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Wednesday, April 5, 2017
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Vol. 42, No. 28 48
P A G E S
Governors seek approval
for N1.3tr Chinese loan
since chibok
schoolgirls
were abducted
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Meningitis punishment
from God, Gov Yari says
...215 die in Zamfara as toll reaches 336
By Isiaka Wakili & Judd-Leonard Okafor
Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz
Yari has attributed the current
outbreak of meningitis in the
country to retributive justice from
God.
The governor said the current
outbreak of Type C Cerebrospinal
Meningitis is God’s way of punishing
Nigerians for their immoral conduct.
The governor spoke in Hausa
during an interview with State House
reporters yesterday after meeting
President Muhammdu Buhari.
Zamfara State is the most ravaged in
the latest outbreak, accounting for 215
out of 336 deaths nationally.
“What we used to know as far as
meningitis is concerned is the ‘type A
virus’ which had been tackled through
vaccinations by the World Health
— Continued on page 5
• Former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (left) with President Muhammadu Buhari, during his visit to the Presidential Villa in Abuja yesterday. See
story on page 10>>>
Photo: State House
Internally displaced
man defiles 2 sisters
P 4
What senators discussed
with APC chairman Oyegun
N7.2tr held by NNPC can
P 3 end recession – NEITI P 13

DAILY TRUST, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
www.dailytrust.com
>>PAGETWO
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WEATHER
ABUJA
KADUNA
KANO
MAIDUGURI
JOS
AFRICANSAYINGS>>
Compiled by
ABBAS JIMOH
&
INANILA KINGSLEY
An elephant grows and becomes an adult,
even if people do not like it. (Liberia)
PARTIALLY CLOUDY PARTIALLY CLOUDY SUNNY
SUNNY PARTIALLY CLOUDY
39
MAX
23
MIN
37
MAX
20
MIN
37
MAX
18
MIN
37
MAX
20
MIN
32
MAX
16
MIN
SOKOTO
39
MAX
SUNNY
23
MIN
IBADAN
THUNDERSTORMS
35 25
MAX MIN
PHOTO
OF THE
DAY>>
ENUGU
MOSTLY CLOUDY
37 25
MAX MIN
P/HARCOURT
LAGOS
THUNDERSTORMS THUNDERSTORMS
26 19 33 27
MAX MIN MAX MIN
(Temperature in centigrade)
Source: BBC collection of listeners’ proverbs
FOOD FOR THOUGHT>>
Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it
is the courage to continue that counts.
Winston Churchill
• A relocated rhino
charges at a Nepalese
forestry and technical
team after being released
as part of a relocation
project in Chitwan
National Park, some of
250 Kilometer South of
Kathmandu on Monday
Photo: AFP
PRAYER TIMES
CITIES FAJR DHUHR ASR MAGHRIB ISHA
ABUJA 5:13 12:44 3:44 6:46 7:51
ENUGU 5:07 12:43 3:43 6:49 7:54
KADUNA 5:15 12:43 3:43 6:42 7:47
KANO 5:16 12:59 3:39 6:35 7:40
KATSINA 5:18 12:43 3:43 6:37 7:42
LAGOS 5:23 12:59 3:59 7:05 8:10
MAIDUGURI 4:53 12:20 3:20 6:16 7:21
P/HARCOURT 5:07 12:45 3:45 6:53 7:49
SOKOTO 5:27 12:52 3:52 6:46 7:51
SOURCE: Society for the propagation of Islam, Kaduna
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GAINERS CAP NASCON LIVESTOCK LEARNAFRCA CADBURY
OPEN
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FO HONYFLOUR MANSARD NEIMETH AFRIPRUD
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DAILY TRUST, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
NEWS
Justice Ademola,
wife know fate today
By Clement A. Oloyede
Justice Jude Okeke of
an FCT High Court will
today rule on the nocase
submissions filed
by embattled judge
of the Federal High
Court, Justice Adeniyi
Ademola, his wife
Olabowale and Joe Agi
(SAN).
The three were
arraigned on an
18-counts charge
bordering
on
gratification and illegal
possession of firearms.
The prosecution called
19 witnesses to prove
its case against the
defendants.
However, at the last
sitting, counsels to the
defendants, Dr Onyechi
Ikpeazu (SAN), Chief
By Ismail Mudashir
Hundreds
of
protesters yesterday
stormed the National
Assembly, demanding
the immediate
reinstatement of the
suspended former
Senate Leader, Ali
Ndume (APC, Borno).
Ndume
was
suspended last
Wednesday over his
motion on Senate
President Bukola Saraki
and Senator Dino
Melaye (APC, Kogi
West).
The protesters
bearing placards with
various inscriptions
took over the main
Robert Clarke (SAN)
and Barrister Jeph
Njikonye argued that
the prosecution has
not been able to link
the evidence given with
the charge filed against
the defendants thereby
urging the court to
uphold the no-case
submission.
In his response,
prosecution counsel
Barrister Segun Jegede
said the Supreme
Court has held that
the prima facie case
must be differentiated
from prove of guilt and
all that is needed at
this stage of the trial
was for a link to be
established between
the evidence led and
the charge filed against
the defendants.
Protesters ask Senate to
void Ndume’s suspension
gate of the National
Assembly, chanting
‘bring back our
Ndume.’
The situation forced
security officials to lock
the gate. Lawmakers,
visitors and others used
the SGF’s gate to gain
entry into the premises.
One of the protesters,
Kyellu Suleiman said the
suspension of Ndume
would negatively affect
their lives.
The mother of five
who is an IDP said,
“Ndume is our helper,
he gives us food and
takes care of our
children. They don’t
help us and now they’ve
sent our helper away.”
Reps demand extension
of UTME registration
By Musa Abdullahi Krishi
The House of
Representatives
yesterday demanded
an extension of the
one month period for
the ongoing Unified
Tertiary Matriculation
Examination (UTME)
registration exercise.
The House said due to
the myriad of challenges
prospective applicants
face, the one month
period set aside by the
Joint Admission and
Matriculation Board
(JAMB) should be
extended by another
month.
Adopting a motion
by Rep Danburam
Abubakar Nuhu
(APC, Kano), the
House mandated its
Committee on Basic
Education and Services
to liaise with JAMB on
the extension in order
to create more space for
prospective applicants.
The House also urged
JAMB to deploy safety
equipment at each
registration centre to
forestall any incident
of stampede due to
overcrowding.
The lawmakers
further
urged
JAMB to specify the
requirements, including
safety measures which
qualify any centre
to participate in the
conduct of the UTME
computer-based test.
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Govs seek Buhari’s approval
for N1.3tr Chinese loan
By Isiaka Wakili
The Nigerian Governors
Forum (NGF) yesterday
sought
President
Muhammadu Buhari’s approval
on a $4.5bn (about N1.37tr)
Chinese loan for agricultural
and rural infrastructure in
states and the Federal Capital
Territory.
Buhari, however, asked the
forum to get in touch with the
Ministry of Budget and National
Planning, the Ministry of
Finance and the Central Bank of
Nigeria (CBN) “to sort out all the
technical details and move on
with it.”
By Ismail Mudashir
The 2019 elections, the trial of
members of the All Progressives
Congress (APC) were among
the issues discussed in a 2-hour
closed door meeting of the APC’s
National Chairman, Chief John
Odigie-Oyegun and Senators,
Daily Trust has reliably gathered.
Oyegun led the National
Working Committee (NWC) of the
APC to a meeting with the caucus
of the party at the Senate. The
meeting which was the first since
the party took over in 2015 was
attended by the Senate President,
Bukola Saraki and majority of the
APC Senators.
Journalists and aides of the
politicians were excused at the
end of the opening session of
the meeting that lasted for about
15 minutes. The closed session
began around 2.48pm and lasted
till 5.23pm.
Sources at the meeting said
the issue of how best to conduct
the party primaries for the 2019
general elections was extensively
discussed.
One of the Senators said the
party was advised not to allow the
The loan, to be provided by
the Chinese government, in
conjunction with the People’s
Bank of China, would be spent
on rural infrastructure and
such agricultural machinery as
tractors, bulldozers, irrigation
pumps, among others.
NGF Chairman and Zamfara
State Governor Abdulaziz Yari,
who briefed Buhari on the
credit facility, told State House
correspondents that the Chinese
government had last year
during Buhari’s visit expressed
willingness to support Nigeria.
“The loan has a 20-year
repayment term with a fiveyear
moratorium. Initially, we
• Protesters call for the withdrawal of Senator Ali Ndume’s
suspension at the National Assembly gate in Abuja yesterday
imposition of candidates to mar
its chances in the 2019 elections.
“It was agreed that everybody
should be subjected to the party
primaries including the state
Governors,” he said.
The source said the trial of APC
members was also discussed at
the meeting. Saraki and some
Senators are being tried over
issues bordering on corruption.
“The issue of APC members
who are being tried also surfaced
at the meeting. The case of former
Adamawa Governor, Murtala
Nyako was discussed,” he said.
He said the party executives
were also attacked over their
failure to intervene on the crisis
rocking the party at National level
in some states.
“A lot of our colleagues spoke on
this. The party was lambasted for
its inability to address the crisis in
Kaduna, Kano, Bauchi and Kogi
States. We also expressed worry
that the party waited for two
years before coming to National
Assembly, “he said.
On crisis in the Senate, he said
“When Ndume issue came up,
we told the party that he was
removed following the request
3
started negotiations to drop a
counterpart funding of 25%, but
understanding the economy
of Nigeria, we negotiated to
give a counterpart funding of
10% which we believe Nigeria
can do and we’re targeting the
natural resources fund from the
counterpart funding. We’re now
speaking with the Chinese group
and the committee that was set
up by the Ministry of Agriculture
and Rural Development.
“So, we have now come to a
stage where the president needs
to come in so that he can give us
a leadership role and a kind of
approval of a certain level so that
we can forge ahead”, Yari said.
Photo: Ikechukwu Ibe
What senators discussed with Oyegun
of the party that Senator Ahmad
Lawan be considered for the post.
Now, Nigerians are abusing us
that kept mum,” he said.
He said they also told the
Chairman that the attacks on the
Senate are being sponsored by
state Governors and the Secretary
to the Government of the
Federation, Mr. Babachir David
Lawal.
“We also told him that most of
the appointees of Mr. President
are misbehaving because
they did not participate in the
electioneering campaigns. They
don’t value our labour,” he said.
The source said one and after
the other, Oyegun responded to
the issues raised. He said some
Senators, however stood up and
said, “the party chairman lacks
the instrument to address the
issues”.
However, while addressing
newsmen at the end of the
meeting, Oyegun called for calm.
Also speaking to newsmen,
Saraki said stakeholders must
respect institutions and stressed
the need for regular consultations
between the legislative arm of
government and the party.

4
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Zaki-Biam: Taskforce recovers weapons
from notorious suspect’s stronghold
From Hope Abah, Makurdi
A
Special Security Joint
Task Force instituted by
the Federal Government
over the recent market killings
in Zaki-Biam town in Ukum
Local Government Area of Benue
State yesterday displayed arms
and ammunition it allegedly
recovered from the stronghold of
most wanted criminal, Terwase
Akwaza, popularly known as
Ghana.
Governor Samuel Ortom has
fingered Ghana as responsible for
the market killings penultimate
Monday in Zaki Biam after
security agencies corroborated
the governor at separate times
that the wanted militia kingpin
who reneged on the amnesty deal
From Aliyu M. Hamagam,
Dutse
Personnel of the Jigawa
State Command of
Nigeria Security and
Civil Defence Corps
(NSCDC) have arrested
six nationals of Niger
Republic and 21 others
for burning down their
office in the Nigeria/
Niger border town of
Maigatari in Maigatari
Local Government Area.
From Olatunji Omirin,
Maiduguri
earlier granted him by the state
government continued to wreak
havoc in some areas of the state.
The Joint Security Task Force
headed by a Commissioner
of Police from the Force
Headquarters in Abuja, CP, Bello
Ahmed, has however recorded
some level of breakthrough with
the weapons so far recovered.
Special Adviser to the State
Government on Security Matters,
Col. Edwin Jando (retired) who
spoke at the Government House
while displaying the recovered
weapons, said the security
operatives raided a bunker
belonging to Ghana at his home
town of Gbishe in Katsina-Ala
local government area, adding
that several persons had been
arrested and taken to Abuja in
• Applicants for the registration of JAMB’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation
Examination stranded in front of Digital Bridge Institute at Utako, Abuja yesterday
Father, daughter
kidnapped
From Victor Edozie , Port
Harcourt
A senior lecturer at
the Federal College of
Education (Technical)
Omoku, Isaac Messiah
and his daughter have
been kidnapped by
unknown gunmen.
Messiah and his
daughter were abducted
yesterday at his house
around Lagos Avenue
along Ogboo road in
Omoku.
A source from the
community who
confirmed the incident,
said the suspected
kidnappers stormed the
residence of the victims
by 1:00pm with a Toyota
Camry and whisked
them to an unknown
destination.
The State Police
Public Relations Officer
(PPRO) Nnamdi Omoni
declined knowledge of
the kidnapping.
A 24-year-old man,
Ishaiku Joseph, an
internally displaced
person from Gwoza
Local Government Area,
is now in police net for
allegedly defiling two
sisters, each four years
old.
The
incident
occurred last week near
the Industrial Court
The image maker
of the state command
of NSCDC, Adamu
Abdullahi, made the
disclosure yesterday in
Dutse, explaining that
late last month a group
of miscreants razed the
NSCDC office around 7
pm in Maigatari.
According to
Abdullahi,
the
personnel of the NSCDC
were able to identify
some of the hoodlums
opposite the University
of Maiduguri.
Daily Trust gathered
that the father of the
girls helped the parents
of the suspect with
a room in his house
which the suspect took
advantage of and raped
the girls who are of the
same father but different
mothers.
The suspect had raped
the first minor several
times when everyone in
connection with the development
while interrogation was on.
Jando named the items
recovered from the bunker to
consist of a submachine gun, three
grenades, automatic rifles, 10
locally made pistols, many locally
made guns, thousands of live
ammunition for rifles and double
barrel guns, many cartridges,
rockets for firing planes and so on.
On his part, the CP Ahmed Bello
assured Benue people that the
days of the dreaded criminal were
numbered.
Responding, Governor Ortom,
who applauded the security
agencies for a job well done,
accused the runaway gang leader
of using the amnesty programme
as a cover-up for criminal
activities.
Photo: Abubakar
Yakubu
NSCDC arrests 6 Nigeriens, 21 others for burning its office
that perpetrated the
crime and that it was
easy to pick them
for investigation and
possible prosecution.
He explained that six
out of the 27 suspects
arrested are Niger
nationals while seven
others were juveniles,
saying in the case of the
juveniles the authority
of the NSCDC would
later decide on what to
do.
Internally displaced man defiles two sisters
the house went out but
he was caught with the
second minor and the
whole secret came out.
The father of the
girls who is a staff of
UNIMAID and who
reported the matter
to the Police, said
he wanted justice to
prevail.
Policeman who are
familiar with the case
said the suspect had
confessed to the crime.
DAILY TRUST, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
From Emma Elekwa, Awka
The Special Anti Robbery
Squad (SARS) of the
Anambra State Police
Command yesterday
stormed the office of the
Ogbaru Region of the
Chief Ralph Uwazuruike
- led Movement for the
Actualization of the
Sovereign State of Biafra
( MASSOB).
Daily Trust learnt
that the police arrested
the Anambra North
Security Commander,
Mr. Christian Oguchi
Kato and four other
members.
The National Youth
Service Corps (NYSC)
said yesterday that it
is working towards reopening
its Orientation
Camp in Maiduguri
following return of
relative peace to the
State.
Brig:-Gen. Suleiman
Kazaure, Director-
General of NYSC, gave
the hint while speaking
with newsmen in
Maiduguri.
Kazaure said NYSC
was eager to re-open
the camp following the
return of peace to the
state ravaged by the
Boko Haram insurgency.
“There is relative
peace now in the state,
so we will like to come
From Ahmed Tahir Ajobe,
Minna
The story of the 16-yearold
JSS111 student of
Day Secondary School
Tunga Minna, who was
impregnated by the Vice
Principal, Muhammad
Muhammed Kuyizhi
has continued to elicit
sympathy from higher
quarters.
Our correspondent
learnt that Aisha,
the wife of President
Muhammadu Buhari
personally called on
relevant authority to
ensure that justice is
done in the matter.
Aisha
Buhari
specifically contacted
the wife of Niger state
Governor, Abubakar Sani
Bello, Dr. Amina Sani
Bello to take personal
interest in the case which
is currently before a
magistrate court.
NEWS
Police arrest MASSOB
Commander, 4 others
in Anambra
Meanwhile, MASSOB
has given a 48-hour
ultimatum for the
release of its people,
failure of which the
group said it would
paralyze business
activities in the state.
The Anambra
North Zonal Leader of
MASSOB, Emmanuel
Omenka said, “They
should not take our
non-violence posture
for weakness. If after
48 hours our people
are not released, we
will ground business
activities in Onitsha
and environs.”
NYSC to reopen Maiduguri
orientation camp
back as soon as possible.
Remember, the Internally
Displaced Persons (IDPs)
are still occupying the
Orientation Camp”, he
said.
Kazaure said the camp
would be re-opened once
the IDPs were evacuated
from it.
“It is only in Borno
that our corps members
have yet to have their
orientation camp in
place. We are ready to
start our orientation
the moment the state
government releases our
camp to us.” he said.
Kazaure commended
the corps members
serving in the state for
their dedication and
resilience.
Aisha Buhari wants justice for
impregnated JSS 111 student in Niger
Aisha Wakaso, chief
press secretary to the
wife of the governor said
the Child Rights Agency
was monitoring to ensure
that due diligence was
done.
The accused person
appeared before
Magistrate Court
presided by Fati Auna last
Monday for contravening
sections 19and25 of the
state Child Rights Act.
The prosecutor
Abdullahi Maiyaki told
the court that the accused
had sex with the girl three
times in his office.
The accused person
however said he had
canal knowledge of the
affected student once.
Chief Magistrate Fati
Auna therefore adjourned
the case to Wednesday
5th April for further
hearing and ordered him
to be remanded in prison
custody.

DAILY TRUST, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
NEWS
• Meningitis patients at Rawayya Primary Health Centre in Bungudu L.G.A of Zamfara
Photo: Shehu Umar
State
remote areas were initially not
aware of the type of illness that
had befallen them, therefore
resorting to the traditional or
orthodox type of treatment with
resultant deaths.
A resident simply identified
as Kabir, who lost his daughter
within 15 minutes of her
complaint of serious headache,
stiff neck and high feverish
condition, said "She was asleep
when she woke up demanding
for cold water. She took the
water and then came down
from the bed, saying she
preferred to sleep on a bare
floor. She then started gasping
and experiencing breathing
difficulty and she gave up the
ghost within 15 minutes."
Another resident, Abdulkadir
Yahaya, said he lost his sister
two weeks ago after she spent
about eight days receiving
treatment. "I can confirm to
you that over 10 people mostly
children were confirmed dead
in this community even though
the number of deaths has
significantly reduced in recent
times," he said, adding,
"We went to the cemetery
to bury a daughter of my
neighbour and shortly after we
came back another child died
and we had to go for his burial
again. The situation is a very
pathetic one as no one knows
what the future holds."
The epidemic, Daily Trust
has learnt, hit Tsangaya schools
especially within Gusau
metropolis. At an almajiri school
belonging to one Mallam Mahe
in Mayana area in Gusau, the
state capital, one boy died last
week and seven others infected.
Even though other disciples
at the school survived the
epidemic, there are also
reported cases of deaths in such
schools in Magami town and
some villages in Bungudu LGA.
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Meningitis punishment from God, Gov Yari says
— Continued on page 5
Organisation (WHO), the
governor said.
“However, because people
refused to stop their nefarious
activities, God now decided to
send Type C virus, which has
no vaccine.
“People have turned away
from God and He has promised
that ‘if you do anyhow, you see
anyhow,’ that is just the cause
of this outbreak as far as I am
concerned.
“There is no way fornication
will be so rampant and God will
not send a disease that cannot
be cured,” Yari stated.
“The most important thing
is for our people to know that
their relationship with God is
not smooth. All they need to do
is repent and everything will be
all right.”
Asked whether leaders
also need to repent, he said
“leaders are doing their best
by enlightening the populace
and working assiduously for
the good of all,” but that they
cannot go from house to house
and arrest offenders.
He said a meeting of
stakeholders in the state had
adopted a strategy to deal with
the outbreak.
According to him, the five
million doses of the vaccine
announced by relevant
organisations against the Type
C meningitis in Nigeria “is
not enough for Zamfara people
alone, not to talk of Katsina or
Kano”.
He said Zamfara got 20,000
doses from the Federal Ministry
of Health owing to the high rate
of the disease in the state.
“Our Focus as a state now is
to continue treating those who
are infected with the disease,
but as for vaccination, it has an
international dimension.
“We have information that
Nigeria will get the highest
percentage of the 5 million
doses available now. Apart
from WHO, other International
bodies such as the Bill Gates
foundation and UNICEF are
also currently focusing on how
to tackle the outbreak.
FG ramps up control as
death toll rises to 336
The death toll in the current
outbreak rose to 336 and
suspected infections figure is
now 2,997, according to the
Nigeria Centre for Disease
Control (NCDC) latest report
released yesterday.
Meanwhile the Federal
Government “incidence
management” response was
Zamfara residents recount experiences of 215 deaths
From Shehu Umar (Gusau), Habibu
Umar Aminu (Katsina) & Uthman
Abubakar (Maiduguri)
At least 215 people mostly
children have died and
over 1,600 infected as
cerebrospinal meningitis hit
Zamfara hard, the Secretary
to the State Government, Prof.
Abdullahi Muhammad Shinkafi,
has said.
Shinkafi, who is also
the Chairman of the State
monitoring Committee on
Prevention, Control and
Sensitization on Meningitis,
spoke yesterday while briefing
newsmen on the epidemic.
He said however that
measures had been taken to
stop the spread, including the
setting up of monitoring and
control committees in each
local government area and the
dispensing of drugs to those
infected.
Some residents who spoke
to Daily Trust narrated how
they lost their loved ones to the
epidemic within short periods.
After a visit to Rawayya village
in Bungudu LGA where at least
10 people, mostly children,
were reported dead within some
weeks, our reporter found some
patients receiving treatment
at the village Primary Health
Centre.
The Officer-In-Charge of the
clinic Mallam Lurwanu Bello
Rawayya said they had received
17 cases within two weeks
although no death was recorded
in the dispensary.
He said the patients included
those brought from the nearby
villages, adding that most
of those residing in the very
switched on yesterday after the
Emergency Operations Centre
was activated on Monday.
The switch to incidence
management is to “ensure
that all activities across the
country will be managed using
a clear command and control
structure led by an Incident
Manager who reports through
the Chief Executive Officer of
the Nigeria Centre for Disease
Control, to the Minister of
Health,” the NCDC announced.
“With this new coordinating
structure, the country will have
a tight, multi-partner team of
experts pulled from the most
competent agencies focusing
on outbreak control in Nigeria,”
Lawal Bakare, technical advisor
for communications at NCDC
said.
The central command is
similar to response to Ebola
viral disease outbreak in 2014,
but the command centre for
meningitis will be headed
by John Oladejo, head of
emergency preparedness and
response at the NCDC.
Experts from the Federal
Ministry of Health, NCDC,
NPHCDA, WHO, UNICEF,
Africa CDC, US CDC, Medecins
Sans Frontieres, AFENET,
University of Maryland and
E-Health Africa will have roles
on different components of
the meningitis outbreak—all
coordinated in one place.
So far, half a million doses
of Meningitis C vaccines
have been distributed to
affected states for immediate
vaccination in response to the
outbreak.
An additional 823,970 doses
of the vaccine are expected
from the United Kingdom to
support vaccination in other
affected states.
The EOC will begin statewide
vaccination today in
Zamfara and then move on to
15 more states.
“We are confident that we
have turned the tide, and
with increasing vaccination
activities, expect a reduction in
number of cases,” said Bakare.
“Importantly,
lessons
learned from this outbreak will
help the country prepare for
the future.”
No science links
meningitis to God’s
wrath—NCDC
The Nigeria Centre for
Disease Control refused
Tuesday to be drawn on
comments by Zamfara state
governor, Abdulaziz Yari,
that the current outbreak of
meningitis serotype C was
Despite the enlightenment
campaign for the residents to
sleep in well ventilated rooms
and take measures on personal
hygiene, the rooms in which the
disciples sleep have no floors
and are covered with dust and
sands.
Katsina death toll
reaches 41
In Katsina State, the death toll
has risen to 41 as at Monday,
as many patients were being
diagnosed daily since its
reported outbreak two weeks
ago.
A member of the state
Emergency Operation Center
(EOC) who spoke in confidence,
said the outbreak had spread to
13 local government areas of the
state.
According to him, members
of the center were hurriedly
summoned to an emergency
meeting on Monday to review
5
the result of divine wrath on
Nigerians for turning away
from God.
But an official said the
statement was nothing
scientific but just a personal
belief.
Biodun Ogunniyi, official
of the NCDC, told Daily Trust,
“The NCDC is a scientific
organization, and what we
need to do is look at the science
and the facts.
“We are providing vaccine.
This is science and this is
how science works. In the
past probably this disease
was killing people and people
thought there was no solution.
“The science of
immunisation is a clean science
that the world has tested and
tested again. Vaccines work,
and in this case vaccines are
going to work again, and
Nigeria is working hard to
get the appropriate doses of
vaccine into the country.”
Ogunniyi said no link existed
between fornication and
meningitis, considering many
caught in the outbreak are
children.
He said a better discourse
should have been talk about
sexual practice as it affects
disease and its spread in Nigeria
and Africa.
the alarming number and come
up with quick intervention.
Our reporter also gathered
that some selected health
personnel are currently being
trained on how to handle
the situation especially on
prevention methods due to
non-availability of the vaccines
in the state.
The state Executive
Secretary, Primary Health
Care Development Agency, Dr
Maawuya Aliu, said yesterday he
was not available and asked our
reporter to come today.
The Permanent Secretary of
the Ministry of Health Dr. Dr
Kabir Mustapha had earlier said
government was working round
the clock to raise funds to secure
the vaccines from pfizer.
Borno moves to secure
IDP camps
In a related development, the
Borno State Government has
announced a set of measures to
secure the Internally Displaced
Persons (IDPs) in the camps in
the state and along the border
with Niger Republic against the
scourge of meningitis.
The State Commissioner of
Health, Dr. Haruna Mshelia,
who announced to newsmen
in Maiduguri yesterday that
there was no reported case of
the epidemic in the state so far,
listed the measures as including
mounting of surveillance along
the border to cater for the
IDPs moving in and out of the
country.
Dr. Mshelia said various
healthcare and immunizationrelated
technical groups had
been reactivated while relevant
agencies and organizations had
been identified with the aim of
pooling their efforts towards
ensuring the security of the
IDPs.

