...towards a better life for the peopleVOL. 25: NO. 62430

ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com

THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015**

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Mr & Mrs

Continues on Page 5

The President was misunderstood,says APC; he has failed — LPBuhari is like old wine, gets better with age— PresidencyHe should resign, better to look for black goat in daytime — GroupWe're not part of call for Buhari's resignation, says PDP; disowns group

Old age won't affectmy job — BUHARI

EVACUATED: From left, Celestine Enwerem, Sani Zaharadeen andHamisu Yunusa, some of the Nigerians evacuated by NEMA from Yemen,on their arrival at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, yes-terday. INSET: Director of Search and Rescue, NEMA, Air CommodoreCharles Otegbade (R),addressing the returnees at the airport. Photos: NAN.

By EmmanuelAziken, Political

Editor & ChrisOchayi

ABUJA—PresidentM u h a m m a d u

Buhari declared,yesterday, that his agewill not affect his job aspresident of Nigeria. Hesaid that at 72 he has inquantum, the wisdom,the patience, thetemperance andforbearance that agebrings and has broughtall these virtues to thepresidency to make adifference in our nationallife.

The president said this,yesterday, in Abuja, inresponse to reportsquoting him as sayingwhile addressing theNigerian community inJohannesburg, SouthAfrica, that his age will

UNPAID SALARIES: Governors wanturgent review of revenue formula

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COLUMNISTS:

80 garlands forUncle SamAmuka

APC as a rulingcoalition•P.17

On neutrality and"Tambuwalisation"of the legislature

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81 killed, others injured as abandoned bombs explode in Borno — P.55

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Boko Haram: MilitaryCommand and ControlCentre operational in21 days

Moslems beginRamadan fasttoday —P.59

LAGOS WESTPOLL:

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Tribunalshiftshearing toJune 22

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POCKET CARTOONVanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015—5

TAKE HEARTBY ELLA RANDLE

Continues from Page 1

Old age won't affect my job — BUHARI

Be like a duck, paddling and working very hardinside the water, but what everyone sees is a smilingand calm face — Manoj Arora

COMPASSION is by nature gentle, peacefuland soft, but it is a very powerful virtue. It is

those who easily lose their patience who are insecureand unstable.

So, when a problem first arises, try to remain calmand humble, and also maintain a sincere attitudeand be concerned that the outcome is fair. Of course,others may try to take advantage of you, and if yourremaining detached only encourages unjustaggression, adopt a strong stand. This, however,should be done with compassion, and if it isnecessary to express your views and take strongcountermeasures, do so without anger or ill-intent.

You should realize that even though your opponentsappear to be harming you, in the end, theirdestructive activity will damage only themselves. Inorder to check your own selfish impulse to retaliate,you should recall your desire to practice compassionand assume responsibility for helping prevent theother person from suffering the consequences of hisor her acts.

limit his performance.A statement by his

Special Adviser onMedia and Publicity, MrFemi Adesina, said thepresident’s comments inSouth Africa were totallytaken out of context tomean that he was too oldfor the demands of theoffice.

The Presidency spoke asGovernor Ayodele Fayoseof Ekiti State urgedNigerians not to politicizethe issue, saying that thetime for politicalcampaigns was well past.He rather askedNigerians to pray for thePresident for him to havethe grace to execute thedemands of his office.

The governor’s assertioncame as a fringe group inthe Peoples DemocraticParty, PDP, which calleditself the PDP MediaWatchdogs demanded thePresident’s resignationupon comments made inSouth Africa on Mondaynight.

The PDP MediaWatchdogs wasimmediately disowned bythe mainstream PDP

which claimed ignoranceof the group, saying thatthe language of the groupwas strange to the party’sposture, which is to onlyengage in healthyopposition to theadministration. The PDPnevertheless, said that thePDP Media Watchdogsmay have been instigatedby the kind of bitterlanguage used by the AllProgressives Congress,APC, against formerPresident GoodluckJonathan while he was inpower.

The ruling APC equallychided the PDP MediaWatchdogs, describingtheir call as the productof deliberate mischief anda result of their members’poor understanding of theEnglish language.

Special Adviser to thePresident on Media andPublicity, Mr. FemiAdesina, clarifyingremarks given by thePresident to the Nigeriancommunity inJohannesburg in astatement titled- "LikeGood Wine, PresidentBuhari Gets Better WithAge", said:

“On Monday evening,

President MuhammaduBuhari spoke with theNigerian community at theNigerian Consulate inJohannesburg, SouthAfrica.

“Speaking extempore,because according to him,he wanted to “speak fromthe heart,” the Presidenturged them to be goodambassadors of Nigeria, acountry he went to the warfront to keep together.

“Still extolling thevirtues of our country,Nigeria, the President,who had served as amilitary governor of thethen North-Eastern Stateat 33 years old, declared:”I wish I became Head ofState when I was agovernor. Now at 72, thereis a limit to what I can do.”

“The above commentshave been reported bysome newspapers to meanthat the President wassaying he was too old tocope with the demands ofhis office. Far from it.

“As the saying goes, “oldwines are tasty” and thePresident Buhari we havetoday is a man, like oldwine, that has got tastier.At 72, yes, he can’t becalled a youth, but he hasin quantum the wisdom,the patience, temperanceand forbearance that agebrings. And all thesevirtues he has brought tothe Presidency, to make adifference in our nationallife.

“The President assuredthe Nigerian communityin South Africa that hisadministration will makea positive impact on thecountry.

“Insecurity, assymbolized by insurgency,will be brought to an end,corruption will be foughtto a standstill,employment will becreated for the teemingarmy of unemployed, theeconomy will be revived,and the quality of life ofNigerians will take anupward swing again.These will not come by asudden flight, but they willhappen in the life of thisadministration.

“At 72, the Buharipersona has not changed.He remains the simple,honest, incorruptiblepatriot he has alwaysbeen. And becauseNigerians earnestlydesired change, that waswhy they voted for himoverwhelmingly at thegeneral elections inMarch, this year. All thevirtues and values of theBuhari persona will bedeployed into governancein the weeks and monthsahead.

“The Nigeriancommunity in South Africawas enthralled asPresident Buhari spokewith them on Monday. Infact, leaving the venuewas an effort, as theyswarmed around thePresident, who shookhands with as many ofthem as he could.

“They took his messagewell. That is the essenceof good wine. It gets betterwith age. And it is amessage for all Nigerians,both at home and in theDiaspora.”

Pray for Buhari— Fayose

Governor Fayose, whohad during the campaignsraised issues about thePresident’s age, was veryconciliatory yesterday,urging that the commentsshould not be politicisedeven as he called forprayers for the Presidentto discharge his duties.

“No, no, we cannotcomment on that, but allthat we owe the Presidentis to pray for him to be ableto do the demands of hisoffice,” the governor ’sspokesman, Mr. LereOlayinka said yesterday.

“Election is gone, andall that was done in thepast is past and the timefor election campaign isgone,” he restatedyesterday.

PDP fringe groupflays Buhari

Earlier, yesterday, afringe group in theopposition PDP had uponthe published assertiondemanded theresignation of PresidentBuhari from office for thereason of dwindlingproductivity in old age.

The group in astatement issued by oneTunde Lawal said:

“It’s barely three weeksinto the administration ofPresident MuhammaduBuhari and his age isalready telling on him, so,what will happen toNigeria in the remaining1,440 days of thisgovernment? It’s better tofind a black goat in theday time rather thanlooking for it in the nightand this is why we areasking President Buhari toresign now becauseNigerians will notentertain further excusesof why the APC cannotdeliver on its campaignpromises.”

Not part of us— PDP

The group wasimmediately disowned bythe mainstream PDPwhich through a statementby its National PublicitySecretary, Chief OlisaMetuh said:

“This group isabsolutely unknown to thePDP and has noconnection whatsoeverwith our party at any level,neither is the content oftheir statement areflection of the position orstance of the party.

“For the avoidance ofdoubt, our great party hasnot authorized this groupto use its name, acronymor logo to issuestatements or make publicpronouncements on anymatter and we cautionthose behind them tohenceforth desist fromsuch immediately.

“The PDP, therefore,distances itself from theembarrassing statementby this group wherein itcalled on PresidentMuhammadu Buhari toresign and went ahead touse offensive anddenigrating language onthe person and office ofthe President of our greatcountry.

“This is completelyunacceptable and againstthe posture of the PDP toengage only in robust andcredible opposition whileconstructively offeringalternatives to theprogrammes and policiesof the APC-ledgovernment, preparatoryto our return to power inthe next four years.

“We note with dismaythat the attitude of thisgroup is a directconsequence of theapproach adopted by theAPC in denigrating andinsulting our immediate-past President, Dr.Goodluck Jonathan.“Though we know thatformer President Jonathansuffered such fate in thehands of the APC, weshall not repay them in thesame coin as such is notpart of our tradition andvalues as a party.

APC reactsResponding to the PDP

Media Watchdog, theNational PublicitySecretary of the APC,Alhaji Lai Mohammed ina statement accused the

group of mischief and ofpoor knowledge of theEnglish language.

“What President Buhariwas saying, which waslost on those who issuedthat jejune statement, isthat only his love andpassion for the countrycould have made him, athis age, to come out ofretirement to seek the officeof President, over 30 yearsafter he presided over theaffairs of the country.

“For 16 years, Nigeriansgave the PDP the benefit ofthe doubt to move thecountry forward, butinstead, the party putNigeria in reverse gear ata high speed, spinning ittowards a doomsday thatwas only averted whenNigerians showed the PDPthe red card. This is whatnecessitated PresidentBuhari to continuously seekthe country’s highestpolitical office, so he canhelp put the country on aforward march again.Nothing else matters, notfor him the excitement of anoffice he previously heldand the quest for personalaccomplishment.

“If the country had beenwell managed, PresidentBuhari will not at 72 becrisscrossing the wholeworld seeking solution toNigeria’s problems", it said.

The party said onlyanarchists and non-democrats will ask apresident who has notspent one month in officeto resign, adding: “Itrankles when those makingthese calls are from theranks of the party that failedto avail itself creditably in16 years.”

Labour Party blastspresident

The National Chairmanof Labour Party, AlhajiAbdukadir Abdulsalam alsoflayed the remarks by thepresident, saying it was anadmission of failure.

Speaking to newsmen inAbuja, yesterday,Abdulsalam said: “This isan expression of failure onhis part because when hewas campaigning, he gaveus the impression that hewas hale, healthy, and notfragile, has the capacity,ability and agility to carryout the function of state asthe President of theFederal Republic ofNigeria."

THE AFRICAN CHILD—The African Children Emergency Foundation andZamaar Institute (an NGO) organised a candlelight event to mark the Day ofthe African Child in Abuja, Tuesday. Photo: NAN.

6—Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015

Bus drivercrushesmotorcyclistin Delta

Ritualist allegedly kills 21-year-oldfemale student in Ogun

By Daud Olatunji

By Festus Ahon &Theresa Ugbobu

ABEOKUTA—MEN of OgunState police command,

Tuesday, uncovered a ritualist'sshrine at Eposo-Akaka, Isara, inRemo North Local Government ofOgun State with dismemberedhuman parts suspected to be thoseof a female student of GatewayICT Polytechnic, MorenikejiOwolabi.

The shrine which was made withcorrugated iron sheets in a cubicleform, contained boiled andsmoked human parts.

The boiled human parts,including liver, intestines andspleen in earthenware containers,was on a table and a well-laid armchair, covered with cloth.

There were also bottles of palmoil and other liquid forms litteringthe floor, while knives and plateswere also found inside.

Near the shrine was a smallkitchen where something thatlooked like the victim’s heart wasbeing smoked on fire outside.

A few metres away from theshrine were also decomposinglegs of the victim dug out of theshallow grave where they wereburied but the head of the victimand other parts such as breasts,hands, and vagina, among others,were not found.

The state commissioner of police,Valentine Ntomchukwu, who leda team of newsmen to the shrinelocated inside the forest, disclosedthat the 21-year-old victim whohailed from Ekiti State but livedat Isara, was lured to the shrineby a herbalist, Femi Awise, who iscurrently on the run.

Ntomchukwu said the ritualist-turned cannibal is a native of Isarawho lived at Jabata area of therustic town.

He said investigation hadcommenced to unravel thecircumstances that led toMorekeji’s murder and the motivebehind it.

Ntomchukwu said the shrinewas discovered through discreetinvestigation by his men, sayingfive persons, including amotorcyclist that took the victim tothe shrine, had been arrested inconnection with the murder.

The suspects include the Okadarider who conveyed her to theshrine, Adeyemi Ademolu, asuspected apprentice to Awise,Omolaso Taiwo, Lateef Ali,Akinyemi Dare, and SokoyaWasiu.

He said: “We were able to locatethe shrine through a discreetinvestigation by our men. We wereable to track the Okada rider thattook her on his motorcycle to theshrine.

“I would not know what wouldmake some people to brutally cutdown a girl in this manner. Fivesuspects have been arrested and

ABEOKUTA—OGUNState police command

has arrested 40 years oldEmeka Obi for allegedlykidnapping a nonagenarian,Iposiola Samaiye.

The state PoliceCommissioner, ValentineNtomchukwu, who paradedthe suspect yesterday, said Obiand members of his gang hadkidnapped Pa Samaiye fromhis home at Ijebu-Esure lastThursday, and demanded aransom of N20 million.

The police boss said his men,however, tracked down thesuspect inside the forest wherethey held their victim captive,while his partner, identified asPrince, escaped.

He said: “They held the 97-year-old man inside the bushwithout food for four days. Butour men, through trackingbetween 3am and 5am thismorning (Tuesday), were ableto arrest them and set the oldman free.”

Pa Samaiye is currentlyreceiving medical attention ata private hospital in Ijebu Ode.

His son, Obafemi, who spoketo newsmen at the hospital,said the kidnappers haddemanded N20 millionransom, which was negotiated

LAGOS—A 50-year-oldman, Salisu Adamu, has

been charged before an OshodiMagistrate’s Court in Lagos, forallegedly assaulting a policeofficer, Sgt. Apeh Matthew.

ASABA—A 14-seaterToyota Hiace bus with

number plate, AnambraZBL 903XA, yesterdaycrushed one motorcyclist atAgbor, along Asaba-Beninexpressway in Delta State.

The deceased, simplyidentified as Lucky, waskilled at about 8:30am bythe bus heading to Lagosfrom Awka, Anambra State,while the motorcyclist wastrying to a make U-turn.

An eyewitness whospoke to the Vanguard,said: “The deceased wasmaking a U-turn becauseFederal RoadMaintenance Agency,FERMA, were at workbefore he was crushed bythe bus that was on highspeed.”

He added that deceasedwas a popular shoemakerin the area.

A Federal Road SafetyCommission, FRSC, officerattached to Agbor unit whodoes not want his nameprint, alleged that thedriver was reckless.

Boils, smokes, buries her human parts

investigation has commenced,we will leave no stoneunturned to get the other fleeingsuspects.

“I am appealing to parentsthat it is not only enough tosend their children to school,but they must do follow-up onthem.”

During the commissioner ofpolice’s visit to the scene,residents of Isara, Eposo andOde Remo thronged the shrineof horror to catch a glimpse.

The motorcyclist confessedthat he took the lady to the areabut denied ever being aware ofthe existence of the shrine.

He said while conveying thevictim to the shrine, she spokewith the said Awise twice on hermobile telephone, giving herdirection.

The local governmentchairman, Femi Soyemi,expressed shock at the scarydiscovery.

“I was shocked because Inever expected this kind ofhorrible and brutal thing existshere,” Soyemi said.

The victim was declaredmissing since Saturday, June7, and it was those who saw heron the day she was beingconveyed to the shrine by theOkada rider that gave theinformation, which led to hisarrest, and final unravelling ofthe shrine.

Five suspected criminals allegedly involved in the act.

The shrine where the heinous crime took place.

50-year-old man docked for assaulting policeofficerBy Bartholomew Madukwe

By Daud Olatunji

Man, 40, arrested for kidnapping 97-year-oldman in Ogun

father was freed by thepolicemen.”

Ntomchukwu warnedkidnappers, cultists and othercriminal-minded individuals toleave the state, stressing thatthey would be smoked out to

face the full weight of the law,should they fail to heed hiswarning.

Speaking with newsmen, thesuspect, who is a member ofkidnapping syndicate operatingin Ijebu axis, said his accomplice,Prince, had gone into hiding.

OSOGBO—A commercialmotorcyclist, popularly

known as Okada rider, yesterdaybeat a 200 level student of OsunState University, UNIOSUN,Ikire campus, Tobi Alabi, to a stateof coma at the gate of theinstitution.

It was gathered that Tobi, astudent in the department ofEnglish Education in theuniversity, was trying to separatetwo female students who were

By Gbenga Olarinoye

Okada rider beats UNIOSUN student comatoseinvolved in a heated altercationwith one another at the gate ofthe institution but drew the ireof the Okada rider who was saidnot to be pleased with hisintervention.

Tobi recounted his ordeal afterhe recovered: “I saw two femalestudents fighting at the campusgate and I quickly moved toseparate them so that they wouldnot injure themselves.

‘’But the Okada riders at thespot who were watching thefight with keen interest and

enjoying the drama themselvesdid not want me to stop them fromfighting.

“The Okada riders insisted thatI should allow the students to fighton but I said I would not do thatbecause the girls could injureeach other.

‘’As I separated the ladies, oneof the Okada riders hit me with astick and that was all I couldremember until I was revived bysome good samaritans whohelped me when I fainted.’’

downward first to 10 million andlater N1 million.

He said: “The kidnappers firstdemanded for N20 million, laterit was negotiated to N10 millionand later N1million. But we didnot pay any ransom before my

Adamu, whose address isunknown, was said to have hitSgt. Matthew on his left ear andcaused him harm.

According to the charge, theaccused at P.W.D. Bus-Stop,Shogunle, with intent to resistlawful arrest, wilfully obstructedW/Inspr Ndace Lami and team

attached to Nigeria Police,Divisional HQ Shogunle, duringtheir lawful duty.

The accused is facing a two-count charge of wilfullyobstructing policemen inexecution of their lawful duty andassault, brought against him bythe police.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015—7

By NwabuezeOkonkwo

Driverdefraudsneighbourof N1.5m

By EstherOnyegbula

WASHERS: Commercial motorcyclists, popularly known as okadamen, washing their machines at a flooded spot onTin Can axis of Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO: Biodun Ogunleye.

A commercial bus driver,identified as Patrick

Abaleke, has been arrestedfor allegedly duping oneMs Chinasa Nwokenem,his neighbour, of N1.5million.

It was learned that Patrickconvinced Chinasa, amother of one, to invest inthe transportation business,for which she paid N1.5million at different times tothe suspect.

Vanguard gathered thatPatrick threatened to killher each time sheattempted to question thesaid investment, soChinasa reportedly ran tothe police.

Lagos State Police PublicRelations Officer, DSPKenneth Nwosu,confirmed the incident,saying the suspect was intheir custody and would becharged to court.

YENAGOA—BAYELSAState Police Command,

yesterday, denied thereport that a N15 millionransom was paid to securethe release of thekidnapped cousins offormer President, Dr.Goodluck Jonathan.

Kate Ene and PatienceEbeni, cousins to theformer president, wereabducted on May 15 alongwith their friend, EdithEkeni, along Akipelai inOgbia Local GovernmentArea of the state.

Community sourcesclaimed that the family ofthe victims paid N15million to secure theirrelease.

However, spokesman ofthe state Police Command,Asinim Butswat, deniedknowledge of suchpayment.

He said the kidnapvictims were released atabout 11.30p.m. on June 15at Abua Waterfront in AbuaLocal Government Area ofRivers State.

A middle-aged man,Ekene Nweke, was

yesterday sentenced tothree years imprisonmentwith hard labour, by EbonyiState High Court sitting inAbakaliki, for raping a 20-year-old girl.

The court, presided overby Ebonyi State ChiefJudge, Justice AlloyNwankwo, sentencedNweke for raping oneBlessing (surnamewithheld) on February 21,2011.

The prosecutor, MrsNkem Chukwu, told thecourt that Nweke on thestated date had carnalknowledge of thecomplainant without herconsent at her residence inAbakaliki.

Chukwu said the offencewas contrary to Section358 of the Criminal Code,Cap 33, Vol. 1, Laws ofEbonyi State.

Man gets3-year jailterm for rape

AKURE—A 40-year-oldmother of two, identified as

Seyi Adewumi, has reportedlycommitted suicide in Akure,Ondo State capital.

Her body was found in anuncompleted building besideher house at Olu Foam area ofAkure metropolis.

Hundreds of people troopedto the deceased's residencewhen the news spread.

ONITSHA—POLICE inAnambra State have

arrested two revenue agents forallegedly killing a driverattached to the Lord’s ChosenCharismatic Revival Mission inthe process of demanding forthe driver’s vehicle emblem inOnitsha, yesterday.

A source told Vanguard thatthe deceased, whose name wasgiven as OkechukwuOnwuamaegbum, was drivingthe church bus along OwerriRoad, when the revenue agents

attached to Anambra StateMinistry of Transport in-chargeof sale of vehicle emblems,confronted him.

The source said trouble startedfor the driver when he wasflagged down along Onitsha/Enugu expressway, UpperIweka axis in Onitsha by the adhoc staff, numbering about 20.

Claiming to be onenforcement operation for thesale of the emblems, the officialsallegedly demanded to see theemblem the driver hadprocured for his bus.

A heated argument was saidto have ensued, which resulted

in a fight and the driver wasreportedly beaten to a pulp andcollapsed thereafter.

The agents were said to haveabandon the deceased in thepool of his blood and droveaway with his vehicle to theiroffice at Water Works Marinepremises.

Sympathisers reportedlyrushed him to Toronto Hospitalwhere he was confirmed dead.

Contacted, Central DivisionalPolice Officer, Mr. Isa Abubakar,confirmed the incident, addingthat two ad hoc staff of theministry had been arrested inconnection with the murder.

Anambra revenue agents arrestedfor driver's murder in Onitsha

Speaking with newsmen, herhusband, Gbenga Adewunmi,expressed shock over the uglyincident.

He said he went to vigil onTuesday, only to come back tosee the body of his wife.

He said: “Last night (Tuesdaynight), I went to a vigilorganised by our church. I lefther at home hale and hearty. Butto my surprise, I got back homethis morning and saw some ofour neighbours gathered in

front of our house.“They broke the news to me

and took me to where shehanged herself.”

He described the incident asa mystery to him and that hewas yet to understand whatcould have led his wife tocommit suicide.

Police spokesman, WoleOgodo, said his office was yetto be informed, but pleaded fortime to get report from AkureDivision's DPO.

Mother of two commitssuicide in Ondo

By Dayo Johnson

JOS—A 60-year-old man,identified as Yakubu Vong,

has allegedly set ablaze an

eight-year-old girl (nameswithheld) at Sabon Layi inBarkin Ladi Local GovernmentArea of Plateau State.

The suspect, who is in policecustody in Jos, allegedly set thegirl ablaze while urging her toconfess her involvement inwitchcraft for which she was

accused.The suspect was said to have

lured the girl to his housewhere he allegedly forced thegirl to confess to being a witch.

It was learned that the girl’srefusal infuriated him andprompted him to bathe her withfuel and set her ablaze,claiming she was a witch.

However, one James Bamu,who is an uncle to the deceasedgirl, said the girl was innocent,wondering if the suspect hadany proof that the girl was awitch.

He described the act asbarbaric and demanded that thelaw deal decisively with thesuspect to serve as deterrenceto others practising such an evilact.

The girl, who was rushed tothe hospital after the incident,died as the result of the burnsshe suffered.

State Police Public RelationsOfficer, Emmanuel Abuh, whoconfirmed the incident,described the situation as sad.

He added that the suspectwas already in police custodyand that investigations were on.

WITCHCRAFT ALLEGATION: 8-yr-old girlset ablaze

By Marie-ThereseNanlong

Police denyN15m ransompayment forJonathan’scousins

By SamuelOyadongha

8—Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015

Unpaid salaries: Govs call for urgent review ofrevenue formula To meet Buhari

Mull probe of their predecessorsAs Oshiomhole urges Buhari to block all leakagesStates weak in IGR — NBS report

By Emeka Anaeto, EconomyEditor & Henry Umoru

VISIT: From left: Executive Secretary, Nigeria Extractive Industries TransparencyInitiative, NEITI, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed; Chairman (NSWG) Board, Ledum Mitee; Chairman,Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), Clare Short and Vice President YemiOsinbajo during a courtesy visit to the Vice President at the Defence House, Maitama, Abuja,yesterday. Photo: Abayomi Adeshida.

ABUJA — WORRIED by the economic situation in the

country where 18 states of thefederation cannot pay workerssalaries, thirty- six stategovernors yesterday buriedtheir differences and resolved tomeet with PresidentMuhammadu Buhari for anurgent review of the revenueformula and address theproblems precipitated by theeconomic problems.

The governors noted that itbecame imperative to work withthe President because the issueof dwindling resources was nota state government problemalone, but an issue that hasserious national impact.

The governors agreed that theFederal Government shouldhave 52 percent allocation of thenational resources while statesshould have 36 percent toenable them concentrate on thedevelopment of their variousstates.

The current revenue formulastand as Federal Government –52.68 per cent; State – 26.72 percent and Local Government –20.60 per cent.

The states also resolved to setup bodies that would help fishout where their predecessors“hid the resources accruing tothe states from the federationaccount.”

Reading a communique at theend of the Nigerian Governors’Forum (NGF) which lasted overfour hours, chairman of the bodyand governor of Zamfara State,Alhaji Abdullazeez Yari, whodisclosed that they will meetwith the president to hand overto him, their template towardsresolving the problem, warnedthat if nothing urgent was doneto block the loopholes, thecountry would be plunged intogreater crises.

The NGF had series ofdisagreements with formerPresident Goodluck Jonathan onissues, especially the excesscrude oil receipts, revenuereceipts from the NigerianNational Petroleum Corporation(NNPC), Sovereign WealthFund and dwindling nationalrevenue resources to thefederation account.

On non-payment ofsalaries

On whether the Forumdiscussed the issue of non-payment of salaries and otherfinancial problems, Yari said:“Well, we discussed thatextensively, and we are tryingto see that we find a lastingsolution to it. The FederalGovernment is also affected, soit is a problem of the entirenation. Therefore, we are going

to send the communiqué tothe president so that we canget a lasting solution to it.”

Oshiomhole calls forblockage of leakages

Also speaking withjournalists after the meeting,Governor Adams Oshiomholeof Edo State called onPresident Buhari to block allthe leakages and then goafter those he alleged to havestolen the country’s moneyand force them to return whatthey have taken unlawfullyfrom the national purse.

He said: “I think the mediais not being accurate, thecountry is bankrupt, not justthe states. The FederalGovernment's finances areeven worse, considering thatthey borrowed over N4trillion. The entire funds forpension scheme has beendrawn down by the FederalGovernment. It is becausethey borrow at will that youcan't seem to see that they arealso bankrupt. So, when wetalk of bankruptcy, we shouldbe talking about seriousnational economic crisis thatis not limited to states.”

On way forwardOn the way forward, the

governor said: “What peopledon’t look at is that oil priceis dropping. It is not the dropin oil price that is causing thecrisis, it may haveaccentuated it, but it is not theprimary cause. Even at $60per barrel we could do a lotbetter if so much hasn’t beenstolen, first under the so-called excess crude, directstealing in the guise ofsubsidy, and stealing fromexcess crude to fund all kindsof things.

“We have various agencies,treasuries are empty. So, it isnot because of the drop in oilprice. The real way forwardis for the new government toblock all the leakages andthen those who have taken itto return what they havetaken unlawfully from thenational purse.

"There will be enough evenat $60 to keep Nigeria going.Government's primarypurpose is not just to paysalaries. Salaries are as aresult of work and that workis people delivering serviceswhich is what the civil serviceis meant to do. We have to talkabout government meeting itsobligation to the peoplewhich of course include thepayment of salaries.

Stop the bleeding“So stop the bleeding, stop the

stealing and get those who havetaken to vomit. For example, ifyou say you have $2.6 billion inexcess crude account, we knowthat by May 2013 you had morethan $10.5 billion in the excesscrude account and now therehas been no distribution tostates.

“We expect that the excesscrude must have appreciated.So why has it gone down to$2.5bn, when and for what?These are issues that need tobe addressed and we must stopthe bleeding. Obviously as theysay no nation earns enough tomeet the greed of leaders, butwe earn enough to meet thelegitimate need of our people.So. if we are not able to meetthe need, it can’t be explainedby drop in price.

“You recognise as mediapeople that oil dropped to $9under Gen. AbdulsalamiAbubakar, but salaries werebeing paid. So. it is not aboutprice, it is about very huge theftof public funds.

"In Edo State, we are up todate in the payment of salaries,we paid for May even beforeMay 29, so we are paying notbecause we are rich, but I doappreciate that they haveworked and deserve their pay.The payment of salaries is alegal obligation.”

Present at the meeting wereGovernors of Taraba, Anambra,Ondo, Bauchi, Enugu, Katsina,Sokoto, Akwa Ibom, Kwara,Kano, Lagos, Osun, Imo,

Benue, Edo, Adamawa, Niger,Ebonyi, Abia, Zamfara,Nasarawa, deputy governorsof Plateau, Delta and Borno.

States weak in IGR — NBS report

Meanwhile, the NationalBureau of Statistics (NBS)yesterday published a reportindicating that the affectedstates have not been able togrow their internallygenerated revenue (IGR)significantly in recent yearsculminating in adversebudgetary performance in2014.

Statutory allocations to allthe tiers of government hadfallen by over 30 per cent in2014 due to sharp drops inrevenue accruing to thefederation account as a resultof decline in the price of crudeoil, Nigeria’s main source ofpublic revenue.

With over 30 per centdecline in statutory allocationscoming against marginal or noincrease in IGR and coupledwith sustained overheads onpolitical office holders, thestates found themselves innegative cash flow.

Most economy observersbelieved that governmentfinances were destabilised dueto undiversified revenuesources, especially weakperformances of the states inIGR.

Consequently, the states’workers are left with the fallout as their salaries are inarrears for between two andseven months in 18 states.

With exception of Ekiti whichwas the best performing interms of increase in IGR in 2014at over 58 per cent rise fromN2.33 billion in 2013 to N3.46billion in 2014, and two otherstates, all the other 15 stateshad either marginal increasesor outright decline in their IGRperformance in 2014.

The other two states withsignificant increases in theirIGR according to NBS reportare Kogi and Osun states. In2014 Kogi increased its IGR byover 25 per cent to N6.56 billionfrom N5.02 billion in 2013 whileOsun though has one of theworst cases of salary arrears,increased its IGR to N8.51billion from N7.28 billion in2013.

Ten of the salary owing statesmanaged to increase their IGRby a paltry 1.2 to 2.3 per centagainst over 30 per cent declinein their statutary allocations.

Some of the states, accordingto the NBS statistics, includeAkwa Ibom, Imo, Oyo andRivers States. Akwa Ibom andRivers which are amongst topten beneficiaries of statutoryallocations could only increaseIGR by paltry 1.8 and 1.2 percent respectively while Imo andOyo managed to do about 7.0per cent increases.

Some of the states in outrightnegative performance in their2014 IGR according to the NBSreport includes Bauchi andBenue states.

All the states governed by AllProgressive Congress (APC)

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015—9

PDP govs condemn relocation of Rivers,Taraba, A-Ibom election tribunalsAs Mimiko emerges Forum chairman

By Henry Umoru &Levinus Nwabughiogu

ABUJA — THE PeoplesDemocratic Party

Governors Forum, PDPGF, anumbrella body of governorselected on the platform of thePDP, has condemned therelocation of election tribunalsin Rivers, Taraba and AkwaIbom states to Abuja, insistingthat these tribunals must bemoved back to their respectivestates.

The PDP governors, whichmade the call at the end of theirmeeting, Tuesday night inAbuja, also resolved to engagePresident Muhammadu Buhariand All Progressives Congress,APC, in a constructive manner

Speaking with newsmen atthe end of the meeting,Governor Okezie Ikpeazu ofAbia State said: “The PDPGovernors’ Forumunanimously elected Dr.Olusegun Mimiko of OndoState as chairman of the forum.

According to the governors,“we congratulate PresidentMuhammadu Buhari on hiselection as the President andCommander-in-Chief of theNigerian Armed Forces. Wealso commend and salute ourformer President, Dr. GoodluckJonathan, for his display ofpeaceful disposition in the 2015general elections which hasstabilised our politicallandscape.

“We equally congratulateSenator Bukola Saraki, Hon.Yakubu Dogara and Hon.Suleiman on their emergence asthe Senate President, Speakerand Deputy Speakerrespectively. We speciallycongratulate our own senator,Ike Ekweremadu, on hisemergence as Deputy SenatePresident.

“We condemn in very strongterms the relocation of electiontribunals in Rivers State, TarabaState and Akwa Ibom State toAbuja.”

Mimiko emergesforum chair

Meanwhile, GovernorOlusegun Mimiko of Ondo Statewas elected the chairman of theforum at the meeting.

Immediately after his election,Mimiko vowed to engagePresident Buhari and the APCin a very constructive manner.

The Ondo State governorreplaced former Governor ofAkwa Ibom State, SenatorGodswill Akpabio.

Speaking with journalistsshortly after his emergence,Mimiko said: “We will doeverything that we can do toengage the presidency and APCin a very constructive manner.We have also agreed to create

formal and informalmechanisms of pair review,all for the development ofour nation.”

Why we requestedrelocation of Deltagov tribunal— Emerhor

Meanwhile, Delta Stategovernorship candidate ofthe APC in the last generalelection, Mr. OlorogunO’terga Emerhor, yesterdayjustified the relocation of the

Election Petitions Tribunal inthe state to Abuja, saying thelives of his supporters were indanger.

He added that there werefears that justice would not beduly served if the tribunal wasleft to sit in the state.

Speaking to journalists inAbuja after a meeting with thenational chairman of the APC,Chief John Oyegun, Emerhorsaid his lawyers had alreadyfiled the necessary papers forthe relocation.

He said: “The governorshipelection in Delta State wasfraudulent as it was in AkwaIbom State, Cross River Stateand others. So we went to thetribunal because we believe wehave a point.

“We have applied forrelocation to Abuja because webelieve we need to be in aneutral place. Where thetribunal is sitting is in DeltaState and you can imagine thepressure we are facing in filingour case. The transfer issue isbeing handled by our lawyersappropriately."

VISIT: From left: Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State and Hon. Justice MarshallUmukoro, Chief Judge of Delta State during a courtesy call by Justice Umukoro to GovernorOkowa at Government House, Asaba, yesterday. Photo: Photo Nath Onojake.

NASS crisis: We‘re behind Buhari, Oyegun—APC state chairmen

Osahon, DPRdirectortenure endstomorrow

By Clara Nwachukwuwith agency reports

By Henry Umoru &Levinus Nwabughiogu

ABUJA — CHAIRMEN ofthe state chapters of the All

Progressives Congress (APC)have thrown their weightbehind PresidentMuhammadu Buhari and thenational chairman of the party,Chief John Oyegun foraccepting the outcome of thenational assembly leadershipelection.

Rising from a meeting underthe auspices of the Forum ofAPC States chairmen withOyegun yesterday in Abuja,the chairmen said despite the“disappointments”, they werehappy that the APC’s leadersaccepted the outcome of theelection that brought SenatorBukola Saraki and Rep.Yakubu Dogara as SenatePresident and Speaker of theHouse of Representativesrespectively.

In a communique issued andsigned by the chairman of theKano State APC and ActingChairman of the Forum, Umar

Mohammed at the end of theirmeeting which bordered on thereview of the 2015 generalelections, the chairmen said: “Wetotally aligned ourselves with thePresident’s position regardingthe leadership of the NationalAssembly.”

The visiting chairmen alsopleaded with the nationalchairman to release funds forthem to effectively run the affairs.

They said: “Chairman, weacknowledge the enormity of theresponsibilities placed on theoffice of the chairman and as suchwe urge you to brace up and bealive to the challenges so as tomove the party forward.

“You should always see us aspartners in progress and yourfoot soldiers as we pray for moresuccess in future."

Meanwhile, Senator DinoMelaye representing Kogi WestSenatorial district has describedas totally malicious and false,thereport that Senator BukolaSaraki’s emergence as Presidentof the Senate was facilitated byoil barons.

Senator Melaye, who wasreacting to an article in a national

newspaper (not Vanguard)where it was alleged that theelection of Saraki as the Presidentof the 8th Senate was facilitatedby Nigerians associated withdubious claims in the infamousoil subsidy, stressed that theallegation was akin to calling thedog a bad name so as to hang itand another blatant lies that cannot fly.

In a statement entitled: “Liesfrom pit of hell,” Melaye notedthat there was no way SenatorSaraki would have emergedSenate President courtesy of oilbarons when the he ( Saraki) hadon the floor of the Senate led hiscolleagues to expose the rot.

Melaye said: “We make bold tostate that in the 7th Assembly,Senator Bukola Saraki wasChairman of the Senate AdhocCommittee which exposed thefraud and mismanagement in theoil sector. Until Saraki’s motionon the floor of the Senate, no onewas in the picture of the rot inthe sector. Therefore, surely,Senator Saraki will be the lastperson the oil baron will want tosee as Senate President."

THE two year tenure givento Mr. George Osahon as

Director, Department ofPetroleum Resources, DPR,the petroleum industryregulator ends tomorrow.

Osahon was appointed onJune 19, 2013 for a two-yearrenewable tenure, makinghim the first director in DPRto be appointed on such terms.

However, indications arethat the DPR boss may notwant his tenure renewed, asaccording to Africa Oil andGas, “George AbiodunOsahon has turned in a letter,giving notice of the expiry ofhis two year tenure asDirector of the Department ofPetroleum Resources (DPR).”

This is probably the first timea government appointee isreminding his employer of histenure expiration. The movemight not be unconnectedwith the fact that most of hispeers under the Ministry ofPetroleum Resources wereeither a promptly retired orfired by their appointer beforePresident Goodluck Jonathanleft office.

Besides, Osahon’sappointment was trailed withcontroversy, especially as hehad been in and out of thegovernment system fordecades, and had been retiredtwice while working in theNigerian National PetroleumCorporation, NNPC system.

Furthermore, thedepartment had seen moreturn out of directors during theJonathan’s administrationthan any other since Nigeria’sindependence. There were asmany as four different DPRdirectors in the lastadministration, which raiseda lot of criticisms both locallyand internationally, especiallyas regards policy continuity.

His stay at DPRUpon his appointment,

Osahon, who was not popularwith the Nigerian media,operated more from thenation’s capital, Abuja, thanin Lagos, the DPRheadquarters.

A top management sourcein DPR, who confirmed theexpiration of his tenure, toldVanguard on the telephone:“We had actually expectedhim to leave on June 12, butwhen he didn’t, we thoughthis tenure had been extended.

“But thinking back now, hehas been mostly in Abuja forthe past three weeks and onlycame into Lagos last night(Tuesday). So we suspect hiscoming in was to clear hisdesk.”

10 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015 — 11

I will donate my allowance to Osunworkers – MURRAY-BRUCE

By Leke Adeseri, SouthWest Regional Editor,

Dapo Akinrefon &Abiodun Alade

Fayose’s govtowing onlyMay salary– EKITI GOVT

ADVAN: From left; Mrs Ediri Ose-Ediale, Executive Secretary, Advertisers' Association ofNigeria, ADVAN; Juliet Ehimuan, Country Manager, Google Nigeria and Kachi Onubogu, Ex-ecutive Council Member, ADVAN, during ADVAN peer to peer learning platform, with the theme;The Changing Role of Marketing in a Digital Economy, held at Protea Hotel, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos.

THE lawmaker representingBayelsa East Senatorial

District, Senator Ben MurrayBruce, has promised to donatehis wardrobe allowance to theunpaid workers in Osun State.

He made this known via hisTwitter handle.

For about seven months now,workers in the Osun State civilservice are yet to be paid theirsalaries.

But in a swift reaction, the OsunState government lampooned thelawmaker , saying he was play-ing to the gallery just as he saidhe (Murray-Bruce) was trivialis-ing the issue.

The Senator said “I, Ben Mur-ray Bruce, will not sit down idly,while my fellow citizens die be-cause salaries have not been paid.As a first step, I am immediatelydonating my wardrobe allowanceto unpaid workers in Osun Stateand widows in my Constituency

We are starting in Osun, but wewill not end there. I will do asmuch to help workers who’ve notbeen paid in other states.”

He, however, called on hisfriends and followers to makecontributions to alleviate theplight of the workers.

He said “I call on all my friendsand followers on Twitter and Fa-cebook to donate non perishablefood items for these our brothersin need. As soon as my wardrobeallowance is paid, I will divide itinto two. Half will be publicly giv-en to the NLC Chairman Osun.”

“The other half will be publiclygiven to the head of widows as-sociation in my community ofAksasa”, he added.

He explained that “we arestarting in Osun, but we will notend there. I will do as much tohelp workers who’ve not beenpaid in other states. As soon as

my wardrobe allowance is paid,I will divide it into two. Half willbe publicly given to the NLCChairman Osun.

The other half will be public-ly given to the head of widowsassociation in my community ofAkasa.,” he added while enjoin-ing other Nigerians to donateto the workers in Osun and oth-er states of the country, facingsimilar crisis.”

Murray-Bruce trivialisingthe issue — Osun govt

In a statement entitled: ‘Whyis Senator Murray-Bruce mock-ing Nigerian workers?’, theOsun State government berat-ed the lawmaker for attemptingto trivialise the issue.

Director Bureau of Commu-nication and Strategy, Office ofthe Governor Osogbo, Mr Se-

miu Okanlawon lamented that thelegislator was joining the fray ofpoliticians trivialising the issue ina “ridiculous manner.”

Okanlawon said “my attentionhas been drawn to a tweet by amember of the Upper chamber ofthe National Assembly Senator BenMurray Bruce of the Peoples Dem-ocratic Party from Bayelsa sayinghe will not reject the alleged heftypay for members of the NationalAssembly but collect it and donateto Osun workers.”

“It is saddening and tragic thatMr. Murray Bruce whom manyhad accorded a lot of respect istoo early in the day joining thefray of politicisation and trivial-ising the salary issue affectingmore than half of the states of thefederation in this ridiculous man-ner”, he said.

Describing the Senator’s gestureas saddening, he said “while Ni-

gerians are in hot debate over thealleged jumbo pay and the moodof the country Murray Bruceseems to have turned the plightof Nigerian workers to a thing ofentertainment.”

While he noted that the legis-lator was playing to the gallery,he said Murray-Bruce shouldnot be a self serving philanthro-pist in the direction of Osunworkers

He said: “Of all the states inthe federation who are battlingto pay salaries as a result of theprecarious economic situation hisparty the Peoples Democratic Par-ty, PDP, threw Nigeria into whyis it that it is Osun he wants totake his pay to? This is certainlyplaying to the gallery and noth-ing but a mockery in the faces ofNigerian workers and not onlyof Osun extraction.

Omisore lacks capacityfor truth — Osun APC

Meantime, the All ProgressivesCongress, APC, in the state ofOsun has described the allega-tions made by Senator Iyiola Om-isore against the governor, RaufAregbesola, published in somenational newspapers yesterday,as “worthless vituperation.”

According to the party, “the onlypath of honour left for the failedPDP governorship candidate inthe last August 2014 election isto produce proof to authenticatehis allegations, otherwise therewill be credible reason to doubtOmisore.”

Responding to the allegationswidely reported in otherwise rep-utable news outlets yesterday, theAPC argued that “being a se-rial liar, Omisore is consistent-ly demonstrating incapacityfor speaking the truth.”

...You’re playing to the gallery, Osun govt tells Senator THE Ekiti State government yesterday

said only May 2015 salarywas being owed by the Gov-ernor Ayodele Fayose-ledgovernment.

Reacting to reports thatworkers in Ekiti State werebeing owed three monthssalary, Special Assistant tothe governor on Public Com-munications and New Me-dia, Lere Olayinka, said; “Asat today, the only salary yetto be paid by the Fayose-ledgovernment is that of May2015.”

