No plan to impeach Buhari - SENATE

FG has identified 1,000 dormant revenue lines —Adeosun 

By Omoh Gabriel 

KANO — 

MINISTER of 

Finance, Mrs. Kemi 

Adeosun, yesterday, in 

Kano said the Federal 

Government had 

identified more than 1,000 

dormant revenue lines, 

assuring, however, that 

such huge dormant 

revenue opportunities 

will be maximised. 

Adeosun, however, 

assured that the Federal 

Government’s drive for 

enhanced revenue 

generation would not be 

a burden to Nigerians. 

...Suspends ban on wood export with stringent 

guidelines 

•P.9 

The minister, who spoke 

at the opening of a twoday 

National Revenue 

Retreat in Kano, said the 

administration of 

President Muhammadu 

Buhari was firmly 

Continues on page 19 

...towards a better life for the people 

VOL. 25: NO. 63072 

** 

FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2016 

ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com 

N200 

No plan to impeach 

Buhari —SENATE 

•Any impeachment plot is satanic, subversive —Chekwas Okorie 

N4.7bn cash: DSS arrests Obanikoro's wife —Page 10 

IGBO LEADERS MEET: From left, Dr. Paschal Dozie; Dr. Emeka Ezeife; Lolo Celilia Ezeilo, Deputy Governor of Enugu 

State; Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State; Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe; Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State; Chief Jim 

Nwobodo; Prof. Anya O. Anya; Chief Enwo-Igariwey and Allison Madueke during the Ohanaeze Ndigbo organized Igbo Unity 

Forum, in Owerri, Imo State, yesterday. 

Tinubu is not God — MELAYE 

Generals Ihejirika, Minimah, others face fresh probe 

My six-day ordeal 

in kidnappers' 

den — ONDO 

MONARCH 

See inside 

Gender does 

not confer 

leadership 

COLUMNISTS: 

•P.31 

Cameron 

the great! 

•P.17 

•P.5 

•P. 20 

Suspected 

militants blow up 

gas pipeline in 

Ogun 

•P. 11 

•P.33 

By Henry Umoru, 

Joseph Erunke & 

Francis Agata 

ABUJA— 

THE 

Senate, yesterday, 

rebuffed insinuations of 

a plot to initiate 

impeachment 

proceedings against 


Buhari, saying such 

suggestions were 

speculative. 

The Senate's disavowal 

came as Senator Dino 

Melaye also denied the 

claim but confirmed the 

altercation between himself 

Continues on Page 5 

Owerri 

Summit: We 

won't cry 

maginalisation 

anymore 

—Igbo 

leaders 

•P. 20 

Mr & Mrs

C 

M 

Y 

K 

2—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2016

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2016 — 3 

C 

M 

Y 

K

C 

M 

Y 

K 

4 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2016

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2016—5 

POCKET CARTOON 

RECEPTION: President Muhammadu Buhari (left) receiving the Alake of 

Egbaland, Oba Michael Aremu Adedotun Gbadebo III, at the State House, 

Abuja, yesterday. 

No plan to impeach Buhari —SENATE 

Continues from page 1 

and Senator Remi Tinubu, 

which he claimed was 

sparked by her use of 

provocative words against 

him. 

Meanwhile, the Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP, 

yesterday, said it would not 

speak on the alleged 

impeachment threats 

against President Buhari. 

National chairman of the 

party, Senator Ahmed 

Makarfi, said the issue 

remained entirely within 

the ambit of the legislature. 

The Chief Chekwas 

Okorie-led United Peoples 

Party, UPP, was, however, 

not restrained in its 

reaction, describing any 

impeachment plot as 

satanic and subversive. 

The Senate in a statement 

by its spokesperson, 

Senator Aliyu Sabi 

Abdullahi, said the 

comments credited to the 

National Secretary of the 

APC, Mai Bala Buni, could 

give credibility to a news 

item which members of the 

public had disregarded. 

He said: ”We expected 

the party to, at least, explore 

all the options open to it to 

verify that piece of 

fabrication which is only the 

figment of the imagination 

of the writers and their 

sponsors. 

"It should be clear to the 

APC leadership that if there 

is any truth to that story, it 

should have been credited 

to a particular senator who 

was at the executive 

session. 

“It is evident from our 

proceedings of yesterday 

(Wednesday) that the 

Senate itself was shocked 

that such a fabrication, 

which constitutes a breach 

of the privileges of the 

senators, was published 

and that was why we 

mandated our Committee 

on Ethics, Privileges, and 

Public Petitions to 

investigate the source and 

circumstances leading to 

the emergence of such a 

fabrication. 

“We will like to assure the 

party that the Senate, as an 

institution, values the 

present democracy in our 

country and will not do 

anything that will 

undermine or weaken the 

system.” 

Okorie, Olujimi, 

Abaribe react 

Deputy Minority Whip, 

Senator Biodun Olujimi, 

also, yesterday, took a swipe 

at the APC on the alleged 

impeachment threat, 

saying the ruling party 

itself was confused. 

“I do not understand 

what they are saying,” he 

said. 

Also speaking to 

Vanguard, Chairman, 

IT'S UP TO YOU 

BY AYO ADIO - 08104802192 

WITHOUT doubt, there isn’t a substitute for 

self belief, the moment you doubt yourself or 

abilities, there will be very little you can achieve. 

TAKE HEART 

BY ELLA RANDLE- O8084919482 

Happiness is part of who we are. Joy is the 

feeling—Tony DeLiso. 

THE beauty of life’s diversity deepens only when 

we truly feel the essence of divine love in our hearts 

and in the sharing with others too, like in the deepest 

of friendships or bonding with our loved ones. That 

which brings light and love to our hearts are the small 

reminders of how beautiful and bountiful life could 

be. When you are living your life from purpose, you 

are dwelling in love. 

SAYINGS OF OUR PEOPLE 

NO one drinks medicine on behalf of a sick person 

Senate Committee on 

Information and National 

Orientation, Senator 

Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP, 

Abia South), who noted 

that there was nothing to 

discuss on impeachment 

as there was nothing of 

such, said the APC was 

becoming “very 

apprehensive.” 

Chief Okorie, on his part, 

cautioned the Senate 

against wielding the 

impeachment weapon. 

Okorie, in a statement 

made available to 

newsmen in Enugu 

yesterday, said: ”The 

threats emanating from 

some persons in the 

National Assembly to 

commence impeachment 

proceedings against 


Buhari for unspecified 

impeachable offences at this 

point in time are satanic, 

subversive and dangerous. 

“It should be erased 

completely from the minds 

of those contemplating 

such move. Any such act of 

vengeance will be most 

unpopular, unpatriotic and 

condemnable. All hands 

must be on deck to salvage 

our country from its present 

state of economic 

downturn, excruciating 

poverty and security 

challenges. 

“In the spirit of separation 

of powers, as clearly 

Tinubu is not God — Melaye 


Ola Ajayi & Joseph 

Erunke 

ABUJA — SENATOR 

Dino Melaye, 

yesterday, said he was 

provoked by Senator 

Oluremi Tinubu into a 

verbal altercation in the 

Senate’s closed-door 

session on Tuesday and 

dismissed cautions from her 

husband, Asiwaju Bola 

Tinubu, saying he was 

neither God nor his political 

patron. 

In his reaction to news 

reports of his use of violent 

language and physical 

threats against Senator 

Tinubu, Melaye, at a press 

conference in the Senate 

Building, said most of the 

reports were exaggerated, 

even as he admitted using 

violent language upon her 

after she allegedly called 

him a dog and a thug. 

How Mrs. Tinubu 

provoked me 

—Melaye 

Melaye, who addressed 

the Senate Press Corps 

upon what he claimed as 

media misrepresentations 

on what happened in the 

Tuesday closed-session, 

said he spoke on his 

“honour as a Christian, on 

my honour as a father and 

on the oath of my office as 

a Senator of the Federal 

Republic of Nigeria.” 

He said: “I have never 

been a coward; I will not 

start an apprenticeship 

programme now on how to 

become a coward. 

“Whatever I say 

anywhere, I can boldly 

repeat everywhere. When 

I stood up, and I made my 

submissions that day in the 

Senate, all I did was to 

pacify my colleagues and 

ask that the case in court 

be withdrawn because 

already, there is a 

resolution of the Senate that 

the rules of the Senate were 

not forged, and since there 

was a resolution of the 

Senate that the rules of the 

Senate were not forged, I 

said all those who have 

gone to court should go and 

withdraw their names from 

court and that if at the end 

of the day, they refused to 

withdraw their names from 

court, we should penalise 

them by suspending them. 

I said that. 

“But I did not use any 

insolent, abusive, 

degrading or mannerless 

language. So, there was no 

reaction from any of our 

colleagues as regards my 

presentation. 

“After I had spoken, many 

other senators spoke, and I 

did not mention the name 

of any senator while I was 

making my presentation. 

Unfortunately, Senator 

Oluremi Tinubu got up and 

was recognised to speak, 

and immediately she 

started speaking, she 

specifically mentioned my 

name, even when in my 

presentation I did not 

mention anybody’s name. 

“I only appealed to the 

sensitivity of my colleagues 

and asked them to 

withdraw their case from 

court and reminded them 

that there was a resolution 

of the Senate that the rules 

were not forged. But 

because of reasons only 

known to Senator Oluremi 

Tinubu, she got up, and the 

first thing she said was that 

she’s being harassed in this 

chamber by Senator 

Melaye. 

“I kept quiet at that point; 

she went ahead to say that 

why will she come here 

and be threatened by 

senators and there was a 

large chorus from senators 

saying ‘how, when, where’. 

“At that point, I was still 

very calm. She got up again 

and said that this thug must 

be tamed. At that point, I 

got up, and I told her that 

she is very stupid. 

She called me a dog 

“The next statement from 

her was that you are a dog. 

She called me a dog, and 

when she called me a dog, 

I stood up, and I reacted 

and told her that this is not 

Bourdillon and that she 

should look at my face, I am 

not one of those senators 

who normally come to 

prostrate to them in 

Bourdillon. 

“I told her I am from 

Kogi State, I am not from 

Lagos State and that there 

would never be a day I 

will come to you for 

political assistance. These 

were my words, and she 

went on shouting dog, 

thug. 

“I want to tell you, 

gentlemen of the press, 

that for every reaction, 

there must be an action. 

When I got up to address 

my colleagues, she was 

not the only senator there. 

If I had used insolent 

language or foul 

languages, you know the 

type of senators we have. 

They would have reacted, 

and some of them would 

have even addressed you 

guys by now to say Dino 

insulted us. 

“But because she acted 

in the manner she did, 

not one senator stood up 

in her defence when I was 

tongue-lashing her. Even 

the senators from Lagos 

were there. Senator Ashafa 

was there; he didn’t stand 

up from his seat. 

“It is not true that anybody 

circled her because there 

was no need to. I did not 

leave the spot I was sitting. 

I didn’t get up from my 

seat.” 

Responding to assertions 

by Senator Ajayi Boroffice, 

he said: “Unfortunately, this 

expatriate senator, absentee 

senator called Senator 

Borrofice was not even in 

the chamber, and he has not 

been in the chamber for the 

past two months. 

defined in the 1999 

Constitution of Nigeria as 

amended, it behoves on the 

National Assembly and its 

leadership to submit 

themselves to the judicial 

process with regard to the 

on-going trial of some top 

officers of the Senate on 

forgery accusation.” 

“He was not in the 

chamber; I was surprised, 

maybe, he has celestial 

powers to understand what 

happens in his absence. 

“If there are instances that 

I am not a super human 

being, if there are instances 

where as a human being, I 

have reacted negatively, I 

am also ready to be 

apologetic about it. 

“I never even used 

insolent language but 

because they are yet to heal 

the wounds of defeat of the 

election of the Senate 

President and because of 

my key role in this exercise, 

where she and her 

husband called me 

severally to appeal to me 

to back off from Saraki, and 

I said I would not back off 

Saraki. 

Tinubu is not God 

“I will continue to speak 

for those who cannot speak 

for themselves. I will 

continue to be a voice for 

the voiceless and in 

reaction, I heard that 

Senator Bola Ahmed 

Tinubu said my political 

career has come to an 

end. I want to say that 

Tinubu is not God. I fear 

only the God Almighty; 

I fear no soul; I only 

respect souls. 

“So far, my political 

journey to the House of 

Representatives and the 

Senate had no political, 

financial or moral 

contribution of Senator 

Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The 

God, who has brought me 

this far, is mighty, strong 

and enough to take me 

further. What God has 

given me, no man can give, 

and what God has given to 

me, no man can take.” 

He equally dismissed 

claims that Senate 

President Bukola Saraki 

nodded repeatedly to his 

alleged barbs against 

Senator Tinubu, saying 

nothing of such happened.

6—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2016 

08023019505 

08034073107 

Robbery attack on Vanguard Publisher: 

Guards gave us information—SUSPECTS 

By Evelyn Usman 

LAGOS—POLICE 

have 

arrested three suspected 

members of a robbery gang that 

invaded the Anthony home of 

the Publisher of Vanguard 

Newspapers, Mr. Sam Amuka, 

last month. 

Recall that the bandits also 

attacked the 81-year-old 

Publisher with iron rods and 

other dangerous weapons, at the 

end of which his mobile phone, 

electronic gadgets, money and 

other valuables were stolen. 

Although two of the suspects 

claimed to be from Borno State, 

while the third said he was a 

Chadian, police said preliminary 

investigation revealed that they 

are all citizens of the Republic of 

Chad. 

The suspects, identified as 

Musa Atim Abubakar, 32; 

Abdulrasaq Hassan, 43, and 

Umar Useni, 46, were arrested 

in Festac and Ajao Estate in 

Lagos, and Sango Otta in Ogun 

State. A Mitsubishi saloon car, 

with number plates LSD 337 BQ, 

which they drove on the day of 

the robbery was also recovered. 

They were said to be on the 

verge of selling the vehicle at a 

give-away price and flee to Niger 

Republic, when they were 

arrested. 

Lagos police boss speaks 

Briefing newsmen on their 

arrest, Lagos State’s 

Commissioner of Police, Mr. 

Fatai Owoseni, said: “Since the 

incident happened, the 

command deployed all available 

techniques at its disposal to get 

the suspects. 

“We were able to get three of 

them, who were interrogated and 

they have confessed to the crime. 

We are looking for the fourth 

man, because Mr. Amuka said 

they were four men that attacked 

him. 

“The vehicle they used on that 

day, including a sledge hammer 

and an iron cutter, were 

recovered from them. 

“They are Chadians and cross 

country criminals. We are still 

interrogating them. At the end of 

our interrogation, we believe we 

will get more facts, especially 

their motive, since this attack on 

Amuka was not the first.” 

He was, however, mum on the 

details of their arrest, explaining 

that divulging such would 

jeopardise investigation. 

Private guards’ role 

To the astonishment of all, the 

suspects, who were paraded 

before journalists, revealed that 

two private guards attached to 

the premises of the publisher 

gave their fleeing gang leader, 

who they identified simply as 

Gambo, information that there 

was money in the house. 

According to one of them, 

•Informants got N30,000 each; robbers N70,000 

NABBED: From left— Abdulrasaq Hassan, Musa Abubakar and Umar Useni, the suspects paraded yesterday by Lagos 

State Commissioner of Police as responsible for the robbery attack on Mr. Sam Amuka, Publisher of Vanguard Newspapers, at 

his Anthony Village residence. INSET: Some of the tools used during the robbery. PHOTOS: Bunmi Azeez. 

Useni, who spoke in pidgin 

English: “I am from Gamboru 

Ngala Local Government Area 

of Bornu State. I am not from 

Chad. I have been living in 

Satellite Town since 2011. I 

have worked as a gardener in 

a school around that area before 

I met Gambo, our leader. 

“Two security men in Baba’s 

(Amuka) compound brought 

the information to Gambo. They 

told Gambo to come with his 

boys on a Saturday, that Baba 

brought some money home. 

One of the guards is an Ibo 

man, while the other is Hausa. 

Gambo knows their names, but 

I don’t. 

“On the day we attacked, I 

met Gambo at Apple Junction, 

after a telephone conversation, 

from where we headed to 

Anthony Village. 

“I did not beat Baba. He fell 

down while he was running. 

When I saw blood on him, I 

begged my colleagues not to 

harm him because he is an old 

man. Besides, Baba threw an 

envelope at me when we asked 

him to give us the money. In it 

was N300,000. 

“After the operation, we drove 

to a hotel where we shared the 

money. The security men that 

brought the business got 

N30,000 each. Gambo took the 

money to them on Sunday 

evening and they told us to go 

into hiding that policemen 

were around.” 

Loot sharing 

On his part, Atim 

Abubakar, who also spoke in 

pidgin, said: “I was in my 

house at Sango, when 

Mohammed (pointing to one 

of his partners in crime) 

called me on phone that there 

was a job we had to execute. 

“He said Gambo, our leader, 

brought the job. They said I 

should come and meet them 

at Anthony, from where we 

drove to the house. 

OWERRI—AN 82-yearold 

blind man, Dr. 

Chuks Osuji, has threatened 

to die in the rubble of his 

house, if government carries 

out its demolition, having 

been marked ‘remove’ by 

officials of Owerri Capital 

Development Authority, 

OCDA. 

The house was marked 

‘remove’ by the Imo State 

Government, which is 

currently expanding some 

major roads in Owerri. The 

affected roads are MCC/ 

Urrata, Okigwe Road, Orlu 

Road, Ikenegbu and Egbu/ 

Mbaise Road, allegedly 

“While Hassan (the driver) 

waited in the car, three of us 

went inside. We tied the 

security men at the gate and 

went upstairs. We broke the 

ceiling and made straight for 

Baba’s apartment, where we 

met him sleeping. 

“Immediately he saw us, he 

ran. While Umaru and 

Mohammed went after him, I 

went straight to the cupboard 

where I saw some newspapers 

and N100,000. I also collected 

two pieces of 20 pounds. I did 

not know it was Pound Sterling 

until Gambo told me. At the 

without any form of 

understanding with property 

owners. 

Osuji told newsmen in 

Owerri, yesterday, that the 

state government had yet to 

show any commitment 

regarding payment of 

compensation over pulling 

down of the building. 

He said: “There was no 

engagement for payment of 

compensation to me now or in 

the future. He said that 

officials of Owerri Capital 

Development Authority had 

marked his house ‘remove’. 

“It is on the strength of that 

I want to alert the public on 

end of the operation, we all got 

N70,000 each.” 

I got N30,000—DRIVER 

The third suspect, Hassan, 

who claimed to be a bureau-dechange 

operator, revealed that 

he also ran a car hire service in 

Ajao Estate. He stated that his 

vehicle was hired and that he 

did not know that they were 

going to rob. 

After the operation, he said 

that he drove the suspects to his 

house at Ajao, where the money 

was shared, adding that his 

share was N30,000. 

82-yr-old blind man to Imo Govt: I'll die in the ru 

the injustice. Pulling down the 

house where I have my PR 

communication outfit, which 

employs some Imo youths and 

also get income to sustain my 

family will adversely affect me. 

“As a very senior citizen in my 

80s, frail and weak, pulling 

down this my house is 

tantamount to sentencing me 

to death. 

“My choice will be to allow 

the building to collapse on me 

if that is what the authority 

wants. I was made to 

understand that yesterday, 

OCDA staff came and marked 

my little building at number 54 

Mbaise Road by Amaram

How widow lures schoolgirls into prostitution during school hours 

•Pays them N1,000 •It's a lie, but I'm a sex worker—SUSPECT 

By Evelyn Usman & 

Esther Onyegbula 

LAGOS—A widow, who was 

paraded by Lagos State 

Police Command alongside some 

criminals for allegedly recruiting 

young schoolgirls as commercial 

sex workers in a hotel in Surulere 

area of the state during school 

hours, has denied the charge. 

The suspect, identified as 

Chinonso Okolokwo, said she 

was a commercial sex worker at 

the said hotel located at Ikate 

area of Surulere. 

Briefing newsmen on her 

arrest, the Commissioner of 

Police, Lagos State Command, 

Mr. Fatai Owoseni, disclosed that 

the suspect’s method was to lure 

the students from different 

secondary schools around 

Surulere to the hotel. 

Okolokwo, according to the CP, 

would give the students clothes 

to change into and use them as 

sex slaves until school closing 

hours. 

Some of the students, as 

gathered, went home with 

between N1,000 and N2,000, 

depending on the number of 

men they attended to. But the 

amount, it was learned, was just 

10 percent of what was paid by 

their male customers, while the 

rest was allegedly pocketed by 

their managers, among who is 

Okolokwo. 

Suspect's story 

Speaking with Vanguard, 

Okolokwo who is from Ebonyi 

State, said: “I do not know 

bble, if you demolish my house 

Street ‘remove’. 

“I built this little house 22 

years ago, when I had my sight 

and was active. The house met 

all statutory requirements and 

was approved by OCDA. 

“I am now a senior citizen 

with full vision impairment and 

a national awards recipient; if 

this my house is pull down, 

where will I go?” 

He, however, pleaded with 

Governor Rochas Okorocha to 

spare his house for the sake of 

endless humanitarianism and 

on compassionate grounds. 

Osuji also appealed to people 

of good conscience to help 

appeal to the governor to spare 

Chinonso Okolokwo 

anything about the schoolgirls. 

I am also a ‘hustler’ at 

36-yr-old man impregnates 

daughter, aborts pregnancy 

By Monsuru 

Olowoopejo 

LAGOS—A 

36-year-old 

father, Peter Kennedy, has 

been detained by police for 

impregnating his 16-year-old 

daughter and aborting the 

pregnancy. 

Peter was also detained with 

his wife, step-mother to the 

victim, who revealed that her 

husband said he wanted to test 

his ability. 

Vanguard gathered that the 

man, who had been detained at 

Anthony Division, had 

allegedly been sleeping with his 

daughter since 2013. 

Peter, a resident of 5 Kode 

Street, Mende, Maryland axis, 

was reported to the police by a 

neighbour after the father 

allegedly had sexual intercourse 

his house. 

He said: “I came home 36 

years ago from the United 

States to help develop my 

society and have paid my 

dues. I deserve no raw deal 

after all my services to my 

fatherland.” 

Many other property, 

including that of a former 

Internal Affairs Minister, Capt. 

Emmanuel Iheancho (retd), 

were destroyed by 

government. 

Osuji, before becoming blind 

about 22 years ago, served as 

the Director-General of Imo 

State Mass Mobilisation 

Agency. 

Sunderland Hotel. I took to 

prostitution after the death of 

my husband 11 years ago. I 

have four children, but two 

died before my husband. 

“I lodged at the hotel for a 

week or two before going 

home to take care of my 

children with the proceeds. 

Several girls from Abuja and 

other parts of the country come 

there to hustle as well. 

with his daughter again on 

Friday, July 8. 

It was learned that the victim 

had been taken to MIRABEL 

Centre at Lagos State 

University Teaching Hospital, 

LASUTH, Ikeja, for test, even 

as the case was said to have 

be transferred to Gender Desk 

of the Commissioner of 

Police’s office, for further 

investigation. 

The Co-ordinator of the 

Domestic Sexual Violence 

Response Team, DSVRT, Mrs. 

Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, said 

the case was reported to the 

team on Tuesday, forcing 

government to attach social 

workers from Ministry of 

Youth and Social 

Development to follow up on 

the case. 

Vivour-Adeniyi stated that 

“Police raided the hotel and 

arrested me. I am not 

connected with what they 

alleged.” 

Owoseni said investigation 

was still ongoing to ascertain 

whether there was 

connivance between 

management of the hotel, the 

schools authorities, the 

suspect and her fleeing 

cohorts. 

they reported the case to the 

police, who invited the parties 

involved: the victim, her 

father, her step-mother and 

the neighbour who reported 

the case. 

She said: “After the parties 

involved had written 

statements, the victim’s stepmother, 

on discovering the 

gravity of the offence, 

confessed her involvement in 

the abortion. She said that she 

knew about it, but only warned 

her husband not to be caught 

doing it again.” 

She added that the stepmother 

disclosed that Peter 

said “he was trying to test his 

ability.” 

Vivour-Adeniyi disclosed 

that the victim had been kept 

in government’s custody for 

protection. 

Some people scooping diesel at Kirikiri Canal, Apapa, Lagos, 

yesterday. PHOTOS: Akeem Salau. 

By Abdulwahab 

Abdulah & Jane 

Echewodo 

A 

42-year-old businesswoman, 

Oluwabunmi 

Balogun, has told an Igando 

Customary Court in Lagos that 

her husband, Rasak, once 

attempted to rape their teenage 

housekeeper. 

Oluwabunmi made the 

disclosure when she testified in 

a divorce petition filed by her 

husband, yesterday. 

She accused her husband of 

being a flirt, saying “my 

husband attempted to rape my 

teenage housekeeper. 

“When I went for a vigil, my 

12-year-old housekeeper 

rushed to meet me in the 

church at about 12a.m. half 

naked, telling me that my 

husband wanted to rape her. 

“She stayed with me through 

the vigil and the following 

morning, I took the girl to my 

husband’s room to have her 

repeat herself in his presence.” 

The housekeeper said that the 

petitioner came into her room, 

snatched her wrapper and 

attempted to rape her. 

Oluwabunmi said that her 

husband sent the housekeeper 

packing after the confrontation, 

adding “I also caught him and 

my friend’s younger sister 

coming out of a hotel.” 

She also alleged that Rasak 

was dating a single mother on 


08023019505 

08034073107 

Landlord 

gives 

female 

tenant 

black eye, 

docked 

•“Offence 

contravened 

Section 335, 

Criminal Code 

Cap. 48 Vol. ll 

Laws of Bendel 

State” 

A 

35-year-old 

vulcanizer, Kingsley 

Edosa, was yesterday 

docked in an Oredo 

Magistrate’s Court in 

Benin, for allegedly 

assaulting his tenant. 

Edosa, who inherited the 

house from his late father, 

is facing trial for assaulting 

one Amaka Okafor, the 

tenant. 

The prosecutor, Assistant 

Superintendent Sylvester 

Omor, told the court that the 

accused committed the 

offence on July 11, at 15, 

Obaseki St., New Benin. 

Omor alleged that the 

accused assaulted the 

complainant by hitting her 

in the eyes, which caused 

her injuries. 

He said the offence 

contravened Section 335 of 

the Criminal Code Cap. 48 

Vol. ll Laws of the defunct 

Bendel State of Nigeria, 

1976, as applicable in Edo 

State. The accused, 

however, pleaded not guilty 

to the charge. 

The magistrates, Mr. A. 

P. Saiki, granted the 

accused bail in the sum of 

N50,000 and a surety in like 

sum, who must be gainfully 

employed, and adjourned 

the case till July 25, for 

hearing. 

‘My husband attempted to rape housekeeper’ 

•She denied me of sex for 6 months—Husband 

their street and that he packed 

out from his house the same day 

the other woman packed out of 

hers. 

Rasak, a 51-year-old 

accountant, had urged the court 

to dissolve his 13-year-old 

marriage to Oluwabunmi for 

alleged sex starvation. 

He said: “Whenever we have 

misunderstanding, my wife will 

deny me sex and food; and for 

the past six months now, she has 

not allowed me to make love to 

her.” 

He said that Oluwabunmi was 

fond of accusing him of infidelity. 

The President of the court, Mr 

Adegboyega Omilola, thereafter 

adjourned the case till July 26 for 

judgment.


Reps to probe 

utilization of 

bailout funds 

by govs 

•Moves against 

indiscriminate 

employment of 

expatriates 

By Johnbosco 

Agbakwuru & Emem 

Idio 

ABUJA—THE House of 

Representatives yesterday 

resolved to investigate the 

disbursement and utilization of 

bailout funds advanced by the 

Federal Government to states 

governors and the necessity for 

further bailouts to states still 

experiencing financial 

difficulties. 

This came as President of 

Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, 

Comrade Ayuba Wabba, 

yesterday frowned on the 

situation where states either 

slashed or paid half salaries to 

civil servants, describing the 

development as unacceptable to 

organized labour. 

The Federal Government had 

decided to give bail out funds to 

state governors to enable them 

pay workers’ salaries. 

This resolution was sequel to a 

motion of urgent national 

importance, sponsored by the 

member representing Yagba/ 

Mopamuro Federal Constituency 

of Kogi State, Karim Sunday 

Steve. 

Karimi in the motion, titled 

Motion on urgent need to 

investigate the disbursement and 

utilisation of bail out funds to 

state governments, had stated 

that 27 states had been unable to 

meet their financial obligations, 

particularly to their employees, 

because of dwindling allocation 

from the federation account. 

The precarious financial 

conditions of the states, the 

lawmaker further said, forced the 

state governors to approach the 

federal government for assistance 

to enable them settle workers’ 

salaries, retirement benefits and 

gratuities of retired civil servants. 

According to him, in July 2005, 

the federal government released 

N689.58billion to the 27 

distressed states, while an 

additional N20 billion was 

released to Kogi State four 

months later. 

In a related development, the 

House of Representatives is 

bidding to protect Nigerian 

workers from the explorations of 

foreign nationals that occupy 

expatriate positions in the 

country, the House of 

Representatives yesterday rose to 

place some restrictions on the 

employment of this category of 

workers. 

This, the House is doing by 

proposing an amendment on 

some sections of the Immigration 

Acts through a bill sponsored by 

the Majority Leader, Femi 

Gbajabiamila. 

The proposed bill if eventually 

passed into law, will increase 

fines for violators of the 

immigration law from the current 

N1 million to N2 million and/or 

deportation. 

Why capital releases are delayed, by Udoma 

By Henry Umoru & 

Joseph Erunke 

ABUJA—THE Federal 

Government said, 

yesterday, that procurement 

procedure and low revenue 

were responsible for the delay 

in capital releases to service 

the 2016 Budget. 

The Minister of Budget and 

Planning, Senator Udoma 

Udoma, disclosed this, in 

Abuja, while briefing the 

Sen. Danjuma Goje-led 

Senate Committee on 

Appropriations, on the 2016 

budget implementation. 

He lamented the level of 

performance of projected 

revenue which stood at a mere 

55 per cent in the first quarter 

of the year. 

The minister also blamed the 

activities of members of the 

Niger Delta Avengers that 

have consistently attacked oil 

and gas facilities for the 

dwindling revenue in the 

country, adding that revenue 

from the Nigerian Customs 

Service (NCS) and Federal 

Inland Revenue Service 

(FIRS) were equally below 

projections. 

His words, “The overall 

releases are; 1.7trillion Naira 

was budgeted and as at 

April, 871 billion Naira was 

released and that is almost 50 

per cent release. For 

overhead, 218 billion Naira 

was budgeted and 52 billion 

Naira was released, 

amounting to 25 per cent 

release and this is because of 

the low performance of 

revenue generation. For 

Capital, 1.5 trillion Naira was 

budgeted and 235 billion 

Naira was released, 

amounting to 15 per cent 

release. 

“There is a revenue meeting 

going on in Kano hence I 

won’t be able to give adequate 

revenue breakdown because 

we are not with the document 

here. That is why it is the 

expenditure figure that we will 

VISIT: Former Vice-President and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Atiku Abubakar 

(right) with the Chairman, Nigeria House Project Committee, Alhaji Bappa Misau, (centre) and Project 

Coordinator/Chief Executive Officer, M.B Abdullahi, when members of the body visited the former 

Vice-President, at his Asokoro residence, in Abuja, yesterday. 

be able to give you. The Kano 

meeting was called to review 

revenue and the revenue 

situation because we are not 

achieving revenue targets 

which we set for the revenue 

generating agencies. 

“The second reason for the low 

capital releases is the low 

revenue. Overall for the first 

quarter we were running at 

about 55 per cent in terms of our 

revenue expectations. The bulk 

of it is because of the problems 

in the Niger Delta which 

affected oil production which 

prevented us from reaching the 

2.2 billion barrels even though 

the price is going up. Oil 

production at a point dropped 

to below one million barrels per 

day. 

According to the Minister, the 

releases so far cut across 

personnel, overhead and capital 

allocation to the Ministries, 

Departments 

and 

Agencies(MDAs) of 

government. 

He noted that it would be 

difficult to meet the expedite 

target if generated revenues 

were not enough, said, “We 

are not achieving the targets set 

for revenue generating agencies 

in the country. If we don’t get 

Microsoft wins privacy case in US 

By Prince Osuagwu 

with agency report 

ATHREE-JUDGE panel in 

a US court of appeal in 

New York City, yesterday, threw 

out contempt suit filed against 

Microsoft for refusing to give 

police user data stored 

overseas. 

The judges also ordered that 

even the warrant in the case, 

be thrown out too. The 

December 2013 warrant 

directed Microsoft to turn over 

the contents of an email 

account used by a suspected 

drug trafficker. 

The citizenship and location 

of the suspected drug trafficker 

were not revealed. 

The warrant had been issued 

under provisions of Stored 

Communications Act, SCA, 

legislation enacted as part of the 

Electronic Communications 

Privacy Act of 1986. 

Judge Susan Carney of the 

appeals court said that the SCA 

does not give US courts authority 

to force Internet companies in the 

United States to seize customer 

email contents stored on foreign 

servers. 

“We conclude that Congress did 

not intend the SCA’s warrant 

provisions to apply 

extraterritorially,” the judges said. 

“The focus of those provisions 

is protection of a user’s privacy 

interests.” 

the revenue we cannot meet the 

expenditure target. 

Sen. Udoma, however, 

expressed optimism that things 

would improve with better 

revenue outlook before the end 

of the year with, especially with 

the recovery of oil prices and 

increased revenue from NCS 

and FIRS. 

He said, “We are hoping that 

as the year goes along, we will 

recover some revenue from oil 

as production increases. We also 

expect revenue coming from 

FIRS because people don’t pay 

taxes in the first quarter. FIRS 

had already reached 60 percent 

of the projected revenue as of 

June this year and we expect it 

to keep on rising. “ 

Senator Udoma who called 

on the need for improved 

budgetary allocation for the 

Integrated Payroll and Personnel 

Information System (IPPIS) to 

extend the programme to all 

agencies of government, said 

that the extension would help 

to check ghost workers in the 

country. 

On Treasury Single 

Account(TSA), the minister said 

that the expectations of the 

device had not been realized, 

stressing that there was the need 

Microsoft welcomed the decision, 

saying it helped ensure people’s 

privacy rights are protected by laws 

in their own countries. 

There were fears that a ruling 

against Microsoft would pave the 

way for countries to force internet 

firms to disclose user data no matter 

where in the world it was kept. 

An elated Microsoft chief legal 

officer, Brad Smith was quoted to 

have said that.”This decision 

provides a major victory for the 

protection of people’s privacy rights 

under their own laws rather than 

the reach of foreign governments,” 

“It makes clear that the US 

Congress did not give the US 

Government the authority to use 

search warrants unilaterally to 

reach beyond US borders.” 

for agencies to collaborate to 

make it effective. 

He added that the 2017 

budget would be transmitted 

to the National Assembly in 

October. 

Also in his remarks, the 

Director General, Budget 

Office, Ben Akabueze, said, 

“The inability of the country to 

generate the expected revenue 

target has to do partly due to 

difficulties in accessing foreign 

exchange that affected the 

import volume and therefore 

affected customs revenue 

because the importers and 

manufacturers cannot import, 

but now the situation had 

changed there was 

improvement in importation 

since the access to forex had 

also improved. Statutory 

transfer of N175, 681m had 

been met in full as priority 

projects of the MDAs were 

considered. “ 

In his remarks, Chairman, 

Senate Committee of 

Appropriations, Senator Danjuma 

Goje who noted that the budget 

performance as at first quarter of 

the year was impressive despite 

dwindling revenue, said, “ You 

have done well, the Personnel is 

okay the Federal Government 

is on course in paying salaries 

unlike states. 

“The only problem is capital 

release, which is understandable. 

The important thing is that we 

needed to let Nigerians know 

what the government is doing. 

We will call on the Finance 

Minister when she comes back 

from kano. 

Senator Goje commended the 

minister for his comment on the 

importance of constituency 

projects to Nigerians, and said, 

“We had the concern that for the 

Secretary of the Government of 

the Federation, Lawal Babachir, 

to single out constituency 

projects for non-implementation 

because of funding gave us 

concern. “We feel there is more 

to it. We are uncomfortable and 

you know the importance 

attached to constituency projects.”


FG suspends ban on wood export with stringent guidelines 

By Godwin Oritse 

LAGOS—THE 

Federal 

Government has suspended 

the ban on wood exports with 

very stringent guidelines, 

including issuance of a new 

international trade certification. 

Other guidelines include cut 

one tree and plant five trees 

policy, with a view to arresting 

deforestation and preserving the 

environment. 

The new trade certification can 

only be issued by the Minister 

to exporters and in accordance 

with the Convention on 

International Trade and 

Endangered Species, CITIES, 

certification a document 

required by the destination 

country. 

Disclosing this in Lagos 

yesterday, Mr. Philip Bankole, 

Director of Forestry at the 

Federal Ministry of 

Environment, said Nigeria 

risked being banned if it did not 

control the manner woods were 

cut and exported to other 

countries. 

Bankole said the government 

had raised serious concerns on 

the degradation of the 

environment due to the 

activities of wood exporters that 

cut down trees without replanting. 

He explained that the lifting of 

the ban was partial, after which 

government would further review 

the situation and know what next 

to do. 

According to him, the forest is 

being conserved not only for wood 

export, but also other purposes, 

noting that Nigeria had fallen 

short of reserving about 25% of its 

land for forest reservation, which 

currently stands at less than 5% . 

Bankole said: “The solution to 

this problem is to plant more trees. 

Those of you that are involved in 

the wood export business will 

know that there are some species 

SEX SCANDAL: American ambassador's 

absence stalls investigative hearing 

By Johnbosco 

Agbakwuru 

ABUJA—THE absence of the 

outgoing United States 

Ambassador to Nigeria, James 

Entwistle, yesterday, stalled the 

public investigative hearing on 

sexual misconduct involving 

three members of the House. 

Also contributory to the 

postponement of the probe to 

July 20 was the absence of the 

Minister of Foreign Affairs, 

Geoffrey Onyema, who 

reportedly sent a letter to the 

Committee on Wednesday, 

informing that he was attending 

the executive meeting of the 29th 

Ordinary Session of African 

Union in Kigali, Rwanda. 

But the President of Committee 

Defence for Human Rights, 

CDHR, Malachy Ugwumadu, 

advised the House of 

Representatives Ethics and 

Privileges Committee, saddled 

with the public investigation of 

the alleged sex scandal, to do 

away with technicalities and deal 

with the substance of the matter. 

The three members facing 

allegation of sexual misconduct 

are Mohammed Garba Gololo 

(APC, Bauchi); Samuel Ikon 

(PDP, Akwa Ibom) and Mark 

Gbillah (APC, Benue). 

Entwistle, had in a petition to 

speaker of the House of 

Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, 

alleged that the actions of the 

three lawmakers at the 

International Visitor Leadership 

Programme in Cleveland, Ohio, 

USA, from April 7-13, 2016, 

brought disrepute to the 

parliament by soliciting for sex 

from prostitutes and grabbing a 

hotel housekeeper in a bid to 

rape. 

Even as the absence of some 

of the key persons to the probe 

jolted the public, Chairman, 

House Committee on Ethics, 

Ossai Nicholas Ossai, had stated 

that the outgoing Ambassador 

must appear before the 

committee, having lost his 

immunity status because he 

breached formal diplomatic mode 

of sending a letter to the speaker. 

While ruling on the 

postponement of the public 

hearing, following the absence 

of both the Minister of Foreign 

Affairs, Geoffrey Onyema and 

Entwistle, Ossai declared that 

the envoy, having breached the 

Vienna Convention by 

communicating directly with 

speaker, must unfailingly appear 

before the committee with the 

minister to substantiate the 

allegation made against the 

lawmakers. 

He announced that the 

committee was postponing the 

investigative hearing, based on 

ELECTION: Court fixes July 19 to hear 

Unachukwu's suit against NBA 

By Innocent Anaba 

LAGOS—AN Abuja High 

Court, yesterday, adjourned 

till July 19, to hear the suit filed 

by the former Assistant National 

Publicity Secretary of Nigerian 

Bar Association, NBA, Mr. 

Unachukwu John, against the 

association over the conduct of 

the forthcoming general 

elections of the body. 

Trial judge in the matter is 

Justice M. E. Anenih. 

Defendants in the suit are 

Registered Trustees of the NBA, 

NBA President Augustine 

Alegeh, SAN, Chairman 

Electoral Committee of the NBA 

Ken Mozia, SAN, Chief J-K 

Gadzama, SAN and A.B 

Mahmoud, SAN. 

The plaintiff in the suit, is 

asking the court to restrain the 

of woods that have gone into 

extinction. “The Irokos, the 

Obeches, the Mahogany, Ebony 

trees have all disappeared. 

“So much is being taken from 

the forest and little or nothing is 

ploughed back into it. 

The Director of Forestry further 

explained that it was more 

painful when these woods were 

exported raw without any value 

addition. 

He said so many jobs and 

economic value were lost to 

exporting these woods in their raw state, 

adding that only processed or semiprocessed 

woods would be allowed for 

export. 

the excuse obtained by the 

Foreign Affairs Minister that he 

would be unavailable because he 

was attending the executive 

meeting of the 29th Ordinary 

Session of the African Union 

meeting in Kigali, Rwanda. 

