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•Says no merit in embattled governor's appeal•Rivers Speaker, 19 others to appeal tribunal judgment•It's a gang-up, says Wike, as Peterside hits back•278 firms bid for NNPC's 950,000 bpd crude deal

See Inside

COLUMNIST:

Witch-hunts inglobal perspective

•P.17

Mr & Mrs

Continues on Page 5

UNIZIKstudentsproduce minibus

Usani Usani NguruZainab Ahmed Mahammed Dan-Aliu Bawa Bwari

Geoffery Onyema Isaac Adewole

By JimitotaOnoyume &

Ikechukwu Nnochiri

ABUJA — GovernorNyesom Wike of

Rivers State, yesterday,lost his bid to use theSupreme Court to oustthe judgment of theRivers StateGovernorship ElectionPetition Tribunal thatsacked him from officelast week Saturday.

This happened as 20members of Rivers StateHouse of Assemblywhose election was

MINISTERS SCREENED YESTERDAY

You can't stop tribunal,S-Court tells Wike

10

OSHODI-APAPA GRIDLOCK:

Senate seeksimmediate reactivationof port rail lines

21

FRCwrong onallegedmisreporting,saysStanbicIBTC

VISIT: Governor ofLagos State, Mr.Akinwunmi Ambodepresenting a souvenir toMr. Rakesh Kapoor,Global Group CEO, RBPlc when Kapoor visitedthe governor at LagosHouse, Alausa, Ikeja, aspart of his working visitto Nigeria, yesterday.

The Ile-Ife andYoruba of mydream, byOoni-elect,AdeyeyeOgunwusi

46

Fuji maestro,KWAM 1,arrested, quizzedfor 6 hours 7

15

8

...towards a better life for the people

N150VOL. 25: NO. 62614

ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015

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POCKET CARTOONVanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015—5

IT'S UP TO YOUBY AYO ADIO

TAKE HEARTBY ELLA RANDLE

You can't stop tribunal, S-Courttells Wike

SAYINGS OF OUR PEOPLE

Kindness is the language which the deafcan hear and the blind can see.

nullified by the statelegislative electionpetition tribunal, appealedagainst the judgment.

Wike had gone beforethe apex court tochallenge the jurisdictionand competence of thetribunal to conducthearing on the petitionfiled against his electionby the All ProgressivesCongress, APC, and itsgovernorship candidatein the state, Dr. DakukuPeterside, outside RiversState where the saidelection held.

He contended that theaction of the President ofthe Court of Appeal,Justice ZainabBulkachuwa, in relocatingthe tribunal to Abujawithout due consultationwith either the ChiefJudge of the state orPresident of theCustomary Court ofAppeal, was in breach ofSection 285(2) of the 1999Constitution, as amended,and the Electoral Act,

2010.Wike urged the apex

court to hold that formerchairman of the tribunal,Justice Muazu Pindiga,was wrong to havedismissed the preliminaryobjection he filed againstthe jurisdiction of thepanel to continue furtherhearing on the petition,outside Rivers State.

Besides, he wanted theSupreme Court to setaside the verdict of theAbuja Division of theCourt of Appeal whichhad on September 5,upheld the decision of thetribunal.

Aside the APC andPeterside, also joined as3rd and 4th respondentsin the appeal marked SC/718/2015, were theIndependent NationalElectoral Commission,INEC, and the PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP.

Though both INEC andPDP did not file anyprocess in support ofWike’s appeal, however,the two respondents,made oral submissionsthrough their counsel, Dr.

Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN,and Mr. Gordy Uche,SAN, urging the apexcourt to rule that thetribunal lacked theterritorial jurisdiction toentertain the petitionagainst the appellant.

Meantime, deliveringjudgment on the matter,yesterday, a seven-manpanel of justices of theapex court led by JusticeJohn Fabiyi, affirmed theverdicts of the two lowercourts.

Dismissing Wike’sappeal as lacking in merit,the Supreme Courtmaintained that thetribunal was validlyconstituted and entitled tosit in Abuja to exercise itsjurisdiction.

The court, yesterday,faulted Wike for placingreliance on the decidedcase law in Ibori vsOgboru, saying the casewas distinguishable fromhis own matter.

According to JusticeAmiru Sanusi who readthe lead judgment, “Ihave considered thesubmission of parties andprovisions of the law andarrived at the conclusionthat the facts in the case ofIbori vs Ogboru which wasrelied upon by theappellant, aredistinguishable from thefacts in this case.

“On the former case, itwas the tribunal that on itsown volition, decided torelocate to Abuja while inthe instant case, there weresecurity challenges inRivers State before thetribunal was relocated.

“More importantly,evidence abound thatthere were serious securitychallenges prevailing inRivers State that called fora doctrine of necessity tobe adopted.

“Based on ground ofdoctrine of necessity, thePresident of the Court ofAppeal (PCA) deemed itproper and expedient torelocate the tribunal toAbuja and that was tosafeguard the lives of thechairman and members ofthe tribunal.

“I am therefore inagreement with the lower

court. Similarly, the caseof Ogboru vs PCA andDalhatu vs Turaki areirrelevant andinapplicable to theinstant appeal in view ofthe disparity with the factsin the case at hand.

“I hold that the tribunalwas properly constitutedby the PCA even withoutconsultation with theChief Judge or Presidentof the Customary Courtof Appeal in Rivers State.

“The PCA has thepower to relocate thetribunal to Abuja to hearand determine thepetition in view ofsecurity challengesprevalent in Rivers statethen. Therefore thetribunal was properlyconstituted.

No merit in theappeal — S-Court

“I am unable to see anymerit in this appeal andI hereby dismiss itwithout any order as tocost”, Justice Sanusiheld.

While concurring withthe lead verdict, JusticeFabiyi who presided overthe apex court panel,noted that at the time thetribunal was relocated toAbuja, there was nositting Chief Judge orPresident of theCustomary Court ofAppeal in the state thatthe PCA would haveconsulted as prescribedin Section 285(2) of theConstitution.

“That in effect madethe use of the word shall’in the constitution notfeasible. The doctrine ofnecessity that wasadopted by the PCA wason point. Like they saidin natural sciences,prevention is better thancure. The PCA tookpreemptive measures tosafeguard the lives of thetribunal chairman andmembers”, he added.

Other members of theapex court panel whoagreed that Wike’sappeal was devoid ofmerit were Justices MaryPeter-Odili, JosephAriwola, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, SuleimanGaladima and InyangOkoro .

Meanwhile, Wike hasgone before the Court ofAppeal in Abuja tochallenge thenullification of hiselection by the JusticeSuleiman Ambursa-ledtribunal.

Wike is contending thatthe judgment of thetribunal was against theweight of evidenceadduced before it.

He specifically faultedthe tribunal for placingreliance on a mereelection guideline thatINEC issued prior to theApril 11 gubernatorialpoll in the state, ratherthan the Electoral Actitself.

Wike further arguedthat the tribunal failed torevert itself to an earlierdecision by anothergovernorship panel thatsat in Lagos State in the

case between Jimi Agbajeand Governor AkinwunmiAmbode, where the issueof Card Reader was alsodecided.

It will be recalled thatthe Justice Ambursa-ledpanel had in its judgmenton Saturday, upheld thepetition against Wike,stressing that thepetitioners were able tosuccessfully prove that thegovernorship poll wascharacterised by violenceand malpractices.

“We are satisfied withevidence of the petitionersto the effect thatsubstantial number ofelectorates in Rivers Statewere disenfranchised as aresult of massive andwidespread irregularities.

“We are furtherconvinced that theelection was characterisedby corrupt practices.Consequently, we holdthat the 2nd Respondent(Wike) was not validlyelected. We hereby orderthe 1st Respondent(INEC) to conduct a freshelection in Rivers State”,the tribunal ruled.

Besides, it was the viewof the panel that INECdid not conduct theelection in substantialcompliance with both theElectoral Act and its ownguidelines for the poll.

It noted that whereasthe Commission had in apress release it issuedprior to the election,stressed that Card ReaderMachines must be used toaccredit voters, thetribunal said that evidencethat were adduced beforeit showed that contrary tothat directive, INECofficials resorted tomanual accreditation ofvoters for the poll.

The tribunal equallyobserved that INEC’sdirective that electionshould be postponed inany polling unit where theCard Reader Machinemalfunctioned, was notadhered to.

According to thetribunal, “Guidelines thatwere issued by INEC forthe conduct of the electionwere clear andunambiguous to the effectthat where Card Readerfails, poll should bepostponed rather thanresort to manualaccreditation. It was notfor anybody to go outsidethe guidelines.

“We have alsoconsidered the potency ofthe evidence tendered bypetitioners’ witnesses and

we are satisfied that thepetitioners succeeded inproving that the electionwas characterised by widespread irregularities,violence and ballotsnatching.

“We are satisfied thatthe petitioners were ableto discharge the burdenof proof placed uponthem by the law. Thepetitioners were able toprove that electorateswere disenfranchised”.

The tribunal held thatwitnesses that werebrought by both INECand Wike “were full ofinconsistencies”.

It observed that most ofthe witnesses called byINEC, during cross-examination, admittedthat where the cardReader Machines failed,they resorted to manualaccreditation. Besides,the tribunal said that itfound out that in somepolling units, number ofvoters exceeded thenumber of thoseaccredited with the CardReader.

Rivers Speaker,19 others toappeal tribunaljudgementMeanwhile, Speaker of

the Rivers state House ofAssembly, Hon. IkuinyiOwaji Ibani and 19 otherstate lawmakers whoseelections were nullifiedon Monday by the statelegislative electoraltribunal have appealedthe judgement.

The Speaker, HonIbani who addressednewsmen in his office atthe state House ofAssembly complex in PortHarcourt yesterdayexpressed hope that thejudgement of the lowertribunal will be upturnedat the appeal court. Hefurther dismissed asuntrue media reportsthat he and nineteenothers were no longermembers of the stateHouse of Assembly.According to him, theystill remained membersof the House, addingthat he was hopeful hewould complete histenure as lawmaker.

“I heard over the newsthat the speaker and 20others have been sackedby the election tribunal.

"No member, not eventhe Speaker has beensacked."

Continues from Page 1

THE most significant step in the journey tosuccess is the first step, be bold to take it and

never stop moving. It's up to you.

Follow three rules: Respect yourself, Respectothers, and take responsibility for your actions—Dalai Lama

TAKING full responsibility for one’s life is thekey to living a life of absolute freedom. It means

to stop blaming others, the unreasonable demandingemployer, ungrateful children, unpredictableweather; irritating spouse, unreliable friend,unreliable government, unfavorable circumstances,and even the feeling that life’s not fair on us.Blaming everybody else is great until you’ve got noone to blame but yourself. Instead, realize that youare the creator of your own life story.

DEPARTURE—President Muhammadu Buhari being bidded farewell bythe Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase; Permanent SecretaryState House, Mr. Nebolisa Emordi; the Permanent Secretary FCT, Mr. JohnChukwu and others as the President departed for the 3rd Indo-African Summitin New Delhi, India from the Presidential Wing, Nnamdi Azikiwe InternationalAirport, Abuja, yesterday. Photo: Abayomi Adeshida

6—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015

Lady allegedly stabs native doctorto death in Edo

Suspected robbers attack ex-LG boss in KogiBy Kingsley Fanwo

By Gabriel Enogholase

Police nab5suspectedassassins inImo

By Chidi Nkwopara

By Francis Igata

By Bartholomew Madukwe

Rescue 3 doctorsfrom kidnappers

Missing

A LEBANESEIntenational passport

belonging to Mr. KhaledSaid has been declaredmissing. The said passportwith number 2526622 wasreported missing sinceOctober 10, 2015 and allefforts to trace it hadproved abortive.

If found, please, returnto nearest Police station.

BENIN—A 44-year-old nativedoctor, simply identified as

Owe, has been allegedly stabbedto death in Benin City.

The victim was said to have

LOKOJA—A gang of robbersstruck last weekend, at Itakpe,

a community located alongLokoja-Okene Road, attackinghapless victims, including theformer chairman of MopamuroLocal Government Area, SogoWilliams.

Eyewitness account had it thatthe robbery took place less than400 meters from one of thecampuses of Kogi StatePolytechnic located in theindustrial town.

The prompt response by acombined security team of thearmy and mobile policemensaved others from being attackedby the heavily armed robbers.

Narrating his ordeals toVanguard, Sogo Williams saidthe robbers dispossessed him ofvaluables during the attack.

“I was going to Mopamurofrom Lokoja on the fateful day.My vehicle was waylaid by therobbers who were heavily armed.

‘’After dispossessing me of myvaluables and money, they took

me into the bush. It took theintervention of the security agentsto rescue me from them,” he said.

When Vanguard visited thescene of the robbery, residents ofthe community called on securityagencies to step up theirsurveillance as robbery was fastbecoming the order of the day inthe area.

A resident, who soughtanonymity, said: “For sometimenow, this area has been notoriousfor robbery. They have robbed

and maimed so many people hereover the past six months.

‘’My worry is how they alwaysgo scot free, despite the presenceof security check points alongLokoja-Okene Road. TheCommissioner of Police should dosomething about the issueurgently.”

Motorists also corroborated theposition of the residents on theincessant robbery in the area,calling for improved securityalong the road.

been stabbed in the chest by alady during a domestic brawl inhis residence, opposite UseMarket Road Junction, UpperSiluko Road, Benin City lastweekend.

The lady (names withheld)

was said to be a friend of thevictim’s second wife and a guestin that house. She is now helpingthe Police in their investigations.

The Public Relations Officer forEdo Police Command, DSPStephen Onwochei, who

confirmed the story, said thepolice had commenced full scaleinvestigation into the case.

Onwochei disclosed that theattacker turned herself in to thepolice after the dastardly act.

The shrine of the deceasednative doctor suffered desertionwhen Vanguard visited lastweekend.

It was gathered that troublestarted on the faithful Fridaywhen the deceased did not meethis second wife at home after hereturned from his third wife'sresidence where he spent thenight.

She was said to have gone toLagos Street for shopping.

Sources hinted that theintervention of other persons whowere in the apartment as theviolence raged could not placatehis anger, but got extended to hissister in-law, instead.

Apparently provoked by thedeceased, the lady allegedly ranto the kitchen, picked a knife withwhich she stabbed the nativedoctor, her friend’s husband, todeath.

OWERRI—IMO Statepolice command

yesterday nabbed five armedmen suspected to be hiredassassins in Aladinma Layoutof Owerri municipality.

Similarly, the command hassuccessfully rescued the threemedical doctors, who werekidnapped by hoodlums,while on their way to Isu LocalGovernment Area of the statefor a free medical treatment.

The current success storiesmay be connected with the riotact read by the Commissionerof Police, CP, Mr. TaiwoLakanu, that his commandwas fully poised to make thestate very uncomfortable forcriminals.

Vanguard investigationsrevealed that luck ran out onthe armed hoodlums when acrack team of eagle-eyedpolicemen swung into actionsoon after getting a credibletip-off and foiled their plan.

It was also gathered that thearmed gangsters were on theverge of taking off for theiroperation when the policemen arrived and roundedthem up.

A reliable source within thecommand told Vanguard thatthe target of the hoodlums wasa high profile personalityliving in the area.

Although the sourceresisted all attempts to namethe personality, he, however,revealed that the two ideas onthe hoodlums’ table were toeither kidnap or outrightlyeliminate the fellow.

Continuing, the sourcefurther revealed that assorteddangerous weapons,including guns, wererecovered from the armedgang.

“The police recoveredvarying dangerous weapons,including firearms, from thehoodlums. They have beentaken away for seriousquestioning,” the sourceconcluded.

IKEJA—AN Ikeja High Courthas fixed January 8, 2016, for

hearing of the no case submissionof Abdullahi Alao, son of Ibadanbased business mogul, late AlhajiArisekola Alao, and four otherscharged with N1.1 billion fuelsubsidy fraud.

Others charged alongside Alaoare Olanrewaju Olalusi, a staffmember of Sterling Bank Plc,Opeyemi Ajuyah, an oil marketerand her company, MajopeInvestment Ltd.

ENUGU—OPERATIVES ofthe Udenu Division of Enugu

police command have arrested asuspect who gave his name asChukwuneke Onah,forattempting to sell a car unlawfullyacquired while impersonating aNaval Officer.

He was apprehended by thesecurity operatives during theirroutine patrol on October 24, atabout 9.15am at Orba in UdenuLocal Government Area of EnuguState.

The suspect had been undersurveillance, prompting his arrestin the middle of the failed cartransaction.

Police Public RelationsOfficer,PPRO,Mr. EbereAmaraizu,DSP, confirmed thearrest in a statement, adding thatthe suspect was nabbed duringthe sale of a vehicle unlawfullyacquired.

“The suspect who was alreadydressed in a uniform suspected

SUBSIDY: Court fixes Jan 8 forruling on Alao's case

Nab notorious cultist/armed robberPolice arrest fake Naval officer in Enugu

to be that of the Navy was alreadynegotiating with a buyer inrespect of the Toyota Hiluxvehicle which he initially claimedhe brought through Customsbefore operatives closed in onhim.

“On the spot inquiry conductedon him revealed that he is not anaval officer and also neverbought any vehicle from Customsauction. Investigations havecommenced in full scale just asthe suspect is begging forforgiveness,” Amaraizu said.

Meanwhile, the Police inUwani Division have nabbed anotorious armed robbery/cultist,Nnamani ChimezieEmmanuel of No 22 UdumaStreet, New haven, who hailsfrom Obinagu,Amaigbo-Nome,Onateze in Nkanu-EastLocal Government Area of EnuguState who has been terrorizingUwani and other parts of themetropolis with his gang.

He was nabbed yesterday by

the operatives on stop and searchduty at Kenyatta axis, by RailwayCrossing. Immediate searchconducted on him led to therecovery of 13 rounds of 38 SPChief Revolver live ammunition.

The suspect revealed that hewas a member of Neo BlackMovement cult group and is

helping the operatives to get tothe other gang members.

Further search on his residenceled to the recovery of six locallymade double barrel shot gunsloaded with live cartridges each,as well as the recovery of sixrounds of live cartridges.

During yesterday’s proceeding,the trial judge, Justice LateefatOkunnu, dismissed theapplication of Ajuyah’s counsel,Mr. O. Ajanaku, to bring backPW2 (Omolara King- staff ofPetroleum Products PricingRegulatory Agency, PPPRA) toclarify some grey areas in herdefence.

It would be recalled that twoprosecution witnesses, IreneMoses and KehindeAkinmolayan, were recalled bythe prosecution.

WALK FOR POLIO: Rotarians during the 7.3 kilometers awareness walk to commemorateWorld Polio Day 2015, in Lagos.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015—7

Police arrest suspected kidnapper ofThe Sun DMD's wife

By Evelyn Usman

By Evelyn Usman & EbereAham

I killed our rival to avenge my brother's death—Suspected cultist

ABEOKUTA—MEN of OgunState Police Command,

yesterday, quizzed a popular fujiicon, Wasiu Ayinde, popularlycalled KWAM 1, over the shootingof a student of Olabisi OnabanjoUniversity Ago-Iwoye, threeweeks ago.

Vanguard gathered that, KWAM1, who arrived the EleweranCommand headquarters of thepolice around11a.m, wasinterrogated by police operativesattached to the CriminalInvestigative and IntelligenceBureau for about six hours beforehe was released on bail.

LAGOS—A self-acclaimedmember of Eiye confraternity

yesterday gave a graphicdescription of how he murderedone of his rivals during a birthdayparty held in Mushin area of Lagoslast week.

Arrested alongside the 22-year-old suspect was his allegedaccomplice.

The deceased, a commercialmotorcyclist, identified as SuraAbiola Lateef, was reportedlyattacked along with his friend,when they stepped out to buysachet water.

While his friend, identified asRilwan, was said to have managedto escape with a deep cut in theneck, same could not be said ofLateef, who was stabbed indifferent parts of his body andabandoned in the pool of his bloodand he bled to death.

Briefing newsmen on activitiesof cultists in the state, the LagosState Commissioner of Police, Mr

LAGOS—THE Police in Lagoshave arrested one of the

suspected kidnappers of wife ofThe Sun Deputy ManagingDirector, Mrs Toyin Nwosu. Thesuspect, Vanguard gathered, wasarrested in Kogi State.

However, the suspect, OdoSylvester, an undergraduate ofKogi State University, claimed heonly posed as one of thekidnappers in order to extortmoney from Mr Steve Nwosu, tobuy some handouts and furnish hisapartment.

Sylvester, a 200 level student ofEconomics, told a bewilderedcrowd at the Lagos State PoliceCommand where he was paradedalongside 44 other suspectedcriminals, yesterday that hedemanded N2 million as ransomfrom Mr. Nwosu.

He said: “I am not a kidnapper. Ido not know what a kidnapperlooks like. Greed led me into this.When I read about the kidnap ofThe Sun DMD’s wife abduction, Idecided to hijack the opportunityto play a fast one on her husbandin order to raise money to buy somehandouts and also furnish myapartment.

"Immediately, I bought a copy ofThe Sun newspaper and got thenumber of the DMD from the backpage. I dialled the number anddemanded for N100,000 from him,saying I would assist him securethe release of his wife. He told mehe had N2.5 million on ground asransom. When I heard that, Ibecame cold because I have never

I only seized the opportunity to raise money for handouts—Suspect

counted a million in my life, letalone N2.5 million.

"He told me to send my accountdetails but I told him I wouldget back to him. When I calledagain, I demanded for N2million.

"Again, I called next day tonegotiate on how to get the N2million, only for him to inform methat some people had called him,claiming they were the abductors.That ended my call to him. Thisthing started in a day and alsoended in one day.

"But to my shock, some plainclothes policemen stormed myschool while I was in class and

whisked me away. I am not akidnapper. I never collected anymoney from them. My intentionwas just to collect the N100,000and refund anything more thanthat,” he said.

Briefing newsmen on thearrest, the Lagos StateCommissioner of Police, MrFatai Owoseni, saidinvestigation was still ongoingto apprehend others involved inthe abduction of Mrs Nwosu.

It would be recalled that MrsNwosu was abducted right inthe presence of her familymembers, from their Lagosresidence in Amuwo-Odofin,

Festac area,Lagos, at about 2:30amon Monday,September 14,2015, by somegunmen whoinvaded thearea.

H e rabductors weresaid to havee s c a p e dthrough thecanal at Amuwoarea withToyin, who was,h o w e v e r ,released a fewdays later.

SHOOTING OF VARSITY STUDENT:

Ogun Police quiz WasiuAyinde for 6 hours

Mrs Toyin Nwosu

The suspect, Odo Sylvester

The student, identified asAzeez Kofoworola of theDepartment of BusinessEducation, was reportedly shot onSaturday, October 10 by one ofthe band members of the King ofFuji which led to abruptsuspension of the show whichheld at Limelight Hotel in Ago-Iwoye during a party organisedby the owner of the hotel to markthe Ago-Iwoye day.

Checks by Vanguard revealedthat the Fuji maestro who hadbeen invited by the Police forinterrogation and had reportedlyrefused, would have beendeclared wanted if he had failedto appear before the Policeyesterday.

It was gathered that the Fujimaestro was drilled for close tosix hours before he was releasedon bail after he provided areliable surety on the conditionthat such surety would producehim anytime he was summonedby the Police.

The acting Police PublicRelations Officer, AbimbolaOyeyemi, who confirmed theinterrogation , said Wasiu’s casehad been transferred to theCriminal Investigative andIntelligence Bureau on the orderof the Commissioner of Police.

Oyeyemi further said that KWAM 1left the premises of the EleweranCommand Headquarters around 5:30pmon the promise that he would makehimself available for further policeinvestigation.

It would be recalled that Kofoworolawas said to have been hit by the bulletallegedly fired by King Wasiu Ayinde’sband boys while sitting inside anunregistered Honda Accord carbelonging to an officer of the NigeriaSecurity and Civil Defence Corps,NSCDC, identified as Hassan Afeez.

She was subsequently admitted at theGeneral Hospital, Ijebu-Ode fortreatment.

By Daud Olatunji

Fatai Owoseni, said thecommand had launched amanhunt for cultists, disclosingthat over 20 suspected cultistshad been arrested betweenOctober 18 and 21, 2015.

Among them were 22-year-oldMorufu Liadi and RilwanBalogun who confessed to havehad a hand in the late commercialmotorcyclist's death.

Speaking with Vanguard, Liadiwho showed no sign of remorse,said the killing of late Lateef wasto avenge the death of his elder

brother.He said: “I am a vulcanizer. I

was forced to join the Eiyeconfraternity last year in order toavenge the death of my brotherwho was murdered by cultistsseven years ago. I waited untillast year to join because by then,I was only 15 years old and I wastold that I was too young to joina cult.

“ Last Sunday, I was invited

to a birthday bash at AgbekoladeStreet, Mushin, where membersof Aye were in attendance. Whilethere, my friend (pointing toBalogun who sat by his side)showed me a young man namedLateef, who he said was amongthose that murdered my elderbrother, Azeez, seven years ago.He said Lateef was one of Aye’shit men.

"Immediately I got up tochallenge him (Lateef ) and to mysurprise, the person with himbrought out a gun. He fired someshots at me but none penetrated.At that moment, they both took totheir heels. But Lateef fell and Iused that opportunity to stab himon any part of the body I couldlay my hands on. I did that toavenge the death of my brother .“

On his part, Balogun, a JuniorSecondary School 3 drop out,claimed he was not a cultist.Although he admitted to havepointed the deceased to Liadi, hesaid he did not witness themurder.

The suspects, according to thecommand boss, will be chargedto court thereafter.Late Sura Abiola Lateef.

The suspects, Morufu Liadiand Rilwan Balogun.

8—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015

Fuelscarcityblamedon FG'ssubsidy debt

By Ediri Ejoh &Prince Okafor

ABUJA—THE NigerianNational Petroleum

Corporation, NNPC,yesterday, stated that 278companies were vying tosecure the contract for thetrading of about 950,000barrels per day of Nigeria’scrude oil from January 2016.

Speaking at the bid openingceremony for the sale andpurchase of crude oil gradesin Abuja, Group ManagingDirector of NNPC, Mr. IbeKachikwu, said the FederalGovernment was committed toensuring transparency in thetrading of Nigeria’s crude oil.

He said: “The essence is toensure that nobody needs tocall me personally as IbeKachikwu for him to get crudeallocation. So, you can imaginethe burden it takes off myshoulders. It means a goodamount of my time will now gointo other relevant areas ofoperations, where the countryneeds me most.”

He assured the bidders thatconsideration would only begiven to companies that arecompetent, credible and withthe right capacity to deliverNigeria’s crude.

Bidding coysSome of the companies that

submitted bids include ForteOil, MRS, Statoil, Eni Tradingand Shipping Limited, SacoilEnergy Equity Resources,RainOil Limited, RepsolTrading S.A., Indian OilCorporation Limited,Mercuria Energy Trading SA,Gunvor and BP OilInternational.

Others are Obat Oil, Energy

Network IBG, GroundwellsEnergy International,Universal Import and ExportInternational, Global OilIncorporated, Waltersmith,Hindustan Petroleum Limited,Societe Africaine, NigermedPetroleum SA, Eterna Plc,Niger Delta PetroleumResources Limited andStrategic Fuel Fund/SouthAfrican Government, amongothers.

The contract for theengagement of qualified andreputable companies for thesale and purchase of Nigeriancrude oil grades is conductedin consonance and inpursuance of the provisions ofthe Public Procurement Act2007 and the Bureau for PublicProcurement, BPP, guidelines.

Prerequisites for 26 gradesAs part of the pre-

qualification requirements,interested companies areexpected to demonstrate thepossession of minimum annualturnover of USD 750 millionand net worth of at least USD300 million; ability to establishan irrevocable Letter of Creditfor the payment of anyallocated crude oil subject tothe contract terms as well asthe ability to pay an initialdeposit of USD 2.5 millionrepresenting the first liftingdeposit upon signing of thecontract agreement, amongother requirements.

The 26 grade of crude onoffer include Bonny Light,Forcados Blend, EA Blend,Bonga, Qua Iboe Light, YohoBlend, Erha and EscravosLight.

Others are Pennington Light,Agbami, Brass Blend, Abo,Oyo, Okono Blend, Amenam

Blend, Akpo Condensateand Usan. The rest are AtamBlend, Okwori, Okoro, Ima,Ukpokiti, Obe, Okwuibome,Ebok and Asaratoru.

... to reduce buyersGroup General Manager,

Crude Oil MarketingDivision, NNPC, Mr. MeleKyari, also said thecorporation plans to reducethe number of buyers by one-third, cutting down thenumber of companies from 43to 15 or 16.

He said: “We have realizedthat in the past, we havelarge volume of buyers— 43to be specific. What thatmeans is that we were unableto guarantee supply to anyof the customers and itopened room for optimumdiscretion.

“Discretion createdproblems, as we are unableto satisfy any of thecustomers. At the end of theday, the market becomesunstable and then you havethe long term effect of havinglower government revenue.

“Our objective is to cutdown that number. Thismeans we have to come downfrom 43 to something smaller.We are thinking in the regionof one-third of that number;maybe 15 or 16.”

Ends Nov 20He noted that the bid

process is expected to beconcluded by November 20,while the contract would takeoff from January 2016.

Kyari added that theobjective of the process wasto ensure that Nigeria’scrude oil gets to the ultimateend users, eliminate price

shocks and curb instability in thecrude oil market.

He said: “The absence ofhaving credible buyers hasresorted in a situation whereindividuals pick cargoes and theywould not know what to do withit.

“At the end of the day, it wouldbecome like an overhang and theresult is that you haveoversupply: a fake oversupplythat does not actually exist andthen the market reacts to it andthen you have lower value.”

Bids’ spreadKyari explained that the

winning bids would be spreadacross refiners, international oiltraders and indigenouscompanies to reduce risk.

He said: “Once we are able todeal with the issue of reducingthe number of buyers, we will, asa market strategy, sell to peoplein groups. The crude oil markethas category of buyers. It hasrefiners, who are the ultimate off-takers; we have tradingcompanies and then we haveNigerian downstreamcompanies.

“Among those baskets, youneed to spread it so that you donot sell to any one group. Therisk of selling to one group is thatthey can hold you hostage,whether they are indigenouscompanies, international tradingcompanies or refiners. Anyone ofthem that realize that you arestuck, you are in trouble.

“Therefore, we are going tospread our risk across this groupso that at the end of the day, wehave buyers across thesecategories and what that doesis that it creates a landing forus; it optimizes value for us andall those issues of pricing wouldnot happen.”

278 companies bid forNNPC’s 950,000 bpd crude deal

By Sebastine Obasi &Michael Eboh

L A G O S — T H Elingering fuel

scarcity being witnessedin some states has beenattributed to the refusal ofFederal Government topay outstanding subsidydebt to petroleummarketers.

This was stated byindustry stakeholders atthe ongoing Oil Tradingand Logistsics Expo inLagos.

Government’s inabilityto pay the outstandingbalance had not onlyhindered marketers fromhaving the resources tofurther invest in productimportation, but had ledto huge loan portfolios inthe books of importers.

The Chairman, OTLAdvisory Board, Mr.Stanley Reginald, saidthat the scarcity cannot beleft out of the debtgovernment owedmarketers.

He said: “There is noway the non-payment ofsubsidy cannot beattributed to the scarcity.

“The problem stillremains that marketerscollect loans from thebanks and when thoseloans are not being paidat the said time, it risesand when suchcontinues, it makes itdifficult for us to accessloans to import productsthat will service thecountry.”

According to him,about 70 percent of thoseeligible to importpetroleum products intothe country werecurrently not able to doso due to lack of funds.He added that sincegovernment refused topay outstanding balanceon subsidy, theimporters wereconstrained.

Reginald said: “There isneed for a policy shift thatwill enable us to refineour crude at home now. Ifwe convert our crude oilto finished products, wewill not only create job forour teaming population,but will derive morevalue.”

Reginald added that theway out was to deregulatethe downstream sector ofthe industry, noting“globally, the trend is toderegulate.”

UNION BANK:From left—GroupManaging Director/Chief Executive,Emeka Emuwa; EngrMansur Ahmed; ChiefMrs Nike Akande,both non-executivedirectors, and SenatorUdoma Udo Udoma,Chairman, all of UnionBank Nigeria Plc, atthe bank's new identityunveiling in Lagos,yesterday. PHOTO:Akeem Salau.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015—9

ABUJA—THE CrossRiver State

ministerial nominee, Mr.Usani Uguru, drew theire of Peoples DemocraticParty, PDP, senatorsyesterday after he said‘God forbid’ to claims thathe had once belonged tothe party.

His confirmation wasfurther put in jeopardyafter furious PDP senatorspointed out gaffes in hisdocumentation, includinghis tax clearance papersand the lack of an assetdeclaration certificate.

Uguru was one of sixnominees screenedyesterday at the Senatewith the remaining fivescheduled to be screenedtoday.

One of the nominees,Zainab Ahmed, a fostersister of Governor Nasirel-Rufai, representingKaduna State, missed oneof the lines of theNational Pledge whenshe was asked to recite it,yesterday.

Ahead of the conclusionof the screening, PDPsenators and their AllProgressives Congress,APC, counterparts werelast night perfecting theirstrategies to push forwardthe two most contentiousnominees, RotimiAmaechi of Rivers Stateand Uguru, who fell intoharm’s way by hisutterances.

The other nomineesscreened by the Senateyesterday were AdewoleFolorunsho, Osun; BawaBwari, Niger; GeoffreyOnyema, Enugu, andMansur Mohammed Ali,Zamfara.

Uguru had in hisintroductory remark notedhow he had traversed thecountry buildingrelationships.

Asked if he had donethat on the platform ofPDP, to which he wasalleged to have been amember, he responded“God forbid,” causinguproar among senators ofboth parties.

While APC senatorsstarted laughing, PDPsenators were furious.

Noticing the agitationamong PDP senators,Uguru quickly offered hisapologies, but it did notsoothe the anger in thePDP benches.

ELDER statesman, ChiefEdwin Clark, has dismissed

insinuations that he betrayedformer President, Dr. GoodluckJonathan, by reportedly sayingthat the ex-President lacked thepolitical will to fight corruption,noting that he was maliciouslymisconstrued.

Clark, who was criticised bysome associates of the formerPresident over the statement,also denounced claims that hisdecision to quit partisan politicswas provoked by the ex-President’s defeat at the polls.

In a 3,902-word letter, theformer Minister of Informationexonerated himself from thevarious allegations of betrayallevelled against him, addingthat close associates of theformer President and some partyleaders sold Jonathan out.

He further defended theformer leader’s anti-corruptionrecord, noting that his attemptto probe former Heads of State,who were fingered in highprofile corruption cases, wasfrustrated by some officials inJonathan’s government.

His words: “My statements onPresident Jonathan and myquitting partisan politics werewickedly, sensationallypresented.

“It must be admitted thatPresident Jonathan was verywilling to fight corruption, buthe believed that due processshould and must be followedotherwise he could haveinitiated investigations into thescandals of Halliburton,Siemens and other seriousalleged corruption chargeslevelled against some formerHeads of State and otherprominent Nigerians.

‘He was sabotaged’“Jonathan believed that there

are institutions set up by thegovernment, such as theEconomic and Financial CrimesCommissions, EFCC, and otheranti-graft agencies.

“Regrettably, some of thosewho surrounded him led by theAttorney General, Alhaji HassanTukur, made it impossible forthese institutions to work eitherby stopping them from arrestingoffenders or prosecuting someof the cases.

“Over 50 high profilecorruption cases are stillpending in the various courtsfor over eight years now.Laughable plea bargains andout of court settlements becamethe order of the day.

“It was at this juncture, whenthere was general complaintabout the government notaggressively fightingcorruption, that I addressed anopen petition to the then ChiefJustice of the Federation, JusticeDahiru Musdapher, November2 , 2011, complaining that mostof those charged to court,

especially former governorswho have become senators,were still pending.

“He promptly replied myletter on November 3. Most ofthe petitions written againstsome prominent Nigerians,addressed to the anti-graftagencies, did not see the lightof the day.

“Ironically, the perpetratorsof these corrupt actions werethe same persons who attackedJonathan’s inability toeradicate corruption.

“It is indeed mostdisingenuous to insinuate thatmy relationship with theformer President was based onwhat benefits accrued to me.That is far from the truth as Inever benefited any materialthing from President Jonathanin all his six years asPresident.

‘I didn't get anythingfrom Jonathan’

“With all modesty, I am at thisage contented. I state publiclytherefore, that I never soughtnor obtained any contract, oilblock, oil lifting allocation orfinancial gratification from theministries, departments andagencies, MDAs, during hisyears of administration.

“Similarly, I never solicitedfor appointments or specialplacements for any of mychildren or relations in anygovernment or private concernon account of my relationshipwith President Jonathan.

“It is, therefore, ludicrousand totally ill-motived for thesewicked and mischievouspersons to sell to the publicthat my decision portends aplan to seek any specialfavours from PresidentMuhammadu Buhari and hisgovernment, or to protect

those gains which I acquiredfrom Jonathan’s government,which never existed.

“On the contrary, my publicservice in this country, whichspans over 60 years, had givenme the opportunity to seek thepolitical, social and economicdevelopment of my people andNigeria in general. I remaincommitted more than everbefore to the economic, politicaland social emancipation of thepeople of the Niger Delta,South-South, the entireminorities and thedevelopment and unity of thisgreat nation.

“My support for GoodluckJonathan predates hispresidency. It dates back to theperiod when he was theDeputy Governor of BayelsaState.

“So, for people, who arethinking that I only knew Dr.Jonathan when he became thePresident or that I was one ofhis hangers on, I think therewill be need to give them alittle information.

‘I knew him beforehe became President’

“My relevance andleadership of my people as anelder statesman and a criticalstakeholder in this Nigeriaproject far pre-dates Dr.Jonathan’s public life andpresidency. I have beenrelevant in politics and I haveserved my people honestlyand creditably well.

“I became very close to Dr.Goodluck Jonathan when hewas Deputy Governor ofBayelsa State. I was present inLondon when the late formerGovernor of Bayelsa State, theGovernor General of the IjawNation, Chief DSPAlamieyeseigha, was arrested

at the prompting of theNigerian government underOlusegun Obasanjo becauseof his hatred forAlamieyeseigha.

“I had to cancel my flightto Nigeria at the Londonairport when news of thearrest of Alamieyeseigha wasconveyed to me byAmbassador Pereware fromParis.

“I went with a few wellmeaning Nigerians to Essexwhere we had been informedthat he was kept, but couldnot find him. We went to afew other places before wewere able to locate where hewas.

“I remained in London forone week with him to put inplace machineries for hisbail. I recall the largeheartedness of Lady AnnIyoha, who brought out thetitle deed of her property inLondon to secure his bail andalso the magnanimity ofanother woman fromAmasoma, the home town ofChief Alamieyeseigha inBayelsa State.

‘We're proud of him’“I still believe that Jonathan

performed creditably well invarious areas. I am veryproud of him and so are mil-lions of other Nigerians.

“He did many good thingsfor this nation. Ordinarily,at my age and position inlife, I should not have tojustify myself in a presscontroversy on myvoluntary decision to quitpartisan politics, particularlywhen this personal and wellintended act has comeunder unfair politicizationof persons of mediocretemperament.”