He noted that the immedi-ate past All Progressives Con-gress (APC) government ofDr Kayode Fayemi refused topay August and September,2014 salary despite receivingfederal allocation for themonths of August and Sep-tember that ought to havebeen used to pay August andSeptember salary.

He however added that;“The Fayose-led governmenthas already cleared the Au-gust 2014 salary left unpaidby the APC government,leaving that of Septemberthat will be paid as soon asthere is improvement in thestate's finances.”

On the May salary beingowed, the governor’s aidesaid; “Allocation of May thatwas received was not enoughto pay salary, leaving thegovernment with the optionof waiting for June allocationthat is expected to be re-leased next week and themoment that is done, work-ers will get May salary.”

A B E O K U T A –SCORES of mem-

bers of Senior Staff Asso-ciation of Nigerian Uni-versities, yesterday,staged a peaceful protestat the Federal Universi-ty of Agriculture Abeoku-ta over alleged plan toretrench over 2,000 work-ers in Universities’ Staff Schools .

The SSANU during thepeaceful protest allegedthat the governmenthas directed all vice-chancellors to stop pay-ing workers of StaffSchools of universitieswhich the union said could result to loss of jobsby over two thousandsmembers working in staffschools in the country.

Staff schools:Protest rocksFUNAAB

By Daud Olatunji

LAGOS—A Federal HighCourt sitting in Lagos,

yesterday, ordered the arrestand detention of a vessel ladenwith 5,000 metric tonnes ofkerosene over an allegedbreach of contract.

The cargo, covered by anallocation letter by thePipelines and ProductsMarketing Company Limited,PPMC, is on board MT SeaPioneer on Lagos waters.

Trial judge, JusticeChukwujekwu Aneke madethe order following anapplication by a petroleumproducts dealer, Stallionaire

Court orders ‘detention’ of kerosene-laden ship

By Innocent Anaba Nigeria Limited, who suedAcorn Petroleum Plc, PipelineProduct Marketing Company,PPMC and others.

The claimant had arguedthat it made full payment toAcorn for the product, butrather than it being deliveredto it, Acorn allegedly resoldthe product to a third party.

“Acorn has now completedplans to accord loading rightsto the said third party over the5,000MT cargo of DPK (DualPurpose Kerosene) overwhich the plaintiff has andretains legal title as perparties’ agreement and fullconsideration paid,”Stallionaire said.

The plaintiff said Acorn hasapplied to PPMC for loadingrights over the cargo whichStallionaire is entitled to.

Justice Aneke ruled that thevessel should be detained pendingAcorn’s provision of a bankguarantee in the sum of N488million and N132,287,960 from areputable commercial bank tosecure the plaintiff’s claims.

Acorn has prayed the court todischarge the arrest order, or torelease the vessel, but the plaintiffprayed the court to refuse theapplication.

It accused the first defendant ofconducting the sale of keroseneallocation “in a similar manner asresulted in this dispute.''

12—Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015

CMYK

Dearth of funds: Delta LGs begin staff audit

Delta HOS tasks civil servants on service delivery

Binis, N-Delta group resist bids to oust Oyegun asAPC Chair

By Simon Ebegbulem &Gabriel Enogholase

By Emma Amaize

By Festus Ahon

ASABA—CHAIRMEN ofsome of the 21 local

government councils in DeltaState unable to pay workers formore than six months due todearth of funds, have embarkedon staff verification toauthenticate bonafide workers.

Council workers in the state,under the aegis of NationalUnion of Local GovernmentEmployees, NULGE, embarkedon strike, May 11, over unpaidsalaries.

It was gathered in some of thecouncils that there are racketsin the payment of primaryschool teachers and councilworkers involving somecashiers, heads of departmentsand officials of the StateUniversal Primary EducationBoard, SUPEB.

In a particular council, acashier was said to be payingmembers of her family,including her siblings, who arenot staff of the council, salariesfor almost two years, and thescam was not discovered untilthe chairman ordered an audit.

Chairman of ALGON, DeltaState, Sir Itiako Ikpokpo,confirmed to Vanguard that theverification exercise wasnecessary because the monthlywage bills for workers,particularly primary school

teachers, weredisproportionate.

He said: “The purpose ofelecting us into office is not justto pay salaries to workers, it isto provide basic amenities andgood governance to our peopleat the grassroots level. Asituation where the councils usetheir entire allocations andsometimes borrow to payworkers is not good for ourdevelopment. We have also

found out that some people areeither overpaid or paid fordoing nothing, which is whywe are carrying out averification.”

It was gathered that the stategovernment, also fiscally underthe weather, had made it clearto the chairmen that it was notin a position to bailout thecouncils, which are insistingthat it was not their lawfulresponsibility to pay primary

school teachers in the firstinstance.

Meanwhile, the stateexecutive of NULGE, led byMr. Ofoeyeno, will meet todayin Ughelli to decide whether tocall off the 37-day-old strike,following the appeal by thestate government to suspendthe industrial action, as therewas no assurance of paymentby either the state or localgovernments.

BENIN—A socio-culturalbody of the Benin people,

Benin Unity League, BUL, hasappealed to PresidentMuhammadu Buhari to rise upto the challenge by ensuringthat the National chairman ofthe All Progressives Congress,APC, was not removed fromoffice or sacrificed to the whimsand caprices of a mafia in theparty.

Similarly, Niger Delta EthnicNationalities Youth LeadersMovement, NDENYLM, urgedthe President to urgently stopwhat it described as unholygang-up and alleged plot toremove Chief Odigie-Oyegun,warning that the people of theNiger Delta will resist suchmoves.

NDENYLM alleged that thealleged gang-up against ChiefOyegun was being perpetratedby a cabal in the party, which“is after the head of the party’schairman due to his stand thatthe decision of the party berespected in the election ofprincipal officers in the NationalAssembly, which include theSpeaker of the House ofRepresentatives and President

of the Senate.In a statement by the National

Secretary of the group,Abamojie Ajudua, it remindedPresident Buhari of the supporthe enjoyed in the Niger Deltaregion despite the fact that theimmediate past President, Dr.Goodluck Jonathan, was from

the zone and warned againstactions capable of tarnishinghis image both in the countryand abroad.

BUL, in a statement inBenin, yesterday by OgiogwaOkposika, Secretary Board ofTrustees of the group, wants thePresident to ensure that the

APC Deputy Publicity Secre-tary, who moved the motion in‘marketplace’ of public opinion,is sanctioned and those whoengineered him must be disci-plined to safeguard the sancti-ty of change which the APCrepresents.

ASABA—DELTA State Headof Service, Mr Patrick

Origho, has called on civil servantsin the state to put their brains totask and work together for the StateCivil Service to truly attain itsvision and values.

Origho, while declaring open athree-day workshop onRepositioning the State CivilService for Excellence ThroughShared Vision and Values,organised by Hagen CreativeTechnologies Limited forPermanent Secretaries andDirectors, said the workshop wasdesigned to elicit energy, creativity,innovation, wisdom, insights,expertise and imaginations fromthe workers for the betterfunctioning of the civil service.

He said that the workshop wasdesigned to prepare the state civil

servants to be able to key into theS.M.A.R.T agenda of the GovernorIfeanyi Okowa administration.

Origho said: “I have no doubt thatby the end of this three daysworkshop, new paradigms wouldhave been revealed and this willultimately lead to groundbreakingdeclarations, plans, strategies,actions, partnerships and alliancesthat will result in phenomenaleffectiveness and sustained efforts totransform the civil service into alegendary and world-classinstitution.”

The chief consultant, Mr EsanyeGeorge, who spoke on behalf ofHagen Creative TechnologiesLimited, said that the workshop wasaimed at repositioning the state civilservice for excellence and greaterservice.

George said they believed increating quality people that wouldcreate quality services, adding that

the civil service requireschange in the way civilservants think.

A-Ibom leadersfault transfer ofstate electiontribunal toAbuja

By Gbenga Oke &Tom Moses

CONCERNED AkwaIbom State leaders

have accused the AllProgressives Congress,APC, of connivance andconspiracy in its bid toforce key Niger Deltastates under the controlof the party through theelection petition tribunal.

The leaders also saidthe conspiracy againstthe Niger Delta states,especially Akwa Ibom,will fail.

The leaders whoinclude Senator EffiongBob, Senator EmmanuelIbok-Essien, SenatorAnietie-Okon, Engr.Larry Esin and NdueseEssien, said themovement of the electionpetition tribunal fromAkwa Ibom State to Abujawas uncalled for as thestate was relativelypeaceful.

They said: “We wokeup to the shocking newsof the clearly contrivedrelocation of the AkwaIbom Elections PetitionsTribunal which washitherto sitting in Uyo, toAbuja, without anyconvincing, honest andtenable reason towarrant such movement.

“We are concerned thatthose behind thisdevelopment havealleged threats andsecurity concerns in abid to justify theirintentions. Let it bestated that Akwa IbomState has remained ahaven of peace and agood example of asecure state as comparedto other states in thefederation, before,during and after thegeneral elections."

MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT: From left: Registrar, Elizade University, Prof. OmololuAdegbenro; Vice-Chancellor, EU, Prof. Valentine Aletor; Managing Director, Benin ElectricityDistribution Company, Mrs. Funke Osibodu and Executive Director, BEDC, Abu Ejoor, duringthe signing of Memorandum of Agreement between Vigeo Power Academy and ElizadeUniversity, in Benin.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015—13

Wike dissolves board of Rivers State CivilService Commission

By Jimitota Onoyume

My mandate remains intact —WikeBy JimitotaOnoyume

PORT HARCOURT—GOVERNOR Nyesom

Wike of Rivers State hasdissolved the board of RiversState Civil ServiceCommission.

The development followed amotion by the state House ofAssembly on Tuesday,empowering him to dissolvethe board over allegation ofabuse of office.

This brings to three, theboards of commissions thathave been dissolved by thegovernor in the past twoweeks.

The others are Rivers StateIndependent ElectoralCommission, RSIEC andRivers State Judicial ServiceCommission.

They were all dissolved overallegations of abuse of office.The governor has also

dissolved the boards of allparastatals.

Meantime, Governor Wike

has made appointments intothe boards of the Rivers StateWaste Management Agency

and the Greater Port HarcourtDevelopment Authority.

AKHAreceivescommissionersnominee list

By Tom Moses &Chioma Onuegbu

PORT HAR-C O U R T —

GOVERNOR NyesomWike of Rivers State hasdismissed speculationsby the All ProgressiveCongress, APC, in thestate that the electionpetition tribunal willthrow him out asgovernor.

The governor statedthis yesterday, when hehosted members of DeltaState House of Assemblyin Government House,Port Harcourt, said thatno amount ofintimidation will upturnthe mandate the peoplegave him on April 11 thisyear.

He recalled that whilehe was busycampaigning for votes allover the state, the APCmembers were engagingin propaganda becausethey had what he taggedexcess money for theelections.

He assured that hisgovernment will respectthe rule of law and theprinciples of separationof powers.

He said: “While theAPC was busyembarking on negativepropaganda becausethey had excess money,we were with the peopleat the grassroots, sellingour programmes to them.That was why they votedfor us massively.

“We are not worried by

their claims at thetribunal. All we know isthat Rivers State willalways remain a PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP,state. The people arewith us. You don’t needto pocket the legislaturebefore you think you aresafe in government.What is needed iscooperation with thestate assembly in theinterest of goodgovernance.”

Speaker of Delta StateHouse of Assembly, ChiefMonday Igbuya, who ledthe lawmakers on thevisit, said they were inthe state for a retreat.

He lauded GovernorWike, describing him asa leading light in thecountry.

UYO—GOVERNORUdom Emmanuel

of Akwa Ibom State hassent to the state House ofAssembly, a list of 20names for confirmationof appointment ascommissioners andspecial advisers.

The 20 nomineescomprises 18commissioners and twospecial advisers.

Almost all theimmediate past membersof the state executiveand two members of the5th Assembly, AniekanAkpan and EkongSampson of Ukanafunand Mkpat Lenin stateconstituencies made thelist.

Immediate past cabinetmembers on the listinclude Commissionerfor Information andCommunication, MrAniekan Umanah,Enobong Uwah, formerCommissioner forEnvironment andMineral Resources, DrGlory Edet, pastCommissioner, WomenAffairs and SocialWelfare; UwemedimoNwoko past AttorneyGeneral and Akan Okon,former Commissioner forFinance.

Crisis looms in Delta over govt's moveto retrieve NURTW buses

By Festus Ahon

ASABA—DELTA StateCouncil of National

Union of Road TransportWorkers, NURTW, has raisedalarm over alleged plot bysome government officials toretrieve buses belonging to itsmembers which were brandedwith the name of the statetransport service.

Calling on Governor IfeanyiOkowa to urgently interveneto avert crisis over the alleged

move to retrieve the vehicles,Chairman of NURTW in thestate, Chief Ifeanyi Obi, whobriefed newsmen, yesterday,alleged that the move was inbad faith.

Obi said: “We want to informgovernor Okowa that peopleare out to retrieve buses givento our union members. Thisaction is retrogressive and weare pleading for hisintervention.

“We are aware that the issue

of buses had not beendiscussed anywhere. Thebuses do not belong togovernment but to ourmembers and the manner inwhich they are going aboutcollecting our buses iscapable of causing crisis inthe state."

By Perez Brisibe

Urhoboyouths taskBuhari on N-Delta devt

U G H E L L I —URHOBO youths,

under the aegis of UrhoboNational Youth Council,UNYC, have chargedPresident MuhammaduBuhari to pay specialattention to the Urhoboethnic nationality in hisquest to develop the NigerDelta region.

Rising from a meetingheld, yesterday, at Ughelli,Delta State, the youths intheir hundreds, describedthe Urhobos as the mostunderprivileged people inthe Niger Delta during thePresident GoodluckJonathan dispensation.

UNYC national president,Monday Oyeghe, said:“Owing to our peacefulapproach to issues, we havebeen sidelined in gettingthe needed attention fromthe Federal Government interms of appointments andi n f r a s t r u c t u r a ldevelopment.

“As a peace loving people,we have nothing to showas law abiding citizens ofNigeria. It is on thispremise that we areappealing to PresidentBuhari to do what is rightby reciprocating thesupport he got from theUrhobo nation during the2015 presidential election."

VISIT: Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State acknowledging cheers during his unscheduledvisit to Government Girls Secondary School, Rumuokuta, in Obio / Akpor Local GovernmentArea, yestersday.

CMYK

14—Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015

CELEBRATION: From left, Dr. Oludare Yetunde, Dr. Chukwuemeka Concepta, Miss JuliaSule, Customer Service Manager, Tyonex Nig. Ltd., Dr. Tope Ojo, Chairman, Nigerian MedicalAssociation, NMA; Dr. Owa Dumebi of the Federal Medical Centre, Ebute-Metta, Dr. OkonIme, and Pharm Julius Nwauku, Head of Business Unit, Tropical Medicine, Tyonex Nig. Ltd,during the celebration of the World Blood Donor Day, 2015, at the Lagos State UniversityTeaching Hospital, LASUTH, Ikeja, Lagos.

Outsourcing is panacea for economic growth—AOPN Expo ...calls for enabling environment

By Princewill Ekwujuru

SPEAKERS AT the 2015 Outsourcing Expoorganized by Association of Outsourcing

Professionals of Nigeria, AOPN, have describedoutsourcing as thepanacea for Nigeria’seconomic growth, whilecalling on government toprovide enablingenvironment for the tradeto thrive.

Mr. Lere Baale,Managing Director/CEO,Business SchoolNetherlands, key notespeaker at the Expo withtheme, ‘’The Value ofOutsourcing,” in Lagos ,said government needs toprovide an enablingenvironment foroutsourcing business tothrive.

“We need to strengthenour local capacity. Weneed to find away tomake people ingovernment put thingsright, infrastructuresshould be in good place.Let government focus onpolicy making because it isimportant for us to create anenabling environment tohelp the economy grow.

Enabling environment isthe panacea for theoutsourcing business to

grow as this will resonateon the economy of thecountry, he said.

Mr. Peter Jack, DirectorGeneral of NationalInformation TechnologyDevelopment Agency,NITDA, represented by Dr.Sunday Afolayan, amember of NITDA Boarddescribed outsourcing asstill very much a mysteryin most public and privatequarters of the Nigerianeconomy. “There is anobvious dearth ofknowledge aboutoutsourcing in Nigeria andthis has given room for somuch misrepresentation.”

He noted therefore thatthe expo represents acritical knowledgeintervention to ultimatelyhelp bridge the gapbetween Nigeria and otherdeveloping nations thathave taken full advantageof the values thatoutsourcing affords.

“While we as a nation stillgrapple with efforts aimedat getting our economyworking right the globalbusiness space is marchingon, and breaking newgrounds, Nigeria still lagsbehind,” he stated.

Continuing, he said:

“The Euro zone is reviving,despite its manychallenges; the US’seconomy is stronger nowthan it ever was, in about adecade; China is gettingstronger despite slowinggrowth rates and manyemerging markets arefinding ways of advancingtheir economies.”

He went on that thereare many factors currentlydriving economicdevelopments across theglobe. Some of thesedrivers are governmentstimulus interventions,fluctuating oil prices,economic reforms and newtechnology, and traderestrictions. While pointingout that the economy ofIndia is built on outsourcingand its value to the countryis evident.

On why the theme of theexpo, Dr. Austin Nweze,President of AOPN said:“our job is advocacy, to sellthe importance ofoutsourcing so that peoplewill know and do moreoutsourcing, that is whythis year we chose a themethe ‘Value’ so that ifsomething is not valuableto you there is no way youcan value it. For thegovernment not to be able

to accord outsourcing itsplace in the developmentand creation of jobs theyhave not realized the valueof outsourcing.Outsourcing can solve theirproblem in job creation.”He stated.

Nweze also said thatNigerian companies havenot be able to embraceoutsourcing because theydon’t know the value. “ Ifthey know the value of thething you want you haveto invest and protect thatthing. So we are saying thatoutsourcing is the key toeconomic growth, it is thekey to job creation. It is thekey to creating wealth, forindividuals and for thenation.”

“And that is why we aresaying if you understandthe value of outsourcing,then you will invest in it.So we chose that theme‘Value.’ We want to realizethe value. Every country inthe world is either in thedemand side ofoutsourcing or in thesupply. So in both ways weare creating opportunities.The demand side isbenefiting from the supplyside.”

See pix on page 16

BOKO HARAM: Military Command and ControlCentre in Maiduguri/Yola operational in 21 days

By Kingsley Omonobi

ABUJA—THE Army HighCommand said,

yesterday, that the MilitaryCommand and ControlCentre, MCCC, beingestablished in Maiduguri andYola for the effectivecoordination of the onslaught

against Boko Haram terrorists,will be completed in the next21 days and the MCCC wouldbe fully operational.

A statement by the ActingDirector, Army Publicrelations, Colonel Sani Usmannoted that “the installations ofhi-tech equipment,infrastructure development ofthe Centre and posting of

additional operations staffhave commenced.

“With the establishment ofthe Centre, all strategic andoperational decisions on thefight against terrorism andinsurgency would emanatefrom the MCCC.

“This will ensure fasterresponse time, improvesituational awareness and

better coordination of allstakeholders.”

Col. Usman recalled that areconnaissance and anadvance team for theestablishment of MCCC werein Maiduguri and Yola, lastweek.

“Similarly, the Chief ofArmy Staff, Lt. General KTJMinimah, and Chief of AirStaff, Air Marshal AdesolaAmosu, were at the MCCC tocommence operations,Tuesday, Jun 15,” he added.

Usman noted that “theCentre will also give theneeded impetus that wouldensure prosecution andsuccessful conclusion of thewar against terrorism.”

“It will also provide therequired interface between theArmed Forces of Nigeria andMulti-National Joint TaskForce to be deployed at theLake Chad Basin area at theend of the month of July 2015.”

It will be recalled that in hisinaugural speech, PresidentMuhammadu Buhari directedthe Command and ControlCentre of the militry to relocateto Maiduguri from Abuja foreffective co-ordination of thefight against the terrorists inthe North-East.

Abialawmaker totrain 50students onoverseascholarship

By UgochukwuAlaribe

A MEMBER of theHouse of

Representatives, OssyPrestige, has promised tosponsor 50 students of hisconstituency to anycountry of their choice onscholarship, irrespectiveof their local governmentof origin.

Prestige, who representsAba North/South federalconstituency, made thepledge during a ‘thank youreception’ organized byhim for people for hisconstituency.

The lawmaker added thatthe scholarship would assiststudents who had thedesire to study abroad, butlacked the financialcapacity to actualize theiracademic dreams.

Prestige said he wouldassist qualified youths andgraduates to secureemployment in the FederalCivil Service and otherestablishments through hiscontacts as a federallawmaker and abusinessman.

He vowed to attractquality representation tohis constituency, addingthat none of hiselectioneering promiseswould be left unfulfilled atthe end of his tenure.

CMYK

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015 —15

Anambra APC urges Buhari to sanctionsecurity agents involved in election fraud

By Enyim Enyim

O N I T S H A — A L L Progressives Congress,

APC, in Anambra State has calledon President MuhammaduBuhari to institute a disciplinaryprocedure against identifiedelection riggers and theircollaborators in the rank and fileof the respective securityagencies.

This was contained in aresolution issued after a meetingof the national executive from thestate, state executive members,members of the state caucus andstakeholders.

The resolution noted that withsuch disciplinary procedure inplace and decisive action takenagainst the culprits, it wouldserve as a deterrence to others infuture elections in the country.

“To express and hereby expressprofound confidence in the abilityof the APC-controlled federalgovernment under PMB tosanitise both the polity and theNigerian nationhood and pledgeits rounded support to hisgovernment and to theleadership of the APC,” the partystated.

The party, while commendingmembers for being steadfastduring and after the generalelections, also praised Senator

Chris Ngige for his ableleadership of the party in the state.

Besides, the party resolved to bemore committed to its affairs by

ensuring that members did notdrift to other parties.

The party vowed not to plungeitself into political crisis.

Protest in Anambra community following alleged Policekilling, arrest

By Vincent Ujumadu

AWKA—TENSION ismounting in the sleepy

community of Nanka inOrumba North localgovernment area of AnambraState, following consistentprotest by youths over thealleged killing of a middle

aged man and arrest ofanother by policemen fromZone 9, Umuahia, Abia State

Since Sunday when theincident took place, motoristsdriving through the busyEkwuluobia- Agulu road havebeen having a raw deal as theprotesters have been blockingthe road on daily basis, withthe attendant traffic gridlock.

The protesters insisted

yesterday that they wouldcontinue to block the majorlink road between Anambraand Imo states until the personallegedly arrested by thepolice and taken to Zone 9 inUmuahia was released.

It was alleged that somepolice officers from zone 9 hadstormed the community toarrest those allegedlyinvolved in illegal dredging,

which was one of the majorcauses of gully erosion in thearea.

In fact, Nanka is one of theerosion-prone communities inAnambra State and althoughthe state government hadbanned sand excavation anddredging in the area, theillegal business hadcontinued to thrive.

Anambra State Commissionerof Police, Mr. Hosea Karma,said yesterday that there wasno cause for alarm, adding thatthe state police command wason top of the situation.

Karma said he had alreadydeployed security operatives tothe community to maintain lawand order, even as he added thatthe matter had been reported tothe Assistant Inspector Generalof Police, AIG, in charge of thezone, Mr. Usman Gwary.

Enugu deputy gov tasks nurses on clinicalexcellence

By Francis Igata

E N U G U — D E P U T YGovernor of Enugu State,

Mrs. Cecilia Ezeilo, hascharged nurses to showexcellent commitment to theirduties and uphold their ethicalprinciples of practice for thesustenance of a sound andhealthy society.

She spoke yesterday inEnugu during the openingceremony of the 15th annualgeneral meeting for body ofheads of nursing schools infederal health institutions atDannic Hotels, Enugu.

Ezeilo, who was also thespecial guest of honour on theoccasion, noted that nursingwas a major player in healthcare delivery, adding thatnurses constituted the largestsegment of health care

providers.Mrs. Ezeilo stated that the

health sector was a major issue

of concern to any governmentand that Enugu Stategovernment would not relent ingiving unalloyed support to thesector.

She praised the body of headsof nursing servicesdepartments and principals ofnursing schools for theirresponse to issues affecting the

welfare of humanity, urgingthem to work to achieve more

effectiveness in their clinicalservices.

She enjoined the participantsto take the conferenceseriously, adding that it was agood ground for fruitfuldeliberation on clinicalexcellence.

Christian NGOs caution NASS not to obstructBuhari’s govt for change

A COALITION of ChristianNGOs, in collaboration

with Christian Welfare Initiative,CWI, has cautioned the newlyconstituted National Assemblyagainst serving as stumblingblock to President MuhammaduBuhari’s administration to deliverdividends of democracy toNigerians.

The group, which gave thewarning in Lagos last weekend,also advised the APC to keep itshouse in order as it would be heldaccountable for any lapses in the

governance of the country.Addressing newsmen on the

state of the nation, group’sspokesman, Professor MagnusAdeyemi Atilade, said Nigeriansunanimously gave the APC themandate at the last generalelections to tackle the problemsof insecurity, corruption, power,unemployment, people’s welfare,health, education and manyothers, militating against thenation.

He said anything short of thesewould not be acceptable to

Nigerians, warning that any otherarm of government thatobstructed the new government’scapacity to perform and deliverits electioneering promises wouldbe courting the wrath of thepeople.

Atilade pointed out that whathappened in the NationalAssembly during the election ofits new principal officers was ashow of shame in the eye of theworld and a replica of whathappened in the old Westernregional crisis that was stillhunting Nigeria.

CONFERENCE: Mr. Tony Ojobo, Director, Public Affairs, Nigerian Communications Commission,NCC; Engr. Shola Taylor, in-coming Secretary General Commonwealth TelecommunicationsOrganisation, CTO; Hon. James Rege, member of Kenya National Assembly, and Amb. Tom Amolo,High Commissioner of Kenya, at the CTO conference, in Abuja, yesterday.

Senator'swardrobeallowance,N2.3m, saysRMAFC

A B U J A — T H ER e v e n u e

Mobilisation Allocation andFiscal Commission,RMAFC, disclosedyesterday that each of the109 senators in the NationalAssembly will get a total ofN2,026,400.00 as wardrobeallowance in four years.

Chairman of the agency,Mr. Elias Mbam, whospoke when he led topmanagement staff of theorganization on a courtesycall to the Senate President,Bukola Saraki, said eachsenator was entitled to thesum of N506,600 aswardrobe allowance peryear just as he disclosedthat the amount was 25percent of the basic salariesof the senators.

He could not however,state the amount themembers of the House ofRepresentatives wereentitled to as wardrobeallowance.

Mbam, who said hisagency was workingtowards reviewing theremunerations of legislatorsin line with currenteconomic realities,explained the wardrobeallowances were meant toassist the legislators todress properly.

He said the allowanceswere generally for publicoffice holders and not justfor the legislators.

“We will do a downwardreview of the allowances oflaw-makers due toparameters like the state ofthe economy, the inflation,the capacity to pay, thereality of the day.

"So we will use all theseto determine what is fairwithin the context of thepresent situation. Theparameters will form thenew remuneration Act,” headded.

He told the SenatePresident that: “Theconstitutional responsibilityof the commission is tomonitor accruance to anddisbursement of revenuefrom the federation account,to review from time to timethe revenue allocationformula to reflect changingrealities and to determineremuneration appropriatefor political and public officeholders and also to advisethe Federal and Stategovernments on fiscalefficiencies and ways ofincreasing their revenuegeneration.”

By Henry Umoru,Joseph Erunke &Abiodun Alade

CMYK

16—Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015

From left, Mrs. Jacqueline Odiadi, MD, Samuel J. O. Associates; Mr. Lere Baale, Director, Business Netherland and Guest Speaker of ceremony; Mr.Gbenga Adefaye, GM/Editor-in-Chief, Vanguard; Dr. Austin Nweze, President of AOPN, and Mr. Chris Uwaje, Immediate Past President of ISPON,during the 2015 Outsourcing Expo organized by Association of Outsourcing Professionals of Nigeria, AOPN, in partnership with Vanguard Media Ltd, in LagosPhoto: Diran Oshe

AOPN organizes 2015 Outsourcing Expo

Mr Fred Udueme,Vanguard AGM,Brands, (right), and Mr. Emeka Nkwocha,Advert Manager, both of Vanguard

From left, Mr. Clem Baiye, CEO, Verity Associates Ltd; Mr. Ade Awonaike, Chief Operating Officer, RIL; Mr,Oluwole Adeyemi, Broad line Services Ltd, and Mr. Seyi Olutayo, Mainstreet Bank.

Nigerian Governors' Forum meets in Abuja

From left, Imo State governor, Mr. Rochas Okorocha; Edo State governor,Comrade Adams Oshiomhole; Chairman, Nigerian Governors' Forum/Zamfara State Governor, Alhaji Abdul-aziz Yari, and Katsina State governor,Alhaji Aminu Matsari, during the meeting of Nigerian Governors' Forum, atTranscorp Hilton Hotels, in Abuja, yesterday. Photo: Gbemiga Olamikan

From left, Kwara State governor, Alhaiji Abdulfatah Ahmed; Lagos Stategovernor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, and Nassarawa State governor, AlhajiUmaru Tanko Al-Makura.

From left, Niger State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani; Adamawa Stategovernor, Senator Jibrilla Bindo, and Sokoto State governor, Hon. AminuWaziri Tambuwal.

From left, Jigawa State governor, Alhaji Badaru Abubaker; Borno State deputygovernor, Alhaji Zannah Umar, and Osun State governor, Ogbeni RaufAregbesola.

CMYK

Vanguard,Vanguard,Vanguard,Vanguard,Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015 — — — — — 1717171717

CMYK

IT was Lanre Idowu that firstcalled me last week about

Uncle Sam Amuka’s 80thbirthday, which took placeover this weekend. Lanrewanted me to contribute apiece to a book of tributes tocommemorate Uncle Sam’s80th birthday (I hope I havenot let a cat out of the bagLanre and if I did pleaseforgive me!). He pointed outtwo things. One was thatUncle Sam was one personthat was not given tocelebrating his personallandmarks and secondly, hewas sure that the old man(C’mon did I just call himthat?!), was going to be out ofthe country on theanniversary anyway! I havenot even spoken with him tocongratulate him. I tried hisnumber I think on Sundaynight, and the phone rangfrom abroad; must be China Iguessed because it seemedthe language I heard wasMandarin! So for my columntoday, I had thought for solong about what I could writeabout the man that iseveryone’s favourite uncle inthe real and most personalsense of that word and all thefeelings that it can convey!

What can I possibly writeabout Uncle Sam Amuka,that more talented peoplehaven’t written about him?There is a lot rolled up intothe complex social andprofessional personality thatwe all admiringly call UncleSam: the engaging mediaprofessional who made aremarkable contribution tothe evolution of journalism inour country as one of itsiconic columnists. He wasSAD SAM, who describedNigeria and presented aclear mirror for society tolook at itself in the face, at acritical juncture in ourhistory. Uncle Sam’sgeneration was equallyangry at the way our societywas evolving, but given thedepth and dimension ofcrises phenomenal today,they arguably lived in thebest years of our country ’sevolution! Yet, what would bethe lasting part of his legacyfor me, is a deep-seatednobility of spirit, which wasalways the hallmark of greatindividuals. And that is theability to recognize in others

a unique talent and thenext is the selflessness toassist in the flowering ofthat talent. In thatrespect, I think UncleSam has already securedhis own legacy as one ofthe greatest mediaprofessionals that ourcountry has everproduced, because all wehave to do is look aroundus, in every corner ofNigeria and around theworld, to see the variousindividuals that thegenius and self effacingmodesty of Uncle Samhave helped to find theirmétier in journalism. Theoutpouring of tributes tocommemorate his 80thbirthday, last weekend fromall over Nigeria, justunderlined his place in thehearts of people in ourcountry, but more so, in ourprofession. Uncle Sam is

work with him in hisnewspapers. He is thequintessential Nigerianpatriot at a time when manyintelligent people havewithdrawn into ethno -religious laagers, preachingall kinds of divisiveness andhatred…”

“By the 1940s, Lagos hadbecome the pre-eminenturban setting that dreweverybody into a colonial andlater, a post-colonialeconomic and socialexistence. It was instructivethat leading newspapermenhave always helped to defineand enrich the Lagos socialscene, and the roots of thatmust be located in the workof the cosmopolitan Jacksonfamily of journalists, with theLAGOS WEEKLY RECORD,in Nineteenth CenturyLagos. But from the 1940s,journalists became central inthe nationalist movement: theGreat Zik, Ernest Ikoli,Obafemi Awolowo, LadokeAkintola and even AnthonyEnahoro, were not onlyjournalists but trend setters ina most socially significantmanner. People like UncleSam Amuka, who as SADSAM,was one of the mostengaging columnists of alltime, with his arched bowlerhat, drank in the same fountand also burnt his ownunique imprimatur on thatremarkably vibrant Lagossocial scene”.

Uncle Sam Amuka has beengiven the gift of a long lifeand it is a life that he hascontinued to live actively,retaining tremendousgoodwill from people all overNigeria. And because he hasremained an outstandingprofessional he can tap intoa wealth of experience toassist the continuedevolution of our profession aswell as impact in his subtleand self effacing manner, onthe political development ofNigeria, as we saw in theprocesses that helped todiffuse tension in the lead toand the aftermath, of the 2015General Elections. I find itequally remarkable, thatUncle Sam has a stubborndetermination to keep pacewith the technological andtechnical advances that affectthe profession as well as oursocial lives. He carries themost recent gadgets that helphim keep track of music,which I noticed is one of hispassions. And there is alsothat sarcastic laughter andability to look at issues with aforensic mind. But what noone can miss is the genuinerespect and affection that hehas for people with talent! Inthat sense, it is indicative notonly of his large heart but thenear absence of insecurityabout the talents that otherpeople possess (The worstthing that can happen to atalented person is to workwith an insecure boss!). InUncle Sam Amuka, Nigeriacan always be proud of aremarkable professional whohas made a genuine mark onour national life and a verydecent man, who we allgenuinely see as a favouriteuncle! Uncle Sam Amuka, onthe occasion of your 80thbirthday, thank you verymuch, for enriching our lives!

80 garlands for Uncle Sam Amuka

IT was on Monday this week that I read of the passing of Jimmy Atte, the former ExecutiveDirector Programmes at NTA, who was also one of the pioneers of NTA in Ilorin. Just before

I commenced writing my column this week, I called Femi Ibrahim of NTA News in Abuja, toconfirm the news of Oga Jimmy Atte’s death. He affirmed that it was true. I had earlier decidedto write a tribute this week to ToluFatoyinbo, the ace sports commentator, who was recentlyburied and to whom Kayode Soyinka and Fabio Olanipekun had written very sympathetictributes, in the wake of his death. In 1985, the National Sports Festival held in Ilorin. Tagged“KWARA 85”, Radio Kwara was the fulcrum of the live broadcast of the games. And as we werepreparing for the live broadcast of the opening ceremony, there entered ToluFatoyinbo! Hewas fresh from providing live commentaries for Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets, who had taken theworld by storm at the Under-17 World Championship, I think in China. He was the ultimateshowman and while we had a rough introduction at the beginning, we would later work togetheras commentators, newsreaders and reporters during the festival, with ToluFatoyinboand thelate Sebastian Ofurum, being the senior partners in our broadcasts. We retained a friendshipand an affectionate respect into the future.

ToluFatoyinbo belonged to a distinguished cast of sports commentators that were trainedin the rigorously professional traditions of Radio Nigeria, in those good old days. He was asbrilliant as he was meticulous in the preparations that went into his work as a commentatorand it was a hallmark of the work of the masters: from Ishola Folorunsho through to EarnestOkonkwo and Sebastian Offurum, Kevin Ejiofor to ToluFatoyinbo, that they brought the eventsthey covered into the homes of millions of Nigerians as they used words to paint picturesvividly for their listeners. For a long time, even when television began to provide live telecastsof football games, Nigerians would watch the events on their television sets but listen to theradio commentaries as accompaniment. With ToluFatoyinbo’s death, we lost one of the lastgreat names and voices from a distinguished cast that made our lives so much better becauseof the way they touched our lives.

Similarly, with Jimmy Atte’s death, we also lost one of the greatest practitioners of televisionprogramming that Nigeria ever produced. I think one of Atte’s greatest abilities was to see andnurture other people’s talents. I became a very famous Deejay on radio in Ilorin by the 1980s.After my shows, Jimmy Atte was one of those who would regularly call me to expressappreciation of my ability. I knew he worked at NTA Ilorin, but we had never met, until onefine morning when he called as was his wont, but that day, he invited me to meet him at hisoffice. When I got there, he informed me that he had been thinking over a couple of months onhow he could create a television programme around my ability as a radio deejay. He hadfinally worked out the idea and had invited me to work with him. I was pleasantly surprisedand over the next couple of weeks, I went back and forth as we gave life to an outline of an ideathat became a programme that I presented and was centred around music and musicians onNTA Ilorin. That was the quintessential Jimmy Atte, whom I still think was the best DG NTANEVER had and it was a great pity that the politics of television broadcasting did not allow himto reach the peak, that he so eminently deserved. But that did not dim his esteem as one of thegreatest heroes of Nigerian television broadcasting! With Jimmy Atte’s death this week, wehave certainly lost a genuine Nigerian patriot who loved his job passionately as an expressionof the love he has for his country. May God give the families and colleagues of ToluFatoyinboand Jimmy Atte, the fortitude to bear their passing!

genuinely loved and highlyrespected!

In November 2013, Iattended Uncle Sam’s son’smarriage ceremony in Lagos,and I had written a tribute toUncle Sam in my column ofNovember 14, 2013. ThePiece was titled: “UNCLE

SAM AMUKA AND THELAGOS SOCIAL SCENE:A RESPECTFULTRIBUTE”. Please permitme to quote from thatpiece. “Uncle Sam is oneof the most decent humanbeings I have ever metand everybody else that Ihave spoken with aboutthis unusually humanegentleman has confirmedmy feeling. I do not wantto over-eulogize the man,but you cannot comeaway from the man, notfeeling delighted abouthis personality; his

incredible modesty and hisability to appreciate the goodin other people. He just hasthat charm and magnetismthat inspire. My becoming acolumnist for VANGUARDnewspapers from May 2011was largely as a result of hisability to draw people fromall kinds of backgrounds to

Tolu Fatoyinbo and Jimmy Atte: Icons from anera of excellence

In Uncle SamAmuka, Nigeriacan always beproud of aremarkableprofessionalwho has made agenuine markon our nationallife and a verydecent man,who we allgenuinely see asa favouriteuncle!

Uncle Sam Amuka

OPINION

18 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015

THE business savvy that is required toattract funding interests from commercial

banks into agriculture can best be initiallyprovided in the post-harvest production segment.Food processors, agro-traders and packagingbusinesses can then, either through backwardintegration or by providing more liquidity tofarmers, bring financial buoyancy into farming.Ahead of the provision of the needed elaborateinfrastructure by the government, foodmanufacturers can bring technology andimproved haulage hardware that willameliorate post-harvest losses. Similar solutionhas propelled Nigeria to being one of the world’stop cement producing countries.

Policy considerationsMuch of what is in the solutions suite for

continued turnaround for the agric sector is notnew. For instance, food processing industrieshave been dominant in Africa’s manufacturingfor a few decades. Depending on the individualcountry, the share of food and beverage rangesfrom 15-40% of total manufacturing capacityin Africa. Local and multinationalconglomerates in food and beverage are someof the most valued stocks on the Nigerian StockExchange. With the stimuli of positive demandprojection for food locally, combined withopportunities to tap food export markets, theeconomy can get a strong nudge with increasedsupport for food processing.

Agro-processing to drive Nigeria’s new economy

By Roberts Orya

On the back of strong support for domesticfood production and processing, Nigeria canlaunch an era of food diplomacy with hertrading partners. In a number of situations, lackof access to export markets by existing Nigerianagro-manufacturers are down to competitionfrom other exporting countries. AlthoughNigerian exports of food and semi-processedproduce are often denied access in some foreignmarkets based on issues of standards and safetyconcerns, without diplomatic efforts it is unlikelythat the putative technical requirements can bemet. As such, and without seeking to circumventthe technical standards, the country can start tolook at using bilateral agreements as a tradetool for providing Nigerian food products accessto foreign markets.

In addition to financing solutions, broad fiscaltools are required to raise the scale of productionand processing of agricultural commodities inNigeria. As a matter of principle, fiscal toolsincluding tax breaks and waivers on tariffsshould be directed at production. They shouldbe completely biased against importation ofconsumer food products. Not least because such

incentives, like subsidy on imported petroleumproducts, are subject to abuses by clever privatesector operators who can therefore thwart thegood intentions of the government.

The food security objective of the governmentcannot be altogether served by foreignmultinational companies. As such, it isimportant that foreign capital is not allowed tocrowd out indigenous agric-food companies.Again, this suggests stronger financing role forgovernment; although not altogether throughdirect public funding. Existing PPP frameworksto bring financing to agriculture should bestrengthened. Public institutions involved mustbe subjected to stern performance metrics.

Special considerationWith the weakening of the Boko Haram

insurgency in the North East by the Nigerianmilitary, a grand programme to close theproductivity gap in Northern agriculture is animperative. Over the last few months, food priceshad inched up marginally on the Consumer PriceIndex of the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, ofwhich agricultural produce are a significantcomponent. Under the scenario of thedisplacement of the local population, includingagric communities in the North East, it is beyondquestion that supply growth would have becomemuch weaker, whereas demand projections haveremained very positive in the country.Determined efforts should therefore be made toclose the existing productivity gap by expandingcapacity through strong intervention in theNorth generally, since the region occupies a vitalposition in the nation’s food production.

New economic structureFollowing the GDP rebasing in 2014, a new

(but changing) structure of the economy

emerged. We saw the decline of oil as apercentage of the GDP and the rise of services asthe largest sector of the Nigerian economy. In2013, agriculture constituted 26% of the GDP –a percentage only exceeded by Ghana’s 29%,amongst Africa’s main frontier markets. Overthe coming decades, the transition in theNigerian economy will gain more traction. Buttransitions within industries should also be underwatch. Agro-processing will define the changesin the agriculture sector, even as it will drivewider industrialisation and therefore catalysefurther adjustment in the structure of theNigerian economy.

For Nigeria, the size advantage is a huge one.Egypt’s $284.9 GDP of 2014, of whichagriculture constituted 14.6%, grew her foodexports revenue by $1.9 billion in just one year(2013). From our current low base ofagricultural exports, with vast arable land andfavourable climate, we are more than able todrive more momentous change through value-added agriculture, considering Nigeria’s $594.3billion GDP.

The most important recommendation forpromoting Nigeria’s agro-industrial sector isthe potential for job creation across the agricvalue chain. The value chain of the agric sectoris well capable of generating additional tenmillion jobs over the next decade, and it canserve as one of the centrepieces of capitalformation in Nigeria’s new economy. Indeed,agro-processing promises exciting prospects forinclusive growth and social stability.

