagosChamber of Commerce andIndustry, LCCI, with the themeViability and Growth in theAuto Industry, Partner, PWC,Mr. Andrew Nevin, said thecompany projects that withcontinued governmentsupport, the Nigeria autoindustry will begin actualmanufacturing withcomponents sourced fromwithin, potentially generatingover six million new carslocally by 2050 and thatimported used vehicles willbecome non-existent as adirect result of local productionby 2044.

He said: “This projectedgrowth requires sustained andeffective investment in the autoindustry made only possible bythe government implementingpolitical, economic and legal

policies that create a suitableenvironment for suchinvestment.“

Chairman, Elizade Motors,Chief Michael Ade-Ojo, said

Nigeria was a potential hub forautomobile, but the necessarypotentials for an industry thatcan employ millions needs to beplanned.

PWC predicts used cars' extinction in 2044By Naomi Uzor

LAGOS State government,yesterday, inaugurated a

task force to arrest streettraders, hawkers andpedestrians crossing majorhighways.

The task force comprisesofficials of the Ministry of theEnvironment, Enforcementand Advocacy, Kick AgainstIndiscipline, KAI, officials,Lagos State Task Force onEnvironment and SpecialOffences and officials of theRapid Response Squad,RRS.

Inaugurating the task forcein Alausa Secretariat, Ikeja,Commissioner forEnvironment, Mr.Babatunde Adejare, said thatthese efforts were part of thegovernor’s strategy to ensure

free flow of traffic, noting that freeflow of traffic will improve thestate’s economy.

The commissioner noted thatanyone caught trading orhawking on the roads includingsetbacks, median and walk-way,will face the full wrath of the law.

He added that traders andbuyers are liable for persecutionunder the Lagos StateEnvironmental Laws.

He lamented that street tradersoften litter the roads with refuse,thereby causing avoidable trafficin the state.

Adejare maintained that it wasforbidden for anyone to cross thehighways, warning that anyonecaught crossing the highway willbe apprehended and prosecutedaccordingly.

The commissioner stated thatthe task force had “been fullymobilized to ensure strict com-pliance with these directives.”

Lagos sets up task forceagainst hawking, others

By MonsuruOlowoopejo

ESAN JournalistsForum, EJF, will hold

a two-day summit on TheFuture of Esan Nation onNovember 6 and 7 atOkaiijesan Hall, Irrua,Edo State.

Alhaji Isiwele Musa,President of RoadTransport WorkersAssociation of Nigeria,RTEAN, will Chair theevent; with ProfessorOserheimen Osunbor,Mr. Peter Isele, amongothers, as key speakers.

Esanjournalistshold summit

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30 , 2015—11

Ooni-elect begins 21-day solitaryconfinement

By Gbenga Olarinoye

Fayoseslamslecturersover rot ineducationsector

O S O G B O — O O N I -designate, Enitan

Adeyeye Ogunwusi, yesterday,commenced the 21-day solitaryconfinement in Ilofi, the placewhere a would-be Ooni is 'baked'for the task.

Ilofi, located in Iremo Quartersof Ile Ife, is a place where Ooni-elect will be for 21 days, andmembers of Isoro Cult, to whichhe belongs, will performinstallation rites.

Earlier yesterday, Ooni-designate, received visitors in hisresidence and later held a closedoor meeting with some palacechiefs.

Although the meeting with thechiefs was held behind closeddoors, but an aide to the Oonidesignate, who preferredanonymity, in a telephone chat,told Vanguard: “It was likelyOoni-elect asked the chiefs aboutwhat awaits him in Ilofi.

“He was in high spirits andexchanged pleasantries withpeople. He did not panic or wearany look that suggested he wasdispleased. He remains very

•May be installed November 19

calm and expectant.”According to sources, Ooni-

elect was led to Ilofi in a convoyof few cars at exactly 4:40pm byObadio, the head of all deities inIle Ife and other members of Isorocult.

According to reliable sources;

the moment the rites begin in Ilofi,Ooni-elect, will no longer receivevisitors or see any body, other thanmembers of Isoro cult.

Meantime, pre-installation ritesfor the Ooni-elect had earlier takenplace at the palace of Obadio ofIfe, Oba Olajide Ifaloba.

But speaking to newsmen onphone on Thursday, the leaderof Isoro Cult, Ifaloba, saidmembers of the cult are forgingahead with some installationrites that do not require thepresence of an Ooni.

See more in the insert

Amosun swears in new commssioners, SAs, others

ABEOKUTA—OGUNState Governor,

Senator Ibikunle Amosun,yesterday, swore-in 18commissioners and 18special advisers as well as19 permanent secretariesurging them to shunfinancial profligacy.

Amosun who spokeshortly after the newcommissioners and specialadvisers took oath of offices,secrecy and allegiancedisclosed that the Ministryof Rural Development hasbeen reserved for his

By Daud Olatunji

•Warns against profligacy

deputy, YetundeOnanuga.

Those newcommissioners who wereinaugurated include;Chief Jide Ojuko (LocalGovernment andChieftaincy Affairs),Muyiwa Oladipo (Cultureand Tourism), BimboAshiru (Commerce andIndustries), RonkeSokefun (Agriculture),Modupe Mujota(Education, Science andTechnology), AdenreleAdesina (Budget andEconomic Planning),

Adedayo Adeneye(Information and Strategy).

Others are AdelekeAdewolu (Special Duties andInter-Government Affairs),Babatunde Ipaye (Health),Kolawole Lawal (Forestry),Bolaji Oyeleye(Environment), AdebolaAdeife (Physical Planningand Urban Development),Gbenga Adenmosun(Community Developmentand Cooperatives), andAfolabi Afuwape (Youth andSports).

Also on the list ofcommissioners are OlumideAyeni (Justice and AttorneyGeneral), Segun Abiodun(Housing), OlamilekanAdegbite (Works andInfrastructure), AdewaleOshinowo (Finance).

The Special Advisersinclude; Rotimi Durojaiye

(Media ), Sunday SegunBamiwola (Women Affairsand Social Development),Adenike Osoba (Culture),Bayo Adeyemi (Housing),Muse Lamidi (PoliticalAffairs), Funmi Ajayi(Commerce), JumokeAkinwunmi (HousingCorporation), Jide Odusolu(OPIC) and Lanre Edun(Education, Science andTechnology).

Also appointed as specialadvisers are Barr. OlayinkaOdufuwa (Agriculture),Busola Ogunyemi(Community Developmentand Cooperatives), WaleOgunyomade (RuralDevelopment), TundeSodade (Public PrivatePartnership), Babi Subair(Governor’s Office) andSteven Adewolu (PhysicalPlanning).

Others are; BabalolaLawson (Environment)Omolayo Olorunwo(General Duties) , DrBabafemi Adenuga(Health), Jide Odubanjo(Economic Adviser) andGbenga Adeyi (DeputyChief of Staff).

In his speech, Amosuncharged the newCommissioners andSpecial Advisers toregard theirappointments as entirelya call to service.

13 cultists remandedfor murder, dumpingof corpses in river

LAGOS—THIRTEENsuspected cultists,

who allegedly murderedtwo men before dumpingtheir bodies in a river,were yesterday in Lagosremanded in IkoyiPrisons.

An Ebute Meta ChiefMagistrates’ Court whichrejected their plea, saidthey should be keptbehind bars pendingadvice from the Directorof Public Prosecutions,DPP.

The accused are: IsmailBello, 26; Shola Jaiyeola,28; Kabiru Wahab, 23;Akeem Adeyemo, 36;Monsuru Ojopagogon,29; David Lasisi, 35 andBayo Bakare, 30.

Others are Daniel

Yosue, 30; AdemolaAyelabowo, 27; JoshuaUdoh, 20; Daniel Adeyemi,28; Saheed Mohammed,25; and Wasiu Aborisade,40.

The 13 accused are facinga six-count chargebordering on conspiracy,murder, membership ofunlawful society, breach ofpeace and causinggrievous harm.

According to the prosecutor,Cpl. Iyobosa Onaiwu, the offenceswere committed on Sept. 27 atabout 9.00 p.m. at MaidanJunction, Mile 12, Lagos.

"Two of the accused –Mohammed and Adeyemiallegedly killed one Tunde andOkesola Yusuf before dumpingtheir bodies in the Maidan Riverin Mile 12," he said.

By Rotimi Ojomoyela

A D O - E K I T I —G O V E R N O R

Ayodele Fayose of EkitiState yesterday accusedlecturers in some higherinstitutions of engaging insexual harassment andcultism in their schools.

Fayose, who expressedconcern over the perceivedmoral decadence in thecountry’s higherinstitutions, said somelecturers who should beengaged in charactermoulding are guilty ofsexual harassment andvictimisation of the malestudents.

According to him,lecturers also engage inIndian hemp smoking andsponsorship of cultism,describing these vices asdangerous to the developmentof education in Nigeria.

The Governor said thisduring the 22ndconvocation ceremony ofthe College of Education,Ikere Ekiti, where over2,000 graduates werechurned out.

The College through itsProvost, Prof Francisca Aladejanaalso conferred the Fellowship ofthe College on the Senatorrepresenting Ekiti Southsenatorial district, Mrs BiodunOlujimi and the Chairman,Capitol Oil, Mr Ifeanyi Ubah witha view of what she termed theirimmense contributions to thegrowth of education.

AWARD: From left: Dr. Stefan Oschman, Deputy CEO, Merck; Dr. RebeccaChukwuanukwu, award winner, and Prof. George Godia, Ambassador/Permanent delegateof Kenya to UNESCO, during the presentation of UNESCO award to the UNIZIK lecturer,yesterday.


By Festus Ahon

Delta Election Petition Tribunal judgmentvindicates us —INEC

Delta AccordParty candidatelaments inabilityto proceed withpetition

By Amarachi Chukwudi

Youths storm BEDC Ughelli of ficeprotesting power outage

By Perez Brisibe

Delta directsstudents toregister withNIMC forbursary

By Festus Ahon

ASABA—THE IndependentNational Electoral

Commission, INEC, has said thejudgment of the Delta StateElection Petition Tribunal,upholding the elections of all thoseelected into the state House ofAssembly, National Assembly aswell as the governorship election,has vindicated the commission inthe conduct of the 2015 electionsin the state.

This came as reactionscontinued to trail the tribunaljudgment which upheld theelection of the state governor, Dr.Ifeanyi Okowa, with prominentDeltans describing the verdict asa reflection of the will of thepeople.

INEC, speaking through itsacting National Chairman, HajiyaAmina Zakari, during thecommissioning of a multi-purposeconference hall at the Delta StateINEC office headquarters inAsaba, constructed by thecommission in the state under theleadership of the ResidentElectoral Commissioner, REC,Elder Abasi Aniedi Ikoiwak,insisted that the commission didits best in conducting the 2015general elections in line withinternational best practices.

Commending the peaceful andsuccessful conduct of the generalelections in Delta State and otherstates of the country, she said thenew leadership of INEC wouldnot leave any stone unturned torid the commission of any form ofmalpractice and electionirregularity in the conduct of

elections.Represented by one of the

National Commissioners,Ambassador LawrenceNwuruku, Zakaricongratulated the REC for theconference hall and thepresentation of awards to hisstaff for improved productivity inthe commission.

According to her, theheadquarters of the commissionwould address the challengesfacing the Delta Stateheadquarters of the commission,

adding that the commission,during Professor Attahiru Jega'stenure, constantly promoted staffand enhanced their welfare.

Earlier, the REC, Elder AbasiIkoiwak, pledged to sustain andadd value to the feat thecommission had recorded in itsresolve to entrench democracyin the country.

Meanwhile, more reactionshave continued to trail thetribunal judgment which upheldthe election of Governor IfeanyiOkowa of Delta State, some

prominent Deltans, describingthe court verdict as a reflectionof the will of the people of theState.

Those who spoke includedMr. Henry Baro, Mr SteveOvedje and Mr OsimoBayagbon.

The trio who are chieftains ofthe Peoples Democratic Party,PDP, in the state, in theirseparate interviews,congratulated GovernorOkowa, insisting that the willof the people was incontestable.

Edo plans teacher posting reforms to stop cheats

GOVERNOR AdamsOshiomhole of Edo State

has said the state would reformthe recruitment, deployment,promotion and posting of teachersin the state to ensure fairnessaimed at optimum performance.

Oshiomhole spoke during ameeting with the chairman andmembers of the state Post PrimaryEducation Board in his office.

He said: “The key issue inappointment is competence, andin recruiting these numbers, wewould start from the top and fromthose who score the highest mark.The idea here is to give priority tothe employment of the best in ourschools. Our teachers must be thebest. In those days, when youwere very brilliant, you got intoacademics. Just that things havechanged now, the brilliant onesgo into banking, oil industry, theywant to go to customs,immigration and so on. But weneed the best brains to impartknowledge and that is why we areready to pay special incentives tothose who are involved in sciencesubjects. But to do that, I must beconvinced that these people

would make a difference interms of the quality of knowledgethey impart and we can measureit through performance of ourkids in various examinationsand periodically, we have otherways to do assessments.

“We can even work outbonuses for schools that havedone well, for pupils that havedone well, because, like they

say, if the child has not learned,it might well be because theteacher has not taught. One is aconsequence of the other and Ineed us to tie rewards to efforts,because if we can do so andpeople see that effort pays, Ithink they will be greatlymotivated. I am sure that ourchildren in both primary, juniorsecondary schools and senior

secondary schools will do well.So, we have to carry outfundamental reforms in the waywe recruit, deploy, promote andtransfer teachers and theremust be an order, there mustbe fairness and there must bebalance. No favour, nolobbying, no politicalconsideration.”

U G H E L L I —A G G R I E V E D

youths from Isoko North andIsoko South LocalGovernment Areas, of DeltaState, yesterday stormed theUghelli office of BeninElectricity DistributionCompany, BEDC, to protestprolonged power outage inboth council areas.

The youths, on the platformof Isoko Progressive Youth

Centrer, IYPC, displayedvarious placards withinscriptions such as; “No tovandalism”, “We need light”and “Isoko says enough isenough.”

Though the Ughelli BEDCmanager, Mr. Pius Ajeh, wasnot on ground to address theprotesters, a staff of thecompany who addressed theyouths, promised to delivertheir message to themanagement of the company.

The youths, accused the

company of allegedlycutting them off from thenational grid since October21 over some irregularitieswith their bill payment.

The protest letter by theyouths was signed by thepresident and secretary ofthe group, Anthony Ogbalorand Clifford Ojah,respectively.

Attempts to speak with theUghelli BEDC managerwere unsuccessful as he wassaid to be unavoidablyabsent.

ACCORD Partycandidate for Ika

Federal Constituency of theNational Assembly in the 2015elections, Doris Uboh, haslamented her inability tocontinue the petition againstthe declaration of VictorNwokolo, of the PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP, aswinner of the election, despitesecuring judgement from thethe Court of Appeal, BeninJudicial Division.

She blamed her inability tocontinue with the case to theexpiration of the 180 daysconstitutional provision forelection petitions to bedisposed of.

Uboh had secured legalvictory in the Court of Appeal,Benin Judicial Division whereshe challenged the judgmentof the National AssemblyElections Petitions Tribunaldelivered in favour ofNwokolo.

In the appeal No. CA/B/EPT/270 2015, the appellatecourt had set aside the decisionof the tribunal and orderedthat the case be remitted to betried on merit should theappellant be still within time.

ASABA—DELTA StateBursary and

Scholarship Board hasdirected students of the state'sorigin in tertiary institutions toregister with the NigeriaIdentity ManagementCommission, NIMC, toenable them access the 2014/2015 bursary.

Executive Secretary ofBoard, Elijah Ologe, who gavethe directive while addressingsome students who paid himunscheduled visit in his officein Asaba, also told them toensure they got their BankVerification Number, BVN.

Insisting that the NIMC andBVN were major criteria forthem to benefit from the 2014/2015 bursary and subsequentones, he said the board wasout to stamp out every form offraud that had bedevilled it.

He disclosed that the board'swebsite would soon be openedfor qualified students of thestate origin to register for thebursary scheme.

LAUNCHING: From left: Razvan Mihai, Research and Education, ForexRally Nigeria;Artem Trofymenko, CEO and Fisayo Siyanbola, General Manager, during a pressconference by ForexRally to officially launch its operations in Lagos, Nigeria.

CMYK

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015 —13


CMYK



Rep accuses police of conniving with hisopponent

By Emeka Mamah

A MEMBER of the House of Representatives,Dr Patrick Asadu, has accused the Enugu

State police command of allegedly working inconcert with his opponent to try him on trumpedup charges of forging a result sheet in an electionmatter before the Supreme Court.

Asadu said that his opponent in the case, Engr.Newton Ikechukwu Ugwuegede reportedlyabandoned an appeal he filed at the apex courtand approached an Enugu Magistrate for the samematter which he said, he had won at both the HighCourt and the Court of Appeal, adding that the“smear campaign and mind games,” was to“deceive the unsuspecting public and play mindgames with the respected justices of the SupremeCourt who are presently reviewing the matter.”

Asadu spoke at a news conference in Enugu:“Mycrime was just my contesting with and defeatingEngr. Ugwuegede in the December 6, 2014Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, National Assemblyprimaries held in Nsukka, the Headquarters ofNsukka/ Igbo-Eze South Federal Constituency ofEnugu State by the PDP National AssemblyElectoral Panel and refusing to have my mandatestolen by Ugwuegede, his sponsors and theircohorts.

“It has, however, become necessary for me tostate the facts to, at least, expose the fallacies andmischief behind their sterile plots to tarnish myhard-earned reputation, deceive the public andplay mind games with the respected justices ofthe Supreme Court who are presently reviewingthe matter.

“The result sheet in question was only handedover to me by the returning officer at the primariesafter the results were entered into it and both theelectoral officer and the returning officer whobrought the document from the PDP State office

ANNIVERSARY: Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, and his wife, ChiefEbelechukwu Obiano, during the 27th anniversary of their marriage , yesterday,

and from whom I got the signed result sheet dulyentered their full names, signatures and PDPmembership card numbers for easy identification.I am, thus, being accused of a document that I didnot produce, author or sign while those whoprocured, signed them and gave them to me werenever asked about whether they procured thedocument, from me and whether they signed andgave them to me.

“Neither the electoral officer nor the returningofficer was invited or questioned about the forged document they signed and gave to me. Yet, theinvestigation had indicted me for accepting the resultsheet!

IMO GOV POLL: S-Court upholds Okorocha’selection Dismisses appeal by Ihedioha, PDP

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

ABUJA—THE SupremeCourt, yesterday, affirmed

Governor Rochas Okorocha as thewinner of the April 11governorship election in ImoState.

The apex court, in a unanimousjudgment by a seven-man panelof Justices, dismissed the appealthat was lodged before it by formerDeputy Speaker of the House ofRepresentatives andgovernorship candidate of thePeoples Democratic Party, PDP, inthe state, Mr. Emeka Ihedioha.

The Supreme Court declined toset-aside two concurrent verdictsof the Imo State GovernorshipElection Petition Tribunal and theCourt of Appeal which earlierdeclared Okorocha as winner ofthe gubernatorial poll.

Ihedioha had in a petition hefiled before the tribunal on May19, sought the nullification ofOkorocha’s election.

He had among other things,alleged that the election wasfraught with irregularities,insisting that officials of theIndependent National ElectoralCommission, INEC, rigged thepoll in favour of the All

Progressives Congress, APC. In the petition marked EPT/IM/

GOV/3/2015, which hadOkorocha, APC and 36 others asrespondents, Ihedioha, told thetribunal that the election wasmarred by violence, harassmentand intimidation of voters.

Besides, it was his contentionthat the election was conductedin substantial non-compliance tothe provision of the Electoral Act.He maintained that the electionwas in violation of Paragraph 28of INEC’s guidelines for the 2015

election.However, the tribunal, in a

judgment it delivered on July 22,dismissed the petition at thepreliminary stage.

The tribunal led by JusticeDavid Wyom held that the petitionwas incompetent and lackedmerit.

The panel upheld argument byOkorocha’s lawyer, Mr. NiyiAkintola, SAN, that the petitionshould be deemed as abandonedconsidering that Ihedioha, failedto within seven days, pay

mandatory N100 required tokickstart pre-hearing session onhis petition as stipulated inSection 18(1) of the Electoral Act,as amended.

The tribunal noted that thepetitioner applied on June 23, butfailed to pay for the pre-hearingnotice until June 3, despite thefact that his application waswithin time.

According to the tribunal,“Based on the strength of theSupreme Court authority on thisissue, the validity of the process

starts from when the pre-hearingnotice payment was made and notwhen it was applied, this in turnmeans the petitioner paid out oftime but applied within time”.

Meantime, dissatisfied with thedecision of the tribunal, Ihediohatook the matter before the OwerriDivision of the Court of Appeal.

In a judgment it delivered onSeptember 3, the appellate courtpanel led by Justice Jimmy Badaaffirmed the decision of thetribunal, adding that Ihedioha’snotice of appeal wasfundamentally defective.

Not happy with the verdict,Ihedioha filed appeal before theSupreme Court wherein hesought for an order setting asidethe concurrent decisions of the twolower courts.

In the lead judgment that wasread yesterday by Justice JohnInyang Okoro, the apex court,said the lone issue to bedetermined in the matter was“Whether there was service on the2nd-36threspondents; if not, whatis the effect”.

The apex court relied on Section318 of the Constitution which dealson “Interpretation, Citation andCommencement” of hearing, todiscountenance the appellant’sargument that the registrar of thetribunal had announced to partiesthat notices of appeal had beenduly served on the respondents.

According to Justice Okoro, theword “decision” under Section 318of the CFRN “means, in relationto a court, any determination ofthat court and includes judgementdecree, order, conviction,sentence or recommendation”.

“In view of the foregoing, I donot think the registrar’s statementgave any credence to service ofnotice of appeal. It is trite thatnotice of appeal is a conditionprecedent, and there is nothingon record to show that theappellant duly effected service onthe respondents. This issue doesnot avail the appellant and Iresolve it against the appellant.”

Reps toIntervene indeportationof 29, 000Nigerians

By EmmanOvuakporie &

JohnboscoAgbakwuru

A B U J A — T H EHouse of

R e p r e s e n t a t i v e syesterday mandated itscommittee on Diasporaand Foreign Affairs towade into the case of 29,000 Nigerians scheduledfor deportation from theUnited Kingdom (UK).

The resolution of theHouse followed a motionon matters of urgentpublic importanceentitled “need to addressthe issues andchallenges surrounding29, 000 Nigerians taggedfor deportation from theUK” sponsored by RepRita Orji.

Rep Orji had in themotion noted that thedeportation faced bythese Nigerians was aresult of a migrationcrisis created by troubledregions of the globeadding that most of themhave spent a minimum of30 years and have losttouch with the country.

CMYK


Responses to:[email protected] to 0802 747 6458 OR0811 675 9752 (texts only).PLEASE KINDLY NOTETHAT UNLESS YOU RE-QUEST ANONYMITY,YOUR COMMENTS MAYBE PUBLISHED, WITHYOUR NAMES AND CON-TACT DETAILS AT-TACHED.

A nefarious calumny!

STANBIC IBTC Holdingscame under attack this

week from the Financial Re-porting Council of Nigeria,FRCN, which has made sev-eral inaccurate and unfair al-legations against a respectedorganisation that wasfounded by Mr AtedoPeterside, a corporate titanand Nigerian of note who hasearned an unimpeachablereputation.

The FRCN has suspendedMr Peterside (the Chairman),its Managing Director, SolaDavid-Borha, andothers…because of “account-ing irregularities and im-proper disclosures in thebank’s 2013 and 2014 finan-cial statements.”

The matter is in court at themoment, but Stanbic IBTCregards it as necessary to re-spond to certain aspects of the

FRCN’s damning report forthe benefi t of i ts stakeholders and the generalpublic.

I, meanwhile, am outragedby FRCN’s attempts to sullythe good name of MrPeterside. I have known himfor many years and amdefending free of charge and

*Mr. Atedo Peterside

will not seek or accept anyfinancial reward for doingso…because I see no reasonwhy an organisation that heand his trusted lieutenantshave painstakinglyestablished over a period ofseveral years should bedragged into the gutter.

With this in mind, let me

quote a few excerpts from apress release that was issuedearlier on this week by SolaDavid-Borha and ChidiOkezie, the Company Secre-tary of Stanbic IBTC. I amdeliberately excluding com-plex details that might not beunderstood by Vanguardreaders who are not financialsector experts:

“… Stanbic IBTC does notagree that its accounts aredefective or require rectifica-tion. Moreover, Regulation 27makes clear that where a re-porting entity does not accept

FRCN’s position, FRCN ‘shallinstitute a legal actionagainst the entity.’ FRCN hasignored this laid down pro-cess in preference for self-help and media publicity.

“The matters that FRCN al-leges to be wrong are notwrong in any material respectand many are in any eventnot matters of financial report-ing at all, but matters of busi-ness decision and judgmentfor Stanbic IBTC and its boardof directors….

“…Stanbic IBTC is a veryresponsible organisation andfully complies with all extantlaws and regulations in Ni-geria and international bestpractices applicable to theconduct of its business. It isthe only Nigerian bank thatis AAA rated by Fitch. It hasmet the disclosure require-ments of Nigerian law andinternational financial report-ing standards applicable inNigeria.

Financial reportingstandards

Contrary to the mediareports, the books of StanbicIBTC have been fullydisclosed and provide a trueand fair view of its assets andliabilities, profits and losses,and its overall financial po-sition.

“Contrary to the media re-ports, the Directors of StanbicIBTC have NOT been ousted.The directors, who are fromNigeria and elsewhere, arereputable individuals whouphold the best corporate gov-ernance practices and whose credibility, integrityand proven track record areimpeccable.

“Stanbic IBTC would like toreiterate that it will continueto conduct its business in com-pliance with extant Nigerianlaw and international best practices.”

Interestingly, the law firm ofKenna & Associates, which isheaded by Managing Partner,Fabian Ajogwu SAN, has quitrepresenting the FRC on theStanbic IBTC case, as a mat-ter of principle, due to con-cerns about FRC’s position.

LAST week, I told you thatCNN, the American TV

station, had done a passen-ger perceptions survey andconcluded that Port HarcourtInternational Airport is theworst airport in the entireworld.

Now, this week, more badnews: The World Bank hasjust ranked Nigeria 169 out of189 countries in its latest re-port on the ease of doing busi-ness globally.

According to the WorldBank’s Head of Communica-tions in Nigeria, Mr. ObadiahTohomdet, the report takesinto consideration the ease ofobtaining construction per-mits, getting electricity, en-forcing contracts, registeringproperty and trading acrossborders, among other param-eters.

Tohomdet went on to say that“Mauritius ranks best in thesub-Saharan Africa region,with a global ranking of 32,performing particularly well inthe areas of paying taxes andenforcing contracts…InMauritius, it takes only 152hours for entrepreneurs to paytaxes, compared to 261 hoursglobally.”

Another stain on Nigeria’s imageThe report gave Rwanda the

next best ranking in the re-gion, with a global ranking of62. Ten years ago, an entre-preneur in Rwanda took 370days to transfer property.Now, it takes 32 days whichis less than in Germany.