I didn’t betray Jonathan— Edwin ClarkSays he never benefited materially from him

Explains why ex-President didn’t probe former Heads of State

By Charles Kumolu

FORUM: From left— Guest Speaker/Regional Director, Nigeria and Central Africa,Alcatel One Touch, Nick Imudia; Moderator, Top 50 Brands Nigeria Forum/Chief ExecutiveOfficer, V+O Communications, Josephine Aligwekwe; Chairman, Zinox TechnologiesLimited, Leo Stan Ekeh, and Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, NIPR,Lagos, Joseph Okonma, at the Brands Nigeria Leadership forum in Lagos.

Ministerialnominee'sgaffe putshim introuble

By Henry Umoru &Joseph Erunke

10—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015

VISIT: From left—Former US Ambassadorto Nigeria, Mr. WalterCarrington; GovernorAkinwunmi Ambode ofLagos State, andCarrington's wife, Dr.Arese, during theircourtesy visit to thegovernor in Lagos.

AmuwoOdofin Repassuresconstituentsof goodgovernance

By Simon Adewale

LAGOS State Governmenthas recommended the use

of metal detectors and othersecurity gadgets by religiousorganizations in their worshipcentres as part of measures toavert any form of terroristsattack in the state.

Commissioner for HomeAffairs and Culture, Mr.Abdul-Hakeem Abdul-Lateef,who made the appealyesterday during a meetingwith religious leaders, urgedthem to also employprofessional security officersas the measure is gearedtowards ensuring safety.

He said: “We advisechurches, mosques and otherworship centers in Lagos Stateto buy metal detectors, and toemploy more securitypersonnel to ensure thatextremists or terrorists do nothave their way in Lagos. Thisis because they know how totarget soft spots.”

The commissioner noted thatno place was safe unlessresidents were proactive andvigilant, saying “you mustemploy personnel that will betrained on how to use themetal detector in order toensure that no one comes intoyour worship centre with anyexplosives.

“We will partner withreligious associations in thestate to set standards. This willafford us the opportunity toregulate the activities of

religious institutions tosafeguard the welfare ofpeople who come to worshipand not endanger it.”

… appeals judgementon LG caretakers

Meanwhile, the stategovernment has filed a notice

of appeal before the AppealCourt against the judgmentof a Lagos High Court, whichhad, on October 23, declaredthe appointment of CaretakerCommittees in the 20 LocalGovernment areas and 37Local Council Developmentareas, LCDAs, illegal.

The Attorney General andCommissioner for Justice,

Mr. Adeniji Kazeem, in astatement yesterday, saidgovernment, unsatisfied with theverdict, filed a Notice of Appealand motion for Stay of Executionof the judgment before theAppeal Court in Lagos.

The Appeal Court hasadjourned hearing of theapplication for Stay of Executionto November 18.

Lagos takes security campaign toreligious houses

By OlasunkanmiAkoni & Monsur

Olowopejo

ABUJA—DISTURBED bythe recurring and

perennial traffic gridlock alongthe Oshodi-Apapa Express-way, Senate has urged theFederal Government to, as amatter of urgency, commencethe reactivation of rail lines atApapa ports for evacuation ofpetroleum products.

It asked Lagos Stategovernment to collaborate withFederal Government agenciesto end the present gridlock.

It also, yesterday, asked theFederal Government toconsider long-term plans andexpansion of the Apapa-Ijora-Iganmu-Orile-Mile 2access trunks as well as theApapa Tin Can-Mile 2 -Oshodi corridor, adding thatgovernment should move inand address the problem inthe interest of the economy.

These resolutions weresequel to a motion by SenatorOluremi Tinubu (APC, Lagos

Central), entitled The ApapaPort Gridlock, and Co-sponsored by 106 senators.

The Senate also resolvedthat when constituted, theSenate Committee onMarine Transport shouldsummon the leadership ofNigerian Ports Authority,NPA; Nigerian ShippersCouncil; Ministry of Worksand Transport; WesternNaval Command; NationalUnion of Road Transport

Workers, NURTW; Associationof Maritime Truck Owners,AMATO, and police to dialogueon how to tackle the menace oftraffick gridlock.

Earlier, Senator Tinubu, whilemoving the motion, said: “75percent of Nigeria’s trade isship-borne and shippedthrough the Apapa ports, wherecargo and petroleum productsbearing trucks regularly causegridlock on Apapa-Mile 2 andApapa-Oshodi corridors.”

Oshodi-Apapa gridlock: Senate seeksimmediate reactivation of port rail lines

By Henry Umoru &Joseph Erunke

MEMBER of theHouse of

Representatives repre-senting Amuwo OdofinFederal constituency inLagos State, Mr. OgheneEgoh, has reassured hisconstituents of better lifeahead as he canvassed forsupport from the Federaland Lagos State gover-ments over infrastructuresin his constituency.

In a statement, Egohstressed the need forgovernment attention inAmowu Odofin and thathe had moved a motioncalling on the Ministry ofHousing and Works topay attention to Satelliteand Festac towns that hadbeen neglected for overforty years.

He expressed joy thatthe 360 members of theNational Assemblysupported his view thatwhen the minister isappointed he should payspecial attention toSatellite and FestacTowns.

THE Parish Priest ofSt. Sabina Catholic

Church, Agege, Lagos,Monsignor ChristopherBoyo, will be thankingGod for His grace uponhis life as he will becelebrating his 75thbirthday.

Boyo, who had served indifferent capacities in theCatholic Church foralmost 49 years will clock75 tomorrow, which is theofficial retirement age ofpriests from active servicein Catholic Church.

Thanksgiving masswith a reception will holdon October 31 at St.Sabina Catholic Church.

MonsignorBoyo retiresat 75

LAGOS State House ofAssembly, yesterday,

confirmed GovernorAkinwunmi Ambode’snominees for the stateJudicial and Audit ServiceCommissions.

Those confirmed for theJudicial Service Commissionare Mr. AbdulFatai Oluwole,Barrister Mojisola Shodipo,Mr. Adedayo Adekunle andMr. Rotimi Seriki.

The newly-confirmedmembers of the State AuditService Commission areAlhaji Waliu Onibon, Mr.Ositode Dosu, Mrs. FolakeOnabolu, Mr. AdekunleOtushemade and Mr.Abiodun Aigbe.

The candidates for the

Judicial Service Commissiontold the lawmakers, duringscreening, that they will ensurethat the state judicial servicewas composed of well-trainedpersonnel and that thecommission was reformed inline with the current demandsof the state.

Also, the nominees for theLagos State Audit ServiceCommission assured the Housethat efforts would be made toblock loopholes in the statetreasury and ensure that theTreasury Single Accounts, TSA,policy works effectively.

The Speaker of the House,Mudashiru Obasa, subequentlyordered the Clerk of the House,Mr. Segun Abiru, to informGovernor Ambode about theconfirmation of the nominees forthe two commissions.

Service commissions: Assemblyconfirms Ambode’s nominees

By Ebun Sessou

N I G E R I A N - B r i t i s hChamber of Commerce,

NBCC, and the Nigerian ExportPromotion Council, NEPC,yesterday, said plans has beenconcluded to lead a delegationof 40 business executives on a

five-day trade mission to theUnited Kingdom with the aimof attracting foreigninvestments to Nigeria.

President NBCC, PrinceDapo Adelegan, said themission will focus on multi-sectors, particularly the non-oil products and services.

He stated that the Chamberwas committed to increasingtrade relations betweenNigeria and Britain.

He said the Chamber ’spartnership with NEPC was toenhance its drive to attract UKinvestors to different states inNigeria.

40 biz executives for UK trade mission

By Naomi Uzor

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28 , 2015—11

Businesses to close as new Ooni makesroyal entry today

By Gbenga Olarinoye

OSOGBO—THE Ooni-designate, Prince Adeyeye

Enitan Ogunwusi, will todayarrive the ancient town to begintraditional rites leading to hiscoronation.

Prince Ogunwusi was onMonday named the 51st Ooni ofIfe by Osun State government tosucceed Oba Okunade Sijuwadewho on July 28, 2015 joined hisancestors in a London hospital.

The Obadio of Ile-Ife and thehead of Isoro cults, Oba OlajideIfaloba said: “The Ooni-designate will arrive tomorrow(today) and this is authoritative”.

It was further learnt that allshops within the ancient townwill be closed tomorrow as a markof honour for the new Ooni.

Meanwhile, sources around IleOodua, the official Ooni’s palaceinformed Vanguard that the ritesexpected to precede entrance ofan Ooni-designate into Ile Ifehave been concluded,strengthening the royal entryexpectation

The Oba Isoro, Oba EluyeleOlawenu, the Lowa Eredumi ofIle Ife, who according to thetradition will handle theinstallation rites of the monarch,earlier said only the Ifa oraclecould determine the best time forhim to enter the town.

According to the tradition of IleIfe, Ooni does not only belong toIsoro cult but also manages itsaffairs with the help of Obadio,the head of all deities in the town.

It was learnt that members ofIsoro cult held a crucial meetingto determine the form theinstallation rites would take,bearing in mind the approachingall-important Olojo festival.

Atmosphere in the ancient townof Ife remains calm with heavysecurity presence noticed instrategic areas of the town.

At the family house of theOshinkola Ruling House, therewas a police van parked with

some armed policemen.Commenting on the presence

of the security men in the area,Sooko Adegbaju Adeyinka, saidthe family was adequatelypoliced even before theannouncement of new monarch.

New Ooni: Partner FG forpeace and progress– Buhari

Meanwhile, PresidentMuhammadu Buhari yesterdayurged the new Ooni of Ife, PrinceAdeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi topartner with the FederalGovernment to achieve greaterpeace and progress in thecountry.

The President called on PrinceAdeyeye to be prepared to puthis new position as Ooni andprincipal custodian of the richcultural heritage and traditionsof the Yorubas to good use in theservice of his people and country.

In a statement signed by MrFemi Adesina, the presidentcongratulated him on hisemergence as the 51st Ooni ofIfe and successor to the late ObaOkunade Sijuwade.

“As he prepares to begin therites of ascension to the reveredthrone of his great ancestors,President Buhari urges theOoni-designate to commithimself to carrying all hissubjects along to a new era ofpeace, stability and progress inIfe, Yorubaland and Nigeria as awhole.”

“President Buhari also urgedthe Ooni-designate to dedicatehimself to building on, andsurpassing the worthy legaciesof his much-acclaimedpredecessor, Oba Sijuwade, andworking with government andother traditional rulers across thecountry to foster greaterharmony, peaceful co-existenceand faster socio-economicdevelopment of his people andall Nigerians.

As Prince Adeyeye ascends to

Fuel sells at N100 per litre in Akureas scarcity bites harder

the grand throne of the Ooni ofIfe, the President prays that GodAlmighty will grant him theimmense wisdom and courage hewill require to oversee furtherprogress and greater prosperity forhis people.”

He wishes the new Ooni a longand highly successful reign in theservice of his people and country.

More congratulatorymessages

In a related development, OsunState chapter of the AllProgressives Congress, APC,congratulated the people of Ile Ifeespecially, the Yoruba nation inparticular and the good people ofOsun State in general on theofficial announcement of a newOoni of Ife.

The congratulatory messagewas contained in a statementby the party’s Director ofPublicity, Research andStrategy, Mr Kunle Oyatomi,issued in Osogbo.

The party said with the stategovernment finally announcingAdeyeye Ogunwusi as asuccessor to Oba OkunadeSijuwade, a new era has begunin the change paradigm thatshould incorporate theparamount Yoruba traditionalinstitution into the dynamicrenewal that is currentlysweeping accross the country.

“We expect the Ooni-designate to drive thetraditional institution withsimilar if not stronger zest andpanache that Oba Sijuadedeployed to promote culture,

especially that of the Yorubanation throughout the world.

“We have no doubt in our mind,the APC said, ‘that the choice ofOgunwusi as the new Ooni musthave been based on his pedigreeand antecedent and exaltedachievement he has attained thatwould be of significant value tohis reign as the paramount rulerin Yorubaland,” the statementreads.

Similarly, the Senatorrepresenting Osun East in theSenate and the Chairman SenateCommittee on Rules andBusiness, Senator BabajideOmoworare has congratulatedPrince Adeyeye EnitanOgunwusi on his nomination asthe next Ooni of Ile-Ife.

In a statement by his media aideMr. Tunde Dairo, SenatorOmoworare prayed to God forgood health and long life forPrince Ogunwusi.

He also prayed for a peaceful,thriving and prosperous reign forthe people of Ile-Ife.

By Dayo Johnson

AKURE—FUEL scarcityyesterday grounded

commercial and vehicularmovement across Akure, theOndo state capital.

Few filling stations thatdispensed the product sold itfor N100 per litre.

Many of the stations wereunder lock and key as dealersreportedly hoarded theproduct.

Consequently, long queueswere found at the few stationsthat dispensed the product.

Reports from other townsacross the state indicated thatthe scarcity had rstarted in theareas.

Vanguard learnt that many ofthe filling stations in the statehad the products but somemarketers deliberately hoardedthe products to make hugeprofit and as a result causing

Tribunal upholdsAjimobi's election

the artificial scarcity.Some petrol attendants

spoken with said that theyhad the product in theirpumps but that they wereinstructed to stop sellinguntil further notice.

One Biyi Adedejii said thedealers were informed thatthe price of the productswould soon be reduced bythe Federal governmenthence the confusion.

He said: “I have been orderedby my boss not to sell theproduct, but he is in the bestposition to give the reason for

his directive. I don’t know. Butwe shall be selling as soon as hegives us orders.”

Contacted, the Chairman of theIndependent PetroleumMarketers Association of Nigeriain Ondo, Ekiti and Osun state,Mr Bayo Olowookere attributedthe development to theunavailability of the product inOre, Ondo State depot.

Olowookere said: “It is not onlyin Ondo that we have theproblem, it is a general problem.I think the problem is from OreDepot, if we are able to get theproduct from Ore, we would nothave had this type of problem.

By Ola Ajayi

I B A D A N —SUPPORTERS of

Governor Abiola Ajimobiof Oyo State went wildwith jubilation yesterdayas the state GovernorshipElection Petition Tribunalupheld his victory at theApril 11, 2015 polls.

His election at the pollwas challenged by thecandidate of Accord Party,Senator Rashidi Ladoja.

The three-man panelincluding JusticesMohammed Maiyaki,Muhammed Karangeand J. E. Ikede, in a threeand half hour unanimousjudgment, dismissed thepetition of Ladoja sayingit failed woefully to givecredible and reliableevidence to prove variousallegations of electoralmalpractices, violence,fabrication of resultslevelled against the firstrespondent, GovernorAjimobi.

Among the reliefs soughtby Ladoja are that heshould be declared validlyelected and returnedhaving polled the highestnumber of lawful votes castat the governorshipelection; that the saidelection and the return ofthe 1st respondent, SenatorAbiola Ajimobi are voidedby acts which clearly violateand breach variousprovisions of the ElectoralAct 2010 as amendedincluding but not limited torigging and manipulationof election results,unprecedented acts ofviolence, thuggery,deliberate refusal to usesmart card readers andallocation of votes whereelection did not hold.

The tribunal faulted allthe witnesses produced byAccord Party saying theirevidence was unreliable,inconsistent andcontradictory.

12—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015

By Emma Amaize andFestus Ahon, EgufeYafugborhi, Perez

Brisibe, Theresa Ugbobu& Ochuko Akuopha

Politicians, opinion leaders differ on Delta GovTribunal judgment

A S A B A — M O R Epoliticians and opinion

leaders in Delta State havecontinued to express divergentviews over Monday's judgmentof the Delta State GovernorshipElection Petitions Tribunal,which upheld the election ofGovernor Ifeanyi Okowa.

Speaking, former Minister ofState for Education, OlorogunKenneth Gbagi, whocommended the tribunal, said:“I congratulate the panellists forthe judgment which wasexpected for their integritybecause it was not in doubt thatOkowa won the election.

“Their judgment shows that aperson who does not have aparty structure and did notreally solicit for votes in anelection cannot sit down in hishouse and pay lawyers to goand contest the valid votes ofDeltans in court."

Also, the senator representingDelta North at the NationalAssembly, Chief PeterNwaoboshi, said: “It is aconfirmation of the true votesand choice of Delta people. It isjustice delivered. I want toreaffirm to doubting Thomasesthat Okowa will not only makehis first tenure, but will also begovernor for eight years infulfilment of the existing zoningarrangement in the state.”

Similarly, Senator IghoyotaAmori, representing DeltaCentral senatorial district, said:“The people freely gave theirmandate to Okowa and the PDP.It will be impossible for anyother court to reverse thisjudgment.”

He claimed that the AllProgressives Congress, APCand labour Party, LP, candidates,Olorogun O’tega Emerhor andChief Great Ogboru, went to thetribunal to draw attention andsympathy from their supporters,adding, “I am using thisopportunity to appeal to all thatlost to join hands with the victorsso that we can take the state tothe next level.”

Chairman of Delta Waterways/Land Security Committee, ChiefBoro Opudu and a formerCommissioner, RaymosGuanah, also hailed thejudgment.

They said the tribunal by itsjudgment confirmed that theelection in Delta State waspeaceful and well conducted inline with the Electoral Act.

Affirmation of peoplesmandate to Okowa

—Ijaw group

Also commenting, Delta Ijaw

Youth Assembly, DIYA,described the ruling as anaffirmation of the people'smandate freely given toOkowa at the April,11governorship election.

The Ijaw youth body notedthat Governor Okowa's victoryagainst Chief Great Ogboru ofLP, and Olorogun ‘OtegaEmerhor of APC, onlyreaffirmed the genuineness ofhis victory at the polls whichcould not be upturned throughthe back door.

DIYA, in a statement by itspresident, EbimoboweiOguma, Secretary GbaboyoWurus and Publicity SecretaryVincent Nadifa, said thetribunal judgement had putpaid to speculations thatGovernor Okowa and the PDPdid not win the election.

The group called on ChiefOgboru and OlorogunEmerhor to stop furtherelectoral litigation and joinhands with Okowa in movingDelta State forward.

Lawmakers urgeOgboru and Emerhor toaccept verdict

In the same vein, somemembers of the State House ofAssembly, called on ChiefOgboru and Chief Emerhorto accept the verdict of theelection petition tribunal ingood faith.

Majority Leader of theHouse, Tim Owhefere, themembers representing Okpe,Isoko South II, Ukwuani andWarri South I, SherriffOborevwori, Johnson Erijo,Alphonsus Ojo and GodwinAbigor, respectively, describedthe verdict of the tribunal as atotal victory and lucidaffirmation of the wishes of thepeople of the state, irrespective

of their ethnic nationality.Owhefere, Oborevwori,

Erijo, Ojo and Abigormaintained that the PDP-ledgovernment in the state hadadded value to the lives of thepeople through human capitaland infrastructuraldevelopment in the varioussectors of the state economy,noting that the party willcontinue to thrive in the state.

The lawmakers appealed tothe opposition parties to joinhands with Okowa to move thestate forward.

In the same vein, theExecutive Director, SocialServices Development, DeltaState Oil Producing AreasDevelopment Commission,DESOPADEC, OchorChristopher Ochor,Commissioner for HigherEducation, Mr Jude Sinebe,and a member of Delta StateBoard of Internal Revenue,Solomon Ighrakpata, MrRaymous Guanacaste,maintained that PDP workedhard to earn the victory at thepoll.

Ochor, Sinebe, Ighrakpataand Guanah recalled the pre-governorship election door todoor campaigns, the town hallmeetings, visits to severalleaders and massivemobilization of Deltansincluding market women andlabour unions, as well as thepersonality of Senator Okowa,insisting that the victory at thepoll was well deserved.

They advised Chief Ogboruand Otega Emerhor to joinhands with Okowa’sadministration in its bid toprovide prosperity for allDeltans.

We‘ll meet Okowa, PDP at

Appeal Court —Erue

However, Chairman of APC,in the state, Prophet JonesErue, said: “The truth is, thejudgment, from what we saw,is a miscarriage of justice. Ourlawyers are going to study thejudgment and definitely, weare going to appeal. Theanalysis on issue of overvoting that was not proved islaughable. I believe that theparty will study this judgmentand proceed to the appellatecourt. We are sure we will winour case at Appeal and theymay move to Supreme Court.This case will move in threestages. This is the first stageand we are definitely goingto appeal it.

“We are taking thejudgment in good faithbecause we know we haveanother chance at the AppealCourt. In the case of Sapele,for instance, during theaddress, Monday Igbuya andPDP’s lawyer appealed thatthere should be a re-run inabout 40 units. That was hisaddress. He (Igbuya’s lawyer)was pleading that theyshould go for a re-run andthey should not declareAnirah as the winner of theelection. Unfortunately, thetwist of the Sapele case issomething that we want tocontest at the Court ofAppeal.”

I‘ll meet Okowa in 2019 at

the polls —Akpeki On his part, former Chief of

Staff to the Delta StateGovernor and chieftain ofAPC in the state, ChiefPaulinus Akpeki, said hewould meet Governor Okowaat the polls in 2019.

Chief Akpeki said: “I havenever believed in winningelections through the

tribunal. Anything can happenat the tribunal. I believe inwinning elections through theballot box. The moment I left PDPto join APC, it was clear to methat I am going for a change andthat change is coming throughthe ballot box in 2019. That is myposition, so I will meet Okowaat the polls in 2019.”

He enjoined all those whobelieve in the change agenda ofPresident Muhammadu Buhariand APC in the state to join forcesto throw out the PDP in 2019 andbegin to effect the right changesin the state. “I know it is notgoing to be easy but we will doit with God on our side,” headded.

‘Miscarriage of justice’

Another chieftain of the partyand former member representingEthiope constituency in theNational Assembly, Mr. SolomonEdojah, described the judgmentas a miscarriage of justice.

He said: “From the ruling, it isobvious that the use of cardreaders is a mere academicexercise. Else, why will somestates admit the use of cardreaders and in others, you refuseadmitting the same card reader,which was aimed atauthenticating the identity of theintending voter. The ruling bythe tribunal panel is amiscarriage of justice whichshows that there is more to it thanmeets the eyes. It is very certainthat we will appeal the case andgo to the Supreme Court if needbe.”

Pa SamuelEbbah forburial

PA Samuel Ebbah of Ekuand Obaghoro in Delta

State is dead, aged 82. He diedon August 9, 2015, after a briefilliness.

Service of songs holdsOctober 29 at his Sapelehome. Friday October 30,burial and entertainment ofguest. Sunday November 1,thanksgiving service holds atAll Saints Anglican Church,Sapele, Delta State.

Late Pa Samuel Ebbah

WORKSHOP: From left: The Dutch National Prosecutor on Human Trafficking, Ms.Jolanda De Boer; Consultant, Prof. Yemi Akinseye-George (SAN); the Director-General,National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking In Persons, Mrs. Beatrice Jedy-Agbaand Dutch National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings, Ms. Corrina Dettmaijar,at a one-day training workshop for Judges organised by NAPTIP at the Barcelona Hotel,Wise, Abuja. Photo: Abayomi Adeshida.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015—13

Court okays to seizure of properties of 60 Land UseCharge Law defaulters in Edo

By Gabriel Enogholase

Itsekiri nation disowns calls forcreation of Biafra Republic

BENIN—EDO StateGovernment has secured

a High Court order to seizeproperties of 60 defaulters of theLand Use Charge Law, 2012,until the charges on theproperties are paid.

The government has equallythreatened to clamp down onany landlord who hides underthe banner of the Land UseCharge to increase rentsarbitrarily.

This came as a Benin-basedlegal practitioner, Chief AlfredEghobamien, SAN, draggedthe state government to courtchallenging its decision toenforce and implement the law,claiming the action is subjudiceas there is a pending caseagainst the law at an AbuduHigh Court.

Briefing newmen after theState Executive Council meetingin Benin City, yesterday, oncompliance with the Land UseCharge Law which came intoeffect in 2012, Commissioner forHousing and UrbanDevelopment, Mr. FrancisEvbuomwan, said, “the EdoState Government through its

agency, the Board of InternalRevenue, has successfully gota court order enforcing theLand Use Charge against 60properties. This is just the firsttranche of court orders as moreare still in the pipeline. In thecoming days, we will bepublishing the full list of 60defaulters of the Land UseCharge with the addresses ofthe properties that the courthas given Edo StateGovernment the power andthe rights to distraint thoseproperties until they recoverthe Land Use Charge dues.

“Edo State Government willnow take full advantage of thecourt order to place theseproperties under distrainmentuntil all the outstanding landuse charge fees are redeemed.

“Let me continue toencourage our people not towait for this before they stepforward and redeem their landuse charges. It is obvious thatit is a lawful tax backed by bothstate and federal governmentlaws and now, the court hasbeen able to give us judgmentagainst properties that are indefault."

Also, Commissioner for

Information, Mr Louis Odion,told reporters that the level ofcompliance with the Land UseCharge Law had beenencouraging, in spite of “thebarrage of misinformationbeing mounted by somemischief makers with a view to

inciting the public againstthe government of ComradeAdams Oshiomhole. We arequite impressed with the levelof compliance by many of ourpeople, property owners, notonly within Benin City butacross the state. Be that as itmay, we also have somedefaulters who have refused

to settle their liabilities withthe state government. As lawabiding government, we havegone to court and I am pleasedto inform you that we havesecured a court order against 60of such property owners. Thegovernment is resolved toenforce the Land Use Chargeand there is no looking back."

Attah quits partisan politics

By Chioma Onuegbu

U Y O — F O R M E RAkwa Ibom State

governor, Obong VictorAttah, yesterday, said hehad quit partisan politics,saying his action shouldnot be misconstrued asaccepting to join AllProgressives Congress,APC.

According to him, byNovember 20, he would be77, and had become anelder statesman, notingthat there had been otherstatesmen who served andcontinued to serve Nigeriaoutside partisan politics.

At a briefing organised inhis honour by Akwa IbomLiberation Coalition, Attahsaid he had always been acommitted professional inpolitics and not aprofessional or careerpolitician.

He said:: “So, I canformally state that I havequit partisan politics to playthe role of an elderstatesman and to continueto serve this country withlove, strength, and faithwith integrity to the best ofmy ability. Let nobody takethis to mean that I want toremain in the PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP, ortherefore jump to theopposite, that I am goingover to APC or any other

party for that matter”The former governor, who

was a PDP Board of Trusteesmember, criticised the PDPNational Publicity Secretary,Mr. Olisa Metuh, forcomments in an interviewg r a n t e dto Sunday Vanguard onSeptember 19, 2015.

He said that when theinterviewer insisted that hewas still a member of PDP,

Metuh said he was notsure as he (Attah) hadmade utterances for PDPto fail, saying, “Indeed Imade several utterancesand I stand by all of themincluding those ones forwhich I was, from time totime, accused of anti-partyactivities. The tragedy forthe PDP is to now blame itsfailure on such utterancesrather than its perilousrefusal to heed thewarnings they conveyed."

Urges PDP to reorder steps

W A R R I — T H EItsekiri ethnic

nationality of Warri, DeltaState, has dissociateditself from the calls forcreation of a BiafraRepublic out of Nigeria asbeing drummed by someIgbo interest groups in theSouth-East.

The Itsekiri Leaders ofThought, ILT, expressedthe group’s concern overthe Igbo agitationyesterday in a statementby its Chairman, PaJohnson Ayomike andSecretary, EdwardEkpoko.

The body is disturbedthat the proposed BiafraRepublic as widelyreported in the social

media includes the wholeof Delta State.

The statement stressed:“We recall with pains theday the defunct BiafranArmy invaded Warri andBenin in the thenMidwest Region onAugust 9, 1967. Neveragain will the Itsekiritolerate such invasion.The Itsekiri nation iscommitted to the unity ofNigeria and will do all itcan to promote and protectit as one indivisiblecountry. As MajorGeneral Philip Effiongsaid on January 14 1970,the Republic of Biafraceased to exist. We, theItsekiri, wish it tobe eternally so for thepeace and developmentof our great nation.”

By Egufe Yafugborhi

FREE EYE SURGERIES: From left: Medical Director, Gombe Specialist Hospital, Dr. ReubenMaipantaya; Director, Health Services, State Ministry of Health, Dr. James Nadi; Director,Admin and Finance, State Ministry of Health, Gombe State, Hassan El-Rasheed; Head,Government and Community Relations, Etisalat Nigeria, Mohammed Suley-Yusuf; DistrictHead of Kagarawa/Malam Inna/ Sabon Fegi, Alh. Muhammadu Kwairanga Saidu Abubakar;Member, Committee on Health and Human Services, Gombe State House of Assembly, Hon.Buba Yakubu and Hajia Jabbo Yuguda, Primary Health Coordinator, Gombe LocalGovernment, at the official flag-off of Etisalat-sponsored Free Eye Surgeries Camp incollaboration with Charity for Cheer Foundation and the Gombe State Government in Gombe.

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15 —Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015

PRO BIAFRA DETAINEES: PresidingMagistrate adjourns again to Nov 26Says court lacks jurisdiction over matter, can’t grant bail application

Inter-society slams DSS for failure to produce Nnamdi Kanu in courtBY JIMITOTA

ONOYUME, NwabuezeOkonkwo & Francis

Igata

PORT HARCOURT—PRESIDING Magistrate of

a Chief Magistrate's court, in PortHarcourt, Mr. Andrew Jaja,yesterday, ordered that 44 proBiafra supporters arrested inconnection with a protest by theIndigenous People of Biafra,IPOB, in Port Harcourt, recentlybe remanded again in prisoncustody till November 26.

In another development, ahuman rights group,International Society for CivilLiberties and the Rule of Law,Inter-society, based in Onitsha,Anambra State, has described thefailure of the Department of StateServices, DSS, to reproduce theleader of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanubefore an Abuja MunicipalMagistrate's Court in Wuse Zone2, last Thursday, as an extra-judicial captivity.

JurisdictionAt the resumed sitting of the

Port-Harcourt Magistrate court,yesterday on bail application bycounsels to the protesters, thePresiding Magistrate, Mr.Andrew Jaja said his court lackedjurisdiction over the matter sincethe protesters were charged fortreasonable felony, a capitaloffence.

He also said the court lackedpowers to grant bail to the accusedbecause the offence for which theywere charged was beyond themagistrate court.

Before adjourning the matterto November 26, the PresidingMagistrate ordered that theoriginal case file be duplicatedand copies sent to the Director ofPublic Prosecutions, DPP, forfurther investigation and advice.

He further asked that theaccused be remanded in prisoncustody till November 26. TheMagistrate this time did not allowcounsels to the accused to canvassfor bail of their clients, saying thatthey were granted fair hearing at

the first sitting of the court.He further explained that the

absence of the accused in court,yesterday, was in compliance withsection 100 of the CriminalProcedure Act.

His words: “The court doesnot have jurisdiction to entertainthe case. Section 118 of thecriminal Procedure Act providesthat persons charged withtreason/capital offence cannot begranted bail by magistrate court,but have the opportunity to begranted bail by the High Court.

“The court will do what isgenerally accepted. I order thatthe original file of the case beduplicated and sent to the DPP,through the court registrar forfurther investigation and legaladvice.”

Twenty persons were initiallycharged before an additional 24were later arraigned for the sameoffence last week.

Vanguard had reported lastweek that another batch of 24persons were being detained atthe state CID to be charged tocourt for similar offences.

The development raised thenumber of those arrested in PortHarcourt and arraigned in courtto 44.

The charge preferred againstthe accused read in part: “OnOctober 20, 2015, at about

2:00p.m., at Ikwerre Road in PortHarcourt, in Port HarcourtMagisterial District, the suspectsand others now at large, didconspire amongst yourselves tocommit felony to wit: Treason andthereby committed an offencepunishable under section 37(2), ofthe criminal code, Cap c38, Lawsof the Federal Republic of Nigeria,2004," among other charges.

Extra-judicial captivity INTERSOCIETY, a human

rights group said the Radio Biafradirector, Nnamdi Kanu's detentionhas graduated from judicialdetention to extra-judicialdetention because he is no longerbeing detained on the orders ofthe named Magistrate Court uponthe court’s harshly imposed bailconditions.Rather, the group said,he is now being detained extra-judicially according toadministrative and operationalwhims and caprices of theDepartment of State Service, DSS,since these administrative andoperational whims and capriceslately deployed by the DSS aretotally unknown to both theprinciples of the rule of law,constitutional democracy, the 1999Constitution, local andinternational human rights andhumanitarian norms.

In a press statement, yesterday,

in Onitsha, Anambra State, jointlysigned by Mr. EmekaUmeagbalasi, Chairman, Boardof Trustees, BoT, and ObianujuIgboeli Joy, Head, Civil Libertiesand Rule of Law Programme,INTERSOCIETY contended thatif the court had granted Kanu bailon October 19, the DSS ought tohave completed its verification process by Thursday, October 22and caused Citizen Kanu to bereleased in compliance with theorder of the court.

“We wish to further informauthoritatively that upon meetingall draconian bail conditionsleading to refusal by the DSS torelease the detained Biafran selfdetermination activist, thepresiding Magistrate made anexpress Production Order onFriday, October 23, 2015, forthe DSS to produce CitizenNnamdi Kanu before this courtsame date and explain why itfailed to release the detaineeupon meeting the imposed bailconditions.

The Production Order wascommunicated to the DSS by theCourt’s ambassador (bailiff) andthe Magistrate’s orderly onOctober 23, 2015, butdisappointedly, they were sentback by the DSS and the orderwas flagrantly and rapaciouslydisobeyed.

Nullification of my election is judicial gang-up against me — WikeBy Jimitota Onoyume the Election Petition Tribunal

as a gang up against himand the people of the statearguing that the the judiciarywas setting a dangerousprecedent in the country withthe way it had gone aboutelections in Rivers state.

Special Adviser to thegovernor on media andpublicity, Mr Opunabo Nko-Tariah in a statementyesterday in Port Harcourtalleged that there had beeneffort to wrestle power fromGovernor Wike through theback door, adding that legalsteps will be taken to defendthe mandates of the people

displayed in the April 11general election.

“What is going on rightnow can best be describedas judicial gang-up againstGovernor Wike, nay, thepeople of Rivers State. It isan affront on democracy anda blight disregard for the willof the people as evinced inthe April 11 generalelections.

“The courts are settingpernicious precedents byhinging their verdicts oninane points. Rivers peopleoverwhelmingly gave theirmandate to Governor Wikebut a microscopic few want

to wrest that mandate fromhim through the back door”.

Peterside condemnsWike’s attack on theJudiciary

Meanwhile, thegovernorship candidate of theAll Progressives Congress,APC in the April election, Dr.Dakuku Peterside, hascondemned the denigration ofthe judiciary by GovernorNyesom Wike, his agents andthe Peoples Democratic Party,PDP.

Peterside who spoke inAbuja said the vilification ofan important arm of

government like the judiciaryby desperate politiciansportend grave danger forNigeria and her buddingdemocracy.

He described thedisparagement and on-goingwar against the judiciary byWike and the PDP as adangerous example that mustbe checked quickly becauseof its calamitousconsequences.

“The judiciary is a sacredand respected institution.Therefore, any person orpersons who openly criticisejudges and their rulingsobviously have a sinistermotive.

O WERRI— IMOState Police

Command says it hassmashed the killer gangthat murdered a Catholicpriest, Rev. Fr. DennisOsuagwu.

According to a pressstatement made available toVanguard, yesterday, bythe Command’s PublicRelations Officer, PPRO,Mr. Andrew Enwerem, thepolice stormed the hide-outof the hoodlums aftergetting a credible tip-off.

“Following a credible tip-off from a concernedcitizen, operatives of theImo State Police Commandon October 25, 2015,stormed the hide-out of anotorious kidnap gang thatkilled Rev. Fr. DennisOsuagwu of Imo StatePolytechnic, Umuagwo,Ohaji/Egbema LocalGovernment Area of thestate,” the PPRO said.

Imo policeuncover killersof Rev. Fr.DennisOsuagwu

By ChidiNkwopara

Funeral

MR. ONYEKEREUchegbulem,

from Okpara na Duru,Umuegbe, Amaokpara,Nkwere LGA, of ImoState, is dead, aged 64.

Late Uchegbulem, whodied on October 6, will beburied in his compound inUmuegbe on October 29.

Late Mr. Uchegbulem

Former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (ret'd, left), and Secretary to Ebonyi State Government,Prof. Bernard Odoh, during a visit by the Carter Centre to the Ebonyi State Government, at theGovernment House, Abakaliki, yesterday.

PORT HARCOURT :Governor Nyesom

Wike has described thenullification of his election by

16 — Vanguard,16 — Vanguard,16 — Vanguard,16 — Vanguard,16 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015

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Vanguard,Vanguard,Vanguard,Vanguard,Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015 — — — — — 1717171717

tprincewill@yahoo.co.uk

Tabia Princewill is astrategic communicationsconsultant and publicpolicy analyst. She is alsothe co-host and executiveproducer of a talk show,WALK THE TALK whichairs on Channels TV.

Witch-hunts in global perspective

THE idea of a witch-huntseems to be trending now

in Nigeria, as everyone with acase to answer believes he or sheis being witch-hunted,forgetting the evidencepresented by the courts to justifythe case’s existence. Anothervery famous witch-hunt iscurrently taking place in theUnited States and if you’refamiliar with the term“Benghazi” you’re sure toalready know about it.

The lessons for Nigeria arestriking. In 2012, Libyanmilitants invaded a USdiplomatic compound killingfour Americans who thereforedied under former Secretary ofState (and possibly theDemocratic party ’s futurepresidential candidate) HillaryClinton’s watch.

The Republican party (somewould say in a bid to damageher presidential bid) attackedher tenure as Secretary of Stateand her handling of theBenghazi crisis, which led to hersummons by a House ofRepresentatives Committee.Hillary Clinton defended herselfduring an 11 hour hearing.

She didn’t call it a witch-huntor refuse to attend the hearing.Rather, she believed that heractions and her good namecould withstand any scrutiny.There is a lesson here for ourleaders across the politicaldivide: Hillary Clinton didn’t goseeking a perpetual injunctionstopping any judge frominvestigating her, unlike theAmaechis and Stella Oduahs ofthis world. Nor did she hire thelikes of Fayose or Olisa Metuhto scream “witch-hunt” acrossthe pages of newspapers.

Pages ofnewspapers

She attended the hearing andrationally detailed andexplained all that occurredwhich led to the loss of fourAmerican diplomats. Let me saythat again, four diplomats. Allthis trouble for four deaths. Whatabout the millions of dead anddisplaced in the North-East?

Will Fayose and Metuh makenoise for them? Will Oduah andAmaechi ask the judiciary toinvestigate whose failures, atthe state and federal level, ledto deaths, kidnapping andinsecurity in the South-South orSouth East?

Besides Wike and Amaechitrading insults, will we everknow where the billionssupposedly invested by theNiger Delta DevelopmentCommission since the Obasanjoera, all through the Yar’Aduaand Jonathan amnesty years,actually went?