DAILY TRUST, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
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Suspected cultists kill 2 in Rivers
From Victor Edozie , Port Harcourt
Two persons were killed Monday
night by armed men suspected
to be cultists in Omoku, Ogba/
Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area
of Rivers State.
The victims were murdered at their
houses along Ahoada road in Omoku
about 11pm.
The incident occurred barely three
days after youths in Omoku, the
headquarters of ONELGA, vowed to
go after anyone engaged in killing and
From Hamisu Kabir Matazu,
Damaturu
Yobe State Governor,
Alhaji Ibrahim Gaidam
has approved the
appointment of Alhaji
Saleh Abubakar as the
new Head of the Civil
Service, with effect from
Monday, April10, 2017.
The Secretary to the
State Government, Baba
Mallam Wali disclosed this
in a statement, yesterday,
in Damaturu, saying
the newly appointed
Head of Service would
replace Alhaji Dauda
Yahaya who has reached
the mandatory year of
retirement.
Alhaji Saleh Abubakar,
born in Gashua town in
1958, attended Central
Primary School, Gashu’a
From Yusha’u A. Ibrahim, Kano & Musa Abdullahi
Krishi, Abuja
Hajj Service providers under the
auspices of Nigerian Arewa Foundation,
have threatened to take legal action
against the National Hajj Commission
of Nigeria (NAHCON) if the outcome
of the ongoing probe by a House of
Representatives committee does not
satisfy them.
Addressing a press conference
in Kano yesterday, the chairman
of the foundation, Alhaji Ibrahim
Sulaiman Yusuf, appealed to the House
Committee on Public Petitions to be fair
in treating the matter.
In their petition to the House,
members of the foundation alleged that
NAHCON chairman Abdullahi Mukhtar
Mohammed, levied companies that
provided accommodation and catering
services to Nigerian pilgrims during the
2016 Hajj operations in the sum of 50
Riyal and 70 Riyal respectively.
“Nigerian Arewa Foundation will not
From Dele Ogunyemi, Ibadan
The Academic Staff
Union of Universities
(ASUU), University of
Ibadan Chapter yesterday
declared a one-week
warning strike over ‘Illegal
pension deductions,
fractional salary payments
and non-payment of
supervision allowance.
The management of the
• Alhaji Saleh Abubakar
1965-1972; General
Murtala Mohammed
College (GMMC) 1972-
1976; SBS Zaria 1977-78;
ABU Zaria 1979-1982
where he bagged B.Sc. in
Political Science.
He started his career
with old Borno State Civil
Service in 1983; joined
the service of Ministry
of External Affairs (now
Foreign Affairs) in 1984;
then re-joined the service
kidnapping, as well as any politician
who would want to arm youths in the
area for selfish interest.
According to sources, the victims,
Emma and Dele were killed when the
gunmen stormed their respective homes
and shot them several times causing
pandemonium in the neighborhood.
The source said three hours after the
operation, residents came out to identify
the two victims.
The State Police Public Relations
Officer (PPRO) Nnamdi Omoni
confirmed the cult clash to reporters.
Yobe Chief of Staff becomes Head of Service
University of Ibadan under
the Vice Chancellorship of
Professor Idowu Olayinka
is also accused of failure
to declare the Internally
Generated Revenue
profile of the University.
The decision was taken
yesterday at the Congress
of ASUU held at the
Faculty of Arts presided
over by its Chairman, Dr
Deji Omole, after which
of old Borno State in 1989
as Admin Officer. He
moved to Yobe State after
state creation in 1991, and
he was Director Political
Affairs in the Governor’s
Office. In 1995, he became
Director Administration,
also in the Governor’s
Office. In 1999, he was
appointed Deputy
Permanent Secretary,
Admin, a position he held
till 2004 when he was
posted to Ministry of Land
and Survey as Deputy
Permanent Secretary.
The new Head of
Service returned to the
Governor’s office in 2006
as Deputy Permanent
Secretary Administration
till 2007 when he was
appointed Permanent
Secretary/Chief of Staff to
the Governor.
Hajj 2017: Service providers threaten
legal action against NAHCON
hesitate to seek redress in court. We will
secure court injunction to stall the entire
Hajj exercise this year. Seeking redress
in court would be our last resort,” Yusuf
said.
But appearing before the committee
last week, the NAHCON chairman said
the agents were fighting back based
on a recent revelation the commission
uncovered, which made it to come up
with certain measures.
He said during the payments
for services rendered for last Hajj,
they decided to transfer monies
electronically to leasing individuals of
accommodation, but that they later
discovered that the amounts paid were
well over the actual sums.
“We paid to the leasing companies
directly, and they came and said they
didn’t expect that amount. We found
that in some states were shortchanged
up to 2000 Riyal. So, we have been
shortchanged all these years. We now
said based on these revelations, we have
to get reputable companies,” he said.
UI ASUU declares one-week strike
the lecturers issued a
statement saying, “The
Congress of ASUU,
UNIBADAN at its meeting
of 4th April, 2017 having
received permision from
the National body of the
Union declared one-week
warning strike beginning
from 12:01 midnight
today to 12:00 midnight
on Tuesday 11th April,
2017.”
NEWS

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9

DAILY TRUST, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
10
By Isiaka Wakili
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Buhari launches economic
recovery plan today
Pr e s i d e n t
Muhammadu
Buhari will today
formally launch the
Economic Recovery and
Growth Plan (ERGP)
2017-2020.
The Special Adviser to
the President on Media
and Publicity, Mr Femi
Adesina, disclosed this in
a statement yesterday.
Adesina said this was
in furtherance of Buhari
drive to sustain and
build on the successes so
By Isiaka Wakili
Former Head of State, retired General
Yakubu Gowon, yesterday urged
President Muhammadu to continue to
deal with all the problems facing the
country.
The ex-leader prayed to God to give
Buhari the strength and energy needed
to deal with the nation’s problems.
Gowon, while addressing State House
By Joshua Odeyemi
The Civil Defence, Fire, Immigration and
Prisons Services Board (CDFIPB) has
suspended three senior Prisons officers,
CP Peter Yeni Tenkwa, DCP Abubakar
Abaka and SP John Bukar over release
of former Adamawa State governor, Bala
James Nggilari from prison.
The officers were indicted for
complicity in the issuance of
unauthorised medical report on
Nggilari, who was serving a 5 year jail
term in Yola prison.
By Abdullateef Salau
By Clement A. Oloyede
The fourth defendant in
the ongoing N24 billion
police pension scam trial,
Veronica Onyegbula,
told the Economic
and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) that
she made $544,000 from
sales of pure water, an
FCT High Court heard.
An operative of the
EFCC, Rukayya Ibrahim
revealed this yesterday
while giving evidence
in the trial within trial
requested by counsel
• President
Muhammadu Buhari
far recorded in tackling
corruption, improving
security and rerevamping
the economy.
The presidential
to Onyegbula, Barrister
Ernest Ikeji.
The trial within trial
was requested to prove to
the court that Onyegbula
made some of her
statements in 2012 to the
EFCC under duress.
Onyegbula was
arraigned alongside Esai
Dangabar; Ahmed Inuwa
Wada; Atiku Abubakar
Kigo; Sani Habila Zira;
Uzoma Attang and
Christian Madubuike
on criminal charges
bordering on conspiracy
and criminal breach of
spokesman said the
ceremony would hold
at 11.00am inside the
Council Chambers of Aso
Rock Presidential Villa.
He stated: “The
medium-Term ERGP,
which had earlier been
approved by the Federal
Executive Council (FEC),
has amongst its broad
strategic objectives,
restoring sustainable,
accelerated inclusive
growth and development;
investing in the people;
and building a globally
competitive economy.”
Gowon visits Buhari, prays for president
The Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) has proposed to set
up desks in Nigerian foreign missions
to fast-track recovery of looted funds
stashed abroad.
EFCC Acting Chairman, Mr Ibrahim
Magu stated this yesterday at a five-day
induction programme for non-career
ambassadors-designate in Abuja.
He said operatives of the commission
and other law enforcement agencies
would be deployed to Nigerian missions
abroad.
correspondents, said he was at the
Presidential Villa to welcome Buhari
back from his recent medical vacation
in London and to thank the president
for condoling him over his sister’s death.
He stated: “And then also to
encourage him to continue to do his
work, to the best of his ability, dealing
with all the problems. Day in day out,
you read in the press all sorts of things
happening.
FG suspends 3 prisons officers over Nggilari’s release
The Public Relations Officer of
Nigeria Prisons Service, Francis Enobore
disclosed this in a statement yesterday.
He said the letter dated 3rd April,
2017 signed by the Secretary of the
Board, Mr Sunday Dan Ogu, approved
the suspension of the officers pending
the outcome of investigations into the
matter.
Enobore said a new Comptroller and
officer in-charge have been posted to
take over the state command and Yola
prison respectively including a medical
doctor to oversee the prison clinic.
Loot recovery: EFCC to set up desk in foreign missions
At the foreign missions, Magu said the
operatives would assist in investigation
of crimes bordering on money
laundering, cyber crimes, advance
fee fraud and issues relating to asset
recovery.
“We can start with the posting
of officers to US, UK, France, Italy,
Switzerland, South Africa and Ghana in
collaboration with the Federal Ministry
of Foreign Affairs,” he said.
Magu, however, lamented that asset
recovery process is time consuming,
complex and requires a great deal of
resources, expertise and political will.
Pension scam: ‘I made $544,000 selling pure water’
trust for their complicity
in the scam at the police
pension office.
Led in evidence by
prosecution counsel,
Barrister Leke Atolagbe,
Ibrahim told the court
that all the statements
made by Onyegbula were
voluntarily made under
a cordial interactive
session.
The trial within
trial was adjourned by
Justice Husseini Baba-
Yusuf to continue today
at the instance of the
prosecution counsel.
NEWS

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11

DAILY TRUST, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
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KADUNA
From Andrew Agbese, Kaduna
The Kaduna State Executive
Council has approved a budget
of N62 billion for the 23 local
government areas in the state.
The state Commissioner for
Local Government, Malam
Jafaru Sani, told newsmen
at the end of the council’s
meeting that the estimate
would be sent to the House of
Assembly for approval.
He said the state government
was working hard towards
achieving a budget for the
entire state that would devote
60% to capital expenditure and
40% for recurrent in 2018.
KEBBI
From Ismail Adebayo, Birnin Kebbi
All the households affected by
the 2016 flood in Kebbi State
were yesterday given building
materials and relief items worth
N250,000 each.
While distributing the
materials to the victims, the
executive chairman of the Kebbi
State Emergency Management
Agency (SEMA), Alhaji Sani
Dodo said the materials were
meant to cushion the effect of
BAUCHI
From Balarabe Alkassim, Bauchi
The Bauchi State Police
Command has arrested
150 thugs popularly
known as ‘Sara Suka’ from
various black spots and
locations in the state.
The
State
ANAMBRA
From Emma Elekwa, Awka
Physically challenged
persons in Anambra State
will henceforth enjoy
free transportation to all
designated routes under
the State Mass Transit
Scheme, Governor Willie
Obiano has said.
NIGER
AROUND THE
STATES
N62bn approved for 23 LGs
The commissioner said 2017
budget estimate was intended
to clear all areas of gratuity and
other pending issues in the
councils.
“The initial budget size was
N59,233,312,655.00,while
the current budget size is
N62,302,538,532.00.This is as
a result of the N3,069,225,877
increase in the proposed
revenue.
“The break down of the
budget is as follows: personnel
cost=N30,569,749,692.00,ove
rhead cost-5,187,983,302.00
and capital-26,544,538,537.00.
Total=N62,302,538,532,” he
said.
2016 flood victims get building materials
the flood.
Some of the items included
roofing materials, plywoods,
bags of cement, and grains.
The 2016 flood victims were
initially camped at Salamatu
Secondary School but were later
moved to the Hajj Camp to be
integrated with their families.
In his remark, the state Acting
Governor, Alhaji Samila Yombe
said he was happy the materials
were coming at the right time to
end the suffering of the victims.
Commissioner of Police,
Garba Baba Umar said
this yesterday while
briefing journalists in
Bauchi.
The commissioner said
the miscreants engaged
in other forms of criminal
activities like abduction,
Obiano announced
this during a rally
organized for them in
Awka.
He said his
administration aimed
to ensure that persons
living with disabilities
were fully integrated into
the society.
Ex-Rep Saidu Isa dies at 58 in Niger
NASARAWA
Police arrest 150 suspected thugs
From Hassan Ibrahim, Lafia
The Nasarawa State House of Assembly yesterday
passed a vote of confidence on Governor Tanko Al-
Makura, commending him for the construction of
bridges and culverts in rural communities to boost
commercial activities and agricultural production.
Speaker of the House, Ibrahim Balarabeabdullahi,
who gave the commendation after
rape, extortion and house
breaking, thereby causing
security threats in the
state.
“It has come to our
knowledge that some selfcentred
politicians have
perfected plans to disrupt
the peace,” he said.
Free transportation for persons with disabilities
From Ahmed Tahir Ajobe, Minna
A two-term member of the
House of Representatives
(Lavun/Mokwa/Edatti
constituency) of Niger
state, Saidu Isa, is dead.
He died yesterday at
the Ibrahim Badamasi
Babangida Specialist
Hospital, Minna.
The deceased’s eldest
son, Umar, said his father
broke down last Sunday
morning and was taken
to the hospital where he
passed away yesterday.
The late Isa started
his career as a reporter
with Radio Niger and
later became the pioneer
correspondent of the
Kano State-owned
Triumph newspapers in
Niger state in the 1980s.
He later joined the
Hausa Service of the
British Broadcasting
Corporation (BBC).
He contested for the
House of Reps under the
platform of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP)
in 1999. He won a second
From Linus Effiong, Umuahia
The Abia State Commissioner
of Police, Mr Leye Oyebade,
has confirmed the arrest of a
51-year-old man Daniel Emeka
said to specialize in luring and
sleeping with under-aged boys.
The suspect was arrested
Reacting, the Senior
Special Assistant to the
President on Disabilities,
Dr Samuel Ankeli,
advised them to take
full advantage of the
opportunity for selfrealization
provided by
the governor.
sequel to intelligence gathered
on his activities coupled with
a report by a woman over the
sudden disappearance of her
14-year-old son.
The police boss told our
reporter on phone that the man
was nabbed while trying to
escape with the minor to Lagos.
NEWS
ABIA
Man who specializes in sleeping with small boys nabbed
“The mother came to make
complains about her missing
son to the Police and from
information we got we were
able to trace the child and as I
speak with you the suspect has
confessed to the habit of luring
under-aged boys to hotels and
sleeping with them,” he said.
Assembly commends Al-Makura over bridges in rural communities
term in 2005.
He is survived by 16
children and three wives.
• Late Saidu Isa
• A young
inventor
displays his
product with
an inscription
‘May explode
if tempered
with’, during
the Technology
and Innovation
EXPO 2017 in
Abuja yesterday
Photo:
Ikechukwu Ibe
Muhammed Okpoku (APC-Udege/Loko) raised
the issue, also said that the House appreciated ‘the
giant developmental strides of the governor’.
Abdullahi said, “The bridges, culverts and other
infrastructure would go a long way in boosting
socio-economic activities of the state.”
The state recently disbursed N700 million to the
13 local government councils and 18 development
areas to construct the roads and culverts.

HAMISU MUHAMMAD
Business Editor
DAILY TRUST, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
08050498518
business@dailytrust.com
hmohammed@dailytrust.com
13
BUSINESS
N7.2tr held by NNPC can end recession – NEITI
By Daniel Adugbo
The Nigeria Extractive Industries
Transparency Initiative (NEITI) has
asked the Federal Government to
put in place urgent measures to recover
the sums of $21.778 billion and N316.074
billion from the Nigerian National
Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and
its subsidiary, the Nigerian Petroleum
Development Company (NPDC).
NEITI in a policy brief released yesterday,
said findings from a series of its audits of
the oil and gas sector showed that NNPC
and its upstream arm, NPDC, have failed
to remit the monies to the Federation
Account.
All the monies, it said, at current
exchange rate, came to about N7.2 trillion
which NNPC and NPDC still owed the
country.
Giving details of the unpaid revenues,
NEITI said $21.778 billion and N316.074
billion were amounts due from three main
sources: federation assets divested to NPDC
and NPDC’s legacy liabilities; payments for
domestic crude oil allocation to NNPC;
as well as dividends from the country’s
investment in the Nigerian Liquefied
Natural Gas (NLNG) paid to it but withheld
by NNPC.
The transparency agency explained
that if 20 per cent of these monies were
recovered, it could fund significant parts of
the deficit in the 2017 budget, while onethird
of it could completely eliminate any
need to borrow to fund the budget.
It added that the unremitted funds can
be used by the 36 states in the country and
the Federal Government to fund recoveries
from economic recession.
According to the NEITI, while the
NPDC owed the federation $5.531 billion
and N72.435 billion as considerations for
divested oil assets and revenues accruing
from them, the NLNG paid a total of
$15.8 billion dividend to NNPC. NNPC
acknowledged receipt but failed to remit
same to the Federation Account.
Additionally, NEITI said the NNPC still
owed N243.639 billion to the Federation
Account as unpaid balance from its
management of the 445,000 barrels per
day (bpd) domestic crude allocation
(DCA) to its refineries in Kaduna, Warri
and Port Harcourt, as well as $424.185 cash
call refund from another of its subsidiary
- the Nigerian Petroleum Investment
Management Services (NAPIMS).
The Executive Secretary of NEITI, Mr.
Waziri Adio, told reporters at the unveiling
of the brief that such huge revenue could
not be withheld by the NNPC and NPDC
while the government searched for funds to
get the country out of recession.
He revealed that the agency had briefed
the Economic Management Team (EMT)
headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo,
and would expect it to act on it.
FG grants N756m to 81 young innovators
By Francis Arinze Iloani
Nigeria’s Vice President,
Professor Yemi Osinbajo, has
presented Aso Villa Demo
Day (AVDD) Grant worth
N756 million to 81 young
innovators to grow and
expand their enterprises.
Speaking at the grant award
ceremony held in Abuja
yesterday, Professor Osinbajo
said the 81 innovators
awarded the grants were
expected to bring change
to entrepreneurship in the
country through the use of
technologies.
The AVDD Grant is part of
the Growth and Employment
Project (GEM) developed
UK S/Court frees NNPC from paying over $100m bank guarantee
By Daniel Adugbo
The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom
has granted a reprieve to the Nigerian
National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)
over a $100m bank guarantee in a case
involving the corporation and a service
company IPCO (Nigeria) Limited.
NNPC in a statement by its spokesman
Ndu Ughamadu said the reprieve was the
latest in the protracted dispute arising from
the contract between NNPC and IPCO
for the construction of the Bonny Export
Terminal (BET) Project in Port Harcourt.
IPCO had referred its claims to arbitration
in Nigeria and obtained an Arbitral Award
US DOLLAR
CBN EXCHANGE RATES
POUND
STERLING
of $154m in 2004, with annual interest
running at 14 per cent, leaving NNPC with
no option than to promptly challenge the
award at the Federal High Court in Lagos.
Group Managing Director of the
Corporation, Dr Maikanti Baru, said he was
delighted on the new development adding
that no stone would be left unturned to
extricate NNPC from encumbrances that
may impede the Corporation’s access to
hard earned funds which are much needed
to execute developmental projects by the
various tiers of government in the country.
The development, NNPC said, is a
significant decision in the history of the
case as the English Supreme Court has
EURO YUAN/RENMINBI RIYAL CFA
Buying 305.35 381.26 326.2359 44.3041 81.4223 0.4809
Central NGN 305.85 381.8843 326.7701 44.3771 81.5557 0.4909
Selling NGN 306.35 382.5086 327.3043 44.4501 81.689 0.5009
• Vice President Yemi Osinbajo
by the Federal Government,
domiciled in the Federal
Ministry of Industry Trade and
Development and financed
by the World Bank.
The awardees were part
of the Aso Villa Demo Day
convened by President
Muhammadu Buhari last year
and attended by Facebook’s
founder, Mark Zuckerberg,
which targeted young
Nigerian entrepreneurs with
innovative business models
that could contribute to the
growth of the economy.
“Before us today, we
have 81 innovators who
have come through a
competitive process to
position themselves as gamechangers
for the Nigerian
economy and indeed for the
April 3, 2017
COMMODITIES
PRICE
CRUDE OIL BRENT $53.17
GOLD $1,229
SUGAR $19.59
world,” the vice president
said.
Osinbajo said 25,000 young
Nigerians were also being
trained on digital skills to use
technologies to solve local
problems.
The Minister of Industry,
Trade and Investment, Dr.
Okechukwu Enelamah, said
the GEM project has since
inception disbursed about N1
billion to small and medium
scale enterprises in the
country.
The GEM Project is a $160m
World Bank IDA Credit with
a Project Implementation
Unit at the Federal Ministry
of Industry, Trade and
Investment.
not only discharged NNPC from the
responsibility to sustain the additional
security of $100m in favour of IPCO but
it also further reiterated the finding of the
English Commercial Court and the Court of
Appeal that NNPC has a good prima facie
case that IPCO procured the Arbitral Award
by fraud.
“Additionally, the decision of the
Supreme Court has clarified conclusively
the limits of an enforcing Court’s power to
order security as a condition on the right
to have a decision of a properly arguable
challenge under the New York Convention
1958 and the English Arbitration Act 1996,”
NNPC said.
BUREAU DE CHANGE RATES
BUYING
SELLING
DOLLAR EURO Pound S.
N385 N390 N492
DOLLAR EURO Pound S.
N390 N385 N490
Naira
bounces
back after
one-week
depreciation
FLIGHT
SCHEDULE
Page 14
AZMAN AIR
Weekly
STD STA
LOS - PHC 7:30 8:20
PHC - KAD 9:00 10:00
KAD - YOL 11:30 12:30
YOL - KAD 13:30 14:30
KAD - PHC 15:30 16:30
PHC - LOS 17:10 18:00
SUNDAYS/MONDAYS/FRIDAYS
KAD - LOS 7:45 8:50
LOS - KAD 9:45 10:45
KAD - MIU 11:30 12:35
MIU - KAD 13:15 14:20
KAD - KAN 15:00 15:30
KAN - LOS 16:30 18:15
LOS - KAD 18:45 19:55
SUNDAYS/MONDAYS/FRIDAYS
KAN - LOS 7:30 8:45
LOS - KAN 10:00 11:20
KAN - KAD 12:00 12:30
KAD - KEB 13:30 14:15
KEB - KAD 15:00 15:45
KAD - LOS 17:00 18:00
LOS - KAN 18:45 20:00
WEDNESDAYS
LOS - PHC 7:30 8:20
PHC - LOS 9:00 9:50
LOS - KAD 11:45 12:45
KAD - LOS 13:45 14:45
LOS - KAD 18:30 19:30
DANA AIR
LAGOS - KADUNA
Monday - Friday
-7.02am, 10.53am, -13.23pm, -18.25pm
KAD - LOS
-9am, 11.07am, -2.51pm, -20.20pm
PHC - KAD - 8.55am
KAD -PHC -15.24pm
UYO - KAD -1.15pm,
KAD - UYO -15.21pm
Saturday
LOS - KAD -7 am, -11.25
KAD - LOS - 9am -5.28pm
Sunday
LOS - KAD -12.24pm -6.35pm
KAD - LOS
-10.08am, -12.51pm, -20.30pm
MEDVIEW AIRLINE
MON-FRI
LOS-KAD -7AM, 8:50AM, 10:45AM
KAD-LOS -8:45AM, 2PM, 4PM
KAD-YOL -10:30AM
YOL-KAD -12:15PM
KAD-MAI -12:30PM
SAT
LOS-KAD -8AM, 8:50AM
KAD-LOS -8;45AM, 2PM
KAD-YOLA -10:30AM
YOL-KAD 12:15PM
SUN
LOS-KAD -8:30AM, -10:45AM, -12:15PM,
6PM
KAD-LOS -10:10AM, -4PM, -5:30PM,
-7:30PM
KAD-MAI 12:30PM
KAD-YOLA -2PM
MAI-KAD 2:15PM
YOLA-KAD 3:45PM

DAILY TRUST, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
14
NEWS>>
Abuja airport runway
75% completed - Sirika
The
By Chris Agabi
The programme of work
is running as outlined”
he said.
The minister would
later twit @hadisirika
over the completion
level and his excitement
over the scope of work
done so far.
Two weeks to the
opening of the
Abuja airport
runway to traffic,
the Minister of State,
Aviation Sen. Sirika
Hadi Sirika, has said the
runway is 75 percent
completed.
He stated this after
routine inspection
of ongoing total
resurfacing of the
runway after its total
failure.
The Minister said “I
am happy to announce
we are at 75 percent
completion of Abuja
airport rehabilitation.
United Bank for Africa
(UBA), Africa’s Global
Bank operating in
19 African countries,
has announced the
promotion of 3,000 staff
members, reinforcing its
commitment to human
capital investment and
career progression, at
the current challenging
operating circumstances.
Promotions were made
across UBA’s global
network.
In a letter written on
Monday, April 3, 2017
to Group staff by CEO,
Kennedy Uzoka. “Since
my recent appointment
as GMD/CEO, one of my
priorities has been to
address the needs of our
people. I strongly believe
Our correspondent
who visited the airport
reported that the
running lighting is
being installed even
as the asphalt work is
almost completed.
Just last week, Sen.
Sirika alongside the
Minister of Information,
Alh. Lai Mohammed
inspected the entire
stretch of the runway
• UBA GMD, Kennedy Uzoka
that if we take care of
our people, our people
will take care of our
customers - our ultimate
employers.”
“Investment in our
human capital is critical
from runway 04 to
runway 022 and saw the
work being done at each
point and expressed
satisfaction over the
pace of work done.
From the level of work
done, the runway may
be delivered ahead April
19th, the scheduled
opening date but Sen.
Sirika had foreclosed
opening the airport
ahead of the earlier
announced date.
The minister also
expressed satisfaction
with the quality of
work done. “There is a
new technology where
glass glide is put in the
process of constructing
UBA promotes 3,000 staff
From Christiana T. Alabi, Kaduna
Suppliers of Oil and Gas
product in Nigeria have
decried the recent increase
in price of Low Pour Fuel
from N72.9 to N103.60;
saying the increment will
cripple industries in the
country.
The price of the product
has been increased twice
within six months.
One of the suppliers,
Jibril Abubakar, who
spoke on behalf of other
suppliers lamented that
the increase in price of
LPFO is contrary to the
government’s agenda of
industralizing the country.
According to him, the
increment is outrageous,
describing it as pure
injustice to the industry.
“We have been buying
the product at the rate of
N72.9 while we supply
to industies between
N85 to N90, cost of
transportation inclusive.
On Saturday, we
received a circular from
the Nigerian National
Petroleum Corporation
(NNPC) that the price
has been increased to
N103.60,”
to our success. It is a
product of our ability
to invest for the long
term and create an
institution that is built to
last. It is the bedrock of our
determination to be Africa’s
leading customer focused
bank”.
In addition to the Groupwide
promotion, Mr Uzoka
unveiled a new Workforce
Model and an extension
of the existing Group
car loan benefit, to 1000
previously ineligible staff.
These policies are in direct
response to staff feedback
from the Employee
Engagement Survey,
which the CEO says has
helped define current
and future human capital
investment.
Suppliers want LPFO price reverted to N72.9
By Musa Abdullahi Krishi
The House of
Representatives has
mandated one of its
committees to ensure
strict enforcement of Small
and Medium Enterprises
(SMEs) funding initiatives
of government financial
“How does government
want existing industries
to survive and how
does it expect new
industries to spring up?
Government is talking
about industralizing
the country to create
employment, yet, it is
increasing the price of a
product that constitutes
50percent of what most
industries use,” he said.
The Deputy Manager,
Domestic Sales at
NNPC Towers, Abuja,
Mohammed S. Bello could
not be reached when
called.
the runway to reinforce
it, to give it extra
strength and prevent
cracks and that is what
we have done at the
Abuja airport runway”
he explained adding
that “this is the first time
any Nigerian runway
is being treated with
such material and that
material is a 50 tonner.
We had to fly it in to
Nigeria to ensure that
it comes in time for this
job and you have seen
samples of it” he said.
The runway being
reconstructed at the
cost of N5.8 billion by
Julius Berger was closed
on March 8, 2016.
‘How Dangote is
industrialising
Africa’
Dangote Group is
industrialising African
countries through its
huge investments,
creation of jobs and
philanthropic activities,
the President of the
Kaduna Chamber of
Commerce Industry
Mines and Agriculture
(KADCCIMA) Muheeba
Farida Dankaka has
said.
Dangote Cement Plc is
Africa’s leading cement
producer with three
plants in Nigeria (Gboko,
Benue State, Obajana,
Kogi State and Ibese,
Ogun State).
Dangote Cement also
has operations in 17
other African countries:
Ghana, Ethiopia,
Tanzania, Cote d’Ivoire,
Senegal, Cameroun,
Liberia, South Africa,
Kenya, Zambia,
Sierra Leone, Congo,
Zimbabwe, South Sudan,
Chad, Mali and Niger.
The company is about
setting up a cement
plant in Nepal.
The KADCCIMA
President said it is
against this backdrop
that the Chamber has
been collaborating with
the Dangote Group,
and to further develop
the real sector of the
continent.
Reps push for adherence to SMEs N220bn funding
institutions.
The House, while
adopting a motion by
Rep Abubakar Amuda-
Kannike (APC, Kwara),
also mandated the
committee on banking
and currency to liaise with
the Central Bank of Nigeria
(CBN) to ensure that the
amount due to SMEs from
CBN’s credit guidelines
guarantee on credit or loan
portfolios of commercial
and merchant banks are
met.
The House also said
stringent penalties that
would ensure compliance
should be adopted.
The lawmakers said
the CBN had set aside a
N220 billion SME Fund
to be disbursed through
commercial banks, while
the Bank of Industry (BoI)
in conjunction with 10
banks resolved to provide
loans to SMEs at low
interest rate.
naira on Tuesday
appreciated against the
dollar at the parallel
market after a one-week
depreciation.
The naira traded
between N380 (buying),
and N390 (selling) stronger
than N395 recorded on
Monday, while the Pound
Sterling and the Euro
closed at N480 and N415
respectively.
At the Bureau De
Change (BDC), the naira
was sold at N362 to the
dollar, while the Pound
Sterling and the Euro
closed at N483 and N430
respectively.
Trading at the interbank
BUSINESS
Naira bounces back after
one-week depreciation
From Abdullateef Aliyu, Lagos
market saw the naira
closed at N306.25.
Traders at the market
said that the intervention
by the Central Bank of
Nigeria (CBN) at the
different segments of
the foreign exchange
market was driving the
strengthening of the naira
against the dollar.
Meanwhile, Alhaji
Aminu Gwadabe, the
President, Association
of Bureau De Change
Operators of Nigeria
(ABCON) had predicted
the appreciation of the
naira as BDCs set to
receive more Diaspora
remittances. (NAN)
Med-View begins 2017 Hajj
operations preparation
Ahead of this year’s Hajj exercise, Med-View Airline has
met with trade partners and travel agents to fashion out
means of making the exercise better.
The airline which catchment area was Hajj operation
before venturing into the domestic, regional and
international services, last year celebrated 10 years in
the business of airlifting pilgrims.
The airline met with travel agents to deliberate on
ways of delivering better services to pilgrims than it had
done in the past.
Managing Director/CEO of Medview Airline, Alhaji
Muneer Bankole told agents in Kano, according to a
statement, that the airline plans to reconfigure its B767
before the commencement of Hajj airlift.