Meanwhile, Botswana wasranked 72th, South Africa73rd, the Seychelles 95th,Kenya 108th and Uganda122nd.

Bottomsegment

Considering that we aresupposed to be The Giant OfAfrica – and that we havemore human and natural re-sources than the above na-tions, it is highly embarrass-ing that we are patheticallylanguishing in the bottomsegment of the World Banklist.

Bluntly put, it is laziness,corruption and incompetencethat put us in this lowly posi-tion and we have no businessbeing less business-friendlythan countries that have feweradvantages!

Clearly, there is plenty ofroom for improvement. And I

pray that when PresidentBuhari’s ministerial andparastatal teams are in place,they will regard it as a crucialduty and matter of nationalpride to drastically improveour ranking.

Civil servants, judges, regu-latory bodies, legislators, lo-cal government officials, Gov-ernors and their Commission-ers also have key roles to play

within this context.There is no point constantly

harping on about the need formore foreign investment ifyou are not ready to roll upyour sleeves and do every-thing in your power to attractserious foreigners who canhelp us beef up our ailingeconomy.

I am outraged byFRC’s attempts tosully the goodname of MrPeterside; I see noreason why anorganisation thathe and his trustedlieutenants havepainstakinglyestablished over aperiod of severalyears should bedragged into thegutter

OPINION


By Desmond Orjiakor

Improvement in power sector: Kudos to Obasanjo

•Mr Orjiakor, a public affairs commenta-tor, wrote from Abuja.

EVERY well-informed Nigerian livingin the country since the second com-

ing of the military in December 1983 knowsthat very little investment was made in thepower sector until the Olusegun Obasanjoadministration came on board on May 29,1999. For many, this is a misconception.Another misconception was the one peddledby the late political orator and formerMinister of Power, and later Attorney Gen-eral and Minister of Justice, Chief Bola Ige,that the sector could be fixed within sixmonths.

Those two misconceptions drove the think-ing in the power sector. There were also veryfundamental structural problems. Publicutilities were run as a monopoly. Not just amonopoly, but also very top heavy andcentralised in its administration, in the caseof the power sector. And so, there were a num-ber of things that had to be done. There werethe reforms, for instance, the 2005 Act, whichprovides for the unbundling of the utility intodifferent entities which happened during theObasanjo administration when SenatorLiyel Imoke was minister. I think, Imokeworked closely with the Bureau of PublicEnterprises, BPE, to make sure that the lawwas passed. In fact, the Power Reform Actwas one of the most difficult laws to be passedin the National Assembly for obvious rea-sons. But it was passed, and that was the be-ginning of the reforms in earnest. With thepassage of the law, Nigerians started seeing

the unbundling of the utilities into smallerentities and this, in turn, saw them indepen-dently managed and being run more likebusiness entities. This, of course, was a stepin the right direction heading towards ulti-mately what we now see as the privatisationof these utilities.

All the structural amendments that need-ed to happen started during the Obasanjoadministration. There was an attempt to re-bundle the utilities during the Umaru MusaYar’Adua administration. This delayed forover two years the reforms and progress thathad been made. Yet, the fact that theGoodluck Jonathan administration cameback to that same blueprint of the Obasanjoera has led to some of the improvements wesee in the sector today. We now see that theFederal Government budget for the powersector was very huge. Now, with the privatesector buying in and taking some ownershipthrough the privatisation process, we are nowseeing the Federal Government spendingless and the private sector taking more re-sponsibilities for investment in power supply.One of the crucial things that you will observe

is that even the National Integrated PowerProjects, NIPPs and the investments thatwere made there from the sale of utilities,the Federal Government has been able torecover a substantial portion of those invest-ments. When those investments are paid forby their new owners, the Federal Governmentwill also recover from the power plants andthe distribution network. The only place thatthe Federal Government may not recoverfrom is the transmission networks becausethose ones were not privatised, themanagements were outsourced. This meansthat with that outsourcing arrangement, theassets still belong to the Federal and stategovernments.

Another thing that was also very criticalwith the reform in the power sector by theObasanjo administration was that, beyondthe passage of the bill and its implementa-tion, Nigerians saw that the greatest chal-lenge of power which some people have con-tinuously failed to appreciate is the avail-ability of gas. Most Nigerians fail to appre-ciate that gas, which belongs to another min-istry, is a completely separate investmentbeing made by another entity. Even effortswere made right from the Obasanjo admin-istration to make sure that everybody workedtogether to ensure the availability of gas forthe new power plants. Ultimately, there wasa disconnect. The power plants were oftenready with the MDAs responsible for gas notbeing able to deliver gas to the power plants.The price of gas was also a big issue. Indeed,the pricing of gas is so low that the oil ma-

jors have refused to drill and supply gas tothe power companies. Many also do notknow that what we have now with the re-form in the sector is new gas pricing whichis inevitable. With the new gas pricing, may-be more people will invest in gas and we cannow have enough gas to run the power plants.What this means is that there is a lot of fac-tors that need to be addressed for you to havepower.

Which is why it is extremely hazardouswhen over the years, you find in the reformprogrammes , the power probe which wenton, people began to bandy imaginary fig-ures- $16b, $10b, and so forth, without anyevidence of any records that such amountwas spent in actual figures. The NIPP hadabout two point something billion dollarsallocated to it at the time. Up until today,nobody has been able to establish where thesixteen billion and ten billion being droppedhere and there came about. But the truth isthat what the Obasanjo administration start-ed in terms of reform, which was interruptedat a point, is the same blueprint which isbeing implemented and is yielding tremen-dous results. It all started with a technicalcommittee under the Obasanjo administra-tion before NIPP. That technical committeewas responsible for delivering the first ever4,000 megawatts. At the time the technicalcommittee resumed, power generation wasdown to 1,600 Megawatts, and that techni-cal committee had about twenty months todeliver the 4,000 Megawatts.

What the Obasanjoadministration started isthe same blueprint whichis being implemented andis yielding tremendousresults

From MDGs to SDGs: meeting the new target

FOR a decade and a half, since 2000,Nigeria’s response towards theattainment of the eight internationalgoals and 21 individual targets of theMillennium Development Goals(MDGs) has been the focal point ofsocial and developmental agenda atlocal, state, and national levels.

The primary aim of the MDGs is toencourage overall humandevelopment by improving social andeconomic conditions in the world’spoorest countries on a set 15-yeartimeline. An enthusiastic signatory tothe MDG’s, Nigeria pursued thetargets vigorously with emphasis onimproving the social and economicconditions of the poorest Nigerians.

By utilising the principle of the rightof every individual to dignity,freedom, equality, a basic standard ofliving that includes freedom fromhunger and violence, Nigeria, likemany of the other 188 signatorycountries, produced moderate results.

Nigeria’s achievement of the MDGtargets is a mixed bag: while progresshas been above average in some areas,it is less satisfactory in others.

Nigeria utilised the MDG frameworkto improve its relatively poor healthindices such as reduction of maternaland child mortality, eradicating polio,reducing the spread of malaria andHIV/ AIDS, among others.

We are faced with the challenge oftackling a new developmentframework: the SustainableDevelopment Goals (SDGs), whichwere set at this year’s UN GeneralAssembly to mobilise the worldtowards confronting the many

problems facing the people. Thesenew 17 goals for sustainabledevelopment are to be met by the year2030.

The MDG’s were meant to start auniversal partnership towards tacklingdevelopmental challenges in theworld’s least developed countries toachieve a global baseline by 2015. TheSDGs are meant to finish the work in2030 by widening the scope of workneeded to be done to promoteconditions for sustainable humandevelopment such as peace buildingand overall improvement of theenvironment.

As Nigeria transits from the MDGsto the SDGs, government shouldprovide political support and policyguidance. We must pay qualityattention to measures that willpromote peace and stability, bearingin mind that countries that areembroiled in conflicts always lagbehind in sustainable development.

We must work harder to improveour education and health sectors. Weare still far from attaining the MDG’sin these areas, with many of our well-to-do countrymen and women stillstreaming abroad for qualityeducation and challenging healthcareissues.

It is also crucial that we pay moreattention to issues of environmentalprotection because of issues offlooding, coastal erosion,desertification, gully erosion andmassive deforestation, which threatenpresent and future of our country.Meeting the targets of the MDGs andSDGs Agenda is panacea towardssecuring a better future for posterity.

VANGUARD, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015—————1919191919

CMYK

Send Opinions & Letters to:[email protected]

Blair should singfrom jail

*Mr Udegbe, a legal practitioner,wrote from Lagos.

The temptations of Biafra

IRAQ, an ancient civilizationand Biblically, the homestead

of Abraham before he was calledto leave his father’s house, is anancient civilization bombed intoruins. The supposedly civilizedinvaders from God’s OwnCountry (the United States) and Europe were not only disinterested in Iraqi lives, butalso failed to protect historicalsites like the famous museumbuilt in Abraham’s claimedhomestead.

But the casualties wereactually the Iraqi children andyouths, men and women, babiesand the elderly. Over 1,033,000Iraqis were killed within sixyears by the invaders who alongwith the mercenaries theyemploy, are not interested inbody count if the victims are nottheir own troops. Over fivemillion, or 50 percent of Iraqichildren were made orphans.Three years into the 2003invasion, the United NationsHigh Commission for Refugees, UNHCR, reported that 1.8million Iraqis had fled into exile mainly in Jordan and Syriaand that an average 100,000were fleeing monthly. By that2006, the UNHCR said 1.6million additional Iraqis

were internally displaced.Journalists killed in combat by2009 were 136 while 51 mediasupport staff had also been killed.

The US which led the invasionhas suffered over 4,491 deathsand 32,000 injured. The Britishservicemen killed are 179 with3,500 injured. While the violencehas continued, it is the civiliansthat have been most affected,especially the minorities. In onebomb explosion alone, on August14, 2007, 796 Yazidis werekilled.

The Iraqi invasion has alsogiven birth to more wars,including the on-going oneswaged by the Islamic State,ISIS. With Iraqi leader,Saddam Hussein hanged bythe conquerors who alsomassacred his children andgrandchildren, that once viableand prosperous country has notonly become a killing field, butalso a failed state. It is not certainhow many governments ruletoday in that chaotic country, butthey cannot be less than four. TheShiite-controlled government inBaghdad is backed by theinvaders; the break-awayKurdish Republic is tolerated;the Sunnis have their ownstructures; while the ISIS

controls large parts of thecountry which it has declared aCaliphate. The Iraqi invasion hasalso led to an unsafe world withterror spreading, life becomingvery cheap, families separated,perhaps forever, and refugees intheir millions on the move tovarious parts of the world,including Europe.

These crimes against humanitywere initiated and executed bytwo main personalities: GeorgeWalker Bush, who was AmericanPresident, and his side kick, TonyBlair who was British PrimeMinister. The two-some whohave remained gleeful abouttheir crimes have not, and maynever be brought to justice.

This week, Blair appeared onCNN to insult once again, thecollective intelligence ofhumanity. While claiming to apologise for his infamous rolein Iraq, he was actually indulging

in self-justification.On September 24, 2002 the

Blair government released adocument on Iraq called the"September Dossier" in which itclaimed Iraq had weapons ofmass destruction, WMD,including chemical andbiological weapons. Blair in hisforeword to the Report claimedthat: “The document disclosesthat his (then Iraqi President,Saddam Hussein’s) militaryplanning allows for some of theWMD to be ready within 45minutes of an order to use them”.

The British Parliament wassummoned to discuss the so-called Report that same day.Based on these claims, US andBritain led their allies to invadeIraq. But when the invaders couldnot produce any shred ofevidence of the so-called WMD,the world realised that the wholestory had been cooked up as anexcuse to invade and destroyIraq.

This week, Blair rather thanaccept responsibility and confesshis crimes, attempted to blameBritish Intelligence for what he,Bush and former American VicePresident, Dick Cheney hadcooked up. Even at that, herefused to acknowledge theoutright falsehood; rather herambled that “the programme inthe form that we thought it wasdid not exist in the way that wethought. So I can apologise forthat” .

The shifty Blair added: ”I canalso apologise by the way forsome of the mistakes in planningand certainly our mistake in ourunderstanding of what wouldhappen once you removed theregime.” Is it really possible thatthe so called Coalition of theWilling which invaded Iraq, didnot think of a country afterremoving Saddam? That they didnot think about the destruction

and the aftermath of theinvasion? This is another cheaplie by the originator of Blairism,a political philosophy of massdeception.

Saddam had been a very goodboy of the West. He had been usedto invade Iran shortly after theIslamic revolution in thatcountry. In that September 1980– August 1988 war, about 300,000Iranians were killed as well asover 200,000 Iraqis. ButSaddam and his Western bossesfell out and they saw the need tocut him to seize. There was alsothe Iraqi oil, and the desire of theleading invaders to lay theirhands on it. Oil was also behindthe subsequent invasion of Libyaand its transformation intoanother failed state. In any case,Blair never told the British peopleor the world that the invasion’sobjective was the removalSaddam

While there is an umbilical cordlinking the 2003 Iraqi invasion and the establishmentand rise of ISIS, the double-speak Blair merely says: “I thinkthere are elements of truth inthat.”

So what crimes did the Iraqileadership, including Saddamand his sons commit for whichthe allies and their cohorts inIraq had them executed? It isokay for Blair to make ahypocritical apology and dodgeback into the comfort of his hometo lunch with his family and drinkwith friends. The same things hehas denied millions of people inIraq.

If in Britain, people can seek tomake a citizen's arrest ofPresident Robert Mugabe ofZimbabwe just because he doesnot agree with their homosexualculture, then there should be arush to apprehend Blair forhorrific war crimes. His apology song should be fromprison.

DO not be deceived, every Igbo man isa Biafran, irrespective of where he was

born and grew up on this earth, whether hefought and witnessed the Nigerian civil waror not. He may not even know what Biafrais all about, and may not believe in theconcept or idea of Biafra, but God knowswhy he was created an Igbo man. Althoughas an individual, he may know his purpose,vision and mission on earth, he would beincomplete until he discovers his role asan Igbo man. A man who does not knowhis identity irrespective of his status insociety needs help, and many Igbos needhelp in this regard.

I was in Biafra as a 12-year-old duringthe civil war, and saw war fronts, therefugee camps, feeding, research andproduction centers, etc. I saw deaths,hunger, kwashiorkor, oppression by thesoldiers on both sides of the war;intrigues: Biafrans killing Biafrans. But Ifound myself weeping uncontrollably theday it was announced that we lost the warbecause no one likes defeat, not even achild. Biafra was defeated in January1970; so when you mention it now, someare tempted to avoid it, postpone the topic,kill it, suppress it, while others want tospeak and stand by it.

Failure, they say, is an orphan, and theattitude of people when it seems that theyhave failed determines how far they willgo. But did Biafra and Ndigbo fail ?

While some in Nigeria feel that Biafraand Ndigbo failed, many have realisedfrom events in Nigeria 45 years after thatwar, that Biafra was an idea whose timewas yet to come, and we are extremelyproud and thankful to God for the positiveattitude of Ndigbo to matters in Nigeria,

in spite of all. Ndigbo have overcome andsurvived that war by excelling in spite ofits effects. They are scattered all overNigeria, thus becoming the single ethnicgroup found in all geopolitical zones ofthis country, peacefully makingcontributions, building their host societiesand their economies, in spite of thehatred, disdain and aggravations fromsuch host communities.

Only last week, the respected Deji ofAkure, for example, found it comfortableto insult the sensibilities of Ndigbo byreducing the personality of Eze-Ndigbo inOndo State, yet no Igbo king will dictatehow an Oba should carry on with hisaffairs as a king in Igbo land.

Some of these Obas have become soconfused about One Nigeria that rather

than foster unity between Igbos andYorubas, to take advantage of the hugeand awesome opportunities God has givento them in the South of Nigeria, they devoteso much time and energy creatingdivisions between the two ethnic groups,playing and falling into the hands andagenda of others in this geographicalexpression called Nigeria.

There is no record so far of any Eze ofIgbo land disparaging any Oba, but thatis what Igbos suffer very often. Theexperience of Igbos and the distinguishedOba of Lagos during the 2015 elections isstill fresh in our minds. It is a form ofbrewing xenophobia against Igbos inNigeria, and if Nigeria will not deal withit, Ndigbo will with time find ways roundthe whole gamut of insults. The keyoffense of Ndigbo is their competivenessand open attitude to life wherever they findthemselves. They believe truly in oneNigeria and live it, allowing their money,as small as it may be, to work for themwhere ever they live in Nigeria; but otherspay lip service to One Nigeria, always ondaggers-drawn when things do not suitthem.Last month, apparentlyoverwhelmed by Buhari’s victory at the2015 polls, a prominent Northern elite,Dr. Junaid Mohammed, taunted Ndigboto secede if they could, and face the wrathof the North. Nothing happened to him,no Northern elder said a word, not even arebuke from our President, lendingcredence to the belief in many quartersthat Buhari does not care about Ndigbo.It is xenophobia against Ndigbo, butNdigbo will not reject themselves ifNigeria under whichever President rejectsthem.

As long as this earth revolves on its axis,time will continue to change, and any ideawhose time has come cannot be stopped.Wise people therefore flow with ideaswhose time has come. But has the time forthe true Biafra come ? I am tempted to sayNO, because first, Igbos themselves are

By Clement Udegbe

not ready spiritually, mentally andphysically. Pointer: Their current fiveGovernors became either confused ordeliberately mischievous against this common cause of Ndigbo. If the time forBiafra was here, they would be made toregret their recent utterances for life.

Second, Igbos are well scattered all overNigeria, and whenever there is a littlediscomfort, they start running home, andhave done this since 1966. But after almost50 years Igbos ought to have developed asystem of exercising control and influencein their home communities without havingto be treated like castrated lambs all thetime. When the time for Biafra arrives,Igbos will begin to effectively use theirpositions within their host communities,without having to fire a gunshot in Nigeriaor within Igbo land.

Third, when the time for Biafra comes,Igbo youths will sit down, think deeply,and plan well concerning the developmentof Igbo land, making support for thebest interests of Ndigbo the basis foreverything. They will begin to hold theirleaders accountable and demand morethan the current practice where theirsenators and NASS representatives onlyorganise football matches during festiveperiods as their community projects.Ostentatious, greedy and deceptivegovernors will be resisted and rejectedacross Igbo land.

Finally, Igbo youths should avoid beingpart of the killing of the economy of theSouth East Zone. They disrupted trade andcommerce during the Ekulobia Prisonsnonsense by this government, and now itis about Nnamdi Kanu. They need tounderstand that this Buhari governmentof APC does not care about Ndigbo andso should strategise to develop Igbo landfirst.

If in Britain,people can seek tomake a citizenarrest of PresidentRobert Mugabe ofZimbabwe justbecause he does notagree with theirhomosexualculture, then thereshould be a rush toapprehend Blair forhorrific war crimes

When the time forBiafra comes, Igboyouths will sit down,think deeply and planwell concerning thedevelopment of Igboland, making supportfor the best interests ofNdigbo the basis foreverything

20—Vanguard, Vanguard, Vanguard, Vanguard, Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015

CMYK

Festac fire:Homelessresidents countlosses

By Esther Onyegbula

FESTIVAL Town popularly called Festac has been in

the news lately, albeit fornegative reasons. Theseunpleasant news stories rangefrom high profile armedrobbery and kidnapping to oilbunkering. The latestunpalatable news coming fromthe middle-incomeneighbourhood is Tuesdayevening’s fire incident thatrazed four flats located on 401Road.

Although no life was lost,occupants of the affectedapartments were renderedhomeless while property andvaluable documents worthmillions of Naira weredestroyed in the strange fireoutbreak whose cause is yet tobe ascertained.

Vanguard Metro, VM, learntthat the inferno which beganfrom Flat 14, spread to threeother flats(13, 15 and 16) inBlock 2, D Close, 401Road.

Actual cause ofthe inferno

Although the actual cause ofthe inferno has not beenascertained, speculations arerife that the incident may havebeen caused by power surge.

A resident who simplyidentified himself as Kaluinformed VM thus: “The firebegan at about 4pm, after EkoElectricity DistributionCompany, EKO DISCO,restored power supply. Wenoticed thick smoke comingfrom one of the flats and beforeanything could be done, fourflats were already in flames”.

VM saw staff of the FireServices trying to put off theinferno which had spread tothe other apartments in thebuilding. One of the victims ofthe disaster is an APC stalwartin the area, Mr. SeunOkuwobi. He narrated hisordeal to VM. “I occupy Flat15, which is one of thebuildings gutted by fire. Iwent to work when the firestarted.

•As member LSHA reaches out tovictims

“I work with the Lagos StateMinistry of Transportation inEjigbo. I was still at my placeof work in Ejigbo around 4pmwhen I received a call frommy sister informing me of fireoutbreak in the Block housingmy flat. I immediately boardeda vehicle to the house. I wasstill on my way back when Ireceived another call that theinferno had spread to flats 15,16 and 13. I can’t really saythe actual cause of the firebecause I was not there. Butwhen I came back, theneigbourhood had alreadybeen taken over by onlookers.Some people said the fire wascaused by a surge in power,”he said.

Continuing, Okuwobilamented: “By the time I gothome, it was already late. Allmy belongings had beenconsumed by the inferno. Noteven a pin was recovered fromany of the four flats affected.These clothes I am putting onare all that I have left”.

He appealed to governmentand good spirited Nigeriansto come to their aid. “We need

All mybelongings wereconsumed by theinferno; not evena pin wasrecovered fromany of the fourflats affected;these clothes I amputting on are allthat I have left

*Scene of the fire with charred debris from the affected flats

•Another view of the fire-scarred block of flats (inset) Kayode...another victim

*Seun Okuwobi...a victim

assistance from thegovernment,” the victim whosaid he is an orphan, pleaded.

Another victim, Mr. KayodeOlusesi, an applicant, said hewas not around when theinferno started. “I got a callfrom a good Samaritaninforming me that fire hadgutted my apartment. I was atthe Lagos State University,LASU, to sort out issuesconcerning my transcriptwhen the disaster occurred.By the time I came back, thosewho were in the house,informed me that the firestarted from my apartment(Flat 14) as soon as EkoElectricity DistributionCompany restored power. I amnot in a position to know if thefire was as a result of powersurge because I was not in thehouse,” he said.

An obviously devastatedKayode who said he lost all hisdocuments and otherhousehold property to themysterious fire, appealed tothe Lagos State government tocome to the aid of the victimsof the incident.

Negativeoccurrences

President of Festac TownResidents Association, 401Road chapter, Mr Leo Njokuregretted that Festac is fastbecoming popular for crimeand other negative occurrenc-es”. “I have lived here for along while. I was a youngbachelor when I got this apart-ment. These occurrences start-ed with the

high rate of corruption andcrime . Lately Festac has be-

come a haven for criminals.This goes to show that the badboys are here and may be re-sponsible for the various neg-ative things that have hap-pened in the community,” hesaid.

Apart from armed robberyand kidnapping, VM gath-ered that oil bunkering isthriving on 7th Avenue.

Meanwhile, the memberrepresenting the area in theLagos State House of Assem-bly, Mr. Dipo Olorunrinu hasreached out to the victims.Dipo who represents Amuwo-Odofin Constituency 1, gaveoccupants of the affected flatsN200, 000 to get temporaryshelter. He promised topresent their case to Gover-nor Akinwunmi Ambode.


CMYK

TSA: FBN Holdings announces settlement ofN1.88bn fines

By Nkiruka Nnorom

‘E-commerce in Nigeria attracts over N39bn in FDI’

By Jonah Nwokpoku

CHIEF Executive Officer, TroykaGroup, Biodun Shobanjo has

said that electronic commerce hasattracted Foreign Direct Investment,FDI worth over $200 million, about N39billion for Nigeria (over the past threeyears).

He stated this while delivering akeynote address at a summit organisedby Nigeria’s online marketplace,Konga.com for sellers on its marketplaceplatform.

He said with internet penetrationdriving the sector and growthexceeding 25 per cent annually, thesector has remained one of the keydrivers of the Nigerian economy.

Shobanjo who compared ecommerce

to the African village centre typical ofAfrican culture noted that “Konga hasbecome this commercial centre wheresellers and buyers come to interact.”

He added that Konga has become thatvillage market where there is equal accesswith all the features of a typical villagemarket where the loudest voice wins andthere are multiple options for buyers.”In an address, Konga’s Founder/ChiefExecutive Officer, Sim Shagaya said thesummit created an opportunity forKonga’s valued sellers, upcoming youngentrepreneurs as well as small andmedium enterprises to learn fromexperts about the dynamic operationsof e-commerce, develop sustainablestrategies to advance their businessesand learn about essential businessservices.

He said: “At Nigeria’s staggering growthrate, the UN projects that Nigeria will bethe third most populous country in theworld by 2050. Today, over 80 millionNigerians have access to the internet;mobile phone penetration is even higherat estimated 88 million. It is clearlyimperative that businesses begin toposition themselves to benefit from thesetrends.

“E-commerce is one of the fastestgrowing and most dynamic businesssectors in the world today. The situationin Africa is quite unique; the need tocreate, build from the scratch and adaptis ubiquitous. At Konga, we quicklyrealised the opportunity to partner withour valued sellers and pool our individualstrengths to succeed despite the variousimpediments in building vibrant smalland medium businesses.”

119.40 0.30$3,219.00 0.00

$14.58 -0.07

CURRENCY BUYING CENTRAL

CBN Exchange Rate as at 29 /10 /15

48.98 -0.07

46.10 0.16

DOLLAR 195.97 196.47 196.97POUNDS 299.5401 300.3044 301.0686EURO 216.8604 217.4137 217.967FRANC 199.1363 199.6443 200.1524YEN 1.6278 1.6319 1. 6361CFA 0.3113 0.3213 0.3313WAUA 273.437 274.1346 274.8323RENMINBI 30.8134 30.9825 30.9716RIYAL 52.2489 52.3822 52.5155SDR 274.0444 274.7436 275.4428KRONA 29.0649 29.139 29.2132

FBN Holdings Plc yesterday saidthat its subsidiary, First Bank ofNigeria Limited, has settled the

N1.88 billion fines imposed on thebank by the Central Bank of Nigeriafor defaulting on the apex bank’sdirective on Treasury SingleAccount (TSA).Confirming the settlement of fines ina filing with the Nigerian StockExchange (NSE), FBN Holdings saidthat its management is still engagingthe apex bank in conversation overthe decision.FBN Holdings also assured the publicthat First Bank of Nigeria Limited andthe entire FBN Group are responsiblecorporate citizens and remaincommitted to values epitomized bystrict compliance to the higheststandards of ethics and corporategovernance.

