Thursday, october 22, 2015 new

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DOOSUUR IWAMBEABUJA

Akwa-Ibom State g u b e r n a t o r i a l election petition

tribunal sitting in Abuja has ordered a re-run of the April 11 poll in 18 out of the 31 local govern-ment areas of the state.

Election in the affected local government areas is to be conducted by the In-dependent National Elec-toral Commission, INEC,


DOOSUUR IWAMBEABUJA

The trial of the Sen-ate President, Sena-tor Bukola Saraki,

before the Code of Con-

duct Tribunal over al-leged false declaration of assets yesterday suffered a setback following the pending judgment of the Court of Appeal.

At the resumed hearing

yesterday, Saraki arrived at the tribunal in the com-pany of about 34 other Senators.

All the senators, includ-ing the Senate President

Buhari appoints Ojo-Ita Ag Head of Service

P.6

Tribunal orders re-run in A’Ibom guber poll

P.10

Lagos Island: One collapsed building too many

Vol. 5 N0. 1227 Thursday, October 22, 2015 N150National Mirror Online @NationalMirror

Affi rms re-election of Yobe governor

L-R: (Front row) Former Head of Interim National Government, Chief Ernest Shonekan; Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; President Muhammadu Buhari; former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon; former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubarkar; former Chief Justices of Nigeria, Mohammed Uwais and Alfa Belgore; and state governors after the maiden National Council of State meeting, at the Presidential Villa In Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

Code of Conduct Tribunal stays proceedings on Saraki’s perjury trial

...Commission says 611 petitions before tribunals P.5

Council of State confi rms Yakubu as new INEC chairman20 arrested pro-Biafra supporters remanded in prison

9

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net Thursday, October 22, 2015

A three storey building which collapsed on 87 Odunfa Street,

Lagos Island, trapping many with few rescued yesterday.

PHOTO: SAMUEL ADETIMEHIN

P.49

...as six cheat death in another building collapse

Code of Conduct Tribunal stays proceedings on Saraki’s perjury trial

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net2 Thursday, October 22, 2015News


CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1


L-R: Governors, Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), Kashim Shettima (Yobe), Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos), Jibrilla Bindow (Adamawa) and Ibrahim Geidam (Yobe), during the presentation of N50million relief funds for each of the states by Governor Ambode, in Abuja, yesterday.

within 90 days.The affected local coun-

cils include: Uyo, Eket, Ibesikpo, Ona, Ukanafun, Ikono, Oron, Uruan, Ibia-no-Ibom and Etinan.

Chairman of the tribu-nal, Justice Sadiq Umar, nullified the election while delivering judg-ment in a petition filed by the All Progressives Congress and its gover-norship candidate, Mr. Umana Umana.

In the judgment that lasted over seven hours, the tribunal agreed with the petitioner that there was disenfranchisement as a result of widespeed violence, snatching of election materials and ir-regularities and harass-ment of the election um-pire.

However, the tribunal was silent on the prayer seeking invalidation of the election of governor Emmanuel Udom.

Earlier in the judg-ment, the tribunal dis-missed the forensic report on the grounds that those who generated the report admitted in their witness-es’ statements that they were not forensic experts.

More so in the judg-ment the tribunal dis-missed the press state-ment issued by INEC in the use of card reader for the elections.

According to Justice Umar “the card reader report is not a conclusive report to ascertain the ac-tual number of accredited voters. That press release concerning the card read-er report is null and void as it offended the provi-sions of section 49 of the Electoral Act which deals with the process of accreditation in an elec-tion.”

The APC witnesses who came on the pedestal of experts all declined be-fore the tribunal that they were experts.

According to the tribu-nal the so called experts did not show the tribu-nal how they came about their findings.

Meanwhile, Governor-ship Election Petitions Tribunal for Yobe State sitting in Abuja also yes-terday upheld the re-elec-tion of Governor Ibrahim Gaidam.

In a judgment of the tribunal read by Justice


came in four Costa buses with registration number ‘NASS MGT’.

After announcing ap-pearance, the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, noted that it was proper and procedural for the accused person who is present in court to stay in the dock while the trial proceeds.

Opposing the submis-sion, counsel to accused person, Mahmud Magaji, SAN, urged the court to take judicial notice of the fact that there is a pending appeal before the Court of Appeal, and hence the tri-bunal lacked the power to continue with the trial.

In a short ruling, the chairman of the tribunal, Justice Danladi Umar, held that the accused per-son should enter the dock, after which any other ap-plication could be made.

It was at this point that the Senate President moved into the dock and was given a chair inside the dock to sit.

Jacobs, however, in-

formed the court about the pendency of the judge-ment at the Court of Ap-peal, noting that it would be a sign of respect to the appellate court for the prosecution to wait for its judgement before any other thing could be done on the matter and further prayed the court to ad-journ for two weeks.

Magaji who opposed the application for two weeks adjournment con-sequently prayed the court to adjourn the mat-ter indefinitely pending the judgement of the Court of Appeal.

Delivering a short rul-ing, Justice Umar held that the adjournment would be for two weeks.

According to him, “the fact that the Court of Ap-peal adjourned indefinite-ly cannot make us here to also adjourn indefinitely. If we do so, the defendant may go and relax and we want defendant to be on his toes.

“The tribunal is there-fore adjourned till No-vember 5 and 6 for report

from Court of Appeal and possibly hearing”.

The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division had on Monday adjourned indefi-nitely, judgment in an ap-peal filed by Saraki seek-ing to stop his trial.

The federal govern-ment had last month ar-raigned Saraki before the tribunal on a 13-count charge bothering on false assets declaration.

Saraki, though pleaded not guilty to the charge, approached the Court of Appeal to challenge the decision of the tribunal to try him.

At the Appeal Court, Saraki, through his team of lawyers led by J.B. Daudu contended that the Code of Conduct Tribunal erred in law by proceed-ing with the trial with two members instead of man-datory three as provided by the constitution.

He argued that the com-position of the tribunal during the trial of Saraki violated paragraphs 15(1) of the 1999 constitution by sitting with two mem-

bers instead of three and asked the court to nullify the CCT proceedings of last month due to lack of quorum.

The appellant counsel disagreed with the argu-ments of the federal gov-ernment counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, that the In-terpretation Act could be used to resolve the consti-tutional logjam since the constitution was silent on the quorum for the tribu-nal membership.

Daudu insisted that the Interpretation Act could not override the constitu-tion being the supreme law and the act being in-ferior to the constitution.

He also argued that the tribunal was wrong in as-suming criminal jurisdic-tion against the Senate President when it was not a superior court of record.

Daudu who cited sev-eral authorities submit-ted that the tribunal could not assume concurrent ju-risdiction with the Feder-al High Court, adding that the code of conduct tribu-

nal was by law inferior to the Federal High Court.

He therefore urged the Appeal Court to nullify the proceedings of the tri-bunal against Saraki and to also set aside the crimi-nal charges filed against him by the federal govern-ment on account of being illegal and unlawful.

However, opposing the submissions of Saraki’s counsel, the federal gov-ernment through its counsel – Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, asked that the ap-peal case be dismissed for lacking merit.

Jacobs told the 3-man Appeal Court panel that the constitution was si-lent on the quorum of the tribunal memberships.

He urged the court to invoke the Interpretation Act to resolve the issue in favour of the respondent.

The respondent coun-sel also submitted that the tribunal had criminal ju-risdiction because of the use of words like “guilty” and “punishment” in the law that established the tribunal.

Mojisola Dada, the tri-bunal held that the peti-tioners- the PDP and its governorship candidate, Waziri Maina - failed to

prove their case.The tribunal dismissed

the petition for lacking in merit.

Delivering the judg-

ment, Dada said that out of the 27 witnesses called by the petitioners at the trial, none of them could lead credible evidence to

establish or prove the al-legations before the court.

She said the petition was incompetent owing to the elicited facts that

the entire allegations con-tained in it were `ìmpre-cise, vague and specula-tive.’’

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 3Thursday, October 22, 2015

Managing Director, Accion Microfinance Bank, Mrs. Bunmi Lawson (left) and representative of the Rivers State Deputy Governor, Mr. Gilbert Nria, during the commissioning of the bank complex in Port Harcourt, yesterday.

L-R: Secretary, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Enugu State, Chief Romanus Ezeh; President, Sescoop Investment Ltd, Rev. Madu Samuel and State Chairman, AFAN, Chief Sunny Nwatarali, during investment workshop for members of AFAN Enugu Cooperative, in Enugu, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

GeorGe oji AbujA

Senate Leader, Sena-tor Ali Ndume (Borno South) yesterday pro-

vided insight into why the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu will not be allowed to preside over the ministerial screening exer-cise by the senate.

According to the Ndume, the exercise is too critical to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to allow Ekweremadu who is of the opposition People’s Demo-cratic Party, PDP, to preside over the event.

This according to Ndume, informed in part, the reason why the senate decided to adjourn further screening of the nominees yesterday.

Besides, the lawmaker explained that the adjourn-ment was necessitated by the need to enable the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, honour his appointment at

Why Ekweremadu won’t preside over ministerial screening –Ndume

L-R: Area Commander, Nigeria Police, Iyaganku, Mr. Bature Umar; Deputy Commissioner of Police (Finance and Administration), Mr. Amba Asuquo and Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Leye Oyebade, during the meeting of Fulani herdsmen with farmers and stakeholders in Oke-Ogun and other areas of the state, in Ibadan, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

Girls during a conference on the social protection of the girl child in Nigeria, in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: ROTIMI OSASONA

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net4 Thursday, October 22, 2015 Photo NEWS

National News

the Code of Conduct Tribu-nal and return to preside over the exercise.

Ndume stated that it was not true that the senate ad-journed plenary in solidar-ity with Saraki as wrongly reported, noting that the Senate as an institution does not belong to Saraki or indeed any other individual senator.

“This Senate does not belong to Saraki, Senator Ali Ndume or anybody. The Senate is an institution, an independent arm of gov-ernment and should be re-spected and strengthened,” Ndume said, while fielding questions from newsmen at the National Assembly yesterday.

Commenting on the provisions of section 147(6) of the constitution, which prescribes a time limit of 21 days within which min-isterial nominees must be confirmed by the senate or stand automatically ap-

proved, the he stated that the 21 days does not apply to the senate in the sense that what amounts to 21 days, going by the senate rule is different from the normal days.

According to him, since the Senate sits for three days of the week (i.e. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thurs-day), it then means that the said 21 days will be equals to seven days for the senate.

“But the constitution is guiding us that we have to do this within 21 working days. And we are still within the 21 working days. It is not 21 days, it is 21 working days. And our working days in the Senate plenary is three days in a week.

“So, if you are talking about 21 working days, it means that the Senate will do this within seven weeks because we sit for plenary Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. That is three working days. It means that

logically, we can do this up to seven weeks,” Ndume said.

On the need by the senate to speedily dispense with the screening exercise, the leader wondered why Nigerians did not express the same anxiety when President Muham-madu Buhari took as long as four months to announce the nominees.

He expressed concerns that at the same time Nigeri-ans want the senate to carry out thorough screening of the nominees, so many other Nigerians are insisting on speedy conclusion of the ex-ercise.

He said: “We are supposed to be talking about the screen-ing details. We screened 10 last time, the public started saying you are screening 10 in one day? In America, they screen one senator in two weeks. We said which one is the reasonable number?

“We have six weeks go-ing. So, let’s take three (min-isterial nominees) so that

we will take it for six days. And that will be six weeks by our calendar and we will still be within the 21 days. So, we started yesterday, taking three, one was not ready for certain issues. And they said we only screened two. And the constitution does not pro-vide that every Nigerian is a senator. So, we are the Sena-tors, you are the journalists. Do your job, let’s do our job.”

Regarding the screen-ing of the former Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, and the delay by the Senate Commit-tee on Ethics, Privileges and Petition to submit the report of the petitions against the former governor, the leader explained that at the end of the day, it is not the outcome of the petition report that would determine the fate of the candidate, but the entire senate.

He stated that so long the APC maintains majority in the senate, Amaechi’s fate

would be determined by the ruling APC senators.

“But let me add that the Ethics and Privileges report is not the determinant of Amaechi. It is the Senate. Even if they write their re-port, it has to be laid before the Senate, which will decide on the report.

“It is not the report that will decide the fate of Amae-chi. Whatever the Committee recommends to the Senate, it is the Senate that will decide. And I have told Nigerians several times that this Sen-ate belongs to APC. We have PDP senators that are in the minority.

“We are practicing democ-racy in a changed environ-ment. That is to allow the mi-norities to have their say. But you know that the majority will always have its way. We have 58 senators, the Senate President excluded, and they have 48 Senators. And Amae-chi is an APC candidate and the constitution is very clear.


Council of State confirms Yakubu as new INEC chairman

L-R: National Commissioner, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Amb. Lawrence Nwuruku; Acting Chairman, INEC, Hajia Amina Zakari; Resident Electoral Commissioner for Lagos, Mr. Akin Orebiyi and former National Commissioner, Dr. Chris Iyimoga, during the public presentation of the 2015 General Elections’ Report, in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 5 Thursday, October 22, 2015 News

ROTIMI FADEYI AND OMEIZA AJAYI

Council of State yes-terday approved and confirmed the

appointment of Profes-sor Mahmood Yakubu as Chairman of Independent National Electoral Com-mission, INEC.

Also confirmed yes-terday were Mrs. Amina Bala Zakari as member representing North West; Dr. Antonia Taiye Okoosi-Simbile as Commissioner, North Central and Alhaji Baba Shettima Arfo, from Borno as Commissioner representing North East.

Similarly, the council confirmed Dr. Mohammed Mustapha Lekki from Edo as Commissioner repre-senting South South and Prince Soyebi Adedeji Solomon from Ogun rep-resenting South West.

The new INEC chair-man takes over from Za-kari who has been acting as chairman of the com-mission since June when Professor Attahiru Jega quit office after his ten-ure.

Briefing State House Correspondents at the end of the first Council of State meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari, Sokoto State gov-ernor, Aminu Tambuwal, said the council received a memo on the nomination of chairman and five com-missioners for INEC.

According to him, the memo was in conformity with the provisions of the constitution, particularly Sections 154 (1 and 3 and 156 (3) that confers on the president the powers to appoint a chairman and national commissioners of INEC, in consultation with the Council of State.

Tambuwal explained that the situation in INEC was such that it required an emergency meeting to approve the nominations by the president, because the law stipulates that a minimum of four com-missioners should form a quorum in INEC, which is not the case presently because the tenures of 11 national ccmmissioners had expired.

The governor said, “The council has agreed to stagger the confirma-tion of this appointment of Commissioners of

INEC in view of the situ-ation we found ourselves presently whereby the tenures of individual commissioners expired al-most over the same time.”

“To avert future occur-rence of such a situation, the Council has agreed that the next six of the Commissioners should be submitted to the Council subsequently for its ap-proval. These names has been approved and would be transmitted to the Na-tional Assembly for con-firmation”, Tambuwal added.

He said that Kogi and Bayelsa states polls did not come up for discussion at the council, reasoning that it was a matter that is strictly under the purview of the commission itself.

On who will supervise the polls, Tambuwal said, “Obviously the new chair-man and members of the commission (will). I have said earlier on that we need a quorum for the commission to function and that is why Mr. Presi-dent, in his wisdom, sum-moned this emergency meeting for us to approve these names. So, I am sure it is the new chairman that will now supervise and conduct the elections in Kogi and Bayelsa.”

The council commend-ed former national chair-man of INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega, for con-ducting a free and fair general elections, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, told journalists at the end of the meeting.

Shehu said the council was full of commendation for Jega for presiding over elections generally ac-cepted as free and fair.

He explained that the president directed the council secretariat to note the commendations.

“The council noted and commended Prof. Jega for his laudable activities as the chairman of INEC.

“The president directed that the secretariat should note the commendations.

“A letter of commenda-tion may later be sent to the former INEC boss,” Shehu said.

Meanwhile, INEC yes-terday presented a 232-page report on the 2015 general elections, saying electronic voting is the


way forward for Nigeria’s electoral process.

Electronic voting is currently unknown to Ni-geria’s electoral laws.

While saying technol-ogy could not be divorced from the relative success of the last elections, INEC equally stated that elec-tion-related litigations were now on the decline.

According to the elec-toral body, from 1, 290 pe-titions in 2007, the figure dropped to 732 in the af-termath of the 2011 gen-eral elections and again dipped some steps down-ward to 611 after the re-cent general elections.

Acting chairperson of the commission, Amina Bala Zakari, expressed op-timism that the incidence of nullified elections would be correspondingly low in this dispensation.

She said the 2015 gen-eral elections had given INEC further insights into the challenges of the Nigerian electoral pro-cess, promising that INEC would also approach the forthcoming Bayelsa and Kogi governorship elec-tions from the perspec-tives of the lessons learnt in the last polls.

“It is our sincere hope that other stakeholders...

will also approach fu-ture polls with a renewed vigour and determination as well as enhanced skills, to improve on the stan-dard attained in the 2015 elections,” she stated.

The report which was compiled by a team led by a former INEC national commissioner, Chris Iy-imoga, listed several les-sons as well as challenges encountered in the elec-tions.

On the way forward, the report called for more engagement with stake-holders, prompt delimita-tion of constituencies and creation of polling units,

further reforms and elec-tronic voting.

While stating that tech-nology adds value and integrity to the electoral process, it said the deploy-ment of Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs and Smart-Card Readers, SCRs, was a great game-changer in the last elections.

“It is against this backdrop that the Com-mission should be work-ing with other critical stakeholders, consider the prospects of intro-ducing electronic vot-ing, which is currently prohibited by law,” the report advised.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the petitioners had asked the tribunal to annul the April 11 re-election of the governor on the ground that he was not validly elected as the poll was fraught with irregulari-ties and monetary induce-ment.

Respondents to the pe-tition were Gaidam, APC, INEC, Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for the state, Abu Zuma, and the governor’s Aide-de-Camp (ADC), Zakari Deba.

Counsel to the petition-ers, Chief Adeniyi Akin-tola, SAN, had told the

tribunal that more than 300,000 registered voters were disenfranchised.

He had also led evi-dence on the allegation that the REC was finan-cially induced with N15 million to rig the election in favour of the governor.

Specifically, the peti-tioners had alleged that the governor’s ADC paid N8 million and N7 million into two accounts of the REC with Zenith and Dia-mond banks, respectively.

The petitioners had tendered documents and subpoenaed officials of the bank to testify to but-tress their allegation.

In defending the peti-tion, counsel to Gaidam

and APC, Mr. Yusuf Ali, SAN, had submitted that in the determination of the petition, the tribunal should rely on law and facts.

“Justice according to law is based on facts, not sentiment, and should be without fear or favour.

“When documents are tendered, they should be linked with the facts of the matter, and are use-less without this,’’ he said.

Ali therefore prayed the tribunal to dismiss the petition.

In his submission also, counsel to INEC and the REC, Mr. Abeny Moham-med, SAN, described

issues raised by the pe-titioners as “whirlwind in a tea cup or much ado about nothing.”

“The Court has no ju-risdiction to inquire into criminal matter; second-ly, there is no evidence be-fore the tribunal to show that the result of the elec-tion was influenced by allegations of malprac-tice and inducement,” he said.

Mr. Titus Ashaolu, the counsel to Deba had sub-mitted that his client was not a party to the elec-tion and that there was no evidence to prove his involvement in any of the allegations levelled by the petitioners.

President Muhammadu Buhari (3rd left); Special Envoy from Venezuela/Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs for Africa, Mr. Reinaldo Bolivar (2nd left), Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Paul Lolo (3rd right) and other members of the delegation after a meeting with President Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

CJ inaugurates two divisions of FCT High Court to fast track justiceFCT Chief Judge, Jus-

tice Ishaq Bello, yes-terday inaugurated

two divisions of the court in Bwari and Gwagwalada to bring the administration of justice closer to litigants.

At the ceremony, respec-tively held at Bwari and Gwagwalada, Bello said the two divisions were created to address the challenges faced by lawyers and liti-gants in filing cases at the city centre.

Before now, filing of cases in the FCT High court was centralised at the Mai-tama headquarters of the court.

“We cannot turn blind eyes to these challenges,’’ Bello said.

He said all cases originat-ing from the areas should be filed in the two divisions inaugurated.

He said Justice Charles Agbaza would serve as the supervisory judge of the Bwari division, while Jus-tice Balami Mwada would supervise the Gwagwalada division.

Bello disclosed that two other divisions of the high court would also be inaugu-rated in Nyanya and Karu.

The CJ also inaugurated the executive of the Nige-rian Bar Association, NBA,

Gwagwalada Branch.Bello urged members of

the executive not to betray the trust reposed in them by those who elected them into office.

He also urged them to adhere to the oath they took and ensure ethical conduct in the discharge of their re-sponsibilities.

Bello also charged NBA members to exhibit profes-sionalism and to refrain from pursuing self interest in handling of cases in or-der not to derail justice.

Responding, the newly elected NBA Chairman, Mr. Abdulwahab Moham-

med, said the inauguration of the divisions of the high court was a milestone.

He said the inaugura-tion had brought justice to their door-step and would avail litigants the oppor-tunity to file their cases in Gwagwalada.

NBA Chairman, Bwari Chapter, Mr. Ben Nafagha, said there was no judge sit-ting in the FCT High court in Bwari in the past two years.

He commended the CJ for the inauguration, add-ing that it will facilitate quick dispensation of jus-tice.

News Thursday, October 22, 2015 National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net6

Speaker’s absence stalls proceedings in House of Reps

2015 elections: development partners support INEC with N5bn –Report

Omeiza ajayiAbujA

President Muham-madu Buhari has approved the ap-

pointment of Mrs. Win-ifred Ekanem Oyo-Ita, FCA, as Acting Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.

Her appointment took effect from yesterday. Oyo-Ita, until her ap-pointment, was the Per-manent Secretary, Fed-eral Ministry of Science and Technology, and a native of Odukpani Lo-cal Government, Cross River State.

Director of Press in the Office of the Sec-retary to the Govern-ment of the Federation, Bolaji Adebiyi said the appointment is “a testi-mony of Mr. President’s implicit confidence and trust” in her ability to discharge the responsi-bilities of the office of Head of the Civil Ser-vice of the Federation.

Development part-ners supported the Independent

National Electoral Com-mission, INEC, with over N5bn in the conduct of the 2015 general elections, a report has said.

This is contained in the INEC 2015 General Elec-tions Report that was pre-sented to the public by the acting Chairman of INEC, Hajiya Amina Zakari, on Wednesday in Abuja.

According to the re-

port, N5, 207, 260,433 was provided by nine develop-ment partners to support some activities of the commission.

The report said N165m ($1m) was provided by the Ford Foundation to support Business Process Re-design, BPR, and Voter Education.

It also puts UNDP/DGD grant at N177,045,935.55 ($1,073,005.67) to support Election Management System, EMS, and train-

ing for security officials.The sum of N13,986,060

from the Open Society for Initiatives for West Africa, OSIWA, was also received to support prosecution of election offences and ga-zette of election regula-tions.

The report further re-vealed that N1,525,129,488 was used to support voter education and enlighten-ment from EU, through UNDP/DGD.

The report noted that

UbOng UkpOngAbujA

Absence of Speak-er, House of Rep-r e s e n t a t i v e s ,

Yakubu Dogara and his Deputy, Sulaiman Lasun, yesterday stalled pro-ceedings at the plenary, forcing lawmakers to ad-journed sitting to today.

The lawmakers had taken their seats in read-iness to carry on with the business of the day as contained in the Order Paper that had already been circulated, when the Speaker emerged and after taking the prayers, announced that he was going to be leaving for the Council of State meeting.

Considering that his Deputy had been away in Switzerland for the Inter-Parliamentary Union, IPU, conference, there was no one to preside over the plenary.

Consequently, the Speaker asked that the House adjourned to al-

Buhari appoints Oyo-Ita Ag. Head of ServicePresident Buhari had

on Tuesday approved a pre-retirement leave for the Head of Civil Ser-vice of the Federation, Mr. Danladi Kifasi.

A letter to that effect was sent to Mr. Kifasi, with the leave having taken effect from Tues-day, October 20, 2015.

Presidency sources said Kifasi should have proceeded on leave on October 1, but was kept for “certain reasons.”

They denied specula-tions that the former Head of Service was sacked.

Kifasi was appointed in August last year by former President Good-luck Jonathan and had just one year to spend in the saddle before formal-ly exiting the service.

Since the appointment of Lawal in August, there had been specula-tions that the president was looking for a way to drop Kifasi as both ap-pointees hail from the

same North East region. While Kifasi is from

Taraba State, Lawal is from neighbouring Ad-amawa, both part of the old Gongola State.

In the letter convey-

ing the President’s ap-proval and sighted by our correspondent, Lawal stated the presi-dent’s “appreciation for the meritorious service to the nation during his

tenure as Head of the Civil Service of the Fed-eration.

“The President wish-es Mr. Kifasi God’s guid-ance and best of luck in his future endeavours,”

part of the letter read.Director, Communica-

tions in the Office of the Head of Civil Service, Haruna Rasheed Imrana also confirmed the de-velopment yesterday.

N10m from UNDP/GDG was for sponsorship of pre-election and post elec-tion workshops for accred-ited observers.

The UNDP/GDP, ac-cording to the report, also provided N2,896,118,940 for the sponsorship of INEC engagement with relevant and strategic stakeholders.

It noted that N114m was received from the Inter-national Foundation for Electoral Systems, IFES, for training.

The MacArthur Foun-dation also supported INEC’s civil education and elections monitoring through Yar’Adua Centre with N264m ($1.6m).

It added that the com-mission got fund from International IDEA for preventing conflict and electoral violence total-ling N41,980,000 (209,900 euro)

It puts exchange rate at N165 per dollar and N200 per euro as at the time of the donation.

The report, which did not state how much commission spent in the conduct of the elec-tions, showed that N108,851,683,313.93 was appropriated for the 2015 election.

low him leave for the meeting and it was car-ried by the House.

In the Order Paper for the day, seven bills were slated for first reading, two for second reading, while five motions were also scheduled for delib-eration.

No hiding place for B’Haram, cattle rustlers –Army

Buhari lauds Williams’ contribution to national development

Imo govt, firm sign pact on fertiliser production

•Our reforms beyond your comprehension –Govt

L-R: Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara; Governors, Idris Wada (Kogi) and Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), during the maiden National Council of State meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

Aregbesola plans to reduce workers’ salary, says PDPOkanlawon, the director bureau of communications and strategy, dismissed the opposition party’s allega-tion.

The PDP said memo in-forming workers of the for-feiture of their allowances was signed by Permanent Secretary in the office of the Head of Service, Mr Sunday Olajide, stating that the allowances include 27.5 per cent peculiar allowance for teachers, 25 per cent-35 per cent for other catego-ries of workers.

It also said the new pol-icy will see workers with degrees in education be-ing transferred to relevant education offices, while education agencies like Teachers Establishment and Pension Office, TEPO, are to be reviewed.

Under the new arrange-ment, there will be Teach-ers Establishment Office

there is no place for them to escape, we are succeed-ing because we have a good synergy with other secu-rity operatives.

“Over 20,000 cows have been recovered from cattle rustlers with our joint op-eration and it will continue until we clear bandits from the forests, and criminal activities will be reduced to the barest minimum.’’

Oyebade said they were committed to the mandate given to them by President Muhammadu Buhari to finish off Boko Haram on or before the end of the

and Education Assess-ment Office while Elemen-tary and Middle Schools will be fully under SUBEB and receive their salaries from local government.

Also in the memo, the PDP said the Aregbesola administration is intro-ducing Electronic Finger-print Capturing Machines that will be deployed in government offices and public schools to ensure workers are punctual, reg-ular at their duty post.

It added that on assum-ing mantle of leadership, Aregbesola introduced TEPO to replace Teach-ing Service Commission, TESCOM, put in place by the previous administra-tions.

But Okanlawon, in his reply to PDP, said the state government was just putting in place survival strategy in the face of

year.“We are also committed

to the vision of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen Tu-kur Buratai, that the army must act professionally within the rules of engage-ment.’’

Oyebade urged journal-ists to be patriotic in their reportage and to always balance their stories.

“The issue of national security is very important and Nigeria Army protects the national interest. All of us have a role to play.

“Report what is right and make sure you get the

dwindling resources. He said: “We are not

surprised that PDP is de-liberately painting in bad light all the well-thought out survival strategies of the current admin-istration in the face of the mounting global eco-nomic meltdown which is affecting all facets of na-tional life.

“Without any doubt, the growing popular opinion now is that governments at all levels must look in-ward, review their opera-tions and streamline their activities if they want to continue to maintain the welfare of their people.

“Interestingly, there is no single reform and belt-tightening measures that Governor Aregbesola and his government officials have not laid bare on the table before the workers and other stakeholders.

right information as a pro-fessional,’’ he said.

According to him, the media has a role to play in creating awareness and to support security opera-tives to enable them tackle the Boko Haram menace.

The commandant urged the media to promote na-tional issues and stop sec-tionalising issues.

He also charged mem-bers of the public to report any strange movement to the nearest security office and promised that they would swing into action immediately.

Boladale BamigBola, OSOGBO

Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Osun State yesterday al-

leged that the Governor Rauf Aregbesola intends to reduce salaries of workers.

The party in a state-ment issued in Osogbo by its spokesperson, Prince Diran Odeyemi, said memo notifying civil servants of a new pay regime that will see them forfeiting all al-lowances their colleagues in other states are enjoying, have already been circu-lated.

Odeyemi said in less than three years, the ad-ministration of Aregbesola has tinkered with the set-up of agencies overseeing pri-mary and secondary educa-tion in the state.

But the government, in a statement issued by Semiu

General Officer Com-manding, 1 Division Nigeria Army, Ka-

duna, Maj.-Gen. Adeniye Oyebade, said there is no hiding place for fleeing members of Boko Haram and cattle rustlers.

Oyebade spoke yester-day during an interactive session with journalists in Kaduna.

According to him, the Nigerian military is win-ning the war against Boko Haram and other criminal activities like cattle rus-tling.

“For the Boko Haram,

Chris Njoku, OWERRI

rotimi Fadeyi, ABUJA

President Muhamma-du Buhari has com-mended renowned

doyen of accounting profes-sion in the country, Akinto-la Williams, on the occasion of this year’s Akintola Wil-liams Distinguished Lec-ture Series.

A statement issued yes-terday by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said Buhari applauded the continuing contributions of Williams to national progress and development, even at the grand age of 96, through the lecture series which were established to promote integrity, profes-sionalism and sound corpo-rate governance in Nigeria.

Buhari also commended Williams and the organisers of the annual lecture series on their choice of “Leader-ship Factors And Good Cor-

reduced cost and also create employment opportunities for the teeming youths in the state.

He said the factory which would be sited at Imo Industrial Park, Ohaji Egbema Local Govern-ment Area of the state, is expected to produce 500 metric tonnes of fertiliser every year, and appealed to the host community to sup-port the idea.

Speaking on behalf of the company, Mr. Nguyem Kim Toaoa expressed hap-piness for the understand-ing and assured that opera-tion would commence in the next six months.

He commended state government efforts to in-dustrialise the state, say-ing his company would do everything possible to uphold its business image, and appealed to the people for their support.

porate Governance - Key to National Growth and Devel-opment” as the theme of this year’s lecture.

The President believed that it was a very apt and topical theme as he pre-pares to inaugurate a new Federal Executive Council to drive the implementa-tion of his administration’s agenda for national renais-sance with the support and cooperation of all patriots and stakeholders in the well-being of Nigeria.

Buhari also seized the opportunity to congratulate Williams on his 96th birth-day anniversary which was marked recently.

He prayed God who has blessed Williams with such extraordinary longevity in the service of his nation and humanity, would grant him many more years of good health and worthy contributions to the devel-opment of his fatherland.

Imo State government has signed a Memoran-dum of Understanding,

MoU, with a foreign compa-ny, CCV Hi-Tech Company Ltd, for the production of fertiliser in line with the government’s desire to in-dustrialise the state.

Secretary to the Govern-ment of Imo State, Sir Jude Ejiogu who represented the state government during the signing of the MoU in his Cabinet Office, along Sam Mbakwe Road, Ower-ri, advised the company not to disappoint in the bid to remain good business part-ners with government.

Ejiogu expressed opti-mism that when the factory commences operation it would alleviate the suffer-ings of Imo farmers by pro-viding fertiliser for them at

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 7NewsThursday, October 22, 2015 7

PUBLIC NOTICELOSS OF DEED OF SUB-LEASE The Administrators of the Estate of Chief Samuel Layiwola Durosaro hereby notify the general public of the loss of the original title document in respect of the property situated at 8A & 8B, Wura Esan Close, off Adeniyi Jones Avenue, Ikeja. All efforts to retrieve the title document from United Bank of Africa Plc., have proven abortive, Registrar of Title, Lagos State to take note.

Signed:P. O. GBEGBAJE,

Solicitors to the Estate of Chief S. L. Durosaro

L-R: National Secretary, Fisheries Society of Nigeria, Mr. Paul Akinbobola; National Treasurer/Acting State Treasurer, Lagos State, Mrs. Justina Balogun; State General Secretary, Busari Akinloye; 1st Vice National President, Dr. Mabel Yarhere; Chairman, Lagos State, Mr. Olatunji Giwa and State Vice Chairman, Mr. Abiodun Ogunbona, during the state annual general meeting of the society in Lagos, yesterday.

N150bn suit: Court adjourns till November 16 over pre-trial conference

Matthew IrInoye

A Lagos High Court, yesterday ad-journed the N150bn

libel suit filed by former Governor of the state, Asi-waju Bola Tinubu, against Daar Communications plc, owners of Africa Indepen-dent Television, AIT, till No-vember 16.

Justice Iyabo Akinkug-be, made the decision to enable the parties exhaust the option of settlement in a pretrial conference.

the public.During last hearing of

the matter on September 30, Justice Akinkugbe ad-journed till yesterday for further directives.

Earlier on April 1, the judge had granted an in-terlocutory injunction re-straining AIT from further airing the documentary, pending the determination of the libel suit.

However, during yes-

Disu: Suspected killers lose bid to stop policewale IgbIntade

A Lagos High Court presided over by Justice Ra-

liat Adebiyi yesterday dismissed a fundamental human rights application filed by community leaders of Okunraye in Ibeju Lekki area of Lagos State, seeking to stop the police from fur-ther arrest and detention of its members over the mur-der of Managing Director of Lekki Trade Zone, LFTZ, Limited Mr. Tajudeen Disu.

Other respondents in the suit are Nigerian Army, De-partment of State Service, DSS, Special Anti-Robbery Squad, The Dangote Group and Ibeju Lekki Local Gov-ernment,

The motion ex-parte,

the court that as a matter of fact, those who are not members of the commu-nity have been charged before the court randomly, adding that as at Tuesday about 25 people were ar-rested by the police.

He therefore urged the court to grant the applica-tion.

However, Justice Adebiyi, while ruling on the application, dismissed the entire prayers sort for by the applicant except the one seeking to serve all re-spondents in the suit.

The judge said granting such application will lead to breakdown of law and order.

The case has been ad-journed to November 10, for hearing of all pending applications in the suit.

filed by the applicants through their lawyer Akin-labi Apara, sought an order directing the respondents to release them uncondi-tionally from custody and an order declaring their ar-rest and continue detention as wrongful and a sharp contravention of their fun-damental human rights en-shrined in Chapter 4 of the Constitution and Article 23 (1) (4) (5) (6) (7) , 12 (1) and 14 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Right (Ratification and Enforce-ment) Act, 2004.

They also want a decla-ration that the invasion of their community on Octo-ber 12, 2015 and their subse-quent arrest constituted a threat to life, freedom, and private and family life.

They further want a

perpetual injunction re-straining the respondents whether by themselves, agents, servants, privies or any other person acting on their behalf from arresting, detaining, harassing and in-vading Okunraye commu-nity or otherwise violating their fundamental human rights.

The lawyer, while ex-pressing the need to grant the application, informed the court that the appli-cants have been forcefully ejected from their homes and livelihoods and that they have been deprived of their rights.

He said the application is supported with a 38 paragraph affidavit and are relying on all the aver-rement.

Apara, also informed

It would be recalled that, Tinubu, also the National Leader of All Progres-sives Congress, APC, had instituted the N150bn suit against AIT for allegedly peddling false accusations against his person in a doc-umentary titled: “Lion of Bourdilion.”

The ex-governor said the documentary was polit-ically sponsored to tarnish his reputation in the eye of

terday’s proceeding, coun-sel to Tinubu, Mr. Ayo Adesanmi, informed the court that both parties had exchanged pretrial confer-ence forms.

Justice Akinkugbe therefore referred the par-ties to the Case Manage-ment Conference, CMC, adding that if both sides still insist on not settling during the conference, the trial would continue.

Ijesa in Diaspora backs Osun’s ministerial nominee

Peace returns to Ibadan community after three days of fighting

Give loans to private educational institutions, VC urges FG

SaIdat alauSa

Vice-Chancellor, Bells University of Tech-nology, Ota, Ogun

State, Prof. Isaac Adeyemi, yesterday urged the Fed-eral Government to provide single digit interest loans to private educational institu-tions to enable them thrive.

He spoke at a news brief-ing on the activities and programmes lined up for the 10th anniversary and 7th convocation ceremony of the institution in Ota.

According to him, the availability of loans for the institutions at a single digit would help to boost human capital development as well as development of infra-structure.

Adeyemi said tcapital flight often recorded when students travel to other countries to study would also reduce.

He further said there was the need for private institu-tions to collaborate with

their public counterparts since only government owned institutions have ac-cess to Tertiary Education Trust Fund grants for re-search and development.

Adeyemi, however, said lack of funds had not affect-ed the university’s standard.

321 students would be graduating in the 2013/2014 session with 21 bagging First Class,135, Second Class; 134, Second Class Lower while 51 had Third Class.

Meanwhile, Chancellor, Covenant University, also in Ota, Ogun State, Bishop David Oyedepo has advised newly admitted students of Post Graduate Studies to make impacts and not just work to earn their degree.

This was disclosed yester-day during the 13th Found-er’s Day celebration of the institution and commission-ing of PG halls in the school.

Dr. Oyedepo also urged the newly admitted students to work hard and do more of research that would better their lives.

boladale baMIgbolaOsOgbO

Nomination of Prof. Isaac Adewole as a minister, yester-

day got the backing of the international body of all Ijesa indigenes, the Ijesa People in the Diaspora, IPID.

The group dispelled in-sinuations that the ministe-rial nominee is not an indi-gene of the state, saying he was born and bred in Ilesa.

Chairman of IPID Board of Trustees, Chief Bobas-eye Akinyemi Fasakin, in a statement made available to newsmen in Osogbo, said Adewole is a full blooded

Ijesa man.Fasakin said it was unfair

to have referred to a “worthy and a well-known ijesa indi-gene who has done so much for the ijesaland” as an Ekiti indigene in the name of poli-tics.

Fasakin noted that the fact that Adewole’s father so-journ in Ekiti State has not turned him to an Ekiti indi-gene, warning that “black-mailers” should desist from attacking him.

He challenged those op-posing his nomination to go to the University of Ibadan to see “his unprecedented development as the Vice Chancellor and his effort in developing Osun indigene.”

KeMI olaItanIbadan

Calm has returned to Omi Adio in Ido Local Government

area of Oyo State after three day fracas between members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, and members of Tippers As-sociation.

It would be recalled that the riot which started on

Sunday night during a party at Omi Adio motor garage left about fifteen people se-verely injured.

The riot was still con-tinuing till Monday night, leaving about 10 vehicles travelling along the Ibadan-Abeokuta road damaged.

Many traders and shop owners took advantage of the peaceful atmosphere to display their wares after days of fear and despair in the town.

• Oyedepourgesnewstudentsonpositiveimpact

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.netSouth West Thursday, October 22, 20158

9National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net Thursday, October 22, 2015

A three storey building which collapsed on 87 Odunfa Street, Lagos Island, trapping many with few rescued yesterday. PHOTO: SAMUEL ADETIMEHIN

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net10 Broad Street Diary Thursday, October 22, 2015

Lagos Island: One collapsed building too manyAt least five people includ-

ing an elderly woman in her eighties narrowly

escaped death by the whiskers in Lagos on Wednesday when a three storey building collapsed at Swamp Street, Off Odunfa Street in Lagos Island.

Residents who live on the street said they trooped out en masse to team up with government agen-cies for the rescue operation , ex-plaining that the building popu-larly known as ‘ civilian barrack’ caved in at about 9,00 am , say-ing some of the occupants of the building, particularly those on the third floor were lucky to have es-caped from the building.

Broad Street Diary Correspon-dent (BSD) who was at the scene of the unfortunate incident gath-ered from the eyewitnesses that the Three-Storey building which collapsed had been penciled down for demolition exactly today that it finally collapsed.

“The building has been ear-marked for demolition exactly today going by the notice pasted on the wall of the building by the Lagos State Government” an eye-witness said.

Unfortunately, that is medicine after death as the worst had oc-curred leaving some lucky people to be alive among the residents of the collapsed structure count-ing their loses, while the hapless ones were still trapped under the rubbles shouting for help as at the time of filing this report.

However, the timely response of residents of the area and inter-vention of government agencies like the Federal Fire Service, the police, the civil defense among others who responded on time to put the situation under control helped the situation.

According to Seyi Bola, “ We were standing outside our house and many other people were out-side too and all of a sudden we heard sound as big object fell and people started running here and there and we looked towards ci-vilian barracks direction and dis-covered it was the building that collapsed.

“If you look at the building the government had issued warnings on the building before the build-ing collapsed and warned the owners and people living there to leave, but they refused.

Broad Street Diary observed that four were rescued and as of the time of filling this report res-cues operations was still ongoing as two excavators were being used to create holes between the slabs, to create easy access for trapped persons to get out of the rubbles.

The elderly woman who was brought out from the rubbles alive

was carried on a stretcher, with an oxygen mask placed on her mouth and nostrils before she was conveyed to a standby Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAM-BUS) to Sura Health Centre which is located on the Lagos Island.

As of the time of filling this report a combined team of Police, Army, Lagos State Building Con-trol Agency (LSBCA), Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), National Emergency Manage-ment Agency (NEMA), federal and state fire service and La-gos Safety Commission were on ground to manage the situation.

The General Manager LSBCA, Shola Aderigbebe, told journal-ists that the building was marked for integrity test and 14 days ulti-matum served the residents, say-ing lack of compliance by resi-dents on safety directives caused the eventual collapse.