•Mr. Orya is MD/CEO, Nigerian Export-Import Bank

Continued from yesterday

Concluded

Broad fiscal tools arerequired to raise the scale ofproduction and processing ofagricultural commodities inNigeria

MUCH has been made of the invitation G7extended to President Muhammadu Buhari.There are high expectations of new wavesof relationships from the meeting.Nigeria appears to be the West’s poster boy

for democracy after the peaceful transitionfrom a party in power to the opposition. Itwas an uncommon feat in Africa as thedefeated president congratulated thewinner, before announcement of the officialresult.Former President Goodluck Jonathan and

his successor, President Buhari, havesubsequently enjoyed applause of worldleaders, who have flung their doors open toNigeria for business.Buhari’s attendance of the G7 summit

(USA, UK, Germany, France, Japan, Franceand Canada) in Germany on 7 and 8 June isan obvious side of the gesture. British PrimeMinister, David Cameron, had told Buharito come with his “shopping list”, a sign thatG7 was prepared to engage Nigeria in a broadspectrum of areas. The President had afruitful outing on the sidelines of thesummit, where he met representatives ofcountries eager to partner with Nigeria in

Awaiting G7 BenefitsAwaiting G7 BenefitsAwaiting G7 BenefitsAwaiting G7 BenefitsAwaiting G7 Benefitstackling our more pressing challenges.As we wait dividends of Buhari’s G7

outing, our immediate needs are intackling security challenges, especiallyBoko Haram and myriads of communalattacks that have left tears, sorrows andblood around the Middle Belt and linkedto alleged Fulani herdsmen. We urgentlyrequire equipment and technical advice toimprove our intelligence gathering andevolve pre-emptive measures to keep ourpeople safer.After the near-collapse of global oil prices,

Nigeria should make more decisive movesto exit from the trap of a mono-economythat depends on oil. We require expertiseand technical partnership of G7 and other

developed countries to broaden the base ofour economy, drawing from our boundlesspotentials. Agriculture and solid mineralmining are of paramount importancebecause of their capacities to createmultiple opportunities.Government can leverage recent progress

in these areas. The follow up areas includeintensification of the fight againstcorruption and improvement of ourbusiness legal framework.As we open our doors to foreign partners,

we must remain determined to reject someof the objectionable conditions the Westoften throws in, including pressure on usto abrogate our anti-gay practice law andadopt their “human rights” prescriptionsthat create confusion among our people.We also urge the Buhari administration to

encourage domestic entrepreneursthrough provision of infrastructure,particularly electricity. There are moreNigerians with resources to invest in oureconomy who are overlooked as we searchfor investments from abroad. Whateverassistance comes from G7, and in whateverarea, cannot succeed without local buy-in.

CMYK

Vanguard,Vanguard,Vanguard,Vanguard,Vanguard, THURSDAY, THURSDAY, THURSDAY, THURSDAY, THURSDAY, JUNE 18JUNE 18JUNE 18JUNE 18JUNE 18, 2015—, 2015—, 2015—, 2015—, 2015—1919191919

CMYK

Send Opinions & Letters to:opinions1234@yahoo.com

On neutrality and “Tambuwalisation”of the legislature

IN every election year, the NationalAssembly has become the epicentre

of political intrigues, particularly infilling the principal offices of bothchambers. It is commonly asserted thatthe Constitution reserves no role for thepolitical parties in the composition ofthese offices.

This is good theory but in actualpractice, the invisible hands of thepolitical parties can be felt all throughthe exercise. Indeed, only anirresponsible party leadership willremain neutral when its house isburning. We wonder how many parentswill stay aloof when some of theirchildren are fighting. For all we know, amother is only as happy as her saddestchild.

Quite often, though, there are caseswhere legislators up-turn thearrangements handed down to them bytheir party leadership. They do this inthe name of asserting the independenceof the legislature.

The current trend – the use oflegislators-elect of one political party todestabilise the arrangements of anopposing party – which gainedprominence in 2011, when the defunctACN used Aminu Tambuwal (then PDP/Sokoto) to scuttle the arrangement of thePDP for the Speakership of the House ofRepresentatives, is what we callTambuwalisation. Throughout theSeventh National Assembly, Tambuwalhad what could pass for a splitpersonality – he was PDP in name and inbody; but for all intents and purposes, hewas more ACN/APC than the NationalChairman of the party.

Essentially, Tambuwalisation could bea younger cousin of the Open Primary,which until recently, was prevalent inthe US for nominating candidates for

elective positions. Parties that adoptedthe open primaries had an open mindthat since the office being sought was onein which the occupant would serve allmembers of the community, it madesense for all the registered voters in thatcommunity to participate in nominatingthe candidate.

With time, the open primaries becameinjurious to the parties that adoptedthem. Members of an opposing politicalparty used the avenue to nominate weakcandidates that could be easily defeatedat the main election – call it dumping orwhat you will. The open primaries havesince given way to Closed Primaries.

For more than two months after the2015 polls, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso(APC/Sokoto) was shouting to the highheavens that the National Assemblywould be “Tambuwalised”. Who caredabout the premonition of an impendingdanger? Alas, it has happened!

What we now have is a systems failureon the part of the APC and that’s putting

it mildly.B e s i d e sensuring thatthe preferredcandidates ofthe APC did notemerge, thePDP hass u c c e s s f u l l yi n s t a l l e dSenator IkeEkweremadu(PDP/Enugu) as the Deputy SenatePresident in an APC-dominated Senate!For the first time in the history ofNigeria, a member of a minority party,Senator David Mark, is the Majority andMinority Leader of the Senate!

Under the guise of non-interference,President Muhammadu Buhari hasmaintained absolute neutrality in a mostpartisan world! Whoever emerges is hisown. Fine! APC legislators-elect were leftrudderless – sheep without shepherds.

In truth, there is no neutrality inpolitics. If there was, it would havestarted from the beginning – you didn’thave to traverse the entire country,asking for the people’s votes as whoevervoted would have been your own.

While APC was under the spell ofneutrality, it should have realised whattranspired on the PDP side – how the PDPlegislators-elect were being carefullyguided by the political strategists andtacticians of their party. We leave theneutralists to wonder how hithertosworn-enemies like David Mark andBukola Saraki became the best of palsovernight. The neutralists should alsowait till they hear of the budgetaryoutlay that went into the venture on thePDP side. Neutrality, my foot!

In all this, where were the APCgovernors? For once you went to warwithout the Governors who have in theirarsenal, all it takes to fight a war –superior planning and execution, stronghold on their legislators, power of thepurse – and you bungled everything!What a bitter lesson in party supremacy,so called!

What type of power are we talkingabout? Even as a party supposedly inpower, the Presidency could not send aneffective message across to the NationalAssembly that as a result of a meetingbetween the President and his partymen, the inauguration should hold on fora few hours? Was this neutrality? Couldit also be weakness or kindness? We haveadvised elsewhere that people should trypocketing a small snake out of kindnessand they will soon realise that there arelimits to kindness.

Evidently, the PDP over-rated the APC.If they knew that the APC leadership wasas clueless as it has proved to be, nothingwould have prevented them fromcollecting all the principal offices. Wouldit not have been a question of simplyhanging on to their 49 consolidated votesfor a single candidate in each positionwhile leaving the multiple APCcandidates to scramble over their 59scattered votes?

Once in a while a political party shouldwear its cult-like garb. Did the APCleadership have to take that mockprimary to the market place? Certaindecisions are better taken after midnightwhen cameramen are already asleep. Butthe APC leadership, instead of keeping itsplans in its chest pocket, preferred toaddress a world press conference, toexpose its plans. The Financial Times ofLondon did an editorial on this.

In all this, not much is lost. The PDPmust resist the urge to keep basking inthe euphoria of this Pyrrhic victorybecause within the strength of the deal,reside bundles of weaknesses.

THE All ProgressivesCongress, APC, is the new

ruling party in Nigeria, right?Yes and no. Yes, because it is theparty that defeated the PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP, at the2015 general elections, winningthe Presidency and installinggovernors in 22 of the 36 statesof the federation. It is the partywith majority of members inboth the Senate and House ofRepresentatives. It willconsummate the mandate of theelectorate and call the shots forthe next four years.

Again, yes, because it is a dulyregistered political party. But intruth, the APC is still a coalitionor a gang-up which hurriedlycame together to get the formerruling PDP, which had becomeinternally decadent, out ofpower. But this coalition, aftercoming together to slay theelephant, could not install itscarefully handpickedcandidates to head the Senateand House of Representatives.Its national leadership wasirreverently defied by forceswithin the party. The leadershipthreatened fire and brimstone,but at the end of it all, found itselfimpotent to reverse what

other fringe elements belongingto Governors AdamsOshiomhole of Edo State, RochasOkorocha of Imo State andformer governors Chris Ngige ofAnambra State and RotimiAmaechi of Rivers State.

Tinubu must now consult andnegotiate with these groups andensure they are given a sense ofbelonging or they will gang-upagainst him. Tinubu willincreasingly become the butt ofenvious conspiracies, and theimpulse to “cut him to size” willbecome increasinglyirresistible, especially seeinghow easily he was beaten in thesharing of the Senate and Housepositions. Tinubu must rebrandhimself and let people who depicthim as a self-centred,acquisitive and power-hungryleader know they are mistaken.

APC can still become a truepolitical party beyond being amere election-winningplatform. As time goes on, theparty is likely to split. AtikuAbubakar’s unbridled ambitioncould lead him to take a largesection of the nPDP with himback to PDP sometime around2017 in readiness to challengeBuhari in 2019. The rest of theparty will cluster aroundPresident Buhari, the “manwith the yam and knife”. Whenthat happens, most of theNorthern politicians now hidingin the shadows would come intothe limelight to paddle thecanoe of the Buhari APC. Whenthat time comes, even some oftoday’s “Tinubu boys” who roseto be governors and occupiedvarious high positions ingovernment on his ticket will bein the Buhari APC boat paddledby Northerners.

Don’t say I did not tell you.

APC as a ruling coalition

Tinubu mustrebrand himselfand let peoplewho depict himas a self-centred,acquisitive andpower-hungryleader knowthey aremistaken

While APC wasunder the spell ofneutrality, it shouldhave realised whattranspired on thePDP side – how thePDP legislators-electwere being carefullyguided by the politi-cal strategists andtacticians of theirparty

happened. It eventually ate thehumble pie and accepted defeat.What manner of political partyis that which has no control overits members? The answer isquite simple. The APC is not yeta political party. It is still onlythe coalition that pushed out theformer behemoth, the PDP.

A political party’s primaryattribute is that it is a congre-gation of like-minds. There mustbe over-riding commoninterests for which its memberscome together to contest forpower. Take these samplers. Thedefunct National Council ofNigerian Citizens, NCNC, wasformed primarily as anationalist and Pan-Africanistvanguard to drive away thecolonialists and build a nationin which tribe, religion andregion would not be a hindranceto the aspiration of anyNigerian. It was supposed tobring the re-enactment of theAmerican dream here inNigeria and Africa.

The Action Group, AG, wasmeant to give the Yorubas astrong place in an independenttrue Nigerian federation, whereeach federating unit would befree to aspire to its dreams at its

own pace, unhindered by howothers chose to proceed. TheNorthern People’s Congress,NPC, was formed to unite theNorth under the sophisticatedMuslim empire, the SokotoCaliphate founded by SheikhUsman Dan Fodio, to ensurethat the North capitalised on itsgeopolitical advantages todominate an independentNigeria. The Northern ElementsProgressives Union, NEPU, wasformed to cater for the interestsof the lower classes and thedowntrodden, especially in theNorth.

The PDP and APC, beingpolitical parties that took theirroots after a hurried militarytransition to civil rule in 1999,have no such vision and mission.The PDP’s take-off as a politicalparty was truncated by theimposition of General OlusegunObasanjo, who converted it intoa mere election-winningmachine without a purpose ingovernment and power.

Whoever failed to win PDP’sticket ran away to look for onein another party, and whetherthey won or lost, they returnedto the PDP, at least to ensuretheir future prospects ofremaining in power.

The APC is still at its rawestform. Beyond the fact that itwas able to mob the PDP out ofpower, there is very little in itto call it a “party”. What theNational Publicity Secretary ofthe APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed,glibly kept referring to as “theparty” was nothing but merelya section of the APC which is incontrol of its nationalsecretariat. That section iscontrolled by men implanted bythe National Leader of the APC,Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu, withthe tacit approval of PresidentMuhammadu Buhari.

The reason why Tinubu’ssection of the party failed toinstall Ahmed Lawan as thePresident of the Senate andFemi Gbajabiamila as theSpeaker, House ofRepresentatives, was because hefailed to accommodate theinterests of the “new” PDP(nPDP) faction of the APC, andthe latter pulled its strings. Thelesson that “the party” (Tinubuand his men in the nationalexecutive of the APC) mustlearn from now henceforth, is tocarry all the factions of APCalong in all their power-sharingactivities. After all, it wasbecause of this power that theyall came together to shove asidePDP. Tinubu must remainacutely aware that in the APC,there are the Action Congress ofNigeria, ACN; the All NigerianPeoples Party, ANPP; theCongress for ProgressiveChange, CPC; the nPDP and

20—Vanguard, 20—Vanguard, 20—Vanguard, 20—Vanguard, 20—Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015

Dearth of basic infrastructure: Another Lagos

community cries out

IFESOWAPO Arojokun isone of several communities in

Lagos State where residents arepresently crying out for government’sintervention in addressing their lackof basic infrastructures. Indeed, life issaid to have become unbearable forresidents of the community locatedwithin the vicinity of Checkpoint Bus-stop, Araromi Ale, along the Lagos/Badagry Expressway on account ofthe problem.

The community which has over athousand houses, a population ofabout 12,000 and a vast land stillawaiting development cannot boastof a public school, primary healthcarefacility, model market, police station,pipe-borne water and motor-ableroads.

The only redeeming feature by wayof infrastructure was the recentlycommissioned electrification projectexecuted through communal effortsby residents under the auspices ofthe Community DevelopmentAssociation, CDA.

When Vanguard Metro, VM,visited the community recently, it wasdiscovered that most of the roads therewere in deplorable condition andtherefore inaccessible due to severalpotholes. Among the most affectedwere Bakare Adala Street, RaakiSadudeen Street and AdebolaAdegbehin Street.

Those who spoke with VMlamented bitterly of the community’sneglect by successive governmentsover the years citing lack of basicfacilities, including governmentprimary and secondary schools,hospital, model market and policestation, as evidence of this.

According to the Baale of Arojokuncommunity, Chief Matthew SaturdayAdegbega, who recently celebratedhis one year coronation anniversary:“The community has not benefitedfrom past administrations as the traincarrying the dividends of democracyhas refused to get to IfesowapoArojokun after many years.

“The suffering and pain has becomeunbearable as our roads are bad, wedon’t have any government schoolor hospital in this community. On ourown we have done a lot to addressthe problem of bad road. For instance,we spent so much to sand-fill thecommunity every year. This is whywe are appealling to government tocome to our aid. As the traditional rulerof the community, I practically bleedin the heart seeing my subjects gothrough so much discomfort becauseof these challenges.

“So, I am using theoccasion(coronation anniversay) tocall on the government of Lagos Stateto come to our community’s rescue.Now that we have a new governmentwe are appealling to the government

By Esther Onyegbulaand the amiable governor, AkinwumiAmbode. These projects, whendone, will bring development to thecommunity as well as createemployment opportunities. And ourchildren won’t have to trek longdistances to Oko-Ofo or Ibiye toattend school, which is severalkilometres from here. Imagine youngchildren trekking such a distance toschool daily”.

The chairman, Ifesowapo Arojokuncommunity CDA, who gave hisname as Elder Joseph SundayAdeoye, said the bad road hascreated severe challenges forresidents as the cost oftransportation is currently on thehigh side. “Initially, from CheckpointBus-stop to Baale Street, for instance,used to be N50; now it is betweenN150 and N200. Many of the tricycleriders or Keke Marwa operatorswho usually ply the community routehave moved to other communitiesbecause of the bad roads,” he said.

A non-native, Mr ChukwuSunday said: “Ifesowapo Arojokunis a very peaceful community butwhat is missing is government’spresence by way of providing basicinfrastructure. As you can see theroads are in bad shape; we can’tdrive our vehicles in and out of thecommunity without getting stuck inpotholes or ditches. The mainchallenge facing the community isthat of roads; it is affecting thedevelopment of the community, it isaffecting business operators; schoolchildren have to wear rain boatsbecause of the bad roads. Schoolbuses don’t come into the communityto pick children because of the roads.So many people have abandonedthe construction of their buildingsbecause of the road”.

Communal effort to therescue

Recounting the efforts thecommunity has made to alleviate thesituation, Prince AdegbehinAdetarami told VM thus: “Whateverproject or development you see herewas made possible by communaleffort. There is nothing the

government has done to assist in thedevelopment of the community. Forinstance, the electrification of thecommunity was done by residents.

“We spent so much to bring thelight; we spent millions of naira onthe electrification project, especiallyin buying electric poles,transformers and cables. Ironically,barely a month after we succeededin bringing electricity to thecommunity, officials of the EkoElectricity Company came todisconnect defaulters even whenpower supply has been epileptic.

“The only accessible bridge wasalso constructed by residents in thecommunity. We spent more than amillion to construct the bridge. To

sand-fill the community road, wespent over N600, 000. Early lastmonth we brought about 15 tipper-load of sand to sand fill the badportions of the road to ensure thatpeople can easily go about theirdaily businesses. Unfortunatelythe rainy season is here and therains began that same month andundid most of what we have done.”

Community’s demandIn calling on the Lagos State

government to come to their aid,Elder Joseph said: “We all votedfor the new administration, we arepleading with the government torescue the community. We don’thave public schools, hospital,

market or police post; we wantgovernment to please help us. Wewant the government to assist thecommunity by providing socialinfrastructures, especially goodroads to enable free movement ofpersons and goods. We need aprimary healthcare facility for thewomen and children.”

He furthered revealed that thecommunity was willing to partnerwith the government in theexecution of essential projects,adding: “We will provide the landfor any of these project as well asmoral support. We are law-abidingNigerians and we pay our taxes.So, government should come to ourrescue.”

Teary moment as fire fighters bury colleagueBy Bose Adelaja

HE was on a mission torescue a fire victim at

Babalegba Bus-stop, Ijegun inIgando\Ikotun Local CouncilDevelopment Area of Lagos.That was not the first time hewould be responding to adistress call and taking thiskind of sacrificial risk which heconsidered to come with thejob. But on that fatefulSaturday May 9, 2015, itturned out to be one risk toomany for this brave fire fighter.Olumide OlugbengaOgunnubi, 34 years old,sustained serious injurieswhile trying to save the life ofsomeone in distress. He was

rushed to the AlimoshoGeneral Hospital Igandowhere he was later referredto the Lagos State UniversityTeaching Hospital, LASUTH.Unfortunately, he eventuallygave up the ghost three dayslater.This native of Ogun State whojoined the State Fire Servicesin 2008 was given a befittingburial in Kajola, Ifo, OgunState on Tuesday June 9, 2015where friends and colleaguespaid their last respects.A funeral service also held atIkeja fire station same day,where the State Fire Service’sflag was presented to his

widow.In a statement, the Director,Lagos State Fire Services,Razak Fadipe, lamented thedeath of some of his men inactive service. He assured thatthe state government wouldact fast to make life bearablefor members of the deceased’sfamily.Fadipe said a similar incidentoccurred a couple of yearsback when one of his mendied in an inferno whichoccurred in Tejuoso Market.But the fire boss said thedevelopment will not deter hismen from saving lives andproperty in the state.

The suffering hasbecome unbearable; Ibleed seeing mysubjects go through somuch discomfortbecause of thesechallenges;we areappealling togovernment to come toour aid

*Cars stuck in a flooded and muddy road in the community. INSET: Chief Matthew Adegbena,Baale of Ifesowapo Arojokun

CMYK

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015 — 21

CMYK

CURRENCY BUYING CENTRAL

CBN Exchange Rate as at 17/ 06 /15

$63.76 -0.19

$129.85 2. 05

$3,244.00 37. 00

$11.41 -0.05

DOLLAR 195.9 196.4 196.9 POUNDS 303.4099 304.1843 304.9587 EURO 219.4668 220.0269 220.5871 FRANC 209.743 210.2784 210.8137 YEN 1.5844 1.5885 1.5925 CFA 0.3143 0.3243 0.3343 WAUA 272.955 273.6516 274.3483RENMINBI 31.5618 31.6428 31.7238 RIYAL 52.2372 52.3705 52.5039 KRONA 29.406 29.4811 29.5561 SDR 274.8281 275.5296 276.231

59.74 0.22

From right: Chief Executive Officer, Sabaoth Technologies, Dr Dania Simpa, Market Development Manager Intel, SimboOlatoregun; Chief Medical Director First Consultants Medical Center, Dr Benjamin Ohiaeri; Chief Executive Officer, LionstoneHealth Partners, Mrs. Njide Ndile; Chief Corporate Services Officer, Smile Communications Nigeria Limited, Mr Tobe Okigboat the donation of Smile Router Wifi by Smile Communications Nigeria Limited to First Consultants Medical Center, Obalendein Lagos.

Geometric Power, GE to build1,080MW power plant

By Michael Eboh & Grace Udofiawith Agency Report

GEOMETRIC Power hasentered into

partnership with GeneralElectric to invest $800 million,about N160 billion in theconstruction of a 1,080megawatts power plant in

Nigeria.Managing Director of the

company, Mr. Barth Nnaji,who stated this in a powerconference in Lagos, disclosedthat the first phase of theproject which is aimed atgenerating 500 megawatts ofelectricity is expected to becompleted by 2019.

To this end, Nnaji noted that

Geometric Power hadappointed StandardChartered Bank asfinancial advisers for thefirst phase of the plant.

Nnaji stated that thepower plant will belocated in Abia State,while constructionworks on the plantwould commence earlynext year.

He added that thecompany was alreadyin discussions withsome Chinese,European and UnitedStates’ investors andwas expecting financialclosure by year-end.

Nnaji said, “We have a1,080 megawattproject in partnershipwith General Electric.The power goes to thenational grid. What we

are doing is to build up powerprojects in this way.”

Meanwhile, GroupManaging Director, AiteoPower and Gas, Mr. RansomeOwan, stated that Nigeria’spower sector is goingthrough teething problems,due mainly to the change ofownership in the sector.Speaking at the sameconference in Lagos, Owan,

however, expressed optimismthat the situation in the powersector would stabilise withtime.

Owan also disclosed that theprivatisation of the country’s10 Independent Power Plants(IPP) is currently beingdelayed due to lack of gassupply.

He said, “ Lack of gas is stallingthe deals,” Ransome Owan told apower conference in Lagos lateon Tuesday. In 2012, whileserving as Minister of Power,Nnaji had signed a $10 billionagreement with General Electric(GE) to build 10,000 megawattspower plants in the country.Though, nothing has been heardof the agreement over the pastyears.

Nnaji, who signed theMemorandum of Understanding(MoU) with GE in London, said itprovided for the construction ofa series of power plants in thecountry, adding that under theMoU, GE would now be an equityparticipant. He said, “In the past,GE only supply the equipmentbut now, they will be investing10 to 15 per cent in equity forevery single project, thegovernment will match them insuch investment while theprivate sector will bring thebalance.”

Privatisationof thecountry’s 10IndependentPower Plants(IPP) iscurrentlybeing delayeddue to lack ofgas supply

Budget 2015,Budget 2015,Budget 2015,Budget 2015,Budget 2015,hope rising ashope rising ashope rising ashope rising ashope rising ascrude prices hitcrude prices hitcrude prices hitcrude prices hitcrude prices hit$63$63$63$63$63

C rude oil pricesyesterday maintained

a $63 per barrel giving hopefor the actualisation of 2015budget. If the reboundremained stable it will alsohelp to increase federalallocation to states and helpdistressed states tide overtheir financial difficulties.Crude has rebounded at theLondon ICE Futures EuropeExchange from a six-yearlow as falling U.S. stockpilesand a slowdown in drillingcounter data showing thatproducers elsewhere arepumping more.

West Texas Intermediatefor July delivery fell 75cents, or 1.3 percent, to$59.22 a barrel on the NewYork Mercantile Exchange.Prices earlier climbed asmuch as 2.4 percent. Brentfor August settlementdecreased 68 cents, or 1.1percent, to $63.02 a barrelon the London-based ICEFutures Europe exchange.The European benchmarkcrude traded at a $3.35premium to WTI for the samemonth.

U.S. output will peak at a43-year high this year beforetrailing off in the second half,the EIA said last week. OPECdecided to maintain itsoutput target at a June 5meeting in Vienna.

“The market’s retreatingbecause of the refinery andgasoline numbers,” BobYawger, director of thefutures division at MizuhoSecurities USA Inc. in NewYork, said. “We rallied onexpectations that refineries’utilisation rates would rise,boosting crude demand. Ifrefineries continue tooperate at these levels wewill be seeing much smallerdrops in crude.”

Nationwide crudeinventories slid 2.68 millionbarrels to 467.9 millionbarrels in the week endedJune 12, EIA data show. A 1.8million-barrel supply declinewas projected by analysts ina Bloomberg survey.Stockpiles remain near thehighest level since 1930 and113 million barrels above thefive-year average for thistime of year.

“We still have amplesupplies of crude,” ChipHodge, who oversees a $9billion natural-resource bondportfolio as senior managingdirector at John Hancock inBoston, said by phone.

22—Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015

BUSINESS

Library is a primaryresource for

information. Governmentagencies have a variety ofpublications which may beuseful. Some colleges anduniversities have referencelibraries which may have acirculation section availableto the public. Also researchinstitutes and some largecorporations have librarieswith sections on specifictopics. Libraries are thestorehouse of informationwhich may be useful inoperating a small business.Books, periodicals, reportsand newspapers may contain

Sources of information forentrepreneurial development

Various studies by the WorldBank and other organizationshave revealed very low levelsof bank financing for SMEs inAfrica compared to otherdeveloping countries. In, fact,it is estimated that the SMEfunding gap in Nigeria andother African countries ismore than $140 billion,according to Mr. Ifie Sekibo,Managing Director/CEO ofHeritage Bank Limited.

Sekibo said this at a US-AfricaTrade and Investment Forumheld in New York, USA, lastyear, adding that more than 70per cent of SMEs in thecontinent lack access tomedium-longer-term finance.According to him, in Africa,SMEs are more credit-constrained which typicallyaffects growth possibilities assignificantly low number ofstart-ups, who apply forfinancing actually succeed.“Using Nigeria as a case study,between 2003 and 2009, SMEloans as a percentage of totalcredit, decreased from 7.45percent to 0.18 percent. Yet by

African Guarantee Fund:

Bridging Africa's SMEfunding gap

2012, Nigeria had about 17.6million MSMEs employingabout 32.4 million people,” hestated.

AGFIt is in response to these

challenges facing SME fundingin Africa that the AfricanGuarantee Fund (AGF) wascreated.

According to Felix Bikpo,AGF’s CEO, the Fund is “themissing link that will enablepartner financial institutionsexecute their SME financingstrategies effectively, whilebringing their businesses tothe required scale and thusenabling SMEs to play theirexpected role in fosteringAfrican economicdevelopment.”

Through its guaranteefacility, AGF assists financialinstitutions to partially coverthe risks associated with SMEfinancing and thus enablethem increase their portfolioin that asset class. Through itscapacity developmentfacility, the Fund assistsfinancial institutions enhance

Libraries are the storehouseof information which may be

useful in operating a smallbusiness

By Yinka Kolawole,with agency report

All over the world,Small and MediumEnterprises (SMEs)

are widely recognized as bigdrivers of economic growth,innovation, regionaldevelopment and jobcreation. A strong andvibrant SME sector providesa strong foundation toimprove standards of livingand reduce poverty.

Despite the internationallyrecognized importance ofSMEs, African smallbusinesses often havedifficulties accessingfinancing for growth andinnovation from the formalfinancial sector. SMEfinancing is oftenconsidered by manyfinancial sector players inAfrica to be a risky activityas promoters quite moreoften than not, fail to comeup with the collateral levelsrequired to secure bankfacilities.

,

,

Customerscan supplyvery specialinformationabout theproducts andservices theyb u y

Currency Buying(N) Central(N) Selling(N) DOLLAR 195.90 196.40 196.90 STERLING 308.1507 308.9372 309.7237 EURO 220.7009 221.2642 221.8275 FRANC 211.0537 211.5923 212.131 YEN 1.581 1.585 1.5891 CFA 0.3158 0.3258 0.3358 WAUA 274.8923 275.5939 276.2955 RENMINBI 31.5419 31.6229 31.7039 RIYAL 52.2233 52.3566 52.4899 KRONA 29.5921 29.6677 29.7432 SDR 275.9056 276.6098 277.314

NAIRA EXCHANGE RATES (17/06/15)

CommodLight Crud

Natural G

Sugar

Coffee

Cocoa

information which can be ofhelp in solving some of theproblems in operating abusiness.

Internet can be used tocarry out research and to finduseful information and data.Examples of these searchengines are Google, Bing, Asketc Also E-mail can be used tocommunicate with providersof information who havewebsites on the internet.

Trade papers andmagazines: Desirableentrepreneurs should havetime to read articles especiallyin understanding new trendsand developments relating tobusiness. It is advisable tokeep a file of pertinent articlesfor future reference.

Industrial data is helpfulin comparing a business toother similar businesses. Thedata is available from tradeassociations or governmentagencies and includes ratiossuch as; stock turnover, cashdiscounts percentage mark-up etc.

M e m b e r s h i p - b a s e dorganisations can provideservices such as conducting

research, organizingeducation and trainingprogrammes, implementingnew technology, respondingto members’ questions andconcerns and disseminatinginformation throughnewsletters, magazines andspecial reports. Example ofsuch membership-basedorganization is MAN(Manufacturers Associationof Nigeria)

Training programmescan help entrepreneurs todevelop formal plans forimproving their managerialskills and ability. Trainingcourses and adult educationprogrammes are designed bymany institutions, agenciesand associations.Entrepreneurs should beaware of these personaldevelopment possibilitiesand take full advantage ofthem. One of such institutionis (CMD) Centre forManagement Developmentat Magodo area in Lagos(Nigeria).

Employees: The peoplewho work for a business canprovide answers to specificproblems in a business. Forexample, entrepreneursmight ask employees fortheir advice and assistanceabout stock display orcustomer attitudes.Employees are in a goodposition to give valuableadvice providing they knowthat their opinions andsuggestions are valued.

Also customers can supplyvery special informationabout the products andservices they buy.Customers should be askedabout their opinions becausethey are an excellent sourceof information about therelative strength andweaknesses of a businessoperation.

Other business owners:Most businesses havecommon problems andowners are generally willingto discuss their problemswith one another.Occasionally, thecompetitive nature ofbusiness may discouragethis frank exchange, but ifbusiness are unrelated anddo not compete for the samecustomers, entrepreneursmay be willing to share ideasconcerning solutions to acommon problem. In thisway, all business owners canbenefit from this interactionand improve their businessoperations.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015 — 23

& YOU

their SME financingcapabilities and thus be ableto execute their growthstrategies in that sector withease. A combination of AGF’sguarantee and capacitydevelopment facilities, thusenable partner financialinstitutions bring their SMEfinancing business to therequired scale that would notonly enable them bring downtransaction costssignificantly, but alsoincrease returns oninvestment.

MandateAGF’s key mandate is to

assist financial institutionsincrease their financing toAfrican Small and MediumSized Enterprises (SMEs)through the provision ofpartial financial guaranteesand capacity developmentassistance.

ProductsAGF’s products and

services provide financialinstitutions with the meanswith which they can leveragein bringing their African SMEfinancing interventions tothe required scale.

AGF currently offers twoproduct lines: Financialguarantees in support of:Loans made by PartnerLending Institutions (PLIs) toSMEs through a hybridapproach (on portfolio andindividual loan basis); EquityCapital financing for SMEs;and Resource Mobilization (.i.e. issuance of bonds/notes

Saying to leaders andmanagers that their

organisations’ success ishinged upon having aneffective team is like tellingthem what they have alreadyknown even before theystarted their career. And notonly that, their organisationsat one time or the other haveinvested in what is calledteam building, team bonding,team cohesion or teamsynergy – depending on theorganization. From asimplistic viewpoint, one candeduce that their mainreason for investing ortraining their workforce onteam building is to geteveryone to work togetherfor the growth of theorganisation.

But in reality, is it possiblefor someone to sabotage thegrowth of his or herorganisation after knowingthe benefits of teamwork?Yes, it is possible. This isbased on the popular beliefof how effective team is beingcreated. Some organisationsbelieve that the key to havingan effective team is by betterc o m m u n i c a t i o n ,understanding the vision ofthe organisation,cooperation or goodchemistry. The truth is thatthe foundation of a great oran effective team goes muchdeeper than that. Thefoundation then is “genuinerespect” for each other andwhat each other brings to thetable – a respect that goesbeyond position, beyondeducational qualification,beyond gender, beyondeconomic status, andimportantly, beyondidiosyncrasies, ideologiesand disagreements.

With this genuine respectcomes communication,shared vision, cooperation,good chemistry, andultimately team success. Soit means that withoutgenuine respect for

Role of genuine respect inorganisation's team effectiveness

“I have always found thatthe speed of the boss is thespeed of the team”…LeeIacocca

BY ‘UJU ONWUZULIKE

Genuinerespect isrecognizingthe gifts andvalue in othersand utilizingthose gifts andvalue

In organisations, it is dangerousto always have someone's ideaas the best idea because of the

person's superior position

and lines of credit) by PLIsin support of their SMEfinancing activities.Capacity DevelopmentSupport to PLIs to enhancetheir SME financingcapabilities as well asCapacity Developmentsupport to SME BusinessDevelopment Supportcompanies and SMEsthemselves.

EligibilityThe eligible operations for

AGF include: start-ups,scale-ups, modernization,productivity improvement,production capacityimprovement, transfer ofownership andrestructurings.

These operations musthowever be carried out bySMEs as defined by thefinancial service industry ina given country, andoperating in the followingsectors among others:agriculture, agro industry,small and medium scalemining, oil and relatedservices, manufacturing,building and construction,e n e r g y ,t e l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s ,transport, tourism, andtrade.

Transaction procedureThe request for a guarantee

should be submitted by thefinancial institution which isproviding the financing. Therequest should provide thefollowing initial information:Type of guarantee requestedand amount; Profile of theinstitution including legalstatus, key activities,shareholding, directors,management; Three yearaudited accounts; andDescription project/productprogram requiring guaranteesupport and type ofguarantee sought.

Upon receipt of theapplication together with theaccompanying information,AGF will carry out a quickdip-stick review to befollowed by the issuance ofan indicative term sheet.

,

,

SMEfunding gapin Nigeriaand otherAfricancountries ismore than$140 billion

COMMODITIES (17/06/15)

dity Last Change ($) % Changede 58.95 -1.02 -1.70

Gas 2.88 -0.02 -0.66

11.37 +0.06 +0.53

127.35 -2.00 -1.55

3,229.00 -5.00 -0.15

individuals in organisations,we might not be able to havebetter communication orcooperation that will lead toteam success. There is also amisconception that someleaders have about respect inorganisations. They believethat for their subordinates toshow genuine respect forthem, they always have to bein total “agreement” withtheir viewpoints. That is verywrong as respect does notequal agreement. If asleaders and managers we arelooking for everyone on theteam to agree perfectly withour viewpoints, it may nottotally happen, and thatmight affect the team’ssuccess. In addition, inorganisations, it is evendangerous to always havesomeone’s idea as the bestidea probably because of theperson’s superior position.Let us not confuse respect tomean that we will blindlyaccept what is wrong orunethical just to ‘falsely’ showhow respectful we are.Nobody has the whole

answers; we all have aportion of the answers. Thisexplains why we need to relyon the views of others wherewe fall short – and that is evenwhy effective team shouldexist.

Genuine respect isrecognizing the gifts andvalue in others and utilizingthose gifts and value. Thequest for superiority or whodoes better should not beenvisaged in a progressiveteam or organization. Thegood news is that everyemployee “sees in part”, soeveryone sees, and everyonehas a contribution. Buildingworld-class organizationrequires that leaders shouldutilize everybody’scontributions. According toDoug Cartland, Leadershipcan be seen as the ability tounify a team, motivate it andhead it in the right direction.It is also the ability tointerpret the gifts andabilities of those with you tobest utilize them. The truthis that every employee has asignificant role to play indriving growth in everyorganization, and being ableto identify that ability iscrucial for every leader andmanager.

Final note:Sometimes, managers fail

because they fail to make adifference in the lives theytouch, the team membersand employees. As leadersand managers, we shouldhelp our employees grow, letthem shine and when they do,their brilliance will reflect onus. Like what the formerchairman of Chrysler (LeeIacocca) said – “I havealways found that the speedof the boss is the speed of theteam”. When genuine respectand the desire for the growthof other team members oremployees’ increase, teameffectiveness is bound to beachieved. And guess what?Productivity andprofitability are bound toincrease.

For your views orperspectives:Email:uju@hainescentre.com

24 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015

BRIEFSWhy Nigeria needs national corporategovernance code — Elumelu

Chairman, HeirsHoldings Limited, Mr.Tony Elumelu, has

highlighted the importance ofhaving a uniform code ofcorporate governance in thecountry, following theexposure of the draft NationalCode of CorporateGovernance issued by theFinancial Reporting Council(FRC).

Elumelu, who was guestspeaker at the IoD 4thPresidential Biennial Lecture,spoke on the topic: “BuildingA Global Conglomerate onCorporate Governance Values:Challenges And Benefits In ADeveloping Economy,”describing corporategovernance as a system bywhich companies are directedand controlled.

He pointed out thatcorporate governance is notlimited to businesses andquoted companies but a mustadopt for NGOs, saying, “allbusinesses should developcorporate governance codesand meticulously andreligiously practice them.corporate governancepractitioners should not leavethe business of state topoliticians; they should bepart of politics.

“FRCN is doing a fantasticjob and they have come upwith a compendium and newideas of corporate governancepractices in Nigeria and whatit should be. They have comeup with exposure draft of howgovernment should govern acountry and also for NGO’s.

“I will like to urge everyone

By Providence Obuh

AGM: From left: Nike Akande, Director, Union Bank Plc, Somuyiwa Sonubi, CompanySecretary, Udoma Udo Udoma, Chairman, Union Bank and Emeka Emuwa, Group ManagingDirector, Union Bank during the bank’s 46TH Annual General Meeting held in Abuja.

FirstBank, Diamond Bank, seven otherspartner Konga on e-payment solution

FirtsBank, Diamond Bankand seven other

commercial banks in thecountry have entered intopartnership with Nigeria’sonline marketplace,

The Nigeria DepositInsurance Corporation

(NDIC) has warned the NationalYouth Service Corps (NYSC)members posted to Akwa-IbomState not to take the risk of savingtheir monies in banks not insuredby the corporation.

The Port-Harcourt ZonalCoordinator of the NDIC, Mr.Chibuzor Onwumere who gavethe warning at a sensitizationworkshop organized by the NDICfor the Corps members in theircamp at Nsit Atai LocalGovernment Area of the state saidthe warning became imperativeas customers who have depositsin uninsured financialinstitutions would not beindemnified and reimbursedshould financial institutionsbecome insolvent.

Rather, the NDIC stressed theneed for the NYSC members tobuild savings relationships with

NDIC warns against banking with uninsured banksBy Tom Moses

insured banking institutions toenable them to secure loans andother financial assistancenecessary for them to build theirfuture.

“When you keep money in thebank, your money is safe fromtheft, loss and fire, you can getmoney quickly and easily andyou can use the bank to transferfund from one location to another

instead of carrying cash around.“Using a bank to transact

business is cheaper than usingother forms of doing same andbuilding a relationship with a bankcan help you save money, planinvestment for future and may benecessary to access a loan as wellas get paid interest on yoursavings.

“One other important thing toknow is that in case of a bankfailure, your money is safe sinceyour money is insured by theNDIC. The NDIC guaranteespayment of deposits up to amaximum amount if a bank fails”,Onwumere stated.

According to him, the NDIC ischarged with the responsibility ofensuring that failing and failedinsured institutions are resolvedin timely manner through theprovision of financial andtechnical assistance, take-over ofcontrol and organization ofbridge banks.

By Jonah Nwokpoku

Carmudi,Rosabon partneron vehiclefinancingscheme

By Jonah Nwokpoku

Nigeria’s online carm a r k e t p l a c e ,

Carmudi.com.ng andRosabon Financial Serviceshave entered into a deal tofinance cars purchased on theCarmudi platform at zerocollateral.In a statement, Carmudisaid: “The partnership willoffer car buyers a swifter,smoother, and easier way toget financial assistanceenabling them to purchaseany vehicle of their dreams.By integrating a loancalculator on the Carmudiwebsite and payment quotingtechnology on each car listingpage, customers wishing tobuy a car through CarmudiNigeria will be able tocalculate how much downpayment and monthlypayment is needed withoutleaving the listing page.”Speaking on the partnership,Managing Director ofCarmudi Nigeria, ChristianKeller said: “ Affordable loansare not easily available on theNigerian market, yet thedemand is very high. WithRosabon Financial Services,we have found exactly theright partner to fill that need“This service is available toeveryone with a steadyincome who is looking topurchase a car. With only 30per cent down payment youcould buy your preferred carand spread the remainingpayment over a two year

Ghana’s economyexpanded in the first

quarter after contracting ayear earlier during the sameperiod, according to thestatistics office.Gross domestic product rose4.1 percent, PhilomenaNyarko, an official from theGhana Statistical Service, toldreporters on Wednesday inthe capital, Accra. The GDPshrank a revised 3.8 percentin the first three months of2014, she said. The economygrew 0.9 percent in the firstquarter versus the previousthree months.Ghana obtained almost $1billion in loans from theInternational Monetary Fundin April as it seeks to narrowthe budget deficit and supportthe cedi, which has dropped25 percent against the dollarthis year.

Ghana economyexpands 4.1% infirst quarter

who is interested in soundcorporate governance to findtime to read this document anddo a communiqué on them, sothat together we can have abody of documents that weneed to have a nationalgovernance code. I recommendit to everyone both those in

business and NGO’s, SMEsthat are not listed are notexempted from practicingcorporate governance.

“The top must practice goodcorporate governance with theboard ensuring a good CEO isappointed. A good CEO mustapply corporate governance

codes, practice it and becompliant to bring strongprofitability that will createsustainability to shareholders.

On her part, President, IoD,Mrs. Eniola Fadayomi, addedthat it takes the right leadershipto maintain good corporategovernance.

Konga.com to introduce anelectronic payment solution.The solution known asKongaPay allows users toperform one-click paymentson the Konga marketplace.

The other partner banks

include: Access Bank,Ecobank, FCMB, GTBank,Heritage Bank, UBA andZenith Bank

Explaining how the solutionworks, Koga in a statementexplained: “Every time acustomer triggers atransaction, the bank sendsa secure authorization codeto the customer’s registeredmobile number. Anyonewith a bank account and aregistered mobile phonenumber can use KongaPay.There is no need to sign upfor internet banking.

“With our understanding ofthe need for simplicity andeasy access via mobile,KongaPay has beendesigned to be very easy touse. PaymentmadewithongaPayare held inescrow until the transactionis satisfactorily completed.KongaPay eliminates theneed to enter sensitivepersonal information such ascard details or Internetbanking passwords andtransactions are fullyprotected so that ourshoppers will be in fullcontrol of their money. Moreso, refunds for cancelled orreturned orders can betriggered with just one clickand will be immediate.

When you keepmoney in thebank, yourmoney is safefrom theft, lossand fire

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015 — 25

PG. 27

Continues on page 26

Continues on page 26

PG. 28

NUC tasks varsities on quality researchBy Dayo Adesulu & Kelechukwu Iruoma

The National Executive Secretary, NationalUniversities Commission, NUC, Professor.

Julius Okojie has tasked universities to embark onquality research that will positively shape andstrengthen our educational system so as to competewith other universities globally, adding thatresearch in education is pivotal for nationaldevelopment.

Prof. Okojie who spoke during the 30thconvocation ceremony of the University of PortHarcourt, Uniport, revealed that, "the FederalGovernment is aware of the setbacks as regards

research in our universities due to brain drain, lossof research development assistance and weakeninglinks with overseas development partners in the lastthree decades. This current administration willstrive to do more in the educational sector."

He also stated: "Federal Government had throughthe Tertiary Education Trustfund, TETfund, Normaland High Impact Intervention and its AssessmentSpecial Intervention funds embarked on theconstruction of new facilities, rehabilitation andupgrading of existing facilities in Nigeria's public

PRESENTATION: From left: The Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Julius Okojie;Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Dr. MacJohn Nwaobiala; General Manager, Government andPublic Affairs, ExxonMobil, Mr. Dozie Arinze; GM, Technical Geoscience of ExxonMobil, Mr. Mike Udoh; and Prof.Tunde Arayela of Federal University of Technology, Akure, during the presentation of some geoscience equipmentto six universities as part of the University Partnering Programme of Exxonmobil’s subsidiary, Esso Exploration inAbuja.