Meanwhile, the bank’s shares fell by3.9 per cent to settle at N5.10, itslowest since April following theimposition of the fines.It would be recalled that the FederalGovernment had given September 15deadline for all Ministries,

Departments and Agencies ofgovernment to move their funds forstate-owned bodies to the TreasurySingle Account at the central bankin a move designed to clamp downon corruption and financial waste inthe public sector.Following reports of non-complaince, the apex had fined FirstBank the sum of N1.88 billion forfailing to transfer deposits of statecompanies to the CBN.First Bank had concealed N37.55billion belonging to the Nigerian

National Petroleum Corporation’s(NNPC) instead of remitting it to theTSA as directed. The penalty imposed on the bank wasthe equivalent of five per cent of thefunds it failed to remit, while thebank’s account was debited for theunremitted amounts and thepenalties.At the last Bankers’ Committee heldin Lagos early this month, the centralbank officials had impressed on thebanks the need to comply with thedirective, saying that it had it on good

authority that some banks werecolluding with some ministries,departments and agencies (MDAs) toconceal their funds.In response, the bank chiefexecutives said that they had adirective from the Accountant-General of the Federation to aDirector in the CBN exempting someMDAs from transferring their fundsto the TSA.According to reports, a week after themeeting, CBN discovered that somebanks had still not complied andproceeded to call all tier 1 banks.

WORKSHOP: From left: Jibril Aku, vice chairman, FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange;Mrs Eme EssienLore, country manager, International Finance Corporation, Nigeria; Zakawanu Garuba, executivecommissioner, corporate services, Securities and Exchange Commission, and Bola Onadele.Koko,at the FMDQ Nigeria Debt Capital Market (DCM) workshop with the theme: “The Nigeria Debt CapitalMarket-Towards a Brighter Future,” in Lagos. Photo : Akeem Salau.

In a related development, UnitedBank for Africa (UBA) yesterday alsoconfirmed that it had received a letterfrom the CBN notifying it of penaltyto the tune of N2.9 billion.According to the bank, the fineamounts to five percent of FGN MDAs’late remittance of N58.8 billionbalance as at October 15, 2015 inrespect of the TSA scheme.The bank also stated that it is‘engaging the CBN’ over thedevelopment, while assuring that thebank as a responsible corporatecitizen “continues to ensure strictadherence to all regulatorystipulations and would at all times doits utmost to meet the expectations


CMYK

STAKEHOLDERS in thenation’s capital market have

called on the Securities andExchange Commission (SEC) tostreamline the issuing process forintending bond issuers in orderto allow more issuers access thedebt capital market.

They also called on theCommission to reviewtransaction cost down.According to them, corporateorganisations use debt issues toleverage their balance sheet ifthere is availability of reasonableservicing cost.

Speaking as one of thepanellists at the FMDQ debtcapital market workshop, with thetheme, “The Nigerian DebtCapital Markets – Towards aBrighter Future”, Mr. VictorOgiemwonyi, President,Association of Issuing Houses ofNigeria (ASHON), said there isneed to also address the currentinterest rate regime to inject theneeded vibrancy in the bondmarket.

He, however, argued thataddressing the problem ofinterest rate would be difficultwith the present practice offixing foreign exchange rate aspractised by the Central Bank ofNigeria.

He explained that allowingforeign exchange to adjust itselfwould result in a stable interestrate regime over time.

He said, “In order to be able toget the debt capital market toreally take its place, the majorissue to address is interest rate.But here is the problem; theforeign exchange rate has abearing. Without adjusting theforeign exchange rate or allowingit to adjust itself, it will be toodifficult for us to do anythingwith interest rate. If you allowforeign exchange rate to find itsbearing, sooner or later, ourinterest rate will adjust itself.”

“We cannot continue to deceiveourselves, we are supposed to bethe 26th largest economy in theworld; we cannot be havingdifferent rates for the naira. Weare so good at defending thenaira in the last 10 years. We

spend hundred billion of dollarsdefending the naira, but we stillhave exchange rate of N200 to adollar. So, we need to addressthat,” he added.

On timing for bond issuance,he said: “We cannot have anenvironment where if you areissuing a bond it lasts forever. InEurope and America, usually, thetime to do this is six to eight weekson the average. Our issuingprocessing should be shortenedin such a way that we can do itquickly.”

In its response, Mr. AbbasAbdulkadir, Deputy Director,Securities Offering, Securitiesand Exchange Commission(SEC), assured that theCommission is working inconjunction with otherstakeholders to ensure that costof transaction is brought downnot just in the fixed incomemarket, but across the entirecapital market.

On the issuing process,Abdulkadir said that SEC reviewsapplications brought before it ‘inits entirety’ to ensure that errorsand all gray areas are eliminated.

Bond issuance: SEC urged tostreamline issuing process, cost

Stories by NkirukaNnorom

FBN Holdings Plc has unveiled a new brand identityfor its merchant banking and asset management group,

FBNQuest, in line with its commitment to improve service deliveryto clients. The bank also announced its readiness to commencemerchant banking services on November 2.

FBNQuest includes FBN Merchant Bank Limited, FBN CapitalLimited, FBN Securities Limited, FBN Capital Asset ManagementLimited, FBN Trustees Limited, FBN Funds Limited and FBNCapital Partners Limited as they will now operate under onebrand identity.

The new brand identity, according to the bank, does not alterthe existing ownership and governance structures of all thecompanies within the group.

Speaking at a press conference to announce the change, KayodeAkinkugbe, MD/CEO, FBN Capital said the unification of all thesubsidiaries under one single identity would enable the bankoffer broad range of services in a simplified way to its clients.

“As we prepare to commence Merchant Banking services onthe 2nd of November 2015, this evolution to one brand is importantfor the alignment of our business and brand strategy. Theunification of all these subsidiaries under a single identity,FBNQuest, allows us to offer our broad range of services to ourclients in a simplified way. It also conveys a more unified companyethos and vision that seeks to create value-driven connectionswith clients and build lasting relationships.”

“We aim to be the leading Merchant Bank and Asset Managerin Africa, a trusted and inspirational partner, with deep localroots and global insights. This client-centric approach allows usto provide services more efficiently and effectively,” he added

Mrs Ibukun Awosika, Chairman, FBN Capital Limited, added:“With the acquisition of Kakawa Discount House by FBNHoldings, and the CBN’s approval of the associated MerchantBanking Licence, we believed it was important to consolidate thevarious brands in our investment banking and asset managementgroup under one cohesive identity.

THE Central SecuritiesClearing System (CSCS) Plc

has reiterated its commitmenttowards full dematerialization ofshare certificates in the NigerianCapital Market. This was madeknown at a stakeholder’s meetingheld in Lagos recently where theissue of shares migration wasdiscussed.

Earlier, the Managing Directorof CSCS Plc, Mr. Kyari Bukarstressed the need for investors toembrace the exercise, saying thatfull dematerialization of sharecertificates has come to stay whileemphasizing that it will promotetransparency in the market,enhance investors’ confidence and

CSCS commits to total dematerializationof share certificates

further internationalize the capitalmarket.

The system of issuing sharecertificates had posed a myriad ofproblems such as delay in issuanceand dispatch of certificates, delayin verification of share certificates,loss, theft and forgeries of sharecertificates respectively.

With a view to addressing theseproblems, the Securities andExchange Commission (SEC) hadissued a directive that all sharecertificates should be fullydematerialized in line with itsvision to rid the market of certificatelosses and associated challenges.

Speaking at the event, Mr. JoeMekiliuwa, General Manager,

Operations at CSCS Plc said thatfull dematerialization will ensuretotal elimination of physical sharecertificates or documents of titlewhich represent ownership ofsecurities and convert these sharecertificates into electronic bookentries. According to Mekiliuwa,“at full dematerialization of sharesof a company, all existing sharecertificates hitherto notdematerialized are electronicallylodged into CSCS under theumbrella of the relevant registrarsin the account of the investors,thereby maintaining the electroniccopy in CSCS for controlpurposes”.

FBN Holdingsunveils FBNQuest

From left: Winner of the Visa-Total win free fuel Campaign, Mr. Idowu Lawrence;Human Resources and Corporate Affairs Manager, Total Nig. Plc, Mr. MabuyakuAlbert; Country Director, Visa West Africa, Mr. Ade Ashaye and NetworkDevelopment Manager, Total Nig. Plc, Mr. Maxence Bourgoing; during thepresentation of gift to the winner at the ongoing Visa-Total partnership on winfree fuel campaign in Lagos.

STANBIC IBTC Holdings Plc has announced 10 per centgrowth in gross earnings to N104.4 billion from N94.6

billion for the nine month period ended September 30, 2015.Highlights of the bank’s unaudited financial statement filedat the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) showed that its totalassets was up six per cent to N1,000.8 trillion as againstN944.5 billion recorded as at December 2014. Gross loans& advances to customers went up marginally by one percent to N418.3 billion compared to N413.4 billion posted inDecember 2014.Customer deposits witnessed two per cent increase, risingto N503.6 billion from N494.9 billion in December 2014.However, the bank’s profit before tax declined to N15.3 billionfrom N30.0 billion, representing 49 per cent decrease, whileprofit after tax went down by 46 per cent from N25.2 billionin 2014 to N13.5 billion. Net interest income of N32.9 billion,declined five per cent compared to N34.7 billion posted ayear earlier.Also, non-interest revenue of N41.3 billion, declined twoper cent from N42.0 billion recorded a year earlier, whiletotal operating income of N74.3 billion, was down three percent from N76.7 billion in 2014.Further breakdown showed that the group maintainedadequate capital to support its business in the nine monthsand are well above the regulatory requirement.The group’s total capital adequacy ratio closed the periodat 20.6 per cent (Bank 15.7%), while the tier 1 capitaladequacy ratio stood at 17.2 per cent (Bank 12.1%). Theseratios are well above the 10 per cent minimum statutoryrequirement.The group’s liquidity ratio stood at 51.2 per cent, while thebank’s liquidity ratio was at 48.5 per cent at the end of ninemonths in 2015. This ratio is significantly higher than the30 per cent regulatory minimum.Commenting, Sola David-Borha, CEO Stanbic IBTCHoldings, said: “Our business continues to thrive in the thirdquarter of 2015 despite the stiff and challenging operatingenvironment. Our performance reflects steady growth inour balance sheet position, improved revenue from feesand commission and continued drive on cost containmentmeasures.“Operating income declined by three per cent while costgrowth remained below inflation rate. Loans and advancesto customers grew marginally by one per cent due toeconomic conditions and our focused approach to maintain agood quality loan book.”

Stanbic IBTC announces10% growth in Q3 revenue


Global WGlobal WGlobal WGlobal WGlobal West’s training vest’s training vest’s training vest’s training vest’s training vessel causes stir inessel causes stir inessel causes stir inessel causes stir inessel causes stir inmaritime industrmaritime industrmaritime industrmaritime industrmaritime industryyyyy

C ONTROVERSY is at the moment

brewing over the use of theRoyal Norwegian militaryvessel bought by Global WestSpecialist Vessel Limited totrain Nigerian cadets pres-ently undergoing seafaringtraining abroad.

Global West Specialistvessel Limited ispurportedly owned by ChiefGovernment Ekpemupolo,aka Tompolo .

The vessel, a 135 bunkmilitary war ship with twocinema halls, two lecturehalls, two hospitals and twomess rooms, was de-commissioned before it washanded over to GlobalWest.

Vanguardlearnt somepowerful Nigerians haveganged up against the useof the vessel for the trainingof cadets.

It was also gathered thathe same group of people arealso making moves to to getthe NIMASA’smanagement to start a re-bidfor the supply of anothertraining vessel.

It was gathered that thepurchase of the vessel wasa decision reached by boththe managements of theGlobal West and the Nigeri-an Maritime Administra-tion Safety Agency,(NIMASA) when it wasdiscovered that the pur-chasing a vessel by theagency was prohibitivelyexpensive.

The agency, Vanguardlearnt decided to invitecompanies to bid for thesupply of training a vesselfor the cadets to enablethem have the mandatorysea time training.

It was at this point thatGlobal West decided to gofor a training vessel andended up buying the de-commissioned Norwegianwar ship.

The vessel, according toVanguard investigation, wasarrested by the NigerianNavy as soon as she arrivedthe shores of Nigeria.

The Navy, it was gathered,had to detain the vesselfollowing Tompolo’santecedents.

All effort by Global West toretrieve the vessel from theNigerian Navy provedabortive.

The management of theNigerian MaritimeAdministration and SafetyAgency, Vanguard furthergathered has re-ordered fora supply of another trainingvessel. Although, Vanguardcould not confirm thisdevelopment, but the ActingDirector General of theagency, Haruna Baba Jaurotold Vanguard that he hasheard about the vessel.

He said “I do not knowmuch about the vessel but Ihave heard about itbecause I heard people

Nigeria not delisted from transit cargolist —BelloCONTRARY to me-

dia report, the Ni-gerian Shippers’ Coun-cil has said that therewas never a time Niger-ia was delisted from thelist of transit cargo na-tions.

Executive Secretary ofthe Council, Mr. HassanBello disclosed thiswhen he visited the Cor-porate Headquarters ofVanguard Newspapersadding that landlockedcountries only stoppedtransiting their cargoesthrough Nigerian ports.

He said nobody candelist Nigeria from thelist of transit cargonations adding that itwas the importers thatdecided to go to othercountries because theygot more efficientservices.

Bello also said that theNigeria through theCouncil has concludedplans to re-direct transitcargo trade back to Ni-geria.

He reiterated the factthat Nigeria still remainsthe nearest to most of thelandlocked countries,

patronizing Nigerianports will add value totheir businesses.

According to Bello theissuance of transit permitwas another factor thatworked against the issueof transit cargo in Niger-ia as it was only issuedin Abuja.

Now, the issuance oftransit permit has beendecentralized as it cannow be issued in Lagosand other Customs Com-mands and formation.

The Council boss dis-

closed that any momentfrom now economic opera-tors from Niger will startbringing their transit goodsthrough Nigerian ports.

He explained that theuncoordinated mannerthrough which goods arecleared was the reasonmost importers from land-locked countries had to lookelsewhere for efficiency.

He further disclosed thatthe Council has taken ad-vantage of the efficiencybrought into the Nigerianport system by concession-

aires.Bello said that the Coun-

cil had also taken somestakeholders to Niger tomeet with the maritimestakeholders of that coun-try with a view to seeinghow both countries canwork together for a mutu-ally benefitting economicrelationship.

He said “Already, Ni-geriens have signified in-terest in transiting theircargoes through Nigerianports, Chad and otherlandlocked countries arealso thinking of towing thesame line.”

BraBraBraBraBrawwwwwal, NPal, NPal, NPal, NPal, NPA in courA in courA in courA in courA in court ot ot ot ot ovvvvver Kirikirier Kirikirier Kirikirier Kirikirier Kirikiriterminal concessionterminal concessionterminal concessionterminal concessionterminal concession

STORIES BY GODWINORITSE

CONTRARY to media reports, the man-

agement of Aero- maritimehas said that its subsidiary,Brawal shipping is in courtwith Nigerian Ports Author-ity, (NPA) over moves toconcession the Kiri Kirilighter terminal.

Recall that the media re-ported that Brawal andnot Chief Victor Odili isin court with NPA.

In a statement signed byMr. Omotayo AdetonaCompany Secretary toBrawal shipping said theowner of the shipping firmChief Victor Odili is not aparty to the suit which isbefore a Federal Highcourt.

Adetona explained thatBrawal shipping has beenlessees to the NPA forabout forty years in respectof certain portions of theterminal situate and knownas Kirikiri Lighter Terminal

1 and 2.He said that the claim

has nothing to do withrental disagreement butwith the proposed con-cessioning of the port facil-ities by the governmentthrough the NPA.

He further explained thatby virtue of being a lesseeof the NPA for almost fortyyears, the company has theright of first refusal in thecomcessioning of the facili-ties.

Part of the statementreads “Over the years therehad existed mutually ben-eficial commercial relation-ship between NPA and ourclients as our client neverdefault in its obligation toNPA on rental payment.

“The NPA presents its in-voice for each year as atwhen due and our clientnever queried any increasein the rent demanded aslong as the increase is jus-

tifiable and in accordancewith the open marketrental value of the areaoccupied by our client.

“The claim before theFederal High court has todo with the proposed con-cession of the port facilitiesby the Federal Governmentof Nigeria through the Ni-geria Ports Authority whichour clients are rightly enti-tled of the view that they areentitled to an option of rightof first refusal having beenusing the facilities for aboutforty years and contributedimmensely to developmentof the area known today asKiri Kiri Lighter Terminal.

Vanguard gathered thatthe plan to concession theKiri Kiri Lighter Terminalwas proposed by the NPAover two years ago andstruggle by some powerfulNigerians to have the ter-minal concessioned tothem has slowed down theprocess.

VISIT : Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, Chief of Naval Staff, presenting a plaque toMr. Haruna Baba Jauro, Acting Director-General, NIMASA, when the NIMASAboss visited the Naval Head Quarters in Abuja, recently.

Nobody candelist Nigeriafrom the list oftransit cargonation

NIMASA’sspokespersonbagsoutstandingimage makeraward

THE Head of PublicR e l a t i o n s

department of theNigerian MaritimeAdministration andSafety Agency(NIMASA), Hajia LamiTumaka has emerged thewinner of the mostoutstanding maritimeindustry Image Maker inthe 6th NationalEvergreen MaritimeMerit Award.

Hajia Tumakaemerged winnerthrough a rigorousprocess of survey carriedout by a team of maritimejournalists with over 10maritime industry imagemakers in the contest.

Presenting the awardat a colourful ceremonyat the Mobil PegasusClub in Apapa, theorganizers of the Awardsled by Mr. Tunde Ojodunoted that Hajia Tumakawas selected inrecognition of herexcellent relationshipwith the maritime media,industry stakeholdersand members of thepublic.

According to him, thisexplains why themanagement ofNIMASA called on herto once again repositionthe image of theregulatory agency whichwas at an all time lowbefore the removal of theformer Director Generalin July this year.

talking about it, I have notseen it, so there is very littleI can say about it.”

Haruna Baba Jaurodenied NIMASA’s order forthe supply of anothertraining vessel.

“I am not aware of that”he said

The spokesman of ChiefEkpemupolo, Comrade PaulBebenimibo told Vanguardthat he was not aware of theexistence of the vesselsaying that “there is noth-ing like that.”

A source at the agency toldVanguard that the sea timeaspect of the NationalSeafarers Development Pro-gramme initiated by NIMA-SA is very critical to thetraining of the cadets.

The source also said thatthe said vessel could havebeen the best training shipfor the cadets as she is veryrobust and in excellentcondition , built to a veryhigh standard and can be

BRIEFS

LAGOS Deep OffLogistics, base,

the high value industri-al village and FreeZone, built around a spe-cialised port on an islandat the point of entry intoLagos harbour, has beenawarded Winner of theSub-Saharan African re-gional free zones awardand Winner of the LargeTenants award for Africa,in fDi magazine’s GlobalFree Zones of the Year2015.

Ladol was also HighlyCommended as AfricanFree Zone of the year.

Winning the LargeTenants award, LadolFree Zone was praisedfor increasing some37.5% capacity between2013 and 2014.

Due to the high speci-fication infrastructure,round the clock opera-tions and focus on deliv-ering transparent relia-ble service to the DeepOffshore oil and gasmarket, LADOL hasbeen able to halve thecost of logistics support

LADOL wins5 awards


By Ben Nwabueze

Fighting corruption subject toconstitutional limitations (3)

This is the third and concluding part of the piece. In the secondedition which was published yesterday, Prof. Nwabueze arguedthat the president has no power or responsibility under ourfederal system to watch over or oversee the state and localgovernments to ensure that they do not commit corruption

RECENTLY, it wasreported in the media

that the Chairman of theNigerian Governors Forum andGovernor of Zamfara State,Abdulaziz Yari, spoke withsome journalists in Abuja andpresented a gloomy picture ofthe nation’s economy.

The governor said “both theFederal and StateGovernments had beenborrowing to pay salaries in thepast two years”. This byimplication makes it a difficulttask for both tiers ofgovernments to embark oncapital projects.

His assertion was based onthe negative impact of thecurrent cash crunch in thenation due to drastic decline inthe prices of crude oil in theinternational market.

Consequently, the GovernorsForum Chairman insisted thatdiversification of the economyremains the only survivalstrategy for the country toovercome the current cashcrunch. He regretted that thesituation in states was morecomplex because “they lack theluxury of long-term borrowinglike the Federal Government”.

Democraticexperience

From all indications, it isworrisome to note that thedebacle nature of the currentscenario in the life of thepresent democratic experiencehas put the nation in a state ofeconomic quagmire thatrequires not only theapplication of the best economicpractices based on logics andsound reasoning, but also theintervention of the AlmightyGod, whose miracle does themagic.

As it has been the popularview of the public, mostespecially stakeholders in theeconomy, Gov. Yari’s stance that“the only thing that can saveus is to diversify the economy”,is no doubt a fact. But, it willnot be out of place to pronouncethat we still need prayers andfaith in God for us to overcomethe short and long-termnegative effects of the presentchallenges.

This is in view of the fact thatthe process of diversification isnot a day’s affair neither is itan exercise that will yield theneeded result in a twinkle ofan eye. It will require enoughtime to actualize. It will alsorequire time and space for itsnatural cause to take placeespecially in the areas ofagriculture and mining, whichGov. Yari identified.Diversification will equallyrequire the rigorous process ofhuman engagements and theenthronement of our core

THE fact that paymentunder the provision of

section 7(2) is in consequenceof a default in payment by theState Government does notmake it any the less a breachof constitutional requirement.

Re-affirming autonomy as acardinal principle of our federalsystem, the Supreme Courtfurther held that the duty caston a State Government bysection 162 (6) to maintain aState Joint Local GovernmentAccount as well as the powerto manage such Account whichis implied by the duty is so caston it as an autonomous tier of

underlying the Constitution isthat local government is anagency of the StateGovernment, and derives itsestablishment, structure,composition, finance andfunctions from a law made bythe State House of Assembly(section 7(1), save again asaforesaid.

The words structure andcomposition are underlined toemphasize that only a state lawcan establish a committee orother structures for a localgovernment and prescribe theircomposition; the FederalGovernment cannot lawfullyenjoin the State Government todo so, as the Monitoring Actpurports to have done, despitethe phrase “such terms…asmay be prescribed by theNational Assembly” in section162(3), (4), (5) and (7) of theConstitution which should beread subject to the basicprinciple embodied in section7(1).

Inauguralspeech

As was said by OgundareJSC in Att-Gen of Abia State v.Att-Gen of the Federation[2002] 6 NWLR (Pt. 763) 264 atpage 422: “the Constitutionintends that everythingrelating to Local Governmentsbe in the province of the StateGovernment rather than in thatof the Government of theFederation……Other thanthese [exceptions]. I can findno provision in theConstitution empowering theNational Assembly to makelaws affecting localgovernment.”

The President’s statement inhis Inaugural Speech quotedabove is particularly amazingbecause it appears that hemade it without being aware ofthe decision andpronouncements of theSupreme Court in theMonitoring Act case or, maybehe just decided to disregard ornot to be bound by them. ButVice-President Yemi Osinbajocould not have been unawareof the decision andpronouncements since he wasthe Attorney-General for LagosState at the time and a party tothe suit or, maybe he did nothave access to the Speech indraft before it was delivered.

Final remarks: To sum up.What we say is that the pastshould not be allowed to repeatitself again; in explicit words,the war against corruptionshould not, as happened in thepast, be used again tocamouflage or disguise theplan to foist a dictatorship onus. The story of that tragicexperience of the past is toldin my next write-up titled Thetragedy of our lack of collectivesense of history.

Economy: Yari’s worries and Ugwuanyi’sbelief in innovations, God’s miracle

By Louis O. Amoke

values and norms that willguarantee its success.

The trepidation, therefore, isthat the nation has to surviveon temporal and innovativemeasures, while it glues itselfto the intricacies and fertility ofdiversification; hence the needto apply wisdom, vision,innovation, strategy and placeour faith in God becomesimperative. The questions nowbegging for answers are these:how prepared is the nation todrive the process ofdiversification? What do wehave on ground to support theprocess in terms of facilities,peaceful atmosphere, securityand core values that wouldpromote fiscal discipline,transparency and accountabilitywhich are pivotal to the successof the proposed diversification?etc.

While I am of the view thatdiversification of the nation’seconomy still remains the sine-qua-non of our survival strategy,the truth is that as we lookinwards to harness thosepotentials which we abandonedfor free oil money, we still needto rely on God to succeed.

I wish, therefore, to urgeGovernor Yari of Zamfara Stateto be encouraged by the wordsof his Enugu counterpart,Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyiwho in his inaugural speechproclaimed that “since it isknowledge driven economiesand not oil driven economiesthat rule the world, I believe thatthis is another great opportunityfor Enugu State, and indeedNigeria to look inwards andharness those potentials whichfree oil money has blinded usfrom exploiting. Importantly, Ibelieve in the miracle of 5loaves and 2 fish. I believe that

God will give us the wisdomand courage to successfullynavigate through the currenteconomic crunch”.

It is also amazing to note thatGov. Ugwuanyi in keeping faithwith the above vision has inspite of the economic downturninitiated innovative andlaudable people-orientedprogrammes and policiesaimed at developing EnuguState. Apart from theaggressive maintenance ofroads in Enugu metropolis totackle the difficultiesexperienced by road users as aresult of dangerous potholeswhich create chaotic gridlocksand increase the incidents ofaccidents on the roads, hisadministration, to the surpriseof many, recently awardedcontracts for the construction ofeight roads across the statewhich were earlier advertisedand bided for.

Chaoticgridlocks

The roads include: Abakpa-Nike Road and Nike Lake Road;Opi Nsukka dual carriageRoad; Amankwo –Ameke-Amah Brewery junction by-pass road; 9th Mile by-passroad; Ohom-Orba junction-Imilike Ani-Ezimo-Agu-Imilike-Ogbodu Aba-ObolloEttiti-Amalla-Obollo Afor(Udenu ring road); EnuguRoad (Nsukka) Junction-Umuezebi; Post Officeroundabout -Odenigboroundabout-Ogurugu road-Ikenga Hotels junction; andObechara road junction-Umuakashi-Mechanic village-Ikenga hotels junction.

This milestone coupled withother remarkable achievementsGov. Ugwuanyi’sadministration had recorded isindeed an act of God and theoutput of his deep sense ofwisdom, administrativeingenuity and commitment toinnovations, fiscal discipline,transparency and vision.

For me, I equally believe thatwith faith in God, hardwork,innovations, vision andcommitment, as Gov.Ugwuanyi noted, GovernorYari’s worries for the nation willsoon be over as there will surelybe a way out. Otherwise, wemay be heading for the worsteconomic disaster in the annalsof our existence as a nation. AsGov. Ugwuanyi rightly advised,let’s apply vision and hardworkto turn the present economicchallenges into huge blessingswhile trusting in God’s miraclefor the prices of crude oil to risein the international market forthe nation to survive the short-term effects of the presentchallenges.

•Amoke, writes from Enugu.

government free of control bythe Federal Government in theexercise of the function. As wassaid by Uwais CJN in AttorneyGeneral of Lagos State v.Attorney-General of theFederation (2003) 6 S.C (Pt 1)1, “by the doctrine offederalism, which Nigeria hasadopted, the autonomy of eachGovernment, whichpresupposes its separateexistence and its independencefrom the control of the othergovernments including theFederal Government, isessential to federalarrangement.”