“We have been dealing with all distress buildings, but it is pa-thetic that residents do not yield to warnings. For this building, we have served them 14 days ultima-tum.

“The ultimatum has expired before today. We asked them to conduct Structural Stability Test (SST) and they agreed. We were still waiting for them to conduct the test before the building col-lapsed.

Also speaking on the collapse, the General Manager Lagos State

Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) Mr. Michael Akindele, said the four persons earlier res-cued sustained minor injuries and were taken to Lagos Island General Hospital.

According to him, they have not been able to ascertain the number of occupants in the build-ing, saying it is difficult to con-firm whether or not, people were still in the rubble.

Akindele said, “We cannot say if people are trapped or not because we have not gotten to ground zero. But so far, five per-sons have been rescued and were are still working. All agencies responded in good time and we are doing everything possible to ensure lives and properties are saved.”

Also speaking to Broad Street Diary, BSD, on the incident, the Zonal Commander, Federal Fire Service, Mr. Oduyelu Olumuyiwa, said two people had been rescued while effort was still underway to find more likely survivors.

“So far, two people have been rescued and rushed to an undis-closed hospital while we are still searching for likely victims who could still be trapped under the rubble.”

He attributed the unfortunate incident to the use of sub-stan-dard materials being used by building developers to erect struc-tures on the Island.

“Let me say here that the un-professional and shoddy manner

with which some so called Land developers erect structures on La-gos Island often leaves much to be desired.

These people are in business to make money irrespective of the minimum safety standard re-quired which is a sinequanon for any given structure to be erected.

But, what is the obtainable? highly synthetic building mate-rials for structures of this mag-nitude thereby jeopardizing the lives and property of the people”.

“I think agencies saddled with the responsibility of ensur-ing minimum standard of any products and materials like the standard organisation of Nigeria should rise up to this occasion by doing more to adopt more strin-gent measures against culpable importers and manufacturers of fake and sub- standard building materials in the country.

“You need to see the kind of materials used in erecting this collapsed structure they are high-ly sub-standard why will this kind of situation not occur?

“Before a standard structure is put in place, there must be building Engineers, Architects Quantity Surveyors and all the professionals involved in building construction before construction takes place.

“Note that before any building collapses it must speak a language which only the professionals will understand.

“For instance, look at the build-

ing behind us here, it is just a di-saster waiting to happen because it is already bending and given the nature of the soil, which is a marshy one,very few landlords on this Island, could afford putting up a standard structure in place in this area because it involves a lot of capital.

“Sadly developers do not en-gage these people and govern-ment agencies that are expected to enforce compliance have not been really up and doing in this regard.

On why the Fire service men were involved in the rescue opera-tion since there was no fire out-break, Oduyelu responded that their operation was not limited to putting out fire, alone but much more prevention of fire outbreak.

“Our operation is not limited to putting out fire alone.

We equally engage in activities such as prevention of fire out-break just as we are doing here now and to render humanitarian assistance as occasion demands in times like this.

Another eye witness said “we heard the sound of the collapsed building and I had to rush out.

“We had to mobilise so many rescue officials to come and as-sist. The LASEMA, State Red Cross, Area Commander of the Police and Fire Brigade, were all contacted”, he said.

–Omoju Busayo and Fran-cis Suberu

...as six cheat death in another building collapse

A three storey building which collapsed on 87 Odunfa Street, Lagos Island, trapping many with few rescued yesterday. PHOTO: SAMUEL ADETIMEHIN

Impact positively on Nigeria, Jega, Babalola charge graduates

Lagos donates N150m to IDPs in Adamawa, Borno, Yobe

Participants during the meeting of Fulani herdsmen with farmers and stakeholders in Oke-Ogun and other areas of Oyo State, in Ibadan, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

10 injured in Ondo drivers’ clash

Shadow in The Mirror for presentation

Abiodun nejoAdo-Ekiti

Graduates of Nige-rian universities and other tertiary institu-

tions have been urged to im-pact positively on the coun-try’s development through their conduct and action.

Former chairman of the Independent National Elec-toral Commission, INEC, Prof Attahiru Jega and the founder of Afe Babalola Uni-versity, Ado-Ekiti, ABUAD, Aare Afe Babalola, said hav-ing been certified sound in character and learning, the graduates should bring such to bear in national develop-ment.

Jega and Babalola spoke yesterday at ABUAD during the institution’s third con-vocation ceremony where bachelor’s degrees were con-ferred on 739 fresh graduates and honorary degrees on four eminent personalities.

A graduate of Accountan-cy, Oghenekowho Money, led the pack of 65 students who made First Class; 339 others bagged Second Class Upper Division, 258 picked second Class Lower Division and 74 were Third Class degree holders.

The honorary degrees were conferred on Jega (Doctor of Public Adminis-tration); Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Most Rev Matthew Kukah (Doctor of Letters); rtd Justice Emman-uel Ayoola (Doctor of Law); and Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi (Doctor of Letters).

Among dignitaries at the event were Ekiti State gover-nor; the Olugbo of Ugbo, Oba Obateru Akinruntan; Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe; Catholic Bishop of Ekiti Diocese, Most Rev Felix Ajakaye; and House of Representative member, Mike Omogbehin.

Jega, who said he was proud to be an alumnus of ABUAD, urged the federal and state governments to emulate the institution’s in-novation of education with learning and character to help the future of the coun-try.

The former INEC boss said: “Nigeria’s vision in education is gradually being achieved through ABUAD. There is need to set a stan-dard for the growth of edu-cation in this country.’’

Ekiti governor praised

the ABUAD founder for the innovation and vision that made him establish a uni-versity targeted at sharpen-ing the minds of future lead-ers for better governance and value re-orientation.

He said there was no alter-native to holistic education that would not only impact knowledge, but also imbue graduates with character to make them make desirable changes in the system.

The governor said: “Edu-cation is more about life than wealth. Aside govern-ment, Afe Babalola is the largest employer of labour in Ekiti and that was why my government wants to build an airstrip in Ado-Ekiti that would become a full-fledged airport later to help in the expansion of this university. I am committed to this project and there is no going back on that.”

The governor prom-ised to continue to create enabling environment for all academic environment in the state to thrive, as he appealed to well-meaning indigenes to emulate the patriotism displayed by the ABUAD founder.

Vice Chancellor of ABUAD, Professor Mi-chael Ajisafe, said the stu-dents, equipped with aca-demic standard and as well entrepreneurial and lead-ership skills, were spurred to excel by the quality of instruction, cond ucive en-vironment and necessary encouragement provided by the school authorities.

According to him, the graduating students are from College of Social and Management Sciences; College of Medicine and Health Sciences (Basic Sciences); College of Law; and College of Engineer-ing.

of the extent of damage and social trauma brought about by insurgency in the region.

He said the donation was a demonstration of the commitment Lagos has to-wards bringing succour to thousands of IDPs.

Ambode therefore called on all Nigerians including corporate organisations and other public-spirited

individuals to reach out in order to alleviate the pains of those affected by insur-gency.

Responding on behalf of the benefitting states, Gov-ernor Kashim Shettima of Borno State expressed ap-preciation to Ambode and its people for the donation.

He assured the Lagos governor that the funds would be judiciously used.

ojo oyewAmideAkurE

No fewer than 10 people were in-jured yesterday

in a bloody clash among members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, in Owo Local Government Area of Ondo state.

An attempt by a faction to take over the leader-

ship of the union was said to have caused the clash, disrupting commercial activities for hours.

Eyewitnesses said trou-ble started when a man identified as Jungunnu declared himself the new chairman of the union.

They added that Jun-gunnu moved round the town with some commer-cial motorcycle riders, telling residents he was

A book, Shadows in The Mirror: The many faces of De-

pression, will be launched tomorrow at Lagoon Res-taurant on Victoria Island, Lagos.

Written by London-based management consultant, Dr. Vivian Ikem, a Ph.D holder in engineering from the Imperial College, Lon-don, the book is inspired by his personal encounter with depression as a result

the new NURTW chair-man in the council.

The self-declared chair-man was said to have led his boys to the Akure car park and attacked the union leaders around.

The feuding members shot sporadically in the air, and attacked one an-other with cutlasses and other dangerous weapons.

Residents and traders around First Molac hotel

area and Ehinogbe street where the NURTW mem-bers clashed, hurriedly closed shop for the day.

The embattled chair-man, Kolade Jasper, said he had not received any letter from the NURTW national leaders that the local chapters should be dissolved.

Jasper said the leader of the group, who want-ed to forcefully take over from him, was not a member of NURTW.

He therefore urged the state government to intervene so the crisis would not spread to oth-er parts of the state.

Police Public Rela-tions Officer, PPRO, Femi Joseph, confirmed the incident, saying the police is on top of the situation.

Joseph, who appealed to the feuding parties to maintain peace, said no local chapter of the union had been dissolved in the state.

Lagos State govern-ment yesterday do-nated N50 million

each to the three North Eastern states of Adama-wa, Borno and Yobe to ca-ter for Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs.

Presenting the cheques to the three states in the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa after the Council of State meeting,

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode said the emer-gence of Boko Haram and its devastating activities is a major challenge facing the country.

Ambode said at the just-concluded 21st National Economic Summit in Abuja, the Secretary to the Government of the Federa-tion, SGF presented heart-rending, graphic report

of which he decided to raise awareness for the condition and to help others.

Former Lagos State gov-ernor, Bola Tinubu, is the chief presenter of the book, while chairman of the oc-casion is President of the Nigerian Association of Psychiatrists, Prof. J.D. Ad-eyemi.

A statement by the au-thor described depression as “a serious condition of-ten belittled.”

It added: “The World Health Organisation, WHO, has listed depression as the second leading cause of death and disability by 2020 only after ischemic heart disease (also known as coro-nary artery disease).

“It is also a big health concern for low-medium income countries like Ni-geria where as many as 1 in 5 people suffer mental health issues.

“Yet Nigerians hardly

talk about mental health, and many think of depres-sion simply as sadness, weakness, weak faith, something that is demon-inflicted or influenced by black magic, something to be ashamed of, or as an issue specific to western communities.

“Sadly this ignorance is costly for many, and people are suffering in silence with many cases ending tragically.”

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 11Thursday, October 22, 2015 South West

S’East governors against Biafra agitation —Okorocha

L-R: Globacom National Sales Coordinator, South-South, Mr. Augustine Mamuro; Lolo of Obi of Onitsha, Igwenwanyi Ngozi Achebe; Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe and Agbogidi and Glo Business Director, Enugu State, Mr. Abidemi Agbaje, at Ofala commemorative royal banquet organised in honour of the Agbogidi at the Mulumba Place, Onitsha, recently.

Cleric advocates prayers for Nigeria, leadersGeneral Overseer said Ni-geria and other countries, including the United States of America, the most power-ful nation in the world, need prayers to handle their prob-lems.

“We need to help our country with prayers, even the leaders too because behind every throne is a demon. But when we have at least 50 (committed) pas-tors, we’ll pray our country out,” he told newsmen. “So pray with me for our great nation,” he pleaded with Ni-gerians.

Ofala 2015: Glo rewards Onitsha Age Grades

He specifically expressed gratitude to the Globacom chairman, Dr. Mike Adenu-ga Jr., whom he described as “a man with uncommon passion for anything he be-lieves in.”

Earlier, while deliver-ing Globacom’s welcome remarks at the banquet, Mr. Augustine Mamuro, the company’s National Sales Coordinator, South-South, said the banquet was organ-ised to appreciate Achebe for giving Globacom the opportunity to make its modest contribution to the improvement of Ofala Fes-tival.

According to Mamuro, “Today’s banquet is a testi-mony to what we intend to do in the years to come as we jointly project this epic celebration. We have in our own modest way decided to expand the scope of the banquet by enhancing the side attractions: music, comedy and dance, all in a bid to further demonstrate how much we value and ap-preciate this relationship.”

He stated that Achebe’s time-honoured industry and hospitality “which in themselves epitomise the essentials of the Onit-sha people have attracted many developmental ini-tiatives to Onitsha and greatly transformed the city, making it the com-mercial nerve centre of the South East geopoliti-cal zone.”

The trio of Patience Ozokwu (Mama G), John Okafor (Mr. Ibu) and Chief Chewetalu Agwu, all Glo Ambassadors, the titan of the Masquerade TV series, Mr. Okpala (Chief Zebru-dayah alias 430), were on hand to add side attrac-tions to the dinner.

The Next Generation Network and main sponsor of the an-

nual Ofala Festival, Globa-com, has rewarded hand-somely all the top three winners in the age-grade competitions of the Ofala 2015 celebrations.

The cash rewards were handed over to the repre-sentatives of the age grades at a colourful royal banquet organised by the company in honour of Obi of Onit-sha, Igwe Alfred Achebe, at Mulumba Place, Onitsha.

Among the various age grades rewarded were Aghaedo age-grade which came third in the age group of 50 years and below; while Ifechukwulu age group and Ani Amaka age group came second and first respectively. The best carnival float was won by Agbalanze, while the sec-ond and third positions went to Otu-Odu and Ichie respectively.

In the age grade of 50-60 years, Nwanuebife came first while the sec-ond and third positions went to Anyibuofo and Ado Amaka respectively. Ife Nkili came first in the age grade of 60 years and above, second was Officer age grade while Nkolika age group came third.

The Onitsha monarch commended Globacom for raising the profile of the festival, saying the part-nership with the telecoms operator five years ago had attracted significant growth to the festival in scope and content.

Achebe added that the relationship between Glo-bacom and the Ofala Fes-tival Organising Commit-tee had been a worthwhile venture.

“The governors and lead-ers of the South-East con-demn the protests, especial-ly when they were carried out in the name of Biafra. If a section of the people in the South-East or even the entire people in the geo-po-litical zone protest over the bad shape of federal roads in the area or protest over total negligence of the geo-political zone, every gover-nor and leader in the area would support that. But not to protest over an issue that is neither here nor there.

“South-East is an inte-gral part of Nigeria and the governors and leaders from the area believe so much in the unity of the country and would always work towards sustaining the unity. And as far as the governors and leaders of the South-East are con-cerned, those behind the campaign for Biafra have ulterior motive, which has nothing to do with corpo-rate interest of Ndigbo in Nigeria,” he said.

He said the concern of the governors and other South-East leaders is to get what is due Ndigbo in the country, adding that any other quest, especially for Biafra, is diversionary.

The governor therefore called on those behind all the protests on the basis of Biafra to give peace a chance, regretting that some Igbo people could get

involved in a protest which end result would not ben-efit Ndigbo in any way, but could lead to killing some of them.

He insisted that the uni-ty of Nigeria is not nego-tiable, and the South-East people strongly believe in that unity and would work assiduously to ensure its sustenance.

But, factional leader of MASSOB, Madu, said neither Okorocha nor any governor from South East, including those of Rivers and Delta states, could deny being Biafra.

“All Igbo governors are Biafra. No Igbo man can deny that they are not in support of what we are do-ing. It is like Boko Haram, no Hausa governor will deny support for the sect.”

He said it would be un-fair for anybody to pre-tend not to know the in-justice being meted on the Igbo. ‘‘Nobody would say he likes what is happening in Nigeria today including Governor Okorocha who desires to be president; the same injustice would deny him such ambition and we all know that Okorocha is not happy about this.”

While condemning Chief Ralph Uwazuruike for disowning the Direc-tor of Radio Biafra, Mazi Kalu, he called for uncon-ditional release of the di-rector.

gle for the actualisation of Biafra. He said all were in support of the protests as they were gestures in ob-jection of ills suffered by Ndigbo.

The reported protests in the state capitals which turned violent were said to have been carried out over Radio Biafra and the arrest of its director, Mazi Nnma-di Kalu, by security agents.

Okorocha, who is chair-man of APC Governors’ Forum, said the ugly devel-opment was highly regret-table especially when it was clear that such violent protests in the name of Bi-afra would not add any val-ue to the development and progress of the South-East and its people.

Chris NjokuOwerri

Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State yesterday said

the reported violent pro-tests in some state capitals including those of Rivers, Anambra and Delta in the name of Biafra, does not in any way have the support of the governors and lead-ers of the South-East geo-political zone.

But the Movement for Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB led by former Director of Information, Chief Uche Madu, disagreed with the governor, saying none of the Igbo governors would deny support for the strug-

ViCtor udoh

To rid Nigeria of its so-cio-economic and po-litical woes, Rev Em-

manuel Agwu of Behold He Cometh Pentecostal Church, BHCPC, has canvassed the use of prayers as a vital in-gredient to national peace, unity and growth.

Calling on the church in a sermon from John 11 titled ‘Luo (Greek for loose or release) to rise up to the challenge of its role as na-tion builders, the BHCPC’s

•Igboareinsupport—MASSOB

On tackling insurgency and other violent attacks in Nigeria, the man of God stressed that “the problems could have been more” but for the efforts of “few” peo-ple, and prayed God to sus-tain them “so Nigeria will grow and be like other great nations.”

Prof Agwu, who believes in practical Christianity of faith with works, said Chris-tians have been rendered powerless through betrayal of their identity, and en-joined them to prepare ear-nestly for the Lord’s second

coming.He also advocated a

change of attitude by min-isters or church leaders who pray or do God’s work only for money. He said: “Remem-ber, it (the gift) was freely given...; there is a crown incorruptible awaiting the obedient.”

“The vast majority of our churches are for money making; everything is not about money. Christianity is heaven on earth, hence it can never be of merchan-dise. Let’s get our acts right, and do the right thing.”

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.netSouth East Thursday, October 22, 201512


Politics

Corruption: Locating the delay in Ex-governors’ trial

Except perhaps for the case of the former Gover-nor of Delta State, James Ibori, there is hardly any other known instance whereby the Economic

and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC have been able to conclusively end the trial of any ex governor in the country since the establishment of the commission in 2006.

Indeed, even the incident case of Ibori, was very clear as to why and how EFCC rushed through the trial and returned a no case verdict against the former gover-nor. Ibori, had played key financial role in the sponsor-ship and emergence of the late Musa Yar’Adua as the President of Nigeria. He badly needed to be let out of the hook of the allegations of financial mismanagement in office as the Governor of Delta State to position him then to take over from the then Vice President Goodluck Jonathan as the running mate to Yar’Adua before death struck.

It was alleged that Ibori pulled all his contacts in Gov-ernment then to secure his freedom. EFCC drew up 170- count charges against the Delta State-born politician bordering on money laundering, including bribery of the commission with $15 million to influence his release. Curiously however, Ibori was able to pull his strings in Government and secured a no case verdict by an Asaba-based High Court.

Ironically, relying on the same money laundering charges, the London Metropolitan Police secured a 13-year conviction against the same former Governor who was let off the hook by the Nigerian judiciary.

Besides Ibori, there are also a number of other cases by the EFCC against other former governors that have been undergoing trial for years across the nation’s courts. Some of these cases like the one against the for-mer governor of Abia State have been on for over eight years and yet, it is difficult to put a finger on when such trials would come to an end.

Other cases that have suffered similar fates include the one involving the former Governors of Imo, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, Taraba Jolly Nyame, Lagos State, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Gombe State, Danjuma Goje, Kogi State Abubakar Audu, amongst others.

If you ask the EFCC what is delaying these cases, the commission would not hesitate to point accusing fingers elsewhere. Often times, the commission would point at the judiciary and the judicial officers as yielding them-selves to the machinations of the politicians to frustrate the trials.

The judiciary on their own also often washes their hands off the blame, most times blaming the EFCC of sloppy prosecution. And so, the blame game goes on and on.

President Buhari’s anti corruption war

Buhari Lamorde

The inability of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC to conclusively prosecute fraud cases against many ex-governors have often been blamed by the commission on a number of reasons, particularly the judiciary. Incidentally, the judiciary also washes its hands off the commission’s blames. In this report, GEORGE OJI, ROTIMI FADEYI, OMEZIA AJAYI, UBONG UKPONG and IWAMBE DOOSUUR examine some of the issues at stake.

The view has of laTe been canvassed ThaT

The nigerian judicial sysTem, by iTs very naTure,

consTiTuTes a major hindrance To The war

againsT corrupTion and oTher financial crimes in

The counTry

It is worthy of note that the crimes all these former Governors are accused of were not committed under the watch of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, surely, may have anticipated that political office holders, especially the Governors would abuse their offices and so he at-tempted to put in place measures during his administra-tion to checkmate and punish corrupt people.

This drive saw the evolving of the EFCC and the ICPC, to serve as the anti-corruption frontline agencies to bring justice to corrupt people especially those in gov-ernment.

These agencies have surely not lived up to their call-ing, as they watch corruption thrive with impunity un-

der successive administrations of late President Umaru Yar’Adua and immediate past President Goodluck Jona-than.

The manner with which corruption was enthroned in the past administration no doubt, gave an edge to Presi-dent Buhari to ascend to power, given his acclaimed stand points against corruption and corrupt people.

While canvassing for votes during the electioneering campaign, Buhari had assured that he would dealt a fi-nal blow on corruption in Nigeria, by ensuring that it dies never to rise again.

Buhari has demonstrated this by empowering the anti-graft agencies to fight corruption, even though with criticisms of being selective and witch-hunting people in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

The EFCC has suddenly got a renewed strength and is now chasing after people alleged to be corrupt.

Buhari seems to be ready to allow the anti-corruption institutions to do their works without blinking, which explains why people are calling on him to ensure that all these abandoned corruption cases are revived and jus-tice served on the accused persons who are now walking the streets with pride.

Position of the judiciary on delay of corruption cases

The view has of late been canvassed that the Nigerian judicial system, by its very nature, constitutes a major hindrance to the war against corruption and other finan-cial crimes in the country. It is said that when corrup-tion cases are taken to court, they experience all forms of applications that bring about delays in the cases.

There are palpable loopholes in the system of admin-istration of justice in the country, which are more often

CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

14 Politics National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.netThursday, October 22, 2015

than not explored by accused persons and their counsels to their advantage, thus leading to protracted trials.

The chairperson of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Lamorde, admitted before the Senate Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes when he appeared before it sometime ago that the judiciary had frustrated the EFCC’s efforts to arrest and put on trial the chief architects of crime because the judiciary act in concert with criminals and their defence lawyers by using legal processes to avoid prosecution or to delay trial. Lamorde illustrated how high profile criminals used the legal process to forestall their trial and prosecution. He said: “We have an exam-ple of a case we charged to court in 2006; for this very case, we have gone to the Supreme Court twice on just interlocutory applications.

“They will file this, the judge will overrule them, they will go to the Court of Appeal and lose there, but they will still go to the Supreme Court. At the Supreme Court when they lost, they will be asked to go to the trial judge for the case to continue.” He explained that his organisa-tion has adopted an unusual strategy to trap the shifty criminals. “Unfortunately,” he said, “these are people who have the resources to drag these cases indefinitely and perpetually.

“The first thing we do now is that we try to recover and confiscate the assets of individuals that we are in-vestigating because it is only when you deprive them of their resources that you will be able to force them to stand trial. Once they have access to their resources and assets, they will use it to continue to delay and drag some of these trial.”

Some Lawyers however disagree with the view that the courts or judicial officers are to be blame for the de-lay in concluding court cases in Nigeria. An Abuja based Lawyer Paul Orshi said, “anyone with a sound under-standing of the working of the law and the Nigerian le-gal system would easily agree that in most instances of prolonged trials, the judges’ hands seem somehow tied.

“The Nigerian legal system is position in a way that the state must necessarily establish the guilt of an ac-cused person by evidence independently and freely se-cured and may not by coercion prove its charge against an accused out of his own mouth”.

The EFCC’s anti-corruption campaign is fast losing energy, concentration and public support. The achieve-ment record of the agency has not given the public the confidence that the EFCC is moving in the right direc-tion. Ever since it was established in 2003, the EFCC has stuck to its grand objectives as an indication of its commitment to the fight against corruption. However, the EFCC’s report card has remained appalling. For this reason, the EFCC is now widely regarded as a severely weakened anti-corruption commission that is profound-ly bewildered about the direction to which it should go.

Trial of Orji Uzor Kalu

The trial of Orji Uzor Kalu, former two terms Gover-nor of Abia state, is one that is raising questions about the competence of EFCC, as it has become apparently unending.

In fact, it would be correct to say that the trial was yet to begin because, since Kalu was arraigned and granted bail, one thing or the other had continued to stall his trial.

The former governor, who left office in 2007, having served two terms since 1999, is facing trial over his al-leged corruption and looting of Abia during the period he held sway as the chief executive of the state.

Recently, some citizens have begun to raise questions to the effect that after nine years, the EFCC has not been able to dispense with Kalu’s case.

Some groups in a joint statement signed by their lead-ers, Udoka Nnanna, Davidson Kalu, and Ezinwa Ukaogo, have lamented that the trial of the former governor has been unduly delayed, noting that it was high time justice was served on the matter.


Kalu Ohakim

Shortly after leaving office in July 2007, EFCC ar-raigned Mr. Kalu before an Abuja High Court on a 10-count charge bordering on money laundering, official corruption, and diversion of public funds totaling over N5 billion. The case which is still in court has dragged with a very slow pace.

His airline, Slok Air, also went under not long after the EFCC linked it to allegedly stolen Abia State funds.

In 2010, Kalu was questioned by the American police after a female friend died in his U.S home.

Three groups - NdiAbia League, Abia Youths Consul-tative Forum and Abia Peoples Congress - have jointly petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari to order the anti-graft agency to expedite action on Kalu’s case and bring his prosecution to its logical conclusion.

Trial of Ikedi OhakimFormer Imo state Governor, Ikedi Ohakim, was ar-

rested by the EFCC over alleged corruption case involv-ing money laundering.

Delay in cases are caused by multi-factors –KachinaThe Slow dispensation of justice in the nation’s justice system meant to be the last hope of the common man is gradually becoming a norm. Most Nigerians are gradu-ally losing hope with the trend where cases linger for a long period of time. An Abuja based Lawyer Mr. Merga Lennox Kachina in this interview with DOOSUUR IWAMBE examines some of the factors responsible for the slow dispensation of justice.

What is responsible for delay in prosecuting of corrupt public officers?

A lot of factors are responsible, on the one hand; it is the issue of prosecution itself. In most cases, the ac-cused persons are arraigned in court even when the prosecution is still at the stage of investigation; or in-vestigation not been properly done. That is why you see instances where prosecutions keep applying to amend and re-amend charges. On the other hand, even the court themselves sometimes will transfer a judge who has gone far in handling a particular case and once that is done, it affect proceedings because the new judge that is expected to take over will start afresh by studying the case file. Some cases have already reached advanced stage before the judge is transfer and in such cases the case will have to begin afresh.

Do you think that corrupt rich politicians use stolen funds to delay trials?

The accused persons alleged to have corruptly en-riched themselves have so much money that to secure a conviction against them is not an easy task. They go for the best lawyers in the land; they hire these lawyers who are very intelligent and they implore all manner of technicalities to frustrate the prosecution of those cas-es. They do it in so many ways; at the arraignment, they might raise objections to the competent of the charges, issues of Prima facie case against the accused person or no nexus between the charges and the accused person to warrant him standing trial, issues of Jurisdiction and so on. Even if they are overrule at that stage, they might still go ahead to the other stage of making a no case sub-mission. For instance, if the person standing trial is accused of stealing public funds, they will say that the element that constitute theft were not established by the witnesses and then they make a no case submission. If all these facts are overruled, they go on Appeal and then bring motions to stay proceedings at the trial court. If

The eFCC’s anTi-CorrupTion Campaign is FasT losing energy,

ConCenTraTion and publiC supporT. The aChievemenT

reCord oF The agenCy has noT given The publiC The ConFidenCe ThaT The eFCC is moving in The

righT direCTion


National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 15PoliticsThursday, October 22, 2015


Audu

A Federal High Court in Abuja has granted him bail, a day after remanding him over corruption charges. Oha-kim was arrested by the EFCC on a Tuesday and was ar-raigned on a Wednesday.

The former governor was ordered to deposit his pass-port with the court, and barred from travelling abroad as part of his bail conditions.

Ohakim was accused of making a cash payment to the tune of $2, 290,000.00 (about N270,000,000.00) for the pur-chase of a property at Plot Number 1098 Cadastral Zone A04, Asokoro District, otherwise known as Number 60, Kwame Nkurumah Street, Asokoro in Abuja.

The amount is above the threshold approved for an individual, going by the provisions of Section 1 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2004.

The former governor is also accused of deliberately neglecting to disclose all his assets in the declaration submitted to the EFCC.

One of the three- count charges against him read, “That you, Ikedi Ohakim, on or about the January 26, 2013 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, while under arrest for an offence under the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Establish-ment Act, 2004 knowingly failed to make a full disclosure of your assets by not declaring your ownership of the property known and described as Plot No. 1098 Cadastral Zone A04, Asokoro District- it is also known as No.60, Kwame Nkurumah Street, Asokoro, Abuja and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 27(3)(c) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Establish-ment Act, 2004 and punishable under the same section.”

He pleaded not guilty to all the three charges and since he secured his bail nothing has been heard of the trial.

Abubakar Audu

Former Governor Abubakar Audu of Kogi State is presently seeking re-election to the governorship seat of the state on the platform of the All Progressives Con-gress, APC in the gubernatorial election scheduled for November 21. However, Audu is facing allegations of corruption brought against him by EFCC.

Specifically, the case against the former governor started on Monday March 18, 2013 when he was ar-

raigned alongside a former Director General of the Di-rectorate of Rural Development in his administration, Alfa Ibn Mustapha before Justice A.O. Adeniyi of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja

They were arraigned on a 36-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust and misappropriation of public funds to the tune of N10,965,837,040

Audu, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges in the case where he was alleged of misappropriating state’s funds while he was governor between 1999 and 2003.

One of the charges read: “that you Prince Abubakar Audu and Alfa Ibn Mustapha between 2000 and 2002 at Abuja in the Abuja judicial division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory while being the governor of Kogi state and Director General of Kogi State Direc-torate of Rural Development respectively, and in such capacities entrusted with dominion over certain proper-ty, to wit: an aggregated sum of N2,877, 487,690.88 meant for rural development in Kogi State committed criminal breach of trust in respect of the said sum which you falsely claim to be payment made to Aresanmi Technical Industries Limited in respect of the contract allegedly awarded Kogi State Directorate of Rural Development to the said Aresanmi Technical Industries Limited and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 315 of the Penal Code, CAP 532, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990”.

Audu has described as “arrant nonsense,” the reports linking him with alleged missing state fund during his tenure as governor, saying the reports were the handi-work of the Peoples Democratic Party,PDP in the state.

Danjuma GojeGoje was governor of Gombe State between 2003 and

2011 and later became a Senator in the Upper legislative chamber of the National Assembly.

Prior to this, he was Minister of State, Power and Steel from 1999-2001 under former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Goje and four others, were first arraigned in court on October 17, 2011 on conspiracy, fraud and money laun-dering charges for allegedly misappropriating N52 bil-lion public fund.

But Goje while speaking on the case said he was out of

the country when he learnt that the EFCC had declared him wanted, saying there was no justification for its action.

According to him as a former governor who served the nation for eight years and Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he was ever ready to defend his ac-tions at all time.

“’The allegation of corruption against me cannot stand. All financial resources entrusted in my care as governor of Gombe State were judiciously used. The re-cords are there for everybody to access.”, Goje said.

Jolly Nyame When former Governor of Taraba State, Reverend Jol-

ly Nyame was arraigned on a 41-court charge in July 2007, he was alleged to have embezzled the sum of N1.3billion. During his trial Mr. Dennis Orkama Nev, a permanent secretary at the Taraba State government house, told the court how the former governor looted the state. The wit-ness told the court how Nyame directed him to raise the sum of N100million being an amount proposed for the preparations of the visit of former President Olusegun Obasanjo to the state in 2006 and narrating all the events and transactions, Orkuma told the court how he used his discretion and raised three different memos for the former governor in which he requested for N323million, N27million and N42milllion respectively listing vehicle maintenance, overhaul of power generating sets, secu-rity arrangements, general facelift of the capital city (Jalingo), sanitation, civil works, souvenirs and hono-rarium as the purposes for which the money was to be used. Nev also told the court that upon the receipt of the three memos, Nyame approved release of the funds and ordered him to bring the monies to him in his of-fice, an order he complied with and added that the funds were never used for the purposes for which they were approved.

More so, part of the allegations against Nyame was that he collected N180million from USAB International Nigeria Limited, a kick back money from a N250million contract awarded to the company for the supply of sta-tioneries to the state government between January and February 2005, while Nyame in response to the allega-tion of bribe via his statement said he approved the said contract and promised to refund whatever bribe given to him which in itself was an admission that the allegation against him were not entirely false and should normally have led to a faster trial of the case.

It is surprising that after all these years, no verdict has been passed concerning the trial. It has been from one adjournment to the other. With the new administra-tion in place that has shown commitment towards the fight against corruption, one hope that some of this cor-ruption trials that have lingered will come to an end in a matter of months from now.

Delay in cases are caused by multi-factors –Kachinathe motion is granted, the matter will not go on until the issues raised at the Appeal are determined; and these issues taken to the Appeal takes a long time, they could sometimes last for 2, 3 to 4 years. They could even go to the Supreme Court because all the prosecution is inter-ested in is to frustrate the hearing and determination of the case. They don’t want the matter to be heard so they bring all manner of technicalities to frustrate the trail.

What do you think the judiciary should do to curb the trend?

The Judiciary too is very worried about this develop-ment. All the critical stakeholders in the administration of criminal justices are concern including even the Leg-islature. That is why the 7th National Assembly passed a law known as the administration of criminal Justice Act. The law has so many reforms aimed at reforming the administration of criminal justice act in the coun-try by curtailing all the areas that lead to delay. The new act seeks to abolish all these issues of interlocutory ap-plications, questioning of jurisdiction when an accused person is charged before the court. With this new act, if you raised an objection and you are overruled, you cannot go on appeal until after the determination of the case. The Judiciary itself has done a self soul searching by coming out with rules that will avoid all the unnec-essary delays. Judges according to the new Act cannot grant more than two adjournment so as not to encour-age lawyers seek unnecessary adjournment.

What is the role of the Anti graft agencies in ensuring a speedy trial?

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commissions , EFCC and all the other anti corruption agencies respon-sible for combating crimes need to do better by training their operators on how to carry out thorough investiga-tion so that by the time they investigate a case and it is brought to the court, they may have done a thorough investigation that can sustain a conviction in other to avoid seeking motions to amend and re-amend charges.

Kachina

Politics National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.netThursday, October 22, 201516

Aregbesola plots to reduce workers’ salary, PDP alleges

DPC condemns Kaduna State gov’s death wish

Bayelsa 2015: Past leaders lack capacity to think positively –Siasia

Group tasks Ambode, commissioners on selflessness, hardwork

Tribunal upholds Oyo APC lawmaker’s electionKemi OlaitanIBADAN

National and State Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal

in Oyo State, on Wednes-day, upheld the election of a member of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Oluse-gun Olaleye of the All Pro-gressives Congress, APC.

The three-man tribunal in its verdict dismissed the petition filed by the candi-date of the Accord party in the April 11, 2015 elections, Mr. Ayeni Temitayo Sun-day, for lacking in merit.

Francis suberu

A s o c i o - p o l i t i c a l group based in La-gos, the Asiwaju

National Forum has hailed the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode for the appointment of seasoned politicians and technocrats into his cabi-net, even as it tasked the commissioners to be dedi-cated and selfless.

The group under the leadership of Mr. Seyi

It will be recalled that the Accord party candi-date, had in his petition prayed the tribunal to nul-lify the election of Olaleye on the grounds that the election was characterized with irregularities and non-qualification of Olal-eye to contest the election.

Counsel to the petition-er, Barrister Abiodun Ab-dlerahim, indeed prayed the tribunal to invalidate the victory of Olaleye on the ground that he was not qualified to contest the election, stating that other grounds could be ignored.

Bamigbade said in a state-ment yesterday that Am-bode’s commissioners comprise of seasoned poli-ticians and technocrats who have succeeded in their life endeavours and have wealth of experience.

The group particularly said it is happy with the appointment of Town-Planner Wasiu Anifo-woshe as the Commission-er for Physical Planning and Urban Development, adding that, his appoint-ment is a round peg in a

But the tribunal in the judgment delivered by Jus-tice Oluwatoyin Taiwo, ruled that the petitioner failed woefully in proving the case beyond reasonable doubt and as such the elec-tion of Olaleye was valid.

Speaking with journalists after the judgement, Olaleye described it as an affirma-tion of the mandate willing-ly and overwhelmingly given to him by the good people of the constituency.

He also maintained that the triumph is a sign of in-dependence of the judicial arm of government in the

round hole.“Town-planner Anifo-

woshe is a workaholic who always put the people first in whatever he does. He is also a politician of great repute. We have no doubts that he is a very good addi-tion to the government of Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode,” the statement read.

The group enjoined pol-iticians to put the interest of the people above their personal interest; even as they urged the state gov-ernment to make youth

empowerment and job creation the government’s main priority.

Ambode had on Monday sworn in 23 Commission-ers and 14 Special Advisers to work with him in steer-ing the affairs of the state.

It is believed that with the coming on board of the commissioners, the government of Mr. Am-bode would be able to hit the ground running and be able to execute more speedily his programmes of action.

country. “I dedicate my victory

to God, my family, my con-stituents and finally the governor of Oyo State. The affirmation of my April, 11 election to the State House of Assembly is a confirma-tion that the people’s inter-est will continue to be pro-tected with the help of the judiciary.

“This will build my con-fidence in the people who stood by me in the time of distress, I mean my sup-porters and I promise to contribute more by empow-ering them.”

ayO esan

The Osun state chap-ter of the Peoples Democratic Party,

PDP, has decried what it called “plot to reduce salaries of workers in the state”.

The party in a state-ment issued in Osogbo on Wednesday by its spokes-person, Prince Diran Odeyemi, said memo no-tifying civil servants of a new pay regime that will see them forfeiting all al-lowances their colleagues in other states are enjoy-ing, have already been cir-culated.

“We as a party have been consistent in our belief that Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has lost focus as he is totally confused of what is next to move the state forward”

Prince Odeyemi said in less than three years, the administration of Mr. Rauf Aregbesola has tin-kered with the set up of agencies overseeing pri-mary and secondary edu-

ebere nduKwu

The Democratic People’s Congress, DPC has strongly

condemned Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai’s outburst and death wish that aggrieved people of the state should go and commit suicide if they did not like his lop-sided political appoint-ments.

Speaking to stakehold-ers at the 4th town hall meeting with Kaduna Central, Governor el-Ru-fai lambasted indigenes of the state who complained that his appointments were lopsided and did not reflect the interest of the three senatorial zones in tandem with the Federal Character principle as en-shrined in the 1999 consti-tution.

In his outburst, el-Rufai said he would not give ap-pointment to persons that did not vote for him dur-ing the April governor-ship election and asked aggrieved citizens to go and commit suicide. You can go and climb Kufena Mountain and jump down

OsahOn JuliusYENAGOA

The candidate for the Peoples Democrat-ic Movement, PDM,

in the December 5 guber-natorial poll in Bayelsa

State, Mr. Moses Siasia, on Wednesday blamed the underdevelopment in the state to the lack of good leaders in the state.

He said past leaders of the state had failed woe-fully because they lacked

the capacity to think pos-itively and bring about the much needed devel-opment the people of the state desired.

Moses Siasia, who is the younger brother of the National under - 23

Coach, Samson Siasia, spoke in Yenagoa, Bay-elsa State capital, dur-ing the unveiling of his agenda for the state as he seeks to be elected as gov-ernor on the platform of the PDM.

L-R: Wife of the President, Hajia Aishat Buhari; wife of Vice President, Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo and daughter of late Chief (Mrs.) HID Awolowo, Rev. Tola Oyediran, during a condolence visit to the family at Ikenne, Ogun State, yesterday.

cation in the state, saying such constant reversal of policies not only suggest lack of focus, but also indi-cate crass incompetence.

The PDP said the memo informing workers of the forfeiture of their allow-ances was signed by the Permanent Secretary in the office of the Head of Service, Mr. Sunday Ola-jide, stating that the al-lowances include 27.5% peculiar allowance for teachers, 25%-35% for oth-er categories of workers.

It also said the new pol-icy will see workers with degrees in education be-ing transferred to relevant education offices, while education parastatals and agencies like Teachers Es-tablishment and Pension Office, TEPO, are to be re-viewed.

Under the new arrange-ment, there will be Teach-ers Establishment Office and Education Assess-ment Office while Elemen-tary and Middle Schools will be fully under SUBEB and receive their salaries from local governments.

from there, the governor arrogantly said.

In a statement made available to newsmen, DPC, national chairman, Rev. Olusegun Peters, said DPC condemned in strong terms executive reckless-ness, kindergarten lead-ership and infantile ap-proach to governance.

He said: “The era of impunity, autocracy and arrogance of power is over. The good people of Kaduna State deserve re-spect by their elected gov-ernor who rose to power on the winds of Muham-madu Buhari’s electoral fortunes.

“As a mass movement, DPC abhors politics of bit-terness, brigandage and suppression of political opponents. The el-Rufai’s death wish to the good people of Kaduna state is not the change the citizens voted in the last election. We warn this accidental governor to desist from in-sulting the sensibilities of Nigerians and take gover-nance serious. He should know that he is the gover-nor of Kaduna state and not a puppet governor of those who voted for him.

Nigeria’s membership of UN Security CouncilOKECHUKWU EMEH

The overwhelming necessity of effecting a comprehensive reform of the United Nations (UN) to make it more respon-

sive to the challenges of the 21st century can-not be overemphasized. Apart from making the world body more proactive and conver-gence of global interests, such a reform has also become inevitable against the backdrop of new dynamics and realities of the post-cold war order. These include worrying develop-ments that inform a new world disorder like the rapid rise in rampant nationalism (ethnic separatism, racism and xenophobia) and re-ligious extremism and the attendant ghastly conflicts; the resurgence of terrorism; spread of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons know-how; illicit proliferation of small arms and light weapons; trans-national crimes (narcotic peddling, trade in contraband, cur-rency counterfeiting, internet fraud, money laundering and trafficking in persons, endan-gered species, artifacts and antiquities).

Other developments that represent a clear and present danger in the international sys-tem are unilateralism in international poli-tics by certain major powers (America and Russia), inequities of globalisation and glo-balised economy, intense economic rivalries and trade wars that have replaced the ideo-logical East-West tension and confrontation, polarisation between rich and poor countries and threatening monumental environmental catastrophe posed by climate change and the associated global warming.