INVESTIGATIVE HEARING: From left: Hon. Mark Gbilla, Hon. Sammuel Ikon and Hon. 

Garba Gololo, during an investigative hearing of an alleged sexual misconduct of the three 

members of House of Representatives, at the National Assembly, Abuja, Yesterday. Photo: 

Gbemiga Olamikan. 

1st, 2nd and 3rd defendants, their 

agents employees, proxies and 

anybody acting on their behalf, 

from conducting the NBA national 

officers’ election by Internet voting 

(I-voting) on July 30 and 31, 2016, 

or any other date, pending the 

hearing and determination of the 

substantive suit. 

The plaintiff is praying the court 

to determine “whether the NBA’s 

constitution 2015, requires or even 

recognises Internet voting or 

voting over Internet (I-voting) in 

the 2016 NBA general elections 

as currently proposed by the 1st, 

2nd and 3rd defendants.” 

He is also challenging his 

disqualification from the elections, 

praying the court to determine, 

“whether the plaintiff’s 

employment as a Judicial Editor 

of a private Newspaper, means he 

is not engaged in private legal 

practice, as contemplated by 

Section 8(3)(b) of the NBA 

Constitution, 2015?” 

He is urging the court to also 

determine, “whether the Electoral 

Committee of the NBA 

(“ECNBA”) can rightly judge and 

correctly conclude that the state 

of available technology and the 

information technology 

infrastructure of all branches of the 

NBA can adequately support 

Voting over Internet (I-voting) at 

the 2016 NBA general elections?” 

He is contending that “if 

question 2 is answered in the 

negative, whether it is just and 

proper to conduct the 2016 NBA 

general elections by Voting over 

Internet (I-voting), in view 

especially of the principle of 

universal suffrage enshrined in 

Section 9(4) of the NBA 

constitution?" 

Buhari seeks 

confirmation 

of Magu as 

EFCC chair 

By Henry Umoru & 

Joseph Erunke 

ABUJA—THE Presidency 

has written the Senate, 

seeking the screening and 

confirmation of Ibrahim Magu 

as chairman of the Economic 

and Financial Crimes 

Commission, EFCC. 

Senate President, Bukola 

Saraki, read the letter, at the 

Senate plenary on Thursday. 

The letter was signed by 

Vice-president Yemi Osinbajo 

in his capacity as acting 

President when President 

Muhammadu Buhari was in 

the United Kingdom on a 10- 

day medical vacation. 

Mr. Buhari appointed Mr. 

Magu acting chair of the 

EFCC after the removal of 

Ibrahim Lamorde on 

November 9, 2015. 

Mr. Magu, if confirmed by 

the Senate, will be the the 

fourth head of the Nigeria’s 

anti-graft agency, after Nuhu 

Ribadu, Farida Waziri and Mr. 

Lamorde. 

Before his appointment as 

acting Chairman of EFCC, Mr. 

Magu was the head of 

Economic Governance Unit of 

the commission. 

EXAM MALPRACTICE: 

Why we won't 

adopt CBT, 

by WAEC 

By Laide Akinboade- 

Orire 

ABUJA—THE 

West 

African Examinations 

Council, WAEC , yesterday, 

explained why the council 

would not adopt Computer 

Based Tests, CBT, to 

address incidence of 

malpractices. 

WAEC said this was so 

because of the complex 

nature of its examinations. 

Abuja Zonal Coordinator 

of West African 

Examinations Council, Mr. 

Yusuf Ari, stated this in 

Abuja at the National 

Stakeholders Dialogue on 

Examination Malpractice.. 

Mr. Ari said that 

candidates taking WAEC 

examinations covered over 

80 subjects due to recent 

addition of new ones by the 

Federal Government. 

According to him, a lot of 

logistics and infrastructure 

will also be required if such 

mode is to be introduced . 

“The fact that the 

Council’s examinations 

hold in both urban and 

rural schools has also made 

the deployment of ICT 

difficult in the conduct of 

the examination,” he said. 

C 

M 

Y 

K

10 — Vanguard, FRIDAY JULY 15 , 2016 

SOYINKA 

CENTRE MEDIA 

LECTURE 

SERIES: CITN 

chief wants 

simplified tax 

regime 

SPEAKERS at the 8th 

Wole Soyinka Centre 

Media Lecture Series have 

charged the Federal 

Government on the need to 

ensure an inclusive, 

simplified and automated tax 

regime in the country. 

The lead speaker, 

Adebimpe Balogun, who was 

the first female president of 

the Chartered Institute of 

Taxation of Nigeria, CITN, 

stated the problem of taxation 

in Nigeria was with the 

administration of the system. 

An example according to 

her, was with the difficulty to 

get tax refund in cases of tax 

credit in the country. 

The Chairman of the 

Federal Inland Revenue 

Service, FIRS, Babatunde 

Fowler, represented by, 

Wahab Gbadamosi, Head 

Communication and 

SERVICOM department, 

said journalists should be 

better informed on tax issues 

and leverage on data 

available to educate their 

audience. 

He said the agency is 

putting everything in place 

to ensure people pay their 

taxes effectively. 

A discussant at the lecture 

Edobong Akpabio, Vice 

President of NECA’s 

Network 

of 

Entrepreneurial Women, 

NNEW, stated that 97% of 

businesses in Nigeria were 

from the Small and Medium 

Scale Enterprises, SMEs. 

Triumphant 

Baptist Church 

holds Heavenly 

Dew 

TRIUMPHANT Baptist 

Church also known as 

Holy Ghost Compound will 

tomorrow hold her monthly 

programme, Heavenly 

Dew, at the church 

auditorium, Olufemi Ojo 

Street, Shasa Road, 

Akowonjo, Lagos by 8 am. 

The programme is a 

vantage platform for people 

to pray on specific issues to 

address the challenges they 

face in their daily lives. 

According to the church 

Pastor, Dr Sunday Olayiwola 

Oladejo, the programme had 

affected the lives of people 

positively as there had been 

testimonies about the 

manifestation of God’s power 

in the lives of the people. 

N4.7BN CASH: DSS arrests Obanikoro’s wife 

•Hands her over to EFCC for interrogation 

By Soni Daniel, Northern 

Region Editor 

ABUJA—OPERATIVES of 

the Department of State 

Service DSS, yesterday, arrested 

the wife of the former Minister of 

State for Defence, Senator 

Musiliu Obanikoro, over ongoing 

investigations into how her 

husband and two sons collected 

and laundered over N4.7 billion 

from the national treasury in 2014. 

The DSS, Vanguard learned last 

night, had been working in 

collaboration with the Economic 

and Financial Crimes 

Commission, EFCC, to track the 

movement of Obanikoro and his 

associates linked with the transfer 

of the huge sum from the Office 

of the National Security Adviser, 

ONSA, to firms linked to them. 

Competent security source told 

Vanguard that Mrs. Obanikoro, 

whose husband was declared 

wanted only last month, was 

arrested in her Lagos home as she 

allegedly attempted to make 

away with vital documents related 

to the N4.7 billion case. 

The woman, according to the 

source, allegedly sneaked into 

Nigeria with the sole aim of 

‘evacuating incriminating 

documents’ from her home only 

to be whisked away by eagle-eyed 

security men who had been 

trailing her as she arrived the 

country from abroad where she 

was staying with her husband and 

children. 

It was learned that the 

assistance of the DSS was sought 

to arrest Mrs. Obanikoro as a 

result of the large number of 

armed policemen guiding her 

and her home in Lagos. 

“The truth is that she had so 

many policemen around her and 

we decided to seek the support 

of a sister agency to arrest her as 

she came in to clear the ‘cobweb’,” 

a top source explained last night. 

It will be recalled that operatives 

of the EFCC had on June 14 

raided Obanikoro’s Lagos home 

in continuation of investigation 

into the N4.7 billion that was 

traced to two of his sons. 

The amount in question was 

paid in many tranches from the 

ONSA account with the CBN into 

Sylvan McNamara Limited in 

Diamond Bank with account No. 

0026223714, which they 

allegedly have interest. 

Of interest to the EFCC is the 

fact that all the transfers were 

done between June and 

December 2014, a period that 

coincided with the preparation for 

the Ekiti governorship poll which 

brought Governor Ayodele 

Fayose into office. 

A breakdown of the payment 

showed that the sum of N200 

million was transferred into 

Sylvan Mc Namara’s account on 

June 5, 2015, while N2 billion was 

also wired into the account from 

the CBN/ Imprest Main account 

on June 16, 2016. 

Similarly, another transfer of 

N700 million landed on the 

account on July 7, 2014, while N1 

billion was credited to the account 

on July 30, 2014. 

Other inflows into the account 

in question were: N160 million 

TREE PLANTING DAY: From left; Special Adviser to the Governor on Arts & Culture, Mrs. Adebimpe 

Akinsola; Sole Administrator, Ikosi Isheri LCDA, Aremo Adewale Abdul; Wife of Lagos State Governor, 

Mrs. Bolanle Ambode and Wife of the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Ibiyemi Bello during 

the 2016 Tree Planting Day at the Ikosi Senior Secondary School, Ikosi, Lagos yesterday. 

IBADAN—THE All 

Progressives Congress, 

APC, members in the 

South-West said, yesterday, it felt 

scandalized and traumatized that 

they were in the same political 

party with Senator Dino Melaye. 

This was contained in a 

statement signed by the Zonal 

National Secretary, South West, 

Mr. Ayo Afolabi. 

According to the party, “we are 

surprised that any person elected 

into the Nigerian Senate could 

remind us of the often repeated 

lyrics “Vagabond in Power” by 

Fela Anikulapo Kuti at the Berlin 

festival performance. 

“We wonder if Dino thought 

Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu was in the 

class of his slave ladies. Dino we 

know was rejected in 2011 by his 

constituency at the polls, only for 

him to clandestinely contest the 

Senate seat riding on the 

popularity of the APC to climb to 

the Senate. But the leopard never 

sheds its skin. Melaye is nothing 

but a disgrace to the Nigerian 

Senate." 

The party called on the Senator 

to publicly withdraw his tantrums 

and apologize not only to Mrs. 

Tinubu but also to the entire 

Tinubu Family, Womanhood and 

the APC in the South West Zone. 

“We invite all our women society 

organizations to see this as a fight 

against the denigration of the 

Nigerian woman,” the party 

stated. 

The party called on the National 

leadership and indeed the 

national Chairman of our Great 

on August 8, 2014; N225 million 

on August 22, 2014; N200 million 

on November 14, 2014 and N200 

million on December 5, 2014. 

“Both Gbolahan and Babajide 

Obanikoro, directors of the 

company, were also signatories 

to its account until 2014 when one 

Olalekan Ogunseye was made 

sole signatory to the account. 

EFC is furious that the 

payments to the company from 

the office of the National Security 

Adviser were made without any 

valid contract between it and the 

Federal Government. 

ATTACK ON REMI TINUBU: S/West APC blasts Melaye 

By Ola Ajayi 

Lagos raises alarm over upsurge in tree felling 

By Olasunkanmi Akoni 

L AGOS—GOVERNOR 

Akinwunmi Ambode of 

Lagos State, yesterday decried 

increasing rate of tree felling by 

residents, saying it was inimical 

to achieving targeted 10 million 

trees by year 2020. 

Ambode spoke at the 

commemoration of the year 2016 

Tree Planting Day, with the theme: 

“Lend a hand to save trees,” 

organized by the Lagos State 

Parks and Gardens Agency, 

LASPARK. 

The event was held across the 

state with representatives of 

government performing the 

ceremonial tree planting. 

THE Jextoban Secondary 

School, a multi-purpose 

institution devoted to high 

intellectual pursuits,with moral 

and spiritual re-armament thrust 

for youths is set for its 18th 

graduation and prize-giving day. 

A statement by its Public 

Relations Officer, Abayomi Solesi, 

stated that this year’s 

The governor cautioned 

residents to desist from 

indiscriminate and uncontrolled 

edition,which holds this Saturday, 

at the school premises,will be 

chaired by erstwhile Head of 

State, Dr Yakubu Gowon, who will 

also give a keynote speech that 

will address raising peculiar 

youths for the challenge of 

statehood for this generation. 

The statement said the event will 

hold at the multi-purpose hall of 

Party, His Excellency Chief John 

Odigie Oyegun, to call the 

disgrace of a person in Senator 

Melaye, a wolf in a sheep’s skin 

to order. From reports of his 

performance and activities in the 

Senate, this incident is typical of 

Dino’s record. We wonder if Dino 

will not, one of these days, carry 

out his threat of beating up a 

Senate colleague.” 

“We call on the Inspector 

General of Police to note the 

threat issued by Dino Melaye, 

that he will kill anybody who 

testifies against the accused 

persons in the Senate forgery 

case. We think Dino’s threat is not 

just running his usual verbal 

diarrhoea, but his outburst was a 

demonstration of the hatred he 

harbors for our distinguished 

Senator Oluremi Tinubu. 

felling of trees, just as he harped 

on the benefits of tree planting to 

healthy environment. 

Jextoban School holds 18th graduation, prize-giving day 

the school, situated at kilometre 

36 of the Lagos/Ibadan express 

way, at10 am. 

It added that the valedictory 

ceremony will also include the 

recognition of distinguished 

students who acquitted 

themselves well in national and 

international examinations in the 

out-going session.


Suspected militants blow up gas pipeline in Ogun 

By Daud Olatunji 

A BEOKUTA— 

SUSPECTED 

militants have blown up 

Nigerian National Petroleum 

Corporation, NNPC, pipelines 

at Ogijo in Sagamu Local 

Government Area of Ogun 

State, sending residents of the 

community scampering for 

safety after a loud explosion. 


explosion which occurred on 

Tuesday was believed to be the 

handywork of suspected militants 

who disguised as maintenance 

officials from the NNPC to 

blow up the gas pipeline around 

PZ Estate, in the area. 

According to source, the 

residents saw the suspected 

militants, but did not bother since 

they pretended to be officials of 

the NNPC who had come on 

routine maintenance checks. 

But the residents were shocked 

later at night after the hoodlums 

had left when a loud explosion 

occurred, shattering a section of 

the gas pipeline. 

It was gathered that the affected 

pipeline serve 11.4 distribution 

line for some companies in 

Ikorodu in Lagos. 

The state Police Public Relations 

Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, 

confirmed the incident, but he 

said the state command had 

deployed its men to the area, 

saying “Some hoodlums on 

Tuesday went and burst a part of 

a gas pipeline around PZ Area 

in Ogijo. We heard that they came 

as if they were officials of a 

company in charge of the 

maintenance of the gas pipeline, 

and the residents were deceived 

by this ploy. 

“We don’t want to conclude yet 

that they were militants but we 

call them criminals, and we will 

get them wherever they are. The 

VALEDICTORY SERVICE: From left; Mr Ayotunde Ogunnoiki, Chairman of the occasion; 

Mrs Esther Ayere-Alatise, proprietor/CEO, Unique Group of Schools; Pastor Adekunle Ekundayo, 

Director (Schools Monitoring Office) of Education Quality Assurance, Lagos State; Mr Akande Adetunji, 

and Pastor Tony Mokwe, father of the day, during the Unique Group of Schools' valedictory service & 

prize giving day at the school premises,Magodo Phase 1,Isheri Lagos. Photo by Akeem Salau. 

command has deployed men to 

the area, and we are working with 

other sister security agencies. The 

Divisional Police Officer, Ogijo, 

Mohammed Tijani, and his team 

are also there. The Lagos State 

police command has also 

deployed men on their side, in 

the area.” 

Adejobi, added that officials of 

the NNPC, were already carrying 

out repairs on the affected section 

of the gas pipeline. 

Similarly, Nigeria Security and 

Corrupt persons should be jailed — SOYINKA 


A BEOKUTA—NOBEL 

Laureate, Professor, Wole 

Soyinka has recommended jail 

term for anyone caught or found 

guilty of corruption, saying such 

a person should be made to face 

the full wrath of the law. 

ALLEGED MURDER: Ekiti govt petitions 

IGP, wants APC Chairman, ex-lawmaker, 

others arrested 

By Rotimi Ojomoyela 

ADO-EKITI—EKITI State 

Government has 

petitioned the Inspector General 

of Police, IGP,, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, 

demanding the arrest of the State 

Chairman of the All Progressives 

Congress, APC, Chief Jide Awe, 

former member of the State House 

of Assembly, Kehinde Boluwade, 

and 13 others over alleged 

murder. 

The chairman and four other 

members of the APC members, 

namely Faboro John, Aniramu 

Basiru, Falayi Busuyi and 

Owonifari Sefiu are accused of 

involvement in the murder of Ayo 

Murphy Jeje 

and Mrs. Julianah Adewumi as 

well as attempted murder of 

Chief Clement Awoyelu, Gbenga 

Ogundana Adewumi and Chief 

Boluwaji Adewumi (aka Oba 

Odo) in Erinjiyan-Ekiti, Ekiti 

State, on March 30, 2013. 

Also, Hon Boluwade, Ilesanmi 

Peter, Adedayo Kehinde, Afolabi 

Bayo Isola, Babalola Olomi, 

Malomo Alaba, Saidi Yinusa, Ayo 

Famoduro and Olawumi 

Fagborila are alleged to have 

been involved in the murder of 

Foluso Ogundare on November 

3, 2013 at Emure Ekiti in Emure 

Local Government Area of Ekiti 

State. The case is court in Charge 

Number: HCE/1C/2016. 

While dismissing the petition as 

another form of absurdity usually 

expected from the stable of 

Governor Fayose, the Publicity 

Secretary of APC in Ekiti State, 

Mr Taiwo Olatunbosun, said 

“Anybody can write petition, the 

truth of the matter is that Fayose 

and his goons are just chasing 

shadows. Does he think such can 

stand in a court of law? To bring 

up his trump up allegation to 

distract the public and the security 

from catching all the criminals he 

has been housing in the 

government house?'' 

Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, 

Ogun State Command, said its 

surveillance team Wednesday 

confirmed an explosion of a gas 

pipeline located around Ogijo. 

According to the Public 

Relations Officer of the Corps, 

Olanrewaju Kareem, the gas 

pipeline was a major line gas 

pipeline connected to Egbin 

through Oke-Iga/PZ Estate 

phase E in Ogijo, Sagamu 

Local government area of 

Ogun State. 

Soyinka spoke in Abeokuta, 

while addressing 82 students 

who participated in this years’ 

edition of the Wole Soyinka 

International Cultural 

Exchange programme held to 

mark his 82 years birthday. 

While speaking on the theme 

of the event which is 

“Corruption: A battle for the 

Arts,” Soyinka enjoined creative 

writers and artistes to use their 

works to fight corruption. 

He called on all stakeholders 

across the nation to join hands 

in the fight against corruption 

and other related crimes saying 

it was a battle for everybody. 

The Nobel Laureate said the 

nation must be returned to its 

past glory where anybody found 

to be corrupt in the society was 

ashamed to walk freely. 

While suggesting a way out of 

the corruption menace which, he 

said, had eaten deep into the 

fabrics of the nation, Prof. Soyinka 

said, “anybody caught or found 

to be guilty should be made to 

face the full wrath of the law.” 

Explaining on the rationale 

behind the theme, he said “yes, 

it is a battle for everybody and 

definitely the arts must be in front 

as usual. Not just the arts, the 

theologians, the moralists, the 

philosophers, the architects, 

builders etc, It is everybody’s 

work. The law, NBA, everybody 

is involved , even including you 

(journalists). 

On the way forward, Soyinka 

In another development, the 

Corps anti-vandal team had a 

serious encounter with some 

suspected Niger Delta boys 

around shimawa in Sagamu local 

government area of Ogun State. 

The incident happened at about 

7:am yesterday while the Corps 

men were returning from patrol 

of petroleum pipeline around the 

area. They were to hand over to 

officers on morning duty who were 

already at NSCDC post located 

at Shimawa Sagamu axis. 

said “there is only one way for 

corrupt people; it ends in 

prison. It ends in Ibara, Oba or 

Kirikiri.” 

Earlier, Governor Ibikunle 

Amosun challenged students and 

other youths to emulate heroes 

like Professor Wole Soyinka. 

He urged them not to give up 

on Nigeria in spite of the 

challenges facing the nation. 

Encouraging the 82 secondary 

school students who 

participated in the Wole 

Soyinka Essay Competition 

titled, “Challenges or Not, You 

Must Love Your Country,” 

Governor Amosun said, “just 

like Professor Soyinka is doing, 

you must continue to show love 

and support for the country 

irrespective of the challenges 

facing the nation.” 

The essay competition was 

held as part of activities 

marking the 82nd birthday of 

the Nobel laureate. 

Amosun also expressed his 

joy with the fact that many 

Nigerians now appreciated arts 

while promising to extend the 

participation in the subsequent 

editions of the programme to all 

students in Nigeria and beyond. 

The governor, who 

congratulated the winners of the 

contest, charged other students to 

be more diligent irrespective of 

the challenges of growing up 

saying, “tough situations don’t 

last, but tough people do.” 

The highpoint of the event was 

EFCC opposes 

Omisore’s bail 

request 

...Says he got 

‘hundreds of 

millions’ from Dasuki 

By Ikechukwu 

Nnochiri 

A BUJA—THE 

Economic and 

Financial Crimes 

Commission, EFCC, has 

adduced reasons why the 

former Deputy Governor in 

Osun State, Senator Iyiola 

Omisore has remained in its 

custody. 

While opposing a bail 

request Omisore filed before 

a High Court of the Federal 

Capital Territory at Maitama, 

the anti-graft agency, said its 

investigations revealed that 

the detained erstwhile 

governorship candidate of 

the Peoples Democratic Party, 

PDP, received huge sums of 

money from the former 

National Security Adviser, 

Col. Sambo Dasuki, retd. 

EFCC said it had yet to 

uncover what the funds 

which it said was transferred 

in hundreds of millions to 

Omisore was used for. 

It said the applicant had no 

justification for the money he 

received from the former NSA. 

The Commission stated this 

after Omisore, through his 

lead counsel, Chief Chris 

Uche, SAN, begged Justice 

Olukayode Adeniyi to order 

his immediate release from 

detention. 

Uche told the court that the 

continued detention of his 

client since July 3 when he 

was arrested by operatives of 

the EFCC, amounted to a 

gross abuse of his 

fundamental human rights as 

enshrined in section 35 of the 

1999 constitution, as 

amended. 

Insisting that his client’s 

rights have been trampled 

upon by the commission, 

Uche, urged the court to 

invoke its powers and order 

his release on bail pending 

when a formal charge is 

entered against him him 

before a court of competent 

jurisdiction. 

Besides, he alleged that the 

EFCC obtained a warrant of 

arrest and remand order 

against Omisore while he 

was already in custody. 

Uche told the court that 

whereas his client was 

arrested on July 3, both the 

arrest warrant and remand 

order were procured by the 

anti-graft agency on July 8. 

Meanwhile, in opposition 

to the bail request, EFCC 

filed a counter-affidavit 

before the court, wherein 

it narrated how funds were 

transferred to Omisore 

from account operated by 

the Office of the NSA.


Africa in state of confusion —Kenya Law 

School Director 

By Gbenga Oke 

LAGOS—DIRECTOR and 

Chief Executive Officer of 

Kenya Law School, Prof. 

P.L.O Lumumba, yesterday, 

in Lagos said that Africa was 

in a state of confusion, noting 

that until Africa identified its 

direction, the next 50 years 

would have been lost. 

He also said the that 

tragedy of Africa was that the 

continent cared about things 

less important, while missing 

out on major things going on 

in the Western world. 

Lumumba, who was a guest 

speaker at the 16th edition of 

the NECCI PR roundtable, 

titled Unleash the Power of 

Public Relations, said Africa 

must ask itself a very critical 

question of where it wants to 

be in another 50years. 

He said: “It is unfortunate 

that today, I cannot come 

from Kenya to Nigeria 

without getting a Visa and a 

Yellow card. I felt how very 

difficult it is that after 50 

years of independence for 

most African countries, 

movement from one African 

country to another remains 

an impediment and that is 

why we cannot realise our 

potentialities. 

‘’When I arrived Nigeria, I 

saw a wall clock which puts 

the timing of New York, Hong 

Kong on the wall and I ask 

Investors lose N53bn in 2 days amid 

profit taking 

By Nkiru Nnorom 

L AGOS—ACTIVITIES 

on the Nigerian Stock 

Exchange, NSE, yesterday, 

continued trending down as 

investors lost N53 billion 

while the market continued 

to correct itself. 

At the close of trading, the 

market capitalisation, which 

represents investors’ wealth 

went down by N9 billion 

from N9.876 trillion on 

Wednesday to N9.86 trillion, 

representing 0.1 per cent 

decline. The equities 

capitalisation had lost N44 

billion the previous day after 

opening the day at N9.91 

trillion to close at N9.87 

trillion. 

Similarly, the second 

myself, why don’t we have 

a clock that has the Nairobi 

time on this wall too. I told 

myself, there is a role the 

African Public Relations 

practitioners must play 

because we have refused to 

tell our own stories. 

African population 

and GDP 

“Today, the African 

population is about one 

billion 

people. 

Conservatively, the GDP of 

African continent is about 

$2.3 trillion and yet things 

are not moving in the right 

direction. Everybody knows 

the saying that we should go 

ye and subdue the earth but 

in Africa, we have been 

subdued by the earth itself. 

‘’ Even the resources we 

have are being enjoyed by 

the western world. This is 

very unfortunate. Even 

when I sat in this hall, when 

I look before me, there is a 

pen in front of me that is 

manufactured in China and 

I said to myself, why was 

this pen not manufactured in 

Nigeria because I know 

these country parades so 

many women and men of 

immense intelligence in 

different parts of the world 

and this made me realise that 

we must have this 

conversation and continue 

to have it in years to come. 

Oshimili PDP unite for Okowa 

By Ehi Eweka 

A SABA—MEMBERS 

of the Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP, in 

Oshimili South Local 

Government Area, Delta 

State, have resolved to 

remain united to advance 

the interest of the party, 

especially for Senator 

Ifeanyi Okowa's future 

election pursuit. 

equities measurement 

barometer, the All Share 

Index, ASI, depreciated by 

the same margin, closing at 

28,703.09 points from 

28,730.42 points. 

Activities were mixed 

across sectors with the 

industrial goods sector 

closing flat at 1,967.24 

points as prices of key 

players in the sectors, 

including Dangote Cement 

Plc and Lafarge Africa 

remained unchanged. The 

NSE 30 index went down 

by 0.1 per cent to close at 

1,272.28 points from 

1,274.05 points on 

Wednesday. The banking 

sector impacted by 3.5 per 

cent, 2.9 per cent and 0.9 

per cent losses on the shares 

The resolution was taken 

at a PDP stakeholders 

meeting presided over by 

the party chairman, 

Ogbueshi Dada Okonji. 

The meeting, which was 

attended by party leaders 

and elders, political 

appointees, chairman and 

councilors of the council, 

elected party executives at 

both Ward and local 

“In the past, Africa was the 

centre of everything and we 

told our stories. But in this 

era of news gathering and 

dissemination, you will be 

told unless the news is 

packaged by CNN, BBC or 

Reuters, the news is not 

packaged at all." 

Corruption and Africa 

Speaking on the effects of 

corruption on Africa at large, 

Lumumba said: “Corruption 

is endemic in Africa and 

Nigeria knows its problems 

with corruption, Senegal, 

Kenya and all these African 

countries have problems with 

corruption and we know the 

things corruption have 

brought on us. 

‘’Nigeria today is an 

economic base of about $550 

billion and the largest 

economy in Africa but 

Nigeria should be $3 trillion 

economy in Africa and 

Nigeria should be at the 

same level Brazil is currently 

but that is not happening 

because we have not done 

things the right way. 

‘’We must begin to ask 

ourselves, what is it that we 

must do? We 

must do things 

that are 

sensitive to the 

realities of 

Africa because 

of FCMB, Guaranty Trust 

Bank, GTB Plc and Zenith 

International Bank Plc 

respectively recorded worst 

negative return of 1.2 per 

cent to settle at 289.36 

points, followed far behind 

by the insurance sector, 

which returned negative 0.6 

per cent to investors on 

account of losses on 

Mansard Insurance, which 

was down 2.33 per cent. 

However, a strong rally on 

Forte Oil Plc, which notched 

up by five per cent pushed 

the oil and gas sector 2.2 per 

cent higher, while the 

consumer goods sector also 

posted a positive daily 

return of 0.4 per cent on 

account of gains recorded in 

Unilever Nigeria Plc and 

Cadbury Nig. Plc. 

government and state levels 

and PDP faithful also 

resolved to resist incursion 

of any other political party 

into the area. 

The stakeholders 

expressed delight over the 

peace and unity that had 

prevailed in the party since 

the PDP congresses and 

resolved to sustain the 

exiting peace in the area. 

Africa remains one of the most 

unique continents of the 

world.” 

He, however, said that for 

Africa to achieve its 

potentialities, Africans must 

believe in their own country 

and continent. 

Creating a new Africa 

He said: ‘’Moving forward, 

there is a lot of work that needs 

to be done. How can we do it? 

We need to create a new Africa 

with new men and women who 

can do things differently.” 

Earlier in her opening 

speech, the Convener of 

NECCIPR, Mrs. Nkechi Alli- 

Balogun, said Public Relations 

practitioners had a major role 

to play in eradicating 

corruption in Nigeria and 

Africa at large. 

She said: “Public Relations 

has a role to play in fighting 

corruption and promoting 

awareness and attitudinal 

change. 

‘’Corruption has eaten deep 

into the Nigeria society, such 

that anti-corruption fight alone 

cannot stop it. A change in 

attitude is essential. Public 

awareness programme with the 

help of civil societies will lead 

to this attitudinal change." 

Fuel not 

scarce 

—NNPC 

By Mike Eboh 

ABUJA—THE Nigerian 

National Petroleum 

Corporation, NNPC, 

yesterday, advised members 

of the public to desist from 

panic buying of Premium 

Motor Spirit, PMS (Petrol), 

saying that the commodity 

was not scarce, as there was 

adequate quantity in the 

country. 

NNPC, in a statement in 

Abuja, by its Group General 

Manager, Group Public 

Affairs Division, Mr. Garba 

Muhammad, said that any 

perceived or visible shortage 

of petrol was only a ripple 

effect of the period when the 

strike was in progress and 

does not represent a shortage 

in supply. 

“This is to once again 

reassure the general public 

that the strike action 

embarked upon by oil workers 

under the auspices of the 

Petroleum and Natural Gas 

Senior Staff Association of 

Nigeria, PENGASSAN, has 

been called off since July 12, 

2016."


Panel on Aladja/Ogbe-Ijoh crisis ends 

visitation to areas in dispute 

By Festus Ahon 

ASABA—THE Panel of 

Inquiry set up by the Delta 

State Government to look into the 

Aladja/Ogbe-Ijoh crisis, 

yesterday, rounded up its visit to 

the disputed areas for 

identification of claims by both 

communities with an assurance to 

do a recommendation that will be 

acceptable to the two warring 

parties. 

Chairman of the panel, which 

has the mandate to survey and 

demarcate the boundary between 

Aladja in Udu and Ogbe-Ijoh in 

Warri South West Local 

Government Areas of the state, 

Prof. Abednego Ekoko, expressed 

satisfaction with the conduct of 

Ogbe-Ijoh and Aladja 

communities. 

Ekoko who spoke at the end of 

the three days exercise which took 

the committee to various points on 

land and on water to the two 

communities, thanked elders, 

community leaders and youths for 

their optimum cooperation with 

the panel and for painstakingly 

conducting them round their 

claims. 

He said: “With what we have 

seen, the panel can now address 

the terms of reference number two 

which is, what is the extent of land 

in dispute between the two 

communities.” 

Ekoko noted that the land in 

dispute from what was shown to 

them was clearly defined and 

expressed confidence that they 

would come out with 

recommendations that will be 

satisfactory to both parties. 

“I can see a win win situation 

for Ogbe-Ijoh and Aladja. I am 

very confident that both 

communities will live peacefully 

and harmoniously at the end of 

our assignment. When they live 

in peace, there will be progress 

and development.” 

Members of the Ekoko’s panel 

were conducted round six 

boundary points by the Ogbe- 

Ijoh people which transverses 

both land and water through the 

creeks amidst tight security while 

the Surveyor-General of the 

state, Okeoghene Osiawa, who 

is also a member of the panel 

and surveyors from his office 

were seen using Global 

Positioning Systems, GPS, 

gadgets to establish the various 

boundary points alleged to be 

Ogbe-Ijoh traditional 

boundaries. 

Chairman, Ogbe-Ijoh 

Governing Council, Alex 

Akemotubo and Monday Keme, 

a representative of the 

community, said they did not 

encroach on Aladja land, adding 

that their boundaries with 

Owvian and other communities 

were well defined by historic 

lines that were backed up with 

instruments. 

Okowa cutting down on expenditure over dwindling 

income —CPS 

By Egufe Yafugborhi, 

Perez Brisibe & Godwin 

Oghre 

WARRI—CHIEF Press 

Secretary to Delta State 

governor, Charles Aniagwu, 

has said that to deal with the 

falling monthly allocation to the 

state from the Federation 

Account, the state government 

has been cutting down on its 

expenditure. 

Aniagwu spoke, yesterday, 

during a media parley with 

journalists from the Ughelli, 

Sapele and Warri correspondent 

chapels of the Nigerian Union 

of Journalists, NUJ, at the Press 

Centre, Warri. 

On the governor’s 

commitment to prudence in 

governance, Aniagwu said: 

“Okowa will not have appointed 

25 commissioners as 12 would 

have been enough but some 

local government areas would 

have felt marginalised as a 

result. 

“As I speak with you, no single 

special assistant to the governor 

has an official car. They are 

made to rely on personal cars. 

It is very difficult funding our 

activities hence the governor 

had to cut down on 

expenditures.” 

UNPAID TAXES: FIRS shuts companies in P-Harcourt, Kano 

PORT HARCOURT—THE 

Federal Inland Revenue 

Service, FIRS, yesterday, 

sealed the offices of two taxdefaulting 

companies in Kano 

over tax liabilities. The affected 

companies are Standard 

CONDOLENCE VISIT: From left: Daughter of the deceased, Ms Olari Maduekwe, Senator 

Emma Anosike, Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio and Deputy Senate 

President, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu, during the condolence visit of PDP Senate Caucus to the 

family of the late Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the party, Ojo Maduekwe. 

Plastic Nigeria Limited, 

located in the Bompai area 

of the city, and Triumph 

Publishing Company, which 

is owned by the Kano State 

Government. 

According to FIRS 

Enforcement Team leader, 

Mr. Chinazor Edeh, the two 

companies had previously 

received letters notifying 

them of their tax liabilities 

and urged them to pay. 

In Port Harcourt, the FIRS 

team sealed the offices of two 

oil services companies. 

Those affected are Cetco 

Oilfield Services Company, 

located in the Trans-Amadi 

area of the city, and 

Aquashield Oil and Marine 

Services Limited. 

At Cetco Olifield, the 

Procurement Manager, 

Edotimi Ebikefe, begged for 

more time to enable the 

company pay up, explaining 

that it had already 

commenced the payment of 

its tax debt. 

“We are not saying that we 

won’t pay. But the way things 

are right now, we find it 

difficult. Let them give us 

some time. If we don’t work, 

we cannot pay what we are 

owing,” he pleaded. 

Leader of the FIRS team, 

Umar Gana, said that the 

enforcement drive was 

necessary because of the 

indifference of some of the 

companies to tax payment. 

Gana explained that this has 

persisted despite many 

attempts to ensure 

compliance. 

“Before this enforcement 

exercise, government had 

made a lot of entreaties to 

them, but they have 

repeatedly defaulted and we 

have no option but to do what 

we have just done,” he said. 

He added that the sealing 

of the two companies will 

serve as a deterrent to other 

companies. 

Speaking further, Gana 

said that until the taxes are 

paid, the companies will 

remain shut. 

FLOOD: Delta 

Gov orders 

opening of 

drainages 


ASABA—WORRIED by 

the persisting flooding 

in Asaba, the state governor, 

Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, has 

directed the opening of all 

blocked drains in the capital 

city and its environs 

beginning from tomorrow. 

The exercise which is 

being handled by the office 

of the Director-General, 

Special Programmes, Chief 

Frank Omare will include 

the desiltation of surface 

drains in some designated 

areas in Asaba and 

Okpanam. 

A statement by the 

Director-General, Special 

Programmes, Omare said 

residents of the affected 

areas were expected to 

remove all structures 

blocking the drains and 

clean them up before the 

arrival of his team. 

Omare named the affected 

areas to include, Midwifery 

Road, Okpanam, High Court 

Road and adjoining streets, 

SSS Road, Squash Court Road, 

Mariam Babangida Way, DBS 

Road, WAEC Road, Jesus 

Saves Road and Kingsley Emu 

Street all in Asaba. 

Others include; Agric Road, 

Madumezie Street, network of 

roads at Umuagwu quarters, 

Ibusa Road, Umuonaji 

quarters, Holy Trinity Catholic 

Church axis, Umuemezei 

quarters, Jarrett Road, 

Kwekabor Road, Okpllo Street 

among others. 

Njeribeako, 

others to host 

JP Clark 

A 

RETIRED high court 

judge, Justice Duke 

Njeribeako, will be Special 

Guest at a get-together with 

Prof. J.P. Clark, organised 

by Government College 

Ughelli Old Boys 

Association, GCUOBA, 

Lagos Branch. 

Expected at the event are 

all old boys of the college, 

including the Ancient 

Mariners of Government 

College Ughelli and their 

friends and associates. 

It was gathered that the 

event, being organised in 

collaboration with Moet & 

Chandon, will take place at 

the maiden Vice-President’s 

Champagne Night on July 

17, at 22 McNeil Road, 

Yaba, Lagos (GCUOBA 

Secretariat). 

The event will be hosted 

by Cyril Ogude, the vice 

president of the Lagos 

Branch Association of 

Government 

Ughelli. 

College


IG orders 

audit of 

police 

investments, 

subsidiaries 

By Kingsley 

Omonobi 

A BUJA—ACTING 

Inspector-General of 

Police, Ibrahim Idris, has 

ordered the audit of all 

police investments and 

subsidiaries nationwide 

and has, consequently, 

engaged the services of two 

professional audit firms for 

the exercise. 

A statement by Force 

Public Relations Officer, 

DCP Donald Awunah, said: 

“The police boss made the 

disclosure while 

addressing the Board and 

Management of Police 

Investments Bodies and 

Subsidiaries at the 

headquarters, Abuja, on 

July 13. 

“The measure is in line 

with the Federal 

Government’s agenda to 

institutionalise fiscal 

discipline, transparency, 

probity and accountability 

in the management of 

public funds.” 

The acting IGP said the 

exercise was aimed at 

ascertaining the true 

financial position, assets 

and liabilities, challenges 

and recommendations on 

how to restructure and 

reposition the subsidiaries 

for effective and efficient 

services, profitability and 

return of investment to 

sharehol-ders and the 

police community at large. 

According to him, the 

force’s management team 

had appointed two audit 

firms, Messrs Nsebot 

William & Co and Gbenga 

Abimbola & Co, to carry out 

the special assignment, 

which he said would be 

completed in six weeks. 

He directed the board 

and management of the 

investment bodies and 

subsidiaries to cooperate 

with the auditing firms to 

ensure a smooth and 

successful audit. 

Halima, Buhari’s daughter, 80-yr-old man among 2,218 called to Bar 

By Ikechukwu 

Nnochiri 

ABUJA—AN 80-year-old 

man, Mr. Enebeli Chuka, 

yesterday, made history as the 

oldest new lawyer ever 

produced by the Nigerian Law 

School. Chuka was among 

2,218 candidates, who were 

successful at the April 2016 Bar 

Final examinations. 

He was called to Bar 

alongside Halima, one of the 

daughters of President 

By Johnbosco 

Agbakwuru 

ABUJA—THE House of 

Representatives, yesterday, 

approved N241,455,285,471 for 

the Federal Capital Territory, 

FCT, administration for the 2016 

fiscal year. 

Of the amount, 

N52,982,280,360 was for personnel 

costs; N34,388,260,823 for 

overhead costs, while the 

balance of N154,084,744,288 

was earmarked for capital 

expenditure. 

The budget was passed after 

the Chairman, House 

Committee on FCT and FCT 

Area Councils and Ancillary 

Matters, Herman Hembe (APC, 

Benue) presented his report. 

The House mandated the FCT 

Muhammadu Buhari. 

Among dignitaries that 

attended the ceremony held at 

the International Conference 

Centre, ICC, was President 

Buhari’s wife, Aisha. 

Equally admitted into the 

legal profession by the 

Nigerian Body of Benchers 

were 41 candidates from 

previous Bar Final 

examinations. 

The April 2016 examinations 

that produced the new wigs 

were undertaken by resit 

Minister and Director of 

Treasury, Federal, to furnish the 

National Assembly with the 

status of the records of the FCT 

Statutory Accounts on a quarterly 

basis immediately the Act comes 

into force. 

Some components of the 

budget are: FCDA Engineering 

Services gets N70,596,313,220; 

Satellite Towns Development 

Agency, STDA, gets N21.754 

billion; FCT administration, 

N2,767,750,001; FCT Water 

Board, N1,354,024,237; Abuja 

Environmental Protection Board, 

N1,065,024,237; Public 

Buildings, N12,393,559,931, 

while Resettlement and 

Compensation Department gets 

N3,469,216,002. 