Lastly, the Court affirmed thatlocal government, being amatter of purely local concern,is a function within theexclusive jurisdiction of theState Governments; it is so byvirtue of being a residualmatter assigned, under thedivision of powers in section 4of the Constitution, exclusivelyto the State Governments, savefor certain aspects of it overwhich the Federal Governmentis given limited regulatorypowers. The conception

Map of Nigeria

Gov Ugwuanyi of Enugu

This milestonecoupled with otherremarkableachievements Gov.Ugwuanyi’sadministration hadrecorded is indeed anact of God

The war againstcorruption shouldnot, as happened inthe past, be usedagain to camouflageor disguise the planto foist adictatorship on us

VANGUARD, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015—25

Continues on page 26

DOGARA did not favour PDPRep. Aminu Sani Jaji, APC,

Kaura-Namoda/Birnin-Magaji,Zamfara

It is not that he is favouring PDP, buthe is trying to favour his projects. Asa politician, whosoever is behind you,at least you have to try andcomplement his efforts towards yourproject.

We were carried along—Rep.Jarigbe A. Jarigbe, PDP, Ogoja/Yala,Cross River

I have it on good authority that theleadership of the House met. Thatincludes the ruling party and theopposition.

They took a consensus decisionbefore the Speaker announced. I donot think that he took a unilateraldecision. The Speaker was very fair. Iknow that federal character issue wasconsidered. If there were proceduralflaws, he would not have involved theleadership. There might be someopposing views because of personalinterest.

I think that the leadershipconsidered a few things, puttingsquare pegs in square holes andputting round pegs in round holes.You don’t expect that because ofpatronage, delivery which is what hesought for should be compromised.

You don’t compromise delivery at the

•Dogara: Speaker, House of Reps

By Emman Ovuakporie andJohnbosco Agbakwuru

for you to start talking about juicycommittees and non juicycommittees.

And that is why I told you that the

President has an agenda but membersof his party have a different agenda. Iam not saying the President alone, thePresident and a few people have anagenda that is different from what thelarger group wants and that is whyyou hear of juicy and non juicycommittees.

Men can never be satisfied —Rep.Onyemaechi Mrakpor, PDP, AniochaNorth/Aniocha South/Oshimili, Delta

It is not the issue of Mr. Speakerhijacking or favouring anybody.Committees are decisions of theleadership of the House not thedecision of Mr. Speaker alone.

There is a pattern in the House, andthe pattern is what Committees should

THE distribution of committee positions has consistently proved the source of trouble in the National Assembly.Shrewd presiding officers have in the past walked delicately in order not to provoke tension among members of thelegislature.The reason for caution is largely because juicy committee positions cannot go round all 360 members of the House.The House leadership has over time increased the number of committee positions mainly for the purpose of satisfyingas many as possible and reducing discontent.When he announced the new committees penultimate Thursday, 48 chairmanships went to the All ProgressivesCongress, APC, 46 to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and one each to the All Progressives GrandAlliance, APGA and the Social Democratic Party, SDP.Some members of the House, mostly belonging to the APC were miffed that the opposition PDP got as many as 46 andwere even further miffed by their claim that the juicy committees went to PDP members, and where not, to associatesof the speaker belonging to the APC. Rep. Garba Mohammad Datti, APC, Sabon Gari, Kaduna rejected hisappointment as chairman of the Committee on Solid Minerals upon his claim that he was not consulted before he wasappointed. Members gave their own perspectives on the issue in separate interviews with Vanguard.

end of it for considered patronage orprimordial sentiments. There is noissue if you want to be as straightforward as Mr. President is in quote

The Speaker was veryfair. I know thatfederal characterissue was considered.If there wereprocedural flaws, hewould not haveinvolved theleadership

It is not that he isfavouring PDP, buthe is trying tofavour his projects

Furore overcommitteechairmanships

CMYK

Furore overcommitteechairmanships

26—VANGUARD, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015

THERE are fears that thelast has not been heard

of the crisis in the House ofRepresentatives?

The agitation before theelection of the other principalofficers of the House was alsoamicably resolved. I just wantto assure Nigerians that thisHouse is united, it is notbusiness as usual. We are notgoing to be a rubber stamplegislature. Even though we arethe party in power, we believein upholding the rule of law.And where we believe that ourparty is erring we will insist onwhat is right. That is the onlyway we can help Mr. Presidentand also help our party.

Are you satisfied with thecalibre of men and womenscreened by the Senate tobe ministers?

Before answering thatquestion ,I want to comment onthe contentions andmisinterpretations of a lot ofthings by my brothers from the

By Peter Duru

come to which state. Take forinstance, the Diaspora, theDiaspora was retained byLagos in the 7th Assembly,Niger Delta Committee byDelta State, so many of theCommittees remained in theStates and if the Committeesare with the states it doesn’tmatter now whether it is PDPor APC.

Again I think that if we haveissues, issues should be withyour state caucus, if I am nothappy about something I

whether PDP or APC that hewas going to be the Speaker ofthe House of Representativesand I think he has kept hispromises.

Due Process was followedRep. Onyenwife Gabriel,

APGA, Ayamelum/Oyi,Anambra

As far as I am concerned,when you have powers vestedon you and you exercise that,there is no problem. By thestanding orders of the House,

there is a selection committee.It has the power to select whothey deem fit, following theprinciples of the federalcharacter. It is the discretion ofthe Speaker, in consultationwith the leadership of theHouse.

Has he consulted the leadershipof the House? Yes, he has donethat already. Out of the Speaker’smagnanimity, he expanded thecommittees up to 97. At

should discuss with my statecaucus. But what is due to myzone was given to my zone, theSouth-South and what is dueto my state, Delta, my state got.

So, it should be why am I notgetting a particular thing frommy state caucus not directlyfrom Mr. Speaker? More alsowe shouldn’t forget that ashuman beings, we are neversatisfied, even with God, weblame God why am I not tall?

Furore over committee chairmanshipsContinues from page 25

other tribes in my state,because of the comments Imade recently which I want toclarify.

I want to state on record thatthose who know me know thatI’m the most detribalizedperson of all. Some of my bestfriends are Idoma from othertribes. Right now my best friendis not Tiv.

So I’ll be the last person tocanvass the suppression of theminority because in the nationas a whole, the Tiv people arein the minority, so I won’t beencouraging anything like that.

What I was trying to say, letme start from that premise, withregards to the compilation ofthe ministerial list is that thereare certain things that we haveto evolve into.And thatparticularly has to do with thegovernor of the state.

I’m one of those who had alsocanvassed that we give theother minorities opportunity toalso participate. But in all ofthese, whether we like it or not,democracy is a game ofparticipation and numbers and

there is a lot of compensationeven in countries we arecopying from.

Now, what I tried to mentionwhich our leader in the party,Senator George Akume threwmore light on in a TVprogramme, is the fact that the

substantive ministerial positionin the last dispensation, foreight years domiciled in Idomaland, at that time majority ofthe support for the ruling partycame from that zone, that’s thefact.

And at that time too, they hadthe Senate President. Andbecause of the skewed natureof our government there is morepower at the centre, so usuallywe need to have a federalpresence so that you can alsotry to assist your owncommunity.

That is the whole essence ofthe principle of federalcharacter that is enshrined inour constitution. So if you wantto uphold our constitution I feltthat yes we know we have theGovernor but will we continueto be denied that federalposition that we also need toimpact our people because weare the majority? These are theissues we can’t help at themoment.

Equity is not just about youhaving the governor, so youhave to concede the other

position. You also need thatcontribution to your area. Thereis a limit to what a governorcan do within a state.

And that is why usually evenat the state level there isconcession, even the DeputyGovernor is from Idoma, so weneed to also look at that. Wecan also accuse them ofoppressing the Igede and othersbecause the Igede which is inthe Idoma area have neveremerged anything near theSenate level.

In view of the imbalanceyou’re talking of, do youlook at the possibility of thePresident increasing thenumber of the ministerialslots to address theimbalance?

No I don’t believe that politicsis all about compensation orfederal character. Already ourConstitution is ratherambiguous in the issue ofMinisterial appointments.

Constitutionalamendments

That provision of theconstitution says that werequire one Minister from eachstate of the federation in anadministration, but it did not sayit should be all at one time inthe administration. It couldhave staggered it.

Our lawyers should look atthat and the House is ready tolook at that constitutionalamendment if it’s within theambit of the law. Because weare all crying for the reductionof expenditure, we cannot startadding additional ministers weare totally against that. 36 iseven too much actually.

Some keep complaining ofthe National Assembly but younever stop to look at the retinueof staff of the Minister.

The cost of the maintenanceof the office of the minister. It’squite capital intensive to thenation. So I do not believe inthe Minister of Statearrangement, in fact the present36 ministers is too much. Thatconstitutional provision needs tobe looked into for possibleamendment. For instance, I’mbringing a bill for the inclusionof Card Readers in our ElectoralAct.

Why am I short? Why am I notrich? It is very natural at anypoint when you have to sharewhatever you think you haveamong people there is alwaysmisgiving.

Committeeheadship

The APC has bigger chunk ofthe Committee headship, theyhave 48. But when Mr. Speakerwas campaigning, he did tell usthat he would be fair to all, Continues on page 27

The cost of themaintenance of theoffice of the minister.It’s quite capitalintensive to thenation. So I do notbelieve in theMinister of Statearrangement, in factthe present 36ministers is too much

We must reducethe number ofministers— Rep GbilahRep. Mark Gbilah, APC Gwer/Gwer East federalconstituency in the House ofRepresentatives in thisinterview speaks on the crisisthat engulfed the presentHouse of Representatives andthe contention for politicaloffices in his native BenueState. Excerpts:

•Gbilah: I don’t believe that politics is all about compensation or federal character

CMYK

VANGUARD, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015—27

HE is a man who hasfought several battles,

internal and external.Externally, he was in theforefront of the war for resourcecontrol and internally, he hasbeen in the forefront in thecampaign against what he andhis associates call the reign ofimpunity.

He has yet to come to do thevictory lap in the latter battlegiven continuingdevelopments in his nativeAkwa Ibom State.

However, last Tuesday,Obong Victor Attah, the formergovernor of Akwa Ibom Statebade bye-bye to partisanpolitics announcing himself asa statesman.

Attah who addressed a pressconference in Datty Hotel, Uyo,addressed himself to severalissues ranging from the recentjudgment of the ElectionPetition Tribunal, his continuedmembership of the PDP andwhat he termed as a wake-upcall on Akwa-Ibomites.

Quitting PartisanPolitics

Attah who was cheered allthrough the press conferenceby his supporters maintainedthat he is not crossing over tothe All Progressives Congress,(APC) but rather leading agroup of people againstimpunity in the state.

"In responding to whether Iam still in PDP, I will refer toan interview given by OlisaMetuh, the National PublicitySecretary of the PDP which wasreported on page 40 ofVanguard of September 19,2015. When the interviewerasked Metuh why theEkweremadu reconciliationcommittee did not contact me

Attah:Beginning of a new life

BY GBENGA OKE

when they visited the state, heretorted with the question "IsObong Attah still in PDP?" Towhich the interviewer repliedyes. But Mr Metuh insistedthat "you cannot be a memberof the party when you makeutterances for PDP to fail".

Attah went further, "I havemade several utterances and Istand by all of them includingthose ones for which I wasaccused of anti party activities.I believe the tragedy for thePDP is to blame its failure onsuch utterances rather than itsperilous refusal to heed the

warnings they conveyed"."Who does not know that you

only conduct election to fill avacancy. But the PDP wouldstart by announcing that thereis no vacancy, then it wouldoffer automatic tickets to a setof people. When pressuremounts, it would switch thesame automatic tickets toanother set of people. Whatmanner of democracy is that?Yet the name of the partyremains People's DemocraticParty. Let nobody take this tomean that if I don’t want toremain in the PDP and

Ibom people seem to havedeveloped the pathetic mindsetthat they are under the rule ofan imperial majesty throughwhose Machiavellianmachinations only a newgovernor can be produced. Sosome from morbid fearsurrendered while somethrough suffocatingimpoverishment acquiesced.Sadly there were also thosewho felt that their own agendaand ambitions could only beattained through this evilmeans, so they activelycollaborated".

On the Tribunaljudgement

Speaking on the judgementdelivered by the tribunalcancelling elections in 18 localgovernments in the state, Attahsaid the tribunal has given anew chance for the state tobegin again.

"The tribunal has given us anew chance, a golden chancefor moral transformation andspiritual rebirth. So Akwa Ibomedemme (wake up), dakkada(stand up) and vow that neveragain must we tolerate suchevil in our land. Indeed thetime has come that "we mustcreate ourselves anew". If weshould fail to make the best useof this chance, we will haveonly ourselves to blame".

He went further, "They hadboasted that what money couldnot do, more money to thetribunal would do. But today totheir consternation, the tribunalin the hands of righteousjudges has pronounceddifferently,” he said.

I have become anelders-statesmanand I want tocontinue to servethis country invery eminentpositions withoutcarrying anyparty card

•Ex-Governor Victor Attah, former Akwa-Ibom deputy Governor, Nsima Ekere and former Chairman of the PeoplesDemocratic Party, (PDP) in Akwa-Ibom state, Chief Edet Mkpubre

therefore jump to the oppositeconclusion that I am going overto the APC or any other partyfor that matter.

I have become an elder-statesman and I want tocontinue to serve this countryin very eminent positionswithout carrying any partycard. So I can formally state thatI have quit partisan politics toplay the role of an elderstatesman and continue toserve this country with love,strength and faith with integrityto the best of my ability.

A wake-up call on Akwa-Ibomites

Attah minced no words whenhe said the state had beenunder an imperial majesty inthe last 8 years.

"In the last eight years, Akwa

the commencement of theEight National Assembly, wehad a legislative agendawhich was adopted byeverybody. We agreed that theissue of federal character willbe considered and that thecommittees will be sharedamong political parties.

We all cannot be chairmenof committees. We should notbother on who and whoshould head committees.

It was fairly doneRep. Abdulrazak Sa’ad

Namdas, APC, Mayo Belwa/G a n y e / J a d a / To u n g o ,Adamawa

I have read the papers. It isnot true that the Speaker hashanded over the committeesto the opposition. In sharingthese committees, dueprocess was followed. Weensured that every member of

Continues from page 27

Furore over committee chairmanshipsthe House got two grade Acommittees. Whether you arechairman or deputy, you arestill relevant.

We did this to ensure thatthe leadership of the Houseruns an all inclusiveadministration. The issue offederal character wasconsidered.

Federalcharacter

This idea that certain peoplewere not carried along is nottrue. Everything was donewith the spirit of fairness.

Why I turned downcommittee chairman — Rep.Garba Mohammad Datti,APC, Sabon Gari, Kaduna

Turned down CommitteeChairmanship (SolidMinerals and DeputyMinority Whip, 7th assembly)

I feel as a former principalofficer I should have beenconsulted before my namewas announced. I just heardof it on the floor. And I havemy own principles. I havedecided on my own towithdraw as the chairman ofthat committee.

I should have beenconsulted. If the presidentwants to appoint his ministers,I think before theannouncement he has toconsult them.

I don’t have any qualmswith the leadership aspresently constituted,because the election wasdemocratically done here. Theelection was done. I am notagainst anybody but I amagainst the decision of comingto announce my name withoutconsulting me. That was myreason.

CMYK

28— VANGUARD, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015

•Audu

HIS take on PresidentMuhammadu Buhari’s

anti-graft warI am pleased with the President

for fighting corruption becausecorruption has done a lot ofdamage to Nigeria. I must saythat both the PDP and AllProgressives Congress, APC areon the same page when it comesto the issue of corruption. Ifcorruption is not removed frompolitics it would be difficult forthe country to progress.

It is difficult to say yes or no asto whether the president isfighting corruption well. But inorder for it to have credibility heneeds to fight corruption acrossthe board. It should not be limitedto PDP or APC members only;neither should it be limited topoliticians. The universities arethere, Customs, NPA, the banksand the private sector. Thegovernment should look intoeverywhere to fight corruption.

Senate President BukolaSaraki is currently having issuesat the Code of Conduct Tribunalover alleged false assetsdeclaration. How do you see thematter?

On the issue of the Presidentof the Senate, I want to say thatwe in the National Assemblysupport the fight againstcorruption. If as a result oftackling corruption the SenatePresident is invited, I am notagainst it.

Result of tacklingcorruption

However, the take of somemembers is that if the offenceoccurred in 2003 and they waitedfor about nine years after he hadcontested several elections, hecontested for governor, hecontested for Senate and now heis the President of the Senate, itis felt that it could have beenbetter to wait until after his tenureto try him for such offence. Tryinghim now is very distracting.

The National Assembly isanother vital arm of thegovernment, as important as theExecutive and Judiciary arms ofthe government are we think thatthe law which gives immunity tothe heads of these institutions likethe President and the Governorfrom being tried while in office

PDP on the samepage with APC— Rep Oghene

ANTI-GRAFT WAR:

Hon. Oghene Egoh, a member of the House ofRepresentatives, representing Amuwo Odofin FederalConstituency on the platform of the Peoples DemocraticParty, PDP, in this interview, speaks on the expectations ofhis constituents and burning national issues.

•Oghene

By Simon Adewale

should be extended to the SenatePresident, the Speaker of theHouse, the Deputy Speaker andthe Chief Justice of Nigeria sothat lawmaking is nothamstrung.

On what his constituentsshould expect from him in thenext four years

In the next four years, theconstituency should expect moreof the same things I am doingnow. As a lawmaker. I cannotaward contracts because I am notin the executive arm ofgovernment. But I can use myinfluence just as I have done. I

have got three transformers forthe riverine areas of myconstituency – two transformersin Ibasa and one in Igbologun.

We are handling problemsinvolving some communities. Ihave moved a motion calling onthe Federal Ministry of Works andHousing and the FederalGovernment to pay attention toSatellite and Festac towns thathave been neglected for about 40years. There is infrastructural

decay. Sewage systems anddrainages are blocked.

There are no new roads. I havecalled the attention of the countryto it and I am happy that the 360members of the House ofRepresentatives all voted for meto say that when the minister isappointed he should pay specialattention to Satellite and FestacTowns which are FederalConstituencies. We are alsoapproaching FEMA on old Ojo

road that have been abandonedby the state and the localgovernment. That road is cut intotwo at Mazamaza area. Acontractor of FEMA was awardedthe contract to put the road inorder but he has abandoned it.The road is so impassable. I havemoved a major motion on theNational Stadium to be restoredto its former glory.

I live in Lagos State. Lagos isour own and anything that affectsit affects us all. I am not happythat the National Stadium inSurulere, which used to be thebest in Africa is abandonedwhereas the ones in other areasare good and new ones are beingbuilt. These are things I havedone and will continue to do.

On the ministerial nomineesI am comfortable with it.

Incidentally the House ofRepresentatives does not screenministers. Whatever decisions thePresident and the Senate arrivedat is welcome to me. However,the current list looks too ordinary.After waiting for over fourmonths, one would haveexpected fresher faces asministerial nominees, peoplewho have not been involved ingovernment and more women.

Instead,what we are seeing areolder people, some of who havebeen accused of corruption, thosewhose party members are writingpetition against. A man who wasscreened for ministerialappointment some 35 years agois brought back again to beminister, people who havepassed their prime.

This prompt one to ask why thelong wait? Since the President istalking about change, he wouldhave brought change bybringing in new people, youngerpeople to complement hisexperience in order to ensuresuccess.

I must say that boththe PDP and AllProgressivesCongress, APC areon the same pagewhen it comes tothe issue ofcorruption

BAYELSA DECIDES

AS activities for theDecember 5

governorship polls in BayelsaState gather momentum,Governor Seriake Dickson hasurged security agencies tointensify efforts at keeping thestate safe before, during andafter the election.

Receiving the new FlagOfficer Commanding, FOC,Central Naval Command, RearAdmiral Apoehi Suleiman, inYenagoa, Dickson restated hisadministration’s commitment topartnering with the Navy toeffectively police the waterwaysin the state.

He expressed concern overthe resurgence of kidnappingin the state, stressing thatgovernment’s efforts to securethe Bayelsa environment forbusiness and other socialactivities would yield littleresult, if the Command fails in

Dickson tasks security agencieson peaceful polls

By Samuel Oyadongha

its mandate. Whilecongratulating the new FlagOfficer on his posting, thegovernor commended officersand men of the Command fortheir dedication to duty, whichhe noted, has resulted in anincrease in crude oil productionin the state.

He also used the opportunityto laud the immediate pastFlag Officer Commanding theCentral Naval Command forthe leadership he provided aswell as working tirelessly withother security agencies to keepthe state safe and urged thenew FOC to do same.

The governor also assuredthe Federal Government thathis administration would spareno effort in its partnership withsecurity agencies to sustain thewar against oil theft and piracyas well as protecting the statefrom being used as a launchingpad for insurgency.

His words: “We expect no lessfrom you. And at a time that our

state is gearing up for generalelection, we are counting somuch on the Navy and otherrelated services to ensure thatviolence along the waterwaysdoes not discredit or mar thepoll.

“Bayelsa cannot be safe untilthe Navy plays its own rolebecause of our maritime nature.The security of even the uplandareas depends so much on thesecurity of the creeks andwaterways. And those are areasof your expertise andresponsibilities that come withyour office and that of yourofficers and men.

•Dickson

CMYK

VANGUARD, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015 — 29

CMYK

Dare Melody refutes reporton adultery•Says I ‘ll never sacrifice myparadise for five minutes enjoyment

By Bose Adelaja

Gospel singer, Dare Odunuga popularly called DareMelody who was reportedly accused of seeing aLagos-based society woman has denied the allegation.

A soft-sell magazine published in Yoruba recently alleged that the gospelsinger was engaged in adultery with a Lagos-based society woman. Thepublication went ahead to say that the woman in question donated a HummerJeep to Melody’s band.

But reacting to the report, weeks after it made headlines, the gospel singersaid, it was the handiwork of his enemies who were sponsoring such a report.

According to him,”Every sincere gospel artiste relies on God and his fans. I willnever sacrifice my paradise for a five minutes enjoyment outside my marriage.”

The gospel singer said, it’s his desire to follow the path of his mentors bydelivering uncompromising messages through my songs. “My mentors DaddyAdeboye, Daddy Ayewa, Daddy Kalejaye, Pastor Matthew Asimolowo among othershave never been caught in such act. I will never betray my oath before my creator,’’

He urged journalists to verify their facts before going to the press, declaringthat “I seize this medium to say that I am happily married and my wife knows 90per cent of my clients.’’

Nineteen year-oldOnayemi Ol- amide

Mojisola who was recentlycrowned “Miss Olokun”hasrevealed the secret behindher victory.

Onayemi beat fourteencontestants to win the beautycontest, which held lastSunday, at R &A Hotel, AllenAvenue, Ikeja, Lagos.

In a chat with WG, thebeauty queen said herformidable dance steps gaveher an edge over othercontestants.

According to her, ‘Myformidable dance steps gave

Miss Olokun revealssecret of her victory!By Iyabo Aina

me an edge. I noticed thatdoing the same thing in thesame way repeatedly iswrong. So, I made sure Iadded creativity to mymovements.”

In his remark, the promoterof Olokun Festivalfoundation, Otunba GaniAdams said the Miss OlokunBeauty Pageant is primarilyto inculcate high morals ingirls and to celebrate thevirtues of vivacious women,adding that the pageantprovides a platform forcontestants to showcaseinborn talents like

intelligence,adaptationto culturaln o r m s ,s p e e c hs k i l l s ,comportmenta n dcultivationof personalesteem.

Onayemi

British Royal family with the title of theOrder of the British Empire, OBE, backin 2008.

The “12 Years A Slave” actor was madea Commander of the Order of the BritishEmpire,CBE, by the Duke of Cambridgeduring an official ceremony held atBuckingham Palace in London onTuesday morning.

The 38-year-old star was overcomewith emotion as he spoke to PrinceWilliam in front of the large crowdassembled, beaming with pride as hewas recognised for his contribution todrama. Born by London-basedNigerian parents (and whose youngersister, Zain Asher, is a CNN financialreporter), Ejiofor is one of the country’sgifts to the outside world.

He started his career by joining theNational Youth Theatre and training atthe London Academy of Music andDramatic Art, which helped him landhis first major role in Steven Spielberg’sAmistad. Since then, Chiwetel has notlooked back in quest to rule the screenacross the world.

Chiwetel Ejiofor highmoments in picturesBritish-Nigerian actor

Chiwetel Ejiofor can nowadd CBE to his list ofaccolades after he washonoured on Tuesday, by the

30— Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015

ALL is now set for thepremiere of the movie,

Taxi Driver (Oko Ashewo).The movie is a hilariouscomedy drama about workingin Lagos at night, as a taxidriver.

Adigun played by AMVCAwinner, Femi Jacobs, is a 31-year old naive villagemechanic coming to Lagosfor the first time. Hisdecision comes following thesudden death of his father, aman he never truly knew…yet a man very popular in hisvillage as the iconic Lagostaxi driver, Akanmu.

However, Adigun’s journeyto Lagos is on the invitationof Taiwo, his father’s fellowtaxi driver played by popularyoruba actor, OdunladeAdekola… but Taiwo isdangerous and as shady asLagos at night..

Taxi Driver (Oko Ashewo)tells the story of how Adiguncopes with the multitude ofodd characters he comes

Femi Jacobs turns nightfall Taxi DriverBy Juliet Ebirim

across, from Delia theprostitute, to Kakanfo theunseen vigilante, thenotorious assassins ‘threewise men’, to the Godfather,

Baba Mistura and many moreinteresting characters that plytheir trade in Lagos at night.

Femi, who played the leadrole said, he had to spend

time with an acquaintancewho was a taxi driver in orderto be able to interprete the roleproperly. “I had to go to theformer place I live and I meta former neighbour who’s ataxi driver. For weeks, wewere hanging out togetherand I learnt a lot about beinga taxi driver in Lagos. It costme time and money, but at theend of the day it helped meto properly interprete thecharacter”.

The movie director, DanielEmeke Oriahi said hewanted to do a movie thatLagosians can relate with. “Ijust wanted to do a moviethat Lagosians can connectwith that isn’t an English-Speaking movie. I realisedthat people in the westconnect more withindigenous movies. I wantpeople to see Lagos with astranger ’s eye and knowsome of the things thathappen at night in a comicand entertaining way.”

Since she gave birth to herfirst child in June,

songstress Tiwa Savage hasnot been spotted in publicwith her baby,probably forfear of exposing her littlebundle of joy to danger.

But the Marvin record firstlady, last weekend damnedthe consequence as she wasspotted with her son in a spasomewhere in VictoriaIsland, Lagos.

The singer who wasaccompanied by hermother,snapped at apaparazzi who attempted totake shots of mother andbaby.

Our source said, themultiple award-winningsinger did everything toavoid the camera as she laterinterrogated the paparazzi toascertain that he did not takeher shots. The singer wasone of the guests who gracedthe opening of the Spa andshowroom.

Tiwa Savagegoes to spawith newbaby!

By Anozie Egole

Glo subscribers weretreated to an evening of

fun, laughter and dance asthe show landed at FloralHall, Santos, Egbeda.

Characteristic of thecomedy show, young, up-and-coming acts were giventhe opportunity to showcasetheir talents as they set theball rolling for the show.Fabulous, Bamsley, Crown,Phlow, D-One and Illvenwere the singers whoperformed while Dave, SLKand D- Lecturer, crackedhilarious jokes. The anchorman for the show, Bright

Glo Laffta Fest turns Egbedainto theatre of laughter

Okpocha, aka Basket Mouth,was simply in his element ashe introduced theperforming artistes andcomedians whileintermittently reeling out rib-cracking jokes.