Hillary Clinton never once,during the 11-hour hearing,raised her voice or challengedthe committee’s right to summonher. Yet, she is political royalty,but unlike Bukola Saraki, shedid not seem to exude contemptfor the system that dared tochallenge her authority or herlegacy. She was an adult andtook it, quite literally, “like aman”, for lack of a betterexpression. She acceptedresponsibility for the staff in her

care: Americans don’t dodereliction of duty, a veryNigerian act where we seek toblame others for our failures. Iwonder what Hillary Clintonwould have said, had she beenPresident of Nigeria when theChibok girls were taken. Shecertainly would not have deniedtheir existence like the Jonathancamp did. Nor would she have

called the whole thing “a witch-hunt” perpetrated byNortherners to destroyJonathan’s image. She wouldn’thave ignored insurgency in theNorth simply because it wasn’thappening in her back yard.

So if anyone thinks they arebeing witch-hunted today, ratherthan an attempt to single themout (there are a lot of otherwrong-doers, I agree) it issimply the justice systemcatching up with them, the sameway it will catch up with the

misdeeds of others in the longterm. Americans are losing sleepover the fate of four of theircitizens. Yet, we confidentlyignore the fate of millions, theInternally Displaced Persons,IDPs.

Witch-hunt or not, the Clintonhearing, as the chairman of thecommittee who summoned her,said, is a symbol of a veryAmerican sentiment: “It is aboutwhat this country owes everysingle American. There is nostatute of limitation on the truth”.

So the PDP needs to findanother narrative outsidepersecution, which makes amockery of the continuedsuffering of the Nigerian peoplenation-wide. But the peopleunderstand: those who are anti-change (for the record, they arehoused by both parties) growfretful. The oppressive, corruptsystem they so carefully built, isin danger for the first time indecades (we have perhaps notseen a more committed leaderto real change since MurtalaMohammed) and so they seekto hide behind ethnic bigotry,pseudo-religious sentimentsand “witch-hunts” to escapedestruction.

The assault on democracy isn’tcoming from Buhari but from thepoliticians whose mentality iscuriously that of military rule:subvert the rules, lie, divideNigerians, feign innocence,ignore the real issues at stakeand most of all, pretend to workin the interest of the people,whereas everything they do isanti-Nigeria. Paranoia in awitch-hunt claimant is seen as asynonym of guilt. In a way, thewitch-hunt trend is a positivedevelopment: it means there isfinally shame or stigma attachedto accusations or allegations ofcorruption, which plaintiffs areuncomfortable with.

Clinton never directly spoke ofthe political machinations behindher summons. Instead, shechose to raise the bar: “Mychallenge to you, members ofthis committee, is the samechallenge I put to myself: Let’sbe worthy of the trust theAmerican people have bestowedupon us. They expect us to lead,learn the right lessons. To riseabove partisanship and to reachfor statesmanship.” Nigerians,let’s accept this challenge: letjustice be served no matterwhose ox is gored.

THE King has lost hiscrown. It’s a difficult time

for the Jonathans, their heirs,associates and supporters,many of whom have turnedresentful or incoherent (FemiFani-Kayode’s defence ofBiafra is too misguidedly andconfusingly anti-Nigerian toeven be analysed, although itshows just how much theJonathan years made the PDPa sectional party).

The PDP believes there is aplot to use the judiciary to

Governor Wike and PDPremove all those thePresidency isn’t comfortablewith.

For the sake of following thisargument, let us ask whywouldn’t he be uncomfortablewith widespread allegationsof fraud and misconduct asevidenced by the courts?

For arguments sake again,let us look at the records of theFayemis, Amaechis andFasholas whom the PDP usesto argue “selective justice”: ifindeed they are guilty of Gov. Wike

improprieties why didn’t thePDP senators prove it duringthe ministerial screening?

The Senate could learn athing or two from HillaryClinton’s hearing. If the PDPfeels it has been wronged, itshould appeal the judgementthat annulled the Riverselection, the same way Buhariwent to the courts each timehe contested.

He accepted courtjudgements even when theyweren’t in his favour. If Wikebelieves he won fair andsquare then the same peoplewho voted for him once willcome out again to supporthim. If the PDP believes thejudiciary is corrupt, they hadample time, in 16 years, toreform it, rather thanenshrining a system wherejudges marched to politicians’tune.

The Ijaw Youth Council

THE IYC claims the anti-corruption war is targeted

at the Ijaws. Why do we simplifythings in the most grotesqueway in Nigeria? They askedthe UK government to stay awayfrom Diezani Allison-Madueke.What does the UK gain from“witch-hunting” her?

Simply, the UK has questionsto ask and its prosecutorswillgive the accused theopportunity to defend herself.As for the notion thatAlamieyeseigha died becausehe was harassed, it is offensive:that he didn’t go abroad for

treatment is a choice he made,one rendered all the more ironicby the number of supposedlystate of the art hospitals built byPDP members from timeimmemorial.

As for the assertion that theUK streets are owned by corruptNortherners, let the IYC restassured. There is no statute oflimitation on corruption. It mightbe easier to try recent cases, butonce we do, our judiciary wouldhave matured and gainedenough confidence toinvestigate even 20-year-oldcrimes.

Chibuike Amaechi

*Hillary ClintonIf anyone thinksthey are beingwitch-hunted today,it is simply thejustice systemcatching up withthem, the same wayit will catch up withthe misdeeds ofothers in the longterm

CMYK

OPINION

18 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015

By Syffiya Abubakar

Need for constitutional role for First Lady

•Mrs. Abubakar, is Director of PublicAwareness(Arc Devlopment Iniatiative)

DEAR Mr. President,We are concerned women in Nigeria,

who have decided to write you on behalfof 69,086,302 females (women) estimatedto be the population of women in Nigeria,according to the 2006 population census.

The overwhelming support you got in thisyear’s Presidential election to emerge asPresident of this most populous nation inAfrica is an indication of the yearnings ofcitizens for change. Alas! That change ishere. We are indeed happy for this.

As women, we were particularly inspiredby the strength of character, beauty of heartand intelligence of our dear Wife of ThePresident Hajia Aisha Buhari during thecampaigns and thereafter.

We had therefore hoped that given herpedigree of respect for all, education andcompassion for the plight of women andchildren, this administration would do thewomen of Nigeria and indeed women andchildren of Africa a great amount of goodby giving her an opportunity to functionas First Lady of the Federal Republic ofNigeria. But no, that is yet to happen. Forthis, we, the women of Nigeria in particularand Africa in general, are unhappy.

We acknowledge that there is noconstitutional provision for the existenceof such an office, but we also know thatnecessity which brought about the creation

and existence of such an office in the pasthas helped in no small measure to augmentthe activities of the Federal Government,particularly in the areas where women,children and disadvantaged citizens areconcerned.

Apart from her several donations of fooditems, medicines, toiletries and othervaluables worth millions of naira toInternally Displaced Persons' (IDPs) campsand orphanages in various parts of thecountry, Hajiya Buhari has carried outmany life- saving health interventionprogrammes, especially in the screeningand prevention of the deadly cancerdisease. Hajiya Aisha Buhari had so farcarried out the screening of over 10,000people in about five states within one year.

For instance, 2000 women benefitted fromher cancer screening and general healthassessment programme in Cross Riverstate. Similarly, in Yola, Adamawa statewhere the First Lady hails from, another2,000 women were screened for cervical

cancer in addition to testing for other healthconditions like blood pressure, diabetics,hepatitis, kidney, liver and dentalexamination.

In Enugu, more than 2,000 women alsobenefitted from her cancer screeningprogramme and medical examination forother disease conditions earlierenumerated. These various humanitariangestures came under her Women HealthInitiative Programme.

In a concerted effort to garnerinternational support for her HealthIntervention Programme in the country,Hajiya Buhari unveiled her vision andmission for Nigerian women and childrenin one of the United Nations side eventsin New York titled “Future Assured heldon 30th August 2015. There is no doubtthat the First Lady will do more for millionsof Nigerian women and children if heroffice is given a constitutional role andstrengthened with the needed fundingsupport and legal framework. HerExcellency has also supported the MedicAid Foundation, a Non-GovernmentalOrganisation (NGO) dedicated topromotion of cancer screening, preventionand treatment. The Medic Aid Foundationhas lined up a number of activities like freecancer screening and one million man walkagainst cancer during this year ’sInternational Cancer Month which started

on 1st October and ends 31st October, 2015.It is also pertinent to note the followingpoints:

The United Nations, developmentpartners and donor agencies recognise theroles of First Ladies in the past and havecollaborated with them on their petprojects.

The benefits of these pet projects are tooobvious and numerous to mention.

The presence of our First Lady in agathering as important as the justconcluded UN Summit would have createdan additional opportunity for networkingand building relationship between Nigeriaand other countries of the world.

The African First Ladies Peace Initiativeis no doubt, a laudable initiative. Nigeriacan’t afford to be left out of this humaneeffort.

As an able representative of Voices ofWomen in Nigeria (VOWIN), I plead withMr. President and other leaders who haveserved this country to urgently interveneto allow the office of the First Lady tofunction. The advantages obviouslyoutweigh the disadvantages. Mr.President’s fear of excesses and abuse ofoffice are issues we understand very well.We assure our president that thecomplimentary roles that will assigned toour amiable Hajiya Aisha will bedischarged effectively and responsibly.

The African First LadiesPeace Initiative is nodoubt, a laudableinitiative. Nigeria can’tafford to be left out of thishumane effort

The Cross River super highway

LAST week Tuesday, October 20,2015, President Muhammadu Buharibraved a heavy downpour to performthe groundbreaking rites of anambitious project that has now cometo be known as the Cross River StateSuperhighway. If completed in thenext five years as planned, it will be a260 kilometre-long dual-carriage roadthat will start from Obung Village inAkamkpa Local Government Area ofCross River State and terminate at theboundary with Benue State.

According to the state Governor,Ben Ayade, the road which will befinanced on the public-privatepartnership model (though details ofhow the financing strategy will beperfected was not disclosed) will costa princely sum of N700 billion.

An upbeat Governor Ayadedescribed the project with these words:“It (will probably be) the first road tohave anti-slip features on the highway,it is a digital road designed for the

21st Century…it is an evacuationcorridor from the (Calabar)Seaport…”

We are pleased that the Cross RiverState Government is taking up thechallenge of opening up such anambitious road corridor in a part thathas been in the economic shadows ofthe nation. We are also impressed thatPresident Buhari shrugged offpartisan considerations to encouragea non-All Progressives Congress(APC) state to commence this laudableproject with a pledge to do all that is

possible to ensure it is completed tothe benefit of the state and the nationat large.

This is a pleasant departure from thepast when Buhari, as a military leader,cancelled the Lagos Metro proposedby the Alhaji Lateef Jakandeadministration, a project that if it hadbeen carried out, would have helpedin curing Lagos of its suffocatingtraffic snarls.

This road, if completed, will have farreaching, positive impacts on theeconomic and social lives of the

people of the entire former EasternRegion, while opening up new vistasinto the Middle Belt zone and thenearby Central African economicenvironments.

We hope, however, that the CrossRiver State Government and itspartners in this project have done theirhomework to ensure it is fully realisedrather than being abandoned afterlarge sums of public and privateinvestors’ funds have been sunk intoit. The state should learn from itsexperiences of equally ambitious butlargely failed ventures such as theabandoned Tinapa project.

The successful completion of thisroad has the potentials to wake upTinapa and fulfill the yearning of thestate to overcome the handicaps ofbeing denied of its oil-producing,littoral state status and the ceding ofBakassi Peninsula to Cameroun. We,therefore, urge that no effort shouldbe spared to ensure the road iscompleted on schedule.

CMYK

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015—19—19—19—19—19

Send Opinions & Letters to:opinions1234@yahoo.com

By Ekanpou Enewaridideke

JESUS was feared and suspected beforethe crucifixion but after it he became

the love of the world, so much so that evenfor a falling man who trips over a stone, itwas the invocation of ‘Jesus!’ whichnaturally calms the mind. Life withoutJesus appears jinxed, careering down theabyss.

Somebody sacrificially emancipated theNiger Delta in the second phase after thedeath of Boro in the book of Genesis. TheNiger Delta was liberated in the book ofExodus by Tompolo. He was killed, deathcelebrated with a panache but disproved;he was declared wanted and later diedwhen the HEROSHIMA-LIKE Amnestybomb was thrown on Camp Five in 2009.From the death he rose, seated at the righthand of EGBESU. From that noble seat hedescended upon the Niger Delta as a doveof peace, development, agent of positivechange. For years this dove had flownwithout dung let loose upon anyone, noteven pedestrians and foresters. Even theoil companies, dinosaurs, behemoths,leviathans, lions, tigers, elephants,crocodiles, iguanas, pythons, gorillas andchimpanzees see him as the Prince ofPeace: unambitious, self-effacing and self-deprecatory who uses horses and donkeysas vehicles for travelling rather than jeepsand chartered flights; a man who chooseschastity over and above chronic

womanising, teetotalism overdrunkenness, only interested in activitiesbound to nourish the spirit and awakenthe psychic faculties.

For such a man he must not be feared,suspected but seen as an Angel of peace.When a freedom activist he was dedicatedand did not give it a camouflage. Now thatTompolo is on the path of peace, progressand development, why should some idleminds impute to him plans, ideals andshibboleths he had sacrificially partedway with through immersion inpurification waters in the EGBESUGROVE? The obsession of Tompolo is towalk methodically on the paths ploughedby his valued ideals and be attuned to theyearnings and demands of the inner spiritbecause from there emerges a potentdirectional wisdom steering one awayfrom missteps and macabre caves. It wouldbe preposterous therefore to argue thatupon the mind of Tompolo these lines ofthe Rosicrucion poet Ella Wheeler Wilcoxin the poem ‘The law’ dwell every day:

You are your own devil, you are yourown God,

You fashioned the paths that yourfootsteps have trod

And no one can save you from error or sinUntil you shall hark to the spirit within.

Some people are strangely born with thevirus of idleness and imputation ofmalevolence to others. And for those evilidle minds whose obsession revolvesaround concoctions targeted to paintTompolo as a shark on the prowl to devourmarine creatures as part of a convolutedmechanism RESERVOIRED andnourished by individualised envy, sheergravitation towards morbid excitement.

The demand of AMNESTY cannot bewhimsically shelved under any guise.Tompolo is a principled consistent manready to make sacrifice for his deep innerconvictions as he had once done fearlesslyas a freedom activist using wood, mouldedclay stones and sticks; he is not wishy-washy and fickle-minded. Heaped on himare epithets borne of shark-like potentials.To rain on him negative non-existentepithets so as to get him systematicallyquarantined is the most ridiculous andimbecilic adventure because the man hasnever fought a personal war; only adedicated champion of the general causeto liberate Niger Deltans developmentallyincarcerated. Much as some benightedidlers labour to paint him as a ravenousshark, or as a man that descriptively fitsinto every prediction and thereforebeyond the satanic predictions ofvindictive idlers.

God created the Heaven and the Earthonly once. Upon the face of Heaven andEarth iniquities of man are cast carelesslybut God has neither recreated Heavenand Earth nor destroyed them despitedaily provocations of man. Tompolo in his

transmogrified state would alwaysremain Tompolo, only excited by thoughtsgeared towards salvaging endangeredcreatures.

The criminals are not those who foughtthe liberation war and had amnestythrust upon as a well-thought mutualtension-diffusion mechanism but thosewho did not fight but have honed theirtalents for stoking of fire relying on thepotency of verbal logs and embers hewnfrom forests in the throes of death fromdeforestation: they are the careeristministers in the Ministry of propaganda,instigation and Lie-programming Affairs.Having progressed to professorial seats inthe Ministry with their avalanche ofjournal articles, there is always job forthem in every government. Nigeriawould move forward if PresidentMuhammadu Buhari could buildpartnership with these directors,statisticians, permanent secretaries andclerks in the Ministry but the partnershipshould be a punitively chastening one sothat these sophisticated VERBALSCIENTISTS could be perpetually caged.This done, the suffocating endlessturbulence always created with a geniusby these verbal DISTORTION-CZARSwould have sailed into the river bedbeyond trace. This would pave the wayfor engagement of individuals withpositive ideals to move the countryforwards.

Tompolo is the Jesus Christ of the NigerDelta and so on no account must he beprofaned and whimsically given non-existent vindictive connotations borne outof diseased and amnesia-stricken minds.

SINCE his ouster from powervia the March 28 presidential

election, President GoodluckJonathan has maintained arather low profile. He has mindedhis business and has said littlethat could even been vaguelyinterpreted as political. Thisshould not be surprising for a manwho must have been at the end ofhis tether by the time the resultsof the March polls wereannounced. Not only had he beentrounced by his opponent but hisparty was more or less like asinking ship that was beingdeserted by its inmates.

It was in such tatters that it’syet to find its bearing six monthssince it was sent into theopposition corner of Nigerianpolitics. But in spite of the travailsof the Peoples Democratic Party,not least the in-fighting that hasbrought it to the brink ofdisintegration, Jonathan has sofar maintained the stance of abystander.

He has been content to watchfrom the sideline as his erstwhilesupporters in the PDP fight oneanother dirty over control of thecarcass that their party has sincebecome.

Some of these remnant warlordsin the PDP who still pretend to bekeeping faith with the party are

Goodluck Jonathan’s rise tostatesmanship

alleged to have set Jonathan’s re-election ambition on the rocks bytheir pilfering of campaign fundsand barely concealedbackstabbing antics. Now they’vesucceeded in showing themselvesfor the common thieves that theyare by making it relatively easyto push both Jonathan and theirdiscredited party out of power,they are with one hand trying tohold together at the seams the torngarments of their party, whileusing the other hand to battletheir opponents both within andoutside the PDP.

Even as this drama unfolds,Jonathan has yet said nothing. Itis easy to imagine himcontemplating from the detachedremove of his political sabbaticalthe unending treachery of thesame people who propped him upas the candidate to beat evenwhen they knew he was already astale presidential product.

The scales must have fallenfrom Jonathan’s eyesimmediately the results of theMarch presidential polls came in.He must have realised he hadbeen defeated in spite of theintimidating war chest of bothlocal and foreign currencies hehad set up among party stalwartsto ensure his return to Abuja. Butrather than allowing himself to

be further taken for a ride bycontesting the result of the electionas the likes of Godsday Orubebewould have wanted, Jonathantook the honourable path ofconceding defeat and thereaftergot down to the task of ensuring asmooth handover of power, notminding the contrary advice ofboth family and party members.Jonathan looked truly tired andworn after the election. He didwell to take what he himselfdescribed as a deserved vacationduring which he stayed far frompolitics.

He was rarely seen in public andhad virtually no word for thepress, not even when some of hisardent supporters were beingshown to have bankrupted thenational treasury under his watch.He has only just started makinghis comeback to the public spaceand not even the damning verdictof his self-confessed number onesupporter and adoptive politicalfather, Chief Edwin Clark, that hewatched while corruption took ona life of its own under hisadministration- not even thisdenial by his own ‘father’ wouldchafe him. Silence has since beenthe word from his end. But whenhe finally chose to make his entry,

it was in deliberately measuredsteps. What better way to do thisthan by announcing theestablishment of his foundation,coming along with his selectionas the head of a Commonwealthmonitoring group to theTanzanian elections that toolplace four days ago? By‘ re-launching’ himself in this mannerJonathan is taking his destiny inhis own hand. He musthenceforth determine for himselfand by his own effort what wouldbe his legacy after serving aspresident.

Had Jonathan chosen to contestthe outcome of the lastpresidential election, not manyNigerians would have thought itodd. He would only be followingthe beaten path of Nigerianpoliticians. He would not havebeen short of supporters either,including his political father whonow considers him too soft oncorruption.

The odd thing he did was not tohave travelled down the windingpath of the electoral tribunal andcalled into question everythingconnected to the election. Hedisappointed many, if not all, ofhis ardent party and ethnicsupporters on this score. Hedenied them the opportunity tofurther milk him dry whilepretending to be fighting apatriotic cause.

But had Jonathan taken theadvice of those who wanted himto reject the result of the election,his name would by now beanathema outside Nigeria and inmany parts of the country. It wouldhave led to a calamity ofunimaginable proportion,throwing the entire country intochaos.

It was evidently in recognitionof his ‘sacrifice’ that he wasappointed to lead theCommonwealth observer groupto the Tanzanian election. He hastaken that role seriously and hasrightly warned the Tanzanians to

learn from his experience in theNigerian election. An incumbentthat could relinquish power is theperfect ambassador againstAfrican sit-tight syndrome. Hewould be less amenable tocondone electoral fraud and morelikely to urge acceptance on adefeated candidate particularlyan incumbent bent on retainingpower. Goodluck Jonathan sureearned the recognition that befitshis acceptance of defeat in theMarch election.

This one ‘dividend’ of hisdemocratic posture is welldeserved and should not bedenied him. If we would havecondemned him had he chosen toreject the result of the last election,we ought also to commend andcelebrate him for the positiveoutcome of the choice he madenot to reject the result.

His estranged godfather,Olusegun Obasanjo who was headof the ECOWAS observer groupthat monitored the Ivorianpresidential election that heldsame day as the Tanzanianelection, did no more thanJonathan (that is ensured a freeand peaceful transition of power)before he became the celebratedleader that is today feted aroundthe world.

Obasanjo built his internationalprofile and launched his careeras a writer on this singular act.He was, thereafter, well on his wayto becoming an internationalstatesman with moreinternational clout today than anyother Nigerian leader living and,arguably, dead. PresidentGoodluck Jonathan could alsobegin the gradual process ofensuring a positive legacy forhimself even after the massivecorruption that marked the endof his administration. He mightserve Nigeria and the world betterin retirement than when in power.Now is his time to become astatesman.

Jesus and the criminals (2)

Mr. Enewaridideke, a public affairsanalyst, wrote from Akparemogbene,Delta State.

concluded

In this concluding part, the writer submitsthat rather than attack Tompolo, he shouldbe celebrated for the role he played inliberating the Niger Delta from the'criminals'.

The demand ofAMNESTY cannot bewhimsically shelvedunder any guise.Tompolo is aprincipled consistentman ready to makesacrifice for his deepinner convictions

This one‘dividend’ of hisdemocraticposture is welldeserved andshould not bedenied him

20—Vanguard, 20—Vanguard, 20—Vanguard, 20—Vanguard, 20—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015

CMYK

ACCUSATIONS andcounter-accusations

continue to fuel the communalcrisis rocking the people ofEluama community, LokpaukwuUmuchieze automonouscommunity in Umunneochi LocalGovernment Area of Abia State.

The crisis, which has so far splitthe community into two factions,has as its major antagonists thetraditional ruler of thecommunity, Eze Moses Okwaleand his younger brother, Dr.Borke Okwale and others loyalto them on one side. On theopposing side is the other factioncomprising the newly electedEDU executive, teaming up withthose identified as concernedcitizens of Eluama.

Genesis of the crisis: The crisiswhich started rearing its uglyhead as far back as 2011,climaxed on September 1, thisyear when the aggrievedconcerned citizens convened ageneral assembly of Eluamaindigenes home and abroadwhere about 90 percent of theentire populace allegedly passeda vote-of-no confidence on theAlbert Izuegbu-led EluamaDevelopment Union, EDU,executive and consequentlyconducted an election thatbrought into power, a new set ofEDU executive led by PastorChukwudi Okoli.

Town unionleadership

At the moment, both the Mr.Izuegbu-led EDU executivewhich assumed office either in2010 or 2011 and the PastorOkoli-led newly elected EDUrival group are still laying claimsto the town union leadership.

While the Izuegbu-led groupis insisting that the so-calledvote-of-no-confidence passedagainst them and the September1 purported EDU executiveelection that ousted them werenull, void and of no effect, sincetheir tenure still had a year andtwo months to come to run, theOkoli-led newly elected executiveclaimed to have assumed dutybased on the fact that the tenureof the former had elapsed sincethe end of 2013. During theelection of the Okoli-ledexecutive, during which ChisomAhiaeke and Mrs. Rebecca Offor

were also elected as youth leaderand woman leader respectively,the general assembly alsoappointed Samuel Nweke as thenew Traditional Prime Minister,TPM, of the community toreplace Dr. Borke Okwale,younger brother to Eze MosesOkwale who, they argued,cannot be the TPM at the sametime his elder brother is the king.

Financial impropriety: Assoon as the Okoli-led executiveassumed office, they claimed tohave discovered a series offinancial improprietiesamounting to about N50 millionagainst the former executive butat the same time decided to startwith the demand for the releaseof N15 million allegedly paidinto the private account of Dr.Okwale, for the community, byMemochris Nigeria Limited, aquarrying company based in thearea, as rent for a five-year landlease, between May and June,this year.

Following the alleged refusalof Okwale to release the fundsto the community on time, theconcerned citizens, incollaboration with the Okoli-lednew EDU executive, petitionedthe Divisional Police Officer,DPO, at Nkwoagu-IsuochiDivision and consequently, theDPO, Mr. Uromi invited bothparties for amicable settlement.

But before the agreed date, ateam of armed men in militarycamouflage uniform stormed thearea and allegedly arrestedabout eight members of theconcerned citizens and theirsupporters, whisked them offto Lomara-Isuochi militarycamp, tortured them severely

and took them to D7, Abia StateCriminal InvestigationsDepartment, CID, Umuahia.

This development, it was said,might not be unconnected with acounter-petition from both Borkeand his group against membersof the concerned citizens fordaring to demand the release ofthe N15 million.

Petitions and counter-petitions

Borke had in the petition, toboth the Police and the Army,accused the concerned citizensof invading and burning EzeOkwale’s Palace and above all,conspiring to conduct a kangarooelection without dueconsultations.

After the alleged abduction,aged and young women from thearea numbering over 100 and ledby Mrs. Angela Iroh, stormedthe Palace of Eze Okwale andpleaded with him to assist insecuring the release of the victimsas well as wade into the townunion leadership crisis rockingthe community.

Eze Okwale had in hisresponse, assured the womenthat he would look into the matterwith a view to reaching anamicable settlement.

However, after their bail waseventually secured at the D7 StateCID, Umuahia, they turnedround and wrote another petitionto the office of Assistant Inspector-General of Police, AIG in-charge

of Zone 9 Police Command,Umuahia complaining bitterlythat up till then, Borke was yet torelease the N15 million paid tothe community by MemochrisQuarrying company as rent forleasing of their land for five years.

They further complained thatinstead of releasing the funds asdemanded, Okwale wrote thecounter-petition against them ina diversionary move and invitedthe military to come and deal withthe opposition.

Reacting to the development onphone, Dr. Okwale confirmedthat he reported a case of breachof peace against some troublemakers in the community to thePolice who arrested some of them,while others were still on the run.He stated that those on the runmust be fished out and broughtto justice.

But the newly electedPresident-General of EDU,Okoli, noted that apart from theN15 million, there were otherrevenues accruable to thecommunity estimated at overN50 million which is still underthe custody of Dr. Okwale. Theyinclude annual royalties andlease agreement from two otherquarrying companies in the area,proceeds from toll gates, proceedsfrom chippings allocations andmedical allowances, amongothers.

Police wade in: At the Zone 9Police Command, Umuahia, allthe petitions and counter-petitions, including the alleged

military invasion of thecommunity and abduction of theeight youths by the soldiers, thealleged invasion and burning ofEze Okwale’s palace by theconcerned citizens and that of thenon- release of N15 million community funds wereharmonised and are beinginvestigated one after the other.

The Deputy Commissioner ofPolice, DCP in-charge ofAdministration at Zone 9,Umuahia, Joseph Agaji, foundthe petition on the demand forthe release of the N15 million themost pertinent among them andafter going through its contentsand throwing some questions atboth parties, he ordered Dr.Okwale to release the fund withimmediate effect.

Agaji who confirmed tonewsmen on phone that theAIG’s office is looking into thematter, also disclosed that thepolice would investigate thealleged invasion, abduction andtorture of the eight youths in thecommunity.

The Divisional Police Officer atNkwoagu-Isuochi, Mr. Uromiwho also spoke to newsmen onphone, said he is aware of crisisin the area. Although headmitted hearing about thealleged invasion of thecommunity and abduction ofsome persons by armed men, heexplained that he neither saw thearmed men nor the abductedpersons.

Army,monarch react

In his own reaction, CaptainNwali, one of the Army officersattached to Lomara-IsuochiJunction military camp, claimedto be ignorant of the allegedinvasion and abduction bysoldiers. He told newsmen onphone that he was not competentto speak to the press. Accordingto him, it is the responsibility ofthe Commander of 44 Battalionto issue press statementsregarding military affairs.

The royal father, Eze Okwalealso reacted to all the allegationsagainst his younger brother,Borke. He said he has reportedthe matter to the chairman ofUmuchieze council of traditionalrulers, Eze Patrick Okafor whohas volunteered to mediate in thematter with a view to bringinglasting solution to the dispute.

The monarch who spoke tonewsmen on phone said thecrisis was caused by somedisgruntled elements who arefanning the embers of discord.He maintained that he did notappoint his younger brother,Borke as the Traditional PrimeMinister, TPM, of thecommunity. According to him,Chief Bernard Nweke is theincumbent TPM.

On the non- release of the N15

•Police orders community chief to release N15m public funds•as human rights group probes alleged abduction of 8 youths•the money is intact waiting for agreement to be signed - monarch

Leadership dispute, tears Abia community

apart

*Samuel Nweke, the newTraditional Prime Minister

*Obinna Nweke...injuredduring invasion by armedmen

A team of armedmen in militaryuniform stormedthe area andallegedly arrestedmembers of theconcerned citizens,whisked them off tomilitarycamp(and)torturedthem severely

By Nwabueze Okonkwo,Onitsha

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015 — 21

Stanbic IBTC debunks allegations by FRC

STANBIC IBTC has de-bunked allegations of

misreporting by the FinancialReporting Council (FRC).

Recall that the Council onMonday had accused the bankof misreporting its financialstatements for the 2013 and2014 accounting years, order-ing them to withdraw the ac-

counts.In a swift reaction, the man-

agement of Stanbic IBTC dis-missed the allegations of im-proper disclosures, and accusedFRC of breaching its enablinglaw. A statement by the bankstated, “Our attention has beendrawn to the media statementsby the Financial ReportingCouncil of Nigeria (FRC) inwhich several inaccurate and

that it has given to its regula-tory decision, Regulation 21only applies “Where the Paneland the entity agree that ac-counts are to be rectified by wayof revision or restatement”. Thatis not the case here, becauseStanbic IBTC does not agreethat its accounts are defectiveor require rectification. More-over, Regulation 27 makes clearthat where a reporting entitydoes not accept FRC’s position,FRC “shall institute a legal ac-tion against the entity”.

“FRC has ignored this laid

GRADUATION: From left: Business Executive, Corporate Banking, Team 2, Sterling Bank Plc, Adegboyega Adegun; 3rdBest student, Tochi Ifeoma; Best Graduating Student, Chibuzor Iwuagwu; Executive Director, Sterling Bank Plc, YemiOdubiyi; 2nd Best student, Badejo Adewale Israel; and Business Executive, Corporate Banking, Team 1, Sterling Bank Plc,Moji Bakare, at the Graduation ceremony of the bank’s 21st Foundation School in Lagos.

By Babajide Komolafe down process in preference forself-help and media publicity.

The matters that FRC al-leges to be wrong are not wrongin any material respect andmany are in any event notmatters of financial reporting atall, but matters of businessdecision and judgment forStanbic IBTC and its board ofdirectors.

Intellectualproperty

For example, the decisionwhether to enter into a sale andlease back, whether in relationto intellectual property or anyother asset, is a businessdecision and entirely a matterfor the board of directors ofStanbic IBTC and certainly nota matter for FRC.

“In the same vein, NOTAP’srefusal to register a franchiseagreement does not render theagreement null or void, or in-deed relieve Stanbic IBTC of itsliability. It merely means thatany foreign currency paymentdue to the foreign counterpartyunder the unregisteredagreement cannot be remitted.Stanbic IBTC has not and willnot make any remittance whichis subject to NOTAP approvalwithout obtaining suchapproval.”

unseemly allegationswere made againstStanbic IBTC Hold-ings PLC (“StanbicIBTC”). Althoughthe matter is in court,we are constrained torespond to certainaspects of the reportfor the benefit ofour stakeholders and the general pub-lic.

“FRC’s allegationsare inaccurate andunfortunate, and themanner in which ithas chosen to makethem is procedurallydefective. WhilstFRC takes refuge inRegulation 21 of theDirectorate of In-spection and Moni-toring GuidelinesRegulations 2014 forthe wide publicity

CEMENT: Threefirms investN105trn in local,offshoreexpansion

THREE companies in thecement industry are

investing an aggregate of $5.23billion (about N105 trillion) tobuild new factories at home andabroad.

The companies are DangoteCement Plc, BUA Group, andIbeto Cement Company Limited.

Data sourced by Vanguardfrom these companies, revealedthat Dangote Cement is leadingthe pack with $4.34 billion,followed by BUA Group $600million and Ibeto$386 millionand this totals $5.23 billion.

Vanguard learned thatfollowing the completion andcommissioning of cement plantsin Five African countries,(Zambia, Ethiopia, Cameroon,Senegal and Tanzania),Dangote Cement has signed a$4.34 billion contract withSinoma InternationalEngineering Company Limited,a Chinese construction giant, forthe construction of 11 newcement plants in 10 Africancountries , and Nepal in Asia.Earlier, Aliko Dangote, Presidentof the Dangote Group, said “theplans expansion is in line withour long-term vision to becomeone of the world’s biggest cementproducers. We envisage that bythe time we complete all ourongoing African projects, we willbe on track to achieving ourtarget.”

In the same vein, BUA Groupalso signed $600 million worthof contracts with Sinoma todouble its production capacity ofits Obu cement plant at Okpellacommunity in Edo state. Obuhas a capacity of 3.5 millionmetric tonnes per year, withcompletion expected in 2017.

AbdulsamadRabiu, theChairman of BUA Group, said“BUA has less than 10 percentof the market share now butafterwards we should go to about20 percent. “

Furthermore, Ibeto Cementhad also entered into anagreement with Sinoma to build6000 tonnes per day clinker lineand a 45 megawatts selfgeneration power plant inEnugu. The contract is valued at$386 million. It covers the wholeprocess, from the exploration oflimestone mines and thecrushing of raw materials, to thepacking and delivery of cementand a captive power plant andengineering design, supply ofequipment, staff training, etc.

CURRENCY BUYING CENTRAL

CBN Exchange Rate as at 27 /10 /15

117.30 0.00$3,170.00 -4.00

$14.58 -0.06

46.77 -0.77

42.76 -1.22

DOLLAR 195.97 196.47 196.97POUNDS 300.7748 301.5422 302.3096EURO 216.0177 216.5689 217.12FRANC 199.5824 200.0917 200.6009YEN 1.62 1.6241 1. 6283CFA 0.312 0.322 0.332WAUA 273.7537 274.4521 275.1506RENMINBI 30.8377 30.9168 30.996RIYAL 52.2447 52.378 52.5113SDR 273.6721 274.3704 275.0686KRONA 28.9515 29.0254 29.0993

By Franklin Alli

FRC’s allegationsare inaccurateand unfortunate,and the mannerin which it haschosen to makethem isprocedurallydefective

22 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015

CMYK

INSURAN ,It is regrettable that many

motorists have failed toappreciate the need to obtaingenuine insurance documents

from registered insurancecompanies

COMMISSIONING: Ogun State Governor, Sen Ibikunle Amosun (2nd left), commissioningColeman Wires and Cables Arepo Factory 11 at Arepo, Ogun State. With him are Chairman,Coleman Wires and Cables, Chief Solomon Onafowokan (left); Chairman, Lagos Chambersof Commerce and Industry, Alhaj iRemi Bello and Managing Director/CEO, Bank of Industry,Mr Rasheed Olaoluwa, during the commissioning.

IF you drive a vehicle inNigeria and your

vehicle is not yet registeredon the Nigeria InsuranceIndustry Database, NIID, thenyou have a fake insurancecertificate.

The NIID is a platform of theNigeria Insurers Association,NIA aimed at getting moreNigerians into the insurancenet and boosting the cultureof insurance among citizensof the country.

Over 11.5 million vehiclesply Nigeria roads, however,only about 3 million of thesevehicles carry genuineinsurance certificates. It isregrettable that manymotorists have failed toappreciate the need to obtaingenuine insurancedocuments from registeredinsurance companies andhave kept the culture ofpatronising fake insurancedocuments dealers in spite ofthe dangers attached.

Benefits of the NIID: TheNIID will provide protectionto Nigerians against thedangerous activities ofinsurance fraudsters,particularly the third partymotor insurance certificateracketeers. The database,therefore, is one instrumentthat will become very handyin the control or fight towards

Your motor insurancecould be fake

Stories ByRosemary Onuoha

the eradication of fakeinsurances in Nigeria. Thedatabase would facilitate easycollation and dissemination ofstatistical information relatingto all classes of insurance inNigeria and also serve as aplatform for easyidentification of genuineinsurances by securityagencies and other relevantauthorities.

Experts’ opinion: The NIID,according to experts, is agood step in the rightdirection to guard againstforgeries and frauds in theinsurance industry.

The NIID is of great benefitto all stakeholders in the

insurance industry. Suchstakeholders include but notlimited to the variousgovernment at all levels,policyholders, shareholdersof insurance firms and would-be investors.

Managing Director ofLasaco Assurance Plc, Mr.Olusola Ladipo-Ajayi said theNIID project is an informationtechnology-based system thatwould facilitate easy collationand dissemination ofstatistical and otherinformation relating toinsurance on one hand, andalso serves as a vehicle foreasy identification of genuineinsurance documents byrelevant authorised persons.

Insurancedocuments

Some of the benefits of theNIID include monitoring andauthenticating insurancetransaction documents;reducing red tape andcorruption by integrating withthe vehicle registration systemof the Federal Road SafetyCorps (FRSC), police andother relevant governmentagencies; ensuring easyaccess to statistical data foreffective decision making.

Collaboration with lawenforcement: Recently, NIApartnered the Federal RoadSafety Commission (FRSC),Police and VehicleInspection Office (VIO) in

Some of the benefitsof the NIID includemonitoring andauthenticatinginsurancetransactiondocuments; reducingred tape andcorruption byintegrating with thevehicle registrationsystem of the FederalRoad Safety Corps(FRSC)

THE National PensionC o m m i s s i o n ,

PenCom, has said that sincethe establishment of theContributory PensionScheme, CPS, in Nigeriaeleven years ago, there hadbeen no case of malpracticerecorded in its administration.

Director General ofPenCom, Mrs. ChineloAnohu-Amazu, stated this atthe South-South sensitizationconference on developmentsushered in by the PensionReform Act 2014, at Uyo,Akwa Ibom State.

Anohu-Amazu said, “It isheart-warming to note thatwithin a decade of theimplementation of theContributory Pension Schemein Nigeria, the story ofpension administration ischanging into a positivenarrative.

The scheme has so fardelivered all the majorobjectives of the reform. Inaddition, the Scheme has sofar generated over N5.03trillion worth of pensionassets invested in varioussectors of the Nigerianeconomy as at date.

Pensionscheme

Indeed, our achievementsin the implementation ofContributory Pension Schemehave earned Nigeria aposition as Africa’s hub onpension matters.”

Anohu-Amazu said that nohuman endeavour is perfectand continuous improvementis imperative. Thus, theexperiences and lessonsgathered by PenCom in theten years of implementationof the pension reformnecessitated the revision ofthe 2004 Act.

“After an extensive review,stakeholder consultations andlegislative scrutiny, a newPension Reform Act 2014 wasenacted, which came intoeffect on 1st July 2014.