Also, FCT Directorate of 

Muslim Pilgrims Affairs, 

students, who spent 

additional two months at the 

Law School. 

According to the Director- 

General of the Nigerian Law 

School, Mr. O. A. Onadeko, 

the new lawyers were 

subjected to a compulsory 

intensive revision exercise. 

While enjoining the new 

wigs to adhere strictly to the 

norms and ethics of the legal 

profession, the Law School 

DG said they must ensure 

they were far above the 

2016 budget: 

Reps approve N241.5bn for FCT 

NAS takes healthcare to 2,500 IDPs 

By Agbonkhese Oboh 

THE National Association of 

Seadogs, NAS, took time off 

its 2016 National Games in Benin 

to visit the International Christian 

Centre for Missions, which has 

over 2,500 internally displaced 

persons, IDPs, with drugs and 

other relief materials. 

According to Dr. Joseph Oteri, 

NAS Health Coordinator, “out of 

the 2,500 people living here, most 

of the 900 children have scabies, 

ROUNDTABLE: From left— Human Development Expert, Dr. Maria Onyia; Director, 

Corporate Communication, NIMASA, Hajia Lami Tumaka; representative of Lagos State 

Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Toro Oladapo; Chief Executive Officer, Kenya 

School of Law and guest speaker, Professor P. L. O. Lumumba; Convener, Nkechi Ali-Balogun, 

during the 16th edition of NECCIPR Roundtable in Lagos. PHOTO: Lamidi Bamidele. 

diarrhoea and protein 

deficiency, hence the need for 

us to donate drugs. 

“What we have brought here 

will treat about 400 of them. We 

will deliver another batch of 

drugs within a week or two to 

take care of the rest children.” 

The Pastor-in-Charge of the 

centre, Pastor Solomon 

Folorunsho, thanked NAS for 

their gesture, saying it was not 

the first time the association 

would show such charity. 

Meanwhile, at the end of the 

two-day of lawn tennis, table 

tennis, football, snooker, 

scrabble, drafts and sprints, 

Zone 3, the host, came tops with 

six gold, four silver and four 

bronze; Zone 4, second and 

area six, third. 

National President of NAS, 

Prince Ifeanyi Onochie, while 

giving out the prizes, said apart 

from bonding and unwinding, 

the annual games were for 

members to be health conscious. 

N266,363,895, while FCT 

Directorate of Christian Pilgrims 

Affairs gets N160,909,264. 

Education, health, agric 

Education Secretariat, N1.325 

billion; Agency for Mass 

Education, N123,090,700; FCT 

Education Resource Centre, 

N111,710,402; FCT Universal 

Basic Education, 

N1,610,712,127; FCT 

Secondary Education Board, 

N899,453,500; FCT College of 

Education, Zuba, 

N325,241,867; FCT Agency for 

Science and Technology, 

N1,886,493,908, while FCT 

Scholarship Board gets 

N98,236,280. 

The FCT HHS Secretariat, 

N1,490,543,480; School of 

Nursing and Midwifery, 

N98,472,560; Public Health 

Department, N27,079,954; 

Health Planning Research and 

Statistics, N80,934,374; Health 

Management Board, 

N1,176,389,197; Primary 

Healthcare Development 

Board, N1,257,438,511; Agriculture 

and Rural Development 

Secretariat, N904,390,072; FCT 

Agric Development Project, 

N160,566,668; Department of 

Agric, N60,689,875; Social 

Development Secretariat, 

N119,027,509; Welfare 

Department, N53,434,486, 

while Sports Department gets 

N314,211,568. 

minimum in all they do. 

In his address, Chairman of the 

Body of Benchers, Mr. Bandele 

Aiku, while congratulating the 

new lawyers, urged them to 

always show respect to the court. 

One of the new wigs, Alaukwu 

Anosike, said: “I am delighted 

that not only was I found worthy 

to be admitted into the Bar, taking 

the oath alongside President 

Buhari’s daughter and the 80 

years old man that just created a 

new record, made the ceremony 

more memorable for me.” 

PDP 

national 

convention 

holds 

August 17 

By Ben Agande 

ABUJA—THE Peoples 

Democratic Party, 

PDP, yesterday, fixed 

August 17 for its national 

convention to elect new 

officers that would take 

over from the Ahmed 

Makarfi-led National 

Caretaker Committee. 

In a move seen as a 

major blow to Senator Ali 

Modu Sheriff, who had 

been laying claims to the 

leadership of the party 

after being sacked by the 

national convention, one 

of his main supporters, 

Senator Buruji Kashamu, 

also switched loyalty to 

the Makarfi-led caretaker 

committee. 

Addressing journalists 

at the end of an expanded 

caucus meeting of the 

party with members of the 

caretaker committee in 

Abuja, Senator Makarfi 

said the party was still 

open to accepting all 

those who are with 

Senator Ali Modu Sheriff. 

The expanded caucus 

comprise state governors, 

members of the party’s 

Board of Trustees, the 

party’s principal officers 

in the National Assembly 

and other stakeholders. 

According to Makarfi, 

yesterday’s meeting 

discussed programmes, 

leading to new the 

convention which had 

been fixed for August 17 

in Port Harcourt. 

He said: “We also 

discussed and agreed on 

a new amendment to the 

party constitution in view 

of recent court judgments 

in order to align the 

constitution to the 

judgments that have been 

delivered by court of 

competent jurisdiction.” 

C 

M 

Y 

K


Demolition: Protests continue in Owerri 

C OMMERCIAL 

ACTIVITIES were 

again shut down in Owerri 

yesterday, as more people 

joined the protest against the 

continued demolition of buildings 

by the state government. 

The protest march, which was 

started Wednesday, by scores of 

artisans from the Orji Mechanic 

Village in Owerri North local 

government area, attracted 

more aggrieved people yesterday. 

At the Eke Ukwu Owerri 

Market, scores of angry women 

were seen spotting black blouses 

and uniformed wrappers, 

protesting the planned demolition 

of the ancestral market. 

Some of the women lamented 

that Governor Rochas Okorocha 

was stretching his anger against 

Owerri people too far. 

“There is no doubt that the 

Governor is dragging his hatred 

against Owerri people too far. It 

was under his regime that our late 

royal father, Eze Emmanuel 

Njemanze, was suspended for no 

just cause. Government never 

withdrew that suspension until 

he died,” an angry woman said. 

Continuing, the woman said 

that Owerri indigenes have lost 

all their farmlands to 

government, adding that the 

market was the only source of 

livelihood for most indigenes. 

“How can the governor 

summarily sentence us and our 

families to perpetual hunger, by 

moving the market to Egbeada, 

a different local government 

area? This is not fair at all,” the 

woman said. 

As at press time yesterday, 

several buildings and business 

outfits in and around Owerri, 

had suffered varying degrees of 

destruction or completely pulled 

down. 

CHIEF VICTOR Umeh’s 

Senatorial Campaign 

Organisation has dismissed 

reports of strained relationship 

with Anambra State governor, 

Chief Willie Obiano. 

The Campaign Directorate in a 

statement by the Director General, 

Prince Emeka Udodeme, 

described the report as a figment 

of the imagination of Prince 

Emeka Udodeme 

It read: ‘’The attention of Chief 

Some of the affected establishments 

included Alvan Ikoku 

Federal College of Education, 

Owerri, the Federal Medical Centre, 

Owerri, the French Language 

Centre, Allianz Francois, some 

commercial banks, Sacred Heart 

Catholic Church, Akwakuma and 

ancestral homes. 

Governor reacts 

“It is highly regrettable that a 

group of women could be deceived 

into carrying out a protest that 

could rightly be described as 

uncalled for, over the State 

government’s good intention to 

relocate Eke Ukwu market to a 

better place. 

“It is equally on record that 

successive governments in the 

State had also tried to move the 

market out of its current location 

to a more convenient place, but 

such previous efforts had also 

been frustrated by this kind of 

protest. 

PDP's last congresses in Abia, a sham 

—Sheriff group 

By Anayo Okoli. 

UMUAHIA—AS the PDP 

crisis lingers, the Abia 

State coordinator of the Senator 

Ali Modu Sheriff faction of the 

party, Chief Chidi Nwosu has 

described as a sham, the last 

congresses of the party in the 

state. 

According to Nwosu, the 

congresses, which produced 

Chief Johnson Onuigbo as the 

State Chairman, did not follow the 

Victor Umeh’s Senatorial 

Campaign Media Directorate has 

been drawn to a false and 

unfounded news story contained 

in a national newspaper of 

Tuesday, June 12, 2016, (not 

Vanguard), captioned 'Obiano, 

Umeh quarrel over Transition 

Chairmen.' 

‘’In the said news item the writer 

in his imagination tried to create 

the wrong impression that the 

governor of the state, Chief Willie 

Obiano is at war with Chief Umeh, 

former National Chairman of the 

party, APGA, and the party’s 

senatorial candidate for 

Anambra Central senatorial zone. 

‘’We wish to state here 

categorically, that the said 

sponsored story is the handiwork 

of political evil merchants who do 

not wish the party and the state 

government well. 

‘’Not only was the story 

completely false, it contained very 

Wife of Abia gov rescues 11yr-old victim of sexual 

molestation 

THE WIFE of the Governor 

of Abia State, Mrs. Nkechi 

Ikpeazu has come to the aid of 

an 11 year old girl, Blessing (real 

name withheld), a native of 

Okaiuga Nkwoegwu in Umuahia 

North LGA of Abia State, who 

was sexually molested by two 

men. 

A national daily, (not this one) 

had on Sunday reported the 

story of the girl and her friend 

AWARDS: Prof. Pat Utomi (3rd left) and Elder (Mrs,) Inyang Anya (2nd left), presenting the Zik 

Award for Professional Leadership to Biodun Shobanjo, represented by his sons, Tunde Shobanjo(1st 

left) and Olufemi Shobanjo (4th eft), with Governor Ibikunle Amosun, Ogun State, during the 2015 

Annual Zik Prize Awards, at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island. 

(name not disclosed) who were 

lured by the two men to a building 

in the community where the 

victim was sexually abused, 

mauled and maimed by the two 

men now at large. The girl had 

sent an SOS to the authorities and 

Mrs. Aisha Buhari, alleging that 

the police are not doing enough 

to bring her molesters to justice. 

Wife of Abia State governor, 

Mrs. Nkechi Ikpeazu, who 

visited the home of the victim 

immediately after the news 

broke, expressed shock that humans 

could debase themselves 

to the level of animals to attack 

and molest an 11-year-old girl. 

Mrs. Ikpeazu who disclosed 

that the matter was strange and 

very painful to her revealed that 

the governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, has 

ordered a full-fledged 

investigation into the matter. 

tenets of democratic ideals, hence 

could not stand. 

Nwosu, a two-time member of 

Abia State House of Abia State 

House of Assembly, said that what 

happened during the congresses 

was that some leaders of the party 

sat at their homes and wrote a list 

of their surrogates as leaders of 

the party from the wards to the 

state level. 

“What is a congress; it is an 

exercise where all party members 

file out to elect their leaders, 

but here in the state, there 

was nothing like that, but a selection 

of those surrogates 

they feel will be hundred per 

cent loyal either as their 

domestic or paid staff,” the 

former law maker alleged. 

He claimed that the party 

currently has no leadership 

in the state, as according to 

him, those parading themselves 

as leaders are just 

wasting their time, saying 

that the true leaders of the 

party would emerge in due 

time. 

My relationship with Obiano, very cordial — Umeh 

malicious insinuations initiated 

by the sponsors in order to 

misinform the public and party 

faithfull on the relationship 

between Chief Umeh and the 

state governor. 

‘’For the purpose of proper 

information and putting the facts 

crystal clear, there has never been 

any discussion either in private 

or public between Chief Umueh 

and Governor Obiano in relation 

to the issue of transition 

chairmen, let alone disagreeing. 

‘’Chief Umueh’s relationship 

with the state governor, Chief 

Obiano is very cordial and as 

solid as the rock of Gibraltar. 

‘’No amount of evil wishes or 

plans will succeed in destroying 

the good image and relationship 

between Chief Umeh and 

Governor Obiano. 

‘’Chief Umeh is a good team 

player and respecter of 

constituted authority, it therefore 

follows that he is very supportive 

of Governor Obiano and the 

Anambra State Government. 

Customs 

intercepts 

625 cartons of 

fake drugs 

By Udeme Clement 

FEW WEEKS after the 

Nigeria Customs 

Service, NCS, Federal 

Operations Unit, FOU, 

Zone ‘C’, Owerri seized 906 

cartons of fake drugs, the 

Command has again 

intercepted 625 cartons of 

fake and unregistered 

drugs brought illegally 

into the area by smugglers. 

The Command also 

arrested 42 suspects in 

connection with the items. 

The Customs Area 

Controller, CAC, of the 

Unit, Comptroller Haruna 

Mammudu, disclosed this, 

stressing that the recent 

trend on interception of 

fake drugs and numerous 

prohibited goods were 

made possible through the 

collaboration of his unit 

with other government 

security agencies operating 

in the hinterland. 

According to him: “The 

offensive items were 

concealed in different 

vehicles with other general 

goods by smugglers in a bid 

to escape security checks, 

but the operational 

efficiency of our men paid 

off, as they were all 

arrested. 

"Our officers are 

strategically positioned in 

specific areas of the Unit to 

ensure that contra-band 

items coming from the 

border stations do not 

have access to the local 

markets in the Unit. We are 

at a alert every moment. 

For instance, the number 

of cases we have in court 

now have rapidly increased 

from 18 to 25, and 

we will not hesitate to arrest 

and prosecute smugglers. 

Verbatim 

Magazine 

loses staff 

VERBATIM NEWS 

magazine has 

announced with sadness 

the death of one of its 

editorial staff, Enenche 

Adikwu. 

Adikwu, who was the 

Abuja-based national 

news magazine’s 

Plateau State 

correspondent, died 

recently at the age of 49 

after a brief illness. 

Late Enenche Adikwu

16 — VANGUARD, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2016 

Some of the cabinet members named by May: (clockwise from top left) 

David Davis, Boris Johnson, Philip Hammond, Michael Fallon, Liam Fox 

and Amber Rudd 

May sacks Cameron’s men, unveils 

new cabinet 

THERESA May has 

begun a brutal cull of 

the Cabinet in her first 

day as Prime Minister. 

Nine ministers were 

sacked or resigned, 

making it one of the most 

brutal reshuffles in modern 

British political history. 

A number of her 

predecessor’s closest allies 

were sacked this 

morning as Mrs May 

promoted women into 

some of the 

Government’s top positions. 

After sacking Mr 

Cameron’s right-hand 

man George Osborne 

within hours of taking office 

on Wednesday, Mrs 

May has now taken the 

axe to Michael Gove, 

Oliver Letwin, Nicky 

Trump reportedly picks Indiana 

Gov Mike Pence as VP 

MULTIPLE reports 

yesterday indicated 

that Donald Trump 

is set to pick Indiana 

Gov. Mike Pence as his 

vice presidential running 

mate, a decision he is 

expected to formally 

announce today. 

Citing unnamed 

sources close to the campaign, 

both Roll Call and 

CBS News reported 

Trump was expected to 

offer Pence the job in a 

phone call Thursday afternoon. 

The New York 

Times also reported that 

campaign officials had 

also “signaled” to Republicans 

in Washington that 

Pence was Trump’s pick. 

And the Indianapolis 

Star, Pence’s hometown 

paper, also reported the 

Morgan and John 

Whittingdale. 

Despite the speculation 

on social media, 

Jeremy Hunt is to remain 

Health Secretary. 

Failed leadership candidate 

Mr Gove saw his 

Justice Secretary job go to 

Liz Truss, who became the 

first female Lord Chancellor 

in the thousandyear 

history of the role. 

Indiana governor was 

Trump’s pick, citing unnamed 

sources. 

But Trump campaign 

officials quickly tried to 

tamp down those reports. 

“A decision has not been 

made by Mr. Trump. He 

will be making a decision 

in the future,” Jason 

Miller, a spokesman for 

the Republican presidential 

nominee, said in a 

message on Twitter. 

No plans to revive Taliban peace talks 

— Afghan govt 

KABUL has no plans 

to revive a peace 

process aimed at bringing 

the Taliban to the negotiating 

table after a 

four-nation effort earlier 

this year produced no 

results, the spokesman of 

Afghan President Ashraf 

Ghani has said. 

The four-nation group - 

comprising Afghanistan, 

Pakistan, China and the 

United States - has met 

five times since January 

without the Taliban, 

which has refused to join 

any peace talks. 

“There is no set time for 

another meeting of the 

group,” spokesman 

Haroon Chakhansuri 

told The Associated Press 

news agency on Thursday. 

Chakhansuri’s remarks 

reflect the Kabul 

administration’s disappointment 

over what it 

has described as halfhearted 

efforts by 

neighbouring Pakistan to 

jumpstart the peace process. 

Kuwait sets minimum wage 

for domestic workers 

KUWAIT has become 

the first Gulf Arab 

country to set a minimum 

wage for its hundreds of 

thousands of domestic 

servants. 

A notice published on 

the Kuwaiti Interior 

Ministry’s website on 

Thursday listed the minimum 

salary as 60 Kuwaiti 

dinars ($198) a month. 

Kuwait is the first country 

in the Gulf to regulate 

the work conditions of 

domestic staff through 

legislation and rights 

groups have urged others 

to follow suit to tackle 

widespread abuses. 

The decree, which sets 

out measures to implement 

a landmark law 

adopted by parliament 

last year, also requires 

employers to pay overtime 

for any extra hours 

worked. 

Ivory Coast arrests two soldiers for 

suspected links to al Qaeda 

TWO soldiers have been 

arrested in Ivory Coast 

accused of failing to denounce 

suspected members 

of an al Qaeda cell that 

killed 19 people in a 

March attack on a beach 

resort town, military officials 

said on Thursday. 

The raid on Grand 

Bassam, 40 km (25 miles) 

from the commercial capital, 

Abidjan, by al Qaeda 

in the Islamic Maghreb 

(AQIM), the jihadist 

group’s North African affiliate, 

was the furthest yet 

from its traditional desert 

base. 

Authorities in Ivory Coast 

and neighbouring Mali 

have arrested a number of 

suspects since the attack. 

Ivory Coast’s military 

prosecutor Colonel Ange 

Kessi said the soldiers were 

not accused of participating 

directly in the Grand 

Bassam plot. 

“The two soldiers knew 

certain members of the unit 

that attacked the beach in 

Grand Bassam and did not 

signal that to their hierarchy, 

which is a serious offence 

under the military 

code of justice,” he said. 

They are due to stand 

trial at the end of August, 

Kessi added. 

Buhari to Moroccan Envoy: We ‘re just 

managing 

By Levinus 

Nwabughiogu 

FOLLOWING the cur 

rent economic downturn 

largely orchestrated by 

the drop in crude oil prices, 


Buhari has said that Nigeria 

was just managing to 

survive. He also stated that 

the country was in a hurry 

to see projects take off in 

the agricultural sector to enhance 

food security and 

create jobs for teeming unemployed 

youths. Buhari 

made the disclosure yesterday 

in Abuja while receiving 

Ambassador Nasser 

Bouritaqa who visited him 

as a Special Envoy of King 

Mohammed VI of Morocco. 

The president said that 

past leaders failed to save 

for the rainy day, stressing 

that they took things for 

granted. 

“For us in Nigeria, it is 

like starting all over again. 

There was a time we had 

so much money and took 

things for granted. But with 

the fall in the international 

price of oil, we are now 

managing,” the President 

said. 

The President welcomed 

the plan by Morocco to establish 

a fertilizer plant in 

Nigeria, which would not 

only serve the country, but 

the entire West African subregion. 

Kenyan policeman goes berserk, kills 

7 colleagues 

A 

Kenyan police of 

ficer went on a 

shooting spree Thursday, 

killing seven colleagues 

including a hostage response 

team member before 

the standoff ended in 

a shootout, a police report 

said. The suspect, 

Abdihakim Maslah, was 

shot, said the report provided 

to The Associated 

Press. 

Police at first suspected 

an extremist with the al- 

Shabab group based in 

neighboring Somalia. 

The police report says 

UN to work on proposal for combat force in 

South Sudan 

THE United Nations is 

ready to work with 

east African bloc IGAD to 

refine the group’s proposal 

for an intervention 

force within the U.N. 

peacekeeping mission in 

South Sudan, U.N. peacekeeping 

chief Herve 

Ladsous told the Security 

Council on Wednesday. 

After an outbreak of 

deadly violence between 

rival troops in South 

Sudan’s capital Juba in 

the past week, IGAD demanded 

the creation of an 

intervention brigade, 

similar to a U.N. combat 

force in Democratic Republic 

of Congo that is 

Maslah, a station guard, 

got off work Wednesday 

night but returned to the 

Kapenguria station 

shortly after 5 a.m. 

Thursday and started 

shooting. 

A separate police statement 

to the media said 

the officer “for yet unknown 

reasons, went berserk 

and grabbed a firearm” 

and started shooting. 

That statement said the 

officer wore a “turban 

that covered his whole 

face, leading to the previous 

suspicions” that he 

mandated to enforce peace 

by targeting and neutralizing 

armed rebel groups. 

“The goal, as I understand 

it, being to secure 

Juba and, if possible, its 

airport through demilitarization 

so that the government 

of transition and 

national unity can get to 

work without worrying 

about security issues,” he 

said. 

Such a combat unit 

would need to be authorized 

by the U.N. Security 

Council, which on 

Sunday urged states in 

the region to prepare to 

send additional troops to 

South Sudan in the event 

that the 15-member body 

decides to reinforce the 

was an extremist. 

Police commandos were 

deployed to rescue prisoners 

held at the station 

and end the standoff, 

Kenya’s police chief, Joseph 

Boinnet, said before 

the crisis ended. 

Boinnet said the 

gunman’s escape was 

“thwarted by quick arrival 

by other officers.” 

All but one of the officers 

killed worked at the 

station. The station commander 

was among 

them, West Pokot County 

Commissioner Wilson 

Wanyanga said. 

•President Salvar Kir 

of S/Sudan 

U.N. mission. 

Ladsous said that it 

was likely that the mission 

would need to be 

boosted with additional 

troops and more robust 

capabilities, such as attack 

helicopters and surveillance 

drones, to fulfill 

its mandate to protect civilians. 

C 

M 

Y 

K

VANGUARD, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2016 —17 

DAVID Cameron, the 

outgoing British Prime 

Minister, has made mistakes 

(who hasn’t?). But at critical 

junctures - in the past few 

days especially - he has 

behaved impeccably and 

proved that he is the product 

of a good upbringing and a 

gentleman. 

When most of his 

compatriots ignored his 

advice and voted to leave the 

European Union, EU, on June 

23, Cameron announced – 

without any rancour - that he 

would step down as soon as 

his Conservative Party 

colleagues had selected a new 

leader. 

His decision came as a 

shock because nobody was 

holding a gun to his head. 

Women of substance 

I wWISHFULLYistfully 

regret David Cameron’s 

departure. But I’m glad that his 

successor is Theresa May, a 

formidable female who has 

been the British Home 

Secretary (roughly equivalent 

to the Nigerian Minister of the 

Interior) for the past six years. 

Mrs May is a down-to-earth 

Anglican vicar’s daughter 

whose solid moral values do 

not prevent her from sharing 

Cameron’s enlightened 

attitude towards minorities. 

She’s a very-clever-indeed 

Oxford University graduate 

and is famed for diligence, 

discipline, stoicism and a 

genuine concern for have-nots. 

Health 

condition 

She suffers from Type One 

diabetes but has not allowed 

this debilitating health 

condition to stand in her way. 

She has described uncaring 

Conservatives as “nasty” . 

Mrs May, who is married to 

a finance expert, will be 

Britain’s second lady premier; 

and she will always be 

compared to her pioneering 

predecessor, the late Margaret 

Thatcher. May, however, is less 

abrasive, less divisive and less 

controversial. 

Cameron the great! 

•David Cameron 

Some members of his Party 

had vigorously opposed his 

pro-EU stance. But even when 

these “enemies within” 

emerged triumphant from the 

Referendum drama, they 

wanted Cameron to stick 

around for a while and 

This is a golden 

era for political 

women of 

substance in the 

United Kingdom. 

While Theresa May 

is stepping into 

Cameron’s shoes, 

Arlene Foster is the 

First Minister of 

Northern Ireland 

and Nicola 

Sturgeon is the 

First Minister of •Theresa May 

Scotland. And all of 

the above have earned their 

lofty positions through pure 

When I was 

growing up, it 

was a big deal 

for a woman to 

be a manager in 

a small company 

merit and sheer grit. 

Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton is 

toughing it out with Donald 

continue to captain their ship. 

In other words, he wasn’t 

being pushed but chose to 

jump anyway. 

But he didn’t walk away 

because he is a bad loser. He 

walked away because the 

Referendum result was a 

Trump on the American 

presidential campaign trail; 

and despite the substantial 

support that Trump enjoys, I am 

increasingly convinced that 

Hillary will kick him into touch 

and win the crown. 

And let’s not forget Angela 

Merkel of Germany – my 

favourite! 

When I was growing up, it 

was a big deal for a woman to 

be a manager in a small 

company. When Thatcher 

arrived on the political stage, 

it seemed like a miracle. 

Now, it’s commonplace for 

women to run blue-chip 

corporations and premier 

league governments; and I feel 

privileged to have witnessed 

this quiet revolution. 

depressing disaster from his 

point of view. And if he’d 

stayed on, he’d have had to 

negotiate Britain’s exit from 

the EU with a heavy heart; 

and he didn’t want to take 

responsibility for a process he 

didn’t believe in. 

In other words, he resigned 

as a matter of principle. 

He had since moved out of 

If he’d stayed on, 

he’d have had to 

negotiate Britain’s 

exit from the EU 

with a heavy heart; 

and he didn’t want 

to take 

responsibility for a 

process he didn’t 

believe in 

l0 Downing Street – the Prime 

Minister’s official residence. 

And I just LOVE him for 

turning his back on a 

prestigious job and the 

glittering perks that go with 

it, even though he could easily 

Jonathan 

EX-President Goodluck 

Jonathan also displayed a 

laudable lack of interest in 

clinging to power last 

year…and totally ignored those 

members of his Peoples 

Democratic Party who urged 

him to refuse to accept Buhari’s 

election victory. 

One year has passed since 

Jonathan handed over to 

Buhari peacefully and without 

any obvious signs of bitterness 

about an electoral outcome that 

didn’t favour him. 

The circumstances are 

different. A referendum is a 

single-issue poll; and a leader 

who doesn’t win an argument 

about one issue won’t 

necessarily be under pressure 

to step down. 

Entire track 

record 

An election, on the other 

hand, is a much more serious 

matter because it revolves 

around multiple issues and a 

leader’s entire track record. 

To cut a long story short: 

While Cameron could have 

stayed without generating an 

uproar, riots would definitely 

have ensued if Jonathan had 

tried to hang on. 

But Jonathan could still have 

dug his heels in. And given 

that African heads of state often 

get away with shameless abuses 

have clung to power. 

I really like the fact that he 

is so confident and so 

comfortable in his own skin 

that he doesn’t need a big 

position to feel whole. And 

mere words cannot express 

how much I admire him for 

humbly, voluntarily and 

fearlessly extricating himself 

from the cosy cocoon of high 

office to explore new pastures 

in an uncertain world. 

His legacy has been dented 

by the Referendum defeat. 

But he is still a Class Act - a 

dignified and gracious 

professional…and a 

compassionate, modern 

Conservative who possesses 

such strong democratic 

instincts that he took the 

enormous political risk of 

organising a Referendum he 

knew he might lose and could 

have avoided. 

I pray that history will be 

kind to David Cameron and 

remember him as a decent 

public servant. I also hope 

that he will wind up with an 

alternative role that will 

enable him to use his 

considerable talents at a 

super-senior international 

level; and I wish him, his 

charming wife, Samantha, 

and their children long and 

happy lives. 

•Dr Goodluck Jonathan 

of power, he might have 

successfully brazened it out 

and totally messed Buhari up, 

with help from army loyalists, 

etc. 

And I for one will always be 

grateful to Jonathan for doing 

the right thing. His civilized 

surrender saved Nigeria from 

a bloodbath. And, given how 

grim things have been since he 

left, I understand people who 

are saying that they miss him. 

Responses to: 

donzol2002@yahoo.co.uk 

or to 0802 747 6458 OR 

0811 675 9752 (texts only). 

PLEASE KINDLY NOTE 

THAT UNLESS YOU 

REQUEST ANONYMITY, 

YOUR COMMENTS MAY 

BE PUBLISHED, WITH 

YOUR NAMES AND 

CONTACT DETAILS 

ATTACHED. 

C 

M 

Y 

K

18— Vanguard, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2016 

Like most well-meaning Nigerians, 

we are worried at the upshoot 

of violent activities in the Niger 

Delta. 

The relative peace the nation has 

enjoyed since 2008 when the 

Movement for the Emancipation of 

the Niger Delta (MEND) and 

other militant groups accepted the 

amnesty offer by the late President 

Umaru Yar’ Adua’s government 

came to a screeching halt a few with some beneficiaries, some of 

months after President Muhammadu 

Buhari assumed power and tions abroad. It also included the 

whom were studying in institu- 

served notice that he would move prosecution of some individuals 

against certain arrangements put alleged to have been involved in 

in place by his predecessors which some contract scams during 

had accommodated the ex-militants 

as stakeholders in some eco- 

regime. 

President Goodluck Jonathan’s 

nomic and security activities in Some highly placed stakeholders 

the area. 

in the Niger Delta who were 

These included the termination named in the alleged misdemeanours 

also complained about 

of pipeline security contracts given 

to some ex-militant leaders and plots by some individuals close to 

intentions to transfer same to the the Bbuhari administration to extract 

some pounds of flesh from 

nation’s security forces. It also involved 

a review of the amnesty them over local quarrels. 

programme towards its early windup, 

which did not go down well there has been a proliferation 

In the past eight months or so, 

of 

We need peace in Niger Delta 

militant groups in the creeks, with 

the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) 

being the most prominent. These 

groups have been destroying the 

oil infrastructure and thus crippling 

the capacity of Nigeria to 

meet her 2.4 million barrels per 

day OPEC quota. All the oil producing 

companies have suffered 

setbacks and huge losses. 

Nigeria has lost huge sums of 

money since the resurgence of 

militant activity. The Monthly Financial 

and Operations Report of 

the Nigerian National Petroleum 

Corporation (NNPC) indicated that 

in April 2016 alone, 34 billion 

Naira was spent on pipeline repairs. 

The gas supply to the 

thermal electricity generation 

companies (GENCO’s) has 

plunged, thus worsening the 

power supply outlook in the 

country. 

With the gloomy statistics 

breathing down on the 

Nigerian economy as a result 

of these disruptive sabotages, 

the 2016 budget may fail, and 

efforts to revamp the economy 

may miss the mark. 

We call on the Federal Government 

to deploy all political, 

diplomatic and leadership 

skills at its disposal to win back 

the confidence of all stakeholders 

and end these 

disruptions. We also prevail on 

the militants to see reason and 

submit themselves to efforts to 

bring peace to the Niger Delta 

in the interest of all Nigerians. 

All efforts must be made to 

avert a full-scale military 

solution to this problem. The 

costs to this nation cannot be 

foreseen. 

If not Obaseki, then who? 

BY JESUTEGA ONOKPASA 

PEOPLES Democratic Party, PDP, 

Governors recently stormed Edo State 

and ended up complicating matters for 

their own party by unwittingly giving the 

impression that they were out to coerce and 

compel the good people of the state into 

making Osagie Ize-Iyamu Governor 

against their will. It was rather pathetic 

seeing them vainly trying to con the 

electorate of Edo into buying an 

unmarketable candidate from an 

unsellable platform. Hitherto, they had also 

made much ado about the fact that Edo 

State Governor, Adams Oshiomole, had 

thrown his weight behind Godwin Obaseki, 

the All Progressives Congress, APC, 

candidate for the coming governorship poll. 

One has to wonder what Oshiomole 

supporting Obaseki amounts to that could 

possibly be different from Ronald Reagan 

supporting George Bush Senior back in 

1988 or Barack Obama supporting Hillary 

Clinton in 2016? 

Oshiomole, is on the verge of exiting the 

scene with what amounts to a robustly 

enviable legacy and that legacy needs to be 

jealously guarded for posterity and 

generations yet unborn. As for Obaseki, if 

ever anyone was most eminently qualified 

to be Governor, it is surely this gentleman. 

Affable, approachable, down to earth and 

not in any way desperate to rule, the fact of 

his sterling credentials, readiness, 

I remain unshakably 

confident that Edo State 

will end up voting APC 

and making Obaseki its 

Governor 

OPINION 

preparedness and capacity to be governor 

all add up to the makeup of just the right 

person Edo requires at this moment in 

history for the gains of the Oshiomole years 

not to be frittered away by the political 

gamblers and practitioners of stomach 

infrastructure in the PDP. Simply put, Edo 

is blessed to have in Obaseki, just the right 

man to sustain, build upon, and, indeed, 

even surpass the legacy of Oshiomole, 

rather than for the Comrade-Governor’s 

awe-inspiring achievements to be handed 

over to political vandals in an era as 

precarious as we now live in. 

True to type, the PDP, lacking either 

credibility or marketability, has taking 

refuge in mudslinging, name-calling and 

tale-bearing. Not even for a nanosecond 

should the dastardly lies the PDP has been 

peddling against Obaseki be given even as 

much as a fleeting thought. The PDP is 

notoriously a platform of rumourmongers 

and conscienceless slanderers of the 

reputations of their moral and intellectual 

betters. None of these PDP cranks currently 

propagating these infernal lies against 

Obaseki are nearly as clean as the 

gentleman or in any way in a position to 

give either Obaseki or the Edo electorate 

any lectures on uprightness or moral 

discipline. 

Oshiomole is, for me, a lesson on how 

democracy can be deepened in this country. 

Performance is the key. Any other paradigm 

for retaining political power is as 

illegitimate as it is not sustainable. 

Oshiomhole is a man who managed by the 

grace of God to survive in the midst of 

vultures who will always hate him for reenergizing 

Edo into a living state from the 

dying carcass they were used to 

cannibalising. Oshiomhole is thus a hero 

across the entire South-South as he remains 

the first man to liberate a Niger Delta state 

from the visceral grip of the PDP. By that 

singular feat, he succeeded in giving hope 

to scores of his fellow Niger Deltans that all 

is not lost and that with time, other states 

will be liberated from the avaricious 

stranglehold of the PDP, a party with a knack 

for taking away everything, without offering 

anything in return. 

One just has to wonder what the PDP 

deludes itself about its image that could 

possibly recommend it to the electorate of 

Edo State? What is its selling point other 

than deceit, nonperformance, and complete 

failure? Does it intend to market itself on 

the basis of its prowess for corruption, 

ineptitude, failure to deliver and inability 

to perform? Is lack of capacity an electoral 

credential? It is already more than 

sufficiently unfortunate that its 

candidate, Osagie Ize-Iyamu is not in 

any way marketable against the 

consistency and dependability of 

someone of the pedigree of Obaseki. 

Even more embarrassing is the fact that 

Ize-Iyamu’s godfather, former 

Governor Lucky Igbinedion, has 

retreated, having apparently been found 

by his own PDP, not to be in a position 

to come out openly to campaign for his 

godson and right-hand man. Knowing 

full well that as a party, they simply 

absolutely lack any legacy to point to, 

what do they honestly envisage the Edo 

electorate doing other than voting in 

Obaseki, just the sort of man they had 

all along been waiting for to succeed 

Oshiomhole? 

In spite of PDP governors pumping 

in money which they should be using to 

pay salaries in their own states into Edo 

for the purpose of reaping where their 

party did not sow, I remain unshakably 

confident that Edo State will end up 

voting APC and making Obaseki its 

Governor. The likes of Okowa can keep 

prancing about the state but I know that 

no matter how much money PDP 

deploys in Edo, this election can neither 

be bought nor can it be rigged. Edo is 

not and will never be for sale. When the 

election is over and the results are in, 

even the greatest doubting Thomases 

will be forced to agree: “If not Obaseki, 

then who?” 

*mR Onokpasa, an All Progressives 

Congress, APC, Chieftain, wrote from 

Warri.


FG has identified 1,000 dormant revenue lines—Adeosun 

Says ‘we will make every naira count’ 

Continues from page 1 

committed to turning the 

economy around by mobilising 

capital for investment in the 

essential infrastructure which 

will drive the nation’s economic 

growth. 

The retreat entitled: “Enhancing 

Revenue Generation for 

Sustainable National Development,” 

according to the minister 

was a very important gathering, 

which came up at a pivotal 

period in the nation’s economic 

history. 

The Minister said the revenue 

focus will not burden Nigerians but 

will ensure that all revenue due to 

Nigeria’s government, irrespective 

of the source, is collected with a 

high degree of efficiency, fully receipted 

and properly accounted 

for. Kano State Governor, Alhaji 

Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, had in 

his speech disclosed that the state 

government has identified about 

106 dormant revenue lines which 

it was working assiduously to activate. 

However, Adeosun, in her 

remarks, said the Federal Government 

has also identified over 1,000 

dormant revenue lines, assuring 

however, that such huge dormant 

revenue opportunities will be maximised. 

Mrs. Adeosun also expressed 

the determination of the Federal 

Government to work with the private 

sector where required in order 

to maximise the nation’s revenue 

potentials. 

She said the days when revenue 

generating agencies acted as 

autonomous entities outside of the 

budget cannot be allowed to continue, 

saying whether the funds 

are from fees and fines, from taxes 

or from projects, the law is clear 

that every naira must be paid into 

the Consolidated Revenue Fund. 

CURRENCY BUYING SELLING 

US DOLLAR 

POUNDS 

EURO 

FRANC 

YEN 

CFA 

WAUA 

RENMINBI 

RIYAL 

KRONA 

SDR 

$149.30 3. 10 

$3,155.00 17.00 

$ 20.00 0.52 

$47.12 0.86 

$45.47 0.72 

283 283.5 284 

379. 1068 379. 7766 380. 4464 

316. 828 316. 386 316. 944 

289. 5437 290. 0552 290. 5668 

2.6769 2.6816 2.6863 

0.4573 0.4673 0.4773 

392. 1824 392. 8753 393.5682 

42.315 42.3902 42.4654 

75. 4546 75.5879 75.7212 

42. 4472 42. 5222 42. 5972 

393. 7096 394. 4052 395.1008 

CBN Exchange rate as at 14/07/2016 

She said “The administration has 

started the process of maximising 

our revenues with a number of initiatives. 

The most important 

change introduced is a reorientation 

in the thinking about public 

money. Discipline and accountability 

in the spending of public 

money is a trademark of the President 

Buhari led administration. 

Making every naira count is a commitment 

and a policy focus and not 

a slogan. Citizens will not willingly 

pay revenues if the funds are 

seen to be leaking or being wasted. 

“All spending must start with revenue 

and therefore we have commenced 

the work of plugging the 

leakages of government revenues. 

Such leakages can arise from a 

number of factors including inefficient 

collection systems, evasion of 

payments due, collusion and other 

malpractices, as well as obsolete 

tariffs. 

Technology 

and resources 

“The first step required is the 

preparation of a detailed revenue 

map which identifies the specific 

lines of revenue and understands 

how such revenues are generated. 

Disaggregating revenue into line 

items is an important first step. The 

triggers in our various processes 

that result in a revenue transaction 

must be clearly understood and 

well documented. To maximise 

revenue collection, the task of plugging 

these leakages must be undertaken. 

It is also important to 

understand the costs of collection. 

That is the essential equipment, 

technology and resources that are 

required to support revenue. The 

administration is committed to ensuring 

budgetary provision for 

these costs. 

“We currently hold 

daily bilateral revenue 

meetings with revenue 

generating agencies to 

define targets and 

agree strategies,” the 

minister stated. 

She disclosed that the 

Federal Government 

has commenced the review 

and revision of the 

cost profiles of revenue 

generating agencies to 

ensure that maximum 

operating surpluses are 

declared and remitted 

in compliance with the 

Fiscal Responsibility 

Act. She said, “In this 

regard, we have recently 

commenced a 

number of audits of a 

range of agencies that 

will give us improved 

visibility into the revenue 

and cost profiles. 

This will enable us to 

LECTURE: From left, Simon Kolawole, Founder, Aces and Associates; Emuesiri Agbeyi, 

Partner, Tax, PwC; Deremi Atanda, Executive Director SystemSpecs Limited and Wahab 

Gbadamosi, Head, Communication & Servicom Department, Federal Inland Revenue Services 

during the Wole Soyinka Media Lecture Series 2016, in Lagos. 

generate an indicative cost profile 

that can be used to establish reasonable 

budget targets going forward.” 