Acapella was unarguablythe curtain-raiser for thenight as his performance setthe pace and tempo of theshow. He was followed byPrincewill who gave value forhis fans’ time out at the showwith jokes about hisupbringing in the slums ofAjegunle.

MultiChoice Nigeria has explained why it decided toyank off the airing of “I am Jazz”, a mini-series about a

transgender child which was scheduled to show on TLC,channel 172 last Tuesday, saying the action was for the interestof its viewers.

“We are aware of the concerns raised by our viewers acrossvarious platforms, about the airing of “I am Jazz”, a mini-series about a transgender child which was scheduled to showon TLC, channel 172 on October 27", the company said.

In a statement, the multi-national company stated that aftercareful consideration and wide consultation from variousstakeholders, MultiChoice has informed its esteemedsubscribers that the mini-series, “I am Jazz” has been pulledoff the schedule.

“We regularly assess the impact our content have on ourcustomers and we reassure them that their interests are alwaysconsidered.

However, “We take comfort in knowing that our decoders areencrypted with the parental control feature that empowersparents with ultimate control over what their children view.We also encourage parents to make use of this feature as muchas possible to ensure that their children only watch what theirparents deem appropriate,” the statement said.

Why we yanked off ‘I amJazz’ – Multichoice

N i g e r i a ’ sforemost

comedian, AliBaba is expectedto take comedy toits greatestheights onSunday, as heheadlines themaiden edition of“Project ASHA

Ali Baba headlines Lagos ‘Night of laughter and Awards’1st Empowering Laughter Day& Award Night” holding atOriental Hotel, VictoriaIsland, Lagos.

The event, which will beanchored by comediennePrincess and MC Bambino, isbeing packaged inconjunction with OzzyBoscoSmile Foundation.

Addressing the press aheadof the event, during the week,

one of the organizers, Tricia Obisaid, those who are on the lineup to perform at the nightinclude, Timi Dakolo, Buchi,kid star Ozzy Bosco, OkeBakasi, Koffi, Toby Grey,Ronnie, TJ Hays, Mr Johnbull, Gordons and MC Abey.

Also, the organizers said,the likes of actress CarolineDanjuma, Ogee Robinson,

Segun Manuel among otherswill be delivering inspiringlectures at the event.

Project ASHA is Youth ledNGO which is committed toadvocating for and securingthe basic human rights andcivil liberties of society’s mostvulnerable through goodgovernance, democraticvalues and principles.*Kid star, OzzyBosco and his mum

at the event

*Cast of I am Jazz

*Femi Jacob


CMYK


You know it doesn’t makesense to be angry withan inanimate object,

but that doesn’t stop youfrom lashing out on yourmobile device from time totime; especially when ittakes so long to load pageson the internet. Althoughsometimes, the InternetService Providers, ISPs areto blame, there are effortsyou can make to speed upbrowsing.

Reduce the web cacheAlthough Cache helps instoring data for future use,on the flip side it can depletethe pace of the internet. Agood first step in speedingup your slow internetconnection to tweak yourinternet options. The taskhere is to make your webcache as small as possible.The less disk space yourreserve for your temporaryfiles is less data that yourcomputer needs to searchthrough.

Clean houseJust like parasites, dormantapplications on your devicemake it slower and lesseffective hence limiting yourbowsing experience. Cleanup your device byuninstalling apps that youhardly use. Another thingyou must do is close properlyapps and tabs that are notbeing used at the moment.

Enable text mode whilebrowsingMore often than not, text andpictures are go together toease the understanding of the

Untold secrets of internetspeed

By Laju Iren &Maximilian Anosike

user perusing the internet.However this could have anegative impact on theinternet speed. To save dataand increase speed you canswitch between text mode orimage mode at browsersettings on your device.

Install fast mobile webbrowser The web browser of a mobilephone plays a crucial role inincreasing the speed ofinternet activities. There area lot of mobile web browsers,

most of them for free. Makingan appropriate choice willtake you to the next level ofexperiencing the world ofinternet efficacy.

ISPs still matterFace it. Some networks arefaster than others. FindInternet Service Providerone that works best for yourlocation. Even if you don’twant to give up your number,you can switch to anothernetwork, or better still, go theNigerian way-use more thanone service provider.

No doubt, the world aswe know it has now

become a mobile village, allthanks to technology.However, to fully utilize thepotentials of this globalvillage, and boost e-commerce in Nigeria,online marketplacecompany, Kaymu, haslaunched the first-of-itskind social innovationvillage in Yaba, Lagos.

The company ’sManaging Director, Mr.Sefik Bagdadioglu, said thevillage would provide aplatform to enhanceengagement betweensellers and buyers in theonline marketplace.

‘Why weestablishedKaymu village’

Richard Udofia andMaximilian Anosike

According toBagdadioglu: “As aninnovative company, weconstantly seek ways tocontribute to the growth ofSMEs and the sustainabilityof our community of buyersand sellers. In our village weaim to contribute to theefforts of the government indeveloping local e-commercebusinesses in the communityas well as provide a one stophub for effective interactionsbetween buyers and sellerswithin the community”, hestated.

The company believesthat the village will help

shoppers avoid a myriad ofaisles in search of specificproducts, “but ratherthrough the use of the smartdevices provided at thecenter, customers can launchtheir online businesses,search for items they require,experience available servicesand fulfill their orders in anenabling environment.”

“Having built a village ofestablished and aspiringentrepreneurs as well astech-savvy buyers, we arefocused on connecting andassisting communities in

accessing products andgrowing local businesses,”added the Kaymu boss.

Meanwhile, the companyhas partnered withT e l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n soperator, MTN Nigeria,toallow Nigerians shop on kaymu.com.ng at zero datacharge.

Kaymu’s current andprospective buyers andsellers on the MTN networkcan shop via it’s mobile appwithout incurring any datacosts.

Globacom has been named one of Africa’s top twomost admired brands for the second year running,in the annual Brand Africa 100 rankings

announced in Johannesburg, South Africa recently. Globacom is the youngest brand in the Top 10 list, asother companies in the Top 10 including Dangote Group(Nigeria), MTN (South Africa), Tusker (Kenya),Mukwano (Uganda), Simu TV (Tanzania), Zenith Bank(Nigeria), Peak Milk (Nigeria), Sasco (South Africa),and Star Beer (Nigeria), were all established before thearrival of Glo, August 29, 2003. The Award made a good outing for Nigerian companiesas 11 of them made the list. South African and Kenyanbrands were joint second with four places each on thelist. The rankings also showed that indigenous Africanbrands are on the rise as they constitute nearly 25% ofthe the Brand Africa 100. The Founder and Chairman of Brand Africa andChairman of Brand Finance Africa, Thebe Ikalafeng,said the rankings were increasingly significant. “Theyare an important metrics of the progress Africa is makingin creating brands and services that respond to Africanconditions, needs and ambitions.” He added that “the time has never been more opportuneor urgent for Africa to develop ‘Made in Africa’ brands.The success of businesses behind these brands willenable Africa to drive its own agenda because they createjobs, contribute tax revenue necessary to fund publicgoods and help shape the image of Africa as anentrepreneurial and competitive continent.” It is believed that Globacom’s commitment toinnovation and affordable services since 2003 when itstarted business has set it apart from competition in itsvarious markets. One of its major accomplishments isits international submarine cable, Glo 1, which hasprovided the much needed Internet bandwidth in WestAfrican. Globacom recently launched what is regarded as themost innovative offering since it pioneered per secondbilling in 2003. Called Free Tomorrow, the promo givesback to the subscriber the next day the total value ofcredit spent on calls, texts and data the previous day. The company has over 35 million subscribers across thethree markets where it operates.

Glo named amongAfrica’s top 2 mostadmired brands

By Prince Osuagwu

.Kaymu Village


Lapo canvasses establishment offund for women development

Celebrating the power of the adolescent girl

The forum alsoobserved thatsocio-culturalfactors militateagainst women’sactive participationand sustenance inentrepreneurialactivities

By Funmi Olasupo

By Anino Aganbi

STAKEHOLDERS haveenjoined government tocreate Women

Development Fund as well asevolve practical policies andprogrammes targeted atpromoting womene n t r e p r e n e u r s h i pdevelopment amongstNigerian women.

They gave the advice at the22nd Annual LAPODevelopment Forum held inAbuja with the theme”WomenE n t r e p r e n e u r s h i pDevelopment: Issues,Opportunities andApproaches.’

To this end, in a 10-pointcommuniqué, the forumdeclared that financingwomen-owned enterpriseshas the potential to positivelyinfluence women’s lives, thuscontributing to economicgrowth in Nigeria, addingthat tackling poverty amongstwomen would facilitateNigeria’s economic growth,sustainable humandevelopment, materialprosperity, peace andprogress.

The forum observed thatwhereas women play criticaland major roles in the society,they are often denied theirrightful place in decisionmaking. It thereforeadvocated for gender-sensitive policies,programmes and legislationsdirected at providing theenabling environment forwomen to thrive asentrepreneurs.

The forum also observed thatsocio-cultural factors militateagainst women’s activeparticipation and sustenancein entrepreneurial activitiesand challenged Governmentagencies promoting enterpriseactivities to broaden anddeepen the scope of theirtraining to rural womenentrepreneurs.

It urged the Federal, Stateand Local Governments todeepen partnership withgroups and organisationssuch as LAPO, which, over theyears have workedassiduously towards povertyreduction in Nigeria.

The forum identified energy,infrastructural deficit andinsufficient start-up capital aspart of the challengesbedeviling SME developmentin Nigeria and stressed theurgent need to address them.

It also advocated the needto bridge the gap between bigindustries and smallenterprises through theprovision of social andfinancial opportunities at thegrassroots.

The forum commendedLAPO for its efforts inpromoting poverty alleviationthrough the provision of

financial and socialempowerment services tomillions of low-incomeearners in Nigeria, as well ascreating employment foryoung people in Nigeria andSierra Leone.

Founder of LAPO, Dr.Godwin Ehigiamusoe, said atthe occasion that theorganisation has continued todemonstrate uncommoncommitment to the realisationof institutional objectives andemerging as one of theleading communitydevelopment organisations inAfrica.

EVERY child regardlessof age and sex has aright to live and be

heard.With a lot of issuesgoing on among childrenespecially when it comes tomolestation, children havebecome scared of beingabused by adults who theytrust to care for them. The girlchild is at a greater risk whenit comes to child molestation.The society needs to putadequate care in place tocheckmate abuse andmolestation amongst children.Parents also need to be taughtthat blames should not be puton any child who goesthrough the trauma of beingabused. Paedophiles go scot-free because the laws inNigeria are not strict on sex

offenders. If a man is caughtmolesting a child, then let thelaw punish him duely.

The International Day of theGirl Child was set up with theaim of creating awarenessamong the female children toenable them battle genderinequality, rape or molestationamong other issues. The themefor this year’s event was “Thepower of the adolescent girlVision for 2030’’.

Celebrating the girl child inLagos were women who hadthe well being of the girl childat heart. Present at the eventwere Sola Soneye, LolaSanusi,Lara Odebiyi, MercyAigbe amongst others whocame out to give talks to thestudents of Girls Baptist School.

Speaking at the event,Funke Oguntuga, CEOHeartMinders stated that

“Being a youth group, we liketo work things out for thegirls. The International Dayof the Girl Child project is oneof the two projects we carryyearly. We work with the UNscheme every year. We havea mentoring program for girlswhere we collaborate with amentoring company”.

She further stated that “ Webelieve in starting with girlswhen they are much younger.With what is happening inthe society, it is very expedientthat we start while they areyoung,that way theinformation can stay in theirheads. Most information’savailable online are notthings they can take in hookline and sinker. We comearound to give them adviceswhich they can take intoadulthood. “

“There is no law that placesthe girl child as a second classcitizen.More focus should beplaced on the girl child. A lotof families discriminate againstthe female child in our society.The sustainable developmentgoal released by UN this yearstates that there should begender equality. It is part of theadvocacy that girls should beallowed to be girls and shouldbe allowed to go to schoolinstead of being married out ata tender age. A lot of this is asa result of poverty. If you arefinancially stable, you wontpush your girl child out to bemarried. NGOs, governmentand other parastatal’s areworking hard to reduce thetrend of gender inequality thatis not favorable to the girlchild.”

Participants at the forum in Abuja

*Funke Oguntuga


...everythingcan be donehere in Nigeria.But we keepkillingindustries justlike we killedthe industry inAba which weshould haveimproved on.

RapeAlert!

By Itoro Eze-Anaba

By Josephine Agbonkhese

I did not know it was rape”. This wasa statement made by a young man whowalked up to our team members during

one of our advocacy/awareness visits toyouth corps members in the state. It wasnot surprising though as many men andwomen do not even know when rape hasoccurred. Imagine this scenario – a youngman has been friendly with a girl over aperiod of time, maybe months. During thisperiod, he takes her out, buys her gifts andgenerally spends time with her. Then shevisits his house, willingly. As far as theman is concerned, it is pay back time. Even when she says “no”, the man thinksshe is joking or playing hard to get. Heeventually gets his way and she leaves,feeling violated and blaming herself forgoing to his house in the first place.Believing she was at fault,, she keeps quietand does not report at the police station.Even when she confides in a friend, thequestion is “why did you go to his house?Did you not know you have to pay backfor those gifts?”

What is rape?

Many young girls and boys have fallenvictim of rape in this way. So the questionis “what is rape?” Simply put, rape issexual intercourse with someone withoutthe person’s consent. That consent mustbe freely and willingly given. This meansthat the person must be in a position togive consent. For instance, a minor, under18 years cannot give consent and aperpetrator cannot claim as a defence thata minor consented to the act. It is also nota defence under the Child Rights Law ofLagos State that the perpetrator did notknow that the victim was a minor. Silencedoes not mean consent and if consent isgiven under duress (threats whetherphysical or emotional), then it is not freelygiven and sex with a person consentingunder duress is still rape. Where theperson is drunk due to alcohol or drugs,then the person is deemed incapable ofconsenting to sex.

Rape is not always violent and absenceof injury does not mean there was no rape.Silence does not mean Yes and it does notmatter if you have had sex with theperpetrator before. If you have had sexbefore but do not consent this time and hecontinues with the sexual activity with you,that is rape. Even if you have alreadystarted, then you change your mind andsay “No” and your partner does not respectthat but keeps going, that is rape. “No”means “No”.

You’re into health, fashion, oil& gas and publishing; how doyou combine all these?

Some of these things are justinterests and passion. I believepeople should look beautiful andhealthy, no matter their age. In fact,everyone should be able to live life tothe fullest and also have fun.

My mum actually led me intofashion. She would make clothes forus during Christmas and when shethrew away the pieces, I would gatherand sew them together with needlebecause I did needle and craft backthen in school. I would make a blousewith those pieces, wear it, and mymum would come asking where I gotthe blouse from. I used to put verynice ribbons on them. Apart from mymum, my grandfather also madeclothes. So, I would say it runs in thefamily.

Fashion is a huge money-spinner for any nation— Evelyn Okere

MULTI-TALENTED, energetic and creative, are words thatbest describe Evelyn Okere. A woman of many parts witha captivating oratory prowess, Imo-born Evelyn is an astute

entrepreneur who has worked her way up various ladders.The History graduate of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, is one

of the few Nigerian women in the oil & gas sector who own vessels.‘A remarkable achievement’, you might call that, but this eccentricwife and mother is more excited about her creative skills- fashiondesigning and painting.

She is the Founder/Creative Director of top-notch fashion label,Rose di Omimi, the organisers of the St. Eve West Africa FashionShow; Managing Director, St. Eve Concept, a lifestyle and enzymatichealth and weight management company, and Publisher, St. EveMagazine. She is a politician as well but her fearless exploits in thatterrain is a story for another day.

In this interview, Evelyn prefers to talk about her love for fashiondesigning, her upcoming fashion show slated for 28 and 29November, as well as issues affecting the fashion designing industryin Nigeria.

into buying sewing machines andother designing items to startmaking clothes.

Three years done the line,would you say you’reimpressed with progressmade?

No, I’m not. It was why I wentinto fashion promotion with anannual fashion show; to promotefashion the way it should bepromoted. Again, I must give kudosto Nduka Obaigbena of This Day.It’s a pity he didn’t continuepromoting fashion with Arise;maybe by now, Nigeria would havebeen the biggest centre for fashionin Africa. Notwithstanding, I wantto portray fashion the way it shouldbe.

Fashion is a business; not justglitz and glamour. With all duerespect to every fashion designer,

So at what point did yougo full scale into fashion?

I went full scale into fashionabout three years ago. Manyyears before then, I had wantedto go to a fashion school inMilan, Italy, but my sistertalked me out of that. But I wokeup one day about four yearsago, and became agitated at thereoccurring desire to redesigndresses I was seeing on people.It was clear it was my passion.I see a fabric and immediatelystart thinking of the manythings I could turn it into. Thatpassion for fashion soon led me

I want to say the fashion we do herein Nigeria is still in its cottage.Details do not appear to be a concern.

Now, we see all kinds of designs,which is good, but what we are yet toget is the business side of fashion.I’m talking about the point where wecan produce fabrics, have amanufacturing firm that producesoutlined designs and we simply just

"


have to send out to our storeswithout having to create one pieceat a time. That’s the real fashionbusiness. But right now, we’re stillin our cottage where a customercomes, we measure, cut and sewfor every single person.

I however want to say power isactually a very big factor in all ofthese. With it, a lot of things canbe made better with manufacturing

plants springing up. That’swhy I’m very happy with thecurrent president of theFashion DesignersAssociation of Nigerian,FADAN, Funmi Ajila-Ladipo.She’s doing everything topush the business of fashionand has really brought lifeand personality to FADAN.Together, we’re all working tosee that Nigeria is seen as afashion city just as you go toNew York and you knowyou’re in a fashion city.

You see, our governmentneeds to know that fashion isa big money-spinner.

Like Funmi Ajila-Ladiposaid in one of her interviews,the fashion designer is veryclose to our skin becausewithout them, we will all begoing naked. It is thereforevery fundamental that theindustry gets the massiveboost the music industry andNollywood have. Moreimportantly, the textileindustry should be helped tobounce back.

Now, that brings us tothat sector. Are you doinganything to revive thetextile industry as well?

Textile manufacturing is anindustry with plenty of chainswhich must all link. Sometimeago when I went to China todiscuss with the Chinesegovernment about gettingfacilities for more vessels formy oil and gas shippingbusiness, I was opportune tostumble on a place where theywere manufacturing wool fora certain kind of material. Youneed to see the whole thingand how it was carried out byindigenous people. There’s acoordinated chain; there’s acompany that makes the wooland another that makes thethread. It was amazing to seethese indigenous peopleproduce such beautiful fabricbefore my very eyes. You see,raw materials are needed fortextile factories to functionand the manufacturers willnot provide that with theirblood.

The enabling environmentisn’t available here for suchindustry to thrive and that’swhy we keep importing.Meanwhile, everything canbe done here in Nigeria. Butwe keep killing industriesjust like we killed the industryin Aba which we should haveimproved on. Look at howChina started? Now,everything in the world comesfrom China.

What’s unique about thisyear’s fashion show…

With this year’s show, wewant to market designers asmuch as possible by givingthem exposure. Our ideologyat St. Eve West Africa FashionShow is that one day, people

here can be proud to saythey ’re wearing anindigenous fashion label justas they are proud to mentionforeign brands. This year, ourshow’s theme is ‘Fashion isArts, Arts is Fashion’.

When we actually starteddoing shows, we firstorganised the Rick RossMusical Concert in 2012 inwhich I brought Rick Ross toNigeria. It was reallyexpensive doing a musicalconcert. Trying to get anotherartist became a drag and Inoticed there were lots ofhanky panky in the game. Thecontact chain is too long andthere’s a lot of cheating. Ididn’t want to kill the brand,so, I thought it was a goodavenue to project fashion theway it should be projected.

I could see you alsomake accessories likejewellery...

Yes, and that’s because I loveto look good. I love jewellerybut not jewellery of diamonds.I’m a craft person; I also loveto paint and draw. I want toorganise my business to apoint where I won’t be neededall the time and can just comein, sit down and just paint. Alot of creative ideas come tomy head every now and thenand when they start drivingme crazy, I just start to playcandy crush on my phone. It’sjust time.

Tell us the focus of yourmagazine?

St. Eve Magazine wascreated when we came upwith the St.Eve Concept. AtSt.Eve Concept, we makepeople loose weight and lookbetter with good skin as well,using enzyme supplement.

At a point, we did agrassroots campaign wherewe went all-over the streets ofLagos, taking people’sweight, telling them the rightthing to eat, screening themmedically, etc. It was sotedious but very fulfilling.That opened my eyes to theneed for awareness creation.Then the idea for a health,beauty and fashion magazinedropped in 2009, 2010. Ithought it was going to becheap but it hasn’t been at all.

Coping with personallife…

I designate how much timeI spend every where I go to.When I get home, I don’t pickcalls; I focus on my kids, gothrough their lesson notesand we also do theirhomework together. If it’sweekends, we play gamesand watch cartoons together.I create that time even thoughthey have nannies. Creatingtime for family is essential. Infacts, it tells on your child’spsyche.

*Evelyn Okere

IT was joy in abundancewhen a poor hotelcleaner, Amaka

Agilibeazu won a millionnaira in the Peak ‘Reach forMillions’ promo.

Amaka Agilibeazu whoplans to open a provisionsretail shop, is a hotel cleanerin Enugu before becomingan instant millionairethrough Peak promo

The school certificateholder and mother of onewho resides in Enugu toldreporters that she saw theadvert of the promo ontelevision but never expectedto win as much as a millionnaira.

“Actually, when I wasplaying in the promo bysending codes, I neverthought I could win as big asa million naira and now, toGod be the glory; Peak hasmade me an unexpectedmillionaire.

She also claimed she neverbelieved it when a textmessage was sent to her thatshe had won a million nairain the promo. When I saw themessage that I have won amillion naira, I did notbelieve it because I was notexpecting to win up to amillion naira. I only tried myluck and see if I could winN50,000 or N100,000 butfortunately God has anotherplan for me through peakmilk-I won a million naira.”She stated.

At the cheque presentation,Amaka narrated how she feltwhen she was informed shehad won a million naira inthe peak promo.

“I can’t express how I feltwhen I received a text thatI’ve won a million naira inthe peak promo, it was like amiracle. I showed the text tomy sister who didn’t reallybelieve it also; but she

however advised we shouldwait for their call. Of coursethey did call us and as I amtalking to you N1 million isin my account right nowcourtesy of peak milk. It wasas if I was dreaming, amillion naira, just like that. Ican never forget thatmoment; it was amazing andso exciting. When theycalled me eventually toconfirm I have won a millionnaira, I jumped up and fellrolling on the ground.”

Joyous Amaka whodescribed peak’s largesse as‘a rare magnanimousprivilege’ also hinted on herplans with the cash reward.

“With this money frompeak, I will definitely resignas a hotel cleaner and opena big provision retail shopwith part of the money.Secondly, I will fix a certainamount for my child’seducation and also supportmy husband in hisbusiness.”

The hotel cleaner whobelieves she now have abright future howeverthanked FrieslandCampinaWAMCO, makers of Peak forthe laudable promo.

In her words, “I thank peakmilk a lot for this wonderfulpromo. Aside being the bestdairy product we have inNigeria, Peak has alwaysbeen good to consumerswith great rewards. Today, Iam one of the lucky ones andI am very happy about it.

Peak ‘Reach for Millions’promo is part of 60thanniversary celebration ofthe Peak brand in Nigeria.The promo is targetedtowards rewarding theconsumers for 60 years ofloyalty and patronage andalso to build brand love withconsumers who have beenconsistently consuming andare willing to consume morepeak.

Woman turns instantmillionaire fromhotel cleaner

*Amaka Agilibeazu receiving her cheque

By Prisca Sam-Duru


NIGERIA knew, knows andis still knowing about

prophets in the Lord’s Vineyard.The prophethood exhibited by thefounder and head of InriEvangelical Spiritual Church,Lagos, Primate Elijah BabatundeAyodele, according toinvestigations, appears to be oneon the side of development thatmust be taken serious. This is aprophet who told this reporterbefore jetting out to Enuguenroute Achalla on MondayOctober 12, 2015, among manyother prophecies that a youngman would emerge as Ooni of Ifeand that his emergence would notonly come to pass but that it willbring prosperity to Yoruba race.This triggered this follow-up thathas deliberately been embarkedupon as a way of critically lookinginto how religious leaders canactually positively partner thestate in matter of growth anddevelopment.

When contacted over the mostrecent prophecy the Primate said,“My prophecies coming to passis not for me to celebrate. I tellthe government and peoples ofthe world especially of my homecountry, Nigeria, whatever I amasked to tell them. I give thanksto God, however, whenever mypositive prophecies come to pastbut feel so pained whenever thenegative ones warned against butunheeded come to pass due tononchalance on the part of theaffected people.”

Nonchalance ofaffected people

Primate Ayodele had said thatthe PDP would not survive itsMarch 28, 2015 collapse and thateven the current ruling AllProgressives Congress (APC)would be split as some of theleaders would team up with oneanother to form a new party outof the APC. He also said thatPresident Buhari might in thelight of that eventually havereason to bring back his restedCongress for Progressive Change(CPC).

Records show that at a time inthe past, Primate Ayodele hadclosely and directly warned Mr.Buruji Kashamu over his fate inpolitics, which he failed toheed. If that warning was true,the possible question now is whobears the brunt of thedisobedience? The Ikere, EkitiState-born prophet, had inVanguard edition published onApril 26, 2015 said there wasnothing he said in his book,Warnings to the Nation about theelections and the two majorcontenders that did not come topass.

In Saturday Vanguard ofDecember 28, 2013 he said:

“President Goodluck Jonathan’ssecond term is dicey. He will startsome political abracadabra inorder to gain his second termwhich will be characterised by somuch of negotiations. He willhave to cajole and beg a lot ofpeople; he will also begObasanjo. What Nigerians seenow is only a tip of an iceberg ofthe clash that will come betweenObasanjo and Jonathan.Jonathan might be the lastpresident of PDP to rule thiscountry, anyway.” The prophetsaid he, however, had a messagefor the APC in that samepublication in 2013 that, “If they(APC) really want to rule, theyhave to struggle and pray verywell to get the rightcandidate. They must be carefulso that their party is not used fornegotiation.”

The Inri Church leader ’sprophecies are also contained inSunday Vanguard of November2, 2014 interview that Jonathan’svisit to Jerusalem was a waste oftime but that if he really desiredto win the 2015 election, heshould fast for 14 days, a call hesaid he did not heed. In TheGuardian of Saturday, July 13,2013, Ayodele specifically referredto what he said about 2015 aslaying the foundation for thedisintegration of Nigeria “exceptwe pray and Jonathan listens tothe words of God.”