In the past eight years,ExxonMobil Nigeria hasboosted the study of geosciences

in Nigerian universities through aninitiative, University PartnershipProgramme (UPP), which is gearedtowards improving the quality oftertiary education in the country to aninternationally competitive level.

Prior to ExxonMobil and its partners'intervention in geosciences educationin Nigeria, only three universities inthe country were offering the coursewith outdated thin section-making

machines.Launched in 2007, and with six new

beneficiaries, the number of benefitingvarsities of the UPP are 14. The sixbeneficiaries are: Akwa Ibom StateUniversity, Mkpat-Enin; AnambraState University, Uli; University of Jos;Federal University of Technology,Akure, Ondo State; University ofIlorin, Kwara State; and FederalUniversity of Petroleum Resources,Effurun, Delta State.

They received analytical equipmentconsisting of six Logitech thinsection-making machines, 300

mosquito nets, 24 digital cameras anda cheque of N5.77 million each to payfor students’ logistics and lecturers’field allowances.

Disclosing that it has committed overN900 million to the UPP programmeto date, ExxonMobil stated that itslong-term goal is to ensure that everypublic varsity in Nigeria offeringgeosciences benefits from theprogramme towards improving thequality of their studies.

Speaking at the presentationceremony at the National UniversitiesCommission, NUC, Abuja, theGeneral Manager, Operations

Technical Geoscience, ExxonMobilNigeria, Mr. Michael Udoh, said theprogramme started with sixuniversities, Ahmadu Bello University,Zaria; Delta State University, Abraka;University of Ibadan; University ofBenin; University of Calabar; andNnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka,while Obafemi Awolowo University,Ile-Ife and University of Nigeria,Nsukka, were added in 2011.

He said: “Varsities enrolled underthe UPP programme are required toprepare a map of the area in theirproximity for review and publicationby the Nigerian Geological SurveyAgency (NGSA) and we are pleasedwith the progress made by thesevarsities in this area, as 12 maps havebeen published by the NGSA, anotherfour are under review, while six othersare being drafted as a result of thevarious fieldwork trainings andanalyses by these varsities.

“We also have the UniversityAssistance Programme (UAP),launched in 2006, to build and equipgeological laboratories in someNigerian varsities, as well as providetraining for lecturers on some of thelatest advances in geosciences.

“Through the UPP and UAP,ExxonMobil Nigeria has invested overN3bn into geosciences education inNigerian varsities and would continueto invest to ensure that Nigeriangeosciences can stand on equalcompetitive footing with some of thebest varsities in the world in terms ofthe quality of their instruction andknowledge.

Pointing out that the primarypurpose of the UPP is to improve thequality of geosciences graduates fromNigerian varsities, the Director- Generalof NGSA, Mr. Ndubuisi Nwegbu, saidit has also created a platform that assistsNGSA in fulfilling its mandate ofgenerating, archiving anddisseminating geoscience data andinformation to the public, and thefundamental vehicle through which thisis achieved is the geological maps.

By Amaka Abayomi

Education canliberate a wholecommunity - MTNFScholar

Research should bedirected at solvingproblems - Prof. FrankOgbo

ExxonMobil boosts geoscience study with N34.62m

26 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015

Continues from page 25

Continues from page 25

universities."This administration will

continue to support theNigeria Educational Systemin ensuring that learning,teaching and researchfacilities are constantlyupgraded and up-to-date soas to make our institutionsglobally competitive.

"The administration will alsostrengthen regulatory andfunding agencies andposition them forimprovement and efficientquality delivery, in order toimpact on society in line withsocio-economic and politicalrealities of today.

"Universities must, however,strive to build innivativesystems to help governmentsolve its socio-economic andpolitical problems," he said.

The don further stated thatthe newly revised andupgraded curriculum for fullprogrammes for Nigerianuniversities are based on thephilosophy of trainingprimarily job creators,rather than job seekers. Hesaid: "This will go a long wayin adddressing issues of skillsacquisition and employability.The capacity building projectfor improved teachers qualityand number is yieldingdesired results. Over 20,000university teachers havebenefitted from it."

Prof. Okojie urgeduniversities to enlist supportof corporate organisations,alumni associations,philanthropist andgovernment partners tobridge the gaps ingovernment funding ofuniversities in Nigeria,adding that the governmentand instututions mustcontinue to ensure that thosewho desire eduction are ableto gain admission intouniversities and receive

quality education.Having noted the problems

universities are having withtheir host communities, hestrongly encourageduniversities administration tofind solutions to the problems.In his words: "Universitiesare strongly encouraged tocontinue research activities byfinding meaningful andappropriate solutions to thechallenges they have withhost communities."

In terms of security, he saidthat security of lives andproperty must be uppermostin the minds of universityadministrations, adding thatno meaningful teaching,learning or research activitycan take place in anatmosphere of insecurity andtension. He said:"Governement notes thevarious problems that arerising regarding the issues ofstudent leaving off campusand risks associated withthis. Universities are advisedto collaborate with their hostcommunuties and securityagencies to ensure peace andsecurity on campuses and thehost communities."

He added that students arethe heart of the university andas such should be wellcatered for. According to him,"Universities must strive toengage the private sector inadequately regulated built,operated and transfer modelof students accommodation toensure that students are notexploited in any way.

He congratulated the newChancellor of Uniport, HRH.Alhaji Mohammadu Bashir,the Emir of Gwandu, for hisinstallation, adding that, he(Emir) should create a goodgovernance structure toensure strict adherence tothe rich academic rituals andage-long traditions whichNigerian universities areknown.

NUC tasks varsities on qualityresearch

Stressing that it is only byunderstanding the earth that itsresources could bemeaningfully and sustainablyharnessed, Nwegbu said;“investors in the fields ofmining, water supply,agriculture, civil engineering,medicine, the environment,among others, require theinformation these mapsprovide. It is for this reason thatthis noble project touches theheart of the NGSA mandate,which is to provide geosciencesinformation for public good.”

The geological mapsgenerated by the projectgenerally shows informationrelating to the various rocktypes and units, their structuraldispositions, age relationships,as well as distribution ofeconomic mineral occurrencesor leads.

In a keynote address, thePermanent Secretary, FederalMinistry of Education, Dr.MacJohn Nwaobiala, said thedonation gives credence to thefact that sustainable varsityeducation in the country is acollective responsibility ofgovernment and the privatesector, and this gesture wouldnot only enhance the teachingand research activities of thebenefiting varsities, but alsoportray the organisation as aresponsible firm that fulfills itscorporate socialresponsibilities.

Urging the beneficiaries tomake optimum use of theequipment for the benefit of theNigerian varsity system in thedevelopment of the geologyprogramme and ensure propermaintenance culture to enable

the equipment endure, hecalled on other organisationsand well-meaning individualsto emulate the gesture byidentifying and contributing tothe development of educationfor sustainable development ofhost communities and thecountry at large.

In his remarks, the ExecutiveSecretary of the NUC,Professor Julius Okojie, whoargued that Nigerian studentsare as good as other studentsfrom other countries and thatNigerian professors are soughtafter in other countries, saidthe equipment would furtherimprove the quality ofgeosciences education in the

country and NUC wouldmonitor the usage to ensurethey are properly maintained.

He said: “We are particularabout maintenance ofequipment and we willcontinue to monitor them toensure that we use themeffectively. Government willalways provide the counterpartfunding and we are appealingto varsities to spend the moneyeffectively.

“We are emphasising the useof funds to acquire thenecessary equipment and lessof structures that are not wellfunded. What is important isfacility sharing; we willcontinue to ensure that we havemodern equipment in ouruniversities.”

Also speaking, the GroupGeneral Manager, NationalPetroleum InvestmentManagement Services(NAPIMS), Mr. JonathanOkehs, noted that this is theseventh consecutive year thatthe Nigerian NationalPetroleum Corporation(NNPC), in conjunction withEsso Exploration andProduction Nigeria Limited(EEPNL) and Shell NigeriaExploration and ProductionCompany (SNEPCo), inproduction sharing contract hasfunded the UPP.

He said other landmarkachievements recorded by theprogramme are purchase and/or donation of field andlaboratory equipment; book ofproceedings of StandardisationWorkshop (published in 2009by Ibadan University Press);mapping parts of the country

HONOURS: Dr. Nnaeto Orazulike, Group Managing Director, Genesis Group, left, receivinghis certificate for Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) from the Vice-Chancellor, University ofPort Harcourt, Prof. Joseph Ajienka, for his contribution to the enhancement of the Nigerianeconomy through entrepreneurship and provision of employment to thousands of Nigerians.

ExxonMobil boosts geoscience studywith N34.62m equipment

WITH the aim of helping students become proficientin English Language and improving their overall

communication skills, the English Dictionary Project, EDP, hasvisited schools in Okota, Lagos State recently.

Ansar-ud-deen Comprehensive High School and IjeshatedoSenior Secondary School got 180 standard dictionaries whichaccording to the initiator and coordinator, Kofoworola Bada, isto help students in public secondary schools have access totheir personal dictionaries, “Nigerian students should beencouraged to own and use standard dictionaries. I thank myfriends and well wishers who have been supportive of theproject so far and encourage individuals to see what stepsthey can take to help improve the nation’s education sectorand not wait for government to do it all.”

The English Dictionary Project team has so far visited FestacGrammar School, Festac Girls’ Senior Secondary School andFestac College Senior Secondary School in Festac Town.

EDP donates 180 dictionaries, calls forsupport of education sector

By Tare Youdeowei

Continues on page 29

Geologicalmaps generatedby the projectgenerally showsinformationrelating to thevarious rocktypes and units,their structuraldispositions, agerelationships, aswell asdistribution ofeconomicmineraloccurrences orleads

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015 — 27

“The argument really is nolonger about whether universitytuition and other fees should beincreased in Nigerian universities.Rather, the argument is [andshould be] about when and howto go about it.”

Professor Niyi Akinnaso,PUNCH, May 5, 2015, back page.

“The truth shall make you free;but first, it shall make youmiserable.”

(VANGUARD BOOK OFQUOTATIONS, p 235).

Professor Niyi Akinnasodeserves one of the three prizesfor courage in the last 10 yearsfor being the first practisingacademic in Nigeria to openlyadvocate for fees increase inNigerian universities. This is asubject which the President, everygovernor and Council membersof Nigerian universities hadavoided like EBOLA for years.Niyi might turn out to be a prophetwith honour on the universitycampus, but it is doubtful. He will

Realistic University Tuition:Matters Arising (1)

most likelyend up as themartyr forwhat isclearly ani n e v i t a b l ed e c i s i o nnationally. Akinnaso willbe vilified bythe majority.It would notbe surprisingif he hada l r e a d yr e c e i v e dc r i t i c a lr e a c t i o n s ,threats andmaledictions.

If my experience in November2011, when I launched thecampaign for Christian Governorin Lagos State, is any guide, thosehe seeks most to help,governments and universityauthorities, will not even come outopenly to offer him support. It isthe opponents who will come afterhim immediately and persistently.When my column, LAGOSSTATE GOVERNORSHIP -2015CHRISTIAN AGENDA -1, waspublished in December 2011, 708text messages came in response,from Christians and Muslims. Ilogged the text messages. Exactly37 were in support. The rest,including those from people whoidentified themselves asChristians, were against.Uniformly, they accused me ofwanting to start a religious war inLagos. Thirty-seven carried thinly-disguised threats. Today, Ambode,a Christian is now Governor. Oneof his toughest decisions willinvolve fees at Lagos StateUniversity, as well as otherinstitutions of learning run by thestate.

I brought it up in order to warnProf about the challenges he willface as the arrow-head of this

radical proposal. For whateverit is worth, he has my support.Not because I feel sorry for him,but because I strongly believehe is absolutely right. Arrayedagainst him will be all thepopular collections ofconventional “wisdom” plussocialist philosophy. He hasprobably been reminded severaltimes that he was one of thebeneficiaries of Awolowo’s freeeducation at all levels andhaving benefited from thatprogramme and becomesuccessful, wants to close thedoor on others less privileged.He will stand accused of beingan economic saboteur and astone-hearted individual whodoes not give a damn about thepoor. He might also receivedeath threats, if he persists inpromoting the highest“sacrilege” anybody cancommit in Nigeria.

He can expect them todismiss as “rubbish” the fact

that when Chief Awolowo as thePremier of theWestern Region,first introducedfree education, heran a geographicalterritory which hadbeen split intoOgun, Oyo, Osun,Ondo, Ekiti, Edoand Delta.Second, Awolowooperated with 17cabinet Ministersand nobody ingovernment hadmore than oneofficial car. Therewere no Special

Advisers. Today, each of thestates carved out of the region,has a Governor, just as manyCommissioners, innumerableSpecial Advisers and theGovernor’s Office is like aluxury car dealer’s lot.

Akinnaso’s critics willdismiss one of the cardinaltruths making it inevitable toincrease fees because they wantto cling to the national self-deception that we can havebloated public service sectorsand free education at the sametime. One of Awolowo’ssuccessors once appointed1000 “Special Advisers” and hewas applauded for thateconomic lunacy by the samepeople who are now on strikefor unpaid salaries. Is it possiblethat a government which failsto pay staff salaries can funduniversities adequately?Pervasive self-delusion hasmade it impossible for us tocome to terms with the fact thatif we want “free education,” wemust elect governors andpresidents, like Awo, peoplewho don’t spend a lot of publicfunds on the Office of the FirstLady for instance.

LECTURE: Members of the Society for Environmental Toxicology and Pollution Mitigation(SETPOM) and attendees after a public lecture themed 'Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet.Consume with Care' to commemorate the United Nation's Environment Programme's WorldEnvironment Day, at the Chevron Hall of University of Lagos.

Education can liberate a wholecommunity — MTNF Scholar

If we want“freeeducation” wemust electgovernors andpresidents, likeAwo, peoplewho don’tspend a lot ofpublic funds onthe Office ofthe First Ladyfor instance

Mufutau Akuruyejo, a 500level Computer

Engineering student ofUniversity of Lagos, Akoka. Thesecond of two children,Mufutau has always wanted tolearn everything he could aboutICT, which occasioned hisstudying computer Engineeringin the University of Lagos. Hisbrilliance helped him win anMTNF scholarship and hasmaintained the requiredminimum CGPA of 3.50 whichallows him to continue receivingthe scholarship worthN200,000. He spoke to DayoAdesulu on his journey toclinching the coveted slot tostudy a nine-week ICT trainingprogramme in CERN Openlab,Switzerland. Excerpts.

How did this journeybegin?

When I was in my second yearin school in 2012, I saw anadvert in the MTN Foundationwebsite where they requestedfor application from interestedstudents for their scholarshipscheme. I showed interest, tookthe exams and passed. Sincethen, I have maintained therequired CGPA and haveenjoyed the scholarship worthN200,000.

Early this year, there wasanother post on the Facebookpage of the MTN Foundationannouncing an upcoming nine-week advanced IT project andrequesting interested applicantsto apply. I applied and anacknowledgement mail wassent to me. They later requestedfor details of different things:project management skills, database skill, analytic frameworkand Linux. I made all theyrequested for available andforwarded to them. I was thenrequested to visit the websiteand upload my personal details.It was a very rigorous exerciseand it took me weeks to applybecause they requested for a lotof things. Also requested for

was my motivation, reasons forapplying, what I haveaccomplished and so muchmore. Another requirementwas reference letters from mydepartment and my school anda recommendation from one ofmy professors. It really was arigorous exercise but I amhappy with the results today.

What impact did thescholarship have on youreducational pursuit?

A whole lot of impact. Thedifference between an averagestudent and a very brilliantstudent is the extra mile walkedby the very brilliant student.Left to me and with my ownfinancial capabil i t ies, Iwouldn’t have been able to gothat extra mile by gettingnecessary materials for my

course of study. Thescholarship played a very bigrole in assisting me to buy allthe materials I need to excel inmy academic works includingpast question papers, books,etc. They went a long way inadding value and helping myacademic work.

You are not just the onlyNigerian but the firstAfrican to be selected forthe ICT programme inSwitzerland, thow does thisaccomplishment make youfeel?

Sometimes, I feel like I amstill dreaming and someoneshould wake me up. The firstt ime I received the call , Ineeded the caller to repeat thewords again to confirm that itwas really happening. Rightnow, I am mapping out astrategy of things I hope toachieve while in Switzerland.

This is an opportunity of alife time and I cannot thankMTN and Oracle enough forthis opportunity. Aside fromOracle data base that I will bestudying there, I hope to goone step further and enquireabout a good school where Ican begin my Master degreeprogramme immediately Igraduate from school, perhapsintern in a research institute ifpossible because I am a verypassionate about technologyand skills.

NTI strengthens teaching practice

The National Teachers’ Institute has embarked on monitoringand supervision of its students currently on teaching practice

nationwide in its bid to strengthen the quality of teacher trainingin the country.

The management team, directors of the various departmentsand principal staff of the Institute were dispatched to variousStates of the federation and Abuja to conduct the exercise.

The exercise is to avail the Institute the opportunity to assessthe performances of its students’ teaching capabilities.

Students pursuing Nigeria Certificate of Education (NCE) andthose of the Pivotal Teacher Training Programme are currentlyon teaching practice, which is a major component in teacher-training in the pursuance of certificate for education in Nigeria.

Mufutau Akuruyejo

28 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015

RESEARCH & DEVT

PROFESSOR FrankChukwunwike Ogbo of

the Department of AppliedMicrobiology and Brewing isa professor of microbiologyand Chairman, University/Industry Research Committeeof the Nnamdi AzikiweUniversity, Awka, AnambraState. He spoke to VanguardLearning in his office on therecently held exhibition ofresearch works, inventions andideas at the university. He alsospoke on one of his researchworks on more environment-friendly fertilizer.

The exhibition: T h e Vice-Chancel lor,

Professor Joseph Ahaneku,set up the committee toprovide a platform by whichresearches done in theuniversi ty can impact thesociety, par t icular lycommunities around us. Theuniversity does research andteaching but a lot of theresearch is lost on bookshelves and l ibrar ies andsociety does not benefit fromit.

Ahaneku realises that this isa university's major duty tosurrounding communities sohe set up this committee veryearly in his administrationand the commit tee i scomprised of a chairman,deputy chairman andmembers f rom al l the 14faculties of the university.

We f i r s t v is i ted a l l thefaculties of the university tosensitise people and to collectdata on research which hadbeen done already and tocatalogue and classify them,se lect ing those that arerelevant to society.

After we had done that, wefelt that one way to showthese researches to thesociety and to Nigerians wasto organise an exhibi t ionwhich held as part of the VC'sone year anniversarycelebration.

That was meant to give it awider audience. We invitedinvestors, members of theuniversity community andalso the National Office forTechnology Acquisition andPromot ion (NOTAP), tosensitise the university aboutinte l lec tual proper ty,patenting etc.

Research should be directedat solving problems, not justfor academic purposes or forfun.

Some bus inessmen,captains of industry and

government off icials haveexpressed interest in some ofthe products. Some left uswi th some problems theywould want us to researchinto. We are putting all thesethings together and we aregoing to follow up on thosethat have expressed intereston our products and also theones that want research, andget appropriate units of theuniversity to look into thoseproblems and help them findsolutions to them.

Microbialbiofertilisers

Chemical vsbiofertilisers

The appl icat ion ofmicrobiology is most ly inindustry. They happen at asca le that i s very high.Microbiologists are involvedin industries, they produceenzymes, manage brewing,etc . At a t ime, I s tar tedthinking that we needsomething that will have amore local appl icat ion,something that will benefitpeople in the rural areas. Is tar ted a research onmicrobial biofertilisers whichare fer t i l i sers that usemicroorganisms instead ofchemicals . Normal ly, achemical fertiliser will containminera ls l ike n i t rogen,potassium and phosphorus.When you add that to thesoil, the plant takes it up andgrows with it. But there areso many problems wi thchemical fertilisers, the issueof environmental damage,leaching into water bodiesand contaminat ing them.Some of the chemicalfer t i l i ser i t se l f , getsdemobi l i sed and forminsoluble salts and becomeunavailable to plants.

Now, chemical fer t i l isersare a lmost exc lus ive lyimported into Nigeria. Thereis a fer til iser plant in Por tHarcourt but they doblending so it is expensive. Onthe other hand, a microbialbiofertiliser is cheaper, youcan make it anywhere, evenin your office and people canset up smal l p lants tomanufacture it.

How it works:You inoculate some

microorganisms into theseeds to be planted. Whenthe seeds germinate, thesebeneficial microorganisms we

are working with, will infectthe plant and render at leastthree services - one, it will fixnitrogen, in other words, itproduces one of the majorcomponents of chemicalfertilisers.

It will solubilise phosphates.ie , make insolublephosphates in the soil solubleso the plant can now take itup. It also protects againstdiseases particularly fromfungi.

Environment-friendly &cheap:

We now have bacter ia lbiofertiliser which provides acombination of three serviceswithin the normal ecosystemand environmental conditionsof the soil. So there is no leftover, no contaminat ion.Because you can producethem on very cheap wastematerials, they are alsovery cheap.

We have done a few trials.From the trials, we observedthat the plants inoculatedwith the bioferti l iser havemuch more roots , a lo tstronger with improved rootlength, grew more vigorously,more competitive and able to

utilise the nutrients in the soila lo t bet ter than theuninoculated ones because ofthe act iv i t ies of themicroorganisms.

Cereals & microbes:There is a particular interest

in this. Cereals are the majorcrops grown in many parts ofNigeria. We also have tubersand legumes. Legumes havethis peculiar advantage ofhaving a symbiot icrelationship with organismsthat fix nitrogen but cerealsdo not have that advantage.That is the other aspect of thebeauty of this work.

The relationship betweenthese plants and organisms iswhat i s descr ibed as anassociative symbiosis. It isnot deep-seated, theorganisms live somewhere onthe surface of the root so weare trying to conclude thiswork.

How to use thebiofertiliser:

Mix the soi l wi th themicroorganisms in water. Youthen put in your seeds, theseeds pick up some of thebiofertiliser/microorganisms.You plant the seeds. It is quitesimple.

Cost:It will be cheaper than the

chemical ferti l iser becausethis i s jus t so i l andm i c r o o r g a n i s m s .Microorganisms are cheapand they can be grown veryeasily and cheaply. There isno bulk. This s i ze ofbiofert i l iser can fert i l ise aplot of farmland which willneed may be one big bag ofchemical fertiliser because ifyou look at the quant i tyconsumed by the seed, it isvery small compared to thechemical fertiliser where youhave to put in cup full andall that.

Research shouldbe directed atsolving problems— Prof. Frank Ogbo

By Ebele Orakpo

LECTURE: From left; Public Affairs Manager, ExxonMobil; Mr. Akin Fatunke; Director,ExxonMobil, Mr. Femi Adegbite; his wife, Guest Speaker, Prof. Esther Adegbite and PermanentSecretary, Youth & Sport, Lagos State, Dr. Segun Oshinyimika after the Professorship InauguralLecture Series 2015 by Prof. Adegbite on “Financial Devt and Real Growth: Deciding theChicken and Determining the Egg” held at the main auditorium, UNILAG Akoka, Lagos.

*Professor Frank Ogbo...The little sachet of biofertiliserbelow can fertilise a plot of farmland while it will need a bigbag of chemical fertiliser to achieve same.

I started aresearch onmicrobialbiofertiliserswhich arefertilisers thatusemicroorganismsinstead ofchemicals

*From left: Maize seedsmixed with biofertiliser andbiofertiliser.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015 — 29

IN line with its objectives toeducate the girl-child,

Lagoon School – an all-femalesecondary school – based inLekki, recently organized ascience quiz and projectcompetition for female studentsacross some secondary schoolsin Lagos State.

Facilitated by Lagoon SchoolScience Department, the eventwas split into three categories;quiz, project and physicalhealth education. The quizcompetition comprised:Chemistry,Physics, Biology andMathematics; while physicalhealth education category,comprised: swimming and tabletennis. The project categorywitnessed students fromparticipating schools compete inscience experiments.

While flagging off theprogramme, NoemiGarcia,Principal, LagoonSchool, underscored the rolesscience plays in various fieldsof human endeavour. She alsoexpressed optimism that it couldbe used to address somesocietal challenges facingNigeria. The principal,

however, cautioned againstscientific experiments thatviolate human rights or seek toredefine nature.

Ngozi Agu, Head, LagoonSchool Science Department,gave a similar view; whilestressing science would alwaysplay a pivotal role in a child’supbringing.

After a keen contest, the panelof judges,adjudged LagoonSchool as winner in the projectcategory. Debirus College andMaryland ComprehensiveHigh School emerged 1st and2nd runner-up respectively.

In the course of its projectpresentation, the team fromLagoon School, comprising: EseOyugbo, Kenechukwu Memehand Tara Bond, sought todemonstrate how smoking isinjurious to the lungs. They alsodemonstrated how RedCabbage could be used as a PHindicator.

Shedding light on howcigarettes are injurious to thelungs, Oyugbo explained:“Cigarettes have a lot of toxicchemicals like nicotine andcarbon monoxide. These areharmful to the body –especiallythe lungs. Smoking destroys thecilia, which are tiny hair like

structures, that clean-up mucusand dirt particles in the lungs.If this is destroyed it could leadto chronic bronchitis”

Memeh underscored the basisfor using Red Cabbage as a PHindicator. “We used RedCabbage as our PH indicatorbecause it contains a substancecalled flavin which can be usedto detect if an object is analkaline or a base, throughcharacteristic colour changes,”

PROJECT: From left: Tara Bond, Ese Oyugbo and Kenechukwu Memeh at their science projectpresentation.

Lagoon ScLagoon ScLagoon ScLagoon ScLagoon School nurhool nurhool nurhool nurhool nurtures future ftures future ftures future ftures future ftures future femaleemaleemaleemaleemalescientistsscientistsscientistsscientistsscientists

By Dayo Adesulu

Nigerian bags Professor of Credit Mgt fromint’l university

By Providence Obuh

with oversight by NGSA;adequate training of studentsin field mapping by experts;geologic field mappingexercises with the productionof six unedited draft maps,adding that maps by twouniversities have beensuccessfully published byNGSA.

He said “between 2007 and2015, NNPC and its partners,EEPNL and SNEPCo, havecommitted so much towards theUPP programme, but thiscommitment is insignificantcompared to the number of livesthat have been transformedwith this kind gesture.”

On his part, the GeneralManager, Public andGovernment Affairs forExxonMobil Companies inNigeria, Mr. Paul Arinze, saidthe donation is one in a seriesof donations and support toNigerian varsities that havealready covered seven yearsand almost 20 varsities havebenefited.

“This is just one of many andwhat that tells you is that weare on a journey of partnershipwith the Nigerian government,our business partners NNPCand other companies that we

work with to help promote,support and develop educationin Nigeria.”

Adding that geoscienceeducation is key to anyeconomy, especially theNigerian economy, for thecompany involved inexploration, production anddevelopment of oil and gasresources, Arinze said“geoscience is key, it is verydear to our hearts, it is the heartof our business so we’ve takenon this challenge ofcontributing to the quality ofmanpower that comes out ofNigerian universities ingeosciences.”

A geology lecturer at FUTA,Solomon Olabode, said thedonation means a lot to theuniversity, adding that theLogitech thin section makingmachine would enable themgenerate accurate results andhave detailed information aboutrocks and other minerals.

Before now, he said the thinsection was made manually andthe process is not as effectiveas it would be with a machine,adding that the manual methodcould spoil the thin section andmay not produce accurateresults.

ExxonMobil boosts geosciencestudy with N34.62m, equipment

Continues from page 26

THE InternationalUniversity in Panama City,

South America, has announceda Nigerian, Registrar/CEO,Institute of CreditAdministration, ICA, Prof. ChrisOnalo, as Professor of CreditManagement.

In a statement, the authorityof the university said it ispleased to celebrate Onalo’sunparalled contributions andsustained devotion of his time,energy and resources against allodds.

According to the authority, “Asan International University

working with carefully selectedcredible affiliates around theworld, we noted withamazement the superiorintellectual endowment andcreative capabilities ofNigerians in nearly, if notalmost every known field ofhuman endeavor, which also inthis case, includes creditmanagement.

“Our assessment of Onalo’swork in the development ofcredit management curriculumis that, it is adequate, itconnects well in the applicationand processing of creditmanagement in all fields of

business as well as inter-governmental credit creationinitiatives for economicdevelopment.

“His works which are in theacademic warehouse of theLondon Postgraduate CreditM a n a g e m e n tCollege(LPCMC) in the UnitedKingdom formed the basis ofcollaboration for creditmanagement academicsbetween the InternationalUniversity, Panama andLPCMC,UK, thus bringinginternationalization to creditmanagement,” the authoritysaid.

CMYK

30— Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015

PROJECT: From Left; HRH Rasak Arokomanohin, Baale of Awodi-Ora Ajeromi Ifelodun LGAAjegunle; President, Gold Crest Family Centre, Rev Agatha Chukwura and Chief AkanniAkinsanya Baale Onibaba of Ajeromi Ifelodun LGA Ajejunle, during the Children EducationalDay Project organized by Gold Crest Family Centre in Lagos.

Airtel Nigeria, has reiteratedits commitment to

empowering less privilegedNigerians as it donated foodstuffs, consumables, amongothers to support the students,staff and management ofBethesda Home of the Blind.

The company’s team led by itsRegional Operations Director forLagos Region, Mr. FemiOshinlaja, visited the homepenultimate week, in Surulere,Lagos to interact, bond and shareinspiring stories with thestudents and other stakeholdersof the home as part of CorporateSocial Responsibility (CSR).

Oshinlaja in his comment saidthat the company is committedto touching the lives of Nigeriansand will continually embark onCSR activities that will helptransform the communitieswhere it operates in.

“We are happy to share withBethesda home for the blind, aspart of our CSR activity, Airtel

Touching Lives. Every month,employees contribute to supportworthy causes, which will helpempower Nigerians, especiallythe less privileged in our society.We can only but imagine thetrials residents of Bethesda homeof the blind go through, and sotoday we are here to offer reliefand help ease the pain,” he said.

He noted that telcos willcontinue to explore ways ofenriching the lives of all itsstakeholders, saying, “We thankBethesda home for the blind forallowing us the opportunity totouch their lives in our own way.We are not stopping here and thisis not going to be our last visit,we will continue to offer supportto the students in every way wecan,” he added.

Also speaking, Founder,Bethesda home for the blind, MrsChioma Ohakwe, commendedthe organisation for itscontributions to uplifting theHome and empowering the lessprivileged. “Our hearts are fullof joy for this great thing AirtelNigeria has done for us."

CSR: Airtel donates toBethesda Home of Blind

By Providence Obuh

component in the pathtowards sustainabledevelopment. It is also aboutaltering how we socialize,exchange, share, educate andbuild identities. It meanstransforming our societies andliving in harmony with ournatural environment. Ascitizens, at home and at work,many of our choices – onenergy use, transport, food,waste, communication andsolidarity – contribute towardsbuilding sustainable lifestyles.

“Further, given theappropriate infrastructure,information, economicincentives and internalizationof environmental costs,lifestyle changes in favour ofsustainable living can becomethe dominant social trend. Itis the role of the media andeducators to design easy andengaging narratives andmessages that promote asustainable lifestyle.” Dr Itua,a Fellow of OccupationalSafety & Health Association(OSHA) provided.

Suggesting that bio-plantsbe set up to recycle waste tobio-fuel and generateelectricity, second guestspeaker, Mrs. OnomeEruayekomeme, GraduateMember, Institution ofOccupational Safety andHealth advised; “If we allagree that this planet is ours,then we must work together tomake it safe for us all andprotect it. How do we do this?We should embark on activitiesto safeguard the environmentsuch as: Planting of trees;Deployment of technology thatis friendly to the environment,for instance, rather thangenerating electricity withnuclear power and others,solar panels and wind turbinesshould be deployed as a better

choice; The legislative arm ofgovernment of most countriesas a matter of importanceshould attend and participatein seminars that focus on theenvironment. This is to enablethem formulate laws andunderstand the weight of whatit takes to protect theenvironment.”

Stating that the factors thathave contributed toenvironmental degradation arebush burning, falling of trees,indiscriminate killing of wildanimals and other creatures,destruction of marine life,population growth, technology,industrial activities and landreclamation, Eruayekomemesuggested; “Oil and gascompanies should be made tostop gas flaring in countrieswhere oil exploration andexploitation is going on.Stoppage of gas flaring shouldform an integral part of theMOU between the governmentand oil and gas companies.There should be a legal framework which is enforceablebetween the government ofvarious countries and ownersof industries that is aimed atdiscouraging the burning offossil fuel which releases greenhouse gases (CO2, H2S,N2O). Other countries shouldemulate countries like Canada,Netherland and USA who arealready using vehicles that donot use fuel but batteries thatare eco friendly.”

Nnadiekwe Paul, an SS2student of Igbobi College,declared his benefit from thelecture thus; “I have learnedthat the earth is as importantas ourselves so we need to befair to nature, not to destroyplants and animals and to beeconomical. Most of all I nowknow that whatever we do tonature affects us.”

By Tare Youdeowei

WITH the transition intoa new dispensation and

the uncertainty about what isto come by way of policies andtheir implementation, theenvironment of Nigeria, Earthin the big picture, is alsocloaked in ambivalence.Continuous gas flaring, un-recycled waste, tree fellingwithout replanting and ageneral abuse of Earth’sresources, are some of thereasons the Society forEnvironmental Toxicology andPollution Mitigation,SETPOM, was established. Infulfilling their mandate andcommemoration with theUnited Nations EnvironmentProgramme WorldEnvironment Day, SETPOMhas held a public lecturethemed Seven Billion Dreams.One Planet. Consume withCare to send a message togovernment at all levels,Nigerians and every humanbeing on earth on equitable useof Earth’s gifts.

Kicking off the allocution,President SETPOM, Dr.Funmilayo Doherty said; “Thetheme for this year ’scelebrations emphasizes thepersonal responsibility eachone of us bears for enablingsustainable economicdevelopment, while reducingthe rate of resource use. Thewell-being of humanity and theenvironment ultimatelydepends upon the responsiblemanagement of the planet’snatural resources, yet, evidenceis building that people areconsuming far more naturalresources than what the planetcan sustainably provide. Manyof the Earth’s ecosystems arenearing critical tipping points

World Environment Day lectures:UNEP, SETPOM reharsh measures tosave Earth

When sevenbillion people joinforces in commonpurpose, we canmake a tremendousdifference, we cando this by shiftingour consumptionpatterns towardsgoods that use lessenergy, water andother resources

of depletion or irreversiblechange, pushed by highpopulation growth andeconomic development.

“By 2050, if currentconsumption and productionpatterns remain the same andwith a rising populationexpected to reach 9.6 billion,we will need three planets tosustain our ways of living andconsumption. WorldEnvironment Day, WED, is theopportunity for everyone torealize the responsibility tocare for the Earth and tobecome agents of change.Although individual decisionsmay seem small in the face ofglobal threats and trends, when7 billion people join forces incommon purpose, we can makea tremendous difference. Wecan do this by shifting ourconsumption patterns towardsgoods that use less energy,water and other resources, andby wasting less food.”

Stating that the theme callsfor evolution of consumer habit;shopping, eating andtravelling, a guest speaker, DrEugene Itua, a policyconsultant to NigeriaGovernors’ Forum(Environment & NaturalResources) and Chairman,International Institute of Risk& Safety Management saidthat; “In a context of increasingenvironmental degradationand climate change, a systemictransformation is needed tomove towards resource efficientand sustainable lifestyles whichbring better quality of life forall. Though cities occupy justthree per cent of the Earth’sland surface, they consume 75per cent of natural resources,produce 50 per cent of globalwaste and account for 60-80per cent of greenhouse gas

emissions. Urbanization is onlygoing to further skew thedisproportionate rates ofconsumption.

As remedy Dr Itua prescribedSustainable Consumption andProduction, SCP, which hedescribed as “the use of servicesand related products, whichrespond to basic needs andbring better quality of life whileminimizing the use of naturalresources and toxic materials aswell as the emissions of wasteand pollutants over the life cycleof the service or product so asnot to jeopardize the needs offurther generations.”

Adding that; “Sustainablelifestyle means rethinking ourways of living, how we buy andhow we organise our everydaylives. This is an important

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would be the attitude of labour,and which faction will the gov-ernment be discussing with?

Job creation is another pend-ing issue. One would have ex-pected a proactive labour organ-ization in consultation withaffiliate unions to be workingon, or have concluded its job cre-ation proposals with suggestedways of monitoring such plans.

Irregular payment of wages isalso another . Even in Ekitiwhere labour leaders are in noway different from politicians,payment of wages remains ir-regular; yet organized labourhas no known plans on how toengage the politicians construc-tively on this.

Issues such as the deregula-tion of the down stream sectorof the petroleum industry, re-activation of the refineries, cas-ualization, migrant workers ,etc abound all over the place,with ordinary Nigerian workersbearing the brunt of these un-savoury practices.

All of these require the at-tention of a united, cohesiveand focused labour movement,not one that is factionalized .

It must be stated however thatfor the crisis to be fully resolved,there needs to a change in thehierarchy of the secretariat ofthe NLC.

As Comrade Aliyu Dangiwatold Vanguard after the abortedconference in Abuja, there are

people working against la-bour’s interests in the secretar-iat. Unless such people aredone away with, the crisis mayremain unresolved.

An essential unityBoth factions of the NLC seem

to be underestimating the dam-

As the government ofP r e s i d e n t Muhammadu Buhari

takes shape, signals comingfrom politicians, to say the least,are disturbing.

A section of the ruling classwould appear to have hijackedthe peoples' silent revolution forpersonal gains. The generalsecretary of the NLC issued astatement commending the'election' of principal officers ofthe Senate. One would have ex-pected that an organization incrisis should have been morecircumspect in commenting onsuch a volatile political situa-tion.

The NLC ought to, at leasthave one of its organs discussthe political trend before issu-ing a statement.

What happened in the Sen-ate is similar to the source ofthe crisis that has torn the once-credible NLC into two factions.The issues are similar.

Aggrieved unions have al-leged that the process leadingto the election was unfair. Con-sequently, the organisation thatpeople have worked hard tobuild has been split into two.Though steps are bing taken toresolve the issues, the NLCshould be ready to address thechallenges of Nigerian workers.

Pending and impending is-sues

With a new government inplace at the centre and in somestates, there are urgent issuesthat organized labour wouldhave to respond to .

For instance, organized labourhas failed to adequately re-spond to devaluation of theNaira by the Jonathan admin-istration, especially as it affectsthe take-home-pay of workers.

Given the widely speculatedrot in the nation’s economy,what if the new governmentasks for a wage freeze? What

What happenedin the Senate issimilar to thetype of crisis thathas torn the oncecredible NLC intotwo factions.The issues aresimilar

Stories by FunmiKomolafe

NLC: Time for factions to sheathe swordspartner in Tripartism — Gov-ernment, Private Employers andLabour. One imagines a situ-ation where both factions arehungry for strikes to provewhich is the more relevant ofthe two.nThis is not new. It hap-pened in 1988 when a group ofunions in the “progressive”camp went on strike over issuesrelated to deregulation.

The other side went into dis-cussions with the government.Within a short time, the govern-ment realized it had been dis-cussing with the group thatcould not call off the strike.Hence, government had no op-tion but to discuss with the strik-ing groups. We need to avoid arepeat of this as it will do thenew government and indeedNigerian workers no good.

Rather, what is needed at thistime is to have an organizedlabour that genuinely serves theinterest of workers and the civilsociety at large.

Issues of non-remittanceof deductions of tax,pension and cooperative

union dues are the core is-sues in the labour dispute be-tween the management of Ni-gerian Ropes and the Nation-al Union of Textile, Garmentand Tailoring Workers of Ni-geria.

The union drew public atten-tion to these issues when itstaged a protest at the com-

pany’s premises and the Min-istry of Labour & Productivityoffice in Ikoyi last week.

The union’s general secre-tary, Comrade Issa Aremu andits president, Olaide Hunsusaid in a statement that theunion is also concerned aboutoutstanding workers’ gratuityfund totaling about N45 mil-lion.

According to the union, itwas still discussing these is-

sues with the management ofNigerian Ropes led by Mr.Joao Pereira, when, “to oursurprise, on Wednesday 3rdof June 2015, our workerscame here to resume workonly to see the police sealingoff the company on the ordersof the Divisional Police Offic-er, ( DPO) Bode Thomas Po-lice Station.

The union insisted: “Thislock-out and sudden closure of

the mill are clear violations ofindustrial relations norms andprocedure. This is why wehave organized the picketingand protests. Nigeria's labourlaws have provisions for col-lective bargaining and dia-logue for conflict resolution.

The textile union stated “wehave already reported non-compliance to Pension Com-mission ( PENC0M) deduc-tions and non-remittance tota-ling N45 million, inclusive of

other debts”.It urged the Police to steer

clear of the labour dispute andcalled for the immediate reo-pening of Nigerian Ropes andpayment of the backlog ofdebts owed the various agen-cies and workers totalingN45million.

Efforts to contact the man-agement of the company as atthe time of filling this report,were unsuccessful.

Textile Union engages Nigerian Ropes on core issues

age being done to the image ofthe congress by their actions.

Also the average worker be-comes vulnerable. His unionis divided. Who benefits? Theemployer and government!

With the NLC in factions, atough time awaits the incom-ing Labour Minister. He/shecannot intervene because thiswill conflict with the ILO per-ception of the independence oftrade of unions yet he has todeal with labour which is a key

Textile union members protesting maltreatment of their members at Nigerian Ropes,Lagos. Leading the protest is the union's General Secretary, Comrade Issa Aremu

Comrade Ayuba Wabba Comrade Joe Ajaero

CMYK

32 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015

The huge controversy surroundingthe National Theatre; concession oroutright sale, may have rested owingto statements credited to the formerMinister of Culture, Tourism andNational Orientation, High ChiefEdem Duke and the most recent,coming from the General Managerof National Theatre, Iganmu,Lagos, Mr Kabir Yusuf. The duo's statements are withregard to plans to "Completelyrenovate and restructure themonument and completelytransform the massive underdeveloped area of land around theiconic theatre and make it theNigerian Entertainment City."Mr Yusuf who recently corroboratedhis former boss' assurance that theedifice was not for sale, stressed that“The concession arrangementrelates to only the fallow land andnot the main edifice nor any of itshalls. Adding that the “Concessionof the fallow land around theNational Theatre is for developmentof complimentary infrastructuralfacilities in line with the master planof the edifice.”Reacting to the above, cultureactivist and Playwright, BenTomoloju insisted that stakeholdersmust be involved in whatever the

government plans to do to theNational theatre . “Concerningthe National Theatre, I havealready made it clear that if thestakeholders are not carried alongpolicy-wise, the current deal - sale,concession or whatever, is arbitrary,undemocratic and suspect.” Hesaid. With the way things are donein the country, not many Nigerians

want to believe that the proposedplans on the National Theatre willbe carried out as outlined especiallylooking back at the fact that Chief

Next CultureMinistershould be aman of ideaspassionateabout thecreative andrecreationalaspects of life

By Prisca Sam-Duru

inception, there has been plan tocompliment the National Theatre,like other theatres in other parts ofthe world with infrastructuralfacilities, such as five star hotel,shopping mall, offices, land andwater parks, leisure andentertainment centre, multilevel carpark so as to make the edificeeconomically viable in addition tomaking it a tourist attraction to boostthe nation's economy.” In order toensure that the national monumentexperiences a real turn around in

this present dispensation, artistesand stakeholders are demandingthat the President Buhariadministration appoint only atechnocrat to head the sector. Theymaintained that the sector has thecapacity to provide an alternatesource of revenue for the countrystressing that Nigeria must beprepared to tap into this venture.In line with the views statedabove, Tomoloju insisted that“Whoever becomes the nextCulture and Tourism Minister , beit male or female, should be a manof ideas passionate about thecreative and recreational aspectsof life and how these can beexploited to ensure quality andsustainable livelihood forstakeholders in theseareas.”“Such a person, male orfemale, he emphasised, “Shouldbe well disposed using the arts toimbue the nationalistic spirit ofNigerians while boosting thecountry's image in the globalc o m m u n i t y . “While carrying out plans torefurbish the National theatre,Tomoloju advocates for the revivalof stage plays throughestablishment of cottage theatresin local government areas in allthe states. “Reviving stage-playsis very important because it has agreat potential for job and wealthcreation. My advocacy, in thisrespect, is the establishment ofcottage theatres across the LocalGovernment Areas in states wherethey can be viable. The incomingminister should take a cue fromwhat former Governor Fashola hasdone with sports in Lagos bybuilding a mini-stadium in eachLGA. The incoming Ministershould operate at the level of therelevant national council and workout the modalities with the StateCommissioners for a country-widespread. But in this and otherinitiatives, they must carry thestakeholders along.”