Revenue Mobilisation to complement 

borrowing for Investment 

in infrastructure 

The minister stated that need for 

All spending 

must start with 

revenue and 

therefore we have 

commenced the 

work of plugging 

the leakages of 

government revenues 

investment in infrastructure is well 

documented as are the potential 

benefits from so doing. Given our 

low debt to GDP ratio, “we could 

have succumbed to the temptation 

to fund our needs purely by raising 

debt. However our approach 

to debt is a prudent one and we 

are firm believers in the critical role 

that revenue plays in mobilising 

funds. Thus the importance of today’s 

gathering in planning and 

developing attainable strategies 

for revenue mobilisation.” 

She explained that revenue 

mobilisation provides a sustainable 

and predictable flow of funds 

that is not as vulnerable to external 

shocks as we have seen with 

the oil price. She added that the 

Ministry of Finance has committed 

itself to a Total Revenue focus, 

which will reengineer revenue 

collection, explaining that the 

focus of the event will be around 

preparing for the enhanced government 

revenue opportunities 

that will arise as Nigeria begins to 

recover. 

Revenue generation and accountability 

are patriotic responsibilities 

of every public servant. 

The Minister said the responsibility 

for revenue generation must 

be vested at the highest level within 

every organisation. Revenue 

is not the responsibility of the Finance 

Team, it is a collective and 

indeed a patriotic responsibility of 

every public servant. “The accounting 

officer must see themselves 

as the Chief Revenue Officers 

of the organisation. As we 

begin to streamline our public finances, 

we expect those organisations 

with high Revenue Generating 

Capacity to fulfil their responsibilities. 

We have observed 

that in other countries some 

agencies like Passport Offices and 

Vehicle Licencing Centres, Airport 

Authorities and Ports are 

cash cows whereas in Nigeria their 

historical contribution has been 

sub optimal. This is going to 

change,’ the minister stated. 

According to her, “The focus of 

this conference is on non-oil revenue 

generation. The role of most 

of us, represented here, in oil revenue 

generation is minimal. Oil 

represents only 13% of GDP but 

contributes over 70% of government 

revenue. This cannot continue and 

as we move toward exploiting our 

solid minerals and agricultural 

endowments we must build robust 

revenue platforms to ensure that 

we take full advantage of the value 

opportunities. 

“We must begin to see revenue 

maximisation as ‘The Business of 

Government’ that is government 

operating commercially where required 

and this will require a new 

mind-set. 

Management 

framework 

Optimisation of revenue generation 

requires targets, incentives 

and penalties as part of the performance 

management framework. 

Thus in some cases partnership 

and risk sharing with private sector 

operators must and will be considered.” 

“The ease of doing business has 

been cited as one of the key drivers 

of economic growth and Nigeria 

has already set targets for 

improvement in this regard. Accordingly 

in our drive for revenue 

we must look for opportunities for 

co operations and synergy through 

the three tiers of government. Single 

collection of multiple levies 

must be pursued where possible 

to maximise the convenience and 

efficiency of our collections. The 

responsibility for collection of revenue 

must reflect the fact that there 

is ‘one Nigeria’ and there are no 

Federal, State or Local Government 

Nigerians.” 

C 

M 

Y 

K


Ihejirika, Minimah, 3 perm secs, others face fresh probe 

PRESIDENT Muhammadu 

Buhari has approved the 

recommendation of the 

Presidential Committee on the 

Audit of Defence Equipment 

Procurement in the Armed Forces 

from 2007 to 2015 to further 

investigate two former Chiefs of 

Army Staff, Lt. Generals Azubuike 

Ihejirika, retd, Kenneth Minimah, 

retd and former Minister of |State 

for Foreign Affairs 11, Dr. 

Nurudeen Mohammed. Others 

are three former Permamnent 

Secretaries in the Ministry of 

Defence, Mr Bukar Goni Aji, Mr. 

Haruna Sanusi and Mr E.O. 

Oyemomi. 

The President’s approval of 

further investigation, followed the 

committee’s discovery of a 

number of irregularities in the 

award of contracts and the Third 

Interim Report of the Presidential 

Committee on the Audit of 

Defence Equipment, which was 

released yesterday. Among those 

to also be investigated are 18 

serving and retired military 

personnel, 12 serving and retired 

public officials and 24 Chief 

Executive Officers of companies 

involved in the procurement. 

All were either accounting 

officers or played key roles in the 

Nigerian Army procurement 

activities during the period under 

review. CEOs to also be 

investigated include Col. Olu 

Bamgbose (retd) of Bamverde 

Ltd; Mr. Amity Sade of Doiyatec 

Comms Ltd and DYI Global 

Services and Mr. Edward 

Churchill of Westgate Global Trust 

Ltd. 

Procurement 

and operations 

According to the committee, led 

Air Vice Marshal John Ode, retd, 

the total amount spent for 

procurement and operations 

within the period was 

N185,843,052,564.30 and 

$685,349,692.49. The committee 

found that the Nigerian Army 

contracts awarded by the Ministry 

of Defence for the period under 

review were often awarded 

without "significant input from 

end-user (Nigerian Army) and to 

vendors who lacked the 

necessary technical competence. 

"As an example, three contracts 

with a total value of 

N5,940,000,000.00 were awarded 

to DYI Global Services Ltd and 

Doiyatec Comms Nig. Ltd (owned 

by the same individuals) for the 

procurement of military hardware, 

including 20 units of KM-38 Twin 

Hull Boats and 6 units of 4X4 

Ambulances fitted with radios. 

The committee found that the two 

companies collected 

N5,103,500,000.00, representing 

86% of the total value of the three 

contracts 

worth 

N5,940,000,000.00, but only 

performed to the tune of 

N2,992,183,705.31,’’ the report 

said. The committee also found 

that a contract worth 

N169,916,849.77 for the 

procurement of 53 Armoured 

Gen. Minimah 

Vehicles Spare Parts, with 90 days 

completion time, is yet to be 

completed five years after. 

In respect of the contracts 

awarded directly by the Nigerian 

Army, the committee found that 

many of the contracts were 

characterized by ‘’lack of due 

process, in breach of extant 

procurement regulations and 

tainted by corrupt practices. 'In 

this regard, a review of the 

procurement carried out by Chok 

Ventures Ltd and Integrated 

Equipment Services Ltd 

established that between March 

2011 and December 2013, the two 

companies exclusively procured 

various types of Toyota and 

Mitsubishi vehicles worth over 

N3,000,000,000.0 for the Nigerian 

Army without any competitive 

bidding. Though the committee 

found no credible evidence of 

delivery of the vehicles, the 

vendors were fully paid, based on 

job completion certificate 

authenticated by the then Chief 

of Logistics. Also, analysis of the 

various bank accounts of the two 

companies showed transfers to 

individuals related to then Chief 

of Army Staff.’’ 

Giving further highlights of the 

report, the committee said: "The 

Committee so far noted that 

within the period under review, 

the total amount spent for 

procurement and operations were 

N185,843,052,564.30 and 

$685,349,692.49. The Committee 

reviewed some of the Nigerian 

Army contracts awarded by MOD 

for the period under review and 

observed that contracts were often 

awarded without significant input 

from the end-user (i.e. the 

Nigerian Army) and to vendors 

who lacked the necessary 

technical competence. As an 

example, three contracts with a 

total value of N5,940,000,000.00 

were awarded to DYI Global 

Services Ltd and Doiyatec 

Comms Nig Ltd (owned by the 

same individuals) for the 

procurement of military hardware 

including 20 units of K-38 Twin 

Hull Boats and 6 units of 4 x 4 

Ambulances fitted with radios. 

"The Committee found that the 

two companies collected 

N5,103,500,000.00 representing 

86% of the total value of the 3 

contracts 

worth 

N5,940,000,000.00, but only 

performed to the tune of 

Gen. Ihejirika 

N2,992,183,705.31. In another 

instance, two contracts were 

awarded to Baram International 

Nigeria Limited, amounting to 

N420,726,799.20 for the 

procurement of 53 Armoured 

Vehicles Spare Parts at the cost of 

N169,916,849.77 and that of 

Ballistic Vests, Night Vision 

Binoculars and 3 Unmanned 

Aerial Vehicles at the cost of 

N250,809,949.50. 

"Sadly, the contract worth 

N169,916,849.77 with 90 days 

completion time is yet to be 

completed five years after. 

Similarly, between 29 April 2005 

and 19 October 2010, the MOD 

awarded two contracts to Progress 

Limited for the supply of 42 units 

of BTR-3U Armoured Personnel 

Carriers and spare parts for the 

Nigerian Army. However, neither 

By Chidi Nkwopara 

OWERRI—IGBO leaders 

across political boundaries 

gathered in Owerri, Imo State, 

yesterday, to redefine the course 

of Ndigbo in the Nigerian polity. 

The aim of the gathering it was 

said was to forge a unity among 

Igbo leaders at the meeting that 

was aptly themed Unity Forum. 

A source told Vanguard that the 

Presidency convinced Governor 

Rochas Okorocha of Imo State to 

galvanise the leaders towards 

dousing tension in the South-East 

geo-political zone. 

Currently, a large section of the 

zone is embittered over what has 

been described as President 

Muhammadu Buhari’s lopsided 

appointments and 

marginalisation of the zone in the 

scheme of things since he took 

over on May 29, 2015. 

No more cries of 

marginalisation 

At press time, Igbo leaders at 

the meeting kept sealed lips. 

However, a source at the meeting 

said said, ''All the Igbo, who 

spoke, agreed that the Igbos 

would no longer complain of 

marginalisation because it has 

never helped their situation but 

rather come together with one 

the MOD nor the NA could 

provide the contract agreements 

to ascertain the cost of the APCs. 

Although 26 of the APCs were 

delivered in 2007 and 

immediately deployed for Peace 

Keeping Operations in Sudan, 

the APCs scandalously broke 

down on induction. 

"The Committee observed that 

the APCs did not meet the 

operational requirement for the 

Army, caused Nigeria 

international embarrassment and 

deprived her appropriate 

reimbursement from the United 

Nations. With respect to contracts 

awarded directly by the Nigerian 

Army, the Committee found that 

many of the contracts were 

characterized by lack of due 

process, in breach of extant 

procurement regulations and 

Owerri Summit: We won’t cry marginalisation 

anymore — Igbo leaders 

•To form Igbo Economic Forum, to drive development 

•No more rift in Ohanaeze – Okorocha 

spirit and work for the progress 

of Igbo land and her people. They 

also agreed to form Igbo 

Economic Forum (to drive 

massive development of the 

region). The meeting also agreed 

that the Igbo had made 

tremendous contributions and 

sacrifice for the progress and 

unity of Nigeria.'' 

Roll call 

Apart from scores of traditional 

lrulers, town union executives, 

market women and other Igbo 

groups that thronged the venue, 

other personalities that graced the 

event included the Governor of 

Abia State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, 

the Deputy Governor of Enugu 

State, Mrs. Cecilia Ezilo, the 

Deputy Governor of Imo State, 

Prince Eze Madumere, and the 

host Governor, Chief Rochas 

Okorocha. 

The former Nigerian diplomat, 

Dr. George Obiozo, Dr. Paschal 

Dozie, Rear Admiral Allison 

Madueke, Chief S.N. Okeke, Dr. 

Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Prof. Anya 

O. Anya, Chief Jim Nwobodo, 

Comdre. Ebitu Ukiwe, and the 

chairman of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, 

Chief Enwo Igariwey. 

No more rift in Ohanaeze, 

Igbos ‘re united – Okorocha 

Welcoming the participants 

earlier, Governor Okorocha 

tainted by corrupt practices. In 

this regard, a review of the 

procurement carried out by Chok 

Ventures Ltd and Integrated 

Equipment Services Ltd 

established that between March 

2011 and December 2013, the two 

companies exclusively procured 

various types of Toyota and 

though the Committee found no 

credible evidence of delivery of 

the vehicles, the vendors were 

fully paid based on job completion 

certificate authenticated by the 

then Chief of Logistics. 

"Also, analyses of the various 

banks accounts of the 2 

companies showed transfers to 

individuals related to the then 

Chief of Army Staff. Similarly, 

between 19 September 2013 and 

11 September 2014, the Army 

awarded contracts to DICON 

amounting to N4,329,985,000.00 

for the procurement of Igirigi and 

Spartan APCs; with arms and 

ammunition. The contract for the 

procurement of 40 units of NSVT 

Heavy Machine Gun with 

accessories and 10 units of Igirigi 

APCs were subcontracted to 

Kennedy Logistics Ltd and Streit 

Group FZE at the cost of 2 

$1,597,500.00 and $1,850,000.00 

respectively. The contracts were 

awarded to DICON at the cost of 

$2,237,000.00 and $3,450,000.00 

resulting in price differentials of 

$781,000.00 (33%) and 

$1,600,000.00 (46.4%) 

respectively. Furthermore, the 

post- delivery Technical 

Inspection Reports revealed that 

the APCs were unsuitable for the 

North East operation. 

expressed happiness that the 

palpable rift which engulfed 

Ohanaeze Ndigbo has has been 

amicably resolved. 

“There is so much to be done 

and we can achieve a lot if we 

remain united. There is no need 

to fight each other. The number 

of people that are gathered here 

today is a clear demonstration that 

we are once more united”, 

Okorocha said. 

Chairman of Ohanaeze 

Ndigbo, Chief Igariwey, 

promised that a communique 

would be issued at the of the 

meeting, even as he commended 

Governor Okorocha for playing a 

major role in uniting the warring 

factions. 


participants would, during the 

meeting, critically look into the 

state of the nation, vis-a-vis the 

prospects and challenges of 

Ndigbo in contemporary Nigeria. 

One of the participants and a 

Senior Special Adviser to 

Okorocha on Arts and Culture, 

Mr. Paddy Obinna, told 

Vanguard that “the event would 

offer Ndigbo the needed 

opportunity to brainstorm on the 

state of the nation and the most 

popular way forward”. 

At press time, the meeting was 

still going on.


BRIEFS 

Odds against brand extension 

New TV, Syinix 

Stories by Princewill 

saves 30% energy 

Ekwujuru 

SYINIX television, a 

THE launch of a new or modi 

television that can save 

fied product into the market 

30 percent energy with 25 in which the brand operates, stretching 

or extending the brand has some 

months warranty has been 

launched in Nigeria. 

major disadvantages. 

Speaking at the unveiling in A brand extension or brand stretch 

Lagos, Isaac Osagie, Marketing 

Executive for Syinix, said 

as the name implies can fail spectacularly 

if the philosophy of the 

the television boasts of superb brand extension is not well understood 

or implemented correctly. 

pictures, sound quality, colour 

fidelity, sharp contrast, and 

However, extending a brand into 

supports local language menu a new category is an easy part. The 

display and USB play as well. 

harder part is taking consumers 

In the light of the power situation 

in the country, he said territory. 

along into the new and unknown 

the television has been 

Many big-name companies have 

configured with 30 percent 

had both successes and failures with 

energy saving mechanism, brand extensions. And the reason 

stabilizer etc. 

some brand extensions fail is PRESENTATION: From left, Jacob Olabayo, Regional Manager, Middle Belt West Region, 

The Candel Company Limited; Gambo Ajako, one of the winners and Emmanuel Kattie, 

“All these functions and features 

are designed in full con- 

meaningful value to the consumer. 

simple: They don’t bring enough 

Managing Director, The Candel Company Limited at the prize presentation for the Candel 

sideration of the local market 

Cleanfarm Project in Lekki, Lagos. 

Probably the most well known 

condition and consumer habit, 

brand extension failures is Coca 

which once again reflect the cola’s new cola extension in 1985, borrow or rip off other brands, and/ product Indomie ‘Bellefull’ will for our valued consumers, and it is 

Syinix design philosophy and 

though initially well received, then or they simply do not pay enough bring meaningful value to consumers,? 

What is the assurance that it tering for the growing needs of the 

borne out of the brand’s effort in ca- 

mission of serving the local African 

people with top quality and reduced sales. 

consumer benefits. Think of flops will not go the way of others from its family and easing the hassle asso- 

caused a huge consumer backlash attention to creating sufficient new 

yet affordable electronic 

McDonald’s, though not a Nigerian 

brand. Its McPizza product able pens and shavers to dispos- 

Consequently, there are a num- 

packs of already available Indomie 

such as Bic moving from dispos- 

stable.? 

ciated with purchasing multiple 

products,”Mr Osagie said. 

Also speaking, Syinix General 

Manager, Chidi Okonkwo, 

flopped because consumers thought able perfumes and underwear, ber of pitfalls awaiting the newly SKUs for meals on the home front.” 

its value proposition was too similar Heinz trying to move from ketchup launched 150gram Indomie According to Girish, the new product 

is made from the best quality 

said the television, which is 

to established competitors such as to mustards, and Xerox moving ‘Bellefull’ packs, this is particularly 

only eight months in the Domino’s and Pizza Hut. By contrast, 

its McCafé concept is doing Even Apple has had its share of nomic climate with sapped retailers no time after consumption. He 

from photocopiers to computers. true in the current Nigerian eco- 

wheat which will boost energy in 

market, manufactured in Japan 

is coming into the Nigerian 

well because it’s seen as different, failures. 

and even more sapped consumers. asserts that the Indomie ‘Bellefull’ 

market to redefine television. especially by teenagers for whom 

However, Dufil Prima Foods Plc of chicken flavoured product is one 

Starbucks might be too expensive. Economic 

has made a remarkable impact on with a difference which is bound to 

Candel launches 

Other big companies have also climate 

the Nigerian culinary landscape stand tall in the noodle market as it 

Cleanfarm project, had mixed results in brand stretching. 

Richard Branson has built a Another good example of brand 

with its Indomie noodles range of is the first of its kind. 

rewards farmers 

products which appeals to every Moses Inyang, a brand analyst 

terrific Virgin brand across lots of categories, 

but few Virgin brand ex- 

tablet. Fairy, already a market 

extension is the Fairy dishwashing 

demographic group and this has led with Brand World Image, said before 

the makers of the newly 

By Peter Ofili 

to the company’s meteoric rise in the 

CANDEL company Lim tensions have been big winners. leader in washing up liquid, therefore 

has a huge extensible equity. 

Nigerian market. 

launched Indomie ‘Bellefull’ 150 

ited has launched its Montblanc has a great reputation 

At the unveiling of the new product, 

the Head of Marketing, Dufil extension of the existing Hungry 

gram pack, from Dufil Foods, an 

cleanfarm project initiative, even when it comes to pen, but has had a Is it not in this market that 

as it rewards farmers. The project harder time moving into other Indomie launched extensions like 

Prima Foods, Mr. Girish Sharma Man size of 120gram, selling for 

according to the Managing lifestyle categories such as watches, Indomie Jollof, Indomie pepper 

who referred to the new product as N150.00 against N120 of Hungry 

Director, Emmanuel Kattie, is designed 

to wind farms of herbi- 

When brand extensions fail, it’s that failed due to lack of patronage,? 

jewellery and fragrances. soup chicken and a host of others, 

the brain child of extended consumer 

research and survey, said, the time, money and effort that goes 

Man, “they should have considered 

cide bottles and remnants of agrochemicals 

which pose health 

flavour product Indomie ‘Bellefull” 

usually because companies try to What is the assurance that its new 

“We are launching the new Chicken into developing a brand extension.” 

hazard to the ecosystem. 

Kattie while speaking at the EXMAN to launch ECBA Programme, holds 3rd AGM 

draw meant to reward farmers 

within and outside Lagos said: “ 

T 

Candel he stated has taken a step HE Experiential Market of the experiential Marketing Industry 

in building brand Nigeria.’ implementors in the public sector. private sector may be expected to 

half of policy makers and and communications and how the 

further not only to keep the environment 

clean and safe but en- 

EXMAN, an umbrella body of all 

ers Association of Nigeria, 

Announcing this, Dr Rotimi The event which is scheduled to contribute. The findings of the Experiential 

industry’s first baseline 

hancing the welfare of farmers Experiential and activation agencies 

in Nigeria, says it will com- 

explained that this year’s AGM Saturday 16th July will have the study will be presented and is ex- 

Olaniyan President of EXMAN, hold between Friday 15th July and 

across the country.” 

Speaking of the promo, he mence its certified Brand Ambassadors 

Program, ECBAP, as it holds association establish a presence visit to the House committee on erations by members at the 

was moved to Abuja to enable the associations exco pay a courtesy pected to form the basis for delib- 

stated that with the ‘Candel be a 

millionaire promo,’ it is expected third annual general meeting within government circles as well Commerce, Trade and Investment conference towards establishing a 

that the Cleanfarm project is designed 

to enhance farmers The program is an initiative butions that the industry was able speaker who will communicate the keting industry practitioners. 

AGM in Abuja, the nation’s capital. 

as showcase the significant contri- 

while also hosting an eminent way forward for experiential mar- 

productivity ,efficiency and designed to re-organise the operating 

structure of the activation 

to make in the area of community present administration’s vision in 

output. 

and citizens engagement on be- 

the area of citizens engagement 

In his words, “the promo is to industry by establishing a Central 

appreciate the patronage and register of Field activation Pepsi ‘Longthroat’ campaign wins OAAN’s Grand Prix 

loyalty of retailers and distributors 

of Candel product.” He also also offering on-line and distance EPSI Longthroat has won Head of Marketing, Seven Up President of OAAN, Mr. 

personnel across the country, while 

stated that, Candel dedicated learning as well as all year round Pthe Grand Poster Award at Bottling Company Plc, Mr. Tunde Adedoyin described the 

time to resource driven research group life and personal accident the 10th Outdoor Advertising Norden Thurston said: “The 10th edition of the Poster 

into farming system specific innovations 

to develop/improve recruited by any of EXMAN’s Poster Awards in Lagos. Longthroat campaign from a special edition which was 

cover to brand ambassadors Association of Nigeria, OAAN Grand Prix award for the Pepsi Awards as a landmark and 

crop protection and “this has member agencies. 

The ‘Longthroat creative’ beat credible body in the marketing aimed at appreciating creativity 

and organising a forum for 

enabled us identify the needs of It will also instill better 84 other brand entries to communications industry in 

various farmers and by so doing behaviour, discipline and professionalism 

within the experiential keenly contested Poster Awards. the creativity and the impact of Communications industry to rub 

emerge the overall winner of the Nigeria is further affirmation of stakeholders in the Marketing 

proffer solution to a wide range 

of agricultural enterprises including 

but not limited to rice, plan- 

The theme of this year’s meet- 

Non-Alcoholic Drinks Category delighted our consumers and a source of pride of the associa- 

marketing industry. 

The brand also came tops in the the campaign. The campaign minds.OAAN Poster Awards is 

tation crops (rubber and cocoa) ing is ‘Building Nigeria through at the event. 

showcased Pepsi as a truly tion, committed to rewarding 

roots and tuber crops.” 

meaningful experiences; the role Speaking on the awards, consumer-centric brand” excellent works by our 

members. 

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Air travel not luxury 

— NANTA President 

By Jimoh Babatunde 

THE President of the Na 

tional Association of Nigerian 

Travel Agencies (NANTA), 

Bernard Bankole has described 

the classification of air travel as 

luxury by the federal government 

as ill-informed 

“Looking at the classification of 

air travel as luxury by the federal 

government, this is wrong because 

air travel is not luxury but 

just a safe means of travelling to 

save time. Most Nigerians who 

travel, travel for business and not 

for leisure. 

“Such air travel that could be 

classified as luxury include those 

who own private jets. They are 

the category that should be classified 

as luxury,” he explained. 

Speaking with journalists in 

Lagos on issues affecting travel 

trade business in the country recently, 

Bankole observed that 

poor government policies are retarding 

the growth of the 

country’s aviation business and 

the opportunity to attract international 

investment. 

Bankole noted that some of the 

foreign airlines are leaving as a 

result of these bad government 

policies, which failed to place the 

actual value of the Naira for a 

long time, leading to the trapping 

of about $600 million of international 

carriers before the devaluation 

of the currency that now left 

the airlines in a quandary. 

“Bad government policies are 

frustrating our business. Even the 

new policies on foreign exchange 

came late when a lot of damages 

have been done. Even the new 

policies are not even clear. 

Job and 

revenue losses 

The airlines have now stopped 

selling cheaper fares to 

Nigerians and are now selling 

higher fares, and it is our people 

who are suffering the consequences,” 

he said. 

Bankole also remarked that 

even the rate of travelling by Nigerians 

has reduced drastically 

and this has also affected NANTA 

business, leading to job and revenue 

losses by both the government 

and NANTA members. 

According to him, the most 

painful aspect of it is that the federal 

government is still collecting 

their taxes in dollars instead of 

collecting them in naira, adding 

that these bad policies are killing 

the industry. 

Bankole stressed the need for 

NANTA to engage the govern- 

L-R: Laitan Faloye, Executive Director, Sales and Marketing; Funmi Faloye, MD/CEO and 

Arinze Adigwe, Head, Customer Service all of World N Traveland during the unveiling of 

www.wontra.com in Lagos 

ment more and also to understand 

the government and its 

policies better as well as to educate 

the masses on government 

policies concerning the aviation 

industry. The NANTA boss maintained 

that even the domestic airlines 

that were supposed to take 

advantage of the prevailing situation 

in the country are not stepping 

up their games to grow 

their businesses by playing the 

roles of the international carriers. 

He said government could not 

afford to neglect the aviation industry 

because it contributes significantly 

to the growth of the 

country’s GDP. 

TRAVEL TECH 

World N Traveland launches online travel 

portal 

THE web has already trans 

formed the way many of 

us choose our holidays: rather 

than going to travel agents, we 

use their online sites, or dispense 

with travel agents altogether by 

putting together our own tailormade 

holidays with cheap online 

flights and hotel bookings. 

But many successful travel 

agencies that realise that technology 

will always evolve are already 

putting structures in place 

to evolve with the trend. 

One of such travel agencies is 

the World N Traveland which has 

launched, WONTRA, a new 

brand under its umbrella. The 

new website will allow people to 

do more than just buying tickets 

and holidays. 

According to Funmi Faloye, 

MD/CEO of World N Traveland, 

‘The company will be investing 

in tourism and then push all its 

travel service products to the new 

WONTRA brand, adding more 

services including car rental, live 

cruise booking engine and low 

cost airline live bookings’. 

She added that the website has 

more than the regular from its design 

that is interactive and the 

ease with which a visitor can 

navigate the entire site for holistic 

travel experience. 

Faloye said the that the keywords 

are user friendly solutions, 

all of which have one thing in 

common: investment in exceeding 

customers’ expectations as 

customers can book short flights 

as it goes beyond the international 

flights, “in fact, you can discover 

the best hotels at the best 

price. 

Information on 

destinations 

Already the site has come alive 

with customers visiting for information 

on destinations all over 

the world, hotels, vacation packages, 

flights and visa information. 

Speaking on empowering 

people to travel, Funmi Faloye 

disclosed that the World N 

Traveland brand has the 365 

travel plan, that allow travel customers 

save and build funds towards 

their holiday. 

She explained that the 365 is a 

savings travel plan fashioned after 

the traditional ‘Ajo’ or ‘Esusu’, 

which enables subscribers to save 

as little as N365 on a daily basis 

for 365 days towards a future 

travel event, be it a business trip 

or holiday. “The essence of this 

product is to make travel achievable 

and accessible to everyone 

through savings and proper 

planning.” 

Faloye added that subscribers 

have the option of saving the 

amounts daily, weekly or 

monthly, which allows for flexibility 

and convenience. “At the 

end of the savings period of 

choice the funds can be applied 

towards any of WNT’s travel 

products like ticket bookings, 

hotel reservations, airport transfers, 

visas and any of our other 

travel products and services or 

carried over to subsequent years 

until the client is ready to use 

the funds.” 

Funmi Faloye said this is the 

best time to attract tourists to the 

country because the foreign exchange 

is affecting how people 

travel because of high cost of 

tickets. She said to attract tourists 

to the country’s attraction that 

the various resorts need to be 

authentic as trying to be modelled 

after foreign resorts will not 

achieve the needed results. 

DESTINATION 

Obudu mountain resort 

THE Obudu mountain resort (formerly known as 

the Obudu Cattle Ranch) is a ranch and resort 

on the Obudu Plateau in Cross River State, Nigeria. It 

was developed in 1951 by Mr. McCaughley, a Scot 

who first explored the mountain ranges in 1949. 

He camped on the mountaintop of the Oshie Ridge 

on the Sankwala Mountains for a month before 

returning with Mr. Hugh Jones a fellow rancher who, 

in 1951, together with Dr Crawfeild developed the 

Obudu Cattle Ranch. 

Although the ranch has been through troubles time, 

it was rehabilitated to its former glory under the 

administration of Donald Duke as governor, who said 

following the fall in the state’s revenue, his administration 

took proactive measure to develop tourism sites 

in the state and initiated the Calabar Festival and 

Tinapa Resorts in addition to developing the Obudu 

resort by adding the cable car. 

The cable car from the base to the top of the plateau 

gives visitors a scenic view while bypassing the 

extremely winding road to the top. 

The ranch has in recent times seen an influx of both 

Nigerian and international tourists because of the 

development of tourist facilities by Cross-River State 

Government which has turned the ranch into one of 

the well known holiday and tourist resort centers in 

Nigeria 

•Obudu mountain resort

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VANGUARD, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2016 — 23

24—VANGUARD, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2016 

By Theodore Opara 

Causes of overheating 

in car engines 

•Jaguar F-Pace SUV 

Coscharis to unveil Jaguar’s first SUV 

JAGUAR’s first ever family 

Sports Utility Vehicle F-Pace 

will be officially unveiled in Nigeria 

by Coscharis Motors on the 

July 21 at Eko Hotel & Suites in 

Lagos. The unveiling will be in 

partnership with Techplush during 

an exclusive opening ceremony 

for event partners. 

The F-Pace has become the 

manufacturer’s fastest-selling 

vehicle since its launch late last 

year. In its first 10 months on sale, 

more than 14,000 orders were 

placed, with all 2,000 First Edition 

vehicles sold out. The Jaguar 

F-PACE is Jaguar’s first performance 

crossover and its lightweight 

body structure is constituted 

of 80 per cent aluminium. 

It is the only aluminium-intensive 

design in its sector and is 

manufactured at Jaguar Land 

Rover’s Solihull Plant in the UK. 

Aluminium 

architecture 

According to the Jaguar Land 

Rover Marketing Manager, Mr. 

Aregbeshola Cletus, as Coscharis 

Motors prepares to unveil 

the F-PACE to customers and 

motoring press, a follow up test 

drive plan has been scheduled 

for the last week of July, especially 

for customers who would 

have indicated interest during 

the launch. 

The foundation of the new Jaguar 

Lifestyle Pillar, F-PACE is the 

third vehicle built from Jaguar’s 

advanced lightweight aluminium 

architecture line and Jaguar’s 

performance SUV – a breakthrough, 

transformational product 

for the brand. Combining an 

optimum blend of performance, 

seduction and practicality, F- 

PACE will be the Ultimate Practical 

Sports Car, competing directly 

against the Porsche Macan 

and BMW X4,” Aregbesola 

said. 

Using state-of-the-art computational 

fluid dynamics simulations 

and applying lessons learnt from 

•The interior 

the XE and All-New XF, the All- 

New F-PACE has a drag coefficient 

of only 0.34, helping to reduce 

fuel consumption and improve 

refinement. The vehicle is 

also engineered for exceptionally 

low lift and excellent lift balance 

front-to-rear, resulting in better 

steering feel and stability at higher 

speeds. 

“Targeted at the emerging and 

fast evolving segment of medium 

premium SUV’s and crossovers 

– the fastest growing segment 

in the industry - F-PACE 

will attract new customers to the 

Brand: younger, more females, 

more families, with an active lifestyle. 

94% of customers are expected 

to come from other brands. 

The F Pace is built to strongly 

appeal to customers in key 

emerging markets,”the brand 

manager stated. 

ABC Sprinter connects Accra 

ABC Transport’s Sprinter service 

has commenced operations in 

Accra, Ghana, running alongside Coach 

West Africa, ABC flagship coaches on 

that international corridor. This is informed 

by the increasing demands for 

Sprinter service by customers along the 

West Coast of Africa. 

ABC Sprinter is designed to satisfy the 

particular needs of light travelers: passengers 

who like to travel light with little 

or no luggage, and this service operates 

medium-sized fully air-conditioned 

buses. Unlike the typical minibuses 

deployed by some road transport 

operators, ABC Sprinter buses are more 

spacious, with enough legroom necessary 

to reduce the strain on such long 

distance trips. 

In addition, ABC Sprinter buses carry 

14 passengers only and boast of neat, 

cozy interiors. With their compact siz- 

es, the average bus is best suited to operate 

in challenging road conditions and 

finding a way through tricky hold-ups 

along that cross-border corridor. The 

buses are equipped with speed governors 

enabling the drivers to avoid overspeeding, 

based on the strict standards 

for which ABC Transport is known. ABC 

Sprinter service is favoured by small 

groups, tourists and smart travelers who 

would rather travel with less luggage. 

Although ABC Sprinter has mainly 

operated in Lagos, Abuja, Jos, Kaduna, 

Owerri, Calabar, Uyo, Ibadan and 

Port Harcourt, its services will now be 

available in Accra (Ghana), Lome 

(Togo), and Cotonou (Benin Republic). 

Meanwhile, under the ABC Corpers’ 

rebate, National Youth Corps members 

are entitled to a N500 discount on fares 

every time they travel with ABC Sprinter. 

Cooling system leaks 

THIS is the primary cause of engine 

overheating. Possible leak points include 

hoses, the radiator, water pump, thermostat 

housing, heater core, head gasket, freeze 

plugs, automatic transmission oil cooler, 

cylinder heads and block. Perform a pressure 

test. A leak-free system should hold pressure 

for at least one minute. 

Wrong coolant concentration 

Be sure to use the coolant recommended by 

your vehicle’s manufacturer. The wrong type 

of coolant and/or mixing the incorrect 

concentration of coolant and distilled water can 

also result in engine overheating. The best bet 

is to perform a complete flush and fill. 

Bad thermostat 

A thermostat is a heat-sensitive valve that 

opens and closes in response to engine 

temperature. Heated engine coolant passes 

through to the radiator when the thermostat is 

in the open position. In the closed position, it 

prevents the flow of coolant to speed up the 

warming of a cold engine. When the 

thermostat gets stuck in the closed position, 

coolant stays in the engine and quickly 

becomes overheated, resulting in engine 

overheating. 

Blocked coolant passageways 

Rust, dirt and sediment can all block or 

greatly impede the flow of coolant through the 

cooling system. This can limit the system’s 

ability to control engine temperature, which 

may result in higher operating temperatures 

and engine overheating. Once again, a flush 

and fill is recommended to remove debris. 

Faulty radiator 

By passing through a series of tubes and fins, 

coolant temperature is reduced in the radiator. 

Leaks and clogging are some of the most 

common causes of radiator failure. Any 

disruption in the radiator’s function can lead 

to elevated engine temperature and 

overheating. 

Worn/burst hoses 

A hose that contains visual cracks or holes, 

or has burst will result in leaks and disrupt 

the flow of engine coolant. This can result in 

overheating. 

Bad radiator fan 

A fan blows air across the radiator fins to 

assist in reducing the temperature of the 

coolant. A fan that wobbles, spins freely when 

the engine is off, or has broken shrouds will 

not be able to reduce the temperature to proper 

level, thus possibly resulting in engine 

overheating. 

Loose or broken belt 

A belt is often the driving link that turns the 

water pump at the correct speed for proper 

coolant flow through the cooling system. If a 

belt is loose or broken, it cannot maintain the 

proper speed, thus resulting in poor coolant 

flow and ultimately, engine overheating. 

Faulty water pump 

Known as the ‘heart’ of the cooling system, 

the water pump is responsible for pressurizing 

and propelling engine coolant through the 

cooling system. Any malfunction of the water 

pump, including eroded impeller vanes, 

seepage or wobble in the pump shaft, can 

prevent adequate coolant flow and result in 

engine overheating. 

Blown head gasket, cracked cylinder head/ 

block, even the wrong fuel/spark plug grade 

can also cause overheating. 

•For enquries: Tulz Auto, MRS Filling 

Station, 85, Murtala Mohammed Way, 

Behind The Presbytrian Church, Jibowo, 

Yaba, Lagos. 08066230187.

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VANGUARD, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2016 — 25 

By Theodore Opara 

Mercedes Benz 

Sprinter, toast of 

transporters 

— Jetvan boss 

THE Managing Director of 

Jetvan, Weststar 

Associates- authorised dealer 

of Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 

buses, Mr. Oluwatobi Ajayi, 

has described the Mercedes- 

Benz Sprinter bus as the toast 

of transporters who want quick 

returns on their investment. 

Mr. Ajayi, who stated this 

during a chat with motoring 

journalists in his Ajah, Lekki, 

Lagos office said that the company 

was impressed with the 

performance of the Sprinter bus 

in Nigeria since its introduction 

by his company barely a year 

ago. “Every transporter wants 

a Sprinter in his fleet because 

of its numerous qualities compared 

to competing models 

from other vehicle manufacturers,’’ 

he said. 

Higher ground 

clearance 

''As a result, our office, which 

also serves as a sales outlet and 

workshop for our after-sales 

services, has become a hub of 

sorts for transport companies. 

According to him, since the 

company started operations 

last year, “we have sold a good 

number of Sprinters” to high 

networth transport companies 

like God is Good Motors, G. 

U.Okeke, FG Onyenwe, among 

others. He further stated that 

the good thing was that those 

who bought the Mercedes- 

Benz Sprinter buses always 

come back for more. 

Asked what really informed 

the high demand for the 

Sprinter, he said, “ the Sprinter 

is bigger, stronger with 

higher ground clearance than 

other high roof buses in its 

NAMA lauds Nigerian auto journalists 

training 

THE Nigerian Automotive 

Manufacturers 

Association, NAMA, has 

commended Nigeria Auto 

Journalists Association, 

NAJA, for instituting an 

annual training for its 

members, saying it will help 

in the implementation of the 

nation’s auto policy. 

Chairman of NAMA, who is 

also the Managing Director of 

VON Automobiles Limited, 

Mr. Tokunbo Aromolaran, 

made the commendation, 

recently, when members of 

the organising Committee for 

the training paid him a visit 

in his Victoria Island, Lagos, 

office. 

class. It has more 

space, legroom 

and re-inforced 

suspension. The 

high roof means 

you can walk in it 

comfortably, without 

being 

constrained and 

injuring your 

head in the process. 

''When you 

do long distance 

or in traffic, you 

will realise it is 

important to have extra legroom. 

A lot of corporate organisations 

are contacting us now 

because of the quality of the 

bus, which is the benchmark in 

its class. 

''Apart from all these qualities, 

Sprinter bus comes with 

12 years corrosion warranty 

and 200,000 kilometre warranty 

as against 100,000 kilometre 

warranty offered by competing 

brands and models.” 

Safetywise, Mr. Ajayi explained, 

“Sprinter is a very 

safe vehicle, because it has the 

most advanced engineering 

safety technology ever offered 

in its class. Mercedes-Benz 

does not compromise safety; 

and the quality of parts is very 

high. 'That is why it hardly 

breaks down, and it does give 

signs before any of such 

occurrence. “If you have a 

Sprinter, your service interval 

is less than competing brands. 

To a business man, that 

translates to spending less on 

maintenance. These are some 

of the things Mercedes-Benz 

considers and Sprinter will be 

the best vehicle for those who 

are into the transport business.” 

He also spoke on their plan 

to promote Mercedes Benz 

Sprinter buses further, noting 

that, “To allow us promote Mercedes 

Benz Sprinter, we have 

ordered for VIP customized 

Sprinter, which we hire to the 

general public that want to 

have a kind of classy luxurious 

experience. 

''This high-end luxury bus is 

FRSC berates Peace Mass Transit over high accident rates 

THE Federal Road Safety 

Corps, FRSC, has 

expressed displeasure at the high 

rate of crashes involving the 

vehicles of Peace Mass Transit 

Company warning the 

management to put appropriate 

measures in place to check further 

occurence,. FRSC Corps, Boboye 

Oyeyemi made this known while 

declaring open an interactive session 

between the FRSC and members 

of the Management of the 

Peace Mass Transit Company in 

Abuja to find a way forward on 

the issue. 

Intimating the NAMA 

Chairman about the training, 

which has been rescheduled 

to hold July 29 and 30, 2016, 

NAJA Training Committee 

Chairman, Mr. Femi Owoeye, 

said NAJA instituted the 

training to ensure that 

journalists are well prepared 

to contribute in terms of their 

expertise to the development 

of the nation’s auto industry. 

“As stakeholders, we, 

motoring journalists, are 

aware of the importance of our 

role in the area of 

developmental journalism, a 

vital ingredient the industry 

needs to succeed,” Mr. 

Owoeye said. 

•Mercedes-Benz sprinter 

According to a statement by Bisi 

Kazeem, Head, Media Relations 

and Strategy, FRSC, the Corps 

Marshal, is alarmed by the growing 

rate of crashes involving vehicles 

belonging to the Company. 

He cautioued that as the lead 

agency for road safety management 

and administration in the 

country, FRSC is conscious of its 

responsibilities to road users 

through appropriate policy measures 

put in place to address challenges 

of road traffic crashes in the 

country. 

He urged Peace Mass Transit 

to ensure that its terminals are 

made conducive for smooth operations 

and that provisions for 

emergency vehicles are made by 

the Company. Oyeyemi attributed 

the recent spate of crashes involving 

the Company’s vehicles 

to systematic safety failures which 

the Company must urgently address. 