The 2014 Act re-enacted thecopious provisions of therepealed 2004 Act, whichinclude inter alia, theestablishment of theContributory PensionScheme, with all its features,as well as the NationalPension Commission as thesole regulator and supervisorof pension matters in Nigeria.

Under the 2014 Act, theContributory Pension Schemenow covers employees of Stateand Local Governments in

No case of malpractice

in CPS – PenCom

Nigeria. The Act has set thestandard and frameworkwithin which States andLocal Governments arerequired to adopt andimplement the Scheme forthe benefits of theirrespective employees,”Anohu-Amazu said.

She said that many Stateshave adopted theContributory PensionScheme and are at variousstages of its implementation.“However, no State in theSouth-South geo-politicalzone has fully implementedthe Contributory PensionScheme.

Robustframework

This situation has deniedthe States the obviousadvantages of theContributory Pension modelincluding its sustainability asa system, robust frameworkthat eliminates the incentivesfor corruption in benefitsadministration and ability toaccess the pool of investiblepension funds to driveeconomic and infrastructuraldevelopment in theirrespective domains,” shesaid.

“I would thereforepassionately appeal to all theStates and LocalGovernments in the South-South geopolitical zone tostep-up their efforts toimplement the ContributoryPension Scheme in order toavail themselves and theiremployees of the numerousopportunities and benefits ofthe Scheme. PenCom hasestablished functional officesin the six geo-political zonesin Nigeria, with it South-South Zonal Office located inCalabar, Cross Rivers State,to facilitate and offer theneeded technical assistanceto States and LocalGovernments.

Individuals andorganizations may equallyapproach our zonal officesnearest to them to seekinformation and assistancefrom PenCom on any pensionmatter,” Anohu-Amazu said.

She said that the South-South conference in Uyo wasthe fourth of suchconferences, scheduled forthe six geo-political zones ofNigeria.

The previous three editionsof the conferences weresuccessfully held in Lagos,Abuja and Enugu.

,

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015 — 23

CE & YOU ,

,Send comments & enquiries to

insuranceandyou@yahoo.com

The NIID will provide protection toNigerians against the dangerousactivities of insurance fraudsters,particularly the third party motorinsurance certificate racketeers

SEMINAR: From left: Eniola Abogunde, Deputy Director, Ministry of Education, LagosState; Benjamin Agili, Director, Lagos/West directorate, Royal Exchange General InsuranceCompany Limited; Patrick Ajogwu, Coordinator, Foundation for Youth Education, andObiageli Modebolu, guest speaker, at the 8th Annual seminar for secondary school prefects,sponsored by Royal Exchange in Lagos.

order to nip issuance of fakeinsurance certificates in thebud.

The collaboration withsecurity agencies is to rid theindustry of fake papers and theassociation launched theproject in collaboration withstate governments.

With the NIID, a motorist can

send SMS to 33125 with policynumber or vehicle platenumber or visit the NIIDwebsite to verify genuinenessof his or her vehicle insurancepapers.

Unfortunately, some expertsbelieve that low governmentpatronage and low awarenesson insurance are some of the

challenges confronting NIIDproject but are confident thatwhen government at all levelsabide by the compulsoryinsurance scheme, whichmotor insurance is part of, thedatabase will robustly exposethose with fake papers.

THE 2015 Champion Insurance Day Lecture/Luncheon has been fixed for December 21 2015 as

against the October 27 date earlier slated for the event.This is as the management of Champion Newspapers

Limited (CNL) has assured a mutually rewarding outing forall participants who will be present at the event.

A statement signed by the Group Managing Director/Editor-In-Chief of CNL, Dr (Mrs.) Nwadiuto Iheakanwaadded that preparation for the occasion is in top gear andthat all necessary structures to make the event a befitting onehave been put in place. However, the management regretsinconveniences the change in date might cause all participantsand stakeholders in the event.

The Group Managing Director of Royal Exchange Plc, Mr.Chike Mokwunye who will speak on the Theme; “SustainingInsurance Growth Amidst the Unfolding Mass Events” hasbeen confirmed as the guest speaker at the event. In the line-up are the Director General, Nigerian Insurers Association(NIA), Mr. Sunday Thomas; the Group Managing

Director/CEO, Cornerstone Insurance Plc; and formerCommissioner for Insurance in the National InsuranceCommission, Chief (Dr) Ladipo Bailey while theCommissioner for Insurance, Alhaji Mohammed Kari willdeliver the keynote address.

Champion Insurance day comes up Dec 21

SOVEREIGN Trust Insurance Plc, STI, has

announced the elevation of twoof its erstwhile General Managersto the position of ExecutiveDirectors respectively.

They are Mr. Olaotan Soyinkaand Mrs. Ugochi Odemelam andthe duo by the elevation willautomatically become boardmembers of the company.

In a statement, the companysaid that Soyinka before now wasthe General Manager/DivisionalHead, Technical while Ugochitook charge of Marketing/Business Development for theorganisation in the capacity of aGeneral Manager/DivisionalHead.

The two appointments wererecently ratified by the Board ofDirectors and both have assumedtheir new roles since September14, 2015.

Head of corporatecommunications, Mr. SegunBankole said that the board andmanagement of the companyhave so much confidence in thenewly elevated directors and it isexpected that they will bring tobear their consummate wealth ofexperience in galvanising theorganisation to the next level ofits growth stage. Members ofmanagement and staff have beenenjoined to give all the neededsupport to the new directors inachieving the overall objective ofthe company as a leading brandin the insurance industry and aprofitable one at that.

THE NationalP e n s i o n

Commission (PenCom)said it rejected theapplications of 210employers who soughtcompliance certificates toenable them bid forgovernment contracts,because they failed tomeet the necessaryrequirements.

The Commission in areport said it received 1,050applications for issuance ofcompliance certificates inthe first quarter of this year,of which 840 employerswere issued certificateswhile the remainingapplications were rejectedon the ground that they didnot meet the requirements.

PenCom has beenissuing ComplianceCertificates toorganisations bidding orsoliciting for contracts withFederal GovernmentMinistries, Departmentand Agencies in line withthe provision of Section 16(6) (d) of the PublicProcurement Act, 2007.The Certificate hasreplaced the erstwhileLetters of Compliance thatwere issued for the samepurpose.

Section 16 (6) (d) of thePublic Procurement Act,2007, which states that anysupplier, contractor orconsultant bidding orsoliciting contract orbusiness from any FederalGovernment Ministries,

Pension regulator rejects 210applications for compliancecertificate

Department and Agencies(MDAs) must fulfil all itsobligations with respect topensions.

Compliance with the PensionAct, at minimum, includeensuring that all employees openRetirement Savings Accounts(RSA) with Pension FundAdministrator of their choice;remitting both employer andemployee pension contributionsto the appropriate Pension FundCustodian not later than sevendays from the date of payment ofsalaries; and transferring allpension funds and assets priorto the commencement of thePension Act to licensed pensionoperators.

Specifically, the followingdocuments are to be attachedwhile requesting for thecertificate: evidence of remittanceof monthly pension contributionto include certified list ofemployees, certified statement ofrate of employer/employeepension contribution andschedule of monthly pensioncontributions for the last threeyears indicating: names ofemployees, Retirement SavingsAccount (RSA) PersonalIdentification Numbers (PINs),Pension Fund Administrator(PFA) name, amount of monthlyemployer/employee contribution.

Also required is the scheduleof evidence of remittance ofmonthly pension contributions toRSA for the last three yearsindicating; date of payment,name of PFA, name and locationof receiving bank, paymentinstrument reference numberand amount paid.

STI elevates two staffManaging Director/CEO of STI,

Mr. Wale Onaolapo, in hiscongratulatory message to the twodirectors emphasisedmanagement’s commitment tosuccession plan in theorganisation and also stressedthat “The elevation is expected tofurther strengthen the board andempower top management teamof the company in ensuring thatthe medium and long termstrategic goals of the company areaccomplished”.

He equally thanked both ofthem for their immensecontributions to the developmentand growth of the company in timepast and charged them to do morethan ever before as theorganisation forges ahead in theyears to come.

Soyinka is an erudite and well-grounded underwriter with over20 years cognate experience. He

is an Associate of the CharteredInsurance Institute of Nigeria.

He is a Graduate of Insurancefrom University of Lagos and alsoholds a Masters of Science degreein Marketing from the sameuniversity. He joined SovereignTrust Insurance in March 1998.Soyinka is an alumnus of theLagos Business School havingsuccessfully completed the SeniorManagement Programme of theInstitution.

Odemelam on the other hand,graduated from the FederalPolytechnic, Nassarawa. Sheholds an MBA from ESUTBusiness School. She is also amember of the Nigerian Instituteof Management (NIM), aregistered member of theChartered Insurance Institute ofNigeria (CIIN) and CharteredInsurance Institute of London(CII London).

24 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015

THE Nigerian ElectricityRegulatory Commission,

NERC, has placed on itswebsite the submissions madeby the electricity distributioncompanies, discos, with respectto their 10-year electricity tariffplans for the period 2015 to2024. I have downloaded fromNERC website the submissionsof the discos, namely, Abuja,Benin, Eko, Enugu, Ibadan,Ikeja, Jos and Kano. I havestudied the submissions ofthese discos and I havesubmitted a 3-pagememorandum to NERC onthese 10-year tariff plans.

NERC provided the discoswith guidelines for their 10-year tariff plans. Item 14 of theseguidelines required that thediscos submit audited financialstatements for the years ended31 December 2013 and 2014with their tariff reviewapplications. Eko disco hasindicated it would submitaudited financial statementswithin 3 to 6 months whileEnugu, Jos and Yola discoshave indicated that they havenot submitted audited financialstatements. The other discos aresilent on the issue. Eko disco,on page 3 of its submissions,stated that sourcing funds forits capital expenditure planshave so far proved difficult. Theother discos hold a similarposition. Do the discos expectthe banks to give substantialloans to companies that do nothave audited financialstatements?

One of the problems withexisting tariffs is that NERCprovides the estimates of powerthat would be available to thediscos from the national grid.For Multi-Year Tariff Order,MYTO, 2 for the period 1 June2012 to 31 May 2017, NERCstated the generation capacityavailable to the discos as5500MW in 2012-2013,7500MW in 2013-2014,9061MW in 2014-2015 and

10071MW in 2015-2016.However, MYTO 2.1 for theperiod 1 April 2015 to December2018 assumed the generationcapacity available to the discos as2670MW throughout the period.For the current 10-year tariff plan,NERC has provided itsassumptions of generationcapacity that would be availableto discos as 4338MW in 2015,5465MW in 2016, 7199MW in2017 and 8999MW in 2018 andso on. For the first 8 months of2015, average generation capacityhas been 3800MW.

MYTO 2 generation estimateshave not been met and consumersare being asked to pay for discorevenue shortfalls in increasedtariffs. I believe NERC should nothave provided the discos withestimates of generation capacityfor the current tariff review asNERC’s action allows the discosto transfer all the risks of theirbusinesses to the consumers.

Businessactivities

The Electric Power SectorReform, EPSR, Act 2005 atSection 76 (2) a specifies that thelicensee should operate efficientlyin order to recover the full cost ofits business activities including areasonable profit while EPSR Act2005 Section 76 (2) b specifiesthat services should be providedwith continued improvements oftheir technical and economicefficiency. Each disco and its coreinvestor should have the expertisewith which to engage with thetransmission company and workout improvements/investmentsthat would make for efficientrealisation of the disco’s businessplans.

Also, Abuja disco, on page 16of its submissions, has indicatedthat the generation forecastprovided by NERC is toooptimistic. It also pointed out theerror with the estimates forShiroro Power Station. I am awarethat Shiroro Power Station has 4turbines that can deliver 600MWbut with the volume of wateravailable behind the damthroughout the year, the stationcan only run two turbines toproduce 300MW throughout theyear. The discos should thereforeengage with existing powerstations, the authorities for thenew power stations and theircontractors and work out realisticestimates of power that would beavailable on the national grid. Ifthe estimates by the discos are notrealised, the costs of failure wouldnot be transferred to theconsumers.

TO BE CONTINUED

Consultations for newelectricity tariffs (2)

EcCOBANK TransnationalIncorporated (ETI) has

announced profit before tax ofN79 billion for the nine monthperiod ended September 30,2015 compared to N66.5 billionposted in equivalent period in2014. The figure was however,down two per cent to $389million during the period.

The bank’s financial statementfiled on the Nigerian StockExchange (NSE) showed profitafter tax rose to N60 billion fromN52.5 billion (but down five percent to $306 million).

Similarly, revenue for theperiod was up 18 per cent toN316 billion as against N269billion in 2014, but was threeper cent down to $1,598 million.

Total assets rose to N4.65trillion for the nine monthperiod32, compared to N3.84trillion posted in equivalent

ETI announces N79bn profitbefore tax in Q3

period in 2014.However, total equity

increased in both naira anddollar terms rising to N528.2billion in 2015 compared toN394.3 billion, representing 34per cent growth. (Total equityin dollar terms was up 10 percent to $2.7 million incomparison to $2.41 millionposted a year earlier.

Ade Ayeyemi, Group CEO ofthe Ecobank Group commentedon the financial results: “Theoperating environment inMiddle Africa was challengingduring the period. While ourfinancial results were impactedby various factors, the strengthof our diversified pan-Africanbusiness model ensured abalanced outcome.

We reported US$398 millionin pre-tax profits, down two percent from a year ago, largely

due to adverse currencymovements and operational andimpairment losses in the thirdquarter. We see loomingheadwinds ahead and as aresult expect reported 2015profits to come in lower thanexpected, but relatively flat inconstant dollars.”

Continuing, he said, “We haddecent loan growth in ourCorporate Bank business. Anddespite a decrease in DomesticBank deposits, we increasedthe share of stable depositswithin the deposit mix. Withrevenue growth challenged inthe current environment, wewould focus more on costefficiency and invest in keyinitiatives in our Transactionbanking, Cards, and eBankingbusinesses.

FBN Holdings Plc has announced N390billion gross earnings for the nine months

ended September 30, 2015, representing 16.9 percent increase over N333.6 billion recorded in thesame period in 2014.

The unaudited financial statement of thecompany for the period released on the NigerianStock Exchange (NSE) showed that net interestincome grew by 9.3 per cent to N192.9 billionfrom N176.5 billion posted a year earlier despitea 35.6 per cent y-o-y increase in interest expense,while the non-interest income at N82.5 billion,was up 13.4 per cent compared to N72.8 billionposted a year earlier.

Interest on loans to customers, which is 67.4per cent of total interest income grew by 7.5 percent y-o-y closing to N202.5 billion during theperiod.

However, the profit before tax fell by 19.2 percent to N59.6 billion as against N73.7 billionposted a year earlier. The profit after taxation forthe period fell by 9.7 per cent from N55.6 billionto N50.2 billion.

FBN Holdings' records N390bn gross earnings in 9months

By Nkiruka Nnorom Commenting on the results, Bello Maccido,the Group CEO said: "This has been achallenging year so far, with economy slowingdown and credit conditions remaining adversethereby impacting the Group's operatingperformance.

We are managing the cost of risk bystrengthening our risk management processeswhile leveraging our assets, adjusting pricingto higher default risks associated with acontracting economy; and nowhere has thisprocess been more pronounced than in the oiland gas sector.

"To ensure we build a more efficient groupstructure that will benefit the Group's need todeploy systems which increase profitability andefficiency while expanding revenue generation,we are confident we have made the right choicesin selecting the Managing Director and theDeputy Managing Director for our principalsubsidiary, FirstBank, as we were particularlymindful to identify outstanding and top notchprofessionals with complementary and mutuallyreinforcing skill sets.

By Nkiruka Nnorom

One of theproblems withexisting tariffsis that NERCprovides theestimates ofpower thatwould beavailable to thediscos from thenational grid

From left, Mr Chuks Iwelunmo, Chairman, League of Airports and Aviation Correspondents, LAAC;Hajia Binta Bello, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Aviation; Eng Ibrahim Abdul Salam, MD,Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA; Capt Sidi Abdulahi, Director of Operations andTraining, NCAA rep the DG; Hon Auwal Tukur, former Chairman, House of Representatives commit-tee on Aviation; Mr Chris Ndulue, MD, Arik Airline and Emmanuel Ityodugh, AGM, Flights Opera-tions, Medview Airline representing the MD at the 21st Annual LAAC Seminar held at NCAA Annex,MM International Airport, Ikeja Lagos on Thursday. Photo: Lamidi Bamidele

CMYK

VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015—25

DIARY

Gartner Sympo-sium/ITxpo2015

Cape Town,South AfricaNovember 8-12,2015

PreviewPreviewPreviewPreviewPreview

Cyber Securityin BankingConference,2015

Indaba Hotel,JohannesburgOctober 21 – 22, 2015

Slow meltingice cream

THE NigeriaC o m m u n i c a t i o n s

Commission, NCC, carried outan unprecedented action,weekend, slammingtelecommunications giant, MTN,with a fine of N1.04 trillion forfailing to deactivate 5.1 millionunregistered SIM cards on itsnetwork within the stipulatedtime.

Specifically, Hi-Tech gatheredthat the NCC fine was forallegedly undermining efforts bythe Nigerian government totackle security challenges and thewar on terror and allied crimes,as the telecoms operatorallegedly refused to deactivateunregistered mobile phone lineson its network.

For a country plagued byinsecurity of lives and propertyon one hand, and highincidences of fraud on the other,it is little wonder that NigerianAgencies seem adamant in theirapproach to biometricregistration, approaching relatedpolicies with stone-faceddetermination and punishingdefaulters by a measure almostakin to burning them at the stake.

However, it was not so at thebeginning. In 2001, Nigeria wasat the dawn of a digitalrevolution, and the focus wasmore on mobile phonepenetration than on SIMregistration. But when in 2008,security agencies approached theCommission to assist in resolvingcrimes perpetrated through theuse of mobile phones , it becameclear the need for biometricregistration.

This shortfall led to aconsultative forum involvingvarious telecoms operators,

consumer groups, securityagencies, telecoms associations,dealers, the Nigerian IdentityManagement Commission,National PopulationCommission, National CensusCommission, the media and ahost of others who agreed that itwas necessary to register phoneusers in the country.

RegisteredSIM cards

Although this commenced onMarch 28, 2011, and officiallyended in January 2012, the fightwas far from over. The issue ofunregistered, pre-registered, andpoorly registered SIM cards stillremained an issue, prompting theNCC to give a 7-day ultimatumin August this year to deactivateall such lines or face theconsequences.

The NCC had four majorgoals in mind: To assist securityagencies in resolving crimes andby extension to enhance thesecurity of the state; To facilitatethe collation of data by theCommission about phone usagein Nigeria; To enable operatorsto have a predictable profile

about the users in theirnetworks and to enable thecommission to effectivelyimplement other value addedservices like NumberPortability among others.

As soon as the deadline wasover, the NCC swung into action,penalizing MTN Nigeria, AirtelNigeria, Globacom Nigeria andEtisalat Nigeria for having pre-registered sim cards in theirsystem. They were sanctionedand asked to variously pay acombined total of N120.4 millionfor failing to fully comply with thedirective of the Commission todeactivate pre-registered anddefective customer SIM cards.

While MTN, which controlsover 62 million subscribers on itsnetwork, was asked to PayN102.2 million; Globacom wasslammed with N7.4 million;Etisalat N7 million and AirtelN3.8 million.

Before all these, Executive ViceChairman of the NCC, Prof.Umar Garba Danbatta hadspoken openly against the useof pre-registered sims, with asubtle warning of direconsequencies. Danbatta said,

BVN registrationAs with telecomoperators, would so befor the banks?

Continues on page 27

•Godwin Emefiele,CBN governor

As soon as thedeadline was over,the NCC swung intoaction, penalizingMTN Nigeria, AirtelNigeria, GlobacomNigeria and EtisalatNigeria for havingpre-registered simcards in their system

A RECENT study hasdiscovered a

naturally-occurringprotein that will allow icecream to better withstandwarm temperatures. Assuch, it can melt at a farslower pace than icecream normally does,ensuring you can enjoyevery lick, nibble, orspoonful you plan topartake in.

When added to icecream, BsIA bindstogether the air, fat, andwater in ice cream (itadheres to the fat dropletsand air bubbles), makingthem more stable in amixture.

This enables the icecream’s slow-meltingquality, all while giving itan even smootherconsistency.

By Laju Iren

26—VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

10 ways faith based organizations canleverage social media

DIGITAL media is changing the tools we use to communicate

and how we communicate. Digitalmedia is a powerful tool that willopen doors and opportunities toengage with people who rarely, ifever, will step foot in a churchbuilding. Here are 10 ways faithbased organizations can leveragesocial media:

Listen to learn: listen to what yourtarget audience are talking about onsocial media. Pay attention to whatthey comment on and what they post

on their timeline. Once you get thecentral topic, you can tailor yourmessage to their interest.

U s ehashtags:There aretimes youwant tohave adiscussionin sections.F o rinstance, itcould be asermon inseries. Useone hashtagfor the seriesto make it

easy for youraudience to get

the full message.Blog daily: Many things are

taking the attention of youngpeople on social media such that theaverage young person could forgetabout 80 percent of a sermon on aSunday. Blog to reinforce themessage.

Be friendly: People don’t want youto force your message on them. If youwant them to listen to what you aresaying, then you have to work by thefirst principle of social media - besocial, interactive and conversational.

Engage your audience: It isimportant to understand what yourtarget audience really want to hear.You must craft your posts in such away that they can provide feedback.It is better to ask a question, and let

them answer than to ask a questionand provide the answer yourself. Getyour audience to respond and takeaction.

Balance spirituality with humaninterest stories: Demonstrate interestand commitment to the localcommunity by posting about localissues, events and concerns. Talkabout health, wealth creation andthings that will improve your theirlives while quoting scriptures and allthat.

Get more page likes: It is wise toencourage church members to invitetheir friends to like the church’sFacebook page. If on average, 10friends of each church member likes your page, you can get anaudience ten times as big as your liveaudience to hear your message everySunday.

Ask the right question: Behindevery post is an underlying feelingand need. People have problems andthe more emotional they are, the morelikely they are to post how they feelon social media.

Ask yourself- What are theconcerns that people express in socialmedia? How might God’s wordaddress these fears and empowerthem to overcome those problems.

Update your page daily: there’s somuch noise on social media lately andsome companies are investingheavily on Facebook adverts to getthe attention of some of your targetaudience. Posting updates aboutupcoming events, news, seeingphotographs, and seeing video willkeep them engaged.

•The Pope

BUSINESS/lead strategist, Web- Fair Solutions and co-

director, Founders Institute, Mr.Joseph Iruafemi, has said that theconsistent prediction that traditionalmedia was heading to extinction dueto the activities of the new mediawould only happen if the traditionalmedia failed to innovate.

According to him, change is aboutthe only factor that is permanent andshould the traditional media applieschange in the right direction, it wouldstill remain in existence forever.

Iruafemi who was a guest lecturerat a Capability EnhancementWorkshop for Journalists in Lagos,organised by PriceWaterhouseCoopers, PwC, in conjunction withAlphaXristi media SolutionsCompany urged traditional mediapractitioners to embrace moderntechnologies to enhance theirperformances.

According to him, there aredifferent software, which makevirtual newsrooms possible. Whatthis means is that news-gatheringand editing could be done real-time

through collaborative-editing tools,cloud-sources, between the reporterand the editor.

He argued that with iReports, newsplatforms in the country the peoplehave been empowered to be part ofthe news gathering, althoughauthentication of the news credibilitystill remained a greater challenge.

For him, with over 90 millionNigerians having access to theinternet, searching for credible news,the professional journalist has agreater advantage to arrest audiencecombining his training withinnovative technologies. He alsostands a better chance ofrepositioning the nation in the newworld of information.

Challenging the traditionalmedia, Iruafemi posed somerhetorical questions: “Is it possiblefor us to have a website thatconverts words to audio, becausemost young people prefer to listen

to audio to reading words. We arein an era of software for micro-contents; where media housespartner the telecoms on additionalnews contents dissemination. Thiswill help in expanding the horizonsof the media and the readership willbroaden,”.

He tasked the media managers notto allow the social media wrestle thepen from their hands, adding thatauthentication of reports andanalytical reports would alwaysendear the conventional media to thereaders’ heart.

Organisers of the event, thePricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)network, said the event was in itsrecognition of the place of the media,generally and journalism inparticular, in bringing about goodgovernance, sustenance ofdemocracy, and ensuring aconducive climate for investmentand economic development,

‘Tech innovation cansettle the tradi-newmedia tussle’

NIRA Records 17,691.ngdomain namesRichard Udofia and Maximilian Anosike

IN a bid to promote local content in the ITindustry, efforts by stakeholders across the

country are in top gear to boost the rate ofinternet users' dot ng (.ng) usage. One of suchstakeholders is the President of Nigeria InternetRegistration Association, NIRA, Mr SundayFolayan, recently disclosed to newsmen inIbadan recently that as at September, out of27,862 domain transactions recorded so far inthe country, a total of16,191 were for newregistrations on .ng domain names. Folayandisclosed that a total of 27,862 .ng domaintransactions were carried out as at the thirdquarter of 2015.

He said that a total of 11,263 domain names wererenewed, while 408 domain names weretransferred between registrars in the period.

As at January this year, 1,542 .ng domain nameswere registered and 1,070 domain names wererenewed, while 41 domain names transfers werecarried out, adding up to a total of 2,653.

According to him, NIRA registered 1,512 domainnames, renewed 1,048 and transferred 45 names inFebruary, resulting in 2605 transactions.

He added that in March, 1,805; 1,429 and 67 .ngdomain names were registered, renewed andtransferred respectively, giving a total of 3,301.

According to a related report by the News Agencyof Nigeria, NAN, in April, the association recorded atotal of 2,943 domain names activities out of which1,509 is new registration, 1,371 is renewal and 63 aretransfers.

In May, NIRA registered 1,511 .ng domain names,1,237 were for renewal and 32 were transfers, givinga total of 2,780.

Folayan said that in June, the association registered2,087 domain names, renewed 1,268 and transferred54, making 3,409 activities engaged in. He added thatNIRA carried out a total of 3,575 domain namesactivities of which 2,260 were registrations, 1,282renewals and 33 transfers. According to him, inAugust 1,990 registrations were done, 1,178 renewalswere carried out and 40 transfers attended to, addingup to 3,208 activities.

Folayan said that 1,975 registrations were carriedout, 1,380 renewals done and 33 transfers, giving atotal of 3,388 domain names activities in September.“The domain name renewal rate in September 2015was higher compared to the renewals in other monthsof the year except in March. “The significant increasewas with domain name renewals at the third level. Ingeneral, for September domain name registrationswas the lowest in the past four months,” he said.

By Agbolade Omowole

By Prince Osuagwu

CMYK

IT industry contributes10% to GDPBy Richard Udofia

THE Information and CommunicationsTechnology, ICT sector contributions to

Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), hasslightly increased over the last five years from4.5 Percent to 10 percent, accounting for aboutN50 billion of the total N500 billion accrued tothe economy.

This is coming on the heels of huge capitalinvestment made in the sector over the lastdecade, as statistics show that the IT sector hassignificantly generated huge returns for theeconomy. According to the Director-Generalof the National Information TechnologyDevelopment Agency, NITDA, Mr. Peter Jack,the country is gradually reaping its returns inthe IT sector. Jack said that over the last fiveyears, the IT industry has doubled itscontribution to the country’s GDP and hopesthat more investors in Tech servicing would seethe country as an investment destination.

While selling Nigerian brand and wooingpotential investors to invest in the Nigeriantechnology market at the last GITEX expo, inDubai, Jack claimed that the outcome of the sectorwas significant after rebasing the country’seconomy.

IoT: African govts challenged toembrace new technology

VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015—27

AFRICAN leaders havebeen advised to leapfrog to

the new technology of the Internetof Things (IoT),to be able towithstand the disruptions that mayhappen in world technology.

The advise was given during theopening ceremony of the ongoing35th GITEX Technology Week inDubai, where Nigeria is represented,through the National InformationTechnology Development Agency(NITDA). NITDA used the GITEXevent to showcase Nigeriantechnology start-ups, who displayedvarious technology solutions thatwere developed by them locally, inthe Nigerian pavilion at GITEX.

Local technology from Nigeria wasalso promoted by NITDA at theGITEX with a view to attractingoffshore partnerships and investmentto Nigeria. Accordingly, the call forAfrican countries to embrace thetechnology of IoT by the technologyforum, became necessary, followingnew technology innovations that aredriving business efficiency andprofitability that are invariablydisrupting the old ways of doingbusinesses globally.

Vice President of Alibaba Group,Mr. Sicheng Yu, who spoke on ‘TheFuture of Innovation and the

C o n v e r g i n gForces ofChange,’ said that“the world isc u r r e n t l yexperiencing anumber ofconverging forcesthat will bothrewrite the rulesof business andredefine the worldof innovation.Each of thesedriving forces has the potential ofblind siding us if we do not spendtime crafting stories about the worldto come.” According to him, thetechnology of IoT would in the future,help cars to communicate with othercars on the roads and help in de-congesting traffic caused by vehicularmovements. He said more innovationswere on the way, and urged Africancountries to key into the innovation,by promoting big data, cloudcomputing and the internet.

“We are already experiencingincrease in the demand for big dataservices across the globe but big datacannot work effectively, without cloudcomputing that is largely driven bythe internet, Yu said. He assured thatthat Alibaba Group would continueto use its platform to make system

and applications work faster forsmall and medium enterprises(SMEs), in order to create businessefficiency that will drive down costof business.

Also speaking on ‘Transformationin the Digital Business Era, the ChiefTechnology Officer of Accenture, Mr.Paul Daugherty, said that “Globalcompanies are reimagining andstrategically transforming into digitalbusinesses in order to achieveinternal efficiencies, external growthand return to the role of disrupters.”

Highlighting the need for digitaltransformation across globe andexplaining that the globe neededthree mega trends that would shapebusinesses, he said that the trendswould include connected world, dataconnectivity as well as intelligenceand automation.

MFI, Kyocera hit at counterfeiters with chipbased toner cartridges

ONE of the common threats toboth document solutions

providers and uninterruptedworkflow of major Nigerianbusinesses is the adulterationinkjet toners. Not only do theactivities of counterfeiters affect thereturn on investment of printsolution providers, it alsoincreases the output cost of majororganisations.

Though the standard organisationof Nigeria, SON has consistentlylaunched campaigns aimed atfrustrating their impacts if notbringing their activities to a total stop,the menace still eats deep into thefabrics of the Nigerian businessworld. Major solution providers likeHP had their fingers burnt with theactivities of these unscrupulous classof people but quickly introducedmeasures to ensure their customersdifferentiate between fake andoriginal products.

However, Two notable documentsolutions providers MFI Groupand Kyocera Document Solutions,have teamed together with the aimof bailing Nigerian businesses outof the harrowing, interruptedworkflow they may have beenexperiencing due to substandardprinting documents.

Straight from their lab, thepartners came with a hi-techsolution against any attempt to fakeits products particularly the inkjettoner cartridges. The duo inpartnership which recentlylaunched cost-saving manageddocument solutions in Nigeria,said to be capable of assistingorganizations recoup up to 30% oftheir output costs, revealed thattheir toner cartridges come withspecial inbuilt chip which wouldnot allow foreign products exceptthat produced by the OEM.

In a recent educating andenhancing customer experienceevent in Lagos on ManagedDocument Services, the partnerssaid their aim was to identify thepains in four key operational areasof Cost-Saving, average outputcost reduction, Reduced energycosts and solutions provision withbenefits.

Managed Document Solutions isa process designed to optimize thedocument output of anorganization. It’s a holisticapproach that enables businessesto find areas where they canreduce costs.

L-r: Mr. Sajith Shankar, Managing Director, MFI Office Solutions, Nigeria;Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Mr. Pedro Omontuemhen and SeniorMarketing Manager, Kyocera Document Solutions International, Ms.Maki Nagao during a function organised by MFI and it’s partner,Kyocera which was geared at educating and enhancing customerexperience with Managed Document Services (MDS) held in Lagos.

slammed with N7.4 million; Etisalat N7 million andAirtel N3.8 million.

Before all these, Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC,Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta had spoken openly againstthe use of pre-registered sims, with a subtle warning ofdire consequencies.

Danbatta said, “We must speak to you about the issueof preregistered SIM cards. This is where criminally-minded people have utilised other peoples’ identities orfraudulent information to register and distribute SIMcards that are bought by innocent subscribers andcriminally-minded ones for the purpose of committingfraud without being traced as the number they use donot bear their identities.We request you to avoid buyingor distributing preregistered SIM cards as this is acriminal act punishable by imprisonment. Anybodyinvolved in the sale, distribution or use of preregisteredSIM card is considered a threat to national security, andif caught, will face the ugly consequences.”

Barely two months later, MTN now faces an evenstricter punishment, and is expected to pay N200,000for each of its 5.1 million subscribers that are not properlyregistered. According to Funso Aina, MTN’s PR andProtocol Manager, “MTN confirms that the NigerianCommunications Commission (NCC) has imposed aN1.4 trillion fine ($5.2bn) on MTN Nigeria. This finerelates to the timing of the disconnection of the 5.1million MTNN subscribers that were disconnected inAugust & September 2015 and is based on a N200,000fine for each improperly registered subscriber. MTNNigeria is currently engaging with the NCC to resolvethe matter.”

In a similar fashion, a few days from now, the CentralBank’s deadline for all bank account owners to obtainBank Verification number, BVN would elapse. It ispossible that millions of Nigerians may be unable toaccess their accounts; a steep price they would have topay for failing to acquire their BVN. This is consideringthat the CBN, in September, had announced that about32 million active bank account holders were yet to becaptured in the BVN exercise.

The goal of the Bank Verification Number (BVN) is touniquely verify the identity of each Bank’s customer for‘know your customer’ (KYC) purposes.However, it helpsto reduce fraud, increase the efficiency of bankingoperations and also enable customer access to futurecredit facilities.

L-R Mrs. Evelyn Chukwudubem, Human Resources Manager,Weco Systems Int’l Ltd.; Mr. Nnamdi Onyebuchi, ChiefOperating Officer, Weco Systems; Mr. Ismael Mustapha,Product Sales Specialist – DC, Cisco Systems and Mrs.Morenike Alder, Marketing Manager, Cisco Systems duringa Weco- Cisco Unified Computing Systems- UCS businesstransformation event at Eko Hotel and Suites Victoria Island,Lagos.

As with telecom operators,wouldso be for banks?

Continues from page 25

L-R: Managing Director/CEO, Dobox Media, Mr. GafarWilliams; Winner, Mr. Shobowale Femi; and GeneralManager, Convergence Audio Video Division, LG Elec-tronics West Africa operations, Mr. Hyunseung Shin,during the LG Dobox Giveaways Competition presenta-tion ceremony, in Lagos

By Emeka Aginam

By Prince Osuagwu

CMYK

faced South Africa in this group.”The game will kick off at Estadio

Fiscal at 22h00    CAT onThursday, with the winners to faceCroatia or Germany in thequarterfinals. 

Amunekepredicts toughtest againstAussies

MIDWEEK SPORTS 27 - 10 -2015

28 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015

GOLDEN Eaglets HeadCoach Emmanuel

Amuneke has admitted thattheir FIFA U-17 World CupChile 2015 Round of 16opponent, Australia would bea hard nut to crack at theEstadio Sausalito in Vina DelMar.

The Aussies showed someremarkable tenacity toadvance from the tournament’s supposed group

of death (Group D) where theylost 4-1 to Germany, drewgoalless with Mexico andedged Argentina 2-1.

“We have been lookingforward to the team we aregoing to play and today(Sunday), we realized it wouldbe Australia. At this stage,everybody that has qualifiedmust be respected,” explainedAmuneke. They

(Australia) are a very good

side because we saw theirmatch against Argentina;they are a very good side andwe have to respect them.”

While Nigeria have not losta second round match in the championship’s history,Australia were beaten 4-0by Uzbekistan in their lastRound of 16 appearance atMexico 2011. Yet, Amunekeinsisted the Golden Eagletsmust be at their best as Chile2015 enters the knockoutstages.

“We have to keepworking hard andprepare our players physically andpsychologically for thematch (againstAustralia) especiallyafter losing our lastgroup match toCroatia. We haveto let the playersrealize that thestage we are innow is crucialand it needshigh level ofconcentrationf r o mthem.

MALI will battle KoreaDPR in Talca on

tomorrow, for a place in thequarterfinals of the 2015 FIFAU-17 World Cup.

The ‘Aiglonnets’ earned theirspot in the round of 16 of theshowpiece event afterfinishing top of Group D onseven points, with a goallessdraw against Belgium in theircampaign opener followed byback-to-back victories overEcuador and Honduras.

Already quarterfinalists inEgypt in 1997 and in Trinidadand Tobago in 2001, the WestAfricans are targeting a top-four finish in Chile to emulatethe Under-20 national team.

“This is a long journey thatbegan a while ago in theAfrican qualifying and nowwe have finished in the firstposition in our group,” Malicoach Baye Ba said.

“Mali finished in thirdposition in U-20 finals that tookplace some months ago in NewZealand and this is our goaltoo: be in the four best teams ofthis tournament.”

And to reach their objective,Ba can rely on an impressiveattacking power with the likesof Aly Malle, Sidiki Maiga,Boubacar Traoré and SékouKoita.

Meanwhile, the NorthKoreans crawled into theknockout stage thanks to a top-four third-place finish,following a dramatic stoppage-time 2-1 win over Costa Ricain their final Group E outing.

“We have shown our abilityto play. This win gives usconfidence,” North Korea coachYon Kwang Mu said after thehuge morale boost.

“I think we have knowledgeof African football after having

Mali eye third W/Cup quarterfinal

Martins, Adistar in MLS

playoffs

Obafemi Martins andFanendo Adi will lead

Seattle Sounders and PortlandTimbers attack respectively when they battle for honours inthe MLS playoffs.

The Nigeria strikers are theshining light of their respectiveclubs in the just-ended regularseason of the MLS, scoring 15goals each and they now havetheir hands full in a bid to makeimpact in the playoffs.

Their teams play in theWestern Conference and todaySeattle Sounders will host LAGalaxy.

Seattle Sounders wereknocked out in the playoffs lastyear and so Martins and histeam mates will now be seekingrevenge.

• Martins

FIFA U-17:

Sunderlandreject unfit

Obasi

Troubled EPL sideSunderland will not sign

Nigeria forward Chinedu Obasibecause he could not prove hisfitness. Obasi, who is a free agentafter he was released by GermanBundesliga side Schalke 04, hasbeen training with Sunderlandwith a the hope of bagging adeal.

According to Mailonline,Sunderland have passed on achance to sign Obasi after hefailed to prove his fitness whilethey need a player who couldwalk straight into the team.

The Nigeria international, whoholds a German passport, willnow seek other options.

• Obasi

Kick off: 12 midnight

“It is a welcome development(Eaglets versus Australia) andbefore Wednesday, we wouldevaluate our players and seetheir state of mind but hopefully,all of them would be ready toplay on Wednesday,” Amunekeassured.

The Eaglets have, in themeantime, been

training in Vinadel Mar sincearriving thereon Saturdayahead of theirdate againstthe Aussies.

CMYK

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015 — 29

RAMIRES says managerJose Mourinho still has thetrust of his Chelsea players

and insisted the team are focusedon turning around their dismal startto the season.