FG should carrystakeholders along oncurrent National Theatredeal - Tomoloju

When kids say the darndest things

Edem Duke made so much hype onhis intentions to turn the nationalpride around for good and endedup doing less.Mr Yusuf also told the press that a“Public-Private Partnership model isbeing deployed to actualise thismassive project which will see thecurrent theatre mainbowl fullyupgraded, and the adjoining landaround it developed intocomplimentary facilities which willbe known as the ‘NigeriaEntertainment City’. “At the

By Chris Onuoha

ReaditLoud session at US Consulate, Lagos.

‘Kids say the darndestthings’, a new educative, funpacked and entertaining talkshow that would thrill childrenand kids alike, debuts forNigerian viewers.

The television programme,anchored by TonyOkungbowa, the Nigerian-rooted London-born actor andformer resident DJ of The EllenDeGeneres Show, sponsoredby etisalat is the Nigerianversion of the famous CBSfamily TV show for childrenthat cut across all cultures,where children freely expressthemselves, say funny thingsunwittingly.

The talk show whichpremiered at Silverbird galleria,Lagos, last Sunday featuredclips of the season one with theanchor man Tony engaging theselected kids in exhilaratingsection. The programme will

be running on AIT Digitalstation starting from SundayJune 21 by 7 P.M whichcoincidentally is a feting giftto celebrate ‘Fathers Day.The programme will affordNigerian parents anopportunity to take awaylessons about their children

because as the society is fastevolving, parents need to keeppace with events around theirkids. Participating kids areselected after thoroughauditioning and there’s norehearsal before the talk showas most of the questions arebased on presenter’s discretion.

The executive producer‘Kids say the darndest thingsNigeria’ Chichi Nwoko in aninteractive session withjournalists said that it is the onlyway of knowing what kidsthink and say about theirparents and the world aroundthem. “ Often times, you nevercan tell what your kids knowabout you until you engagethem in a candid encounter andyou will be amazed to hearwhat they can say” she said.

According to ModupeThani, the Head, Sponsorshipand Events, Etisalat Nigeria, “Itis a programme Etisalatdecides to partner with theproducers to showcase thefunny sides of kids. We knowthere’s a lot of talent in Nigeriaand Etisalat decides to identifywith the programme seeing thatit is one of the ways topromote and enhance talentsin the country.”

Tony Okungbowa with one of the kids

CMYK

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015 — 33

Cultures on display as Cyndees marks culture/AfricanChild's Day

Instead of the usual schooluniforms worn during schooldays, or shirts/blouses and

jeans trousers or skirts which arenormally worn during parties, thechildren appeared in very flashynative attires that glamourouslyassembled every tribe in Nigeriain one arena.

Monday 8th June 2015, will nodoubt, remain a memorable dayfor pupils and students ofCyndees International Schools,Ewu Owa, Gberigbe IkoroduLagos, as they celebrated theschool's Cultural Day as well asthe Day of the African Child, ingrand style.

The entire celebration was funfor the children as toddlers whowere seen, struggling to walk intraditional wears, made the entireevent humourous. The occasionalso showcased what Nigeriansare beginning to do with beadmaking, as diverse designs ofhand-crafted beads were worn byboth the children and theirteachers.

Aside exhibiting Nigeriancultures through the differentcostumes worn, the children weremandated to bring along withthem, their traditional meals ratherthan the usual rice, noddles andeggs etc.

The Cyndees Cultural and Day

of the African Child celebrationwould not have been completewithout lectures on what thechildren were celebrating as wellas its essence.

After their arrival to school, thechildren were gathered togetherand taught why they are knownas African Children in addition tothe importance of knowing thecultures of the different tribes thatmake up Nigeria.

They were told that the Day of

the African Child is celebratedevery June 16 since 1991 as it wasfirst initiated by the Organisationof African Unity. The Day honourschildren who participated in theSoweto Uprising in 1976 whereabout ten thousand black schoolchildren marched in a columnmore than half a mile long,protesting the poor quality of theireducation and demanding theirright to be taught in their ownlanguage. Hundreds of those

students were shot. Thecelebration also raises awarenessof the continuing need forimprovement of the educationprovided to African children.

Speaking on the essence ofcelebrating in such a flamboyantand glamourous way, theproprietress of the school MrsPatricia Asikogu stated that “Weare trying to promote Nigerian artand culture, we want to inculcatein the children, the need for us to

embrace Nigerian cultures. Fromthe way the children are dressed,you can see cultures of diversepeoples of the country such asEdo, Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, Effik,just name them. We are reallycelebrating in a grand style as youcan see. Even the different mealsof our people will be eaten heretoday as parents brought theirtraditional meals to be sharedtogether.”

The essence of the doublecelebration according to Mrs Asikogu,was to ensure that right from thefoundation, children are taught torecognise their roots and things withwhich they are known adding that“They need to have a sense ofbelonging in our great country,Nigeria. We do not want them to growup thinking that everything is allabout western education or lifestylebut to know what it means to be anAfrican and a Nigerian Child.” “Weare trying to showcase the fact thatwe are Nigerians and that we shouldlive together in harmony. As you cansee, some children as well as theirteachers were selected to dress in thetraditional attires of others differentfrom where they hail from. Thissignifies unity and we will remainunwavering in our efforts towardspreaching the need for a unitedNigeria so that the country candevelop like other developedcountries of the world. The school isthe beginning of the learning processand it is our goal to bring them tolearn to live in peace with each otheras future leaders.”

THE book,”Arisekola in OurMinds; A Compendium of

Tributes” compiled and edited byProf. Rashid Aderinoye, ofUniversity of Ibadan is a collec-tion of documents as well aspublished articles and tributes onthe Subject i.e. Aare Alhaji AbdulAzeez Akanmu Arisekola Alao,the Aare Musulumi ofYorubaland. Although, it is apublication with articles andtributes on the Subject (Aare), itis however,more of a “Collection”on the personality of the subjectwhich is intended to immortaliseas well as celebrate the‘life andtimes’ of an ‘InternationallyAcclaimed Good Man’whodeparted this world onWednesday, 18th June, 2014 inLondon.

The introductory aspect of thebook i.e. the “Front Matter” covers17 pages in roman numeralswhich includes the foreword bythe Aare AlaasaOlubadan ofIbadan, OloyeLekan Alabi, thepreface by the Editor and otherancillary contents. The 202 pagedbook, published in March2015;barely a year after thedemise of Aare, is indeed a beautyto behold which probably givescredence to the fruitful andbeautiful life that the Aare lived.The entire tributary contentswhich include relevant and ap-propriate pictures add up to 195pagesof 11 sections(sectionalised by titles) witharticles being editorials and pub-

The children and one of their teachers, Mrs Stella Alumaka, during the celebration

By Prisca Sam-Duru

Arisekola in our minds: A compedium of tributesBy Abudr Rahaman Aderinoye

lications from Newspapers while14were compiled from theCondolence Register and othersources such as letters sent to theDeceased. The sectionalisation ofthe Compendium with differenttitles as well as relevant, rich andexquisite pictorial referencesadded value to the Book and ac-tually, further justifies its being”ACompendium”.

Pages1-75 of the Book,articlesfrom the following individuals,Femi Abbas, Ladi Williams, ChiefEbenezer Babatope,AyinlaMukaila, Imam, AlhajiAbdul RazakAkuru, Dr.TaiyeAyorinde (Baale ofEkotedo), OloyeLekanAlabi,Prof.D.O.S Noibi, The late ChiefImam of Ibadan,Chief ImamBusairi etc.

Pages 77-84 could best bedescribed as Presidential Tributesof the Compendium as fiveformer Heads of State and oneformer Vice President describedthe late Aare as a good man wholived for the benefit of others andwould be sorely missed. These in-clude, Presidents Alhaji ShehuAliyu Shagari, Chief OlusegunObasanjo, Dr GoodluckJohnathan, Gen, IbrahimBabangida andMuhammaduBuhari as well asVice President Atiku Abubakar.

Pages 85-102 can better bedescribed as the GovernorsTributes as it contained tributesfrom Military to civilian andDeputy Governors published indifferent news papers. They

include, Governors Geneal TunjiOlurin, Prince Amien Oyakhire,Omololu Olunloyo, RashidiLadoja, Bola Ahmed Tinubu,Alao Akala,Kayode Fayemi,Gbenga Daniel, Dr Orji UzorKalu,Prince OlagunsoyeOyinlola,Senator IsiakaAdeleke,Muazu BabangidaA l i y u , I b i k u n l eAmosun,Olusegun Mimiko, etc,as well as Deputy Governorswho include Hazeem Gbolarumiand Chief Moses Adeyemo bothof Oyo state. Details of the contentof their tributes is betterappreciated in reading the book.

The fourth section of the Bookwhich captures tributes from

Royal Fathers and ReligiousLeaders on pages 103-116include those of the Olubadanof Ibadanland, Oba (Dr.) SamuelOsundiranOdulanaOdugade I;The Sultan of Sokoto HisEminence Sulatan AbubakarSaadu, the Alaafin of Oyo, ObaLamidiAdeyemi III, the Soun ofOgbomosho, ObaOladunniOyewumiAjagungbadeIII; the Oyo Traditional Council(Oyo Mesi); the Iyalode ofYorubaland, Chief (Mrs.)AlabaLawson; traditional rulers fromOkeogun and Ibarapa areas ofOyo State; the Prelate emeritus,Methodist Church Nigeria, Dr.Sunday Ola Makinde; theNational Missioner of Ansar-ud-deen Society of Nigeria, SheikhAbdur-Rahman Ahmad, the AareMusulumi of Ibarapaland,AlhajiSanusi Mustapha,Ojolowo; the Chairman Oyo StatePilgrims Welfare Board (Muslimw i n g ) ,AlhajiTaofeekAkeugbagold; andthe leader of Anglican Church ofNigeria, Ekiti Province, Rev. (Dr.)R.A Adetiloye.

Politician were not left out astheir tributes spread over Pages117-132. They include those ofSenate President, Senator DavidMark, Speaker House of Repre-sentatives, Tambuwal, ChiefOlajumokeAkinjide, SenatorMusiliuObanikoro, AmbassadorTaofeekArapaja , Hon. MonsuratSunmonu, Mr.RemiBabalola,Senators TeslimFolarin, OlufemiLanlehin, Hosea Agboola,IyiolaOmisore and

RasheedOlasunkanmiAkinlabi.Others include , Seyi Makinde,Muhammad Dele Belgore(SAN), Alhaji AbdulJeliliAdesiyan, , Hon. SegunOlulade,

The various Islamic Organisa-tions Tributes are captured onpages 133-140. while those fromFamily and Friends aredocumented on pages 141-162. There is also a section ofcompendium whichcointained those who could bedescribed as beneficiaries asthey all described him as afather to all whom God hasmade a pillar of success intheir lives, as we can find frompages 163-167.

Pages 169.184 containedTributary Messages.

These are mainlyadvertorials in NationalDailies which opened withwhat could be described as apoetic ode with the title “GoodNight, Aare” written byGovernor Ajimobi of Oyo Stateand his wife.

Last of the tributarymessages/advertorials onpage 184 announcing thedemise of Aare is a list (36) ofAare’s Children.

Arisekola at 70 aPosthumous birthday write upon Aaare was last part of theCompedium authored byOloye ‘Lekan Alabi and AyoAkinyemi published in boththe Nation Newspaper(Saturday, 14th February,

CMYK

34—VANGUARD, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015

Continues on page 35—Pg 36

Workers’ sweat,entitlement used tofund electioneeringcampaigns – Aborisade

Comrade FemiA b o r i s a d e

is a lawyer and human/labour rights activist. He isbetter known as a consistentand dogged fighter in thedefence of the downtroddenin the society. In thisinterview, Aborisade spokeon NJC’s summoning ofthree judges over theirlackadaisical attitude to work,passage of 46 bills in 10minsby the 7th Senate andemergence of SenatorBukola Saraki as SenatePresident.

Excerpts:

The National JudicialCouncil, NJC, hassummoned three high courtjudges from two states toappear before it over theirlackadaisical attitude to work.What is your reaction to this?

The action of the NationalJudicial Council (NJC) shouldbe commended. It is in theright direction. It will show alljudges that they are beingkeenly watched. Judges wieldenormous powers andconstant alertness on the pathof the society at large as wellas awareness by the judgethat he is being watched by astatutory body will serve thecause of speedy dispensationof justice.

Some lawyers have arguedthat judges should be paidaccording to the number ofcases handled so as toimprove service delivery.What is your position?

Those who advocate thatjudges should be paid by thenumber of cases handled ordisposed are concerned withdealing with indolent judgeswho are actually in theminority, as may be found inany other sector of the publicservice. Majority of the judgesare extremely hard-working.However, caution must be

By BARTHOLOMEWMADUKWE

—Pg 37

exercised in dealing with theissue of the few indolentjudges. Otherwise, in the bidto earn more, quality hearingwill be compromised. Wherejudges are paid according tothe number of cases handled,the principle of fair hearingmay be compromised. Casestend to have their ownindividual uniqueness.Though cases may sharecertain similarity, thecomplexity of each case tendsto differ. What is required isfor a system of judges’performance appraisal to beput in place, which will alsoaward scores foradministrative responsibilities,cases struck out, interlocutoryrulings given, and so on. Butto base remuneration of judgessolely on the number of casesor final judgments deliveredalone will undermine thequality of proceedings, fairhearing and attainment ofjustice. What is important is forthe performance appraisalsystem to assess the length ofdelays in particular cases, thereasons for delays, thedefendant’s assertion or non-assertion of his right, prejudicesuffered by the defendant as aresult of the delay, and so on.

The Supreme Court has heldthat justice should not besacrificed on the altar of speed.Per Ayoola, JSC:

“Justice delayed, it is oftensaid, is justice denied, but itis equally true that justicehurried may be justiceburied.” (Chairman, NPC v.Chairman, Ikere L. G. (2001)13 NWLR (Pt. 31) 540 at 559paragraph H).

NJC also rejected twocandidates whose nameswere forwarded to it forappointment as high courtjudges, saying that they werefound unsuitable due to theirpoor knowledge of basic law.What would you say about thisdevelopment?

The courage of the NJC inrejecting the candidature ofcandidates seeking to be

judges, not only have a goodknowledge of the law but alsohave demonstrated character,courage and passion to dojustice dispassionately,regardless of the economicand political status of theparties involved.

Bearing in mind that thetwo judges were nominatedby their state Judicial ServiceCommission, does it notmake you worry about thequality of some judges in thecountry?

The fact that the NJCrejected the candidatesaffected shows the benefit ofexistence of multiple hurdleswhich applicant-candidateshave to pass through beforebeing appointed.

The critical lesson of theparticular experience underreference is that policiesought to be developed suchthat the process for theappointment of judges isremoved from the corruptingand overbearing influence ofpoliticians. The system ofdetermining judges shouldinclude, among others,popular election ofcandidates, after they havebeen screened based on someobjective criteria and after

members of the public andparticipants in the judicialsystem have had anopportunity to publicly raisequeries on the candidature ofcandidates.

Three high court judges andone customary Court ofAppeal judge for the stateshave been recommended andforwarded to their respectiveState Governors forappointment. In other words,additional judges are beingappointed, especially at a timewhen states are owingworkers? What is yourperception on this?

There is justification for theappointment of more judges.Indeed, one of the reasons forthe high traffic of unresolvedcases is the paucity of thenumber of judges and/orcourts. For example, Hon.Justice Kanyip, PhD hasexpressed concerns (in hispaper on jurisdictional finalityof the National IndustrialCourt (NIC) over lingeringdelays in the disposal of ofcases. He referred to the caseof Amadi v. NNPC [2000] 5WRN 47, which took 13 years(between 1987 and 2000) toresolve the question ofjurisdiction before theSupreme Court ordered thatthe case be remitted to theHigh Court for retrial all overby another judge. Anothercase was that of Obiuweubi v.

SBL advises Nigeria on foreigninvestment promotion

NBA issues guidelines on Lawyers’practice licence

appointed as judges on thebasis of poor knowledge ofbasic law should be seen as aform of “quality assurance”mechanism, which shouldenhance the confidence ofstakeholders in the Nigerianjudicial system.

It should not be automaticthat once a candidate succeedsin getting his/her nominationto the NJC, he/she will beappointed. The process ofappointing judges should befurther developed to ensurethat persons appointed as

* Aborisade

Justice delayed, itis often said, isjustice denied, butit is equally truethat justice hurriedmay be justiceburied

VANGUARD, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015—35

EDITORIALTEAM

Innocent Anaba( Head)

Wahab AbdulahIkechukwu Nnochiri

Dayo Benson(Supervising Editor)

08056180119dayobenson@yahoo.com

The Federal Government has beenadvised to have a specific foreign

investment direction by ensuring that power and other necessaryinfrastructures are in place to attractforeign investors into the country.

Chief Executive Officer of GhanaInvestment Centre Mrs MawuenaTrebarh , gave this advice at the justconcluded 9th Annual Nigerian BarAssociation NBA Session on BusinessLaw SBL at Eko Hotel, Lagos.

Mrs Trebarh who was one of thepanelists at this year’s SBL with thetheme “Regulators as catalysts forEconomic Growth”, spoke at a postsession media chat which also featuredNigerian Shippers Council DirectorGeneral, Alhaji Hassan Bello,Corporate Affairs Commission CACregistrar Bello Mahmud and MfonUsoro, Managing Partner Paul Usoroand Co.

According to her, Nigerians shouldalso adopt the ECOWAS pact inattracting foreign investors from thesub-region.

In a keynote address, Ghana’s

SBL advises Nigeria on foreign investment promotionBy Dayo Benson

L-R: Businessday Law Editor, Theodora Kio-Lawson Funke Adeyeye,Pioneer Chair of the SBL, George Etomi with Etomi his wife and SBLSecretary, Seni Adio.

business in Nigeria,” Spio-Garbrahsaid.

Speaking on multiple taxation as oneof the hindrances to foreigninvestment, Nigerian Shippers CouncilDG (Bello) said regulations on taxationshould be streamlined.

Also speaking on the same issue,Usoro said Joint Tax Board “is aplatform where multiple taxation issueis handled” adding that “multipletaxation has political dimension whichneeds political consensus” stating that“ the President and Governors have arole to play in this regard.”

On his part, CAC registrar (Mahmud)who spoke on the commission’sactivities said the CAC had improvedand that it obtained feedbacks fromlawyers regularly by holding quarterlymeetings with them.

He however pointed out that despitethe fact that CAC operated on-line somelawyers still preferred the old way ofdoing things. He also disclosed thatpeople now register businesses andcompanies within 24 hours but blamedlawyers for companies’ failure to filetheir annual returns. He stated thatsuch companies would be delisted afterdue notifications.

The 7th Senate on its last day ofsitting passed 46 bills in 10mins. Howwould you describe such act?

Shoddy and unconscientious work!It is condemnable. Indeed, it is theremuneration of legislators thatshould be indexed to the number ofpro-people legislations that they maypass or the stages reached in theprocess of passing such bills.

The legislative process is designedsuch that the inputs of members of thepublic are considered, either throughPublic Hearings and/or mass proteststo put legislators under pressure of thedesires of the public. But the passageof 46 bills in 10 minutes shows thatthe process had been compromised.That is why, for example, the SexualOffences Bill, one of the bills passedwithin 10 minutes, criminalises onlysex with infants that are less than 11.Under this law, sex with childrenbelow 18 will be consideredpermissible.

Workers’ sweat, entitlement used to fund electioneering campaigns – Aborisade

Continues from page 34 How would you score the 7thSenate and what is your expectationof the 8th Senate?

The fact that the 7th Senate passed46 bills in 10mins is an indication ofthe kind of rating they deserve – anabysmal and woeful failure. It meansthat they left undone what theyought to have done at the right time– in spite of ranking as the highestor some of the highest earningSenators in the entire world.

The most important legislative workis to ensure that socio-economicrights in Chapter 2 of theConstitution are made justiciable.This can be constitutionally achievedby deleting section 6 sub section (6)(c). Alternatively, the rights underChapter 2 may be moved to chapter4 of the Constitution such that theyalso become fundamental rights asthe civil and political rights. This isthe fundamental “change” that canqualitatively transform the lives of

CBN [2011] 7 NWLR (Pt. 1247) 465SC, which lasted 23 years. Thoughthese are extreme cases and thefrontloading system is meant toaddress the issue of delayed justice,the heavy workload of judges,particularly at the High Court levelhas to be addressed by theappointment of more judges, thebuilding of more courts andemployment of research aides tojudges as well as a computerizationof the judicial process.

The current failure, refusal and/orinability of governments to payworkers’ salaries should not simply beattributed to economic crisis. What ishappening is that the workers’ sweatand entitlement have been used tofund electioneering campaigns andtransfers to personal bank accounts ofthe rulers. It is corruption that shouldbe tackled rather than freezingemployment and rationalizing non-payment of salaries.

Continues from page 35

Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr.Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, maintainedthat the Economic TransformationalAgenda of President MuhammuduBuhari, which is expected to promotean inclusive and sustainable growththat will provide expanded jobcreation, bring development andimproved living standards to the

doorsteps of Nigerians, would nothappen by chance.

“It will require Government towork very hard, in closepartnership with the private sector,and especially the legal, legislative,regulatory and judicial systems, tocreate the conducive environmentthat would improve the ease of doing

ordinary people. There is nojustification for the demarcationbetween chapter 2 (socio economicrights, which are not justiciable undersection 6 sub section (6)(c) and chapter4 (Fundamental rights consisting ofcivil and political rights, which arejusticiable).

What is your view on the election ofSenator Bukola Saraki as SenatePresident?

Disgracefully, the controversysurrounding the election of SenatorBukola Saraki as Senate President showsthat an average Nigerian politician isinterested in position and power for thesake of primitive accumulation of wealthin order to wield more power andinfluence rather than being concernedwith issues of policies, programmes andperspectives on how to lift ordinarypeople from the doldrums of poverty.The differences and disagreements are

Continues on page 36

36—VANGUARD, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015

L-R: Prof Lanre Fagbohun, Director of research, NIALS, representing the D.G.and Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, immediate past director of research, NIALS at theevent.

The Nigerian Bar Association,NBA, has said the issuance of the

practice licences to Nigerian lawyers willnow be based on their participation inthe Continuing ProfessionalDevelopment Programmes, CPDP.

Making the disclosure at the justconcluded national executive council(NEC) meeting of the association inSokoto, NBA President, Mr AugustineAlegeh, SAN, said though, thepractising licence will be issued this yearon the basis of payment of Bar PractisingFees, he added that future issuance willbe different. Alegeh who spoke onseveral development programmes goingon in the Bar, said “Presently, thePractice Licence this year will be issuedon the basis of payment of Bar PractisingFees alone. However, its issuance insubsequent years will be based on theparticipation at Continuing ProfessionalDevelopment Programmes in line withthe provisions of the RPC.

“We have referred this matter to ourGeneral Practice Committee to reviewand make recommendations on the wayforward.” Speaking on the NBAInsurance Policy, the president said thescheme has been unfolded on April, 15,2015, adding that lawyers who havepaid their Bar practising fees andverified are covered under the scheme.

“All Lawyers who have paid their Bar

NBA issues guidelines onlawyers’ practice licence

By Dayo Benson &Abdulwahab Abdulah

Practising fees are encouraged to fill andsubmit their Insurance Forms to theirbranches as soon as possible to enablethem reap the benefits of this scheme.”

He added that said the association hasembarked on what he called-NBA VISAAffinity Cards, which he noted will serveas an Identification Card of members aswell as a payment card that serves allonline payment portals; ATMs and POSterminals.

“The NBA VISA Affinity card will alsoafford lawyers the opportunity to accessthe various discounted welfare packagesof several Service Providers negotiatedon their behalf by the NBA.

“Most importantly the NBA VISA Cardwhen used for payment on the NBAonline platform for NBA Conferences,programmes and Seminars will attract acertain level of discount,” he added.

Emphasising the importance of probono services by lawyers, Alegeh saidthat plans had been concluded toestablish a National Pro Bono Centre,NPBC, to address all issues relating topro bono work/services rendered bylawyers to the general public.

“We are currently looking for an Officespace in Abuja and will soon employ staffto work at the Pro Bono Centre,” headded. He commended the governor ofSokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal for hissupport for the programme held inSokoto and promised to give apurposeful leadership to the NigerianBar.

L-R: Mr Lanre Osinaike , legal practitioner, Dr. Demola Sogunle, M.D. IBTCPensions, and Prof. Ayo Olowe, dept of finance, UNILAG.

From left Chairman, NBAIkeja branch, Mr YinkaFarounbi, immediate pastLagos Attorney Generaland commissioner for Jus-tice, Ade Ipaye and LagosState Chief Judge, JusticeFunmilayo Atilade.

NIALS holds roundtable on pensionr e f o r m

NBA Ikeja annual bar dinner holds

Lagos State directorof public prosecution,DPP, Mrs IdowuAlakija and Mrs ToyinOdusanya, directorCitizen MediationCenter, CMC.

L - R: Mrs Priscilia Ogwemho (Director), Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, Mrs. BisiAkudo and Mr. Babatunde Ogungbamila at the opening of Olisa Agbakoba'sLegal , OAL, arbitration and mediation center in Ikoyi, Lagos.

never about policies or ideologicalperspectives. The power blocs andcaucuses around the question of thedetermination of the leadership of theNational Assembly were not informedby ideas of how to move society forwardbut by considerations of ethnic,religious, geographic and regionalbalancing, which can assure thestabilization of the ruling party inpower at the centre – not about whatthe individuals, power blocs and/orcauses historically and politicallystand for. Senator Saraki has the legalright to be elected into any position.

Would you support seeking ajudicial review of the process that ledto Saraki’s emergence?

It is a good development forpoliticians to seek to invoke thejudicial powers of the court inresolving disputes rather thanengaging in political assassination,blood-letting, maiming and otherforms of violence. So, that spirit ofapproaching the court to review theprocess leading to the emergence ofSaraki as President, should beencouraged and commended.

If they can establish withdocumentary factual evidence thatappropriate quorum was not formedbefore the election was conducted, thecourt may find in their favour.

As far as the Constitution is

concerned, for an ordinary business,the required quorum for “any decision”is a simple majority. Section 52 (2),CFRN, 1999, as amended, providesthat:

Except as otherwise provided by thisConstitution, the required majority forthe purpose of determining anyquestion shall be a simple majority.

Therefore, for those seeking judicialreview of the process leading to theemergence of Saraki as SenatePresident to succeed in overturningthe election, they may be required toprove that the appropriateconstitutional quorum was not formedby the time of the election. Thougheach house of the National Assemblyis constitutionally empowered to makeits procedural rules, it may have to beshown that the election of theleaderships of the Houses of theNational Assembly is not an ordinarybusiness over which the constitutionalprovision of a simple majority alreadycovers the field and which no otherprocedural rule may supplant.Whatever decisions the court may take;judicial review is bound to enrichNigeria’s electoral jurisprudence,which should be a welcomedevelopment.

However, the fact that some APCSenators-elect were absent at theSenate when the election wasconducted is not sufficient to vitiatethe election of Senator Saraki asSenate President.

Workers’ sweat, entitlement used to fundelectioneering campaigns — Aborisade

Continues from page 35

VANGUARD, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015 — 37

FOR those who do not

understand the Igbolanguage, ‘Amaechi’ is arhetorical question whichclearly shows that mankind isneither omnipotent noromniscient. It is, I believe, theshortened form of the moreprominent question,‘Onyemaechi’, literallytranslated as ‘ who knowstomorrow’; who can foretellthe future? Is anyoneclairvoyant and so on.

For those who think thatthere is nothing in a name, theevents of the last few days inthe life of the late Dr. AmaechiNwaiwu, SAN, FCIArb.,leaves us with a lot of food forthought. I can personallyconfirm that Amaechi was atthe Abia State GovernorshipElection Petition Tribunal onThursday, June 11, togetherwith Chief Akin Olujimi, SAN,Chief Rotimi Akeredolu SAN,Rickey Tarfa Esq., SAN, ChiefChris Uche, SAN, LivyUzokwu SAN and a host ofother illustrious LegalPractitioners who appeared oneither side of the divide.

The atmosphere was cordial.Amaechi arrived in courtslightly late when the tribunalwas in session and because ofthe number of senior counselin the packed tribunal, therewas no seat for him. I saw arickety chair in the dock and Iteased Amaechi ‘to enter thedock’.

As usual, he laughed fromthe depths and a Registrarbrought out the chair and hetook his seat with characteristichumility. The proceedingscontinued, in the course ofwhich the equally humorousTribunal Chairman noted theeminence of the LearnedCounsel in attendance andtold Amaechi that he waspleased with the appearanceof several Doctors. Hequipped: “I like it, ‘You learnand I learn.”

After the matter whichbrought us to the tribunal hadbeen adjourned, all of us,counsel and litigants alike -

AMAECHI? (Tribute to late Dr. Amaechi Nwaiwu, SAN)

trooped outside where weexchanged pleasantries.Nothing unseemly showed onAmaechi’s face. Amaechi? Weall went our different waysand many travelled to theirrespective destinations.

The demiseOn Sunday, June 14, I got a

terse text message from ChiefJoe-Kyari Gadzama SAN, at16:12pm which said: “Just towhisper to you sad news Welost Amaechi today.” My replywas prompt –‘which Amaechi’,and the immediate responsewas ‘Nwaiwu SAN’. Thephone thereafter rangendlessly. The other Amaechi,Okey Amaechi Esq., SAN,called to inquire if anythingwas amiss with his namesake,Amaechi Nwaiwu.

J.T.U Nnodum Esq., SANconfirmed to me that he heardfirst hand from C. EkomaruSAN that what seemed untruewas indeed true. ProfessorErnest Ojukwu, SAN informedme that he travelled incompany of Amaechi andEkomaru from Ibadan onSaturday, June 13, where theyattended the wedding of ChiefNiyi Akintola SAN’s daughterfrom which Amaechi returnedto Owerri - the city in whichhe established his primarydomain over the years. Who

solid and well-read Lawyerlike Amaechi? Onyemaechi?

The man, AmaechiAmaechi was born a few

months before Nigeria gainedits Independence in October,1960. His primary schooleducation was in wellappointed schools in Aba,Umuahia and Enugu. In hissecondary school days, heattended the very well knownMethodist College, Uzuakoliand the GovernmentSecondary School, Owerri,from which he obtained hisWest African School

Certificate in flying colours in1978. His pre-universityexposure was at the FederalSchool of Arts and Science,Aba and it was from thatinstitution that he proceededto the University of Nigeria,Nsukka.

He graduated from theNigerian Law School, Lagos in1985 but his quest for selfdevelopment saw him earn anLL.M from the Abia StateUniversity, Uturu, in 1999and then a Doctor ofPhilosophy, Ph.D, from the‘den of lions’, the Universityof Nigeria, in 2011. His careertrajectory has been nothingbut brilliant. His Master ofLaws (LL.M) Degree was inEnvironment and Energy Lawwhile his doctorate endeavorfocused on Human Rights andCompensation Law.

As a consummate bar man,he sustained his membershipin the Nigerian BarAssociation, the InternationalBar Association and theCommonwealth BarAssociation. He was a Fellowof the Chartered Institute ofArbitration and establishedhimself not just as a celebratedand dogged litigator but as alover of alternative disputeresolution opportunities! Hislove for his profession wasevident during his years ofservice as the FinancialSecretary and later, asSecretary of the Nigerian BarAssociation (NBA) Owerribranch, from 1987 to 2005.

As a man who lovedhumanity, he was thesecretary of the Rotary Club ofAladinma, Owerri branch,from 1990 to 1995. HisCurriculum Vitae is litteredwith information concerninghis service to the MethodistChurch community (up toArch- Diocesan level), anavalanche of traditional titlesand honours from differentsegments of society includingthe order of Knighthood ofJohn Wesley (KJW) conferredon him in 2006 by theMethodist Church, Nigeria.

At only 54 years of age (hewould have clocked 55 on July26, 2015), who knows whatAmaechi would have becomehad death not whisked himaway so suddenly on thatfaithful Sunday? Amaechi?Certainly, to die on a Sundayand from church, tells thestory of a man who loved Godand was in turn loved by God.

It can only remind us of theHymn by Horatius Bonar, ofEdinburgh, ‘penned in 1870,set to music in 1891 and sungas a solo in the Tabernacle inLondon’ by Ira D. Sankey at thefuneral of her friend, the greatPreacher, C.H Spurgeon. Thetitle of the hymn, ‘OnlyRemembered’, is instructive tothe living and emphasizes thatwe shall all pass “from the earthand its toiling, onlyremembered by what we havedone”.

Will Dr. Amaechi Nwaiwu,SAN, FCIArb, be rememberedby what he had done? That iscertain, for, on Tuesday, 16thJune, 2015, powerful.delegation of Abuja basedLawyers led by Chief Joe-KyariGadzama, SAN, andaccompanied by my humbleself, K.T Turaki SAN (FormerMinister of Special Duties),Chief Solo Akuma, SAN, ChiefTawo Tawo, SAN, SenatorAbubakar Sodangi, theChairman of NBA, AgadaElachi (Unity Bar), Mrs. BettyUmegbulem ( of the FCDALegal Department) and severalothers paid a condolence visitto late Amaechi’s Chambers inAbuja. After prayers were saidin the office, silence wasmaintained at his residence andin absolute solemnity, thelawyers dispersed.

The take-away from thegathering at his office is theacknowledgement that he wasfriendly and humble, amiable,loyal and self-effacing. Herespected himself andextended respect to all thosehe came in contact with. Hewas neither noisy nor brashbut mixed his cordiality witha hilarious presence. Howthen can he be forgotten?

Amaechi will best beremembered by his lovingwife, Chief (Mrs) BlessingNkechi Nwaiwu and thechildren on whom he dotedall through his lifetime. Hewould be rememberedbecause he loved listening to‘music from Masters’ andvibrant Gospel Music.Amaechi will be rememberedbecause the name ‘Amaechi’will not let anyone forget that‘tomorrow’ is not forgettable.It can bring with it anything.Amaechi, friend to many, foeto none, religious, faithful,core professional, and loverof humanity, Adieu!

Late Dr. Amaechi Nwaiwu, SAN

From left: NBA Asst. Social Secretary, Ms. Chinyere Obasi; Law Week Committee Chairman,Mrs. Tolani Edu-Adeola, NBA Lagos Branch Chairman, Mr. Alex Muoka; Ms. Onyinye Ukegbu,Committee Secretary; Mrs. Uche Ikwueme, Branch Treasurer and Mr. Emeka Nwadioke,Director of Publicity, Law Week Committee at a Press Conference at Lagos High Court Foyer,Igbosere to herald theNBA Lagos Branch Law Week

LEGAL works comprising selected rulings, judgements

and reviews of the Chief Judgeof Anambra State, Justice Peter NC. Umeadi will be presented atSir Louis Mbanefo Bar Centre,High Court of Justice Onitsha onJuly 4 as part of the activitiesmarking the 60th birthday pro-gramme of the Anambra StateChief Judge.

Justice Nwali Ngwuta (JSC) will

CJ presents legal works at 60thbirthday

be the Chairman at the event,while the Governor of AnambraState, Chief Willie Obiano will bethe special guest of honour.HRM Obidiegwu Onyesoh, EzeNri Enwelana 11, will be the roy-al father of the day while theSpeaker of Anambra State Houseof Assembly, Hon. PrincessChinwe Nwaebili will be the guestof honour.

Donations are not acceptedand the compilation is not for sale.

By Awa Kalu would have thoughtthat a thoroughbredgentleman whotravelled the lengthand breadth ofSouthern Nigeria in soshort a time, servicinglegal and socialresponsibilities wouldbe diminished bydeath even withoutnotice to anyone –family, colleagues,associates andfriends? On a lighternote, having been inthe company of hisvery learnedcolleagues in the lastthree days of his life,how come a quai timetinjunction did notissue to restrain deathfrom overpowering a

At only 54 yearsof age (he wouldhave clocked 55on July 26,2015), whoknows whatAmaechi wouldhave become haddeath notwhisked himaway sosuddenly on thatfaithful Sunday?

38—VANGUARD, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015

YOU were one of thesenators at the ICC when theleadership contest started inthe National Assembly?

Honestly speaking, it was onthe morning of that day that Isaw a text message that weshould go to the ICC,unfortunately for me I had somany people who came fromKano, so I was trying toreceive them when I got a callthat members and senatorswere waiting at the ICC. As Iwas moving out of HiltonHotel, somebody called againthat they were at the NationalAssembly and were just aboutto start election. So I divertedthe driver, instead of going tothe ICC I thought now thatelection was taking place, Isaid instead of going to ICC,it was more important for meto go the National Assemblyand in any case I was surethat those who were at the

ICC will not want to stay therewhen election was takingplace. So I drove straight tothe National Assembly,moved straight to thechamber. It was when Ientered that I saw Bukolabeing sworn in as SenatePresident. So I wasn’t at theICC, I was at the NationalAssembly but I arrived afterthe election and I was therecalling them to comeunfortunately they didn’tcome so I had to follow themto ICC and other places. Thatwas what happened that day.

Did the president summonthat meeting?

Nobody told me but I saw atext message that we weregoing to be addressed by thePresident but the message didnot come from the Presidenthimself but from the officialsof the party.

Did you suspect mischief by

the party leaders?You see I told you the party

missed some vital steps andgave ample opportunity to theBukola group and they usedit effectively using all theadvantages that had to dowith the mistakes of ourleaders.

One, I am aware that the G-7 group and their supporterswere interested in seeing oneof them being relevant, I amaware of that group within theAPC. I am also aware thatthere are some people withinthe party who also believe thatmy brother, Senator BolaTinubu has taken so manythings and they thought it wastime for them to put a brakeso that he does not have to gowith that election becausethey have the perception thatTinubu was supportinganother candidate.

There are other groups ofsenators who believe thatBukola had given them so

they were supported by himand therefore went all out tosupport him.

I think all these things werenot taken into consideration bythe party leaders. There weremany other senators andmembers that very muchbelieve that the consultationbetween them and the partywas not good enough, that theparty could have done morein terms of the relationship interms of closeness and evenin terms of letting them knowprecisely the direction of theparty. Some of these thingsare correctable like makingconsultations with members ofthe National Assembly etc.

I’m sure you know that I’min the group of Ahmad Lawanand Akume, but before then Iwas one of the supporters ofAkume because under normalcircumstances he should getthe seat, he is the naturalowner of the seat for manyobvious reasons.

One he is probably the mostsenior among all of them, hewas the minority leader and Ihave not heard anybody passa vote of no confidence on himand now that the party is themajority party, under normalcircumstances he should havebeen Senate President and hisstate did very well for theparty and all these puttogether qualify him to be theSenate president.

I supported him from thebeginning but when thedecision was made by someother people that two of themshould come together, in facthe called me 4 a.m. one day,I was in Kano, he said thiswas what was happening inAbuja; what is my opinionbecause he doesn’t want to doanything that will go againstour collective interest.

It is sad that they didn’t getit because under normalcircumstances all members ofour party should toe the partyline that is how it should. Buthere we are with the situationwhere party is on one sideand some members of theparty are on the other side.

So are you saying the partyis divided?

Well I think the partyunfortunately is divided but itis not too late to correct manythings but the party shouldtake certain steps to ensuresuch things do not happenagain.

I am one of those whoadvised Bukola that heshouldn’t go too far with thatambition under thecircumstances. At his level people should be more carefuland cautious in what they doand what they don’t doespecially as the situation iseven worse than the case ofTambuwal because during the2011 elections, the Tambuwal

NASS ELECTION:Saraki's ambition has resurrectedPDP — Sen KwankwasoSENATOR Rabiu Kwankwaso immediate past governor of Kano State in thisinterview with newsmen in Abuja gives his views on the crisis arising from theNational Assembly leadership contest. Excerpts:

By Kingsley Omonobi

I’m sure you knowthat I’m in thegroup of AhmadLawan and Akume,but before then Iwas one of thesupporters ofAkume becauseunder normalcircumstances heshould get the seat,he is the naturalowner of the seatfor many obviousreasons

•Kwankwaso: APC is now divided

many things, they believe hesupported them in the party,maybe he had takenadvantage of some supportersof the party who channelleda lot of support through himand many senators believe

Continues on page 39

VANGUARD, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015—39

By Francis Igata

case was a case of going out of the zoningbut all the positions went to the membersof the party but this time because of theambition of these members of our party,they went and connived with people whoare not only opponents nut enemies ofthe party to fight the party after the peopleof this country have discarded thesepeople. Now because of ambition, thesepeople were made relevant. I don’t thinkthat is the best way to go.

Members of the party should havelimitations, they should know where tostart and stop, I think this is going too farromancing members of the PDP, as far aswe are concerned PDP was dead, untilrecently when ambition brought certainpeople to do what they should not do ina democracy and party politics and nowwe are about to create another line forthem to the extent that some of them aresurfacing again and making all sorts of

statements.Just yesterday I was reading Ekweremadu

talking rubbishsaying they have reasons to speak again

and I think this has to do with the mistake ofour own members. I believe at the end of theday the party members must get a way ofcoming together and behave well. I think thatis the only way we can make progress.

Some have justified Ekweremadu’semergence as compensation for the South-East?

There are ways the APC can carry theSouth-east by way of appointment. I’m sureour party had it in mind to carry the South-east but not with the position of the Senatepresident. That position doesn’t belong to thePDP and that is the mistake Ekweremadu ismaking, he said he was elected deputy senatepresident yet he reduced himself to a zoneand to a tribe which is not good enough.

Continued from page 38

THE return of Senator IkeEkweremadu as the

Deputy President of the Senatefor a third straight term isunprecedented. Not only has hebecome the first presiding officerin the National Assembly to getthree straight terms, he has alsobecome the first presiding officerfrom a minority party to presideover a chamber dominated byanother party.

His election in the leadershipcontest on June 9 not only stirredemotion among his people in theEnugu West Senatorial District,but across the Coal City State. Itwas a development that also sentjubilation across the PDP familyin the country.

The development was enoughto for the people of Enugu to rollout their drums in celebration oftheir famous son when hereturned home last weekend. Thepeople of Aninri and Awgu LocalGovernment Areas of EnuguState, were particularly in thelead as they led the troop of well-wishers to welcome their own atthe Akanu-Ibiam InternationalAirport, Enugu that day.

Colourfully dressed in differentcultural dance costumes, the

How Enugu welcomed EkweremaduTHE fast one playedby the PeoplesDemocratic Party,PDP in foisting theparty’s choices on theleadership of theNational Assemblyagainst the desire ofthe ruling AllProgressivesCongress, APC haspulled the oppositionparty into reckoning.

We are in goodhands withSenator BukolaSaraki as SenatePresident. We areprepared to helptheadministration ofPresident Buharito tacklecorruption,unemployment,power outage,among others

people sang and danced joyfully,under the scourging sun as theywaited for their illustrious son totouch down that day.

When he finally arrived atabout 1.50 pm robed in whitenative dress with a red traditionalcap, Ekweremadu came downthe plane with his wife,Nwanneka in tow.

A visibly elated Ekweremadutold journalists the story of his re-emergence.

“We have no regrets, Igbos haveno regret for the way they voted;if they have the opportunitytomorrow they will do it again.We are convinced we voted

rightly, and because we believewe are part and parcel of thiscountry, we believe what we gotis within our right. So we expectthat APC should be able toaccommodate the people ofSouth South as they form theirgovernment, because don’tforget that Buhari got about 15million votes, we have morethan 150 million Nigerians, so heis not the president of 15 millionpeople, the rest of the peoplemust be accommodated.