The publication revealed theprimate as prophesying that“Jonathan will not win in 2015,”

citing many other warnings of thepast that he did including the onepublished by Daily Champion ofWednesday February 29, 2012 onpage 43 where he said, “I am notagainst President Jonathan or hisgovernment but let him notcontest in 2015. He should relaxelse he will break the country. In Weekend Champion of June16 – 17, 2012 on page 12, he said,‘The governors will gang upagainst Jonathan and the PDPwill lose the central governmentin 2015.”

Incidents ofbomb blasts

In Global Excellence ofTuesday, September 25 –MondayOctober 1, 2012 on page 5, he said“President Jonathan’s 2015ambition will break the governorsinto factions” and that GovernorMimiko should not leave theLabour Party for the PDP.

Primate Ayodele has saidfurther that the current Governorof the Central Bank of Nigeria,Mr. Emefiele will go and hasasked the South West and SouthEast to be watchful aboutincidents of bomb blasts. Hehowever said that, “We havedefeated Boko Haram but weshould work more against non-Boko Haram terrorists.”

The Primate spoke on theGovernor of Anambra State, ChiefWillie Obiano, prophesyingdumping APGA. He warnedthat Obiano’s dumping APGA willplunge him into trouble. “Obiano may dump APGA but itwill be problem for him likeMimiko’s dumping of LabourParty for PDP failing to listen tothe warnings.” The prophet saidthe electricity supply in Nigeriawill be stable but that its stabilitywill begin from 2017. Experiencehas shown that words of men ofGod are not to be thrown awaywithout looking at the substancethat is inherent in them for thelove of country.

Primate Ayodele’s prophecies: Thefulfillment, the pains

Primate Ayodele

We have defeatedBoko Haram but weshould work moreagainst non-BokoHaram terrorists

Nigerian in Indonesialaunches security device

By Vera Samuel Anya-gafu & Prisca Sam-Duru

A NIGERIAN youth willwant to leave the

country to a foreign land allin search of greener pastures.

Many of these youths losetheir lives in the process oftravelling out of the countrythrough illegal means, whilesome engage in drugbusinesses which most oftenendanger their lives.

The unholy activities ofthese few have earned thecountry a stereotype whichmany foreigners find difficultto erase from their blackbooks, irrespective of the factthat there are many youngNigerians living around theworld who are contributingpositively to the economies ofsuch countries.

It is worthy of note here in,that a Nigerian securityexpert based in Indonesia,Mr. Darlington Okafor, is oneof those helping to end thestereotypes. He has inventeda security device that iscapable of resolvingnumerous securitychallenges across the globe.Through this devise knownas Access Gold, he has beenable to save thousands oflives which would have beenwasted daily by armedrobbers, assassins,kidnappers etc, whocapitalize on securityloopholes to unleashmayhem on citizens.

Okafor who recently held apresentation at the IndonesiaTrade Promotion center inLagos, to highlight thebenefits of the security devicetold pressmen that theresearch came to fruition afterdecades of hard-work.

In addition to the newlyintroduced security device,Okafor, who is also the ChiefExecutive Officer of AccessTelecommunication ServicesLink Ltd, said the companysituated in both Indonesiaand Nigeria has othersecurity gadgets to its credit,such as Anti-mobile TheftCode, Access Data Bank

Security, Hybrid SecuritySolution (Eagle Eye), and soon.

He communicated hisconcern to the increasingglobal waves of terrorism,kidnaping, robbery, banditry,frauds as well as loss andmisplacement of vitaldocuments, hence the urge toseeking a security solutioncapable of countering suchchallenges in the Nigeriansociety. He said, “I wasdetermined to ensure thatNigeria rises above securitychallenges, which haveturned out to be the greatestchallenge to mankind all overthe world and whichgovernments of most nationsare striving to put a wedge.Over a million people havelost their lives to variousdeadly explosives which couldhave been tracked anddislodged if effective securitysystem were deployed.Equally, the overall effect ofthe security lapses hasdiscouraged a good numberof foreign investors and isslowly crimpling mostcountries’ economies.”

Securitygadgets

Also speaking during thepresentation, the IndonesiaTrade Promotion Director, Mr.Nino Suswan, while givinghis testimony in respect of theproduct, expressed the needto having security gadgets thatare capable of detecting anyform of danger a few metersaway.

He noted that in a worldwhere the issue of insecuritytops every deliberation,devises that can assist toensuring an end to variouscriminalities are worthencouraging.

Also enumerating the valuesas imperative to securing livesand properties, Okafor wasquick to add that with that theone of the invented devisesthat is used for safe guidingand protecting mobile phonedata and mobile phone devise,including recovery of datafrom mobile device in case oftelephone loss or damage isquite recommended, for factthat mobile phones are largelyused worldwide

“If installed the mobile datasystem, signals informationleading to tracking andrecovery of lost telephonehandsets. The devise informsyou of any tampering, evenwhen the phone’s sim card isremoved and a new sim cardinserted.

This system which combinesefficiency with affordability ofvalue is meant to alleviate thesuffering of the victims ofhandset loss or theft,” Okaforadded.

•How prediction of young Ooni triggers media follow-up

By Bashir Adefaka

I was determinedto ensure thatNigeria risesabove securitychallenges, whichhave turned out tobe the greatestchallenge tomankind all overthe world


Bayelsa gov’saide resigns

PDP'll soon beforgotten inDelta State —APC chieftain

Court stops FG from winding up PHCNBy Victor Ahiuma-

Young By Emem Idio

Restructure Nigeria now, NNSG tells Buhari

By Dapo Akinrefon

Itsekiri organizations cautioned against 7-dayultimatum to shut DESOPADEC

NATIONAL IndustrialCourt, NIC, holding in

Abuja, has restrained the FederalGovernment and 19 othersincluding DistributionCompanies, DISCOs, whetherby themselves, their agents,proxies or privies, from windingup the Power Holding Companyof Nigeria, PHCN, or liquidatingits assets.

Specifically, the NIC orderedthe respondents, jointly orseverally, whether by themselves,their agents, proxies or privies,from winding up PHCN or in anymanner whatsoever, fromliquidating or dissipating itsassets pending the determinationof the motion on notice alreadyfiled in court.

The court, presided over byJustice M.N. Esowe, on October27, gave the restraining orderwhile ruling on Ex-parteApplication by the NationalUnion of Electricity Employees,NUEE, against the respondents.The defendants are Bureau ofPublic Enterprises, BPE, NigeriaElectricity Liability ManagementCompany, Chief Joe-KyariGadzama, SAN, Liquidator forPower Holding Company ofNigeria, Federal Ministry ofPower, Federal Ministry of Labour& Productivity, Ikeja ElectricityDistribution Company, EkoElectricity Distribution Company,Enugu Electricity DistributionCompany, and Port-HarcourtElectricity Distribution Company.

Others are Benin ElectricityDistribution Company, KanoElectricity Distribution Company,Abuja Electricity DistributionCompany, Jos ElectricityDistribution Company, YolaElectricity Distribution Company,Ibadan Electricity DistributionCompany, Kaduna ElectricityDistribution Company, EgbinElectricity Power Plc, AfamElectricity Power Plc, SapeleElectricity Power Plc, KainjiElectricity Power Plant, Ughelli

Power Plant, Shiroro Hydro PowerStation and TransmissionCompany of Nig. Plc, TCN.

The court also ordered parties tomaintain the peace until the motionon notice before it was heard anddetermined, noting that “hearingnotices are hereby ordered to beissued and served on therespondents and the matter is nowadjourned to November 11, 2015for hearing of the motion on noticebefore the court."

In the Ex-parte Application,

NUEE had approached the NICthrough the Suit no. NICN/ABJ/31/9/2015, seeking anInterim Injunction restrainingthe Respondents jointly orseverally, whether bythemselves, their agents,proxies or privies from windingup the PHCN or in any manner,whatsoever, from liquidating ordissipating the assets of the saidPHCN, pending thedetermination of the motion onnotice.

THE Nigerian NationalSummit Group, NNSG, has

called on President MuhammaduBuhari to halto the perceived driftof Nigeria towards anarchy,economic distress and disunity bysetting in motion steps toimplement fundamentalResolutions of the 2014 NationalConference that were adopted bythe delegates.

Executive Secretary of NNSG,Mr Tony Uranta, in a statementsaid Nigeria could still suffer “the2015 bogey if we refuse to beginrestructuring now.”

Uranta noted that “in recenttimes, very important voices fromthe north have come out loudlyin support of restructuring.”

According to him, Northernleaders like Alhaji Ahmed Jodaand former Vice-President AtikuAbubakar at the recentLeadership award ceremony, hadthrown their weights behind theneed for Nigeria to practice truefederalism.

He said: “This is not a call byjust a few disgruntled sections ofNigeria. The Southwest, North-Central (Middle-Belt!), South-

East and South-South have beenspearheading this campaign fortrue holistic change viarestructuring for decades. Nowthat Arewa chieftains like Jodaand Atiku have admitted to the

urgent need to embark on thispressing national exercise,President Buhari must recognisethat the North-West and North-Eaststrongly desire restructuring also.So, Mr. President cannot but

immediately step up to the plateand fulfill his oath of office toserve Nigerians byguaranteeing our welfare to thevery best of his ability andopportunities.”

By Perez Brisibe

UGHELLI—DESPITEthe Delta State

Governorship Tribunal ruling,a chieftain of All ProgressivesCongress, APC, in the state,Olorogun Jaro Egbo, haspredicted that the PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP, wouldbe a thing of the past in thestate, in February 2016.

Egbo, who was speaking onthe heels of the ruling,explained that contrary to thescenario where defectedmembers of the PDP who hadleft the party to contestelections on other politicalplatforms normally return tothe party, the reverse had beenthe case after the 2015 generalelections.

By Emma Amaize,Festus Ahon & Egufe

Yafugborhi

EFFURUN—URHOBOand Ijaw youths in Delta

State, yesterday at Effurun, UvwieLocal Government Area,cautioned Itsekiri organizationsover their seven-day ultimatumto shut the Delta State OilProducing Areas DevelopmentCommission, DESOPADEC, overpurported marginalization of theethnic group.

The Urhobo Youth LeadersAssociation, UYLA, Urhobo YouthCouncil, Ijaw Youth LeadersForum, Ijaw Youth Council,Urhobo Professionals Association

and Ijaw Youth Council at the endof an emergency meeting inEffurun, condemned theultimatum, which they describedas the handiwork of a dismissedstaff of the commission.

In the communiqué by nationalspokesperson of UYLA, SamuelOghotomo, and others, they said,“As we appreciate their agitation,the Itsekiri must be cautious oftheir activities because they haveno right to shut down thecommission. The commission wasestablished in 2007 to cater for thedevelopment of the oil producingareas and also to promote ethnicharmony.”

They argued that the ultimatumby the Itsekiri groups was capableof truncating the peace enjoyed in

the state, as other groups wouldresist the move.

The Urhobo and Ijaw youthsurged the Itsekiri Leaders ofThought, ILT, to call the formerDESOPADEC worker, whothey said wants to retain hisformer position at all cost andhis accomplices to order, as thepresent management of thecommission, led by ChiefWilliam Makinde, had nothingto do with the issues theyraised.

“We, therefore, urge all ethnicnationalities to support theWilliam Makinde-ledDESOPADEC management todeliver prosperity to all Deltansin their catchment areas,” theyadded.

Y E N A G O A —ANOTHER aide of

Bayelsa State Governor onBusiness Development, MrBarnabas Edure, has resignedhis appointment from the statecabinet.

Though no reason wasgiven for his resignation, it waslearnt that Edure, a kinsmanof Governor Seriake Dicksonand two-time chairman ofSagbama Local GovernmentArea, resigned hisappointment following allegedpoor working conditions.

Edure in his resignationletter dated October 28, saidhis resignation was voluntaryand thanked the governor forgiving him the opportunity toserve the state.

He said:“The resignationwill afford me the time toconcentrate on my family,business and other privateinterests that need myattention.”

Okolie passes on

MR. Okonkwo Okolieis dead, aged 67.

Service of songs andinterment have already beenconducted at the deceased’scompound. He is survived bya widow, children,grandchildren, father andgrandfather.

Late Okonkwo Okolie

MEDIA PARLEY: From left: Nik Ogbulie, Publisher, BusinessWeek; Tokunbo Adedoja,Editor, Sunday Thisday; Kamar Abass, CEO, ntel; Funke Egbemode, Managing Director,New Telegraph and Eric Osagie, Managing Director, Sun, after an interactive media parleyhosted by ntel for media executives in Lagos.

CMYK


PEOPLE SPEAKBy Bartholomew Madukwe

(08102479985)[email protected]

On senate screening of ministerial nomineesNigeria is a funny

country! To becomea minister you will bedrilled and thoroughlyquestioned to ascertainyour intellectual and mor-al levels. But to become apresident, you will beshielded from presidentialdebate. -Mr. Nedu Anyao-ha, Self Employed

I have no personalgrudges against

Amaechi but how can webe talking of fightingcorruption when someonelike him, who has chargesagainst him, madeministerial list? The fightagainst corruption shouldbe without bias. -Mr.Ekene Ogbu,Businessman

In Nigeria, when theperson in question is

your person you look forways to bend the rules tofavour him, but when itcomes from theopposition, you look forthe slightest weakness,magnify it and nail theperson. -Mr. NdukaAzubuike, Worker

We should be happythat the Senate has

a rule which they arefollowing. Even if Amaechigets cleared by meetingthe set down rules. That iswhat is called rule of law.Laws may not be perfect,but let us just follow it untilit is improved. -MissChioma Ani, Model

As far as I amconcerned the reason

why Rotimi Amaechi’sname is being blown outof proportion is the factthat he withstood GEJand Dame Patienceduring his tenure as thegovernor of Rivers State.-Mr. Chibuzor Ogbonna,Deck Cadet

Amaechi was oncevoted the Best

Governor of the Year, forhis role in thedevelopment of RiversState. Not a single workerwas owed salary till Aprilthis year, when he wasrounding off his tenure asgovernor. -Mr. VitusEfosa, Instrumentalist

NAS visitsEmiko, Olu ofWarri -designate overlate monarch

By Tare Youdeowei

N A T I O N A LASSOCIATION

of Seadogs, NAS, alsoknown as PyratesConfraternity, XkravosDeck, has paid acondolence visit to theregent, families members,chiefs and the new Olu ofWarri-designate on thedemise of His Majesty,Atuwatse II, as well asfelicitated on theemergence of PrinceGodfrey Emiko as the Oluof Warri - designate.

Chairman of the Elders’forum and spokesman forthe team, Mr. MisanUkubeyinje expressedconcern and sympathy forthe regent and Itsekiripeople on the demise of thelate Atuwatse 11 andprayed to God to grantthem the fortitude to bearthe irreparable loss, as heapplauded the Itsekirination for a quick, rancourfree and successfulemergence of a new Olu ofWarri.

Speaking on behalf of themonarch, Chiefs EmmaJones and Roland Omagb-emi, thanked the PyratesConfraternity for the visit.

Members of the NASXkravos team presentwere: Mr. Felix Gbiwen,Emiko Dore, Emiko Tunde,Eugene Eyube, AugustineOkene and EmmanuelYemiete.

Others are AtariataAbednego, Okotie Charles,Toyin Uwajamomere,Bakpa Samuel,Tosanwunmi Godfrey,Arubi Emmanuel and FelixUku.

Foundation advocates new devt initiative forS/East

By Rosemary Onuoha

FG urged to address challenges confronting senior citizens

THE IGBO YouthEmpowerment Foundation,

IYEF, a South East advocacygroup, has sought for thepromotion of communitydevelopment as a viable model tosupport government interventioninitiative in advancingdevelopment in the region.

The group said the call hadbecome necessary to close theyawning infrastructure gap in theSouth East.

Addressing the media in Lagoslast week, Chairman of IYEF, Mr.Bright Ezeocha said thefoundation was found tochampion empowerment anddevelopment of the South Eastregion.

Ezeocha called for widespread

mobilization of successful Igboentrepreneurs to think of how topool resources and tackle someof the key challenges militatingagainst development of theregion.

He said: “In the past,communities usually mobilizethemselves to embark on roadconstruction. I recall when wewere in school, the Imo Stategovernment mobilized indigenesof the state by creating speciallevy for the construction of the Imoairport. The Imo Airport was builtthrough the effort of the people,and I recalled while in school wewere asked to pay airportdevelopment levy.”

He said such patriotism couldbe replicated in some of the areasthat require urgent attention,adding, “for instance, the seaport, which the region had

agitated for over the years, couldcommence through spirited effortsof large entrepreneurs.

“The foundation aims atcreating a platform andengagement process that willmobilize support of the peopleand also create synergy amongother interest groups in theregion. One of the key problemsof the region is divided interestsand lack of harmony amonggroups and individuals and if wecan come together and speak asone entity, then we can achieve alot in terms of empowering ourpeople.

Speaking further, Ezeocha saidthough he had not totally losthope in governance, over theyears successive administrationsseem to have neglected theregion and abandoned criticalaspects of development.

By Jonah Nwokpoku

THE FEDERAL Governmenthas been urged to pay more

attention to senior citizens inNigeria to improve their welfareby addressing the numerous

challenges confronting them.The Executive Director, 3rd Age

Initiative, a Non-GovernmentOrganisation, NGO, dedicated tothe welfare of the elderly inNigeria, Mrs. Toun Giwa made theappeal during this year’s Old

People’s Day celebration in Lagos.Addressing newsmen during

the event, Giwa called onPresident Muhammadu Buhari toput in place measures that willaddress the plight of the elderly.

She said: “I am happy that the

president is a senior citizenhimself. We want him to payparticular attention or, at least,lean on those, who should payparticular attention on everythingconcerning the elderly.

"For the state governments, wewant to appeal to them to helpthe local governments to work.The local government has to work.We no longer want to hear localgovernment chairmencomplaining of lack of fund or thattheir hands are tied. There arevery little things that help theelderly that the local governmentcan do.

"Sometimes they complain thatthe sidewalk is too high and atzebra crossings, nobody stops forthem anymore. These are someof the things we are also lookingat legislating on.”

She said over the past fouryears, 3rd Age Initiative had triedto let the state and localgovernment understand theplight of the elderly, and thatalthough they continue to lamentlack of finance “we can never stoptalking because that will makematters worse.”

Giwa said: “We are hoping thatthis current government will bemore positive and do more for theelderly."

Enugu community alleges Police harassment,intimidation Police deny harassment

By Francis Igata

ENUGU—RESIDENTS ofUmabor community in Eha-Alumona, Nsukka Council Areaof Enugu State have fled theirhomes following a reported massarrest of residents by the police.

A dependable source disclosedthat over 20 persons, both youthsand elderly, were arrested by thepolice prompting the natives toleave the community in droves.

It was gathered that thedevelopment is a fall-out of analleged attack on a police stationin the community.

According to an eyewitness:

“What happened, yesterdaynight, in Owerre, Umabor, is mostshocking and strange; someyouths from Eha communityallegedly attacked the policestation the previous night, but toour greatest shock, instead of thepolice going there to make arrest,they came to Umabor communityin the night and started arrestingeven the elderly men.

“The police are not in doubt overthe people that attacked the policestation; they are not in doubt overthe people that blocked MakurdiExpressway. So, this latest actionby the police is mostcondemnable.

“They went as far as enteringthe family house of NsukkaCouncil Chairman, where theyalso arrested three persons.

“As I speak to you, our place isdeserted now; we are calling onrelevant authorities and theEnugu State governor, Rt. Hon.Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to come to ouraid. The governor should pleasesave us from this intimidation.

“The police know they haveissues with Eha community, notUmabor, does it mean they areafraid of going there? TheTuesday clash was caused by asimilar action, because theystormed a viewing centre and

arrested some residents; now theyare at it again. They should stopthis unnecessary mass arrest.”

It could be recalled that thepolice had, Tuesday night,arrested some youths at a viewingcentre during a Chelsea match,a situation that angered theresidents, leading to allegedattack on the Umabor policestation.

However, Police PublicRelations Officer, PPRO, Mr.Ebere Amaraizu, DSP, denied theaccusations, adding that the areawas infested with cult members,prompting police raid to rid thearea of miscreants.


PDP gov candidate, Sen Pwajok diesBy Henry Umoru & Marie-

Therese Nanlong

Royal father lauds Wada on grassroots devt

Over N3bn Benue LGs' tax deductionsmissing, says BIRS boss

By Peter Duru

PDP govt responsible for Nigeria's woes—Okorocha

By Suzan Edeh

Passage

By Elizabeth Uwandu

By Kingsley Fanwo

JOS—THE Peoples DemocraticParty, PDP, candidate in the

April 11 governorship electionin Plateau State, SenatorGyang Nyam Shom Pwajok, isdead.

Senator Pwajok, whorepresented Plateau Northsenatorial zone in the 7thAssembly and was succeededby the incumbent, SenatorJonah Jang, contested the lastgovernorship election but lostto the incumbent governor,Simon Lalong, of All

BAUCHI—THE Chairman ofProgressive Governors

Forum and governor of Imo State,Owelle Rochas Okorocha, hassaid the mismanagement ofPeoples Democratic Party, PDP,government was responsible forthe sufferings experienced in thenation, assuring that the APCgovernment would address allthe challenges facing Nigeria.

He said the APC was a massesoriented party created to touchthe lives of the ordinary man inthe country.

According to him, APCgovernment under theleadership of PresidentMuhammadu Buhari has all ittakes to fix the problems of thecountry.

Okorocha, who stated thisyesterday while giving a briefremark at the opening ceremonyof the APC governorsprogressive meeting at theYankari Game Reserve in Bauchi,said the aim of the APCgovernor ’s meeting was toaddress critical issues affectingthe ordinary man, pointing outthat the nation was going througha very difficult moment.

“This meeting will also avail thegovernors the opportunity to lookat the upcoming election in Kogiand Balyelsa states because wewant the wind of change to blowacross these states in the nextelection .

“We will also discuss with APC

state leaders and nationalchairman of the party on howto the strengthen the APCbecause this is a party for todayand tomorrow,” he said

Okorocha commended the

judiciary in Rivers and Akwa-Ibomstates over the outcome of thesitting of the tribunal, saying it metthe expectations of Nigerians.

In his address, Bauchi Stategovernor, Mohammed Abubakar,told the governors that since the

revenue from the federalaccount was dwindling, theyshould should look inwards byimproving the internallygenerated revenue in theirstates to maintain a vibranteconomy.

LOKOJA—THE Oba of IllahBunu, Kabba/Bunu local

government area of Kogi State,His Riyal Highness, ObaFolorunsho Ikutanwa, has hailedthe government of Capt IdrisWada for paying necessaryattention to rural development.

The royal father made thecommendation in his palace in achat with Vanguard, saying

M AKURDI—BENUEInternal Revenue Service,

BIRS, has alleged that over N3billion Pay As You Earn, PAYE,tax deductions from localgovernment council employees inthe state between 2012 and 2013were not remitted to the coffers ofgovernment.

Executive Chairman of BIRS,Mrs. Mimi Adzape-Orubibi,made this known yesterday whenofficials of the Board visited theSpecial Adviser to the StateGovernor on Local Governmentand Chieftaincy Affairs, inMakurdi.

Mrs. Adzape-Orubibi disclosedfurther that over N427 millionPAYE tax deductions from localgovernment staff, accruable to thegovernment between July andSeptember 2015 were yet to beremitted to the coffers of thegovernment.

The BIRS boss, who decried thedevelopment, cautioned that theBoard could be compelled toinvoke the necessary laws tosanction all governmentMinistries, Departments andAgencies, MDAs, that diverted

Governor Wada had shown thatgovernance was not all abouturban renewal but also charting asustained rural transformationagenda.

He said: “One of theachievements of the presentadministration in the state is theattention given to ruralcommunities. Through differentgovernment agencies, thegovernor has been able to provide

infrastructures for improvedrural life.

“What people at the ruralareas demand for are notbeyond the government. Theywant potable water, good roadsand improved medical facilities.

‘’They want good schools fortheir children that will be ableto compete with theircounterparts anywhere in the

LAGOS—THE firstLagos International

Poetry Festival, whichwould run betweenOctober 28 and November1, 2015, was declaredopened at Freedom Park onWenesday.

Themed “BorderlessWords’, one of Africa’s icon,Prof. J. P Clark, is expectedto be honoured at thefestival for his contributionsto literacy discourse withinand across the globe.

Director of the festival, EfePaul, said the theme of thisyear’s festival was uniqueas it bordered on issues ofmigration within Africa and,indeed, the entire Europeand the impart of creativityin bridging the gap ofethnicity, racism, andgender issues, amongothers.

He said: “BorderlessWords as a theme coincideswith a season of heightenedforced migration, not onlyin Africa but also acrossEurope, with the ensuringtensions compelling a re-evaluation, a cursory lookat borders restrictions andour humanity as a whole.’’

The five days festival,according to the organisers,will feature workshops/masters classes, schooloutreaches, paneldiscussions, readings andperformances in openspaces and enclosedvenues across the city,including a conversationwith Prof. JP Clark.

FORUM: From left: Hamisu Lambu, Special Adviser on Power and Energy to Kano StateGovernor; Professor Hafizu Abubakar, Deputy Governor, Kano State; Professor UmarDanbatta, Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, and UbaleMaska, Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, NCC, at a forum on the awareness ofelectromagnetic field, EMF, from telecoms infrastructure in Kano, yesterday.

government revenue.She said: “That is why we are

urging all organizations,government agencies andministries, including the Bureau,who are owing and not up todate with their tax remittancesto the Board, to do so or we may

be compelled to invoke thenecessary laws for that purpose.

“We will resist any attempt byMDAs and other firms to withholdtax deductions due to the stategovernment because doing sowould amount to robbing the stategovernment.”

Responding, the SpecialAdviser to the Governor onLocal Government andChieftaincy Affairs, Mr. TitusZam, assured that the Bureauwould investigate the matter totrace the funds.

Progressives Congress, APC.GNS, as the late senator was

fondly called, was said to havedied on Wednesday night in anIndian hospital at the age of 48,after a protracted liver disease.

He took ill sometime in Maythis year and was not reallyseen in the public shortly afterthe general elections.

Consequently, he was notable to join his colleagues inthe valedictory session of the7th Assembly.

Though there is no officialreport about his demise,friends of his family haveconfirmed the incident, adding

that arrangements were onto return his remains to thecountry.

However, condolences arebeing expressed on socialmedia and citizens of thestate are discussing thesituation in hushed tones.

Reacting to his deathyesterday, the nationalleadership of PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP,described the death asshocking, especially comingat a time he was stillpursuing his case at thetribunal.

HIS ROYALHighness Oba

Funso Omo-Ogunkoya JP(Afimolegbade-Tunwase 1),the Saderiren of Isonyin,Ijebu North East LocalGovernment, Ogun State isdead.

According to a statementissued by IsonyinCommunity DevelopmentAssociation, burial activitieshas been scheduled forNovember 27 and 28, 2015in Isonyin.

Late Oba Funso Omo-Ogunkoya

By Elizabeth Uwandu

Lagos holds1st int'lpoetryfestival


ORDAINED: From left — International President, Christian Ministersand Ministries Network International, CMIMNI, Bishop Zukka Bonet; one ofthe newly-ordained evangelists, Ms Margaret Adimbite, and Bishop Alice Bonet,after the ordination of 17 ministers in Kubwa, Abuja.

