24102017 - Maina: Outrage as Danbazzau, head of Service trade blames

Future in danger 

without structural 

reforms — SOUTHERN GOVS 

41 

Court orders 

Police to pay 

Evans' 

brother-in-law 

N2m 

6 

Our 

achievemments 

are real, not 

lies, Buhari 

replies Jonathan 9 

** ** 

VOL. 25: NO. 63405 TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2017 

SOUTHERN GOVERNORS SUMMIT... 

From left, Governors Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa); Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), Godwin Obaseki (Edo), Dave Umahi (Ebonyi), Udom Emmanuel (Akwa-Ibom), 

Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo), Ayodele Fayose (Ekiti), Nyeson Wike (Rivers), Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo), Ifeanyi 

Ugwuanyi (Enugu) and Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), during the Southern Governors Summit at Lagos House, Ikeja, Yesterday. Photo; Bunmi Azeez. 

Maina: Outrage as 

Danbazzau, Head of 

Service trade blames 

•As Buhari sacks Maina 

•DSS washes hands off 

Maina's reinstatement as 

EFCC seals off his $2m 

mansion 

•Those involved should be 

arrested — Sagay 

•Fayose, Adeniran, DSS react 

By Soni Daniel, Dapo 

Akinrefon, Charles 

Kumolu, Johnbosco 

Agbakwuru, Dirisu 

Yakubu 

P RESIDENT 

Muhammadu 

Buhari, yesterday, 

angrily ordered 

the immediate dismissal 

from the civil service of 

the federation, of Abdulrasheed 

Maina, the erstwhile 

boss of the Presidential 

Task Force on 

Pension Reforms. 

President Buhari, Vanguard 

learned, was 

greatly embarrassed by 

Continues on Page 5 

Mr & Mrs 

UNION BANK—From left: Mrs. Furera Isma Jumare, Non-Executive 

Director ,Union Bank; Oscar Onyema, CEO, Nigerian Stock Exchange; Cyril 

Odu, Chairman, Board of Directors, Union Bank; Emeka Emuwa, CEO, Union 

Bank and Dr. Nike Akande, Non-Executive Director, Union Bank, ringing 

the closing bell on the floor of the exchange, during the bank’s visit to the 

NSE to kick off its Centenary Anniversary Week in Lagos,yesterday. 

COLUMNISTS ERIC TENIOLA 

TERRORISM: Fethullah 

Gulen group deliberates 

on planned extradition 

of members 

18 ODUMAKIN 17 VIEWPOINTS 31 

8 

SEE 

INSIDE

C 

M 

Y 

K 

2 — VANGUARD, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2017

VANGUARD, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2017—3


Vanguard, TUESDAY OCTOBER 24, 2017—5 

POCKET CARTOON 

VISIT—President of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Dr Nike Akande (M); Managing 

Director of Jawa International Limited, Mr. Verkey Verghese (R); Vice President of LCCI, Mr. Babatunde 

Ruwase (L); and others, during the visit of LCCI officials to the company, in Lagos, yesterday. 

Photo: NAN. 

Maina: Outrage as Danbazzau, Head 

of Service trade blames 

Continues from Page 1 

the outrage that followed 

the recall and repositioning 

of Maina as a director, 

having abandoned 

the service upon the indictments 

raised against 

him on the misuse of an 

estimated N100 billion 

from the pension funds 

of the country. 

The controversy over 

the recall again exposed 

the frail relationships 

within the administration 

as the Head of Service, 

Mrs. Winifred Oyo- 

Ita, accused the Minister 

of Interior, General 

Abdulrahman 

Dambazau, of lying 

against her, following 

his earlier claim that her 

office posted Maina to 

the Ministry of Interior 

as a director. 

Meanwhile, the move 

was shadowed by diverse 

commendations 

and condemnations from 

different stakeholders. 

The Peoples Democratic 

Party, PDP, challenged 

the President to follow up 

the action by sacking Abdulrahman 

Dambazzau 

and Abubakar Malami, 

Ministers of Interior and 

Justice respectively over 

their alleged role in the 

surprised reinstatement 

of Maina into the civil 

service of the federation. 

The PDP said even 

though protecting subverts 

has become part of 

the administration’s 

work ethic, it would not 

be silenced by what it 

claimed as the apparent 

determination of the All 

Progressives Congress, 

APC, administration to 

keep a deaf ear to such. 

Governor Ayodele Fayose 

of Ekiti State on his 

part, called Maina’s 

sack an afterthought saying 

it was done to save 

office. 