In the light of the sobering reality of such

LIKELY TO EMBOLDEN NIGERIA IN HER CLAIM FOR A PERMANENT SEAT IN THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL

ARE HER ABUNDANT NATURAL AND MATERIAL

RESOURCES

The differential rate of development and accomplishments among human beings has often spawned the question

which of the human races is more intelligent or least intelligent. Conventional assump-tions have often placed the Caucasian race at the zenith of this cerebral endowment, while others races have been assigned progressive-ly lower notches in the intelligence scale with the Africans condemned to the lowest rung.

Although a convincing empirical research that unequivocally settles the connection be-tween race and intelligence is yet to be under-taken or announced, some putative anecdotal social researches, largely controversial, seem to have been confirming the conventional ste-reotypes.

It will be recalled that the renowned ge-neticist and Nobel Laureate, James Dewey Watson, released a bombshell in 2007 by at-tributing to Africans low intellectual capac-ity borne of genetic inadequacies. Watson had been quoted as saying “I am inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa, because

Nigerians and the question of intelligenceI DON’T KNOW THE

LAST TIME NIGERIA ANNOUNCED ANY

BREAKTHROUGH IN ANY FIELD OF SCIENCE AND

TECHNOLOGY

Send your views by mail or sms to PMB 10001, Ikoyi, or our Email: [email protected] [email protected] or 08164966858 (SMS only). The Editor reserves the right to edit and reject views or photographs. Pseudonyms may be used but must be clearly marked as such.

all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours – whereas all the testing says not really.”

If this had been said by just any white man, it would simply have been dismissed as a ranting of a diseased mind, but Watson is a world acclaimed cell biologist, Nobel Laureate, a co-discoverer of the structure of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) in 1953 (With Francis Crick).

A lot of people all over the world, includ-ing this writer, wrote articles in denuncia-tion, describing Watson findings as having been fuelled by racism and bigotry. The core of my counter-argument then was that other races could have attained development for a number of reasons and that African back-wardness was not traceable to any genetic dementia or intellectual inferiority, but was purely traceable to attitudinal intellectual complacency, or mental laxity.

I still hold that theory, but I have started to feel progressively uncomfortable with it. How long are we going to lay claim to po-tential mental equality if we continue to do things the wrong way and other people con-tinue to do theirs the right way? Would it not amount to self-delusion if we continuously keep failing on all the indices of wisdoms and nonetheless hold tenaciously to a theory that our actual performance does not mat-ter?

Looking at our society, our system could, in all honesty, not be said to have benefited much from quality thinking. Our education-al system is in shambles; we cannot generate our own electricity, managing with a meager

5,500megawatts for a population 170 mil-lion, when even South Africa with a pop-ulation of 48.8 million, generates more than 40,000 megawatts.

We are the most profligate gas flar-ing nation in the world. Last year alone, Nigeria flared over 460 billion standard cubic feet of gas estimated at over $2 bil-lion. A country like Netherlands flares none of her gas, that is to say she has zero percent rate of flaring!

Fifty two years after independence, we cannot boast of a vibrant real sector, a fact which makes industrialisation a mirage. Majority of our graduates are graduating into unemployment, or in some cases criminality. Many Nigeri-ans still kill one another almost on daily basis in the name of religion. Criminal-ity with its attendant insecurity reigns with impunity. Yet, you would often see the ruling class going about in flow-ing robes of agbada or babaringa, as if nothing is amiss!

I don’t know the last time Nigeria an-nounced any breakthrough in any field of science and technology.

In matter of intelligence, are we in the same league with the Japanese, Chinese, South Koreans or Indians? Intelligence rating is not something you measure on the basis of sympathetic, humane senti-ments; it has to be objectively based on overt behaviours.

There was a time when the Japanese were seen as just small yellow-skinned backward people, but not so any longer. The whole world now pays tribute to Japa-nese technological wizardry. There was a time the Chinese were seen as overpopu-lated, underdeveloped humanity who spe-cialised in production of sub-standards goods, and cheap imitation of other people’s technologies. But the story has changed today as the Chinese now rank among the forerunners in almost every field of human knowledge and accom-plishments. When will our own transfor-mation take place?

Each time I pondered on our multifac-eted problems I keep wondering if Watson had not been right after all! I don’t claim as of yet to know the perfect answer to the starting question “How intelligent are Ni-gerians?” But I know that such question is not just to be settled by mere opinion.

Knowledge has no respect for colour, if we are really as smart as we claim let us move forward in concrete ways. If we keep lagging back, one hopes we will not one day apologise to Watson for deriding his postulation!

Ketefe may be followed on twitter@Ketesco

threats and challenges in the embattled post-cold war world, Dr Erskine Childers and Sir Brian Unquhart have argued, in their thought-provoking study entitled ‘A World in Need of Leadership: Tomorrow’s United Nations, that “Only statesmanship and lead-ership of the highest order can guide the in-ternational community through the current period of anger and upheaval and rebuild a more peaceable and just world”. Reassuring-ly enough, the UN administration, especially under the former charismatic and clear-sighted Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, just as the present scribe, Mr Ban Ki-Moon has shown to be equal to the arduous task of stabilising the entropic international society that is marked by frequent chaos and disor-der arising from sheer display of unbridled national interest and power politics.

It would be recalled that part of the laud-able measures Mr Annan had articulated in the grand proposal to reinvigorate the world body, as enunciated in a 62-page report en-titled ‘In Larger Freedom’, is the enlargement of the membership of both the permanent and non-permanent seats of the Security Council, the only UN body responsible for

international security issues and whose decisions are binding on member states. Instructively, the only five permanent members of the council, which enjoy the influence and privileges of the veto power, are the United States, Britain, France, Rus-sia and China. They are collectively known as the Permanent Five (P-5) or the Super Powers.

It is noteworthy that since the articula-tion of that agenda for the expansion of the membership of the UN Security Council several years ago, countries like Germany, Japan, India, Brazil, Nigeria, South Africa and Egypt have put in claims for a seat in the Council. However, the justifications for Nigeria becoming a permanent member of this most powerful body of the UN are buoyed by geopolitical considerations and her national and international credentials.

To begin with, Nigeria is the most popu-lous black state on earth, with a population of more than 170 million people. In this re-gard, it is estimated that out of every five Africans in the world one is definitely a Nigerian. Considering this and the neces-sity for delicate balancing act in the UN Security Council, the country is worthy of representing the interests of the black race in the Council.

Likely to embolden Nigeria in her claim for a permanent seat in the UN Se-curity Council are her abundant natural and material resources. For example, the country is the sixth largest producer of crude oil in the world, which, for now, is the most prized and catalysed part of the global economy and one of the indices

of measuring international power, hence her major role in the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), an organisation which when it sneezes the whole world catches cold, as demonstrated during the energy crisis sparked by the Arab-Israeli war of 1973.

At the international level, the exploits of Nigeria, which should be a crucial factor in her bid, could be observed from her pan-African nudging and commitments. Regarding this, it should be noted that successive political regimes in the country, from the administra-tion of Alhaji Tafawa Balewa through that of General Murtala Mohammed/General Oluse-gun Obasanjo to the present government of President Muhammadu Buhari, have made pan-African solidarity and cooperation an un-renounceable goal. This was more explicit in the period between 1960s and 1980s, the era seen as the acme of the struggles for emancipation of states on the continent from colonialism. During that period, Nigeria played her role as a “Big Brother” by giving both moral and ma-terial support to guerilla movements fighting for national independence in Guinea-Bissau/Cape Verde, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Angola and Namibia.

To be continuedEmeh, a social researcher, wrote from

Wuse 2, Abuja via [email protected]

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 17Thursday, October 22, 2015 Views

KAYODEKETEFE

[email protected] 08032147720 (SMS only)

CRITICAL STROKES

18 National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Elusive jobs for slain immigration job seekers’ relations

Michael Zehaf-Bibeau attacked the Parliament of Canada in Ottawa, Canada, killing a soldier and injur-ing three other people. The shootings occurred at Par-liament Hill in Ottawa. At the Canadian National War Memorial, Zehaf-Bibeau fatally shot Corporal Nathan Cirillo, a Canadian soldier on ceremonial sentry duty. He then entered the nearby Centre Block parliament building, where lawmakers were attending caucuses.

October 22, 2014 October 22, 1981

The United States Federal Labor Relations Authority voted to decertify the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO) for its strike the previous August. The PATCO was a US trade union that operated from 1968 until its decertification in 1981; following a strike that was broken by the Reagan Administration, a measure de-scribed as ‘one of the most important events in late 20th century US labor history’.

Maurice Papon, an official in the Vichy France gov-ernment during World War II, was jailed for crimes against humanity. Papon (September 3, 1910 – Febru-ary 17, 2007) was a French civil servant. In 1998, he was convicted of crimes against humanity for his partici-pation in the deportation of more than 1,600 Jews to concentration camps during World War II when he was Secretary-General for police in Bordeaux.

ON THIS DAY

The ghost of the tragic Sat-urday, March 15, 2014 Nige-ria Immigration Service’s

(NIS) recruitment exercise, which claimed the lives of over 10 people and was trailed by heartless extor-tion of about N1000 from each of the applicants, which yielded millions of naira to the NIS and its cohorts, seems to be still haunting and hounding the nation. We recall that the NIS, going by reports, had only about 4,000 job openings; and had called for applications from job seekers through adverts. Over 500,000 desperate unemployed persons applied. Despite the huge harvest of extorted funds from the jobless, the NIS organised chaotic interviews for them in virtually all its chosen venues nationwide which, in the end, claimed the lives of between 11 and 18 persons in stampedes.

Notwithstanding the loss of lives occasioned by the shoddy exercise; and grave allegations of corrup-tion that trailed the recruitment drive, not one NIS official was brought to justice, to public knowl-edge. But to pacify the families of the dead and injured job seekers, former President Goodluck Jona-than promised automatic employ-ment for three members of the family of each deceased applicant and all those injured during the stampedes. The then President had on Wednesday, March 26, 2014, announced the setting up of a com-

mittee to carry out the exercise within 12-weeks. But over 13 weeks after the expiration of the commit-tee’s time-frame, the president’s ‘automatic’ job offers were still hanging.

Reports, instead, had it that the presidential job promise had given birth to a ‘wound racket’; as scores of dishonest job-seekers laid siege to the National Hospital, Abuja in their attempt to be listed among those wounded in the NIS recruit-ment stampede shortly after the Presidency announced automatic employment as compensation for the relations of the dead and the wounded. Nevertheless, about 176 members of the immediate family members of the dead were given appointment letters which were reversed almost immediately, pur-portedly because of the lack of pro-vision for their salaries. Protest by the disappointed ‘employees’ to the National Assembly prompted the House of Representatives to con-duct a public hearing on the mat-ter; and the lawmakers’ insistence that “the 176 people with letters of appointment deserve employment based on the presidential directive; and it will be in our collective inter-est… everything should be done to restore their appointments”.

The contempt with which the hierarchs of the Ministry of Interior treated the directive of ex-President Jonathan buttressed not just the grave extent of in-

discipline now entrenched in the nation’s public service, but how conscienceless and self-serving the operators of the system have become. Indeed, it took the House’s Majority and Minority Leaders, Femi Gbajabiamila and Leo Ogor, in that order, who presided over the public hearing, to lecture the likes of the Permanent Secretary in the Interior Ministry, Abubakar Magaji; Deputy Comptroller of Immigration, Henry Malgwi, who represented the Comptroller-Gen-eral; and A. A. Ibrahim, Secretary of Board, Fire, Immigration and Civil Defence services, on how to go about their jobs. “If you col-lect money from students and fill a stadium, where was the salary going to come from in the first instance? Salaries are not given by the President; there is something like supplementary budget which the National Assembly has power to approve. I advise you effect these

people’s employment in arrears and put their salaries in the sup-plementary budget”, Gbajabiamila told them, for instance.

We salute the House of Rep-resentatives for exposing the unconscionable conduct, insubor-dination, indiscipline, sheer wick-edness, ineptitude and ignorance trailing public service delivery in the land through its intervention-ist public hearing on the plight of the distressed 176 members of the immediate families of the dead NIS job seekers. From the lack-lustre response, feigned or veiled ignorance of the Interior Ministry officials at the hearing, however, it is obvious that the beneficiaries of the presidential job offer may wait for eternity if the lawmakers fail to mount intense pressure on them to do the needful.

Besides, the rhetoric that the In-terior Ministry and NIS are igno-rant of the location of the monies extorted from job seekers who par-took in the ill-fated NIS interview of last year is unacceptable. Not being in office when the heist was perpetrated is not enough reason to know nothing about the ill-got-ten fund, since there is continuity in government. The lawmakers should dig deeper in search of the funds. Perhaps by so doing, the vis-ible and unseen hands behind the dubious and bloody NIS interview would be tracked and brought to justice.

IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THE BENEFICIARIES

OF THE PRESIDENTIAL JOB OFFER MAY WAIT FOR ETERNITY IF THE

LAWMAKERS FAIL TO MOUNT INTENSE

PRESSURE ON THEM TO DO THE NEEDFUL

October 22, 1999

Thursday October 22, 2015Editorial

All the Facts, All the SidesAll the Facts, All the SidesA PUBLICATION OF GLOBAL MEDIA MIRROR LTD

BARRISTER JIMOH IBRAHIM, CFR PUBLISHER

SUNDAY OLAJIDE MANAGING DIRECTOR/CEO

BEN MEMULETIWON ACTING DAILY EDITOR

GBEMI OLUJOBI SATURDAY EDITOR

AYO OLESIN SUNDAY EDITOR

DOZIE OKEBALAMA COORDINATOR, EDITORIAL BOARD

CALLISTUS OKE EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR

OBIORA IFOH ACTING ABUJA BUREAU CHIEF

AUGUSTUS IMEKAN ACTING HEAD, GRAPHICS

Tunbosun ogundare

It is painful to hear that there is increase in examination mal-practice by students from dif-

ferent parts of the world. But more pathetic is the fact that the Nige-rian situation is the worst among the five West African countries that make up the West African Examination Council, WAEC, the body that conducts terminal exam-inations for the senior secondary school students in the sub-region.

Just penultimate week, the Head of Nigeria’s National Office of the council, Mr. Charles Eguri-du raised an alarm over the grave consequences of the ignoble act perpetrated by candidates in its exams and other public examina-tions on the nation’s educational system and economy by extension.

Describing the menace as one of the canker worms that have eaten deep into the fabrics of the Nige-rian society, Eguridu noted that the practice is cut across all levels of the nation’s education system, which comprise primary, second-ary and tertiary.

According to him, “it is dis-heartening that despite consistent condemnation of exam malprac-tice in the country, especially by the council and other well-mean-ing stakeholders as well as vari-ous measures being put in place to arrest the social ill, it continues unabated.”

Examination malpractice, also known as cheating is the illegal action that students take during their examinations to try to make good grades by cutting corners. At times, they do this with the as-sistance of their parents, teachers, schools or invigilators, the condi-tion that make the situation degen-erated.

For examples, at this year’s May/June Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations (SSSCE) conducted by WAEC, out of the total 1,593,442 candidates

who sat for the exam, 118,101(rep-resenting 7.41%) were found to be involved in various exam malprac-tices while the figure for the year before it was 145,795(representing 8.61%) out of a total 1,705,976 can-didates who sat for the edition.

The situation in the year 2012 which showed 112,000(represent-ing 6.70%) out of the 1,672,224 can-didates who sat for the same diet involved in one form of malprac-tice or the other was even lower in percentage over that of the subse-quent three years.

The November\December edi-tion which serves as reseat exams for external students is considered to be worse when compared to the May\June edition. For instance, out of the total 396,614 candidates who sat for the 2012 Nov\Dec edi-tion, 47,289(representing 11.04 per cent) of them involved in cheat-ing.

In spite of the trend however, candidates who sat for those ex-

ams have continued to record mass failure on a yearly basis in every state of the federation such that less than 40 percent on the average of the total candidates could be said to pass the exams.

For this year as an example, it was only 616,370 candidates (rep-resenting 38.68%) that obtained credit pass and above in five sub-jects including English language and Mathematics, the required subjects’ combination for candi-dates seeking admission into the tertiary institutions in and outside the country. The figures were no difference in the two years before it. While it was only 529,425 candi-dates (representing 31.28%) that made similar grades in 2014, that of 2013 were just 610, 334(representing 36.57%) of the total candidates.

The WAEC boss while fuming at the development while addressing members of Education Writers As-sociation of Nigeria, EWAN, dur-ing a parley organised in its honour

in Lagos, identified several reasons for candidates to indulge in the act.

The most remarkable factor ac-cording to him is what to call aca-demic laziness or mediocrity on the part of candidates. “Some students just see malpractice as the only way to exam success because they are not sure of their independent academic capabilities to pass exam, hence, resorting to cheating,” he said.

It has also been observed by edu-cationist that lack of good moral on the part of some teachers and par-ents is another factor responsible for the practice. Some teachers for instance are said to be cashing in on students ignorance to enrich their pockets at the expense of academic propriety while some parents don’t also mind going extra miles to look for the so-called miracle centres where their children can cheat.

Eguridu, while explaining that the development had also found its way in the form of corruptible

practices especially in the corri-dors of power in the country point-ed out that the council on its part had come up with various mea-sures to prevent such occurrence.

He identified some of the mea-sures to include but not limited to biometric capturing of candidates and embossment of passport pho-tograph on their certificates.

With this, he becomes difficult for impersonation of candidates or counterfeiting certificates of the council.

“The council equally has the power to withhold or cancelthe en-tire results of candidates found cul-pable of cheating or delist schools or centres that involve in the prac-tice for certain number of years or permanently according to the grav-ity of their offences.

“We can also prosecute candi-dates as well as their collabora-tors because of the practice,” he stressed.

CONTINUE ON PAGE 23

Students in exam hall. (Inset) Eguridu, WAEC boss

Tasks govt, media on fight against menace WAEC worries over exam malpractice


‘‘

My plans —Provost, Institute of Education, Kangere

Lagos has no plan to close down schools

‘Govt paying students’ WAEC fees, a misplaced priority’

222221

AFE BABALOLA UNIVERSITY,ADO-EKITI (ABUAD)

AFE BABALOLA UNIVERSITY,ADO-EKITI (ABUAD)

In ABUAD, You Get It All —Dr Ayodele Fayose, Ekiti State Governor.

Education TodayIN CONJUNCTION WITH

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net20 Thursday, October 22, 2015Education Today

L-R: Vice-Chancellor, Augustine University, Ilara-Epe, Lagos State, Prof. Steve Afolami; Chairman, Governing Council and Pro-Chancellor, Chief Gilbert Grant and Proprietor of the university, Archbishop Adewale Martins during the institution’s pre-inauguration press conference last week. PHOTO: TUNBOSUN OGUNDARE

45 corps members to repeat service in Lagos

Wole AdedejiIlorIn

Vice Chancellor of Landmark Univer-sity, Omu Aran,

Kwara State, Prof. Aize Obayan has urged Nige-rians to let merit come to play in appointing minis-ters and other public of-fice holders and not giving to sectional sentiments.

Such sentiments she said include political party interests, ethnic, religious and any oth-ers that would only serve narrow purposes at the expense of merit and col-lective desirability of the national growth in a mod-ern world.

The vice-chancellor who was speaking in Omu Aran when members of the National Association of Oduduwa Students, NAOS, gave her an Award of Academic Icon in rec-ognition of her successful

Tunbosun ogundAre

The Lagos State Coordi-nator, National Youth Service Corps, NYSC,

Mr. Cyril Akhanameh has disclosed that no fewer than 45 corps members who were posted to the state but ab-sconded from their duty posts throughout the year would have to repeat the exercise except they don’t need the dis-charged certificates.

He disclosed this last week during the passing out parade for Batch ‘C’ corps members held at the Iyana Ipaja orien-tation camp of the corps.

According to him, up to 45 corps members out of the total 5,341 2014 posted to the state left their places of pri-mary assignments for more than three months without obtaining permission and when they were issued que-ries to explain why, they could not give any genuine reason for their actions.

“To us as an organisa-tion,” he stressed, “such behaviour is tantamount to indiscipline which cannot be tolerated.”

Akhanameh however pointed out that the level of punishment which would be meted out to erring individu-

UNESCO, others boost mass literacy in North-east

Babcock University opens N2bn cardiovascular institute

VC advocates merit for appointment of ministers

ezekiel TiTisBauchI

The United Nations Educational, Scien-tific and Cultural

Organisation (UNESCO) and National Council for Adult Education (NCAE) have in conjunction with the National Mass Educa-tion Commission (NMEC) set to boost mass literacy in the North East Nigeria.

The UNESCO Regional Director Mr. Benoit Sossou, disclosed this while present-ing 50 units of laptop and other learning materials to the North East Community Model Learning Centre in Bauchi.

Represented by Dr. Safiya Iliyasu, the regional director said Nigeria was currently in the process of curriculum reform to make literacy curriculum more responsive to the challeng-ing needs of the 21st Cen-tury knowledge economy.

She noted that a recent survey in the country had put Bauchi State as one of the states with high lit-eracy rates in the country

olAWAseun bolAji

Babcock University, Ilisan-Remo, Ogun State will today offi-

cially declare open a centre for the treatment of heart-re-lated disorders, the disease which experts said now kill more than any infectious diseases in the country.

Known as Tri-State Heart and Vascular Centre, the fa-cility which is located right inside the faith-based insti-tution to provide services that surpass the available cardio vascular services in the Sub-Saharan Africa is jointly put together by the university and the institute at the cost of about N2 bil-lion.

The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. James Kayode-Makinde, who dis-closed this on Tuesday at a pre-launch press briefing in Ilisan-Remo, said the new heart centre is designed not only to halt medical tourism but also to train more car-diologists in the country as well as to attract more expa-triates to build the nation’s economy.

He said while a Fellow-ship programme had al-

following the persistent activities of Boko Haram members who attack peo-ple indiscriminately in the north east.

In her remark, the Chair-person, National Council for Adult Education, Profes-sor Fatima Umar expressed confidence that the learning materials would assist to-wards improving mass lit-eracy delivery in the region.

Fatima however called on women in the state to key into the literacy centre to en-able them benefit from voca-tional training and literacy education.

Also speaking, the Pro-vost, Bauchi Institute of Education, Prof. Garba Ibra-him Kirfi called for synergy among education stakehold-ers to build the capacity of adult educators and facilita-tors towards optimum pro-ductivity.

Speaking earlier, Execu-tive Secretary, Bauchi State Agency for Mass Education, Hajiya Hauwa Tafawa Bale-wa promised that the agency would continue to intensify campaign on mass literacy education in the state.

als shall be according to their offences.

“Some may be asked to stay for another three to four months in any part of the states to be posted by NYSC,” he stressed. “The measures will serve as a disciplinary action to deter incoming corps members from doing likewise.”

Five corps members who distinguished themselves from the rest during the ser-vice year in the state were given award of excellence by the state government.

Commending the corps members for successful com-pletion of their one –year ready been initiated at the

school’s medical college to train more consultants in this field, more healthcare centres including the one for cancer patients and the medi-cal research institutes are on the pipeline.

The vice-chancellor noted that the Tri-State Founda-tion which would also be launched today is aimed at raising fund from philan-thropist individuals and in-stitutions to take care of poor Nigerians suffering from heart-related diseases.

“Our plan is not to reject patients on any basis includ-ing financial difficulty,” he stressed.

Shedding more light on the disease, the President of Tri-State Cardiovascular In-stitute at the university, Pro-fessor Kamar Adeleke said it was disheartening that cardiovascular disorders had taken over from known infectious diseases including Malaria as the nation’s lead-ing killer-diseases.

He explained that the situ-ation has further shortened the life span of Nigerians to between 51 and 52 years of age compared with that of Kenyans that stand at 68 to 69.

Ogun State Deputy Governor, Chief Yetunde Onanuga presenting trophy to the overall winners from Anambra State at the 55th Independent Anniversary Inter-Basic School Debate championship at Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta, recently.

mandatory programme, the state’s governor, Mr. Akin-wunmi Ambode charged them to be industrious and courageous to face future challenges.

Represented by the Per-manent Sectary, Special Du-ties, Dr. Ibironke Solande, the governor asked them to go with entrepreneurial spirit, stressing that the era of waiting for white collar jobs has gone.

“Ensure you make good use of the vocational skills you have acquired in the last one year and become job cre-ators and not job seekers,” he further counselled.

stint of eight years at the Covenant University, Ota be-fore moving on to Landmark University for a fresh round of administration.

According to her, Presi-dent Mohammadu Buhari for instance should be giv-en the chance to assemble those that are of needed quality and merit to consti-tute his cabinet as minis-ters in his cabinet particu-larly, putting round pegs in round holes based on the nominees’ background to man relevant ministries.

Professor Obayan added

that the time has come for Nigerians to begin to think of a united country and no more a divided nation, pointing out that we talk of USA because Americans think of a united America.

She canvassed for a play down on sectional groups to project Niger Delta, Arewa, Biafra, Oduduwa, Middle Belt and other bodies which had not helped the principle of a united country much.

Giving a charge to youths including members of the Association of Oduduwa Students, Prof. Obayan im-

plored them to begin to see themselves not as students, but as the ones that would be in charge of the affairs the country tomorrow.

Earlier, President of NAOS, Adekunle Adeniyi said Professor Obayan’s track record of excellence performance as the VC of Covenant University where she was rated the Best Vice Chancellor in Nigeria, (Pri-vate Universities category), which prompted fresh ap-pointment in Landmark University after eight years sojourn in the former.

How would you react to your new appointment as a Provost of the newly established Institute of Education, Kan-gere?

It is simply a challenge to serve. But I must say that the appointment may largely be a sign of recognition from government to my previous assignments. I am talking about my performances. The appointment shows that the government is satisfied with my performance at a similar institution which I was provost for two terms as well as a com-missioner for higher education. Although, I didn’t expect the appointment because I was already looking forward to go and rest after completing my second term as a Provost in Azare, somehow I made up my mind to re-turn to classroom in the university after all, I have never disconnected myself from the system throughout. My appointment is also a challenge as it happened at a time the state is facing serious economic crisis. But then, we shall move on and record huge success with God on our side.

What exactly informed the establish-ment of the institute since the state has one college of education already and how do you intend to run the school?

By the grace of God, I am one of the tech-nocrats appointed to set up the institute. The purpose is simply to produce skillful teach-ers that will complement that from the col-lege of education that is already on ground. The institute was established after due and exhaustive consultations with the state Uni-versal Basic Education Board, Teachers Ser-vice Commission

including the Ministry of Education, to es-tablish an institution that can cater for early child care education. This is due to the estab-lishment of more nursery and Kindergarten schools in the state. So, in a nutshell, the in-stitute was set up to train and re-train teach-ers that will cater for pupils at that level. The other areas of focus for the institute will be on vocational and technical education. The institute will develop courses that will equip students with the knowledge of skills acqui-sition and entrepreneurship. It will also cater

for this purpose, let talk about education, the extreme shortage of qualified, dedicated, and motivated teaching force is the current major challenges in the sector, For instance, over 5,000 primary school teachers in Bauchi State are said not to be qualified for the job they are doing, yet they are still kept in the system. And that is the foundation. So we do we expect from other levels of education? Even at that, the qualified ones are being distracted from the job. This may be due to poor remuneration and working en-vironment, lack of teaching materials such as essential textbooks and writing items. All these and many more will definitely affect negatively effective teaching and learning in schools. So a way out is for government to address these variables one after the other and importantly to bring in more competent hands into the system and remunerate them well. No amount of mon-ey invested in education that is a waste. We can grow as a nation if our education sector contin-ues to be in ruin.

But funding has been a major challenge facing tertiary schools especially the state government-owned in the country, how do you then intend to run this institute effec-tively in the face of dwindling economic fortune of the state government?

Funding is a serious issue facing not only ed-ucation but other sectors of the economy in the country. So, inadequate funding has been a re-current challenge for tertiary institutions in the country. Many of them spend their subvention largely on salaries leaving out a small fraction for their infrastructural development. A few also supplement the spending with internally generated revenues. These are various fees and levies being charged students for the services they are enjoying like teaching and examina-tion materials,

electricity, medical care and so on. But we shall come up with ideas to generate money from to complement the government subven-tion.

for special education for the physically chal-lenged persons and we shall expand with time.

What are the requirements for admis-sion seekers into the institute?

It is simple. It is just like every other college of education in the country. All that required is for prospective students to tender their Senior Secondary School Certificate with a minimum of five credit pass in subject com-bination according to courses apply for which must include English language and Mathe-matics. They will also need to pass the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination with a minimum 150 points as stipulated by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for polytechnics and colleges of education as well as the post-UTME. But applicants coming for pre-NCE programmes who could not meet up with the above requirements will be consid-ered for admission if they have ordinary pass-es in five subjects including English language and Mathematics.

How do you think your institute can benefit from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund TETFUND?

Once we are able to be done with our ac-creditation by the National Commission for Colleges of Education, NCCE, which will come after putting in place necessary human capital and material resources, we will be able to approach TETFUND for help. The recent visit by NCCE to the institute was to inspect our structures and facilities on ground for the

take-off of the institution.

What do you have to say that in spite of claim by successful governments to have invested heavily in education, there is still huge rot in the sector?

To be frank, the reasons responsible for the decay are many. But it is not only the educa-tion sector that is in decay, other sectors of the economy are facing similar problem. But

Tunbosun ogundare

The Ogun State Government has reiterated its commitment to the development of education sec-

tor as a key factor in socio-economic development of the state.

The state governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun represented by his Deputy, Chief Yetunde Onanuga gave the assurance while accepting the award as the Pillar of Education Development of the State at the grand finale of the 55th Independence President’s Inter-SUBEB Debate Champi-onship held at Olusegun Obasanjo Presi-dential Library, Abeokuta, last week.

Amosun who appreciated the honour bestowed on him said the recognition of his contributions to the development of the state would spur him to take the state to the next level.

Earlier in his opening remark, the Chairman, President’s School Debate Na-tional (PSDN) Advisory Board, Prof. Jerry Agada according to a press release made available to journalists, noted that it was an epoch making occasion put in place to discover intellectual talent inherent in the younger generation, saying that the cham-pionship has demonstrated that education could be strengthened through determina-tion and resourcefulness.

Agada while appreciating the people of the Ogun State for their hospitality, en-couraged pupils to engage in industrious and fruitful activities that would further develop them.

The National Coordinator, PSDN, El-der Dare Oritu in his address of welcome pointed out that the debate had brought spirit of togetherness in the country, urg-ing the pupils and Nigerians at large to take a cue from the competition as this was the only way to move the Country forward.

The climax of the event was the presen-tation of financial reward donated by the state government to the winners of the championship with the Anambra team winning the championship with a cash reward of N150,000, Kaduna team carted N100,000 while second runner-up Niger State had N75,000 respectively.

Sound education, key to devt —Amosun

Governor pledges quality education in Delta schools

Dr. Garba Ibrahim Kirfi, a two-term Provost of College of Education Azare, Bauchi State is also a former Commissioner for Higher Education in the state. He was a member of the National conference and teaches History at the University of Maiduguri, Borno State. In this interview with journalists, Kirfi who is now a Provost of Institute of Education, Kangere, Bauchi State speaks about his plans for the institute and how to revamp the nation’s education sector, among other issues. EZEKIEL TITUS brings the excerpt:

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 21Education TodayThursday, October 22, 2015

The Governor of Delta, Sen. If-eanyi Okowa has pledged his administration commitment in

improving quality of education in the state.

The governor made the pledge at the Annual National Conference of the Nige-rian Association of Teachers of Technol-ogy in Asaba.

He was represented by his Special Ad-viser on Labour Matters, Mr Mike Okeme.

The governor told the conference that the State Government would refocus at-tention on schools curricula in response to the increasing complexity and challenge of the contemporary world of technology.

He said that emphasis would be laid on technical and vocational education that would empower people with the requisite knowledge and entrepreneurial skills for business, trade and commerce.

Kirfi

My plans —Provost, Institute of Education, Kangere

the money government is using to pay students’ WeaC exams’ fees

should be used to reCruit more teaChers, provide better faCilities and instruCtional materials and

Create enabling environment ConduCive for learning in sChools.

Mr. Ranti Ojo, the Chairman of Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS), Kogi State speaks with WALE IBRAHIM in Lokoja about why the state government should stop the payment of West African School Certificate Examinations’ fees for the senior secondary school students in the country, among other issues.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net22 Education Today Thursday, October 22, 2015

Govt’s payment of WAEC fees, a misplaced priority —ASUSS boss

How do you see the payment of examinations fees by state governments for the senior secondary school students in public schools in view of the fact that many of these states are not financially viable?

It is a serious issue. Let me use Kogi State as an example. To me, the payment of WAEC exam fees is a misplaced pri-ority. The payment with all purpose and intents is for politi-cal patronage and a means to deceive the parents who would have to pay back with their votes. The issue of teachers, especially in the state-owned secondary schools in terms of staff welfare, remuneration, capacity building, infrastruc-tural facilities and instructional materials are grossly below average. In particular, welfare of teachers is at very low ebb as government does not pay teachers salary regularly. Pres-ently in the country, there are some states that owing their teachers over eight months salary but thanks to the Federal Government bailout package. So, if you say you are paying WAEC fees for students neglecting the teachers, the ques-tion is who is going to teach the students and prepare them for that examination. It is teachers of course. Then, what type of performance are you expecting from the students? If you pay a visit to any public school and assess its infra-structural facilities, look at their buildings, look at their seating arrangements in the classrooms, you would quickly conclude that the environment is not conducive for learn-ing. However, l would not blame the parents that struggle to enrol their children in the private schools because they have better facilities. Sadly, successive leaders have succeeded in killing public schools through their policies and inadequate funding but God is going to judge them all. Most of the policy makers today in government went to public schools and en-joyed best of facilities during their times. But now, nothing work again in those schools and don’t want to fix them. They now prefer to establish their own private schools and charge very high fees that will make them exclusive for the rich. So, for any government to continue paying WAEC an exam fee of students is to achieve cheap political popularity. They are not in any way helping parents but adding to their burden. This is because the fees are being paid at the detriment of ef-ficiency and performance. That is why it is always mass fail-ure when the results are released because students are not well prepared for the exam. The teachers in Kogi State for over seven years now have been crying to government to re-cruit more teachers to add to the one on ground but nothing happened till now. This present government made efforts to recruit 500 teachers in order to fill the gap created by the re-tired teachers since 2012 but unfortunately nobody has been recruited. Every year in the last seven years, nothing less than 100 teachers go on retirement in the state service. The total number of secondary school teachers in the state is less than 6,000 as at 2009 and since then no teachers have been recruited. Last year, over 140 teachers were sent forth. This year’s list is about 97. To worsen the situation, some teachers are even transferring their service to the main stream civil service, where workers enjoy better welfare.

For example, teachers are always considered last anytime government is paying workers leave allowance. If teachers are been considered as second class citizens, l wonder how you want such teachers to put in their best. So, the money government is using to pay students’ WEAC exams’ fees should be used to recruit more teachers, provide better fa-cilities and instructional materials and create enabling en-vironment conducive for learning and working in schools. Government of Kogi State pays close to N500 million annu-ally for students in the name of WAEC fees whereas most of the schools where the students are learning have no table, chairs, library and their laboratories are empty. There are some secondary schools in this state that do not have more than two teachers and the government is paying the WAEC

RichaRd NdomaCalabar

No fewer than 200 participants are at-tending the ongoing 17th Annual In-ternational Conference of African

Council for Communication Education, Nige-ria Chapter holding at University of Calabar (UNICAL), Cross River State.

Briefing journalists in Calabar, Head of De-partment, Linguistics and Communications Studies, UNICAL, Dr Godwin Iwuchukwu stated that the conference which is holding by the university for the first time has brought together academics and journalists from the United Kingdom, United States and Africa.

The four-day conference with theme: “Com-munication, Language and the 2015 elections,” is expected to wind up tomorrow.

Iwuchukwu, who doubles as the Chairman, Local Organising Committee of the confer-ence, said the forum was an opportunity for scholars and practicing journalists to x-rayed issues and events regarding reportage and use of language by media professionals and aca-demics.

TuNbosuN oguNdaRe

The Director-General, Lagos State Office of Education Quality Assurance, Mrs. Ronke Soyombo has restated that the

state government had no plan for now to close down any primary school in the state on the premise of their operations.

She made the disclosure when the Associa-tion of Christian Schools in Nigeria paid her a courtesy visit in her office at Aluasa secre-tariat, recently.

Soyombo who reiterated the state govern-ment’s determination to ensure standards in both public and private schools pointed out that her office was not out to witch-hunt any private schools but to ensure quality in their service delivery.

She noted that all what her office required from both public and private schools is their adherence to rules and regulations guiding their operations.

“That is why my office as an entity under the ministry of education is appealing to pri-vate school owners as one of the major stake-holders to cooperate with government and support it policies to move the sector forward as education is the bedrock of development,” she said.

While urging her visitors to ensure their members are duly registered and obtain the state’s approval signage for their schools, Soyombo, in a press release by the Press and Public Relations Officer of her office, Mrs. Peju Kassim, also reminded them that regular payment of annual dues was not negotiable.

She pointed out that teaching is a noble pro-fession that every teacher should be proud of.

Responding, the leader of the visiting team and Proprietress of Dansol Schools, Mrs. Adun Akinyemiju commended the state’s gov-ernment for establishing education quality assurance office as a platform for the private sector to be actively involved in driving educa-tion in the state.

She promised that her members would co-operate with the government to make its vari-ous policies yielding fruitful results.

UNICAL hosts international communication conference

Lagos has no plan to close down schools —Ministry

Ojo

fees for students. Then, we should ask ourselves how you want such stu-dent to pass? There is no miracle that would make such student to pass. The only miracle available for such a student is examination malpractice.

You accused some political leaders of killing public schools, in which way sir?

Well, the most of the private schools available are owned by these so-called our leaders- the policy makers and their cronies. So, the only way to patronise their schools is to cripple the public schools and make them non conducive for learning. Let us look at it from this angle, how many of our leaders have their children in public schools? To them, whether pub-lic schools exist or not do not make any meaning to them. They are doing this in order to make the masses their perpetual servants and make our children to also serve their own children. This may later pose a big prob-lem unless the issues are addressed. Funny enough, most of the public schools today exist on the mercy of parents. Go to any public school and talk to the principal, they would explain their experience. If not for the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) contributions, many public schools would not have a single teacher. But number one social responsibility of any responsible government is to provide education to her citizenry. So, any government that fails to provide qualitative education does not fit to be called a government.

So, what do you suggest as a way out? It is simple. It is to improve on the policy guiding primary and second-

ary education in the country. For instance, their funding and regulation can be removed from the purview of the local and state governments and give to a special commission to be set up for such purposes.

Keeping our best teachers out of classroom

most teachers in nigeria are employed on the basis of financial or political

patronage, brazen nepotism or some combination of all.

Don decries first class graduates opting out of teaching Saidat alauSa

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) of the Federal University of Agriculture,

Abeokuta (FUNAAB),Ogun State, Prof. Waheed Adekojo has said the issue of first class graduates opt-ing out of academics is not good for the education system.

He said this recently at the insti-tution during a chat with journal-ists.

The Professor noted that in spite of the fact that the university had produced many First Class graduates, many of such gradu-ates prefer not to be retained in the university, because of the extant

rule that states that a staff must have worked for one year before being eligible for study leave with pay, adding that these students would rather opt for postgraduate studies abroad.

He disclosed that this trend was not good for the system, because such high fliers are unable to con-tribute their quota to national de-velopment.

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor also disclosed that in order to ad-dress this challenge, the university Senate had introduced competi-tion to the employment process, such that persons with genuine passion for work are made to take up employment.

He noted that the essence was

to read the students’ mind and to know whether they actually have the vision and plans to go into aca-demics.

“We want to know whether if you are sent out to study, you will focus on your PhD programme and come back to the country”, he stressed. According to him, “There are so many of them who have travelled out of this county and refused to come back. We want to know if what we are investing on is really worth it”.

Responding to whether there is a policy in place on automatic employment for First Class gradu-ates, he said the statement was enacted, to encourage students to work hard to become First Class

graduates such that when they graduate, there could be a window of opportunity for automatic em-ployment.

He however added that the uni-versity had been encouraging its first class graduates intellectually, through proper supervision of their postgraduate studies abroad.

Prof. Adekojo described em-ployment in the university system as being budget-based, adding that no public university could just em-ploy staff without ensuring that the money is there to pay salaries.

Re-iterating the importance of employing first class graduates in the university, he said that a sys-tem that does not think of how it would sustain itself would not stand the test of time, noting that the university once created a pro-gramme named Junior Research Fellow (JRF) for its first class graduates, but this was later abol-ished by the Senate to give way to the Graduate Assistantship pro-gramme, which was well-known to all Nigerian Universities.

In a separate chat, the univer-sity’s Director of Academic Plan-ning, Prof. Olukayode Akinyemi, stated that first class graduates do not have problems securing jobs in general, adding that most of them are not usually interested in get-ting jobs immediately, but would rather prefer to further their edu-cation.

First Class Biomedical Science graduate from the Manchester Metropolitan University, United Kingdom, Olumide Kayode (flanked) by parents, Pastor Kayode Ogunbiyi of Rivers of Living Water Parish, Redeemed Christian Church of God, Thamesmead, London and Mrs. Florence Ogunbiyi at Olumide’s graduation ceremony, recently.

I will like to begin by congratulating Mrs. Rose Nkem-dilim Obi, for her sweet victory at the maiden edition of the Maltina “Teacher of the Year” competition

which was initiated by the Felix-Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund of the Nigerian Breweries Plc. Apparently, you are an ordinary Nigerian like the majority of us, without a godfather, and obviously unconnected to any of the numerous fraternities to which many Nigerians mortgage their souls just for a guarantee of a job posi-tion irrespective of qualification or disposition.

It also appears that you are not predisposed to the corrupt practices of the day which would have allowed you to pur-chase a job position right from the very beginning.

We would like to congratulate you heartily on the good for-tune of your translation from obscurity to national limelight on the platform of the Maltina “Teacher of the Year” competi-tion. We celebrate your tenacity at being able to persevere for 10 long years working for what we consider peanuts consider-ing your pedigree. It is our belief that it is that unparalleled commitment that permitted the management of your school to finally see the sterling qualities in you, and subsequent re-warded you with a belated offer of fulltime appointment.

We have noted that though your first degree was in chemis-try, you demonstrated your versatility by teaching mathemat-ics also. The cheering news from the whole episode however, is that, among the gloom and doom of the educational sector, we see a glimmer of hope in you.