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DAILY TRUST, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
15

DAILY TRUST, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
16
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DAILY TRUST, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
BUSINESS
By Daniel Adugbo
Where are we so far
since President
Muhammadu
Buhari directed the NNPC
to increase the tempo on
search for crude oil in
the Lake Chad Basin and
Benue Trough?
Since Mr. President
gave the marching order
for renewed effort in the
search for hydrocarbons
at the inland basins, we
have made tremendous
progress. For the Chad
Basin, we actually
started the seismic data
acquisition in 2010 after
we obtained the approval
in 2009. Since then, up to
November 2014, we had
acquired over 1900km2
of 3D seismic data. Prior
to that (1976 - 1997) we
had drilled 23 wells based
on 2D data and only 2
wells encountered noncommercial
gas shows.
This 3D is an improvement
over the 2D which is
newer technology.
From the over 1900km2
(of 3D seismic data) we
have interpreted 1500km2
from which we have
identified some prospects
that have matured for
drilling and we have some
leads as well that have
been identified. These
leads will be further derisked
to a point that we
can drill. Prior to now in
the Benue Trough, Shell
Nigeria Exploration and
Production Company
(SNEPCO), Chevron and
Total had acquired some
2D data. Each of them
drilled a well to satisfy
the minimum work
commitment because
they also acquired juicy
acreages offshore. They
satisfied the minimum
commitment and pulled
out.
Only Shell made some
find of 33 billion cubic
feet (bcf)of gas and they
plugged the well and
abandoned it. All the
same we are going back to
look at the whole area and
other prospects because
the 2D that they acquired
we have reinterpreted
in-house and seen more
leads that we need to
pursue. Currently, we are
using 3D technology.
When do we expect a
significant breakthrough
from the renewed search?
Drilling requires a lot of
contractual process and
this process is going to be
like some 4 to 5 months
from now; the contractual
process for putting the
drilling rigs, accessories,
access roads takes some
time.
How badly has
insurgency affected
exploration activities in
the Lake Chad?
Yes, insurgency has
affected our operations in
the Chad Basin because
we had to suspend
operations on November
24, 2014. At the height
of Boko Haram we could
not go in there. But
now we have gotten all
the clearance from the
security agencies and
we have entered into
dialogue with the military.
Last week our operations
team visited the Nigerian
Army Field Commanders
in Monguno to discuss
our strategy for the reentry
to the Chad Basin.
The Integrated Data
Service Limited (IDSL-
NNPC), being the major
contractor for the 3D
seismic acquisition, in
addition to Bureau for
Geophysical Prospecting
(BGP-CNPC), the
Universities of Jos and
Maiduguri were in
attendance. So, we have
all the security back up to
re-enter.
What are NNPC's plans
for other inland basins
particularly the Bida,
Sokoto and Anambra
basins?
Severn Energy is
already producing gas
at the Anambra Basin.
So, we already know
that it is a producing
area. There is another
oil company exploring
and producing that is
causing some friction
between Anambra and
Kogi state communities
(ownership). So, that one
is exactly not a frontier.
For Bida and Sokoto
basins we are putting the
two together. Last week
we had a meeting with
IBB University Lapai
and the vice chancellor
was also in attendance.
We are starting first with
the geology of the area
because we don’t have
a lot of information on
it prior to now. We have
bought some data from
the Nigerian Geographical
Survey Agency that is
aeromagnetic and gravity.
We have analyzed the
aeromagnetic and gravity
data and now know where
the basins are deep.
IBB University
and others that have
knowledge of the area
have been chosen to
lead. We are still holding
technical meetings with
them (IBBUL) for us to
present to them what we
have done geologically
and they will also present
to us all the work that they
have done.
Researchers from the
IBB University, Lapai
recently announced that
they had discovered large
quantity of crude deposit
• Dr Mazadu D Bako,
GGM FES NNPC
at the Bida Basin. What is
NNPC doing about this?
I will not sit down
here and tell you I have
discovered any oil. I am
not doing it in theory.
We are practical people.
When we met them (the
researchers), the professor
(said he) was quoted out
of context. They have not
found any oil, neither
have they designed any
new drilling method
because if they have found
oil and have a new drilling
method then they don’t
need NNPC. When you
find oil it is not hidden,
there is celebration, the
community will celebrate.
Was the meeting with
the IBB University sequel
to the announcement or
just coincidence?
Not at all, it is
something that we have
been doing with them.
It is something we have
planned it is just that the
meeting coincided with
the announcement.
Where is NNPC’s source
of funding?
We are funded from
the Federation Account.
The most important thing
is, do we have enough
resources to prosecute our
plans? Yes we do.
17
INTERVIEW>>
We’ll commence oil drilling in North August – Bako
Group General Manager of Frontier Exploration Services (FES) Division of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Mazadu D. Bako,
in this interview gives update on the renewed search for crude oil in the inland basins of the North and other inland sedimentary basins. Excerpts.
What are the other
challenges?
Since this government
came into power we have
not had any challenge.
What is holding us back
in the Chad Basin is
just the insurgency. Any
report about attacks in
the area dampens our
morale. Every bomb
explosion is a setback for
me psychologically and
otherwise.
We will need to carry out
security risk assessment
and we are currently in the
process of doing it.

DAILY TRUST, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
18
TRANSPORT>>
Airlines’ ticket sale charges hit N15bn - NCAA
From Abdullateef Aliyu, Lagos
The Nigerian Civil Aviation
Authority (NCAA)
yesterday replied airline
operators saying there would be
no going back on the automaton
of five per cent ticket and cargo
sale remittance.
Besides, it has been revealed
that the charges being withheld
by airlines have accumulated to
N15bn.
The agency which restated
that the 5%charges are revenue
accruable to the aviation
agencies through NCAA as
contained in Part V Section 12(1)
of the Civil Aviation Act 2006
warned that any airline that
fails to comply “will be viewed
seriously by NCAA”.
Following the expiration of
the deadline for the automation
of the remittance, the airline
operators under the Airline
Operators of Nigeria (AON) had
called for the suspension of
the automation system while
demanding for clarity on what
constitutes the five per cent
charges.
But in a riposte yesterday
through a statement by the
General Manager, Public
Relations, Mr. Sam Adurogboye,
the NCAA reiterated that there is
no ambiguity in the regulation.
“This section merely mandates
the Airlines to collect the charges
paid by the passengers on
behalf of NCAA and remit same
appropriately and in real time
which have not been so”, it said.
The agency explained further
that the introduction of the he
Aviation Revenue Automation
Projects (ARAP) was an alternate
means since the domestic airlines
have not joined the International
Air Transport Association/Billing
Settlement Plan (IATA/BSP).
It said the directive covers both
foreign and local airlines but the
foreign carriers had complied
fully by remitting their collections
through the IATA/BSP.
Making reference to the
regulation, the NCAA explained
that the 5% air ticket sales charge
shall be based on the total cost of
travel paid by passengers to the
airline.
“This shall be the cost of ticket
inclusive of fuel surcharge or
any other charge added to the
total cost of travel by the airline
exclusive of government value
added tax or any other tax that
may be imposed by government
from time to time”, the statement
said.
Reps demand immediate constitution of Customs board
By Musa Abdullahi Krishi
The House of Representatives
has urged the Minister of
Finance, Kemi Adeosun, to
urgently constitute the board
of the Nigeria Customs Service
(NCS).
Adopting a motion by Rep
Kingsley Chinda (PDP, Rivers), the
House mandated its committee
on Customs and Excise to ensure
the implementation of the
resolution and report back in
four weeks for further action.
The lawmakers also resolved
to forward the same resolution to
the Senate for concurrence.
Leading debate on the
motion, Rep Chinda said the
Act establishing the Customs
provide in Section 3 (a and
b) that the functions of the
board include formulating
general policy guidelines for the
Customs and administering the
service subject to the control of
the finance minister.
He said, however, that for
about two years, the Customs
…want stoppage of Navy’s maritime contract
By Musa Abdullahi Krishi
The House of Representatives
has urged the Federal Ministry
of Defence to stop all actions on
the commercialization of some
maritime operations by the
Nigerian Navy.
The House also resolved to
constitute an ad-hoc panel to
investigate the plans by the Navy
to commercialize some of its
operations to a private company.
The House while adopting
a motion by Rep Johnson
Agbonayinma (PDP, Edo) said a
company, Shorefac Consortium
Limited, had on February 21
made a proposal of a business
model to the Federal Ministry of
Defence to deliver 100 fast boats to
the Nigerian Navy, together with
an offer of maintenance support,
all at no cost to the government.
The House said based
on the arrangement and in
order for the company to
recoup its investments, it
would become a commercial
partner to the Nigerian Navy in
commercializing the Maritime
Services Department of the Navy,
which would then be expected to
provide security services at a cost
to international oil companies
and other owners and operators
of offshore assets.
However, the lawmakers
said: “Shorefac Consortium
Limited has strong international
affiliations, therefore engaging
such a company to collaborate
with a key arm of the nation’s
Armed Forces will amount
to commercializing its core
constitutional role and cause
undue exposure of the country to
foreign interference.”
ASKY introduces Lagos- Johannesburg flight as RwandAir begins Accra
From Abdullateef Aliyu, Lagos
More airlines are deepening
their interest in the Nigerian
market with ASKY and RwandAir
opening new routes.
ASKY, the Pan African Airline,
would commence its new
nonstop service between Lomé
and Johannesburg with effect
from 8th April, 2017.
With this flight, Johannesburg
would join the growing ASKY
network operating from Lomé.
The airline said passengers
would be able to connect
between Johannesburg and
ASKY’s entire network in West
and Central Africa, including
Abidjan, Bamako, Conakry,
Dakar, Douala, Lagos, Libreville,
Niamey, Ouagadougou and
Yaoundé.
Meanwhile as part of its
consolidation on the African
market, East African carrier,
Rwand Air added Lagos - Accra
to its its route network.
Rwand Air Country
Manager, Nigeria, Ibiyemi
Odusi said the direct flight
between the two West African
cities was a fall out of the
fifth freedom right the carrier
secured from the Nigerian
government .
• From left: Nosa-
Alohan Stella
(Teacher at Tare Pet
Montessori Group of
Schools); Group Head,
Retail Banking South
South, Commercial
Banking, Heritage
Bank, Figbene Briggs;
the Proprietress
of the Group of
Schools, Mologe
Victoria; Team Lead,
Financial Literacy,
Customer Experience
& Analytics of the
bank, Ajiri Efeturi and
Secondary School
Teacher, Egbe Joy
during the CBN’s
Financial Literacy
Day at Tare Pet
Montessori School,
Yenogoa recently
has been operating without a
board, contrary to the provisions
of the law and is affecting the
effectiveness of the Nigeria
Customs.
“Unless the anomaly in the
non-composition of the NCSB
is urgently addressed, the whole
essence of the Act would be
defeated,” he said.
By Simon Echewofun Sunday
The Nigeria Customs Service
(NCS) said it is ready to licence
dealers to operate Bonded
Vehicle Terminals in Nigeria
with operators paying duty for
imported vehicles after 28 days
at such terminals.
The Public Relations Officer
(PRO) of the service, Mr.
Joseph Attah, in an interview
said dealers and interested
persons could apply to the
area comptroller through the
area command of the preferred
location for processing.
Daily Trust reports that
the Comptroller General of
Customs (CGC), Col. Hameed
Ali (rtd) issued a directive
banning the importation of
vehicles through the land
borders from January 1, 2017.
Reacting on the many
complaints about the ban,
Attah said: “Some people felt it
BUSINESS
Recession: Toyota
chairman calls for
structural adjustment
From Abdullateef Aliyu, Lagos
The Chairman of Toyota Nigeria
Limited (TNL), Chief Michael
Ade- Ojo, has said the current
economic recession demands
structural adjustment for
individuals and corporate
bodies to pull through the
difficult moments.
Expressing optimism that
the current difficult moments
would not last, he called
for caution during times of
abundance in order to be able
to adjust to any economic
shock.
Ade- Ojo spoke during the
2016 TNL awards in Lagos
where the company rewarded
its loyal customers with cash
prizes.
Winners of the award
included First Bank which
won the Evergreen Customer
of the Year award with a prize
tag of N2.5m while Peace Mass
Transit won the Customer of
the Year award with a cash prize
of N2m.
The Department of
Petroleum Resources (DPR)
emerged the First Runner
Up with N1.5m while Master
Global Concept was the second
runner up in the Customer
of the Year award category
with N1m cash prize. Some
journalists were also recognized
for their consistency in the
reportage of issues in the auto
industry.
The Toyota Chairman
who said the company had
sustained the award despite the
present economic downturn
which had greater effect on
the auto industry was however
optimistic that the recession
would soon become a thing of
the past.
Customs begins duty-free bonded
vehicles terminal licence
is going to take away jobs from
the hands of those who make
their livelihood from selling
cars. But customs has studied
the attraction of our people
who patronise car parks in
neighbouring countries.
“Today, customs is ready
for this and any interested
person needs to start by
writing application through
the area controller of the
command where he wants to
site the bonded terminal,” he
explained.
Attah said the policy would
ensure that the burden of
paying duty for all imported
vehicles at the port was taken
off the operators. The vehicles
are escorted by customs officers
to the terminal without payment
of duty; customers who buy
within the 28 to 30 days paid
the Duty at the customs post
situated inside the terminal, he
explained.

DAILY TRUST, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
BUSINESS 19
SMEs >>
‘Technology, innovation key to MSMEs growth’
By Victoria Onehi
Technology and innovation
are key to the sustenance
and growth of Micro
Small and Medium Enterprises
(MSMEs) in Nigeria, a business
development consultant, Mr
Ahmed Yusuf, has said.
Yusuf stated this as guest
speaker at the Business 360
seminar organised by the Abuja
Enterprise Agency.
From Emma Elekwa, Awka
From Maryam Ahmadu-Suka, Kaduna
“A strategic clearing house
must be set up on a Public Private
Partnership (PPP) arrangement
to incubate and promote local
technology and innovations,”
Yusuf said.
He also stated that a
new tax code favourable to
MSMEs should be developed
taking cognisance of their
economic multipliers, noting
that the present tax drive is
counterproductive on MSMEs.
Anambra provides N2bn loan to SMEs
Anambra State government
has provided a total of N2
billion to small business
enterprises as loan in the past
two years.
The Commissioner
for Information, Tony
Nnacheta, who disclosed
this to newsmen during a
tour of some facilities in
the state, said the loan was
made possible through the
Anambra State Small Business
Agency (ASBA).
He said the agency was
working in collaboration with
various cooperative societies
Young investors have been advised to take advantage
of the Federal Government’s initiative on Information
Communication Technology (ICT) known as Start
Up Friday to showcase their talents and realise their
dreams.
The Director General, National Information
Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Isa Ali
Pantami, gave the advice at the opening ceremony of
the programme in Kaduna.
He said the aim of the programme was to discover
innovators and to see how the agency could support
and motivate the youth to be self-employed and
employers of labour.
The National Coordinator, Office for ICT Innovation
and Entrepreneurship, Olayinka Adejube, said the
programme was to get people know that knowledge
was wealth.
In his massage, the Managing Director, Sir Ahmadu
Bello Memorial Foundation, Dr. Ali Shetima,
commended the organisers and charged Nigerian
youth to be ready to take up the mantle of leadership.
By Daniel Adugbo
in the area of trade, artisans
and farmers at reduced
interest rates.
“ASBA gives loan at nine per
cent, the lowest you can get
and over N2 billion has been
provided for them since this
agency came on board two
years ago,” Nnacheta said.
Also speaking, the
Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of Agriculture, Mr
Leo Imoka, said the
state had set up an
electronic directory of
all farmers in the state
for easy distribution
of inputs and effective
output management.
‘Start-Up Friday’ kicks off in Kaduna
Denk Spaces launched to
help young start-ups
A new initiative, Denk Spaces, that will provide work
space for young start-ups and existing businesses as
well as mentorship has been launched in Abuja.
Speaking at the launch, the founder, Mr. Ekemelu
Nnoli, said Denk Spaces was an entrepreneurial
development hub that provided start-ups and
established businesses with comfortable, productive
and affordable office spaces with convenient
payment terms.
The initiative was launched with an art exhibition
and commissioned by the German Ambassador
to Nigeria, Dr. Bernhard Schlagheck,with other
interested Nigerians in attendance.
“This country is so rich in agriculture and resources
but its greatest asset is its people, particularly the
young people and Denk Spaces represents a perfect
mélange of art and entrepreneurship which enhances
clear and free thinking” Schlagheck said.
Nnoli said Denk Spaces also ran an incubation and
mentorship programme all year round that ensured a
high success rate for all co-habitants.
By Chris Agabi
The Managing Director/CEO
of Abuja Enterprise Agency,
Malam Arabi Muhammad
Tukur, said despite the fact that
the SME sector holds 96% of
the business sector in Nigeria,
compared to 53% in the USA
and 65% in Europe, with a 17
million SMEs holding capacity,
employing about 32.41 million
people, it only contributes 47%
to the GDP of Nigeria and less
than 5% of exports. Compared to
The newly established
Development Bank of Nigeria
(DBN) should support exportoriented
Micro, Small and
Medium Scale Enterprises
(MSMEs) to boost foreign
exchange earning for Nigeria.
The MD/CEO of Fortis
Microfinance Bank, Mr. Tiko
Okoye, gave the advice in an
the nations on the same status in
Asia, Nigeria is lagging behind.
A participant, Dr Jay Ifeanyi
Ugu, said the forum afforded him
an opportunity to talk to policy
makers about their challenges.
The representatives of
NAFDAC, SON, FIRS and
National Export Promotion
Council (NEPC) were at hand
to answer questions and
proffer solutions to some of the
challenges of MSMEs.
interview with newsmen in
Abuja.
He said there were a lot of export
-oriented SMEs in the country
that need to be supported.
Okoye, while welcoming
the DBN initiative, also prayed
DBN to de-risk the MSMEs and
guarantee loans to SMEs so that
microfinance banks can have
confidence to lend to them.
“DBN should try to collaborate
• Ahmed Yusuf, Guest
speaker at the Business
360 forum by AEA.
Devt Bank should support export-oriented MSMEs – Fortis MFB CEO
with SMEDAN to de-risk that
subsector. The sector is highly
risky and one way to de-risk the
sector is to create an SME credit
guarantee scheme,” he said.
“The formation of the bank
and its core mandate to focus
on MSMEs is a welcome
development but we will look at
the details of the mandate to be
sure it will live to the mandate,”
Okoye said.

DAILY TRUST, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
20
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21

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DAILY TRUST, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
www.dailytrust.com.ng
23
Published in partnership
with MC&A DIGEST
... telling brands’ stories
First Bank: The brand that makes Nigeria proud
By Francis Arinze Iloani
Winning the number one
banking brand in Nigeria
for six consecutive years has
confirmed First Bank as a brand of
note in the midst of global banking
giants as reinforced by The Banker
magazine of the Financial Times
Group and Brand Finance, London,
UK in their 2017 global banking
brands ranking.
The bank ranked with $301 million
brand value, ranked 357 in the world
to lead the Nigerian order. Other
Nigerian banks in the ranking include
Guaranty Trust Bank ranked 395 ($258
million), Zenith Bank ranked 414 ($247
million), Access Bank ranked 476 with
a brand value of $182 million and the
United Bank for Africa with a brand
value of $172 million ranked 487 in the
world.
First Bank is however the only
Nigerian bank in the top 10 banking
brands in Africa along with nine other
banks from South Africa, Egypt and
By Francis Arinze Iloani
For close observers
of communication
campaigns in Nigeria,
one commercial that has
ignited conversations
recently is the Hollandia
Yoghurt commercial
currently deployed
on Television, Radio,
digital and out of home.
The campaign titled
‘Nourishing Goodness
for Every Moment’,
carefully reinforces
Hollandia Yoghurt’s
proposition as a brand
that brings happiness
and enjoyment to every
moment of life.
The message is simple.
Whatever your occasion
or moment, whenever
you need nourishing
goodness, there is a
Hollandia Yogurt just for
you.
Through the television
commercial, the brand
takes the consumer
through a journey of
nourishing goodness
and offers various pack
sizes to go with life’s every
moment. Hollandia
Yoghurt succinctly
captures each product
pack size to meet the
ever evolving consumer
needs. In essence, it is
an integral part of the
consumer’s life as every
moment is associated
with a distinctively
named pack size that
everyone can relate with.
Hollandia Yoghurt
family offers various
pack sizes for diverse
Morocco.
The award which is very coveted in
the global financial industry confirms
First Bank operates in the proper path
and it is not surprising that the bank
has won many accolades amidst the
economic turbulence the country is
facing.
Other recent awards clinched by the
bank include the ‘Best Private Bank
in Nigeria’ from Global Finance of the
USA; the “Best Retail Bank in Nigeria”
award by The Asian Banker for the
fifth consecutive time; Interswitch’s
recognition as the first financial
institution in Nigeria to achieve
sustained transaction volumes of 100
million transactions twice in one year;
FirstMobile, the bank’s mobile banking
platform, recorded a milestone in its
user numbers with the attainment
of one million active users and also
reached N1.3 trillion transactions
mark in its short period of launch.
First Bank also became the first
financial institution in Nigeria to
achieve the latest version of ISO quality
How Hollandia Yoghurt offers nourishing campaigns
requirements. The
campaign is therefore
a conscious effort
to capture unique
consumer needs and
position each pack size
to meet them, thereby
becoming an integral
part of consumer’s daily
life. Not just that, each
pack is also given an
endearing name that
the consumer can easily
relate with and this
further creates strong
bond.
For Managing
Director, Chi Limited,
Mr. Deepanjan Roy
‘The Hollandia Yoghurt
Nourishing Goodness
for Every Moment’
campaign is a bold step
to highlight the many
benefits of the brand.
standards: The Quality Management
Systems certification ISO 9001:2015
from the International Standards
Organisation (ISO). The certification
is proof of the bank’s demonstrated
ability to consistently provide products
and services that meet customer needs
as well as applicable statutory and
regulatory requirements.
Also, The Banker accolade is a
clear indication that First Bank has
continued to lead the pack and
consistently outperform others
despite economic headwinds. This is
indicative of the creativeness of the
First Bank team led by Dr. Adesola
Kazeem Adeduntan, a chevening
scholar whose stamp on the bank has
positively reinforced its operations.
A bank committed to service
and nation building, First Bank,
makes significant contributions
to the Nigerian economy and has
strengthened its role through the First
Bank Impact Series, the policy and
thought leadership initiative of the
bank.
By Francis Arinze Iloani
• From Left:
Managing Director,
Prima Garnet
Africa,Mr. Lolu
Akinwunmi;
Managing Director,
LEO Burnett Lagos,
Mr Sam Osunsoko;
Analyst-In-Chief
Brandish, Mr.
Ikem Okuhu; Chief
Operating Officer,
141 Worldwide,
Mrs Bunmi Oke
and CEO Proshare
Nigeria Limted,
Mr. Femi Awoyemi
at the Brandish
Meeting-of-Minds,
themed What
Banks Should Do
Differently’ held
last week in Lagos.
Northbridge MFB holds
retreat in Kano
Chairman of the Northbridge
Microfinance Bank Limited, Alhaji
Ahmed Rufa’i Mohammed, has restated
his board’s determination to ensure strict
compliance with all statutes and remain
guided continuously by ethical conduct
while sharp practices will not, in any form,
be condoned.
Speaking at a one-day retreat for the
Board and Management of Northbridge
MFB Ltd in Kano, Mohammed said the
board would accord the management
sustained autonomy towards driving the
vision and mission of the bank’s promoters
and other stakeholders staggered to
customers and community as a whole.
A statement from the bank signed by
Sulaiman M. Ayagi quoted the chairman
saying that appropriate reward would
be additional stimuli in motivating its
workforce.
Briefs
SESEMA celebrates excellence
From Mbasghun Kaaba & John Iyongo
A major player in the local public
relations industry,SESEMA PR, has
held its maiden award ceremony
in celebration of excellence among
corporate and individual practitioners,
in Nigeria.
The event held on Saturday, April
1, 2017, at Lagos Oriental Hotel,
Victoria Island, was attended by key
industry players, across every sector
of the industry. The award planned to
be an annual event going forward, is
known as Corporate Communications
Award, CCA; a celebration of
outstanding achievemnts in corporate
communications.
Ufot joins jurists for
Cristal
From Godwin Anyebe & John Iyongo
The Group Managing Director of
SO&U,Udeme Ufot, has been named
one of the jurists for 2017 African
Cristal Awards, scheduled to hold in
Morocco on May 11 and 12, 2017.
Udeme will join five other jury
members having Jon Williams, Chief
Creative Officer, Grey Europe, UK as
the Creative Jury President.
Other members include Thiago
Fonseca, Chief Creative Director,
Agência GOLO, Mozambique; Marc
Taback, CEO, Initiative Media, South
Africa; Martine Coffi-Studer, CEO,
Océan Ogilvy, Ivory Coast and Reda
Lahmouid, Creative Director, Groupe
Saga Communication, Morocco.
NIMN to establish
academy
The National Institute of Marketing
of Nigeria (NIMN) is in the process of
establishing a marketing academy in a
bid to address the dearth of marketing
professional and talents in Nigeria.
The President of the National
Institute of Marketing of Nigeria
(NIMN), Tony Agenmonmen,
announced this in a recent interaction
with journalists held in Lagos,
Wednesday, last week.
Exman announces
awards date
The Experiential Marketers
Association of Nigeria, EXMAN, has
announced entries marking the
formal commencement of activities
towards the hosting of the inaugural
EXMAN Awards for Excellence in
experiential marketing industry.
Following the announcement, all
entries are expected to be received
before midnight on the 30th of May,
2017.
The association ratified the decision
to hold the inaugural edition of the
EXMAN Awards for celebration of
creativity in the industry during the
1st quarter meeting for 2017, which
held recently in Lagos.