“For instance, between January 

2015 to December 2015, 8 

crashes were recorded by the 

Company’s drivers involving 62 

casualties. While 7 were killed, 55 

of them were injured,” he stated. 

Expressing worry at the sharp 

increases in crashes recorded by 

the Company’s vehicles between 

last year and January to June this 

year, the Corps Marshal noted that 

11 crashes were recorded within 

six months of the year involving 

95 casualties out of which 37 were 

killed while 58 were injured. 

“These quantum increases must 

be of interest to government and 

•Boboye Oyeyemi, FRSC boss 

all road safety conscious individuals,” 

he stated. 

The FRSC Boss urged the Company 

to present all its drivers and 

vehicles for recertification and 

safety audit by the FRSC while 

its safety managers must ensure 

that the speed limiters installed 

in their vehicles are not tempered 

with by the drivers. 

“The Safety document prepared 

for the Company by the FRSC for 

its operational guidelines must be 

properly utilised and a new safety 

orientation must be imbibed by 

the drivers of the Company 

through more thorough monitoring 

and strict adherence to safety 

rules,” he stated. 

In his remarks, the Chairman 

fitted with special suspension. As 

a result of the suspension, when 

they are travelling, they will not feel 

the bad road; they will relax to watch 

movies, on two 32-inche television 

sets. 'Despite the luxury features 

in the Jotvan Travel luxury Sprinter 

buses, Mr. Ajayi to noted that 

their buses are competitively priced 

either for outright purchase or 

hiring. The Travel luxury Sprinter 

makes the Sprinter popular. It does 

two things for us, profit and 

visibility,” he stated. 

of the Peace Mass Transit who 

was represented at the occasion 

by the Executive Director, Operations, 

Ugwu Timothy 

Chidubem while assuring the 

Corps that the Company is concerned 

with the recent upsurge 

in the death rate recorded by the 

drivers, assured that adequate 

safety measures are being taken 

to address reoccurrence. 

He enumerated some of the 

measures already taken to include 

installation of speed limiting device 

in the Company’s vehicles, 

avoidance of overloading, insistence 

on regular retraining of the 

drivers and ensuring routine 

checks on the vehicle as well as 

improvement in customer service.


Emeka Ike moves to stop 

wife’s divorce 

*Emeka Ike and wife, Emma 

N IGERIAN-born 

A m e r i c a n 

rap artiste, ZMNY has said 

that coming back to Nigeria 

was always one of his dreams. 

ZMNY made this revelation 

shortly after he arrived the 

country last week to bring a 

breath of fresh air to the 

entertainment industry. 

“I am here just to blow 

everybody’s mind and show 

them what I can do. I have 

come back here to my country 

because I have always loved 

Nigeria. It is my home and I 

am always coming back here,” 

he said, adding “I am here just 

to blow everybody’s mind and 

show them what I can do. I 

have come back here to my 

country because I have always 

loved Nigeria. It is my home and 

I am always coming back here.” 

The rapper was recently 

welcomed by his teeming fans at 

the arrival wing of the Murtala 

Muhammed International 

Airport, Ikeja, Lagos. 

ZMNY, whose real name is 

Ozie Nzeribe, flew into the 

country accompanied by his 

mother, Ada Nzeribe and 5 times 

United States dance champion, 

Michael Adegoke. The rapper 

said, he was planning to 

collaborate with some A-list Artiste 

By Rotimi Agbana 

NOLLYWOOD actor, Emeka Ike has made 

moves to stop the divorce suit filed against 

him by his estranged wife of 16years, Emma. 

The actor who is currently in a legal battle with 

the sacked AGN president, Ibinabo Fiberesima, 

has informed a Lagos customary court that he had 

filed an application before a High Court 

restraining the lower court from hearing the 

divorce suit filed by his estranged wife, Emma. 

Emma filed the suit on grounds of regular 

battery, which Emeka Ike has denied. 

According to the suit he filed, the application 

sought the High Court’s declaration that the lower 

court lacked requisite jurisdiction to entertain and 

determine the divorce suit since the marriage was 

conducted in Enugu State under the Igbo customs 

and traditions. 

His lawyer prayed the court to stay proceedings 

on the suit pending the determination of the suit 

at the High Court. Opposing the application, 

Emma’s lawyer, Iheanyi Awa, urged the court to 

discontinuance the stay of application and deliver 

judgment. 

Coming back to Nigeria was always one of my dreams 

—ZMNY, US-based Nigerian rapper 

PMAN crisis: Ama George raises alarm over alleged interference 

Pretty 

Okafor 

in the country to expand his fan base. “Since 

I was young, I have been rapping especially 

on the playground and all my friends knew 

I was going to be a star one day.” ZMNY 

said. He recently released two new singles 

alongside musical videos, ‘Hater Free’ 

featuring Ray J and a song titled DJ Khaled 

THE Performing Musicians Association of 

Nigeria,PMAN, led by Pretty Okafor 

which recently paved the way for the 

forthcoming National Delegates Conference 

which is billed to hold in October, following 

the expiration of the tenure of the incumbent 

Interim National Executive Caretaker 

Committee of the association has faulted the 

purported inauguration of a caretaker committee 

to oversee the affairs of PMAN by the Labour 

and Employment Minister, Dr. Chris Ngige. 

Kenny Ama George, National Secretary of the 

association said, in a statement that was made 

available to WG that, ‘’It has come to our notice 

that some people in their bid to evade justice in 

the fraudulent acquisition and sale of PMAN 

land in Abuja which is still under investigation 

by the Police Headquarters, appear to have 

found succour in the office of the Hon Minister 

ZMNY at the arrival wing of Murtala Muhammed 

Int’l Airport, Lagos. 

which have continued to enjoy rave reviews from 

industry watchers. 

Also speaking, Adegoke said, “ZMNY is a 

rising star who plans to collaborate with several 

a-list artists which sets him up to becoming as 

big as the likes of Wizkid, Davido, Olamide, 

and Don Jazzy.” 

of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige.” 

According to George, the inauguration of such 

a committee “can be described as abnormal and 

spurious when we still have pending law suits 

in different competent courts of jurisdiction, 

including those in the Industrial High and 

Federal Courts of Appeal. ‘’ 

He explained that as the only legitimate and 

subsisting PMAN, they will not allow their 

collective interest to be undermined by people 

whose hands are currently soiled in fraud and 

corruption. ‘’The restraining order of the of the 

National Industrial Court dated June 15 in Suit 

No NCIN/272/2015 and 19 others, it restrained 

the Registrar of Trade Union, the Director of 

Industrial Relations, Federal Ministry of Labour 

and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry (the 

Minister was not appointed by then) from 

interfering with the present setting of PMAN. 

Ajodun signs 

first act, 

Esther Osaji 

to M&O 

Records 

By Benjamin Njoku 

RISING gospel sensational 

artiste, Esther Osaji who 

recently dropped her wavemaking 

debut single, “Agbara 

Jesu” has been officially signed to 

M&O Records, owned by show 

promoter, Moses Ajodun. 

The new act was unveiled at a 

media parley during the week. 

Speaking at the event, Ajodun 

described Esther as “the next 

biggest gospel act to watch out for 

in the country.” He said, the rising 

singer’s vocal dexterity and 

uniqueness as an artiste informed 

his decision to sign her to the 

label. 

Interestingly, while the event 

was in progress, Ajodun 

announced the release of Esther’s 

second single, “Fantastic,” noting 

that his label would be ready to 

sign on artistes from different 

genres. 

Esther, who became a recording 

gospel artist in 2015,said her 

unique voice will set her apart 

from other gospel singers. She 

revealed that she started singing 

while he was nine years. “I am 

into gospel music because I find 

fulfillment in singing,”she said. 

A devout Christian and mother 

of three,she has a strong passion 

for helping the less privileged. 

This concern for others informed 

her decision to study Sociology at 

the Kogi State University. Aside 

being a promising singer and song 

writer, Esther is a business woman 

and social worker. Her NGO, 

Starbloom Foundation provides 

support and guidance to the less 

privileged in society. 

*Esther 

Osaji 

C 

M 

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VOL. 1: NO. 17 

FRIDAY, JULY 15, , 2016 

•Oba Abiodun Oyewunmi: Released after spending six days in Kidnappers' den 

By Dayo Johnson 

THE craze for money and the 

desperate need to settle 

personal scores occasioned by 

struggle for chieftaincy titles has 

made some traditional rulers 

involuntary guests of kidnappers 

in the forest, where they are holed 

up for weeks until ransoms are 

paid. 

Respect for customs and 

traditions have gone on 

sabbaticals. 

In recent times, Ondo State has 

witnessed the kidnap of a regent 

and a traditional ruler and this 

has set tongues wagging. 

Unknown gunmen had stormed 

Akungba Akoko township in 

Ondo State and kidnapping 45 

year old Princess Mojisola 

Omosowon. She did not only 

spend a week in their custody, 

they inflicted injuries on her head. 

Only last week a foremost 

traditional ruler, the Laragunsin 

of Ode-Iyasan community, in 

Irele council area of the state, Oba 

Abiodun Oyewunmi was 

kidnapped by some unknown 

gunmen who invaded his palace 

and whisked him away to an 

unknown destination. 

In the face of heavy and 

sophisticated weapons the guards 

and family members of the Oba 

watched helplessly as he was 

whisked away. Infact one of his 

sons Folarin was present in the 

palace as the ugly scenario played 

itself out. 

The Oba, who was in the 

kidnappers den for six days 

reportedly told some of his 

subjects who welcomed him back 

to the palace after he was rescued 

that he did not sleep for the six 

days he was held hostage. 

Vanguard was told that the 

monarch was made to sit in a 

dark room where he was kept in 

solitary confinement. 

He was quoted to have said that 

loneliness and boredom put him 

on edge but that he kept praying 

to God to deliver him “ from the 

shadow of death.” 

According to a family source, 

who was present at the palace 

when the Oba was narrating his 

ordeal, the Oba said he was 

optimistic that “ the God who 

delivered Daniel was still alive to 

do same for him.” 

He said the Oba confessed that 

when he heard one of the 

kidnappers asking for a N40m 

ransom from his son Folarin, he 

almost fainted because the 

demand was outrageous and an 

impossible task for his family to 

meet. 

It could however not be 

OYO WORKERS VS AJIMOBI: 

Who blinks first? 

confirmed whether the kidnap 

saga had to do with the crisis over 

the stool or not. 

But Vanguard gathered that the 

legal battle over the community 

stool was pending in court. 

Vanguard gathered that four 

persons have been picked up by 

security operatives for the 

This is strange in our 

land for a traditional 

ruler to be abducted 

in his palace, it is 

abomination, ungodly 

and attempt to 

desecrate the revered 

traditional institution 

in Yorubaland 

abduction of the traditional ruler. 

They are presently cooling their 

heels at the state Police 

headquarters. 

IN THIS EDITION 

•Page 28 

My six-day 

ordeal in 

kidnapper's 

den 

— ONDO MONARCH 

How Amosun, Police, 

Navy, others plot 

against militants in 

Ogun 

The kidnappers who came to the 

town through the Owena river 

were alleged to have been armed 

to the teeth hence they operated 

for over 30 minutes unhindered. 

Speaking with Vanguard, the 

Chairman of the council, Sanmi 

Elumaro said the kidnappers 

numbering about ten came into 

the town through the waterways 

and headed to the palace where 

they met the Oba and whisked 

him away to an unknown 

destination. 

He denied that the incident had 

to do with the chieftaincy tussle 

coupled with the legal case that 

trailed the installation of the Oba. 

In his defense, he said “the Oba 

was properly installed by the 

kingmakers and I see no reason 

why anybody should link these 

together. 

3 days after the kidnap of the 

Oba, a ransom of N40million was 

demanded by his captors but the 

family, through his son Folarin, 

offered to pay N500,000 which 

was rejected by the abductors. 

Interestingly, the kidnappers 

requested that recharge cards 

worth N40,000 be sent to them as 

•Page 29 

a prelude to open discussion on 

the release of the Oba with the 

family members. 

They reportedly insisted that 

until the recharge cards were sent, 

they would continue to keep the 

Oba incommunicado from the 

family. 

An unspecified amount of 

recharge cards were sent by the 

family after which the negotiation 

on the ransom commenced. 

It was jubilation galore in the 

community when the Oba was 

rescued by security operatives in 

a Gbelegun village, a riverine 

community in Edo State and he 

joined his subjects who lined the 

street to welcome him back home. 

The rescue security operatives 

include the military, the police 

anti-kidnapping unit and the 

Marine Police. 

Dependable sources said that 

the telephone used by the 

kidnappers to discuss the N40 

million ransom requested for was 

tracked by security operatives. 

Vanguard gathered that with 

the assistance of one of the Oba's 

children, who is a security chief, 

some of those whom the 

abductors called with the same 

mobile telephone was identified 

through a call log. 

One of those identified on the 

call log reportedly confessed and 

told the security operatives where 

the Oba was being kept. 

Unbeknonst to the kidnappers 

who were still expecting the family 

to bring the ransom, the bubble 

had burst when information 

reached them and they bolted 

away before the arrival of the 

security operatives. 

Vanguard could not confirm 

how much was agreed on or 

before the Oba was rescued. 

Speaking on the incident a 

member of the House of 

Representatives from Okitipupa 

/Irele Federal Constituency of 

Ondo state, Hon. Mike 

Omogbehin expressed concern 

over the ugly incident. 

Omogbehin said: “This is 

strange in our land for a 

traditional ruler to be abducted in 

his palace, it is abomination, 

ungodly and attempt to desecrate 

the revered traditional institution 

in Yorubaland, I think all must 

rise against this singular callous 

and anti-people act.” 

Spokesperson for the Ondo 

State Police Command, Femi 

Joseph said no arrest has been 

made by the security operatives 

but assured that the perpetrators 

of the “ abomination would soon 

be rounded up and made to face 

the full wrath of the law”. 

On payment of ransom, the 

Police spokesperson said that no 

ransom was paid before the Oba 

was rescued. 

C 

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OYO STATE 

OYO WORKERS VS AJIMOBI: Who blinks first? 

By Ola Ajayi 

AS the strike embarked upon 

by the Nigeria Labour 

Congress in Oyo State enters 

the seventh month, it seems the 

resolution of the face-off is not 

yet in sight as the other party 

in the feud, Oyo State 

Government has demanded an 

unreserved apology from the 

striking workers. 

The workers are on strike over 

a backlog of unpaid salaries, 

“false” allegations against their 

leaders in court and a 

government policy on alleged 

commercialisation of secondary 

education in the state. 

As at the time that the workers 

embarked on strike, they were 

being owed five-months salary. 

Majority of the workers are 

now at the mercy of their 

neighbours, relatives, religious 

places before they can eat or pay 

school fees of their wards. 

Few weeks ago, the workers 

did not hide their displeasure 

with Governor Abiola Ajimobi 

over his rigid stance on the 

policy and other anti-workers 

policies. 

Though series of meetings 

have been held a view to 

resolving the logjam, 

something concrete is yet to 

come. 

To date, there is nothing to 

show that the workers will bow 

to any threats from the 

government. 

While awaiting a peaceful 

resolution of the crisis, some 

other issues are coming up 

which suggest that both parties 

are not ready for a peaceful 

resolution to the impasse. 

Just a few days ago, the 

Governor through the 

Commissioner for Information, 

Mr. Toye Arulogun directed all 

schools to reopen except for 17 

schools whose pupils destroyed 

government property during a 

violent protest. 

But, the NLC, through its 

leader, Mr. Waheed Olojede 

told the teachers to ignore the 

resumption order. The teachers 

obeyed the NLC. Though, some 

students resumed in their 

schools, they later went back 

home when there were no 

teachers to teach them. 

As all channels towards 

resolution of the crisis are being 

explored, the state government, 

through the Deputy Governor, 

Chief Moses Alake Adeyemo 

said one of the conditions that 

would facilitate peace is formal 

apology from the angry and 

hungry workers. 

Chief Adeyemo said this after 

setting up a thirty-one member 

Education Reform Initiative 

Committee to widen its scope 

of consultations on the 

proposed participatory 

management of public 

secondary schools in the state. 

Some of the workers who 

preferred anonymity told South 

•Oyo NLC protest 

West Voice that they reminded 

the state government that it is 

dealing with collective 

Majority of the 

workers are now at the 

mercy of their 

neighbours, relatives, 

religious places before 

they can eat or pay 

school fees of their 

wards 

Nigerian workers who would 

not bend or be cowed by 

whatever threat. 

They vowed never to kiss the 

dust adding that doing so 

could make the governor do 

By Monsuru Olowoopejo 

more against them. 

The Deputy governor said 

that the enlarged committee 

was meant to accommodate 

more suggestions and models 

in addition to those proposed 

by the state, as well as 

submissions in the memoranda 

received so far from the 

stakeholders. 

He said: “The Education 

Initiative Stakeholders’ Forum 

held on June 7, 2016 resolved, 

amongst other things, to widen 

the scope of consultations to 

accommodate more 

suggestions and models in 

addition to the ones presented 

and discussed. 

“Sequel to this, proposals and 

memoranda have been 

received from members of the 

public on the urgent need for 

the participatory management 

restructuring of the country, 

argued that restructuring the 

country is not the solution to 

the challenges confronting the 

country. 

The protesters who wore 

white T-shirts to denote their 

stand, lamented that the 

challenges confronting the 

country were due to the acts of 

previous public office holders 

who were only concerned about 

themselves and not the masses. 

Speaking on behalf of the 

group under the aegis of Stand 

Up Nigeria, SUN, Mr. 

Oluwafemi Abiona, SUN South 

West cordinator, said “the 

demand for the restructuring is 

a coded way of calling for the 

of public secondary schools in 

Oyo State. 

The composition of the 

committee includes members of 

the Nigeria Labour Congress 

(NLC)/Nigeria Union of 

Teachers (NUT); All Nigerian 

Congress of Principals of 

Public Schools (ANCOPPS); 

National Association of 

Nigerian Students (NANS), 

Market Advisory Council; 

Christian Association of 

Nigeria (CAN); the Muslim 

community and other education 

experts. 

According to him, 

membership of the committee 

also included community 

leaders, private sector 

education practitioners/ 

consultants, traditional rulers, 

relevant state commissioners, 

permanent secretary in the 

Ethnic groups kick against restructuring 

Activities in Lagos were on 

Wednesday halted, as different 

ethnic groups marched on 

Lagos roads protesting against 

the call for the restructuring of 

Nigeria, saying “those behind 

the call wanted the 

disintegration of Nigeria.” 

This came barely days after 

Afenifere Renewal Group, ARG 

and Nobel laureate winner, 

Prof. Wole Soyinka argued that 

the existence of the country is 

negotiable. 

The protesters, who stormed 

the Lagos State House of 

Assembly to express their 

displeasure at the call for the 

disintegration of Nigeria, 

which we believe is not the way 

to go for Nigeria. 

“We have listened and 

watched eminent Nigerians 

hyping restructuring as if it was 

a cure to the challenges 

confronting the nation but they 

have not addressed the issue 

affecting the country’s 

development. 

“The issue affecting Nigeria 

still remain corruption, 

insurgency and insurrection as 

bargaining chips to blackmail 

the present administration. If 

several ethnicities feel 

unfulfilled, it is because their 

leaders were corrupt and 

promote violence against their 

ministry of education, as well 

as the Nigerian Union of 

Journalists. 

The Deputy governor also 

disclosed that the government 

decided to set up a 14-member 

committee sequel to 

intervention by concerned 

parties, including the State 

House of Assembly, aimed at 

ending the logjam. 

He was optimistic that the 

impasse would be resolved in 

a matter of days, while noting 

that the decision of the 

government to reopen the 

schools was without prejudice 

to the workers’ and teachers’ 

strike. 

As it stands now, quick 

resolution of the crisis would 

save hundreds of thousands of 

pupils who are idle at home 

and the economy of the state 

which is comatose. 

own ethnic stocks. 

“The attempt to cover up the 

corruption or justify corrupt 

expenses was the driver for the 

rise and spread of insurgency 

in the previous administration. 

no wonder the crisis 

entreprenuers have found a 

new pass-time in calling for 

restructuring. 

“We are urging Nigerians to 

look beyond the clamour for 

restructuring. we should, for a 

start, assess where we have 

been, where we are and where 

we want to be at any time. This 

assessment is best done under 

a purposeful leadership and 

the Buhari administration has 

it." 

C 

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OGUN STATE 

LAGOS STATE 

When academic prowess 

isn’t enough for exploits 

•UNILAG Bus-admin students training on soft skills 

•Some suspected militants 

How Amosun, Police, 

Navy, others plot against 

militants in Ogun 


EXPECTEDLY, the Ogun 

State Governor, Senator 

Ibikunle Amosun, being the 

security officer in the state 

recently disclosed that he has 

written Save Our Souls letters 

to the Presidency, Chief of 

Naval Staff and other 

stakeholders over the incessant 

invasion of his state by people 

suspected to be militants. 

And so far, no fewer than twenty 

lives have been lost to the 

incident while many people have 

lost their property worth millions 

of naira. 

Those who live in riverine 

areas within the state have 

become jittery following the 

incessant deadly attacks by the 

militants who were said to have 

vowed to ensure they killed 110 

persons in reprisal for the death 

of two of their colleagues . 

Reports have it that, men of 

Special Anti-Robbery Squad 

have invaded the community in 

search of criminals and were 

engaged in gun duel with these 

militants at an hotel leaving two 

of the militants dead. 

But, in a reprisal attack, the 

militants , having made a retreat, 

launched a full blown attack 

on the entire people of Elepete, 

Igbo-Olomu, Imushin and it’s 

environs in Sagamu Local 

Government killing some 

landlords. 

Even, attempts by the Deputy 

governor, Yetunde Onanuga to 

visit the troubled areas was 

resisted as she was blocked while 

her security details which 

comprise police and soldiers 

were engaged in gun duel. 

In a bid to ensure lives and 

property of his people in the state 

are secured, the governor raced 

to Abuja and reported the 

incident with a view to finding 

solutions. 

Concerned about the recent 

attacks of suspected militants in 

parts of the state, Amosun also 

sought the support of the 

Nigerian Navy to halt the acts of 

terror being unleashed on some 

communities by them. 

Governor Amosun made this 

position clear while receiving 

principal officers of the Western 

Naval Command, led by the flag 

officer commanding, Rear 

Admiral Ferguson Bobbai at Oke 

Mosan, Abeokuta. 

Amosun, who acknowledged 

the presence of other security 

agencies in the state, averred that 

there was the need for the Navy 

to also collaborate with the 

existing security outfits 

particularly as the militants had 

been using the creeks to 

perpetrate their nefarious acts 

with a pledge to the government 

to complement the Navy in the 

area of infrastructure. 

In his response, the Flag 

Officer Commanding, Western 

Concerned about the 

recent attacks of 

suspected militants in 

parts of the state, 

Amosun also sought 

the support of the 

Nigerian Navy to halt 

the acts of terror 

being unleashed on 

some communities by 

them 

•Gov Amosun: Talks tough 

Naval Command, Rear Admiral 

Ferguson Bobbai said the 

Nigeria Navy would stamp out 

the rising wave of militant 

activities in some riverine 

communities in Lagos and Ogun 

States, which have resulted in 

wanton killings and destruction 

of properties. 

Bobai, who was in company of 

the Lieutenant Commander of 

Nigerian Navy Secondary 

School, Abeokuta, Ahmed 

Abdullahi, and senior naval 

officers, said the creeks were 

already being combed to make 

them crime-free. 

He said the Navy, in 

conjunction with operatives of 

Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), 

had made some arrests in 

connection with maritime 

criminality. 

He explained that based on 

directive from the Presidency, the 

Navy was ready to assist the two 

state governments in subduing 

daredevil militants and 

eradicating their menace. 

He said, “As a matter of fact, 

you know that there is an 

operation ongoing called 

Operation Awatse. Awatse is a 

Hausa name to say scatter; so we 

hope that in a short while, the 

Operation Awatse would swing 

into intensive operations to 

ensure that all these places are 

cleaned up of militants. 

“Essentially, from the maritime 

front, one of the greatest 

problems we have is in the right 

of way in the water front and 

creeks there. There are natural 

obstacles that will hinder us to 

move from point A to point B and 

the Chief of Naval Staff is very 

much concerned about that." 

By Elizabeth Uwandu 

THE notion that the large 

number of First Class and 2.1 

graduates end up being job 

seekers due to lack of soft skills, 

such as corporate etiquette, dress 

sense, skill development, 

personal branding, and 

presentation and amp; 

communication skills and 

recruitment tips formed the core 

of the two day seminar on soft 

skills development for 

graduating students of the 

University of 

Lagos. 

The seminar 

themed, 

‘’Imparting Soft 

Skills in 

Graduating 

Students of the 

Faculty of 

Business 

Administration, 

University of 

Lagos, Akoka,’’ 

was organised 

by Foundation 

for Leadership 

& a m p ; 

Education 

Development, FLED, in 

collaboration with J. Soji-George 

& amp; Co, JSG and sponsored 

by Esso Exploration and 

Production Nigeria. 

The sessions had First Class 

and 2.1 400 level students of 

Business Administration 

introduced to practical application 

of soft skills by facilitators from 

different professions. 

Expressing optimism that the 

occasion will help them in the 

labour market, Ruth David, a 400 

level, 2.1 student of Business 

Administration said if she had 

attended this kind of seminar, the 

failure she recorded by shutting 

down a million naira Cement 

business would not have 

happened, as she lacked the 

basic communication skills. 

For Jeremiah Ndaowo , a First 

Class student of Insurance and 

Dimuna Tochukwu, also a First 

Class student of Accounting, the 

seminar was timely as it will give 

them the necessary skills needed 

either as employees or as 

employers of labour. 

Speaking on the seminar, Dr 

Olusoji George, Director of JSG, 

EDITOR: 

Adeleke Adeseri 08054682557 (sms only) 

CORRESPONDENTS: 

Dapo Akinrefon 

Lagos 

Ola Ajayi Ibadan 

Gbenga Olarinoye Osogbo 

Dayo Johnson 

Akure 

Daud Olatunji 

Abeokuta 

Olasunkanmi Akoni Lagos 

Rotimi Ojomoyela Ekiti 

Monsuru Olowoepejo 

said: ‘’The seminar is to orient 

graduates going into the labour 

market on dressing, presentation, 

communication skills, corporate 

etiquette that includes dining 

etiquette and emotional 

etiquette.” 

He also noted that courage and 

confidence will stand head and 

shoulders above qualities desired 

by seminar organisers. Adding 

that after the seminar, 95% of the 

participants will get gainful 

employments as their data will 

be with them for the next 18 

months to assist them in getting 

such jobs.” 

On his part, the Director of 

FLED , Mr Joseph Ibekwe, said 

that it is ironic that First Class 

students end up working for the 

so called 2.2, or Third Class 

students. This is because most of 

these best students believed they 

have the best qualification for the 

best jobs out there, but when they 

go to the labour market, they lose 

out to those better at problem 

solving. 

Mr Afolabi Akindele who spoke 

extensively on recruitment tips 

told the graduating students that 

value, promise and personal 

development are key factors that 

play a role in employment. 

According, to Akindele, the 

belief that jobs are not available 

and that the few which are 

available are being gotten the 

based on what people calling 

Nigerian Factor said, although 

that could be applicable in public 

establishments; the private and 

some public sectors do not 

employ people based on Nigeria 

factor, but on the competency 

Factor. 

C 

M 

Y 

K


PDP has disowned Ize-Iyamu — Oshiomhole 

•We are used to his rants — PDP 

By Simon Ebegbulem & 

Gabriel Enogholase 

GOVERNOR 

Adams 

Oshiomhole said yesterday 

that the PDP has already rejected 

Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, who he 

dubbed a factional candidate, 

given what he claimed as the 

“cold shoulder he got from 

Governors and other leaders of 

the party at the flag-off of his 

campaign,” two weeks ago. 

Speaking at a stakeholders’ 

meeting of the APC in Benin City 

the governor said: “the campaign 

of the PDP for the forthcoming 

governorship election in the State 

is dead on arrival.” 

He said the APC is the only 

party that offers hope to Edo 

people, adding “whether you 

PASTOR Osagie Ize-Iyamu, 

yesterday, raised alarm over 

what it described as huge 

disbursement of state funds to 

back the APC governorship 

candidate, Godwin Obaseki. 

In a statement issued by his 

campaign, he said the draining 

of the state’s fund for the 

promotion of a puppet’s 

candidate for September 10 

governor election is coming at a 

time when many local 

government councils are being 

owned 15 to 17 months salaries. 

The organisation said it is more 

alarmed as a result of billions of 

naira the governor disbursed on 

Wednesday to the APC’s 

structures in all 18 local 

government areas for 

procurement of people and 

supporters to the kick-off of APC’s 

governorship campaign on 

Saturday. 

According to the statement, 

‘’We have received a solid 

evidence on Thursday that 

Governor Oshiomhole at a 

stakeholders’ meeting of the All 

•Oshiomhole 

like it or not, the PDP engine is 

dead on arrival. The early 

morning signals are clear. For the 

first time since 1999, a candidate 

was being presented to the 

people of Edo State for the most 

important single job, and the key 

pillars were there fastened to 

their chairs and their tables, none 

of them could stand on their feet 

to say one word. Has the Oracle 

not spoken? 

“Also, the “applicant pastor,” 

said we have our fathers here, 

and he called the fathers and you 

know when a child calls more 

than one father, you know what 

he is! But if you have three 

fathers seated next to each other, 

none of your fathers could stand 

up, take the microphone and 

said, yes you are my son; I 

present you. Did you observe 

that? Has papa not already 

disowned his child? Did Papa 

testify for the child?” 

The meeting was attended by 

key stakeholders of the party 

across the 18 Local Government 

Areas of the state including the 

governorship candidate of the 

party, Mr. Godwin Obaseki with 

his running mate, Hon. Philip 

Shuaibu. 

The PDP in its reaction said the 

IZE-IYAMU TO EFCC: Probe use of state funds for campaign 

By Gabriel Enogholase 

FOR allegedly insulting the 

national chairman of the 

APC, a group within the state 

chapter of the party, the Benin 

Consultative Group (BCG), has 

issued a 14-day ultimatum to the 

state chairman of the party, 

Barrister Anslem Ojezua to 

apologise. 

A communiqué signed by the 

president of the group, Efosa 

Aguebor, after a media briefing 

in Benin on Thursday, the group 

said instead of acting as an 

unbiased umpire, Ojezua 

mobilised his state working 

committee members and used 

the state resources to publicly 

procure the governorship ticket 

for Obaseki. 

Progressive Congress (APC) in 

Benin City, Wednesday, 

disbursed billions of Edo State’s 

fund to all APC leaders in 18 local 

government areas for 

procurement of people to attend 

the APC campaign rally on 

Saturday. 

‘’We are worried because Edo 

State’s fund is being 

uncontrollably disbursed for 

promotion of APC’s candidate at 

a time Adams Oshiomhole is 

saying there is no money to pay 

local government council’s 

By Gabriel Enogholase 

PDP candidate, Pastor Osagie 

Ize-Iyamu, yesterday, 

bombed his main rival, Godwin 

Obaseki saying that he has never 

voted in Edo State and failed in 

attracting a single industry to the 

state as economic czar of the 

outgoing Adams Oshiomhole 

administration. 

Ize-Iyamu, who spoke when he 

workers’ salaries for months.” 

Requesting the Economic and 

Financial Crimes Commission 

(EFCC) and other anti-corruption 

agencies to investigate the use of 

Edo State’s fund to promote a 

private candidate in the coming 

election, the Pastor Ize-Iyamu 

campaign organisation said that 

Oshiomhole has to resort to this 

panicky and sacred measures 

because of the swelling 

opposition the APC and the 

governor are receiving from all 

nooks of the state. 

•Ize-Iyamu 

••Says Obaseki has never voted in Edo State 

met Muslim communities in Edo 

State, also promised that he 

would not disappoint them as 

allegedly done by Governor 

Oshiomhole, who Ize-Iyamu said 

reneged on placing a Muslim as 

the running mate to the APC 

candidate. 

Ize-Iyamu spoke in Ekperi, 

Etsako Central Local Government 

Area of the state when he paid a 

courtesy call on the Igiegbai of 

APC group faults chairman for insulting Oyegun 

The group accused the state 

governor, Adams Oshiomhole, of 

encouraging Ojezua to abuse 

Oyegun because the APC 

national chairman did not 

support the plot hatched by 

Oshiomhole and Ojezua in 

imposing Mr. Godwin Obaseki 

as the APC governorship 

candidate. 

They said Oshiomhole’s 

alleged denigration of Oyegun 

was a continuation of sustained 

abuse of notable Benin sons by 

the governor, listing Chief 

Samuel Ogbemudia, Chief 

Gabriel Igbinedion, and Col. Paul 

Ogbebor (rtd) as some of Benin 

elders, who have been insulted 

by Oshiomhole. 

They said Oshiomhole 

continued his domination of the 

Edo APC by singlehandedly 

nominating his political godson 

and the lawmaker representing 

Etsako Federal Constituency, 

Hon Phillip Shaibu, as running 

mate to Obaseki without 

consulting Chief Oyegun, the 

minister representing Edo State 

in the Federal Executive Council, 

Dr. Osagie Ehanire, and APC 

stakeholders in Edo State. 

“Let it be known that the current 

apathy in Edo South is due to 

Adams Oshiomhole’s foisting 

Obaseki on Edo state as 

governorship candidate, which is 

seen as the actualisation of his 

reported third term agenda to rule 

from Iyamho through a surrogate 

governor.” 

Ekperi Kingdom, Alhaji E.Y.M 

Ikhanoba when his campaign 

train stopped over at his palace. 

He said Etsako Central Local 

Government Area had been 

marginalized by the APC, 

pointing out that the party did 

not give its Senate and House of 

Representatives tickets to the 

council and had picked running 

mate to its governorship 

candidate from another Etsako 

council. 

He said Governor Oshiomhole 

has been going around with an 

APC governorship candidate, 

who has never voted in Edo State 

before and has never voted for 

By Simon Ebegbulem 

THE Edo Forum of Patriots, a 

socio-cultural organization in 

Edo state said yesterday that the 

Forum will evaluate the 

credentials of all the 

governorship candidates being 

pushed forward by various 

political parties in the state ahead 

the September 10 governorship 

election and advised the people 

of the state on who they believe 

will do better than Governor 

Adams Oshiomhole. 

The Forum also announced 

governor has once again 

exposed his desperation and fear 

of Ize-Iyamu. 

In a press statement issued by 

the state publicity secretary, Chris 

Nehikhare, the party said it was 

used to the governor’s antics, 

describing Oshiomhole’s 

remarks as “a feeble attempt to 

boost the morale of his deflated 

APC, 

He said, “As usual, he 

constituted himself into the APC 

stakeholders and soliloquized 

like a heartless and wicked 

father, whose children have 

abandoned in his old age. 

“As we predicted, he now relies 

on oxygen from Abuja and other 

governors to give him legitimacy 

and for survival. We, however, 

ask his oxygen providers to be 

wary as the marketer and the 

marketed have passed their use 

by date. 

“Edo people are desirous to 

change the change that brought 

misery, suffering, hike in fuel and 

food prices, obnoxious taxes and 

levies and worst of all, deceit on 

them and Nigerians. 

My nomination 

was God’s deed 

— Shuaibu 

By Simon Ebegbulem 

MR. Philip Shuaibu, running 

mate to the APC 

governorship candidate, Mr. 

Godwin Obaseki disclosed 

yesterday described his 

emergence on the ticket as the 

handiwork of God just as he 

rebuffed assertions that the 

Etsako ethnic group was being 

favoured to the discrimination of 

other ethnic groups in Edo 

North. 

While expressing gratitude to 

party leaders for picking him, 

Shuaibu rebuffed the claim in 

some quarters that the deputy 

governorship position was not 

supposed to be ceded to Etsako 

since the current senator and 

governor of the state are from the 

areas. 

Speaking to journalists in Benin 

City, Shuaibu said “the office of 

the deputy governor is not one 

that you contest for. It is the 

leaders that take that decision, 

and I was surprised and excited 

that my name featured in their 

mind, and I was selected to be 

the running mate. I pray to God 

that I meet the challenges ahead. 

Edo Forum to screen gov candidates 

plans to floating the Oba Ewuare 

Leadership Award, Ogolo 

Ogbidi Solidarity Award, Emotan 

Award for Trade Excellence, 

Michael Imoudu Public Service 

Award, for deserving Edo sons 

and daughters. 

According to the Chairman of 

the Forum, Aiyamenkhue 

Edokpolo, “the forthcoming 

governorship election which is 

key to the growth of Edo State 

following the massive 

developmental projects 

witnessed so far by the 

Oshiomhole led administration.

VANGUARD, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2016—31 

Send Opinions & Letters to: 

opinions1234@yahoo.com 

Gender does not confer 

leadership 

THE world was agog this week 

with the certainty that the next 

British Prime Minister would be a 

woman. The attainment of that office 

this Wednesday by Theresa 

May who replaced a politicallycrushed 

David Cameron at 10, 

Downing Street, was a mere 

formality as her only rival, Andrea 

Leadsom, was also a woman. As it 

stands, the two most powerful 

people in that country today: 

Prime Minister May and Queen 

Elizabeth, are women. Going 

further afield, perhaps, the two most 

powerful countries in Western 

Europe: Germany with Angela 

Merkel as Chancellor, and Britain, 

are now led by women. Many 

people in the world are also 

expectant that the next President of 

the world’s most powerful country, 

the United States, will be a woman: 

Hillary Clinton. 

I had expected a stiff contest 

between May, favoured by 

what is left of the Cameron group - 

which lost the Brexit referendumand 

Leadsom from the victorious 

arm of Conservative Party which 

won the referendum. It reminded 

me of the stiff rivalry between the 

two powerful women politicians who 

have led Bangladesh for about a 

quarter of a century: Khaleda Zia of 

the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, 

and Sheikh Hasina of the Awami 

League. 

However, Leadstom read the 

mood of her Conservative 

colleagues in the Parliament 

correctly and not wanting to drag 

the party through a potentially 

divisive campaign, conceded. She 

said: “Theresa May carries over 60 

percent of support from the 

parliamentary party, she is ideally 

placed to implement Brexit on the 

best possible terms for the British 

people and she has promised she 

will do so.” 

The emergence of May reminded 

many of the Margaret Hilda 

Thatcher leadership of Britain from 

May 1979 to November 1990. But 

not so many might remember that 

Thatcher, alias Iron Lady, though a 

woman, did not exhibit the sort of 

motherly tenderness and 

understanding some expected 

of a woman. As her ideological soul 

mate, President Ronald Reagan 

described her: “She is the best man 

from England”. 

Dubbed by some as ‘Thatcher the 

milk snatcher’ for stopping free 

milk for school children before she 

became Prime Minister, she was 

pro-rich and anti-social spending; 

pro-privatization and anticommunist, 

pro-monarchism and 

anti-trade unionism; pro-war and 

anti-pacifism; pro-nationalist and 

Despite their 

leaning towards the 

conservative, a shared 

position of 

discouraging 

migration and 

ranking state rights 

over fundamental 

human rig hts, 

Theresa May is likely 

to pursue a markedly 

different agenda from 

Thatcher 

anti-Europe. Intolerant of other 

views, she once said: “I am 

extraordinarily patient, provided I 

get my own way in the end”. 

In espousing her anti-poor ideals, 

she said: “No one would remember 

the Good Samaritan if he’d only had 

good intentions; he had money as 

well.” Backing Apartheid in South 

Africa, providing the Reagan 

administration use of British bases 

to bomb Libya without having 

declared war on that country, the 

warmongering Thatcher famously 

argued that: “A world without 

nuclear weapons would be less 

stable and more dangerous for all 

of us.” 

Finally, her policies such as the 

imposition of poll tax, sack of some 

elected officers for disagreeing with 

her, stopping student tuition 

assistance and evidently, losing 

public support, made her 

Conservative Party to force her 

humiliating resignation. So a 

person’s gender does not 

necessarily provide good or healthy 

leadership. 

Despite their leaning towards 

the conservative, a shared position 

of discouraging migration and 

ranking state rights over 

fundamental human rights, Theresa 

May is likely to pursue a markedly 

different agenda from Thatcher. 

For instance, where the latter had a 

policy of cutting social spending, 

May wants spending on more 

housing. Where Thatcher was antitrade 

unions, the former supports 

corporate governance with workers 

participation. Where Thatcher 

accepted market forces as a religion, 

May does not. For instance, she 

feels that Britain still needs to take 

steps to protect the British people 

interests in Cadbury that was 

bought by the United States Kraft 

company six years ago. 

I am a believer in women rights, 

especially those on equality, but I 

am not taken in by tokenism. For 

instance, my support for Hillary 

Clinton to become the next 

American President, is not because 

she is a woman, but based on the 

fact that she is far better than Donald 

Trump on virtually all matters, 

including the intellect, political 

experience and tolerance. She also 

belongs to the Democrats, which 

in comparison to the Republicans, 

have a more liberal approach to 

world politics and issues like race 

relations, gun control, 

undocumented immigrants, and 

general tolerance of opposing 

beliefs. Additionally, her policies 

may be influenced by her cerebral 

husband, Bill Clinton who has 

compassion for the weak and 

understands world politics. 