Your revelation has confirmed our belief all along that many good teachers in Nigeria are excluded from our public educational system while the poor quality teachers seem to be given privilege of place. The question is what are the condi-tions that could have translated into this ambiguity? The sim-ple answer would be, a fatally flawed selection process leading to teachers’ employment!

In the first instance, too much emphasis is placed on paper qualifications. There are products of our colleges of educa-tion turned degree awarding institutions by fiat who continue

to churn out teachers many of whom are scarcely able to read and write. The universities are not better either. The bottom line in all these is that the establishments where teachers are produced have gone haywire; their activities are scarcely regu-lated in any meaningful way. Many colleges of education are rapidly converting to universities and awarding degrees.

Conversion is not a bad idea per se except that the upgrade is in name only since the students, the teachers and the infra-structures remain the same! These candidates who subse-quently acquire what I consider spurious degrees in education are often referred to as the professional teachers and given pri-ority consideration during recruitment exercised ahead of all others!

While one cannot give a blanket endorsement of all holders of the Bachelor of Science degree in their respective fields of specialisation, experience has shown that they have a better grasp of the subject matter than those who studied education.

Another reason for this incongruous situation is the high

level of corruption in the ministry of education and its agen-cies involved in teachers recruitment. There is often no attempt to determine what one knows or what one can de-liver. The emphasis is on “who you know” and “how much you can pay.” I dare say that most teachers in Nigeria are employed on the basis of financial or political patronage, brazen nepotism or some combination of all. Without such personal, political or financial support, many highly trained and competent teachers like Mrs. Obi would continue to re-main outside the classrooms while the charlatans hold sway.

Though, there is an acute shortage in the number of qual-ified teachers nationwide, efforts should be put in place to se-lect the best to fill available vacancies. As it is often said, “the taste of the pudding is in the eating”! No one can identify a competent teacher by sight except by critical examination of relevant parameters namely, knowledge of teaching subject and teaching methodology.

A potentially good teacher should be able to attain a mini-mum of credit pass in the subject in which he purported specialised. A teacher who cannot attain a minimum of a credit pass in his teaching subject(s) cannot guarantee that students entrusted to him would pass, except of course through unconventional means.

Every fresh teacher must therefore be subjected to appro-priate subject knowledge test in order to determine suitabili-ty for employment. Promotion of teachers already in service should in addition depend on a minimum performance of their students in a controlled subject based assessment test.

With the proposed school feeding programme of the Pres-ident Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, there will be a dramatic upsurge in school enrolment and ultimately, the number of teachers needed.

Concerted efforts must be made to train qualified candi-dates as teachers in overhauled teachers training institu-tions. A paradigm shift in the educational sector may be the only panacea for many of the ills that currently plague Nigeria.

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net Education Today 23Thursday, October 22, 2015

CU, Nigeria Foundries to partner on local content

In a quest to realise university’s goal of innovation, product de-velopment and nation building

for the session, a team of faculty from the Department of Mechani-cal Engineering, Covenant Uni-versity, Ota, Ogun State recently visited Nigeria Foundries Limited, to explore the possibility of collabo-ration with the foremost private Foundry in Nigeria.

The leader of the team and Di-rector, Vision 10:2022, Professor Christian Bolu, made it known to the officials of Nigeria Foundries Limited that the motive behind the visit, was to build industry link-ages which would narrow the gap between theory and practical expe-rience for students.

According to Professor Bolu, who is an expert in Mechatronics Engineering, “The collaboration would help Covenant University students have practical knowledge of current practices and issues in the industry, giving them a com-petitive advantage in the labour market.”

Applauding this initiative, the Managing Director, Nigeria Found-ries Limited, Mr. Vassily Oye Barberopoulous, noted that the visit was a welcome initiative that would develop the local content of the country and lead to employabil-ity of fresh graduates.

EmEka ChukwuEmEkaFcet, UmUnze

The Provost Federal College of Education (Technical), Umunze Anambra State,

Prof. Josephat Ogbuagu has de-scribed Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund as one of the most important thing that has happened to the country’s educa-tion sector.

He noted that without interven-tions from TETFund, most public tertiary institutions in the country would have been in a state of inac-tive. According to him TETFund has executed several intervention projects in most tertiary institu-tions of learning in the country which are aimed at enhancing learning, even as he commended TETFund for their commitment towards moving the tertiary insti-tutions forward.

Ogbuagu stated this during the commissioning of the Multi-media Micro-teaching laboratory built and fully equipped by TET-Fund Special Presidential Inter-vention 2013 at the College Perma-nent Site.

He commended the Presiden-

Edited by: Saidat [email protected] 08027633686

FUNAAB don institutes2 endowment funds

UNICAL appoints new Vice-Chancellor

L-R: Registrar, Caleb University, Imota, Lagos, Mrs. Folake Okor; Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ayodeji Olukoju and Chairman, National Universities Commission, NUC, Standing Committee on Private Universities, Prof. Akaneren Essien at the Caleb University’s fifth convocation ceremony, recently.

Provost lauds TETFund’s intervention in schoolscy; TETFUND and other relevant agencies for partnering with the college especially in building the gigantic edifice and fully equipping it with ultra –modern facilities for better service delivery in produc-ing teachers who will help the na-tion raise a generation of citizens whose performance will meet the international standards.

He stated that most infrastruc-

stated that the Federal Government through TETFUND deemed it nec-essary to erect the Micro-Teaching laboratory in the College to melio-rate the difficulties encountered during teaching and learning.

He also noted that the micro-teaching laboratory has been equipped with the best facilities and the technology is the first of its kind.

tures in the College were courtesy of various TETFunds’ interven-tions, adding that a lot of achieve-ments are attributable to the fund-ing that has come from the fund.

Handing over the building to the college management, the Di-rector Physical Planning Depart-ment, NCCE Abuja, Mr. Jonathan Achumie, who doubles as the representative of the Presidency,

SUG UNILORIN plans big for varsity’s 40th anniversary abdul Ganiy ShEhu

The University of Ilorin Students’ Union set another record last Thurs-day as it organised the maiden edi-

tion of its press conference where it stated its readiness to join in the celebration of the university’s 40th anniversary.

The historic conference, tagged: “The state of the union” was targeted at informing the press and the general public, about the university’s 40th anniversary celebrations, the condition of the Nigerian youths, the programmes and plans of the union for the new academic session, among others.

The president of the union, Mr. Alao Idris while welcoming the students on campus af-ter the long break, urged them to participate actively in the anniversary celebrations of the university, promising that it would be a memo-rable event.

He also decried the high rate of youth unem-ployment in the country, and asserted that the youths today could best be own advocators.

On the programmes and plans of his ad-ministration in the new session, the union

leader praised the tireless efforts of his team to put together programmes for the new session. Programmes such as: official press conference, senate council orientation programme, student leadership conference, UNILORIN idol, Fresh-ers’ oratory contest, essay contest, Female 5-aside football competition among others are expected to hold in the first semester, while other pro-grammes such as: Female gender programme, Youth leadership summit, Miss UNILORIN beauty pageant, entrepreneurial development seminar, students’ union week, final year week, male 5-aside football championship among oth-ers are to be featured in the second semester.

He also highlight-ed human capac-ity development, improved welfare of students, stu-dents’ union vol-unteer group, and increased online awareness as the major achieve-ments of his four months old admin-istration. Ambali

EzEkiEl EfEobhokhan 500L, Pharmacy, UnIBen

The Ibhawoh Foundation has announced the winners of its maiden essay competi-tion titled; “Strategies for addressing the

challenges of funding higher education in Nige-ria.”

Speaking at the event, the founder of the foundation, Gerald Ibhawoh stated that the ini-tiative was brought about by the need to give back to the society.

“We all know the stress involved in passing through any higher institution in Nigeria hence the foundation has seen it fit to encourage those who could differentiate themselves from the mass”.

The award ceremony which was held in Be-nin city had winners emerged in two categories; Joy Oboh 400 level History and International Studies emerging winner from the Ambrose Alli University (AAU) Ekpoma and Ezekiel Efeobhokhan Pharmacy student from the Uni-versity of Benin.

Commenting on the award the winner from AAUm, Oboh expressed her delight as this was a landmark to success and that the award was an encouragement to participate in productive essays like this.

“I really appreciate this opportunity given to me by the foundation my horizon has been broadened by extensive research carried out in the course of the competition; I encourage other students to fully participate in subsequent com-petitions.”

Addressing the awardees, Bonny Ibhawoh

Foundation rewards undergraduate essay winners

Saidat alauSa

Acting Head, Department of Physics, College of Physi-cal Sciences, Federal Uni-

versity of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Dr. Gboyega Adebayo, has been commended for institut-ing two endowment funds through the award of annual prizes to excel-lent students in the areas of Solid State Physics and Condensed Mat-ter Physics.

A renowned Professor of Solid Physics, Erio Tosatti, lauded Dr. Adebayo’s initiative, saying he had encouraged and supported educa-tion and the scientific upbringing of young people upon which high academic standards for the future would be built.

The renowned professor said this while dedicating the Professor Abdus Salam First Endowment and Prize for Physics, added that “we, scientists are first of all men and women.

He admonished him to keep the flag flying and continue to be a shining example to others.

Dr. Adebayo, an alumnus of FUNAAB, had responded to the ongoing call for endowments by the Advancement Office of the University, by making two princi-pal donations of N200,000 each, to the best 400-level student in the De-partment of Physics, whose area of specialisation is in Physics or Solid Physics and graduates with a Cummulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.0 in Solid Physics and 4.5 in Physics, respectively.

The University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, has an-nounced Prof. Enefiok Es-

sien as its new vice-chancellor. Enefiok Essien, 55, a profes-

sor of Law, takes over from Prof. Comfort Ekpo, to become the new vice-chancellor whose tenure will end in November.

The Registrar and Secretary to Council, Mrs. Edak Umon-dak, made this known in a state-ment on Monday.

The VC designate, who gradu-ated from the university in 1984 with a second class upper divi-sion in Law, began his teaching career in the university as an assistant lecturer in 1986.

He obtained LLM from the University of Lagos in 1988 and Ph.D from the University of Birmingham, England in 1998.

encouraged them to keep up the good work and face their studies as this was the only criteria to sustain the level of excellence they just achieved.

However, Gerald congratulated the winners and emphasised that they were now ambassa-dors of the foundation and hence they should be known for good conduct so as the foundation

could be seen in good light.“This competition is a yearly event and

I want to encourage you to put in your best in order not to be sidelined. It took rigorous process and scrutiny to select the two of you hence I would encourage you to keep flying the flag of excellence” he said.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net24 Thursday, October 22, 2015

Polytechnic education, panacea to unemployment —YABATECH Rector

We want more classrooms, hostels, AAU students tell mgt‘Yomi AYeleso300L, Bus. Adm., AAu, AkungBA-Akoko

In what they described as their major challenges on campus, students of Adekunle Ajasin Uni-versity, AAU, Akungba Akoko, Ondo State have

called on the school management to build more lec-ture rooms in order to reduce the avoidable conges-tion in some of the classrooms. The students also enjoined the management to as a matter of urgency embark on the construction of hall of residence, which they said would reduce the current accom-modation challenge facing the students.

The students made the charged at the maiden edition of the Vice Chancellor- Students Interac-tive forum held at the multipurpose hall of the in-stitution.

Speaking at the forum, Adesina Tosin, the Presi-dent of the Faculty of Education Students Associ-ation advised the management to improve on the number of lecture theatres, which he said had af-fected the smooth flow of learning in the campus.

The 400-Level student further explained that the inadequate number of lecture rooms due to drastic increase in the population of students is causing a major setback to the entire students.

Adesina also said the lack of hostel facilities to accommodate the over 80 per cent of the students that are staying outside the campus is seriously constituting a lot of security threat to them.

He said some of the students that stay off cam-pus are being threatened, harassed, and molested by hoodlums in the university community.

He admonished the management to engage cor-porate and private organisations in order to build more hostels under the Private Public Partnership arrangement in the institution.

On her part, Omosehin Margaret said, consider-ing the paucity of funds being experienced by the institution due to insufficient grant from the gov-ernment, she urged the institution to embark on the move that would improve the Internally Gener-ated Revenue to be able to put in place the neces-sary infrastructures.

Also speaking, the Public Relations Officer of the student union, Oludehinwa Daniel said the three financial institutions in the campus were not enough to render crucial financial services espe-cially in the area of withdrawing from the Auto-mated Teller Machines.

Responding, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun appreciated the students for making their plight known at the event, saying the event was put in place to interact and rub minds with the stu-dents in the area things are okay or otherwise.

The VC assured the students that all the issues raised would be adequately looked into by the man-agement and proffer solutions to them.

Prof. Ajibefun while acknowledging the students as the major stakeholder in the institution urged them to corporate with the university management in their quest in making the university the best in the country.

He advised the students to maintain their good and peaceful conduct on campus saying they should embrace the spirit of consultation when making their grievances known.

He further used the event to reiterate the uni-versity zero tolerance for cultism, examination malpractices and other social vices, saying any student cut with the act would be dealt with ap-propriately.

Abdul GAniY shehuuniLorin

In what seems like the dominance of University of Ilorin (UNILO-RIN) students in the Chartered In-

stitute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPMN) annual essay compe-tition in the last 4 years, a student of the University of Ilorin, Deji Atoyebi has once again emerged the first run-ner-up in the 2015 edition of the essay contest.

The award was presented to Deji alongside other winners during the 47th Annual National Conference of the institute held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja recently.

Deji, who is a 200-level Political Sci-ence student, was the first prize win-ner in the essay competition organised by the Union of Campus Journalists (UCJ), University of Ilorin chapter in May this year.

The budding essayist emerged the second prize winner alongside Osita Chidoka (the star prize winner) and Olawale Atanda (the second runner-up) from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and the University of Lagos, Akoka, respectively.

This year’s essay topic titled: “Win-ning the War against Corruption in Nigeria through the promotion of our ethical values,” was contested by 111 students in 33 tertiary institutions across the country, out of which seven entrants (featuring four Unilorin stu-dents) were invited for their defence earlier in October.

In his post-award remark, Deji ex-pressed joy for achieving the feat, say-ing “I never imagined I could win and I give thanks to God for that.”

When asked how he attained the

sAidAt AlAusA

Rector, Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, Dr. Margaret Ladipo

has said that the only way to reduce unemployment in the country is through polytech-nic education.

She said this during the institution’s pre-convocation press conference held at the college on Tuesday.

She stated that the time has come for developing econo-mies such as Nigeria to focus more on Technical and Voca-tional Education and Entre-preneurial education which is capable of driving the coun-try quest for industrial self sufficiency.

According to her this can only be achieve through poly-technic education.

Ladipo explained further that, that is why in line with the dictates of the Millen-

Edited by: Saidat [email protected] 08027633686

L-R: Founder of Ibhawoh Foundation, Gerald Ibhawoh; winners of Ibhawoh essay competition, 400-level History and International Studies student, Ambrose Alli University (AAU) Ekpoma, Joy Oboh and Ezekiel Efeobhokhan, Pharmacy student the University of Benin, during the presentation of awards, recently.

Again, UNILORIN student wins CIPM essay contest

nium Development Goals and particularly poverty eradica-tion through the development of entrepreneurial skills, the college has continued to blaze the trail in the promotion of entrepreneurship education.

The whole essence of en-trepreneurship education ac-cording to her is to produce competent graduates who would be academically en-

dowed with requisite skills to become self-employed and ultimately employers of la-bour.

“This will serve a dual purpose of promoting the dignity of labour and drasti-cally reducing the legion of the unemployed in our soci-ety,” she explained.

On the forthcoming con-vocation, the rector said the ceremonies will be flagged off with a special Jumat ser-vice to be held at the college mosque on Friday, October 23, 2015 while a commenda-tion service will come up on Sunday, October, 25, 2015 at the college chapel by 4p.m.

The convocation lecture titled, “The Role of Entrepre-neur in Developing Nigeria through Renewable Alterna-tive is scheduled to hold on

Wednesday, 28th October at the college multi-purpose hall at 10am and will be de-livered by the former Vice-Chancellor, University of Uyo and an Alumni of the college, Prof. Fola Lasisi.

The convocation which will be a combined cer-emony for graduates of the 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 academic sessions where a total of 11,957 graduates will be awarded certificates will hold on Thursday, October 29, 2015 at the college convo-cation ground.

Breaking down the num-ber of graduates, Ladipo said 5,527 will be graduat-ing for 2012/2013 session and 6,430 graduates for the 2013/2014 session and these comprises of both full time and part time students.

feat, he explained: “When I got the information about the essay competi-tion last session, I immediately swung into action. I had to stay back after my exams to attend the CIPMN essay clinic organised by the UCJ, Unilorin chapter which was really helpful to me, and also to obtain the reference letter from the Registrar’s Office. So, during the long term break, I began

writing the essay competition. For me, it was challenging, because in the course of writing the essay, my laptop got crashed, and I had to start all over again, this time on a desktop computer. Due to these challenges, my entry was submitted about 10 minutes before the deadline in August. Then, in Septem-ber, I was invited for the defence and eventually took second position.”

Ladipo


Interminable mis-use of ‘commission’

Justina Kingsley

The Board of Trust-ees of the Society for Environmental

Toxicology and Pollution Mitigation (SETPOM) will today conferred SET-POM’s Fellowship awards on some eminent scholars and other professionals. They include the Pioneer Director and Chief Ex-ecutive of the Centre for Atmospheric Research of the National Space Re-search and Development Agency (NASRDA), Prof. Babatunde Rabiu and Pro-fessor Sonnie Oniye of the Department of Biological Sciences, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; Prof. Ademola Omojola of the Department of Geogra-phy, University of Lagos; Prof. Lucy Afuluenu Nwu-ba, Dean, Faculty of Agri-culture, Nnamdi Azikwe University.

Others are Mr. Toyin

saidat alausa

It was singing and danc-ing time for pupils, teach-ers and parents of public

primary schools in Mushin community area of Lagos state as Pentecostal Fel-lowship of Nigeria (PFN), Mushin province donated education materials to the pupils.

The members of PFN had visited the schools re-cently to look into the need of the pupils and realise that majority of them lack educa-tional materials, school uni-forms and shoes.

While distributing the materials to the over 50 pu-pils who benefitted from the programme, the Chap-ter chairman of PFN, Rev-erend Babatunde Rasaq , said when they were going round the schools they saw pupils without school san-dals, wearing torn school uniforms while some were

Director-General, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig.-Gen. Johnson Olawumi (left) receiving the names of nominees recommended for the 2015 NYSC honours award from the Chairman of the National Selection Commitee, Dr. Kevin Ihenetu, in Abuja, recently. PHOTO: NAN

tion Agency (LASEPA) and Prof Nurudeen Olasupo of the Department of Micro-biology, Lagos State Uni-versity, Ojo. They will all be conferred with the fellows during today’s conference with a theme: “Environmen-tal Management, Safety and Security,” holding at the Uni-versity of Lagos, Akoka.

The President of SET-

POM, Dr. Funmilayo Doherty of the UNESCO-UNEVOC Centre, Yaba College of Technology said in a press statement that the award of fellowship conferred on the recipients was a product of their outstanding contribu-tions to the profession of safeguarding the environ-ment, which is humanity’s common heritage.

Onisarotu, the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Min-istry of Agriculture; Dr. Titi-layo Anibaba, General Man-ager, Lagos State Parks and Gardens (LASPARK); Mrs Olufunke Bamgbose of the Nigerian Petroleum Devel-opment Company Limited (NPDC); Mr Adebola Shabi, General Manager, Lagos State Environmental Protec-

without writing materials, they felt that it was a sorry sight.

Rasaq said the associa-tion then decided to provide these materials to the pupils and distributed to all public schools in the area.

“We understand the fact that learning materials are important because they can significantly increase stu-dents’ achievement by sup-porting their learning as well as assisting the teach-ers to efficiently perform their professional duties.

“We also want a better life through education for our youths; that is why we support early childhood de-velopment and also assist to create a conducive environ-ment for learning.”

Rasaq added that the de-cision to present the bags and stationery to the pupils within the area was a way of contributing to educa-tion development in the country.

THISDAY of September 26 welcomes us today: “Sin-cerely, if you break my glass cups you will pay for it (them).”

“The release came a day after the IGP, Mr. Solomon Arase, was given a marching order by President Muhammadu Bu-hari….” Polscope: marching orders

“First class (First-class) interiors for first class (first-class) travellers”

“As one of the foremost citadel (citadels) of learning in Nigeria….” (Full-page advertorial by Plateau State Govern-ment, THISDAY, September 26)

“FG commissions (inaugurates/auspicates, et al) tremor monitoring (tremor-monitoring) centre in Ebonyi”

“Lamorde, EFCC boss, in soup…accused of relooting Tafa Balogun, Alams, others’ loots” Once again, ‘loot’ is uncount-able. This informal and rudimentary bit: be in the (take note of the article) soup.

“Groups petition on (against) Oyo, Rivers, Kwara, Kaduna, 6 other nominees”

“Retired teachers blame Chime over (for) pension arrears” “N15bn debt: Ondo pensioners give Mimiko 4 days (days’)

ultimatum” “Money laundering: Traders decry incessant arrest (ar-

rests), seizure of dollars” “Day Adeboye’s wife, Ekiti Speaker, SSG, Raji-Rasaki bag

(bagged) RCCG awards in Ekiti” In reportage, past tenses are hardly used in headlines, but when it becomes inevitable, as this extract, it must be employed.

Virtually all obituary headlines these days read “Celebra-tion of life” or “Painful exit”. Have these expressions not become hackneyed? We should still be creative even as we mourn.

“My readers (readers’) day”“Ortom pardons convicts, reads riot act (the riot act) to

criminals”“Masquerade (Masquerader) kills one, community de-

serted”“Domestic abuse: India (Indian) court dismisses minis-

ter’s wife (wife’s) allegations against dog”“However, pastoralists and agriculturists (agriculturists’)

conflicts are not the only challenges affecting crop outputs

(output)….”“Govt commended over (for/on) rice importation”THE NATION ON SUNDAY of October 11 takes its turn

with a few “familiar” errors: “Reps calls (how?) for nation-al policy on Hepatitis B…raises (why?) alarm (the alarm) over….”

“With such record (a record)….” From the news pages to the COMMENT (EDITORIAL)

of the above medium under review which disseminated two improprieties: “Still, legally a pardon wipes the crime clean; and a fair legal system cannot, in all good conscience, revisit that crime again.” Yank off ‘again’ in the interest of linguis-tic justice!

“But the job would be half done if state institutions are strengthened to do their job (jobs) as and when due….” Sim-ply do their jobs when due “Ankara blasts kill 86, injur (in-jure) 186”

Finally from THE NATION ON SUNDAY under focus: “NFF mourns late Okugbe” Once more delete ‘late’!

“…the counsels to the various parties were ready to pres-ent their written addresses for adoption….” ‘Counsel’ is non-count.

DSP: “Bayelsa declares 7 days (7-day or 7 days’) mourning”“…in an evening of pomp and pageantry.” Addressed be-

low (Centrespread advertisement by glo Unlimited, DAILY SUN, October 13)

“…many are wondering why the federal government did not made (make) its promise to come up with long term (long-term) strategies….”

NATIONAL MIRROR Front Page of October 15 goofed: “Again, gunmen abduct Bayelsa monarch, shot (shoot) police corporal”

“As you handover (hand over) the mantle of leadership….” (Full-page advertorial by NICON Insurance Limited, Nation-al Mirror, October 15)

“SON to clampdown (clamp down) on fake lubricants’ pro-ducers”

“…especially in (on) the outskirts of the cities such as….”

“ACF calls for support to (for) Buhari’s change mantra”“Judge’s absence stalled (stalls) Audu’s N10.9bn fraud trail

(trial)”Last entry from National Mirror under review: “Dangote

urges FG, states to adopt use of concrete roads (concrete for roads) for durability purpose” We do not need the last word in the extract! A tight headline rewrite: Dangote urges FG, states to use concrete for road durability

“The challenges of transporting people presents (why?) a bounty of opportunities for reinventing the pulse of our cit-ies.” (Full-page advertisement by Skye Bank, THE NATION ON SUNDAY, October 15)

FEEDBACKGOV. Ben Ayade of Cross River restates commitment to the

provision of”potable drinking water”, reported a Lagos-based TV station in its 3

p.m. news package on Oct. 12. The word “potable”, which means “fit for drinking” or “drinkable”, was not necessary or should have stood alone, leaving out “drinking” since potable and drinkable mean the same thing.

In the Viewpoint section of Sunday Vanguard, Page 9, Oct. 11, the writer probably meant “VEERED OFF” when he wrote that “not known for fulsome flattery, Governor Okowa had in the course of presenting his speech VIED OFF....” (KOLA DANISA/07068074257)

The right column is right: Stationeries StationeryBeddings BeddingLoots LootLuxurious bus Luxury busRepeat again RepeatVigilante group Vigilance groupCreditably well CreditablyOveraged player Overage playerAn hotel A hotelPoint accusing finger Point the fingerUnder the platform On the platform

SETPOM confers fellowship on Rabiu, others PFN donates materials to schools

26 National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.netThursday, October 22, 2015

TO CONTINUED NEXT WEEK

L-R: Vice Chairman, Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG) and CEO, Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC, Mrs. Sola David Borha; Chairman, NESG, Mr. Kyari Abba Bukar; Secretary to the Federal Government, Mr. Babachir David Lawal; Chairman, Phillips Consulting, Mr. Folusho Philips and CEO, Kainos Edge Consulting, Mrs. Wonu Adetayo at the closing of the 21st edition of Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja, recently.

27

UDEME AKPAN, CHIDI UGWU

Federal Government has reached an agreement with Ghana on the modalities

to settle the outstanding N33.8bn owed by the Volta River Authority, VRA, on gas supplied for power generation by a Nigerian compa-ny, N-Gaz.

The highlight of the agreement was that the total sum of gas sup-ply debt will be cleared by Febru-ary 2016 at the latest.

The agreement which was reached between a team led by the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Cor-poration, NNPC, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu and the President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, stipulated that VRA will pay the balance of Au-gust and September invoices by October 31, 2015.

It was also agreed that all oth-er supplies as from October will be paid for on or before due date while backlog of arrears from 2012 will be defrayed by February 2016.

It would be recalled that Nigeria had threatened to cut gas supply to Ghana by 70 percent over a $181 million debt that had accumulated over the years.

Ghanaian Minister of Power, Dr. Kwabena Donkor had led a del-egation to Abuja last week to hold talks with Nigerian authorities with a view to resolving the issue.

N-Gaz is a joint venture com-pany owned by NNPC, Shell and Chevron that delivers gas through the West African Gas Pipeline Company, WAGPCo, to Ghana.

Federal Government of Nigeria had earlier received $10 million for its gas supply from government of Ghana a few days ago.

A source in Ghana had main-tained that the government has settled part of its debt to the West African Gas Pipeline Company, WAPCo, and Nigeria Gas Asso-ciation, N-Gas, following the first round of talks with the Nigerian authorities.

WAPCo, it was learnt had threatened to cut gas supply to Ghana over $180 million debt owed N-Gas.

He said a high level government

FG, Ghana to settle N33.8bn gas debt

32 30

Experts harp on mining sector potentialfor economy

BusinessNational Mirror

www.nationalmirroronline.netThursday, October 22, 2015

31

delegation led by Power Minister Kwabena Donkor visited Abuja, Nigeria to discuss with govern-ment officials following WAPCo threat to cut gas supply.

“Based on verbal communica-tion we received last night that there is ongoing discussions about how VRA would meet the conditions that was set by N-GAs. So pending the result of that dis-

cussion, we have been asked by N-GAs to hold on,” she said.

Before then, WAPCo had ex-pressed its readiness to help Gha-na meet its energy needs, says Mr. Walter Perez, Managing Director.

Speaking on the topic “Ghana’s Energy Needs: The role of the WAGP” at the sixth Ghana Oil and Gas Summit in Accra on April 23, 2015, Mr. Perez said the pipeline,

which was initially constructed to transport natural gas from the East (Nigeria) to the West (Gha-na) with one major shipper for at least a decade, has had to adjust to take into account developments, which have occurred in the sub region, especially in Ghana, since the pipeline started opera-tions in 2011.

AIRLINES’ FLIGHTSCHEDULES

Lagos- Abuja (Mon-Fri): 07.00, 08.50, 12.00, 16.30. Abuja- Lagos (Mon-Fri): 09.00, 14.00, 15.00, 18.30. Lagos-Yola (Mon-Fri): 8.50am. Yola-Lagos (Mon-Fri): 13.00. Lagos- PHC (Mon-Fri): 17.00. PHC-Lagos: 19.00. Abu-ja-Yola: 11.00. Yola-Abuja: 13.00. Lagos-Abuja (Sat): 08.00, 08.50.Abuja-Lagos (Sat): 10.00, 15.00. Lagos-PHC (Sat): 17.00. PHC-La-gos (Sat): 19.00. Lagos-Yola (Sat): 08.50. Yola-Lagos (Sat): 13.00

Med-View Airline

Dana AirAbuja-Lagos 9am, 1pm, 5.28pm dailyLagos-Abuja 7am, 11am, 1.23pm,3.30pm daily Lagos-PH: 7.20AM, Ph-Abuja9.54am, Abuja-ph: 3.30pm and Ph-Lagos: 5.28pm dai-ly Lagos-Uyo: 9.20am, Uyo-Abu-ja: 11.07am, Abuja-Uyo 1.05pm, Uyo-Lagos: 3pm dailyWeekendsLagos-Abuja: 7.02am, 9am, 3.30pmAbuja-Lagos: 9am, 2.20pm and 5.28pm Lagos -Phc: 11.07amPhc-Lagos: 1.05pm Phc-Abuja: 12.51pm Abuja-Phc: 10.50am Lagos-Uyo: 9.18am Uyo-LOS -3.03pm Uyo-Abuja: 11.07amAbuja-Uyo: 1.05pm

Lag-Abj: 06.50, 13.30, 16.30, 19.45 (Mon-Fri/Sat/Sun), 12.30 (Sun) 16.45 (Sat) Abj-Los: 07.30, 13.00, 19.00 (Mon-Fri/Sat, 10.30, 14.30, 19.30 (Sun, 18.30 Sat) Lag-Benin: 07.45, 11.00, 15.30 (Mon-Fri/Sat/Sun) 12.30 (Sun 15.30 (Sat)Ben-Lag: 09.15, 12.30, 17.00 (Mon-Fri/Sat/Sun) 17.00 (Sat) 14.00 (Sun)Lag-Owe: 7.45am, 2pm daily

Aero Contractors

Experts tasks FG on enablingenvironment for SMEs

South African Airways to commence flight to Abuja

FG woos foreign investors with broadband

OlUsEGUN KOIKI

One of the leading airlines in the continent, South African Airways, SAA,

has unveiled plans to commence direct flight operations into Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA, Abuja from its base in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The airline is starting the non-stop operations with three flights weekly, starting from January 26, 2016 with its modern Airbus 330-200s aircraft.

Prior to the commencement of the Abuja route, the Southern Af-rican carrier was operating eight times a week into the Murtala Mu-hammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos.

With the additional three, the

airline’s frequencies into Nigeria have increased to 11 weekly.

Statement by its media consul-tant in Nigeria noted that the in-troduction of a second entry point to Nigeria was necessary in a bid to enhance trade and unlock mo-bility between the two countries and add to business travel options in the West African region.

It further stated that adding a second gateway in Nigeria to SAA’s existing daily service to Lagos materially strengthens its position in West Africa, where it plays a significant role in enabling the movement of goods and peo-ple between Southern Africa and West Africa, thereby enhancing the growing trade and cultural ex-changes between the two regions.

The airline declared that the opening of Abuja route was made possible as a result of successful

introduction of Accra, Ghana to Washington Dulles, USA route, as a West African platform in August 2015.

The statement recalled that SAA launched flights between Ac-cra, Ghana and Washington DC in North America in cooperation with Africa World Airways about two months ago.

Commenting on the develop-ment, SAA Chief Commercial Of-ficer, Mr. Sylvain Bosc posited that a second entry point in Nigeria was part of the airline’s long-term turnaround strategy, which he said identified growth on the Af-rican continent as one of its key objectives.

He said that Nigeria as one of the fastest growing air travel mar-kets in Sub-Saharan Africa would be well served with the additional services to Abuja.

Belgian brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev may have won over peer SABMill-

er, but the $100 billion-plus deal could face delays in South Afri-ca, where the British company began selling its ubiquitous Castle Lager 120 years ago.

AB InBev’s reputation as a cost slasher has alarmed lo-cal unions in a country with a 25 percent unemployment rate and where the government has a track record of delaying deals while imposing strict condi-tions to prevent job losses.

The world’s two biggest brew-ers agreed last week to create a company that would make al-most a third of the globe’s beer. The Belgian company is by far the most profitable brewer, due to its austere operating culture

and its controlling shareholders have a history of streamlining companies they take over.

“Given AB InBev’s propensi-ty to cut costs down to the bone, job cuts appear to be inevitable,” Nic Norman-Smith, a fund man-ager at Lentus Asset Manage-ment, said.

But that might not be easy in South Africa, where the man-date for anti-trust authorities includes safe-guarding jobs.

The Congress of South Afri-can Unions (Cosatu) - part of the governing alliance with the rul-ing African National Congress - has already urged the govern-ment to not ratify a transaction that will create a company.

“It’s highly likely the Compe-tition Commission is certainly going to look over the deal with

a fine-tooth comb for any signs of job losses,” Norman-Smith said.

SABMiller, formed from the 2002 combination of South Afri-can Breweries and Miller Brew-ing, traces its roots to the dusty gold-prospecting fields around Johannesburg in the 1800s. It now operates in 80 countries but in South Africa, it still employs roughly 8,800 people, or nearly 13 percent of its total. It con-tributed around 16 billion rand ($1.2 billion) to tax revenue in 2014/15 fiscal year.

The government could “in the extreme” try and block the deal if it leads to tax base ero-sion in Africa’s most advanced economy, Lungisa Fuzile, direc-tor general at the National Trea-sury.

SABMiller’s merger faces jobs battle

An estimated 374 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa are living in ex-

treme poverty, despite a formi-dable rise in health care and edu-cation.

This was according to the Global Monitoring Report, where the World Bank made its deductions.

“While the percentage of Africans living in poverty has decreased over time, the sheer numbers have grown. An esti-mated 284 million Africans lived in poverty in 1990,” the report stated.

The report also said, “Pov-erty in a Rising Africa” made audacious calls for data to be collected on the state of poverty in Africa. Approximately 43 per cent of all people living in Sub-Saharan Africa lived in extreme poverty in 2012’’.

The report also called for bet-ter measurement of poverty, saying that data gaps make it extremely difficult for policy-makers to target programmes for the poor. The assembling of these statistics is estimated to cost $300 million every three years, the report also noted.

World Bank Group President, Jim Yong Kim said “Africa’s economy is on the rise, but to avoid bypassing vulnerable people, whether in rural areas or in fragile states, we must im-prove how we measure human progress. Better data will tell us whether we’re delivering effec-tive programmes that will help end extreme poverty by 2030 and boost shared prosperity among the poorest.”

The report noted that despite the progress, more than 100 mil-lion Africans are living in pov-erty compared to 1990.

“Africa’s extreme poor live mainly in rural areas to 65-70 percent of the population), while

Poverty is weighing down economic prospects –World Bank

SYLVA EMEKA-OKEREKE

African Development Bank, AfDB, has un-veiled its plans to tack-

le key challenges in Africa’s agricultural sector.

Focusing on ways to allevi-ate poverty and hunger on the continent as well as spurring growth and creating jobs, the AfDB said, modernization of agricultural sector, access to credit and building robust value chains are designed to foster gender equality, build-ing regional trade as well as developing agriculture.

For the first time, an un-precedented alliance of Heads of State, economic

leaders with the support of heads of leading companies, have joined forces to urge coun-tries and companies around the globe to put a price on carbon.

The call to price carbon comes from the Carbon Pricing Panel, a group convened by World Bank Group President, Jim Yong Kim and International Monetary Fund, IMF, Managing Director, Christine Lagarde to spur faster action ahead of Paris climate talks.

AfDB focuses on agricultural transformation

Leaders seek price on CarbonAfrican Standby Force (ASF) training opening ceremony on Monday

“When agriculture is man-aged with modern production technologies and appropriate input and output markets, it is transformative: it wipes out poverty and overhauls entire rural economies”, AfDB Pres-ident, Adesina said.

Adesina said, African ag-riculture must move towards creating real wealth, saying “the questions we must tackle are how we get to the point where we are selling cocoa, in-stead of our cocoa beans and exporting textiles instead of our cotton.”

About two-thirds of Afri-

ca’s employment is in the ag-riculture sector and the conti-nent has about two-thirds of the world’s arable land, giving the sector huge potential.

‘’It imports food worth $35 billion annually. Worse still, 300 million Africans, that’s 1 in 4, suffer from hunger or

malnutrition’’, the statement added.

AfDB is also producing a roadmap that would outline key actions required to deliver a strategy for transformation of African agriculture.

Ministers of Finance, Plan-ning and Economy, Ministers

of Agriculture, Rural Develop-ment, Trade and Industry as well as Governors of Central Banks joined business leaders, academia, investment agen-cies, civil society and global experts to discuss the future and transformation of agri-culture in Africa.

These global leaders are call-ing on their peers to join them in pricing carbon to steer the global economy towards a low carbon, productive, competitive future without the dangerous levels of carbon pollution driving warm-ing.

Through, strong public policy they are providing certainty and predictability to the private sec-tor, so they can make long-term investments in climate smart de-velopment.

“There has never been a global movement to put a price on carbon at this level and with

this degree of unison. It marks a turning point from the debate on the economic systems needed for low carbon growth to the imple-mentation of policies and pricing mechanisms to deliver jobs, clean growth and prosperity,” World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim said.

“The science is clear, the eco-nomics compelling and we now see political leadership emerging to take green investment to scale at a speed commensurate with the climate challenge.”

“Finance ministers need to think about reforms to fiscal systems in order to raise more revenue from taxes on carbon-intensive fuels and less revenue from other taxes that are detri-mental to economic performance, such as taxes on labor and capital. They need to evaluate the carbon tax rates that will help them meet their mitigation pledges for Paris and accompanying measures to help low-income households vul-nerable to higher energy prices,” the Managing Director of the IMF, Christine Lagarde said.

Around the world, about 40 na-tions and 23 cities, states and re-gions have implemented a price on carbon with programme and mechanisms covering about 12 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

The number of implemented or scheduled carbon pricing in-struments has nearly doubled since 2012, reaching an aggregate market value of about $50 billion.

the highest levels of inequality are recorded in Southern Africa, where six of the world’s 10 most unequal countries are located.”

Conflict and violence have been identified as the most im-portant factor slowing economic growth and even reversing po-tential gains.

“While the number of large-scale conflicts and civil wars has declined, criminality, drug traf-ficking, terrorism, and piracy at sea are on the rise.

“Despite these challenges, Africa has made tremendous strides over the past 20 years amid unprecedented economic growth. Some countries have had impressive gains in pover-ty reduction, such as Ethiopia, Ghana, Rwanda and Uganda. Since 2000, the number of chil-dren dying from malaria has been reduced by 40 per cent, and under-five deaths from tetanus, peruses and measles have de-clined by 75 per cent’’, it stated.

28 National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.netThursday, October 22, 2015Business News

Business News

President of Nigerian In-stitute of Town Planners, NITP, Mr Femi Olomola

has called for enforcement of town planning regulations for well-organised settlements in the country.

Olomola, who made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in La-gos, said that a consortium of professionals from both public and private sectors could do the enforcement based on specific modalities.

According to him, the town planners in government lack the

Expert calls for enforcement of town planning regulationscapacity and capability to bring about an `àdequate system” that will cope with the increasing level of development in terms of settlements.

``The issue of all these new set-tlements coming up, not conform-ing to the planning regulations, I think the fault is basically with the system, inadequate man pow-er to enforce those regulations.

``Go to all the rural areas, go to even the urban fringes, the laws are there but we don’t have the machinery to enforce.

`Òne can say, okay, govern-ment should employ more hands

to look into the problem to en-force but the government hasn’t got the capability, they don’t have the capacity as well.

``To come up with what I con-sider an adequate system to actu-ally cope with the level of devel-opments here and there.

``Government should be look-ing at how they can privatise the town planning system.

``There is nothing fantastic about it which cannot be priva-tised; let there be a consortium of professionals, give them the brief and let them work out the modali-ties on how to achieve it.

Olufemi AdeOsun, AbujA

Consumer Protection Council (CPC) is set to begin a nationwide sensi-

tization campaign and enforce-ments against smugglers of banned poultry products into the country.

The Council’s Director Gen-eral, Mrs. Dupe Atoki, disclosed this in Abuja at a meeting with members of Poultry Associa-tion of Nigeria.

Mrs. Atoki stated that council would adopt a three-pronged ap-proach against the existence of the products, which she identi-fied to include sensitization of consumers on the dangers of the consumption of these prod-ucts, removal of the products and collaboration with relevant stakeholders.

She pointed out that the meet-ing was initiated as part of the strategies at forging necessary collaborations with the stake-holders, disclosing further that other engagements with rel-

evant Federal Ministries and the Customs Service had been mapped out.

According to her, the Council has invited the Poultry Asso-ciation of Nigeria to speak with them to the issues, adding that “we are aware that they have commissioned a study on the hazards and health implications of imported poultry products.

“We have invited them to share with us, so that together we can have a holistic road-map to engage the sector, and to bring to table of all Nigerians products that we know are safe and not hazardous, and prod-ucts that will be made in Nige-ria for Nigerians.

“They are also to brief us on their suggested way forward in ensuring that these products are removed from the market, and their capacity for local pro-duction to bridge the gap” she added.

On the enforcement activi-ties, Atoki said the Council is willing to collaborate with the association to get necessary

Consumer Council to enforce ban on poultry productsintelligence on sources of the importation of these banned products, cold rooms/ storage facilities, distribution outlets/chains including markets, su-permarkets, eateries, while en-forcement strategies would be mapped out.

She hinted further that the Council’s decision became in-evitable because the existence of these products was not only causing health hazards to the country’s citizens, but also con-stituting an economic sabotage.

Atoki said: “It bothers not only on health; it bothers also on the economy of the country. As long as you continue to im-port products that can be made in Nigeria, we are diminishing the opportunity for employ-ment in Nigeria”.