Reigning champions Chelseasuffered their fifth defeat in 10Premier League matches thisseason, going down 2-1 away toWest Ham on Saturday, leavingthem 15th on the table.

Mourinho – subject to asuspended one-game stadiumban for comments made aboutmatch officials after the 3-1

home defeat to Southamptonearlier this month - was sent to thestands following a half-time incidentat the Upton Park and has sincebeen charged with misconduct bythe FA.

The pressure on the Portuguesehas subsequently increased, butRamires has claimed the players arebehind him. “There is no mutinyagainst Mourinho,” Ramires toldESPN Brasil.

“If you take our last games youwill see how everyone is runningrelentlessly, putting their lives onthe line on the pitch, as we say.

“Whenever we’re in bad form, it’sonly natural that negativespeculation arises, but the wholegroup isn’t paying attention to theoutside. “We are focused on doingwhat Mourinho asks us to do and,

consequently, helping Chelseato get back to winning.

“It’s hard to find a logicalexplanation as the groupremains the same from last

season, but the important thingis that we’ve been working toturn things around.

“We know we have a greatteam that has the capacity to

do more and we are fightingon the pitch to get Chelseaback to the stability needed tofight at the top of the table,which is what should happenevery time.”

No mutiny againstMourinho — Ramires

•RamiresMourinho

MTN donatesN5m to Polo

club

In furtherance of itscommitment to improvingthe game of Polo in Nigeria,

MTN Nigeria has donated N5million to the Yola Polo club, as itpartnered the Nigerian PoloFederation to sponsor this year’sedition of the annual MTN YolaPolo tourney.

The sponsorship, according tothe Consumer MarketingManager, MTN, RichardIweanoge underscores thecompany’s effort to give back toits subscribers and support theirlifestyle in a unique way. He alsoadded that their support for thetournament was aimed at raisingthe profile of the game.

“Our goal at MTN Nigeria is tobe there for Nigerians at all timesand this is reflected through oursponsorship of the annual YolaPolo tourney. We want to raise theprofile of the Polo game in Nigeriaand to ensure that Nigeria standstall amongst the comity ofprofessional Polo nations acrossthe world,” Iweanoge stated.

Francis Ogboru, President of theNigerian Polo Federation hailedMTN, describing the firm as aleading light with respect to it’scontribution to the federation’ssanctioned tournaments in thecountry.

5th SouthernSun Ikoyi golftourney tees off

Nov 11BY JIMOH BABATUNDE

The 5th annual Southern SunIkoyi Golf Tournament 2015

will tee off November 11, 2015 atthe lush course of the LakoweLakes Golf and Country Estate.

The tournament which willfeature about 100 experiencedplayers representing corporatesponsors from various sectors ofthe economy is one of the strategicplans developed by the luxurioushotel in reinforcing itscommitment to the promotion ofsports within its community.

Adding to the expectations forthis year ’s Golf Tournament,General Manager Southern SunIkoyi, Mark Loxley said asideshowing its support for thedevelopment of sporting activitiesin the country, “Southern Sunhope to contribute with an activerole in helping our adopted charityorganisation, the Arrows of GodOrphanage as proceeds from thistournament will benefit the charitygreatly”.

The Arrows of God orphanagefounded in 1998 and located inAjah, Lagos, cares for over 150orphaned, abandoned anddestitute children.

Participants at this year’s GolfTournament also stand a chanceto win very exciting prizes courtesyof the tournament’s corporatesponsors. The exhilarating prizesfor grabs include; business andeconomy class return tickets toSouth Africa amongst otherwonderful international traveldestinations, a Toyota Rav 4 SUVand a Mini Cooper car amongstmany other fantastic prizes.

AC Milan head coach Sinisa Mihajlovic refuses toput a time frame on the return to action of Mario

Balotelli. The Liverpool loanee showed someencouraging glimpses of form last month and scoredin the 3-2 victory over Udinese, but a persistent groinproblem has kept him sidelined since the 1-0 defeat toGenoa on September 27.

Mihajlovic says Balotelli is continuing to work onstrengthening the muscle but admits he cannot saywhen he will be available.

“The groin pain comes and goes. The doctors aretrying everything to solve the problem,” he said.

“He is working to strengthen the painful part, he’strying everything but he can’t run. I don’t know whenhe can come back.”

Milan got back to winning ways on Sunday againstSassuolo and Mihajlovic is unwilling to abandon hopeof a Champions League spot as long as his sidecontinue to show the same desire. “Of course I believe,”he said. “If Juve believe in a Scudetto comeback, wecan make a comeback to the Champions League.

“The team is more compact now. Before, we didn’tattack and defend, but now it’s better. But the goal is toconcede fewer chances than before.

Mihajlovic:Balotelli stillcan’t run

•Balotelli

Jurgen Klopp insists Liverpool areahead of where he expected them tobe as he aims for a first win in hisfourth match in charge.

The German must have thought hewas about to break his duck whenChristian Benteke put Liverpoolahead late on against Southamptonon Sunday only for Sadio Mane toequalise.

That made it three draws insuccession for Klopp, who expressedhis surprise in the aftermath at theextreme reaction of his players toconceding the goal.

But he was keen to project a muchmore positive vibe ahead of today’sCapital One Cup clash withBournemouth at Anfield.

Klopp said: “I think it’s more aproblem with my language. I don’thave enough words to make the smalldifferences between words andmeaning.

“I really don’t have problems. HowI understand it is, if we bring newinformation, if you were at this level,then you go a step down and then itgoes in the other direction.

“That’s pretty normal. It’s the timeyou need to change your movementsand all these things. I’m surprised

Klopp satisfiedwith progress

•Jurgen Klopp

Jürgen Klopp has confirmed Daniel Sturridge will again be

absent when Liverpool hostBournemouth in his first Capital OneCup tie today.

The striker has not featured forKlopp having injured his knee in atraining ground collision with Jordon

Capital One Cup: Sturridge to miss cup tieIbe ahead of the draw at TottenhamHotspur, a knock that resulted in abuild-up of fluid around the joint.

Sturridge has not resumed fulltraining ahead of the fourth-round tiewith Eddie Howe’s team at Anfield andwill miss the new manager’s fourthmatch in charge.

CMYK

30—VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015

CMYK

Oby Ezekwesili

OBY Ezekwesili, a former ministerof Education, has compared Nigeria’s

current economic situation to that of 1982during the regime of ex-president, ShehuShagari- and trends on that account.

In a speech in Lagos, the former ministerstressed that the situation surrounding theeconomic, social and political sectors isprecarious, saying that managing suchsituations would be really difficult for thegovernment.

Ezekwesili recalled 1981 and 1982 yearswhen Nigeria witnessed the same economiccollapse as it is witnessing now.

We have found ourselves in a situation

AGAIN the Edo State First Lady stole the show at thelaunch of Wole Soyinka Foundation in Abeokuta last

week, and pictures of her ‘getting it right’ this time in ared dress have appeared on blogosphere. But commentatorsare still harsh, with one writing: I have been trying tounderstand why Oshiomole’s new wife must attend and sitwith him on official matters, when she has no place beingthere. Is she his personal assistant, his medical care givernurse or what. I don’t understand her role in the government.

Iara Oshiomhole

M E A N W H I L Efiercest feminist,

Germaine Greer, has accusedCaitlyn Jenner of “stealingthe limelight” from the otherwomen of the Kardashianclan. In an interview, Greersaid that “misogyny playeda big part” in Glamourmagazine’s decision toaward Jenner their woman ofthe year.

Defending previousstatements in which sheclaimed that trans womenwere not “real women,” shealso refused to back downfrom her position thattransgender women, whohave begun life as menbefore undergoing surgeryand hormone treatment tobecome women, do not ‘looklike, sound like or behavelike women’.

Germaine Greer

Greer’s statements prompteda petition circulated by CardiffUniversity students started bythe women’s officer at theCardiff University Students’Union. It claims that Greerhas”demonstrated time andtime again her misogynisticviews towards trans women,

Kaitlyn Jenner

where every sector is in a precarioussituation. We are operating on uncertaintyand it is very difficult. Our economy hastaken a nose dive, and I ask how it ispossible for Nigeria to find itself in thisembarrassing situation. Nigerians muststudy history because people who do notstudy history risk repeating all the mistakesmade in the past.

The former minister also states that shewas poorer while serving in government.In a series of tweets Ezekwesili urgedNigerians to change their mindset ofseeing government portfolios as an avenueto make money.

including continually‘misgendering’ trans womenand denying the existence oftransphobia altogether.”

The petition had more than800 signatures. But Greer saysof it, “I don’t really know whatI think of it. It strikes me as abit of a put-up job reallybecause I am not even goingto talk about the issue that theyare on about.

What they are saying is thatbecause I don’t think surgerywill turn a man into a woman Ishould not be allowed to speakanywhere.”

Cardiff University said that itwould not cancel Greer ’sspeech. “Our events includespeakers with a range of views,all of which are rigorouslychallenged and debated”.

The debate continues.

Mo AbuduLATE bloomer Mo Abudu rules the Nigerian

blogosphere this week, along with stars of hernewly premiered movie, Fifty: Ireti Doyle, DakoreEgbuson-Akande, Omoni Oboli and Nse Ikpe-Etim.Fifty is directed by Biyi Bandele with Mo Abudu theexecutive producer.

Fifty had its London Film Festival premiere at theweekend, and crituques say the production is MoAbudu’s quest to showcase African women coming ofage, vis a vis aspirations and dilemmas faced by

their contemporaries everywhere, whileyet navigating traditions and obligations.

Set in Lagos, “ a city of disproportionateand breathtaking contrasts”, Fiftycelebrates the pulse and energy of this fastdeveloping metropolis and explores thediversities and complexities of its colourfulpeople through the lenses of its women.

Omotola JaladeBack home, movie veteran Omotola

continues to add feathers to her cap- notto mention zeroes to her bank account- asshe picks up a multimillion Nairaendorsement as Brand Ambassador toScanfrost.

The mother of four who is also anambassadors of Knorr, is one of the mostdecorated movie actresses in Africa.

THE very famousJenner-Kardasian clan

might be down but not out,and their most daringmember yet has beentrending all week.

She may have split fromtheir mother Kris Jenner, butCaitlyn Jenner showed she’sstill part of the family as sheattended Kim Kardashian’sluxurious baby shower thisweekend.

The 65 year-old formerOlympian wore matchingstriped pajamas as shejoined the Kardashian-Jenner clan as theycelebrated Kim’s pregnancy.

*Iara Oshiomhole

*Kaitlyn Jenner

*Germaine Greer

*Mo Abudu

*Oby Ezekwesili

VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015 —31

CMYK

We are still struggling to accessFADAN/BOI loans— Chinwe Ezenwa, arts & crafts promoter/exporter

WHAT inspired LeLook?

This business was foundedbecause of the need toempower a brother of minewith disability. He is actuallydeaf and dumb. I had to puthim through a hairdressingschool. At the end, I said tomyself: “If he can neither talknor hear, at least he can see.So, let me give the name LeLook.”

When we opened here thirtyyears ago, we could only takeappointments for my brotherto do hair because he wouldn’tknow what a customer wanteddone. Later, I employed somehairdressers to join him.

The acceptability was highand the saloon became one ofthe most celebrated andpatronized in Lagos.

But Le Look, as you can see,has grown from a hairdressingsaloon to a bag-makingcompany because my brotherhas moved on. He now livesin the United States of Americawhere he is doing great thingswith hair.

Le Look became a place tofall back on when I retiredfrom the federal civil service.

When exactly did youventure into bag making?

That was about 20 years agoand it began with my youngersister who’s also challenged;two of my six siblings actuallyhave physical challenges.

Physicalchallenges

I was determined to get themengaged. I thereafter engagedher in bag making and thatmarked the dawn of my entryinto business because at thattime, I was still in publicservice.

What has been your highest point so far?

Empowering youths andcreating jobs for people whowould otherwise not have any.The unique opportunity topromote Nigeria is also whatsatisfies me about thisbusiness. If you check ourlabels inside the bag, you’llsee ‘Made in Nigeria’ boldlywritten.

You apparently seek tocreate an international brand.Why use only Africanprints(Ankara) for your bagsand accessories?

I’ve always known that mostpeople never liked to wear itin those days. So, I said tomyself, “If you cannot wear it,then learn to carry it.”Carrying it has indeed becomefashion since then.

Having worked with youngminds all these years, whatwould you say about theentrepreneurship spirit

among Nigerian youths?I think the past few years

have been quitecommendable. The

environment too has beenmade conducive a bit. But thefact is that the absence of jobshas made it compulsory foreverybody to look moreinward. I think we should lookinward more and morebecause government cannotemploy everybody. Moreopportunities abound in theprivate sector.

I am determined to createmore jobs with Le Look ifgovernment will give me theopportunity.

Have there been patronageand support fromgovernment?

Yes, to a commendableextent. The Bank of Industry,Nigerian Export PromotionCouncil and some federalministries. We make most ofthe conference bags forpeople. We work for the

Independent NationalElectoral Commission, INEC;some United Nations bodies;the federal ministries, tomention but few. In terms ofgetting support, what I’mhowever, not pleased with arethe tall orders always requiredfor loans. I mean, what othercollateral can be moredependable than one’s skilland ideas?

Don’t you belong to a bodywhich can advocate easieraccess to loans forentrepreneurs like yourself?

I belong to the FashionDesigners Association ofNigeria, FADAN, and recentlythe association got a billionnaira fund.

Creating wealth forprivate sector

We are all struggling toaccess that loan. But eventhen, the conditionality for thatis still quite tall; not everyonecan meet it. Le Look can meetit, but what about others?

Why not get governmentassistance to access loans inthe private sector like frombanks?

The banks have been givenopportunities to create wealthfor the private sector but theyhave not been doing so. Theyhave what they call SMIESwhich they use to reserve 10%of their earnings for theprivate sector but how manypeople have accessed that? Idare say the fund is not therefor entrepreneurs to even

access, not to mention theconditionality. People shouldinvestigate properly.

It is now their (banks) eyeswill open because governmentis removing all their moneyfrom their custody. So, theyhave no choice than to look forvery serious-minded privatesector people to partner with.

Tell us, how has the journeybeen so far with Le Look?

It’s been rough and tumble.A major challenge is howeverpower (electricity) because werun on generator 24/7. Evenas we celebrated our 30thanniversary on October 1st,we were on generator. You canimagine, 55 years of Nigeria’sindependence and everybodyis still relying on generator.

Presently, we have about 50employees in Le Look and I’mproud to say some of thesestaff acquired the arts andcrafts skill from us. Many arealso university graduates.

You’re heavily intoexportation; what’s theacceptance like abroad?

Excellent. The Germans,Parisians and Americans loveour products. In fact, eachtime there’s an event at theAmerican Embassy, we’realways invited to exhibit. TheSmithsonian Institute, theworld’s largest museum andresearch complex, also had tocome all the way fromWashington DC to visit LeLook. They gave me a medaland I was told only the FirstLadies of America get suchmedals.

...what I’m howevernot pleased with arethe tall ordersalways required forloans. ...what othercollateral can bemore dependablethan one’s skill andideas?

•Chinwe Felicia Ezenwa

•Says banks have failed to boost private sector

Her products adorn the Smithsonian Institute, the world’slargest museum and research complex seated in Washington,USA. Though not your regular news or magazine coverpersonality, Chief(Mrs) Chinwe Felicia Ezenwa is a leadingpromoter and exporter of Nigerian arts and crafts, particularlybags, fashion accessories and souvenirs, all of which shemanufactures with purely African fabrics, with attention to details. Queens and Kings College, as well as other prominentschools, now carry her customised backpack bags.

A retired Director of the Federal Ministry of Transport,Chinwe who prides herself more in her ability to createemployment for about 50 young Nigerians at present throughLe Look Nigeria Limited, celebrated the company’s 30thanniversary earlier in October. She tells more in this interviewand decries women entrepreneurs’ poor access to loans.

By Josephine Agbonkhese

32 — VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015

TELLTALE signs: As far asthe tribunal was concerned,

Ogboru and Labour Partywoefully failed to prove theirassertions of ballot stuffing andother electoral malpractices. Asif saying the petitioners came towaste the time of the tribunalgiven that their witnessesappallingly contradicted,themselves in their testimonies,the tribunal awarded N50, 000costs against each of thepetitioners.

Justice Gunmi gave clue of thetribunal’s displeasure with thedemeanour of the petitioners’witnesses when Mr. TurnerOgboru, a younger brother toOgboru, appeared before itearlier on September 16. Hecommented that the way heanswered questions by lawyersto respondents might be injuriousto the case of the petitioners.

He said, “Don’t stretch ourpatience, maybe we have totake an adjournment and askyour counsel to advice you onhow to behave. You are a witnessin this matter, whateverrelationship you have withcounsels does not count here, andyou should answer the questionsdirectly, so please help us. I wantyou to know that the evidence yougive will determine your case, ifyou do not comport yourself, I donot know how you are helpingin this matter.”

Flawed theory: The conclusionof the tribunal, especially in theEmerhor/APC case againstOkowa, was that the petitionersincorrectly thought that with theverdict of the Rivers tribunal tothe effect that INECcompromised the election in thestate with the use of incidentforms, rather than adherence tocard reader, would automaticallyricochet in Delta.

Shoddypreparation

Though the tribunal overrodethe preliminary objections of therespondents that Emerhor wasnot competent to bring the actionand lacked locus standi, it saidthe uncorroborated malfunctionof the card reader, a complementto the accreditation process atsome polling units did notinvalid Okowa’s election.

What dumbfounded thetribunal the more and whichcounted greatly in favour ofOkowa, was the seeminglyclumsy manner the petitionerswent about the case. Indeed, thiswas the decisive factor for thegovernor.

As the panel said, “The petitionis unusual for a gubernatorialelectoral petition; it contains only17 paragraphs, on seven pages

of A4 paper. There are 25 localgovernment areas in Delta stateand by virtue of polling units…,there are at least, 3,329 pollingunits in Delta state. One wouldhave thought that there wouldhave been pleadings on whattranspired in the polling units butthis was not the case.”

The panel said it was,therefore, not surprised at thelean pleadings of the petition, asthe petitioners dwelt more on the use of card readers vis a vistheir deployment for the electionand the authority of INECintroducing it in the firstinstance, instead of proving theallegation of corrupt practicesthey canvassed.

In fact, it wondered why thepetitioners did not adduce factualsituations that occurred at someof the over 3,000 polling units inthe state to substantiate theircase. For the avoidance of doubt,it said the electoral umpire hadthe authority to introduce cardreader and make otherregulations for the conduct ofelections in the country.

The tribunal did not see howunproven hitches experiencedwith the card reader wouldamount to a failure of a deviceused for the first time in thecountry to eliminate the same

corrupt practices the petitionerscomplained.

Toxic votes: The panel said itwas not enough for thepetitioners to seek declaratoryreliefs from it, saying they shouldprove their case before lookingforward to reliefs, adding that itwas their responsibility toestablish the existence of toxicvotes in the ballots counted forOkowa. It held that out of the715,392 votes earlier uploaded byINEC from its server in June andthe 715,592 votes at the end ofAugust, the petitioners did notbear out the toxic votes and it wasnot the assignment of the tribunalto prove the case of the

Consolidation in Delta

•Okowa•Ogboru•Emerhor

DIFFERENT STROKES FOR PDP

As far as thetribunal wasconcerned,Ogboru andLabour Partywoefully failed toprove theirassertions ofballot stuffing andother electoralmalpractices

ASABA- DRAWING analogy from the Governorship ElectionPetition Tribunals at Akwa Ibom and Rivers States, which quashed the elections of GovernorsUdom Emmanuel and Nyesom Wike, the All Progressives Congress, APC and Labour Party,LP, governorship candidates in Delta State in the April 11, 2014 governorship election,Olorogun O’tega Emerhor and Chief Great Ogboru may have anticipated Delta State tofollow the bandwagon last Monday.

However, this was not to be, as the three-man Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in thestate, chaired by Justice Nasiru Gunmi, darted their expectations. It did not invalidate resultin a single local government, not to talk of ordering a re-run.

The tribunal not only sustained the election of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, the candidate ofthe Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the election, it dismissed their petitions with ignominy.

Starting with the petition by Ogboru and his party, the tribunal held that the petitionerswere under obligation to prove their claims that the election of Senator Okowa as governordid not substantially comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2010 as amended, butcontrarily, they abandoned the roadway and pursued shadow during the proceedings.

By Emmanuel Aziken,Political Editor

petitioners. In any case, it saidthe petitioners’ dependence onthe uploaded figure of INEC wasinsufficient and never advancedtheir case.

Fatality of petitions: Thetribunal ruled that it was wrongfor the petitioners to rely on theweakness of the case of therespondents, saying in all, theyfailed to demonstrate that INECdid not conduct the election insubstantial accordance with theElectoral Act.

Okowa’s confidence: Counselsfor the various respondents, AlexIziyon, SAN, Timothy Kehinde,SAN, Daiman Dodo, SAN andKen Mozea, SAN, seemed tohave spotted the weakness in thepetitioners’ strategy and acteddumb to the incongruity duringthe proceedings because it wasin their best interest to act in likemanner.

Governor Okowa, frequentlybriefed by his counsels, was self-assured that since he won thepolls, there was no way thetribunal would upturn hiselection, but he was not obliviousof the fact that anything couldhappen, especially with theshattering breeze from Riversand Akwa Ibom, where theelections of his colleaguegovernors were nullified.

Gbagi’s destabilizing projectileThe pervasive rumor that some

persons have compromised thetribunal and the annulment of hiselection was a done dealunsettled PDP leaders in thestate.

Former Minister of State forEducation, Olorogun KennethGbagi, who has an axe to grindwith the Urhobo Progress Union,UPU the apex Urhobo body ofthe Urhobo ethnic nationality,over its role in the run-up to thePDP primaries and the electionsproper, picked the gauntlet forOkowa.

The criminologist and lawyerlaunched propaganda barely 48hours to the judgment that itwould be illegal for the tribunalto annul an election thateverybody knew Okowa won.

Gameplan

If his game plan was to pre-empt the tribunal from deliveringa dangerous blow at Okowa,then, his hit was on target, as itnot only rankle feathers in certainquarters, it aborted somecalculations.

Gbagi confirmed to this writerthat some highly placed persons,who he refused to mention theirnames, contacted him to find outexactly what he knew, but hefenced them off.

Former Chief of Staff to theDelta State Government, now anAPC tactician, Chief PaulinusAkpeki, plotting to unseatOkowa not through the tribunal,but the ballot box in 2015, is oneof those who decoded Gbagi’sstratagem. He asked him to namenames if he was sure of hischarge, but it was too late in theday to outfox the Oginibo chief,as the tribunal upheld theelection of his man, Okowa, 24hours later.

VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015 — 33

DIFFERENT STROKES FOR PDP

THE chieftain of the AllProgressives Congress, APC was

ecstatic on Monday night as word of thetribunal judgment sacking 20 of the 32members of the Rivers State House ofAssembly seeped in.

The victory of the party’s candidates wasan icing to the cake after last Saturday’sjudgment of the state GovernorshipElection Tribunal ordered a rerun of thegovernorship election declared to havebeen won by the Peoples Democratic Party,PDP in the last election.

At the end of the elections, theIndependent National ElectoralCommission, INEC had declared victoryfor the PDP in the governorship electionand also, in 31 of the 32 state House ofAssembly constituencies. The APC wasonly credited with one seat in the House.

The election was, however, contestedboth by the APC and most independentobservers who declared the elections tohave been rigged. Remarkably, thegovernorship and the state House ofAssembly elections were held on the sameday on April 11.

Governorshiptribunal

The judgment of the governorshiptribunal had as such come as further reliefto the APC in its bid to take control of thestate.

The APC it would be recalled had beenin control of the state until May 29. Theparty led by former Governor RotimiAmaechi had alleged that the PDP, beingthe party in power at the time of the April11 governorship and state legislativeelections, had used security forces to foistits will on the electorate.

Remarkably, the campaigns preceding

Reversals in Rivers

ONE DAY ONE TROUBLE-Saturday, October 24 - Tribunal annuls Wike’s election-Monday , October 26 – Tribunal annuls PDP’s victory in 20 seats-Tuesday, October 27 – Supreme Court dismisses Wike’s appeal onjurisdiction of tribunal

The constituenciesaffected

•GOKANA•ELEME•OBIO AKPOR 1•OBIO AKPOR 2•ETCHE 2•OPOBO/NKORO•AKUKUTORU 2•ASARI TORU 1•ASARI TORU 2•BONNY•TAI•ONELGA 1•DEGEMA•AHOADA EAST -1•KHANA-1•KHANA 2•IKWERRE•PHALGA-2•ANDONI

the election had been much characterisedby violence with the death of severalsupporters of the APC.

Following the election, the APC hadvowed to appeal the elections and by lastweek, the party’s supporters had againbegun to smile with victory in sight.

The PDP top hierarchy had fixed ameeting of its national caucus for tomorrowto review the import of the judgment onthe governorship elections in Rivers andAkwa Ibom States.

Monday’s judgment remarkably addsto the woes of the party, and in factbecomes a game changer for the twoparties in the event of a rerun.

The summary of the judgment puts thePDP on knife-edge as it leaves the partywith control of only 11 seats in the 32member state House of Assembly.

With 11 members needed to form aquorum, it means that any further loss onthe part of the party could mean the Housenot being able to form a quorum, and

thereby not being able to produce thespeaker that could act as acting governorin the event of a possible rerun of thegovernorship election.

Yesterday, the incumbent speaker of theHouse who was one of those affected bythe judgment was seething with

The judgment annulling the outcome of 20 state constituency elections in Rivers State compoundsthe problems of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Rivers State and sets stage for anunprecedented constitutional crisis

By Emmanuel Aziken,Political Editor

indignation with a vow to contest thejudgment.

He was also quick to dismissinsinuations that control of the House hadturned over to the APC.

“The whole world knows that electionwas conducted in the state on April 11.The whole world knows as well that INECprepared for such election for a longperiod. Because we have faith in thejudiciary system, we have faith in thejudges and justices we have in Nigeriawe believe that our cass will not bedifferent.

We have faith in the Chief Justice ofNigeria that justice must be done. Wehave faith in the judiciary.

You can’t insulate democracy from justice.Through free will the people votedgovernor Wike and members of the stateHouse of Assembly. We must keep faithwith the Nigeria state,” he said.

“People will always say this Speakerdoes not laugh. Today I am going to laugh.Leadership entails maturity”, he said ona lighter note.

Also adding to the woes of the PDP wasthe Supreme Court judgment yesterdaywhich dismissed Governor NyesomWike’s contention that the relocation of theGovernorship Election from Rivers Stateto Abuja was wrong. The judgment ineffect, removed any contention against theSaturday judgment that annulled thegovernorship election.

•Wike •Dakuku

The summary of thejudgment puts the PDPon knife-edge as itleaves the party withcontrol of only 11 seatsin the 32 member stateHouse of Assembly

34 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015

CMYK

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015—35

The President, aschief executive of theFederal Government,cannot lawfullyarrogate to himself,the checking oroversight functionsimply because theconstitutionalagencies entrustedwith the function donot do their work theway they aresupposed to function

THE dangers of a war oncorruption uninhibited by

constitutional limitations onpower: The war againstcorruption is no doubt a verylaudable cause that demands thewholehearted support of all.Constitutional democracy cannotbe sustained, much less benurtured to full maturity inNigeria, unless a relentless waris waged against rampantcorruption.

But support for the war obligesus to make a choice between, onthe one hand, a total war againstcorruption uninhibited by thelimitations on power containedin the Constitution, i.e. to doaway, even if not completely, withthe system of rule known asconstitutional democracy whichwe have adopted as a deliberatechoice, and, on the other,fighting corruption within andsubject to the framework oflimitations on power embodiedin the Constitution, especiallylimitations arising from thefederal system and theguarantee of civil and politicalrights.

We should be under noillusions whatsoever that to doaway with constitutionallimitations on power in order to

corruption uninhibited byconstitutional limitations onpower

•Statement portrayingcorruption as a monster that willkill us if we do not kill it first. At arecent Conference the Presidentsaid: “Our fight againstcorruption is not just a moralbattle for virtue andrighteousness in our land; it is afight for the soul and substanceof our nation…This is why wemust see it as an existentialthreat; if we don’t kill it, it willkill us” – emphasis supplied.

This statement is nothing but apropaganda gimmick purposelyput out to seduce Nigerians intoacclaiming him (the President)as a liberator embarked on adesperate war to free us from thekilling clutches of corruption.Devastating as its evilconsequences are, corruption isnot such a monster as will destroyour very existence if we do notfirst kill it. It does not thereforecall for a total war on it

level is checked. As far as theconstitution allows me I will tryto ensure that there is responsibleand accountable governance atall levels of government in thecountry. For I will not have keptmy own trust with the Nigerianpeople if I allow others abusetheirs under my watch”(emphasis supplied).

That “the President FederalRepublic of Nigeria”, as he isofficially styled, should makesuch a statement is incredible. Itis simply unbelievable that he,as President in a federal state,should exhibit such lack ofunderstanding of the nature andthe cardinal principles of thefederal system as established byour Constitution, and that it is nopart of the responsibility of thechief executive of the FederalGovernment (i.e. the President)under the system to “ensure thatthere is responsible andaccountable governance at alllevels of government in thecountry”. The State Governmentsas well as the local governmentsunder our federal system are notunder his (the President’s)“watch”; it is no part of hisresponsibility to watch over, or tokeep an eye on, them to ensurethat they maintain “responsibleand accountable governance”.Such a preposterous propositionis simply subversive of thefederal system under ourConstitution.

Likewise, it is no part of theresponsibility of a State Governor,as the chief executive of the StateGovernment, to watch over or

police the President to ensure thathe does not commit corruption.The constitutional agenciesentrusted with that responsibilityin both the case of the StateGovernor and the President arethe judiciary, including the Codeof Conduct Bureau (CCB) andthe Code of Conduct Tribunal(CCT); the legislative assembliesthrough the exercise of theirpower to impeach and removethe chief executive and throughthe exercise of their over-sightfunction; and, ultimately, thepeople through the exercise oftheir right during election not tovote back to office a corruptPresident or Governor.

The President, as chiefexecutive of the FederalGovernment, cannot lawfullyarrogate to himself, the checkingor oversight function simplybecause the constitutionalagencies entrusted with thefunction do not do their work theway they are supposed tofunction. Insofar as, and to theextent that, the Economic andFinancial Crimes Act 2004 andthe Corrupt Practices and AlliedOffences Act 2000 purport toconfer the function on thePresident, they areunconstitutional, null and void.The issue cannot appropriatelybe pursued here.

Total war oncorruption

•The President’s otherstatements or conduct suggestiveof an intention not to allowconstitutional limitations onpower inhibit a total war oncorruption. There are otherstatements or conduct by thePresident that suggestunwillingness on his part to allowa total war on corruption to beinhibited by constitutionallimitations on power.

Such statements or conduct are,without any claim toexhaustiveness, the dictatorialdisregard of the commands anddirectives of our Constitution, inparticular its provisions (a)requiring him to appointministers and to hold regularmeetings with them (and theVice-President) “for the purposeof determining the generaldirection of domestic and foreignpolicies of the Government of theFederation”, as well as “advising[him] generally in the discharge

By Ben Nwabueze

Map of Nigeria

administration of government, to“conform to, observe and apply”the principles of democracy,justice, social justice, the “federalcharacter” principle and equality,in particular, to treat citizensequally, and not to discriminatebetween them on the ground ofplace of origin, ethnicity, religionor political opinion, as may bemanifested, for example, in theway they vote in elections,whether they voted for or againsthis (the President’s) politicalparty (the directive wasdisregarded in the 24 keyappointments he made recently).

Financialresources

At this point, the nature andcardinal principles of our federalsystem need to be defined andexplained.

•The nature and cardinalprinciples of our federal systemdefined and explained

Federalism is an arrangementwhereby powers of governmentin a country as well as financialresources are, by legallyenforceable provisions in aconstitution, sanctioned by theinvalidity of acts that violate thelimitation, divided between ageneral country-wide governmentand regionally – basedgovernments in such a way thateach, as a government, has aseparate, independent existenceas well as equality of status (asdistinct from equality of powers)with the others, and is, in itsoperations, free from control orinterference by the others, with awill of its own and its ownapparatus for the conduct of itsaffairs, and with an authorityexclusive in some fields andbinding directly on persons andthings in all matters within itscompetence.

Federalism is thus a vitalinstrument for limited government,i.e. of constitutionalism. “Of allchecks on democracy” writesProfessor John Dalberg-Acton,better known as Lord Acton,“federalism has been the mostefficacious and the mostcongenial….The federal systemlimits and restrains sovereignpower by dividing it”. – JohnE.E. Dalberg Acton, First BaronActon, History of Freedom andOther Essays, ed by J.N. Figgisand R.V. Laurence (1907), p. 98.

of his executivefunctions”, (the list of hisministerial nominees wassubmitted to the Senatefor screening andconfirmation only onSeptember 30, 2015, i.e.four months after hisinauguration asPresident; as thescreening andconfirmation process inthe Senate is still goingon as at today (10October), it means thePresident is still ruling thecountry withoutministers.) (b) directinghim, in the

the President’s Inaugural Speechon May 29, 2015

Constitutionallimitations

What the President said in hisInaugural Speech on May 29,2015 bears out more directly andunmistakeably his intention notto allow constitutional limitationson power to stand in the way of atotal war on corruption. He said,“Constitutionally there are limitsto powers of each of the threetiers of government but thatshould not mean the FederalGovernment should fold its armsand close its eyes to what is goingon in the states and localgovernments. Not least theoperations of the LocalGovernment Joint Account.While the Federal Governmentcan not interfere in the details ofits operations it will ensure thatthe gross corruption at the local

be able to wage a total war oncorruption untrammeled by thoselimitations is to risk thedestruction of our continued co-existence in one country.

The Constitution is like a gluethat holds us together as onepolity; without it and thelimitations it imposes on power,especially the limitations arisingfrom the federal system and theguarantee of civil and politicalrights, we risk not having oneNigeria. We in the Igbo Leadersof Thought stand firmly on thecontinued peaceful co-existenceof all the ethnic nationscomprised in Nigeria. ButPresident Buhari has given a hintthat his intention is to wage a totalwar on corruption untrammeledby constitutional limitations. Thehint comes from notablestatements of his, albeit in termsnot free from differinginterpretations.

Hints by the president of hisintention to wage a total war on

untrammeled by theconstitutional limitations onpower. The statement is afalse, unwarranted alarmcall for a total war.Furthermore, as stated inmy earlier write-up,corruption is not Nigeria’sNumber One enemy towarrant subordinating ourConstitution to the waragainst it.

•Statement contained in

PRPRPRPRPROFOFOFOFOF..... BEN NW BEN NW BEN NW BEN NW BEN NWABABABABABUEZEUEZEUEZEUEZEUEZE

President Buhari

Fighting corruptionsubject toconsultationallimitations

To be continued

VIRGINIA

KAPTAIN AFRIKA in “HEY’ By Andy Akman

dadadekola@yahoo.com

TERROR MUDA in “Scavenger Elite” 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 08056180139L E I S U R ETHOUGHT FOR TODAYTHOUGHT FOR TODAYTHOUGHT FOR TODAYTHOUGHT FOR TODAYTHOUGHT FOR TODAY

By Richard Eromosele

36 —Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015

LIBRA; It is good to express yourself gracefully , but it isequally good to watch what you tell others so that youdon’t promise what you can not deliver.

SCORPIO; The best for you today is to give priority at-tention to practical way to improve on your working pat-tern and encourage better understanding at work.

SAGITTARIUS; It is nice to rely on yourself but nobodycan be an Island on his own; meaning that you will needto be as co-operative as necessary to be successful today.

CAPRICORN; Good advice from the veterans within yourbase of operation will go long way to get things done theproper way to the betterment of your cause.

AQUARIUS; If you take good advice from your triedand trusted friends you will not have cause to regret butif you become reckless it would back-fire. Be loving..

PISCES; You like it or not, domestic related issues willbecome prominent on your mind. Career and financialaffairs can bring you unexpected success today..

ARIES; Those of you who are more firmed are in for arewarding day. In whatever you do today it is importantyou don’t forget both immediate and far future.

TAURUS; You will have more to gain keeping both yourpersonal and financial secrets. Take good advantage ofyour sex appeal to enhance your love life positively

GEMINI; You are becoming more determined to the bet-terment of your cause. However this is not the right timeto re-arrange (and/or) re-plan your finances.

CANCER; Giving priority attention to either day-to-dayworking activities or long term career related issue isnot bad at all but you must be as practical as possible.

LEO; It will be wrong to drop ambitious plans alongyour career line because of minor disappointment. Takeyour good friends more seriously.

VIRGO; Time is fast approaching for an important ac-tions concerning you career and/or business lines. Don’tallow friends to mislead you. Be very practical.

Dear Joshua,I want you to tell me how the planets lined up when I wasborn and what both immediate and far future have for me.When was I born; I mean the day of the weekSolomon, Benin.

Dear Solomon,You were born on a Monday as indicated by your horoscopedata given here under. You have future. I hope you will takewhat you will find seriously and utilise them.THE HOROSCOPE DATADAY OF BIRTH=MONDAYSUN SIGN = CANCER ;SUN IN 6TH DEGREE OF CAN-CER.MOON SIGN = ARIES ;MOON IN 24TH DEGREE OFARIESSTELLIUM SIGN = LEOMERCURY IN 1ST DEGREE OF LEO*VENUS IN 22ND DEGREE OF LEO*MARS IN 17TH DEGREE OF LEO*JUPITER IN 22ND DEGREE OF SCORPIOSATURN IN 3RD DEGREE OF CAPRICORNURANUS IN 14TH DEGREE OF LEO*NEPTUNE IN 4TH DEGREE OF SCORPIOPLUTO IN 2ND DEGREE OF VIRGONORTH NODE IN 8TH DEGREE OF LIBRASOUTH NODE IN 8TH DEGREE OF ARIESNUMBERS OF PLANET HOSTED BY GROUP OF STARSIGNS (ACCORDING TO QUALITY & ELEMENT) ARE;CARDINAL = 3 FIXED =6 MUTABLE = IFIRE = 5 EARTH = 2 AIR = NONE WATER = 3PUSHFUL INFLUENCE = 50%NON-PUSHFUL INFLUENCE = 50%FINAL DISPOSITOR (PLANET AT HOME)= AMBI-TIOUS SATURNFor the past few years you have entered an endless cycle ofmaterial success. And your 44th year on earth is meant to bea powerful turning point with major emphasis placed onMONEY and LOVE. Talking of money, it will come throughyour work . However the great challenge here is how to holdon to your profits as there are indications of you expendingtoo much of your funds on either women or woman. It is notclear if it is on business or your normal responsibilities. Butmind you if it is on business you will need to tarry a whilebecause such may not yield the desired result. Actually ifyou go into joint venture with a woman during your 44th &45th years on earth you are more than likely to be cheated;to be fore warned is to be fore armed.Romantic aspect of it is if you don’t want another wife youwill need to be very careful; as romantic escapade can re-sult to avoidable trouble and/or sorrow (God forbid). Pleasetake me very seriously here, Please! Please!! Please!!!What is more important about this two months is that youwill need to be more careful with money between now, andend of year.