Prof. Itse Sagay, Chairman 

of the Presidential 

Advisory Committee on 

Anti Corruption, PAC- 

AC, also called for the 

prosecution of those who 

absorbed Maina back 

into the service. The 

Centre for Anti-Corruption 

and Open Leadership, 

CACOL on its part 

said the development 

tended to validate claims 

IT'S UP TO YOU 

BY AYO ADIO - 08104802192 

Patience is not an excuse for complacency, you must 

give all it takes at all times until your breakthrough 

comes. It's up to you. 

TAKE HEART — Ella Randle 

“Turn your cant’s into can and your dreams into 

plans” 

Whatever your dreams are, dreams secret to your 

heart, dreams you told many people about and maybe 

dreams you have never said out loud. Bottom line, 

dreams are powerful, they transform us. But more often, 

our dreams come crashing down by a lot of factors, 

people who don’t believe in us, and self-limiting 

attitude like fear holding a person from taking initiative. 

No matter what happens, you owe it to yourself 

to give your dreams a chance to bloom. 

SAYINGS OF OUR PEOPLE 

Knowledge without wisdom is like water in the 

sand. — Guinean proverb 

of the existence of a corruption 

network within 

the administration. 

President Buhari’s order 

for the sack of Maina 

was, however, welcomed 

by the Comrade 

Ayuba Wabba-led Nigerian 

Labour Congress, 

NLC. 

Meanwhile, the Economic 

and Financial 

Crimes Commission, 

EFCC, yesterday raided 

two houses belonging to 

Maina in Abuja and 

sealed them off. 

The action followed outrage 

across the country 

over reports that Maina, 

who became a fugitive 

from justice had been reinstated 

into the civil 

service of the federation 

and given double promotion, 

despite indictments 

raised against him pertaining 

to the misuse of 

pension funds. 

The president’s move to 

dismiss Maina was conveyed 

through a statement 

issued by his Special 

Adviser on Media 

and Publicity, Mr. Femi 

Adesina, who said the 

president also ordered 

an investigation into 

how Maina came to be 

recalled. 

The sacking of Maina 

Adesina said: “In a 

memo to the Head of the 

Civil Service of the Federation, 

the President 

equally demanded a full 

report of the circumstances 

of Maina’s recall 

and posting to the Ministry 

of Interior. 

“The report is to be submitted 

to the office of the 

Chief of Staff to the President, 

Mallam Abba 

Kyari, before the end of 

work today, Monday, 

October 23, 2017.” 

A Presidency source, 

however, told Vanguard 

last night: ‘’I have confirmation 

that the Head 

of Service of the Federation, 

Mrs. Winifred Oyo- 

Ita, has brought report on 

the re-engagement of 

Abdulrasheed Maina as 

directed by the President. 

This is being studied 

as other reports are 

being awaited.’’ 

Maina was sacked from 

the civil service in 2013 

and was placed on the 

wanted list of the International 

Police, INTER- 

POL, by the EFCC. 

Vanguard learned, yesterday, 

that despite arguments 

put forward to 

justify the recall of Maina 

as being based on a 

court order obtained 

from a Magistrate’s 

Court that the president 

was particularly peeved 

by the fact that the same 

Maina had abandoned 

his job for close to three 

years. 

“The president could 

not understand how 

someone, who left his 

job for more than three 

years, could just have 

been recalled and promoted 

like that,” a senior 

presidency official 

said yesterday. 

He nevertheless affirmed 

that the Maina issue 

was a carry over from 

the Goodluck Jonathan 

administration. 

“You recall that Maina 

as head of the Pension 

Task Force had told a 

meeting in the Presidential 

Villa, how the pension 

funds were shared 

and when he left the 

meeting, his vehicle was 

fired at, and maybe, that 

was how he fled from the 

country.” 

Maina goes underground 

The order by President 

Buhari for his immediate 

sack and the resolve by 

EFCC to fish him out by 

all means to face justice 

might have forced Maina, 

who was declared 

wanted by the EFCC in 

2015, to go underground 

apparently to avoid being 

apprehended. 

Checks in the Ministry 

of Interior, where he had 

been promoted to an acting 

director in charge of 

Human Resources vide a 

letter dated October 2, 

2017, showed that he did 

not report to that office 

to join other workers as 

work resumed, yesterday. 

The Spokesman for the 

Interior Ministry, 

Mr.Willie Bassey, denied 

knowledge of Maina’s 

presence or posting 

to the ministry but admitted 

reading about the 

controversies surrounding 

his reinstatement 

and posting to the office. 

Apparently, in a bid to 

ward off public enquiry 

about his travails, Maina 

has tactically 

switched off all his three 

known GSM lines. 