DAILY TRUST, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
24
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DAILY TRUST, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
DIGEST
(535)
EASY CROSSWORD>>
ACROSS
1. Mystic
6. Not fully closed
10. ___ slaw
14. Log home
15. Tibetan monk
16. Chalcedony
17. Vengeful punishment
19. Flexible mineral
20. Shooting star
21. G
22. Verse
23. Tall woody plants
25. Sea eagles
26. Exhausts
30. It crosses a river
32. Disquiet
35. Blimp
39. Pique
40. Covet
41. A flavorful
addition
43. Clique
44. Withstand
46. Writing table
47. Catapulted
50. Encounters
53. Feces
54. American Sign
Language
55. Large indefinite
amount
60. Therefore
61. Mistress of a château
63. Place
64. Greek letter
65. Leave out
66. Contributes
67. Accomplishment
68. Earthquake
DOWN
1. Fraud
2. Undulation
3. Incite
4. Not yours
5. Metal bar
6. A high alpine meadow
7. Coastal diving bird
8. Memory loss
9. Be worthy of
SOLUTION TO CROSSWORD (534)
SIGN LANGUAGE>>
10. Compacted
11. Scallion
12. French school
13. Tests
18. Mistake
24. Diminish
25. Everglades bird
26. Petty quarrel
27. Relating to aircraft
28. Brace
29. Prodigious
31. Prank
33. Utilizing
34. Cleave
36. Employ
37. Colored part of an eye
38. Glance
42. Detective (slang)
43. C
45. Empathize
47. Grave marker
48. Sensational
49. Exhorted
51. Foot digit
52. Bottoms of shoes
54. Corrosive
56. Broad valley
57. 53 in Roman
numerals
58. Terminates
59. Appear
62. Little bit
SUDOKU>>
25
How to play: The number 1 through 9 will appear once only in each row,
column, and 3 x 3 zone. There are 9 such zones in each sudoku grid. There
is only one correct Solution to each sudoku.
Good luck!
809
SNAPSHOT>>
Solution to Sudoku 808
I’m very
thirssssty! King
cobra sips from
water bottle
• 5Orry I wOnt dO it egein. Photo location: California. Spotted by: Not
Stated.
— Culled from funnysigns.net
A King Cobra in desperate need of a drink took a helping
hand from kind-hearted villagers and drank from a bottle
of water. The King Cobra normally avoids confrontations
with humans but desperate times call for desperate
measures. The amazing footage which saw the deadly wild
animal accept the water came after it was seen desperately
searching for water during a drought in a south Indian
village recently. A wildlife rescue worker bravely offered the
dehydrated snake the water and it extended its neck and
drank it gladly. The 12 feet long cobra was rescued from a
village in Kaiga township, where it has strayed, apparently
looking for water. Some parts of southern India have been
hit by drought, making water scarce.
Photo: Caters News Agency

DAILY TRUST, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
26
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DAILY TRUST, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
27

28
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DAILY TRUST, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
ENVIRONMENT
Ogun govt cautions on ‘above normal’ rainfall, flooding
From Kehinde Akinyemi, Abeokuta
The Ogun State government
has disclosed that the state is
expected to record higher rainfall,
raising fears of heavy flooding in the
state.
The state is forecasting a total of
27,492m of rainfall this year which is
about 127m higher than last year’s total
of 27,365mm. It based its projection
• Residents
at a stream
in Ara -
Sabo Karshi,
Nasarawa
State.
Photo:
Chidimma C.
Okeke
‘Bamboo production to boost ecosystem, create jobs’
By Chidimma C. Okeke
The Federal Ministry of Environment
has said as part of the diversification
process, it will partner with the private
sector and other organisations in the
development and utilisation of bamboo
for the growth of the nation’s economy.
The Permanent Secretary, Dr Shehu
Ahmed, said bamboo production
and management had enhanced the
economic growth of many nations and
thus, would contribute immensely to
Nigeria’s ecosystem and help in creation
of employment.
Dr Ahmed, represented by the acting
Western consumers linked to pollution
deaths in developing countries - Study
By Chidimma C. Okeke with agency report
A new study has shown that the
extent to which Western European
countries and the US demand for
clothes, toys and mobile phones
contributes to air pollution in
developing countries.
The study, published in
The Guardian of London, said
according to a landmark study,
Western consumers who buy
cheap imported toys, clothes and
mobile phones were indirectly
contributing to tens of thousands
of pollution-related deaths in the
countries where the goods were
produced.
Nearly 3.5 million people die
prematurely each year due to air
pollution, the research estimates;
and about 22% of the deaths
are associated with goods and
on the Nigerian Meteorological Agency
(NiMet) report for this year.
The Commissioner for Environment,
Bolaji Oyeleye, in Abeokuta, said the
expected flooding could be aggravated by
release of water from the two major dams
up north of the state (the Oyan and Ikere
Gorge dams).
He noted that as the state was
expecting above normal rainfall, there
was need for residents to be proactive
Director of Forestry, Mr. Osakuade
Tolu Michael, stated this in Abuja at a
workshop with International Network
for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR)
on implementation of institutional
agreement between Nigeria and
INBAR.
He said the workshop was expected
to develop a national roadmap that
would lead to strong coordinated multisector
action to guide ministries, the
private sector, research institutes and
civil society organisations in bamboo
production and utilisation.
It would also address current gaps in
local policy development, knowledge
services that were produced in
one region for consumption in
another.
“If the cost of imported products
is lower because of less stringent
air pollution controls in the
regions where they are produced,
then the consumer savings may
come at the expense of lives lost
elsewhere,” the authors conclude.
The study also revealed
how emissions from industrial
hotspots affect the health of
people in neighbouring countries
and, to a lesser extent, more
distant regions, as pollutants
circulate on global air currents.
The study focused on the
emission of fine particulate matter
pollution (PM 2.5) from power
stations, factories, aeroplanes and
shipping in 13 regions, taking data
from 228 countries.
in order to prevent avoidable massive
flood in and around the state.
He gave a breakdown of the
expected volume of rainfall in some
major cities in the state to include,
Abeokuta 1,295mm, Abigi 1,864mm,
Ayetoro 1,609mm, Eruwa 1,552mm
and Ewekoro 2,075mm, Ijebu Igbo
1,709mm, Ijebu Ode 1,526mm, Ikenne
1,742mm and Ilaro 1,731mm.
Others are Ipokia 1872mm, Obafemi
and skills required to develop industrial
value chains, he added.
The acting director noted that
Nigeria became a member of INBAR
in 2004, adding that the National
Council on Environment approved
the constitution and inauguration
of the Nigeria Bamboo and Rattan
Development Programme (NBARDEP).
The permanent secretary, however,
identified some of the constraints in
the development of bamboo and rattan
in the country as lack of government
policy and legislation, coordination of
local and national administrative levels
as well as poor funding.
55 households in Katsina to benefit
from latrine loan scheme
From Habibu Umar Aminu, Katsina
About 55 households have been selected from 11
wards of Bakori Local Government Area in Katsina
State for the pilot test of the DFID, UNICEF and
Micro Finance Institute’s loans for construction of
household latrines.
Daily Trust reports that the council was selected
as a scale up exercise having been certified open
defecation free by the development partners.
The Executive Secretary of the state Rural Water
Supply and Sanitation, Aminu Dayyabu, told
newsmen that the idea was to sustain the free open
defecation status being enjoyed at the community.
He said the new initiative, under the Sanitation,
Hygiene and Water in Nigeria (SHAWN) programme,
was designed to improve upon achievement recorded
adding that each household was to receive N40,000 to
construct the latrine.
In addition, under the programme, toilet business
owners are empowered to provide the needed support
for the actualisation of the new initiative to achieve
improved sanitation and hygiene of the people.
Owode 1709, Odogbolu 1,753mm, Oja
Odan (1,731mm),Ota 1,810mm, Owu
1,761mm and Sagamu 1,753mm, which
totals 27,492mm expected rainfall.
The commissioner advised the
people not to block drainage channels,
either natural or constructed and to
drink more water at regular intervals
to guard against heat exhaustion and
to seek medical attention when feeling
uncomfortable.
Experts underscore
importance of tree
planting
By Chidimma C. Okeke
The importance of forests to humans
and other life forms has been identified
as the reason to accelerate programmes
that will decrease deforestation and
forest degradation by using strategies
and technologies employed by other
developing countries.
This came to the fore during the weeklong
activities to mark the International
Day of Forests in Cross River State
championed by the Organisation for
Positive Sustainability Culture in Nigeria
(OPSCN).
According to a statement, the event
highlighted the importance of forest as the
primary source of energy that all life form
depends on.
OPSCN Project Support Officer, Bassey
Effiong, noted that one of their activities
is Carbon Mitigation Programme (CPM).
He said it is based on the fact that one
of the major drivers of deforestation in
Nigeria was the over-exploitation of forest
resources, aligned with the theme for this
year, ‘Forest and Energy’.
He said that the project in Becheve on the
Obudu Plateau of the state had facilitated
the replanting of over 9,000 indigenous
trees in the degraded community forests.
They also distributed fuel-efficient stoves
and introduced carbon-neutral non-tree
biomass fuels to reduce the use of forest
trees for cooking and space heating in the
area.
The Head of Biodiversity and Ecotourism
Department of Forestry, Biodiversity,
Marine Protection and Conservation in
the Governor’s Office, Mr. Sonigitu Asibong
Ekpe, expressed the government’s concern
about the need of the present and future
generations.
He said the government stressed the
need to protect the forest and had put
up policies and measures to ensure the
sustainable use of forest to meet the needs
of the present and future generations.
The Sub-regional Project Officer,
BirdLife/Critical Ecosystem Partnership
Fund (CEPF), Ruth Akagu, stressed the
need to protect and use forests, which
she referred to as the “lungs of the earth”,
sustainably.
CEPF, according to her, was investing
$9 million over five years, from 2016-
2021 to provide strategic assistance to
non-governmental organisations and
other private sectors to help conserve
biodiversity hotspots.

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29

DAILY TRUST, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
30 08054263517
igidi@dailytrust.com
Terkula Igidi
Editor City News
ASO
CHRONICLE
A SPECIAL WEEKLY COMMUNITY NEWS ON FCT & ENVIRONS
Gwagwalada-Dobi-Izom road
remains uncompleted, 6yrs after
• The uncompleted section of the Gwagwalada-Dobi-Izom road
Photo: Abubakar Sadiq Isah
By Abubakar Sadiq Isah
The
Dobi-Izom
-Paikon-Kore road
in Gwagwalada Area
Council of the Federal Capital
Territory (FCT), has remained
uncompleted six years after it
was started.
Aso Chronicle investigations
revealed that the road project
was awarded by former
FCT minister, Senator Bala
Mohammed, to an indigenous
construction company,
Ndubueze Engineering
Company Limited at the cost
of N1.6 billion on December 7,
2010.
It was revealed that the sum
of N779 million out of the N1.6
billion was paid to the company
handling the road project.
This was revealed during
a media tour in company of
the STDA engineer, Ibrahim
Kangiwa, to inspect the Dobi-
Izom road project in 2012.
Our reporter who visited the
site recently many residents
of the communities along the
road such as Tsauni, Paikon-
Kore, Dobi, Yimi, Ibwa, Dada-
Gbiri and Dutse express their
dismay over the slow pace of
work on the project.
The district head of Dobi
community, Ahaji Sule Dobi,
who spoke with Aso Chronicle,
noted that the Dobi-Izom
road which links to Niger State
was first constructed durting
the administration of former
president Shehu Shagari.
He said since then, no
rehabilitation work has been
carried out on the road. He
said the major challenge faced
by motorists and people of the
area is the delay in completing
the road project.
“At least, if the Dobi-Izom
road which links Niger State
is completed, it will not only
facilitate movement of farmer’s
crops to the market, but it will
reduce traffic congestion on
the highway. Like in those days,
people who were travelling
from the east usually passed
through this road instead of
Zuba-Suleja road because of
heavy traffic jam,” the chief
said.
Aso Chronicle which revisited
the Gwagwalada-Dobi-Izom
road on Saturday, observed that
a grader and a bulldozer were
seen by the road side, while a
resident who identified himself
as Musa, said the contractor
returned to the site last week
and did some earth work.
“I can say the only work the
contractor has done over the
week was leveling of laterite
on the remaining section. That
was the only work they have
done so far, ‘’ he said.
Another resident of Paikon-
Kore community, Joshua Musa,
said since the road project was
awarded over six years ago,
the company has only been
able to rehabilitate up to four
kilometres.
“The major work the
contractor has done is the
asphalting, after the hill down
to GSS Dobi, which is just four
kilometres. So one doesn’t know
if that is the only section that
was awarded to the company,”
he said.
Another resident of Dobi
community, Ishaya Bako, also
expressed worry that the slow
pace of work on the road may
pose serious hardships to
residents of the communities
along the road, especially
motorists who come to Dobi
market to carry yam to the city.
“I am seriously worried over
the progress of work on the
Gwagwalada-Dobi-Izom road,
especially as rainy season will
soon set in and the road will
become worse.”
Continued on next page

ASO CHRONICLE
DAILY TRUST, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
31
We want people to adopt our
schools, pupils – FCT UBEB director
Dr. Adamu Jatau Noma is the Director of FCT Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB). In this interview, he speaks on
challenges of providing basic education in the FCT. He also said rural teachers get 1 % allowance to motivate them. Excerpts:
By Abubakar Sadiq Isah
How have you been
addressing the challenge
of infrastructure in rural
schools in the FCT?
Thank you very much. I just
want to assure that we are very
much aware of the infrastructural
deficit in our schools. We have
over 700 primary and junior
secondary schools, excluding
the early child development
education centers, which are
about 326. If you add all of them,
you can see that we have over a
thousand.
Now, to provide infrastructure
for these schools is not possible
at the same time. The FCT
Administration is doing its best
to make sure that infrastructure,
such as classes, laboratories and
so on and so forth are provided to
our schools. We have something
we call ‘counterpart fund’ where
FCT provides money and then
the UBE commission gives us the
same amount of money.
So the FCTA, under the
minister approved that money,
which had been released to
provide infrastructure like
construction of new classrooms,
renovation of those that are bad,
especially some that are affected
by rain storm.
For you to do that, you have
to go through procurement
process, and we have the
money cash in our account but
government money is not taken
that way, as there are processes
that are followed to take this
money.
So I want to tell you that any
moment from now, procurement
process would be concluded
and then contracts would be
awarded for contractors to be
mobilized to those schools that
are bad. And those schools that
don’t have enough classrooms
would be given classrooms. You
should know that our enrollment
Gwagwalada-Dobi-Izom road remains uncompleted, 6yrs after
Continued from previous page
Other residents who spoke
with Aso Chronicle, urged
the present FCT minister,
Muhammad Musa Bello,
to give priority to the road
project, as they observed that
the rehabilitation of the road
down to Izom will enhance
socio-economic activities in
the area.
But the resident engineer of
the Satellite Town Development
• Dr. Adamu Jatau Noma
is increasing. The number of
our schools are increasing and
we would not be able to handle
these things at the same time.
It takes time because when
you are increasing classrooms,
more students are coming in
and you need more teachers
and instructional materials.
And while you are doing that,
the infrastructure you have
renovated for 8, 9 to 10 years ago,
equally needed renovation, and
then, of course you find out that
at the beginning and end of rainy
season, rain storm comes and
then destroys some schools. But
don’t forget too that you know
the present economic recession,
as it is not easy to get reasonable
amount of money to attend to
these schools at the same time,
but as far as FCT is concerned,
we are doing our best to make
sure that infrastructure are
provided adequately for teaching
and learning processes across
Agency (STDA) Ibrahim
Kangiwa, while fielding
questions from journalists
during that year’s media tour
of the project, had attributed
the delay of the completion
of the Gwagwalada-Dobi-
Izom project to lack of funds
for the contractors to work
with, disclosing that the
initial amount given to the
contractor was N779million
out of N1.6bn.
Kangiwa, had said that
the schools in FCT.
What are you doing to also
address the issue of inadequate
teachers especially in rural
schools of the FCT?
The issue of inadequate
teachers in schools is another
challenge. You see, when the
number of schools are growing,
the number of classes increase
and we need more teachers. But
when you say you are employing
teachers, you are not just going
to recruit teachers and give them
appointment letters, you have to
give them their monthly salaries.
For example, if today, you are
employing 3,000 teachers, you
have to think of your capacity to
pay them. And of course FCT is
one of the lucky states that have
the capacity to pay their teachers
as at when due, including their
allowances and promotions. So
we don’t have any problem with
our teachers. We try as much
as possible from time to time,
the next segment for the
completion of the road will
be from Dobi to Izom, which
he said they have done a lot of
culverts and stone base work,
that what remained for the
road to be completed was the
asphalt that needed to be put
on the road for it to be ready.
Reacting, the Director of
Satellite Towns Development
Agency (STDA), Architect
Victoria Imande, said payment
of funds to the contractor
to employ. Any time we send a
memo to the FCT minister and
he approves it we engage new
teachers. Last year, we employed
109 teachers to replace those
that exited service, but it is not
easy for you to now embark on
teachers recruitment. Where
do you have the money to pay
them? But it is in the plan of the
FCT Administration to make
sure that teachers are recruited
as soon as the economy of the
country improves.
What measure has the board
put in place to motivate teachers
that teach in rural schools?
It may interest you to know
that it is only in FCT that we
have what we call urban and
rural teachers allowances.
Those who are teaching in
urban centers have teaching
allowances of 8 percent added to
their basic salaries, while those
who are posted to rural areas
have 12 percent added to their
basic salaries, which is part of
motivation.
Besides, in FCT we have
teachers’ salaries enhancement
scheme and not only that, it is
only in FCT that teachers get
their normal promotion. As I am
talking to you now our head of
administration is going round to
carry out screening of teachers
for promotion. So whatever
allowances that are due to them
are paid as at when due. So the
teachers are properly motivated
and we don’t have any problem
in that regard.
FCT area council chairmen
are complaining that the
amount that goes for payment
of teachers’ salaries is huge. Do
you have the same problem at
your own level and have you
conducted personnel audit to
see if there are ghost workers?
The honorable minister has
set up a committee through
the FCT permanent secretary,
Dr. Babatope Ajakaiye, and
handling the road project was
delayed, which slowed down
work.
She said, “But this time
around they were paid and
they have returned to site that
is why they are working on that
culvert and also dressing that
stretch of the road so that they
will asphalt it and put in for
another certificate.”
She said the road was 27
kilometres but only seven
were asphalted so far.
the committee has concluded
its work and any moment
from now, the report will be
made public. It is obvious
that the council chairmen will
complain because the salary
structure in the FCT is not
like that of other states. Our
salary structure is very huge
and besides, we have six area
councils and we have over 570
primary schools as at today,
which is not easy to run. Some
area councils like AMAC have
147 schools, Kuje has 99, and
the teachers’ salaries are taken
directly from the area councils’
coffers and that depletes their
monthly allocation. They are
complaining because they no
longer get what they normally
get in the past, since oil price
dropped. If you can recall about
four years ago, no area council
complained about teachers’
salaries here in Abuja. It is just
from 2014, 2015 and 2016 that
things changed.
What are your achievements
so far since you assumed office
as the director of the FCT
UBEB?
First of all, before I talk about
achievements, we have several
challenges and we need people
to support us in providing basic
education. We want people to
adopt our schools, we want
people to adopt one of our
classes or to adopt our children.
I mean you go to a class and
identify a child to provide him or
her with school uniform, exercise
books and other necessary items
such child requires to go to
school. I believe it will not cost up
to N3,000 to adopt such a child.
However, our major challenge is
money. We have many schools
and structures, we need a lot
of materials for most of our
schools. It is when we have these
materials that our teachers can
teach. For you to teach very well,
you need to have such materials.
“There is no need working
on the whole stretch when the
money you have is limited.
So what they have done is
they picked the 8.2 kilometres
and worked on it , prepared
it and asphalted 7 kilometres
and they are about asphaltng
the 1.2 kilometres that is
outstanding out of the 8.2
kilometres,” she said.
She said there was now
commitment to complete most
of the major roads in the FCT.
ASO CHRONICLE TEAM
Editor: Terkula Igidi
Senior Reporter: Abubakar Sadiq Isah
Reporters: Taiwo Adeniyi, Olayemi John-Mensah & Eseohe Ebhota
Page Designer: Chris Agada
MEDIA TRUST
LIMITED
MANNIR DAN ALI: Chief Executive Officer/Editor-in-Chief
ABHAY DESAI: Chief Operating Officer
MAHMUD JEGA: Associate Director/Deputy Editor-in-Chief
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NASIRU L. ABUBAKAR: Editor
SHEHU O. MOHAMMED: General Manager, Management Services
NURA DAURA: General Manager, Finance
GARBA ALIYU ABUBAKAR: Deputy General Manager (IT)
AKEEM MUSTAPHA: Head, Advert

DAILY TRUST, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
32
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DAILY TRUST, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
UNITED STATES
UK
The United Kingdom’s
Parliament has cleared the USbased
Turkish cleric, Fethullah
Gulen of any involvement in the
July 15 failed coup in Turkey.
The parliament’s Foreign
Affairs committee, after
investigations, said there was no
any tangible evidence linking
the cleric or his movement to
the coup.
“Given the brutality of the
events of 15 July, the severity of
the charges made against the
Gulenists, and the scale of the
purges of perceived Gulenists
that has been justified on this
DR CONGO
The UN has said it has found 13
mass graves in the Democratic
Republic of Congo’s central
Kasai province since the
beginning of March.
This brings the number
discovered since last August
to 23.
The UN has been unable
to examine the mass graves
and cannot say if they were
recently dug.
It estimates that over 400
people, including women and
children, have been killed in
clashes between the army and
IRAQ
The United Nations has said
it is expanding camps for
displaced people around the
battered Iraqi city of Mosul
as the number of displaced
people hit 300,000, and a USbacked
assault on ISIL there
continued.
The UN Office for
the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs said on
Tuesday that a total of 392,000
people had fled their homes
since the Iraqi government
offensive to push the Islamic
State of Iraq and the Levant
AROUND THE
WORLD
Govt withdraws funding for UN Population Fund
The US says it is withdrawing
funding for the United
Nations Population Fund
(UNFPA), an agency that
promotes family planning in
more than 150 countries.
The state department
says the agency supports or
participates in a programme
of coercive abortion or
involuntary sterilisation in
China.
But the UNFPA says this
is an “erroneous claim”, and
that its work does not break
any US laws.
In total $32.5m (£26m) in
funds will be withdrawn for
the 2017 financial year.
This is the first of the
promised cuts to US financial
contributions to the UN by
the Trump administration.
The UNFPA, like other
UN agencies, is funded by
governments voluntarily.
In 2015, it received $979m
in donations, with the US
being its fourth-largest
donor.
Earlier this year, President
Donald Trump reinstated a
ban on US funding of any
international organisation
that provided any kind of
abortion service or advice.
Parliament: No evidence Gülen behind Turkey’s coup
basis, there is a relative lack
of hard, publicly-available
evidence to prove that the
Gulenists as an organisation
were responsible for the
coup attempt in Turkey,” said
a statement issued by the
committee.
It said the purported
involvement of some members
of Gulen movement in the
coup was mostly circumstantial
and sometimes premised on
information from confessions
or informants and could not be
used to indict the cleric or the
Gulen movement.
UN finds more mass graves
in Kasai region
a rebel group.
Jose Maria Aranaz, the
director of the UN’s joint
human rights office, told the
BBC that it is important that
“a transparent independent
investigation take place”
in order to reassure the
population and to ensure the
perpetrators are brought to
justice.
The government is fighting
to put down a rebellion by a
group called Kamwina Nsapu,
which began after a regional
chief was killed.
UN expanding camps near Mosul as 300,000 fl ee
group from the city began in
October. Some 94,500 have
since returned, it said.
Mosul had a pre-campaign
population of about a million
and half, split more or less
evenly between the sides
lying east and west of the
Tigris river that runs through
its middle.
Iraqi forces captured the
eastern side in January and in
February launched a second
phase to take the western side,
with air and ground support
from a US-led coalition.
S/AFRICA
Allies abandon President Zuma
South Africa’s powerful
trade union federation
Cosatu has called for
President Jacob Zuma to step
down.
Its Secretary General Bheki
Ntshalintshali said he was no
longer the “right person” to
lead the country.
Anti-apartheid struggle
SYRIA
Chemical attack in Idlib kills 58
At least 58 people have been
killed and dozens wounded in
a suspected chemical attack
on a rebel-held town in northwestern
Syria, a monitoring
group says.
The Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights reported that
strikes on Khan Sheikhoun by
Syrian government or Russian
jets had caused many people to
choke.
SOUTH SUDAN
More than 3,000 South
Sudanese have fled into
Uganda after government
soldiers attacked the border
town of Pajok, reports say.
The troops killed men,
women and children
indiscriminately, those who
fled told Reuters news agency.
The attack by government
JORDAN SOMALIA RUSSIA
Theresa May defends UK
ties with Saudi Arabia
Theresa May has defended her
trip to Saudi Arabia, saying its
ties with the UK are important
for security and prosperity.
The prime minister is
facing questions about the
UK’s support for the Saudiled
coalition which is fighting
rebels in neighbouring Yemen.
Labour Party leader Jeremy
Corbyn said UK-made
weapons were contributing to
a “humanitarian catastrophe”.
But the PM said the UK was
also a “significant donor” of aid.
Speaking to journalists as
she travelled to Jordan, which
she is visiting before travelling
to Saudi Arabia, Mrs May said
humanitarian aid was one
of the issues she would be
discussing on her trip.
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veterans have also called on
the African National Congress
(ANC) to recall the president.
Mr Zuma has been under
growing pressure following
a major cabinet reshuffle
which included the sacking
of respected Finance Minister
Pravin Gordhan.
The Congress of South
• Venezuela’s opposition activists clash with riot police agents during a
protest against Nicolas Maduro’s government in Caracas yesterday. Protesters
clashed with police over the president’s move to tighten his grip on power
Later, aircraft fired rockets at
local clinics treating survivors,
medics and activists said. A
Syrian military source denied
the government had used any
such weapons.
Russia’s defence ministry
meanwhile insisted it had not
carried out any air strikes in the
vicinity.
Meanwhile, US, United
Nations, UK and France
Thousands flee border town of Pajok
SPLA forces is the latest to
hit southern towns near the
Ugandan border as a threeyear
civil war drags on in the
world’s youngest nation.
“If you ran, you got shot.
If you got arrested you got
slaughtered,” said 35-yearold
Lokang Jacky, drawing his
index finger across his throat.
Militants kidnap aid workers
Four aid workers have been
kidnapped by members of the
Somali Islamist militant group,
al-Shabab.
The Somali nationals, doing
work paid for by the World
Health Organization (WHO),
were abducted in the town of
Luuq in the southwestern Gedo
province. Al-Shabab, which is
behind many attacks in Somalia
and neighbouring Kenya, is also
known for using kidnappings to
raise money.
The four who were taken were
carrying out a WHO-funded
vaccination programme.
Gedo province, where the
kidnappings occurred, is one of
several areas where al-Shabab
militants say they have been
delivering aid to people facing
starvation.
33
African Trade Unions (Cosatu),
a key part of the governing
alliance, says it has 1.8 million
members.
Cosatu General Secretary of
Bheki Ntshalintshali told a media
briefing that the union’s decision
was driven by Mr Zuma’s failure
to consult it before making
changes to his cabinet.
Photo: AFP
strongly condemned the attack.
White House spokesman
Sean Spicer said it was in the
best interests of the Syrian
people for President Assad
to leave. France’s Minister
of Foreign Affairs and
International Development,
Jean-Marc Ayrault, the chemical
attack is “further evidence of the
barbarity suffered by the Syrian
people for many years.”
“The town is completely
empty,” a pastor who gave his
name as Mondaa said. “If they
catch anybody, they will kill
them.”
Refugees and Ugandan
intelligence officials said
fighting started on Monday
morning with a three-pronged
assault on the town.
St Petersburg metro bombing
a possible suicide attack
The St Petersburg metro
explosion was caused by a
bomb possibly detonated
by a man whose body parts
were found on the train,
Russian investigators say.
Monday’s blast between
two stations killed 14 people
and injured almost 50.
Kyrgyzstan’s security
service named the suspect
as Akbarzhon Jalilov, who
was born in the Kyrgyz
city of Osh in 1995 and
had obtained Russian
citizenship.
His name was later
confirmed by Russian
investigators, who said he
also planted a second bomb
that did not explode.