Ericsson plans Smart City solutions delivery for Africa

L-R: Paramount Ruler of Nyenwe-Eli, Eze Gershon Odum; Managing Director, Nigeria America Line limited, Mr Pier Carrodano, and Coordinator, Nigerian Dredging Summit and Exhibition, Dr Edmund Chilaka, at the 9th Nigerian Dredging Summit in Port Harcourt.

isAiAh erhiAwArien

Ahead of the 2050 urban-isation target, Ericsson has showed solutions for

a smart Africa for networked so-ciety in which connectivity is the starting point for new ways of innovating, collaborating and so-cialising.

The solution, which was showcased at the Transform Af-rica conference, held in Kigali, Rwanda.

The vendor company said that given the fact that more than half of the world’s popula-tion already lives in cities and nearly 70 percent of people will be, it is particularly focused on contributing to smart and sus-tainable cities.

Ericsson demonstrated the transformation that informa-tion and communications technology (ICT) and a truly networked society can deliver in building smart cities and a cashless society in Rwanda, particularly in the financial and transport sectors.

The conference, hosted by Rwandan President, Paul Kagame, brought the conti-nent’s top political and busi-ness leaders together to shape Africa’s digital transformation agenda.

Ericsson demonstrated the Ericsson M-Commerce Inter-connect and its solutions for intelligent transport, amongst

others saying that these solu-tions leverage on the memoran-dum of understanding (MOU) with the Government of Rwan-da announced at Mobile World Congress 2015 to demonstrate Ericsson’s technology leader-ship and experience in deliver-ing meaningful and tailored solutions to reach set objectives.

The Ericsson M-Commerce Interconnect provides the total interconnection solution re-quired to bring together all the players in the financial services area, and allow money to flow between them seamlessly, tak-ing cash out of the system.

According to the company, the system has the capacity to connect the formal financial sector with the semi-formal and informal particularly, the inclu-sion of Savings Co-operatives and Micro-finance players in the eco-system will allow more people to participate in main stream financial services, thus increasing financial inclusion saying that it showcases the M-Commerce Interconnect Switch, in partnership with MNOs, service providers and banks.

Ericsson further demonstrat-ed the efficiency of its solutions for intelligent transport that will help governments to better manage revenue collection in the public transportation sys-tem and create efficiency in the utilisation of the existing public transport capacity.

dAre AkOgun

Maritime Academy of Ni-geria, MAN, Oron, Akwa Ibom state may have

spent a total of N8 billion on con-structions of jetty and swimming pool in the last two years, accord-ing to information made available to National Mirror.

It was reliably gathered that despite the huge amount spent on the project, the academy has not recorded any meaningful develop-ment.

For instance, the school, estab-lished by the Federal Government in 1979, is still struggling to achieve adequate training for seafarers due to alleged mismanagement of resources.

MAN Oron spends N8bn on jetty, swimming poolThe N8 billion, according to a

source, accrued from the statutory 5 per cent released by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, to fund the academy.

A source at MAN revealed that the management of the institution was not serious about the develop-ment of the academy.

According to the source, no at-tempt has been made by the insti-tution to provide training vessel for the academy from the fund re-leased to the school by NIMASA.

“There is infrastructure decay at MAN, Oron as students are sit-ting on the floor to receive lecture. The source explained.

“The management has sudden-ly increased the tuition by 80 per cent. Our students are withdraw-

ing gradually because of the hike in tuition fees introduced by man-agement”, the source stated.

It was also gathered that the academy’s management raised the fees by 100 per cent with effect from the 2014/2015 session. Before the tuition was increased, the Na-tional Diploma (ND I) and higher National Diploma (HND I) cadets paid N100, 702, while ND II and HND II paid N61, 340.

But with the increment, ND I and HND I students now pay N200, 704, while ND II and HND II cadets pay N121, 980.

A lecturer at the academy al-leged that thirty-five years after its establishment, cadets of the academy were still sit-ting on the floor to receive lectures.


30

Experts harp on mining sector potential for economyCHIDI UGWU, ABUJA

As Federal Government consider various options for the diversi-fication of the economy, experts

in the Nigeria’s mining industry have delineated the potentials of the sector saying it holds the key to the country’s economic transformation.

A frontline mining consultant and one-time coordinator of the World Bank-Assisted Sustainable Manage-ment of Minerals Resources, Mr. Linus Adie, said that the economic potential lying untapped in the solid minerals sector were enormous, and can completely transform the eco-nomic fortunes of the country.

“With dedicated funding and strict supervision of the sector, developing our solid minerals sphere is capable of elevating the country’s economic status beyond imagination,” he said.

According to a report by Wardell Armstrong in May of 2007, there is documentary evidence that not less than 75 solid minerals of economic and commercial relevance abound in Nigeria.

The report stated that economic minerals like coal, bitumen, iron, gold, emerald, diamond, limestone and feldspar are spread abundantly in almost all the states of the federation.

“The Sustainable Management of Minerals Resources Project (SMMRP) was one of the best things to have happened in the solid minerals sector. The first thing we did was to come up with baseline studies of the field and offices and then identify areas of in-tervention. We introduced the mining code and then did a study of the fiscal regimes that were competitive with other countries in the world,” he said.

But from the time of the launch of the SMMRP till present, not much can be said to have been achieved in the sector, especially as it concerns contribution to the country’s gross do-mestic product index and job creation, as well as exportation potentials. Rather, the sector has been subjected to the crude implements of artisanal and small-scale miners, illegal foreign miners and, most unfortunately, envi-ronmental degradation, ill-health and preventable deaths in local mining communities.

Statistics show that the country has about 210,000 miners of which 90 per cent are currently informal, and according to the Nigerian Gross Do-mestic Product report of the National Bureau of Statistics, the contribution of mining and quarrying to the nomi-nal GDP in the third quarter of 2014 was recorded at 10.26 per cent. This, according to stakeholders, can be con-siderably improved upon.

Also speaking on the potential of

the mining industry, the Director-General of the National Geological Survey Agency (NGSA), Mr. Ndubusi Nwegbu, pointed out that in terms of the upliftment of the general econom-ic standard of this country, mining held the key.

He pointed out that the industry’s potential t may not be to the extent of crude oil, but that it can can go very far and that in terms of employment generation, it will definitely surpass that of oil.

Reports have it that successive Nigerian governments have shown little interest in adequately funding the minerals sector, leaving the Mines ministry to grapple with very scarce resources, which mostly is used to fund staff remuneration packages and other skeletal projects.

According to the industry expert, if only government would re-orien-tate itself on the enormous benefits of properly funding the sector, the Ni-gerian economy would be better for it.

Adie canvassed: “What we should be talking about now is a dedicated fund if we wish to develop the sec-tor. Government needs to set aside funds to revamp the sector; making budgetary allocations alone won’t be of much help as there would be the regular political interference coming to bear,” he noted.

But apart from dedicating special funds to the sector, experts also be-lieve that proper government legisla-tion would go a long way in addressing some of the bottlenecks encountered by prospective mining investors in the Nigerian solid minerals sphere.

To this end, the immediate past

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.netThursday, October 22, 2015

Steel & Mining Industry

minister of Mines and Steel Devel-opment, Architect Musa Mohammed Sada, set in motion a number of ac-tivities aimed at getting Nigeria a sector-oriented, globally-attractive mining regulation document.

Adie advised the present adminis-tration to give the sector the much-needed attention, saying it would be an economically wise decision if the country indeed wants to diversify its income source.

“Going forward, government needs to scale up the level of exploration on minerals considered to be strategic to the economic development of the country. The financial systems also need immediate strengthening. Min-ing must be mainstreamed in the MSME programmes.

“Capacity building to local banks in evaluating mining projects is also important. The artisanal and small scale operators should be organized and given extension services, facili-tate their access to finance and pro-vide basic infrastructure for their growth. Short-term strategies should be articulated to add value and ben-eficiation of mineral products such as gemstone polishing and jewelry making, dimension stone and coal briquettes,” he advised.

Professor of Mining Engineering, Olaniyan Zacheaus Opafunso of the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), said the creation of a solid mineral market would facilitate the growth of the sector and increase earnings, especially for small scale miners.

“The Federal Government should create mineral buying and selling

markets for small-scale miners. If properly managed, the markets can generate a large proportion of earn-ings from artisanal and small-scale mining. Also, mining consultants and mineral property agents must be in-volved. These agents will facilitate the growth of a thriving minerals indus-try in Nigeria,” he suggested.

But facilitating the growth of a thriving minerals industry might not be complete without removing bottle-necks such as the illegal activities of foreign miners.

In his assessment, President of Miners Association of Nigeria (MAN), Alhaji Shehu Sani, condemned the illegal activities of foreign miners which he predicted could undermine the growth of the mining sector in Ni-geria if not curbed.

He said: “As far as mining in Nige-ria is concerned, it is open to different players, some of them international players. This is because Nigeria, like most mining nations, is interested in attracting foreign investments. As such, encouragement is given to these foreign mining companies.

“However, some of them come with questionable motives. They simply come to study government’s weak-ness in mining regulations, obtain exploration licences and start mining without legal mining permits. This is unacceptable,” Sani added.

Industry analysts agreed that for the policies and other developmental initiatives in the sector to achieve the desired results, there was the need to harness more efficiently its untapped opportunities for national sustainable development.

Mining site

For several years, Nigeria has been a guest of the United Nations, attending the International Telecommunications Union, ITU, Telecom World conference, but none of such conference has been as impressive as the 2015 event.

This is because the growing quest for broadband internet access in the country, couple with its attendant lacks, has become a rallying point for key stakeholders from Nigeria, who graced the occasion.

Nigeria businessmen, who were at the event, it was gathered, seized the opportunity to woo global investment community into its broadband market.

Stakeholders latched on the giant strides achieved in the nation’s telecoms sector to lure potential investors into the nation’s broadband market.

Led by the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, which carried the nation’s flag to the event, the stakeholders unveiled key programmes held by the country, such as the Nigerian Day and Night to highlight key investment areas, especially in broad-band to potential investors.

For instance, at the Nigerian Day was attended by telecoms investors from across the world, the Nigerian Pavilion partnered with MainOne, Glo1, Airtel, Digital Bridge Institute, Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited, Galaxy backbone Limited Phase3 Telecoms, Etisalat, Zinox and the National Information Technology Develop-ment Agency (NITDA) and WACS to showcase the huge opportunities abound in the country.

Addressing a gathering of investors, regulators and top officials of ITU led by its Secretary General, Houlin Zhao at the Nigeria Day, during the officially opening of the Nigerian Pavilion to investors, the Acting Executive Vice Chairman of the Nige-

FG woos foreign investors with broadbandThe International Telecommunications Union, ITU, Tele-com World held its 2015 Conference in Budapest, Hun-gry, where stakeholders across the globe, including Ni-geria gathered to discuss the potential of broadband, aimed at wooing investors to the sector.Isaiah Erhiawarien reports.

There is noThing you can do now wiThouT needing The inTerneT, as access and broadband is The

infrasTrucTure ThaT enables high-speed inTerneT, video

sTreaming and oTher heavy daTa

According to him, despite all the growth the industry has seen, the Nigerian Infor-mation and Communication Technology (ICT) industry is still in need of a lot of investment.

Commenting, a member of the Broad-band Council, Engr. Lanre Ajayi said that Nigeria currently has a target to achieve 30 per cent broadband penetration by 2018 in line with its National Broadband Policy (NBP) approved by the Federal Govern-ment in 2013.

He noted that till date, broadband pen-etration stands at 10 per cent up from six per cent two years ago, saying that pen-etration is still very low when compared with the success so far recorded in the mo-bile telephony segment.

Statistics from global research firm, Pyramid Research and McKinsey revealed that since 2001, the telecoms industry has grown significantly, making Nigerian tele-coms market an optimistic one.

The two research firm predicted that Nigeria will remain an investment haven

rian Communication Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, said “we have come to ITU this year with a clear message to in-vestors by asking you to come to Nigeria to invest because your investments are safe in Nigeria.”

Recalling how the development strides of Nigeria in telecoms, Danbatta, who was represented by the Executive Commis-sioner, Technical Services at NCC, Engr. Ubale Maska, said for a country as big and strategic as Nigeria, telecoms did not be-come a major socio-economic activity un-til 2001.

He told investors willing to come to Nigeria that they would experience tre-mendous growth in the next 10 years, say-ing that until 2001, the country had about 400,000 active phone lines.

He disclosed that it was the determina-tion of the new democratic government and the refocusing and empowerment of the regulators instigated a market explo-sion, whose ripples have continued to spread, drawing global attention to Ni-geria and eliciting deserved recognition from global bodies such as ITU, which has since seen the NCC as a good regulatory reference point.

“Today in Nigeria, despite the landing of over 10 terabyte of undersea cables in our shores, a lot of Internet access is not actually broadband,” said Dambatta. “You get some semblance of broadband in major cities such as Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt and other Grade ‘A’ cities. But in most part of the country, the traditional slow inter-net access is the order of the day.”

for telecoms business in years to come.The statistics showed that today, the

country has over 150 million active tele-phone lines with a teledensity of 107.67 per cent and over 93 million mobile de-vices connected to the Internet adding that low-cost of entry of most feature and smart phones as well as the reduction in access cost is resulting in increased Inter-net subscriptions.

Analyst at the global event noted that a large number of Internet users don’t have access to the high-speed Internet service and this has informed the desire of the country to woo investors into coming to Nigeria to invest in its broadband market.

According to analyst, Nigeria’s tele-coms investment profile has witnessed a meteoric rise, sending very clear signals that Nigeria is the market to be for dis-cerning investors noting that a market with an investment value of about $50 million in 2000 is worth over $32 billion today.

Director, Policy, Competition and Eco-

nomic Analysis, Ms. Josephine Amuwa, who was also at the forum said that the country’s desire to preach investment op-portunities in broadband sector to the in-vestment community at ITU World Tele-com 2015 was timely.

She said: “The key message we bought to ITU this year is the issue of our broad-band expansion. Broadband is the future, as there is hardly anything one seeks to do in today’s digital economy more effi-ciently and effectively that is not increas-ingly requiring access to the Internet.

“There is nothing you can do now with-out needing the Internet, as access and broadband is the infrastructure that en-ables high-speed Internet, video stream-ing and other heavy data. Since we have conquered voice with over 150 million subscribers in Nigeria, the new phase is the broadband and that was one key mes-sage that we passed to the whole world here during our Opening Day.

“We told investors to come and invest in Nigeria with the assurances that their investment is safe and the investment we are looking for majorly is the investment in broadband infrastructure.”

KPMG, a global consultancy firm de-clare last year that over the next five years, Nigeria would need to push for an average investment of N2 billion annual-ly into its telecoms sector towards build-ing a robust next-generation broadband network nationwide. This represents an investment gap of about $10 billion in the next five years.

Dambatta

31National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Info Tech

StorieS by iSaiah erhiawarien

Experts have noted that for government to experience economic growths, it would

need to create an enabling envi-ronment for small and medium scale business to explore the po-tential of technology.

Experts in a survey to highlight the importance of how business impacts changes in marketplace revealed that 100 per cent respon-dents consider it crucial to remain abreast with local and global oc-currences.

However, a staggering 62.5 per cent of respondents admit-ted they are not in touch with market changes with 25 per cent respondents stating that they are either unaware of customer needs or find themselves incapable of adapting to the changing market demands.

Managing Director of 4most, a technology firm, Mr. Marius Fa-bian said the role of technology

has never been more critical in Africa’s small and medium-sized marketplace, highlighting the need to respond to changing mar-ket demands, enabled by access to real-time and accurate informa-tion, which technology provides.

According to him, these mar-ket changes, defined as Mega-trends, are large, transforma-tive global forces that define the future by having a far-reaching impact on business, economies, industries, societies and indi-viduals.

“It starts with keeping your finger on the pulse of a dynamic and constantly evolving mar-ketplace,” Fabian stated, adding that being aware of the impact of these changes on business and industry is just the first step.

“It is the ability to react, and adapt, quickly and seamlessly that is crucial not only to retain-ing one’s competitive edge, but more critically to business sur-vival”, he said.

Fabian added that technology

is providing the global and local medium sized marketplace with the tools needed to do just that stressing, “Access to key, real-time and business relevant information is providing business owners with an accurate and in depth analysis of their company and its position in the marketplace.”

He said further that this, in turn, is providing them with greater insight into their own ca-pability together with a realistic projected outcome should any of the required internal changes be implemented.

He cited the classic example of a new technology, product re-quirement or imminent trend that leaves a business with no choice but to adapt.

“When faced with this situa-tion, it is critical to be able to pre-dict the profitability and impact of these changes,” continued Fabian noting that a business will also need to have a clear understand-ing of both the required steps and necessary resources.


Experts tasks FG on enablingenvironment for SMEs

The spate of innovation across the globe has pro-pelled telecoms infrastruc-

ture and vendor company, Huawei to ask the International Telecom-munications Union, ITU, to prevail on countries across the world, par-ticularly Nigeria to speed up the allocation of spectrum.

There have been delays in the allocation spectrum, which the Nigerian Communications Com-mission, NCC, advertised several months ago, thereby delaying the efficient use of such spectrum.

Speaking during the showcas-ing of its latest concepts and its global experience in areas such as facilitating the telecom industry’s transformation using ICT, spec-trum allocation, and building a

Better Connected World at the ITU Telecom World 2015 in Budapest, Hungary, Huawei said that spec-trum is the engine that drives na-tional economic development.

President of Huawei Carrier BG, Zou Zhilei, said that more spectrum resources can acceler-ate the adoption of broadband by individuals and households, and support the development of the Internet of Things (IoT) and smart cities adding that “all these can fuel ICT innovation. Over the next five years, mobile broadband deployment needs at least 2 GHz of spectrum.”

According to him, the frequen-cy bands, which have been identi-fied at World Radio Communica-tion Conference 2007 (WRC-07)

and WRC-12, should be allocated as soon as possible as the industry chain was ready a long time ago.

He noted that at the upcom-ing WRC-15, all industry partners should work together to push for the allocation of Sub-700 MHz, L-Band, and C-Band to pave the way for the innovation of IoT, 4.5G, and 5G saying, “We call for spectrums to be allocated at reasonable prices with large spectrum release, so that governments and operators can jointly promote the develop-ment of the MBB industry and share the benefits of the digital economy empowered by ICT.”

He said further that Huawei proposes building ultrafast, ubiq-uitous, and affordable national broadband networks.

Huawei advises FG on speedy spectrum allocation

You may have never heard of Libratone, but liked its original Zipp now

called the Classic Zipp one of the best first-generation por-table WiFi speakers on the mar-ket.

Last year the Danish start-up was acquired by a Hong Kong-based consortium and got a big cash infusion to develop new products and aggressively ex-pand with a new brand strategy that includes more affordable pricing. It returns with not one but two new Zipp speakers, the Zipp (2015) and smaller Zipp Mini. Both include WiFi stream-ing via Apple AirPlay, as well as Bluetooth streaming.

The speaker also offers DLNA support for Windows and Android users. A DLNA-certified device uses standard computer networking protocols to allow you to share media on a network.

With its more rounded edges and compact form factor, the Mini’s a bit more eye-catching. But the standard Zipp does de-liver more bass and sounds a bit fuller. Both offer 360-degree sound similar to other cylindri-

cal speakers as the UE Boom 2. And both are rated for 8-10 hours of battery life depending on volume levels.

The speakers come with a new companion app for iOS and Android -- SoundSpace Link that lets you connect up to 6 speakers via Wi-Fi.

AirPlay for audio streaming has been hampered by hiccups and a somewhat challenging set up, but Libratone says that’s changed and promises a much simpler AirPlay set-up process. (We’ll let you know how the set up and new app works when we get our review samples).

It’s worth noting that since the Zipp and Zipp Mini are fairly substantial speakers with 100-watt and 60-watt power rat-ings respectively (we take those ratings with a grain of salt), they require their own AC adapter and can’t be charged with a standard micro USB cable. However, they do offer a USB charging port to juice up your mobile devices, as well as an audio input. Last but not least there’s an microphone for mak-ing speakerphone calls.

L-R: Nigeria’s Amb. to Hunagry, Muhammadu Yunusa; Secretary General, International Telecommunications Union, Mr. Houlin Zhao; Director, Policy, Competition and Economic Analysis at Nigerian Communications Commission, Ms. Jose-phine Amuwa and Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, NCC, Engr. Ubale Maska at the Nigeria Day opening cer-emony of the ITU Telecom World 2015 in Budapest, Hungary.

Libratone brings flair to next-gen wireless speakers

Info Tech

StorieS by iSaiah erhiawarien

Ahead of the 2050 urban-isation target, Ericsson has showed solutions for

a smart Africa for networked society in which connectivity is the starting point for new ways of innovating, collaborating and socialising.

The solution, which was showcased at the Transform Africa conference, held in Kigali, Rwanda, the vendor company said that given the fact that more than half of the world’s population already lives in cities and nearly 70 per-cent of people will be, it is par-ticularly focused on contribut-ing to smart and sustainable cities.

Ericsson demonstrated the transformation that infor-mation and communications technology (ICT) and a truly networked society can deliver in building smart cities and a cashless society in Rwanda, particularly in the financial and transport sectors.

The conference, hosted by Rwandan President, Paul Kagame, brought the conti-nent’s top political and busi-ness leaders together to shape Africa’s digital transformation agenda.

Ericsson demonstrated the Ericsson M-Commerce Inter-connect and its solutions for intelligent transport, amongst

others saying that these solu-tions leverage on the memoran-dum of understanding (MOU) with the Government of Rwan-da announced at Mobile World Congress 2015 to demonstrate Ericsson’s technology leader-ship and experience in deliver-ing meaningful and tailored so-lutions to reach set objectives.

The Ericsson M-Commerce Interconnect provides the to-tal interconnection solution required to bring together all the players in the financial ser-vices area, and allow money to flow between them seamlessly, taking cash out of the system.

According to Ericsson, the system has the capacity to con-nect the formal financial sector with the semi-formal and in-formal particularly, the inclu-sion of Savings Co-operatives and Micro-finance players in the eco-system will allow more people to participate in main stream financial services, thus increasing financial inclu-sion saying that it showcases the M-Commerce Interconnect Switch, in partnership with MNOs, service providers and banks.

Ericsson further demon-strated the efficiency of its so-lutions for intelligent transport that will help governments to better manage revenue collec-tion in the public transporta-tion system and create effi-ciency in the utilidsation of the existing public transport

Specialist, Enterprise Marketing, Etisalat Nigeria, Mr. Femi Oguntimehin, Chief Financial Officer, Netplus Advisory,Mr. Deji Salami; Chief Executive Officer, First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Mr. Ladi Balogun and Head, Enterprise Marketing, Etisalat Nigeria, Mr. Bidemi Ladipo at the Etisalat-sponsored Webmall Connect Commerce Conference 2015 in Lagos.

Ericsson plans smart city solution for Africa

Info TechNational Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 33Thursday, October 22, 2015

Government Technology

Financial Technology

The Fibre To The Home (FTTH) Council Africa has warned that fibre

companies operating in the African market to check on the validity and sustainability of their service.

According to the Council in press statement detailing the accepted definition of true FTTH connectivity, it said that Fibre To The Home (FTTH) dramatically increases the connection speeds available to computer users compared with technologies now used in most places, or at least it should, and for this reason everybody wants an FTTH connection.

“It can only provide these raging speeds it promises if the topology is an end-to-end fibre connection. Since most FTTH networks are terrestrial

(deployed below the ground) how do you really know that your connection is an FTTH connection?”, the organisation stated.

Chief Executive Officer of the FTTH Council Africa, Juani-ta Clark said that today FTTH is a brand adding, “It is the same as referring to a specific model of sports car. However, unlike a sports car you cannot lift the hood to see under the bonnet to determine if all the parts are ‘certified genuine’ and consum-ers have to rely on what you are told/sold.”

“The Fibre Council Global Alliance is the global body of FTTH Councils from around the world. Not only do this group subscribe to a MOU, but it also tackles issues of global impor-tance, amongst it a document

that is revisited that deals with definitions. This document has become the globally accepted terms of reference for FTTH in-stallers and operators” she said.

She added that the aim of this document is to ensure that there are no ambiguity with regards to the definition of, amongst other, the term FTTH stressing that the definitions document the accepted defini-tion for FTTH is defined as an access network architecture in which the final connection to the subscriber’s premises is op-tical fibre.

“In order to guarantee FTTH speeds, the network must be an end to end fibre optic con-nection. Any other technology as part of its architecture will influence the rapidity and may result in lower up and download

speeds,” the Council said.“FTTH Council Africa mem-

bers subscribe to a Code of Conduct and therefore must provide true FTTH connectiv-ity according to the definitions document. When looking for an FTTH solution it is recommend-ed to do some investigation and ask if your selected partner is a member of the FTTH Council Africa”, Clark said.

“Market forces indicate that there will be many new en-trants that want to capitalise on the high demand. Consumers need to ensure that they employ sustainable solutions. The bot-tom line is that FTTH members properly designed and deployed fibre network, users will always get the speeds that are adver-tised or better and a big part of our mandate is to protect the

good name of FTTH” she con-cluded.

The annual FTTH conference begins on 20 October in Kigali, Rwanda. The event is described as being an opportunity for in-dustry to discuss ways to edu-cate stakeholders on the brand of FTTH and the strategic use of this resource.

Several telecommunications service providers have an-nounced developments within the FTTH space, including MTN, Telkom SA, Liquid Tele-com and MultiChoice.

In March this year the FTTH Council Africa, in collabora-tion with Africa Bandwidth Maps, announced the launch of a survey to determine the fibre network reach in Africa and the continent’s most connected cit-ies.

Council warns on fibre connection

capacity.It comes with automated fare

collection system that uses pre-paid bus cards with onboard tap-to-pay system or mobile payment solution removing cash from the system permit-ting better revenue accounting and tax collection.

Added to the solution is a fleet management solution that gives the operator real time vis-ibility of the buses as well as passenger locations allowing for better management of the route used by the buses to give

the passengers the best travel experience.

Ericsson said that it also provides passenger informa-tion system which provides interactive interface for the passengers to receive real time information about the bus timetables and running times, allowing passengers to plan their journeys more effi-ciently.

According to Ericsson Pres-ident for sub-Saharan Africa, Fredrik Jejdling, ICT is creat-ing a vast amount of new op-portunities for people, busi-

ness and society adding that at Ericsson we use our ICT expertise to provide innovative solutions and services across a variety of industries that play a key role in enabling digital transformation in Africa.

He said: “We are especially excited about the impend-ing industry transformation in Rwanda. Seeing first hand that it can be done here in our region is a powerful message for the rest of Africa and we are proud to be at this confer-ence to bring this message for-ward.”

Lockheed increases sales of F-35 jets

Verizon Communications Inc reported better-than-expected quarterly

revenue and profit as heavy promotions helped the compa-ny attract postpaid subscribers amid the launch of Apple Inc’s new iPhones.

The largest U.S. wireless ser-vice provider has been facing stiff competition from compa-nies such as T-Mobile US Inc and Sprint Corp, who have been offering massive discounts on call and data plans.

Apple launched the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus in September, triggering heavy promotional activity in the telecoms indus-try towards the end of the third

Yum Brands Inc (YUM.N) said it intended to split off its China business, which

has been besieged by food scan-dals and marketing missteps, bowing to pressure from an activ-ist shareholder.

Yum’s shares rose 4.6 percent in premarket trading.

Yum China will operate as a publicly traded company and become a franchisee of Yum Brands in mainland China, pay-ing the parent a percentage of its sales for exclusive rights to three of the company’s brands - KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell.

The split will allow Yum Brands to focus on reenergizing

quarter.Verizon shares rose about 2

percent in premarket trading on Tuesday.

The company net added 1.3 million wireless retail post-paid subscribers in the quar-ter compared with 1.1 million in the second quarter.

Drexel Hamilton analyst Barry Sine said the subscriber numbers were slightly better than expected.

However, Verizon’s average revenue per account (ARPA) declined to $152.38 from $153.73.

As its ARPA comes under pressure, Verizon is entering new markets such as mobile

video and “Internet of Things” - the concept of connecting ev-erything from industrial ma-chines to household devices to the Internet - to boost its earn-ings.

Revenue from its Internet of Things and related offerings rose to about $175 million from $165 million in the prior quar-ter.

Revenue from FiOS high-speed Internet, TV and phone service rose 7.5 per cent from a year earlier to $3.4 billion.

The net income attributable to Verizon rose 9.3 per cent to $4.04 billion, or 99 cents per share, in the quarter ended Sept. 30.

Excluding items, the com-pany earned $1.04 per share, slightly higher than the aver-age analyst estimate of $1.02, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Total operating revenue rose five per cent to $33.16 bil-lion, beating analysts’ expecta-tions of $32.94 billion.

Verizon shares were trading at $45.50 before the bell. Up to Monday’s close, the stock had fallen about 4.5 per cent this year.

its stagnating business in the United States as well as expand in emerging markets such as In-dia. It will also give shareholders a steady stream of income from royalties while allowing Yum to take lease obligations off its bal-ance sheet.

“The separation of these two businesses gives shareholders the choice to own a growing annuity-like franchise cash flow stream, as well as the leading restaurant concept in a country with the fastest-growing con-sumer class,” activist investor Keith Meister told Reuters in an email.

Meister, whose hedge fund Corvex Management owns near-ly 5 percent of the company, had been pushing for a reorganiza-tion for many months. He was appointed to its board last week.

Yum Brands entered China in 1987 through its KFC brand, making it one of the first U.S. fast-food chains to set up opera-tions there.

For years, the China business took the lead in driving sales for the company as a growing mid-dle class frequented the restau-rants that customized menus for the Chinese palate.

Sales have, however, faltered

in the past several quarters as the business has been beset by multiple problems ranging from a meat scandal to marketing mis-steps, coupled with a slowing economy that has made eating out less popular.

“Yum Brands will trade at a higher multiple because it’s a better business now that it’s not attached to Yum China,” Hedg-eye Risk Management analyst Howard Penney said.

The China business contribut-ed 57 percent to Yum’s total rev-enue and 54 percent to its operat-ing profit in its latest quarter.

Yum Brands will be led by its current Chief Executive Greg Creed and Yum China will be led by Micky Pant, who was named the CEO of the China business in August.

The separation, which is ex-pected to be completed by the end of 2016, is intended to be tax free to shareholders.

Goldman Sachs is the finan-cial adviser to Yum Brands, while Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and Mayer Brown are its legal advisers. PJT Partners is serving as an independent fi-nancial adviser to the company’s board.

Apple iPhone

Verizon revenue beats as promotions attract postpaid users

Yum Brands to separate China business after investor pressure

34 National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.netThursday, October 22, 2015Global News

Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N), the Pentagon’s No. 1 weapons supplier, reported

better-than-expected quarterly re-sults on higher demand for its F-35 fighter jets, and said it expects full-year revenue at the higher end of its forecast.

Revenue at Lockheed’s aeronau-tics division increased about 11 percent to $3.92 billion in the third quarter, with $500 million coming from additional sales of the F-35 fighter jet, it said on Tuesday.

Lockheed is developing and building F-35 jets for the U.S. mili-tary and nine other countries. With estimated development and pro-curement costs of $391 billion for the United States alone, the F-35 is the world’s most expensive weap-ons program.

Lockheed did not address the timing of its planned purchase of Sikorsky Aircraft, but United Technologies Corp (UTX.N), which owns Sikorsky, expects to close the deal in the fourth quarter.

Excluding the Sikorsky deal and

Harley-Davidson third-quarter profit falls, plans job cuts

a strategic review aimed at selling or spinning off its services busi-nesses, Lockheed said 2016 sales should be comparable with 2015.

Total operating margin should range from 11.0 percent to 11.5 percent, down from the expected margin of about 12 percent in 2015, it said.

The company sees 2015 sales of $45 billion, and segment operating profit of $5.4 billion. It had forecast sales of $43.5 billion to $45 billion, with segment operating profit of $5.225 billion to $5.375 billion.

Lockheed also forecast earnings per share of $11.30 in 2015, the high end of its earlier forecast of $11.00 to $11.30.

Analysts, on average, looked for 2015 sales of $44.82 billion, accord-ing to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Lockheed said it had $2.4 billion in potential cost and termination liability exposure, given its deci-sion to self-fund work on C-130J transport planes and F-35 jets for the U.S. government while con-tracts are being negotiated.

China President Xi Jinping F35 Jet

Matt Levatich

Harley-Davidson Inc. (HOG.N) said on Tuesday it would chop jobs to help fund

increased spending on marketing and product development as it post-ed a lower quarterly net profit due to weaker global sales.

The company’s shares plummet-ed nearly 10 per cent as its earnings fell below analysts’ forecasts, and the company cut its 2015 operating profit guidance.

The company said it plans to in-cur a one-time charge of $30 million to $35 million in the fourth quarter for reorganization costs and job cuts.

It now expects full-year 2015 op-erating profit margin of approxi-mately 16 per cent to 17 per cent for the motorcycles segment, compared to prior guidance of 18 percent to 19 per cent.

It also cut its forecast for the ship-ment of motorcycles in the United States, where sales fell 2.5 per cent in the third quarter and market share declined by 3.9 per cent.

Worldwide sales fell by more than one per cent, cushioned by an 0.9 increase in international sales, and the company said its reorganization plans included opening up to 200

new dealerships abroad.The iconic motorcycle manufactur-

er has faced headwinds during the year including increased competition from foreign motorcycle manufacturers who have slashed prices. The strong U.S. dol-lar has translated into softer overseas sales due to the unfavorable foreign ex-change.

Harley-Davidson is traditionally a market leader is the United States, but with U.S. sales lagging the company has revised its full-year 2015 shipment outlook down to 265,000 to 270,000 which is flat to two per cent lower than in 2014. The latest shipment projection was revised downward from previous guid-ance of 276,000 to 281,000.

Tablets and smartphones

How are video advertising viewed on screen and for how long? What do people think of video

ads on screen and how can brands cre-ate ads that connect with consumers and that viewers will not skip?

These and many more are some of the questions that often agitate the minds of advertisers and marketing ex-ecutives.

As a response to these and in an ef-fort to aid effective targeting of ads, a recent research report has tried to un-ravel the behaviour of consumers with the aim of guiding digital marketers for optimum results.

There is no doubt that digital is the future of advertising business and this is becoming increasingly obvious as or-ganisations of all sizes in a wide range of industries tailor their advertising story line to get more audience views.

The challenge of digital advertising always has been how to measure ad-spent to commensurate consumer pa-tronage and returns

However, the emergence of new tech-nologies is helping to overcome some of these challenges, and at the same time keep advertisers up to date on consumer viewership across channels, trends and preferences.

This is where a report from Millward Brown AdReaction, in a recent research becomes relevant. The report examines video use and creative response across screens and the impact for marketers.

The study, released recently, analyz-es multiscreen use and behavior among more than 13,500 consumers across 42 countries and, also includes learning from parallel copy testing conducted across TV, online video and mobile vid-eo ads. In the report, multiscreen us-ers were defined as people who own, or have access to a TV and a smartphone

More Nigerians view ads on mobile than TV – Report

THE STUDY FOUND THAT IN NIGERIA, AMONG MULTISCREEN USERS BETWEEN AGES 16 TO 45, VIDEOS ARE VIEWED FOR UP TO FOUR HOURS

AND A HALF DAILY, THAT IS ABOUT 272 MINUTES ON THE AVERAGE

A new report indicates that more Nigerians view advertisement on their mobile apps than multi media. DAVID AUDU reports on this trend as well as implications of digital advertising and opportunities for marketers.

Thursday, October 22, 2015National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 35

Brands & Marketing

and/or a tablet.According to Millward Brown, the

findings are expected to help market-ers understand how, where and why people view video; when consumers are open to advertising, and which creative approaches work best on each screen.

The study found that in Nigeria, among multiscreen users between ages 16 to 45, videos are viewed for up to four

hours and a half daily that is about 272 minutes on the average. While half of this video viewing, about 134 min-utes, is on TV, one-third view through mobile devices, about 70 minutes on smartphone, 24 minutes tablet, and the remainder 45 minutes is viewed on lap-tops or PCs.

The stressed that while digital pres-ents a significant advertising oppor-tunity for marketers, receptivity to digital video advertising is much lower with 41 percent favourable disposed to it compared to 58 per cent who show preference for live TV ads.

The report also noted that “while video is now available on myriad screens, applying TV thinking to digi-tal content and placement is simply not acceptable, adding that consumers expect more from online advertisers.”

Commenting on the new report, Millward Brown’s Global Brand Direc-tor for Digital, Duncan Southgate, said “by exploring behaviors and preferenc-es related to screens and advertising, the report provides a roadmap to help marketers build effective media plans and creative approaches that target the right people in the right context with the right content.”

The AdReaction Video report also identified a number of opportunities

for marketers to drive video creative effectiveness and success. One of these opportunities include the reali-sation that while people are receptive to targeting, but they do not want to be stalked.

The report also found that about 58 percent of consumers are most likely to be receptive to video ads targeted at them based on their interests or pre-ferred brands; while at least, 37 per-cent are receptive to ads based on their online search history.

The report further show that even though web browsing behavior may drive interest-based targeting, this im-plies that sensitive application of tar-geting is likely to work best.

Further analysis of the report shows that about 20 percent of consumers tend to show negative behaviours to-ward video ads on smartphones. Again, the report shows that advertisers need to earn the right for attention. Accord-ing to the report, this is seen in about 60 percent of consumers who said they were less likely to skip, and pay more attention to video ads that offer re-wards, and they were most receptive to skip and click-to-play ad formats that provide control over what they see.

On the issue of the role advertising contents in driving viewership, the finding believes content is still king. The findings noted on the need to con-sider digital early in the creative pro-cess, with an eye toward optimization across screens. “And while shippable formats are a creative challenge, they are worth the focus; aim for early im-pact”.

Additional key findings from AdRe-action highlighted are the facts that consumers feel that they have more control over digital ads than TV ads, with the majority, about 79 per cent, believing the digital devices give them the most control. This also explains their irritation by online ad formats which fail to respect this control, noted the report.

In addition, the report states that consumers favour skippable pre-rolls ads by 45 percent and skippable mobile pre-rolls by 57 percent ahead of mobile app pop-ups, which viewership per-centage stand at 34 percent.

However, the most popular ad for-mat is mobile app reward videos. With 60 percent in favour.

Overall the report concludes that consumers are slightly more receptive to viewing video ads while at home, scoring 53 percent compared to 44 per cent while at work.

TV

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net36

DAVID AUDU

A hotel cleaner, Amaka Agili-beazu, was a million naira richer in the ongoing Peak

‘Reach for Millions’ promo.Amaka Agilibeazu, a hotel

cleaner in the city of Enugu before becoming an instant millionaire through Peak promo

The school certificate holder and mother of one who resides in Enu-gu told reporters she saw the advert of the promo on a television adverts but never expect to win as big as a million naira.

“Actually, when I was playing in the promo by sending codes, I never thought I could win as big as a mil-lion naira and now, to God be the glory; Peak has made me an unex-pected millionaire.

She also claimed she never be-lieved it when a text message was sent to her that she had won a mil-lion naira in the promo

“When I saw the message that I have won a million naira, I did not

believe it because I was not expect-ing to win up to a million naira. I only tried my luck and see if I could win N50,000 or N100,000 but fortu-nately God has another plan for me through peak milk-I won a million naira.” She stated.

Amaka who was at the cheque presentation ceremony with her husband narrated how she felt when she was informed she had won a million naira in the peak promo.

“I can’t express how I felt when I received a text that I’ve won a mil-lion naira in the peak promo, it was like a miracle.

“I showed the text to my sister who didn’t really believe it also; but she however advised we should wait for their call. Of course they did call us and as I am talking to you N1 million is in my account right now courtesy of peak milk.

“It was as if I was dreaming, a million naira, just like that. I can never forget that moment; it was amazing and so exciting.

“When they called me eventu-ally to confirm I have won a million naira, I jumped up and fell rolling on the ground.”

Joyous Amaka who described peak’s largesse as ‘a rare magnani-mous privilege’ also hinted on her plans with the cash reward.

“It is a thing of joy when one’s life transformed unexpectedly and that was what peak has done. I strongly believe this money will transform our lives, it’s a rare magnanimous privilege and we will never forget this quickly.

“With this money from peak, I will definitely resign as a hotel cleaner and open a big provision retail shop with part of the money. Secondly, I will fix a certain amount for my child’s education and also support my husband in his busi-ness.”

The hotel cleaner who believes she now have a bright future how-ever thanked FrieslandCampina WAMCO, makers of Peak for the laudable promo.

Cleaner wins N1m in Peak ‘Reach for Millions’ promo DAVID AUDU

Former Managing Director of Guinness Nigeria Plc, Mr. Seni Adetu, is billed to lead an

array of panelists and discussants as Chairman at the 2015 Retail Con-gress Africa organised by i2i Events Group, an international events and trade exhibitions company.

The 2015 Retail Congress Africa which will hold early week in No-vember, 2015 in South Africa, will have as its theme, “Driving the pil-lars of growth: Expansion, Innova-tion, Operational Excellence and Consumer Knowledge.”

The congress, launched in 2013 and which serves as the only dedicat-ed and premier C-level strategic re-tail congress specific to Pan-African markets, is expected to bring togeth-er senior members from both the domestic and international retailer businesses who would hold discus-sions on how to advance and accel-erate the growth of retail markets in Africa’s budding economy with a view to maximise the opportunities available on the continent.

The event also provides an in-valuable opportunity for retailers to share ideas, be inspired by over 50 expert speakers and network with those directing the future of the in-dustry.

Prominent among leaders al-ready confirmed for the Congress are Greg Solomon, CEO McDonalds, South Africa, and Therese Gearhart, President, South Africa, The Coca-Cola Company.

Other leading Nigerian profes-sionals expected to speak at the congress include, Managing Direc-tor, L’Oreal Central West Africa, Idy Enang;, Chief Executive Officer, House of Tara, Tara Fela-Durotoye; and Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Smart Mark Limited, Layi Gobir,.

Regarded as one of Nigeria’s most astute business administra-tors, Seni Adetu, is a corporate icon of immense status having had a dis-tinguished 30 years non-stop work-ing experience with multinational companies at home and abroad. He is also a former runner-up, Forbes CEO of the year, East Africa

UK adspend grows to record six-month high of £9.4bn

Adspend in the UK grew to a record high of £9.42 billion in the first half of the year, ac-

cording to the latest Advertising As-sociation/Warc Expenditure Report.

UK advertising expenditure grew by 5.8 per cent, according to the report. Internet spends for H1 2015 increased by 13.3 per cent to £3.98 billion.

The strong growth in digital spends with driven by mobile, which accounted for 79 per cent.