CHARITY: Chairman, Peters Mission for the Less-Privileged, Mr. OnoriobePeter-Smith (2nd left), donating relief materials to flood victims at the InternallyDiplaced Persons, IDPs, camp in Asaba, Delta State.

BRIEFING: From left — Janet Udogu; Editor-in-Chief, Mrs MaureenUmanah, and Editorial Consultant, Quaye Tawiah, all of Billboard WorldMagazine, at a briefing in Lagos. PHOTO: Akeem Salau.

GTB AWARD: From left— Managing Director/CEO, GTBank, SegunAgbaje; CFO, West Africa, ABN Nigeria Ltd, Mary Ojulari, and ManagingDirector, Robert Bosch Ltd, Ghislain Noumbessy, at the presentation of the WestAfrica Business Leader of the Year award to Agbaje in Lagos.

FELLOWS AWARDS: From left — Professor Sonnie Oniye, Mrs.Olafunke Bangbose, Engr. Adebola Shabi, Professor Ademola Omojola,Professor Nurudeen Olasupo, Dr Titilayo Anibaba, representative of ProfessorBabtunde Rabiu; Mrs. Onisarotu, representing her husband, Mr. OluwatoyinOnisoratu, all conferred Fellow; Dr. Funmilayo Doherty, President, Societyfor Environmental Toxicology and Polution Mitigation, SETPOM, and others,at the 2015 Fellows Award conferment and SETPOM conference, in Universityof Lagos, UNILAG.

INDUCTION: From left— Past President, Ikeja D’Ivy Lions Club, LionMrs Otunba Felicia Koleoso; 1st Vice District 404B-2 Governor, Lion TosAdewunmi, and Lion Mrs. Florence Oshofisan, at Oshofisan's induction asthe club's new President in Lagos.

WOMEN IN BUSINESS: From left—CEO, Flying Doctors, Dr. OlaOrekunrin; MD, Easy Taxi, Adaora Isala; Regional Director, GLEEHD, Mr. DayoIsrael; Consul General, US Consulate, Dehab Ghebreab; former President,Nigerian Philosophical Association, Professor Sophie Oluwole; Chairperson,GLEEHD Foundation Governing Board, Chief (Mrs.) Opral Benson, and summitPresident at the Women in Business and Leadership Summit, WIBLES, in Lagos.

MULTICHOICE/PEP: From left— Public Relations Manager,MultiChoice Nigeria, Mrs Caroline Oghuma; Financial Manager, PEP, Mrs KofoAwonuga; Channel Relationship Manager, MultiChoice, Mrs Aderoju Ope-Ajayi;Logistic Manager, PEP, Mr Abdul Azeez Iposu, and Public Relations Manager,GOtv, Mrs Efe Obiomah, during a briefing on MultiChoice/PEP partnership inLagos. PHOTO: Kehinde Gbadamosi.

CMYK


RIVERS GOV POLL: Appeal Court expungespart of APC’s petition against Wike


Religious tension brews in Cross RiverBy Emma Una

Bayelsa poll:Dickson taskssecurityagencies onsafety

ABUJA—THE Court ofAppeal sitting in Abuja,

yesterday, expunged someparagraphs of the petition that ledto the annulment of the April 11 governorship election thatbrought Governor Nyesom Wikeof Rivers State to power.

In a judgment it delivered, athree-man panel of Justices of theAppeal Court headed by JusticeDatti Yahaya, struck out portionsof the petition alleging thatsecurity agents were used to rigthe election in favour of Wike andthe Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

The decision of the appellatecourt followed an interlocutoryappeal that was lodged before itby the APC and its governorshipcandidate in Rivers State, Dr.Dakuku Peterside.

Both APC and Peterside hadgone before the court to challengethe ruling of the previouschairman of the Rivers StateGovernorship Election PetitionTribunal panel, Justice MuazuPindiga, which deletedparagraphs of the petitioncontaining criminal allegationsagainst unnamed securityoperatives.

Justice Pindiga, who wassubsequently removed frompresiding over the petition by thePresident of the Court of Appeal,Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa,based his decision on the fact thatthe petitioners failed to join thesaid security agents and otherpersons it said participated in the

alleged electoral fraud as partiesto the suit.

Among those that the APCalleged masterminded therigging of election in RiversState included wife of formerPresident Goodluck Jonathan,Dame Patience.

But, dissatisfied with theruling of the lower tribunal, thepetitioners took the matter beforethe appellate court.

While upholding the decisionof the tribunal yesterday, theappeal court held that paragraphs of the petitioncontaining allegations ofelectoral crime against namedand unnamed security agents

and alleged political thugsshould be expunged from therecord of the tribunal.

The court stressed that thepetitioners ought to have joinedthe accused security agents andpolitical thugs as parties to thepetition.

Specifically, the court directedthat evidences that were ledagainst security agents andpolitical thugs, whether namedor unnamed, in the course ofhearing of the petition againstWike, where the said securityagents and alleged politicalthugs were not joined as parties,should be struck out.

The Court of Appeal further

directed that all the criminal allegations contained in thepetition against the said securityagents and alleged politicalthugs be expunged as they hadno opportunity to defendthemselves at the tribunal.

The court held that in caseswhere criminal allegations weremade against institutions,agents and individuals, the lawrequired that in the interest ofjustice, they should be joinedas parties to the matter.

Other members of the appealcourt panel that delivered thejudgment were Justices TanimYusuf and MustaphaMohammed.

THE death hasoccurred in

Manhattan, New York,U.S.A., of John ForitseKubeyinje on October 23,2015 at the age of 51.Johnny, as he was fondlycalled, will be interredtomorrow. He is survivedby his mother, brothers andseveral relatives.

Kubeyinjepasses on

Late John Kubeyinje

VISIT: Cross River State Governor, Senator Ben Ayade (left) with the Chief OperatingOfficer, General Electric, Engineer Ahmed Zakari, during a courtesy call by the team ofGeneral Electric Nigeria, in Calabar, yesterday.

CALABAR—RELIGIOUStension is brewing in

Cross River State, after theChristian Association ofNigeria, CAN, rejected thedirective by the stategovernment to stop morningdevotion in secondary andprimary schools across thestate, saying such a directiveis totally unacceptable to theassociation.

In a statement, CAN statechairman, Archbishop JosephEdra Ukpo, yesterday, calledon the state government toimmediately withdraw thedirective as it negated freedomof worship in the state.

The statement said: “Sequelto the letter from the Ministryof Education with referenceNo MOE/S132/VOL 1, by thePermanent Sectary of theMinistry of Education datedOctober 21, directing publicand private primary/secondaryschools across the state tosuspend all assemblies(morning and afternoon) tillfurther notice, the Christian

Association of Nigeria , CrossRiver State chapter, hereby,says that such directive istotally unacceptable. Thisdirective will negativelyaffect the moral upbringingof our children who are futureleaders of this country.”

Mrs Anne Odey, PermanentSecretary of the Ministry of

Edo ex-PDP council chairmen slam Oshiomholeover sack of LG bosses

Education in the state, hadlast week, written a letter toall schools across the state,both primary and secondary,ordering the suspension ofmorning and afternoondevotions.

When contacted, Mrs Odeysaid the directive came fromthe state Commissioner of

Police, Mr Henry Fadairo, inview of prevailing securityconcerns in the country,adding that it was not thestate government that wastrying to stop the age longpractice established bymissionaries who establishedmost of the schools in thestate.

THE Association of Peoples DemocraticParty, PDP, Former Council Chairmen,

an umbrella political organisation of allformer executive council chairmen of PDP inthe 18 local government areas of Edo State,has slammed Governor Adams Oshiomholeover what it termed, “illegal sack of localgovernment chairmen.”

Mr Victor Enoghama, state chairman of theassociation in a statement, yesterday in BeninCity, said: “For quite some time now, we haveobserved, with great concern, the happeningsin many local government areas in the stateranging from inactivity and non-payment ofcouncil workers’ salary to illegal and arbitrarysack of elected council chairmen by thegovernor. While we do not support corruption,indiscipline and dereliction of duties by eitherelected or appointed public officers, we

uphold tenaciously thetenets of democracy aspowered by theconstitution and onwhich provisions the

government mustadhere to insanctioning erringelected councilofficials."

By Samuel Oyadongha

YENAGOA—AHEADof the December 5

governorship election inBayelsa State, GovernorSeriake Dickson, has urgedsecurity agencies to intensifyefforts at keeping the statesafe before, during and afterthe election.

Granting audience to thenew Flag OfficerCommanding, FOC, CentralNaval Command, RearAdmiral Apoehi Suleiman,in Yenagoa, Dickson restatedhis administration’scommitment to partneringwith the Nigerian Navy toeffectively police thewaterways in the state.

He said: “We expect noless from you and at a timethat our state is gearing upfor governorship election, weare counting on the Navyand other related services toensure that violence alongthe waterways does notdiscredit or mar the poll.Bayelsa cannot be safe untilthe Navy plays its own rolebecause of our maritimenature. The security of eventhe upland areas depends somuch on the security of thecreeks and waterways."


Elisha & Rebecca Oyekunle for burial

MR. ELISHA & Mrs.Rebecca Oyekunle will be

interred today, October 30, 2015,at Baptist Cemetery, Ekosin, afterlying in state in Oyekunle'scompound, Iyeku Road, Ekosin,Odo-Ofin Local Government Areaand funeral service at Ogo OluwaBaptist Church, Ekosin.

Entertainment of guests followsimmediately at Ekosin CommunityGrammar School. Late Mr. & Mrs. Oyekunle

CAMPAIGN: From left, Assistant Chief Driver, Mr. Amos Oyedeji; Chief Security Officer, Mr.Amorighoye Miller, both Vanguard Media Limited; Zonal Head, Vehicle Inspection Officer, VIO,Engr. Tony Garuba; Deputy Admin Manager, Vanguard Media Limited, Mr. Hassan Balogun; AreaCommand, VIO, Engr. Bode Jimoh, and Chief Driver, Vanguard, Pastor Felix Oregbeyiwa, duringthe Annual Safety Campaign Week, and workshop for Vanguard Media Ltd Drivers , by Lagos StateVehicle Inspection Services, and Vanguard Media Limited, at Vanguard Premises, Apapa, Lagos,yesterday. Photo:Kehinde Gbadamosi

DELE GIWA’S MURDER: Omeben lied, I madestatements to police twice — SOYINKAFORMER LONDON Bureau

Chief of NewswatchMagazine, Kayode Soyinka, whowas present when Dele Giwa, theco-founder of the magazine wasmurdered in 1986 through a letterbomb, has dismissed as liescomments by a retired DeputyInspector General of Police, ChrisOmeben, that he fled after theattack and was never questioned.

Omeben said on Monday thatSoyinka was a prime suspect in themurder but the Newswatchmanagement shielded him frombeing quizzed by the police.

Mr. Soyinka, who is now thepublisher of Africa Todaymagazine, told Premium Timesfrom his London base that he wasquestioned twice by the police afterthe incident and accused Omebenof deceit.

In his comments, Soyinka said:“I gave statements not once buttwice to the same Nigerian Policehe represents before I eventuallyleft Nigeria. The first one was atthe hospital where I was admitted– Dele’s body was next door to me.That interrogation by a seniorpolice officer whose name I cannotrecall took place on the spot whenthe incident was still fresh. It wasinside the hospital. Dele Olojede(publisher of defunct 234nextnewspaper) was beside me – he isalive, go and ask him,” he said.

Continuing, Mr. Soyinka said:“The second statement I madewhen the police requested to seeme again. It was made at thepremises of Newswatch in OregunRoad in Lagos in the presence ofthe eminent lawyer Chief GaniFawehinmi.

"I don’t know why Omeben didnot know about this and he isaccusing me wrongly. Thestatement I made, and the onesmade by Funmilayo (Dele’s wife)and Billy, I believe, is now in publicdomain. Chief Gani Fawehinmimust have published them in the

series of books he published onthis subject before he died.

“So I don’t understand whyOmeben should tell Nigerianssuch blatant lies. That iswickedness. He does not fear Godat all. Thank God I am alive andI can respond to him. Can youimagine if I had died with Dele,Omeben and cohorts would havesucceeded in putting cotton woolon the faces of Nigerians andsold a different story completelyto them to exonerate those whodid it.

Telephone discussionMr. Soyinka recalled that Halilu

Akilu called Mr. Giwa’s houseabout three times within 24 hoursand spoke to Funmilayo, Dele’swife, to know how to get to thejournalist’s Ikeja home.

“On the Sunday of the bombblast Dele had spoken to Akilufrom his upstairs bedroom beforecoming down to have breakfastwith me, to tell him that he heardhe had called him on Saturdayand asked why. The letter bomb

was delivered to the house within45 minutes after that earlymorning telephone discussionbetween Dele and Akilu. So whoshould be Omeben’s ‘principalsuspect’ then? Should it be mewho was bombed with Dele? Or

Akilu?“His ‘principal suspect’ should

be Halilu Akilu, who called Dele’shouse about three timesconsecutively Saturday before theSunday bombing and spoke toFunmilayo, Dele’s wife, to ask for

Ayingba,Ikeja host GloLaffta Fest,Slide ‘n’Bounce

G L O B A C O M ’ SPOPULAR music

and comedy shows arescheduled for Ikeja inLagos State and the rockyuniversity town of Ayingba,Kogi State, this week.

The company said in astatement in Lagos that thecomedy show, Glo LafftaFest, was held, yesterday,at Ayingba, while Ikeja willplay host to the musicconcert, Slide ‘n’ Bounce,tomorrow, October 31.

Anyingba, generallyregarded as the heart of theIgalaland in Kogi State,became the first town in theNorth Central to host eitherof the two shows.

Slide ‘n’ Bounce kickedoff on August 29, in Ibadan,while Laffta Fest started onAugust 30 in Benin City.

Globacom explained thatfor the Ikeja concert, Glosubscribers in theneighbourhood, who hadused up to N2, 000 Glorecharge card in the last onemonth, will be able toattend the event, which willtake place at the Water ParksHotel, Ikeja, Lagos.

It added that the trio ofKorede Bello, Burna Boyand P-Square had beencontracted to entertain.

Devaluation of Naira not an option, says OsinbajoBy Levinus

Nwabughiogu

ABUJA—VICE president,Yemi Osinbajo yesterday

said that further devaluation ofNaira was not a solution to thecurrent economic down turn in thecountry.

He however announces federalgovernment plan to set up $25 bInfrastructural Fund which wouldbe sourced from local andinternational sources includingNigeria’s Sovereign Wealth Fund.

Osinbajo spoke when hereceived the Ambassadors of ItalyMr. Fulvio Rustico and theCanadian High Commissioner inNigeria Mr. Perry JohnCalderwood in his office at thepresidential villa, Abuja.

He also recalled that hisprincipal, president MuhammaduBuhari had at different fora said

that a further devaluation of theNigerian currency was nothealthy for the Nigerianeconomy.

He said “I don’t agree ondevaluation and it is not that Iam doctrinaire about it. In the firstplace, it is not a solution-we arenot exporting significantly. Andthe way things are, devaluationwill not help the local economy.

“What we need to do is to startspending more on the economyand then things will ease up abit.”

The Vice President disclosedthat already other sovereignwealth funds have indicatedinterest in the fund which wouldbe used to address the nation’sdecaying road, rail and powerinfrastructures.

He said “this is our approachto speeding up the country’sinfrastructural development.”

Osinbajo also restated that the

current foreign exchangerestriction is a temporarymeasure to ensure that “wedon’t deplete our foreignexchange substantially,” at atime when the prices of oil in theinternational market is dropping.

He added that the restrictionis also to bring some stability tothe country’s foreign reserveswithout which Foreign DirectInvestment, FDI, might beaffected.

“I am not sure devaluation isthe issue, but how to ensureforeign direct investment whichis more useful”, he said.

Allaying the fears of investorswho already have contracts andloan commitments, the VicePresident also gave assurancethat the federal governmentwould work with the CentralBank of Nigeria to protectlegitimate businesses from beingaffected by the current foreign

exchange restrictions.The Vice President also called

for greater economic ties betweenNigeria and the two countrieseven as he conveyed theappreciation of the federationgovernment to the envoys.

Meanwhile, a delegation of topexecutives from Citigroup led byMr. Jim Cowles also paid acourtesy call on the Vice President.

description of and direction toDele’s house in Ikeja.

“Omeben, said, and I quote:‘Soyinka knew what was comingand he left the room to hidebehind the wall.’ What a blatantlie? This man, who I understandis now a pastor, has no fear of Godin him at all, making such bolderroneous statement like that onan issue of such sensitivity andaccusing me, an innocent man –a victim and survivor of the bombblast. He should ask God forforgiveness!

“Dele and I were the only twopeople in the study when Dele’sson Billy delivered the letter bombto his father. Dele looked at it andhanded it over to me. I looked atit and handed it back to him. Heheld the envelope with bothhands, and tried to tear it throughthe top left-hand corner. He hadnot really opened it up, if he didit was only very slightly. Andboom! The bomb exploded!’

Five Customs chiefs resign

ABUJA — Five of the sixDeputy Comptrollers

General of the NigeriaCustoms Service yesterdayvoluntarily retired from theservice.

They are John Atte (Finance,Administration and TechnicalService) ; Adewuyi Akinade(Tariff and Trade); Tahir Musa(Enforcement, Investigationand Inspection; ChukwumaNwosu and Mera IM,

According to authoritativesources in the organisation, thefive senior customs chiefswrote a joint letter of voluntaryresignation through theComptroller General ofCustoms Col Hameed Ali toThe Chairman, Nigeria

Customs Service Board.In their joint letter, they said

having attained the pinnacle oftheir career, it was time to leave.They thanked PresidentMuhammadu Buhari for theopportunity to service thenation.

The decision of the seniorofficers to resign was notunconnected with theappointment of Col HammedAli, a retired Army officer andconfidant of the president asCustoms Comptroller-General.

When the Customsspokesman, Mr Wale Adeniyiwas contacted, he said he wasnot aware of the developmentwhile the Service had notresponded as at last night.



UNVEILING: From left, Jonathan Akpoborie, Mr. Maxwell Loko, Director, NTA StarTVNetwork; Mr. Kanu Nwakwo, New Super Star Face of StarTimes Ambassador; Mr. JackLiu,MD/CEO, StarTimes, and Mr. Oludare Kafar, Marketing Director, StarTimes, at theunveiling of Kanu Nwankwo as the New Super Star Face of StarTimes Africa, in Ikeja,Lagos, yesterday. Photo: Biodun Ogunleye

ALLEGED FALSE DECLARATION OF ASSETS:Saraki knows fate at A-Court today


ABUJA—THE AbujaDivision of the Court of

Appeal, will today, deliverjudgment in the appeal seekingto quash the 13-count criminalcharge pending against theSenate President, Dr. OlubukolaSaraki before the Code ofConduct Tribunal, CCT.

The appellate court had earlieradjourned its verdict on the matterindefinitely, a situation that forcedthe Justice Danladi Umar-ledtribunal to defer hearing on thecase against Saraki till November5, to await the outcome of theappeal.

The tribunal took the decision tosuspend full-blown hearing on thecriminal case after the JusticeMoore Adumein panel of theappeal court, on October 21,postponed its judgement withoutadducing any reason.

A source at the appellate courtwho spoke to Vanguard on groundof anonymity that day, insisted thatthe “eleventh-hour deferment ofjudgment on Saraki’s appeal”, wasnot unconnected with the justconcluded screening ofMinisterial nominees that wereforwarded to the Senate by thePresidency.

Saraki is in his appeal,challenging the legal propriety ofthe 13-count charge that was

preferred against him by theFederal Ministry of Justice.

He was among other offences,alleged to have owned andoperated foreign bank accountswhile being a public officer.

However, aside challengingthe charge, Saraki also queriedthe constitutionality of thewarrant of arrest that wasinitially issued against him byChairman of the CCT, JusticeUmar.

Besides, the embattled SenatePresident, through his team oflawyers led by a formerPresident of the Nigerian BarAssociation, NBA, Mr. J.B.Daudu, SAN, wants the highercourt to ascertain whether the

Justice Umar-led panelsubscribed to the appropriate legalprocedure when it ordered himto mount the dock and enter hisplea to the charge despitepreliminary objections against histrial.

He raised 12 grounds of appealagainst the CCT, supported by a16-paragraphed affidavit and fourexhibits.

Saraki also deposed another 17-paragraphed affidavit of urgency,wherein he urged the highercourt to intervene and protect himfrom what he described as “apolitically motivated witch-hunt”.

Out of the 12-grounds, five ofthem are basically seeking toinvalidate the charge againstSaraki.

He is begging the appellatecourt to suspend the proceedingof the tribunal pending thehearing and determination of hissubstantive appeal against theJustice Umar-led panel.

The appellate court had onOctober 8, okayed acceleratedhearing on the matter.

Meantime, the federalGovernment, while urging theappellate court to dismiss theappeal, maintained that it hasgarnered sufficient evidence toestablish that Saraki, as a publicofficer, acquired several assetsbeyond his legitimate earnings.

FG, through its lead prosecutor,Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, equallytold the appellate court that fivewitnesses it lined-up against theSenate President, have allexpressed their readiness toappear before the CCT tomorrowto testify and tender exhibitsagainst him.

Senate confirms Yakubu as INEC Chairman, 5 others as commissioners•Wants candidates to emerge a year before election, backs e- Voting, Diaspora voting

By Henry Umoru &Joseph Erunke

ABUJA—THE Senateyesterday confirmed the

nomination of ProfessorMahmood Yakubu, as thechairman of the IndependentNational Electoral Commission,INEC as well as five others asfederal commissioners torepresent the five out of thesix geopolitical zones of thecountry.

Those confirmed as federalcommissioners of INEC wereAlhaji Baba Shettima Arfo, Dr.Anthonia Taiye OkoosiSimbine, Mrs Amina Zakari,Dr. mohammed MustaphaLecky and Mr Soyebi AdedejiSolomon.

It will be recalled that SenatePresident Bukola Saraki had onThursday last week read a letterfrom President Buhari intimatingthe Senate of the name of thenew INEC Chairman, ProfMahmud Yakubu and five otherNational Commissioners and forsubsequent confirmation.

In the letter, President Buhari

also sought for the confirmationof Amina Bala Zakari who wasacting INEC chair asRepresentative of the Northwest,Dr. O Taiye Okoosi (Kogi),North-Central, Alhaji BabaShettima Arfo (Borno), North-East, Dr. Mohammed MustaphaLecky (Edo), South-South andMr. Soyebi AdedejiSolomon(Ogun) South-West.

Answering questions from theSenators, Professor Yakubu whonoted that he was coming in toconsolidate on the achievementsof his predecessor, ProfessorAttahiru Jega and not forexperimentation, said that hewould send to the NationalAssembly a bill that would amendthe Electoral Act wherecandidates of political partieswould emerge a year to theelections.

He said, “Prof. Jega has done amarvellous job in reforming theelectoral system of this country.I’m not coming in forexperimentation. I’m coming forconsolidation.”

The confirmed INEC chairmanwho boasted that it was too late

for anyone to intimidate him,however vowed that he will not inany way compromise his position,adding that the issue of E-votingand that of diaspora were desirableand inevitable, but howeverwarned that if the E- Voting processmust be adopted, Nigeria musttrend with caution.

Professor Yakubu said, “I can’t beintimidated. In the services of thiscountry, I can’t be intimidated. Itis too late. I have the character todo the right thing.

Appropriate amendment“The success of any election

depends on the ability of theCommission to organise, arrangeelections properly and in advance.But in this country, we have thisculture of last minute rush. And asa result of this, so many things thatare supposed to be done much earlyare not done. If six months is thetime limit under the law at present,definitely we will look at thepossibility of coming back to theNational Assembly for an of theElectoral Act to enable us havelonger period of time that will allowlonger period of preparation.”

On E-voting, he said, “It isdesirable and inevitable. If youlook at the trajectory from thelast 10 years, the voters registercomes in an electronic form.Initially, it was just a register,then photographs were added.And in the last election, bothphotographs and biometricwere added.

“So, it is inevitable that oneday, we will go into electronicvoting. But the experiences ofother nations show that we haveto thread cautiously. It’stechnology, maybe untried,untested, we get bugged down.Is it pure electronic voting orelectronic voting paper trail likethey do in Venezuela?

“We are still grappling withthe problem of infrastructureeither for simple ICT use in ourinstitutions or in our places ofwork and homes. So, it’sdesirable, inevitable, but weneed to think through theimplications of what we do.Otherwise, we may rush into itand just get bugged down.

“There must be no room forexperimentation. As far as I’m

concerned something hashappened in this country in 2015.And we need to consolidate onthat rather than to begin newexperimentation with longer spanof testing the validity of theprocess.

“Fortunately for us atgovernorship level, we havestaggered election by default. Verysoon, it will be Kogi and Bayelsa.Thereafter, we will have Ondo,Ekiti, Osun, Edo and Anambra.

“There must be a guidingprinciple. The workability of thetechnology and adequateconsultation with stakeholders.The all-tested card reader and thechallenges. The problem oftechnology is that it always comesup with challenges.”

On Diaspora voting, hesaid,”That is inevitable. As astudent of history, I know thatthere was a time in the history ofthis country in the First Republicwhen political parties hadbranches overseas. And we havea large number of Nigeriansoverseas, one estimate put it at15million. They remit $20billionannually in returns to the country.

Only 10mNigerians sofar capturedin NationalIdentityproject –Onyemenam

By EmmanuelElebeke

THE DIRECTORGeneral and Chief

Executive of NationalIdentity ManagementCommission (NIMS), Mr.Chris Onyemenam hassaid that only 10 millionNigerians had beencaptured in the ongoingNational Identity Numberenrollment exercise acrossthe country.

The NIMC DG disclosedthis yesterday whilepresenting a paper entitled:The Role of Efficient IdentityManagement System inMedical Emergency, at the10th year anniversarycelebration of Lifeline CareAssociation held in Abuja.

Onyemenam decriedwhat he called ‘theproblems of inefficientmanagement system inmedical emergencies in thecountry and attributed it tolack of unique identificationinfrastructure in the system.

He emphasized theimportance of efficientidentity managementinfrastructure, which hesaid will lead to patientidentity managementsystem and urgedNigerians to key into theenrollment exercise.


VanguardVanguardVanguardVanguardVanguardCLASSIFIED

Reconciliation of namesI, formerly known andaddressed as Mr. EkwuDonatus, now wish to beknown and addressed asMr. Williams DonatusOvie. All formerdocuments bearing EkwuDonatus and WilliamsOvie belongs to the sameperson, i.e me and soremain valid. SUBEB,Union Bank Plc Asaba andthe general Public toplease take note.

I R O K W E Z E — I ,formerly known andaddressed asIrokweze EjikemeJohn, now wish to beknown and addressedas Charles EjikemeJohn. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

Confirmation of nameThis is to confirm thatJoy NwadiutoUzodinma is the sameperson as MabelNwadiuto Uzodinmaas it appear on myECObank Account. Inow wish to be knownand addrressed asMabel NwadiutoUzodinma. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

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Lisa, now wish to be

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All former documents

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VanguardVanguardVanguardVanguardVanguardCLASSIFIED

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Reconciliation of name

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now wish to be known

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48 — VANGUARD, 48 — VANGUARD, 48 — VANGUARD, 48 — VANGUARD, 48 — VANGUARD, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015

Muharram 17, 1437 A.H.