DAILY TRUST, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
34
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S/NO
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
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List Of Shortlisted Candidates For
Sen. Philip Tanimu Aduda Scholarship (SPTA) For 2016/2017
ABAJI AREA COUNCIL
NAME
GIMBA ZAINAB
HUZAIFA SHAWE MAZAWAJE
MOHAMMED BAKO RAMAT
RABIYU YAKUBU
MUSA BALA.
HASSANA GARBA FATIMA
SIDI AU SULEIMAN
HASSANA GAMBO
DANLAMI YUSUF
ADAMU HARUNA
HARUNA MUSA FARUQ
AUWAL BILKISU
ABUBAKAR UMAR
MUSA BINTA
ISAH FARIDA
HARUNA IBRAHIM AHMAD
ABDULLAHI IBRAHIM
ADAMU ZAKARI
SHAMSUDEEN SAUHU
SHEHU MUSA
MUSA NASIRU
SHAMSUDEEN SAUHU
SALISU USMAN YAKUBU
GAMBO ABDULLAHI M
AHMED RABIYAT
ALHASSAN ALIYU
ADAMU ALIYU
SAKINATU YUNUSA
YUNUSA SADIYA
DANLADI SHILOBA
ISMAIL AISHAT
ABDULKARIM MOHAMMED
AHMED SAFIYAN MAMAGI
JEMILA HASSAN
MUNDI ISAH
BALA BASHIRU
USMAN NURUDEEN
L. USMAN
AUDU ISAH
MUHD ABDU[IAHI
MUSA 0. FATIMA
FAUZIYA H. MAIKANO
ADAMU MOH’D
MOH’D M. ABUBAKAR
BELLO GALADIMA
NUHUDEEN GARBA
ADAMU KANTUMI
ATTAHIRU ISA MAKKA
LARUBA MUSA
INUWA IBRAHIM
ABDULLAHI YUNUSA
MUSA DAVID
YAHAYA ADAMU
ZUBAIRU JAAFARU ..
SULE EZEKIEL
ABUBAKAR MOHAMMED BUHARI
JIMILA ALHASSAN
FATIMA ALHASSAN
ABUBAKAR Y. IBRAHIM
MUSA FATIMA
RILWAN ABDULLAHI
IBRAHIM ABDULAZEEZ
ISAH RASHIDA MAMAGI
ABDULRAHMAN ALHASSAN
HASSAN MOHAMMED
MUHAMMED MAS’UD
BABAN ANTAO
ABDULKADIR ADAMU BADAMASI
AGWARI MUSA LUKMAN
SULEIMAN USMAN HAUWA
AHMED SULEIMAN
ADAMU ABASS ABDULLAHI
MUHAMMAD A. MUHAMMAD
YABO MOSES
TITUS AMOS KURE
MUHAMMAD MUHAMMAD YINTI
PAUL SHEKWOLO ISAAC
HASSAN MUHAMMED
LUBABA11J I. ABUBAKAR
IBRAHIM JIBRIN
FIRDAUSI ZUBAIRU
UMAR USMAN
SHUIBU YAHUZA ADAMU
ISHAKU ABDULMALIK
IDREES MOHAMMED DERE
ISA ABDULLAHI
ABDULMALIK MOHAMMED
YUNUSA YAKUBU
ABDULRAHMAN AISHAT
ADAMU MOHAMMAD SANI
JA’AFAR IBRAHIM
UMMULATIKA YAKUBU
YUSUF HUSSAINI
ABDULLAHI YUSUF
MUHAMMED SHEHU
IBRAHIM MUHAMMED BABA
HAYATU HASSAN BALA
MANSUR ABDULLAHI MM KANO
MUNIRAT ABDULLAHI CHADO
KABIRU SALIHU
ABDULRAZAQ SULEIMAN
NAME
SULE UMARU
HARUNAABUBAKAR
SUNDAYWILLIAMS
ABDUU(ARIM SANI
VICTORIA BALA BARDE
JACOB ZAPHANIA
SUNDAY YAKUBU
SUNDAY SETH
MUSALADINUHU
ZULEIHAT SANUSI
MUHAMMED ALHASSAN
JAMES JOYCE BABA
SALLAU BARNABAS
ABAMBE ADO AWWAL
PADA FAVOUR SHEKWOLO
ABOSEDE OLADAPO
JANET DONAYE JOSEPH
AKOSHI LOLO HOSEA
SIMEON IBRAHIM
PROMISE ZAMANI
YLJSUF IDRIS ABDUL
GIRKO FREEMAN
USMAN NAFISAT SANTALI
MUSA SANI SULE
DANLAMI KURUDU
JESSE ZAKARIA
ADAMU SALIHU -
OBODO GOLDEN
MAHMUD RUKAYYAT
PHILIP JAMES
CHIBUZOR OGBONNA
ILIYA AYENAJE LOVETTE
TALATU PHILIP
AUSTIN AKOR
DENNIS DORIS KAMDU
RUFUS NWACHUKWU -
ALFANMA
KHALID MOHD ABUBAKAR
EDITH .J.PECHE
JOHN STEVEN.A.
ALHASSAN MUSA GWAGWA
ABDULL4HI UMAR
This is to inform the following shortlisted candidates that the disbursement for the scholarship is as follows:
Date: 6th April, 2017 Venue: Apo Resettlement Town Hall Time: 10am
INSTITUTION
COE ZUBA
NSUK
FCE ZARIA
FCE KANO
NSUK
KATSINA STATE UNI
ABU ZARIA
UMARU MUSA YARADUA UNI
UNI ABUJA
NSUK
NSUK
COE ZUBA
COE ZUBA
COE MINNA
COE MINNA
UNI ABUJA
NSUK
ABU ZARIA
COTONOU UNI
NSUK
COE ZUBA
FUT MINNA
USMAN DANFODIO UNI
SCH OF HEALTH MINNA
COE MINNA
INST. FOR LEGAL STUDIES
ABU ZARIA
IBB UNI
COE MINNA
UNI ABUJA
COE MINNA
UNI ABUJA
COE ZUBA
NSUK
SCH OF I4YGIENE KANO
FED UNI KOGI
SCH OF HEALTH MINNA
IBB UNI
BAYERO UNI KANO
NSUK
COE MINNA
SCH OF HEALTH NASARAWA
COE MINNA
FUT MINNA
COE MINNA -
UNI ABUJA
COE MINNA
USMAN DANFODIO UNI
UNI ABUJA
BAYERO UNI KANO
IBB UNI
SCH OF HEALTH
ABU ZARIA
KADUNA STATE POLY
FED POLY BIDA
COE MINNA
UMARU MUSA YARADUA UNI
COE ZUBA
BAYERO UNI KANO
FED POLY NASARAWA
NSUK
COE MINNA
lBB UNI
UNI ABUJA
NSUK
ABU ZARIA
UNI ABUJA
NSUK
USMAN DANFODIO UNI
COE MINNA
NSUK
ABU ZARIA
BAYERO UNI KANO
UNI ABUJA
UNI ABUJA
COE MINNA
FED POLY NASARAWA
NSUK
KATSINA UNI
SCH OF HEALTH ZAMFARA
COE MINNA
FED POLY NASARAWA
SCH OF HEALTH ZAMFARA
UNI ABUJA
COE ZUBA
COE ZUBA
UNI ABUJA
COE ZUBA
Nil
COE MINNA
FCE KANO
COE ZUBA
FCE ZARIA
FUT MINNA
COE ZUBA
COE ZUBA
FCE ZARIA
FCE KANO
NSUK
NSUK
FED POLY KATSINA
ABUJA MUNICIPAL AREA CUONCIL
INSTITUTION
ABU ZARJA
NSUK
COEZUBA
KADUNA
ABU ZARIA
UNI.OF ABUJA
NSUK
COE ZUBA
COEZUBA
UNI.OF ABUJA
ALIKALI BAUCHI
IBB UNI.
UNI.OF JOS
NSUK
UNI.OF ABUJA
UNLOF ABUJA
SCH.OF HEALTH
FED.POLY NASS
UNI.OF ABUJA
NSUK
NASPOLY
FED.POLY BIDA
UNI.OF ILORIN
UNI.OF ABUJA
FED.POLY NASS
COE AKWANGA
ATBU BAUCHI
UNI.OF ABUJA
NSUK
UNI.OF ABUJA
IMSU
UNI.OF JOS
FED.POLY NASS
UNI.OF ABUJA
OE AKWANGA
ABSU
NSUK
COE ZUBA
NSUK
FED.POLY BIDA
NSUK
NSUK
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.
54.
55.
56.
57.
58.
59.
60.
61.
62.
63.
64.
65.
66.
67.
68.
69.
70.
71.
72.
73.
74.
75.
76.
77.
78.
79.
80.
81.
82.
83.
84.
85.
86.
87.
88.
89.
90.
91.
92.
93.
94.
95.
96.
97.
98.
99.
100
101
10 2
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
11 2
11 3
114
11 5
116
117
11 8
119
120
121
122
123
124
12 5
SIN
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
ABRAHAM GODIYA GIFT
EMMANUEL THOMAS SHEKWOLO
JAMES ISAAC
RAPHAEL LUCKY SHEKWO
B1TRUS YAKUBU
PAUL 1TflJS
PETER HABAKUK ANYLOLONU
HAJARA MUHAMMED
DANBEKI DANLAMI SALIHU
AYUBA YAKUBU JAMES
IDRIS NURA LAMBA
ABDULLAHI HASSAN
ABDULLAHI LUKMAN
MUSA MONDAY
MOH’D SAHURAT AKORO
ABUBAKAR SAFIYANU
GABRIEL NAOMI
AGMADA DEBORAH B1TRUS
ULOAKU AZUH
TANIMU ABU
SANI ABUBAKAR
SANCTA TSEAYO
DANTANI MERCY
ANAEKWE CHIAMAKA.P
VERA A. OSINA
JONAS ANGELA
EMELE GRACE CHIKA
AROME SALAMI
ALFA FIDELIS
GARBA HANSEN UWAIFO
EHIMEME FAVOUR OGEDEGBE
PAUL IKE
GLORIA OGECHI UFONDU
BLESSING AKPAN ESSIEN
PETER CHUIOKE IHEME
ALIYO AISHA ABUBAKAR
AKINTOYE ADEREMI
ADEKUNLE ADEREMI
TANIMU RUTH SANI
AUGUSTINE EMMANUEL
NSOR PATIENCE AKALATUA
DAUDA BALAMI
YAKUBU DORCAS
BOSE EZEKIEL
TANKO TOLVINA
EZE JEREMIAH
AKUBUEZE MICFIEAL
OGB000 ESTHER
OKEKE OBINNA
KYAUTA YEPWI THEOPHILUS
RABO AYETU ELIZABETH
JEZHI FRANK TARKA
EMMANUEL OGBONNA
ZAINAB ISMAIL
BLESSING CHIAMAKA
DANLADI ISAAC
GAMBO HANATU.C.
RABO YEMI NSU
ISMAIL RAHMAT MUSA
MOHD AMINA
MANASSEH LUKA
BLESSING BABA
ISA LUKA JEMGBA
MAIWAZI MATHEW
BAWA SHEKWOYOMO
MA1WADA ABIGAIL
MOHAMMED ZUBAIRU
MAIMUNA MUHAMMAD
BAWA RUTH
MOHD SHAMWILU
SHAMSUDDEEN SUNUSI
SHAMASHA PETER
ABAH DAVID
FADASON STEPHEN
MOHD SANUSI
MUSA HAJARA.G.
EMMANUEL THOMAS
ISYAKU SHARIF
SHEHU.M.SANI
SUNDAY MERCY
YARMOWA YEMI MARY
ASUQUO EBIERIKPE 0.
USMAN TAOFIK
NSUK
FUT MINNA
FED.POLY MINNA
COE MINNA
FED.POLY NASS
ABU ZARIA
UNI.OF ABUJA
NUHU BAMALI
UNI.OF ABUJA
UNI.OF ABUJA
UNI.OF ABUJA
COE ZUBA
COE ZUBA
ABU ZARIA
COE ZUBA
ABU ZARIA
FUT MINNA
COE MINNA
EBSU (UNI)
UNI.OF ABUJA
POLY BAUCHI
BSU MKD
FED.POLY BIDA
UNN (UNI)
UNI ABUJA
UNI.OF JOS
UNI.OF ABUJA
KSU AYINGBA ‘(UNI)
UNLOF ABUJA
UNI.OF ABUJA
FUT MINNA
UNLOF ABUJA
POLY ABUJA
POLY A/IBOM
FUTO (UNI)
ABU ZARIA
NASPOLY
UNI.OF ABUJA
COE ZUBA
NSUK (UNI)
UNI.OF ABUJA
UNI.OF MAID
COE ZUBA
UNI. OF ABUJA
UNI.OF ABUJA
UNI.OF ABUJA
FED.POLY OKO
NSUK (UNI)
UNI.OF ABUJA
UNI NSUK
UNI
NSUK (UNI)
FED.POLYOKO
NSUK (UNI)
FED.POLY OKO
UNI.OF ABUJA
NSUK (UNI)
NSUK (UNI)
NSUK
NSUK
AVIATION COL (COE) —
ZARIA
UNI.OF ABUJA
THEOLOGY UNI
FED.POLY NAS
UNI.OF ABUJA
UNI.OFABUJA
UNI. OF SOKOTO
COE ZUBA
ABU ZARIA
COE MINNA
UNI.OF ABUJA
BSU MRKD
POLY
COE ZUBA
COE ZUBA
POLY NASS
ABILALI POLY
FUT MINNA(UNI)
UNLOF ABUJA
UNI- ABUJA
UNI CAL
BAUCHI POLY
BWARI AREA COUNCIL
NAME
INSTITUTION
MUSA AFAGAWO
UNI GHANA
JAMES SHEDRACK A.
FUT MINNA
TIMOTHY SHEKWOYEMI BEAUTY UNI JOS
WILUAMS DANIEL
UNI ABUJA
DANLADI STELIA
UNI ABUJA
AYEGBA FAVOUR ONIE
UNI MAKUDI
CHRISTOPHER PRISCILLA POLY BIDA
ABUBAKAR RHODA S.
UN! MAKURDI
ABDULLAHI SAL.AMATU YABAGI COE ZUBA
GAZAZHI KUKUABA AUGUSTINE POLY BIDA
SUWABA JUNIOR DANIEL
POLYBIDA
YAM MA MARYAM
UNI SOKOTO
ISHAYA JAMES SHEKWOMI UNI IBB LAPAI
CI-IIGUDU DANIEL TANKO UN! SOKOTO
GODIYA IYAH
UNI ABEOKUTA
MATHEW EMMANUEL YUDA POLY BIDA
AMINU ABUBAKAR SADIQ UNI ABUJA
THOMAS PETER
COE ZUBA
VICTORIA GODIYA DAVID UN! ILORIN
SHAWO TITUS
UNI ABUJA
HABILA SOLOMON
UNI KOGI
KUNMI TIMOTHY STEPHEN COE MINNA
MERCY SAMUEL
POLY NASSARAWA
SADIQ KHADIYAT MOH’D POLY NASSARAWA
EZEKIEL NATHANIEL
UN! KEFFI
SAMUEL GRACE
UNI MINNA
ISMAILA HAJARA
UNI SOKOTO
TANKO SUNDAY
FUT MINNA
ABDULIAHI ABUBAKAR
UNI ZARIA
USMAN NEHEMIAH
POLY KWARA
SAMUEL MARY S.
FUT MINNA
DANBABA KARIMA ANGO UNI SOKOTO
AHMED JOYCE
COE MINNA
SETH STEPHEN FANYIDA
COE ZUBA
MERCY MOSES DAJE
UNI ABUJA
HARUNA HALIDU
UN! ABUJA
FRANCIS JOSEPH
POLY MINNA
BELLO NAJEEB
UNI ABUJA
HABILA GOD WIN
POLY NASS
ABUBAKAR HAJARA I.
COE MINNA
IRIMIYA HOSEA
COE MINNA
SIMON SHEM
NCE HEALTH KEFFI
JAMES B1TRUS G.
UNI ABUJA
LUKA YUNUSA A.
UNI ABUJA
B1TRUS SAMUEL
COE AKWANGA
ADAMS ISAH
UN! ABUJA
CHUKUDUJOSHUAY.
UNISOKOTO
BAWA FARIDA
ABU ZARIA
DANJUMA ROSELINE ISHAQU ABU ZARIA
50.
51.
52.
53.
54
55.
56.
57.
58.
59.
60.
61.
62.
63.
64.
65.
66.
67.
68.
69.
70.
71.
72.
73.
74.
75.
76.
77.
78.
79.
80.
81.
82.
83.
84.
85.
86.
87.
88.
89.
90.
91.
92.
93.
94.
95.
96.
97.
98.
99.
100.
101.
102.
103.
104.
105.
106.
S/N
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10
11
12
13
1 4
1 5
16
17
1 8
19
20
21
22
2 3
2 4
2 5
26
27
2 8
2 9
30
31
32
3 3
3 4
3 5
36
3 7
3 8
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
4 8
4 9
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
5 7
58
59
6 0
61
62
63
64
MUSA YEMI PADA
DARA JUDITH ISA
PIUS STEPHEN BABA
ISHAYA FAITH BABA
AUTA JAMES
YUSUF MERCY -
GAMBO JOEL
iA1A A
YAKUBU EUNICE TUSHI
DANLAMI HAMISU
MUSA NURA
AUDU DANIEL
ADAMU PHILEMON
DEBORAH HUSSAINI
UTHMAN MOHAMMED MURTALA
DOMINIC PETER AKUSOM
GODWIN SULE
DNAGBE EZEKIEL
SARKI HOPE
MADUGU ZAKARI
NANCY GADO
GONI RALPH
ISAH AZHADALO JOY
BAKO SAFIU
SAMUEL GABRIEL
ISAAC RACHAEL SHEKS
JARFARU DANTANI
SHEKWOYADU M YERIMA
ZAKI BILHAH
GABRIEL ABOKI S.
DIKO AFAGAMI THANKGOD
BELLO USMAN SHEREKI
MOHAMMED UMORU
IBRAHIM YUNUSA
UMAR SADIQ
BARNABAS SARKI A.
ABIGAIL MILAWYI E.
IBRAHIM ABUBAKAR S.
BULUS JACOB
PETER ISAAC J.
AHMED CECILIA
PETER ZHIKO DAVID
BULUSNASARA
FAITH SHEM
VICTORIA N. AYUBA
LUCKY SUNDAY .
BALA LUCKY
OGABA REGINA 0.
FATIMA AL-HASSAN
ABDULRAHAMAN MUHAMMED
MARY ANDORNIMYE IBU
OMALE SULEIMAN
OFUM AUSTINE BISONG
SAIDU ZAHARA’U
SULEIMAN YUSUF
TUKUR MAHMUD MUHAMMAD
KAWU MAGAJI
GWAGWALADA
AREA COUNCIL
NAME
ADAMUMAIMUNA
ALIYU JAMILA LIMAN
SALISU ISMAILA
ISA ABDULHAFIS USMAN
SARKI ISHAKU
ISA SAFIYANU BAWA
JULIET ISMAILA
JACOB MARKUS
MOHAMMED ABUBAKAR
SAUHU SAMIRA AUYU
ZAKARI A. TUKURA
USMAN ABUBAKAR T.
IBRAHIM HAURA BIKO
SHABAYA HALIRU DANLAMI
ABDULKADIRI DANLAMI HAMIDU
YAKUBU KYAUTA
HASSANTANKO
HASSAN HAMIDU
AHMED AMINU SHANGALO
SALIHU IBRAHIM
ABUBAKAR LUKMAN
MUSA MUBARAK
ABUBAKARSAUHU
ISAH HAMBIU
MOHAMMEDAWWAL
ABUBAKAR B. HARUNA
HAUMA ALHASSAN
KHADIJAT ABUBAKAR
ALHASSAN KHADLJAT -
HABIBU M. SAIDU
MOHAMMED DAUDA
MOHAMMED G. ISA
SHUAIBU LAWAL
UMAR HAMZA
ABUBAKAR ADAMU
JUMMAI GAWA
ONWIH ASUKWO ETIM
YUSUF SANI S.
ZAKARIYA ALHERI
MOSES JOHNSON
SUNDAY SUMAILA
UMMI KULSUM M. MUSA
AL1YU LAWAL MALUMFASHI
UMAR SULEIMAN
SHANABO MIRACLE
MARTHA AYUBA
AUYU ETSU
YUNUSA GODE ADAMU
ABUBAKAR IBRAHIM -
AKORO MERCY GAMBO
DAUDASULE
MOHAMMED MUSA
MOHAMMED ZAKARI
IBRAHIM SAIDU
SOLOMON JONATHAN
AMINU MADAKI
AISHATU ISMAILA
DAUDA MOHAMMED
HARUNA SAI.AMATU
AHMAD A. OBASHI
MARIAM ISMAILA
SANI AUYU
JOHNSON VERONICA ISHAKU
YUSUF MUHD MISHEBWA
FUT MINNA
ABU ZARIA
COE MINNA
ABU ZARIA
ABU ZARIA
IBB LAFIA
COE MINNA
POLY KADUNA
UNI ZARIA
COE AKWANGA
UNI ZARIA
COEZUBA
UN! ATBU
COE KAGORO
UNI ZARIA
NCE ZARIA
NCE ZUBA
UNI ZARIA
COE AKWANGA
COE KAGORO
UNI NSUK
UN! ZARIA
ABU
COE ZUBA
UN! ZARIA
UN! ABUJA
COE ZUBA
UNIABUJA
UNI IBB
UNI NSUK
POLY NASS
UNI ZARIA
COE AKWANGA
UNI ABU)A
COE ZUBA
POLY NASS
UNI IBB LAPAI
UNI BAYARO KANO
POLY NASS
COE AKWANGA
COE MINNA
UNI IBB LAPAI
COEZUBA
UNI ABUJA
COEZUBA
COE MINNA
FUT MINNA
UNI MARKUDI
COE MINNA
UNI SOKOTO
COE CAL
ABU ZARIA
UNI ABUJA
UNI MAIDUGURI
UNI KEBBI
ABU ZARIA
UNI BAUCHI
INSTITUTION
COEZUBA
COE ZUBA
COE ZUBA
UNI AI3UJA
COE MINNA
UNI ABUJA
ABU ZARIA
COE MINNA
POLY NASSARAWA
COE ZUBA
FUT MINNA
SCL OF HEALT FUNTUWA
BALEWA UNI. BAUCHI
BUK
UNI ABUJA
UNI ABUJA
UNI ABUJA
UNI ABUJA
UNI ABUJA
UNI ABUJA
ABU ZARIA
COE ZUBA
COEZUBA
COE ZUSA
COEZUBA
ABU ZARIA
SCL OF HEALTH MINNA
UMY KATSINA
UDU SOKO
COE ZUBA
UNI ABUJA
UNI ABUJA
COE MINNA
COE MINNA
FUT MINNA
COE ZUBA
COE MINNA
NASSARAWA STATE UNI.
COE MINNA
UNI ABUJA
FUTYOLA
UNI ABUJA
COE ZUBA
FUT MINNA
UNI JOS
COE MINNA
FUT MINNA
BUK
COE ZUBA
IBB UNI LAPAI
COEMINNA
COE ZUBA
COE ZUBA
SCL OF HEALTH ZAMFARA
ABU ZARIA
TARABA STATE UNI
UNI ABUJA
UNI ABUJA
COE ZUBA
BUK -
UNI ABUJA
UNI ABUJA
UNI ABUJA
UNI ABUJA -
6 5
66
6 7
6 8
6 9
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
7 8
7 9
80
81
82
83
8 4
85
86
8 7
88
89
90
.91
92
93
94
95
96
97
S/N
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.
54.
55.
56.
57.
58.
59.
60.
61.
62.
63.
64.
65.
66.
67.
68.
69.
70.
71.
72.
73.
74.
75.
76.
77.
78.
79.
80.
81.
82.
83.
84.
85.
86.
87.
88.
89.
90.
BLESSING AU
DANLADI IBRAHIM AHMED
DAUDA ABDULWAHAB
ADAM R. IBRAHIM
NASIR AHMAD
HAMZA M. DANTANI
SAIDU ABDULMUMIN B.
ISSAC MAGRET
ROBO KAUNA
MOHAMMED KHADIJAT A.
MUSA ISMAIL
YUNUSA BELLO
YAKUBU ADAM KASARA
SHUAIBU IBRAHIM DANLAMI
JOSHUA TAB1THA
HABIB JIBRIN
IBRAHIM ABDULBAQ
YUNUSA ALIYU KABIR
MAM MAN BILKISU JIBRIN
MUHAMMED T. HABIBA
FATIMA MUHD
MAMMAN ABDULL.AHI
ABUBAKAR SADIYA K.
SANI RILWAN
HASSAN DANLADI
ISMAILA 0. DANASABE
YUSUF M. ALMUSTAPHA
MOHD SAIJSU
MARYAM SULEIMAN
MUSA RUKAIYA
HARUNAABDIJLLAHI
MUSA ZAINAB
HASSAN GARBA
KUJE AREA COUNCIL
NAME
BASHIR SULEIMAN
UMAR HASSAN
HAMIDAT IBRAHIM
ABUBAKAR YAKUBU
ANNA ABDUL
DANTANI MOHAMMED M.
GAIUS BLESSING
B1TRUS G. KAURA
BAKOMARKSHILO
SHUAIBU SA’AALABA
ABIGAIL JAMES
AHMED HASSAN DANLADI
JOY NATHANIEL
MUSTAPHA SANASI
MERCY KUTA SAMUEL
EMMANUEL MONDAY
MOHAMMED IBRAHIM
STEPHEN TATASUMBU A.
AHMED ZAINAB
MOSES THERESA
BULUSISUWATAKURA
AHMAD KUPI
MUSA ANDREW
VICTOR BAKO UMAR
THOMAS EMMANUEL
RUTH BULUS ZAKWOYI
MOH’D YUSUF
MOH’D AMINU A.
IYAKWO JENIFER HASSAN
ADAMU JUSTINA
EDWARD GODWIN
DANIEL BENEDICT
MOSES HUSEINI
TANKO FATIMA BINTA
MUSA CHRISTOPHER
YAKUBU ABDULRAZAQ
YUSUF YABO
RICHARD J. GIMBA
IBRAHIM TIJDE IDRIS
MUSA ABIGAIL
GYEGWEH MSEN KIZJTO
GNAN1YA GLADYS BAKO
ISMAILA KASIMU
ISHAYA GODIYA
ASO JOHN DANIEL
IRIMIAH HOSEA SARAKI
ANAS IBRAHIM WAZIRI
JOHN STEPHEN
PATIENCE KENGSLY
ADAMU RABJU
ALIYU JAMILU
SAMSON MUSA
TANKO YAHAYA AYUBA
GABRIEL MAIKEFFI TIJKURA
JIBRIL SULE
LABARAN SULEIMAN
MOH’D B. BAKO
SAIJHU ATEYA
BAKO MOHAMMED
AWOLOWO BOMBOY
DAVID EZEKIEL K.
COMFORT IBRAHIM
SOLOMON HANANIAH
DALHATA ESTHER MUSA
DAMEL ATTAH DENIS
ALHASSAN YUSUF AMOS
SHUIBU KABIRU .
GERE ZORO
TAMAR LUKA
ZUNGWE PHILOMENA
YAKUBU EMMANUEL
MARKUS SHESHINBWA
MUSTAPHA ABDULIAHI
BAWA HALIMA TALATU
UMAR ABBAS DANLAMI
DANLAMI SAKINAT
ISREAL C. DZUAMO
YUSUF KASIM GOJARA
HUSSAINI BASHIRAT M.
UMAR ILITASU A.
ALI NURUDEEN JARUMI
SALAMATU ALIYU
ABDULLAHI ADAMU
LUKA ELISHA
SHUAIBU SA’ADATU
TANKOSAFIYA DAD
ABDULLAHI SAFIYA
MUSAESTUYUSUF
SARKI DANLADI ENOCH
SAMUEL TIMOTHY
UNI ABUJA
UNI ABUJA
UNI ABUJA
KOGI STATE UNL
NASSARAWA STATE UNL
FUT MINNA
COE ZUBA
COE MINNA
NASARAWA STATE UNI
UNI ABUJA
UNI ABUJA
COE ZUBA
UNI ABUJA
UNI ABUJA
UNI ABUJA
FUT MINNA
UNI ABUJA
UNIABUJA
ABU ZARIA
SCL OF HEALTH MAKARFI
COE ZUBA
ABU ZARIA
COE ZUBA
COE ZUBA
COE ZUBA
BENUE STATE UNI
UNI ABUJA
COE ZUBA
COE ZUBA
COE ZUBA
COEZUBA
COE ZUBA
COE ZUBA
INS1T[LJTION
BUK
UNI. ABUJA
UNI. ABUJA
C.O.E. ZUBA
NSUK
C.O.E. ZUBA
POLY NAS
C.O.E. ZUBA
UNLJOS
UNI. ABUJA
C.O.E. ZUBA
NSUK
NSUK
UNI. ABUJA
UNI. ABUJA
C.O.E MINNA
UNI. ABUJA -
UNI.ABUJA
ECHTK KD
NSUK
UNISOKOTO
UNI. ABUJA
C.O.E ZUBA
KAD. POLY
FED. POLY. NASARAWA
C.O.E. ZUBA
NSUK
NSUK
C.O.E. ZUBA
C.O.E. ZUBA
NSUK
UNI. ABUJA
NSUK
ABU ZARIA
FUT MINNA
FUT MINNA -
MS TECH
UNI. AGRIC LAFIA
NIGER POLY
NSUK
NSUK
ABU ZARIA
ABU ZARIA
C.O.E. ZUBA
UNI. ABUJA
FUT MINNA
UNI. ILLORIN
UNI. ABUJA
FUT MINNA
C.O.E. MINNA
C.O.E. ZUBA
UNI.JOS
C.O.E. AKWANGA
NSUK
UNI. ABUJA
UNI. ABUJA
UNI. ABUJA
UNI. ABUJA
C.O.E. ZUBA
C.O.E. ZUBA
NSUK
C.O.E. MINNA
C.O.E. AKWANGA
ABU ZARIA
FUT MINNA
ABU ZARIA
C.O.E. AKWANGA
C.O.E. MINNA
SCH. OF HEALTH NASARAWA
NSUK
UNI.ABUJA
FUT MINNA
NSUK
--C.O.E. ZUBA
NSUK
C.O.E. BIDA
ABU ZARIA
ABU ZARIA
C.O.E.ZUBA
UNI. ABUJA
UNI ABUJA
C.O.E. MINNA
IBB UNI. LAPAJ
UNI. ABUJA
UNI. ABUJA
NSUK
C.O.E ZUBA
UNI.ABUJA
ST. MARY POLY
C.O.E. MINNA
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SAMUEL MARY
ILIYA NUHU PRINCE
JONAH PHILOMENA AFINIKI
AUTA MATTHEW
PATIENCE JONAH
MUSA ANTHONY
YUNANA PATIENCE
MUSTAP1-IA MARGARET
JAPHET RUBEN
TABITHA A. JOHN
IBRAHIM ADAMU
YUSUF OSABENTA DAWARI
EZEKIEL FRIDAY
ISMAILA JAAFAR
HARUNA HASSAN
AYUBA GRACE
DOGARA SARAKI
UMAR ISAH DASHEYE
GLORIA PETER
MICAH KURE ATANDU
IRIMIYA SHESHI CHRISTOPHER
ABDULKAREEM HASSAN
JAMES KINGSLEY
KWALI AREA COUNCIL
NAME
UVINUS LUKA SHEKWOLO
ADAM AMINU
WAZIRI KEZIAH DANLADI
ADAM ABDULHAMID TANIMU
JIBRIL USMAN
BULUS AFODIA
USMAN KABIRU
ALIYU MOHAMMED
IBRAHIM ADAMU
ZAKKA ESTHER SARKI
ISHIAKU YAKUBU SHUAIBU
AYUBAYABO
ADAMU LUCKY HOPE
BULUS GIDEON AZAKI
SHUAIBU YUSUF
ABDULRAHMAN ASMA’U -
IDRIS ABDULRAZAK
DAUDA D. MAIKASUWA V
DAUDAHOSEA
SHUAIBU YAHAYA
DANJUMA IKOH WANA
BALA ABUBAKAR
HARUNA PAI MOHAMMED
SHAGBO DEBORAH
HARUNA SHUAIBU
SOLOMON KYAUTA
MARK STEVEN DATNAYE
SOKWO KURE ABUNAZUWA
HABILA MAMUDA
MALI DANIEL
GNASA DANIEL USMAN
SAMUEL REUBEN
BLESSING MARK DATNAYE
MAJI MADALLA
ADAMU MOSES
LUKA EMMANUEL DAUDA
BIKO KETURA
IBRAHIM GAMJI MARY
SALIHU RABIAT EKKAN
BWAMBA SARAH
ADAMU SALEH
ISTIFANUS MERCY
ISHAYA EMMANUEL BWAMBA
SULEIMAN MOHAMMED
EMMANUEL SIMON ABWADO
MOHAMMED AMINA
ABUBAKAR JIBRIN ASHARA
ABDULLAHI HAMISU MOHD
MAIYANGA NASARA
YUNUSA MANSIR
ISHAKU SUNDAY
AUDU AGMA EMMANUEL
JAMI HASSAN DANJUMA
ABUBAKAR ABDULKADIR LEDA
DAVID FELIX
STEPHEN JOHN
GBEYEDOBO ALPATEI SUNDAY
ABUBAKAR AMINU
CANDICE EDNA
AZAKI PAUL
ALIYU IBRAHIM
HAJARA MOHAMMED
ADAMU JAMILU
GODSPOWER MATHEW
AMAKO HABIB
ELISHA MARK PATIENCE
ILIYA STEVEN PADAWA
SALIHU SANUSI
SAUHU UMAR
JIBRIN DANJUMA GUPA
ALIYU USMAN
JOSEPH SARAH
CYRUS DANIEL
DAUDA BIKO AMOS
IKOH YAKUBU MAMMAN
ABDULLAHI SADIQ
MUKAILU IBRAHIM
DAUDA YEPBWI HABBAKUK
SAUSU ABDULIAHI
GWATANA PISHEKENI EMMANUEL
DANIEL ISAAC SHIGABA
FARIDA ISAH GARBA
SUNDAY ESTHER
SHAZIN JOSEPHINE SWAYA
STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL
NEED
S/N NAME
1 RITA ANAYE JERRY
2 OBANDE BALI IRIMAH
3 DORCAS BENJAMIN
4 AYUBA BENJAMIN
5 YAK1JBU KETIJRA
6 YAKUBU AZAKT
7 ABUBAKAR ABDULKADIR
8 NABILA AHMED I.
Sen. Philip Aduda Tanimu
Senate Minority Whip
Federal Republic of Nigeria
C.O.E. ZUBA
ABU ZARIA
FED. POLY BIDA
NSUK
UNI BUJA
C.O.E. MINNA
SCH. OF HEALTH MINNA
UNI.ABUJA
SCH. OF HEALTH NASARAWA
NSUK
C.O.E. MINNA
UNI. ABUJA
ABU ZARIA
C.O.E. MINNA
NIGER POLY
C.O.E. ZUBA
NIGER STATE POLY
ABU ZARIA
UNI. ABUJA
FUT MINNA
UNI. ABUJA
C.O.E MINNA
FCT MINNA
INSTITUTION
UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA
COE ZUBA
UNIVERSITY’ OF ABUJA
COE ZUBA
UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA
COE MINNA
COE ZUBA
UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA
UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA
UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA
COE ZUBA
COEZUBA
SCH OF HELH TEC. KAGORO
COE MINNA
COE MINNA
UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA
NORTH-WEST UNY KANO
UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA
COEZUBA
COE MINNA
FED POLY BIDA
FCOE TECCAL BICHI KANO
COE ZUBA
COE ZARIA
UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA
COE ZUBA
UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA
FCOE KONTOGARA
COE MINNA
FCOE KONTOGARA
UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA
UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA
UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA
UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA
USMAN DANFODIYO UNI
COE ZUBA
COE OKENE
UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA
DANFODIYO SOKOTO
UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA
COE MINNA
COE MINNA
ABU ZARIA
UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA
FUT MINNA
IBBU LAPAI
ADAMAWA UNI. MUBI
COE ZUBA
COE AKWANGA
FUT MINNA
COE MINNA
COE MINNA
UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA
BUK
COE MINNA
UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA
ABU ZARIA
FCOE OKENE
UNIVERISTY OF ABUJA
UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA
FCE ZARIA
UNIVERISTY OF ABUJA
UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA
COE ZUBA
NATIONAL OPEN UNIRSITY
UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA
ABU ZARIA
UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA
COE MINNA
ABU ZARIA
UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA
COE AKWANGA
FCOE OKENE
NASSARAWA STATE UNI
COE ZUBA
FED UNIVERSITY GUSAU
FCOE OKENE
FCOE OKENE
COE MINNA
UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA
UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA
UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA
PLATEAU COLGE OF HEALTH
FED. UNIVERSITY B KEBBI
INSTITUTION
BUK
COE KWARA
COE KWARA
COE AKWANGA
COE ZUBA
FED POLY NAS.
SOKOTO STATE UNI
UNI JOS