“In fact, that was why when wesaw that it appeared that SouthEast and South South were beingmarginalised in the scheme of

things, we decided to take a shotso that our people will be partand parcel of government sothat every part of Nigeria willhave a sense of belonging.

“I’m very delighted to beamong my people that have cometo receive me after I washonoured by the entire senatorsof the Federal Republic Nigeria.I’m honoured by the people ofNigeria and my people the greatIgbo people were also honouredby the people of Nigeria, PDPwas also honoured by the peopleof Nigeria.

“So I’m here coming home tomy root, and I’m happy that theyare here to receive me.

“We have finished with politics,now is time for governance. Weshould put politics behind andmove on. This country is biggerthan any political party, so let’swork together as a people toensure that we deliver dividendsof democracy to the people of

Nigeria,” he said.Continuing at his residence,

Ekweremadu who is also the Speaker of ECOWAS Parliamentthanked God who made itpossible for his re-election addingthat he has no apology toanybody over his victory.

He went on: “we have noapology to anybody because wehad to do something to keep ourparty afloat after the loss wesuffered at the just concludedgeneral election.

“History beckoned on us toensure the inclusiveness of theIgbo man in the ship of state. Wereached out to our brothers fromother parts of the country andnegotiated wisely which broughtPDP back as principal officers ofNational Assembly.

“The re-election has given theIgbo man a sense of belonging.All the PDP governors, NationalWorking Committee, NWC,members of our party stoodbehind us to forge a commonfront.

“Former President GoodluckJonathan called from LosAngeles, United State of America,USA, to lend his support. We willremain focused and I assure thepeople of the constituency thatall ongoing projects we initiatedwill be completed.

“Also, the road projects inSoutheast will be completed. Weare in good hands with SenatorBukola Saraki as SenatePresident. We are prepared tohelp the administration ofPresident Buhari to tacklecorruption, unemployment,power outage, among others.

“The battle for 2019 has startedbecause we have re-enactedourselves and we are involved,”Ekweremadu said.

NASS ELECTION: UnfortunatelyAPC is divided — Sen Kwankwaso

•Deputy President of the Senate, Dr Ike Ekweremadu and wife, Dr Nwanneka Ekweremadu being escorted from theairport

40—VANGUARD, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015

IN 1966 late Prof. ChinuaAchebe wrote his third

novel, a political satire. It wasa literary piece thatextensively and exhaustivelychronicled/pictured post-colonial Nigeria in all her rot,rust and ruins.

In that treatise, the semi-immortal Prof was prophetic,he predicted that a coupwould occur if those saddledwith the responsibility ofpiloting the affairs of Nigeriado not perform a surgicaloperation in their politicalheart and it came to friction.

As a worthy Ambassador ofhis people, Sen. Ikisikpoconstantly and continuallypromote/uphold their welfarewith robust dexterity andunwavering sagacity. UnlikeNanga, Sen. Ikisikpo has hada superlative outing as alawmaker.

From his embryonic days asa member of the Bayelsa StateHouse of Assemblyrepresenting Ogbiaconstituency 3, Sen. Ikisikpodemonstrated that service tohumanity is the best work oflife. Before proceeding to theSenate to represent BayelsaEast, Sen. Ikisikpo’s two termstinct as a member of the

Federal House ofRepresentative was awesome.

Sen. Clever MarcusIkisikop’s role in humancapital development isunparalleled in the history ofBayelsa politics. Ikis loves toempower the mind of men sothey can be independent andself-reliant, an astute talenthunter and developer. Arenowned goal getter and

widely acclaimed for hisassistance to students andstudent bodies, his love foryouths and their talentdevelopment, his clamour fora pollution free Niger-Delta,Infrastructural developmentof Nigeria as well as his firmbelieve in the rule of law andthe fundamental tenets ofdemocracy.

The state is in dire need ofa political afficionado torescue her fromadministrative quagmire,

By Afoke Okporua

The 2015 general election hasbeen concluded. What is yourassessment of the electoralprocess, especially now that theincumbent president has beendefeated by the opposition?

My assessment of the processis that the PDP, the ruling partydidn’t quite follow the process

•Sen Clever

21st Century Symbol ofHope and Inspiration foryouths of Niger-Deltaextraction. It is on recordthat as the SenateCommittee chairman onSpecial Duties, Sen. Clevercleverly coordinated NEMAto respond to the flood crisisthat ravaged Nigeria andcater for the internallydisplaced persons BokoHaram insurgency caused.The former class roomteacher turned politician is

political turbulence and socio-economic uncertainty.The present level ofinsecurity in Bayelsa State isunprecedented in the South-South geo-political zone,infrastructures are crying forgreater attention, roadnetworks are dilapidated,Bayelsans are living inchronic poverty and abjectpenury because of theZimbabwean nature of theState’s economy.

The health care system inthe State is on her knees, rurallife that use to be one of thethriving hallmark of the Statehas gone into extinction,political tension in the Stateis alarming. To railroadBayelsa back on track, thereis need for Peace andSecurity, Infrastructuraldevelopment and humancapacity building.

To achieve the afore-mentioned tripod analyticalblue-print towardsrejuvenating the Mangroveterritory of the Niger-Delta,Bayelsans need Sen. CleverMarcus Ikisikpo.

Electing Sen. Clever MarcusIkisikpo as Governor ofBayelsa State in 2016 will setthe State in the mood of Lagosand Bayelsa Statessimultaneously. With Senatorclever Marcus Ikisikpo in thedriver’s seat of Bayelsa Stateas Governor the people canall scream Uhuru.

*Comr. Prince AfokeOkporua writes from Warri,Delta State.

Electing Sen.Clever MarcusIkisikpo asGovernor ofBayelsa State in2016 will set theState in the mood ofLagos and BayelsaStatessimultaneously

OLOROGUN John Oguma,JP, is a chieftain of thePeoples Democratic Party,PDP in Delta State. He hasbeen in very active politicsin the mid 70s and played amajor role in the electionof Alhaji Shehu Shagari ofthe defunct National Partyof Nigeria, NPN asPresident of the country in1979. He is a foundingmember of the PDP and hasplayed a leading role in theelectoral victory of theparty in the State,particularly in UghelliSouth, his home LocalGovernment Area. He is avery successful politicianand businessman.In this interview with selectjournalists, he spoke on the2015 elections and otherissues of nationalinterests.Excerpts:

By Festus Ahon

because of infighting which hascaused the party a misfortune inthe sense that in politics we aresupposed to discuss ‘we’ not ‘I’.We abandoned ‘we’ and we werediscussing ‘I’ and that is what hasbrought us now to this level. It isa bitter lesson that we must haveto learn from and we are goingto start again from the scratch.

Because we were busy fightingourselves, APC was busy riggingthe election two years back. Thiselection was actually rigged two

years back becausewe were busyfighting ourselves;this governor is notgood, that governor isbad; so it is a bitterlesson to our leaders.

Secondly, far as I amconcerned, the cardreader was a biggerissue than the votingpoint. As somebodywho can readbetween the lines Ilost confidence inJega during theelection because he isa Fulani man and heplayed Fulani politics.In the electoral act,

the card reader was not there, buthe forced Nigerians to accept itbecause he knew what he hasplanned with his brother. Peoplesaid they went for a meeting inDubai; he denied it, but the wholething has played out now that hewas busy planning how to installhis Fulani brother in thepresidency. Not only inpresidency, he wants APC to takeover the entire structure inNigeria.

You said APC actually

concluded this election about twoyears ago. Can you substantiatethis?

The taste of the pudding is inits eating. You cannot tell me thatif this arrangement was not inplace about two years back, Jegacannot come up to say he wantsto use card reader when herefused to use it for one state. Ifit is not a script he followed; heshould have tested the cardreader in the Ekiti or Osungovernorship elections beforegoing out to use it in 36 statesand the FCT.

Do you see the APC reallyeffecting the change they havebeen proposing, given the factthat most of their membersjoined from PDP apart fromBuhari, Tinibu, Oshiomole,Fashola, Osinbanjo and a fewothers?

Like I keep telling people,change is not a manifesto. APChas no manifesto; they only justwiped up sentiments, becausePDP has been in government for16 years and then we played intotheir hands. You know the richman has more enemies in societythan the poor man; that is whythey succeeded in weeping upsentiments. They don’t have a

manifesto; they only just saidthey want change.

Nigeria as a country only hasone major source of incomewhich is oil. Today, the Americansare fighting on how the oil pricecan come down. It is affecting allthe oil exporting countries butAPC is saying it was becauseJonathan did not govern well thatthe oil price came down and youknow that 80% Nigerians areunlettered; even those of themwho claim to be graduates don’tread newspapers.

With so many members of thePDP now defecting to APC, doyou see PDP becoming a strongopposition to APC?

As far as I am concerned, thosewho are defecting are men of littlefaith. For sixteen years, theSouth-West has been inopposition apart from the lasttenure of Obasanjo that PDP wasable to win Osun, Oyo andOgun, Apart from that four years,the remaining twelve years theyhave been in opposition, so itembarrasses me when I see somePDP members, some of them whohave been governors under theparty decamping to APC justbecause APC won electionyesterday.

•Oguma

PDP members defecting are men of little faith — OGUMA

BAYELSA 2016:Ikisikpo's appeal

Vanguard,Vanguard,Vanguard,Vanguard,Vanguard, THURSDAY, THURSDAY, THURSDAY, THURSDAY, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, JUNE 18, JUNE 18, JUNE 18, JUNE 18, 2015—41 2015—41 2015—41 2015—41 2015—41

AWARENESS• Nigeria is next in line for eradication ofpolio after India. No case of the wild polio virus has beendetected since August 2014 in Nigeria.

By Sola Ogundipe

I AM 32 years old and I am having problemsdating. I have a six year old son. The last boyfriend

of mine was very angry with me when he found outthat I have a son. He said that I could not be trustedand that I tried to trick him. I feel very lonely and Idon’t know how to approach dating again after thatbreak up – Sarah

Dear Sarah, I totally understand your situation. Caringfor a child is a huge responsibility and most men goinginto relationships just want to have fun. But don’t bescared to date. You certainly need to mention that youhave a child and it should be done after the first fewdates.Within the first few dates in a relationship, couplessize each other up and decide whether or not they wantto pursue the relationship.

Once the decision is made, it is easier for both partiesto then reveal more details about their personal lives.Within these early stages, the man involved has gottento know you better.

He also would have developed feelings for you andformed an unbiased opinion about you. And that is whenyou tell him. Be relaxed about it. Let him know that youare just looking to have fun too and that you are notfishing for a father for your son. This can help them relaxaround you.

However, not everybody will be enthusiastic aboutdating a single mother, no matter how good and honestyou are. You just have to be prepared for whateverhappens. But you should not be scared of dating.Divorcees and widows with kids still find love and socan you. So take care and I wish you luck – Uche

Hello sir. I have been using Stay Hard Delay Creamnow for years. I am one of your oldest customers. Ijust tried reordering it online and saw Colt Stay Hardinstead. I don’t know this one. Is it the same product? –Oguchi

OguchiColt Stay Hard is a different brand of delaycream manufactured by the Colt brand. It is just as goodbut the Stay Hard Delay Cream you know is also

COMMON SEXUAL PROBLEMS AND THEIR NOVELTY BASED SOLUTIONS (ADVERTORIAL)available. Just scroll to the second or third page and youwill find it – Uche

I got an email notifying me that Rhino 5 supplementis now available. X Again is the one I know. What is thedifference? Jim

They both do the same thing (penis enlargement,stamina, firm erections and stopping prematureejaculation), but one capsule of Rhino 5 lasts for as longas five days while X Again lasts for three days – Uche

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ROTARY has announced$19 million in funds for

polio eradication in eightAfrican countries, including $9.9 million for Nigeria. Thesegrants came as part of $40.3million in funds announced byRotary this week.It is part of the continued fightto stamp out polio even as anadditional $40.3 million boostfrom Rotary is to supportimmunisation activities andresearch carried out by theGlobal Polio EradicationInitiative. Rotary’s funds will supportimmunisation efforts in thecountries as follows: $9.9million in Nigeria; $12.2 millionin Pakistan and $2.3 million inAfghanistan.Additional funds will supportefforts to keep other at-riskcountries polio-free. The grantsinclude $1 million, Cameroon:$900,000, Chad; $2 million,Democratic Republic of Congo;$1.1 million, Ethiopia; $1million, Niger; $1.5 million,Somalia; and $1.5, SouthSudan. In addition, grants totalling$5.8 million will providesurveillance in African and

Eastern Mediterraneanregions. Grants to Africa alonetotal $19 million.In total, Rotary has donated$688.5 million to support polioeradication efforts in Africa overthe past 30 years.Rotary grants these funds to theWorld Health Organisation(WHO) and UNICEF for polioimmunisation, surveillance andresearch activities in 10countries.

This year, 24 July will mark oneyear since Nigeria’s last case ofpolio, and the entire continentof Africa has not seen a casesince August 2014.

In total, Rotary hasdonated US$688.5 millionto support polioeradication efforts inAfrica over the past 30years.

While this is noteworthyprogress, experts havecautioned that it is too soon tocelebrate. Funding and support for high-quality immunisationcampaigns and surveillanceactivities will be key tosustaining current gains. Rotary’s newest round of grantsto Nigeria will be used byRotary ’s Global PolioEradication (GPEI) partners theWorld Health Organisation(WHO) and UNICEF tomaintain the current progressagainst polio in Nigeria.The funding commitment comesat a critical time as Nigeria –the last polio-endemic countryin Africa – approaches one-yearsince its last case of polio, whichoccurred in Kano State on 24July, 2014. If the current progresscontinues, WHO may removeNigeria from the list of polio-endemic countries as early asSeptember. In addition to the notableprogress in Nigeria, no newcases of polio have beenreported anywhere in Africasince August 2014. Experts do, however, stronglycaution that it is too soon to fullycelebrate. Nigeria needs to go

an additional two years withoutpolio to be certified polio-free. Funding and support for high-quality immunisationcampaigns and surveillanceactivities will be key tosustaining current gains. ”We are closer than we’ve everbeen to wiping out polio,” saidMike McGovern, chair ofRotary’s International PolioPlusCommittee. “Although there hasbeen noteworthy progress madeagainst the disease, childrenremain at risk. Rotary – alongwith our partners – mustcontinue to stay the course andremain steadfast in our plightto eradicate polio. These fundswill help boost our efforts tocombat polio worldwide.” The only two other polio-endemic countries, Pakistanand Afghanistan, continue toexperience hurdles in polioeradication campaignsincluding inaccessibility tochildren and security. Last year,Pakistan saw an outbreak whichresulted in more than 300cases, the highest number inthe country in more than adecade.As a result, Pakistanaccounted for almost 90% ofthe world’s cases. However,there has been improvementin 2015.

Rotary grants $19m for polio eradication in Nigeria, others

42—Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015

No security challenge in Rivers —WikeBy Jimitota Onoyume

A-Ibompeople decryattacks onSSG

Edo ALGON to Orbih: Apologise toOshiomhole or resign as PDP Chairman

By Simon Ebegbulem

PORT HARCOURT—GOVERNOR Nyesom

Wike of Rivers State hasdismissed claims in somequarters that the state wasfacing security challenges.

The governor, at a statebanquet, Tuesday night, atGovernment House, PortHarcourt, for vice chancellorsof universities in Nigeria, saidthe choice of the state as venuefor the vice chancellors'conference was because thestate was peaceful.

He said: “We havecommitted ourselves tohosting many nationalmeetings and conferencessince we took over the reins ofgovernance. This we havedone to prove that we haverestored peace and stability tothe state with businessesgoing on without hindrance.

“If you (the vice chancellors)had not come here for your30th annual conference, youmight have been tempted to

believe that Port Harcourt wasan unsafe place. They createdthe impression that as youmove around Port Harcourt,you see corpses of people whohave been killed in violentclashes. The days you spentin Port Harcourt, you noticed

that it is a peaceful communitywith a rich night life.”

The governor, who said somepersons were busy paintingfalse pictures of the state afterthe elections, assured that hewould continue to deliverdividends of democracy to the

people of the state.He said his administration

had revived the judiciary andthe Assembly that were incomatose, adding thatNigerians should ignore thosespreading false stories aboutinsecurity about the state.

BENIN—LEGAL adviserto the Association of

Local Governments of Nigeria,ALGON, Edo State chapterand Chairman of Ovia North-East Local Government Area,Mrs. Lucy Omagbon,yesterday issued seven daysultimatum to the statechairman of PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP, ChiefDan Orbih, to tender anapology over what shedescribed as his libellous andmisleading allegation againstthe state governor, Mr. Adams

Oshiomhole, over allegedcollection of money meant forthe councils, or resign hisposition as chairman of theopposition party.

She said that if he fails to doso, the association will headto court and compel him tobring the evidence ofdeductions from the councilsagainst the governor.

Orbih had alleged that thegovernor deducted N200billion from allocationsaccrued to the 18 localgovernment areas of the statesince he assumed office in2008, attributing the inabilityof the councils to pay salaries

to their workers to the allegeddeductions.

Mrs Omagbon said:“Orbih’s cry is that of adrowning man, seeking topull others down with him. Tostart with, allocation tochairmen of councils is apublic document, it comes indollars. If you go to Ministryof Local Governments andChieftaincy Affairs, thefigures are there foreverybody to see. Theproblem is that we get half ofwhat we used to get ab initio,starting from October 2014,the allocations have beendwindling.”

Azike passeson

By Egufe Yafugborhi

Protesting workers blame colleagues' deathon delayed salaries

WARRI—AGGRIEVEDcontractors and workers

at the Sedco Road Yard ofBredero Pipelines, an oilservicing firm, in Uvwie LocalGovernment Area, Delta State,have blamed the death of twocolleagues on hardship causedby prolonged withholding oftheir salaries and entitlementsby the company.

The contractors and workerswho began an indefinite protestat the company's premisis,yesterday, alleged “undue

harassment and intimidation” ofthe contractors and workers bymen of the Nigeria Police at theinstance of the company’sManaging Director, ShaminKhaan.

The MD, in his reaction,denied the workers' claims,alleging instead that “some 20out of about 120 staff of thecompany are being paid todestroy the company.”

Boniface Imodje, Chairman,Bredero Contractors Forum,told Vanguard duringyesterday’s protest that, “Thecompany has not paid

contractors for jobs done in thepast three years and workershave not received pay in the lastnine months.”

Also, Hosanna Adjija whospoke for the workers, said:“The situation has becomeunbearable and we can'tunderstand the hanging on tothe salaries of the worker whenthe company has severalcontracts it is handling. Nowmost of us have been servedeviction notices where we live.

“Our children are hungry andare being turned back from theirschools."

MR. Kennis Azikeof Illah, Oshimili

North Local GovernmentArea of Delta State, isdead, aged 61.

A statement by the burialcommittee chairman, Mr.Awele Van-Nwoko, saidthere will be social wakekeep on June 26, at theAzike family compoundIllah, followed next day byinterment and other burialrites at the same venue.

Late Mr. Kennis Azike

DITG faultsmedia reportson Warri PPMC

DELTA Intelligent andTr a n s p a r e n c y

Group, DITG, hascondemned reports in thesocial media allegedlyblackmailing the PetroleumPipelines and MarketingCompany, PPMC, and itsWarri depot manager, Engr.Aliyu Maikano, overalleged sharp practices ondaily allocation anddistribution of petroleumproducts.

President of DITG, Mr.Ejomafuwve Kingsley, whospoke yesterday, at Asaba,said that the report was acomplete falsehoodcarefully plotted toblackmail PPMC andtarnish the reputation ofEngr. Maikano, who hasbeen managing the depoteffectively and diligently.

He said: “It is regrettableto see people cook upallegations and use thesocial media to publishsame to mislead the public,especially allegationswithout facts, evidence andwhich cannot besubstantiated by theaccuser.

“The unfortunate reportpurporting that a Deltabased newspaper house,had dragged the PPMCand Engr Maikano to courtover alleged sharp practicesshould be disregarded.”

He noted that even theFreedom of Information,FoI, Act relied upon by themedia house, requestingPPMC and Maikano tomake public details of dailyallocation and distributionof products was abused bythe accuser, who is not amember of IPMAN, Warriunit.

By Hugo Odiogor

INDIGENES of AkwaIbom State, under the

aegis of Akwa IbomRedemption Initiatives,AKRI, have condemned thespate of attacks directed atthe person and office of theSecretary to the StateGovernment, SSG, SirEtekamba Umoren, byfaceless groups in the state,which they claim were benton creating disaffection inthe new administration inthe state.

In a statement in Uyo,yesterday, IKRI’s head ofpublicity, Mr. SimeonAkpan, said: “One of themethods these elementsare employing is to sponsornegative stories in social,local and national media,attacking key officials of thenew administration.”

Akpan said thosecirculating information thatUmoren was positioninghimself to contest the 2023governorship election weremischievous and wickedbecause such tactics ismeant to create disaffectionbetween the SSG and hisboss.

According to him,“Ordinarily, we would haveignored these stories, butfor the fact that, theunsuspecting members ofthe public may believe it asthe truth. If one may ask, is2023 not eight years away?"

WORKSHOP: From left, Sir Patrick Origho, Head of Service, Delta State; Mr. Esauye George,Chief Consultant, Hageus Creative Technologies and Mr. Eric Osharode, Permanent Secretary,Ministry of Higher Education, at a workshop for Permanent Secretaries and Directors inDelta State. Photo: Nath Onojake.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015— 43

PEOPLE SPEAK By Bartholomew Madukwe(08102479985)

nwamad@yahoo.com

On state govts' inability to pay workers’ salariesI am calling on voters in

all states owed salaries toexercise their basicconstitutional rights bydemanding the immediateresignation of their stategovernors. Change mustbe seen to be effective. Noexcuse owing workers sal-aries. -Miss Sophia Osuji,NYSC member

We should not wait forthem to start blaming

Buhari, the same way theywere blaming Jonathan,despite the Federal Gov-ernment making sure stateallocations get to them asat when due. It is sheerwickedness and abuse ofpublic office trust. -Mr. OkieDarlington, Graduate

Every state in Nigeria isviable, it depends on

what you make out of it. Ihave said it before and I amsaying it again, most of thestate governors in Nigeriaare devoid of ideas on howto manage things to maketheir government businessprofitable. -Mr. ChineduChinweoda, Student

Past administration owedno state what was due

it in terms of allocations andother benefits. The gover-nors were just extravagantwith states' funds. In fact,they should tell their peo-ple what happened to theirmonthly allocation. -Mrs.Ifeoma Anyambuba,Trader

In normalcircumstances, if an

organisation is not per-forming well, it is theCEO and Directors thatlose or delay their fat bo-nuses, not staff being un-paid. Seriously, all thesepeople are just heartlessand wicked. -Mr. UcheInnocent, Student

The only reason I willagree for the workers to

be owed, is for the stategovernors too not to be re-ceiving their salaries. I seeit as mere wickedness.How do you expect theseworkers not to cut corners ,with their salaries owed for 11months? -Miss NenyeChinenye, Worker

Police smash notorious armed robbery,kidnap gang in Enugu ...nab suspected car snatchers in Aba

By Francis Igata &Ugochukwu Alaribe

ENUGU—RESIDENTS ofIgboeze-North Local

Government Area of Enugu Statehave heaved a sigh of relief,following the dismantling of atwo-man armed robbery andkidnap gang by Igboeze-SouthDivision of Enugu policecommand.

This came on a day the policein Aba, Abia State, arrested twosuspected car snatchers who hadbeen terrorizing motoristsbetween Aba and Port Harcourt,Rivers State.

The suspects, SheeshorNyoroku and Terser Nyor, bothfrom Gboko, Benue State, fell tothe superior fire-power of thepolice during a foiled operationon June 11.

According to Police PublicRelations Officer, PPRO, Mr.Ebere Amaraizu, the duo hadbeen a thorn in the flesh ofresidents.

He said: “The hoodlums hadallegedly stormed Amube villagein Enugu-Ezike with their armsin an attempt to kidnap anEnugu-born and Malaysia-basedbusinessman who wasdeveloping his property.

“Having failed to get theirtarget, the miscreants snatched aToyota Camry with registrationNo LSD 895 DL belonging to hisfriend.

“Our operative got a distress calland laid ambush on Iheakacommunity road. In the ensuinggun-fire, one of them diedinstantly, while the other ran intothe bush with gun-shot wounds.

“The vigilante group in the areaquickly assisted us in combingthe bush where we later arrestedthe fleeing suspect. We recovereda Barreta pistol with five roundsof live ammunition from thesuspect.”

Meanwhile, the police in Aba,Abia State, have arrested twosuspected car snatchers who have

been terrorizing motoristsbetween Aba and Port Harcourt,in Rivers State.

The suspects, ThankGodOnyebuchi and EgwimOnyekachi, were arrested at apopular fastfood joint, nearTonimas junction on the Aba-PortHarcourt expressway.

Items recovered from thesuspects include a Toyota Camryallegedly snatched from theowner in Port Harcourt, an identitycard belonging to the NigerianNavy as well as a militarycamouflage.

Abia State Police PublicRelations Officer, PPRO, Onyeke

Man, 30,charged forstealingtricycle

SALARY ARREARS: NLC, Abia accountant-general bicker

By Anayo Okoli

UMUAHIA—ABIA Statecouncil of Nigeria Labour

Congress, NLC, and theAccountant-General of the state,Mr. Gabriel Onyendilefu, are atlogger-heads over the salaryarrears being owed workers.

While the Accountant-Generalmaintained that the governmentdid not owe workers salaryarrears, Labour insisted that someworkers, especially those inparastatals, pensioners, teachersand council staff, were being owedsalary arrears of between threeand six months.

Onyendilefu was quoted in anational daily (not Vanguard) lastweek, as saying that governmentwas owing the affected staffsubvention, not salary.

But rising from its StateAdministrative Council, SAC,meeting, yesterday, Abia NLCfaulted the position of theAccountant-General, accusinghim of “deliberately feeding thepublic with wrong information.”

Briefing journalists on theoutcome of the meeting, statechairman of NLC, UchennaObigwe, said that theAccountant-General wasdeceiving the new governor andthe general public on the trueposition of the salary disputebetween the workers andgovernment.

To this end, Obigwe said thatLabour had decided to writeGovernor Okezie Ikpeazu on thematter to put the records straight.

According to him, what thegovernment agreed withparastatals, such as Abia State

University Teaching Hospital,ABSUTH, Aba, was that of itsN170 million wage bill, it willprovide N150 million, while themanagement will make up for thebalance.

For the Hospital ManagementBoard, Obigwe said thegovernment also promised to beproviding some amount monthlyfor them.

He said that since theparastatals were not given take-off grant, government should notexpect them to fend forthemselves.

Obigwe asked the Accountant-General to explain whathappened to the state’s allocationfor the month of May, since corecivil servants, including teachers,ASUBEB and council workers,had not yet received their Maysalary.

Otti laments campaigns against his origin

By Opeyemi Lepeand Precious

Akubueze

Ezekiel, a DeputySuperintendent of Police, DSP,could not be reached on hismobile phone at the time of filingthis report, but a senior policeofficer in Aba, who confirmed thearrest, told Vanguard thatinvestigations on the case hadcommenced.

LAGOS—A 30-year-old Jamiu Akintunde

with no fixed address wasyester- day arraignedbefore the Magistrate Courtat Boundary, Ajegunle,Lagos, over alleged theft ofa Bajaj tricycle, markedLagos, AGL 687 QC,valued N450,000, propertyof one Akeem Olabisi.

The defendant is facinga two-count charge ofconspiracy and stealing.

The prosecutor, SupolOlu Ojaokomo, told thecourt that the defendantcommitted the offence onJune 1, 2015, at Pako Busstop, Amukoko, Lagos.

According to theprosecutor, the offences arepunishable under sections409 and 285 of the criminallaws of Lagos State,Nigeria, 2011.

However, the defendantpleaded not guilty, and wasbailed in the sum ofN30,000 with tworesponsible sureties by theMagistrate, Mr. P.AAdekomaya.

The matter was adjournedtill July 15, 2015.

By Anayo Okoli

U M U A H I A — T H Egovernorship candidate

of All Progressives GrandAlliance, APGA, in the lastelections in Abia State, Dr. AlexOtti, has decried the campaignof calumny against him over hisAro descent, describing it asprimordial and laughable.

Otti said the campaign beingrun against him by his politicalopponents was lame and wouldonly be acceptable to the gullible.

According to him, Ngwa ethnicnationality in Abia is aconglomeration of migrants,essentially from Aro, Akwa Ibomand Mbaise in Imo State.

Otti spoke while receivingscores of lawyers of Ngwa originwho paid him a solidarity visit inhis Umuru-Nvosi country homein Isialangwa South LocalGovernment Area of the state.

Otti, in a statement by hiscampaign organisation, insistedthat he was a full blooded Ngwaman and wondered why peopleleft issues of how to develop Abia

to focus on primordial issues.He said his great-grand father

originally settled at Umuru-Nvosi,having migrated from Aro,adding that his grand-father andimmediate father were born, bred,lived, died and buried inNgwaland according to theirwills.

He, therefore, wondered whatqualified a person to be a nativeof a particular community andcategorically dispelled rumoursthat he exhumed and reburied hisfather in Arochukwu.

‘’Why should I exhume and

take his remains to Aro whereasit was his will before he died thathe should be buried at Umuru-Nvosi?’’ Otti queried.

He noted that Abia State hadsuffered a lot of rot andunderdevelopment in the past 16years and needed to be taken toa greater height.

“The rots in Abia should becorrected and the state betransformed and brought at parwith other states in the federationfirst before we can begin to talkabout zoning,’’ Otti said.

44 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015

Femalerobber bagssix-month jailterm inBauchi

Fulfil your election promises, Yari toldBy Salisu Maradun

DONATION: Members of staff of CMB Building Maintenance and Investment Company Limited;Onyekachi Nwoga (left) Abiola Sunmola, Bolaji Akanji, Victor Martyns, Idowu Akintade, AbiolaOgunrinde, and Public Relations Officer (PRO), Little Saints Orphanage, Maryann Ekanem (4th left)during CMB’s donation of gift items to the Orphanage at Ibadan, Oyo State…recently.

El-Rufa’i accuses Yero of squanderingN10bn on Govt House complex

ENUGU—SCORES ofyouths and elders from

Imufu Community in Enugu-Ezike, Igbo-Eze North LocalGovernment Area of EnuguState, yesterday, thronged theoffice of the PermanentSecretary, Rural Developmentin the state, protesting allegedplan to hijack the leadershipof its Town Union.

The elderly men, who worelong faces regretted that oneAugustine Eze (Movement)and another non-indigeneresiding in the community hadallegedly been been paradingthemselves as the PresidentGeneral and Vice PresidentGeneral of the town union,adding that the onlyrecognised town presidentwas Chief Edwin Ossai andother members of hisexecutive.

Speaking in an emotion-laden voice, the Patron ofImufu Community TownUnion, Mr. Christopher Ezelamented that one LeonardEze from the neighbouringOlido was claiming to be aleader of the community whenhe was not.

He said; ”Imufu Town Unionwas inaugurated in 1978 withMr. Alfred Ukweze as pioneerpresident. We are dulyregistered in the localgovernment and with theCorporate AffairsCommission, CAC.''

KADUNA—THE ArewaConsultative Forum,

ACF, has asked the AllProgressives Congress-ledFederal Government to redeemits promise of “change.”

Reviewing aspects of thesecurity situation in parts of thenorth, the ACF regretted in astatement in Kaduna yesterdaythat the persistent bloody clashesbetween the Fulani and somecommunities in the area has

made a caricature of the “changethe people voted for during the2015 general elections.”

According to the statementsigned by the group’s NationalPublicity Secretary, MuhammadIbrahim, “the change Nigeriansvoted for in the 2015 generalelections is not only change ingovernment but also change in theway and manner the electedleaders provide adequate securityand welfare for the people.

“ACF therefore calls upon thesecurity agencies to be vigilant and

proactive in arresting such uglyincident that destroy harmoniousrelationship among communitieswho have co-existed in peace foryears.

“The traditional leaders in theareas must also play their fatherlyrole of mediation for peacefulcoexistence and tolerance amongvarious communities in order toput an end to the unwarrantedviolence.

“The northern region has in thelast six years had its fair share ofinsecurity problems such as Boko

Haram insurgency, communalclashes, cattle rustling etc whichhave affected its socio-economicdevelopment

“The initiative tagged, peacebuilding and communityconsultation on security, by thePlateau state governor, Mr. SimonLalong, aimed at finding a lastingsolution to the incessant hostilitiesbetween herdsmen and Beromcommunities in Riyom, Jos Southand Barkin Ladi localgovernment areas is a welcomedevelopment.

“The recent renewed clashesamong the various communitiesthat have lived togetherpeacefully over the years inPlateau State and other states inthe north is not only of seriousconcern to Arewa ConsultativeForum but disturbing,considering the huge destructionof lives and property.

”This has seriously affected theharmonious relationship amongthe communities and the generaldevelopment of the areas.''

KADUNA—KADUNA State governor,

Malam Nasir El-Rufa’i, hasaccused his predecessor,Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, ofsquandering N10 billion onthe Kaduna new GovernmentHouse complex.

Speaking yesterday at theopening of the Kaduna StateHealthcare Summit, El-Rufa’isaid that the money shouldhave been channelledtowards the development ofthe health sector and what hedescribed as other criticalareas.

Lamenting that the statehas the second highest HIVprevalence in Nigeria, El-Rufa’i noted further that only

36 per cent of mothers have thebenefit of receiving adequatehealthcare.

He described the development asunacceptable, the governorpledged that his administrationwould seek vast improvement inhealthcare outcomes for the people.

According to the governor, “Ourgoal is to deliver for Kaduna Statecitizens better health and longer lifeexpectancy, and in this quest weseek results that will place our statein the top tier for healthcaredelivery.

“We seek this vast improvementin healthcare outcomes for ourpeople because the presentsituation is unacceptable.

“Current coverage of measlesvaccine is 56%, reflecting a dismalimmunisation coverage for 12-23month-olds of only 35 per cent.

GUSAU—GOVERNOR Abdulaziz Yari of

Zamfara State, has been askedto re-double his efforts towardsuplifting the state by fulfilling hiselection promises to the people.

These include the provision ofwater and roads constructionamong others.

The former Chairman of thedefunct All Nigeria People’s Party,ANPP , in the state, Alhaji IbrahimNabature Nahuce.

Nahuce spoke in an interview

with Vanguard in Gusau, thestate capital, explaining that theYari, having started well from2011 when he took over themantle of the leadership of thestate, should not give room todestroyers whose mission was toenrich themselves with the publicfunds at the expense of thecommon people.

According to him, Yari shouldnot listen to the antics of thosehe described as few individualsin the state, who were bent onfeathering their own nests butwork for the people who electedhim into office.

‘’Before Yari came in as thegovernor of the state, everybodyknew that so many things werelacking, particularly roads andother social infrastructure.

‘’Despite all odds, he (Yari)closed his eyes to do what he wassupposed to do as a leader, as aresult of which he has todaybecome the best governor in notonly, the northern part of thecountry, but the whole federation.He should keep on working forthe people,” Nahuce added.

He also advised Yari todischarge his civic responsibilityresponsibly by carryingeverybody along, irrespective oftheir political or religiousinclinations so that together theywould move the state forward.

BAUCHI—A BauchiChief Magistrate’s

Court yesterday sentenceda female robber, MaryamMusa, to a six-monthimprisonment after shepleaded guilty as chargedby the police.

The 27-year-old mother oftwo was a member of amotorcycle snatchingsyndicate smashed by thestate police command lastweek.

She paraded by the policeon Monday at the statepolice commandheadquarters in BauchiState before before beingcharged to court.

Musa told journalistswhile being paraded thatshe was a widow andinnocent of the crime wasdragged to the ChiefMagistrate’s Court VI inBauchi alongside othermembers of the syndicate oncharges, ranging fromcriminal conspiracy and theftof five motorcycles andreceiving stolen propertyto being in possessionstolen property.

By Agaju Madugba

Give us the promised change, ACFtells Buhari, northern govs

By Suzan Edeh

GUSAU—THE Emirof Anka in Zamfara,

Attahiru Ahmad, on Tuesdayreceived his certificate ofappointment as theChancellor of the FederalUniversity of PetroleumResources in Effrun inWarri, Delta State.

The Emir received thecertificate at his palace inAnka from the Vice-Chancellor of the university,Prof. Akaehomen AkiiIbhadode.

Speaking on the occasion,Ibhadode said: ‘’We are herein Anka to present thecertificate of appointment aschancellor of our greatuniversity following yourappointment by theFederal Government fewmonths ago.

‘’We are happy to haveyou as chancellorconsidering your positionas emir of one of thehistoric and respectedemirate in the country.

Imufu communityprotests allegedhijack of TownUnion leadership

By Francis Igata

By Agaju Madugba

Emir of Ankareceivescertificate ofappointmentas FUPREChancellor

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015—45

AWARD: From left— Mr. Imokha Ayebae, Corporate Finance Manager,Fidson Healthcare Plc; Mr. John Ruggles, Senior Vice President, Global Sales,Frost & Sullivan; Mr. Abiola Adebayo, Operations Director, and Mr. AbayomiAlli-Balogun, General Manager, Sales, both of Fidson, during the Frost &Sullivan 2014 Growth Leadership and Excellence award presentation inLondon, United Kingdom.

MTN E-LEARNING: From left— Mr. Akinwale Goodluck,Corporate Services Executive, MTN; Mr. Lanre Kuforiji, 21 Days of Y’elloCare Project Co-ordinator; Mrs Ebunoluwa Oluwasoji, Director, HumanResources and Administration, Education District IV, Lagos State Ministry ofEducation; Mr. Michael Ikpoki, CEO, MTN Nigeria, and Mr. Abayomi Abolaji,Deputy Director, Special Duties, Education District IV, Lagos State Ministryof Education, during the presentation of e-learning facility by MTN to OnikeGirls Junior High School, Yaba, Lagos.

MEETING: From left— Mrs. Onari Duke, former Cross River StateFirst Lady and Country Director, Empretec Nigeria; Mrs Yewande Sadiku,MD/CEO Stanbic IBTC Capital; Pastor Ituah Ighodalo; Mrs Oluwatoyin Sanni,MD/CEO United Capital Plc, and Major General Reuben Nkado (retd), allmembers of the Governing Board of the Christopher Kolade ProfessorialChair in Corporate Governance, at a recent meeting of the board in Lagos.

CEREMONY: From left— Mr. Tim Akano, Managing Director, NewHorizons Solutions Limited; Professor Kayode Makinde, Vice Chancellor,Babcock University, Illishan, Ogun State; Mr. Dotun Suleiman, Chairman,New Horizons Management Board (right), and others, during the foundationlaying ceremony of the 2nd New Horizons facilitated ultra-moderninternational IT and e-business skills certification building at the institution.

ROUNDTABLE: From left— Radhika Choksey, Head, Philips GroupCommunication, Region Africa; Chioma Iwuchukwu-Nweke, GM, PersonalHealth, Philips West Africa; Felix Darko, GM, Lighting, Philips West Africa,and John Westermayer, Head of Marketing, Lighting Philips Africa, duringthe firm's Buy Original media roundtable in Lagos. PHOTO: Lamidi Bamidele.

COMMONWEALTH BROADBAND: From left— BrahimaSanou, Director, Telecommunication Development Bureau at InternationalTelecommunications Union, ITU; Professor Tim Unwin, Secretary-General,Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation, CTO; Dr. Tunji Olaopa,Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Communication Technology, and Dr.Okechukwu Itanyi, Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management,Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, during the opening ceremonyof the Commonwealth Broadband forum in Abuja, yesterday.

MATHEMATICS'S SIMPLE: From left— Miss Ogbu Deborah,Scholars Universal Secondary School, Ota, who took 3rd position; MasterOlatunde Semilore, Ambassadors College, Ota, 1st, and Master AnyaegbunamObinna, Ambassadors College, Ota, Ogun State, 3rd position, in the just-concluded 4th edition of Mathematics is Simple competition at Yewa EgbadoCollege, Ilaro, Ogun State. PHOTO: Simon Adewale.

CHRISTIAN NGOs: From left— Deacon Moses Kalu; ProfessorMagnus Atilade, National President, Christian Welfare Initiative, CWI, andSouth-West Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN; and MrsTheresa Maku, at a briefing on the state of the nation by the Coalition ofChristian NGOs and CWI in Lagos.

CMYK

46 — Vanguard, 46 — Vanguard, 46 — Vanguard, 46 — Vanguard, 46 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015

Vanguard,Vanguard,Vanguard,Vanguard,Vanguard, THURSDAY, THURSDAY, THURSDAY, THURSDAY, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, JUNE 18, JUNE 18, JUNE 18, JUNE 18, 2015—47 2015—47 2015—47 2015—47 2015—47

CMYK

VIRGINIA

KAPTAIN AFRIKA in “Pretty Lunatic’ By Andy Akman

dadadekola@yahoo.com

TERROR MUDA in “Never say goodbye” By Lanre Kehinde

HOME & ABROAD By Lawrence Akapa

ASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLINGASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLINGASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLINGASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLINGASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLINGSend ySend ySend ySend ySend your datour datour datour datour date and place of bire and place of bire and place of bire and place of bire and place of bir th tth tth tth tth to the Aso the Aso the Aso the Aso the Astrtrtrtrtrologicalologicalologicalologicalological

Counselling, PCounselling, PCounselling, PCounselling, PCounselling, P.M.B 1.M.B 1.M.B 1.M.B 1.M.B 100000000007, Apapa, Lagos7, Apapa, Lagos7, Apapa, Lagos7, Apapa, Lagos7, Apapa, Lagos

YOUR LUCK TODAYYOUR LUCK TODAYYOUR LUCK TODAYYOUR LUCK TODAYYOUR LUCK TODAY

By Joshua Adeyemo Phone 08056180139

48 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015

L E I S U R ETHOUGHT FOR TODAYTHOUGHT FOR TODAYTHOUGHT FOR TODAYTHOUGHT FOR TODAYTHOUGHT FOR TODAY

By Richard EromoseleVIRGO; Partial Solar Eclipse in Virgo today ; Unlessyou are more careful matters-of-the-heart may causeavoidable trouble the way your career/business can suffertemporarily.

LIBRA; Partial Solar Eclipse in Virgo today ; It isimportant you don’t exhibit aggression unnecessarily.Here is a day when secret love is capable of bringingserious pressure. Try to be very diplomatic.

SCORPIO; Partial Solar Eclipse in Virgo today ; Yourconcentration level is not perfect and if you take badadvice from friends you would be misled. The morepractical you are the better for you.

SAGITTARIUS; Partial Solar Eclipse in Virgo today ;Unnecessary aggressive approach on your part alongyour career/business lines will back-fire more than youimagine. Graceful expression is what you will need.

CAPRICORN; Partial Solar Eclipse in Virgo today ;Happenings within your working arena can bring minorprovocation but it is just a passing trend. Travelling forlove will bring more challenges than expected.

AQUARIUS; Partial Solar Eclipse in Virgo today ;Male members of this Star sign will need to watch theirlibido while female must not ignore their sex-life. Bewareof joint ventures with those you don’t know.

PISCES; Partial Solar Eclipse in Virgo today ; It is notcompulsory you take to aggressive re-action to thosewithin your base of operation who are not as perfect asyou. Protect your spouse.

ARIES; Partial Solar Eclipse in Virgo today ; Watchwhat you eat and drink today. This is the wrong time toengage in unnecessary heated argument.. Romance atwork may bring disappointment.

TAURUS; Partial Solar Eclipse in Virgo today ; Tryingto influence matters-of-the-heart with money will notgive you the desired result. Any way it is a day you willneed to be more careful with money.

GEMINI; Partial Solar Eclipse in Virgo today ; It isimportant you are more careful while trying to passjudgement on people within your base of operationbecause you too may be wrong.

CANCER; Partial Solar Eclipse in Virgo today ;Taking a pleasure drive or movement may bring morethan anticipated responsibility. Keep away from whatevercan not be placed above board today.