While not underestimating the 

importance of more women 

occupying political offices in the 

world, I think what is more 

important is how policies, beliefs, 

practices, and laws that hold women 

down are reversed. These can be 

located in religious practices, social, 

cultural and traditional 

discrimination against women. 

Inheritance laws, lack of equal 

access of the girl-child to education, 

discrimination at work, unequal pay 

with male counterparts and 

discriminatory prize money in 

sports, are other challenges. In 

many parts of the world, women 

have no right over their bodies or 

even who they marry, while 

challenges of teenage pregnancy 

cuts across the universe. 

As Thatcher showed, human 

beings are human beings 

irrespective of gender; what matters 

is the ideas in their heads, their 

political or ideological beliefs and 

the interests they serve. 

Interestingly, my Woman of the 

Season is not Theresa May, but the 

virtually unknown African American 

lady, Lesha Evans. The 35-year old 

mother of a five-year old boy 

turned up for a protest in Baton 

Rouge, Louisiana, against the 

continuous insane murder of 

Blackmen by American police. 

Cladded in a flowing gown elegant 

enough for an Oscar Award, she 

stood alone, firmly and resolutely 

on the highway while all others fled 

with the approach of a wellequipped 

formation of anti-riot 

policemen. When the police got to 

her, she held out her arms for the 

mandatory handcuff; she preferred 

to be profiled and fined or jailed, 

than to back down. At that point, 

she held the moral ground against 

the American establishment. For 

her, there was no retreat. Later she 

was quoted as saying she stood her 

ground because she wanted to 

look her son in the eye, and say, 

she fought for his freedom and 

rights. 

Dangers of Executive take over of NASS 

By Mustapha Yakubu 

IT has become necessary for all lovers of 

democracy and haters of autocracy to 

beam their searchlight on the unfolding events 

at the National Assembly, particularly the Senate. 

Even before the inauguration of the Eight 

Senate, controversy had been thick in the air 

and there was plenty of jockeying for power, 

supremacy, and control of the leadership of 

the Senate. It is not a secret that the powersthat-be 

prepared particular candidates to 

emerge as leaders of the Senate and the House 

of Representatives, but failed woefully in their 

unholy and clandestine bid to pocket the 

legislature. And there has been no respite for 

the Senate and its leadership ever since, as it 

has been one allegation of criminal offence 

or the other and dragging about of Senate 

leadership from one court to the other. 

As a democratic state, implicit in the existence 

of the three arms of government is the 

doctrine of separation of powers and the principle 

of checks and balances, which are particularly 

key in a presidential system of 

government. The idea of separation of powers 

is aimed essentially at guarding against 

absolute power that comes with the fusion of 

the enormous powers of state in a few hands. 

Fashioned out by great thinkers and activists 

of the 18th and 19th centuries, particularly 

Jean Montesquieu and A.V. Dicey, the principal 

aim of the concept of separation of powers 

is to ensure the smooth sail of democracy and 

to scuttle impunity by those in government. 

By this principle, each branch of government 

is independent of the other, though they cooperate. 

Allied to this concept, is the principle of 

checks and balances, whereby each organ of 

government acts as a check on the other 

without interfering with its internal affairs. 

That way, dictatorship is kept at bay. 

I have taken the pain to elucidate on these 

principles to show the complete threat to democracy 

and the gradual descent to the cesspit 

of anarchy, which the ceaseless interference 

of the executive in the affairs of the Senate 

portends. 

Despite the laborious efforts by the executive 

to deny the incessant efforts to pass off the 

presiding officers of the Senate as common 

felons, it should be clear to them by now that 

they can no longer take Nigerians for fools. 

The harassment, intimidation, and 

campaign of calumny, steadily waged against 

some principal officers of the Senate since their 

emergence to the outrage of the powers-thatbe 

can no longer be hidden. 

If some patriotic Nigerians gave the ruling 

civilian junta some benefit of doubt when it 

sent the Senate President to be tried by a clearly 

partisan Chairman of the Code of Conduct 

Tribunal, who himself was facing corruption 

allegation before the EFCC, those doubts have 

since evaporated following the arraignment 

of the presiding officers of the Senate alongside 

one retired and a serving, bureaucrat on 

trumped-up forgery charges at the High Court 

of the Federal Capital Territory. 

Indeed, this desperation to flush out the Senate’s 

presiding officers by hook or crook was 

made clearer to doubting Thomases by the 

recent ruling of Justice Gabriel Kolawole of 

the Federal High Court, Abuja, who described 

the criminal charges as “a gross abuse of legal 

process”. 

Instead of preventing the abuse that arose 

in filing criminal charges despite a pending 

suit challenging the police report, which the 

criminal charges rest upon, Justice Kolawole 

rightly pointed out that: “The converse 

situation, which the drafters of the 

Constitution, perhaps never envisaged, 

appears to have occurred in this case as the 

2nd defendant (Attorney-General) who is 

required, by section 174(3) of the constitution, 

to ‘discontinue at any stage before judgment 

is delivered, any such criminal proceedings 

instituted or undertaken by him or any other 

Lovers of democracy 

should be worried that the 

legislature, whose existence 

symbolises the existence of 

democracy, is in grave 

danger 

authority or person’ where such proceedings 

constitute ‘abuse of legal process’, is in fact 

the very person who initiated a criminal 

proceedings in a matter in which he had, as a 

private legal practitioner, acted for one of the 

‘interested’ senators who had petitioned the 

1st defendant (Police) on 30/6/15". He also 

averred that the desperation to arraign the 

men does not portray the AGF as acting in 

public interest. 

Lovers of democracy should, therefore, be 

worried that the arm of government 

(legislature), whose existence symbolises the 

existence of democracy, and which our 

constitution has vested with critical 

responsibilities is in grave danger. Even if we 

do not like the face of some people who populate 

the National Assembly, we cannot afford 

to be so blindfolded to its constitutional 

role as a check against absolute power, which 

corrupts absolutely. 

The NASS is the only institution where the 

President comes to bow at least once in a year. 

The 1999 Constitution confers on NASS the 

powers to make laws for the good governance 

of Nigeria; powers to oversight the other arms 

of government and their agencies; powers to 

approve certain appointments like ministers, 

ambassadors, heads and members of statutory 

commissions, and certain judicial appointments 

like Supreme Court and Chief Justice 

of Nigeria, etc; and above all the powers to 

approve how the nation’s wealth is spent 

through the Appropriation Act. 

I will just cite two events that clearly portray 

the dangers of making the National Assembly 

an executive lapdog. One was the monumental 

rip-off discovered in the implementation of 

the Treasury Single Account, TSA. In fact, 

media reports had it that the ruling party 

brought every trick in the book to ensure that 

Senator Dina Melaye’s motion that blew the 

whole thing open was not taken. The Order 

Paper was not produced just to truncate Senate 

plenary. Some of the executive foot soldiers 

in the Senate even walked out on the 

pretext that they did not want Ekweremadu to 

preside. But when the fraud was eventually 

unveiled at plenary, Nigerians saw the real 

reason they wanted to scuttle the Senate plenary 

on that day. 

Furthermore, in the wake of the discovery 

by the Senate that the list of 47 ambassadorial 

nominees transmitted to the Senate by the 

President for confirmation left some states, 

including the oil-producing State of Bayelsa, 

without a single slot, while some states got up 

three slots in clear breach of Section 14 of the 

1999 Constitution, the Senate summoned the 

SGF, Lawal Babachir and Minister of Foreign 

Affairs, Geoffrey Onyema, to come and make 

some clarifications before it could proceed 

with their confirmation. But the SGF wondered 

why the Senate should go as far as summoning 

him and the Minister, as it was something that 

could be sorted out on the phone. 

Now, when we add such executive mindset 

to Babachir’s recent suggestion that the Senate’s 

presiding officers should emulate Salisu 

Buhari, who resigned after he was accused of 

certificate forgery (a case ironically closer to 

President Buhari’s certificate saga than Senate 

Rules saga), one can conveniently come to 

the logical conclusion that the whole forgery 

brouhaha is designed to embarrass and force 

the Senate leadership to resign, failing which 

they would be locked out to enable a coup 

that would help the presidency install stooges 

they can dictate to by phone. 

Mr Mustapha, a political analyst, wrote 

from Jos 

C 

M 

Y 

K

32 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2016 

2.5m Nigerian children were suffering from 

acute malnutrition — UNICEF 

By Peter Duru, Chioma 

Obinna & Victoria Ojeme 

MAKURDI—THE United 

Nations Children’s Fund, 

UNICEF, yesterday claimed over 

2.5 million Nigerian children were 

suffering from Severe Acute 

Malnutrition, SAM, warning that 

20 percent of the number could die 

if urgent steps were not taken 

address the issue. 

Chief of Communications 

UNICEF, Doune Porter, who 

disclosed this at a two day media 

dialogue on Child Nutrition with 

the theme, “Good Nutrition- An 

Investment for the Future”, said 

the development was a serious 

issue that required the attention 

of both government and all 

stakeholders in the health sector. 

Porter noted that “Malnutrition 

has become a public health 

emergency in Nigeria”, saying 

statistics showed that one out of 

five children were malnourished 

and two out of three in Nigeria 

were not being giving the right 

food. 

According to her, the problem 

was not restricted to the north 

eastern part of the country where 

activities of insurgents were 

prevalent but a major challenge 

in all parts of Nigeria. 

Porter who regretted that the 

world body could not reach all 

Nigerian children in its 

intervention efforts “Nigeria is 

quite a huge country that requires 

many hands on deck to address 

the nutrition challenges in parts 

of the country. Nigeria 

government should invest in 

more in children nutrition. 

UNICEF cannot be in every part 

of the country all the time but 

through small intervention we 

can make a good effect on how 

to tackle malnutrition through 

evidence based approach. That 

is the more reason why 

governments at all levels must 

invests more in preventing cases 

of malnutrition in children 

because today over 2.5million 

Nigerian children are down with 

Tension in Adamawa as herdsmen attack claims six lives 

By Umar Yusuf 

Y OLA—FOLLOWING 

reported attack by Fulani 

herdsmen resulting in the death 

of six persons in Tambor Jumor 

EXMAN holds 3rd AGM, to launch 

ECBA program 

A 

B U J A — T H E 

Experiential 

Marketers Association of 

Nigeria, EXMAN, an umbrella 

body of all experiential and 

activation agencies in Nigeria, 

says it will commence its 

certified Brand Ambassadors 

Program, ECBAP, as it holds 

third annual general meeting 

AGM in Abuja, the nation’s 

capital. 

The program is an initiative 

designed to re-organise the 

operating structure of the 

activation industry by establishing 

a central register of Field activation 

personnel across the country, 

while also offering on-line and 

distance learning as well as all 

year round group life and 

personal accident cover to brand 

ambassadors recruited by any of 

EXMAN’s member agencies. 

Severe Acute Malnutrition, SAM 

which is actually a huge number.” 

She solicited for the cooperation 

of the media in tackling the 

situation which she noted was a 

major health challenge and one 

of the leading causes of infants’ 

mortality in the country. 

Earlie, Minister of Information, 

Alhaji Lai Mohammed, 

represented by Rose Madu, the 

Head, Child Rights Information 

Bureau in the Ministry, pointed 

out that the role of the media was 

critical to the success of the 

campaign against malnutrition in 

the country. 

Also speaking, a Nutrition 

Advocacy Specialist from 

UNICEF, Dr Zacharia Fusheini, 

explained that child malnutrition 

could be prevented within 1,000 

days of a child’s life. 

He said a total of $61 dollars 

was required treat a child with 

severe malnutrition under the 

UNICEF Community- based 

Management of Acute 

Malnutrition, CMAM, stressing 

that “Without this treatment is 

likely that the child will die. 

Spending $61 dollars to save a 

child’s life is cost effective.” 

SEMINAR: From left; Executive Director, Investments, Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers 

Ltd, Mr. Oladele Sotubo; Secretary, Independent National Electoral Commission, Barr. 

Augusta Ogakwu; Head, Business Development, Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers Ltd, Mrs. 

Nike Bajomo and Deputy Director, FCT Administration, Mr. Benji Oteri during a preretirement 

seminar organized by Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers Limited in Abuja yesterday. 

community of Girei Local 

Government Area, penultimate 

Wednesday, palpable fear of 

further attacks by herdsmen 

now pervades Adamawa State. 

According to report, the 

While also instilling better 

behaviour, discipline and 

professionalism within the 

experiential marketing 

industry 

The theme of this year’s 

meeting ‘Building Nigeria 

through meaningful 

experiences; the role of the 

experiential Marketing 

Industry in building brand 

Nigeria.’ 

Announcing this, Dr Rotimi 

Olaniyan President of 

EXMAN, explained that this 

year’s AGM was moved to 

Abuja to enable the association 

establish a presence within 

government circles as well as 

showcase the significant 

contributions that the industry 

sector was able to make in the 

area of community and citizens 

engagement on behalf of policy 

makers and implementors in 

the public sector. 

suspected herdsmen invaded the 

villages in the wee hours of 

Wednesday killing six persons, 

while many others were injured. 

Though the remains of three 

of the victims had been 

recovered, the other three were 

still missing at the time of this 

report. 

Villagers from the 

communities, predominantly 

Bahamas and Batas, have 

protested frequent attacks by 

suspected herdsmen and called 

for urgent intervention by 

government and security 

agencies. 

The protesting villagers took the 

three recovered dead bodies to 

the palace of the District Head of 

Girei, Dr Ahmed Ibrahim 

chanting war songs. 

Led by the village head of 

Tambor Jumor, Idris Hamidu, the 

protesters told the district head 

that enough was enough, 

threatening not to tolerate any 

more atrocities and carnage from 

the invading herdsmen. 

They said all the neigbouring 

communities were being 

mobilized to contain the invading 

herdsmen, who they claimed had 

invaded communities in the area 

more than four times this year. 

The protesting communities 

also marched to the Adamawa 

State Police Command 

Headquarters to complain. 

At the police headquaters, a 

spokesman for the communities, 

Mr Christopher Jalo said the 

herdsmen had pushed the 

communities to the wall and the 

only option left was to defend their 

communities and people against 

the herdsmen invasion. 

Receiving the protesters, 

Adamawa Police image maker, 

Othman Abubakar promised that 

the command in conjunction with 

other security agencies would 

ensure peace returned to the area. 

FG to train IDPs, 

civilian JTF 

By Suzan Edeh 

BAUCHI—THE Federal 

Government, yesterday 

said the Skills acquisition and 

training centres in Bauchi 

State, would soon be used for 

the training of Civilian Joint 

Task Force, JTF and Internally 

Displaced Persons in the 

northeast sub-region. 

The government spoke 

through the Minister of Labour 

and Employment, Chris Ngige 

during the 12th graduation 

ceremony of trainees at the 

skills acquisition and training 

center at the Federal Ministry 

of Labour and Employment in 

Bauchi. 

Represented by the Director 

Skills Development and 

Certification of the Federal 

Ministry of Labour and 

Employment, Ibrahim Jibuya, 

the minister challenged 

graduates of higher 

institutions in the country to be 

self-reliant and employers of 

labour, saying the era of white 

collar jobs were gone. He said: 

“My ministry's renewed 

commitment to skills 

upgrading and development 

stems from the realization that 

if Nigerians are going to find 

and keep decent jobs, there 

need for improved access to 

modern technology, increased 

utilization of machines and 

vast knowledge in the use of 

technological equipment. For 

this reason, the ministry has 

established skill acquisition 

and training seven centres in 

Warri, Lafia, Calabar, Lagos, 

Kaduna, Enugu, adding that 

more relevant vocational trades 

will be included in the training 

and syllables of the ministry.” 

The minister lamented the 

shortage of technical instructors 

in all the centres, saying efforts 

were on to address the 

challenge along with other 

pressing needs of the centres. 

Earlier, the principal of the 

Skills acquisition centre, Mr. 

Gbokiss Jatau, said from 2009 

to date, the centre had trained 

4,186 artisans that were 

outstanding in various fields 

and established entrepreneurs 

who were employers of labour. 

‘NCC generates over N1. 4trn to 

national coffers in 3 months' 

By Abdulsalam 

Muhammad 

K ANO—NIGERIAN 

Communication 

Commission, NCC, has 

generated over N1.4 trillion to the 

national treasury in the first 

quarter of 2016. 

Executive Vice Chairman of the 

commission, Professor Umar 

Garba Dambatta, who disclosed 

this in Kano, during a courtesy 

call on Governor Abdullahi Umar 

Ganduje of Kano State, said the 

feat was part of its contribution to 

the nation’s Gross Domestic 

Product, GDP. 

Dambatta 

said 

telecommunications and ICT 

contributed more than 10 percent 

to the GDP, saying private sector 

investment in the sector had 

grown to $60bilion over the past 

15 years. 

Dambatta said: “Today, more 

than 78 million people in Nigeria 

have access to internet and we 

are all witnesses to the level of 

growth of the use and application 

of the social media and Internetrelated 

products and services.''


BOOK LAUNCH: Mr. Olaseni Matthew Gansallo, launching his book titled, 

World of Careers A-Z at his College, A2 MC Ade Akodu Memorial College, 

Surulere Lagos. 

From left: Miss Tiy Owolawi, Mrs. Owolawi, Proprietor, Day By Day Montessori 

School, Pastor Chuks Nduka, Breach Repairers, Olaseni Gansallo, author of the 

book and Director, A2 MC, Ade Akodu Memorial College, Sululere, Lagos, Abiola 

Salami, author and representative of Chief Alex Duduyemi, special guest of honour 

at the lecture and book launch, Prof. Owolawi, Professor of Audiology, and Mr. John 

Elohor, Proprietor, Metricon Lounge and Restaurant, Surulere, at the event. 

OPOROZA 10: Release our children, 

Gbaramatu women tell FG 

By Emma Amaize, 

Egufe Yafugborhi, 

Akpokona Omafuire & 

Perez Brisibe 

WARRI—WOMEN 

of 

Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri 

South West Local Government 

Area, Delta State, have carried 

out a peaceful protest in Warri, 

calling for the release of the 

10 students arrested and 

detained over 47 days ago by 

soldiers, when they invaded 

Oporoza on grounds that they 

were militants. 

The women joined by the 

National Association of 

Gbaramatu Students, NAGS, 

gave the Federal Government 

a one- week ultimatum to 

release the students, 

threatening to march on the 

Presidency in Abuja if the 

students were not released. 

The protest came as the Ijaw 

People Development Initiative, 

IPDI and Ijaw Human Rights 

Monitor, IHRM, decried the 

continued detention of the 

students without trial. 

Placard-carrying Gbaramatu 

women led by Chief Vero 

Tangnowei chanted solidarity 

songs, calling for the release 

of the students. 

Some of the placards read, 

“ This is pure oppression, stop 

labeling them as members of 

NDA,” “This is wickedness 

taken too far,” “This is nothing 

but high level impunity,” “46 

days on nowhere to be found,” 

“Mr. President, free our sons 

now,” “Free our sons”, “ Mr. 

President, where are my 

brothers,” “ We need them 

back in school,” among others. 

The protesters accused the 

military of arresting, framing 

and taking the 10 students into 

custody under the guise of 

being militants for over one 

and half months. 

Tangbowei stated that the 

Gbaramatu Kingdom has no 

knowledge of the 

whereabouts of the 10 

students, adding: “Let me 

take this medium to tell 

APC chieftain slams Okowa on 

performance 

By Tare Youdeowei 

LAGOS—A chieftain of All 

Progressives Congress, 

APC, in Delta North, Chief 

Hyacinth Enuha, has 

expressed disappointment 

with Governor Ifeanyi 

Okowa in the areas of 

infrastructure development 

and provision of basic 

amenities. 

Enuha, who spoke to 

journalists in Lagos, said 

Governor Okowa’s 

performance was below 


ASABA—THE Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP in 

Ughelli North Local 

Government Area, Delta 

State, has passed a vote of 

confidence on the state 

Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa 

and the Secretary to the State 

Government, SSG, Mr Festus 

Agas. 

Declaring their total support 

for Okowa, they insisted that 

he has performed creditably 

Buhari and his group that we 

are giving them only one 

week to bring back our 

children , if they do not want 

to bring our children, as their 

mothers, we will march to 

Abuja so that he can kill all 

of us.” 

She denied the claim that 

expectations, especially 

against the background that 

Anioma people were known 

for their integrity, dedication 

and performance in public 

service. 

The APC leader, however, 

commended Deltans for 

their understanding and 

patience, saying that civil 

servants “have been 

deliberately punished for a 

sin they did not commit and 

many are suffering in the 

midst of plenty.” 

He assured Deltans that if 

the party was elected into 

power in 2019, it will correct 

the ills of the current 

administration, adding 

“The troubled days will be 

over. I have been in close 

touch with other leaders of 

the party in Delta North, 

such as D.I.G. Ugbaja (retd) 

and with the entrance of Mr. 

Victor Ochei, the fortunes of 

the party have been boosted 

and Delta APC is now a 

bigger, more fortified and 

united family.” 

....As Ughelli North PDP passes confidence 

vote on Gov, SSG 

well and urged the people of 

the state to always support 

his government. 

Speaking while swearing-in 

members of the PDP’s newly 

elected ward chairmen in the 

council, the party’s 

Chairman, Mr. Lawrence 

Agbatutu said the governor’s 

performance was 

unprecedented, particularly 

in the implementation of his 

SMART agenda. 

He promised to consult 

the 10 arrested students 

were members of Niger 

Delta Avengers, saying that 

they were students of 

Gbaramatu Grammar School, 

Oporoza as well as stewards 

to the Gbaramatu Traditional 

Council. 

with the leaders of the party 

in the area on the need to set 

up a reconciliation committee 

to assuage aggrieved 

members, charging party 

faithful to work relentlessly 

to build on the successes of 

the party in the area and the 

state at large. 

In his remarks, the Secretary 

to the State Government, Chief 

Agas, described the decision of 

the party council chairman to set 

up a committee to reconcile all 

aggrieved persons in the party 

as a right step. 

Grazing 

Reserves 

Bill, dead 

on arrival, 

says cleric 

By Ochuko Akuopha 

OLEH—PRESIDENT of 

God’s Fountain of Life 

Bible Mission, International 

Incorporated, Bishop Sam 

Oyede, has said that the 

Grazing Reserves Bill 

presently before the 

National Assembly, was 

dead on arrival. 

He said that the nature of 

the bill and the controversy 

trailing it would make it 

difficult for it to sail through 

in the two chambers of the 

National Assembly. 

Fielding questions from 

newsmen at Oleh, Isoko 

South Local Government 

Area of Delta State, Oyede, 

argued that if the Federal 

Government considers it 

necessary to provide land 

for Fulani herdsmen to 

graze their cattle in any part 

of the country, it should also 

think of providing land for 

crop farmers in the South- 

South, South-West and 

South-East geo-political 

zones to make up for the 

land they would have lost 

to the herdsmen through 

the Grazing Reserves. 

The cleric called for the building 

of ranches by livestock farmers 

and dealers in the country as the 

panacea to the problem of Fulani 

herdsmen menace in some parts 

of the country. 

He pointed out that in countries 

such as Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, 

Argentina, Indonesia, Thailand, 

Holland, Denmark, Britain and the 

United States of America, ranches 

were built where cattle are healthily 

bred.


NASU laments 

deplorable 

state of 

libraries 

By Elizabeth 

Uwandu 

BENIN CITY—THE 

Non-academic Staff 

Union of Educational and 

Associated Institutions has 

raised alarm over what it 

described as the deplorable 

condition of public libraries 

in the 36 states of the 

country. 

The union declared this 

at its 2016 1st Regular 

Meeting of WAEC/ 

Libraries and other Trade 

Group Council, in Benin 

City, pointing out that 

government libraries 

across the 36 states of the 

federation have continued 

to grapple with dilapidated 

structures, obsolete books 

and equipment due to 

years of neglect. 

Speaking at the occasion, 

the Deputy National 

President of NASU, Mr. 

Michael Adegoke, stressed 

that the current trend may 

lead to a “total collapse” of 

library system in Nigeria. 

He, therefore, called for 

proper funding by all tiers 

of government, including 

the intervention of the 

Tertiary Education Trust 

Fund, for the running of 

these libraries. 

Melaye: Apologise now or… —Group 

By Starrys Obazei 

COALITION OF Civil 

Societies and Media 

Executives for Good Governance, 

COCMEGG, has condemned 

Senator Dino Melaye for 

disparaging and casting 

aspersions on a woman of 

substance and beacon of hope to 

the womenfolk across Africa, 

Senator Oluremi Tinubu. The 

group called for an unreserved 

apology immediately. 

Tax suit against Gov Ikpeazu: Nwosu files 

notice of appeal 

By Ugochukwu Alaribe 

ABA—ONE of the Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP, 

governorship aspirants in Abia 

State, in the December 8, 2014 

primaries, Mr. Friday Nwosu, has 

filed a notice of appeal over the 

judgment of the Federal High 

Court, Owerri, which dismissed 

his suit against Gov. Okezie 

Ikpeazu. 

Nwosu had accused Ikpeazu 

of submitting a forged tax 

certificate and declaring false 

information to the PDP and 

INEC. However, the Federal 

High Court, Owerri, presided 

over by Justice Lewis Allagoa, 

on July 8, ruled that Nwosu 

failed to prove a tax forgery case 

against Ikpeazu and dismissed 

the suit. 

In a notice of appeal on Suit 

that Senator Dino had resorted to 

maligning the constituted 

authority on whose platform he 

rose to become a senator. 

Threatening action against this 

parliamentary thuggery, the group 

said: “We therefore condemn this 

despicable un-parliamentary 

behaviour in its entirety and 

demand an unreserved apology 

on the floor of the Senate, failure 

of which, we will be forced to 

mobilize and commence recall 

proceedings against him." 

PEOPLE SPEAK 

no. FHC/OW/CS/191/2015, FHC/ 

UM/CS/64/2015, FHC/CS/184/ 

2015, filed at the Federal High 

Court, Owerri, between Sir Friday 

Nwosu(appellant) and PDP, 

INEC, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu and Dr. 

Uchechukwu Ogah, as 

respondents, Nwosu sought 7 

reliefs: “ An order setting aside the 

judgment and decision of the 

Court delivered on July 8,2016. 

An order granting the appellant 

Kukah, Nwosu, Chimamanda call for Obi’s model in education 

THE CATHOLIC Bishop 

of Sokoto, Most Rev. Dr. 

Matthew Hassan Kukah has 

called on the Nigerian 

Government at all levels to 

emulate what he called “Peter 

Obi education model.” He said 

that education in Anambra State 

was at its lowest ebb, but with 

the return of schools to the 

Church, which Obi backed up 

with adequate funding, the 

state was now doing well. 

The former Minister of Health, 

Prof ABC Nwosu agreed with 

him. Delivering the Prof. Eni 

necessary consequential order 

including an order for the plaintiff 

to be returned as the duly elected 

governor of Abia State and an 

order granting the reliefs sought 

by the appellant in the originating 

summons.” 

Others include; an order 

directing INEC to withdraw the 

Certificate of Return issued the 3rd 

respondent (Dr.Okezie Ikpeazu) 

as the elected Governor of Abia 

State by virtue of the April 2015 

governorship election held in Abia 

State, an order directing the 2nd 

respondent (INEC) to issue a fresh 

Certificate of Return to the plaintiff 

as the elected governor of Abia 

State and an order allowing the 

appeal, among others. 

He also outlined 26 grounds of 

appeal and particulars of error on 

which the court occasioned a 

miscarriage of justice. According 

to him, “The trial Judge erred in 

law when he held that the plaintiff 

did not prove a tax forgery case 

against the 3rd defendant, even 

when information on the face of 

the document speaks for 

themselves". 

'Why China won't accept award by tribunal in South China' 

CHINA HAS rejected an 

award by the Arbitral 

Tribunal in the South China Sea 

Arbitration, an award that 

caused strong indignation and 

resentment from Chinese 

Viewing Melaye’s utterances as 

un-parliamentary, and 

ungentlemanly, the president of 

the group, Kenneth Aigbegbele 

and the secretary, James 

Okoronkwo, in a statement, said 

Melaye is “a huge 

disappointment to his 

constituency, the Senate and the 

Nigeria’s democracy. 

“Dino Melaye is a huge 

disappointment to his 

constituency, the Senate and the 

Nigeria’s democracy. It is 

unfortunate and reprehensible 

Njoku Memorial lecture at The 

University of Nigeria, Nsukka, 

Prof. Nwosu said that the worst 

thing that happened to 

education in the South-East 

was the takeover of schools by 

the government, while the 

greatest thing that happened 

to education in Anambra State 

was the return of schools by the 

former Governor of Anambra 

State, Mr. Peter Obi to the 

Church. 

Advising that the Obi model 

be replicated in other states, he 

said it was particularly 

people and government. 

A statement from the 

Consular General of People’s 

Republic of China, Chao 

Xiaoliang 

in Lagos, said the award is 

commendable that beyond the 

hand-over, “he provided the 

schools with buses, computers, 

Internet connectivity, 

generators, among others.” 

The Anambra born awardwinning 

author, Chimamanda 

Adichie echoed the same 

sentiments when, during the 

workshop's closing ceremony on 

creative writing at the Oriental 

Hotel, Lagos, commended Mr. 

Peter Obi for elevating the fortunes 

of Anambra State through 

improvement in education. 

null and void and has no binding 

force. 

“China’s territorial sovereignty 

and maritime rights and interest 

in the South China Sea shall 

under no circumstances be 

affected by the award. China 

opposes and will never accept 

any claim or action based on 

the award,” he said. 

Proferring reasons for the 

country’s position, the Consular 

General of Chinese Embassy, 

Chao Xiaoliang said: “The 

activities of the Chinese people 

in the South China Sea dates 

back to over 2,000 years ago. 

China is the first to have 

discovered, named, explored 

and exploited Nanhai Zhudao 

and relevant waters, and the first 

to have exercised sovereignty 

and jurisdiction over them 

continuously, peacefully and 

effectively and thus 

establishing territorial 

sovereignty and relevant rights 

and interests in the South China 

Sea. 

“But following the end of the 

Second World War, China 

recovered and resumed the 

exercise of sovereignty over 

Nanhai Zhudao which had been 

illegally occupied by Japan 

during its war of aggression 

against China. 

“Territorial issues are not subject 

to the United Nations 

Conventions on the Law of the 

Sea, UNCLOS and the issue of 

maritime delimitation has been 

excluded from the application of 

the UNCLOS dispute settlement 

procedures. 

By Bartholomew Madukwe 

(08051019450) 

nwamad@yahoo.com 

C 

M 

Y 

K 

Nigeria is a country 

without proper implementation 

of unity in diversity, 

which should reflect in 

the constitution. We need a 

constitution that gives power 

back to the people and 

not to power grabbers. -Mr. 

Chinedu Chinweoda, 

NYSC Member 

On FG’s non-negotiation with Avengers 

Who owns the oil? Is it 

Niger Delta people 

alone or the entire people 

of Nigeria? What about 

13% derivation, or more, out 

of total money being realized 

from the nation’s sale 

of crude oil before every 

other state gets its own? - 

Mrs. Morayo Simeon, 

Trader 

Nigeria can do without 

oil. There are many 

nations on planet without 

oil and most of them are 

more developed than Nigeria. 

Oil has bequeathed laziness 

on Nigerians, so our 

leaders have lost the abilities 

to think properly. -Mr. 

Ben Onyekachi, Businessman 

Those that drafted the 

1979 Constitution that 

was re-copied and called 

1999 Constitution sank the 

nation further into the 

ocean of uncertainties 

when they handed 52 percent 

of our national wealth 

to the Federal government. 

-Miss Ilokoli Augusta, 

Graduate 

This is just a view I hold 

on this NDA and FG’s 

brouhaha, it is simple. In 

times past, the governments 

had negotiated 

with militants in the Niger 

Delta, even to the 

point of giving them contracts 

that ran into huge 

amounts. -Mr. Ismaila 

Aremu, Worker 

The Federal Government 

should apply 

carrot and stick approach. 

Yes, there 

should be negotiation, 

but there should be punishment 

as well because 

the law is no respecter 

of anybody. -Miss Anne 

Kelechi, NYSC member


GUARDS: Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Senior Special Adviser to the 

President on Foreign Affairs and the Diaspora (middle); Commander, Guards 

Brigade, Brigadier General Musa Yusuf (to her right) and others, during the 

maiden edition of The Brigade of Guards short talk competition for female 

soldiers in Abuja. 

DIAMOND PROMO: From left—Head, Consumer Banking 

Diamond Bank Plc, Aishah Ahmed; winner of Diamond Xtra promo, Mrs 

Binta Joy Ogun; Col Ibikunle Ajose and Head, Mass Market Segment, 

Diamond Bank Plc, Osita Ede, at the mid-year draw for Diamond Bank Saving 

Xtra at Ikeja Cantonment, Lagos. PHOTO: Akeem Salau. 

PEPSI: From left— Account Director, Insight 

Communications, Jones Bassey; Head, Marketing, 

Norden Thurston, and Brand Manager, Segun 

Ogunleye, both of Seven-Up Bottling Company Plc, 

displaying the OAAN’s Overall Grand Poster 

Award won by Pepsi Long Throat campaign. 

The Edus celebrate their own…. 

Story and pictures by Akinwunmi Ibrahim 

Friends and families gathered at the 

weekend for a memorial 

in honour of late Chief Babatunde 

Edu, who died in Accra, Ghana at the age 

of 76. 

NAS' CHARITY: From left— Pastor Evelyn 

Omigie; Pastor Solomon Folorunsho; Officer in 

Charge of National Association of Seadogs, NAS, 

medical, Dr. Joseph Oteri; Prince Omoregbe 

Erediauwa; Idawo Azeg and Egele Sani Osigwe, 

during the donation of drugs, medicaments and 

food by NAS to the internally displaced persons' 

camp in Benin as part of activities to mark its 2016 

National Games in Benin. 

Late Chief Babatunde Edu was a politician 

of repute during his days in the polity. He 

was the first Chairman of Nigerian Peoples 

Party (NPP) in Lagos State. He doubled 

as the leader of the same party and a 

gubernatorial candidate of the party in 

1992. Rites of passage started with a wake 

keep service on Wednesday, 23 rd of June 

at his residence in Accra, Ghana. A funeral 

service followed the next day at All Saints 

Church. His remains were cremated in 

Lashibi Funeral Home, Nungua-Lashibi- 

MUSIC: From left— R'nB singer, Adewale 

Minjin Lawanson; CEO, Swaga Records, Frank Big 

Mic Jerome, and Maliz, at the signing of Minjin 

to the record label. 

Ashiaman Road, Accra, Ghana. On 

Sunday, a reception took place at Yetunde’s 

Apartments in Parkview Estate, Ikoyi, 

Lagos. 

Chief Edu is survived by his wives — 

Turrie, Nwando, Jennifer, seven children 

and three grand-children. 

Former 

Minister of 

Special 

Duties, 

Yomi Edu 

and wife, 

Maureen 

•Late Babatunde Edu’s children 

L-R: Wives of the 

deceased: 

Mrs.Turrie Edu 

and Nwando Edu 

•Ambassador Tayo Ogunsulire and 

wife, Soba 

•L-R: Former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, 

Alhaja Sinatu Ojikutu; Ms. Bisi Fashanu and 

Mrs. Aina Sowemimo 

L-R: Lady 

Maiden Ibru 

and Mrs. 

Nneka Okeke


VANGUARD 

CLASSIFIED 

AMADIEGWU 

I, formerly known and 

addressed as 

Amadiegwu Reginald 

Umunnakwe, now wish 

to be known and 

addressed as 

Augustine Reginald 

U m u n n a k w e 

Chiekeziem. All former 

documents remain 

valid. General public 

please take note. 

OGHENERO 

Confirmation of Name 

This is to confirm that 

Emovworeyo 

Etuwevwire Oghenero 

and Onovwakoo 

Oghenero is one and 

same person. All 

former documents 

remain valid. General 

public please take note. 

MATHEW 


addressed as Patience 

Akai Mathew, now 

wish to be known and 

addressed as Danladi 

Patience Akai. All 


valid. Nigeria Police 

Force and general 


IKAIRIA 


addressed as Kingsley 

Ikairia, now wish to be 

known and addressed 

as Kingsley Ekaira. All 




ORIM 


addressed as Miss 

Omom Orim, now 


addressed as Mrs. 

Omom Maduabuchi. 

All former documents 


public please take 

note. 

OFUMADE 



Augustine Ofumade 

and Augustine 

Ofumeraedhe is one 

and same person, now 


addressed as 

A u g u s t i n e 

Ofumeraedhe. All 




UDUMUBRA 



Udumubra Atumeraha 

Endurance, now wish 



Efekiluo Atumeraha 

Favoured. All former 




EFFIONG 



Margaret Effiong 

Eduak, now wish to be 

known and 


Margaret Eduak Otuk. 


remain valid. ICAN, 

LASU and general 


IBIKUNLE 


addressed as 

Ogunyemi Kazeem 

Ibikunle, now wish to 

be known and 

addressed as Adewuyi 

Qazeem Ibikunle. All 




BAKARE 

Addition of Name 


addressed as Bakare 

Omotayo, now wish to 

be known and 

addressed as Bakare 

Kamila Omotayo. All 




ANAEDOBE 



Paracleta Obianuju 

Anaedobe, now wish to 


as Mrs. Paracleta 

Obianuju Obol. All 




OKAFOR 



addressed as Okafor 

Okwudili, now wish to 


as Okafor Paulinus 

Okwudili. All former 




TIMIEBI 



Timiebi Miemene, 

now wish to be known 

and addressed as Mrs. 

Miemene Ubebe. All 




EGBEDI 



Ufuomaoghene 

Muraro Egbedi, now 



Ufuomaoghene 

M u r a r o 

Anomuogharan. All 




note. 

UKWUOMA 



Ukwuoma Linda 

Udoka, now wish to be 


as Mrs. Akpom Linda 

Udoka. All documents 



note. 

ANOSIKE 


This is to certify that the 

name Anosike Johnbosco 

and Anosike Ikechukwu 

Ethelbert Johnbosco is 

same person but now 


addressed as Anosike 

Ikechukwu Ethelbert 

Johnbosco. All former 

documents remain valid. 

GTBank, Zenith bank and 

general public please take 

note. 

AMSA 

CHIBUEZE 

ABDULLAHI 



Abdullahi Teni Rekiya, 



Yakubu Rekiya. All 




LOUIS 


addressed as Louis 

Lancelot Bobmanuel, 


and addressed as 

Louis Burutolu. All 




note. 

DILIBE 

OKPALA 

ALAUGO 

We, formerly known and addressed 

as Okpalaugo Emeka Francis, 

Okpalaugo Uchenna Gerald, 

Okpalaugo Sopuruchi Ifeanyi, now 

wish to be known and addressed as 

Francis Emeka, Francis Gerald, 

Francis Ifeanyi. All documents 

remain valid. General public please 

take note. 

EZE 


In my account with 

Fidelity Bank my name 

was written Eze 

Chukwudi Cyril, but in 

my BVN, it was used 

as Eze Chukwudi. Eze 

Chukwudi Cyril and 

Eze Chukwudi is one 

and same person. All 




We, the Family of Chibueze Stephen Chinedu, a 

native of Akiyi village, Enugu Ukwu in Njikoka 

Local Government Area of Anambra State, 

formerly known and addressed as Chibueze 

Stephen Nkemakonam, Chibueze Catherine 

Somtochukwu, Chibueze Divine Favour 

Ebubechukwu and Chibueze Angela Akachukwu, 

now wish to known and addressed as Chinedu 

Stephen Nkemakonam, Chinedu Catherine 

Somtochukwu, Chinedu Divine Favour 

Ebubechukwu and Chinedu Angela Akachukwu. 

All former documents remain valid. Banks and 

general public please take note. 


addressed as Amsa 

Micheal, now wish to 


as Amissah Micheal. 




ADENIRAN 



Adeniran Omotola 

Olanike, now wish to 


as Mrs. Ige Omotola 

Olanike. All former 




RICHARD 


addressed as Emenike 

Odeyovwi Richard, 



Jeffvan Odeyovwi 

Emenike. All 






Dilibe Jonathan Chidi 

and Dilibe Jonathan 

Chidiebere is one and 

same person, now 


addressed as Dilibe 

Jonathan Chidiebere. 




note. 

IROAJ 

AJA 


addressed as Joe 

Mark Iroaja, now wish 


addressed as Joe 

Mark. All former 




CHIBIUZO 



Chibiuzo Stella 

Leweanya and 

Chibuzo Leweanya, 

now wish to known 


Chubuzo Stella Ajoku. 




note. 

MADUEKE 



Madueke Lilian 

Ezinne, now wish to 


as Mrs. Ekwuzie 

Lilian Ezinne. All 




EMMA 


addressed as Ejoor 

Emma, now wish to be 


as Ejoor Emmanuel. 

All documents remain 



MOHAMMED 



Hajara Ibrahim 

Mohammed, now wish 



Hajara Ali Ayiwulu 

Kudu. All documents 

remain valid. NIPOST 

and general public 


AGBARA 



Blessing Ochigbo 

Agbara, now wish to 

be known and 


Agbo Blessing. All 




IROAJ 

AJA 


addressed as Princess 

Nene Joe Iroaja, now 


addressed as Princess 

Nene Joe Mark. All 




ODIAKA 



Meekness Zimuzo 

Odiaka, now wish to 


as Mrs. Udechukwu 

Meekness Zimuzo. All 




EBURU 



Doreen Ogbonne 

Eburu, now wish to 


as Mrs. Doreen 

Amaechi Okpara. All 



public please take note.