What’s exactly my future?

E VERYONEneeds a

friend. However,not everyonewants to do whatcould bring aboutthe much desiredf r i e n d s h i p .Friendship is a

deliberate andcurteous actaimed at makingthe other man orwoman to likeyou. Do you wanta friend? Then, be

Need a friend?

friendly disposedto other people.Today, one of mymy closest friendsis someone I metat the bible col-lege. I was sitting

in one corner ofthe room whenhe accosted me,asking: Can Ishine your shoe?And I quickly an-swered: Yes, youcan. Tell me, whowouldn’t recipro-cate such afriendly gesture?

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOMBER 28 , 2015—37

Ehanire's ministerial appointment won't stop Binis fromproducing next Edo gov —BLT

Edo Phase 3ex-militantsbeg Buhari toaddressallegedmarginalization

By Simon Ebegbulem

Suswam tasksfemalearchitects onpriorities

NASU TO NABTEB: Refund alleged illegal deductionsfrom members

EX-MILITANTS' SUIT: Court gives FG, AmnestyOffice 14 days to respond

By Emem Idio

By Victor Otigbu

BENIN—THE BeninLeaders of Thought, BLT,

led by the Enogie of Obazuwaand younger brother of the Obaof Benin, Prince Edun Akenzua,has said the appointment of aminister of Bini extraction, in theperson of Dr Osagie Ehanire, byPresident Muhammadu Buhari,will not stop the Binis fromproducing the next governor ofthe state in 2016.

The BLT recalled that duringthe 16 years tenure of the PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP, the formerChairman, Board of Trustees, ofthe Peoples Democratic Party,PDP, Chief Tony Anenih, hadallegedly influenced allappointments to Edo Centralsenatorial district, despite criesfrom the Binis.

The BLT was reacting tocomments from some leaders ofthe All Progressives Congress,APC, from Edo Central agitatingthat the governorship ticket beceded to the Central district sincethe Minister is from Edo Southdistrict.

In a statement, the chairman of

BLT, Prince Akenzua,commended President Buhari forappointing Dr Ehanire as aMinister asserting that “this is thefirst time a proper representativeof the people of Benin is beingnominated for appointment to theoffice of a Minister. In the past 16years, a politician outside EdoSouth would patronizinglyrecommend any Benin person forappointment. President Buhari’sappointment of Dr Ehanire to

represent Edo State has settongues wagging in somequarters. Some politicians in EdoCentral are saying that thenomination rules out Edo Southfrom next year’s governorshiprace. They say elective offices arezoned and since Edo South got theMinisterial slot, it should not getthe governorship slot.

"The statement is baseless. It isfallacious. There has been nozoning policy by any political party

in the state. In ChiefObasanjo’s presidency, EdoCentral had four Ministers,namely: Chief Tony Anenih,Odion Ugbesia, Dr Itoto (Late)and Architect Onolenmeme.They succeeded each other.President Jonathan removedthe only Benin man he met asMinister, even though he wasa “Junior Minister”. In hiseight years as President, hedid not include a Benin personin his cabinet."

By Victor Ahiuma-Young

NON-ACADEMIC Staffof Educational and

Associated Institutions, NASU,has called on the management ofNational Business and TechnicalEducation Board, NABTEB,Benin City, Edo State, to refundalleged illegal money deductedfrom members between Januaryand December 2013, or face thewrath of workers.

The union also expresseddismay over the deplorable

conditions of Nigerian publiclibraries and National Library ofNigeria due to neglect by thegovernment and decline inindividual and organizationalsupport.

Members of NASU from WAEC/Libraries and other Trade GroupCouncil, in a resolution at the endof their 6th Quadrennial DelegatesConference, QDC, equallyexpressed worries over allegedinadequate funding of education,which it said was the mostimportant ingredient of

development and an effectiveweapon against poverty

The resolution signed byAdegoke Adeniyi and DamolaAdelekun, Deputy President ofNASU/Chairman and Secretaryof the Trade Group respectively,said the Conference-in-Sessionwas disturbed by the impositionof outrageous tax by some stategovernments as a means ofgenerating income to thedetriment of the welfare of theirworkers.

FORMER militants inEdo State on the Phase

3 of the amnesty programmehave appealed to PresidentMuhammadu Buhari toprevail on the coordinator ofthe Amnesty Programme in theregion, Brigadier-GeneralPaul Boroh, to address allegedmarginalization in allocation ofslots to beneficiaries of theprogramme in the state.

Addressing journalists inBenin City, the ex-militantswho commended Boroh'sappointment, expressedoptimism that he wouldaddress the anomalies in theamnesty programme, saying:“It is the only way to dousethe current tension arisingfrom non-payment ofoutstanding allowances to theex-militants.”

Flanked by others such asSamson Funpuwei and EdwinOjijor, Spokesman of thegroup, Abiodun Edah, saidseveral attempts to get theformer coordinator of theprogramme, Kinsley Kuku, toaddress the anomalies wereunsuccessful due tobureaucratic bottle necks.

According to him, “the slotso far made available to the 3rdphase of the programmeshould be shared equitablydevoid of any politicalcoloration."

YENAGOA—A FEDERALHigh Court sitting in

Yenagoa, Bayelsa State,yesterday issued a 14-dayultimatum to the FederalGovernment and the office ofthe Federal Government'sAmnesty ImplementationCommittee, to respond to thesuit filed by aggrieved ex-militants from Bayelsa, Deltaand Rivers states over allegedexclusion from the on-goingamnesty programme.

The ex-militants, AsenekirOyile, Angiama-OweiO y i n d o u b r a , J o h nGovernment, John Sawyer,Trydy Okpeke, Dollar Motor,Selebi Ayowei, BobraAngese, Henry Gomeromoand Ekerebi Ombe, in theirsuit, claimed that the AmnestyCommittee erred by refusingto include them in the on-going programme after seriesof resolutions from meetingswith the past National SecurityAdvisers to the President, LateGeneral Owei Azazi and Col.Sambo Dasuki.

The ex-militants, in suit,FHC/YNG/CS/102/2013, filedat the Federal High Court,Yenagoa, declared that theywere former militants that hadaccepted Amnesty under theThird Phase and surrenderedtheir weapons to the FederalGovernment through theAmnesty Office in 2011 underthe peace initiative of the

Federal Government.In its sitting yesterday, the

presiding judge, Justice H.A.Nganjiwa, ruled in favour ofthe ex-militants on the plea foran extension of time on thenotice to file counter motionsagainst the preliminaryobjections filed by the office ofthe Attorney-General of theFederation and the office of theAmnesty ImplementationCommittee.

Justice Nganjiwa, afterhearing the submissions of the

counsel to the ex-militants,K.O.Seriaki, on the twoseparate motions in response tothe preliminary objections,issued an order compelling theFederal Government and theAmnesty Office to be given a14- day ultimatum to respondto the addresses filed by theplaintiffs. Justice Nganjiwa,however, adjourned the matterto November 10, 2015 forfurther hearing.

Speaking after the courtsitting in Yenagoa, counsel to

the ex-militants, Mr. Seriaki,commended the judiciary forgranting the motion by theplaintiffs for an extension oftime, noting that “the 14days handed by the court isan avenue for the FederalGovernment and theAmnesty Committee torespond on the point of lawand the next sitting of thecourt would be to rule on thepreliminary objectionsraised by the first and seconddefendants.”

By Oscar Ochiogu

FORMER first lady ofBenue State, Architect

Yemisi Suswam, has urgedNigerians to adhere strictly topolicy formation, firmenforcement andcriminalization of offenders.

According to her, these arethe tools for sustainabledevelopment not only inNigeria but also in other thirdworld countries.

Mrs Suswam, who made thecall at the annual generalmeeting, AGM, of femalearchitects in Kaduna, said: “Acommitted career woman mustput God first, family secondand career third, while otherinterests can follow in theirorder of preference. There isalso need for female architectsto set their priorities right. Ichallenge my colleagues toshow interest in the politics oftheir localities as that will serveas a springboard tounderstanding the dynamicsof national politics.”

LEGAL YEAR: From left: President of Bayelsa State Customary Court of Appeal, JusticeDaniel Ayah; the Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah rtd; GovernorSeriake Dickson and Chief Judge of the state, Justice Kate Abiri, during the inter-denominational church service marking the beginning of the 2015/2016 Legal Year of theState Judiciary at the Banquet Hall, Government House Yenagoa. Photo by Lucky Afagha.

CMYK

38—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015

PEOPLE SPEAKBy Bartholomew Madukwe

(08102479985)nwamad@yahoo.com

Well, what I can sayabout President

Muhammadu Buhari’schange is that I am feelingthe impact of governancenow more than before. Whatwe have before was gov-ernment of the elite, by theelite and for the elite. -Mrs.Lynn Carson, WORKER

The people of Centraland Northern towns of

Cross River are yet to feelthe impact of the change aswe have been without pow-er supply since February2015. We use this opportu-nity to call on Mr. Presidentto bring change to us here.-Mr. Sonny Okachi, BUSI-NESSMAN

I cannot believe, since Iwent to Kaduna till my

return, the light did noteven shake for one minute.In some areas, when thelight goes off while you areironing your clothes, beforeyou remove the iron, thelight comes back. -Mr.Yusuf Abdullahi, WORKER

Buhari has not doneanything or investment

in power or refineries. Sowhatever improvementcould not be due to his gov-ernment. Government isnot run on propaganda.Buhari should get down toserious business of gover-nance. -Mr Lucky Okoh,BUSINESSMAN

Nigerians seem to forgetthat Buhari promised

to declare his assetspublicly within his first 100days and will have his viceand all his appointees dothe same. So whathappened? Can he stillkeep that promise? -Mr.Femi Igwe, WORKER

There is nothingsignificant about

Buhari’s change. Buhariwill be remembered formoving round in circles.Those, who voted him intopower must be full of re-grets by now. What haschanged so far? -Mr. Aji-boye Sunday, MUSIC DI-RECTOR

So far on the journey of change?

Buhari’s anti-corruption war, a step in theright direction —Kumuyi

By Ugochukwu Alaribe

A B A — G E N E R A LSuperintendent, GS,

Deeper Christian Life Ministry,DCLM, Pastor Williams Kumuyihas described PresidentMuhammadu Buhari’s fightagainst corruption as a step in theright direction which should besupported by all Nigerians.

In a chat with journalists,Kumuyi who was in Aba, AbiaState for a unique combinedworship service of the church atthe Abia State Polytechnicplayground, said “I am a laymanwhen it comes to politics. Butfrom what we can see, I believethat the President is heading inthe right direction and if wesupport him with our commentsand in other ways, I believe thatwe will see corruption broughtdown very quickly.”

He stated that the Church canhelp the President in the fightagainst corruption by teachingmembers to shun evil conductand contribute positively to theprogress of the country.

“When we say the church, weare not just talking aboutbuildings; we are talking ofpeople who come to church andalso go to offices. For the church

to support the fight againstcorruption, preachers must teachour people to learn how tocontribute positively to theprogress of the country whereverthey are. If you are a governor,commissioner, teacher, ministeramong others; do your best for thecountry. Don’t think of what youcan get out of the place where youare working, but how you can

contribute to the place in order tosupport the efforts of thegovernment.”

The cleric advised political officeholders to lead with the fear ofGod and always remember tofulfill their campaign promises,insisting that they must seethemselves as servants of thepeople who elected them intooffice.

Earlier in his sermon whichcentred on ‘The Riches of Christ’sSupernatural Love”, Kumuyidescribed God’s love for man asinexhaustible and beyond theimagination and understandingof man, adding that it wasbecause of God’s love for man thatmade Him to send His onlybegotten son to die to redeem andreconcile man back to God.

ASMDC begins clean-up of Ariaria Int’lMarket

By Jacob Ajom

TRADERS AND patrons ofAriaria International

Market had cause to smilerecently when they got to themarket and saw it wearing anew look after the massiveclean-up exercise undertakenon Sunday by the Abia StateMarkets DevelopmentCommittee (ASMDC).

The ASMDC, a specialpurpose vehicle initiative of theAbia state governor, Dr OkezieIkpeazu to restore sanity to allthe markets in the state,mobilized contractors movedinto the market with more than

20 trucks to dig up and evacuatewaste. At the end of the exercise,the famous ‘Ukwu Mango’ sideof Faulks Road was opened upafter it had been renderedimpassable for over six months.

Sunday’s clean-up exercise,according to Chief NwaigweSolomon Nwaigwe, Chairman ofthe ASMDC, was the fourth timethe committee was undertakingsuch as part of stop-gap measuresto alleviate the sufferings of thetraders, preparatory to when acomprehensive over-haul of theentire market infrastructure willtake place.

“Today’s exercise wasconcentrated in areas of distresswhere traders faced difficulty. For

instance, we cleared off the debrisaround ‘Ukwu mango’ and A-line side of Faulks Road andopened up that axis which hasbeen impassable for the past sixmonths due to flooding andwaste. We are adopting apractical approach to the issue sothat traders would sufferminimum discomfort and that iswhy we decided to do this on aSunday. There would be someform of inconvenience to somepeople but we crave theirunderstanding because we willall benefit when the project iscompleted. We are not relentinguntil we restore our markets totheir place of pride.”

Ariaria market, reputedly, WestAfrica’s largest market, hassuffered the menace of floodingoccasioned by cloggedwaterways over the years and thishad become a dent on thereputation of the market withcustomers opting to goelsewhere to transact theirbusinesses.

Chief Lucky Akubueze,chairman of the Ariara TradersAssociation was full of praise forGovernor Ikpeazu's determina-tion to leave a lasting legacy andforesight in setting up theASMDC, which is changingthings for the better in Abiamarkets.

Foundation advocates new devt initiative forS/East

Christopher Njoku

CENTRE FOR ReformEducation Initiative,

CREI, has commended theEnugu State Governor, IfeanyiUgwuanyi, for prompt paymentof workers’ salaries andallowances in the state.

In a statement by itsExecutive Director, ChinweUgwu, CREI described as ‘astep in the right direction’ thegovernor ’s commitmenttowards improved welfare for

civil servants in the state.According to the statement,

“The event of September 1, 2015the day the governor extendedhis spirit of goodwill, humility,simplicity, passion, vision andlove to 100 lucky civil servantsin the state, between grade-level 1-10, who won onebedroom apartment each at theElim Estate for which hisadministration had paid 30 percent equity contribution is adream come true for civilservants.

“ It is a new dawn in the annals

of the state’s vision towardsmotivating and improving on thewelfare of the workers.”

The group said it had followedclosely the activities of thegovernor since he assumedduties on May 29, 2015 and sofar he had been delivering on hispromises.

Ugwu recalled that thegovernor had promised torecommit himself to deployinggovernment's resources towardsemployment generation,enhanced social services andgood governance.

Edo youthsurgeattitudinalchange forfast devt

By ElizabethUwandu

BENIN CITY—YOUTHS in Edo

State under the aegis of theNext Level Initiative(Impact Makers), declaredyesterday, that the only wayto sustain a peaceful andprogressive society is forcitizens to realize the needfor an attitudinal changethat results in positivebehaviour.

The state Coordinator, Dr.Richard Edosa, said thebody came into beingfollowing the need to fill themissing gap in the society,aimed at enhancing betterquality of lives forNigerians beyonddependence ongovernment.

He added that theorganization is purely aNon-Governmenta lOrganization, NGO,interested in advancinggood governance for thebenefit of widows,prisoners, single mothers,the homeless, amongothers.

"Governance as it is, takesvoting, it takes people tocome out to choose theirleaders and that is what wemean when we say we willpartake in governance.What we are actuallytalking about is one man,one vote," he said.

On his part, a universitydon from the University ofBenin, Professor AbolagbaJoel, who attributed thedecay in societal value tofall in moral standards,called for an attitudinalchange among the citizens,if the country must moveto the next level.

CMYK

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28 , 2015—39

Local contractors allege ill treatmentby Kwankwaso

By Abdulsalam Mohammed

Pearl Garden Estate homeowners get relief from court

AWARD: General Secretary, National Union of Textile,Tailoring & Garment Workers ofNigeria, NUTGTWN, Mr Issa Aremu (right), receiving an award of Fellowship of Associationfrom National President, Association of Textile Technologists of Nigeria, ATTN, Prof. KasaliBello, at Kaduna Polytechnic in Kaduna. Photo: Olu Ajayi.

AUTO CRASH:Wadacondoleswithfamilies oflate PDPsupporters

By Boluwaji Obahopo

ASABA—PETERS Missionfor the Less Privileged, a

non-governmental organization,NGO, in Asaba, yesterday,distributed relief materials to floodvictims at the InternallyDisplaced Persons, IDPs, campin Asaba.

The distribution of the reliefmaterials was witnessed by theSpecial Assistant to the DeputyGovernor of Delta State, Mr.Great Sanomi, and officials of

LAGOS—JUSTICE AbisoyeBashua of Lagos State High

Court, Epe, has granted aninterlocutory injunctionrestraining CMB BuildingMaintenance and InvestmentCompany Limited fromharassing and restricting themovement of homeownerswithin the Pearl Garden Estatesituated at Sangotedo Village inEti-Osa Local Government Areaof the state.

Ruling on an application filedby some of the homeowners, thejudge restrained the defendantsand their agents from interferingwith the rights of the claimantsin providing safe and drinkable

L O K O J A —GOVERNOR Idris

Wada of Kogi State hascommiserated with thefamilies and community ofAdeh in Olamaboro LocalGovernment Area of thestate over the death of fivePDP supporters who losttheir lives recently in anaccident while on their wayto the PDP zonalgubernatorial rally atAyingba.

The governor expressedhis condolences when hebranched off from hiscampaign train to pay thecommunity a visit.

Wada said: “These deathsare a big loss to all of us,God Almighty is the giverand taker of life. When welose our people we shouldnot ascribe blame to anyfactor, but accept it as thewill of God Almighty.”

Wada, who promised that thestate government would look intothe welfare of the families of thedeceased, also assured thecommunity that he would provideit a clinic and portable water.

Spokesperson of thecommunity, ASP Collins Omale(retd.), eulogised the governor forthe visits which he described asunique, noting that it was the firsttime in the history of the villagethat a governor was visiting them.

“Our belief is that your cominghere today is not only tosympathize and condole us on theunfortunate saga of the death ofour sons but symbolic ofnumerous blessings that willcome to this community,” Omalenoted.

KANO—THE NigeriaChamber of Indigenous

Contractors, Kano chapter,yesterday painted a grim pictureof how the immediate pastgovernor of the state, Rabi’uMusa Kwankwaso, allegedlyfrustrated 40 of its members todeath over unpaid contractualbills.

Chairman of the local chapter,Alhaji Auduwa Maitangaran, toldreporters in Kano that no fewerthan 80 others were jailed overtheir inability to settle borrowedfunds expended on governmentcontracts.

“Painfully, we discovered toolate that under Kwankwasoadministration there was asystemic and sustained effort toannihilate local contractors byfailing to offset certified debtrunning to N200 billion.

“The turn of events led to thesocial and health crisis in our life,and as I addressed you now, nofewer than 80 percent of ourmembers are cardiologypatients,” Maitagaran said.

Maitangaran, who was flankedby other members of his executive

Say 40 of their members have been frustrated to death over unpaid contractual bills

By BartholomewMadukwe

Peters Mission donates relief materialsto IDPs

UNIJOS faults ASUU on strikeBy Marie-Therese Nanlong

JOS—MANAGEMENT of theUniversity of Jos has faulted

the strike embarked upon theuniversity’s branch of AcademicStaff Union of Universities, ASUU,saying the action was takenwithout any reason.

It would be recalled that theunion called its members out onstrike last Thursday afterforwarding a letter to the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. HaywardMafuyai, informing him of thestrike, which it described as “total,indefinite and comprehensive.”

The management in a statementissued at the weekend in Jos andsigned by the Registrar of theuniversity, Mr. Jilli-Dandam,observed that the letter did not statethe reasons for the indefinite strike.

He said: “ASUU, University ofJos branch, had been dialoguingon two issues with managementof the university and the issues arethe disbursement of EarnedAcademic Allowance and thepayment of PostgraduateSupervision Allowance.

“Council set up a TechnicalCommittee, headed by a former

ASUU Chairman to resolve thislingering issue. Council alsodirected the implementation ofthe report believing that it willput to rest, the issue ofdisbursement of EarnedAcademic Allowance."

NBA slams FG over ‘shameful' treatmentof IDPs

By BartholomewMadukwe

LAGOS—FORMER Lagosbranch chairman of Nigerian

Bar Association, NBA, Mr TaiwoTaiwo, has said the FederalGovernment should be ashamedof the manner InternallyDisplaced Persons, IDPs, in thecountry are treated.

Speaking at the 13thAnniversary/Annual Lecture ofCrusade for Justice, Lagos, withthe theme, “Restoring the Dignityof Man Through PositiveIntellectual Interventionism”Taiwo, who represented the NBApresident, Augustine Alegeh,SAN, lamented that he felt sodisgusted during his visit to oneof the camps of the IDPs.

He said: “The government of

during the press briefing at theNUJ secretariat, NassarawaGRA, Kano, said the contractorshad shied away from legal

action. “The crux of the matter remains

that we have been conned by ourown government who successfully

lured us to what appearedlegitimate and in its placeinflicted on us death andinjury,” Maitangaran stressed.

Nigeria should be ashamed at theway IDPs are treated, it goes toshow how the government treatsall of us. NBA visited the campsof the IDPs just in August and I

felt so disgusted with the things Isaw there. Infact, it is worse thanour prisons.”

In his welcome address, thePresident/Founder of Crusade For

Justice, Mr Richard Nwankwo,explained that the theme waschosen against the backdrop ofthe innumerable challenges thenation was facing and issues onthe world stage.

Delta State EmergencyManagement Agency, SEMA,led by a director in the agency,Mr. Siakpere Emmanuel.

While distributing the items,Chairman of the NGO, Mr.Onoriobe Peter-Smith whosympathized with the IDPs,reiterated the NGO’scommitment in assisting victimsof natural disasters.

Onoriobe noted that PetersMission decided to distribute therelief materials to complementthe efforts of the state government

in ameliorating the sufferings of theflood victims.

In their remarks, the SpecialAssistant to the Deputy Governor,Mr. Great Sanomi and SEMA’sDirector, Mr. Siakpere Emmanuel,thanked the NGO for its laudable serviceto humanity.

They also called on relevant agenciesto emulate the humanitarian efforts ofPeters Mission through positivecontributions, just as one of the victims,Antonia Obadile, a widow, thanked theNGO and the state government for theirtimely intervention

water for themselves and theirfamily members.

Justice Bashua said the orderwould subsist pending thehearing and determination of thesubstantive suit, noting that theclaimants in their affidavitsupporting the applicationprovided sufficient proof ofownership of the propertythrough the deed of purchaseassignment.

In addition, severalhomeowners had obtained theirindividual Governor’s Consentand the defendants in theirsubmission did not deny theestablished legal rights of thehomeowners, which entitlesthem to the restraining orderssought.

CMYK

40—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015

STERLING ACADEMY: From left—Federal Inland RevenueService, FIRS, South-West Regional Tax Controller, Mr. Benedict Maduka;President, Association of Business Owners of Nigeria, ASBON, Dr. OlufemiEgbesola; Ms Babir Subir; Business Advisor, Oxfam, Mr. Michael Adeola;Mr. Omole; Director, Bank of Industry, BoI, Mr Waheed Olagunju, andrepresentative of Leap Africa, during an interactive session with participantsof Sterling Bank-organized Sterling MSME Academy in Lagos.

BOURNVITA-INDOMIE PROMO: From left—PublicRelations & Events Manager, Dufil Prima Foods Plc, Mr. Tope Ashiwaju;Marketing Director, Cadbury West Africa, Amir Shamsi; Chief MarketingOfficer, Tolaran Group, Pawan Sharma; Managing Director, Roy Noaman,and Head, Corporate Affairs, Mr. Bala Yesufu, both of Cadbury West Africa,during the kick-off of the Bournvita-Indomie promo at Cadbury Office, Ikeja,Lagos. PHOTO: Akeem Salau.

SENDFORTH: From left— Immediate past Deputy Vice Chancellor,Administration, University of Ibadan, Professor Afolabi Bamigboye; his wife,Dr. Ebun; and Professor Lola Adekunle, at the sendforth organized by theDepartment of Epidemiology and Medical Statistics for Professor Bamigboyeat the College of Medicine. PHOTO: Dare Fasube.

FIRSTBANK: From left—Corporate Social Responsibility Marketing andCorporate Communications, First Bank of Nigeria, Obianuju Akanbi; FadesolaOgundipe; member, Down Syndrome Foundation, Muyiwa Majekodunmi;Omiere Solomon; Eze Chinelo; Head, Sponsorship and Event, First Bank, Mrs.Bridget Oyefeso-Odusanmi, and Damian Anaeglum, during the bank’s EmployeeVolunteer Scheme, EVS, visit to Down Syndrome Foundation in Lagos.

GUINNESS:From left—Human ResourcesDirector, MonicaPeach; SupplyChain Director,C e p h a sAfebuameh andC o r p o r a t eRelations Director,Sesan Sobowale,all of GuinnessNigeria Plc, at thefirm's distributors'conference onPartners for Growthin Lagos.

RANCARD: From left— Co-Founder/Chief Technical Officer, RancardLimited, Mr. Ehizogie Binitie; representative of Group Head, Marketing andComminication, First Bank Plc, Mrs Bridget Oyefeso-Odusami; GeneralManager, Squad Digital, Mr. Ankosh Chawla, and Co-Founder/ChiefExecutive Officer, Rancard Limited, Mr. Kofi Dadzie, during the product launchof new Rancard website in Lagos. PHOTO: Kehinde Gbadamosi.

INTERSWITCH/VISA: From left—Country Director, Visa, WestAfrica, Ade Ashaye; Group Managing Director, Mitchell Elegbe, and DivisionalCEO, Switching and Processing, Akeem Lawal, both of Interswitch, duringthe launch of their partnership on Better Together campaign in Lagos.

WOMEN IN BUSINESS: From left— MD, Pure Garment Ltd,Ramatu Ibrahim; Dotun Akande of Pure Souls; Chief Executive Officer,Murtala Muhammed Foundation, Mrs Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode; President,BPW Lagos, Mrs Titilola Adisa, and Executive Director, Rely Supply Ltd, FayoWilliams, during the hosting of chief executive officers and entrepreneurs bythe Foundation in Lagos.

CMYK

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015 — 41

Products scarcity: Stakeholders insist on deregulationBy Ediri Ejoh & Prince Okafor

NOTWITHSTANDING theFederal Government’s

insistence that it will neitherdevalue the Naira norderegulate the downstreampetroleum sector, stakeholdersparticipating in this year’s OilTrading and Logistics, OTL,conference maintain thatderegulation is the way to go, ifthe sporadic fuel shortages is tobe permanently eliminated.

They argued that regulationhas become not only a hugeburden and strain on Nigeria’sfortunes, but also created massivedebt portfolio for banks whilestifling further investments in thenation’s downstream sector.

This was disclosed at theongoing 9th edition of OilTrading & Logistics Expo, takingplace at the Lagos Oriental Hotel,Lagos.

The Chairman, OTL AdvisoryBoard, Mr. Stanley Reginald,said: “There is no way the non-payment of subsidy cannot beattributed to the scarcity situation.The problem still remains thatmarketers collect loans from thebanks and when those loans arenot being paid, it rises and whensuch continues, it makes itdifficult for us to access loans toimport products that will servicethe country.”

According to him, about 70 percent of those eligible to importpetroleum products into thecountry are currently not able todo so because they don’t have thefunds to do so. He added thatsince the government refused topay the outstanding balance onsubsidy the importers areconstrained as the monies aretrapped and they continue to payinterests on such funds.

Furthermore, because of thehuge subsidy debts estimated atover N200billion, banks are nolonger extending facilities topetroleum product importers asthey cannot meet theiroutstanding obligations.

As a result, Reginald reiteratedthat the way out is to deregulatethe downstream sector, saying,“Globally the trend is toderegulate,” citing Ghana andIndia, as examples of third worldcountries that have successfullyderegulated their downstreamsectors.

Value additionReginald further argued that

government’s focus should be tomake policies that will createconducive environment forprivate sector operators to investin the downstream sector.

“The government should let theprivate sector drive thedownstream sector of thepetroleum industry while itfocuses on regulations. There isa need for policy shift that willenable us to refine our crude athome now,” he said.

He continued, “If we convertour crude oil to finished productwe will not only create job for ourteaming population but willderive more value. The capacity

utilisation of the downstreamsector today is less than 20 percent and this implies that jobcreation is being constrained.”

Supporting the argument forderegulation, the Chief ExecutiveOfficer, Ghana NationalPetroleum Authority, Hon. MosesAsaga, noted that deregulationfacilitates faster growth in theindustry, saying that thedownstream sector contributesabout 12 per cent of Ghana’sgross domestic product, GDP.

He identified the developmentof infrastructure as a vitalcomponent for creating value inthe industry. “We have taken ourdownstream so seriously now thatthere is no subsidy,” he added.

Vandalism frustratingdevelopment

However, highlighting issueshampering the petroleumindustry, the Group ManagingDirector, Nigeria NationalPetroleum Corporation, NNPC,Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, said thedifficulties in the supply chain isfrustrating further development inthe industry, which contributesabout 7.79 percent to the country’sGDP.

Represented by Mrs. Aishakatagun, Executive Director,Petroleum Product MarketingCompany, PPMC, kachikwu, saidthat oil theft, pipeline vandalismhas continued to threaten

Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, his wife, Mrs. Olufunso Amosun in agroup photograph with 12 Green Education for the Youth (GEFTY) Ambassadors during acourtesy call on the governor in Abeokuta, after their arrival from a nine-day Green AwarenessWorkshop on Sustainable Environment in the United Kingdom...today (27 Oct)

By Charles Kumolu

A Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Francis

Obaseki, has draggedpay-TV service provider,MultiChoice Nigeria Lim-ited, before a Lagos HighCourt sitting in Ikeja inorder to prevent the dis-closure of his personal in-formation to a third party.

Similarly, another legalpractitioner, Mr. AdeoluOlumide Fusika, andthree others, Messrs. JohnElegbe, Michael Obi andDamilare Animashaun,have also commenced le-gal action in a separatesuit, against MultiChoice.

Joined in the suit is theConsumer ProtectionCouncil (CPC).

In an affidavit swornto by Obaseki and filed be-fore the court by the lawfirm of Isaac and SolomonLegal Practitioners, thedeponent averred that heis a subscriber to the digi-tal broadcasting satelliteservice of MultiChoicewith smart card number1017189562.

Obaseki said he andMultiChoice agreed to bebound by the terms andconditions of the subscrip-tion, which stipulated thatMultiChoice is obligatednot to disclose to a thirdparty the personal infor-mation he disclosed whenhe signed up for its ser-vices.

The information in-clude; his name, tele-phone numbers, e-mailaddress, bank details andother sensitive personaldata.

However, the applicantwas surprised to learnthrough various platformssuch as news portals andnewspapers that a disputeexists between Multi-Choice and some consum-ers, who had complainedabout MultiChoice’s ser-vices to the CPC.

In its bid to investi-gate the complaints re-ceived from the subscrib-ers, who do not includehim, the CPC set up aninvestigative panel andpart of information or doc-umentation sought fromMultiChoice is the per-sonal data of all the sub-scribers of the company.This, he said, includes hispersonal data.

Obaseki noted that theCPC has no power to de-mand for and receive per-sonal information of con-sumers, who have notsent petitions to it withoutthe consent of such con-sumers.

MultiChoicedragged tocourt again

development in the sectors.“The rate of vandalism and

crude theft has brought aboutshort fall in Joint Ventures, JVcash calls. Due to this persistingthreat, the inability to transportcrude via it pipelines to theKaduna refinery has made thealready obsolete equipmentweaker.

“Also, the non-passage of thePetroleum Industry Bill, PIB,which forms the basis of anypetroleum operation, is yet to beapproved by the legislature. Itwould be recalled that in 2009,the country had lost about $16million to non-passage of thePIB,” he added.

NIGERIAN-BORN actor, ChiwetelEjiofor who was awarded an OBE in

2008, can now add CBE to his list of acco-lades. The 12 Years A Slave actor was madea Commander of the Order of the BritishEmpire (CBE) by the Duke of Cambridgeduring an official ceremony held at Bucking-ham Palace in London on Tuesday morning.

The 38-year-old star was overcome withemotion as he spoke to Prince William in frontof the large crowd assembled, beaming withpride as he was recognised for his servicesto drama.

The actor, who grew up in north London,has an illustrious career, receiving an Oscarnomination and winning a BAFTA in 2013for his moving performance in 12 Years ASlave.

He got his start by joining the NationalYouth Theatre and training at the LondonAcademy of Music and Dramatic Art, whichhelped him land his first major role in StevenSpielberg’s Amistad.

Chiwetel has also boasted roles in the likesof Dirty Pretty Things and Half Of A YellowSun, and will next be seen in Secret In TheirEyes opposite Nicole Kidman.

He’s also earned high praise for treadingthe boards in London, taking the lead in Oth-ello at the Donmar Warehouse and starringin a recent production of Everyman at theNational.

His sister, CNN presenter Zain Asher, re-cently discussed his CBE glory in an inter-view with the network, saying her talentedbrother has always dreamed of acting.

Zain said: ‘He’s been acting since he was13 years old and he’s worked so hard for this.Growing up with him he was always in hisbedroom practising Shakespeare lines, writ-ing Shakespeare on the wall.’

Nigerian born actor, Chiwetel Ejiofor awarded CBE

The 38-year-old star, best known for his Oscar-nominated performance in 12 Years A Slave, beingcongratulated by the Duke of Cambridge

42—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015

By EmmanuelAziken, Political

Editor

APC in dilemma over LaiMohammed’s successor

Nigeria ranks 169 out of 189 inWorld Bank’s doing business report

By GabrielEnogholase

Nigeria lost N80bn to dockworkers strike—Shippers’ Association

THE AllP r o g r e s s i v e s

Congress, APC, is in adilemma over theimminent vacancy beingcreated by the departure ofits veteran spokesman,Alhaji Lai Mohammed.Officials of the party aresaid to be in quandary overthe ill-defined successionprocedures as laid in itsconstitution that couldmake Mohammed’spresent deputy, ComradeTimi Frank, to succeed him.Frank, an associate offormer Vice-President AtikuAbubakar, had in the pastopenly called for theresignation of the nationalchairman of the party, ChiefJohn Odigie-Oyegun andalso, severally contradicted

official party spokesman,Alhaji Mohammed.

Mohammed waspenultimate weekconfirmed as a minister andby the provisions of theconstitution no officer of theparty can at the same timeserve in the government.

Mohammed is one ofthree officers who areexiting or have exited to theexecutive branch ofgovernment. The othersare Engr. Babachir Lawal,the Secretary to theGovernment of theFederation, SGF, who wasthe national vice chairman,Northeast, and Alhaji UmarRaddah, the nationalwelfare secretary who isnow the chief of staff toGovernor Aminu BelloMasari of Katsina State.

However, Mohammed’simminent exit, Vanguardgathered, is said to be

posing a strong challengeto party officials as many inthe party hierarchy areuncomfortable with Frankwho had in the pastviciously rebelled againstthe mainstream of the party.

At the height of theparty’s crisis over theemergence of theleadership of the NationalAssembly, Frank had calledfor the resignation ofOdigie-Oyegun forsupposedly mishandlingthe affair and also slammedLai Mohammed.

He had said “The party’snational chairman causedit because times out ofnumber, some of theleaders told him to come upwith a zoning formula fromthe beginning. He wasasked to take a decision andlet people follow that but hedidn’t do that. They wereplaying hide and seek withthe issue until the lastminute when they saw thedanger, and they wanted toplay hanky-panky, whichled us to lose one positionat the Senate.

“In my own view, If LaiMohammed that is mydirect boss could come upto tell Nigerians that thePresident is only a productof the party and not thenational leader of the party,then he should have beenable to tell us who theleader of the party is.”

Upon this and otherantecedents, Vanguardgathered that members ofthe NWC are finding itdifficult to admit him intotheir fold.

The other option openedto the party, a high levelsource said at the weekend,is to have a mini-convention whereMohammed’s position andother vacant offices wouldbe filled.

THE World Bank hasranked Nigeria 169

out of 189 countries in itslatest report on the ease ofdoing business globally.This is contained in astatement made available tonewsmen by the Head ofCommunications, WorldBank, Nigeria, MrObadiah Tohomdet, onTuesday in Abuja.

According to thestatement, the report takesinto consideration the easeof obtaining constructionpermits, getting electricity,enforcing contracts,registering property andtrading across borders,among other parameters.The report showed thatNigeria had improved inthe ranking from 170 in2014 to 169 in its 2015report.

It further showed that theSub-Saharan Africaneconomies were among theworld’s top improvers ofbusiness climate.

“The region, however,ranks poorly in the areas oftrading across borders andregistering properties.Mauritius ranks best in theregion, with a globalranking of 32, performingparticularly well in theareas of paying taxes andenforcing contracts. InMauritius, it takes only 152hours for entrepreneurs topay taxes, compared to 261hours globally.

“Rwanda has the nextbest ranking in the region,with a global ranking of 62.Ten years ago, anentrepreneur in Rwandatook 370 days to transferproperty," the report said.

LAGOS State chapterof the Shipper's

Association of Nigeria,SAN, has said that thenation lost about N80billion to the recent strikeembarked upon by theMaritime Workers Union ofNigeria, MWUN, whichlasted two and a half days.

Speaking to Vanguard inLagos, president of thegroup, Rev. JonathanNicol, said Nigerianshippers bear the brunt ofany industrial action in themaritime sector by any

group of people.Although Nicol could not

give a breakdown of thefigure, he said that theamount represents the totalsum of revenue derivablefrom ports across thecountry.

He explained that fromApapa Port alone,importers take delivery ofover 1,000 containers on adaily basis adding that otherrevenues accruable to theNigerian MaritimeAdministration and SafetyAgency, NIMASA, NigeriaCustoms Service, NCS,and other governmentdepartments amounts to

over N8 billion.Sources from the

maritime sector toldVanguard that the Customsnets about N5 billion fromits various commandsacross the country on a dailybasis.

For the Nigerian PortsAuthority and terminaloperators, over N6 billionis generated from theservices they provide toimporters as containerhandling, berthing chargesand marine pilot services tovessels while NIMASArakes in about N2 billionfrom the collection of threepercent benchmark ratefrom all imports andexports.

CMYK

Vanguard,Vanguard,Vanguard,Vanguard,Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015 — 43

CMYK

44—44—44—44—44—Vanguard, WEDNESDAYVanguard, WEDNESDAYVanguard, WEDNESDAYVanguard, WEDNESDAYVanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, , OCTOBER 28, , OCTOBER 28, , OCTOBER 28, , OCTOBER 28, 20120120120120155555

Continues on page 45

IN a determined bid tocarry out the Federal

Government’s order to put crudeoil thieves out of business themilitary, particularly the Navy,has since intensified its offensivesto locate and to destroy allequipment or productsbelonging to illicit refineryoperators caught in the act.

In the Central NavalCommand, CNC, hub ofNigeria’s oil/gas production andhighest with records of oil thefts,hardly a week passes without theNavy torching large woodenboats laden with volumes ofstolen crude as well as locallyfabricated refining machineryand thousands of litres of refinedproducts, mostly dieselabandoned by the clandestineoperators.