LEO; Partial Solar Eclipse in Virgo today ; If you allowfriends to force their ideas on you financially or onmatters-of-the-heart, you would be the loser. Expressyourself gracefully.

What should I know?

Dear Joshua,Kindly tell me where the Moon was placed when

I was born and other things I should know about mystar.

Aliyu, Kano.

Dear Aliyu,What space can take will be given here-under. Your

natal Moon was in Aries.ANALYSIS OF YOUR HOROSCOPE DATAPreponderance of cardinal quality in your chart is

an indication of GREAT LEADERSHIP QUALITYtogether with innate ability to attain prominence onone hand, on the other hand, exaltation of intellectualrelated Mercury in Aquarius at positive angle toboth lucky Jupiter and Uranus (the planet of genius)in Libra pointed to a person with higher pitch ofintelligence.

Action loving Mars as the final dispositor of yourhoroscope ( that’s most influential planet at homewhen you were born) will most times induce you tostrongly desire importance with likeness for quickresults; actually long promise without concrete actionwill bore you easily. Equally 60 percentage of push-full influence in your chart means that the best foryou is to go after your needs and wants.

Combination of all the placement and aspectsformed within the planets when you were born arepointers to you as a person with balanced personalitywith little bias for good spiritual life. And you believein disciplinarian life style.

Placement of your natal Sun and Moon incompassionate Pisces and self conscious Ariesrespectively are indications of your being mainly aPiscean and partly an Arian, however as Aries is alsoyour Stellium sign, both basic characteristics of Piscesand Aries are highly pronounced in your inner-self.

Limiting YourExpectation — 1RECENTLY, a

j o u r n a l i s taccosted me andwanted to knowfrom me what myexpectation isconcerning the newgovernment. Myanswer simply is: I

expect nothingspecial. Before youcrucify me, let meask you. Haven’t webeen having newgovernments in

N i g e r i a ?Government comeand go but ourproblems don’t justremain, they getbigger and bigger.

Over the years, Ihave learned not toexpect much fromgovernment as wellas individuals. Mypolicy is: blessed ishe that expectsnothing for he shallnot be disappointed.

Vanguard,Vanguard,Vanguard,Vanguard,Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE THURSDAY, JUNE THURSDAY, JUNE THURSDAY, JUNE THURSDAY, JUNE 1818181818,,,,, 20 20 20 20 2015—4915—4915—4915—4915—49

CMYK

50—Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015

AGM: From right— Chairman, Dr. Nura Imam; Company Secretary, Mrs Cecillia Ekanem; Managing Director, Engr.Detlev Lubsch, and Engr Jafaru Damulak, all of Julius Berger Plc, at the company's 45th annual general meeting, AGM, inAbuja, yesterday. PHOTO: Gbemiga Olamikan.

NEITI vows to recover unremittedrevenue from oil companies

By Michael Eboh

A B U J A — N I G E R I AExtractive Industries

Transparency Initiative, NEITI,has reiterated its resolve torecover all outstanding amountsowed the country by oil, gas andmining companies.

NEITI also stated that fromAugust this year, its auditprocesses will be automated toensure for speedy collection ofdata to enable it produce timelyreports.

Speaking during the visit ofthe Extractive IndustriesTransparency Initiative, EITI,Implementation Committee, ledby its Chairman, Ms ClareShort, in Abuja, Chairman ofNEITI, Mr. Ledum Miteepromised to partner with thePresident MuhammaduBuhari's administration to reformthe country’s oil and gas sectorand also tackle the issue ofcorruption in the extractiveindustry.

NEITI had in one of its report,indicted oil and gas companiesoperating in Nigeria, includingNigerian National PetroleumCorporation, NNPC, ofdefrauding the country to thetune of $19.1 billion (aboutN3.82 trillion) and called onPresident Buhari to ensure therecovery of the money from thecompanies.

According to Mitee, NEITI isworking closely with all therelevant government agencies toensure that all outstandingrevenues reported asunderpayment andunderassessment are recoveredinto the federation account.

‘We're committed’He further noted the country

was committed to continuouslyimprove on its modestachievements and also strive tofully embrace the new EITIstandards.

He said: “To this extent, NEITI

has commencedimplementation of thecomprehensive framework onremediation and enforcementdeveloped by the currentboard through the machineryof the Inter-Ministerial TaskTeam, IMTT.

“Under this arrangement,NEITI is expanding its frontierof inter-agencies collaborationand broadening the scope ofengagements with thegovernment, companies,media and civil society as wellas strengthening its internal

capacity.”

Meeting EITI standardsMitee further stated that

NEITI had started addressingthe identified gaps in itsoperations ahead of the EITIvalidation of Nigeria, whichfalls due in January 2016.

According to him, NEITI isfully aware of the importanceof this exercise and is makingnecessary preparations toensure that Nigeria meets thevalidation requirements.

He said: “The process of

implementing the new EITIrequirements with respect tothe issues of beneficialownership and contractsdisclosure in this part of theworld may require carefulstrategy to ensurestakeholders’ buy in.”

Also speaking, Clare Short,International Chair, EITI,commended NEITI for itsactivities in Nigeria so far,expressing concern,however, on the non-implementation of the reportsby the past administrations.

She said: “Recommendationsfor reforms have not been carriedthrough in the past. The newgovernment wants to reform thesector.

“NEITI has done the analysis;it is a real opportunity to pick upthe recommendations and driveit all forward. It is not like a newgovernment, wanting to reform,to start examining where theproblem is. That part of the jobhas been done. The governmentshould then drive through thereforms.

“It is a better opportunity forgovernment and the citizens toensure that companies pay whatis due them and that the fundsare properly managed for thebetterment of the society.”

Short further stated thatNEITI’s recommendationspresent a golden opportunity forthe new administration to carryon the proposed reforms of thesector and stop bad practices thatwas prevalent in the industry inthe past.

On NEITI reportsSpeaking in the same vein,

Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, ExecutiveSecretary, NEITI, lamented thedelay in churning out its reports,noting, however, that specialprovision has been made toensure that it fast-tracks the auditprocess.

She said: “As we speak, thereis a project that is ongoing for theautomation of the data collectionprocess for the audit.

“It would be commissioned byAugust and this will enable us toproduce more timely reportswhich the government andcitizens would find more useful.”

ABUJA— SPEAKER ofHouse of Representatives,

Mr. Yakubu Dogara, has saidthose predicting that the crisiswitnessed in the election of thepresiding officers of the NationalAssembly would affect thechances of All ProgressivesCongress, APC, in 2019elections will be disappointed.

His comment came on theheels of the alleged reportcredited to the Deputy SenatePresident, Ike Ekweremadu,that his emergence “was a signof PDP reclaiming what wastaken from it by APC in 2019.”

Speaking while receiving adelegation of the defunct 2014Presidential PrimariesCommittee of APC, which paidhim a courtesy call in his office,Abuja, yesterday, Dogara saidthat APC had come to provide

the required positive changein the country.

He said the disagreementamong party members in theelection of the SenatePresident, Deputy SenatePresident, Speaker of theHouse of Representatives aswell as the Deputy Speakerwas not enough to distabiliseAPC.

He also said what waswitnessed was merely aconflict of ideas by variousinterests involved in theprocess of selecting presidingofficers for the legislature.

According to him, “we arehere to work and we do nothave any reason to fail. Wecannot fail. That is why Ipicked holes in the ambitionof those who have their eyesfixed on 2019.

“We did not get here becauseof 2019. If we do the rightthings and the people see

results, 2019 will take care ofitself. We cannot fail becausewe are here to bring change.”

Appeals to APC membersWhile appealing to members

of APC not to see whattranspired during theelections as crisis that wouldtear the party apart as a resultof the interests expressed bymembers, he said the partyhad the capacity to manageevery member and theirinterests.

He said: “People talk aboutcrisis in the party. I do not seeany crisis. Even if there is, theparty has the capacity to dealwith whatever issue pertainingto its members and theirinterests.

“The crisis being perceivedby a section of people in APCis not a crisis, but simply aconflict of ideas because we arenot perfect. We are all products

of imperfection.“We thank God that we

maintain a comfortablemajority and we intend totake advantage of it.

“We will work with theexecutive in deliveringchange to our peoplewithout actuallycompromising theindependence of ourinstitution.”

Speaking earlier, Secretaryof the committee, Dr. AlexIdeye, said the delegationcame to congratulate him onhis emergence as Speaker ofthe House.

Ideye urged the Speakerto reciprocate the goodgesture of his opponent,Femi Gbajabiamila, bycarrying everybody along inhis leadership of the Housewith a view to buildingconsensus and achievelegislative harmony.

By JohnboscoAgbakwuru

2019: NASS leadership crisis won’t affect APC, says Dogara

CMYK

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015 — 51

GRAFT PROBE: Elechi spends 8 hourswith EFCC ….Ohakim summoned for alleged money laundering

FORMER EBONYI Stategovernor, Chief Martins

Elechi, yesterday on the secondday of his questioning in Abuja,faced more than eight hours ofrigorous grilling in the hands ofoperatives of Economic andFinancial Crimes Commission,EFCC, over alleged launderingof state funds.

The former governor arrived theEFCC headquarters at 10am andfaced his interrogators until 4pmwhen he was asked to go andreturn on a date next week.

A source at the commissionconfirmed to Vanguard that thepolitician might be charged tocourt based on the evidenceadduced by his interrogators andthose earlier gathered from sometop officials who served under hisgovernment.

The questioning of the governorhad to do with a number of dealssaid to have been carried outduring his tenure for whichconcerned natives of the statepetitioned the anti-graft agencyand demanded for probe.

Among the issues for which hewas summoned were the allegedtheft of millions of Naira in theasphalt plant contract for the 13local government areas of thestate, the award of several

contracts to his son, NnannaElechi, compulsory deductionfrom Stabilisation Account tofund Labour Party and themisuse of funds earmarked forthe Centenary celebration,among others.

Meanwhile, the EFCC wasexpecting to receive andquestion former Imo State

governor, Ikedi Ohakim, beforethe close of work yesterday.

Ohakim is being asked by theagency to explain his role in themisuse of state funds when he wasgovernor of the state and how heended up buying several propertyin some parts of the countrythereafter.

A source in the commission said

Tension as Anambra govt wades into Nkpor town unionsquabble

Rightsactivistpreventsyouth'sviolence overcolleague'sdeath

A HUMAN rightsactivist, Mr. Charles

Odogwu, has enjoined theyouths of Ibusa in OshimiliNorth Local GovernmentArea of Delta State not totake laws into their handsor engage in reprisal overthe gruesome murder ofone of their colleagues, Mr.Emeka Onianwa duringthe last House of Assemblyelection.

Odogwu gave the advicewhen the youths met withhim to protest over unduedelay by law enforcementagents in apprehending allthose fingered in the saidcrime.

The human right activistcommended the youths fortheir patience and themanner they conductedthemselves since the uglyincident, assuring that heand his team had set inmotion avenues to reachout to the appropriateauthorities to unravel thecircumstances surroundingthe murder of the youth.

By NwabuezeOkonkwo

ONITSHA—AS tensionmounts at Nkpor in Idemili

North Local Government Area ofAnambra State over the delay inconduct of an election into theleadership of NkporDevelopment Union, NDU, thestate government may havewaded into themisunderstanding between someagitating stakeholders in thecommunity and members ofInterim ManagementCommittee, IMC, of NDU.

Those in opposition are insistingthat an election must beconducted with immediate effectto usher in a democraticallyelected executive of NDU.

They said they were tired ofhaving an IMC at the helm ofaffairs for more than seven years.

To buttress their point, theopposition sent out circulars tothe traditional ruler of Nkpor,Igwe Christopher Ibegbunam II;village chairmen, branchchairmen and chairmen of age-grades informing them thatelection of NDU was around thecorner.

But the Special Adviser toGovernor Willie Obiano on TownUnion and Chieftaincy Matters,Barrister Ikechukwu Onyeabor,confirmed to newsmen thatgovernment was aware of thelingering leadership crisis in thearea and had waded in to restorelasting peace and tranquility inthe area.

Onyeabor noted that for now,

government was notcontemplating an election of NDUexecutive, until the crises wereresolved amicably, adding thatgovernment still recognized andwould continue to work with theIMC.

However, palpable fear hascontinued to grip both theresidents and indigenes of thecommunity over the vow by the

opposition party to conduct theelection in July and for declaringthe IMC which was appointed bythe state government in 2008defunct .

The residents are apparentlyafraid because if violence wasallowed to erupt once more, thecrisis which had claimed manylives and properties in the past,would claim many more lives.

Sachet water hawkers protest price hike in Aba

By Ugochukwu Alaribe

ABA—HAWKERS ofsachet water, popularly

known as pure water, in Aba,Abia State, have protested ahike in price of the product bythe manufacturers.

The hawkers, who marchedalong major roads of the city,told Vanguard that a bag ofsachet water, which initiallysold for N100, now sold forbetween N140 and N150.

Vanguard reports that sachetwater producers in Aba at theweekend embarked on strike,citing rise in cost of production

of the product.One of the protesters who

distribute a popular brand ofsachet water in the city, Mrs.Obioma Christian, lamentedthat sachet water hawkerswere being made to pay a tollof N50 in every motor parkbefore being allowed to selltheir products.

She added that her hawkershad been severally harassedand their wares seized atmotor parks when parkoperators insisted that theymust pay the toll.

Speaking on the situation,Mrs. Amaka Akpaka said theproblem started when sachet

water producers in the cityembarked on strike, claimingthey no longer made profitdue to an alleged rise in priceof the water proof used inpackaging the product.

Mrs. Akpaka said thesituation was seriously tellingon them and their families ascustomers were unwilling tobuy a sachet of water for N15.

The protesting hawkersappealed for the interventionof the state government toforce down the price of theproduct and abolish tolls atmotor parks to enable themremain in business and feedtheir dependants.

By Soni Daniel,Regional Editor, North

the agency was very close tocharging Ohakim to court, havingmade progress in its investigationover the years.

It could not be established atpress time if the former governoreventually showed up or sentsome explanations to thecommission.

‘Givemaximumsupport tonew Speaker,Hon Edoror’

G I D E O NOBHAKHAN,

who contested the lastelection to the House ofRepresentatives for EsanWest/Esan Central/Igueben Federalconstituency on theplatform of All ProgressivesCongress, APC, hasappealed to members of theEdo State House ofAssembly to give maximumsupport to the electedSpeaker of the stateAssembly, Hon. VictorEdoror for him to succeedand deliver the dividendsof democracy to the peopleof the state.

In a press conference inBenin, Obhakhan said:“Edoror is well qualified forthe job. He is veryintelligent for the position.

“The overwhelmingsupport he got during theelection tells you he is lovedby the people. He will beable to deliver on hisassigned duties.”

Obhakhan said hedecided not to go court tochallenge the result of thelast election despite theirregularities observedduring voting “becausethere are other areas Ibelieve I can add value tohumanity for now ratherthan through electiveposition.

“Certainly, in 2019, I willcontest for the sameposition.”

PROTEST: Bredero Pipeline contractors and workers flying various placards, yesterday, inprotest at the company's yard in Effurun, Delta State over alleged delayed salaries and policeintimidation by management.

CMYK

52—Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015

Falana, Boyo, Ubani warn against fuelsubsidy removal, IMF loan

By Dapo Akinrefon

ANNIVERSARY: From left, Mrs. Moronke Adelegan, Principal, JuniorSecondary School, Lagos State Civil Service Model College, Igbogbo, Dr.Joseph Onoja, Director, Technical Programmes, Nigeria ConservationFoundation, NCF, Mr. Ismail Omamegbe, Head, Corporate Responsibilityand Sustainability, First Bank, and Mr. Ajose Adekunle, Principal, LagosState Civil Service Model College, Igbogbo, Ikorodu, during the tree plantingcampaign to mark 120 years of First Bank, at Model College, Ikorodu, Lagos.Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi.

Peter Mission's lifeline for widows

UGHELLI—THE PeterMission for the Less

Privileged has again takenits charitable programme toIwhremaragha village inUghelli North LocalGovernment Area of DeltaState.The benevolence of theNGO brought joy to severalwidows, orphans and lessprivileged people in thevillage.

The beneficiaries of the

goodwill of the NGOreceived food items andcash gifts, to cushion theeffects of the harsheconomic conditions facedby many people in thevillage.

The people expressedtheir gratitude to themission for rememberingthem in their time of needs.They implored the missionto continue with its serviceto humanity.

In his response, Mr.Peter Onoriobe, thechairman of the NGO, toldthe people that the missionwill continue to do all withinits power to reach out to theneedy in the society. Hesaid he will maintain thelegacies of his late father,Justice W.A.O. Onoriobe,who was known for hishumanitarian deedsduring his life time.

LAGOS—LAGOS lawyer, Mr.Femi Falana, SAN, a former

president of Nigerian BarAssociation, NBA, Ikeja Branch,Mr. Monday Ubani and renownedeconomist, Mr. Henry Boyoyesterday advised PresidentMuhammadu Buhari not toremove the fuel subsidy scheme,saying such move could lead to

not only an increase in prizesof petroleum products but ahike in goods andcommodities.

They said this at a round-table to examine the state of thenation, organised by theNigeria United for Democracy,NUD, in Lagos.

Falana, who called onPresident Buhari to resist

taking any loan from theInternational Monetary Fund,IMF, to revamp the nation’sailing economy said such stepcould plunge the nation intofinancial chaos.

While he said the country willnot need any financial assistancefrom foreign bodies, he notedthat what was required of thePresident, was to block

“loopholes through which somepeople had continued to rip thecountry of hard earnedrevenues, which statutorilyshould be paid into thefederation account, but insteaddiverted into private pockets.”

He, however, stated thataddressing the nation’sexchange rate, remains apanacea to Nigeria’s ailingeconomy.

Falana, who recalled that theG7 countries had askedPresident Buhari to submit theNigeria’s Wish List, with formerBritish Prime Minister, Tony Blaircalling on the President toremove fuel subsidy, saidfollowing such step was going tocompound Nigeria’s economicwoes.

His words: “Our president wentto the G7 and we are happy. Andhe went there with a bowl, ‘pleasedo this for us, do this for us,’ we mustinterrogate that, has our situationbecome so bad that we have to ask forexternal support? When we have notmobilized the energy, the potentials ofour people to turn this country around.”

Dangote lifts Nepal earthquakesvictims with $1m

MTN donates digital libraries to schools

ABUJA—NIGERIANleading telecom

service provider, MTNNigeria has made adonation of two digitallibraries and other itemsto two schools in theFederal Capital Territory,Abuja.

The two schools areKutunku JuniorSecondary School,Gwagwalada and another

school in Buwari AreaCouncil to mark it’sannual Yellow Careactivities.

Making the presentation,General Manager,Regional Operations of thecompany, AdekunleAdebiyi, said the donationwas in line with MTN’scorporate socialresponsibility aimed atgiving back to its host

communities.According to him, the

company had investedover N11 billion in the lastten years in the areas ofeducation, health,empowerment and capacitybuilding.

He said the fund wasdrawn from the one per cent ofthe company’s interest everyyear and is invested intoeducation, among others.

LAGOS—ALARMED atthe dimension wreaked

by earthquakes in theFederal DemocraticRepublic of Nepal, theDangote Foundation hasprovided succour for thevictims of the disaster bydonating one million dollarsto the government andpeople of the country.

Two major devastatingearthquakes, with amoment magnitude of 7.3and 7.8 respectively hadoccurred in Nepal on May12, killing more than 8,800people and injuring mover23,000. The earthquake wasreported to have shifted thehighest mountain in theworld, Mount Everest by3cm South-West.

Dangote Foundationdonated the amount, in linewith its mandate to providerelief in times of disaster,with a message that thechairman of the Foundation,Aliko Dangote and people

of Nigeria shared in theirmoment of grief.

The Chief ExecutiveOfficer of the Foundation,Zouera Youssoufou said onbehalf of Dangote, duringthe cheque presentation tothe Prime Minister ofNepal, Mr. Sushil Koilaraat Kathmandu, thecountry’s capital that thegesture was to support thegovernment’s emergencyefforts in providing relief tothe victims of theearthquake disasters.

These tragic events wererecorded as the worstquakes to hit theHimalayan nation innearly a century causing ahigh number of deaths,injuries and an avalancheon Mt. Everest, the world’shighest mountain. Over600,000 homes werereported to have beendestroyed in thecatastrophe.

In his message to the

Prime Minister, Chairmanof Dangote Foundation,Aliko Dangote conveyedhis sympathy to thegovernment and people ofNepal, assuring them of theFoundation’s support inrehabilitating the victims ofthe unprecedentedtragedy.

Dangote said: “We jointhe rest of the world toexpress our sympathiesover this unfortunateincident. We hope thisdonation will help alleviatethe suffering of theNepalese people who havebeen devastated by theearthquakes.”

Responding to thegesture, the Prime Ministerexpressed the gratitude ofthe people andGovernment of Nepal toAliko Dangote and theFoundation, for theirhumanitarian support atthis difficult moment in hiscountry’s history.

CMYK

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015 — 53

Impersonators approach Kashamuwith plan to poison Obasanjo

VISIT: From left, Member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon Segun Olulade;Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa and Chairman,National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, Lagos State, Alhaji Tajudeen Agbededuring Agbede's visit to the Speaker in his office yesterday.

RAMADAN:Ambode,Obasa adviseNigerians

By Evelyn Usman

LAGOS—TWO persons posing as daughter of

former President, Chief Oluseg-un Obsanjo and an intelligenceofficer respectively, were allegedto have approached Senator Bu-ruji Kashamu, to assist him poi-son the former president overtheir face-off.

The accused persons - PeterUwakala and Victoria Alaeg-bu, were said to have met withthe senator at a hotel in Vic-toria Island, last month, assur-ing him that they would alsohelp resolve the political rift be-tween the duo.

However, after the conversation,

Kashamu reportedly lodged a ver-bal complaint to policemen at theZone 2 Command, Onikan,prompting the Police to swing intoaction leading to the arrests.

However, during preliminary in-vestigation, sources said the twowere impersonators. The womansaid to have introduced herself tothe Senator as Yetunde Obasanjoearlier, was discovered to have nolink with the ex-president.

The suspects, it was gathered,during their meeting with Kasha-mu allegedly called the formerpresident unprintable names andthreatened to poison him.

According to a Police report, thefact of the case was that the com-plainant alleged in his verbal com-

plaint that the duo of Peter Uwaka-la and Victoria Alaegbu falsely rep-resented themselves as an intelli-gence officer and daughter to theformer President Obasanjo respec-tively to him under the pretencethat they were going to resolve thepolitical rift between him and Oba-sanjo.

He stressed that the duo metwith him at a hotel, where the lat-ter who had collected N500,000from his younger brother, madesome uncomplimentary and de-rogatory remarks about the formerpresident, while the former intro-duced herself as Yetunde Obas-anjo to him.

However the police was able toestablish that both Uwakala and

Alaegbu actually committed theoffences alleged by the complain-ant and have been charged ac-cordingly in line with the pre-scription of the law.

The suspects were arraignedbefore Chief Magistrate AdeolaAdedayo at the Igbosere Magis-trate Court, Lagos on 5th June2015 and were remanded at Ki-rikiri Prisons. The matter was ad-journed to 31st July 2015.

There are indication that Kasha-mu’s reaction to the impostors wastowards settling the face-off be-tween him and Obansnajo , fol-lowing report by those close to theduo that the former claimed tohave forgiven the latter.

The fence mending effort mayhave led to Kashamu withdraw-ing the N20billion libel suit againstObasanjo.

When contacted, Kashamu’smedia aide, Mr Austin Oniyokorsaid that that the matter was incourt. He however, pointed outthat his boss’s conduct “goes along way to show that despite hispolitical differences on principleswith Obasanjo, he (Kashamu )does not wish him (Obasanjo) illbecause he respects the sanctityof human life and also fears God.”

Mushin residents lament incessant killings by hoodlums

LAGOS—TENS of residents of some parts of

Mushin area in Lagos have criedout over incessant killings in thearea by suspected hoodlums.

Speaking during a protest to theLagos State House of Assembly,Mr. Abiodun Leshi, who led theresidents, revealed how suspect-

ed hoodlums severed the head ofa resident of the area and used itto play football on the streets.

He stated that the menace is be-ing experienced in areas such asTaniolodo, Lawani, Ojelawe andamong others, adding that the peo-ple of the areas have been havingsleepless nights over the issue.

“We have been facing incessantkillings of our people. One Tunde

was beheaded and they used hishead to play football. Another res-ident, Sodiq was killed last Fri-day after Jumat service.

“One Adeolu was also killed re-cently, we have always been liv-ing in fear in the area and we can-not sleep with our two eyesclosed, but we felt we should seeyou to seek a permanent solutionto the problem,” he said.

Leshi further explained thatsome of the residents of the areahave relocated to Ikorodu out offear, while some have developedhypertension and some havedied in the process, and calledfor the support of the lawmakersover the issue.

Responding, the DeputySpeaker of the House, Hon. Wa-siu Sanni Eshinlokun, who led thelawmakers to address the protest-ers, said that the House sharedthe concern of the people andexpressed happiness that theypassed their complaints to theappropriate quarters.

By Ebun Sessou

LAGOS—21 awaiting tri-al inmates at the Kirikiri

Medium Prisons in LagosState, regained their freedomyesterday, following a visit bythe state Chief Judge, JusticeOluwafunmilayo Atilade.

Before the release of the 21 in-mates, the Kirikiri MediumPrisons, with a holding capaci-ty of 1,700 prisoners, housed atotal of 2,452 inmates.

Out of these 2,452, the numberof inmates who were in custodyawaiting trial was 2,349, repre-senting about 96 per cent; whileonly 92 inmates had been con-victed.

The bulk of those freed werein the category of inmates whohad stayed in the prison longerthan the prison term prescribedin law for their various offenc-es.

The Lagos CJ, who freed the21 inmates pursuant to Section1 (1) of the Criminal Justice Re-lease from Custody Act, Lawsof the Federation of Nigeria2007, charged them to “go andsin no more”.

“Those of you released shouldhenceforth be of good behav-iour. The state government iscommitted to a crime-free Lagosand anyone found committingcrime will be adequately arrest-ed and prosecuted,” the CJ said.

21 Kirikiriinmates regainfreedom

LAGOS—THE NationalAssembly Election Tribu-

nal sitting in Lagos has fixedJune 22, 2015 for continuationwith the hearing of the petitionfiled by the Peoples DemocraticParty, PDP, candidate for LagosWest Senatorial District, SegunAdewale , challenging the dec-

LAGOS—AS Nigerians join the rest of

Muslims across the worldto commence the 30-dayfasting in the month ofRamadan, Governor Akin-wunmi Ambode andSpeaker of the LagosState House of Assembly,Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Oba-sa, have stressed the needfor strict adherence to thedictates of Islam through-out the period.

They also urged Mus-lim faithful in particularand Nigerians in generalto use the fasting periodto pray for peace and uni-ty to reign in Nigeria.

In a statement by theChief Press Secretary tothe Governor, Habib Aru-na, Ambode said Ram-adan signifies a monthof piety and total absti-nence from food and allvices for all believers.

He urged all Muslimsto ensure that the absti-nence from all viceswhich is embraced dur-ing the period shouldbecome an everyday af-fair because in doing soeach person would be atpeace with him or her-self.

The governor, who alsoused the occasion topreach peaceful coexist-ence among all residentsof the state, added that itis only in a peaceful at-mosphere that all plansand programmes of thepresent government canbe actualized.

Also, the Speaker, in hisRamadan messagethrough his Chief PressSecretary (CPS), Mr.Musbau Rasak, describedthe fasting period as aperiod of sober reflectionwhich gives Muslims op-portunity to move closerto Almighty Allah andseek His face in suppli-cation and prayers.

laration of Olamilekan Adeolaof the All Progressives Con-gress, APC, as winner.

Other respondents in thepetition are his party, APC andIndependent National Elector-al Commission, INEC.

The tribunal, led by JusticeSylvanus Oriji, had on June 15,2015 adjourned till yesterday forthe report of pre hearing.

During yesterday’s proceed-

ing, the Tribunal adjourned fur-ther hearing following the sub-mission of petitioner counsel, DrYemi Oke, that the respondentsare yet to file their reply on pointof law.

The petitioner (Adewale) hadalleged irregularities in theconduct of the election addingthat the results submitted bywards did not correspond withthe card readers.

LAGOS WEST POLL: Tribunal shifts hearing to June 22

By Abdulwahab Abdulah &Bartholomew Madukwe

By OlasunkanmiAkoni

54—Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015

NAB CONFAB: From left— Charles Ajuya (SAN), Mrs. Mfon Usoro, Nella Rabana(SAN) and her husband, Lawal Rabana (SAN), at the just-concluded section on business law ofthe Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, 9th annual law conference in Lagos.

PEOPLES DemocraticParty, PDP, chieftains

in Agbarha, WarriLeague, Warri SouthLocal Government Area ofDelta State have urgedGovernor Ifeanyi Okowato ensure that politicalappointments areequitably distributedbetween constituencies 1and 2 in Warri South LocalGovernment Area.

In a petition addressedto the governor byJackson Egbedi, MarkOgode, Ms EjabofunEdema, Raphael Ologide,Chief Kingsley Bazunuand Stephen Izobo, thePDP chieftains said alopsided allotment wouldnot foster peace.

They appealed toGovernor Okowa toresolve the imbrogliohovering over the sharingof the slots in the interestof the party.

WarriSouth PDPmembersseek fairnessinappointments

PIB passage, our priority—SARAKIBy Joseph Erunke

A B U J A — S E N A T EPresident, Bukola Saraki,

has reiterated the commitmentof Senate towards conclusivepassage of the PetroleumIndustry Bill, PIB.

He said the present Senatewill rather engage in what hecalled “intensive dialogue”that will address thebottlenecks which made the

bill recalcitrant.Speaking yesterday, when

he played host to a team oftop management staff of ShellPetroleum DevelopmentCompany, SPDC, led by theManaging Director, OsagieOkunbor, Saraki said theSenate will engage relevantstakeholders in the oil andgas sector in the country, onthe need to embrace dialogueso as to fast-track easy

passage of the bill.He stressed that PIB

remained a priority in theeighth Senate, adding “wehave to engage in discussionand dialogue.

“We can break the jinxwhich can only be achieveddevoid of politics. PIB is apriority in this Senate.”

Senator Saraki noted thatpolitics and othercontroversial issues

surrounding the bill wereimportant, but advised thatthey should be left out of theprocess for now.

“We will break down thebulkiness of the bill andtackle all the grey areas,“he assured.

Taking cognizance of theenvironmental hazard, gasflaring and remuneration tohost communities, he saidthe Senate will collaboratewith oil companies andother stakeholders infinding lasting solution toall aggrieved parties.

“We will continue to comeup with legislation that willmake our country aninvestment destination andprovide conduciveenvironment for suchinvestment to thrive, “headded.

Reacting, Okunborcongratulated the SenatePresident for his successfulelection, while pledging forunflinching support andcooperation from theSenate.

He opined that thesurvival of the petroleumindustry depends greatlyon the passage of PIB.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015 — 55

81 killed, others injured as abandonedbombs explode in Borno

By Ndahi Marama

DESOPADEC:

HOSTCOMtasks Okowaon bill torecognise Ikanation

By Lucky Oji

Senate crisis, bad omen —AREWA YOUTHSBy Soni Daniel, Regional

WARRI—THE nationalorganising secretary

of Host Communities ofNigeria producing oil andgas, HOSTCOM, Mr.Ajobo Uni Edward, hasappealed to GovernorIfeanyi Okowa of DeltaState to send a bill to thestate House of Assembly toofficially recognize Ikanation as oil producer inDelta State Oil ProducingAreas DevelopmentC o m m i s s i o n ,DESOPADEC.

Ajobo who made theappeal in Warri, said the billhas become neccessary toenable the people of Ikanation benefit fromDESOPADEC.

He noted that such bill ifpassed by the State Houseof Assembly, will createmore employment foryouths across the statewhich is in line with stategovernment's message ofprosperity for all Deltans.

He further charged theGovernor to considerHOSTCOM in making ofappointments, adding thatonly competent andhardworking persons whoare conversant with thechallenges of oilcommunities should beappointed into the newboard of DESOPADEC.

BRIEFING: From left, Mr Claus Becker, MD, Sub-Sahara Africa, Lufthansa (GermanAirlines) and Swiss International Air Lines, Mr Tamur Goudarzi Pour, Lufthansa VicePresident, Sales and Services, Africa, Southeast Europe and Middle East, and Mr HakeemJimo, Lufthansa Public Relations Manager, Sub-Sahara Africa, during the announcementof Lagos as headquarters of Lufthansa sales, stations operations and administration forSub-Sahara Africa in Lagos, yesterday. Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi.

MAIDUGURI—AT least 81people including members

of youth vigilante were feareddead with scores injured when abag filled with ImprovisedExplosive Devices, IEDs,discovered by operatives of theyouth vigilante, Civilian JTF, at adeserted camp of Boko Haramnear Monguno village in BornoState suddenly exploded,witnesses and security sourcessaid.

The source said, initially, 50people were killed on the spotwhile 18 out of several injuredones died before reachingMaiduguri, the Borno Statecapital, for medical attention.

Monguno is in the north andabout 155 kilometres fromMaiduguri. The town wastemporarily under the control ofthe Boko Haram insurgents beforeit was liberated by troops earlythis year.

Already, Governor KashimShettima has visited the stateSpecialist Hospital to sympathizewith the victims.

The Chief Medical Director ofBorno State HospitalManagement Board, Dr. SalisuKwayabura who briefed Shettimasaid, the hospital received the sadnews at about 3am yesterday,

adding that 13 out of the 55injured ones died while beingconveyed to Maiduguri, notingthat, 13 people were treated anddischarged while 28 were still onadmission recuperating.

The explosion, which occurredat about 5pm Tuesday wascoming barely 48 hours after anexplosion suspected to have

come from be land minesplanted by insurgents alongMaiduguri - Damboa road lastMonday, killing two soldiersand a policeman.

The Maiduguri - Damboa roadexplosion occurred when aconvoy of one of the securitypatrol vehicles ran over the landmines as the convoy headed

towards a village nearBulabulin Ngarwa with somestaff of the Power HoldingCompany of Nigeria to repaira broken down/vandalizedtransmission lines whichsupplied power to some partsof Borno and neighbouringstates of Niger Republic.

MINNA—RESIDENTS ofthe 90 communities

affected by the on goingconstruction of the multi- millionNaira Zungeru HydroelectricityDam in Niger State haveprotested alleged non- paymentof compensation for theiracquired farmland three yearsafter the take off of the project.

They have also, threatened tostop work on the project until theywere compensated.

Spokesman of the affectedcommunities, Zubairu Umar fromJiko community told newsmenthat the Federal Government hadtaken them for a ride by notcompensating the farmlandowners over the past three years.

According to him, “what wewere told by governmentrepresentatives was that theconstruction work would notbegin until all compensationswere paid but to our dismay, threeyears after the take off of theproject, we are yet to becompensated.’’

He said besides non payment

ABUJA—NORTHERNyouths under the aegis of

Arewa Youths Forum havedeplored the high level of betrayalin the Senate which brought thePeoples Democratic Party into thescheme of things through thebackdoor, describing it as a badomen for the Nigerian polity.

To reverse the provocativepolitical trend, the AYF has askedPresident Muhammadu Buhari torise to the occasion and takecharge of the party and deliverthe change which he promisedNigerians or be ready to face theconsequences of delay tactics.

The President of the ArewaYouths Forum, Alhaji GamboGujungu, made the observationin a statement made available toVanguard in Abuja onWednesday, saying it was sad thatBuhari and the APC allowed thePDP to creep back intogovernance after Nigerians hadopenly rejected the party becauseof the disappointment it causedthe Nigerian people for the yearsit was in power.

The youths said it would be verydisappointing if the APC and thepresident should stand aloof andallow the PDP to infiltrate theNational Assembly and hold backthe hands of governmentespecially in the area of fightingcorruption and bringing the muchneeded development to Nigeriansbecause of the ongoingconnivance between some APC

members and PDP in thelegislature.

The AYF said: “As it standstoday, we call on PresidentMohammadu Buhari to note thathe cannot afford to stand aloof in

what is happening in theNational Assembly and believethat it will fizzle out on its ownwithout taking the necessarysteps to checkmate the fire thatis burning gradually threatening

to consume all that he labouredfor over the years.

“It is time for the presidentto take control of the party andmake sure that things are done theright way."

POWER PROJECT: Niger communities protestnon-payment of compensation

By Wole Mosadomi of compensation, members ofthe communities had beenfurther displaced from their newsettlement by being forced farinto the bush because of thefrequent blasting of rocks bycontractors in the area therebymaking life much moreunbearable for them.

Umar said rather thancompensate them or give them

useful informations that couldlead to their being paid,officials of Federal Ministry ofPower had always playedtricks on the people bydirecting them to theCommunity RelationsCommittee set up by thegovernment.

“We will go to any length toensure that our compensation

is paid even if it means to forcethe contractors to stop work on theproject. The Federal Ministry ofPower has been deceiving us eachtime we demanded for our rightby telling us that all has beengiven to the community relationscommittee and we should look forour compensation from them,” hefurther explained.

LAGOS—COMMITTED toits Corporate Social

Responsibility, CSR, promise,Smile Communications NigeriaLimited has provided FirstConsultants Medical Centre,FCMC, Obalende, Lagos, withSMiFi routers.

This developmentdemonstrates Smile is regardedas a boost to the hospital’s drivetowards telemedicine practice.

The first Ebola Virus Diseasepatient and Liberian-AmericanECOWAS envoy Patrick Sawyerwas admitted at the FCMC

Smile boosts first telemedicine with SmiFiwhere after he fell sick uponhis arrival in the country fromLiberia.

With this development,Smile CommunicationsNigeria Limited has joinedforces with the NigerianTelemedicine Network, NTN,and other donours to equipFCMC with an All-PurposeMedical Solution System,APMS, as the hospitalventured into telemedicineservices.

Speaking at the event, theChief Corporate ServicesOfficer for Smile

Communications, TobeOkigbo,assured that the companywould provide the hospital withconnectivity capacity of 6mbytesper second, adding that Smileappreciated the hospital’s effort insaving Nigeria from what couldhave been a major healthcatastrophe.

“Smile identifies with you on theincidents that happened, at thesame time appreciating yourefforts in rescuing the situation.Now you are going intotelemedicine, Smile’s SmiFi is thenetwork enabler to reckon with,”he said.

By Emeka Aginam

56— VANGUARD, THURSDAY, JUNE 18 , 2015

NATO shows military might in Baltic region

THOUSANDS of NATOtroops are on the move

this month in Poland andthe Baltic states, practicingsea landings, air lifts andassaults. The massivemaneuvers on NATO’seastern flank that began inearly June include the first-ever training by the new,rapid reaction “spearhead”force, and are NATO’sbiggest defense boost sincethe Cold War.

Polish and Baltic stateleaders have made it clearthat they want to host largenumbers of U.S. and NATOforces as a deterrent in theface of a resurgent Russia,and are welcoming thethousands of allied troopsto their land and sea testranges. Polish andRomanian leaders are evenseeking more of apermanent allied militarypresence ahead of nextyear’s NATO summit inWarsaw.

“We must know how todefend ourselves. It is ourgoal to assure a stableorder,” Polish ForeignMinister GrzegorzSchetyna said.

“In the face of new, realthreats, the biggestenhancement since the

Cold War of the alliance’scollective defense is takingplace,” NATO SecretaryGeneral Jens Stoltenbergtold the Polish PAP newsagency.

He added that thespearhead exercise meansto show that NATO is“ready and capable of facingevery challenge and everythreat.”

East European countriesthat took pains to shed

Moscow’s dominancealmost three decades agohave been jittery ever sinceRussia annexed the CrimeaPeninsula last year andbegan backing separatistsin the deadly conflict ineastern Ukraine. Theyhave urged NATO to showforce as a deterrent.

In response, all kinds ofNATO troops are testingtheir readiness this monthto react and cooperate in

the face of a potential crisisin the Allied Shield exercisein Poland, the Baltic statesand in Romania. Thosenations had significantlydownscaled their armiesand defense spending sincethe Cold War, but now theywant to be sure that NATOwill defend them in time ofneed — especially Poland,with its memories of faileddefense alliances at the startof World War II.

Putin rules out arms racewith US

RUSSIA does not wantto enter a costly new

arms race with the UnitedStates, a top Kremlin aidesaid Wednesday, afterPresident Vladimir Putinsaid it was boosting itsnuclear arsenal.

“Russia is trying to reactto possible threats withsome sort of means butthat’s it,” Yury Ushakov,Putin’s top foreign policyaide, told a briefing.

“We are against any armsrace because it naturallyweakens our economiccapabilities,” Ushakov said.

“In principle we areagainst it.”

He declined to commentwhen asked about thepossibility of a direct militaryconflict between Russia andthe West.

Putin on Tuesday rattledthe West by saying thatRussia would add morethan 40 newintercontinental ballistic

missiles to its nucleararsenal this year.

“If someone puts some ofour territories under threat,that means we will have todirect our armed forces andmodern strike power atthose territories, from wherethe threat emanates,” Putinsaid. US Secretary of StateJohn Kerry blasted theannouncement and saidnobody wanteRussia’s YarsRS-24 intercontinentalballistic missiles on displayduring the Victory Dayparade in Moscow on May9, 2015d to return to a “ColdWar status”.

Russia, Germany trade ColdWar accusationsRUSSIA accused

NATO yesterday ofreviving the ghost of theCold War by encroachingclose to its borders andseeking to change thestrategic balance ofpower, as Germanydenounced Moscow’snuclear weapons build-up as a Soviet-stylereflex.

Ties between Russiaand the West have hitnew lows over Ukraineand the latest accusationscome after Moscow saidit would enhance itsnuclear arsenal inresponse to Washington’splans to station heavymilitary equipment ineastern Europe.

“It’s not Russia that’sapproaching someone’sborders. It’s NATO’smilitary infrastructurethat is approaching theborders of Russia,”

Kremlin spokesmanDmitry Peskov toldreporters.

“All this ... forces Russiato take measures tosafeguard its owninterests, its ownsecurity.”

Peskov said the Westhad increasingly resortedto “unconstructive andconfrontational” ColdWar-style rhetoric.

NATO SecretaryGeneral Jens Stoltenbergaccused PresidentVladimir Putin of “saberrattling” on Tuesday afterthe Russian leader saidMoscow would add morethan 40 intercontinentalballistic missiles to itsnuclear arsenal this year.

On Wednesday,German ForeignMinister Frank-WalterSteinmeier accused Putinof acting on Cold Warreflexes.

Delegates to the nuclear talks sit around a table prior to a bilateral meetingas part of the closed-door nuclear talks with Iran at a hotel in Vienna, Austria.

Nuke talks: Iran, six nations disagree onkey elementsIRAN and six powers are

still apart on all mainelements of a nuclear dealwith less than two weeksto go to their June 30 targetdate and will likely have toextend their negotiations,two diplomats tell TheAssociated Press.

Their comments enforceconcerns that obstacles toa pact remain beyond thepublic debate on how farIran must open its nuclearprogram to outsidepurview under any deal.

Iran’s supreme leader,Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,

has for weeks rebuffed U.S.demands that U.N.nuclear monitors haveaccess to military sites andnuclear scientists as theymonitor Tehran’scommitments under a dealand probe allegations ofpast work on atomic arms.

Negotiators areconcerned about a lack ofheadway on all issues.Russian chief delegateSergey Ryabkov saidFriday the “the rate ofprogress ... isprogressively slowingdown.”

Negotiators have beenmeeting five days a weekin Vienna over the pastfew weeks. The twodiplomats are familiarwith the progress of thetalks and spoke shortlybefore a planned five-dayround reconvenedWednesday. Theydemanded anonymitybecause they are notauthorized to discuss theconfidential negotiations.

Ways of implementingspecific parts of the dealare supposed to becontained in four or fiveannexes to the main textof an agreement.

The diplomats describedthe draft of a maindocument as a patchworkof text and dozens of blankspaces because of stubborndisagreement on up to 10elements crucial to anydeal.

Those details are to beincluded in four or fiveannexes, which remainincomplete.