Hajj: The aged, children can throwstones by proxy — Solate

From left: Hon. Fola Lasisi, Alh. Marufdeen Shitu, represent-ing Chief Imam Epe, Hon. Abdul-Hakeem Abdul-Lateef, Com-missioner of Home Affairs and Alh. Bashir Maja, representingChief Imam of Ikorodu, during the prayer and reception inHonour of Hon. Abdul-Hakeem Abdul-Lateef on his appoint-ment as the Commissioner for Home Affairs in Lagos stateand completion of his Ph.D in Law, organized by MuslimFriends at Ostral Hall, Ikeja, Lagos.

From left: Sheik Zhikrulah Shafi, Head of The Muslim Con-gress, Prince Sulyman Olagunju, Chairman, Zakat andSodaqat Foundation, Hon. Abdul-Hakeem Abdul-Lateef,Commissioner of Home Affairs and Dr. Tajudeen Yusuf, Se-nior Lecturer, Faculty of Bus Admin UNILAG, at the event.

Special prSpecial prSpecial prSpecial prSpecial praaaaayyyyyer fer fer fer fer for Dror Dror Dror Dror Dr. AbdulHak. AbdulHak. AbdulHak. AbdulHak. AbdulHakeem,eem,eem,eem,eem,Lagos Commissioner for Home AffairsLagos Commissioner for Home AffairsLagos Commissioner for Home AffairsLagos Commissioner for Home AffairsLagos Commissioner for Home Affairs

From left:Dr. Ismail Ibraheem, Senior Lecturer Mass Com-munication UNILAG, Dr. Nurudeen Olaleye, Principal Lec-turer Lagos State Polytehnic and Imam Abdullah Shuaib, CEO,Zakat and Sodaqat Foundation Cordinator Lagos, during thePrayer.

From left: Hajia Nimatullah Abdullateef AbdulQadr, AmirahAl-Muminat Organaistion; Dr. Ashiru Ajoke Sariyu,Amirah,FOMWAN , Lagos and Hajia Hafsa Badru, AmirahMSSN Lagos State Area Unit, during the Prayer and Recep-tion in Honour of Hon. Abdul-Hakeem Abdul-Lateef, recent-ly.

Photos: Bunmi Azeez

A LOT of people have givenaccounts of the stampede

that led to the death of manypilgrims, yet some are stillmissing, what do you think wentwrong?

When things like thishappened to us as Muslims, weshould understand that it did nothappen outside the Will of Allah.But from the human perspective,the Saudi Arabian governmenthad arranged that when you aregoing for the Jamarah, you takea particular route in and anotherfor exit. But unfortunately, somepeople whose tents were nearerto the exit route felt goingthrough the entrance meanttrekking a long distance underthe sun.

They wanted to avoid thestress, save time and energy.This led to a gridlock and insituations like that, it could bechaotic. People behind couldhardly see what was happeningahead of them. This led to thestampede as everybodystruggled to survive.

Wrongdecision

I think the heat alsocontributed to the problem.Summarily, the wrong decisionby some pilgrims led to thestampede.

Were there no securityofficials on ground to preventthe crowd from taking theroute?

For nine years, Jamarah hasalways been smooth. We onlyexperienced stampede on theroad to Jamarah. So the officialsconcentrated more on the roadto Jamarah. Also, pilgrimswalked in group. So stoppingone or two persons from a groupwill likely not make a difference.The security officials also madesure pilgrims didn’t take anyitem that could hurt others toJamarah. Many pilgrims wereilliterates and there was also alanguage barrier. Also, peoplelike to be with their group inorder not to miss their way. Infact, there was little the securityofficials could do. Their policeare matured in their approach,they don’t harass pilgrims unlikewhat we have in Nigeria. This

means they have to let pilgrimshave their way most of the time.The security officials wereoverwhelmed by the pilgrims.Another factor perhaps was thatthere were tents around.Pilgrims in their tents were afraidand began to lock their tents.

than having casualties especiallyon the first day. For the pilgrims,I advise all pilgrims to adherestrictly to instructions. Mostpilgrims only do things thatsoothes them forgetting theeffect on others. Pilgrims shouldobey the Saudi Arabia officialsbecause they have a biggerpicture. Some people diedbecause of dehydration, fatigueand heat. Some people had evencollapsed out of fear. All theseled to the large number ofcasualties.

There is also a principle in

Islam which most people don’twant to take. The elderly onesand children are allowed to godirectly to their tents. Theprinciple permits them to do thestoning rite by proxy, but weusually go against this, becauseeverybody wants to have a feelof all the rites. What we usuallydo in our group is to take theelderly ones in a bus at nightand take them back to their tentsfrom Muzdalifa. If others also dothis, it will reduce the crowd to acertain level.

What makes Hajj Mabrurdifferent?

Hajj Mabrur started not withthe intention of making moneybut rendering services to theMuslim faithful. We started 2001when we saw how some pilgrimagencies were poorly treatingpilgrims. They were not seeingto the welfare of pilgrims duringhajj. My first time in Hajj was in1997 through one pilgrimagency. We were left to struggleon our own. Personally, I didn’tsee any of their officialsthroughout. There was no oneto direct or guide.

By Aderonke Adeyeri

Ahmed Solate is the CEO/Managin Director of Hajj Mabrur,one of the popular Hajj agencies in the country founded by TheMuslim Council, TMC. He shares his views on the ways ofreducing crowd at the Jamarah, during the annual pilgrimage.Excerpts.

What we usually doin our group is totake the elderly onesin a bus at night andtake them back totheir tents fromMuzdalifa. If othersalso do this, it willreduce the crowd to acertain level

•Ahmed Solate

May be if thepilgrims hadopened theirtents, others willhave access to itand that wouldhave reducedthe crowd. But,I can’t blamethose wholocked theirtents because itwas done out offear.

W h a tp r e v e n t i v em e a s u r e sshould betaken to avertfuture re-occurrences?

I will advicethe SaudiArabia authorityto pay more attention to thestreets in order to control thecrowd. If possible, they also needto do some reconstruction tocreate more space. Possiblyremove some of the tents to avoidcongestion. Also, I thinkreducing the number of pilgrimsis also not out of place. It’s better

To be concluded


Y O L A — F O U R T E E Nindigenes of Adamawa

State have been confirmed deadin the Hajj stampede duringthis year ’s pilgrimage thatclaimed more than 700 people.

Presenting this year ’s hajjreport to the State ExecutiveCouncil yesterday, theExecutive Secretary of the statePilgrims Welfare Board,Engineer Umar Bobboi,disclosed that nine of thepersons died at the stampedesite, while three others lost theirlives at different places, addingthat two were still missing.

According to the ExecutiveSecretary, only one female

14 Adamawa pilgrims comfirmed dead in Hajj stampedeBy Umar Yusuf pilgrim was among the dead

persons. Consequently, theState Executive Council

constituted a committee to visitthe victims’ families.

It also approved presen-

tation of death certificatesfrom Saudi authorities to thevictim's families.

Transcorp makes N7.2bn profit

T R A N S N A T I O N A LCorporation of Nigeria,

Transcorp, has recorded groupprofit before tax of N7.2 billionfor the nine month periodending September 30.

Highlights of the financialstatement showed that thecompany recorded profit beforetax of N1.24 billion, compared

to loss after tax of N1.36 billionin third quarter, 2014.

The company ’s grossearnings stood at N2.27billion, against N1.12 billion inthe previous quarter in 2014(group): N30.43 billion,compared to 2014 third quarterresults of N31.40 billion.

The company’s total assetswas stable at N54.06 billion,while group total assets was

up by seven percent toN182.98 billion, againstN170.76 billion in 2014.

Emmanuel Nnorom,President/CEO of TranscorpPlc, said: “Our performanceover the past nine monthsreflects the stability injectedinto the group’s corporatestrategy since 2011, particu-larly in light of the challengingbusiness environment.”

By Nkiruka Nnorom

22 candidates set for Kogi governorshipBy Boluwaji Obahopo

LOKOJA— THEIndependent National

Electoral Commission, INEC,has released the names of 22governorship candidates andtheir running mates for theNovember 21 governorshipelection in the state.

Prominent among thegovernorship candidates arethe incumbent, Idris Wada, ofPeoples Democratic Party, PDP,

and Prince Abubakar Audu ofAll Progressives Congress,APC.

Also in the list is theimmediate past deputygovernor of the State, Dr.Philip Salawu of Labour Party,LP; Isah Kamadeen, AA;Dickson Fred, Accord Party;Ukwenya Musa, ACD;Michael Abdullahi, AD;Usman Zainab, ADC; OdufuFriday, APA; Akwu Goodman,APGA; Yinka Oloruntoba, CPP;

Philip Koleola, DPC;Abubarka Ibrahim, DPP;Ibrahim Adejoh, ID and RajiOgrima, KOWA.

Other governorship flag-bearers are MohammedDangana, NCP; MallamAbdul Hussien, NNPP;Emmanuel Daikwo, PDC;Emmanuel Ozigi, PPA; Dr.Oju Hussein, PPN; EnemaPaul, SPD and SaaduMukailu of UDP.

INEC also disclosed thatarrangements for a credible,free and fair election werein place.

Borno FirstLadydonatescancer kits

By Ndahi Marama

M A I D U G U R I —WIFE of Borno

State governor andFounder, Support forWomen, Orphans andTsangaya, SWOT,Foundation, Hajiya NanaShettima, yesterday,distributed kits forprevention and detectionof cancer at early stagesto wives of the 27 localgovernment caretakerchairmen for onwarddelivery to targetedbeneficiaries across thestate.

Presenting the kits at aone-day cancerawareness campaign inMaiduguri, HajiyaShettima said cancer,especially among thewomen in the state, wasworrisome, hence theneed for government at alllevels to contribute theirquota towards its preven-tion and eradication.


Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015 – 51

Oliseh

Stadium in PortHarcourt on Tuesday,November 17.

Martins, who has notfeatured for the SuperEagles in two years, hasbeen in great form in theMajor League Soccer,and his invitation showsclearly that FIFATechnical Study Groupmember Oliseh has anopen mind to allNigerian players acrossthe globe.

The invitation is also asweet birthday presentto Martins, whocelebrated his big dayon Wednesday. Hescored for Nigeria on hisdebut in a friendly matchagainst Republic ofIreland in London inMay 2005.Six home –based professionals,

Continues from BPwho all played notableroles in Nigeria’squalification for the 4thAfrican NationsChampionship at theexpense of BurkinaFaso, are in the 23–manmix.

Chelsea of Englandmidfielder John MikelObi, Portugal–basedformer juniorinternationals DeleAlampasu andAbdullahi Shehu andArsenal FC’s Alex Iwobiare also invited, as wellas former juniorinternational defenderWilfred Ndidi.

Oliseh has directed allthe players to arrive atthe Bolton WhiteApartments, Abuja onSunday, November 8 astraining commencessame day by 7pm.

competition at theEstadio Sausalito inVina Del Mar and oth-ers among the goals forNigeria were skipperKelechi Nwakali, strikerSamuel Chukwueze andEdidiong Essien. “Where do I start from ?Amuneke said rhetori-cally in an interviewwith thenff.com beforeheading for the postmatch conference.” Itwas a good performanceby our players and Iwant to congratulatethem for a job well done.“This was an interestingmatch because the Aus-tralians are a very goodside and they havesome individually goodplayers; but I want topraise my players forfollowing through theplans and our strategywhich gave us victory. “Our performance wasbetter than our last whenwe lost 2-1 to Croatiaand we are hopeful thatthey continue to get bet-ter and make progressin the competition start-

AmunekeContinues from BP ing with our next game

,” he noted. Golden Ea-glets’ 6-0 hammering ofThe Joeys has set up atantalising quarter-finalfixture against theSamba Boys of Brazilwho ran away with a lategoal against New Zea-land on Sunday at thesame venue. The en-counter will be the sec-ond time both teamswould meet after Ni-geria earned a 2-1 winover the Samba Boys atthe Suwon U-17 Interna-tional Tournament inSeptember. Amunekesaid the Brazilianswould be accorded theneeded respect as one ofthe favourites , addingthe Golden Eaglets al-ready have their workcut out. “It is going to bean interesting game andwe have seen what theBrazilians can do withor without the ball,”noted Amuneke. “Allwhat we have to do nowis to keep working hardso that we can come withstronger plans to playthem on Sunday.”

ChileContinues from BP

place in the last 16 andthe dejection of exitingthe tournament onWednesday.

“They’re all crying inthe dressing room,” re-vealed coach MiguelPonce following the 4-1loss to Mexico thatended the hosts’ partici-pation at the FIFA U-17World Cup Chile 2015.

When English refereeMichael Oliver sig-nalled the ended of thematch, the Chile playersslumped to the groundat the Estadio NelsonOyarzun Arenas inChillan. They stayedthere motionless for sev-eral minutes. Andthough their team-matesand the coaching staffrose from the bench tooffer solace and hugs,nothing could alleviatethe pain of defeat for the

disconsolate players inred.

Having rescued theirtournament in their finalgroup game, hopeswere high among theChileans that they couldmake further progress.“When you get this farand things start workingout, as they did for us,you start to dream of go-ing even further,” addedPonce, reflecting onwhat might have been.

Those hopes seemed tobe justified whenPonce’s side took thelead against the Mexi-cans, the first time in thecompetition they havestruck first. Within twominutes, however, El Tri, one of the favouritesfor the trophy, werelevel, with three second-half strikes putting paidto Rojita dreams ofglory.

GOLDEN Eaglets’talisman at the FIFA

U-17 World Cup Chile2015, Victor Osimhen hasspoken on why he dedi-cated his fifth goal of thecompetition in the 6-0thrashing of The Joeys ofAustralia to out-of-actiondefender, Tobechukwu Ibe.Wednesday’s match at theEstadio Sausalito sawOsimhen scored a hat trickto take his tally so far in thecompetition to seven goalsafter four matches. He hadpreviously scored a goal onthe opening day in the 2-0win over the USA; a bracein the 5-1 crushing of hostChile and a goal in the 2-1defeat by Croatia.

“Tobechukwu is one ofour key players but he hasnot played here; and im-mediately I scored theopening goal today(against Australia), he wasthe only one on my mind,”said Osimhen who hasnotched up a total of 48goals for Golden Eagletsafter 77 matches in allc o m p e t i t i o n s . ” H e(Tobechukwu) is a goodguy and has been encour-aging all of us to workharder.” Going into Chile2015, Tobechukwu wasgoing to be one of the main-stays in Golden Eaglets’back four until he sufferedan injury few days to thekick off of the tournamentbut has gradually beenworking his way back tofitness.The ever-smilingTobechukwu who bore hisdisappointment with self-control , admitted he feltspecial by the outpouringof love from Osimhen andthe team in general despitethe fact that he has notplayed in the competition.

7-Star Osimhen dedicates goal to Tobechukwu

NCC Tennis League second semifinalsTHE cream of

Nigerian tennis willbe in Abuja this weekend forthe second semifinals of theNigeria CommunicationCommission Tennis Leaguewhich is offering a record N11million in prize money.

The first semifinal whichtook place in Enugu was acliff-hanger with only twopoints separating winnersTeam Civil Defence andTeam Ogun in the finalmixed doubles match whichended 3-6, 6-2, 10-8.

Now all eyes and ears areon Abuja where TeamTombim featuring Lagos

Governor’s Cup winner,Moses Michael; ChristianPaul, gold medalist at the lastsports festival and SarahAdegoke ranked No.2 inNigeria, are lined up to takeon Team Kalotari from PortHarcourt.

Team Kalotari from PortHarcourt also has an array oftalents led by former nationalNo.1 and current doubleschampion Sunday Maku.

Maku, winner of thedoubles title at the CBNSenior Open this year isbacked by Thomas Otu, CBNSenior Open singles

champion, SylvesterEmmanuel, winner of the

Ikoyi Club Senior Mastersand Bala Musa.

L-R: Mr. Godwin Kienka, Director, InternationalTennis Academy; Rt. Hon. Edward Ubosi, Speakerof the Enugu State House of Assembly,Messrs.Tony Ojobo, Director Public Affairs andReuben Muoka, Head, Public Relations, NigerianCommunications Commission (NCC) during thesecond day of the first Semi-final of the NCCTennis Tournament in Enugu, Enugu State,recently.

LAGOS Stateg o v e r n o r ,

Akinwunmi Ambode hasconfirmed the appointmentof Adeyinka Oni Adeboyeas Senior Special Assistanton Sports.

In a statement signed bythe Secretary to the StateGovernment, theappointment takes effectfrom October 26.

Mr Adeyinka Adeboye,was the Special Assistant,Football Matters to theformer governor,Babatunde Fashola. Healso served the state as aDeputy Vice Marshal, KickAgainst Indiscipline.

Adeboye promised toreplicate his pastachievements in the statewhile declaring hisunflinching commitmentto the growth of sports inLagos state

Ambode appointsAdeboye as SSA,Sports

Oliseh shocked me— MartinsSUPER Eagles

r e t u r n e e ,Obafemi Martins said hisrecall to the national teamwas a bit of shock to him.

Obagoal, as he is fondlycalled by fans wasincluded in the 23 playerlist called by SundayOliseh for the Novemberworld cup qualification tieagainst Swaziland.

“It was a bit of a shock,but a nice shock. I’m veryhappy, because I havealways worked hard,supported and respectedall the players picked bythe coaches,” he told BBCsports

He was last called up byNigeria in March 2013for a 2014 World Cupqualifier against Kenya.

Despite being hiscountry’s most in-formstriker last year,alongside IkechukwuUche, he was omittedfrom the Brazil 2014squad.

However his good formhas continued this season- he has struck 15 goalsfor MLS side SeattleSounders - and Martinsis determined to make themost of his Super Eaglesrecall.Victor Osimhen (l) celebrating a goal with team mates


KELECHI Iheanachoscored one and

made two, in ManchesterCity’s 5-1 thrashing ofCrystal Palace in the Cap-ital One cup on Wednes-day night. Manager Man-uel Pellegrini declared thatthe former Golden Eagletsstar will make a big impactin world football.

It was an impressive wayfor the youngster to markhis first start for the club andit offered City some en-couragement at a time oflimited attacking optionswith leading scorer SergioAguero still out injured.

Pellegrini said: ‘It wasvery important for Kelechito demonstrate once againthat he’s a very good play-er. He’s not just a striker -he provided two assists.I’m very happy for him. Hehas things to improve buthe’s working in the correctway.’

Iheanacho played upfront with Wilfried Bony,who also scored. Iheana-cho teed up goals for KevinDe Bruyne and fellowteenager Manu Garciawhile Yaya Toure alsostruck from the penaltyspot.

Pellegrini said: ‘I thinkthis moment it’s importantfor the team to have Kele-chi and Bony as optionswithout Kun (Aguero).

“They can play both to-gether as they did tonight.Of course Kelechi was veryimpressive but Wilfried alsoknows he has all my trustand his team-mates’ trust.Kun is impossible to re-place but we know wehave another option in at-tack.”

Meanwhile, Super Ea-gles coach SundayOliseh has had a rethinkabout the inclusion ofKelechi Iheanacho, inhis 23 players list for theWorld Cup qualifieragainst Swaziland.

Oliseh said in a tweet:“I initially called up 23but after seeing repeat ofCity/Palace Capital OneCup. I’m adding Ihea-nacho to the list.”

Iheanacho, a world star in the making — Pellegrini•As Oliseh makes U-turn

NIGERIA FootballFederation (NFF)

has fired U23 coach Sam-son Siasia a query overwhat they described as his“media outburst” onWednesday.

Siasia went public to ac-cuse his employers of aban-doning his team with amonth to Rio Olympicsqualifying tournament inSenegal.

He said the team areowed match bonuses, al-lowances and he himselfhas not been paid for threemonths.

He therefore declared heshould not be held respon-sible should the country failto qualify for the Olympics

NFF queries Siasiafootball event.

It was gathered that the NFF offi-cials were “highly embarrassed” bythe statements of the coach partic-ularly after he was briefed by a top-ranking executive committee mem-ber about the financial predicamentof the federation after the singletreasury account adopted by thefederal government came into force.

The query has demanded whysanctions should not be imposed onhim for his “media outburst”.

The African U23 Nations Cup willbe staged in Senegal from Novem-ber 28 and it will serve as a qualifi-er for next year’s Olympics in Rio.

Siasia’s Dream Team VI arescheduled to train in Morocco andGambia prior to the championship,where they are drawn againstEgypt, Algeria and Mali. •Siasia

CELEBRATION... Manchester City striker, Kelechi Iheanacho celebrates after scoring a goal.

BAYERN Munichcoach Pep Guardio-

la has claimed his side’sChampions League defeatagainst Barcelona in 2014-15 was one of his finestmoments in charge of theAllianz Arena outfit.

The Bavarians took ontheir coach’s former teamin the semi-finals last term,with Barcelona eventuallyprogressing to the final 5-3 on aggregate, despite a3-2 defeat in Munich.

Guardiola was not toobothered by Bayern’s fail-ure to win the ChampionsLeague, though, as he wasproud of his side’s perfor-mance regardless of theeventual outcome and feelsEuropean success is a mat-ter of time.

“One of the best mo-ments of my career as Bay-ern coach was the semi-fi-nal defeat against Barcelo-na,” Guardiola said at anews conference.

“The fans were all ap-plauding us. They are notstupid. They all saw theplayers gave everythingfor the jersey.

“Successful San AntonioSpurs coach Gregg Popov-ich once said success needstime. What we are doinghere is a process.”

Guardiola won theChampions League withBarcelona in 2008-09 and2010-11, but Europeanclub football’s main trophyhas evaded him so far withBayern.

The Bundesliga champi-ons were eliminated in thesemi-finals by Real Madridin 2013-14, before Barcaproved to be too strong lastseason.

Guardiola:Barcelonadefeat one ofmy finestmoments asBayerncoach

•Guardiola

two payments for imagerights in 2011 and 2012.

A spokesman forMascherano told Argen-tine news agency Telam:

Mascherano pleads guilty to tax evasion“The defendant acknowl-edged the facts and his re-sponsibility for tax evasion.”

Claims in the Spanishpress said that Maschera-

BARCELONA midfielder Javier

Mascherano has pleadedguilty to tax evasion afterappearing at a Spanishcourt on Thursday.

The Argentina star wasaccused of failing to alertSpanish authorities to earn-ings totalling more than€1.5million, reports said.

Mascherano is alleged tohave used companies heowns in Portugal and theUnited States to cover up

no has already paid€1.5m to the tax office witha further €200,000 in inter-est, and it is thought that by pleading guilty he willavoid a prison sentence.

CAMEROON footballstar Samuel Eto’o

has set up a foundation tohelp people displaced bythe fight against BokoHaram in Nigeria andCameroon.

Eto’o joins fight against Boko HaramEto’o who starred for var-

ious clubs in Europe in-cluding Barcelona andChelsea floated the ‘YellowWhistleblower’ FC foun-dation to raise funds andawareness to help dis-

placed people.The 34-year-old urged

leaders and the media toreact as they did to the ter-ror attack on the CharlieHebdo magazine offices inParis in January.•Mascherano


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How to Play Sudoku

Place a number (1-9) in each blank cell. (No line canhave two of the same number).

Each row (nine lines from left to right), column, (alsonine lines from top to bottom) and 3 X 3 block within abold block (nine blocks) contains number from 1through 9. This means that no number can appear twicein any block, column or row.

No mathematics is involved – no adding, subtraction, divisionor multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination.

FRIFRIFRIFRIFRIDDDDDAAAAAY'S ANSY'S ANSY'S ANSY'S ANSY'S ANSWERSWERSWERSWERSWERSTTTTTODODODODODAAAAAY'S PUZZLEY'S PUZZLEY'S PUZZLEY'S PUZZLEY'S PUZZLE

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015

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QUICK CROSSWORDQUICK CROSSWORDQUICK CROSSWORDQUICK CROSSWORDQUICK CROSSWORD

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS

Oliseh calls Martins, Mikel,21 others for Swaziland

Amuneke hails Eaglets

Tears flow as hosts bid farewellU-17 W/Cup

WITH a firm accenton current form

and ability, Head CoachSunday Oliseh hasinvited 23 players,including USA –basedObafemi Martins and sixhome –basedprofessionals, for theSuper Eagles’ 2018 FIFAWorld Cup qualifyingfixture againstSwaziland.

The two–legged fixturewill take place over fourdays next month, withthe first leg in Lobambaon Friday, November 13and the return at theAdokiye AmiesiamakaContinues on Page 51

THE last few dayshave been high on

emotion for La Rojita and not without their upsand downs, from the

nerves of their debutagainst Croatia and thedogged determination to

take something from aheavy defeat to themighty Nigeria, to thejoy of beating USA for aContinues on Page 51

GOLDEN EagletsHead coach,

Emmanuel Amuneke hasheaped plaudits on hiswards after an imperious

performance in a 6-0 winover Australia in theRound of 16 encounterat the FIFA U-17 WorldCup Chile 2015 on

Wednesday. VictorOsimhen scored theopening goal as well asthe first hat trick of the

7-StarOsimhendedicates

goal toTobechukwu

— Pg.51•Martins

RAMPANT EAGLETS: Players of national U-17 team celebrate hat-trick heroVictor Osimhen (r) during the match against Australia. Nigeria won 6-0.

Continues on Page 51

ACROSS1 Lustre (6)5 Torn (6)9 Domesticated (5010 Deserved (6)11 Noisier (6)12 Decoration (5)14 Scorch (4)17 Gender (3)18 Otherwise (4)20 Consumed (5)22 Mix (5)23 Cut (7)24 Send (5)26 Singer (5)29 Paradise (4)30 Border (3)32 Mature (4)33 Broader (5)35 Charm (6)36 Molluse (6)37 Storehouse (5)38 Deposited (6)39 Required (6)

DOWN1 Penetrate (6)2 Lasso (6)3 Staunch (4)4 Hell (5)5 Ease (5)6 Hero (4)7 Pool (6)8 Dashed (6)13 Erased (7)15 Loathed (5)16 Sap (5)18 Senior (5)19 Pry (5)21 Entrap (3)22 Wager (3)24 Disclose (6)25 Repaired (6)27 Pinched (6)28 Halted (6)30 Rented (5)31 Fruit (5)33 Paddle (4)34 Ceremony (4)

ACROSS: 4, Stray 7, Precis 9, Cur 10, Mad12, Rural 13, Iced 15, Reset 17, Resist 19,Heed 20, Greet 22, Tar 24, Desired 27, Pot 28,Erode 31, Stop 33, Dulled 35, Irate 37, Wide38, Erase 39, Ear 41, Tan 42, Demure 43,Adder.

DOWN: 1, Spring 2, Severe 3, Vim 4, Sure5, Truth 6, Awakened 8, Sari 11, Destitute14, Deed 16, Star 18, Step 21, Restored 23,Reel 25, Soda 26, Drew 29, Odious 30,Eleven 32, Piste 34, Lead 36, Rear 40, Rep.

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