Since the coming of RearAdmiral Apochi Suleiman, FlagOfficer Commanding FOC, who

Thriving oil theft:Why no end in sight•Army, Navy personnel pass the buck

•Looming environmental disaster over burning of illegal refineries

•Why EFCC is handicapped in prosecuting offenders

By Egufe Yafugborhi is eager to personally supervisemost of the offensives, the tempoof the chase of the criminals andthe burning of illegal refinerieshave increased.

In one of the latest operationsin Delta State which lasted fromafternoon to dusk, the FOCleading men of the Nigeria NavyShip, NNS, Delta set ablaze 11expansive wooden boats ladenwith volumes of stolen crude oiland one speedboat caught atvarious spots around JonesCreek oil field operated by theNigerian PetroleumDevelopment Company, NPDCin Warri South West LocalGovernment Area.

At nearby Ekpemu, the sameoperation resulted in the burningof five illegal refining cookingpoints along with 17 of 33, 000litre capacity (equivalent of atanker load) open storage tanksloaded with already refineddiesel.

Criminals undeterred:

Government’s adoption of thepunitive burning of equipmentand products of oil theft wasintended to deter the criminals.Obviously the criminals haverubbished that calculation.Hardly deterred, the more raidsand burning the military carryout, the more they regroup and

continue the criminality withredoubled resources. The oil andgas producing space, particularlythe creeks, has become onelimitless illegal refinery complex.

The probing question beggingfor answers from this paradoxremains: “Is there any end insight for oil theft?”. Asked thisbasic question, Rear AdmiralSuleiman said: “It is very possibleto end oil theft if all relevantstakeholders would takeresponsibility and play their partsvery well.”

Buck passing: Suleiman’sexpressed optimism for an endto oil theft and illegal refinerieswas not without worry overprobable compromise by securityoperatives.

Disturbed at the closeproximity between the houseboataccommodating the soldiersguarding the oil facilities and thespots where the crude oil is stolenand cooked by the illegalrefineries during the Jones

Creek and Ekpemu raids, he toldthe guards: “You arecompromising. You cannot behere and these criminality ishappening.”

In self-defense, a Staff Sergeantleading the soldiers on guardresponded thus: “Our duty is tolook over the oil personnel andthe work they do here”. Suleimancountered this response. “Yourduty is all encompassing. Thesecrude stealing boats don’t movein the air. They pass throughyour post and the illegal cookingpoints so close. You can’t be blindto these things,” he barked.

The FOC, CNC, was onlycorroborating earlier suspicion ofmilitary compromise in its anti-oil theft crusade. His boss, RearAdmiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, Chief ofNaval Staff, CNS, was lesshumbling with words when hestressed the same frustrationduring his maiden interactionwith men of naval formations in

These crudestealing boats don’tmove in the air; theypass through yourpost and the illegalcooking points; youcan’t be blind to thesethings

*One of 17 open tanks containing 33,000 litres of illegally refined diesel burnt at Ekpemu, near JonesCreek

*One of the torched boats up in flames

—Rear AdmiralSuleiman

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY Vanguard, WEDNESDAY Vanguard, WEDNESDAY Vanguard, WEDNESDAY Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, , OCTOBER 28, , OCTOBER 28, , OCTOBER 28, , OCTOBER 28, 20120120120120155555—45—45—45—45—45

Continues from page 44

Thriving oil theft: Why no end in sightDelta State back in August.

The CNC had accused officersand ratings gathered at the NavyEngineering College, Sapele ofcomplicity in the crime. “We aidand abet illegal bunkering, aidand abet crude oil theft, weindulge in illegal escorting,constituting corruption. Theseare fraudulent acts that can landyou in jail. Some of us have beenvery diligent. The good ones mustbring out the bad elements so thatwe don’t tarnish the whiteuniform we are wearing,” hesaid.

According to him: “CentralCommand accounts for thelargest losses to oil theft. Theguys perpetrating these illegalacts are within our midst, they’renot flying in the air. Theynavigate the waterways and wemust stop them. Keep away fromillegal bunkering and crude oilthieves. If you indulgedyesterday, let it be the last time.”

Organisedcrime

Lawyer and rights activist,Oghenejabor Ikimi concludedthat oil theft has become too muchof an organised crime to placethe blame at just one spot. Ikimiwho is the Executive Director,Centre for the Vulnerable and theUnderprivileged, CENTREPsaid: “The FOC was economicalwith his reservations. We havesaid repeatedly that thosemilitary posts are toll gates wherethey collect money from these oilthieves rather than securing theareas.

The volume of crude stolen isput at 400000bpd. That is notpossible without connivance. Youcannot be an oil thief if you arenot in the mafia. The cartelinvolves big politicians, thesecurity agencies and oiloperatives too.”

Ikimi’s fingering of oiloperators supports the recentsuspicion of the CNC of theNavy which resulted in arrest ofa barge and a crew belonging toan oil exploration and productioncompany for allegedly siphoningand selling crude from amarginal field at Eremor 1,Ekeremor Local GovernmentArea, Bayelsa State.

The company authorities saythey have legal mandate to doexploration at the field, but FlagOfficer Commanding, FOC,CNC, Rear Admiral Suleiman,who disclosed the arrest lastweek, indicated that thecompany has been involved in“a lot of illegalities” within thatlegal mandate.

Suleiman, stated that, “Eremor1 field is not an oil terminal orloading point, but our combinedteam arrested MT Dera, a bargeand Runner Charley, a tugboatthere laden with 6000MT crudeoil suspected to have beenpumped from the well head. 11member crew are also under ourcustody.

“On investigation we saw thatthey have pumped several metrictonnes and selling out to otheroperators. In the first place theyare not supposed to have soldany oil from that barge. Therewas already a court case byCentury Energy accusing thissame oil firm which has the bargeof a selling adulterated crude tothem.”

EFCC handicapped: For theEconomic and Financial CrimesCommission, EFCC, which takesresponsibility to prosecutesuspected oil thieves arrested bythe security operatives, thegreatest challenge againstfighting oil theft is slowdispensation of justice by thecourts when cases are broughtbefore them.

Warrinaval base

At the Warri naval base wherehe received nine suspects and aself-propelled badge OMSOGU, allegedly caught in oil theftby the navy, EFCC Head, AssetsForfeiture Unit, Hameed Bawa,decried the inability of the anti-graft agency to get speedy trialof graft cases. “The challengeeverybody knows we have is thejudiciary. Once we receivesuspects and assets used for oilthieves as we have done today,(October 16 ), we do furtherinvestigations and startprosecution immediately, but ittakes so long for a case to beconcluded,” he said.

Ikimi also blames connivancefor lack of rigorous prosecution.“Those cases being charged tocourt are dead on arrival becauseof the connivance. At times whenI am doing these cases, I weep.The investigations are shabbilydone, very watery. By the timeyou charge them (suspects) tocourt, all the evidence you needto prosecute and convict are notthere. The prosecutor finds itdifficult to present a strong case.It is all part of the connivance,”

Ikimi alleged.Environmental pollution: With

the burning of every ship ladenwith oil or every cluster of illegalrefineries comes an aggravatedenvironmental pollution by thesecurity agencies.

The ruins left in the trails of theburning spree, added to thedevastation caused by the oilthieves and illegal refiners, nowabound across the producinglandscape. There is crude oileverywhere: on the surface of theswamps, creeks and rivers, justas a vast greenery is turning ash.

Because the burning is donearound the oil and gas operatingenvironment, one basicchallenge with this aggravatedpollution is that it is becomingmore and more difficult to tell thegeographical spread of a true oilpollution caused by equipmentfailure by the oil majors and thosecaused by third parties stealingcrude by breaking into flow lines,experts have opined.

Ikimi added: “By what they aredoing right now, it pollutes theenvironment the more in amanner very inimical to humanhealth. The mindless destructionof our environment in the guiseof waging an inefficient waragainst oil theft is alsoendangering the lives of ourgenerations unborn.”

Way forward: Going forward,Ikimi says: “Obviously, thingscannot remain business as usualif we want to make headway. There would have been anotherway of taking seized products,probably to the refinery for properrefining. It is not a question ofsoldiers or navy just going toburn products and equipment.

Meanwhile, the volume ofrefined diesel burnt by the Navyin the recent raid on the Ekpemucluster of five illegal refineriesposes a critical debate ofdetermining the ratio of thevolume of illegally refined diesel,also known as Automated GasOil, sold in the open market tothe volume genuinely imported

or allocated from the legal localrefineries.

A black market petroleumproducts dealer alleged that mostof the diesel sold in the countryare from illegal refineries. “Whatwas burnt by the Navy atEkpemu going by the figuredeclared in the report is anequivalent of 17 tanker loads ofdiesel. Believe it or not, theseillegal refineries account for asignificant proportion of dieselsold in the Nigerian market,including what you get in mostfilling stations.

Enviromentalsafety

It is common knowledge thatdiesel is not attractive toimporters of petroleum productsin Nigeria. Same for the doubtfulproduction in the failed refinerieswe have. Apart from the lack ofenvironmental safety by theillegal refineries, governmentand its regulating agencies’initial propaganda to rubbish thequality of products from theillegal refineries is fast fading.

“The criminals havedemystified oil refiningtechnology using locallyfabricated machinery adaptedfrom the age-long mechanism fordistilling the now outlawed illicitgin. The diesel from these illicitcooking points is near as pure asany you can import from anywhere in the world. I challengethe DPR to a quality assurancetest. With legally sourced dieselalways insufficient and at farbeyond stipulated pump price,illegal refineries will continue todominate supplies,” Ikimi said.He added: “Government needsto beam a searchlight on theaccounts of security operatives.They come here (Niger Delta) tomake so much money by aidingand abetting oil theft.Government should fashion away of monitoring theirinordinate wealth”.

Those cases beingcharged to court aredead on arrivalbecause of theconnivance; at timeswhen I am doingthese cases, I weep;the investigations areshabbily done, verywatery; by the timeyou charge them(suspects) to court, allthe evidence youneed to prosecuteand convict are notthere; the prosecutorfinds it difficult topresent a strong case;it is all part of theconnivance—EFCC

Rivers and vegetation polluted by oil from a burnt illegal refinery.INSET: Rear AdmiralApochi Suleiman leading offensive against oil thieves

Central Commandaccounts for thelargest losses to oiltheft; the guysperpetrating theseillegal acts are withinour midst, they’re notflying in the air; theynavigate thewaterways and wemust stop them. Keepaway from illegalbunkering and crudeoil thieves. If youindulged yesterday,let it be the last time—Rear Admiral

Ibok-Ete Ibas, Chief ofNaval Staff, CNS

46—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015

The Ile-Ife and Yoruba of my dream,by Ooni-elect, Adeyeye Ogunwusi

I HAVE a story to tell the worldand most importantly the peo-

ple of Ile-Ife. About 40 years ago,I was born into the Giesi RulingHouse, Ojaja Royal Compoundin the ancient city of Ile-Ife.

From birth, my life has been ajourney; one that I embarked on,saddled with great conscientious-ness when I became a responsi-ble father at the age of 19, whichshaped and groomed me forgreater challenges ahead.

To cater for my family as a youngfather, I became very enterpris-ing with the knack of buildingsomething out of nothing. Thiscertainly increased my tempera-ment for being successful in allmy endeavours, as well as tow-ing the right path as a responsi-ble father.

Thus, in the following years, Iwas able to build a consortia ofcompanies with a team of well-versed, highly skilled and un-skilled professionals from scratchand with hard work and God’sprovidence. This has made me ahuge employer of labour and acaptain of industries. The story ofIle-Ife begins as the cradle of civi-lization and has spread its tenta-cles beyond Black Africa.

The Ooni stool is highly reveredand exalted and as the world lookson; our strength and emphasisneed to be injected into the de-velopment of Ile-Ife as a beaconof hope and enviable city.

Spiritual homeof all Yoruba

Suffice to say that Ile-Ife is theancestral and spiritual home of allYorubas, bona fide, in Nigeria andthe Diaspora, and the WorldHeadquarters of the House ofOduduwa, which comprises peo-ple resident in nearly all the con-tinents of the world.

Thus, the Ooni, as the head ofthe vast Oduduwa family, mustbe no less versatile and resource-ful. Available evidences from thecuratorial community and ar-chaeological discoveries have putthe origin of Ile-Ife around 2000years BC.

Around this time, the people ofIle-Ife have distinguished them-selves in technology and culturaladvancement. A notable fact inthis direction is Ori-Olokun:though purportedly ‘discovered’by the famous German archaeolo-gist Leo Frobenius in 1910, buthad been in existence for thou-sands of years.

Discovery: The pure-coppersculpture took the entire arts worldby storm at the time of its discov-ery that experts from the West ar-gued that the artefact was a mys-tery that was too sophisticated tohave been created by Africanhands. However, after careful ex-aminations of other works, pro-fusely located in and around the

city and bearing striking resem-blance, the world accepted thetruth that the advanced people ofIle-Ife had, not only wielded thetechnology to turn iron to alloybut also of moulding abstractartworks out of the product. Con-sequently, it is now accepted bythe curatorial community that theadvanced artistic techniques usedto create the sculpture were moreadvanced than those of Renais-sance Italy, and comparable tothose of [the artist] Donatello.

Yet, Ile-Ife has not taken itsrightful position as the ‘source’ ofcivilization despite her wealth ofhistory, culture and tradition.

Having found ourselves in suchstate of affairs where the poten-tial of the land remains untappedand its people lacking economicand social emancipation, weshould all take it upon ourselvesto redress this situation.

Redressingthe situation

The Ile-Ife of ‘my dream’ willbe strategically positioned to em-power its people socially, eco-nomically and culturally to bringabout the desired developments.Now, with our resolve to trans-form Ile-Ife we are ‘SET’ to leaveno stone unturned, in the driveto put Ile-Ife on the map of theworld. Our ultimate goal is toreposition the House of Oduduwaas a worthy example of success-ful inward-looking community.

At this juncture, I consider itpertinent to share with everyonethe account of how Nigeria as anation came to be. The RoyalNiger Company was a mercan-tile company chartered by the

British government in the nine-teenth century. It was formed in1879 as the United AfricanCompany and became the RoyalNiger Company in 1886. By 1900it went through several namechanges and in 1914 a mergeroccurred between the SouthernNigeria Protectorate and theNorthern Nigeria Protectorate tobecome the independent FederalRepublic of Nigeria in 1960.Suffice it to say our beloved nationdeveloped through a corporationof technocrats and quality mindinput. Arguably, this is one of theseveral ways cities andcommunities are built; throughlarge corporations. The ethos ofthis account goes to prove that anygeographic setting can undergoboundless growth through clus-ters of companies which invariablycan lead to the creation ofsettlements and human capital de-velopment.

Consequently, there is a hugepossibility for Ile-Ife to experiencetremendous growth through in-dustrialization and developmen-tal projects like a company man-aged by dedicated sons anddaughters of Ife and all Ife enthu-siasts. I have no doubt, Ife will begreat again due to its economicdexterity. Ife has one of the larg-est land mass in the South-westbrimming with natural resourcesincluding three out of the four fac-tors of production; ‘land’, ‘labour’and ‘entrepreneurship’ and withour great resolve we shall worktowards ‘capital’ creation.

I am very passionate about myroots with the determination ofbringing Ile-Ife to the forefront ofeconomic and social affairs. In myprivate life, I have for a while been

We shall set up afoundation that willsupport post wareffects and the re-building of war tornIfe and Modakeke.Thereafter there

shall never be waragain

old and elderly will be left out.There will be various empower-ment Programmes for the elderlyand the widowed to learn newtrades and acquire new skills thatwill help stamp out redundancyand at the same time be finan-cially rewarding to them.

Many might argue that thetasks before me are incrediblymonumental and impossible.However, I do not get easilyswayed by the idea ofimpossibilities. In every challeng-ing situation what I see is a speckof possibility which I build on tillthe task at hand is completed. Ihave done this time over time andI have defied the rules of men tofollow my gut instincts. I have ex-celled where, people had pre-

dicted failure and I derived themost joy where others have saidemphatically “it is not possible.”

A recent classic example of turn-ing impossibilities to possibilitiestook place at ‘Parakin’ in Ile-Ifewhere I converted a sizeablepiece of thick forest land into abeautiful castle within a month.The land hitherto, was a garbagedump and an escape route formen of the underworld in the vi-cinity which constituted a socialmenace to the inhabitants of‘Parakin’.

In recent history one cannotmention Ile-Ife without acknowl-edging the Ife and Modakekeconflict. It’s unfortunate that liveswere lost during the war betweenIfe and Modakeke; a war that hadno economic value and displacedmany lives. I paid a courtesy visitto the youths affected by the warand implored them to beproactive. Furthermore I urgedthem to be on the straight andnarrow path and propagated thetenets of hard work as the onlyway to make it in life.

Touchingexperiences

In the course of my life I havehad many touching experiences.However, my most compellingexperience till date involves twoyoung boys namely DemolaAdewole and Taye Fayemi.Demola and thousands of otherenergetic youths visit work siteson a daily basis to solicit formoney. I took it upon myself toget to know these young boys andfound that all they wanted was toearn a decent living. We got ac-quainted with Demola and foundout he was a welder. Without hesi-tation, we helped to re-orientatehim and got him involved in con-struction work in ‘Parakin’.Demola Adewole has turned outto be one of the best welders Ihave been privileged to work withtill date.

Another set of energetic youthson one of the days I visited Ifechased after my car, many of themclimbed onto the fast moving carand during the tussle to staylatched on to the car, one of themgot injured. I got out of the carand addressed all of them andasked why they would want tohurt themselves and with no carein the world, Taye replied “deathmeans nothing to me”; I shedtears, there is no hope for theyouths and no one to rebuild theirdashed hopes or future.

Taye Fayemi was simply des-perate to make a living for him-self and today, to the glory of GodI personally supervise Taye’s re-habilitation, his personal devel-opment and wellbeing.

Destinies: Similar to the story ofDemola and Taye, are thousandsof youths with different expertisethat need our help to find theirfeet, many whose destinies wouldhave been cut short like the oth-ers lost in the war. I cannot butemphasize that the developmentand well being of our youths isparamount to our future and onethat is very close to my heart.

involved in manyphilanthropic ges-tures in Ile-Ife andits environs. Theprogressiveness ofthe youths of Ile-Ifeis at the core of myphilosophy and Ihave been instillinghope in thousandsof youths throughthe various ongo-ing reciprocity Pro-grammes I estab-lished a while ago.

It is within thedictates of our cul-ture that the youngshall provide forthe old and for thisreason our youthsneed to be nurturedand engaged posi-tively so they canattain financialindependence andin return providefor their parents,families and de-pendants. This isnot to say that the

To be concluded

Ooni elect, Adeyeye Ogunwusi

Edited by Adeleke Adeseri08054682557 (SMS only)

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015—47

Fuel scarcityhits Bauchi

INSURGENCY:FG urged toinvest inwearablebombdetectors

THE FederalGovernment has been

advised to take aproactive stance incombating the scourge ofterrorism by investing inthe development andprovision of wearablebomb detector devices forsecurity operatives.

This advice was givenby Professor OlumideAdewale, Head,Department of ComputerScience, FederalUniversity of Technology,Akure, FUTA, whiledelivering the 72ndinaugural lecture of theinstitution onConvergence inDivergence inInformation Technology:a Symbiosis.

He said through aproperly coordinatedresearch anddevelopment initiative,the wearable deviceswould be developed tohave radii of operationand effectiveness suchthat suicide bombers,within the perimetre ofany security operativewearing the device, willbe detected and theoperative alerted by analarm signal withcoordinates of the suicidebomber; the operative,through the device, canthen disable the bomb.

Adewale said theeconomic development ofthe country was hingedon adequate security andthat the current trend ofsuicide bombings was agreat threat to foreigninvestments.

MINNA—NIGER StateHouse of Assembly has

directed Governor AbubakarBello to sack his Chief PressSecretary, CPS, Dr. IbrahimDooba, for incompetence andunguarded utterances capableof causing crisis in the state.

This followed a resolutionpassed, yesterday, duringplenary, which wasunanimously adopted by theHouse members.

The motion was movedunder matters of urgent publicimportance by AlhajiAbdulmalik Kabir (Paiko, APC)

and seconded by AlhajiMuhammed Lokogoma(Wushishi APC).

Some national newspapers,excluding Vanguard, had onMonday carried a storyconfirmed by the CPS that alist of 15 commissioner-nominees had been sent to theHouse of Assembly forconfirmation, which was laterdiscovered to be a false.

Majority of the membersspoke unanimously in favourof the motion with onlyMuhammed Haruna (Bida ll)pleading that the CPS be givena last chance to apologisebefore the House for his

incompetence.Muhammed Nurudeen

(Kontagora 1, APC), notedthat the Assembly and thestate had had enough ofDooba’s excesses and,therefore, directed thegovernor to sack and replacehim with a more competentprofessional.

His plea was, however,turned down.

The Deputy Speaker,Hussein Ibrahim (Agaie,APC), who presided overplenary, directed the clerkto forward the resolution ofthe House to the governorfor his action.

Niger Assembly to gov:Sack your CPS now

By Wole Mosadomi

DUTSE—JIGAWA StateDeputy Governor, Mr.

Ibrahim Hadejia, may resignhis appointment due toalleged side lining, as sourcesquoted him as insisting that ifthe situation persisted, hewould throw in the towel tomaintain his integrity.

Hadeja served formerGovernor Saminu Turaki asDeputy and was alleged tohave suffered political neglectfrom his boss, as he wasdenied access to act in theabsence of his principalreputed for his nomadicapproach to governance.

Hadejia was said to havemade several attempts toresign but was prevailed on bysome prominent personalities,including his late father.

Contacted, the Director ofPress to the Deputy Governor,Ahmed Haruna, denied theresignation story, saying theworking relationship betweenGovernor Muhammad Badaruand his Deputy was cordial.

He described the rumour asbaseless and aimed atjeopardising the existingrelationship between the two.

Commissioner forInformation, Alhaji Bala

Mamser, said the deputygovernor had never made thedecision to resign , calling forcontinued support for thepresent government in itseffort to achieve its objectives.

Jigawa dep gov to resignBy Aliyu Dangida

B A U C H I —MOTORISTS and

commuters in BauchiState and its environs areexperiencing acute fuelscarcity, a developmentthat has crippled businessactivities in the past fewdays.

Black marketers haveseized the opportunity ofthe scarcity to sell a gallonof fuel for N1,200, whileat NNPC mega station alitre of fuel still sells forthe normal pump price ofN87 per litre, but thequeue is endless.

Nura Adamu, a fuelattendant at Mobilefilling station, blamed theleadership ofIndependent PetroleumMarketers Association ofNigeria, IPMAN, for thefuel crisis in the state,accusing them of hoardingthe product for illegalbusiness transactions.

However, IPMAN stateChairman, Rabiu Arabab,attributed the crisis to hikein price at Lagos depot.

By Suzan Edeh

THE Nigerian ContentDevelopment and

Monitoring Board,NCDMB, and the CableManufacturers Associa-tion of Nigeria, CAMAN,have been enjoined towork as a team to ensurethat cable manufacturingcompanies benefited fromthe Local Content Act inthe oil and gas sector asintended by the Act.

Chairman of Cutix Plc,Engr. David Ifezulike,said this, adding thatresearch anddevelopment activitiesshould be part of thecooperation.

He said the NationalAssembly should reviewthe Act to cover othersegments such as power,building, constructionand automobiles.

Ifezulike added thatdespite political andeconomic activities thatimpacted negatively oncable manufacturing, thecompany recorded a fivepercent growth inrevenue and a profit aftertax of N149 million.

NCDMB,CAMANtasked onLocal ContentAct

By NkirukaNnorom

M A K U R D I — T H Ebiometric screening of

over 26,000 workers on thepayroll of Benue Stategovernment ran into hitchesyesterday, with workersthreatening to shun theexercise until their backlog ofsalaries were paid from thealready accessed N28 billionbailout fund.

Vanguard learned that theworkers were angered by thefact that the consultantshandling the exercise, whichcommenced on Monday,allegedly brought in obsoletemachines and also exhibited

poor expertise.At some of the venues of

the screening, workers werewaiting anxiously to bescreen, but till the close ofwork, none had his or herbiometrics captured.

Some of the workersexpressed displeasure at theinconveniences they weresubjected to and perceivedinability of the consultants todiligently carry out theexercise.

Meanwhile, efforts to reachstate chairman of NigeriaLabour Congress, NLC, Mr.Godwin Anya, failed as hewas not taking calls made tohis phone at press time.

Benue workers' biometricscreening runs into hitches

By Peter Duru

PRESENTATION: From left— Brand Manager, Munro Glucose D, Nkechinyere Nwachukwu; distributor and carwinner, Nwabueze Mbaigwe; National Sales Manager, Paul Omekwe; and Branch Manager, Aba, Festus Ihenleasekhien,during the presentation of cars to top distributors by Brian Munro Limited in Aba, yesterday.

48 — WEDNESDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 28, 2015

Continues on page 49

NSUKKA — A nine-year-old primary five pupil and

daughter of a liquor dealer atUkehe community in Igbo-EtitiLocal Government Area of EnuguState, Ukamaka Eze, Monday,gave a heart-rending account ofhow gun men suspected to behired assassins, pumped bulletsinto his father’s body at very closerange, in their residence. Thefather died few hours later at aprivate hospital in the area afterhospital authorities bluntlyrefused to give first aid treatment,insisting on the presentation of apolice report.

Her account: Narrating thehorrible experience to CrimeAlert, little Ukamaka said herdaddy was driving home in aMazda truck with her after theclose of business of the day, anddrove straight to their residenceand parked. Suddenly, two menalighted from the darkness. Shesaid they forced him out of the

truck, took his bag and handset,then fired at him severally. Allthe while, her father shouted:‘Ukamaka don’t come down fromthe vehicle!’. According to thedistraught girl; “the shootingwas too much. They pumpedseveral bullets into my father’sbody before they fled into thedarkness.”

The slain liquor merchant wasidentified as Fidelis Eze, 57,(a.k.a Foreign) who hailed fromOhodo community in Igbo-EtitiLocal Government Area, Enugustate. He was said to have livedfor over 19 years in theneighbouring Ukehe communitywhere he was killed by yet-to-be-identified gunmen.

Competitors at war:Investigations revealed that hewas the major distributor of apopular beer brand in the locality,and sold up to three trailer loadsof the popular liquor in less thantwo weeks. This, according tosources, might not have gonedown well with his competitors

in the business in the area. It wasalleged that overtures weremade to make him switch over toother liquor brands withoutsuccess. Sources said he waseven told to name his price buthe rebuffed them, insisting thathe has come a long way withwith the brewers of the popularliquor.

His wife’s experience: MrsMercy Eze, 36, a non-tutorialstaff of community primaryschool, Umunko, Igbo-Etiti LGA,mother of four children and wifeof the slain beer merchant sharedher experience in the hands ofher husband’s assailants on the

fateful day of WednesdayOctober 21, 2015 with CrimeAlert. She disclosed that herhusband, until his death,combined his civil service job asSecretary, Igbo-Etiti LocalEducation Authority with theliquor business. Her words:

"My husband came back on thatfateful day after supplyingdrinks to different places around8.30pm. He complained of beingtired and needed to rest andasked me to serve him dinnerand lock up the shop so that wecan go home for the day.Immediately he walked in, twounknown boys followed him up,demanded to be served beer.

Serving dinnerto husband

My husband inquired to knowwho they were but they declinedand said,’ brother, we have cometo buy drink’. I then asked myfirst child to serve them while Iserved my husband dinner. Thetwo boys took two bottles of thebeer and later requested formore.

Soon after, my husband askedme to lock up the shop while hewent home with the two littlechildren — Ukamaka andGoodluck. As I was locking theshop, I didn’t know how the twoboys left the shop because theysat at the dark end outside theshop.

“Then on my way to ourresidence which was close to ourshop, I heard a loud sound ofgunshot. I asked my first child

whether he heard the gunshot,as both of us started runninghome. It was on our way that theassailants pointed torch lights atus, and ordered us to stop. Theythreatened to shoot us if we did.They requested for our phones,bag and every other thing wehad.

Immediately, I fell downfromthe shock of the robbery. Then,one motorcyclist emerged,running while looking at me. Ithen said to my son that thegunshot was in our house. Webraved up to the situation andproceeded to the house only tosee my husband on the groundin a pool of his own blood.

I shouted on top of my voicethinking it was a dream. Myhusband, blood-soaked, wasshouting, asking me to call hisbrothers whose names hecontinued to mention one afterthe other.

I rushed to a nearby bushcalling neighbours to assist mesave his life. When I came backand lifted his shirt, I noticed thathe had been shot on the chestand his hands were shattered.There was blood everywhere.

Rejection at the hospital: “As Iwas shouting, one boy came outto assist me and equally helpedto shout for other neighbours tocome out. People rushed out andhelped to convey him to a clinicat Ogbede. The nurses at theclinic hushed at me and told meto take him back. I pleaded withthem to attend to him as I have

I watchedgunmen killmy dad

The shooting wastoo much. Theypumped severalbullets into myfather’s bodybefore they fledinto the darkness

•The daughter

•The victim: Fidelis Eze

9-YR OLD GIRL RECOUNTS:

By Chinenyeh Ozor

WEDNESDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 28, 2015 — 49

Continues from page 48

no phone to reach out to anyother place. They asked me totake him to Dr Okolo’s clinic. Itwas there that I met anotherproblem as the nurses thereasked me to go and get policeextract before they could touchhim.

Police intervention: “When Igot to the police division atOgbede, the police after tellingseries of things said that the areain which we run the business wasbad. They, thereafter, followedme to the clinic. On arrival at theclinic, the nurses opened thegate but few seconds later, theyasked me out of the clinic on thegrounds that my husband hasbeen taken to the theatre formedical attention.

I was told to deposit at leastN20,000. I pleaded that there wasno cash on me, imploring themto attend to him and that I willbring the money in the morningof the next day but they wouldn’tlisten to me.

Immediately I stepped out ofthe gate to ask the driver that

brought me to the clinic to loanme the money, they locked thegate behind me compelling meto join the driver back homewithout knowing the fate of myhusband that night.

Neighbours intervene: “Thenext morning, neighbours camearound and could not allow meto go to the clinic, only telling methat my husband has been takento another hospital in Nsukka forbetter medication.

It was then it dawned on methat he has passed on butsympathisers kept saying all waswell. We live at Amauwelu-Nkpologwu, Ukehe village, theplace is always very dark at nightsbecause of lack of electricity inthe area.

Lack ofelectricity

“What my little child, Ukamaka,told me was that her daddy kepttelling them not to come out fromthe truck that the bullet was toomuch while he swam in pool ofhis own blood. What I saw was

two boys and the cyclist whojoined them making them threethat attacked my husband but Ido not know who they were.

We are aware that people arejealous of our enterprise butnobody has came out openly tochallenge the business turn outall these years. Why we believedhis killers were hired was thatthey did not ask for anythingoutside our phones and keys ofthe shop in my bag they collected.”

Landlord laments: The landlordto the slain liquor merchant, OzoVitalis Nwodo, reacting to thebrutal killing of his tenant for over19 years condemned the wickedkilling, saying that those whoperfected the killing can never gounpunished if not by the law,certainly, by God, the creator ofthe universe. He said that he hasknown Fidelis Eze for the past 23years even before he came to livein his compound.

Chief Nwodo noted that lateEze came to his compound as aprimary school teacher.

“After several years of teaching,he was made the education officer

of the local education authoritywhich he combined with thedistribution of beer till the timehe was gunned down byunknown men, adding that hehas never hurt anybody in thevillage since he lived in thevillage as he has nevercomplained of any threat byanybody.”

He stressed that the slain Ezemaintained a good workingrelationship with the entirevillage and that was why peoplewere surprised regarding whatmight have been the problem towarrant his killing.

“The police should, as a matterof urgency, expedite action bycarrying out thoroughinvestigations to bring his killersto book to face wrath of the lawfor the heinous crime.”

Police spokesman reacts: ThePolice Public Relation Officer,Enugu State, DSP EbereAmarizu, said that the statecommand was yet to be briefedby Igbo-Etiti Division as at thetime of filing this report.

“The media would be briefedas soon as the command is awareof details of the killing in Ukehecommunity,” he stressed.

I watched gunmen kill my Dad

•Late Eze's truck. INSET: The widow

50—V50—V50—V50—V50—VANGUANGUANGUANGUANGUARD, WEDNESDARD, WEDNESDARD, WEDNESDARD, WEDNESDARD, WEDNESDAAAAAYYYYY, OCTOBER 28, 2015, OCTOBER 28, 2015, OCTOBER 28, 2015, OCTOBER 28, 2015, OCTOBER 28, 2015

Share your problems and releaseyour burden. Write now to

Dear Bunmi,Vanguard Newspapers,

P.M.B 1007, Apapa, Lagos, orbunmsof@yahoo.co.uk

Couldn't mum wait after losing dad?

He doesn't trust girls for now

My unfaithful lover!

Is it too old to find love at 69?

Dear Bunmi,

LESS THAN six monthsafter dad died, our mum

started seeing someone else.I knew their marriage hadn’tbeen great, but it saddened methat she could move on soquickly. She went to a partywith her friend and when Iwaited till midnight and she

Dear Bunmi,

I’VE BEEN going out withmy boyfriend for about a

year now and we seem to geton fairly well. Some weeksago, we had a stupid argumentand I went away, angry. Sincethen, he’d told me he’s scaredof continuing with our relation-ship because he doesn’t wantto be hurt like his last girl-friend hurt him.

He said he couldn’t gothrough such heartbreakagain. I’m really heartbrokenby his decision. How can I everconvince him I will never hurthim the way he thought?

Tina by e-mail.

Dear Tina,You can’t convince your guy

you can never hurt him, be-

I no longer fancy my husband

Dear Bunmi,

MY HUSBAND died 12years ago and I miss

the closeness we shared. I’vetold friends how keen I am tofind love again and a few ofthem have introduced me tomen but I just don’t click withthem. My eldest daughter,who is 45 is no help at all. Shetells me I’m too old forromance and thinks I ought toget a dog or a cat to look after.

Would you have any adviceon how to look for love at myage? I’m still young at heartand dogs or cats are no matchfor a man!

Pamela, by e-mail.

DearBunmi,

I STARTED this affair earlylast year even though I am

seemingly happy. I don’t wantto hurt my husband, but Ineed love and affection, andI’m not getting either fromhim. Only I’ve recentlydiscovered that the guy I’mhaving an affair with is alsoseeing someone else, and I’mdevastated. Should I carry onseeing him even though he’scheating on me? Or dump himand stick with my husband?Liza, bye-mail.

Dear Liza,Can you really blame yourlover for cheating? Like it ornot, he’s just doing whatyou’re doing-cheating

Dear Bunmi,

I ’M MARRIED to mychildhood sweetheart. We

lived together for a few yearsthen got married three yearsago. He’s a lovely andresponsible man and I’m luckyto have him. We have a greatrelationship, apart from thephysical side. His love-makingno longer turns me on as itused to.

I’ve never considered cheat-ing on him though lately, I’vetold myself that if the chancearose, I might just go for it.

I love my husband verymuch and we have a cute one-year-old son. He’s very

extroverted and I’m surehe’ll be terribly hurt if thismarriage breaks so would I. Isthere any way out of this.

Mabel, by e-mail

Dear Mabel,Your even considering sleep-

ing with another man at thisearly stage of your marriageshows a catastrophic rift inyour relationship with a hus-band you’re supposed to be inlove with. You must move care-fully so as not to give wrongsignal to your husband whomight sense your discontent.Your marriage obviously means

hadn’t returned, 1 went to bed.In the morning, I took herbreakfast. I opened thebedroom door then I noticedthere was someone on Dad’sside of the bed. He gruntedand rolled over when he sawme. I was in shock. “What thehell is going on here?” I yelledthen ran out of the room.

Sadly, he was the first of manymen. Most weekends, Mumwould go out and bringsomeone back. Her actions areout of order. Do you think she’sin her right mind?Adesuwa, by e-mail.

Dear Adesuwa,You need to let your motherknow how you feel about herspringing all these men onyou recently after losing a dadyou obviously love. Hopefully,she’ll listen to you and takeyour feelings intoconsideration. Your mum wasobviously grieving for a manshe’d been involved with foryears - no matter how rockytheir marriage was. Havingmultiple partners could be herway of coping - but you’rebeing hurt in the process.If she continues having allthese men around even afteryou’ve talked with her,don’t waste any more timefretting over your choices. Putyour time and energy to betteruse by seeking help for yourown grief and confusion.

Dear Pamela,Pay no attention to your

daughter - 69 is no age thesedays. And I agree with you -what would you be doing withdogs and cats when you’reobviously not an animal lover?

A few months ago, a couplein their early 70s got marriedwith fanfare in Lagos! Yourbest chance of success is to getout and meet people whetherit’s through a part-time job orsocieties - there are so manyof them around. HopefullyPrince charming will sweepyou off your feet! If he doesn’tyou’ll still have fun meetinginteresting people instead oflooking out for dogs and cats!

because he needs more froma relationship. Should youcarry on seeing him? Thething is, if he’s alreadyfinding your relationship’snot enough for him, then he’snever going to truly careabout you so I would dumphim if I were you.As for your husband, the idealthing is to get things sortedout so you’re happy in yourmarriage. Why did you stray?What is he doing wrong?Cheating in a marriage is asort of cry for help. You needto talk more with yourhusband and plan how tomake your marriage thefulfilling relationship it oncewas.

a lot to both of you and youhad a fulfilling sexualrelationship once. So whatwent wrong? You need to havea serious discussion with yourhusband. Sex is a very impor-tant part of married life. Tellhim how to please you, and ifpossible, take the initiative.He is your better half and youshouldn’t have secrets fromhim. There is also your son to

think about.Marriage is not the wild bed

of passion we all take it to be.Resentments occur once in awhile and you should resolvethem; not rush into the armsof another man! A goodmarriage, such as you have,is worth fighting for.

Mabel, by e-mail

cause you will. Getting hurt-and hurting others - is part ofbeing in love. Caring for oneanother makes you vulner-able.

And being close means itseasier to get under each oth-er’s skin. What you can do isshow him that it’s possible toget over being hurt and tolearn from the experience.

He needs to know a trust-ing strong relationship willsurvive. If he agrees with thissuggestion, you have a fu-ture. But if he’s still scared,maybe he’s not maturedenough for a serious

relationship.

Your even consideringsleeping

with another man at this earlystage of your marriage shows a

catastrophic rift in yourrelationship with a husband

you’re supposed to be inlove with. You must move

carefullyso as not to give wrong

signal to yourhusband

who might sense yourdiscontent.

Can he be trusted?

Dear Bunmi,

MY PARTNER is in hisforties and was mar-

ried before. He is a widowerand has confessed that all thetime he was married he’d hadgirlfriends which his wife con-doned. When I told him I don’tlike unfaithful men, he as-sured me he was now olderand had more importantthings to think about.

We currently live togetherand any time I can’t accountfor where he is, I instantlyassume he’s shagging some-one somewhere, once a flirt,always a flirt. Am I right?

Munirat, by e-mail.