Mobile adspend grew by 52.1 per cent and broke the billion pound bar-rier for a six-month period for the first time, coming in at £1.08 billion. £1.63 billion was spent on mobile for the whole of 2014.

The UK recorded the highest spend on mobile advertising in Europe and the third highest globally, after the US and China.

KEMI OLAITAN

A subsidiary of AJE Group, AJEAST Nigeria Limited, producer of carbonated soft

drinks, Big Cola, which recently launched in Lagos, has once again demonstrated its resolve to bringing quality products to satisfy the yearn-ings of consumers in the Nigeria.

The Country Manager in Nigeria, Mr. Theo Williams, while addressing consumers in Ibadan, the Oyo State and its environ recently said the prod-ucts, which comes in Cola, Orange and Lemon, are made using state-of-the arts production lines, that ensure quality hygienic and standards.

According to him, the soft drinks will be sold in 650ml PET bottles and other pack sizes.

“This is truly remarkable as no other player in Nigeria has given consumers value for money drink as Big Cola. The brand will have a rec-ommended retail price of N90.00 per 650ml bottle,” he said.

Williams added that a communi-cation campaign targeted pan-Nige-ria has been developed to support the launch of the drinks, stating that this include radio commercials, outdoor billboards, in-store promotions and major events, to mention a few.

He said, the company will em-bark on “an aggressive ‘Think BIG’ sampling promotional campaign to avail consumers a firsthand experi-ence of the unique taste of the prod-uct flavours. He said the ‘Think BIG’ promotional campaign will be at all retail point.

Big Cola launches in Ibadan

Total UK adspend was £18.58 bil-lion last year, with the internet mak-ing up £7.22 billion (38.9 per cent), followed by TV on £4.91 billion (26.4 per cent).

TV grew by 7.1 per cent for the first half of 2015, but this does not include video on demand adspend, which is counted as “internet”.

Tim Lefroy, the chief executive of the Advertising Association, said: “Advertising’s resilience points to the strength of the broader economy in the first half.

“The UK leads the world in ecom-merce and the trend to mobile means serving the public better – ads in the right place at the right time.”

Advertising spend is predicted to break the £20bn barrier in 2016, with a 5.8 per cent rise in 2015 and a 5.3 per cent rise in 2016.

Thursday, October 22, 2015Brands & Marketing

DAVID AUDU

Guinness Nigeria has empow-ered the National Youth Ser-vice Corps Rural Dwellers’

Health Initiative through the provi-sion of essential medicines.

These drugs were formally handed over to the NYSC at a flag-off ceremony, which held in Olorunda Local Council Development Area in Badagry, Lagos State.

The Rural Dwellers’ Health Ini-tiative provides a unique platform for corps members who are medi-cal professionals - Doctors, Nurses, Pharmacists and Medical Laborato-ry Scientists - to provide free health-care services to Nigerians living in remote, rural communities.

Speaking at the event, Director-General of the NYSC, Brig. Gen.

Johnson Olawumi, underlined the need to make quality healthcare ac-cessible to all Nigerians, especially people living in hard-to-reach rural communities. He also commended Guinness Nigeria for the timely and auspicious donation.

“We appreciate Guinness Nige-ria for this laudable effort. There is no doubt that the donation will go a long in enhancing the quality of care which corps members will deliver to beneficiaries of this initiative,” he said.

Guinness Nigeria’s Corporate Relations Director, Mr. Sesan So-bowale noted that the donation is in keeping with Guinness Nigeria’s commitment to creating thriving communities across the country.Mr. Sobowale who was represented by the company’s Sustainable Develop-

ment Manager, Mr. Osita Abana, also commended the NYSC for providing a platform where rural dwellers are able to access quality healthcare at no cost.

“This Rural Dwellers’ Health Initiative is indeed a laudable pro-gramme. We recognise that it will help improve the health and wellbe-ing of many Nigerians.We are there-fore pleased to support the NYSC as it flags off the programme today,” Abana said.

The Deputy Governor of Lagos state, Dr. Mrs Oluranti Adebule, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mr. Michael Daodu, urged residents of the community to take advantage of the week-long medical interven-tion by visiting consultation centres for free treatment.

Guinness supports NYSC rural dwellers health initiatve

L -R: One million Naira Winner of the Peak Reach for Millions Promo, Mrs. Amaka Agbilibeazu, receives her cheque from Area Sales Manager, Enugu, FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria Plc, Mr. Faith Kukogho, at the Peak Reach for Millions Promo Prize Presentation held in Enugu recently.

Adetu chairs Africa Retail Congress in S A

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 37Thursday, October 22, 2015 Brands & Marketing

DAVID AUDU

The Interactive Advertising Bureau’s Tech Lab has is-sued a new set of technical

standards for digital ads.According to senior Vice Presi-

dent of technology and ad opera-tions at the IAB and general man-ager of the IAB Tech Lab, Scott Cunningham, the new LEAN, an acronym for Light, Encrypted, Ad choice supported, Non-invasive ads, standards have become nec-essary because online consumers have grown tired of digital stan-dards that are intrusive and sap the speed of Web browsers on desktop and mobile,

“The rise of ad blocking poses a threat to the internet and could po-

IAB rolls out new digital ad standards

tentially drive users to an enclosed platform world dominated by a few companies,” Cunningham wrote in a column announcing the LEAN standards.

“We have let the fine equilib-rium of content; commerce and technology get out of balance in the open web.”

The LEAN standards are the beginning of the next chapter for online digital advertising, accord-ing to Cunningham, and the IAB Tech Lab will be seeking construc-tive input from all sides as the spe-cifics are hammered out moving forward.

“LEAN Ads do not replace the current advertising standards many consumers still enjoy and engage with while consuming con-

tent on our sites across all IP en-abled devices,” Cunningham wrote. “Rather, these principles will guide an alternative set of standards that provide choice for marketers, con-tent providers and consumers.”

For now, the LEAN standards will focus on frequency capping on retargeting in ad tech, in effort to make sure that users are targeted appropriately before, but not after, they make a purchase.

“If we are so good at reach and scale, we can be just as good, if not better, at moderation,” according to Cunningham. “Additionally, we must address volume of ads per page as well as continue on the path to view ability. The dependencies here are critical to an optimized user experience.”

DAVID AUDU

Intel has announced that its desire to sponsore the win-ner of the Lagos App Cir-

cus competition to Barcelona for the Mobile World Congress billed to take place next year..

Software and Services Lead, East Africa, Intel Corporation, Agatha Gikunda, disclosed dur-ing the App Circus competition finale, where team Verge POS, defeated seven other teams to emerge winner of the competi-tion.

Gikunda said Intel remains committed to providing oppor-tunities to developers all over the world and promoting their innovations.

According to her, there is only one App Circus competi-tion for Africa each year, and Intel is happy to bring the once a year opportunity to Nigeria.

“When App Circus was done in South Africa, a local devel-oper went on to win the global competition so we are excited at the prospects for Nigerian team, Verge POS, who we will be sponsoring with a 3 day pass to the Mobile World Congress in February” she said

On behalf of the judges, Vice President, Institute of Software Developers of Nige-ria, Yele Okeremi, in his key-note address commended the developers on their efforts and groundbreaking ideas, stating that they are on the right track. According to him “Your contri-bution to society will be mea-

sured by the impact you make, and not how much money you make”

On his part, spokesperson of the winning team Ogochuk-wu Francis Osifo expressed the team’s pleasure at winning the competition stating that it was a tall dream come true.

In his words “We are glad to be part of this exciting experi-ence especially since we just launched our app recently. We are extremely grateful to Intel for this opportunity and we are also looking forward to the In-ternational exposure, and pros-pect of future work with Intel as a brand behind us.”

The winning app, Verge POS, is an Android POS solu-tion for small scale retailers, which is free to download, al-lows offline work, and is backed up on the cloud was found by the judges to be the most prom-ising software after satisfying the criteria of Originality and Global appeal, Creativity and innovation.

App Circus is a global show-case of creative and innovative apps, and the Lagos competi-tion saw 8 software developer teams pitch their App ideas to a panel of judges in order to get feedback and advice on their ideas. Other teams that partici-pated in the finale include Ask the Expert who came second; Swap Naija, Route Buzz, Brain Friend, Campus Pal, Kunku, Scantranx POS and Koko for Messenger.

Intel sponsors “APP-circus” winner to mobile world congress

L-R: State Coordinator, NYSC Secretariat Lagos, Cyrille Akhanemhe, Director, Community Development Service, NDHQ, Abuja, Victoria Okhakhu, DG, NYSC, Brig. Gen. Johnson Olawunmi, Sustainable Development Manager, Guinness Nigeria, Osita Abana and Representative of the Deputy Governor of Lagos state, Micheal Dawodu at the presentation of drugs by Guinness Nigeria to the NYSC Health Initiative for Rural Dwellers which was flagged off in Olorunda LCDA, Badagry, Lagos State recently.

After two unsuccessful, yet near-win attempts at winning a brand new

Hyundai Elantra car in Gulder’s ongoing National Consumer Pro-motion, 21-year old Charles Ozoal-or eventually won the grand prize at the Ibadan leg, held recently.

The brand new car eluded Ozo-alor, a final year undergraduate twice - when he participated in the Enugu and Port Harcourt edi-tions.

The Gulder Ultimate Chase is part of the 2015 Gulder National Consumer Promotion which gives consumers the opportunity of winning a brand new Hyun-dai Elantra car if they are able to locate a chest which has the car keys. Discovering the chest is no mean feat as they have to overcome physical and mental tasking challenges which include

running and making sense of the coordinates on a map.

Speaking on his previous Gul-der Ultimate Chase experiences, the University of Nigeria law un-dergraduate said: “We ran from the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium to Okpara Square. I was so close to the car and I was the second per-son that the Gatekeeper handed over the map to. I was able to trace the location of three boxes. I opened the first two boxes and they were empty; but the guy behind me opened the third box which had the key. That was my experience in Enugu. The very fact that I came close to winning the grand prize made me not to lose hope. I felt that there was something in me that could still lead me to the ultimate prize.”

Charles Ozoalor also stated that he was unlucky in Port Har-

court on October 3. Despite being among the first five contestants to arrive at the Polo Club after the sprint from the Liberation Sta-dium, he unfortunately read the map upside down which led him to a direction far from the loca-tion of the chest which had the keys to the brand new car.

Charles however stated that he did not allow this losing streak to deter him. Instead, it spurred him to attend the Ibadan leg where he eventually emerged the grand prize winner. However, this vic-tory was almost short-lived as he was almost disqualified.

Charles Ozoalor stated that he would have gone to other venues where the Ultimate Chase was holding had he not won the brand new car in Ibadan.

He however had words for oth-er contestants who were not suc-

Undergraduate wins car in GUC Brand X-Ray

cessful. He said: “Don’t give up. Life is about 99 per cent perspira-tion and one per cent inspiration. I had to train harder in order to win this competition. Always work hard.”

Stating that the car had changed his life, he said: “Mobil-ity has always been an important thing in a man’s life. A lawyer needs a car. We all know what the transportation system in Nige-ria is like. I will drive the car to school, I will use it to court, I will drive it to the chambers where I will do my attachment; in fact my movement is made easier with this car.”

It was however different strokes for different folks. Ndu-buisi Christian Uchendu, the 300 level student of Electronics and Computer Engineering depart-ment of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka has been thrice unsuccessful. He had been to the Enugu, Port Harcourt and Ibadan

legs of the Ultimate Chase, but has been unsuccessful.

Speaking on what drives him to keep on contesting; he stated that it had been a learning curve for him. He said: “The Gulder Ultimate Chase is a learning pro-cess for me. I keep learning from my mistakes and I keep improv-ing.” He however vowed not to stop competing in the Ultimate Chase until he wins the brand new car grand prize.

To participate in the Gulder Ultimate Chase, consumers have to report at specific venues with six crown corks marked ‘Ultimate Chase’ and compete with other contestants. While the lucky win-ner will drive home a brand new car, other winners will go home with 200 mouth-watering prizes.

Consumers can also win brand new cars via the electronic raffle draws. To win, they have to send the alphanumeric codes under the crown corks to 20388.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net38 Thursday, October 22, 2015Insight National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net38 Thursday, August 20, 2015Insight

Attached vehicles worth millions of naira are rotting away in various Federal and State High Court premises, even as pending cases on these moveable assets are yet to be disposed of several months and perhaps, years after they were instituted. WALE IGBINTADE and MATTHEW IRINOYE report that these cars seized for judgment enforcement purposes, apart from becoming eyesore, are preventing lawyers and litigants from operating freely in the courts.

Attachment” is the legal process of seizing property to ensure satis-faction of a judgment while the

document by which a court orders such a seizure may be called a writ of attach-ment or an order of attachment.

Originally, the main purpose of at-tachment was to coerce a defendant into appearing in court and answering the plaintiff ’s claim. The court’s order will possibly make the Sheriff to take the de-fendant’s property into custody, depriv-ing the individual of the right to use or sell it. If the defendant obstinately refus-es to appear, the property could be sold by the court to pay off any monetary judg-ment entered against him or her. Today, the process of attachment has two func-tions, as a jurisdictional predicate and as a provisional remedy.

Attachment of property within reach of the court’s jurisdiction gives the court authority over the defendant to the ex-tent of that property’s value even if the court cannot reach the defendant person-ally. For example, a court must have some connection with the defendant in order to require that person to appear and defend himself or herself in an action before that court.

Different facts are sufficient to give the court jurisdiction over the defen-dant’s person; for example, the defen-dant’s residence within the state, the de-fendant’s commission of a wrongful act within the state, or the defendant’s doing business within the state.

If none of these kinds of facts exist to give the court jurisdiction over the defendant’s person, the court may never-theless assert its authority over property that the defendant owns within the state. In such a case, the plaintiff cannot recov-er a monetary judgment for an amount larger than the value of the property nor can the individual reach the defendant’s property outside the state, but this sort of jurisdiction, called jurisdiction in rem or quasi in rem, may be the best the plain-tiff can get. Before the court can exercise jurisdiction over the property, the plain-tiff must obtain a writ of attachment to bring it into custody of the court.

Attachment may also be a provisional remedy, that is, relief that temporarily offers the plaintiff some security while pursuing a final judgment in the lawsuit. For example, a plaintiff who has good reason to believe that the person he or she is suing is about to pack up and leave the state will want the court to prevent this until the plaintiff has a chance to win the action and collect on the judgment. The plaintiff can apply for an order of attach-ment that brings the property into the custody of the court and takes away the defendant’s right to remove it or dispose of it.

However, National Mirror investiga-tions in some courts in the country have shown that many judicial divisions in various parts of Nigeria are fast becom-ing dumping ground of vehicles, which were either recovered from judgement debtors or impounded in the course of court proceedings.

In the process, the confiscated vehi-

and a Range Rover Sport with registra-tion number OLD-03.

A visit by our correspondent to Ikeja Judicial Division of the state judiciary equally revealed that no fewer than 37 ve-hicles attached on the order of the court littered the nook and cranny of the prem-ises.

The vehicles with deflated tyres were parked in every available space within the court premises. Among the vehicles are; seven space buses, six jeeps, and sev-eral exotic cars.

Enquiries from an auto dealer showed that a space bus is sold for between N1.5million to N1.9m per one depending on the brand and the year of manufac-ture. Each of the Extera Jeeps sells for about N1.3m; a Benz Jeep is sold for about N2.2m while each of the Toyota Land Cruisers sells for about N2.2m.

National Mirror gathered that some of the vehicles have been seized and brought to the court premises for past

Some of the seized expensive cars parked in the court premises

IN NIGERIA, THE POWER OF A COURT TO ENFORCE AND ENSURE COMPLIANCE WITH ITS

JUDGMENT OR ORDER IS DERIVED FROM SECTION 6(6)(A) OF THE 1999 CONSTITUTION (AS

AMENDED)

cles are exposed to the vagaries of weath-er in the judicial divisions where they are parked.

Most litigants and lawyers are miffed at the sight of the number of exotic ve-hicles that litter court premises in the country.

At the Lagos Judicial Division of the State High Court, several vehicles worth millions of naira have taken over car parks thereby reducing the quantum of parking space reserved for lawyers and litigants.

Recently, a Lagos High Court had or-dered an interim forfeiture of three vehi-cles allegedly seized from one Lawrence Orimogunje, a 28-year-old undergraduate of Lead City University, Oyo State. He was said to have acquired them through fraudulent activities.

The vehicles, according to investiga-tion are, a Nissan Infinity G35 with reg-istration number EP150 ABJ, a Chrysler 300 with registration number OLD-01,

three months. Efforts made by our correspondent to

speak with the Chief Registrar (CR), state high court and the Public Relations Offi-cer (PRO) of the court proved abortive.

But speaking on the issue, a Lagos lawyer, Mr. Napoleon Nwachukwu, said, ‘’Properties that have been impounded by the order of court are something that many of us are still worried about. This is because when you come to court you see spaces that ought to be used for more meaningful things are occupied by con-fiscated or impounded vehicles belonging to judgment debtors. It tells a lot about a people, in saner environment once judge-ment is given against you make the ef-fort to comply with the judgement of the court, you pay.

Nwachukwu continued, “It shows you believe in the system that found you guilty and that you are honest. But in Ni-geria, a judgement creditor will have to pursue a debtor by another round of liti-gation. You spend more money and time to reap the fruit of your judgement. If people obey the judgement of court there would be no need for writ of fifa to seize your properties and thereby littering the court premises. We need to imbibe the culture of obeying court orders.”

In his view, another lawyer, Mr. Akin-wumi Akinfule, said, ‘’It is an unfortunate development to have so many abandoned vehicles within court premises.’’

Akinfule said though the vehicles

Judgment debts: Why luxurious 38 National Mirror

www.nationalmirroronline.netThursday, July 2, 2015 Insight

luxuryJudgment debts: Why luxury cars rot in court premises

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 39Thursday, October 22, 2015 InsightNational Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 39InsightThursday, August 20, 2015

Barr. Napoleon Nwachukwu not happy over the development

CJN, Justice Mohammed Lagos Chief Judge, Justice Atilade

Another set of attached cars

needs an urgent attention.” The Assistant Secretary, Nigerian Bar

Association (NBA) Ikeja Branch, Mr. Ad-eyemi Abijo, said the abandoned vehicles within the court premises usually de-prive the lawyers and litigants the oppor-tunity of making use of parking spaces within the court premises.

Admitting though that the vehicles were confiscated by the courts through process of execution of court’s judgment, Abijo supported his colleagues’ call that the state judiciary should look into the issue so that lawyers and litigants who come to court with their vehicles could have enough parking spaces.

He said, “Of recently, lawyers and the litigants find it difficult to secure space to park cars within the court premises to the extent that the Divisional Police Offi-cer of (Area F) Command visited the bar centre to complain on the habitual indis-criminate roadside parking of vehicles by lawyers and litigants within the pre-cinct of Area F Command, Ikeja.

From Oyo State Judiciary, our corre-spondent reported that only about seven impounded vehicles were parked in both Oyo State High Court premises in Iya-ganku and Ring Road, Ibadan respective-ly. With this development, it would not be out of place to say that the state has one of the least attached goods in its court premises.

MANY JUDICIAL DIVISIONS IN VARIOUS

PARTS OF NIGERIA ARE FAST BECOMING

DUMPING GROUND OF VEHICLES,

WHICH WERE EITHER RECOVERED FROM

JUDGEMENT DEBTORS OR IMPOUNDED IN THE

COURSE OF COURT PROCEEDINGS

cars rot in court premises But speaking on this development, the

state Chief Registrar, Mrs. A. A. Olatunji-Daniel, said it was not long that the aban-doned vehicles in court premises across the state were disposed off.

According to her, the vehicles pres-ently in court premises in the state are there because there are court cases sur-rounding them.

Olatunji-Daniel said, “We do not have abandoned vehicles in our court prem-ises right now. This is because it was just last year that we disposed off those who littered the courts. The few that we have now are there because cases are going on concerning them.”

Indeed, it is trite that every successful litigant is entitled to the fruit of his judg-ment. It is also a truism that the overrid-ing function of the judicial process of enforcement is to enable the judgment creditor reap the fruits of his judgment with a view to obtaining for him due satisfaction, compensation, restitution, performance or compliance with what the court has granted by way of remedy or relief. The process of enforcement is broadly referred to as execution.

Lord Denning aptly summarised the process thus: ‘’Execution means quite simply the process for enforcing or giving effect to the judgment of the court… In case when execution was had by means of a Common Law writ, such as fieri fa-cias; it was legal execution; when it was had by means of an equitable remedy, such as the appointment of a Receiver then it was equitable execution because it was the process for enforcing or giving effect to the judgment of the court.’’

At all times however, the process of enforcement is at the initiative of the successful party. In Nigeria, the power of a court to enforce and ensure compliance with its judgment or order is derived from Section 6(6)(a) of the 1999 Constitu-tion (as amended).

This portion of the country’s organic law directs that the judicial powers of the court “shall extend notwithstanding any-thing to the contrary in this constitution to all inherent powers and sanctions of a court of law.” Outside of the constitution, other laws that regulate enforcements of judgments in Nigeria are the Sheriffs and Civil Process Act, the Sheriffs and Civil Process Laws of the States and the Judg-ments (Enforcement) Rules made there under.

It must be emphasised that the Judg-ments (Enforcement) Rules do not apply to proceedings in customary courts be-cause the Sheriffs and Civil Process Act under which the Rules were made defines “court” as including only the High Court and Magistrates’ Court.

The said Act also defines a judgment as including an order and as a conse-quence, references to judgments in this piece include the orders of courts. It should be observed that these laws name the Sheriff, the Deputy Sheriffs and the Bailiffs as the officers critical to the en-tire process of execution of the judg-ments of courts.

•Additional report from Kemi Olaitan, Ibadan

might be seized in one way or the other yet, where their owners have refused to show up to do what is required of them in accordance with the law, the authorities concerned should auction the vehicles after proper notice had been given to the owners to avoid another round of litiga-tion.

“For instance, I could not see space to park my car within the court premises so, I had to park outside where I do not even know whether my car is safe or not.

“I just have to park and come to court to do what I wanted to do, I think in one breath keeping abandoned vehicles with-in the court premises is an aberration and it is highly condemnable.”

Lagos lawyer, Abdulbarka Samsudeen, described the problem as an administra-tive issue which needed urgent attention by the State Chief Justice, Olufunmilayo Atilade, to quickly intervene.

He said, “I want to urge the CJ and other stakeholders to do something about the issue because it is really affecting law-yers and the litigants.”

Samsudeen revealed, “A friend of mine once told me that he had a matter and he could not see where to park within the court premises, he had to move else-where and before he could park and ap-pear before the court, the matter had al-ready been called and a new adjourned date was fixed because he could not get

where to park conveniently and attend to his case in court.

“We are aware that those vehicles are there for one reason or the other but it should not occupy space that lawyers and litigants usually use when they come to court. It is a serious matter that really

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 39Thursday, July 2, 2015 Insight

Judgment debts: Why luxury cars rot in court premises

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net40 Thursday, October 22, 2015Cocktail

x

Snake owner and his snake after being thrown off the bus in downtown Philadelphia

Zambians have taken part in a national day of prayer seeking di-

vine help for the country’s economic woes following a collapse in global copper prices.

Zambia, Africa’s second biggest copper producer, has seen its kwacha curren-cy tumble nearly 50 per cent against the dollar this year, driving up food prices.

Churches across the southern African nation conducted prayer service as they responded to call from

President Edgar Lungu.Football matches sched-

uled for the day were post-poned and bars and restau-rants were encouraged to close in a bid to encourage more Zambians to join the prayer gatherings.

“I personally believe that since we humbled ourselves and cried out to God, the Lord has heard our cry,” Lungu, adding, “I appeal to all of you to do your best and leave the rest to God.”

Zambia’s 1996 constitu-tion designates the southern

African country officially as a Christian nation.

“The shortage of elec-tricity has affected all of us. Companies are scaling down production and lay-ing off workers,” Catholic priest, Michael Mawelera, said during the mass at Good Shepherd Kabwata parish in the capital Lusaka.

“Prices of essential com-modities have risen because of the depreciation of the kwacha. We need to seek God’s hand,” Mawelera said.

Oddities

Loose snake causes Philadelphia evacuation

Zambia seeks “divine solution” to economic woes

‘Why man stole taxi’

A man accused of stealing a taxi after he was discharged

from a Des Moines hospi-tal said he committed the offence because he did not want to walk home.

Des Moines police said yesterday that 26-year-old Luis Orellana-Rivera drove off with the vehicle shortly after he was re-leased from Mercy Medi-cal Center and the unoc-cupied taxi had the key in the ignition at the time.

Orellana-Rivera was

spotted about a half hour late and police say he had the key to the taxi in his pocket at the time of his arrest.

Des Moines television station said the offender had told police he stole the vehicle because he “didn’t want to walk six blocks home”.

Orellana-Rivera, who faces a second-degree theft charge, has been kept in county jail as the court records do not list an at-torney.

Officials said yes-terday that an escaped four-foot

snake on a bus prompted an emergency evacuation in Philadelphia.

Transit authority officials said a person carrying a boa constrictor got on board the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority

bus just before 3 p.m.The snake’s owner, 26-year-

old Koron Riley, told journal-ists that he had the snake draped around his neck and hidden under his jacket.

The bus had to be evacu-

ated after the snake somehow got loose and coiled itself un-der a seat. A SEPTA mechan-ic was able to dismantle the seat, allowing a transit police officer to retrieve the snake and return it to Riley.

SEPTA policy allows riders to bring service ani-mals or small, contained pets onto trains or buses.

Police however said they were yet to decide if charges would be filed.

Overnight lend-ing rates and yields on long

term bonds rose yester-day after commercial lenders pre-funded their accounts with the cen-tral bank for currency purchases, soaking up system liquidity, traders said.

The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has been trying to stimulate lend-ing and stave off a reces-sion in the country after second quarter growth slowed owing to a per-sistent drop in oil prices and currency controls.

But liquidity started to shrink after the regu-lator debited lenders for currency purchases on behalf of customers

review period, from N2.07 trillion recorded in the corresponding period of 2014.

The total liabilities in-creased to N2.05 trillion in the three months from N1.81 trillion recorded in the same period of 2014, while net assets stood at N351,9 billion, an increase of 32 per cent when com-pared to N265 billion re-corded in 2014.

Speaking on the re-sults, the Group Manag-ing Director, Mr. Herbert Wigwe noted that the bank continues to main-tain strong growth in earnings reflecting our commitment to deliver on our objectives for 2015.

According to him, the group posted a profit be-

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 41Thursday, October 22, 2015 Capital Market

Johnson okanlawon

Trading in equities closed on a nega-tive note on the Ni-

gerian Stock Exchange yesterday, as some inves-tors took profit from the previous gains.

Specifically, the All Share Index dropped 0.42 per cent to close at 30,199.15 points, com-pared to the appreciation of 0.35 per cent recorded the preceding day to

close.Market capitalisa-tion lost N24 billion to close at N10.38 trillion, in contrast to the in-crease of N37 billion re-corded the preceding day to close at N10.42 trillion.

Oando Plc led the gainers’ table with 76 kobo or 8.34 per cent to close at N9,87 per share, followed by Transna-tional Express Plc with seven kobo or 6.09 per cent to close at N1.22 per share.

Air Service Plc

Equities erase gain, shed 0.42%

Overnight rate, bond yields rise as liquidity thins

Johnson okanlawon

Access Bank has sustained perfor-mance in its unau-

dited results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2015, showing positive growth in financial indi-ces.

The unaudited finan-cial results released to the Nigerian Stock Exchange yesterday showed that the bank recorded a gross earnings of N258billion, representing an increase of 42 per cent over the N182billion recorded in the same period in 2014.

Its interest income rose 17.9 per cent to N155,4 billion, from N131.7 bil-lion recorded in the cor-responding period of 2014 while operating income in-

Access Bank earnings hits N258bn in nine months

Stock Updates

GAINERSCOMPANY OPENING CLOSING CHANGE % CHANGE

OANDO 9.11 9.87 0.76 8.34

TRANSEXPR 1.15 1.22 0.07 6.09

AIRSERVICE 1.85 1.94 0.09 4.86

GUINNESS 144.00 150.80 6.80 4.72

EVANSMED 0.59 0.61 0.02 3.39

VITAFOAM 5.12 5.29 0.17 3.32

NPFMCRFBK 1.02 1.05 0.03 2.94

NB 135.25 138.02 2.77 2.05

CUTIX 1.58 1.60 0.02 1.27

ACCESS 4.95 4.99 0.04 0.81

LOSERSCOMPANY OPENING CLOSING CHANGE % CHANGE

ARBICO 5.30 5.04 -0.26 -4.91

ACADEMY 0.62 0.59 -0.03 -4.84

DNMEYER 0.73 0.70 -0.03 -4.11

COSTAIN 0.55 0.53 -0.02 -3.64

DANGSUGAR 6.57 6.35 -0.22 -3.35

FIDSON 3.10 3.00 -0.10 -3.23

UBCAP 1.40 1.36 -0.04 -2.86

DANGCEM 168.95 164.55 -4.40 -2.60

FLOURMILL 21.41 21.00 -0.41 -1.91

TRANSCORP 2.12 2.08 -0.04 -1.89

Market indicatorsAll-Share Index 30,199.15 points

Market capitalisation 10.41trn

Source: NSE

and also withdrew gov-ernment funds from the banking system to soak up liquidity, impacting the bond market.

“Liquidity is slowing down the buying spree,” one trader said, add-ing that funds were also booking month-end prof-its.

Yield on the 20-year bond rose to 13.8 per cent, up 29 basis points from its previous close, while the benchmark 10-year paper edged up 23 basis point to 13.35 per cent as liquidity thinned out.

“We had a pension fund on the 20-year that stopped buying. When they stayed out of the market, yields went back up,” another trader said.

Banking system li-quidity opened lower at N385 billion ($1.93 bil-lion), lifting up over-night lending rates to 5.5 per cent from one per cent the previous day, traders said. Overnight rates have stayed as low as 0.5 per cent in the past week.

Liquidity topped N1 trillion last week as the bank injected cash through repayment for matured Open Market Operation, OMO, bills and refunds due to lend-ers after it reduced cash reserves requirements.

Traders expect addi-tional OMO maturities of around N200 billion to hit the system in two

Description Price Yield Price Yield

15.10 27-APR-2017 1.55 101.99 13.62 102.14 13.51

16.00 29-JUN-2019 3.73 106.01 13.86 106.31 13.76

15.54 13-FEB-2020 4.35 105.41 13.83 105.71 13.74

16.39 27-JAN-2022 6.31 109.40 14.08 109.70 14.01

14.20 14-MAR-2024 8.43 99.49 14.30 99.79 14.24

10.00 23-JUL-2030 14.79 68.00 15.59 68.30 15.52

Tenor Rate (%)

O/N 2.0833

1M 14.0654

3M 15.3013

6M 16.7049

Maturity Date Bid Offer

07-Jan-16 8.93 9.13

07-Apr-16 11.05 11.69

01-Sep-16 11.63 13.00

Treasury Bills

NIBOR

FGN BondsBid Offer

Closing Market Prices of October 7, 2015

The Fixings of October 7, 2015

creased to N178 billion, from 125 billion.

The group posted a profit before tax of N60billion, which showed an increase of 43 per cent when compared to the third quarter of 2014 at N42billion. Profit after tax was up 34 per cent in 2015 to N48billion compared to N35billion in nine months of 2014.

The bank’s return on average equity stood at 2.15 per cent, from 1.85 per cent recorded in the same period of 2014, while profit after tax margin stood at 18.7 per cent from 19.3 per cent in 2014.

Analysis of the bank’s balance sheet showed that its total assets rose to N2.40 trillion in the

fore tax of N60 billion in the three months, compared to N42 billion recorded in the same period of 2014 in spite of the significant policy headwinds in the first nine months of the year.

“We continue to invest in technology, enhance our processes and im-prove service delivery whilst reducing cost as we deploy simple and ef-ficient digital solutions to meet the needs of our customers.

“The recent upgrade of our core banking ap-plications will act as cat-alyst for the sustainable growth of our retail base and deepen our share in key focus market seg-ments,” he stated.

Inter-Bank RateNaira US DollarN197 $1

Exchange Rates (N)

WAUA 270

USD 197

EURO 214

CFA 0.32

YEN 1.64

SWISS FRANC

202

POUNDS STERLING

293

SDR 273

Rate (%)

Inflation 8.2

MPR 13

Crude oil price $58.96

gained seven kobo or 6.09 per cent to close at N1.94 per share, while Guinness Nigeria Plc added N6.80 or 4.72 per cent to close at N150.80 per share.

Evans Medicals Plc ap-preciated two kobo or 3.39 per cent to close at 61 kobo per share.

Conversely, Arbico Plc shed 26 kobo or 4.91 per cent to close at N5.04 per share, while Academy Press Plc fell three kobo or 4.84 per cent to close at 59 per share.

DN Meyer Plc depre-ciated three kobo or 4.11 per cent to close at N70 kobo per share, while Costain Plc declined two kobo or 3.64 per cent to close at 53 kobo per share.

Dangote Flour Mills Plc depreciated 22 kobo or 3.35 per cent to close at N6.35 per share.

A total of 207.5 mil-lion shares valued at N3.44 billion were trad-ed in 2,767 deals.

weeks, coupled with gov-ernment revenue disburs-als of another N200 bil-lion due month-end.

Daily Summary as of 21/10/2015Printed 21/10/2015 14:32:39.039

Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © Page 1 of 12

Daily Summary (Bonds)

No Debt Trading Activity

Daily Summary (Equities)

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

AGRICULTURECrop Production Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value Traded

OKOMU OIL PALM PLC. OKOMUOIL 4 35.63 7,869 266,365.65PRESCO PLC PRESCO 7 30.50 10,335 331,476.45

Crop Production Totals 11 18,204 597,842.10

Livestock/Animal Specialties Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value TradedLIVESTOCK FEEDS PLC. LIVESTOCK 9 1.73 100,750 169,245.50

Livestock/Animal Specialties Totals 9 100,750 169,245.50

AGRICULTURE Totals 20 118,954 767,087.60

CONGLOMERATESDiversified Industries Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value Traded

A.G. LEVENTIS NIGERIA PLC. AGLEVENT 1 1.03 1,000 1,020.00TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATION OF NIGERIA PLC TRANSCORP 92 2.08 6,838,300 14,322,865.49U A C N PLC. UACN 57 29.00 545,934 15,850,335.00

Diversified Industries Totals 150 7,385,234 30,174,220.49

CONGLOMERATES Totals 150 7,385,234 30,174,220.49





CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATEBuilding Construction Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value Traded

ARBICO PLC. ARBICO 1 5.04 5,411,025 27,271,566.00Building Construction Totals 1 5,411,025 27,271,566.00

Building Structure/Completion/Other Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value TradedCOSTAIN (W A) PLC. COSTAIN 10 0.53 475,200 251,856.00

Building Structure/Completion/Other Totals 10 475,200 251,856.00

Infrastructure/Heavy Construction Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value TradedJULIUS BERGER NIG. PLC. JBERGER 6 39.99 1,657 67,268.60

Infrastructure/Heavy Construction Totals 6 1,657 67,268.60

Real Estate Development Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value TradedUACN PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT CO. LIMITED UAC-PROP 4 8.17 6,212 49,051.40

Real Estate Development Totals 4 6,212 49,051.40

CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Totals 21 5,894,094 27,639,742.00

CONSUMER GOODSAutomobiles/Auto Parts Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value Traded

DN TYRE & RUBBER PLC DUNLOP 2 0.50 54,800 27,400.00Automobiles/Auto Parts Totals 2 54,800 27,400.00

Beverages--Brewers/Distillers Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value TradedCHAMPION BREW. PLC. CHAMPION 9 4.60 109,900 480,263.00GUINNESS NIG PLC GUINNESS 49 150.80 146,862 22,078,372.40INTERNATIONAL BREWERIES PLC. INTBREW 6 17.00 37,576 638,792.00





CONSUMER GOODSBeverages--Brewers/Distillers Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value Traded

NIGERIAN BREW. PLC. NB 104 138.02 1,897,725 260,897,804.32Beverages--Brewers/Distillers Totals 168 2,192,063 284,095,231.72

Beverages--Non-Alcoholic Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value Traded7-UP BOTTLING COMP. PLC. 7UP 16 197.00 34,506 6,797,177.00

Beverages--Non-Alcoholic Totals 16 34,506 6,797,177.00

Food Products Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value TradedDANGOTE FLOUR MILLS PLC DANGFLOUR 21 2.60 50,186 130,468.81DANGOTE SUGAR REFINERY PLC DANGSUGAR 27 6.35 1,253,213 7,977,320.27FLOUR MILLS NIG. PLC. FLOURMILL 85 21.00 677,572 14,298,848.16HONEYWELL FLOUR MILL PLC HONYFLOUR 10 2.67 126,738 340,439.50NASCON ALLIED INDUSTRIES PLC NASCON 12 7.41 36,740 273,666.68

Food Products Totals 155 2,144,449 23,020,743.42

Food Products--Diversified Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value TradedCADBURY NIGERIA PLC. CADBURY 37 22.00 140,557 2,949,339.19NESTLE NIGERIA PLC. NESTLE 34 830.00 964,967 800,776,586.84

Food Products--Diversified Totals 71 1,105,524 803,725,926.03

Household Durables Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value TradedVITAFOAM NIG PLC. VITAFOAM 26 5.29 473,306 2,369,978.60VONO PRODUCTS PLC. VONO 1 0.93 38,400 34,560.00

Household Durables Totals 27 511,706 2,404,538.60





CONSUMER GOODSPersonal/Household Products Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value Traded

P Z CUSSONS NIGERIA PLC. PZ 26 25.18 97,110 2,453,497.80UNILEVER NIGERIA PLC. UNILEVER 28 44.83 88,357 3,778,316.79

Personal/Household Products Totals 54 185,467 6,231,814.59

CONSUMER GOODS Totals 493 6,228,515 1,126,302,831.36

FINANCIAL SERVICESBanking Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value Traded

ACCESS BANK PLC. ACCESS 166 4.99 6,425,416 32,464,453.96DIAMOND BANK PLC DIAMONDBNK 63 2.85 7,124,249 20,662,333.53ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INCORPORATED ETI 29 18.75 190,876 3,472,947.69FIDELITY BANK PLC FIDELITYBK 34 1.50 1,152,838 1,720,476.64GUARANTY TRUST BANK PLC. GUARANTY 234 24.05 16,501,546 397,245,796.02SKYE BANK PLC SKYEBANK 21 2.15 231,399 500,823.21STERLING BANK PLC. STERLNBANK 19 2.19 535,141 1,147,249.87UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA PLC UBA 101 4.23 6,979,055 29,508,348.80UNION BANK NIG.PLC. UBN 43 5.55 381,336 2,067,492.20UNITY BANK PLC UNITYBNK 10 1.53 213,025 324,498.00WEMA BANK PLC. WEMABANK 38 0.99 1,743,156 1,661,998.20

Banking Totals 758 41,478,037 490,776,418.12

Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value TradedAIICO INSURANCE PLC. AIICO 19 0.88 404,410 353,521.26CONTINENTAL REINSURANCE PLC CONTINSURE 6 1.00 156,780 157,160.00





FINANCIAL SERVICESInsurance Carriers, Brokers and Services Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value Traded

CORNERSTONE INSURANCE COMPANY PLC. CORNERST 3 0.50 11,000 5,500.00INTERNATIONAL ENERGY INSURANCE COMPANY PLC INTENEGINS 1 0.50 9,333 4,666.50AXAMANSARD INSURANCE PLC MANSARD 5 2.55 13,800 35,622.00MUTUAL BENEFITS ASSURANCE PLC. MBENEFIT 1 0.50 25,000 12,500.00N.E.M INSURANCE CO (NIG) PLC. NEM 9 0.70 487,770 338,343.60STANDARD ALLIANCE INSURANCE PLC. STDINSURE 2 0.50 73,287 36,643.50UNIC INSURANCE PLC. UNIC 1 0.50 20,000 10,000.00WAPIC INSURANCE PLC WAPIC 6 0.50 3,245 1,622.50

Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services Totals 53 1,204,625 955,579.36

Micro-Finance Banks Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value TradedNPF MICROFINANCE BANK PLC NPFMCRFBK 11 1.05 795,000 834,650.00

Micro-Finance Banks Totals 11 795,000 834,650.00

Mortgage Carriers, Brokers and Services Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value TradedASO SAVINGS AND LOANS PLC ASOSAVINGS 1 0.50 188,000 94,000.00RESORT SAVINGS & LOANS PLC RESORTSAL 3 0.50 420,000 210,000.00UNION HOMES SAVINGS AND LOANS PLC. UNHOMES 2 5.23 1,281 6,366.57

Mortgage Carriers, Brokers and Services Totals 6 609,281 310,366.57

Other Financial Institutions Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value TradedAFRICA PRUDENTIAL REGISTRARS PLC AFRIPRUD 22 2.66 452,929 1,200,563.23CUSTODIAN AND ALLIED PLC CUSTODYINS 10 4.20 461,101 1,936,624.20FCMB GROUP PLC. FCMB 21 2.17 257,350 557,769.36STANBIC IBTC HOLDINGS PLC STANBIC 27 23.10 854,838 19,750,826.82





FINANCIAL SERVICESOther Financial Institutions Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value Traded

UBA CAPITAL PLC UBCAP 71 1.36 7,802,904 10,711,283.23Other Financial Institutions Totals 151 9,829,122 34,157,066.84

FINANCIAL SERVICES Totals 979 53,916,065 527,034,080.89

HEALTHCAREHealthcare Providers Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value Traded

UNION DIAGNOSTIC & CLINICAL SERVICES PLC UNIONDAC 1 0.50 20,000 10,000.00Healthcare Providers Totals 1 20,000 10,000.00

Pharmaceuticals Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value TradedEVANS MEDICAL PLC. EVANSMED 12 0.61 479,373 292,372.73FIDSON HEALTHCARE PLC FIDSON 5 3.00 62,000 186,030.00GLAXO SMITHKLINE CONSUMER NIG. PLC. GLAXOSMITH 6 39.00 23,482 933,034.50MAY & BAKER NIGERIA PLC. MAYBAKER 4 1.17 21,000 25,620.00NEIMETH INTERNATIONAL PHARMACEUTICALS PLC NEIMETH 8 1.03 61,600 61,200.00