DAILY TRUST, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
HAMZA IDRIS
POLITICS EDITOR
INSIDE
POLITICS
08037013508
insidepolitics@dailytrust.com
35
PoliQuote
“Legislators are supposed to make laws and not to
assume the enforcement role of such laws which
is meant for the executive.” - Pastor Folorunsho
Longe, the National Coordinator of Buhari Support
Organisation (South)
El-Rufai got it wrong
on Buhari — Danbilki
Commander
35
Dogara wants to feast on
Bauchi resources — Abubakar
By Abdul-Rahman Abubakar & Hamza Idris
Governor Mohammed Abubakar
yesterday faulted all the claims
advanced by the Speaker of the
House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara,
on the protracted rift between them,
saying the whole impasse revolves around
controlling resources of Bauchi State.
Speaking through his Senior Special
Assistant on Media, Comrade Sabo
Mohammed, the governor reacted to an
earlier interview granted by Dogara, in
which he spoke on ‘The 10 sins of Governor
Abubakar.’
Comrade Mohammed, who was at the
Daily Trust office in Abuja, yesterday, said
his governor would not be intimidated to
surrender the financial fortunes of Bauchi
people to those he described as “Abuja
politicians.”
He said: “You see, we’re very happy Dogara
has opened up; our position has always been
that he’s the brain behind all the political
misunderstanding in Bauchi State for the
very simple reason of his selfish interest
and greed to overtake, to manipulate and
to hijack the pace of political and economic
development of Bauchi State.
“The governor has said it time without
number that he has entered a covenant
By Fidelis Mac-Leva
The Independent National
Electoral Commission
(INEC) yesterday unveiled
its 2017-2021 strategic plan
with a proposal to establish a
prosecution unit to facilitate
quicker and more efficient
prosecution of electoral
offences.
The unit, to be staffed
by trained prosecutors, is
to facilitate more effective
prosecution of electoral
offences, reduce impunity
and enhance deterrence.
The draft document
titled ‘INEC Strategic Plan
2017 to 2021: Making Votes
Counts…Consolidating
our Democracy’, followed
a review of the previous
strategic plan developed
by the former leadership of
INEC as a roadmap to guide
its activities from 2012-2016.
with the good people of Bauchi and the
Almighty; that he’s not going to succumb
to any pressure for self-aggrandisement
initiated and perfected by Dogara and his
co-travellers.”
The SSA said it was not true that the
governor had shot the doors of negotiations
initiated by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“In fact, Governor Abubakar has more
than 10 times initiated peace moves but
Dogara and some of the National Assembly
members frustrated the effort. He had asked
the state APC, the state House of Assembly,
elders in the state and even traditional
rulers to intervene but they (Dogara and co)
remained defiant.”
Comrade Mohammed also said it was
not true that civil servants were not paid
salaries, explaining that while verification
exercise had flushed out thousands of ghost
workers, genuine workers had been paid up
to date.
He said time will vindicate the governor
on how he utilised the Paris Club refunds to
the state.
“The likes of Dogara had months ago
claimed that the governor mismanaged the
bailout given by the Federal Government
but even the ICPC later gave a positive
recommendation to Bauchi State. The same
verdict will come on the Paris Club monies,”
INEC proposes electoral offences unit
Presenting the document
on behalf of the commission
at Transcorp Hilton Hotel,
Abuja, Dr. Otive Igbuzor,
a renowned human rights
activist, who is a consultant
to INEC, said the purpose
of the new strategic plan
was to, among others,
provide a strategic direction
for the commission and
the actions to be taken
to achieve its mandate,
given the international
and national context of its
operations as well as provide
a framework and focus for its
improvement as a whole.
“You make a strategic plan
within the confines of the
law at a particular time and
you look for avenues to deal
with it within the confines of
the law and that is what we
have done,” Igbuzor said.
Chairman of INEC,
Professor Mahmood Yakubu,
said the commission
had been saddled with
the difficult position of
prosecuting electoral
offenders.
“INEC has been saddled
with the responsibility
of prosecuting electoral
offenders but look at the
challenges and the ground
rules. There are times you
have to make arrest of
electoral offenders but INEC
has no police to make arrest.
“Secondly, you have to
investigate so that you can
have evidence to successfully
prosecute. We have no power
under the law to investigate.
So how do we successfully
prosecute? That is why I have
said consistently that this
nation needs an electoral
offenses tribunal which
every violator of the electoral
law is subjected to,” Yakubu
said.
he said.
Comrade Sabo also said the fact that four
traditional rulers conferred titles on
the governor showed how good their
relationship was. “Yuguda at the tail
end of his administration arbitrarily
appointed all sorts of people as
village heads and district heads
and there was massive outcry by
the real owners of the traditional
institutions, prompting
the
governor to look into the matter.
“At present, the governor is
working harmoniously with the
traditional institutions.
“He’s the only governor that
was given four traditional titles.
He’s the Makama a Babba of Bauchi,
the Sarkin Boran Katagum, Magajin
Gwani Mukhtar in Misau and
Magayaki of Jama’are;
so how would
someone say
the governor
has problem,”
he asked.
• Gov.
Mohammed
Abubakar
Plateau deputy speaker impeached
From Lami Sadiq, Jos
Members of the Plateau
State House of Assembly
yesterday impeached their
Deputy Speaker, Yusuf
Adamu Gagdi, representing
Kantana Constituency and
replaced him with Saleh Shehu
Yipmong, representing Kanam
Constituency.
Gagdi was impeached after
18 of the 24 members of the
house signed a vote of no
confidence against him.
The House Majority Leader,
Henry Yenkwap, who read the
communication at plenary,
stated that 18 members had
passed a vote of no confidence
against Gagdi and put the
matter up for a voice vote which
confirmed Gagdi’s removal.
The member representing
Qua’an-Pan North, Henry
Dakogol, then nominated
Yipmong as the new deputy
speaker and was seconded by
Gagdi.
The majority leader later told
journalists that the issue of vote
of no confidence arose from
many issues but could not give
any of the reasons.
The ousted deputy speaker,
however, told journalists that he
saw his impeachment coming
adding “from the day I was
elected, I saw it coming and I
knew that I would be haunted
anytime any moment.:
Gagdi also said, “After all,
when I entered the House of
Assembly, I didn’t envisage that
I was going to be the deputy
speaker. In that circumstance, I
have it at the back of my mind
that I can be removed any
time.”
Daily Trust reports that the
former deputy speaker, who
won election under the PDP,
had on October 25 last year
decamped to the ruling APC.

DAILY TRUST, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
36
INTERVIEW/NEWS >>
Abdulmajid Danbilki
Commander, a strong
supporter of President
Muhammadu Buhari, in
this interview speaks on
Buhari’s return to London
after his long medical
vacation there recently
and why Governor Nasir
el-Rufai shouldn’t be taken
seriously on his recent
memo to the president,
among other issues.
Excerpt:
By Musa Abdullahi Krishi
From what we’ve been hearing,
President Muhammadu Buhari
will be going for another medical
checkup after his return from a similar
trip recently. What does this mean for the
country?
Despite the hardship necessitated by the
economic recession, the masses still have
trust in Buhari. What happened the day
he returned proves that the people are still
with him. In fact, it is now that Nigerians
love him even the more. Everyone knows
that he is not responsible for the present
economic situation.
We, in Kano, were the first to offer
prayers for him because, politically,
whatever you think of, Kano is number
one in the North. The prayers were led by
Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
We thank Nigerians, both Christians
and Muslims, who took time to pray
for the president. If you look at the
celebrations during his return, it showed
that Nigerians still love him and in the
history of Nigeria and Africa as a whole,
there is no leader that is loved by his
people as enjoyed by Buhari. The people
believe that Buhari will not betray the
trust they repose in him; he is trying
his best to bring back the country on
track. And if you look at the massive job
creation through N-Power and the rest, it
is commendable. People have returned
to farming fully. Our farmers in Kano are
smiling to the banks because of bumper
harvests. The youths have gone back to
farming because that is the way to go. I
want to advise that small farmers should
cooperate with district heads to get
fertilizer on loan and pay after harvesting.
The president should look into this.
When he was away, the economy
By Mulikatu Mukaila
The Alumni Association of the National
Institute (AANI) has urged Nigerians
to remain hopeful in democracy and
not to give up their patriotism over the
rift between the executive arm and the
National Assembly.
AANI’s president, Khaleed Bolaji, who
made the call during a news briefing
yesterday in Abuja, said such crisis
was not new in countries experiencing
institutional development, including
Nigeria which has a barely 17 years old
unhindered democracy.
“You see, what is happening between
the executive and the legislature is the
institutional development we are talking
about; it takes time. The developed
• Danbilki Commander
NIPSS alumni urge Nigerians
not to give up on democracy
countries that you see today where
things are working, when they were in
this situation of young democracy, they
were worse than us.
“By the time we strengthen institutions
like the judiciary, the legislature and
all the organs of the government that
needed to be institutionalized, it is not a
matter of the president giving orders. No,
the institutions will take their normal
course and things will happen. That is
how it works,” he said.
Bolaji, whose executive council was
elected on March 4, 2017 at the National
Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies
(NIPSS), Kuru in Plateau State, said
the problem facing the country could
be resolved through evidence-based
research.
INSIDE POLITICS
El-Rufai got it wrong on
Buhari — Danbilki Commander
seemed to pick up under Acting Prescient
Osinbajo. Many Nigerians were saying
that Buhari was too hard, that was why
things were difficult when he was around.
What's your take on this?
Many people don't understand the
president. All that Osinbajo did was in
consultation with the president. Before
then, we were producing less than one
million barrels of crude per day; but it
improved to about two million. That was
because the country was polluted with
ethnic and religious sentiments. What
Nigerians should understand is that it's
not as if Buhari is holding things too tight;
he is only trying to put the country on
the right track. He has to do that for our
betterment. It's not really easy to lead a
country like Nigeria.
There was this letter that Governor el-
Rufai wrote to the president that the APC
government has failed Nigerians so far.
Are you people not worried by this?
First of all, let's take el-Rufai as a person
and see who he is by training and history.
For you to know el-Rufai, think about what
he did to Justice Bashir Sambo. Here was
a man that helped el-Rufai in his life, but
what did the governor do to him in the
end? He threw the man out of his house.
Ask former Vice President Atiku
Abubakar. He was the first person to bring
el-Rufai out politically, but in the end, what
did he do to Atiku? Take Obasanjo, who
made him a minister? In the end, he wrote
a book insulting the former president.
During Yar'adua, he wanted to do same,
but because the late president was wary,
el-Rufai had to leave the country. He didn't
return until after Yar'adua's death. When
he came into the defunct CPC before the
2011 elections, when I saw the kind of
people he came with, I raised an alarm that
he shouldn't be trusted. This is what he did
to all those people that helped him; so why
won't he do same to Buhari? He said what
he said because his selfish interest is not
protected.
If he said Buhari failed Nigerians,
what did the president promise during
campaigns? He promised security, job
creation and fight against corruption. The
president has brought about peace in the
country. Before now, people were afraid of
going to their places of worship.
If you look at the economy, the president
is doing his best in that regard. I'm not
surprised that el-Rufai said that. It was
Buhari that helped him to become the
APC candidate and campaigned for him
to become governor. Without Buhari, he
will not win even a councillorship seat in
his area. With all these, he can still betray
Buhari the way he did to others.
When he said Buhari kept those that
worked for the party aside, when he was
elected as governor, who knew him? He
was even saying if the president doesn't
correct some of the anomalies, APC can't
win in 2019. I want him to know that all
the current APC governors won election
because of Buhari. I want to assure el-Rufai
that any governor that wants to return for
second term will benefit from Buhari's
popularity whereas Buhari won't benefit
from them in any way.
But aren’t some of the things el-Rufai
said true?
All the things he said were based on
selfish interest. It was because he presented
his request which was not given to him?
What request?
Of course he has many things that he
wants from this government. Even Hadiza
Bala that was appointed NPA boss, was his
Chief of Staff. He brought many people that
were appointed into different positions.
But the presidency now understands
that all the people he was bringing didn't
believe in the APC manifesto. We're afraid
that he might end up gathering people that
would betray Nigerians.
We're aware of all that he has been
doing and he will not succeed. People like
el-Rufai won't be free where someone
like Buhari is. Whether he is there or not,
Buhari will win election again in this
country. If Buhari isn't there, el-Rufai can't
win in 2019.

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37

DAILY TRUST, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
38
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DAILY TRUST, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
39

DAILY TRUST, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
40
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DAILY TRUST, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
41