USMAN 


addressed as Adamu 

Bala Usman, now wish 

to known and 

addressed as Adamu 

Bala. All former 




ONYEGBULA 



Onyegbula Queen 

Nnenna, now wish to 


as Mrs. Queen 

Nnenna Svensson. All 


remain valid. Banks 

and general public 


LADEGA 



Abosede Oluwaseun 

Ladega, now wish to 


as Mrs. Abosede 

Oluwaseun Abdul- 

Azeez Marojuowo. All 




AKINTIBE 



Akintibe Vivian 

Olubunmi, now wish to 


as Mrs. Ogundele 

Vivian Olubunmi. All 




ENDEGHE 



Endeghe Osareme 

Oghenekevwe, now 

wish to known and 


Omoraka Osareme. All 




MATHIAS 


addressed as Mrs 

Mathias Young Boye, 


and addressed as Boye 

Agidee. All former 



should take note. 

ODIBO 



Christiana Ehruvwu 

Odibo, now wish to 


as Mrs. Christiana 

Akpopeyi Odafe. All 




EZE 



Anita Adaeze Eze, 



Anita Adaeze Okolo. 




note. 

ONI 


addressed as Miss Oni 

Moyosola Mary, now 



Zubair Moyosola 

Maryam. All former 




IDIKA 



Idika Anna, now wish 



Olisa Anna. All former 




NATHANIEL 


addressed as 

Nathaniel Kelvin 

Oghenekome, now 


addressed as Abrifor 

Kelvin Oghenekome. 




EBODILI 


addressed as Charles 

Ebodili, now wish to 


as Charles Praise Uke. 




OSIWOMA 

Correction of Name 

That my name was 

wrongly written as 

Osiwoma instead of 

Usiwoma, formerly 

Miss Monday 

Usiwoma Glory, now 

Mrs Igben Usiwoma 

Glory. All former 




CHANGE OF NAME 

ALIZOR ENAGHINOR ASOUPERE AMOS 



Alizor Moses, Alizor 

Ebormah Moses and 

Alizor Echika Moses is 

one and same person, 



Alizor Echika Moses. 


remain valid. Sterling 

Bank and general 




Enaghinor Elica 

Oghenerioke, now 



Adinkwu Elica 

Oghenerioke. All 






Justina Hiwonhar 

Asoupere, now wish to 


as Mrs. Precious 

Asoupere Ebere. All 






Amos Cinderella 

Temitope, now wish to 


as Mrs. Ochu 

Cinderella Temitope. 




note. 

OSAKWE EZEOBI ANAZIA ADEOYE 


My name was wrongly 

written as Osakwe 

Victor, instead of 

Osakwe Victor 

Okonkwo. All former 






Ezeobi Oluchi 

Theresa, now wish to 


as Mrs. Ezeokoye 

Oluchi Theresa. All 






Vivian J. Anazia, now 



Vivian J. Chukwurah. 






Oluyemisi Motunrayo 

Adeoye, now wish to 


as Mrs. Oluyemisi 

Motunrayo Komolafe. 




IDEMUDIA OKUNBOR CHIMA EGHONGHON 



Gladys Idemudia, now 



Gladys Erhabor. All 





addressed as Uwaila 

Francess Okunbor, 

now wish to known and 


Uwaila Francess 

Ibizuabe. All former 





addressed as Ogechi 

Rosemary Chima, now 



Ogechi Rosemary 

Nwali. All former 






Imouokhome 

Eghonghon, now wish 



D e d e k u m a 

E g h o n g h o n 

Isivbakhome. All 




MORKA TOGOL NTIA TEBITE 



Morka Maureen 

Nwamaka, now wish 



Ngozi Maureen 

Nwamaka. All former 





addressed as Happiness 

Uko Ntia, now wish to 

known and addressed as 

Happiness Ndode 

Masango. All former 


The Cameroun Consulate 

in Nigeria, University of 

Calabar Teaching 

Hospital, West African 

College of Physicians and 


note. 



Tebite Philo 

Okpeterhe, now wish 



Philo Akibor. All 




note. 

ANEKE MERE OAMEN OCHUKO 


addressed as Aneke 

Chukwudi Anthony, 



Aneke Chuks. All 






Mere Newyear, now 



Koru Newyear. All 


remain valid. Eco 

Bank PLC and general 

public should take 

note. 


addressed as Joshua 

Oamen, now wish to be 


as Joshua Sunday. All 




note. 


That my surname was 

wrongly entered as 

Ochuko, instead of 

Mike, now Mike 

Mercy. All former 




OLORI IGINIMRE ERIC IKOYO 



Esetobore Rhoda 

Olori, now wish to be 


as Mrs Esetobore 

Rhoda Emmanuel 

David Okpen. All 




note. 


addressed as Iginimre 

Hannah, now wish to 

be known and 

addressed as Emene 

Hannah Igho. All 





addressed as 

Orerhime Eric, now 


addressed as 

Eturhobore Orerhime 

Eric. All former 





addressed as Cyril 

Erhomoavwie Ikoyo, 



Erhomoavwie Godwin. 




note. 

COKER YAGA AZENABOR OSAGHAE OLAONI 



Ena Elizabeth Coker, 



Ena Elizabeth Asuru. 





addressed as Yaga 

Yakubu Yama, now 


addressed as Yama 

Yakubu W. All former 





My name was 

inadvertently written 

as Nathaniel Sattu 

Togol instead of Asabar 

Sattu Togol but I now 


addressed as Asabar 

Sattu Togol. All former 





addressed as Charity 

Love Azenabor, now 


addressed as 

Asulimen Charity 

Love. All former 







Osaghae Obasogie 

Monday and Osaghae 

Monday is one and 

same person, now 


addressed as 

Osaghae Monday. All 




note. 


I, Emmanuel Olaoni 

Olatunji is also the 

same person as 

Emmanuel Olajumoke 

Oni, now wish to be 


as Emmanuel 

Olajumoke Oni. All 


remain valid. Sterling 

Bank and general 


note.



OSUAJOKU 



Osuajoku Calista 

Ngozika, now wish to 


as Mrs. Jasper Calista 

Ngozika. All former 




OSAKWE 



Osakwe Jane 

Onyinyechukwu, now 



Ugwu Jane 

Onyinyechukwu. All 




UDO 

Correction of Nmae 

My name was 

erroneously and 

formerly known and 

addressed as 

Rosemary Effiong Udo, 


addressed as 

Rosemary Iboro 

Jackson. All former 




NELSON 

I, Nelson Quickpenny do 

hereby confirm that the 

name Nelson Quickpenny 

and Nelson Quickpenny 

Gobo refers to one and 

same me. I now wish to be 


Nelson Quickpenny. All 

former document remain 



OMBU 

I, Ebipuado Saware Ombu 

do hereby state that my 

date of birth was wrongly 

mentioned in some of my 

documents as 23rd of 

June 1966 instead of 23rd 

of June 1969. I now state 

that my date of birth is 

23rd of June 1969. All 

former documents remain 



EZEAKA 


addressed as Ezeaka 

Daniel, now wish to be 


as Emmanuel Ezeaka 

Daniel. All former 


valid. First bank, 

Fidelity bank Plc and 

general public please 

take note. 

ATIMI 



Ebikaboere Atimi, now 



Ebikaboere Alex 

Dumbo. All former 




SURU 



Suru Gbaboyer, now 



Suru Isaac. All former 




ANDERSON 


These names Anderson 

Dauaregha and 

Odukakpo Magaga refers 

to one and the same 

person now wish to be 


Anderson Dauaregha. All 

former documents remain 

valid. UBA, Keystone 

Bank plc. General public 

take note. 

OKPU 


These names Victoria 

Okpu and Victoria 

Clark Okpu is one and 

the same person now 


addressed as Victoria 

Clark Okpu. All former 



take note. 

ESE 


These names Mudiaga 

Martha Ese and Mudiaga 

Martha is one and the 

same person now wish to 

be known and addressed 

as Mudiaga Martha Ese. 


remain valid. Union Bank, 

First Bank. General public 

take note. 

PETER 


addressed as Peter 

Godbless, now wish to 

be known and 

addressed as 

Onokpasa Godbless. 

My correct Date of 

Birth is March 5th, 

1992. All former 




AGB 

GBADUT 

ADUTA 



Theresa Agbaduta 

and Miss Theresa 

Oghomejeru 

Agbaduta, now wish to 

be known and 


Theresa Ashia. All 




note. 

EMU 



Emu Ngozi, now wish 



Oshilim Ngozi Emu. 

All former Documents 

remain valid. The 

Federal Ministry of 

Health Port Health 

Services Abuja/Port 

Harcourt and the 

General public please 

take note. 

UTOBIVWI 


addressed as Efe 

Utobivwi, now wish to 

be known and 

addressed as Ini Efe 

Cosmas Utobivwi. All 




IHEGBU 



Ihegbu Deborah 

Precious, now wish to 

be known and 


Amaechi-Nnalue 

Precious Deborah. All 

former Documents 



OLIVE 



Olive Iziegbe 

Iyengunmwena, now 



Olive Iziegbe Ukuhor. 




UBANI 



Eunice Akudo Ubani, 



Eunice Akudo 

Lezorgia. All former 




OSIOYA 


addressed as 

Abedinigo Humphrey, 



Abedinigo Humphrey 

Osioya. All former 




SIENE 


That my name was 

erroneously written 

during my Account 

opening documents as 

Mrs. Siene Mabel Chidi, 

instead of Mrs. Mabel 

Ngozi Sene. Now wish to 


as Mrs. Mabel Ngozi 

Sene. All former 


The general public please 

take note. 

AKPOTU 



addressed as Akpotu 

Matthew Mrefe, now 


addressed as Stanley 

Matthew Mrefe 

Akpotu. All former 




BOYE 



Gina Boye, now wish 



Gina Kenneth Ekong. 




take note. 

MUGEGE 


I hereby confirm that the 

names Mugege Precious 

and 

Mugege 

Oghenewairhe Precious as 

they appear on some of my 

documents refer to one 

and same me. I now wish 


addressed as Mugege 

Oghenewairhe Precious. 




EME 


addressed as Mr. 

Ndidi Lucky Eme, now 


addressed as Mr. Eme 

Daniel Onyeche. All 

former 


valid. The general 


MICHAEL 

I formerly known and 


Benson Dorah 

Michael, now wish to 

be known, and 


Dan-Nwaogu Dorah. 

All documents bearing 

my former name 


public should please 

take note. 

FAVOUR 



Favour Ogechi 

Onyeagwara, now 



Eze-Enuma Ogechi 

Favour. All former 




OKUWE 



Okuwe Evelyn 

Ochombia, now wish 



Emualosi Evelyn 

Ochombia. All former 




JOHN 


addressed as 

Enameguono John 

Uwhegrepha, now 


addressed as 

Akpoyerabo John 

Enameguono. All 


remain valid, any 

authority and the 

general public to take 

note. 

OMOBHUDE 



O m o b h u d e 

Ebehiremen Sabena, 



Sabena Ebehiremen 

Erikefe Oboh. All 




OBIALOR 



Obialor Chioma 

Lilian, now wish to be 


as Mrs. Anozie 

Chioma Lilian. All 




OMOH 



Matilda Omoarukhe 

Omoh, now wish to be 


as Mrs. Matilda 

Omoarukhe Agbi. All 




EZE 



Ifeoma Eze, now wish 



Ifeoma Anita Amadike. 




SARAH 



Ebayienhiele Sarah 

Ibhalukholo, now wish 



Erazua Sarah 

Ibhalukholo. All former 




AMATU 



Jennifer Elen Amatu, 



Jennifer Amatu 

Obinwanne. All former 




RAYMOND 


addressed as Benedith 

Chukwutem Ramond, 



Osaya Chukwutem 

Raymond. All former 




GINIKAWA 


In my BVN, my name 

was wrongly written as 

Ginikawa Tochukwu, 

instead of Ginikanwa 

Tochukwu Joseph. I 



Ginikanwa Tochukwu 

Joseph. All former 




OKOSUN 

OSUN 



Racheal Omozagba 

Okosun, now wish to 

be known and 


Racheal Omozagba 

Agbonkhese. All 




CHIKIDE 


addressed as Bala 

Chikide, now wish to 

be known and 

addressed as Bala 

Philemon Diyawara. 




note. 

EZE 



Eze Mercy Uzoamaka, 



Ogbu Mercy 

Uzoamaka. All former 




ONWUKA 



Evelyn Nkem 

Onwuka, now wish to 

be known and 


Odiaka Evelyn Nkem. 




note. 

JAMES 

Reconciliation of Name 

This is to confirm that the 

names James Emmanuel 

and Idowo Femi 

Emmanuel refer to one and 

the same person, but now 


addressed as James 

Emmanuel. All former 


Sterling Bank Plc and 


note. 

AJAH 


addressed as Ajah 

Emmanuel Ogbonna, 



Ajarosy Emmanuel 

Ogbonna. All former 



please take note.

EVELYN 

I, formerly known 


Miss Igwala Evelyn 

Chichi, now wish to 

be known and 


Otuya Evelyn 

Chichi. All former 




take note. 

ESEOGH- 

ENE 


MAGDALENE EWHUCHA CHIOMA 

ORJI OLUSEGUN BLESSING KENNEDY YAKUBU 



Sunday Orji Ebe, now 


addressed as Sunday 

Orji Ebeh. All former 




take note. 

OMABUWA WOULF HEYMANN OYI- 

BODUDU 

I, formerly known as 

Miss 

Linda 

Oritsetsemaye 

Omabuwa, now wish to 


as Mrs Erikpara 

Oritsetsemaye Linda. All 





and addresses as 

Miss Onome 

Oluwatoyin Odhegba, 



Mrs. Onome O. 

Richard Opara. All 




note. 


APC chieftain 

AKABA 

AREGBOR 

ARUBI AGABI OJO ESIKE OBOT 



Miss Arubi Evarista 

Omamuyovwi 

Ogheneovo, now wish 



Ohworode Blessing 

Omamuyovwi. All 



public take note. 

EDWARD 



Miss Janet Edward, 



Mrs Janet Odumosu. 


remain valid. 


take note. 



Eseoghene Endurance 

Ofudje, now wish to be 


Mrs Ohah-Poko 

Eseoghene Endurance. 


remain valid. The general 

public should please take 

note. 


addressed as Pastor 

Akinjide Olusegun 

Kayode, now wish to 

be known and 

addressed as Pastor 

Victor Akinjide 

Olusegun Olukayode. 



general public should 



addressed as Miss Woulf 

Thelma Foikoridei, now 



Oghenerohwo Thelma 

Foikoridei. All former 



take note. 

and addresses as 

Miss Omobolaji 

Oluwadolapo 

Banjoko, now wish to 

be known and 


Anthony Uzoama 

O m o b o l a j i 

Oluwadolapo. All 




note. 


These names Agabi 

Gabriel Oyekevwe 

and Agabi Gabriel is 

one and the same 


known and 

addressed as Agabi 

Gabriel Oyekevwe. 




BABALOLA 



Miss Babalola Bukola 

Adejoke, now wish to 

be known and 


Bukola Steve Agun. 


remain valid. 


take note. 



Eseoghene Magdalene 

Oteri, now wish to be 


Mrs Eseoghene 

Magdalene Ukochovwera 

Peter. All former 


The general public should 



addressed as 

Awarintefe Blessing, 



Adogbeji Blessing. All 






Miss Orighomisan 

Heymann, now wish to 


as Mrs Orighomisan 

Umah . All former 


Nursing & Midwifery 

Council of Nigeria and 


take note. 


addresses as Ogbadu 

Joan Ojonigwu, now 


addressed as Arome- 

Jonathan Joan 

Ojonigwu. All former 





These names Ojo 

Angelina and Ojo 

Angelina Emetenena 

is one and the same 



as Ojo Angelina. All 


remain valid. First 

bank, Eco Bank. 

General public take 

note. 

ODHEGBA BANJOKO OGBADU MMUONA- 


KA 

IBIAMUKE- 

NI 



Becky Ibiamukeni, 



Mrs 

Becky 

Ohuabunwa. All 




note. 


This is to notify the 

general public that 

Ewhucha Rita Ederukaye 

Adogbeji and Adogbeji 

Ederukaye Rita is the 

same person. 

Henceforth, now wish to 


as Ewhucha Rita 

Ederukaye Adogbeji. All 


remain valid. Eco Bank 

Plc. and the general 

public should please take 

note. 



Kevwede Kennedy, 



Oghenekevwede 

Kennedy. All former 




take note. 


Miss Oyibodudu 

Akpevwe Lilian, now 


addressed as Mrs Oruru 

Akpevwe Lilian. All 






Miss Mmuonaka 

Ezinne Ujunwa, now 



Okere Ezinne 

Ujunwa. All former 





These names Esike Precious 

and Esike Precious 

Oghenechouvwere is one 

and the same person now 


addressed as Mrs Aregbor 

Precious Oghenechouvwere. 

All former documents remain 

valid. Eco Bank Plc. General 


EZEUGWU 



Ezeugwu Nneka 

Chinedu, now wish to 

be known and 

addressed as 

Ezeugwu Nneka. All 




note. 

SPACE FOR SALE 



Miss Nwadinobi 

Rubby Chioma, now 



Ituehagbon Rubby 

Chioma. All former 




take note. 



Beersheba Zugwai 

Yakubu, now wish to 

be known and 

addressed as Sheba 

Zugwai Yakubu. All 





Correction of name 

I formerly known and 

addressed as Elizabeth 

Aghogho Akaba, 

now wish to be known and 

addressed as Elizabeth 

Oghogho Oguamalam. 

The General public and 

First bank should please 

note both names belong 

to one person and All 





These names Aregbor 

Oghenerukevwe Tosan, 

U g h e r u g h e 

Oghenerukevwe Faith and 

Akpofure Goodluck 

Omamesiri belong to one 

and the same person, now 



Aregbor Oghenerukevwe 

Tosan. All former 

documents remain valid 

general public take note. 



Abasiofiok Emmanson 

Obot, now wish to be 


as Mrs Abasiofiok Peter 

Essien. All former 


valid. Ecobank and 


take note. 

EDEH 



the name Edeh 

Nnenna Hope and 

Edeh Nnenna is one 

and the same person, 

but now wish to be 

known and 

addressed as Edeh 

Nnenna. All former 




alleges plans 

by Sylva to 

dislodge 

Bayelsa gov 

By Emma Elebeke 

THE All Progressives 

Congress (APC) 

governorship standard 

bearer in Bayelsa State, 

Timipre Sylva, is alleged to 

be using his connections to 

dislodge the governor of 

the State, Hon. Seriaki 

Dickson. 

An APC stalwart in the 

state, Hon. Israel Igoni, told 

Vanguard in Abuja, 

yesterday, that Sylva was 

upbeat about the prospect 

of the presidency and the 

judiciary supporting his bid 

to actualize the objective, 

adding that he preparation 

for the celebration of the 

victory. 

Igoni said, ”Sylva and 

his cohorts have begun to 

make necessary 

preparations for the 

celebration of miscarriage 

of justice against Dickson. 

They have already started 

sewing cloths to celebrate 

a court judgement that is 

yet to be fixed. This means 

that he and his cohorts are 

confident that the 

pendulum of victory will 

swing in their favour.'' 

The APC chieftain who 

described the move as a 

‘parody of President 

Buhari’s change agenda,’ 

in view of President 

Buhari’s anti-corruption 

pedigree and puritanical 

streak, said that Sylva has 

realised that it is almost 

beyond the realms of 

possibility to curry Mr. 

President’s favour, which 

is why he decided to get 

to Aisha Buhari, who toes 

a different line from her 

husband. 

''Ít will be recalled that 

President Buhari who is 

known as a no nonsense 

man, refused to interfere 

in guber elections of Kogi, 

Bayelsa etc, and even the 

forthcoming governorship 

elections of Edo and 

Ondo. It’s time for Mr. 

President to call his wife 

to order and put her in her 

place in order not to 

rubbish his much vaulted 

change agenda,’’ he 

warned. 

Presbyterians 

mark jubilee 

THE Presbyterian 

Church of Nigeria 

(PCN), Festac Town 

Parish, Lagos State, is set 

to celebrate its Silver 

Jubilee come Sunday, July 

23, 2016. 

PCN Festac, which 

earned a parish status in 

1991 had Rev. (Dr) James 

U. Ukaegbu, who was the 

then Lagos presbytery 

moderator, and the 

Reverend in charge of 

Yaba parish, as the 

conductor of the first 

service at its temporary 

building in the CCN 

premises.


CONSTITUENCY CONFLICTS: The controversy 

By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor 

FOR an administration and a legislature looking for 

every opportunity to embarrass the other, the issue of 

constituency projects seems to be a readily available 

issue for dispute. 

Since they were first embedded into the country’s 

budgetary process, constituency projects have 

continually been a point of discord between the 

legislature and executive branches of government. 

The constituency projects are line item projects 

selected by legislators into the federal budget for 

implementation. In the beginning, under the Olusegun 

Obasanjo administration, the projects were mostly 

restricted to water and rural electrification. Even 

when the projects were put into the budget, the 

Obasanjo administration almost restricted its 

implementation of projects to those the executive 

branch inputted. 

It was as such not surprising that the nonimplementation 

of the constituency projects became 

a sore issue and was one of the items listed when 

the Ghali Naaba House took the decision to impeach 

Obasanjo in 2002. 

The point of departure between elements in the 

executive and legislative branches is that the 

executive knows best what should be meant for the 

people whereas the legislators on the other hand 

claim to know the felt needs of their people 

more than the bureaucrats who fashion the 

budgets. 

Given the negative image that 

administration officials have sometimes 

used to stereotype the legislators, it is not 

surprising that the planting of constituency 

projects by the legislators have been used as 

another example of the recklessness of 

legislators. Critics have frowned that the 

legislators may be overstretching their arms 

by dictating projects for the administration. 

Indeed, the negative image of legislators 

has not been helped by reports that some 


Johnbosco Agbakwuru & 

Joseph Erunke 

REP. 

Onyemaechi 

Mrakpor, PDP, Aniocha/ 

Oshimili Federal 

Constituency, Delta State. 

Constituency project is our 

obligation as legislators 

especially given the promises 

we made during campaigns. 

You campaigned to the people 

that you will get the 

government to meet their 

needs. If I come from a place 

that the people are 

predominantly farmers, and 

they have produce, they need 

to take their produce to the 

market and the only way they 

can do that is to have good 

roads. 

If during the campaigns I said 

if I am elected I am going to 

put this so, so road in the 

budget to make sure it is done, 

I don’t see the reason why the 

executive should deny me the 

opportunity. I am not saying 

give me the project, I am not a 

contractor, but having to put 

that project which is the need 

of my people, the people I 

represent, I think it will be 

absurd for anybody to deny us 

that opportunity. 

Award of 

contracts 

If you say we shouldn’t do 

that, so, who takes care of my 

place? Is it the minister of works 

who probably had not heard of 

my place and of course, there 

is every likelihood that he is not 

going to meet the needs of my 

people. 

Let them award the contracts 

to whoever they want to award 

the contract to but we are 

saying as the representatives 

of the people, we know the 

needs of the people we 

represent. While we were 

campaigning they told us their 

needs and these needs we 

must satisfy. 

A legislator is the 

representative of the people, 

the voice of the people; you are 

the one that listens and collects 

information from the people, 

•Mrakpor:It's our Campaign Promise 

and when you collect that 

information, you pass it on. 

How do you pass it on? 

By saying when it is time for 

budget briefing or before the 

budget briefing when they 

come towards the period of 

budget presentation, you say 

look, I come from a place 

where the federal road there is 

long abandoned, I need this 

federal road to be put in the 

budget, that is all the legislator 

should do, and that is what 

Rep Bede Eke, Aboh Mbaise/ 

Ngor Okpala Federal 

Constituency of Imo State 

I 

AM surprised anybody 

would talk about 

constituency projects not being 

a priority. The matter is simple. 

No constituency projects, no 

dividends of democracy for the 

people. 

The only way the people at the 

grassroots can have a feel of 

government or democratic 

dividends is by having 

developmental projects at their 

door steps. It is only the 

representatives of the people that 

know what their constituents 

want and what their immediate 

needs are. 

How many constituencies in this 

country have directors in 

government ministries and 

departments that can bring 

development to them? The 

tendency is that those at the top 

would influence projects only to 

they are trying to deny us. 

If we need a general hospital, 

I should be able to say we need 

a federal health centre here. We 

have a state health centre but 

is kilometres away from my 

people, they need a health 

centre and at a point where the 

health centre is not able to 

handle the issues they can be 

transferred to the General 

Hospital. I should be the one 

who should say that because I 

am the one that knows. 

•Eke:It's a priority 

their areas. A director from a 

community in Imo State, for 

instance, would not know the 

needs of a community in Osun 

State or Bauchi State and 

therefore, the director cannot 

attract development to those 

areas. 

Senator Danjuma Goje, 

APC, Gombe Central: 

IWANT to let the executive 

know that the budget they 

are implementing is a law 

passed by the National 

Assembly. It is an Act of 

Parliament which the President 

willingly accepted and 

assented to. So, if there is need 

for any review following 

challenges in the revenue 

generation as they are saying, 

the law in the Constitution 

provides for a review through 

the parliament. 

We are operating a democracy 

and therefore we must make 

sure that we follow the laws in 

all that we do. So, if the 

executive feels that the 

constituency projects should 

not be there, they should ask 

us to review the budget and not 

to hear what they are now 

saying after the projects were 

captured and appropriated for 

in the budget. 

Constituency projects are 

small projects such as rural 

electrification, boreholes , class 

rooms, culverts, small hospitals 

which allow an ordinary man 

to know that government 

exists. 

Senator Rafiu Ibrahim, 

APC, Kwara South 

•Sen Ibrahim:Wants to embarass 

lawmakers 

•Sen Goje: It's easy to 

implement 

What is the worth of 

constituency projects that the 

executive would single out not 

to do? After all, the 2016 

budget is over N6.06 trillion, 

the cost of executing these 

constituency projects is less 

than 0.6 percent of the entire 

budget. 

FOR me, I view the SGF’s 

statement as an attempt 

to embarrass the legislature. 

If the execution 

of projects is 

based on 

prioritization, let 

me ask them 

whether the State 

House Clinic is 

critical to the 

situation of 

Nigeria because 

we have it on 

record that in the 

releases that have 

been done, the 

State House 

Clinic has started 

getting funding. 

Is that more 

important than 

my boreholes that 

will feed a 

hamlet?


about Constituency Projects 

state legislative houses including Bayelsa hand over 

the money for constituency projects to the state 

legislators to execute. 

The contention is not limited to Nigeria. In the 

United States, such projects are called pork barrel 

projects, and they include projects inputted by 

legislators aimed at drawing federal dollars to their 

legislative districts. 

Given that the budget is a piece of legislation, the 

recent contention by Mr. Babachir David Lawal, the 

Secretary to the Government of the Federation, 

SGF that the Muhammadu Buhari administration 

would not be able to implement fully constituency 

projects brought out the ire of senators who 

compelled him to appear before the Senate last 

Wednesday to defend his assertion. 

At the end of the stormy session, the senators put 

it to the SGF that the budget was a law which 

should be respected. The fact laid by the SGF that 

income into the government accounts has fallen by 

40% of expected revenue in 2016, however, 

cannot be disputed. That it behooves 

handlers of the SGF and other 

administration officials to do the needful by 

seeking amendments to the budget is a fact 

they almost all seem to be glossing over. 

Arising from the appearance and the 

controversy surrounding the implementation 

of the constituency projects, some legislators 

put forward their observations. 

•Sen Ohuabunwa:We also 

represent the President 

Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, 

PDP, Abia North: 

WHEN you talk of the 

executive, those that 

have mandate of the people are 

the president and the vice 

president but if you put it 

together, they could be on one 

ticket. Every person in the 

legislature, 500 or so, are elected 

with mandates covering the 

entire constituency of the 

executive. 

The constituency of the 

president is Nigeria. And every 

part of this country is his 

constituency. We are representing 

sections of the constituency. So, 

any project done in Hong, Ipela 

or anywhere in the country is 

done in Nigeria. So, indirectly 

you have covered the president’s 

constituency because the 

president cannot go round the 

country, we are the ones 

representing the president. 

So, I just want to put this point 

clear for them to know because 

of the SGF ‘s statement that the 

executive determines which 

project to execute and which not 

to. They must know that apart from 

the president and the vice 

president, every other person in 

the executive is an appointee of 

the president. 

I also want to make something 

clear, I was privileged to be part 

of this National Assembly in 

1999. I was also privileged by the 

special grace of God to be part of 

the inventors of the constituency 

projects. 

It was not easy for the executive 

to let it go. In short, the first term, 

from 1999 to 2003 it was all fight; 

it couldn’t go through but when 

it came on board, the 

constituency projects today and 

what the executive term as zonal 

intervention are completely 

different. 

Senator John Enoh, PDP, 

Cross River Central: 

I chair the Senate 

Committee on Finance, so I 

understand how the finances 

are in terms of revenues and 

all that. But I think the 

statement of the SGF has 

more to do with the view or 

not to want to implement 

zonal intervention projects. 

The executive must appreciate 

the fact that in the budget, the 

provision for zonal 

Sen Timothy Golu, 

Pankshin/Kanke/Kanem 

Plateau 

THE SGF is talking from the 

two sides of the mouth. I 

don’t know which side he 

belongs to. Today he will say this; 

he will say that; he was here 

when the National Institute for 

Legislative Studies, organised a 

workshop, he was there. 

He commended it but said that 

the process need to be monitored 

so as not to breed corruption and 

we accepted that. 

He is the same SGF who said 

that without the constituency 

projects, some communities will 

not witness governance for the 

next 200 years, he said it by 

himself. 

I am part of the committee that 

intervention comes under 

capital supplementation as a 

lump sum. It’s not 

distributed by MDAs. The 

details of this budget and 

everything that is contained 

in that document have now 

become Acts of Parliament, 

they have become law. So, 

they should have made their 

points or observations 

known to us as a legislature 

before? 

•Sen Golu:SGF economical 

with the truth 

oversights his office, we went to 

his office and he said so. So, why 

is he talking from both sides of 

his mouth? 

Let me tell you, without 

constituency projects, some 

ABIA: Ogah deserves to be sworn–in as gov — Chukwueke 

•Sen Enoh:The budget is now 

a law 

communities will never feel 

governance, they will not even 

know whether there is 

government in Nigeria or not. 

The best approach to budget is 

through the representative 

structure of the parliament 

whether at the local, at the state 

or at the federal government 

because there is no village that 

is not covered by a state assembly 

constituency that is not under a 

federal constituency or that is not 

under a senatorial district, there 

is no village in Nigeria. 

So if you don’t have a 

permanent secretary, what do 

you do, if the executive doesn’t 

want this to continue, then, they 

must be responsible to their own 

duties, they must sit up and do 

what is right, they must make 

sure that everything is balanced. 

Barrister Nkechi Chukwueke, a frontline activist, public 

affairs analyst and lawyer was a former spokesperson for the 

Federation Of International Women Lawyers (FIDA). In this 

interview, she bares her mind on the legal conundrum in her 

home state of Abia, calling for the swearing-in of Uche 

Ogar as the governor of the state. Excerpts: 

By Dapo Akinrefon 

WHAT is your take on the 

legal conundrum in Abia? 

My take on the matter is that 

the court order which annulled 

the election of Dr. Okezie 

Ikpeazu and directed the 

Independent National Electoral 

Commission, INEC, to issue a 

Certificate of Return to Sampson 

Uche Ogar and swear him in 

as the governor of Abia state 

stands. In fact, speaking from a 

legal perspective, I make bold to 

say that by the strength of that 

landmark judgement, Ogar is 

the governor of Abia State 

because he has the Certificate of 

Return. Ikpeazu was never 

meant to be there because he 

made a false declaration. The 

content of the certificate he 

presented for his tax clearance 

is faulty; you cannot put 

something on nothing and 

expect it to stand. 

From the moment that 

certificate of return was issued to 

Ogar, the one in the custody of 

Ikpeazu is no longer valid. So, 

Ikpeazu occupying the seat of 

Abia State governor after that 

judgement is null and void; in 

•Chukwueke:Swear in 

Ogah 

the eyes of the law, he is no longer 

the number one citizen of Abia 

State. What I expect Ikpeazu 

to have done as a law abiding 

citizen is to obey that court order 

and vacate the seat. 

Immediately the judgement 

was given, INEC promptly 

complied; Ikpeazu should have 

done the same. He has a right of 

appeal even to the Supreme 

Court but that should have been 

after he has obeyed the 

judgement of the Federal High 

Court asking him to vacate the 

office and Ogar sworn -in. 

If at the end of the day the 

Supreme Court upturns the 

judgement of the lower court, 

then Ogar will vacate that seat. 

Two governors cannot be 

occupying a single seat. The fact 

that INEC complied with that 

judgement is instructive. They 

must have done a thorough 

investigation with their legal team 

and then decided to obey the 

order. Ikpeazu should have 

done the same. When a 

judgement is given by a court, 

even if that court is a magistrate 

court, that order must be obeyed 

whether the judgement is good 

or bad, favourable or not. 

It should be obeyed until it is 

set aside by a higher court. A 

magistrate court order cannot be 

set aside by another magistrate 

court. 

But an Abia State High Court 

in Osisioma has barred the 

Chief Judge from swearing-in 

Ogar after the judgement of 

the Federal High Court 

affirming him as the governor? 

That to me is an illegal act. It 

was a kangaroo judgement; it is 

borne out of desperation and a 

total disrespect for legal authority. 

I am wondering why elder 

statesmen and leaders in the state 

are not talking about what is 

going on.

42 —VANGUARD, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2016 

By Imran Hassan 

AT about some weeks ago 

some incidences were 

reported in the daily 

newspapers which happened as 

a result of religious intolerance 

and illiteracy. 

The first incident was said to 

had occured on May 29 in which 

one Mr.Methodus Emmanuel, 

a 24-year old trader from 

Pandogari, Niger state, was 

attacked and killed by mob of 

youths on an allegation that he 

posted a blasphemous statement 

about Prophet Muhammad 

(P.B.U.H) on the social media. 

Three persons were said to have 

lost their lives in that sad 

incidence. 

The second i ncident occured 

Shawaal 10, 1437 A.H. 

Need for religious tolerance 

in Kano when a 74-year-old 

trader was also killed by mob 

at Kofar Wambai market in 

Kano on June 3 for alleged 

blasphemy. The third incident 

occured in Zaria Tuesday, 

June 7,when some thugs 

disrupted some members of 

shi’ites who were distributing 

free food to the needy around 

Gyellesu and other places in 

Zaria. 

According to Douglas 

Anele,” Religious intolerance 

or fanaticism is the inability of 

an adherent to acknowledge, 

accomodate and accept the 

right of others to live by another 

faith different from his own.” 

The above acts is ungodly and 

totally condemnable because it 

Eid-el-fitr Holiday: NACOMYO calls for 

understanding, cooperation 

NATIONAL Council of 

Muslim Youth 

Organizations, NACOMYO, 

has enjoined adherents of the 

various faiths in the country to 

be guided by the teachings and 

tenets of their faiths and co-exist 

for the advancement of 

humanity. 

NACOMYO, in a statement 

signed by its President, Alhaji 

Kamaldeen Akintunde against 

the backdrop of the furoe 

generated by the Federal 

Government’s one day 

extension of public holiday to 

mark ‘Eidul fitr, said call for 

understanding and cooperation 

became necessary as Islamic 

festivals were always subjected 

to moonsighting, adding that 

“this of course, goes beyond 

human logic or calculation in 

determining the actual date. 

“The fact is that the global 

Muslim world had calculated 

that Ramadan will terminate 

by 29th day, but proved 

otherwise as the moon 

crescent of Shawwal was not 

sighted and fasting had to 

continue the next day and as 

directed by the leadership of 

the Muslims . 

The group stated that Islam 

recognizes the existence of 

other faiths and it encourages 

inter-faith cooperation and 

collaboration for the 

sustainable progress of human 

race, noting that the Nigeria 

entity is heterogeneous and 

pluralistic in nature. 

The apex Muslim Youth 

group implored Nigerians to 

eschew sentiments, religious 

bigotry and ethnic hostilities, 

but to work together and build 

a virile and united Nigeria. 

2016 Hajj: Don't bring kolanuts into our 

country, S/Arabia warns pilgrims 

THE National Hajj 

Commission of Nigeria 

(NAHCON) on recently said it 

was in receipt of a circular from 

the Government of Saudi Arabia 

prohibiting the importation of kola 

nuts, popularly called “goro”, 

“obi” in hausa and yoruba 

parlance into the Kingdom during 

the 2016 Hajj. 

The commission said the Saudi 

government threatened in the 

circular to punish any pilgrim who 

smuggles in Kola nut, in 

accordance with the laws of the 

Kingdom. 

“By this, all Nigerian intending 

pilgrims are advised to adhere 

strictly to the Saudi rules and 

regulations on prohibited items,” 

NAHCON said. 

The agency urged States’ 

Muslim Pilgrims Welfare 

Boards/Agencies/Commissions 

as well as all the licensed tour 

operators to properly enlighten 

their pilgrims on the matter. 

On its own part, the 

Commission said it would 

sanction any pilgrim boards/ 

agencies/commissions or tour 

operators which flout the 

instruction. 

Meanwhile, NAHCON has 

commenced the capturing of 

data of intending pilgrims for 

the issuance of 2016 Hajj visa. 

The Commission said a total 

number of 15,531 pilgrims had 

so far been captured. 

contradicts the teaching of 

Islam. 

Islam does not allowed its 

followers to take laws into their 

hands rather, it urges them to 

forward cases to the proper 

authorities for proper measure. 

Among the moral values that 

Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) 

preached and lived by was 

tolerance. According to one 

tradition, a bedouin urinated 

inside a mosque but the 

prophet stopped his 

companion from harming him. 

He issued an order that a 

bucketfull of water should be 

poured on the affected places. 

Another tradition also stated 

that the Prophet (P.B.U.H) 

hosted a delegation of 

Christians of Najran (in Yemen) 

in the saadah mosque at 

Madina and when it was time 

for their prayers, they stood up 

in the mosque, Messenger of 

Allah (P.B.U.H) said: “let them 

pray.” they prayed heading 

east. While they were praying 

the Prophet said to his 

companions “do not touch 

them.” 

Religious 

symbols 

Similarly, during the 

caliphate of Umar (R.A), when 

Jerusalem was conquered, 

Caliph Umar (R.A) granted the 

non-muslims liberty to live and 

practice their religion. He also 

banned the Muslims to neither 

demolish their Churches nor 

touch their religious symbols 

(i.e.cross). However, he also 

declared that neither should 

they be abhored because of 

their religion and nor harm 

should be inflicted on them. 

Historically, Ethiopia was 

said to have never witness any 

religious violence because the 

Ethiopians had learn to respect 

each others faith and tolerate 

one another. 

Therefore, Muslims clerics 

need to rise up and admonish 

their followers based on 

tolerance and peaceful coexistence 

with other to avoid 

religious riots. 

Islamic organizations should 

also launch out campaigns 

against religious intolerance. 

Youths should also be 

knowledgeable based on 

Islamic education to avoid 

taking laws into their hands. 

Government should also 

ensure that whoever disguises, 

committing crime should face 

the wrath of the law. 

Hassan is with the 

Department of Islamic studies, 

Bayero University, Kano 

Pride of Islam! 

Penckers emerges champion in 

inter schools competition 

LIKE the under-dogs, without any chance of wining a 

medal, Penckers International School, Isolo stunned 

organisers and scores of audience at the National (Blueprint) 

Spelling Bee Competition emerging the champions in the just 

concluded event. 

The prestigious Islamic school carted away the first position 

in three categories- Grades 3, 4, 6 yet withholding the second 

position in Grade 4 beating notable and favorite schools such 

as: Corona; Grange; Meadow Hall; Children’s International 

School(CIS); Supreme Education Foundation; Halifield; Straight 

Gate; Nigerian-Turkish International School; Mind Builders. 

Others are Cradle To Crayon, Abuja; Startrite, Abuja; Faith 

Academy, Ogun State; Glorious Vision, Ilorin, Kwara State 

among other 90 prominent schools in Nigeria. 

This year National (Blueprint) Spelling Bee Competition was 

powered by School Kit held at TYTTLO Event Centre, CMD 

road, Magodo, Lagos recently. The panel of judges were Seun 

Okinbaloye and Jide Ogunsanwo, (from Channels Television); 

Uwa Saleh(from TVC) and Bukola Samuel as the Speech 

Pronouncer ( from TVC). 

The school also won the Most Eloquent Speller Award coming 

tops among others in the competition. 

The Proprietor of the school, Alhaji Faisal Zuglool, a seasoned 

Educationist, Islamic scholar, Chartered Accountant and Chartered 

Economist said: “We are determined to provide first class 

education laced with Islamic values. We are poised than ever 

before to produce icons of change that will significantly contribute 

to the world’s transformation. This will ultimately correct the 

erroneous perception that Islamic schools are only good in Arabic 

or Islamic education. We use the best of global educational 

demands, equipping our children with desirable qualities that 

will make them to fit into the ever-changing 21st century. 