Pharmaceuticals Totals 35 647,455 1,498,257.23

HEALTHCARE Totals 36 667,455 1,508,257.23

ICTIT Services Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value Traded

NCR (NIGERIA) PLC. NCR 1 11.02 20 209.40TRIPPLE GEE AND COMPANY PLC. TRIPPLEG 1 1.69 5,400 8,694.00

IT Services Totals 2 5,420 8,903.40





ICTProcessing Systems Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value Traded

E-TRANZACT INTERNATIONAL PLC ETRANZACT 1 2.85 2,000 5,960.00Processing Systems Totals 1 2,000 5,960.00

Telecommunications Services Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value TradedMASS TELECOMMUNICATION INNOVATIONS NIGERIA PLC

MTI 1 0.50 1,000 500.00

Telecommunications Services Totals 1 1,000 500.00

ICT Totals 4 8,420 15,363.40

INDUSTRIAL GOODSBuilding Materials Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value Traded

ASHAKA CEM PLC ASHAKACEM 9 23.00 18,599 418,494.00BERGER PAINTS PLC BERGER 6 10.87 12,127 125,271.91CAP PLC CAP 3 38.00 2,200 85,015.00CEMENT CO. OF NORTH.NIG. PLC CCNN 8 7.38 72,261 553,488.45DN MEYER PLC. DNMEYER 1 0.70 12,157,547 8,510,282.90FIRST ALUMINIUM NIGERIA PLC FIRSTALUM 1 0.50 5,850 2,925.00LAFARGE AFRICA PLC. WAPCO 25 98.99 173,502 17,111,348.64

Building Materials Totals 53 12,442,086 26,806,825.90

Electronic and Electrical Products Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value TradedCUTIX PLC. CUTIX 12 1.60 4,600,799 7,353,577.63

Electronic and Electrical Products Totals 12 4,600,799 7,353,577.63





INDUSTRIAL GOODSPackaging/Containers Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value Traded

BETA GLASS CO PLC. BETAGLAS 1 43.00 10,000 422,500.00Packaging/Containers Totals 1 10,000 422,500.00

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Totals 66 17,052,885 34,582,903.53

NATURAL RESOURCESMetals Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value Traded

ALUMINIUM EXTRUSION IND. PLC. ALEX 1 9.84 50 467.50Metals Totals 1 50 467.50

NATURAL RESOURCES Totals 1 50 467.50

OIL AND GASEnergy Equipment and Services Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value Traded

JAPAUL OIL & MARITIME SERVICES PLC JAPAULOIL 1 0.50 48,000 24,000.00Energy Equipment and Services Totals 1 48,000 24,000.00

Integrated Oil and Gas Services Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value TradedOANDO PLC OANDO 178 9.87 78,524,632 768,650,230.25

Integrated Oil and Gas Services Totals 178 78,524,632 768,650,230.25

Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value TradedCONOIL PLC CONOIL 4 27.41 2,290 59,631.60





OIL AND GASPetroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value Traded

ETERNA PLC. ETERNA 3 1.71 44,000 73,300.00FORTE OIL PLC. FO 76 290.00 165,604 47,151,385.24MOBIL OIL NIG PLC. MOBIL 23 154.00 62,121 9,118,203.70MRS OIL NIGERIA PLC. MRS 1 49.66 2 94.36TOTAL NIGERIA PLC. TOTAL 12 150.01 27,815 4,204,041.17

Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors Totals 119 301,832 60,606,656.07

Exploration and Production Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value TradedSEPLAT PETROLEUM DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LTD SEPLAT 9 234.50 2,503 584,544.50

Exploration and Production Totals 9 2,503 584,544.50

OIL AND GAS Totals 307 78,876,967 829,865,430.82

SERVICESAutomobile/Auto Part Retailers Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value Traded

R T BRISCOE PLC. RTBRISCOE 2 0.57 23,504 12,927.20Automobile/Auto Part Retailers Totals 2 23,504 12,927.20

Courier/Freight/Delivery Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value TradedRED STAR EXPRESS PLC REDSTAREX 14 4.25 671,760 2,859,740.00TRANS-NATIONWIDE EXPRESS PLC. TRANSEXPR 5 1.22 57,000 69,490.00

Courier/Freight/Delivery Totals 19 728,760 2,929,230.00

Employment Solutions Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value TradedC & I LEASING PLC. CILEASING 3 0.50 15,354 7,677.00





OIL AND GASPetroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value Traded

ETERNA PLC. ETERNA 3 1.71 44,000 73,300.00FORTE OIL PLC. FO 76 290.00 165,604 47,151,385.24MOBIL OIL NIG PLC. MOBIL 23 154.00 62,121 9,118,203.70MRS OIL NIGERIA PLC. MRS 1 49.66 2 94.36TOTAL NIGERIA PLC. TOTAL 12 150.01 27,815 4,204,041.17

Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors Totals 119 301,832 60,606,656.07

Exploration and Production Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value TradedSEPLAT PETROLEUM DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LTD SEPLAT 9 234.50 2,503 584,544.50

Exploration and Production Totals 9 2,503 584,544.50

OIL AND GAS Totals 307 78,876,967 829,865,430.82

SERVICESAutomobile/Auto Part Retailers Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value Traded

R T BRISCOE PLC. RTBRISCOE 2 0.57 23,504 12,927.20Automobile/Auto Part Retailers Totals 2 23,504 12,927.20

Courier/Freight/Delivery Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value TradedRED STAR EXPRESS PLC REDSTAREX 14 4.25 671,760 2,859,740.00TRANS-NATIONWIDE EXPRESS PLC. TRANSEXPR 5 1.22 57,000 69,490.00

Courier/Freight/Delivery Totals 19 728,760 2,929,230.00

Employment Solutions Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value TradedC & I LEASING PLC. CILEASING 3 0.50 15,354 7,677.00





SERVICESEmployment Solutions Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value TradedEmployment Solutions Totals 3 15,354 7,677.00

Hotels/Lodging Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value TradedIKEJA HOTEL PLC IKEJAHOTEL 4 3.44 20,210 66,694.90

Hotels/Lodging Totals 4 20,210 66,694.90

Media/Entertainment Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value TradedDAAR COMMUNICATIONS PLC DAARCOMM 1 0.50 57,300 28,650.00

Media/Entertainment Totals 1 57,300 28,650.00

Printing/Publishing Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value TradedACADEMY PRESS PLC. ACADEMY 2 0.59 125,000 74,350.00STUDIO PRESS (NIG) PLC. STUDPRESS 2 2.30 1,020 2,233.80

Printing/Publishing Totals 4 126,020 76,583.80

Road Transportation Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value TradedASSOCIATED BUS COMPANY PLC ABCTRANS 2 0.53 45,816 23,366.16

Road Transportation Totals 2 45,816 23,366.16

Transport-Related Services Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value TradedAIRLINE SERVICES AND LOGISTICS PLC AIRSERVICE 2 1.94 53,000 102,805.00NIGERIAN AVIATION HANDLING COMPANY PLC NAHCO 8 4.60 18,119 83,526.81

Transport-Related Services Totals 10 71,119 186,331.81

SERVICES Totals 45 1,088,083 3,331,460.87





EQTY Board Totals 2,122 171,236,722 2,581,221,845.69Daily Summary (Equities)

Activity Summary on Board PREMIUM

FINANCIAL SERVICESBanking Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value Traded

ZENITH INTERNATIONAL BANK PLC ZENITHBANK 224 17.60 16,080,453 283,067,461.19Banking Totals 224 16,080,453 283,067,461.19

Other Financial Institutions Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value TradedFBN HOLDINGS PLC FBNH 371 5.84 17,300,463 101,368,660.31

Other Financial Institutions Totals 371 17,300,463 101,368,660.31

FINANCIAL SERVICES Totals 595 33,380,916 384,436,121.50

INDUSTRIAL GOODSBuilding Materials Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value Traded

DANGOTE CEMENT PLC DANGCEM 50 164.55 2,862,882 474,191,200.22Building Materials Totals 50 2,862,882 474,191,200.22

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Totals 50 2,862,882 474,191,200.22

PREMIUM Board Totals 645 36,243,798 858,627,321.72



Equity Activity Totals 2,767 207,480,520 3,439,849,167.41

Daily Summary (ETP)

Exchange Traded FundName Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value TradedLOTUS HALAL EQUITY ETF LOTUSHAL15 1 9.72 10 97.20NEWGOLD EXCHANGE TRADED FUND (ETF) NEWGOLD 1 2,256.00 52 117,312.00VETIVA BANKING ETF VETBANK 2 3.21 5,005 16,066.00VETIVA CONSUMER GOODS ETF VETGOODS 20 7.64 172,667 1,219,041.22VETIVA GRIFFIN 30 ETF VETGRIF30 1 13.89 10 138.90VETIVA INDUSTRIAL ETF VETINDETF 26 21.38 94,568 2,036,048.04

Exchange Traded Fund Totals 51 272,312 3,388,703.36

ETF Board Totals 51 272,312 3,388,703.36

ETP Activity Totals 51 272,312 3,388,703.36

1st Tier Securities1st Tier SecuritiesSector Company name No Of Deals Quotation(N) Quantity Traded Value of Shares(N)

Stock exchange daily equities summaryEquities as at October 21, 2015

Sector Company name No Of Deals Quotation(N) Quantity Traded Value of Shares(N)

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.netThursday, October 22, 2015 Capital Market42

Group organises Masterclass for young entrepreneurs

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net 43Thursday, October 22, 2015 Young & Next Generation

StorieS by LeoNArD oKACHie

Youths have been advised to desist from illegal oil refining but should en-

gage in more productive activi-ties like planting seeds.

Director General of Nation-al Oil Spill Detection and Re-sponse Agenc, NOSDRA, Mr. Peter Idabor, gave this advice at a South South stakeholders’ forum organised by Stakehold-ers Democracy Network (SDN), an NGO, in Abuja on Tuesday.

Idabor said that illegal oil refining in the country compli-cates existing environmental damage from pipelines.

`Ìnstead of engaging in such criminal activities, it is better for such youth to engage in planting of seeds that could promote our environment and increase our economy.

``Such activity will also cre-ate carbon seed. My agency is trying to link with the Mango Society of Nigeria (MSN) and encourage the society to create nurseries, which we can use to replace some of this plant.

``So that we can generally put them away from this act

Youths warned against illegal oil refining

A number of young en-trepreneurs as well as mass communication

students from six universities across Nigeria were hosted re-cently at the SME 100 Master-class and campus edition of The Red Summit.

The Masterclass was the third event organized as part of Red Media Africa’s 10th an-niversary. It provided an op-portunity for young entrepre-neurs to learn public relations strategies that won’t break the bank. These future lead-ers also had the space to dia-logue with media profession-als while receiving invaluable insight to shape their career path.

Both events held simulta-neously at Landmark Centre, Lekki, Lagos, and the Julius Berger Hall of the University of Lagos.

The event at Landmark fo-cused on young entrepreneurs

who were exposed to enlight-ening insights from success-ful media entrepreneurs. It featured entrepreneurs such as RED co-founders ChudeJideonwo and Adebola Williams; renowned broad-caster, Agatha Amata; Corde-liaOkpei, and the Dean of the School of Media & Communi-cation, Pan-Atlantic Univer-sity, Dr.Ikechukwu Obiaya as speakers.

Present at the Unilag Mas-terclass were students from various Nigerian universi-ties such as the University of Ibadan, Lagos State Universi-ty (LASU) and the host univer-sity. It featured speakers such as the Director of Arts, Brit-ish Council, OjomaOchai; pop-ular blogger, TosinAjibade; Anita Erskine, Chris Ogun-lowo, Isabella Akinsheye, and Oluwasola Obagbemi. This event is aimed at building fu-ture media professionals.Sola Obagbemi addressing the participants

Peace corps members

that will increase carbon diox-ide production in our eco-sys-tem,’’ he said.

He said that the agency is

making every effort in ensur-ing that it creates awareness and educates the citizens on en-vironmental issues.

Idabor said that the aware-ness would enable Nigerians to know the negative effects on environmental damage and how it could be controlled.

The director general said that the agency also have great green wall project, which it currently developed and cov-ered about several states in the country.

He said that one of the issues militating against the develop-ment of forest belt was lack of transparency and accountabil-ity.

According to him, if you are saying that you are creat-ing new seasonings to planting new plant, you must also have an adequate number of bore-holes to water such plant.

He stressed the need to in-crease seed multiplication pro-grammes, adding that it would increase seed multiplications

nurseries across the belt.He urged the Nigeria Insti-

tute of Forestry in Jos Plateau State, and other institutions re-sponsible in carrying out seed multiplication programme to put more efforts in ensuring that such activities are effec-tive.

He said that seed multiplica-tion programmes was vital in-gredient in modern agriculture and as an essential element in the survival of agricultural system.

Also speaking, Mr Imemo Samiama, Country Director of SDN said an urgent multi-stake-holder response is required from government, civil society, and oil majors to combine ef-forts to raise awareness of the health and environmental im-pacts of illegal oil refining.

Samiama said that the NGO had partnered with local or-ganisations and communities in the Niger Delta on the issues that affect them.

`Ìssues such as improving oil spill response and compen-sation, mediating inter-commu-nal conflicts, addressing local energy needs, supporting the struggle against slum clear-ance.

``Monitoring elections, deal-ing with corruption and striv-ing for environmental and so-cial justice among others.’’

He said that when Civil Soci-ety Organisations, Government and other stakeholders come together, they could proffer sus-tainable solutions that could help build a lasting peace.

Is rainwater clean enough to drink?It depends on where you are. Every-

one assumes that clouds are sterile, but scientists have recently discov-

ered that clouds contain a species of bacteria called Pseudomonas. These bacteria live in the air and seem to use clouds as a way of transporting them-selves.

It’s able to do this because it has a way of causing ice nucleation – It’s got certain chemicals on it’s surface that makes tiny ice crystals form, and this makes the cloud form ice crystals around the bacterium. This makes it heavier, and so it flutters down to earth – using the clouds and winds as a transport mechanism. These bacteria don’t seem to cause any harm to humans though.

What can harm you are the other chemicals that are dissolved in the water as the rain falls down to earth. If you’re isolated from pollu-tion sources, the rain is con-ing from a pristine ocean and will be pretty clean.

If you’re in a built up area, or down-wind of heavy industry, power stations etc, these things can be pumping out all sorts of chemicals – particulates, carcinogens, dioxins and even heavy metals. These particles get into clouds and encourage the clouds to form water droplets, falling as rain.

It’s also interesting to note that some of the dust that rain deposits on your car has come all the way from the Sa-hara desert. Dust from the Sahara gets blown high into the atmosphere and is distributed accross the globe.

The naked scientists

Leonard okachie

Ikorodu Diamond Lions Club in conjunction with Ajayi Medical Hospital, has conducted a free

eye screening, distribution of medi-cations and recommendation of eyes to pupils and their teachers at Local Government Primary School, Ipako-do-Ikorodu, Lagos.

The project which held recently on the occasion of 2015 World Sight Day, was in line with Lions Clubs Interna-tional directives on a service activity tagged “Sharing the Vision”.

The club, at the end screening that lasted over four hours, had a total of 105 beneficiaries that would be given free glasses on a later date.

In his speech, the President of

Ikorodu Diamond Lions Club, Prince Adewale Michael said children are very important and as such they can-not afford to toil with their health, es-pecially their sight since they are the future leaders.

Similarly, the club’s Project Direc-tor, Lion Yinka Oyenuga stated that the success of yet another project by the club for 2015/2016 Lions service year brought joy to his heart know-ing full well that the children were di-rectly affected and some sights would be preserved, saved and properly re-stored through corrective measures after the project.

Responding the school authorities commended the club for always carry-ing out humanitarian activities in the school.

Leonard okachie

Worried by the increasing risks children are being exposed to, National Agency for the

Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and other related Offences (NAPTIP), has warned parents against engaging their children in various forms of do-mestic servitude.

The agency’s spokesperson, Mr. Orakwe Arinze who gave this warn-ing noted that such actions constitute violation of the fundamental rights of children.

“It is the right of every child to be given quality education and good care,’’ he said, adding that if children must be given out, it should be to rela-tives who can give them parental care.

He explained that using children as domestic servants was one of the an-tics used by human traffickers to lure their victims into human trafficking.

Arinze urged parents to engage their children and wards in constructive ac-tivities that would improve their lot.

He said that the desire to get rich quick was the reason why some Nige-

Diamond Lions Club conducts free eye screening on children

Agency cautions parents against child right violationNational Mirror

www.nationalmirroronline.net44 Young & Next Generation Thursday, October 22, 2015

Science for Kids

Free eye screening at Local Government Primary School, Ipakodo,Ikorodu.

Children having fun at a park in Lagos.

rians easily fall prey to human traf-fickers.

Arinze said: “Nigerians should be watchful about the antics of human

traffickers. Parents and guardians must ensure that their children and wards do not fall into the hands of traffickers by engaging them in con-structive activities.

“Parents should desist from giving out their children for various forms of domestic servitude.

“A lot of traffickers approach par-ents with the assurance to assist them train their children or wards to the highest academic level.

“In the long run they end up using the children to make money by using them as domestic servants, for prosti-

tution among others.“If these children must stay under

the guidance of people who are not their parents due to economic hard-ship, it should be with relatives where they can get parental care.’’

Human trafficking is a form of mod-ern slavery where people profit from the control and exploitation of others through commercial sex, child labour among others.

Victims are frequently lured by false promises of a lucrative job, edu-cation, loving relationship among oth-ers.

Rain droplets

Sokoto broadcast stations to be digitised soon –ShekaraSokoto State Radio and Television sta-

tions will be digitised before the ex-piration of the December deadline

set by the National Broadcasting Commis-sion (NBC), Alhaji Abu Shekara, Manag-ing Director, Sokoto State Media Corpora-tion, has said.

Shekara, the newly appointed MD of the corporation, was a former Chairman of the State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).

Speaking on Tuesday in Sokoto when he assumed duty, Shekara said the state government had taken all the necessary steps to meet the deadline.

“This is because all broadcast media organisations that are not fully digitized when the deadline comes into effect must have to close shop.

“Both the state government and the management will work tirelessly to meet the deadline by modernizing the stations,’’ he said,

He urged media practitioners in the

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 45MediaThursday, October 22, 2015

Leonard okachie

First civilian Governor of Lagos State and first President of the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria

(NPAN), Alhaji LateefJakande; two-time governor of Ogun State and former Manag-ing Director of Daily Times, Chief Segun Osoba; Chairman of Channels Television, John Momoh and former Minister of Infor-mation, Prince Tony Momoh were among the Nigerian media icons recognised for their outstanding contributions to the in media industry recently, at the maiden edi-tion of The Red Media Summit.

The Red Media Summit Gala Night which held at Harbour Point in Victoria Is-land, Lagos, was part of the two-day confer-ence of the maiden edition of the summit organised by the The Red Media group, to celebrate the organisation’s 10th anniver-sary.

Organised in partnership with Troyka Holdings and the School of Media and Com-munications, Pan-Atlantic University, and sponsored by FirstBank Nigeria, the sum-mit was West Africa’s largest omni-media gathering which brought together stake-holders in various segments of the media across the African continent to explore new trends in a rapidly changing landscape.

The evening which witnessed crème d’ la crème in the media industry had the fol-

Jakande, Osoba, Momoh, 118 other media icons honoured at Red Summit

L-R : Chief Segun Osoba, former Minister of Education, Mrs. Obiageli Ezekwesili; Founding Partner of Red Media, Mr. Adeola Williams and former Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, during book presentation at the Red Summit in Lagos, recently.

state to prioritise objectivity and profes-sionalism and promised to dish out qual-ity signals and programmes to the people of the state.

Also speaking shortly after assuming duty, Labaran Dundaye, the incumbent chairman of the NUJ in the state, who was appointed the new GM State Television Station, commended Gov. Aminu Tambu-wal for reposing confidence on them.

“I will strive to improve the operations of the station, boost revenue generation, training and retraining and the improve staff welfare.

“As core professionals, I and the new MD will work diligently and honestly to turn around the fortunes of both the Ra-dio and Television stations,’’ Dundaye, pledged

In a solidarity message, the General Manager of the state Radio Station, Hajiya Halima Sarkin-Tudu, promised to partner with the new MD and GM to take the two media organizations to greater heights.

lowing people recognised: Mo Abudu, Bio-dun Shobanjo, Nduka Obaigbena, Betty Irabor, Amin Mousalli, Bunm iOke, Richard Mofe Damijo (RMD), Akin Odunsi [Chief] (Rosabel); Mayor Akinpelu (Global Excel-lence Magazine); AfolabiAdesanya; Vincent Maduka ; TaiwoObe; OdiaOfeimun (Poet); Victoria Eze okoli; Segun Odegbami; Grace Egbagbe (Former Executive Director, NTA); Bimbo Oloyede; Yakubu Mohammed; Bay-oOnanuga (PM News Newspaper); Lanre Idowu; Sam Nda-Isaiah; Kehinde Young-

Harry.Also honoured included Seye Kehinde

(City People Magazine) Mohammed Haru-na, Dan Agbese, Ray Ekpu, BisiOlatilo (Bis-con Communications), AdewunmiOgun-sanya, NdukaObaigbena (CEO of ThisDay Newspapers), Frank Aigbogun (CEO Busi-nessDay), IquoUkoh, Emeka Obasi, Sam Amuka Pemu, Raymond Dokpesi (Daar Communications Limited), OnyemaUgo-chukwu (Former Editor of DailyTimes), Garba Shehu, DayoDuyile, Phill Osagie, Kayode Soyinka.

Others are Doyin Abiola (Former Man-aging Director, Concord Newspaper), Dare Babarinsa, Mr. Ade Akinde, Comfort Obi, Jimi Solanke, Onyeka Onwenu, Tai-woAlimi, Duro Onabule, Mike Awoyinfa, KunleBakare (Encomium Magazine), Baba-femi Ojudu, ModeleSarafa-Yusuf, Betty Ira-bor (Genevieve Magazine), Laban Namme, Dele Momodu, SoniIrabor (Inspiration FM), BunmiOke, Olatunji Dare, Patrick Dele Cole, Femi Akintunde-Johnson (Sur-prise Magazine, National Mirror, Enco-mium Ventures Ltd.), SieneAllwell-Brown (NLNG), ToluOgunkoya, Chris Anyanwu (Former NTA Journalist),Nkechi Alli Balo-gun, Ohi Alegbe,

Equally recognised were Ben Murray-Bruce (Chairman, The Silverbird Group), Henry Odukomaiya, Sunmi Smart-Cole, Ms.AbikeDabiri-Erewa (Politician), Ms.AdesuwaOnyenokwe (Today’s Women Magazine), Ajibola Ogunsola (The Punch Newspaper), Amin Moussalli (CEO AIM group (owners of Cool FM, Wazobia FM, Cool TV), Babu Akinbobola, YomiBade-jo-Okusanya, BiodunShobanjo (Troyka Group), BukkyAjayi, Chris Doghudje, Chris Ubosi, Christopher Kolade [Ph.D], Comfort Okoronkwo, Cyril Stober (NTA ), Dapo Olorunyomi (Publisher, Premium Times Nigeria), Dayo Adeneye, Dele Alake,

and Dele Olojede (Pullitzer Prize Winer).The eventful evening also had the fol-

lowing honoured: Eddie Iroh, Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Frank Olize (Former Jour-nalist for Newsline), Funmi Iyanda, Gben-gaOgunleye, Ibe Kachikwu (Vice- Chairman Exxon-Mobil), Jacob Akinyemi Johnson, Jimi Awosika (Insight Communications), John Momoh (CEO of Channels Televi-sion), Kenny Adamson, Kenny Ogungbe, KoleAdemulegun, KunleAjibade, Larry Agose, Larry Izamoje, LekanOgunbanwo, Lolu Akinwunmi, Maiden Ibru (Guard-ian Newspaper), Mike Ajegbo, Mo Abudu (Chairman/CEO Ebonylife TV), Mumuni Alao, Nosa Igiebor (TELL Magazine).

Media stalwarts equally celebrated included : Oladapo Charles Abraham, Omowunmi Owodunni, Peter Igho (NTA), Reuben Abati, Sadiq Daba, S i r Steve Omojafor(STB Mccann Lagos & for-mer Chairman, Zenith Bank), Steve Ojo (Galaxy TV), Sunny Obazu-Ojeagbase (Complete Communications), Sunny Osa Adun, Tajudeen Adepetu (Soundcity, Spice TV, ONTV), Tom Adaba, Tony Iredia, Jah-man Anikulapo, Tunji Olugbodi, Ude-meUfot, Wale Adenuga (Wale Adenuga Productions), Yemi Ogunbiyi (Execu-tive Director of the Guardian Newspaper), Dr Laolu Ogunniyi

About the recognition, Founding Partner, Red Media Africa, Adebola Williams”As we celebrate our 10th year in running a media business, we decided to honour these ones who have gone before us, these legends who created the path we walk on, who built the foundation we rest on, who have inspired many of us and that is why we say we stand on the shoulders of giants. We thank them!”

Earlier in his speech entitled, ‘We stand on the shoulders of giants’, Managing Part-ner of Red Media Africa, Chude Jideonwo, acknowledged the honourees for their in-valuable contributions to the media indus-try in Nigeria.

He said: “And I see all of them here today, and my heart swells with pride, with excite-ment, with joy, with love, with reverence, with awe. We are truly standing, this genera-tion, on the shoulders of giants.

“You, our mentors and forbears, icons and legends, across television, radio, print, public relations, advertising, are those gi-ants.

“For sure, older people bear some culpa-bility for the Nigeria that we have today, but you won’t find many of those ones in this room today.

“You made it possible for us to dream, you made it possible for us to imagine as far as our passions could take us, you took the path less travelled at a time when your peers chose the usual and the convention – banks, politics, oil. You created something truly special.”

Livinus MenediYola

Nigerian Union of Journalist has dissolved the executive commit-tee of the Adamawa chapter of

the Correspondents’ Chapel led by Umar Dankano, following a no confidence vote passed on the leadership of the group.

The zonal secretary of the NUJ for the North East Alhaji Ahmed Suleiman, who took the decision on behalf of the national leadership of the body, followed its interven-tion into the crisis which gripped the journal-ist group after 12 out of the 22 membership body passed a vote of no confidence on the leadership of the group led by Dankano.

But the sacked executive however refused to vacate office, allegedly faulting the deci-sion of the congress.

Up until the dissolution of the Dankano led Executive of Adamawa State chapter of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the NUJ there have been growing revolt over the lacklustre leadership of the exco, harassment of govern-ment officials and their refusal to hold a con-gress meeting following their re-election in May, which the 14 members used as grounds for their consequent impeachment.

But before their impeachment two mem-bers: Daji Sani,Thisday Correspondent and Sani Abubakar of FRCN, both members of the exco, quickly tendered their resignation to stave off their impeachment following their discovery that 14 members out of its 22 members had signed a petition demanding the exco to hold a congress.

Suleiman who waded into the crisis gener-ated by congress decision which sacked the Adamawa chapter of the Correspondents’ chapel led by Dankano, the Peoples Daily Cor-respondent for the state, his secretary Yaku-bu Uba, News Agency of Nigeria and Ibrahim Abdulaaziz, VOA Correspondent, observed that the members acted within the ambit of the constitution before reaching the decision to dissolve the exco.

He declared that the action of the congress taken in line with Article 5 subsection 6 ( a) and (b), of the constitution of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, therefore stands.

The section of the NUJ constitution which the members relied upon to impeach the leadership stipulates as follow: “In the case of chapels, 50 per cent of members can call for a meeting and appoint any of their mem-bers to preside. Any disciplinary action taken against such a chairman shall be binding.”

The NUJ Zonal Secretary Alhaji Suleiman accordingly, set up a 6- member credentials committee headed by Mathew Ornan, Ver-batim Magazine which also have the follow-ing as members- David Molomo, The SUN newspapers, Austin Ajayi, Premium Times, Emmanuel Njaprim, Sunrise newspapers, Kabiru Anwar, Daily Trust and Auwal Ad-ams, NAN to conduct fresh elections to fill the vacuum created by the dissolution of the leadership of the journalist group.

Cool FM OAP Ajuka to promote Sweden, Nigeria collaborations

BBC bosses have dismissed claims the corporation is obliged not to do any-thing to harm the European Union af-

ter admitting that some funding comes from Brussels.

MPs were told that £35m from the EU is put into an offshoot unit that provides broadcast-ing training in volatile overseas states and other money is “occasionally available”.

Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg suggest-ed the funding would hamper the BBC’s abil-ity to report on the upcoming referendum on Britain’s future in the EU impartially.

But David Jordan, director of editorial pol-icy and standards, rejected the claims.

“The BBC as a public service broadcaster doesn’t take money from the EU,” he told the European Scrutiny Committee.

He told MPs that £35m had been put into Media Action, a unit owned by BBC but run independently, which is involved in countries such as Afghanistan to develop news and broadcasting skills.

Pressed further about the funds available

from the EU, Mr Jordan told MPs: “There is another way in which EU funding comes into the picture and that is in relation to indepen-dent companies who, as you know, make pro-grammes for the BBC.

“In some areas independent companies for example in drama may benefit from EU funds to, for example, help location incentives to go to particular parts of the country.”

He added: “There are also a couple of bud-gets which are available for people to do things like, for example, reversion programmes that they have made in English so that they are showable in different European countries around the world.”

A clearly irked Mr Rees-Mogg said “you are now giving me a really different answer from the one you gave before”.

He added: “You gave an answer about over-seas aid and now you are saying the BBC does receive money to help with some of its pro-gramming and does receive money to trans-late some of its programming and you are therefore signed up to the contractual agree-

ments from the EU that require you not to damage its interests.”

Jordan said “other funds are occasionally available” for programming, something the Tory MP claimed the editorial director had initially “denied”.

The clash prompted committee chairman Bill Cash to repeatedly call for order, adding “can we just calm down a bit”.

James Harding, director of news and cur-rent affairs, said: “What is abso-lutely clear is that the funding for Media Action, as it performs those charitable functions, is en-tirely separate from the BBC and from BBC News.

- T h e Guardian (UK)

Swaziland journalists seek millions in compensation

BBC bosses reject MPs’ suggestions of bias in EU coverage

NUJ dissolves Adamawa executive over crisis

Media Abroad

Media National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net46 Thursday, October 22, 2015

The two Swaziland journalists who were jailed for writing and pub-lishing articles critical of the judi-

ciary but later released by the Supreme Court are suing the Swazi Government for millions of emalangeni.

Thulani Maseko, a human rights law-yer and writer, wants E20 million (about US$2 million) and Bheki Makhubu, the editor of the Nation magazine, where the articles appeared, wants E3.7 million.

The pair spent about 470 days in jail of a two-year sentence after being con-victed of contempt of court in a case that attracted condemnation from across the world.

They claim unlawful arrest, prosecu-tion and detention.

Makhubu, in his letter of demand di-

Prime Minister of Swaiziland Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini

Leonard okachie

Cool FM OAP, Rosemary Ajuka will be joining other young Nigerians who have been selected by Swed-

ish Institute and Swedish Embassy to visit Sweden in order to promote future collaborations between Sweden and Ni-geria.

The programme tagged ‘The Swedish model – accountability, welfare state and social contract delivery’ is scheduled to hold from 25th – 30th October 2015 in an endeavour to promote an exchange - dialogue about how accountability and social contract delivery can help create public participation and increased qual-ity of life.

Rosemary who has been identified as a huge potential for the future of Nige-ria will meet partners from different

organisations such as; The Swedish Par-liament, Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions, The Swedish Agency for Youth and Civil Society, and Swedish Tax Agency to effect the pur-pose of visit.

Speaking on this trip, Rosemary Aju-ka said:“It’s absolutely great to be in-ternationally recognised. I feel blessed and excited about the opportunity to do this for my country and I hope that more young people will go out there and make Nigeria proud. Nigeria could really use some good press.”

Other participants to go on this visit alongside Rosemary Ajuka include; Member of APC House of Representa-tives, Hon Adedapo Lam-Adesina, Al-kasim Muhammad Zangina, Executive Director, The Initiative for Equal Rights (TIER), Olumide Femi Makanjuola, amongst others.Ajuka

rected to the office of Attorney General Majahenkhaba Dlamini, says his arrest, prosecution and detention were unlaw-ful and without probable and/or reason-able cause and were motivated by mali-cious intent.

Makhubu’s claim includes compensa-tion for malicious arrest, prosecution and detention; defamation of character; emotional trauma, shock and discomfort and legal costs incurred during his trial.

Thulani Maseko who is claiming E20 million stated that he was maliciously prosecuted and he was released when the Crown conceded that the arrest, prosecu-tion and detentions were unlawful.

Source: Gaborone

BBC’s James Harding

NUJ President, Waheed Odusile

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net Broad Street Diary 47Thursday, October 22, 2015

Christmas: Traders lament high exchange rate

As traders on Lagos Island positioned themselves to take

advantage of booming busi-ness during the forthcoming Christmas, there is appre-hension that the state of the nation’s economy may not allow them to stockpile their shops with adequate wares to meet the demand of shop-pers during the period.

Speaking with Broad Street Diary, BSD, on some of their challenges while try-ing to take position in order to take advantage of boom-ing sales during the period, a cross section of traders on Lagos Island told BSD that their major headache was the high exchange rate of the country’s currency more so in an economy that is im-ports dependent.

‘’The dollar which used to exchanged for between of N160 or N165 at the begin-ning of this year, now ex-change for N200 and above,’’ said some of the traders.

Speaking to BSD, on his preparation to restock for the Christmas period, Mr. Rasheed Hamsat who deals in the sales of beverages like wine, alcoholic and non-alco-holic drinks, said they need to restore their goods and get more products for the Christ-mas.

Hamsat said traders on Broad Street and adjoining markets like Balogun, Bread Fruit, Ebute Ero and others have been making plans to restock their shops, but are hampered by the problem of high exchange rates.

“The major problem con-fronting us is the weak value of our naira,’’ he said.

Hamsat, said this is the time for restocking, as most companies would have to close for the Christmas holi-day very soon, lamented that the week value of the na-tion’s currency has made the people to be poor.

‘’We don’t know what do, even if you go to the bank to get the loan to restock, are you sure the people would have the purchasing powers to buy such goods, this is our dilemma,’’ he said.

Another trader on Balo-gun market, Mr Elizabeth Amaefule, told BSD that they need to travel in order to get more goods for the Christ-mas sale, but that the major challenges confronting them is the weak naira which has to be exchanged for strong

Traders hawking on the road at Lagos Island. PHOTO: SAMUEL ADETIMEHIN

dollars and pound sterling among other currencies.

She is however of the opin-ion that the exchange rates would determine the prices of goods during the Christ-mas period, “the price we buy will determine what we sell, but we will make sure that we make something out of it,’’ she remark.

Mr. Ibrahim Usman, who sells fowls, at Eute Ero mar-ket also on Lagos Island disclosed that he is making a big plan for the forthcom-ing Christmas period. I am going to buy a lot of fowls,” because many people do buy fowls during the period and we need to meet our custom-ers need for them to have a pleasant Christmas,” he added.

Ibrahim made it known that; he has booked for fowls

from his suppliers in Ikoro-du and Ibadan so that he will be able to meet the demands of his customers during the Christmas.

He further stated that many sale spots have been identified so as to bring the product closer to the custom-ers.

He however, lamented the high cost of goods in the country which he said was brought about by the weak naira.

Usman, in his word said the high cost of goods has weakened the purchasing powers of the average Nige-rians.

Another trader on Broad Street, Mrs. Mojisola Peter, implored the present admin-istration to do something on the economy so as to effect the real change which Nige-

rians have been calling for since the beginning of his administration.

Another trader who gave her name simply as Kofo-worola, who sells decoration materials said her plan for the Christmas is to travel next week to buy new fash-ion wares. “Because people want new fashion materials for their decoration and to satisfy our customers for the period I have to travel abroad for shopping” she said.

Kofoworola, however, said traders are facing a lot of challenges toward their preparation and that the ma-jor challenge is the high ex-change of the naira to other currencies.

She pleaded with the Fed-eral Government to quickly do something to shore up the value of the naira for people

to celebrate a memorable Christmas.

Another trader on Lagos Island, who deals footwear, Edu Chosen, said the econo-my of the country did not al-low traders to make big plan towards the Christmass.

“Everything is costly due to the weak naira which makes our supplier to in-crease the prices of our goods due to the expensive raw materials they are us-ing, but our customer will not think of that, they will still price the products very low’’ he add.

Another shoe seller under Apongbon bridge, Michael Isaac, said the major chal-lenge to their preparation towards Christmas is money, there is no money in circula-tion he said.

-James Elegbeleye

Gorodomu the market for your kitchen wears

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net48 News Thursday, October 22, 2015

Kitchen wares

Have you just complet-ed your house or mov-ing to a new location

and you desire to have a mod-ern and tastefully equipped kitchen? You certainly will need to pay a visit to Broad Street and in particular goro-domu. You may not have to visit a supermarket or a fac-tory here.

Apart from Gorodomu market which is noted for the sales of cheap kitchen wares, right in the open space or shops, on Broad Street and its surrounding markets.

the big shops, we have all the products here and our cus-tomers are always happy be-cause they can get anything they want anytime they visit our stand. “Because we get our wares nearby and we are not paying huge amount on rent like shop owners, our wares are cheap and afford-able which is why people pre-fer to come to us.”

Another dealer, Mrs. Temi-tope Olaniyi told BSD that selling in an open space was not really not what she want-ed, but because she could

CFAO OTIS: Workers, management parley on grievances A Lagos Island based

multinational com-pany that was engulf

in workers’ protest last week, CFAO OTIS has said that as a truly responsible multina-tional company, it is alive of their social responsibilities to their workers and host com-munities.

The statement was con-tained in a press statement is-sued in the wake of last week protest by aggrieved workers of the company.

CFAO a company based on outer Marina, Lagos which deals in the sales, installa-tions, maintenance and repair of lift escalators had last week Monday, witnessed, furious workers’ anger when staff of the company went on a peace-ful protest within the premis-es of the company in Marina Street, Lagos Island, chanting solidarity songs to press home their demands.

The workers’ protest attract-ed the attention of the compa-ny management as it quickly called for an emergency meet-ing with the embattled union leaders where it was agreed that a more comprehensive stakeholders’ meeting, be held last week Wednesday to put the situation under control.

The meeting was held as scheduled where the manage-ment agreed to address all the grievances of the protesting workers, a development which the vice chairman and the sec-retary of the aggrieved work-ers’ union affirmed was being addressed gradually by the management.

“We met as agreed and we tabled our grievances before them and they agreed to comply with the resolutions made.

“This, to the best of our knowledge is being addressed gradually, for now, there is no rancor between the union and the management, rather, it is rapprochements as we are re-ally mending fences.

But, in a reaction to some of the issues raised earlier by the protesting workers, a manage-ment staff who preferred ano-nymity, stated that despite the process of outsourcing workers of the company, CFAO OTIS had taken it upon itself to ensure that workers were not subjected to any form of ill-treatment.

“I think there is a lacuna in communication somewhere which led to all these crises as some of the issues raised by the workers have been responded to and appropriately addressed even earlier before their pro-test”.

For instance, how thinkable or believable it is for us to have

just one clinic for our entire workforce in the whole of Lagos State? That is fallacious.

As a matter of fact, we have through Delog the outsourc-ing company, issued an Inter-nal Memo since sometimes in June this year, that we would increase the number of hospi-tals for the benefits of members of our staff in order to ade-quately take care of their medi-cal needs. The Memo reads; “DELOG INTERNAL MEMO

This is to inform all Delog staff that management has in-creased the number of hospi-tals accessible for medical care with effect from July, 2015.

We are convinced that the ad-dition to the existing number of

hospitals will enhance prompt and effective medical care for all staff.

Kindly find below the hospi-tals convenient for you”.

This Memo is still on the no-tice board for confirmation.

We have family support loan scheme for all our workers which allows them to obtain interest free loan payable at the end of the month.

“There are some organisa-tions in Nigeria that are owing workers months of salaries, but we do not owe our workers.

“Incidentally, our staff bus-ses are on standby to convey workers to their various desig-nated points within the metrop-olis with ease after work every

day. We even have landed proper-

ty in places like Mowe, Ikorodu, Ibafo to mention but a few for the benefit of interested mem-bers of staff with ease of pay-ment.

Regarding rumour of sack there was no such incident, it still boils down to the issue of communication gaps that I ear-lier talked about.

Nobody was sacked and there is no such plan in sight.

“The only case of the mem-ber of staff mentioned was redeployment and was never a sack as it was erroneously reported which brings me to a statement credited to Mr. Bayo Oke the Deputy General Man-

ager in last week publication.Let me put the record straight

because I was ably present at the meeting, Mr. Bayo was mis-quoted what he said when the issue of likely retrenchment was raised by the workers was;

“The issue of downsizing and increase in wages are be-yond our capacity at this level as all of us including myself want salary increase, but such decision rest solely on the high-er authority”.

I think there is more to the workers grievances than meet the eyes.

However, the management is doing all it can to address all their concern”.

–Omoju Busayo

You can get the latest kitchen wares or accessories ranging from plates, pots, plate rack, glass cups, wardrobes, flasks, spoons, toasters, blenders, stoves – just name it. Ask Mrs. Oyindamola Amusa a dealer. She told BSD that many Nigerians have discov-ered the market and visit ev-ery day to equip their kitchen to taste. The reason, accord-ing to her, is not farfetched. Prices here are far lower than you can ever get in any of the shops or supermarkets outside Lagos Island. “Like

not afford a shop on Broad Street, she opted for the open space and business is boom-ing for her all the same. On what she make daily, Olaniyi said when market booms she make between N40 to N50 thousand naira. Now she won’t mind moving to a shop to expand her business. “I want government to build shops that are affordable for people like us because when they build shops and the rent is high, we cannot afford it,” she said.

–Saidat Alausa

Police arraign 3 nursing students for defilement

Controller-General, Nigerian Prisons Service, Dr. Peter Ekpendu (left), and Commandant, Prisons Armed Squad Training School, Hassan Shema, reviewing a parade during the passing out parade of the 6th Basic Recruit Course of the service, in Owerri, yesterday.

NASSIMA seeks awareness for $500m development fund

Bayelsa prisons, NDE to equip inmates with skills

Vice President, Na-tional Chamber of Commerce, In-

dustry, Mines and Agri-culture, NASSIMA, Billy Gillis-Harry, has called for greater awareness on the $500 million Nigeria Con-tent Development Fund, NCDF.

Gillis-Harry made the appeal yesterday at the 5th Practical Nigeria Content conference in Yenagoa, Bay-elsa State.

The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, recalls that the fund was established by the Nigeria Content Act 2010, and is being managed by the Nigeria Content De-velopment and Monitoring Board, NCDMB.