DAILY TRUST, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
42
NIGERIA STOCK EXCHANGE
OIL AND GAS
BUSINESS
MARKET CAP. 8.742TRN (-0.03%) ALL SHARE INDEX 25,266.15POINTS (-0.03%) MARKET TURNOVER 1.620BN SHARES
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
BANKING CONSUMER GOODS INSURANCE
INDUSTRIAL
292.15 0.75% 275.56 1.16% 633.30 0.63% 124.06 0.43% 1,529.76 1.01%
NSE GENERAL INDEX
COMPANY NAME MARKET(NM) PRICE CHANGE TRADES VOLUME
AGRICULTURE
CROP PRODUCTION
FTN COCOA PROCESSORS PLC 1,100.00 0.50 - 1 20,000
OKOMU OIL PALM PLC. 50,089.81 52.51 5.00 25 206,972
PRESCO PLC 47,000.00 47.00 - 13 39,510
CROP PRODUCTION 39 266,482
FISHING/HUNTING/TRAPPING
ELLAH LAKES PLC. 511.20 4.26 - 0 0
FISHING/HUNTING/TRAPPING 0 0
LIVESTOCK/ANIMAL SPECIALTIES
LIVESTOCK FEEDS PLC. 1,320.00 0.66 10.00 7 162,000
LIVESTOCK/ANIMAL SPECIALTIES 7 162,000
AGRICULTURE 46 428,482
CONGLOMERATES
DIVERSIFIED INDUSTRIES
A.G. LEVENTIS NIGERIA PLC. 1,985.47 0.75 - 3 25,249
JOHN HOLT PLC. 245.17 0.63 - 0 0
S C O A NIG. PLC. 2,449.84 3.77 - 2 10,250
TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATION OF NIGERIA PLC 29,273.07 0.72 -1.37 53 7,933,455
U A C N PLC. 29,043.47 15.12 5.51 106 4,121,790
DIVERSIFIED INDUSTRIES 164 12,090,744
CONGLOMERATES 164 12,090,744
CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE
BUILDING CONSTRUCTION
ARBICO PLC. 711.32 4.79 - 0 0
BUILDING CONSTRUCTION 0 0
INFRASTRUCTURE/HEAVY CONSTRUCTION
JULIUS BERGER NIG. PLC. 55,374.00 41.95 - 0 0
ROADS NIG PLC. 165.00 6.60 - 0 0
INFRASTRUCTURE/HEAVY CONSTRUCTION 0 0
REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT
UACN PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT CO. LIMITED 2,921.87 1.70 -2.94 33 1,230,778
REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT 33 1,230,778
CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE
REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUSTS (REITS)
SKYE SHELTER FUND PLC 2,000.00 100.00 - 0 0
UNION HOMES REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST (REIT) 11,305.89 45.22 - 0 0
UPDC REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST 26,682.70 10.00 - 0 0
REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUSTS (REITS) 0 0
CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE 33 1,230,778
CONSUMER GOODS
AUTOMOBILES/AUTO PARTS
DN TYRE & RUBBER PLC 2,386.33 0.50 - 1 10,000
AUTOMOBILES/AUTO PARTS 1 10,000
BEVERAGES--BREWERS/DISTILLERS
CHAMPION BREW. PLC. 19,338.86 2.47 - 4 23,000
GOLDEN GUINEA BREW. PLC. 231.34 0.85 - 0 0
GUINNESS NIG PLC 91,106.24 60.50 -0.02 37 199,581
INTERNATIONAL BREWERIES PLC. 52,707.99 16.00 - 5 4,470
BEVERAGES--BREWERS/DISTILLERS
NIGERIAN BREW. PLC. 991,137.61 125.00 -0.12 57 205,363
BEVERAGES--BREWERS/DISTILLERS 103 432,414
BEVERAGES--NON-ALCOHOLIC
7-UP BOTTLING COMP. PLC. 55,731.36 87.00 -0.06 16 24,309
BEVERAGES--NON-ALCOHOLIC 16 24,309
FOOD PRODUCTS
DANGOTE FLOUR MILLS PLC 18,750.00 3.75 -3.73 34 371,189
DANGOTE SUGAR REFINERY PLC 84,000.00 7.00 -2.23 59 1,891,112
FLOUR MILLS NIG. PLC. 47,236.27 18.00 0.06 43 21,563,518
HONEYWELL FLOUR MILL PLC 7,930.20 1.00 -4.76 11 236,500
MULTI-TREX INTEGRATED FOODS PLC 1,861.25 0.50 - 0 0
N NIG. FLOUR MILLS PLC. 1,070.98 6.01 - 0 0
NASCON ALLIED INDUSTRIES PLC 22,838.16 8.62 10.23 46 1,083,835
U T C NIG. PLC. 616.69 0.50 - 0 0
UNION DICON SALT PLC. 4,070.01 14.89 - 0 0
FOOD PRODUCTS 193 25,146,154
FOOD PRODUCTS--DIVERSIFIED
CADBURY NIGERIA PLC. 17,749.01 9.45 8.00 79 1,270,731
NESTLE NIGERIA PLC. 594,492.19 750.00 - 28 31,458
FOOD PRODUCTS--DIVERSIFIED 107 1,302,189
HOUSEHOLD DURABLES
NIGERIAN ENAMELWARE PLC. 1,858.35 29.33 - 0 0
VITAFOAM NIG PLC. 2,032.62 1.95 - 7 96,782
HOUSEHOLD DURABLES 7 96,782
PERSONAL/HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS
P Z CUSSONS NIGERIA PLC. 57,929.26 14.59 4.21 41 399,211
UNILEVER NIGERIA PLC. 132,415.37 35.00 - 25 94,200
PERSONAL/HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS 66 493,411
CONSUMER GOODS 493 27,505,259
BANKING
ACCESS BANK PLC. 180,799.82 6.25 -0.16 95 17,168,024
DIAMOND BANK PLC 19,454.73 0.84 -2.33 47 8,447,593
ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INCORPORATED 154,870.21 8.44 -2.99 66 997,920
FIDELITY BANK PLC 23,179.84 0.80 -1.25 64 9,075,626
GUARANTY TRUST BANK PLC. 711,351.60 24.17 -0.58 160 3,250,373
JAIZ BANK PLC 35,651.74 1.21 - 1 1,500
SKYE BANK PLC 6,940.15 0.50 - 11 8,006,511
STERLING BANK PLC. 20,153.29 0.70 -2.78 110 973,797
UNION BANK NIG.PLC. 84,679.03 5.00 - 54 374,432
UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA PLC 187,927.95 5.18 -2.26 216 12,708,942
UNITY BANK PLC 7,481.18 0.64 - 4 10,497
WEMA BANK PLC. 19,287.23 0.50 - 3 2,200
INSURANCE CARRIERS, BROKERS AND SERVICES
AFRICAN ALLIANCE INSURANCE COMPANY PLC 10,292.50 0.50 - 0 0
AIICO INSURANCE PLC. 3,880.91 0.56 3.70 32 2,511,166
AXAMANSARD INSURANCE PLC 16,800.00 1.60 -3.61 4 5,122,050
CONSOLIDATED HALLMARK INSURANCE PLC 3,000.00 0.50 - 0 0
CONTINENTAL REINSURANCE PLC 11,513.75 1.11 - 7 101,589
CORNERSTONE INSURANCE COMPANY PLC. 7,364.75 0.50 - 2 10,000
EQUITY ASSURANCE PLC. 7,000.00 0.50 - 3 30,010
GOLDLINK INSURANCE PLC 2,411.47 0.53 - 0 0
GREAT NIGERIAN INSURANCE PLC 1,913.74 0.50 - 0 0
GUINEA INSURANCE PLC. 3,070.00 0.50 - 3 79,850
INTERNATIONAL ENERGY INSURANCE COMPANY PLC 642.04 0.50 - 0 0
LASACO ASSURANCE PLC. 3,661.72 0.50 - 8 1,379,613
LAW UNION AND ROCK INS. PLC. 3,265.21 0.76 - 0 0
LINKAGE ASSURANCE PLC 4,000.00 0.50 - 1 100
MUTUAL BENEFITS ASSURANCE PLC. 4,000.00 0.50 - 1 50,000
N.E.M INSURANCE CO (NIG) PLC. 4,646.84 0.88 4.76 7 269,586
NIGER INSURANCE CO. PLC. 3,869.74 0.50 - 2 308,522
PRESTIGE ASSURANCE CO. PLC. 2,759.15 0.50 - 2 1,602
REGENCY ALLIANCE INSURANCE COMPANY PLC 3,334.38 0.50 - 1 41,250
SOVEREIGN TRUST INSURANCE PLC 4,170.41 0.50 - 3 91,100
STANDARD ALLIANCE INSURANCE PLC. 5,996.59 0.50 - 1 2,205
STANDARD TRUST ASSURANCE PLC 4,670.54 0.50 - 1 4,200
UNIC INSURANCE PLC. 1,291.15 0.50 - 0 0
UNITY KAPITAL ASSURANCE PLC 6,933.33 0.50 - 0 0
UNIVERSAL INSURANCE COMPANY PLC 8,000.00 0.50 - 3 446,100
GAINERS
CAP 3.03 10.23
NASCON 0.80 10.23
LIVESTOCK 0.06 10.00
LEARNAFRCA 0.06 8.45
COMMODITIES
PRICE
CRUDE OIL
(BRENT)
$50.80
NATURAL
GAS
$3.08
COPPER
$2.678
GOLD
$1,230
SILVER
$16.983
SUGAR
$17.80
COCOA
$2,133
GINGER
$1,990
COTTON
$78.08
WAPIC INSURANCE PLC 6,691.37 0.50 - 10 70,618
INSURANCE CARRIERS, BROKERS AND SERVICES 91 10,519,561
MICRO-FINANCE BANKS
FORTIS MICROFINANCE BANK PLC 11,799.67 2.58 - 0 0
NPF MICROFINANCE BANK PLC 2,835.43 1.24 - 2 12,500
MICRO-FINANCE BANKS 2 12,500
MORTGAGE CARRIERS, BROKERS AND SERVICES
ABBEY MORTGAGE BANK PLC 5,250.00 1.25 - 0 0
ASO SAVINGS AND LOANS PLC 7,370.87 0.50 - 0 0
INFINITY TRUST MORTGAGE BANK PLC 6,130.57 1.47 - 1 50
RESORT SAVINGS & LOANS PLC 5,664.87 0.50 - 0 0
UNION HOMES SAVINGS AND LOANS PLC. 2,949.22 3.02 - 1 3,406
MORTGAGE CARRIERS, BROKERS AND SERVICES 2 3,456
OTHER FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
AFRICA PRUDENTIAL REGISTRARS PLC 4,660.00 2.33 -3.32 64 755,346
CUSTODIAN AND ALLIED PLC 18,939.60 3.22 - 13 120,757
DEAP CAPITAL MANAGEMENT & TRUST PLC 750.00 0.50 - 1 60,000
FCMB GROUP PLC. 23,961.28 1.21 -0.83 46 3,577,401
NIGERIA ENERYGY SECTOR FUND 411.91 552.20 - 0 0
ROYAL EXCHANGE PLC. 2,572.69 0.50 - 0 0
SIM CAPITAL ALLIANCE VALUE FUND 3,313.67 103.24 - 0 0
STANBIC IBTC HOLDINGS PLC 180,000.00 18.00 0.28 14 3,781,149
UNITED CAPITAL PLC 17,880.00 2.98 2.76 131 5,701,632
OTHER FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS 269 13,996,285
FINANCIAL SERVICES 1,195 85,549,217
HEALTHCARE
HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS
EKOCORP PLC. 1,600.51 3.21 - 0 0
UNION DIAGNOSTIC & CLINICAL SERVICES PLC 1,776.57 0.50 - 1 120,000
HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS 1 120,000
MEDICAL SUPPLIES
MORISON INDUSTRIES PLC. 251.09 1.65 - 1 90
MEDICAL SUPPLIES 1 90
PHARMACEUTICALS
EVANS MEDICAL PLC. 366.17 0.50 - 3 4,420
PHARMACEUTICALS
FIDSON HEALTHCARE PLC 1,500.00 1.00 - 4 4,232
GLAXO SMITHKLINE CONSUMER NIG. PLC. 17,340.21 14.50 3.57 39 24,281,930
MAY & BAKER NIGERIA PLC. 931.00 0.95 - 4 41,000
NEIMETH INTERNATIONAL PHARMACEUTICALS PLC 966.84 0.56 -3.45 6 196,255
NIGERIA-GERMAN CHEMICALS PLC. 556.71 3.62 - 0 0
PHARMA-DEKO PLC. 422.80 1.95 - 0 0
PHARMACEUTICALS 56 24,527,837
HEALTHCARE 58 24,647,927
BUILDING MATERIALS
AFRICAN PAINTS (NIGERIA) PLC. 910.10 2.47 - 1 10
ASHAKA CEM PLC 21,274.80 9.50 - 7 15,774
BERGER PAINTS PLC 1,849.07 6.38 - 14 125,134
CAP PLC 22,848.00 32.64 10.23 16 300,587
CEMENT CO. OF NORTH.NIG. PLC 5,617.35 4.47 - 2 12,500
FIRST ALUMINIUM NIGERIA PLC 1,055.18 0.50 - 0 0
LAFARGE AFRICA PLC. 236,083.04 43.20 - 29 109,501
MEYER PLC. 256.75 0.79 - 1 1,795
PAINTS AND COATINGS MANUFACTURES PLC 515.39 0.65 - 0 0
PORTLAND PAINTS & PRODUCTS NIGERIA PLC 728.00 1.82 - 0 0
PREMIER PAINTS PLC. 1,277.97 10.39 - 0 0
BUILDING MATERIALS 70 565,301
ELECTRONIC AND ELECTRICAL PRODUCTS
AUSTIN LAZ & COMPANY PLC 2,256.91 2.09 - 0 0
CUTIX PLC. 1,426.67 1.62 - 1 1,200
ELECTRONIC AND ELECTRICAL PRODUCTS 1 1,200
OIL AND GAS
ENERGY EQUIPMENT AND SERVICES
JAPAUL OIL & MARITIME SERVICES PLC 3,131.35 0.50 - 4 212,450
ENERGY EQUIPMENT AND SERVICES 4 212,450
INTEGRATED OIL AND GAS SERVICES
OANDO PLC 63,181.75 5.25 6.28 122 4,603,615
INTEGRATED OIL AND GAS SERVICES 122 4,603,615
PETROLEUM AND PETROLEUM PRODUCTS DISTRIBUTORS
BECO PETROLEUM PRODUCT PLC 1,858.49 0.50 - 0 0
CONOIL PLC 24,288.32 35.00 - 3 1,785
ETERNA PLC. 4,199.35 3.22 -0.31 7 53,672
FORTE OIL PLC. 58,611.65 45.00 -5.86 109 450,911
MOBIL OIL NIG PLC. 113,587.51 315.00 - 25 30,319
MRS OIL NIGERIA PLC. 9,913.18 39.03 - 6 700
TOTAL NIGERIA PLC. 88,275.68 260.00 - 29 20,532
PETROLEUM AND PETROLEUM PRODUCTS DISTRIBUTORS 179 557,919
EXPLORATION AND PRODUCTION
SEPLAT PETROLEUM DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LTD 222,560.60 395.00 -0.25 7 302,578
EXPLORATION AND PRODUCTION 7 302,578
OIL AND GAS 312 5,676,562
HOSPITALITY
TANTALIZERS PLC 1,605.81 0.50 - 3 2,000,000
HOSPITALITY 3 2,000,000
HOTELS/LODGING
CAPITAL HOTEL PLC 5,730.49 3.70 - 0 0
IKEJA HOTEL PLC 3,700.26 1.78 - 0 0
TOURIST COMPANY OF NIGERIA PLC. 8,199.50 3.65 - 0 0
TRANSCORP HOTELS PLC 38,306.04 5.04 - 4 3,000
HOTELS/LODGING 4 3,000
MEDIA/ENTERTAINMENT
DAAR COMMUNICATIONS PLC 6,000.00 0.50 - 2 25,000
MEDIA/ENTERTAINMENT 2 25,000
PRINTING/PUBLISHING
ACADEMY PRESS PLC. 302.40 0.50 - 0 0
LEARN AFRICA PLC 594.02 0.77 8.45 3 51,700
STUDIO PRESS (NIG) PLC. 1,302.80 2.19 - 2 140
UNIVERSITY PRESS PLC. 1,738.58 4.03 - 0 0
PRINTING/PUBLISHING 5 51,840
ROAD TRANSPORTATION
ASSOCIATED BUS COMPANY PLC 828.85 0.50 - 0 0
ROAD TRANSPORTATION 0 0
SPECIALTY
INTERLINKED TECHNOLOGIES PLC 899.46 3.80 - 0 0
SECURE ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGY PLC 2,815.77 0.50 - 1 18,000
SPECIALTY 1 18,000
TRANSPORT-RELATED SERVICES
NEWREST ASL NIGERIA PLC 2,364.82 3.73 - 32 446,642
NIGERIAN AVIATION HANDLING COMPANY PLC 3,573.28 2.20 2.33 26 284,693
TRANSPORT-RELATED SERVICES 58 731,335
SUPPORT AND LOGISTICS
C & I LEASING PLC. 941.41 0.50 6.00 39 6,317,446
CAVERTON OFFSHORE SUPPORT GRP PLC 3,115.97 0.93 - 0 0
SUPPORT AND LOGISTICS 39 6,317,446
SERVICES 124 9,285,959
MAIN BOARD TOTALS 2,503 167,110,926
LOSERS
FO -2.80 -5.86
HONYFLOUR -0.05 -4.76
MANSARD -0.06 -3.61
NEIMETH -0.02 -3.45

Ismaila Lere
Opinion Editor
In the current showdown between
the Senate and the Executive the
adage about two elephants, and the
parable of the traveller and the snake
are both very apt. When two elephants
fight it’s the ground that suffers. The
ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)
has become so divided against itself
it appears as if all its elephants are
fighting simultaneously. As a result, the
welfare of the nation is being trampled
underground! A Political Party which is
supposed to concentrate on planning
our progress, is fully occupied fighting
itself. Instead of them focusing on our
poor standards of living, we focus on
their poor standards of governance!
When Nigerians go to the polls they
elect a President, not a Paramount
Ruler. He has to work within the
constraints of the Constitution which
outlines separation of powers and
responsibilities between the Executive,
Legislature and Judiciary. There is really
no excuse for Presidential nominees to
create problems for us all. Little serious
consideration appears to have been
given to the ramifications of openly
confronting an unpliant Senate. The
fact that Senators appear deficient
in compassion for the suffering of
the majority of Nigerians and some
are ethically challenged having been
charged to Court for alleged corrupt
embezzlement, does not justify the
posturing of the Executive. They cannot
and should not expect to win every
fight against the legislature especially
when some of their key members also
face serious allegations of corruption.
Those who come to equity must come
with clean hands.
In this egoistical face-off at the
highest levels of government the
Executive is represented by the Acting
Chairman of the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC),
the Comptroller-General of Customs,
and the Secretary to Government of
the Federation who despite their selfrighteous
indignation are not lacking
in culpability. No agency or individual
should defy the Senate irrespective
of the shortcomings of its leaders. It’s
essential to separate lack of respect
for certain Senators from the need to
respect the Senate as an institution.
A unicameral legislature is a far more
efficient, economical and sensible
option for our democracy.
If we separate personalities from
institutions, then 109 Senators is
infinitely preferable to 360 Members
of the House of Representatives.
All sorts of reasons, none of them
altruistic, are speculated as to why
Senators don’t want the President’s
nominee to be confirmed as EFCC
Chairman. However, there is no
justification for retaining him in an
acting capacity after he has been
presented for confirmation as required
by the Constitution and rejected.
OPINION
e-mail opinion@dailytrust.com
Eugene Enahoro
dr_enahoro@yahoo.com, 0807 493 2395 (SMS Only)
Senate vs Executive: Two
elephants and a snake!
Surely there are others who can do
the job? It is trite that the graveyards
are full of the bodies of indispensable
people! Under the circumstances is it
really reasonable to expect the Senate
to continue screening others when
those screened and found wanting
are retained in office? It’s illogical,
disrespectful and illegal because there
is no law in Nigeria which recognises
any powers ascribed to an “Acting”
Chairman EFCC. Now that matters
have come to a head and an infuriated
Senate is using the confirmation of
Resident Electoral Commissioners
(RECs) as a blackmailing tool, either
a political compromise or an all-out
confrontation with Upper Chamber
must follow.
President Muhammadu Buhari
(PMB) should rest assured that he
has the support of the overwhelming
majority if he decides on the latter
course of action. Indeed, most
Nigerians can’t understand why he isn’t
acting more decisively in the matter
when after all there are precedents.
Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo (OBJ)
and Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (GEJ)
had little time for the antics of selfindulgent
leaders of the National
Assembly. Once Speaker Salisu Buhari
was exposed for tendering a forged
Degree Certificate, OBJ had him
removed ignominiously. GEJ on his
own part unlawfully withdrew Speaker
Aminu Tambuwal’s security aides
after he decamped, shut the gates of
the National Assembly against him
and teargassed other legislators. OBJ
had even less tolerance for the antics
of Senate Presidents and dealt with
them mercilessly. When irregularities
in his credentials implicated Senate
President Senator Evan(s) Enwerem in
criminal forgery, OBJ had him sacked.
Following Senate president Chuba
Okadigbo’s award of a contract without
due process OBJ got rid of him as well.
When yet another Senate President
Senator Adolphus Wabara was
implicated in a bribery scandal OBJ
ordered his immediate prosecution. In
all of the cases nothing happened. Why
then should any subsequent President
feel hampered by inappropriate
leadership in the Legislature?
The current Senate President has
difficulties with the Code of Conduct
Bureau; the Nigeria Customs Service;
and the EFCC. In dealing with him
PMB should bear in mind the following
story… A traveller took pity on a
snake which had been run over by a
car. He picked it up, took it home and
nursed it back to full health. When
fully recovered, the snake inflicted
a poisonous bite on its benefactor.
On his death-bed the victim asked
the snake “how could you do this to
me after all I did for you?” The snake
smiled and replied “you knew I was a
snake before you rescued me!”.
Abu Najakku
danbellojikanyari@yahoo.com, Twitter: @ComradeAbubakar
DAILY TRUST, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Like us on Facebook.com/dailytrust
Follow us on Twitter: @dailytrust
43
A scandal ridden Senate Presidency
Most Nigerians believe that
most Senators after what they
can get for themselves from
our national resources and not the
provision of qualitative representation
that they had promised their
constituencies. That is why it’s gone
past March and there has been no word
on the national budget or when it will
be passed. For millions of Nigerians
expecting their fortunes to improve
with the passage and implementation
of this year’s budget, the waiting
continues while the Senators minister
to their own comfort and bicker with
presidential appointees over mundane
matters. Sample: in these termagant
times, Bukola Saraki’s Senate has
expended N36m on vehicle for each of
the members; no wonder he continues
to hide the chamber’s budget figures.
After arranging the rejection of
Magu for the second time, Saraki
expressed his wish: “We hope that the
executive will quickly act and bring
in another name as soon as possible
so that the activities of the agency
will not be crippled.” It is absolutely
unreasonable for the Senate to give the
President as it did, two weeks deadline
to replace Ibrahim Mustapha Magu as
chairman of EFCC. It is a usurpation
of duty and sheer legislative arrogance
for the Senate to give the President
ultimatum regarding when to withdraw
unconfirmed appointments. We know
that Bukola Saraki’s hands are full and
he is maddened by his trial at the Code
of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) but millions
of Nigerians want to see it go on and
even pray that he is convicted.
The suspension of Senator Ali Ndume
is a manifestation of this frustration but
Ndume is too independent minded for
Saraki to manipulate or intimidate.
Ndume is clearly a very brilliant,
experienced, resilient and resourceful
Senator and was the subject of political
chicanery in the days of President
Goodluck Jonathan when the Air force
dropped bombs near him in order to
silence him but he carried on. So, he
is a veteran of this skulduggery being
staged by Saraki, Jonah Melaye and
the other conspirators in the Senate.
Suffice it to say that his suspension is
the height of intolerance, wickedness
and cowardice; Saraki should know
that a senate president is not a king’ he
is a mere first among equals. Ali Ndume
will return to the Senate as soon as
possible to continue to represent his
constituency and will not keep quiet
regardless of Saraki’s extreme anxiety.
Ndume should remain guided by his
conscience and the best interests of his
constituency, irrespective of Saraki’s
manifest malice.
Saraki is so nervous of criticism, his
insecurity and vulnerabilities are so
clear to everyone that the only thing
he wants to hear inside the Senate are
the fawning voices of Jonah Melaye
and Hamma Misau. Those Senators
in cahoots with Saraki’s agenda have
maintained a conspiratorial silence;
they relish Saraki’s confrontation with
the President but will not openly voice
their support and so their silence is
consent. Saraki’s undisguised ambition
to be President of Nigeria is pushing
him to use the Senate to stymie
Buhari’s Presidency; something he
never brooked when he was governor
of Kwara. Is this the way to become
President of Nigeria?
The Senate President complains
about lack of communication with
the executive whereas the President
had recently given him private
audience about half a dozen times.
Everyone knows that the Senate
President is desperate to stop his CCT
trial, something President Buhari
is yet to acquiesce to - and there is
NO reason why he should. Consider
the thoughtless and ill-judged
decision to “suspend for two weeks”
the confirmation hearing of the 28
Resident Electoral Commissioners
(RECs) nominated by the President?
Only one Senator, Muhammed Adamu
Aliero, spoke against the suspension
of confirmation hearing for such
presidential appointees crucial to the
conduct of the 2019 election. Whether
the Senate confirms them or not is
immaterial, for in the fullness of time
if the President needs their services, he
will deploy the RECs to the locations of
his choice to work for the country. The
Senators are free to continue to draw
their multi-million Naira allowances
for doing nothing! Saraki wants to
use every opportunity to meet with
President Buhari and put pressure
on him to stop his trial and also drop
Magu.
This President should understand
one thing: Magu’s courage to arrest
hitherto untouchable Nigerians,
including thieving generals in the Army,
Navy and Air Force and their civilian
collaborators, as well as his ability to
seize their stolen cash and ill-gotten
property, is what endears him to the
masses; it is what recommends Magu
for the job and it is the reason why the
masses want to see Buhari retain him
for the EFCC job even if heaven meets
the earth. In practical terms, Ibrahim
Mustapha Magu, the EFCC chairman,
is more productive than Abubakar
Bukola Saraki, the Senate President,
who traffics from one scandal to
another. If Buhari truly determines who
Magu fights, now is the time to unleash
him against all those questionable
characters in the Senate in the interest
of our maltreated citizens. Magu is
going nowhere and he will continue
to hunt the corrupt. Even if Buhari
wrestles with corruption alone and kills
it before it kills Nigeria, we shall be fine.
However, if the President capitulates to
Saraki and his gang and removes Magu
on their promptings, it is good bye to
this promising fight against corruption.
There has been no Senate President
suffused in serial scandals as Bukola
Saraki who denies ownership of N300
million allegedly stolen from him (by
his own admission N12 million was
stolen from his house in Ilorin) in the
middle of last year; alleged forgery of
Senate rules; N3.5 billion bribe from
Paris Club Fund refund; FCTA rent
of the house at Plot 973 Mban Close,
Maitama, for him; undervaluing of the
cost of his Range Rover car to avoid
paying correct custom duties, etc. God,
what a scandalous Senate Presidency?
CORRECTION
These two articles were published in our Tuesday, April 4, 2017 edition with wrong
attribution. We hereby re-run the articles with the appropriate attribution. The
mix-up is regretted.
-Editor

44
CARTOON by Akila Jibrin
e-mail opinion@dailytrust.com
Letter to the Editor
e-mail letters@dailytrust.com text 08131800030
Re: Moving Nigeria forward
First, all concerned Nigerians
should be delightfully impressed
with your team’s (or is it group’s)
sense of optimism and patriotic spirit.
For taking this voluntary initiative,
to contribute towards boosting
President Buhari’s efforts, to move
Nigeria forward, which, I am proud
to say, has been a herculean task,
which nonetheless, the President, has
religiously and purposefully pursued,
in the last two years, against all
calculated and mischievous plots, by
assorted potpourri of political forces,
detractors and saboteurs.
Looking at your impressive list, the
team comprised several reputable
scholars and ‘public intellectuals’
(to use your own coinage), as well as
patriotic and independent-minded
Nigerians, ‘with guts feelings, about the
imperatives of nationalism, patriotism
and collective responsibility. For
instance, I can vividly recall Chom Bagu’s
rejection of ethno-religious chauvinism,
when he blew the whistle and publicly
objected and protested against
the coercive, mob-induced ethnoreligiously
organized attacks against
Fulani-herders in Southern Kaduna
last year. Some sections of Nigeria’s
tribally-indoctrinated media irredentists
ignored, as a valuable reference, to
expose the invisible masterminds of
this protracted crises, during the recent
escalations of the mayhem, for which
the Fulani-herders, the actual victims,
permanently stigmatized and criminally
fingered, as the only accused entity on
the matter.
However, as much as most of us feel
excited and would like this laudable and
lofty assignment to succeed, by coming
out with new ideas and producing fresh
perspectives on Nigeria’s hydra-headed
political and endless social gridlocks,
permit me, to humbly offer my critical
observations on some of the areas of
your major concerns. As well as few of
the proposed recommendations, you
have presented, in your content outlines,
some of which, I believe, may not serve
the purposes intended, for a viable and
expected, political solution, undeniably,
your focus for this undertaking.
For the interest and pursuit of
obvious reality based on available
records, a critical look at the current
Nigerian situation, the issue of so called
professional politicians, many of whom
are only political parasites, are mostly the
reasons for the destructive and negative
influence of monetization and eroding
of conscience in the Nigerian polity.
These politicians cannot necessary be
seen as a palliative measure to mediate
in influencing our country’s unwieldy
political environment, already hijacked
by tribal miscreants and religious bigots.
As regards the National Assembly
which has become the greatest centre
of corruption, confusion and absolute
contradictions, it is very sad, to note, that,
in both their actions, service delivery and
performance, this hallowed chamber
has become a notorious den for all
illegalities. With the Nigerian electorates
been abandoned, left disenfranchised,
and compromised by the legislators
they voted and entrusted to promote
accelerated national development and
social harmony.
Therefore, your proposal advocating
for some realignments of role and
additional powers is synonymous to a
recommendation for the appeasement
Like us on Facebook.com/dailytrust
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of Boko Haram insurgents. To the best
of my knowledge, these two groups
are the main opposition fronts against
President Buhari’s marshal plans to
fight corruption, enforce discipline
and civil order in this country. The one
most important and critical issue you
should elaborate in your proposed
contribution, as a major factor but which
you failed to highlight for the President,
is the recognition of the grassroots,
who’s compensatory rewards and social
benefits are always mismanaged by
states, local governments, as well as
party apparatchiks.
One of the most obvious and
fundamental deficiencies in the
operation of our governance process is
the failure to coordinate, monitor and
effectively track operational activities
and their lapses at the states and local
government levels, where most inputs,
or contributions into consideration are
important factors in bringing needed
change at the grass roots.
The irony, this time, is that, the
common man, who is the arrowhead of
news, who is appointed to prominent
positions of authority and influence,
with the possibility of getting to have
juicy contracts, all for nothing, other
than having the good, listening gossip
ears of the boss. If, your team of scholars
can identify, comb, investigate and
dredge the governance system and
corruption, which, unfortunately have
hijacked the country and vowed to
frustrate President Buhari’s efforts.
Whatever it takes, change in Nigeria is
inevitable.
Abdulkarim M. Abdullahi, Keffi,
Nasarawa State.
DAILY TRUST, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
OPINION
Buhari has consolidated
his place in history
President Muhammadu Buhari was purposely
elected to govern the most populous nation in
Africa simply because of his impressive campaign
slogan of change. Nigerians from all walks of life
including the rich and poor, men and women, young and
old have voted massively in favour of President Buhari
because of the prospect of the anticipated change.
President Buhari has always been consistent in
terms of his disdain for indiscipline and corruption.
But change is something that is very difficult to achieve
especially in a very complex and sometimes hostile
entity like Nigeria.
There are so many forces that are frustrating the
change agenda of the President. In addition to this,
President Buhari came at a very wrong time, when
prices of crude oil in the international markets have
crashed. Previous governments have failed to diversify
the economy, the country relies solely on one single
commodity whose price has never been reliable,
that is why the current economic downturn is more
pronounced in Nigeria. He also came at a time when
militants in the Niger delta have renewed their attacks
on oil and gas installations which significantly reduced
the quantity of Nigeria’s daily outputs. He equally
became President when many states have failed to settle
their salary obligations. But in spite of these temporary
and partial setbacks, profound changes have been
recorded in just less than two years of President Buhari’s
leadership. One of the most classic achievements of
President Buhari has to do with the issue of security. In
the build up to the 2015 general election, the President
spoke extensively about the nagging problem of
insecurity in the country and had promised to tackle it
once and for all, in this context therefore the President
must be absolutely commended for securing our lives.
Nigerians are no longer apprehensive to go about their
daily activities.
The recruitment of ten thousand men and women
into the workforce of the Nigerian police is still fresh
in our minds, it was a great milestone that should be
applauded by all well-meaning Nigerians. Two hundred
and fifty thousand graduates have already been enrolled
into the N-Power scheme and they have already started
receiving a monthly stipend of 30,000 naira so as to
cushion the negative effect of unemployment on their
lives. The same number of graduates will subsequently
be enrolled. The administration of Buhari had also
deliberately intensified efforts to provide a paradigm
shift from our heavy reliance on petrodollars to agric
sector. As a result of this shift, many people have
committed substantial amount of their resources
into the sector. That was the reason why the country
had witnessed drastic improvement in terms of farm
produce. Given the fertility of Nigeria’s soil, the country
will become self-sufficient in the area of food production
in the next few years.
The implementation of Treasury Single Account (TSA)
had reduced corruption at the federal level to the barest
minimum because the system gives little or no room for
government officials to indulge in massive loot of funds
under their custody.
It is very comforting to know that at least government
is now making serious efforts to ease the sufferings of
the masses by addressing the inflationary trends in the
country that is why prices of essential commodities are
coming down fast enough.
President Buhari should be celebrated for reviving
our hope and for achieving so much within a short time
in spite of all the criticisms that he had to contend with
on a daily basis. This is unprecedented in Nigeria. With
these accomplishments, President Buhari should be rest
assured that his place in history is already consolidated.
Bashir Shehu Yusuf, Gezawa,Kano State.
APC should reassert itself
One should not forget that President Buhari was silent
when party wanted to exercise its supremacy during the
election of NASS principal officers in which both Saraki and
Dogara emerged without party support. How does Buhari
expect the NASS leadership to respect the party or how can
the party discipline erring NASS members. The president
thought others will emulate his matured style of leadership.
Ali Abuja, 08065324414
Text us on 08131800030 & 08112661608
On Dino Melaye
Senator Dino Melaye is going to go down in one of the
most disgraceful political scandals of all time. It's just a
matter of time. The sad thing, though, is that he will pull into
the dark pit with him, his mentor and benefactor, Senator
Bukola Saraki, the Senate President. It may not be obvious
now, but it sure will come to pass. Mark my words.
Nzo Bwara, Abuja,
08130403457
Kudos, Hameed Ali
I stand with Hameed Ali and I agree with what he said. He
was not appointed Comptroller General of Customs to wear
uniform. So long as he's doing his job efficiently then there
should be no need for much drama. What matters most is
his job and I think he's doing well. The NASS can perhaps do
something better like looking into the oil sector and other
agencies that are being eaten up by corruption.
Fatima Garba Gadi, 08030754752