He added that upon completion of the basic education, pupils 

in Peckers would have memorised half of the Holy Quran. Also, 

recently during the last Children’s Day inter schools competition 

on May 27th powered by AGS and sponsored by Sterling Bank, 

Penckers landslidely won 1st in Spelling Bee, 1st in Quiz 

competition, 2nd in Primary School Debate and 1st in Junior 

Secondary Debate. 

Penckers which was established in September 2009 is approved 

by the QCDA, UK to operate the British National Curriculum 

and its pupils had recorded only Distinctions in SATs and QCDA 

Exams since inception. It is located at 22,Adebisi Omotola Street, 

Isolo, Off International Airport Road, Lagos. 

From left: Seun Okinbaloye, Channels TV, Uwa Saleh,TVC; Monsurah 

Ibikunle, Penckers Staff; Musa AbdulRahman, winner Grade 4 and 

pupil of Penckers; Olowu Shakirah, Asst Administrator, Penckers 

and Jide Ogunsanwo at the National (Blueprint) Spelling Bee 

Competition held in Magodo, Lagos. 

From left: Uwa Saleh, TVC presenter and Judge; Monsurah Ibikunle, 

Penckers School; Abdul Hameed Kadiku Winner, Basic 3 and pupil of 

Penckers School; Olowu Shakirah, Asst Administrator, Penckers; Staff 

of School kits, and Jide Ogunsanwo, member, panel of Judges at the 

event.

IT is exactly four years 

after the missing of 

Nigerian Television Authority 

NTA’s popular broadcaster, 

Alhaji Aremu Rasqak Gawat; 

was declared missing in a 

controversial circumstance in 

Lagos. The daughter, Alhaja 

Rukayat Gawat-Oyefeso last 

Sunday staged a fidau prayer 

and big remembrance party for 

her missing dad. 

The event which took place at 

Muri International Television 

‘MITV’ premises Alausa Ikeja, 

Lagos, was graced by Sheikh 

Muyideen Ajani Bello and 

Sheik Daud Abdul Majeed 

Eleha (Alfa Nla). 

Prayer 

sessions 

Since July 2012, Gawat 

sudden disappearance has 

remained a mystery to many, 

with so many unanswered 

questions, just as series of 

special prayer sessions have 

been organised for the missing 

ace broadcaster and former staff 

of NTA, Tejuosho, Yaba, Lagos. 

Police have always maintained 

that investigations are still 

ongoing. 

Also, the Committee of 

Friends of Alhaji Gawat will 

tomorrow hold a memorial 

lecture titled: “Duty of Muslim 

to the Deceased families.” The 

event wich will hold at the 

Lagos Central Mosque, 

Nnamdi Azikiwe street, Lagos 

will have in attendance the 

Chief Imam of the State, Sheikh 

Ibrahim Akinola Garuba, the 

Shawaal 10, 1437 A.H. 

Islamic singer, Rukayat Gawat 

remembers missing dad 

By Haruna Razaq 

THE best of all acts of 

goodness are the ones 

followed up with its like. 

Engaging in good deeds at all 

times is a character of righteous 

people for, acts of obedience do 

not have a specific time. It is 

rather Allah’s unconditional right 

upon His servants as long as they 

are alive. Though, the month of 

Ramadan is expected to be more 

than other time. Yet, worshipping 

Allah should not be restricted to 

Ramadan alone as there is no 

end to Muslim’s worship until 

he dies. 

Furthermore, sustaining 

meritorious acts after Ramadan 

is among indicates an honour 

done to the month in obedience 

to Allah and doing otherwise is 

also like disobedience to Allah. 

This is because Allah does not 

intend that our good deeds are 

only limited to the blessed 

Baba Adini of Lagos, Sheikh 

AbdulHafiz Abou, the State 

Honourable Commissioner of 

Home Affairs, Dr AbdulHakeem 

AbdulLateef, Sheikh 

AbdulMajeed Imran Eleha as 

lecturer among other 

dignitaries. 

Meanwhile, the daughter 

Alhaja Rukayat Gawat-Oyefeso 

who is the current rave of the 

moment in Islamic music circuit, 

recently released a threefold 

album called ‘Ramadan 

Maintaining good acts after Ramadan 

Special’ which consists of ‘Alao 

Jowujowu’ featuring Suleiman 

Alao aka Malaika, Temitope and 

followed by a joint effort which 

features over 20 Islamic actors. 

The easy-going singer made 

her name with the release of her 

first album and since then has 

performed at several big Islamic 

functions. Her musical albums 

include ‘Imole,’ ‘My Father’, 

‘Arinakore,’ ‘Aye Le’, Iyawo 

Obun and ‘Agboko L’Ori,’ as 

well as ‘Ogbe-Okan’. 

•Rukayat Gawat-Oyefeso praying for dad's return 

month. 

Similarly, one good deed 

erases one bad, also, evil deed 

destroys good one as evidence 

in the Qur’an, Hadith and Sirah. 

Allah says: Indeed it has been 

revealed to you (O Muhammad 

SAW), as it was to those (Allah’s 

Messengers) before you: “If you 

join others in worship with 

Allah, (then) surely (all) your 

deeds will be in vain, and you 

will certainly be among the 

losers.” (Q 39:65) 

He also says, “But if they had 

joined in worship others with 

Allah, all that they used to do 

would have been of no benefit 

to them.” (Q 5:5) And from the 

Sirah examples of people that 

followed up good deeds with the 

bad ones and thus became evil 

ones include: Shaitan, Qaruna, 

Sa‘alabah, etc. 

On following up bad deeds 

with good ones, Allah says: 

“Verily, the good deeds remove 

the evil deeds. That is a reminder 

(an advice) for the mindful 

(those who accept advice).” (Q 

11:114) Also, the Prophet (SAW) 

says: Fear Allah wherever you 

have followed up the evil deed 

with good one it will remove it 

and relate with people with 

good conduct.” (At-Tirmidh) 

From the example of people that 

followed up evil with good and 

thus died as a righteous Muslim 

include: Asiya (wife of Fir’aun), 

A Bani Israel that killed 100 

people, many of the Sahabah, 

etc. 

Ramadan 1437 had gone, but 

its meritorious acts are still 

relevant in another month with 

its rules. And one of the 

meritorious acts is fasting. The 

Messenger of Allah (SAW) has 

recommended fasting on the 

following days: Fasting of six 

days of Shawwal; fasting on 

Mondays and Thursdays, 

fasting for three days in every 

month. 


Barka Jumah 

Now begins the hard work of harmonizing 

renewed faith with ceaseless life challenges. 

Discipline and focus wrought by fasting makes our 

affairs much better, and thus are we strong! Allah 

will never leave us to stray and would forever guide 

us. “Hold fast all of you together, to the “Rope” of 

Allah, and be not divided among yourselves.” 

(Qur’an 3:103) We must love one another, be 

patient at times of adversity, seek forgiveness of 

Allah alone, and we shall by Allah's grace be 

happy. May your fresh link to robust faith issue 

the conquests of all earthly strife. Happy Jumat. 

—Adewale Adeeyo, OON 

Jigawa a fix 

ixes es N1.1m 1m as hajj fares 

By Aliyu Dangida 

THE Jigawa State Pilgrims 

Welfare Board has 

announced the 2106 Hajj fares 

for the intending pilgrims from 

the state. 

Director operations of the 

Board, Alhaji Ahmed Labs 

disclosed this to newsmen in 

Dutse that the least amount to 

be paid to perform the 2016 

Hajj from the State is 

N1,020,068.92; the minimum is 

N1,069,318.92 while the 

maximum is N1,167,818.92. 

Labbo disclosed that the 

National Hajj commission of 

Nigeria (NAHCON) has 

allocated 2,369 seats for 

intending pilgrims from 

JIgawa, pointing out that the 

seats were since shared among 

the 27 local government of the 

state. 

“Let me also tell you that we 

have paid 50 percent of what 

we are expected to remit to 

NAHCON” 

The Head of operations said 

that the Board has since 

commenced the screening of 

the intending pilgrims to 

ascertain their fitness and 

conduct. 

From left: Governor of Osun State, AbdulRauf Aregbesola; 

Amir, Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at Nigeria, Dr Mashhud 

Fashola; Akinrun of Ikirunland, Oba Abdul Rauf Adedeji 11 

and Elende of Ekoande, Oba Raufu Olaniyan, during the grand 

lecture of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at Nigeria, in Osogbo, Osun 

State 

From left: Deputy Governor, Osun State, Mrs Grace Titilayo- 

Laoye Tanmori; Amir, Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at, Nigeria, Dr 

Adenrele Fashola; former National President, Nigerian Labour 

Congress, Engr. Hassan Sunmonu and Missionary-in-Charge, 

Maulvi AbdulKhalique Nayyar, during the Grand Lecture of 

Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at, Nigeria in Osogbo, Osun State.


with 

PRINCE OSUAGWU 

08050498513 

princeosuagwu@gmail.com 

Four ways to get your video noticed 

By Laju Iren 

ACCORDING to a 

recent report, 

Internet video will 

account for 79 percent of 

global Internet traffic by 

2020—up from 63 percent 

in 2015. The world will 

reach three trillion Internet 

video minutes per month by 

2020, which is five million 

years of video per month, or 

about one million video 

minutes every second. 

If these statistics are 

anything to go by, then you 

must go on the ‘video train’ if 

your brand will get noticed on 

a global scale. These are some 

tips to make it worth your while: 

Platform 

Video sharing platform, 

Youtube, has over one billion 

users. Imagine the possibilities if 

all those people view your content. 

Even your local television station 

i s not likely to get such a huge 

Yudala to defy boundaries with ‘Zero Gravity’ 

audience. The only difference is that Youtube 

is free. Instagram and snapchat are also great 

platforms for sharing short videos. 

Interesting, Facebook videos have been 

known to trend very quickly as well. 

Content 

Whether your video is educative or 

entertaining, it is important that you package 

content that people would want to watch. Let 

your video solve a problem, answer a 

question, make someone laugh their head 

off, or cry their eyes out. 

Quality 

HD and Ultra HD Internet video will make 

up 82 percent of Internet video traffic by 

2020—up from 53 percent in 2015. This 

means that your low quality stuff will most 

likely get lost in the crowd. Do your best to 

use the highest camera quality and 

professional editing you can afford. 

Consistency 

Those who post videos consistently are more 

likely to get more views than those who do 

not. Do your best to post videos at least every 

week, preferably on a specific day so that 

your viewers know when to expect new 

content. 

By Prince Osuagwu 

AFRICA’s pioneer 

composite outfit, Yudala, 

is wrapping up plans to 

celebrate its first year 

anniversary in style with a 

multi-city digital 

As technology 

redefines sports 

entertainment concert tagged 

‘Zero Grvaity’ in October 

this year. 

Yudala’s Management is 

expected to make an official 

content announcement on the 

event in a world press 

conference scheduled for 

By Laju Iren 

HISTORY has it that the 

very first sports programme 

ever to be televised was a horse 

racing event in 1951. The Molly 

Pitchers event, as it was called, 

would mark an unprecedented 

milestone in sports history. Flash 

forward to year 2016; a present 

time where it is nearly impossible 

to separate sports from television. 

LG technologies seems to 

understand this union clearly. 

The company boasts that 

creatively designed technologies 

from LG can be used to enhance 

consumers sporting activities not 

just as participants but also as 

viewers. Head of Corporate 

Marketing, LG Electronics West 

Africa operations, Mr. Rajesh 

Agnihotri said: “Those looking for 

the most advanced TV in the 

market to buy need not look 

further than the array of OLED 

TV’s available. Interestingly, 

sports have a way of uniting the 

world under one umbrella of 

peace and tranquility with 

competitors and spectators across 

the globe looking forward to outshining 

one 

another with 

latest technological 

trends.” 

But the romance 

between technology 

and sports doesn’t just 

end with television. 

Modern wearable 

technologies like the LG 

Watch Urbane is proving to 

be very useful to sportsmen 

and women helping them keep 

track of their performance in 

training session preparatory to 

major competition. The data 

driven insights of wearable 

technology encourages 

sportsmen to break records 

previously set by reigning 

champions by helping them train 

smarter, healthier and better. 

According to Agnihotri: “We 

are able to see the bigger picture 

and produce innovative products 

that will revolutionize the 

technological market space. For 

instance the modular design of 

the G5 and the amazing picture 

quality of our OLED TV’s are 

enough evidence to demonstrate 

Wednesday July 27 th 2016. 

Feelers however indicate that 

Zero Gravity, which is billed 

to become an annual event, 

will take place in three of 

Yudala’s most patronized 

cities across Nigeria, with 

each city witnessing two 

the creative ingenuity of LG 

Electronics”. 

He added that OLED 

TV’s are stylishly 

designed with wireless 

sound bars to produce 

high quality audio 

experience capable 

of holding sports 

l o v e r s 

completely 

spellbound to 

their seats 

cheering 

t h e i r 

favourite 

teams to go for the 

gold. “Most of the time,” he said, 

“viewers watching from the 

comfort of their homes stand a 

better chance of getting a crystal 

clear view of the action than 

spectators present at the mainbow 

of the stadium, with an additional 

advantage of camera angles and 

quality audio commentary to 

compliment the action on the 

field. However, the newly 

designed innovative LG mobile 

360 degree camera that captures 

images from virtually all angles 

makes it possible to have a clear 

view of the low and peak 

moments on the field of play, 

ensuring every action in the pitch 

is perfectly recorded.” 

concerts – a Rock Gospel 

concert and Contemporary 

Music blast – featuring 

headline acts and the best of 

artistes in both music genres 

Yudala’s 

Management is 

expected to make 

an official content 

announcement on 

the event in a 

world press 

conference 

scheduled for 

Wednesday, July 

27 

from Nigeria and other 

parts of the world. 

Within a year of its entry 

into the keenly-competitive 

e-commerce sector, Yudala 

has successfully raised the 

standards with a series of 

pioneering feats including the 

launch of same day delivery 

and the first recorded drone 

delivery in the e-commerce 

world. This is in addition to a 

slew of innovative and 

exciting promotions through 

which it has expanded the 

offerings and given the 

consumer more value-added 

options. 

Our source confirms that a 

number of corporate 

organizations, Original 

Equipment Manufacturers 

(OEMs) and other brands 

including digital 

entertainment outfit, New 

Concept Media Group, have 

signified intention to partner 

with Yudala in hosting the 

inaugural edition of Zero 

Gravity which is being 

touted as a digital 

entertainment explosion as 

never witnessed in the 

country.

C 

M 

Y 

Edited by EMEKA AGINAM 

Vanguard, FRDAY, JULY 15, 2016 — 45 

Avengers blows up another pipeline as FG 

considers action against militants 

•Niger Delta militants 

Fewubare 

This is a typical example of 

if you scratch my back, I will 

scratch your back. She has 

done her own part of her 

bargain with the government 

to use 'BRING BACK OUR 

GIRLS' to harass and remove 

former President, Goodluck 

Jonathan to make way for 

President Buhari. So, she has 

been adequately rewarded 

with this appointment. It is a 

Emmi 1 

The fact remains that we need 

to go into true federalism. The 

involvement of the military 

means it will be a free fight for 

all , thereby justifying the claims 

of the Niger Delta people. Let 

every region control their 

resources while contributing to 

the center. but the greed of the 

federal government will not 

that. 

Adetona Abiola 

It is high time the government 

and military stop this criminals 

and feel the dagger of the 

Buhari appoints Hadiza 

Usman as NPA boss 

mission accomplished. I still 

have my doubt about chibok 

girls being real. 

Okhai 

President Buhari has finally 

settled this bring back our girls 

promoter. 

Makuo 

Who can name one 

appointment in Nigeria that 

Nigerians did not complain? 

Our leaders may be bad but 

followers are simply difficult in 

their numbers. 

military. Nobody messes with 

the government and go free. It 

is time to put them in their 

places. They have gone too far 

with this madness. Enough is 

enough. 

Muskad 

If the avengers like, let them 

bomb all the oil wells so that 

we can be without oil. It is 

their land they are polluting but 

with time, all the blackmail, 

politics and the rest will fade 

away. The Niger Delta are just 

some misguided miscreants 

•Gov 

Dickson 

used as tools by some 

politicians but unknown to 

them, that they are doing more 

harm to themselves. 

Delighto 

The country is now more 

divided than ever. I pray that 

God will give President Buhar 

wisdom to fight and move the 

country forward. 

Democrat27 

The President is in the tight 

corner. God help him out of this 

mess he created for himself 

•Hadiza Usman 

Stone40 

My brother , speak again. Let 

the Igbos continue in their life 

of continued self pity 

Macwhyte2000 

A Chinese proverb tells me 

that “He who blames others has 

a long way to go on his journey. 

He who blames himself is half 

way there. He who blames no 

one has arrived. 

Going by thus statement, 

please Mr. Joe Igbokwe, 

President Buhari, APC and 

their supporters should stop 

blaming former President, 

Goodluck Jonathan and the 

PDP. Settle down and do the job 

you are elected for and right the 

wrong or else resign now 

Zionzukki 

Mr Igbokwe, I have always 

differed with you in most of your 

arguments because of your 

unrepentant leftism. Admitted 

that some of your points hold 

water, it is expected you should 

be bold enough to tell the 

Oluwashegun Ogunsanlu 

This is rather unfortunate. As 

the government did in the the 

appointment of the NIMASA 

DG with no cognate experience 

whatsoever. The government 

has gone ahead again, and 

appointed somebody without 

good experience to head such 

a technical establishment. 

The problem is not her youth, 

but her pedigree. And as for the 

Director of Finance, the only 

available record of him is that 

of his experience as a Property 

consultant. 

government to also adjust 

from their strong antiigbosm, 

to be more civilized, 

accommodating and be allinclusive 

Nigerian 

president. 

Adeyi Ode 

Mr. Joe Igbokwe was right 

after all. We are here reading 

the core of the very things 

he talked about. Some even 

lack the intellectual capacity 

to decipher the essence of 

the write-up. Too bad. 

Burning spear 

The earlier the Ijaw Nation 

and other Niger Delta people 

liberate their people from the 

clutches of internal colonizers, 

Nigeria will never allow them 

control their resources. 

Nwodoh Collins 

Well done, avengers. Imagine 

the masses jubilated while 

Joe Igbokwe: Igbo ethnic bigotry and hate campaigns worry me 

Video: Heavy shootings as 

militants send request to Dickson 

•Joe Igbokwe 

Buhari's soldiers were 

pounced. This should convey 

some lesson to President 

Buhari and others. The 

avengers are not criminals, 

neither are they terrorists. They 

are simply freedom fighters 

loved by their people 

Luash Artful Dodger 

What is funny is that you 

think the war will stop in 

southeast. It is time people 

begin to think again and pray 

there is no war 

Powerlessconscious Luash 

Where will the war stop? The 

last one stopped at Akure. 

People are not afraid of war 

again after a lot of threat from 

Igbos. Everybody is prepared 

for any war. 

Cherisheme 

I pity the Nigerian force who 

will be sent to Niger Delta to 

fight for Nigeria. It is obvious 

that if they are killed, 

everybody will forget them and 

even their family. 

Ben Murray-Bruce 

?@benmurraybruce 

Condoling with the 

family of my late friend, 

Ojo Maduekwe, with 

colleagues. Ojo was a 

patriot. May he rest in 

peace! 

UN Peacekeeping 

?@UNPeacekeeping 

36000 people displaced 

during height of fighting in 

#SouthSudan . Some some 

sought shelter in UN 

compounds. 

Dele Momodu Ovation 

?@DeleMomodu 

TRENDING ISSUES ON TWITTER 

It' is s looking like Bill 

Clinton will make history as 

both former President and 

First Husband in the White 

House. 

WHO ?@WHO 

T4 Health workers should 

only prescribe antibiotics 

when they are truly needed 

UN Spokesperson 

?@UN_Spokesperson 

Human rights are standards 

against which institutions & 

Governments are measured - Ban 

Ki-moon #UNHumanRights70 

Y! Online ?@YNaija 

Former military officers protest 

non-payment of pensions

46 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2016 

Serena flaunts 

more flesh after 

BBC exposure 

SERENA Williams 

isn’t about to apologise 

for showing her revealing 

apparels on the 

BBC. 

In fact, the tennis ace 

flashed even more flesh 

by posing in a sexy black 

swimsuit for a selfie, 

showing off her incredible 

curves. 

She shared the pix on 

her Instagram account, 

and a number on her 

Snapchat, showing her 

able chest in the cut-out 

swimwear with gold detailing, 

while wearing a 

pair of designer shades. 

Serena had a perfect 

red manicure in the shot 

as she relaxed in the sun 

after the competition and 

wore her hair in natural 

curls as she posed seductively 

and proved to 

her haters she doesn’t 

care. 

The sports star, who 

also had some pretty 

fierce eyebrows, left 

viewers in shock when 

she took to Wimbledon’s 

Centre Court in a very 

revealing top recently. 

The 34-year-old beauty 

was leaving very little 

to the imagination in a 

tight white Nike top during 

her quarter final 

match against Anastasia 

Pavlyuchenkova on 

Tuesday - and it didn’t 

go unnoticed. 

Dozens of people took 

to Twitter to comment on 

how distracting the star’s 

top was. 

Abedi Pele more skilful than 

Okocha, says Andre Ayew 

ANDRE Ayew says 

that his father Abedi 

Ayew was more skilful 

than former Super 

Eagles skipper Austin 

Okocha. 

Though the Swansea and 

Ghana star admits that 

both players had different 

styles of plays, he claims 

Abedi who was named African 

Player of the Year 

twice was more skilled with 

the ball. 

“I will say Abedi Pele is 

more skillful,” Andre said 

on a Ghanaian radio 

show Starr Chat on 

Wednesday. 

“He had a lot of skills 

even though their style of 

play was different. He 

showed a lot of technique 

and a lot of finesse in his 

game. 

“And also I saw all his 

games, I also saw Jay Jay 

Okocha; he was my generation. 

It’s sad that he never 

won the African best player; 

football is like that,” he 

concluded. 

During Abedi’s 16-year 

career with the Black Stars, 

he scored 33 goals in 73 

appearances and won 

the 1982 Africa Cup of 

Nations. 

We did not abandon Fed Cup match — Katsina Utd 

By Jude Opara, 

Ilorin 

NATIONAL league 

side, Katsina United 

FC of Katsina has denied 

abandoning the Round of 

16 Federations Cup 

match with Nigeria 

Premier league club, FC 

Ifeanyi Ubah last 

Wednesday in Ilorin the 

Kwara State capital. 

Russian athlete branded a ‘traitor’ 

Darya Klishina 

RUSSIAN athlete 

Darya Klishina has 

been widely criticised 

after she agreed to 

compete under a neutral 

flag at next month’s 

Olympics, a move which 

could make her one of 

Russia’s only track-andfield 

athletes not banned 

due to a national doping 

scandal. 

Social media 

denounced the long 

jumper as a “traitor” 

after she thanked her 

sponsors and coaches for 

their support and 

expressed gratitude to 

the International 

Association of Athletics 

Smash and Grab: Serena Williams 

Chairman of the club, 

Alhaji Aminu Kurfi told 

Sports Vanguard after the 

match which was 

inconclusive during the 

extra time that even after 

the crowd violence which 

saw centre referee Ajao 

Ibrahim ran out of the 

pitch, his boys waited 

until it was obvious that 

the referee will not return 

Federation (IAAF) for 

allowing her to compete. 

The IAAF reportedly 

rejected bids from 67 

Russian athletes who 

applied for individual 

dispensation to bypass 

the blanket ban imposed 

on Russia’s athletics 

team for massive “statesponsored” 

doping, but 

found that the US-based 

Klishina could 

demonstrate she was 

clean. 

Klishina still needs 

approval from the 

International Olympic 

Committee, as does 800- 

metre runner Yulia 

S t e p a n o v a . 

to continue the match. 

The match was 

disrupted with about four 

minutes left of the five 

minutes added time when 

irate fans invaded the 

pitch apparently with an 

attempt to beat-up the 

referee who took to his 

heels abandoning the 

match. 

Kurfi who said the 

people that invaded the 

pitch were not Katsina 

United fans added that 

despite the fact that his 

team was losing by 2-0 

goals before the fracas 

broke out, he still ran into 

the field to try and restore 

peace. 

Kenya 

court 

charges 

athlete’s 

agent over 

doping 

ITALIAN 

sports 

agent Federico 

Rosa, who managed disgraced 

former marathon 

star Rita Jeptoo, was on 

Thursday charged in a 

Kenya court with doping 

offenses. 

Rosa, 30, a director of 

Italy-based sports management 

company Rosa 

and Associati, denied six 

counts of doping athletes, 

including Jeptoo 

who was banned for two 

years in 2014 after testing 

positive for the 

blood-boosting drug 

EPO. 

Prosecutors allege that 

Rosa — who was arrested 

earlier this month 

along with his father 

Gabriele who has not 

been charged — was involved 

in “administering 

a prohibited substance 

through a prohibited 

method” in the town of 

Eldoret close to Kenya’s 

famous high-altitude 

training town of Iten. 

Rosa and Associati 

manage several top Kenyan 

and African athletes, 

including former Olympic 

and three-time 1500- 

meter world champion 

Asbel Kiprop, world 

800m bronze medalist 

Eunice Sum and reigning 

London marathon 

champion Jemima 

Sumgong, all of whom 

are members of Kenya’s 

Rio Olympic team. 

The charge sheet accuses 

Rosa of doping 

Jeptoo in 2014 and another 

runner, Elijah Boit, 

between 2004 and 2008. 

NFF congratulates new SWAN executives 

THE Nigeria Football 

Federation has 

congratulated the Sports 

Writers Association of 

Nigeria (SWAN) on the 

successful conclusion to 

its triennial conference 

held in Ilorin, Kwara 

State on Wednesday and 

the swearing–in of a new 

executive council. 

Speaking in Abuja on 

Thursday, NFF 

President Amaju Pinnick 

hailed the new council, 

saying the new SWAN 

president, Mr. Honour 

Sirawoo is a “mature, 

ebullient and dynamic 

individual who is 

capable of taking our 

beloved SWAN to 

wonderful heights.” 

Pinnick added: “I 

know almost all the new 

executives in person, 

and I believe they are 

going to give SWAN a 

great image. These are 

energetic, focused and 

diligent professionals 

who have taken office at 

the right time.” 

The NFF President 

praised the outgone 

council, led by the 

amiable Mr. Saidu 

Abubakar, while 

expressing confidence 

that the new council will 

work well with the 

present NFF 

administration “to 

achieve our vision of 

building a sustainable 

football culture for our 

great country.” 

The new committee 

members include Mr. 

Umar Saheed, deputy 

president. Mr. Olawale 

Alabi, Secretary 

General, with Mr. Wale 

Joseph as deputy 

Secretary-General. The 

vice presidents are Ado 

Salisu (north west), 

Edwin Bekom (south 

south), Adeboye Ajayi 

(south west) and 

Cajetan Nkwopara 

(south east), 

Mohammed DanMusa 

(north central) and 

Abubakar Sadiq (north 

east). The financial 

secretary is Chigozie 

Chukwuleta and Farouk 

Bello is treasurer.


FIFA president faces 90 days 

suspension 

IFA president 

F Gianni Infantino 

will today be interviewed 

•Infantino 

LMC approves Pillars’ 

request for Enyimba tie 

THE request by 

former Nigeria 

professional football 

league champions Kano 

Pillars to take hold of its 

three players which are 

presently in camp for 

the NPFL - La Liga tour 

ahead of Sunday’s 

mouthwatering clash 

with title rivals 

Enyimba in Aba has 

been approved by the 

LMC. 

Pillars midfielders 

Ifeanyi Matthew, Rabiu 

ALl roads lead to 

Campus Square 

Mini-Stadium in Lagos, 

July 30 th when the 

Konami 2016 Charity 

Games will take the 

centre-stage. The event 

which will also feature top 

class entertainment will 

have six orphanage 

FIFA ranking 

Continues from BP 

retaining their position 

from June. 

Cameroon are 53rd in 

the world and seventh in 

Africa with 575 points. 

The Lions moved up five 

places in the global 

rankings. Zambia are 

the lowest ranked team 

in Nigeria’s World Cup 

qualifying group. The 

Chipolopolo are 88th in 

the world and 23rd in 

Africa with 385 points. 

They also dropped 

nine places. 

In the global rankings, 

Ali and defender Jamiu 

Alimi were part of the 

team selected by the 

League Management 

Company for the allstar 

game billed for 

next month in Spain. 

The Masu Gida 

media officer Idris 

Malikawa said the 

affected players will 

join the team in Aba on 

Friday and immediately 

return to Abuja to 

continue camping after 

the high level match. 

Argentina keep their 

place as world No. 1 

despite losing their 

Copa America final to 

Chile, while Belgium 

retain the second spot 

even as they fell at the 

quarter-final stage at 

Euro 2016. 

Colombia, Germany 

and South American 

champions Chile make 

up the rest of the top 

five. 

European champions, 

Portugal, moved up two 

places to sixth. 

by the governing body’s 

ethics committee 

following allegations he 

breached its code of 

ethics. 

Infantino was expected 

to meet ethics 

investigator Robert 

Torres – possibly as early 

as Friday – as part of a 

preliminary probe into 

his conduct just four and 

a half months after 

succeeding Sepp Blatter 

as the most powerful 

man in football. 

If there is sufficient 

evidence, a full 

investigation will be 

opened that could see 

Infantino provisionally 

suspended for up to 90 

days. 

News of the interview 

arrived days after the 

emergence of a leaked 

internal Fifa memo 

outlining a series of 

claims relating to the 

Swiss’s expenses, 

AS part of efforts by 

Rafiu Oladipo 

Foundation to celebrate 

exinternationals in the 

country, the foundation 

in conjunction with 

Winners Golden Belt is 

organizing a football 

match for former 

Saintfiet 


Federation for the job 

of the Bengal Tigers 

sparked concerns in the 

Nigerian football circles 

that the former Qatar 

and Zimbabwe Boss 

may be looking 

elsewhere. 

However, in a swift 

response, Saintfiet 

denied he has accepted 

to work with any other 

Federation. 

He disclosed that the 

recruitment practises 

and the alleged sacking 

of whistleblowers. 

Fifa confirmed on 

Thursday night that 

Infantino, who 

categorically denies any 

wrongdoing, would 

willingly co-operate 

with any inquiry. 

“The Fifa president 

has stated publicly he 

fully respects the 

independence and work 

of the ethics committee 

and that he would 

provide, if required, 

whatever information 

necessary to facilitate 

any potential review by 

the committee,” it said in 

a statement. 

“The president has 

made clear that he had 

acted appropriately and 

in accordance with Fifa’s 

code of ethics.” 

Legal counsel hired by 

Fifa to examine the 

claims against Infantino 

was yesterday said to 

have concluded he had 

no case to answer. 

Rafiu Oladipo Foundation 

celebrates ex-internationals 

footballers to enable 

them showcase once 

more to the general 

public the talent that 

made them great. 

Disclosing this to the 

media yesterday 

Chairman of the 

Foundation, Dr. Rafiu 

Ladipo, noted that the 

Six orphanages for Konami 2016 charity games 

homes from across Lagos 

State participating. 

Organisers said, there 

will be no winners and no 

losers as the event is 

aimed at giving the 

inmates a sense of value, 

entertain them and as 

well see to their needs. 

According to the 

founder of Konami 

Nigeria, Olamide Olabisi, 

Konami was born out of a 

passion and need to help 

the less privileged, 

particularly the orphans 

in the society by blending 

sports, entertainment and 

charity to raise funds, 

provide gifts and give 

orphans a sense of 

belonging in the society. 

The programme which is 

in its fourth edition, 

according to Olabisi, “will 

witness an expansion, in 

terms of participating 

orphanage homes from the 

usual four to six. 

“Two more orphanage 

homes have been involved, 

bringing the number to 

six,” he said, adding that 

top Nigerian artistes like 

YC, Adekunle Gold and 

Nollywood stars will be on 

hand to provide the 

desired entertainment. 

President and board of 

the Asian Country’s FA 

offered him a contract 

with a mandate to 

resume immediately. 

However, he has stated 

emphatically that the 

Nigeria Football 

Federation job is his first 

priority and until the 

matter is resolved he 

cannot accept the 

Bengal 

appointment. 

Lions 

Seadogs end Games with 

donations to IDP camp in 

Benin 

THE 

National 

Association of 

Seadogs (NAS) ended 

their 2016 National 

Games held recently in 

Benin with a visit to the 

International Christian 

Centre for Missions, one 

of the camps which 

harbour over 2,500 

internally displaced 

persons (IDP) from all 

over the country, to bring 

succour to the 

inhabitants. 

The Association had 

earlier discovered, 

through various 

visitations to the camp, 

prevalent diseases such 

as scabies, diarrhoea and 

protein deficiency 

ravaging the inhabitants 

and donated drugs, 

personal hygiene 

•Oladipo 

championship which is 

slated for Sunday, July 

17 to August 28 will be 

played at the Nigeria 

Ports Authority Play 

Ground, Surulere and 

will involve 14 teams 

namely; Firm All Stars, 

Arsenal Nigeria, Ojota 

All Stars, Ikorodu All 

Stars, Grasodon All 

Stars, FKJ, NPA All 

Stars, Paco All Stars, 

Apapa- Ajegunle All 

Stars, Ajah All Stars, 

Eti- Osa All Stars, 

LASU All Stars, 

FESTAC All Stars and 

St Mary All Stars, 

among others. 

According to him, the 

Foundation decided to 

organize the tournament 

to create room for exinternationals 

to 

recreate and ensure they 

are not only remembered 

when they are dead but 


Mourinho was fired 

for bad results. 

However, Mikel’s 

agent, Mesrun Izzet 

revealed there were 

also offers from Turkey. 

“Mikel did enquire 

about Besiktas and 

Chelsea 

products and food for 

them. 

According to Dr, Joseph 

Oteri, the Association’s 

health co-ordinator: “Out 

of the 2,500 children and 

adults living there, our 

initial findings revealed 

that 900, mostly children, 

have scabies and some 

diarrhoea while some are 

also deficient in protein, 

hence the need for us to 

donate drugs, and other 

items that will take care 

of these ailments. 

“What we took there will 

treat about 400 of them. 

But we will deliver the 

rest within a week or two 

to take care of the 

remaining inhabitants.” 

The pastor in charge of 

the Centre, Pastor 

Solomon Folorunsho, 

thanked NAS for the 

donation and noted that 

it was not the first time 

the association would 

show same kind 

gestures. He urged wellmeaning 

Nigerians and 

other non-governmental 

organizations to emulate 

the National Association 

of Seadogs’ drive to 

make life better for the 

internally displaced 

persons. 

Ronaldo 


of Novak Djokovic 

(Tennis), Lydia Ko 

(Golf), Canelo Alvarez 

(Boxing) and fellow La 

Liga star Luis Suarez. 

It’s the second time 

Ronaldo has won the 

award. 

Also honoured was 

U.S. women’s soccer 

legend Abby Wambach, 

who picked up the Icon 

Award alongside fellow 

retirees Peyton Manning 

and Kobe Bryant. 

Wambach said she 

was most proud to be 

part of a legacy left by 

the 2015 Women’s World 

Cup champions that 

fought for equality and 

left the game “better 

than I found it.” 

Toronto FC’s 

Sebastian Giovinco won 

the best MLS player 

award. 

there were talks but it 

all depends on what 

their board decide to 

do,” Izzet said. 

“Money is of course 

important but Mikel 

wants first-team 

football if he is to 

move.”

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2016 

FIFA Ranking: Nigeria 

falls out of reckoning 

DEJECTED: Super Eagles players Ahmed Musa (l) 

and Odion Ighalo looking dejected after losing to 

Egypt in an Afcon 2017 qualifier. Nigeria lost 1-0 

in Alexandria. 

TODAY'S PUZZLE 

NIGERIA’s rating 

on the FIFA world 

rankings took a tumble 

nine places down in the 

July ratings released 

yesterday. 

The Super Eagles are 

now ranked 17 th on the 

African continent. Bad 

for a team that was 

climbing in the month of 

June when the Super 

Eagles perched at the 

61 st position. 

Nigeria are also well 

behind two of their 2018 

World Cup final 

qualifying round 

opponents. Algeria, who 

Top 10 African 

Teams 

1) Algeria 

2) Ivory Coast 

3) Ghana 

4) Senegal 

5) Egypt 

6) Tunisia 

7) Cameroon 

8) Morocco 

9) Congo DR 

10) Mali 

YESTERDAY'S ANSWERS 

It’s either Super Eagles 

job or nothing 

•Saintfiet denies Bangladesh 

are the favourites in 

Nigeria’s group, remain 

the top team in Africa 

with 781 points. 

The North Africans are 

32nd in the world, 


BELGIAN tactician, 

Tom Saintfiet has 

cleared the air on reports 

linking him with the 

Bangladesh national 

team job declaring he 

has not signed or 

accepted any other job as 

he awaits news from the 

Nigeria Football 

Federation, which 

remains his priority. 

Saintfiet, 43, is one of 

3 shortlisted coaches for 

the Super Eagles jobs, 

but news of an offer from 

the Bangladesh Football 


Chelsea offer Mikel to Inter 

•Mikel 

CHELSEA 

have 

reportedly made 

contact with Inter Milan 

with a view of shipping 

the midfielder, John Obi 

Mikel to the Italian club. 

Chelsea coach Antonio 

Conte wants Mikel to 

leave and make room for 

new signings. Chelsea 

are asking for $6.6M for 

the long serving 

defensive midfielder. 

Ronaldo wins again! 

C RISTIANO 

Ronaldo finished 

off a memorable week by 

being honoured with the 

ESPY for Best 

International Athlete on 

ACROSS 

2 Docking-place (5) 

7 Guide (5) 

8 Reimburse (5) 

10 Wanderer (5) 

12 Obese (3) 

13 Helped (5) 

15 Wished (7) 

17 Bomb-hole (6) 

19 Vehicle (3) 

20 Determined (7) 

23 Detail (4) 

25 Consider (4) 

26 Discussed (7) 

30 Nothing (3) 

31 Invent (6) 

34 Made (7) 

37 Foul (5) 

38 Curve (3) 

39 Postpone (5) 

40 Weary (5) 

41 Pale (5) 

42 Combine (5) 

wednesday winning the 

E u r o p e a n 

Championship, the 

Portugal star won the 

award ahead of the likes 


QUICK CROSSWORD 

DOWN 

1 Step (5) 

2 Cap (5) 

3 Worn (6) 

4 Fastened (4) 

5 Delineated (7) 

6 More recent (5) 

9 Equality (3) 

11 Abused (7) 

13 Pungent (5) 

14 Old-fashioned (5) 

16 Mournful (3) 

18 Entertained (7) 

21 Liability (5) 

22 Implant (5) 

24 Threatened (7) 

27 Nipped (3) 

28 Beat (6) 

29 Coach (5) 

32 Poetry (5) 

33 Located (5) 

35 Stray (3) 

26 Clergyman (4) 

•Saintfiet 

Inter are said to be keen 

in landing Mikel and are 

considering the 

proposal. 

Mikel suffered a spell 

on the bench under Jose 

Mourinho, but his career 

was given a shot in the 

arm by interim coach 

Guus Hinddink after 


•Ronaldo 

How to Play Sudoku 

Place a number (1-9) in each blank cell. (No line can 

have two of the same number). 

Each row (nine lines from left to right), column, (also 

nine lines from top to bottom) and 3 X 3 block within a 

bold block (nine blocks) contains number from 1 

through 9. This means that no number can appear twice 

in any block, column or row. 

No mathematics is involved – no adding, subtraction, division 

or multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination. 

ACROSS: 1, Desire 5, Peak 8, Hoard (, Fir 10, 

Dean 11, Ogre 12, Stale 13, Called 16, Mien 

18, Near 30, Wed 22, Sat 23, Gag 24, Ride 25, 

Step 28, Dealer 30, Final 32, Read 33, Dell 34, 

Elf 35, Ceded 36, Tied 37, Editor. 

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS 

DOWN: 1, Defect 2, Strolled 3, Redeem 4, 

Contented 5, Prolong 6, Edge 7, Keep 8, 

Has 14, Dissuaded 15, Sag 17, Eat 19, 

Earliest 20, Wit 21, Decided 26, Peeled 27, 

Crater 29, Fret 30, Face 31, Led. 

Printed and Published by VANGUARD MEDIA LIMITED, Vanguard Avenue, Kirikiri Canal, P.M.B.1007, Apapa. Phone: Newsroom: 018773962. Deputy Editor: 01-4548355. Advert Dept Hotline: 01- 

4544821. Abuja Advert Hotline: 09-2921024. E-mail: editor@vanguardngr.com, news@vanguardngr.com, letters@vanguardngr.com. Advert:advertproduction@yahoo.com 

Website: www.vanguardngr.com (ISSN 0794-652X) Editor: MIDENO BAYAGBON. Phone: 01-7742861, All correspondence to P.M.B. 1007, Apapa Lagos.

No plan to impeach Buhari - SENATE

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