The fund is pooled from one per cent of all contracts awarded in the upstream sector of the oil and gas in-dustry.

The fund would be used in developing the supply chain and building local ca-pacity in the industry.

About 70 per cent of the pool is used to provide guar-antees for single digit and longer tenure lending by banks and funding institu-tions to Nigerian service companies seeking to ac-quire critical asset.

The remaining 30 per cent will be applied for di-rect intervention by the NCDMB in critical infra-structure development and training programmes.

Gillis-Harry said many people, who stood the chance to take advantage of the funding, had not been

doing so because they were not fully aware of it.

He advised the NCDMB to organise more sensitisation programmes and workshop to educate stakeholders on the nature and requirement of the funds.

Gillis-Harry also called for synergy between regulators in the oil and gas sector.

He said at the moment, the sector is ridden with conflict-ing laws, which makes it dif-ficult for companies to grow.

Also, Chairman of SIAO, a Nigeria audit firm, Robert Ade-Odiachi, said so many jobs were lost to foreign firms that posed as Nigerian companies.

He said in the financial circle, lots of contracts that should go to indigenous firms ended up with KPMG, PWC, and Ernest and Young.

These firms, he said, had their mother companies in other countries, but only had branches in Nigeria with 51 per cent shares.

“These shares were owned by Nigerians on pa-per, but get most of the audit jobs in the sector, despite the local content law.

“I feel that this law needs to be reviewed so that the terms that define a company as an indigenous one are stat-ed clearly,” he said.

Ade-Odiachi called for classification and categorisa-tion of companies in the oil and gas sector.

This, according to the NASSIMA vice president, will bring professionalism and promote technical exper-tise in the sector.

SebaStine ebhuomhanBenin

The Nigerian police yesterday arraigned three male students

of Edo State School of Nursing alleged to have raped a six-year-old, Sharon Eghobamien.

The three students were arraigned in a case marked as: Charge MOR/210C/2015, filed by the Commissioner of Police against the three

students: Egbai Kenneth, 26, Paul Aghama, 22, and Osemwegie Jeffery, 23.

The first of two-count charges read: That you, Eg-bai Kenneth, Paul Aghama and Osemwegie Jeffery be-tween March and May 2015 at the State School of Nurs-ing Hostel on Sapele Road, Benin City in Oredo Magis-terial District, did conspire among yourselves to com-mit an offence punishable under Section 517 of the

20 pro-Biafra supporters remanded in prison

Nigerian Prisons Service in Bayelsa State yesterday

said it would soon begin regular skill acquisition programmes for inmates in its facilities to prepare them for life outside pris-ons.

The State Controller of Prisons, Mmeabe Legbosi, disclosed this during a cour-tesy visit to the National Di-rectorate of Employment, NDE in Yenagoa, the state capital, where he solicited the assistance of the agency.

“We want to begin train-ing the inmates on different vocational skills. So, we are here to seek support from NDE.

“All we need is synergy between us and the director-

ate which will be facilitators of the programme.

“The Prison Command in Bayelsa wants to bring change into the state’s pris-on community and build a better society.

“What can be done to the system to bring that change?

“The inmates need our help and support to make them useful to the society; we want to train them to enable them become self-employed when they re-join the society,” he said.

Responding, Mr David Apakasa, the NDE Coordi-nator in Bayelsa, said the directorate was willing to support the initiative in en-suring inmates in the state prisons are equipped with skills.

‘House is not part of Bi-afra’ which caused panic in the oil-rich city, on rea-sonable grounds with in-tent to intimidate or cause panic within the state and thereby committed an of-fence punishable under Section 37 (1) of the Crimi-nal Code, Cap C38 Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2004.

Count two while list-ing the suspects names and others at large, stated that they ‘‘On Oc-tober 20, 2015 at about 1400hours at Ikwerre road, Port Harcourt in the Port Harcourt Mag-isterial District, did willfully and unlawfully damage the Nigerian flag hoisted at Zenith Bank Plc Ikoku branch, Port Harcourt and thereby committed an offence

punishable under Sec-tion 451 of the Criminal Code, Cap C38 Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2004.”

Ugwueze I.O, Destiny S.I. Chima and other three lawyers who repre-sented the accused per-sons applied for the bail.

Ruling on the bail ap-plication, the trial Chief Magistrate, S.D. Andrew-Jaja, said his court lacks jurisdiction to try the matter, but following the arguments of the accused lawyers he adjourned the case till October 27 to en-able the counsel address the court on the issue of bail.

The Chief Magistrate further remanded the ac-cused persons in prison custody pending the ad-journed date.

Criminal Code Cap 48, Vol. II Laws of the defunct Bend-el State of Nigeria 1976 now applicable in Edo State.”

The second count read: That you Egbai Kenneth, Paul Aghama and Osem-wegie between March and May 2015 at the State School of Nursing Hos-tel on Sapele road, Benin City in Oredo Magisterial District, unlawfully and indecently assaulted one Sharon Eghobamien, ‘f ’,

aged six years, by using (finger) nails to penetrate her vagina and thereby committed an offence pun-ishable under Section 360 of the Criminal Code Cap 48, Vol. II Laws of the de-funct Bendel State of Nige-ria 1976 now applicable in Edo State.

Chief Magistrate I of Court 3, Mrs. M. Adebanjo, adjourned the case to No-vember 20 for the accused persons to take their plea.

manuel Ali, Ukeme Mon-day, Chibuzor Eechina, Charles Eze, Egbo Oke-chukwu, Chibona Ifion, John Douglas, Ezenwa Al-phonus, Wori Endurance, Chinomere Nwolu, Henry Eze, Friday Uzunwa, Ig-bodo Abio, Akaniyene Uwem, Eni Iboro, Obinna Stephen, Monday Ocha, Obinna Ibekwe and King-sley Ezengorie.

Accused persons were arrested on Tuesday while on demonstration in Port Harcourt to air their grievance over the detention of Kanu.

Mr A. A. Ajagha is the prosecutor in the matter.

According to count one of the charge, the ac-cused persons were said to have without lawful au-thority demonstrated and chanted war songs that

DenniS nakuPort Harcourt

A Magistrate court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers

State yesterday arraigned 20 pro-Biafra support-ers following Tuesday’s protest over the arrest of Radio Biafra director, Nnamdi Kanu.

The supporters, whose sympathisers besieged the court, were later re-manded in prison custody for conspiracy and trea-son.

The accused persons who were arrested and arraigned in court by po-lice officers from Zone 6 are facing three-count charges in Suit Number PMC/1195c/2015.

The accused include Benson Sunday, Em-

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net Thursday, October 22, 2015 49South South

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net50 North Thursday, October 22, 2015

TETFund revokes approvals over unaccessed funds

Secretary to the Kano State Government, SSG, Alhaji Rabi’u

Bichi, has dismissed ru-mours of a mutual dis-trust between Governor Abdullahi Ganduje and his predecessor, Sen. Rabiu

Wife of Nasarawa State Governor, Hajiya Salamatu Al-Makura; wife of the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Jumai Agara, and NAWOJ President, Mrs. Inyinwa Omowole, at NAWOJ’s capacity building workshop on gender and leadership, in Lafia, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

We haven’t collected bailout fund –Kwara govt

FRSC is TSA-compliant –Corps Marshal

WOLE ADEDEJI ILORIN

Kwara State Gov-ernment yester-day told the State

House of Assembly that it has not collected any bail-out fund to pay arrears of salaries of local govern-ment staff and primary school teachers.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Mr. Benjamin Fatigun made this known when he ap-peared before the House Committee on Finance and Appropriations to shed light on the payment of bailout funds to the state.

Fatigun said rather, the

N4.32bn loan the govern-ment secured from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, out of the bailout was meant to offset the ar-rears of salaries of May and August of core civil servants.

Fatigun explained that though the State House of Assembly had given approval to the state gov-ernment to access the bail out from Federal Govern-ment to clear outstanding salary arrears of local governments and SUBEB, the money, amounting to N5bn was yet to be re-leased by CBN.

He said Governor Ab-dulFattah Ahmed had to

OLUSEGUN KOIKI

Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps,

FRSC, Mr. Boboye Oyey-emi said the commission has fully complied with the Treasury Single Ac-count, TSA, as directed by the Federal Govern-ment.

Oyeyemi commended the government for the introduction of the poli-cy, which he said, if fully implemented, would en-hance accounting system in the country.

He stated this yester-day at the opening of a three-day workshop organised for FRSC ac-counts staff by the Office of the Accountant Gen-eral of the Federation towards the efficient im-plementation of the new accounting policy.

A statement by the Head, Media Relations and Strategy, FRSC, Mr. Bisi Kazeem quoted Oyey-emi as saying that the pol-icy would curb excessive spending by agencies and ministries. He added that in accordance with the directives, all corps’ ac-counts with commercial banks had been closed down following the com-

access a loan of N5.017bn last month from a com-mercial bank to pay LGA staff and primary school teachers pending when the bailout fund would be re-leased by CBN.

The government also explained why workers of tertiary institutions and government owned agen-cies were being owed sala-ries.

State Accountant Gen-eral, Alhaji Suleiman Isho-la said his office included the payment of their sala-ries in the proposal for the disbursement of the bail-out fund, adding however that it was the CBN that removed them from the

bailout loan.He pointed out that

there was no way the state government could deviate from the guide-lines of CBN, because the apex bank requested for payment schedules of the state workers before the N4.32bn could be ac-cessed.

Chairman of the Fi-nance and Appropria-tion Committee, Alhaji Mashood Bakare said the House would regularly in-vite officials to make clar-ifications on the finances of the state to ensure transparency, prudency and accountability in gov-ernance.

Lalong gets Assembly’s nod to access N10bn loanJAMES ABRAHAM JOS

Despite opposition in some quar-ters, Plateau State

House of Assembly yes-terday approved Gover-nor Simon Lalong’s bid to obtain a N10bn loan.

The House had earlier granted approval for the governor to access a loan of N9.8bn to offset the backlog of salary arrears bringing the total loan

granted to N19.8bn within the past four months

Some lawmakers had initially opposed the lat-est loan request by the governor, expressing dis-pleasure over how the pre-vious fund approved by the House was utilised

But in a twist yesterday, the lawmakers approved the latest N10bn loan dur-ing their plenary.

Justifying the action of the House, member repre-senting Mangu South and

Chairman, House Com-mittee on Environment and Solid Mineral, Em-manuel Dakas, said the lawmakers had no choice than to approve the loan to enable the governor carry on with develop-mental projects in the state.

His said: “We approved the loan because that is the only option for the state to get funds to com-plete most of the projects left behind by the immedi-

mencement of the imple-mentation of the policy on 15 September, 2015.

Oyeyemi further dis-closed that FRSC was one of the first public insti-tutions to have complied with the policy and called on all the accounting staff of the commission to em-brace it as well.

Also speaking at the occasion, Project Man-ager of the Government Integrated Financial Management Informa-tion System, GIFMIS, Mr. Destco Mugabi, who rep-resented the Accountant General of the Federa-tion, commended FRSC for its diligent account-ing system.

He declared that the office of the Accountant General of the Federation is impressed by the com-pliance of FRSC, stress-ing that it was one of the agencies to fully comply with the new policy.

He insisted that the commission had been do-ing well by ensuring that its generated fines were always remitted fully to the Federation Accounts, emphasising that the workshop was organsied to enlighten accounts of-ficers on the new policy in order to facilitate its im-plementation in the corps.

ate out-gone government. “The Internal Gener-

ated Revenue, IGR, has already been tied down with the loan collected by the past administration, so apart from the statutory al-location and VAT, the state does not have any other source of income since the IGR is already tied down to a loan that was collected. If not for the bailout funds, the state would have been unable to pay salaries.”

Executive Secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TET-

Fund, Prof. Suleiman Bo-goro, said the agency re-voked approvals granted to some institutions over their inability to access their allocations for five years.

Bogoro made this known when Governor Abubakar Bello of Niger State visited him in Abuja yesterday.

According to Bogoro, TETFund is striving to maintain its institutional image which is hinged on accountability and trans-parency.

“Just about nine months ago, the Board of Trustees of TETFund had to vacate some approvals that have been lying for four to five years and were not accessed.

“For some, even ordi-nary Approval in Prin-ciple (AIP) we never got from them; so we said no; there are some other in-

stitutions that need this money.

“We had to revoke them and re-allocate to other in-stitutions,” he said.

The TETFund boss said that there were operation-al requirements that ter-tiary institutions in Niger State had not met, hence their inability to access much funds like other in-stitutions in some states.

Earlier, Bello had ex-pressed concern over the disparity in accessing TETFund intervention funds among higher insti-tutions in the country.

He said that the visit had offered him the op-portunity of understand-ing TETFund modalities, adding that institutions in his state had to approach TETFund in the appropri-ate way.

“I now understand how TETFund operates; we will go home and make corrections with regards to the procedure of ac-cessing the funds.

No mutual distrust between Ganduje, Kwankwaso –SSGKwankwaso.

Bichi made the clarifi-cation while speaking to newsmen on the 5th Anni-versary of the formation of the ‘Kwankwasiyya Ide-ology’ in Kano yesterday

The annual celebration

is a mark of recognition of Kwankwaso’s selfless service to the state.

He said the impression was only being created and promoted to cause confusion and chaos in the state.

“Those people are politi-cal jobbers who must feed on gossips to survive.

“In politics, gossips are the order of the day and a ploy being perfected by some people to score some political capital.

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 51Thursday, October 22, 2015 North

INUSA NDAHI MAIDUGURI

Borno and Yobe po-lice commands yes-terday reiterated

the prohibition on sales and usage of fireworks, including “knockouts” as it is being enforced by the police and other law enforcement agencies across the two states.

The prohibitions were contained in press state-

Nasarawa partners banks to check ghost pensioners

L-R: A guest, Alhaji Audu Usman; President, Nigerian Polo Federation, Francis Ogboro and Adamawa State Gover-nor Jubrilla Bindow, during the final game of the just concluded MTN Yola 2015 Polo Tournament in Yola, recently.

53 killed, 100,420 displaced by fl ood –NOA

Terrorism: FG donates N25m to two Taraba hospitals

WALE IBRAHIM LOKOJA

National Orienta-tion Agency, NOA, has said no fewer

than 53 people lost their lives in 11 states across the country due to the 2015 flood disaster.

It also revealed that 100,420 persons have been displaced between Au-gust and September this year.

While addressing com-munities yesterday at Koton Karfe during a one-day public enlighten-ment/sensitisation pro-gramme for people living within flood-prone areas of Kogi local government area of Kogi State, the NOA Director-General, Mr Mike Omeri, stated that the alert given by the Nigerian Meteorologi-cal Agency of excessive flooding in 2015 is real, noting that 53 people died while over 100,420 were displaced.

Omeri, who noted that the unfortunate effect of

flood disaster had served as an eye opener to Nige-rian government, adding that the effects of global warming and climatic change could already be seen in the country.

“We cannot hold back the rains and floods be-cause they are not within our control, but we can take practical measures in ensuring our personal safety and the protection of our property from the ravaging effects of flood,” he noted.

“This is why today’s programme is very apt as it provides the plat-form for us to remind ourselves of the dangers of flood and to take prac-tical measures to secure our lives and properties.”

The NOA boss, how-ever, assured that the fed-eral government is fully committed to the welfare of flood victims, and im-plored them to remain patient and be vigilant.

The Ohimege of Koton Karfe, Abudulrazak Isa Koto, appealed to the fed-

JUSTIN TYOPUUSU JALINGO

Federal Govern-ment, through Victims Support

Fund, VSF, yesterday donated N25 million to Taraba Specialist hospi-tal and General hospital Wukari to provide free medical care for victims of insurgency in the state.

Executive Director, Victim Support Fund, Prof. Sunday Ocheche, at the presentation of cheques to the hospi-tals, warned against mismanaging the fund, saying the organisation would not be happy with any hospital that fails to use the funds for the set purpose.

“The era of corrup-tion is gone; this fund was donated to these hospitals to assist in purchasing medical equipment and consum-ables that would help to provide free and en-hanced medical care for victims of insurgency.

“We will work togeth-er with management of

eral government to come to the aid of victims of flood disaster in his do-main, stressing that their condition of living is pa-thetic.

The monarch said since 2012 his kingdom, especially the rural areas, had been seriously affect-ed by perennial flooding, therefore rendering the victims homeless, with at-tendant loss of property and farm products.

He said: “For the past three years, my people living along riverine ar-eas have been passing through untold hardship as a result of flooding. They have lost their prop-erty and farm product to the flood disaster, which is why I am appealing to the federal government through the National Ori-entation Agency to come to our aid, because the loss is too much for us to bear.”

While commending Omeri for the agency’s herculean task of sen-sitising citizens on the

Nigeria’s cultural val-ues and peaceful co-ex-istence, the royal father urged him to remain res-olute in the discharge of NOA statutory functions for the betterment of the people.

Also, the State Direc-tor of NOA, Chief Ibi-kunle Medubi, pointed out that many communi-ties across nine local gov-ernment areas of Kogi State are affected by this year’s flood, stressing however that the devasta-tion was not as serious as that of 2012.

He said NOA recog-nises the socio-economic dislocation of the flood and the accompanying challenges, saying “that is why this programme is organised.”

He however commend-ed the effort of National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, in co-or-ganising the programme and the untiring efforts in giving relief materials to the affected communi-ties all over the country.

Police restate fi rework ban in Borno, Yobe

the hospitals to ensure that this fund is judi-ciously used,” he said.

Ocheche, who noted that the chairman of VSF, General T. Y. Dan-juma is from the state, said it will be a disgrace if Taraba State fails to utilise the fund judi-ciously.

He added that the or-ganisation is supporting hospitals in the country to enhance their produc-tivity and would account to Nigerians on how the fund is spent.

Responding on behalf of the benefiting hos-pitals, Chief Medical Director, State Special-ist hospital, Dr. Joel Re-mande, assured that the money donated to the hospitals would be prop-erly utilised.

Though Taraba has not been adversely af-fected by the activities of Boko Haram insur-gency, it has witnessed protracted internal com-munal crisis and hosts Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, from Yobe, Adamawa and Bor-no states.

ments by ASP Isuku Vic-tor and Toyin Gbadege-sin, the respective police public relations officers, PPROs, of the sister states.

The separate state-ments read in part: “The prohibition of the sale and use of fireworks is still in force and the pub-lic is hereby reminded that any use of fireworks

before, during and after this yuletide season is prohibited.’’

Isuku and Gbadegesin in their statements also warned: “Any violator of this order shall be viewed as security saboteurs and shall be arrested and pros-ecuted in the court of law.”

The re-echoing of the prohibition was in view of the approaching yule-

IGBAWASE UKUMBALAFIA

Authorities of Na-sarawa State Pen-sion Board, NSPB,

yesterday said it is col-laborating with commer-cial banks in the country for routine biometric ex-ercise of pensioners to check ghost pensioners in the state.

Director-General of the board, Usman Ad-ams, disclosed this to journalists during a chat in Lafia, the state capital, adding that the board’s action was aimed at arresting il-legal withdrawals of monies by relatives of deceased persons.

He said: “The physi-cal biometric exercise being collaborated with the commercial banks has really assisted the board. As I sit here, I cannot know who is dead or alive, but the physical biometrics has helped us a lot to uncover ghost pensioners and dupers.

“Duping was appar-ent in the past as some

miscreants deceived pensioners in the name of processing their pen-sion and gratuity en-titlements. Now for the past three years, we have not recorded any issue of duping.”

He therefore appealed to pensioners in the state to exercise more pa-tience as arrangements were on towards paying their gratuities. Accord-ing to him, “delay in the payment of gratuities to beneficiaries is not pecu-liar to the state alone but a national phenomenon.”

He consequently blamed the delay in paying pension entitle-ments on retirees’ delay in processing their files, and urged them to al-ways process their enti-tlement files at the right time.

Adams also attributed delay in paying pension-ers at the local councils to the low Internally Generated Revenue, IGR base of the state, adding however that the anom-aly would be rectified soon.

tide which could encour-age the use of fireworks and other explosives dur-ing festivities in Decem-ber and New Year of 2016.

The use of fire crack-ers and other fireworks, according to the police commands, however con-stitutes threats to secu-rity operatives and law-abiding citizens of Borno and Yobe states.

AfolAbi GAmbAriWITH AGENCY REPORT

South African students yes-terday clashed with the Police as they marched to

Parliament in a protest over a rise in fees.

Police fired stun grenades as the protesters were trying to force their way into the parlia-mentary complex.

Proposed tuition fee hikes of between 10 per cent and 12 per cent have sparked protests at universities across the country.

Students have complained that higher fees may exclude poorer black students.

Inside parliament in Cape Town a budget speech by Fi-nance Minister Nhlanhla Nene was temporarily halted as mem-bers of the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters chanted “Fees must fall”, a slogan borrowed from the students.

Student bodies have rejected a government offer to cap tuition fee increases at 6% for 2016, and earlier threatened to close all the country’s universities as pro-tests over tuition fees spread.

At least 10 institutions have so far been affected with some closing until the situation is re-solved.

Both #NationalShutDown and #FeesMustFall continue to trend on social media in South Africa.

A report said the protests seemed to intensify as students refused to back down, despite heavy police presence at most in-stitutions.

Student politics have been part of this country’s political fibre for many years.

In the apartheid era, students took to the streets to protest against being taught in Afri-kaans, one of the main languag-es spoken by the white minority.

Protesting students trying to force their way into the Parkliament in Pretoria yesterday

Al-Shabab militants

Fee hike: SA Police, students in violent clash

In Cape Town, white students were reported to form human shields between black students and the police.

“Some of us can afford univer-sity fees, but we want to support the majority of black South Af-rican families who cannot,” one

Al-Shabab renegades return to KenyaNearly 700 recruits have

returned to Kenya af-ter quitting militant

groups, a report by the Interna-tional Organization for Migra-tion (IOM) said yesterday.

The report however warned that a failure to reintegrate returnees may lead to further radicalisation.

Somalia’s Islamist al-Shabab militants are believed to be re-cruiting heavily in neighbour-ing north-eastern Kenya.

Kenya has seen a series of militant attacks with one at a university earlier this year killed 148 people.

Although the report does not mention where the returnees came from, Deputy Secretary General of the Supreme Coun-cil of Kenya Muslims (Sup-kem) Hassan Ole Nadu has con-

firmed that they were fighting for al-Shabab.

The 36-page report was com-piled by the IOM, Supkem and the Kenya’s interior ministry.

Researchers found that al-

though most adults joined the group voluntarily, nearly a third of children interviewed said they were forced to enlist.

“On the one hand, they pres-ent an opportunity to counter

World NewsI would like to encourage the Israelis and Palestinians to show some courage and get back to political and peaceful solution.

–UN SECRETARY GENERAL, BAN KI-MOON

An opposition leader in Congo-Brazzaville, Pascal Tsaty Mabiala, has called for a peaceful uprising ahead of Sunday’s referendum on whether the president can run for office again, according to reports.

The call comes after at least four people were killed in clashes between police and protesters.

Mabiala of the PanAfrican Union for Social Democracy wants to stop Sunday’s vote going ahead.

The vote is aimed at pushing through changes to the constitution such as scrapping age and two-term limits.

Police fired shots and tear gas in the capital, Brazzaville, on Tuesday in a clamp down on protests against the president’s bid for a third term.

Texting and internet services were cut and public meetings banned ahead of the referendum, residents said.

A Scottish nurse, Pauline Caf-ferkey, who contracted Ebola while working in Sierra Leone is recover-ing well after the virus caused her to develop meningitis.

Cafferkey, 39, was readmitted to an isolation unit at the Royal Free Hospital in London earlier this month after suffering an apparent relapse.

Health officials confirmed she had been diagnosed with menin-gitis caused by Ebola and had a “long recovery ahead”.

Dr. Michael Jacobs, who is treat-ing Cafferkey at the Royal Free Hospital in London, said: “Pauline has become unwell by meningitis caused by the Ebola virus.

“But to be very clear about this, she hasn’t been re-infected with the Ebola virus.

“This is the original Ebola virus that she had many months ago, which has been lying inside the brain, replicating at a very low level probably, and has now re-emerged to cause this clinical illness of meningitis. And this is obviously a serious thing.”

When Millen Magese won the Miss Tanzania competition in 2001 and became an international fash-ion model, she became an idol to many African women.

Rich and famous, she has lived a glamorous life travelling the world, modelling clothes for top designers.

But off the catwalk, she has also become a heroine to many women for speaking up about a debilitating gynaecological condition, endome-triosis, which can cause severe pain and infertility.

To get the message across, she established a foundation and begun an awareness campaign via social media.

Ebola nurse’s health improves

Supermodel fights endometriosis

Congolese urged to “go peaceful”

AFRICAN BULLETIN


white student said.Students said the proposed fee

hike amounted to discrimina-tion in a country where the av-erage income of black families was far less than that of white families.

the radicalising ideologies and recruitment strategies of armed groups,” the report said.

“On the other, the response of the security forces is wide-ly perceived to be promoting further radicalisation as the returnees themselves believe that they are unsafe and have limited reintegration options,” it added.

Security in the country was identified by participants as the main obstacle to their suc-cessful reintegration in the country.

A total of 185 respondents were interviewed, represent-ing nearly 30 per cent of the es-timated total of 684 returnees in the country. The majority were between 18 and 34 years old.

Thursday September 4, 2014 53National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Thursday, October 22, 2015

54

... He’s replaceable –Oliseh

–Manchester United midfielder, Bastian Schweinsteiger

Bayern Munich is past for me. Please, ask me about my new club

FIFA probes Beckenbauer, Villar

Sport

We’re unaware of Emenike retirement –NFFPaul ErEwuba

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), yesterday denied knowledge of Super Eagles striker, Emmanuel

Emenike, insisting the Al Ain FC of UAE player was yet to notify the association of his alleged retirement.

It could be recalled that Emenike took to social media on Tuesday to announce his retirement from international football.

According to him, “After five great years, I am happy to announce that I have put a full stop to my national team career for the sake of national peace,” his state-ment on Instagram read.

Continuing, he said; “It’s a pleasure for me to have played for this great country. I

never regretted it and I think it’s the best time to end it. The Super Eagles is a camp, not a family house. And it shouldn’t be a threat zone for any individual.”

However, NFF spokesperson Ademola Olajire yesterday reportedly revealed that Emenike had not communicated with the country’s football governing body.

“The NFF is yet to receive any official no-tification of retirement from Emenike. He didn’t inform us about his decision before going to the social media to announce it.”

But, Super Eagles head coach, Sunday Oliseh, while reacting to Emenike’s retire-ment, allayed fears, imploying Nigerians not to panic that Emenike is replaceable.

Oliseh, however expressed shock over the player’s sudden retirement of from the Super Eagles, adding that nobody ex-

cept the entity Nigeria itself is irreplace-able.

“It was a big shocker for us and a big shocker for me personally... personally, I still don’t accept that he has retired be-cause officially I have not heard anything from him and I don’t think the Federation have also heard from him, only what we know is what was posted on social media,” Oliseh said yesterday.

Oliseh explained how he has made Emenike part of his rebuilding process and accorded him more playing time than any striker so far under his reign.

“I have made him (Emenike) part of our rebuilding process, in fact he has had more playing time than any striker we have had, so I am very surprised that he has decided to retire”.

NOA canvasses massive support for EagletsJoEl aJayiABUJA

Following the successive victories of Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets in the ongoing FIFA Under-17 World Cup

in Chile, the National Orientation Agen-cy (NOA) has commended the team for its impressive performance and called on Nigerians worldwide to support the team and pray for its emergence as world champions.

The NOA Director General, Mike Omeri call for support yesterday in Abu-ja, that the Eaglets have displayed high level of commitment to fly the country’s flag higher even in the face of critical ad-versity.

He noted that with only a handful of supporters, the Eaglets were undeterred in their determination to rise above all challenges and win the trophy, adding that they resilience was a clear message that Nigerian football is on the rise.

Omeri recalled that the Golden Eaglets were so named by President Muhamma-du Buhari as military Head of State and was optimistic that his second coming to power would confirm them as Super Golden Eaglets.

He urged the team and crew of the Under-17 team to remain focused and Nigerians to continue to pray for the na-tion’s success in all things that Nigerians are involved in, especially the Under-17 World Cup and the fight against insur-gency so that Nigerians will bring glory to our fatherland.

It would be recalled that the Golden Ea-glets clinched a gold medal at the maiden Under-17 World Cup in Beijing, China in 1985 and have repeated same feat thrice.

Emenike

El-Kanemi 1 2 Giwa

Wikki 2 I IfeanyiUbah

3SC 1 0 Taraba

Heartland 1 0 Sharks

Nasarawa 0 0 Enyimba

Abia 2 0 Lobi

Kwara 1 1 Bayalsa

Dolphins 2 1 Pillars

Giwa 1 0 Heartland

Glo League results

54 Sports National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.netThursday, October 22, 2015

Eaglets face Croatia in final group game... Advance in round of 16The Golden Eaglets

will tomorrow play Croatia in their last

group game in the ongo-ing FIFA U17 World Cup in Chile.

World Cup hosts Chile fell 5-1 to Nigeria and may now need to win their final group game to advance to

the knockout stage of the tournament.

However, Golden Eaglets’ coach Emmanuel Amuneke yesterday praised his wards for their impressive display in the 5-1 demoli-tion, which advanced them into the round of 16 of the FIFA U17 World Cup.

He said his players made the hosts uncomfortable in the midfield and forced them out of their style.

“It is true we were effec-tive up front, but we also knew how to block their passing game, forcing them to play uncomfortably in the midfield,” he said.

“My players understood the transition game that is when to attack, when to defend.

“We also prepared them mentally. It is not easy to play against the host. Chile has a god team, but they lost against the better team. I believe they can qualify for the next round.”

German football great Franz Beckenbauer yesterday became the

latest FIFA official named as under investigation, along with Fifa vice-president Angel Maria Villar and several other former executive committee members.

The Ethics Committee of the scandal-hit body was given the right to disclose informa-tion about cases by Fifa’s ex-ecutive committee on Tuesday and wasted no time in taking advantage of its new freedom.

Beckenbauer, a World Cup winner as a player and coach and a former Fifa executive

committee member, has had his case passed to the Adjudi-catory Chamber of the Ethics Committee for a decision.

Villar, president of the Span-ish Football Federation and a vice-president of both Fifa and European governing body Uefa, has also had his case passed on to the Ethics judge Hans-Joachim Eckert.

No details were given of the reasons for the investigations against Beckenbauer or Villar.

The Ethics Committee con-firmed that, as widely report-ed, “proceedings are ongoing” against Fifa president Sepp Blatter and Uefa president Mi-

chel Platini “regarding a pay-ment of CHF 2 million from Fifa to Michel Platini in Feb-ruary 2011”.

Both men have already been given 90-day provisional bans pending their full investiga-tions.

Suspended Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke’s “on-going proceedings” were also confirmed. The Ethics Com-mittee said his case “related to the suspicion of misuse of expenses and other infringe-ments of Fifa’s rules and regu-lations”.

The committee also said six other former Fifa execu-

tive committee members were under investigation. All have been suspended or have re-signed from office.

“Formal investigation pro-ceedings relating to the suspi-cion of infringements of the Fifa Code of Ethics are among others ongoing against Worawi Makudi, Jeffrey Webb, Ricardo Teixeira, Amos Adamu, Eu-genio Figueredo and Nicolás Leoz,” said the statement.

Fifa was plunged into cri-sis in May when the US De-partment of Justice indicted 14 soccer officials and sports marketing executives on a se-ries of corruption charges.

FIFA probes Beckenbauer, Villar

Chile U17 team coach Miguel Ponce has stated that his team played well against champions Nigeria, but lost because they could not put

score the chances they created.Ponce admitted his players found it difficult to

cope with the physical presence and the speed of the Emmanuel Amuneke-coached team.

“I told the kids: Nigeria respected us more than the result shows. They took measures to avoid us playing quickly, they knew to wait for us and scored after patient plays, they did not keep us in our goal for the whole game,” he said.

“It is true there were physical differences, espe-cially when it came to speed, but it is also true we were not able to finish off the situations we cre-ated. Against a good team, they don’t forgive you.”

We were wasteful at goal –Chile coach

Eaglets celebrate one of their five goals against hosts, Chile

Beckenbauer

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 55SportsThursday, October 22, 2015

NSC to export para soccer to west coastThe National Sports Commission

(NSC) has announced plans to help in actualizing the objective

of the Para-soccer Federation of Nige-ria to popularize para-soccer in other West African countries.

The declaration was made yesterday by NSC Director General Alhassan Yak-mut at the opening ceremony of the Na-tional Para Soccer tournament in Abuja as part activities to mark the World Po-lio Day.

Yakmut, who was represented by an

assistant director in NSC, Dr Olusegun Akinlotan, said Nigeria was willing ex-port the game to the West coast as an alternative activity by polio survivors instead of resorting begging for alms.

“Our intention is to take para-soccer to West Africa. We only need to coordi-nate and synergise with the rest of the world so that we make sure the game is played all over the region,” he The 3rd edition of the tournament that is fea-turing 16 states is activity supported by the Rotary International among other

partners.The President of the Para-Soccer

Federation of Nigeria, Alhaji Misbahu Lawan Didi expressed satisfaction with standard of play and organisation of the tournament and the declaration of Nigeria as a country now free from the polio endemic.

Didi expressed his determination to take the game beyond the shores of Nigeria by ensuring that para soccer is accorded international committee rec-ognition.

IfeanyI eduzor

In recognition of his humanitarian work since quitting football, former Super Eagles player, Chief Paul Oku-

ku has been given a special award by the Rotary Club of Lagos Mainland; District 9110.

The United States of America based founder of “Greater Tomorrow Children Academy”, was honoured at a special ceremony with the Rotary humanitarian merit award.

In a recitation read by Editor Rotarian,Adeyemi Ogunkoya, the club de-scribed the former Flying Eagles vice cap-tain at the Mexico 83 World Youth Cham-pionship as a role model who has used his foundation to impact positively on the lives of many youths even as the club urged other ex-internationals to emulate him and empower the youths.

Receiving the award on his behalf, Nol-lywood actor and sports broadcaster, Jide Alabi commended Rotary Club for recog-nizing the immense contributions made by Okuku through his foundation, prom-ising that the award will challenge him to do more for the youths.

“I am highly impressed with the award because it came at the right time and I want to assure members of Rotary Club, District 9110 that the award will spur Okuku to do more for the development of youths” said Alabi who doubles as ambas-sador of “Greater Tomorrow Children Foundation”.

afolabI GambarI

One of the nominees for the Sports Man of the Year in this

year’s Nigerian Sports Award, Aruna Quadri, has improved his chance of clinching the award after claiming the Portu-guese Super Cup with his new club Sporting Lisbon.

Quadri, who is a two-time winner of the Ball Sports Award of the Ni-gerian Sports Award, was in fine form when he mar-shaled the resurgence of the Lisbon-based team

against his former club, GD Toledos at the weekend.

For four years while at Toledos, Quadri single-handedly stopped Sporting from winning the Portu-guese Super Cup but after pitching his tent with the Lisbon-based side, the 2014 ITTF Star Player helped the team reclaim the title at the weekend.

From the five matches played, Quadri won two of them to give Sporting Lis-bon a 4-1 win to reclaim the trophy to the Lisbon-based team.

“It was not easy play-ing against the team I had

featured in for more than three seasons,” the fans’ favourite said, adding, “But I must do my job as a professional. This is my fourth titles and I hope it will gear me up for this week’s Polish Open.”

Meanwhile, Quadri will this week return to the ITTF World Tour in War-saw, Poland after being seeded in number 25 among the 32 seeded players listed for the men singles event.

The 2015 Nigerian Sports Award event is schedule for November 20 at the Marquee, Ocean-view, Eko Hotel, Lagos.

The new Chairman/Special Adviser, Lagos State Sports

Commission, Deji Tinubu has promised to lift Lagos State sports to an enviable height.

Deji said this at the first meeting he held with the management staff of the Commission immediately on resumption of office at Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.

According to him, who was a former executive member of Nigeria Foot-ball Federation (NFF), his plan is to take sports to another stratosphere in La-gos.

Rotary Club honours Okuku

NSA 2015: Quadri raises Sportsman Award stake

My agenda for sports in Lagos – Tinubu

Quadri

Para team

Vol. 05 No. 1227 Thursday, October 22, 2015 N150

WORLD RECORD

The largest smoothie contained 2,300 litres (607.6 US gal) and was prepared by Dry July (Australia) at Circular Quay in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia,

on 30 June 2014.

Largest smoothie

SolaOjewusi

S lGuest Columnist

Printed and Published by Global Media Mirror Ltd: Head Offi ce: Mirror House, 155/161 Broad Street, Lagos Tel: 07027107407, Abuja Offi ce: NICON Insurance House, Second Floor, Central Business District Area, Abuja Tel: 08070428249, Advert hotline: 01-8446073, Port-Harcourt Offi ce: Suite 115, NICON Hotel, 6, Benjamin Opara Street, Off Olusegun Obasanjo Rd, GRA Phaze 3, Phone: 07032323254 Email: [email protected].

Acting Editor: BEN MEMULETIWON. All correspondence to PMB 10001, Marina, Lagos. Printed simultaneously in Lagos, Abuja and Akure. ISSN 0794-232X.

My friends, all, so much has been said about the recent abduction of Chief Olu Falae, former Sec-

retary to the Government of the Federa-tion (SGF), and eminent Yoruba leader. While one cannot but condemn this das-tardly assault as a sacrilege taken too far, given the pedigree and reverence of Chief Falae, it is pertinent to put in per-spective the dangerous dimension the aftermath and outpouring of emotions is taking.

Kidnapping anyone in the first in-stance is horrible, not to mention when the victim is now an elder statesman, a man who served his country meritori-ously, and who but for fate would have become the president of Nigeria. When such unwitting crime occurs in any part of the nation, it is easy for the victim’s kinsmen to see it as not only an assault on the symbol of the group’s existence,

it is also easy to perceive it as being tan-tamount to a call to arms by the offend-er’s provenance. And that is where the problem lies and where the victim, in or-der not to throw away the baby with the bath water, needs to exercise restraint.

I admit that the outpouring of emotion by Falae’s kinsmen is not out of place. Indeed, any well meaning Nigerian must condemn the act in all its ramifications but in doing so, for the sake of Nigeria, our common heritage, the victims must be circumspect. Yes, there has been so much provocation of late from the Fu-lani cattle men in their time-worn quest to find grazing space for their flock. In a world in which so little is done to edu-cate these nomads about the virtues of respect for the indigenes of the land be-ing grazed by their cattle, and in a na-tion so filled with ever festering mutual distrust, untoward incidences like this must happen. So, while we castigate the criminals who have easily surrendered their humanity in the quest for money, we must not spare the society that still make such anomalies possible.

Have we really paused to consider these incessant cases of kidnapping and other pecuniary crimes as disheartening indices of lost youth or what Soyinka would call the “wasted generation”? It is sad that we have engendered a society where sacrileges like these are common-place among our youths. Many of our youngsters, supposed trustees of our fu-ture, have already succumbed to the dreg of crime and this quick-money anomaly. Bereft of all modicum of youthful inno-

cence, they’ve succumbed completely to crimes and amoral undertakings. Has our leadership seriously considered solving the lost generation problem at all?

Some have even left the culprit off the hook. Rather, and curiously, they are now accusing the victim of carelessness and self inflicted ordeal. Our society has been so steeped in crimes that vindica-tion appears to have become the reward for criminals and condemnation re-served for the victim. In a society where innocence has become a crime, nothing but sadness and loss will continue to be its lot.

Having said that, one must also be worried by the dangerously ethnic col-oration this unfortunate incidence is as-suming. Sadly, gradually, because of the lack of circumspection and restraint from many quarters, what should have qualified as a purely criminal mal-ad-venture by some hell-born, god-forsaken youths has begun to take a dangerously ethnic dimension. The tendency to see the sad event beyond mere criminal-ity is already pitching one ethnic group

Sport Extra

Nigerian Amos Adamu is under investigation by Fifa’s ethics committee, it

revealed on Wednesday.Adamu is alleged to have

breached Fifa’s code of ethics but world football’s governing body did not provide any more details.

The 62-year-old was a member

of Fifa’s executive committee for four years until 2010, when he was banned from all football activity for three years.

He was banned over claims he asked for money in exchange for World Cup votes.

Adamu’s suspension expired in

October 2013.He was was a high-ranking

government official for Nigerian sport for 20 years and was once considered to be a leading candi-date to succeed long-serving Issa Hayatou as president of the Con-federation of African Football.

Fifa investigates Amos AdamuFifa investigates Amos Adamu

Adamu

The politics of Falae’s abduction

GIVING ETHNIC SENTIMENTS TO EVERY ACT OF

STUPIDITY AND MAL-ADVENTURE IS…

COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE

German football great Franz Beckenbauer on Wednesday became the latest Fifa official named as under investigation, along with Fifa vice-president Angel Maria Villar and several other former executive commit-tee members.

against the other and the kind of alterca-tion and exchange of slurs on pages of newspapers is frightening indeed. And this is where caution is required if our rather fragile unity is to be sustained.

Every society has its deviants and mo-nopoly of aberration cannot be arrogated to a particular society. After careful con-sideration of the story of the kidnappers, it is my opinion that these are just com-mon criminals who should be punished in isolation for their horrific crime. Their origin and their ethnicity do not necessarily have anything to do with it. Having in mind that these are just a tiny percentage of a group of millions of good citizens, it would be wrong to castigate the whole for the sins of the part.

The insensitivity of some from the ethnicity of the criminals should also be castigated. For those who feel the only solution to the provocative acts of their kinsmen is incessant abuse of the ethnic group of the victim, I will say they have horribly missed the point. Once it is es-tablished that the criminals were from a particular region, it behooves that re-gion to admit the shame brought to it by its people. The tendency to grandstand can only escalate the fire of anger rather than abate it. Nigerians should learn to admit their errors whenever such is es-tablished. Giving ethnic sentiments to ev-ery act of stupidity and mal-adventure is not only condemnable, it is at best coun-ter-productive.

These incessant crimes can only mean one thing: The society needs some surgi-cal therapy. For too long, people in author-ity have gone to sleep regarding adequate social welfare. Our youth are going adrift and all we see daily are largely fiddling and bickering politicians. Sheer force or fire power alone cannot discourage these young criminals from their sordid path. Only solid, forward-looking policies aimed at curbing youth restiveness and criminal tendencies will suffice.

Ojewusi wrote via [email protected]

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