DAILY TRUST, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
OPINION
EDITORIAL
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follow us on Twitter: @daily_trust
No. 20 P.O.W. Mafemi Crescent,
Off Solomon Lar Way, Utako
District, Abuja
Senate, recall
Senator Ndume
The Senate recently slammed a six-month suspension
on Senator Ali Ndume [APC, Borno South] for allegedly
raising ‘false alarm’ by asking the Senate to probe social
media allegations made against both Senate President
Bukola Saraki and Senator Dino Melaye [APC, Kogi West].
Trouble began on Tuesday, March 21 when Senate decided to
investigate an allegation that Saraki imported a bullet proof
jeep worth $298,000 [N62m at the time] which was seized by
Nigeria Customs Service for non payment of duty.
The probe was triggered by a point of order raised by former
Senate Leader Senator Ali Ndume, who also called for a probe
of the alleged certificate scandal involving Senator Dino
Melaye. An online news portal had alleged on March 18, that
the vehicle’s seizure was the reason why Senate was moving
against NCS Comptroller General, retired Col. Hammed Ali.
The same medium also alleged that Melaye was parading a
fake certificate from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
Ndume had said at plenary, “My colleagues that are following
events, particularly online, have seen, heard or read the train of
abuses on this Senate and the misconception of the fact that
we invited the Customs CG based on a very unpopular policy
that affects the people we represent. But now, we are faced with
this...” Citing several instances in which the National Assembly
probed its presiding officers, Ndume said the case of Saraki and
Melaye should not be an exception so as to save the integrity
of the Senate. Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, who
presided over that day’s plenary, referred the matter to the
Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions.
While tendering their report on March 29, committee
chairman Senator Sam Nwanyanwu said Ndume’s allegations
were false. ABU’s Vice Chancellor Prof. Ibrahim Garba had
confirmed to the committee that Melaye graduated from ABU
while documents tendered by Saraki indicated that the vehicle
was purchased by the Senate. Nwanyanwu’s report, which was
signed by two-thirds of the committee members, cleared both
men of the charges but recommended Ndume’s suspension
for a year for “failing to conduct proper investigation before
making the allegations.” He was suspended for six months.
Ndume had earlier said at the investigative hearings that he
did not make the allegations himself but only raised the issues
he read in the newspapers because he wanted the Senate to
clear its name.
Senate may have overstepped bounds with this suspension.
Human rights activist Femi Falana, SAN cited the unreported
case of Dino Melaye and Others vs House of Representatives
in which a Federal High Court declared that a legislator could
not be suspended for more than 14 days. Mr Taidi Jonathan, a
former Chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Minna
Branch, cited Section 6 (6) (a) and (b) of the 1999 Constitution
which vests powers to impose any sanction or punishment in
the Judiciary. He said, “Therefore, any provision in the Senate
rules of procedure which imposes any punishment to be
exercised by it is ultra vires.”
Legal technicalities aside, we also believe that punishment
of Ndume is not morally justified since all he did was to bring
to his colleagues’ attention what was said in the social media
and asked for a probe. In fact, senators and the two accused
men should be grateful to him for providing the opportunity
for them to clear their names. Senators have a reason to think
that Ndume was being mischievous, since he was recently
sacked as Senate Leader. Still, what he did ultimately served a
good purpose for Senate.
Last week Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima led a
powerful delegation to Senator Bukola Saraki and pleaded
with him to lift the suspension. But the Senate President later
said at the Presidential Villa that he does not have powers to do
so. We therefore urge the Senate as a whole to revisit the issue
in the interest of peace and stability in the polity.
MANNIR DAN ALI: Chief Executive Officer/Editor-in-Chief
ABHAY DESAI: Chief Operating Officer
MAHMUD JEGA: Associate Director/Deputy Editor-in-Chief
ALIU M. AKOSHILE: Associate Director/Business & Strategy
NASIRU L. ABUBAKAR: Editor
SHEHU O. MOHAMMED: General Manager, Management Services
NURA DAURA: General Manager, Finance
GARBA ALIYU ABUBAKAR: Deputy General Manager (IT)
AKEEM MUSTAPHA: Head, Advert
Tunde Asaju
tundeasaju@yahoo.co.uk
For weeks, I have been
regaled with the
unholy tantrums of
jealous people in the
media who are trying to pull
down the beautiful house of
sputum inhabited by my very
distinguished sinnator, Dino
Melaye. I have resisted being
drawn into the fray because you
can’t wrestle with a pig without
being splashed with mud.
There is a truth in the fact
that Dino is at home with his
peers! With still unanswered
questions the caravan of
investigation has moved to
another Tartuffe in the upper
house - Dr. Andy Uba. One
sounds like a broken record
saying that our system is
broken. Fraudulent titles were
to have been unearthed before
candidates were presented
to the electorate, not after
impostors have earned more
mileage to their life-lie! Who
verified Dino and Uba’s
certificates or were they camels
that passed through the eye of
the security needle?
In our quest to focus on the
fripperies of the few individuals
who have buried their heads in
the sand presumes that we are
trying to protect our morality
from being eroded by deviants
- no sir! Deviants control
the system and have erected
barriers against anything that
questions their stranglehold
on society. How would a proper
Harvard graduate or a true
In our quest to focus
on the fripperies of
the few individuals
who have buried
their heads in the
sand presumes that
we are trying to
protect our morality
from being eroded
by deviants - no sir!
Deviants control
the system and have
erected barriers
against anything
that questions their
stranglehold on
society. How would
a proper Harvard
graduate or a true
PhD holder perform
when pitched
against Dino or
Uba in contests
predetermined
by access to the
distribution
of stomach
infrastructure?
e-mail opinion@dailytrust.com
From Dino Melaye to Andy
Uba, who degrees epp?
PhD holder perform when
pitched against Dino or Uba
in contests predetermined by
access to the distribution of
stomach infrastructure? How
many times have we elected
Barabbas and ordered Jesus
to be crucified in our electoral
process? Shame is a virtue of
the truly honourable; he strives
to protect himself from being
brought to shame at all costs.
The rogue has nothing to lose
and no integrity to protect,
shame increases his popularity.
This is why there are less saints
in our kind of politics; the fear
of losing to a rogue leaves a
psychological trauma from
which it is difficult to recover.
In other lands, a Dino or Uba
honourably resigns and fizzle
out of public office but I won’t
be surprised to hear that Dino
has ‘won’ another reelection
and waxed a record to ridicule
his traducers or that Andy Uba
becomes the next governor of
his state. As we say here - who
certificate don epp? If a man
with NEPA bills can contest as
president, what’s the fuss about
fake degrees? Who certificate
don epp?
Dino has increased his
popularity ratings because
Harvard had to deploy
American taxpayer’s money
and time to search through
its archives for nothing. Andy
Uba is unfazed and both
men have chains of titles,
admirers and mentees, some
of us envy them but we won’t
trade places with them. Every
empty headed participant in
a Harvard workshop claims
to have graduated because in
Naija, you are nothing without
a title! You get a GCON or
GCFR simply by being elected
President or vice. No thought is
given to how you might end up
or what you have to add!
It’s been long since the
academic gown has gone rogue.
It started with children leaving
crèche wearing them with
pride and being showcased
by their degree-earning
parents. It lost its allure when
apprentice tailors wear them
to celebrate their ‘freedom’.
This is the kind of thing that
would have forced the late
Bamidele Aturu to ditch his
academic gown on graduation
day. In a society where people
are nothing without titles and
where titles shore up the level
of acceptance, it’s a tug of war
trying to get one.
Anyone who has ever passed
through the Naija ivory tower
understands how difficult it is
to get anything authenticated
- including certificates
and transcripts. Across the
world, records are kept and
electronically accessible, but
in a country where grades
are sexually transmitted and
45
students bribe teachers to
shore up their marks, fixing
transcripts or academic records
is the exclusive preserve of the
highest bidder. In 2017, Naija
universities send transcripts
on electronic typewriters,
an improvement on the
Milwaukee invention of 1867.
Propelled elites are the
best mirrors of any society.
For ten grueling months of
my sojourned at the NASS as
legislative aide, the familiar
refrain from the puffy members
of that chamber when
presented with ideas superior
to their level of thinking isare
you a sinnator? Have you
ever won an election? In New
York City, Sam Amadi (who
Propelled elites are
the best mirrors of
any society. For ten
grueling months of
my sojourned at the
NASS as legislative
aide, the familiar
refrain from the
puffy members of
that chamber when
presented with ideas
superior to their
level of thinking isare
you a sinnator?
Have you ever won
an election? In
New York City, Sam
Amadi (who by the
way earned a proper
doctorate degree
in law) had to tell
Dalhatu Sarki Tafida,
that legislative aides
are experts in other
callings who qualify
for elective office if
they so choose and
that the requirement
for senate is
attempted school
certificate
by the way earned a proper
doctorate degree in law) had to
tell Dalhatu Sarki Tafida, that
legislative aides are experts in
other callings who qualify for
elective office if they so choose
and that the requirement for
senate is attempted school
certificate.
We have a long way to
go if we must fix Naija. As
presidential spokesman, Garba
Shehu confessed, corruption is
fighting back everywhere you
go. Corruption is sitting on the
throne, surrounded by sleaze
and propped up by immorality.
It daily dares anyone with a
higher morale to keep quiet
or show up and be crushed.
Titles are for sale and everyone
is in the business of hawking
them - from hungry traditional
ruiners to journalists and their
unions. When gold rusts, who
is shocked by the corrosion of
the iron?

46 sports@dailytrust.com
08111845063
• George Weah
DAILY TRUST, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
ORKULA SHAAGEE
SPORT EDITOR
SPORT
Abedi Pele, Milla, Weah, others for Lagos charity match
By Orkula Shaagee @shagcy
No fewer than 46 African football
legends have confirmed their
participation in the clash of
legends, a charity/peace
football match being
organized by Kanu Heart Foundation and
Nelson Mandela Foundation for charitable
initiatives.
The match will hold in Lagos on April 29 at
the Teslim Balogun Stadium.
In a statement made available yesterday
NBBF plans insurance
cover for players in
2017 premier league
by the General Secretary of the Local
Organising Committee of the event, Pastor
Onyebuchi Abia, the match will feature the
greatest gathering of the continent’s bests.
Among the galaxy of stars will be former
World Footballer of the Year and European
Award winner George Weah of Liberia and
Abedi ‘Pele’ Ayew of Ghana.
Other legends expected are Patrick
Mboma (Cameroon), Benny Mc Carthy
(South Africa), Anthony Baffoe (Ghana),
Kalusha Bwalya (Zambia), Lucas Radebe
and Mark Fish (South Africa) among others.
Varane ane to
miss s Bayern,
Barcelona
clashes
Pg 48
Also expected are Didier Drogba (Cote
d’Ivoire), Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon), Elhadji
Diouf (Senegal), Benjani Mwaruwari
(Zimbabwe), Frederic Kanoute (Mali),
Phil Masinga (South Africa), Peter Ndlovu
(Zimbabwe), Samuel Kuffour of Ghana and
the legendary Roger Milla of Cameroon.
They will be joined by their Nigerian
counterparts like Kanu Nwankwo, Austin
Jay Jay Okocha, Daniel Amokachi, Celestine
Babajaro, Garba Lawal, Victor Ikpeba,
Taribo West, Uche Okechukwu, Peter Rufai,
Emmanuel Amuneke and Samson Siasia.
The Nigeria Basketball
Federation (NBBF) yesterday
said that players in the 2017
men’s basketball league would
have insurance cover and would be
indemnified by the competition’s
new sponsors.
The NBBF Media Officer, Patrick
Omorodion, who disclosed this in
an interview in Lagos, reaffirmed
that the tournament would dunk off
on April 13.
He said that the body had secured
a new sponsorship deal worth 2
million dollars annually after the
eight years era of Multichoice
Nigeria Ltd, owners of DSTV, which
ended in 2016.
“We are looking forward to
the start of another season that
promises to be exciting and very
competitive.
“We have secured a deal worth 2
million dollars yearly to end in 2022
with a very reputable outfit that will
be unveiled soon to the public.
“Right now, we are putting
finishing touches to logistics such
as repairing the floor at the Indoor
Sports Hall of the National Stadium,
Lagos, and other centres across the
country,” Omorodion said.
He added that the deal with the
new sponsors would also include an
insurance package to cover players
regardless of the deals they have
with their respective clubs.
“We are seriously considering
players welfare because they are key
to the success of the league.
“If they are well catered for, we
believe that they will surely perform
credibly to the delight of fans and
the sponsors of the league.
“We are confident the coming
season will be awesome and very
entertaining because we have all
the necessary modalities to ensure
a successful season,” the NBBF
media officer said.
Kano Pillars Basketball Club won
the 2016 edition beating Nigeria
Customs of Lagos 71-53 in a very
entertaining match in Lagos.
Pillars are five times champions
of the elite competition during
the eight years sponsorship of the
league by Multichoice. (NAN)
• Team Sunweb’s Australian rider Michael Matthews celebrates as he crosses
the finish line during the first stage of the 2017 Tour of the Basque country
(Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco), a 153.3km route between Iruna and Eguesibar-
Sarriguren, near Pamplona on Monday Photo: AFP
Ex-F/Eagles star Ibrahim calm after ‘destroying’ 3SC
By David Ngobua @Ngobuadavid
A former junior
international and Akwa
United star, Alhassan
Ibrahim has said he will not
allow his recent form get
into his head, stressing that
his best is yet to come.
Last Sunday, ‘Muazzam’
as the lanky Sokoto Stateborn
player is popularly
called led the thumping of
3SC in Uyo when he scored
his first hat-trick of the
season.
Speaking to Daily Trust,
the former Wikki Tourists of
Bauchi goal getter said he is
indeed happy that so much
is being said about him in a
positive way.
He said it is every player’s
dream to play for his
fatherland but he is not in
a hurry as he believes that
God’s time is always the
best.
Ibrahim maintained that
his primary concern at the
moment is to score more
goals to help lift his club and
also justify the confidence
reposed in him by his coach
Abdul Maikaba.
“I am very happy with
the attention I am enjoying
from my fans but I won’t
allow what I have achieved
so far get into my head.
“I have a long way to go
so the best thing to do is to
concentrate fully in order to
achieve the goals I have set
for myself.
“If it is true that people are
making a case for me, I will
be most grateful because
it is every player’s dream
to represent his country. I
have done it at the junior
level and if I am to do it at
the senior level, that will be
fantastic,” he said.
Ibrahim added that at the
moment, he is concentrating
on the big game against
Kano Pillars on Sunday.
“I am trying to avoid
distractions. I am
concentrating on our away
match against Kano Pillars.
I want to use that match to
make a big statement,” he
stated.

DAILY TRUST, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
SPORT
Top four not as easy as
it looks, says Wenger
Arsenal manager
Arsene Wenger
says his side’s
struggles this season
prove finishing in the
Premier League’s top
four is “not as easy as it
looks”.
The Frenchman
has led the Gunners
to a top-four spot and
Champions League
qualification for the past
20 seasons.
But with 10 games
AFN reschedules
Olukoya Athletics
Championships
to April 10
By Orkula Shaagee @shagcy
The 7th edition of the
Daniel Olukoya Youth and
Junior Championships,
earlier scheduled to hold
on Saturday, April 8,
2017 has now been move
forward to Monday April
10.
Mr Olukayode
Thomas, Head of Media
and Communication,
Athletics Federation
of Nigeria (AFN), said
in a statement that the
High-Performance
Center, Port Harcourt
remains the venue for the
championships.
Thomas explained that
the change in date was
necessitated because of
the ongoing qualifiers
for the Nigeria University
Games, NUGA taking
place at the University of
Port Harcourt.
“Yes, there is a slight
change, we had to move
the event to Monday
due to the pre-NUGA
activities that will drag
into the weekend,” he
stated.
With the new
development, athletes
from participating
states and clubs are
now expected to arrive
on Sunday, April 9
for screening at the
competition venue. The
AFN while reiterating on
its’ zero tolerance for age
cheats insist that only
athletes that pass the
screening exercise will be
allowed to take part in this
year’s championships.
left, they are currently in
sixth place, seven points
off the league’s leading
quartet.
“It [finishing in the top
four] is a good challenge
but I think it is perfectly
possible,” said Wenger.
“I have done it for
20 years and it looked
always like nothing.
Suddenly, it becomes
important so I’m quite
pleased people realise
that it is not as easy as
it looks.”
In 2012, Wenger
compared finishing in
the top four to winning
a trophy and that view
was recently echoed
by Manchester City
manager Pep Guardiola.
“If you listen to
Guardiola, he said
the other day that to
finish in the top four
in England is a trophy
because it is so difficult,”
he added.
PSG join Chelsea in the
race to sign Sanchez
Paris Saint-Germain
have joined Chelsea in
the race for Arsenal’s
Alexis Sanchez.
The
French
champions want to
team Sanchez with
Edinson Cavani and
Angel di Maria in a
talented attacking lineup
as they push to make
a greater impression on
the Champions League
next season.
The 28-year-old has
one year left on contract
and Arsenal are
aware of
interest
f r o m
Premier
• Alexis Sanchez
League rivals Chelsea
but would rather sell
abroad if they have to.
PSG have a long held
interest in Sanchez, they
have already sounded
out the Chile striker’s
representatives and
hope to hold further
talks later this month.
Arsenal are expected
to overhaul their
squad this summer
and the scale of their
recruitment may yet go
some way to convincing
Sanchez whether to stay.
The former
Barcelona star
told media in
his homeland
last week that he
expected to see
out his contract at
Arsenal and wanted to
stay in London ‘but for
a team with a winning
mentality’.
Agoma taekwondo festival holds in Kano
By Mansur Abubakar
@mansur_112
Kano State will next
month play host to
the Agoma Open
Taekwondo Festival
which will take place
from the 10th to 13th
May at the Sani Abacha
Indoor Sports Hall,
Kofar Mata.
The highly anticipated
showpiece is set to attract
the very best taekwondo
athletes from far and
wide and they’ll compete
in two major categories,
the Kyorugi (full contact
sparring) and Poomsae
(taekwondo forms
display).
A member of the
Kano State Taekwondo
Association Othman
Abdulrasheed in a chat
with Daily Trust, noted
that all hands are on deck
to ensure a smooth run of
events, come next month
with Nigeria’s biggest
taekwondo athlete Chika
Chukwumerije expected
to grace the tourney.
“Our expectation is that
due to the popularity of
the Agoma Festival, a lot
of athletes from around
the country would show
up to show case their
skills. The Association is
also working hard along
with the organisers
to ensure the festival
runs smoothly with no
hitches,” he said.
Nigerian teams qualify for Beach Volleyball U-21 World Championship
The Nigeria Under-21 beach volleyball
teams have qualified for the 2017
FIVB Beach Volleyball Under-21 World
Championship.
Maikano Adamu, the Secretary-
General of the Nigeria Volleyball
Federation (NVBF) made this known
in an interview in Abuja yesterday.
The Championship is scheduled to
hold in Nanjing, China from June 13
to June 18, while the Nigerian teams
competed against teams from Egypt,
Mozambique, Morocco, Sudan, South
Africa, Congo and Togo in the final leg
of the qualifier in Cairo, Egypt between
March 29 and April 3. (NAN)
47

Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Rajab 7, 1438 AH
GUEST
COLUMN
One of the lasting outcomes
of the polarizing 2015
Presidential election in
Nigeria is the heightened
level of ethno religious tension and
division. This toxic brew of religious and
ethnic friction is being compounded
by a carefully orchestrated message of
fear from some social commentators,
religious and political leaders. Fearstained
hatred has been polished
and presented to the impoverished
peasant Nigerians scattered in our
rural areas as well as the depressed
citizens on the streets of cities
struggling under the tough economy.
And talk about trouble coming in
threes; add “killer” Fulani herdsmen
to this boiling pot of animosity
and you will get a perfect recipe for
catastrophe - surging of fear and
hatred. And when hate surges, life
is no longer precious. As more and
more country dwellers and city people
of severe economic exclusion are
injected with an overdose of fear and
hatred on how other religions and
ethnicities are coming for them, they
succumb.
Do you know what happens when
a society succumb to the “fear of the
other”? It explodes.
From the massacre of dozens as
they slept in Zaki-Biam; the killings
in Kwande; the slaughter of hundreds
in Southern Kaduna; and the heinous
crimes in Ile-Ife over simple dispute;
hate crimes in Nigeria are increasingly
becoming dreadful and a daily
constant.
The atmosphere of hatred in Nigeria
that is emboldening human beings to
utterly annihilate one another in the
name of ethnic and religious difference
is troubling. These crimes are not
isolated incidents. The slaughter of
hundreds in countless episodes of
ethnic conflicts has qualified Nigeria
as a country where life is no longer
precious.
The progression of these senseless
killings may be slow but the danger is
that there are thousands of Nigerians
led by some delusional individuals
who have vowed a daily fight for the
destruction of the Nigerian State.
The improbable goal of these
fanatics is to achieve ethnic and
religious purity.
Unfortunately, these propagandists
have only succeeded in making
Nigerians terrified of themselves.
Now, the same “Nyamiri” that has lived
in your community for years, speaking
Hausa fluently is now an enemy whose
head must be chopped off because he
worships a “different” God. Suddenly
www. dailytrust.com.ng
with Churchill Okonkwo
Hate + fear + Fulani
herdsmen = Bloodbath
the same “Aboki” man that you have
been buying suya from for years is
now a prime suspect, one that must
be scorned, feared and hated. Now, we
are in a terrible position where we no
longer believe in reconciliation after
disputes.
I will paraphrase former US
President Barack Obama here: there
is no benefit in pretending that
To this end, we should
challenge President
Buhari to demonstrate
to all the Nigerians
that the “killer” Fulani
Herdsmen cannot be
allowed to freely roam
about as weapons of mass
destruction. Just like Boko
Haram was branded a
terrorist group that does
not represent the majority
of Muslims in Nigeria, the
“killer” herdsmen should
be isolated from the
everyday herdsmen and
treated as terrorists.
ethno-religious hatred doesn’t exist in
Nigeria. There is no benefit avoiding
a discussion about it. The fact that
this hatred keeps surfacing in our
communities means we can solve
them.
As a society, civilized or not, we are
faced with two options: do something
or let the promotion of hatred in some
mainstream media and fake news on
social media go unchallenged.
Even if we no longer care about
ourselves, we owe it to our progeny, to
look deep for solutions to the problem.
So, what steps should we be taking as
Nigerians to significantly reduce, if
not eliminate the surging of hate and
subsequent senseless killings?
We should be promoting a change in
perception, particularly for the young
generation. We need the Nigerian
youths to improve their appreciation
of people who are different from them,
come from different places, have
different backgrounds and worship
different gods. To achieve this,
however, the government at all levels
should consciously stop stroking
suspicion. Sectionalism should not
be perceived as a federal policy in any
N200
Vol. 42, No. 28
form of guise or disguise.
To this end, we should challenge
President Buhari to demonstrate to all
the Nigerians that the “killer” Fulani
Herdsmen cannot be allowed to
freely roam about as weapons of mass
destruction. Just like Boko Haram was
branded a terrorist group that does
not represent the majority of Muslims
in Nigeria, the “killer” herdsmen
should be isolated from the everyday
herdsmen and treated as terrorists.
President Buhari should, therefore,
demonstrate the same resolve and
success in fighting Boko Haram with
these “killer” herdsmen. There is no
doubt that he can succeed if he sees
this as a matter of urgent national
importance. At the same time, the bulk
of the responsibility of reorienting
the mindset of these herdsmen away
from horrendous violent acts rests
with the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders
Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) and
Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF).
We understand the existence of the
problem of cattle rustling, but that
cannot be addressed by the wanton
destruction of human lives. Similarly,
ACF and MACBAN should re-structure
the mindset of the extremists in
their communities away from the
provocative and ferocious acts of
beheading and subsequent display of
victim’s head. The resort to violence
at the slightest disagreement must
be condemned. ACF and MACBAN
should reach out to members of their
communities that are susceptible
to hate crime and prejudice and
inculcate lessons of tolerance.
We should challenge our
religious leaders to start promoting
inclusiveness and diversity rather
than hatred and division. It represents
our strength.
We should challenge the political
class to fight the spread of hatred
by ensuring equity. It is one way of
crippling the campaign of fear led
delusional characters and media
houses. Most importantly, government
officials at all levels, in collaboration
with communities and the herdsmen
should agree on concrete steps that
will take the cattle off our streets and
farmlands.
Let’s be clear: promotion of hatred
and demonizing other ethnicities
does not strengthen our ethnic
nationalism. Rather, it weakens us
and exposes us to hatred with some
palpable effects; it tears communities
apart; it results in prejudice against
groups and individuals because of
their ethnicity and religion; it removes
the option of peaceful, non-violent
negotiations towards equitable
resolution of conflict; it prevents
actions that promote interfaith
cooperation and mutual respect in
our religiously diverse country.
The final outcome is that everybody
is afraid of everybody and everybody
less safe - including you.
Churchill wrote this piece from
Abuja. He can be reached at churchill.
okonkwo@gmail.com
SPORT REPORT>>
Top four not as easy
as it looks, says
Wenger
P. 47
Varane to miss
Bayern, Barcelona
clashes
• Raphael Varane
Real Madrid must negotiate a
huge April programme including
clashes with Atletico Madrid,
Bayern Munich and Barcelona without
Raphael Varane, who was diagnosed
with a hamstring tear yesterday.
“After the tests performed today
on our player Raphael Varane... he
has been diagnosed with a grade two
muscle tear in the left hamstring,”
Madrid said in a statement.
The club didn’t specify how long
the key centre-back might be out, but
Spanish media reports suggest he will
be sidelined for at least a month.
No Frampton-Santa
Cruz fight in summer
• Carl Frampton
Carl Frampton will not fight Leo
Santa Cruz this summer after
the World Boxing Association
told its featherweight champion to
fight Abner Mares instead.
Frampton beat Santa Cruz to claim
the WBA belt in New York last summer
but lost the January rematch in Las
Vegas.
But the WBA ended speculation of a
third fight between the pair in Belfast
by ordering Santa Cruz to defend his
belt against his fellow Mexican.
Frampton, 30, is set to announce his
next opponent in the next few weeks.
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