•Putin

NATO military tanks in Poland

Palestinian unity government resigns

THE Palestinian unitygovernment formed

only a year ago hasresigned after PresidentMahmoud Abbas said itwas unable to operate inthe Gaza Strip.

The resignation cameafter it emerged that theGaza Strip’s rulers Hamasheld separate indirect talkswith Israel.

An official said thatPrime Minister RamiHamdallah had handedhis resignation to PresidentMahmoud Abbas onWednesday afternoon, andAbbas had ordered him toform a new government.

Various Palestinianfactions, including Hamas,

are to be consulted beforea new government isformed.

Abbas earlier onWednesday announcedthat the government wouldresign within 24 hours, asHamas sources said thegroup was holdingseparate, indirect talkswith Israel on ways to firmup an informal ceasefireagreement that took holdlast August, ending a 50-day war in Gaza.

Some have argued thatnews of the secret talksprompted Abbas to moveto dissolve the unitygovernment.

A Palestine LiberationOrganisation official saidthe new government was

likely to be one of politi-cians rather than techno-crats.

Al Jazeera’s Nisreen ElShamayleh, reportingfrom Ramallah onWednesday, said she hadspoken to a Hamasspokesperson who hadsaid Hamas would rejectany unilateral dissolutionof the Palestinianconsensus governmentwithout holdingdiscussions with allparties.

Hamas officialsconfirmed the exchange ofindirect verbal messagesbetween Hamas andIsrael through EuropeanUnion, Turkish, and Qatarimediators.

VANGUARD, THURSDAY, JUNE 18 , 2015 — 57

More than 100,000 migrants have arrived in Europe this year, with manyrescued as they try to sail across the Mediterranean Sea

Pope seeks God’s forgiveness foranti migrant nationsPOPE Francis yester

day said that thosewho “close the door” torefugees seeking a safehaven in Europe shouldask God’s forgiveness, astensions rose in the EUover the migrant crisis.

A day after Europeaninterior ministers failed toagree on how to stem theflow of boat migrantsacross the Mediterraneanor house the thousands ofnew arrivals, Francisdemanded greater respectfor “our brothers andsisters who seek refuge farfrom their own lands”.

“I encourage those whobring them aid and hopethat the internationalcommunity will act in aunited and efficientfashion to prevent thecauses of forcedmigration,” he said.

“And I invite everyone toask God’s pardon forthose people and institu-tions who close the door

to those who are seekinga family, who are seekingto be protected,” he said.

Italy has threatened abacklash if other EUstates refuse to share theburden of asylum seekers,but even so ministers tookno decision to carry outproposals by the Europe-

an Commission for quo-tas to redistribute 40,000refugees.

European leaders sworeaction after an estimated800 migrants died in ashipwreck in April, theworst disaster yet in theMediterranean in a yearin which a total of 1,800

people have died tryingto cross from Africa andthe Middle East on flim-sy boats.

In one of the largestpledges of assistance sofar, France said Wednes-day it would create anadditional 10,500 hous-ing places for migrants.

Fleeing militants have abandoned ammunition and weapons

Chad bans face veils aftersuicide bombings

CHAD has bannedpeople from wearing

the full-face veil,following two suicidebomb attacks onMonday.

Chad’s governmentaccused Nigerianmilitant Islamist groupBoko Haram of thebombings which killedmore than 20 people.

The prime minister saidthe veil was used as a“camouflage” bymilitants and said thesecurity forces will burnall full-face veils sold inmarkets.

Kenya vows to keeptroops in Somalia

KENYA’s presidentvowed yesterday to

keep troops in Somaliato f ight IslamistShebab rebels, appar-ently dismissing sug-gestions the countrymay be drawing up anexit strategy in order tofocus on attacks on itsown soil.

Kenyan troopscrossed into Somalia in2011 to fight the Al-Qaeda-affiliated insur-gents, and later joinedthe African Unionforce, AMISOM, whichis supporting Somalia’sinternationally-backedgovernment.

The Shebab havesince stepped up theiroperations in Kenya,dealing a blow to plansfor the troops to serveas a buffer and protectthe long, porous bor-der.

President Uhuru Ken-yatta, who met withother leaders contrib-uting troops to AMI-SOM — including Bu-rundi, Djibouti, Ethio-pia and Uganda — at an

AU summit in SouthAfrica last week, saidKenya’s role was clear.

He insisted Kenya“ will continue withthe mission to supportthe stabilization of theHorn of Africa coun-try,” a statement fromthe presidency said.

“We are a nation thatappreciates and rec-ognises the rights ofevery individual andtheir freedom of wor-ship. We will not allowany person to force onus a way of life that isnot ours,” he wasquoted as saying dur-ing a visit to soldierswounded in a recentattack.

The chairman of theKenyan Senate’s Na-tional Security andForeign RelationsCommittee, YusufHajji, signalled earli-er this month that anexit strategy was nolonger taboo and thatKenya wanted to cre-ate “a strategy on howto fight insecurity inKenya”.

Chad is to host a newregional force set up totackle Boko Haram.

The militant group hasnot commented on theattack but has previouslythreatened to attackChad, after its forcesstarted to help Nigeria.

At a meeting withreligious leaders, PrimeMinister KalzeubePahimi Deubet said theban applied everywhere,not only public places.

He added that anyclothing that coverseverything but the eyeswas a camouflage.

UNHCR, ECOWAS sign MOU onrefugees protection

By Victoria Ojeme

ABUJA — TheUnited Nations

High Commission forRefugees (UNHCR)has signed aMemorandum ofUnderstanding (MoU)with the ECOWASCommunity Court ofJustice (CCJ) to protectthe right of theRefugees in thecountry.

Through theP a r t n e r s h i pAgreement, UNHCRand ECCJ will establisha framework forcooperation in order tobetter protect the rights

of refugees, asylum-seekers, returnees, IDPs,stateless persons andthose at risk ofstatelessness in WestAfrica.

This agreement wassigned yesterday in Abujato strengthen humanright issues in the Sub-Region.

UNHCR Representativeto Nigeria and ECOWAS,Angele Dikongue –Atangana, said thatthrough the MoU, theUNHCR and theECOWAS CommunityCourt of Justice hasformalize theircollaboration into aframework which willprovide for the enhanced

protection of refugees,a s y l u m - s e e k e r s ,returnees, IDPs, statelesspersons and those at riskof statelessness in WestAfrica.

She said, “Thepartnership will allowUNHCR and theECOWAS CommunityCourt of Justice to worktogether in ensuring theproper interpretation andapplication of relevantinternational, regionaland national legal andpolicy instruments.

“The main areas ofcooperation through thispartnership will betraining and capacitybuilding; UNHCR’s inputto specific cases or issuesof mutual concern; andinformation sharing.

DR Congo tops graft list in sub-Saharan Africa

HALF of the 10 mostcorrupt countries in

the world are in sub-Saharan Africa, a regionthat is attractingincreasing investorinterest due to its naturalresources and rapidpopulation growth,according to a globalgraft index releasedyesterday.

Democratic Republic ofCongo topped the 2015Corruption Risk Index byrisk advisory firm VeriskMaplecroft, followed bySomalia, Central AfricanRepublic, Sudan andEquatorial Guinea.

The report blamed

factors including highlevels of poverty andlack of institutions tocombat bribery for sub-Saharan Africa being theregion most affected bycorruption.

“Factors such as weakrule of law and a lack ofinstitutional capacity ...undermine efforts tocombat entrenchedsystems of patronage,while exposure tocorrupt public officialsand a reliance on thirdparty agents is alsohigher,” Trevor Slack,Verisk Maplecroftanalyst, said in astatement.

A key reason whypoliticians fail to fightbribery is that seniorofficials responsible foraddressing the issueprofit from it most, thereport said.

Middle Easterncountries such as Iraq orSyria continued todominate the list ofcountries where graftremained a major blow tothe businessenvironment due toconflict and almost non-existent rule of law.

The study named someof the world’s top energyproducers as having

extreme corruption risk,among them Iraq,Russia, Venezuela,Nigeria andKazakhstan.

The annual indexranks 198 countries onthe prevalence ofbribery andg o v e r n m e n teffectiveness infighting it.

58 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015

CMYK

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015—59

FG urged to implement resolutionon amnesty programme

By SamuelOyadongha

Y ENAGOA—THEFederal Government

has been urged toimplement criticalcomponents of theresolution on thePresidential AmnestyProgramme to ensure aviable, peaceful andsustainable Niger Deltaregion.

The Niger Delta Ex-Agitators SolidarityFront, through its leader,Ramsey Mukoro,yesterday in Yenagoa,Bayelsa State, said thatthe call becomeimperative due to theachievements of theamnesty programme sofar.

He wondered whybeneficiaries of theprogramme wouldthreaten the prevailingpeace in the region at atime stakeholders wereurging the FederalGovernment toconsolidate on the gainsof the programme.

“If truly they arebeneficiaries of theFederal GovernmentAmnesty, they should

have known better thanto parade themselves asgenerals and threatenthe peace of the region,in negation of the FederalGovernment Amnesty,”he said.

Mukoro described asalien, those threateningto plunge the region intocrisis if the formerleaders of the amnestyprogramme wereallowed to continue inoffice by PresidentMuhammadu Buhari.

He pointed out that

Rivers to reintroduceboarding schools

RIVERS Stategovernor, Mr

Nyesom Wike, hasassured the people of thestate that he willreintroduce boardingschools with up to datefacilities to improve thestandard of education inthe state.

The governor, atGovernment GirlsSecondary School,Rumuokuta, in Obio/Akpor Local GovernmentArea of the state,yesterday, when he paidan unscheduled visit tothe school, regretted thedilapidated state offacilities in most schools inthe state, noting that hisadministration will selectpilot schools across thestate for upgrade asmodel schools.

Governor Wikeparticularly decried thecondition of theGovernment GirlsSecondary School,Rumuokuta where all thelaboratories and otherfacilities were allowed torot away by the immediatepast administration.

He directed theimmediate construction ofa perimeter fence aroundthe school and thedemolition of illegalstructures within theproperty of the school.

The governor alsodirected the constructionof internal roads in theschool, saying that the

Rivers govt sacks 344lecturers of Rivers Poly

By JimitotaOnoyume

rather than insist onmerit for the continuedsuccess of theprogramme, the groupwas appealing for“provincialism withregards to states of originof past administrators” ofthe programme.

According to him, itwas the same crop ofleaders at the amnestyoffice that successfullymanaged theprogramme in the pastfour years and recordedgreat achievements.

PORT HARCOURT—NO fewer than 344

lecturers of Rivers StatePolytechnic, Bori, havebeen relieved of theirappointments.

Public Relations Officerof the Polytechnic, MrInnocent Ogbonna,confirmed thedevelopment, saying thatthe state Ministry ofEducation directed theaffected lecturers to hand

over official property intheir custodies to theirheads of departments.

The 344 lecturers wereemployed by formerGovernor Rotimi Amaechiin September last year.

The ministry alsodirected a Director in thePolytechnic, Mr ObiankorElechi, to proceed oncompulsory leave.

The sack has sent fearsround the civil service asstaff recently recruited bythe previous governmentwere already panicking.

school will serve as a pilotinstitution in the newboarding school policy.

He said: “We are goingto start the developmentof model boarding schoolsacross the state. Ourintention is to develop astandard system that willenhance learning for ourchildren.”

Muslims commence Ramadanfast today

By Ishola Balogun& Bashir Adefaka

MUSLIMS inNigeria today

joined their counterpartsaround the world tocommence this year ’sRamadan fast, followingthe declaration of moon-sighting by thePres iden t -Genera l ,Nigeria SupremeCouncil for IslamicAffairs, NSCIA andSultan of Sokoto, AlhajiMuhammad Sa’adAbubakar III, yesterday.

It is a month of dawn-to-dusk fasting, intenseprayer and nightly feasts

otherwise known asiftar.

Addressing newsmenin his palace yesterday,the Sultan stated thatThursday June18 marksthe beginning ofRamadan 1436 A.H,urging Muslims to usethe 29 or 30-day periodto offer prayer for peaceand development of thecountry.

“I have the greatestpleasure to announce toyou that today June 17,marked the end ofShaaban and, therefore,Thursday June 18 marksthe beginning ofRamadan 1436," he said.

60 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015

and threading a lovelypass into the path ofMarcos Guilherme. TheAtletico Paranaense forward then obligedwith an equallyimpressive finish, firingclinically into the net fromjust inside the box.

Brazil might havelooked to protect theirlead at this stage, butrelying on defencedoesn’t appear to be inthe mindset of a teamreviving the greattraditions of adventurous,attack-minded Seleção sides. By the 19th minute,and after Gabriel Jesushad struck the post withanother fine effort, theirlead had been stretchedyet further.

Real Madrid’s JeanCarlos showed fine skillon the left and deliveredan inviting low cross thatkeeper Ibrahima Sy couldreach, but not quite hold.When the ball ran loose,Boschilia took fulladvantage, swooping indecisively to slot home

BrazilContinues from BP

from close range.Senegal did have

moments of their own,and only a brilliant reflexsave from Jean wasenough to divert SidySarr’s ferociously struckvolley on to the crossbarsoon after. But Brazilretired to the dressingrooms at half-timeassured of their place inthe final, having made it4-0 with eight minutes ofthe opening 45remaining.

It was a terrific goaland, again, a full-backwas at the heart of theattacking action. Jorgetook centre stage on thisoccasion, drifting awayfrom a couple ofSenegalese challengesbefore slotting home acomposed finish to put histeam out of sight.

Already with animpossibly highmountain to climb, theAfricans’ task becametougher still in the closingstages of the half whenthey were reduced to tenmen.

Cameroon

the FIFA Women’s WorldCup knockout stage.

Cameroon are now justthe second African team afterNigeria in 1999 to progressbeyond the group stage,and their win overSwitzerland is only thesecond by an African nationover a European opponentat the tournament.Cameroon’s nine goals atCanada 2015 is comfortablythe highest tally by arepresentative of theMother Continent.

Few backed Cameroon tosucceed at Canada 2015 ontheir debut but theIndomitable Lionessesplayed with all the swaggerand confidence of RogerMilla and Co during thatmemorable Italian summerto advance. Camerooncame within inches of taking

Continues from BP a point from worldchampions Japan in theirlast outing, and the resultmeant Switzerland onlyneeded a draw on Tuesdayin Edmonton. A goal downat half-time Cameroonplayed with rare verve todominate the second halfagainst the first Europeanteam to qualify for Canada2015.

Gabrielle Onguene drewthe teams level and whensubstitute MadeleineNgono Mani then poweredin a bullet header from close-range to finish a thrillingmove there was only goingto be one winner. NgonoMani - who has served thenational team withdistinction for well over adecade – was in many waysthe perfect candidate to befront and centre for theIndomitable Lionessesspecial moment.

SerbiaContinues from BP

Serbia were returning tothe scene of their quarter-final win over USA and,having ended that gameon a high, they begun thisone the same way. It tookjust four minutes, in fact, forthem to take a deservedearly lead, with AndrijaZivkovic the scorer. Thelively No11 was allowedtime and space to runthrough on goal and pickhis spot with a low left-footed shot into the cornerafter SouleymaneCoulibaly had failed in hisattempts to cut outNemanja Maksimovic’sthreaded through pass.

Ahead and on top, Serbialooked to reinforce theiradvantage and shouldhave gone two in front nine

minutes later. But havingbeen caught out for thegoal, Coulibaly was able tocome to Mali’s rescue,clearing off the line with hiskeeper stranded afterStanisa Mandic had cut theball back for SergeiMilinkovic to strike at goal.

The Africans were livingdangerously at this stageand on 21 minutes hadanother near escape.Serbia again cut throughtheir ranks easily, withAndrija Zivkovic andMalin Gajic combiningwell on the right to set upStanisa Mandic. But whilelatter’s low cross foundSerbia’s No9 just five yardsout, his touch was too faintand the ball flicked off hisright boot and wide of thefar post.

TWO-TIME win-n e r s

United States areinto the Women’s WorldCup last 16, but lookedshort of their best in alaboured 1-0 win overNigeria’s Super Falcons.

The defeat also meantthe end of the road forthe African championswho raised many hopesof doing well afterholding Sweden to a 3-3 draw in their firstmatch. They succumbedto less fancied Australia2-0 in their secondmatch they were tippedas favorites.

Abby Wambach’svolley just before thebreak proved enough forthe US, but they couldnot add to their leaddespite Nigeria losingdefender Sarah Nnodimto a second yellow card.

They will play one offour third-placed teams toprogress from the poolstages.

Australia secured GroupD’s second spot with a 1-1 draw against Sweden.

The Matildas will playBrazil in the next roundin Moncton.

Nigerian coach EdwinOkon was left aggrievedby the referee’s decisionto issue Nnodim with asecond yellow for achallenge on SydneyLeroux that left his sidedown to 10 players for thefinal 20 minutes.

Falcons edged out of Women’s World Cup

CELEBRATION -- American ladies celebrate after sending the Super Falcons out of the WorldCup. USA won 1-0.

FIBA 3X3basketballchampionshipsholds inLagos

NOT less than 36teams from eight

countries will feature inthe maiden Federation ofInternational BasketballAssociation (FIBA)Africa Zone 3,competition tagged ‘3X3Basketball Tournament’to be hosted by Nigeriain Lagos.

The competition isscheduled to hold at theNational Stadium, Lagosfrom June 18 to June 21.

Addressing a newsconference in Lagos SamAhmedu, President,FIBA Zone 3 said theevent was beingorganised to developbasketball in the zone.

He said that N2million (10,000 dollars)would be expended inrunning thecompetition. It wouldalso cover the prize-money for the top threewinners in thecompetition.

According to him, thezone comprises hosts,Nigeria, Cote d’ Ivoire,Burkina Faso, Ghana,Togo, Niger, BeninRepublic and Liberia.

“Besides other FIBA-organised qualifyingtournaments in the zone,this is the first of itskind, organised by thezone three, executiveboard after ourinauguration inOuagadougou, inOctober 2014.

MALI coachFanyeri Diarra

vowed to seal a thirdplace finish at the FIFAU-20 World Cup,following their 1-2defeat to Serbia in thetournament’s semifinalsin Auckland onWednesday. One goaldown four minutes intothe game after Andrija

Mali determined to claim bronze at U-20World Cup Zivkovic put his side

ahead with a left-footedeffort, the young Eaglesmanaged to levelmatters before the breakthanks to YoussoufKoné’s powerful 39thminute strike.

The match went intoextra time as the secondhalf remained goalless,with Ivan Saponjicultimately sendingSerbia to the final andleaving Mali to battlefellow West AfricansSenegal in the third-place playoff inAuckland on Saturday.

“We didn’t start wellbut when we equalisedI thought that was going

to be the most importantmoment of the game forus,” Fanyeri Diarra toldthe media at the post-match press conference.

“We definitely playedwell after scoring. Rightuntil the end, webelieved in our ownstrengths and felt wecould win the game. Butmy players areinexperienced and, inthe end, that was themain reason for ourdefeat.

“They were reallybrave all match longthough and now I reallywant third-place forthem. We will doeverything to make that

happen for our team andour people.

“Everyone back homehas been really happywith our success duringthis tournament, mainlybecause it has beenquite an unexpectedstory.”

•Diarra

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015 — 61

CHILE 2015 COPA AMERICA

Fabinho wanted…

Man United ready tomake £10.2m CopaAmerica star move

M A N C H E S T E RUnited are plot-

ting a £10.2m move forMonaco right-back Fab-inho, according to re-ports from L’Equipe.

The Brazilian – who iscurrently away repre-senting the Selecao atthe Copa America inChile – has emerged asone of the stars of Ligue1 since his 2013 StadeLouis II debut.

Fabinho has been a keymember of Monaco’sside through their returnto the top tier of Frenchfootball, and also playeda part in their Champi-

ons League adventurelast term – in which theyknocked out Arsenal atthe last 16 stage.

His performances ap-pear to have alertedLouis van Gaal, who isready to pay up to£10.2m for the full-back,as he plots to bolster hisoptions on the right sideof his backline.

Fabinho – who has twoBrazil caps and standsat 6ft. 2" – would be anupgrade on Antonio Va-lencia, who spent muchof last season in the po-sition despite being awide attacker.

Tevez ‘agrees termswith Boca Juniors’

Carlos Tevez hasagreed terms with thepresident of BocaJuniors to return to hisformer Argentine club,according to sources atArgentina’s CopaAmerica base.

Juventus CEO BeppeMarotta has reportedlymet with the agent of the31-year-old ‘Apache’.

Tevez, who has oneyear of a three-yearcontract with the Italianchamps left, has longmade it clear he wants toend his career with the

club where he debuted in2001.

The forward began hiscareer with Boca beforegoing on to play in thePremier League withWest Ham, ManchesterUnited and ManchesterCity.

He was recently linkedwith a move back toEngland, to Liverpool.

Tevez has starred inthe last two Juvecampaigns, where theyextended their scudetto-winning stretch to fourstraight triumphs.

Vidal loseslicense afterdrunk drivingaccident

CHILEAN footballstar Arturo Vidal

was stripped of his driv-er ’s license yesterdayafter being arrested forcrashing his Ferrariwhile driving drunk, butthe national team decid-ed not to suspend himfrom the Copa America.

After spending thenight in jail, the Juven-tus midfielder appearedin court in Santiago,where the judge freedhim from custody butsuspended his licenseand ordered him to re-port to the Chilean con-sulate in Milan everymonth under the termsof his release.

Vidal, who is homeplaying with Chile’s na-tional team in the SouthAmerican champion-ships, where he is cur-rently the leading scor-er, collided with anoth-er car late Tuesday as heand his wife, Maria Ter-esa Matus, drove homefrom a casino followinga day off from training.

. . . apologisesfor drink-driving

CHILE midfielderArturo Vidal has

issued a tearful apologyafter being charged fordrink-driving.

The Juventus mancrashed his Ferrari whiledriving under theinfluence of alcoholwhen he was on his wayback to the Chile campafter a visit to the casinoon Tuesday and wasconsequently detainedby local police.

Aguero’s diving header downsUruguayARGENTINA record

ed a shaky 1-0 winagainst current CopaAmerica winners, Uru-guay in group B en-counter in La Serenathanks to a Sergio Ague-ro header.

It was a tough gamefor Argentina’s coach,Martino, as he was sentoff by the referee in the33rd minute arguingthat a yellow card onUruguay’s Nicolas Lo-deiro was too lenient.So, the 52 year old hadto watch his team scrapea win from the stands.

Although Argentina pro-duced more chances,Uruguayan coach OscarTabarez would have beenhappy with the fact thathis team had a handful ofgenuine scoring oppor-tunities against a stubbornArgentinean defense.

Bordeaux striker, DiegoRolan was the most im-pressive and active of theUruguayans, missingthree top chances includ-ing blazing one just overthe bar from inside thebox with just 15 minutesremaining in the match.

The first half saw a tightand even encounter be-tween the two well-bal-anced teams.

CONTROL... Monaco right-back Fabinho controls the ball

Remorseful ... Vidalapologiese

•Aguero

EPL Trophy School Tour berths in Lagos

THE prestigiousBarclays English

Premier League Trophymakes a return toNigeria on Friday June19, 2015. It will be anopportunity for somelucky fans of the EnglishPremier League to catcha glimpse of the trophywon by Chelsea FootballClub in May.

With the tour, the fanswill get up close andpersonal with thePremier League as theSchools Tour opens itsdoors in Lagos.

The free family-friendlyinteractive experience is

in Lagos for the secondtime in four years afterits maiden visit in 2011.The Trophy will be inLagos for only two daysbefore continuing on abusy schedule.

The Tour givessupporters the chance tolearn about the trophyand it stands at threefoot five inches tall andtwenty four inches wide.The total weight of thetrophy is four stone. Thebase of the trophyaccounts for two and ahalf stone alone.

The trophy was cast byAsprey and Garrard, the

Crown Jewellers, themain body of the trophyis made from solidsterling silver. Thecrown is cast from 24carat silver gilt, to adepth of half amillimetre.

The base of the trophyis made from Malacite,a semi-previous stonefound in Africa. Thegreen colour of theopaque stone representsthe field of play.

The design of thetrophy is based on thetheme of ‘The ThreeLions of EnglishFootball’.

62 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015

AFCON 2017: Expect morenew faces in my team — KeshiSUPER Eagles

coach, StephenKeshi has stated that hewill continue to experi-ment with the nationalteam as the Eagles chasequalification for the 2017African Cup of Nations.

Nigerian fans watchedas the Super Eagles la-boured to a 2-0 win overChad last Saturday. Fournew faces were intro-duced to the team bycoach Keshi. He arguedthat this process willcontinue as he seeks toachieve a balance in hissquad.

“Even if you’ve had ateam for five or six years,you will still have one or

two additions or subtrac-tions to make in yourteam because we’re al-ways looking for thatbalance,” he said.

“Against Chad I hadseveral new faces andthey are players I havebeen studying for sometime. I know their quali-ty and if we had time,long enough to work to-gether it would havebeen different from whatwe saw against Chad.

“We have to do whatwe have to do to find avery solid team and Ihave confidence in thisgroup of players becausethere is a lot of potential

and we have to keep giv-ing them more opportu-nities,” Keshi said.

However, football ad-ministrator, Ahmed Gar-ra Gombe has stated thatKeshi was heading foranother failure, if hecontinued with whatGombe termed as hisuncoordinated approachto the Eagles job.

“With the way Keshi isgoing, I am afraid we areheaded for another fail-ure.

“Look at the last matchthat was played. Whatwas the pattern? Did itlook like a team that hasa mission?”

Onazi to miss two matches

SUPER Eagles midfielder, Ogenyi On-

azi has been suspendedfor two games by theConfederation of AfricanFootball following thestraight red card heearned in the Africa Na-tions Cup qualifieragainst Chad in Kadu-na.

The Lazio of Italy play-er attacked a Chadiandefender in an off theball incident. He hadsince apologized for hisaction.

A circular sent to theNigeria Football Feder-ation from the CAF Sec-retariat stated that for the“violent conduct, playerNo.17 Eddy OgenyiOnazi was expelled and

he is automatically sus-pended for the next 2official matches: 39 –Tanzania Vs Nigeria and66: Nigeria Vs Egypt.”

Nigeria play Tanzaniain Dar es Salaam onSeptember 5 on Match-day 2 of the qualifiers,and will then host Egypton March 25, 2016.

A silver medal winnerwhen Nigeria hosted theFIFA U-17 World Cup in2009, Onazi won goldmedal with the SuperEagles at the 2013 Afri-ca Cup of Nations inSouth Africa and wasalso in the Nigeriasquad that reached theRound of 16 at the FIFAWorld Cup finals in Bra-zil last year.

Akinwunmi: Process of correctingtechnical deficiencies ongoing

THE 1st Vice Presidentof Nigeria Football

Federation, Barrister SeyiAkinwunmi on Wednesdaywhile apologising to Nige-rians for the recent unful-filled dreams of our U-20National Team and the Su-per Falcons disclosed thatthe Federation is makingmoves to correct technicaldeficiencies in all the Na-tional Teams includingthose noticed in the teamsthat were recently engagedin the two major interna-tional championships.

Akinwunmi spokeagainst the background ofthe inability of the U-20National Team, Flying Ea-gles, and the Senior Wom-en Team, Super Falcons, tomeet the expectations of

Nigerians at their respec-tive FIFA World Cup com-petitions.

He said: “We have fromthe outset noticed deficien-cies in various aspects re-lating to the technical as-pects of our national teamsand moved swiftly to ad-dress the situation, henceone of our first initiativeswas to organise trainingcourses for match readersand to also buy into the Pro-zone Match Reading Soft-ware in order to build lo-cal competencies andmatch reading expertise tohelp our teams. Unfortu-nately these tournamentshave come too early for usto reap the full benefits ofthis initiative which willtake a little while to cometo fruition.

He continued: “In theSuper Falcons, we saw somuch potential, youthful-ness and ability, but it isclear that while we haveconquered Africa there isstill a lot of work to be donein the area of technicalsupport before we can takeon the world of Women’sfootball.”

The 1st Vice Presidentnoted that although the U-20 boys promised so muchbefore the competition inNew Zealand and eventhough Nigeria had prob-ably one of the least expe-rienced squads, when youconsider that Germany had8 (eight) of its players ply-ing their trade in theBundesliga, their perfor-mance at the tournamentvindicated the view of theNFF that there is still a lotof work to be done in thearea of youth football de-velopment in Nigeria. Hesaid that the Amaju Pinnickled NFF board is howeverproud of the U-20 coacheswho have imbibed the cur-rent NFF culture of usingage grade competitions toexpose the young playerswho will represent Nige-ria at the FIFA World Cupin the future instead ofadopting a win-at-all-costmentality at these youthtournaments. He praisedthem for building a core offootballers from the U-17level to the U-20 who arecapable of doing Nigeriaproud for years to come.

•Onazi

KONAMII 2015: Organisers target N3.5m for charityALL is now set for the

KONAMII 2015 foot-ball tournament billed forJuly 25 at the CamposSquare mini stadium,Lagos.

The KONAMII footballtournament is organisedby Change Africa Project

to carter for some select-ed orphanage homes inLagos.In a pre-eventpress briefing in Lagosyesterday, founder andPresident of Change Af-rica Project, OlamideOlabisi said, “KONAMIIis an inter-orphanage

homes football competi-tion which debuted in2013. It is meant to raisefunds to support the or-phanage homes and com-plement the efforts ofpublic-spirited individu-als and groups who sup-port these homes.”

He said the event thisyear will, apart from foot-ball, feature dancing com-petition, Tug of War andother cultural events.

More importantly, theorganisers are targetingto raise a whoppingN3.5million from activi-ties lined up for the dayas celebrities have alsobeen called to grace theevent.

“Last year, we raisedN1.08m and gave out 50per cent to the orphanagehomes,” Olabisi said,adding, “this year, wehope to give out as muchas 50% of whatever werealise from the event.”

The four orphanagehomes to take part in theevents include Lekki Or-phanage Home, HeritageOrphanage, Love Homein Magodo and SoughtAfter Orphanage HomeAjah.

Keshi... Stirring up controversy with his choice of players for thenational team.

Wasted Opportunity... Super Falcons’ Asisat Oshoala fails to con-vert a chance during the Nigeria v USA group D match at the FIFAWomen World Cup. The USA women sent Nigeria packing with a 1-0 win.

CMYK

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015 — 63

Full Premier League fixtures 2015 —2016

8 August 2015: Arsenal v West Ham United Bournemouth v Aston Villa, Chelsea v Swansea City Everton v Watford Leicester City v Sunderland Manchester Utd v Tottenham Hotspur Newcastle Utd v SouthamptonNorwich City v Crystal PalaceStoke City v LiverpoolW/Bromwich Albion v Manchester City.

15 August 2015:Aston Villa v Manchester UnitedCrystal Palace v ArsenalLiverpool v AFC Bournemouth Manchester City v ChelseaSouthampton v EvertonSunderland v Norwich CitySwansea City v Newcastle UnitedTottenham Hots. v Stoke CityWatford v W/Bromwich AlbionWest Ham United v Leicester City.

22 August 2015:Arsenal v Liverpool Crystal Palace v Aston VillaEverton v Manchester CityLeicester City v Tottenham Hotspur Manchester Utd v Newcastle UnitedNorwich City v Stoke CitySunderland v Swansea City Watford v SouthamptonW/Bromwich Albion v ChelseaWest Ham United v Bournemouth.

29 August 2015:Aston Villa v SunderlandBournemouth v Leicester CityChelsea v Crystal PalaceLiverpool v West Ham UnitedManchester City v WatfordNewcastle United v ArsenalSouthampton v Norwich CityStoke City v W/Bromwich Albi-onSwansea City v Manchester Unit-edTottenham Hotspur v Everton.

12 September 2015:Arsenal v Stoke CityCry stal Palace v Manchester CityEverton v ChelseaLeicester City v Aston VillaManchester Utd v LiverpoolNorwich City v BournemouthSunderland v T o t t e n h a mHotspurWatford v Swansea CityW/Bromwich Albion v SouthamptonWest Ham United v Newcastle Utd.

19 September 2015:Aston Villa v W/Bromwich AlbionBournemouth v SunderlandChelsea v ArsenalLiverpool v Norwich CityManchester City v West Ham UnitedNewcastle Utd v WatfordSouthampton v Manchester UnitedStoke City v Leicester CitySwansea City v EvertonTottenham Hots. v Crystal Palace.

26 September 2015:Leicester City v Arsenal Liverpool v Aston VillaManchester Utd v Sunderland Newcastle United v Chelsea Southampton v Swansea City Stoke City v Bournemouth Tottenham Hots. v Manchester City Watford v Crystal Palace W/Bromwich Albion v Everton West Ham United v Norwich City.

3 October 2015:Arsenal v Manchester United Aston Villa v Stoke City Bournemouth v Watford Chelsea v Southampton Crystal Palace v W/Bromwich Albion Everton v LiverpoolManchester City v Newcastle United Norwich City v Leicester City Sunderland v West Ham United Swansea City v Tottenham Hotspur.

17 October 2015:Chelsea v Aston Villa Crystal Palace v West Ham United Everton v Manchester United Manchester City v Bournemouth Newcastle United v Norwich City Southampton v Leicester City Swansea City v Stoke City Tottenham Hots. v Liverpool Watford v Arsenal W/Bromwich Albion v Sunderland.

24 October 2015:Arsenal v Everton Aston Villa v Swansea City Bournemouth v Tottenham Hotspur Leicester City v Crystal Palace Liverpool v Southampton Manchester Utd v Manchester City Norwich City v W/Bromwich Albion Stoke City v Watford Sunderland v Newcastle United West Ham United v Chelsea

31 October 2015: Chelsea v Liverpool Crystal Palace v Manchester UnitedEverton v Sunderland,Manchester City v Norwich City,Newcastle United v Stoke City Southampton v Bournemouth Swansea City v Arsenal Tottenham Hots. v Aston VillaWatford v West Ham UnitedW/Bromwich Albion v Leicester City.

7 November 2015:Arsenal v Tottenham HotspurAston Villa v Manchester CityBournemouth v Newcastle UnitedLeicester City v WatfordLiverpool v Crystal Palace Manchester United v W/Bromwich Albion, Norwich City v Swansea City Stoke City v Chelsea Sunderland v Southampton West Ham United v Everton.

21 November 2015:Chelsea v Norwich CityCrystal Palace v SunderlandEverton v Aston Villa,Manchester City v LiverpoolNewcastle United v Leicester CitySouthampton v Stoke CitySwansea City v BournemouthTottenham Hotspur v West Ham UnitedWatford v Manchester UnitedW/Bromwich Albion v Arsenal.

28 November 2015:Aston Villa v WatfordBournemouth v Everton

Crystal Palace v NewcastleUnited Leicester City v ManchesterUnited, Liverpool v Swansea City Manchester City vSouthampton, Norwich City v ArsenalSunderland v Stoke City Tottenham Hotspur v ChelseaWest Ham United v W/Bromwich Al-bion.

5 December 2015:Arsenal v Sunderland Chelsea v Bournemouth,Everton v Crystal Pal-ace Manchester United v West HamUnited Newcastle United v LiverpoolSouthampton v Aston Villa Stoke City v Manchester CitySwansea City v Leicester CityWatford v Norwich CityW/Bromwich Albion v TottenhamHotspur.

12 December 2015:Aston Villa v Arsenal, Bournemouth v Manchester Utd Crystal Palace v Southampton Leicester City v Chelsea Liverpool v W/Bromwich AlbionManchester City v Swansea City, Norwich City v EvertonSunderland v Watford, Tottenham Hots. v Newcastle United,West Ham United v Stoke City.

19 December 2015:Arsenal v Manchester City Chelsea v SunderlandEverton v Leicester CityManchester Utd v Norwich City,Newcastle United v Aston VillaSouthampton v Tottenham Hots.Stoke City v Crystal Palace,Swansea City v W/Ham United,Watford v Liverpool,W/Bromwich Albion v Bournemouth.

26 December 2015 Bournemouth v Crystal PalaceAston Villa v West Ham UnitedChelsea v WatfordLiverpool v Leicester CityManchester City v SunderlandNewcastle Utd v EvertonSouthampton v ArsenalStoke City v Manchester Utd Swansea City v W/Bromwich AlbionTottenham Hots. v Norwich City.

28 December 2015Arsenal v BournemouthCrystal Palace v Swansea City Everton v Stoke CityLeicester City v Manchester CityManchester Utd v ChelseaNorwich City v Aston Villa Sunderland v LiverpoolWatford v Tottenham Hots.W/Bromwich Albion v Newcastle Utd,

West Ham United v Southampton.

2 January 2016Arsenal v Newcastle United,Crystal Palace v ChelseaEverton v Tottenham Hots Le-icester City v BournemouthManchester Utd v Swansea City Norwich City v Southampton Sun-derland v Aston Villa Watford v Manchester City,W/Bromwich Albion v Stoke City West Ham United v Liverpool.

12 January 2016 (7.45pm unlessstated):Aston Villa v Crystal PalaceBournemouth v West Ham United(8pm), Liverpool v Arsenal Swansea City v Sunderland.

13 January 2016 (7.45pm unlessstated):Chelsea v W/Bromwich Albion Manchester City v Everton Newcastle United v Manchester Utd Southampton v WatfordStoke City v Norwich CityTottenham Hots. v Leicester City(8pm).

16 January 2016:Aston Villa v Leicester City,Bournemouth v Norwich City Chelsea v EvertonLiverpool v Manchester UtdManchester City v Crystal PalaceNewcastle United v West Ham UnitedSouthampton v W/Bromwich AlbionStoke City v ArsenalSwansea City v WatfordTottenham Hots. v Sunderland.

23 January 2016:Arsenal v Chelsea,Crystal Palace v Tottenham Hots.Everton v Swansea CityLeicester City v Stoke City Manchester Utd v Southampton Norwich City v LiverpoolSunderland v BournemouthWatford v Newcastle UnitedW/Bromwich Albion v Aston VillaWest Ham United v Manchester City.

2 February 2016 (7.45pm unlessstated):Arsenal v SouthamptonCrystal Palace v Bournemouth (8pm)Leicester City v LiverpoolManchester Utd v Stoke City (8pm) Norwich City v Tottenham HotsSunderland v Manchester CityWatford v ChelseaW/Bromwich Albion v Swansea City (8pmWest Ham United v Aston Villa.

3 February 2016:Everton v Newcastle United (7.45pm).

6 February 2016:Aston Villa v Norwich CityBournemouth v ArsenalChelsea v Manchester UnitedLiverpool v SunderlandManchester City v Leicester CityNewcastle Utd v W/Bromwich AlbionSouthampton v West Ham UnitedStoke City v EvertonSwansea City v Crystal PalaceTottenham Hots. v Watford.

13 February 2016:Arsenal v Leicester CityAston Villa v LiverpoolBournemouth v Stoke City,Chelsea v Newcastle UnitedCrystal Palace v WatfordEverton v W/Bromwich AlbionManchester City v Tottenham HotspurNorwich City v West Ham United Sunderland v Manchester UnitedSwansea City v Southampton.

27 February 2016:Leicester City v Norwich CityLiverpool v EvertonManchester Utd v ArsenalNewcastle United v Manchester CitySouthampton v Chelsea

Chelsea’s former striker Didier Drogba takes a selfie as his sidecelebrated winning the 2014-15 title.

To be continued

THE 380 matches for the 2015/16Barclays Premier League season

have been releasedChelsea will begin their Premier

League title defence with a homegame against Swansea on the week-end of 8-9 August, while Manches-ter City, who finished eight pointsadrift of the Blues, travel to WestBrom as Manchester United faceTottenham at Old Trafford.

Below is the complete fixtures forthe season.

CMYK

Full Premier Leaguefixtures on page 63

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How to Play Sudoku

Place a number (1-9) in each blank cell. (No line canhave two of the same number).

Each row (nine lines from left to right), column, (alsonine lines from top to bottom) and 3 X 3 block within abold block (nine blocks) contains number from 1through 9. This means that no number can appear twicein any block, column or row.

No mathematics is involved – no adding, subtraction, divisionor multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination.

FRIFRIFRIFRIFRIDAY'S ANSWERSDAY'S ANSWERSDAY'S ANSWERSDAY'S ANSWERSDAY'S ANSWERSTODAY'S PUZZLETODAY'S PUZZLETODAY'S PUZZLETODAY'S PUZZLETODAY'S PUZZLE

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS

QUICK CROSSWORDQUICK CROSSWORDQUICK CROSSWORDQUICK CROSSWORDQUICK CROSSWORD

It's finished!Falcons edged out ofWomen’s World Cup

Brazil wallop Senegal 5-0

Serbia beat Mali 2 -1

Cameroon revive Italy 1990spirit to create history

Page 60

BRAZIL havebooked their place

in the FIFA U-20 WorldCup final with a hugelyimpressive 5-0 victoryover Senegal inChristchurch. The

lopsided scorelineprovided an accuratereflection of a match inwhich the SouthAmericans were at theirscintillating best, andtheir African opponentspowerless to resist.

This last-fourencounter was all butover inside sevenminutes, in fact, withSenegal floored by twocrushing early blows.The first was self-inflicted, with the

luckless AndelinouCorrea turning the ballinto his own net in anattempt to cut out right-back Joao Pedro’s lowcross from the byline.And worse was to followfor Joseph Koto’s sidejust a couple of minuteslater. This time, therewas no element of luckinvolved, with classyNo10 Gabriel Jesusbursting from midfield

Continues on Page 60

IVAN Saponjic scoreda dramatic extra-

time winner as Serbiabeat Mali 2-1 atAuckland’s NorthHarbour Stadium to setup a FIFA U-20 WorldCup final with Brazil.Not for the first time atNew Zealand 2015, the

substitute was theEuropeans’ hero, withhis goal settling anenthralling and evenlycontested match that hadearlier been punctuatedby strikes from AndrijaZivkovic and YoussoufKone.Continues on Page 60

CAMEROON haslong been

renowned for theachievements at theFIFA World Cup, mostfamously their iconic winover Argentina at Italy1990. But now the

Indomitable Lionesseshave created similarbreakthrough successwith a dynamic 2-1 winover Switzerlandcatapulting them intohistoric qualification forContinues on Page 60

END OF THE ROAD— Josephine Chukwu-nonye of Falcons isdistraught at the end ofthe FIFA Women'sWorld Cup 2015Group D match be-tween Nigeria andUSA. USA 1 Nigeria 0

ACROSS1 Formula (6)5 Strengthened (6)9 Fish (5)10 Allow (6)11 Interior (6)12 Inclined (5)14 Pace (4)17 Colour (3)18 Lake (4)20 Consumer (5)22 Drilled (5)23 With claws (7)24 Started (5)26 Principle (5)29 Hero (4)30 Crowd (3)32 Entice (4)33 Aviator (5)35 Lecture (6)36 Aeroplane (6)37 Memorise (5)38 Knocked (6)39 Costlier (6)

DOWN1 Rest (6)2 Floor-covering (6)3 Bucket (4)4 Go in (5)5 Unseeing (5)6 Tear (4)7 Stove (6)8 Dashed (6)13 Air-spray (7)15 Domesticated (5)16 Leaf (5)18 Pattern (5)19 Allude (5)21 Managed (3)22 Wager (3)24 Lodgings (6)25 Tattle (6)27 Figure (6)28 Tormentor (6)30 Booby-trapped (5)31 Plank (5)33 Staff (4)34 Prong (4)

ACROSS: 4, Fling 7, Callow 9, Too 10, Rat12, Owner 13, Chef 15, Irate 17, Guitar 19,Role 20, Agent 22, Dip 24, Derided 27, Met28, Roost 31, Fear 33, Siting 35, Actor 37,Erse 38, Cavil 39, Nag 41, Saw 42, Pursue43, Hewed.

DOWN: 1. Acacia 2, Allege 3, For 4, Foot5, Lower 6, Needless 8, Wait 11, Tradition14, Fund 16, Arid 18, Item 21, Generate23, Peri 25, Rest 26, Done 29, Ogress 30,Teemed 32, Raise 34, Trap 36, Clad 40,Gun.

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