Dear Munirat,It is a fact of life that a man

who has had affairs is muchmore likely to have anotherone; so you do have reason tobe anxious. Since he’s nowbeing honest with you andassuring you of his loyalty,you have no choice but to be-lieve him.

Except you have other rea-sons to suspect he is still aladies’ man, I would get onwith making the best of the

relationship if l were you.In this type of situation, youhave to follow your instinctand not rush into making rashassumptions.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28 , 2015—51

Gowon faults Presidency on crushing ofBoko Haram in Dec

By Peter Okutu

ABAKALIKI—FORMERHead of State, General

Yakubu Gowon, yesterdayfaulted PresidentMuhammadu Buhari and themilitary over the claim that BokoHaram insurgency would beterminated before the end ofDecember, 2015.

The former military Head ofState, who said the Nigerianmilitary will do its best to meetthe December deadline,however, maintained thatnobody can really andconfidently talk about theparticular time any militaryoperation was going to end.

He was quick to say that hehad absolute confidence thatthe military would defeat thesect.

General Gowon stated this inAbakaliki, when he ledadvocacy visit to GovernorDavid Umahi on malaria andfour other neglected tropicaldiseases in the country.

“I can tell you this, nobodycan really talk about when anyparticular operation is going toend. And as a commander-in-chief, I know this.

“Yes, you can say you targeta particular time, but it may

finish before that time or it maygo slightly beyond. To end it,that is the most important thing.

“I assure you that I haveabsolute confidence in ourmilitary that they are going toreally deal with the situation.”

The former Head of Stateexpressed worry that theinsurgents had resorted to using

under-age and innocent childrenas suicide bombers, noting thatsuch initiative was inimical to theprogress and development of thenation.

“May the spirits of these poorlittle children, who are beingbrain-washed to carry out suchheinous crimes rest in peace,” headded.

Gowon appreciated thesuccesses recorded by formerPresident GoodluckJonathan’s administration inthe fight against Boko haram,noting that President Buhari’sadministration since it cameon board had been doing a lotto end the insurgency in everypart of the country.

Agric Conference: From left, Senator Abdullahi Adamu discussing with Chairman of theoccasion , Dr. Oba Otudeko, Chairman , Honeywell Group; Emir of Gummi at Daily TrustAgric Conference and Exhibition titled 'Beyond Crude Oil: How Agri-Business can SustainNigeria’s Economy ' held in Abuja. Photo by Gbemiga Olamikan.

Editor losesbrother

Aelex, othersbrainstorm ondemocracytoday

F O R M E RMINISTERS of

Internal Affairs, MajorGeneral Ike Nwachukwu,retd, and Prof. BolajiAkinyemi would be amongthe public policy experts,who would meet today tobrainstorm onfundamenmatal issuesconcerning Nigeria’spolitical development.

The event, which is the2015 Aelex annual lecture,is scheduled to hold inLagos with the theme:Politics, Democracy andEthnicity.

A statement by theorganizers, said the forumwould be chaired byNwachukwu while Dr.Sa’idu Ahmad Dukawa ofthe Department of PoliticalScience, Bayero University,Kano and Mrs. YemiAdamolekun, would be thediscussants.

It further said the Aelexseries of lectures are acommemoration of thepartnership that formedAelex Legal Practitionersand Arbitrators in 2004,adding that the annuallecture, has in the last 10years thrown up issuessignificant to thedevelopment of Nigeria asa nation.

HON, AnthonyIbegwam (KSM) is

dead, aged 62. He died onOctober 12, 2015.

Vigil Mass at St. Paul’sCatholic Church, OkwuEmekuku, Owerri NorthLGA, Imo State, will holdOctober 28, 2015.

Burial takes placeOctober 29, at Ibegwam’sCompound, OkwuEmekuku, Owerri, after aburial mass at ImmaculateConception CatholicChurch, Nkwo Emekuku,Owerri, Imo State.

He is survived by wife,three children, three sistersand a brother, among whomis Mr. Fintan Ibegwam,Copy Editor, VanguardNewspapers.

Late Hon Ibegwam

DELE GIWA: Omeben lied —Ray Ekpu

CO-FOUNDER OFNewswatch magazine,

Ray Ekpu, has dismissed theallegation of Chris Omeben, aretired Deputy Inspector-General of Police, whoaccused him and theNewswatch of hiding KayodeSoyinka, the prime suspect inthe murder of late Dele Giwa.

Kayode Soyinka, Londoncorrespondent of Newswatchat the time, was with DeleGiwa when the parcel bombexploded.

Omeben said he wantedSoyinka questioned over hisperceived complicity in themurder of Dele Giwa, but thatEkpu shielded him fromjustice.

Omeben, who turned 80yesterday, told the NewsAgency of Nigeria, NAN, onMonday, that even when hehad narrowed in on theprincipal suspect, who couldhave thrown more light on theriddle, the suspect was allowedto escape from Nigeria.

“They said somebodybrought a parcel and his sonBilly received the parcel andtook it to his father (DeleGiwa), who was having hisbreakfast that morning. On thebreakfast table was a mancalled Kayode Soyinka, he wasthere; Dele was there and thenthe son Billy handed over theparcel.

And as he did so, I heard

Soyinka left the table and wentto the adjacent room. It waswhile he was there that theparcel detonated. Dele wasinjured and eventually died...What happened to Soyinka?Nobody could give me ananswer...

‘’I have enough evidence toquiz Soyinka now. Please, RayEkpu can I have Soyinka now?They resisted up till today. Uptill today, Soyinka neverappeared before the police,” hesaid.

Responding to Omeben’sallegations, yesterday, Ekpu inan interview with TheCable,said the police quizzedSoyinka, who, he added, wason the dining table with DeleGiwa when the parcel bombexploded and was affectedcontrary to the former DIG’sclaim that he left immediatelyand went into an adjoiningroom before the explosion.

He said the truth about thedeath of Giwa is in the open,that Nigerians know who hiskillers are. “This man thinksthat people’s memories havefaded, so he can twist and turnas he likes, but I don’t thinkpeople’s memories are thatshort,” he said.

“Kayode Soyinka was in thecountry for more than twomonths, the police interviewedhim and also interviewed us,so I don’t know at what pointwe shielded him.

“As our correspondent inLondon, Kayode only camefor consultation a few daysbefore this incidenthappened and stayed withDele just the same way, westayed with him anytime wewent to London. So, therewas nothing, absolutelynothing unusual about that.“Will a guy who wants to usea bomb and kill someone stayin the same room with him?Would he stay in the sameroom while the bombexplodes? Will he know theextent of the damage that thebomb will create? I’m not asecurity man but I doubt it,except you are a suicidebomber.

“Besides, Kayode’s earswere perforated and hecouldn’t hear for months. Thebomb had an effect on him.You know he was seatedopposite Dele as he openedthe parcel. They weretogether; now tell me how itis possible for a man whoknows something aboutbomb to sit inches away fromthe man who was openingthe parcel? Does that soundcredible? Doesn’t that soundpreposterous to you? Whoknew anything about parcelbombs at that time? Whoeverthought that a bomb could besent through a letter in 1986Nigeria?”

52— VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 201552— VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 201552— VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 201552— VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 201552— VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015

AN Israeli court onTuesday ordered

the jailing of a firebrandcleric whose Islamistgroup has been accusedof inciting a wave of vio-lence over Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque compound.

Fresh violence eruptedin the evening, with twoPalestinians shot dead inthe West Bank after stab-bing an Israeli soldier.

Raed Salah, the head ofthe radical northern wingof the Islamic Movementin Israel, was found guiltyon appeal of inciting vio-lence at the holy site in a2007 speech.

However he has alsobeen on the government’sradar for stoking currenttensions over the com-pound that has led to awave of anti-Israeli knifeattacks, shootings and vi-olent protests.

Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahupromised last week to banthe Islamic Movement for“wild incitement” of thecurrent attacks.

During the speech in

Israel jails Islamic cleric forinciting Aqsa violence

2007, Salah urged “allMuslims and Arabs (to)start an intifada (uprising)

to support holy Jerusalemand the blessed Al-Aqsamosque.”

THE United NationsGeneral Assembly

has almost unanimouslyvoted to condemn the USembargo on Cuba, in thefirst such resolution since

US still isolated at UNover Cuba

US-Cuban diplomatic tieswere restored earlier thisyear.

The motion won moresupport than it has donein the past, with 191 mem-bers of the 193-memberbody voting in favour.

Only the US and Israelopposed the resolution,which is non-binding.

The US had earlier saidit may abstain if the reso-lution’s language differedsignificantly from previousones.

The UN General Assem-bly (UNGA) has voted infavour of the resolutioncondemning the US em-bargo on Cuba for everyyear since 1992.

Last year, the US andIsrael voted against theresolution, while threecountries abstained.

Ben Carson narrowly beatsTrump in new poll

A retired neuro-surgeon has knocked

Donald Trump off top spotin the Republican presi-dential campaign.

Ben Carson takes a nar-row lead in in a New YorkTimes/CBS News poll,ousting the New Yorkbusinessman who has ledthe pack for nearly fourmonths.

The news comes on theeve of the third TV debatefor Republican contend-ers.

The next-ranked candi-dates are Marco Rubio,Jeb Bush and Carly Fior-ina but they are a longway behind.

The conservative MrCarson, who has ex-pressed extreme views ona range of issues, has 26%of Republican primaryvoter support, according

to the telephone poll of575 voters.

His lead of 4% over MrTrump is well within the6% margin of error.

Florida Senator Mr Ru-bio has 8% support andthe rest closely follow be-hind him.

Mr Trump has turnedhis fire to Mr Carson inrecent days, attackinghim as “low energy” andquestioning his SeventhDay Adventist faith.

TWO right-wingMEPs have been

suspended from the Eu-ropean Parliament formaking Nazi salutes dur-ing sessions.

Polish MEP Janusz Ko-rwin-Mikke made thegesture in July as hespoke against the influxof migrants into the EU.

In October, ItalianMEP Gianluca Buonan-no wore a Hitler mous-tache and gave the saluteduring a debate wherethe German chancellorwas present.

The pair have beenfined $3,380 (£2,200)

Polish, Italian EU lawmakerssanctioned for Hitler salutes

A parasitic-worm-killing drug, whose

discovery won the Nobelprize, may also cut casesof malaria, say research-ers.

Early data coming outof trials of ivermectin inBurkina Faso suggest itleads to 16% fewer casesof childhood malaria.

B/FASO: Nobel winningdrug tackles malaria

Scientists at the Ameri-can Society of TropicalMedicine and Hygiene’sconference, said the drugwas toxic to blood-drink-

ing mosquitoes.They said their findings

were pretty exciting, butstill at an early stage.

Ivermectin is alreadyused to kill parasiticworms, which affect athird of the world’s popu-lation and cause illnessesincluding river blindnessand lymphatic filariasis.

The US Colorado StateUniversity and the Insti-tut de Recherche en Sci-ences de la Santé inBurkina Faso are trying tosee if it can be used to savelives.

NINE Tanzaniangovernment min-

isters have lost their par-liamentary seats to the op-position Ukawa coalition,partial results from Sun-day’s vote show.

It is the biggest shock ofthe election so far whichis the most competitive inthe country’s history.

The BBC’s Arnold

Kayanda in the main cityDar es Salaam says it is abig blow to the governingCCM party.

But it is too early to pre-dict the end of its 54-yearrule as there are many re-sults still to be declared,he says.

The electoral commissionhas until Thursday to an-nounce the final results.

POLLS: Govt ministers sufferdefeat in Tanzania

and are suspended for 10days, but can still vote.

The European Parlia-ment Bureau decided onMonday to confirm thesanctionsimposed by theparliament’s presidentMartin Schulz earlierthis month, a spokesmansaid.

Mr Korwin-Mikke wasprotesting against thetransportation of mi-grants across the EU. Hesaid “This time it is ‘einReich, ein Volk, ein Tick-et’” and later made aspeech referring to mi-grants as “human gar-bage”.

HUNDREDS ofuniversity pro-

fessors in the UnitedKingdom say they willhalt all cooperationwith Israeli schools inan effort to draw atten-

tion to Israel’s viola-tions of internationallaw.

In a statement re-leased on Tuesday, 343UK academics an-nounced that theywould no longer acceptinvitations to visit Is-raeli academic institu-tions, act as referees inany of their processes,or participate in confer-ences funded or organ-ised by them.

“We couldn’t havedone this five yearsago. The change inmood is palpable;many people have beencritical of Israel and itspolicies privately, butuntil now, many havenot thought they want-ed to state this public-ly,” London School ofEconomics professorJonathan Rosenhead,who helped to organisethe academic commit-ment, told Al Jazeera.

UK academics sever ties withIsraeli universities

LIBYA: Helicopter goes down indeadly crash

AT least 12 bodieshave been recov-

ered after a helicoptercarrying up to 23 peo-ple crashed near theLibyan capital of Tripo-li, according to local of-ficials.

Several high-rankingmembers of the Fajr Lib-ya coalition of armedgroups that controls Tri-poli were on board thehelicopter, which camedown on Tuesday after-noon in Zawiya, a townsituated about 45km

west of the capital. Speaking to the AP

news agency, Libyanarmy spokesman Colo-nel Ali al-Sheikhi saidthat 12 bodies had beenretrieved, among themat least two senior offi-cials from Fajr Libya.

Libya has been rockedby deadly clashes be-tween armed groupsand forces loyal to theinternationally recogn-ised government, whichhas taken refuge in thecountry’s far east.

ECONOMIC growthin sub-Saharan Afri-

ca is slowing sharply, theInternational MonetaryFund (IMF) has warned.

In its latest African Eco-nomic Outlook, the fundforecasts growth in the re-gion of 3.75% this year, theslowest growth in sixyears.

Next year, the reportforecasts growth of 4.25%.

Low oil and commodityprices, together with aslowdown in the Chineseeconomy, are the mainreasons for the overalldownturn, the IMF says.

China is the region’slargest trading partnerand many African coun-tries have benefited huge-ly from exporting raw ma-terials to the country.

“The strong momentumevident in the region inrecent years has dissipat-ed,” says the report, titledDealing with the Gather-ing Clouds.

“With the possibility thatthe external environmentmight turn even lessfavourable, risks to thisoutlook remain on thedownside.”

Oil exporters such as

IMF warns of Africaneconomic slowdown

Nigeria and Angola arebeing hit particularly hardby the slump in the oilprice, which has fallen bymore than 50% since mid-2014 to less than $50 abarrel.

By Charles Kumolu & Pre-cious Ubani

THE President,Council of African Po-

litical Parties (CAPP) Wom-

‘Africa’s relationship with Asiakey to national development’

en wing, Dr. Ramatu Aliyu,has called for measures thatwould further improve theeconomic relationship be-tween Africa and China, say-ing the latter needs Africa atthis time of its economic de-velopment.

Aliyu, who is also the Na-tional Women Leader of theAll Progressives Congress,APC, said such relationshipwould be a win-win situationthat would be beneficial tothe Africa and Asia.

She said this in Beijing,China during a three- dayconference on the objectivesof the ‘Silk Road’ project fora dynamic Afro-Asian rela-tionship.

The summit, which heldunder the auspices of Inter-national Conference of AsianPolitical Parties (ICAPP) withthe theme ‘New Vision of theSilk Road: Action for Com-mon Development,’ ex-plored issues of politicalleadership, economic inte-gration, cultural bond andnew impetus for emergingeconomies.

While highlighting thediplomatic benefits of theSilk Road initiatives, shesaid: “This project wouldenhance a people-to-peoplecultural exchange and mu-tual learning among the peo-ples of the relevant coun-tries, and enable them to un-derstand, trust and respecteach other and live in har-mony, peace and prosperi-ty.”

•Leader of the radical northern wing of the IslamicMovement in Israel, Sheikh Raed Salah, who wasjailed by Israeli government yesterday for incitingAqsa violence .

R-l: President, Council of African Political Parties(CAPP) Women wing, Dr. Ramatu Aliyu, and otherguests during a three- day conference on the objec-tives of the ‘Silk Road’ project for a dynamic Afro-Asian relationship held in Beijing, China

Vanguard,Vanguard,Vanguard,Vanguard,Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, WEDNESDAY, WEDNESDAY, WEDNESDAY, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, OCTOBER 28, OCTOBER 28, OCTOBER 28, OCTOBER 28, 20152015201520152015—53—53—53—53—53

WITH the latest discovery by theWorld Health organisation, WHO,

that processed meat could cause cancer,hundreds of medical experts and otherstakeholders in the fight against cancerwill today in Abuja deliberate on possibleways of tackling the scourge in the country.

Also, the over 500 stakeholders expectedat the summit will proffer solutions on howto stop cancer from taking the lives ofNigerians as well as evolve and proposeto Government a National policy guidelineon the treatment of Breast cancer inNigeria.

The two-day cancer summit whichopened in Abuja yesterday, with the theme:"Stop Breast Cancer from Taking Her Life"will also raise awareness on cancer amongNigerians.

Breast cancerIn chat with journalists in Lagos,

President, Cancer Education andAdvocacy Foundation of Nigeria,CEAFON, Prof. Francis AbayomiDurosinmi-Etti who enumerated the manychallenges of diagnosis and treatment forBreast Cancer and others in the countryidentified lack of finance and nonavailability of drugs as the major factorsmilitating against cancer treatment.

For Durosinmi - Etti, who is also thepioneer Chief Medical Director, NationalHospital, Abuja and the Chairman of theNational Consultative Committee onCancer Control in Nigeria, there is needfor collective actions to tackle the disease,hence the need for the summit.

"Cancer concerns us all. There's a lot tobe done and we are making efforts to stopthe scourge. This Summit is important,because we are gathering several

doctor@lagospainclinic.com

TODAY there is a cancer summit starting in Abuja.The brochure covers the various types of cancer, their

features, diagnosis and current treatments.Cancer, and there are around 90 different types, is a

non communicable disease that is fast gaining a footholdin the developing world.

This week also, the WHO has announced that there is“sufficient evidence” to recommend the avoidance of“processed meats” in risk reduction for bowel cancer.

An important aspect, and perhaps the most importantconcern aside from cure, is the management of painassociated with cancer. Unfortunately, I did not see thissubject covered in this otherwise comprehensive summit.

Causes of Cancer Pain: 78 percent of pain is due todirect tumour involvement. The tumour may invade bone,nerves, body organs, membranes and blood vessels.Another 19 percent is pain associated with the treatmentof the cancer itself, such as chemotherapy, radiotherapyand post surgical pain. The small percentage remainingconsists of various pains and syndromes that are reallythe body’s physiochemical response to the cancer.

Treating cancer pain: I have learnt on my return topractice in Nigeria, that the word “manage” may bemisunderstood. Hence I now opt for “treatment” ratherthan “management” of pain.

There are two broad methods of treating cancer pain:pharmacological and non pharmacological.

Pharmacological Methods: Opioids remain the mosteffective and widely used group of pain medicines forcancer. Their manufacture, distribution and end usage isstrictly regulated by a world body. To prescribe them inthe USA, and now lately in the UK, requires the possession

The pain of cancer

By Chioma Obinna

INTERVIEW: Prof. Francis Abayomi Durosinmi-Etti

of special licenses. Abuse, misuse and diversion are majorproblems in its monitoring. The correct use of opioids incancer often necessitates combination of long acting typesand short acting types for breakthrough pain. Commonestand potent short acting types are hydromorphone, thecondones,( oxycodone and hydrocone) and morphine.The long acting types mostly used are morphine,oxycontin and methadone. Fentanyl is also used in theform of a three day dose patch.

These are highly dangerous drugs in wrong orinexperienced hands. Fortunately (because of associatedrisks of diversion and abuse) and unfortunately (becausepatients truly benefit from them) these drugs are so highlyregulated as to be almost impossible to obtain in Nigeria.

Paracetamol and NSAIDS like ibuprofen and diclofenac,are also commonly used and can be effective.

Specifically not recommended are: pethidine, becauseof its short half-life and brain and kidney toxicity andopioid-related drugs like pentazocine (precipitatewithdrawal). With the liberalisation of cannabis in certainparts of the world, it is likely that more may resort to

this previously unrecommended drug.

Expert seeks national policy guidelines on cancertreatment

Cancer has increasedmortality, largelybecause there is still ahigh level ofignorance about it,inadequate specialistpractitioners and veryfew cancer Centres inNigeria

Other drugs include antidepressants, anticonvulsants,anti vomiting and anti anxiety medications.

Some of the drugs used in chemical or hormonaltherapy to shrink the tumour are also useful in managingpain in cancer patients.

Non Pharmacological Treatment of Cancer Pain: Theseare physical modalities like exercise, acupuncture andtranscutaneous electrical stimulation; psychosocialmethods like relaxation, psychotherapy, counselling andeven hypnosis; and invasive therapies like radiation,anaesthetic nerve block techniques, neurosurgery andtumour debulking surgery.

The overall management of the pain of many cancersknown, is very complex. Treatment often involves thecombination of different methods or changes from onemethod to another as the cancer progresses or treatmentsfail. The most notable obstacle I have experienced intreating patients with cancer in Nigeria has been theavailability of strong opioid medications. No article onpalliative pain care in this country would be completewithout mention of the dedicated and pioneering work ofProf. Soyanwo from the Department of Anaesthesia,University of Ibadan. Not only was she among those whotaught me anaesthesia, but, over the past decades, shehas done more than anyone in ensuring the recognitionof the lack of palliative care and the non availability of thestrong analgesic drugs in Nigeria.

It is time now for the Society for the Study of Pain Nigeria(which she founded) and other stakeholders ( that is ALLOF US ) to take the advocacy forward to the appropriateregulatory agencies to remove these obstacles and helpus relieve pain and suffering in Nigerians, especiallythose with cancer. It could be anyone.

stakeholders to discuss how to win thebattle against the disease. "Cancer hasincreased mortality, largely because thereis still a high level of ignorance about it,inadequate specialist practitioners andvery few cancer centres in Nigeria."

According to him, the summit being puttogether by CEAFON in collaboration withthe Federal Ministry of Health, andpowered by ROCHE Product Limited,MTN Foundation, AstraZeneca, Novartis,Varian, JNCI, and other sponsors woulddeliberate on ways of improving treatment.

He explained that this year's summit willfocus on breast cancer, a disease he said,has continued to change the course of

many women's lives once they learn theyhave it.

"Each year, more and more women losetheir lives from Cancer, which is why ithas been labelled a death sentence.Although, some of the cases resulting indeath could have been prevented if certainprecautions were taken, sadly, there is littleinformation and even awareness on BreastCancer. This is one of the reasons we arehaving this Summit. We are bringingstakeholders together to stop the increasingincidence of Breast Cancer in Nigeria byworking together.

CancerSummit

He said the summit will also serve as aplatform to create measures on how to treatBreast Cancer. "We need a collectiveaction, because of the many challengesfacing the treatment of Breast Cancer inNigeria, and this includes inadequateinformation, inadequate treatment centres,lack of medical personnel, and inadequatepolicies to tackle the scourge.

"It is also possible to decrease themortality which Cancer is causing if wecome together to fight it. In essence, theCancer Summit 2015 is an effort to alleviatethe scourge as we will discuss how to charta course for Cancer care in Nigeria.CEAFON would continue to make effortsto achieve a time when Breast Cancer willno longer be a death sentence, but acurable disease," he stated.

At the summit, experts who have studiedthe disease for many years would discussBreast Cancer prevention, GovernmentPolicy development, Diagnosis, TreatmentProtocols and possible National guidelines,Patient assistance programs, HealthInsurance for Breast Cancer and otheraccess initiatives.

CMYK

54 – Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015

shrugging off theirdefeat to Croatia in theirfinal group matchSaturday morning.

Coach EmmanuelAmuneke has said theboys have since put thatdefeat behind them andare ready to play. Thereare no injury worriesand motivated by the factthat they emerged top oftheir group. The Eagletswill also be boosted bythe return of Bamgboyewho served a one-matchsuspension followingthe red card he receivedin their second groupmatch against hostcountry, Chile.

Speaking yesterdayfrom the team’s camp inChile, Coach Amunekesaid the tournament’stop scorer, Victor

EagletsContinues from BP Osimhen was a marked

man and as a result, thetechnical crew hadevolved a method ofplay that would putevery player in the huntfor goals.

“Osimhen has reallyplayed himself toreckoning and now heis a marked man. Wehave noticed this andwe have told theplayers to move as ateam. Gone are the daysa team was built aroundindividual players weare all ready for thegame.”

Amuneke said hisplayers cannotcontemplate anotherloss because the loss toCroatia was a wake-upcall. “They now knowthat they too can bebeaten so we will allwork for victory.”

astute administratorthrew in the towel eventhough he never madeany formal intention ofcontesting.

‘’I warned them that itwill not work. I told themthat no Nigerian orAfrican is ripe to becomeFIFA President. How farhave they gone?’’, Torowho achieved landmarksuccesses as scribe ofthe NFA said on ourhotline.

‘’The position of FIFAPresident is notsomething that onejumps at anyhow. Iwarned that people

ToroContinues from BP

should not ridiculeNigeria but many readdifferent meanings toour honest advice. It is ashame that after muchpublicity, they did notcross the first hurdle’’,the former House ofRepresentatives membersaid.

‘’With Issa Hayatoupresiding over the affairsof FIFA, things will bedifficult for any Africanaspiring for that position.If Hayatou supports orshows interest in anyAfrican, they’ll bring outincriminating thingsagainst him. He is on ahot seat now’’.

Sausalito, Viña delMar.

Australia’s reward forfinishing third in GroupC is a meeting with thedefending championson Wednesday night.

Of the five previousencounters with theGolden Eaglets inprevious editions of theFifa Under 17s, theAsian reps have lost alland scored only twice.

Christopher Nwosu’sgoal in the 59th minutegave the Golden Eagletsa 1 - 0 win over the Joeysin one of the quarter -final games at Canada2007 while NwankwoKanu and Wilson Orumawere on target in thesecond half in a group

OddsContinues from BP

fixture that ended 2 - 0back in 1993.

In 1995, that samescoreline was repeatedat the Estadio Olímpicode Riobamba,Riobamba, with the goalscoming from EdwardAnyamkygh and JamesObiora in the 59th and90th minuterespectively.

Nigeria’s biggest winagainst the Aussies wasin 2001. Femi Opabunmibagged a hat - trick inthe 5 - 1 rout of theopponents.

John Obi Mikel andBala netted in theGolden Eaglets 2 - 1 winover Australia in thegroup stage of the FifaUnder 17 World Cuphosted by Finland.

Odegbami

architects of his failedbid to become the nextpresident of the worldfootball governing body.

The 63-year-old formerinternational was unableto win the requiredbacking of five memberassociations.

Odegbami saidNigeria’s FootballFederation offered himits support too late tomeet Monday ’sdeadline.

“The NFF only senttheir nomination letter toFifa (on Mondayafternoon). What was Isupposed to do withthat?” Odegbami toldBBC Sport.

“That was theirreaction to my letter sentto them two months ago.It is preposterous.”

Odegbami alsobelieves that hisoutspoken criticism ofl o n g - s t a n d i n gConfederation of AfricanFootball president IssaHayatou may havecounted against him.

“Of course there are

Continues from BPlocal politics within theNigerian and Africanfootball system thatpitches some of usagainst the establishedsystem,” he said.

“I have been one ofthe most virulent criticsof the perpetuity inoffice of Issa Hayatou inoffice and I knew I wasnot one of his bestfriends.”

Odegbami has alsoblamed ex-FIFAexecutive committeemember Amos Adamuand rival Orji Uzor Kalufor his failure not to getthe backing of otherAfrican countries in hisquest to be elected newFIFA boss.

“Where were AmosAdamu and (Orji) Kaluyesterday (Monday)?It’s a Nigerian thing tobring down others,”accused a soberedOdegbami on a radiointerview monitored inAbuja Tuesday morning.

“Well, I have done myown bit and it is left forothers to do theirs.”

Nigeria begins Olympic preparationsNovemberTHE Director-

G e n e r a l ,National SportsCommission, AlhassanYakmut, has said thatTeam Nigeria’spreparation for the 2016Olympics would beginon November 21.

Mr. Yakmut made thisknown while speakingwith journalists in Abuja.

He explained that themode of preparation forthe Olympics would bedifferent from thepreparation for the AllAfrican Games.

“Already ground workshave been concluded;right now we are makingcontact with the variouscentres where thepreparation will be done.

“The preparation forOlympics is not going tobe like that of the AllAfrica Games.

“There is no centralpoint of collection ofathletes except the lasttwo weeks to theOlympics where allathletes in all thedifferent sports thatNigeria will beparticipating in will be ina special camp in Rio

and then, a day to theopening of the gamesvillage, we shall move.

“But our main strategyis that we are going to bespotless and we aregoing to be athlete-based.

“So, it’s possible tohave six athletes in sixdifferent disciplines inathletics and they maynot be camping in thesame place.

“It depends on wherethe technical expertiseand high quality ofinfrastructure andscientific support is.”

No World Cup worries forFalconetsF A L C O N E T S

prolific striker,Chinwendu Ihezuo has saidthere is no cause for alarmfollowing the side’s slim winagainst the Basetsana ofSouth Africa.

The nation’s campaignerswon 2-1 against the SouthAfricans in Saturday’s 2016Fifa U20 Women’s World CupAfrica final round first fixturequalifying clash at the AbujaNational Stadium.

Ihezuo said her side are onstrong footing towardsqualifying for the World Cupin Papua New Guinea despitethe low margin 2-1 win.

“Of course, there is no causefor alarm as far as qualificationfor the 2016 Fifa U20 Women’sWorld Cup in Papua NewGuinea is concerned.

“We missed lots of scoringchances in the first fixture butthe good thing is that weended up the winners.

“We need to work hard onour finishing to stand a goodchance in the reverse fixturein South Africa.

“Once we are able to put upmore efforts in our games wewill have it quite easy rightthere in Johannesburg.

“Our chance for a spot at theWorld Cup is quite bright asthe South Africans were notspectacular.''

Falconets players celebrate a goal.

A Taekwondo duel involving Nigeria's Chika Chukwumerije (r) at theLondon 2012 Olympics.

TWO-TIME AfricaChampions Cup

for women winner FirstBank basketball club ofNigeria is confident ofpicking one of the twoticket from Zone-3 qualifierslated for Cotonou, BeninRepublic from November 5through 11th, 2015.

The club currentlycamping in the Cotonouahead the technicalmeeting billed forNovember 4th is in highspirit and ready for action.

Speaking with our

ACC Zone-3: First Bank setsight on ticket for finals

correspondent at theweekend newly appointedcoach of the Elephant Girlsas the club is also known,Peter Ahmedu, that theplayers are respondingvery well to training.

Coach Ahmedu whountil last week was thecoach of Nigeria menleague champion, MarkMentors basketball club ofAbuja joined First Bankafter a brief reorganizationby the club managementand has promised todeliver.

Osimhen

the highest scoringplayer in the groupstages. If he does go onto collect the adidasGolden Boot, he willbecome the thirdNigerian to be namedtop goalscorer at a FIFAU-17 World Cup after

Continues from BP Macauley Chrisantus in2007 and Wilson Orumaback in 1993 if he does,bringing the GoldenEaglets level withSpain’s tally of threeprevious Golden Bootwinners in thiscompetition (Borja in2009, Cesc Fabregas in2003 and David in 1997).

CMYK

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015 — 55

KELECHI Iheanacho is already

dreaming of pulling ona Manchester City shirtat Wembley in February.

Ahead of the Blues’fourth-round match withCrystal Palace in theLeague Cup today,Iheanacho, 19, saysplaying at the nationalstadium is a long-stand-ing ambition.

“We know that if wewin, we’re only threegames away from a finalat Wembley, a place I’vealways wanted to playat,” he said. “We’ll begoing all out to beatthem.”

The young Nigerianlooks set to make hisfirst start for the club af-ter a number of impres-sive cameos this season,including against Palacein the 1-0 league victoryback in September.

He came on duringthe final stages of a tightmatch and scored a last-gasp winner to preserveCity’s 100 per cent startto the season.

It’s a game that willforever be etched in theyoung forward’s mind.“Crystal Palace will al-ways be a special gamefor me because I scoredmy first goal againstthem,” he told the club’sofficial website.

“It won’t be easy be-cause they are a qualityside. They are verystrong and have verygood wingers, so theywill believe they cancome here and win.”

Iheanacho dreams Wembleyahead of Palace clash

PSG are monitoring Jose Mourinho’s

situation at Chelsea and will consider offer-ing him a job should hebe fired.

Mourinho is underhuge pressure with thedefending championsdown in 15th place aftertaking just 11 pointsfrom their first 10 gamesand could be sacked ifthey lose their sixth Pre-

•Iheanacho

Mourinho to move toPSG if Chelsea sack him

•Mourinho

mier League match ofthe campaign againstLiverpool on Saturday.

PSG currently haveLaurent Blanc in chargebut the owners are long-term admirers of Mour-inho.

They tried to hire thePortuguese in 2011 andagain in 2013 but the 52-year-old rejected themon both occasions.

Blanc was only giventhe post two years agoafter Mourinho had opt-ed to return to Chelseaand his contract expiresat the end of the season.

The former France andManchester United de-fender is already oncourse to win his thirdtitle in a row as PSGboast a seven-point leadat the top of Ligue 1.

BARCELONA haveon their agenda a

new contract for LionelMessi and while there’sno rush, reports say theArgentine is next in linefor renegotiations afterNeymar.

Sport claim Barca arelooking at Messi’s con-tract, which expires in2018, with a view to ex-tending it so he will beat Camp Nou until re-tirement.

Messi signed a newdeal in 2014 that pays€20m after tax and has arelease clause of €250m.He also receives be-tween €4m and €5m inbonuses and could getimproved terms.

Barca torenewMessi’scontract

BARCELONA forward Luis Suarez

picked out RealMadrid’s Sergio Ramosas the toughest oppo-nent he’s faced sincemoving to La Liga.

“Sergio Ramos is the

Suarez dreads Ramostoughest defender I’vecome up against. He’svery strong, very expe-rienced and he’s verycompetitive. So I valuea great deal the goal Iscored against Madridin the home game.”

ROMA Coach RudiGarcia points out

that his players are “topbecause they deserve it”but warns against com-placency.

“We’re not moved bybeing made favourites, Ilike the attitude of thelads. They ’re top be-cause they deserve it.

“At this point the tabledoesn’t matter, you haveto take it one game at atime and the right atti-

Garcia: Roma want to winevery title

tude is to always thinkthat the next one is themost important”

The Lupi have takenjust two points from theiropening three Champi-ons League games,would they be better offfocusing on Serie A?

“No, never. I want towin every competition inwhich we’re entered,though of course theLeague is our bread andbutter, that’s obvious.”

CMYK

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Website: www.vanguardngr.com (ISSN 0794-652X) Ag.Editor: EZE ANABA. Phone: 01-7742861, All correspondence to P.M.B. 1007, Apapa Lagos.

How to Play Sudoku

Place a number (1-9) in each blank cell. (No line canhave two of the same number).

Each row (nine lines from left to right), column, (alsonine lines from top to bottom) and 3 X 3 block within abold block (nine blocks) contains number from 1through 9. This means that no number can appear twicein any block, column or row.

No mathematics is involved – no adding, subtraction, divisionor multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination.

FRIFRIFRIFRIFRIDDDDDAAAAAY'S ANSY'S ANSY'S ANSY'S ANSY'S ANSWERSWERSWERSWERSWERSTTTTTODODODODODAAAAAY'S PUZZLEY'S PUZZLEY'S PUZZLEY'S PUZZLEY'S PUZZLE

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015

CMYK

Mourinho’sfutureuncertain•Page 54

QUICK CROSSWORDQUICK CROSSWORDQUICK CROSSWORDQUICK CROSSWORDQUICK CROSSWORD

Eaglets in make or marclash with Australia

FIFA Presidency: Torocriticises Odegbami

Brazil v New Zealand 8 pm

Mexico v Chile 8 pm

Nigeria v Australia 11 pm

Korea Rep v Belgium 11 pm

FIFA U-17 World Cup

Odds favour Eaglets over Australia

IN continuation oftheir defence of the

FIFA U-17 World Cupwhich they won 2 yearsago, the Golden Eagletswill test their mightagainst Australia in awinner takes allencounter billed to kickoff midnight in Chile.The coach EmmanuelAmuneke tutored teamknow that a loss in thisencounter will see themtake the next availableflight home.

The Eaglets are said tobe in high spirits after

Kick off:11 pm

Osimheninchescloser tohistorybooks

•Osimhen

•Toro •Odegbami

Kelechi Nwakali, David Enogela raring to goagainst Australia Continues on Page 54

FORMER SecretaryGeneral of the

Nigeria FootballAssociation, NFA, SaniAhmed Toro has laughedoff the failure of ex-international, OlusegunPatrick Odegbami tosecure the backing of fivecountries footballfederations as his FIFAPresidential aspirationcrumbled.

Odegbami and formerGovernor of Abia State,Orji Uzor Kalu hadelectrified the Nigerianmedia with theiraspirations of replacingJoseph Sepp Blatter asFIFA President. Kalu, atested politician and

BY TONY UBANI

Continues on Page 54THE odds are in

favour of theGolden Eaglets to beat

Australia and qualify forthe quarter - finals of theFifa Under 17 World Cup

when both countriesclash at the EstadioContinues on Page 54

GOLDEN Eagletsstriker, Victor

Osimhen is graduallyinching his way into thetournament’s historybooks.

According to statistics,the striker’s four goalsand one assist make himContinues on Page 54

ACROSS1 Staunch (4)4 Obscure (3)6 Pant (4)9 Illuminated (3)10 Backed (8)11 So be it (4)14 Equality (3)16 Sordid (5)19 Liberated (8)21 Bar (5)23 Opposition (8)24 Begin (5)27 Edge (3)31 Locate (4)33 Copied (8)34 Golf-peg (3)35 Prophet (4)36 Untruth (3)37 Marquee (4)

DOWN2 Pour (4)3 Encounter (4)4 Sick (8)5 Manufactured (4)6 Clearing (5)7 Objective (5)8 Vapour (5)12 Angry (5)13 Animal (5)14 Friend (3)15 Spree (5)17 Correct (5)18 Coupled (5)20 Precise (8)22 Tear (3)25 Commonplace (5)26 Jockey (5)28 Tablet (4)29 Divide (4)30 Observed (4)32 Born (3)

ACROSS: 1, Repeal 5, Torrid 8, Assassin 9,Mean 10, Pep 12, Sober 15, Wet 17, Asp 18,Ate 19, Imp 20, Evict 21, Dog 22, Era 23, Egg24, Ear 26, Ragged 29, Err 33, Ogle 34,Permeate 35, Propel 36, Lotion.

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONSDOWN: 2, Ensue 3, Edam 4, Lasso 5,Tense 6, Ramp 7, Irate 10, Price 11, Paper12, Spear 13, Bring 14, Rated 15, Wedge16, Tiger 25, Anger 27, Appal 28, Enrol30, Ratio 31, Seep 32, Test.

Odegbami: Intrigues,politics undid meFORMER Green

Eagles captain,Chief Segun Odegbamihas pointed accusingfingers at the NigeriaFootball Federation, his

rival Dr Orji Uzor Kaluand former member ofthe FIFA ExecutiveCommittee, Dr AmosAdamu for being theContinues on Page 54