A call put to one of the 

lines yesterday afternoon 

reported that the 

line could not take any 

call at ‘this time’ while 

the other two indicated 

that they had all been 

switched off. 

Apparently bolstered 

by the Presidential directive, 

EFCC operatives, 

yesterday, stormed one 

of the mansions which 

Maina reportedly bought 

with $2 million while 

serving as the Chairman 

of the Presidential Task 

Force on Pension Reforms 

in 2012. 

NAIRA WATCH 

Naira depreciates to N360.13/$ 

in NAFEX as CBN injects $195m 

By Peter Egwuatu 

Armed EFCC operatives 

descended on the 

sprawling edifice located 

at No. 10 Hamisu Musa 

Road, Jabi, and marked 

it ‘EFCC Keep Off.’ 

The mansion had earlier 

been marked by the 

EFCC, but Maina erased 

the marking. 

It was learned that 

many other property said 

to have been acquired 

by Maina were being 

identified by the antigraft 

agency for possible 

forfeiture to the federal 

government. 

The Spokesman for the 

EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, 

confirmed the renewed 

efforts by the 

agency to fish out Maina 

to account for his actions. 

It didn’t emanate from 

my office —HoSF 

Meanwhile, the Head 

of Service of the Federation, 

HoSF, yesterday, 

washed her hands off the 

process that led to the 

reinstatement of Maina, 

saying his recall did not 

emanate from her office. 

The HoSF in a statement 

by the Head of 

Media, Mohammed 

Manga, said she neither 

approved Maina’s reinstatement 

nor promotion 

to the rank of an acting 


The naira, yesterday, depreciated marginally 

to N360. 13 per dollar in the Investor and 

Exporter (I&E) Foreign Exchange Window., 

just as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), injected 

the sum of $195million into the inter-bank Foreign 

Exchange Market. 

Data from the Financial Market Dealers Quote, 

FMDQ, showed that the indicative exchange rate 

for the I & E Window, known as Nigerian 

Autonomous Foreign Exchange, NAFEX, declined 

to N360.13 per dollar, yesterday, from Friday’s 

closing rate which stood at N360.08 per dollar, thus, 

indicating a five kobo depreciation of the Naira. 

Meanwhile, the volume of dollars traded in the 

window, yesterday, stood at 146.06 million. 

Meanwhile, figures obtained from the Bank 

indicate that the CBN offered $100million to 

authorized dealers in the wholesale segment of the 

market, while the Small and Medium Enterprises 

(SMEs) segment received the sum of $50 million. 

Those requiring foreign exchange for invisibles 

such as tuition fees, medical payments and Basic 

Travel Allowance (BTA), among others, were 

allocated the sum of $45 million.

C 

M 

YK 

6—Vanguard, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2017 

One dead, 

shops 

looted as 

youths 

clash in 

Taraba 

By John Mkom 

J ALINGO—ONE 

person has been 

reportedly killed and 

shops burnt and looted 

in a clash between 

Muslim and Christian 

youths in Dan-Anacha, a 

town in Gassol Local 

Government Area of 

Taraba State. 

An eyewitness, Mr. 

Titus Gowon, told 

Vanguard that trouble 

started at about 8p.m., 

on Sunday, following a 

misunderstanding 

between Muslim and 

Christian youths at a 

brothel in the town. 

According to him, a 

Christian youth was 

sighted with a Muslim 

praying bead and was 

accosted by four Muslim 

boys, who accused him 

of blasphemy, beat him 

before handing him and 

his friend to the Police. 

The detention of the two 

boys, it was gathered, 

did not go down well 

with some Christian 

youths, who reportedly 

mobilised to the Police 

station, demanding for 

the release of the boys. 

According to the 

eyewitness, “while at the 

Police station, the 

Muslim boys, in their 

numbers, attacked them, 

leading to the escalation 

of 

the 

misunderstanding. 

“They shot and killed 

one Mr. Anum Sone, 

burnt down two shops 

and looted some shops in 

the town.” 

Chairman of the Local 

Government, Alhaji 

Yahuza Yaya’u, who 

confirmed the 

development, said the 

clash was caused by 

criminals with the intent 

of looting shops in the 

town. 

Yahuza said he held 

stakeholders’ meeting 

with the people of the 

town and facilitated the 

deployment of security to 

maintain law and order, 

urging the people of the 

area to live in peace with 

one another. 

Police Public Relations 

Officer, ASP David 

Misal, who also 

confirmed that there was 

a minor clash between 

two groups at a drinking 

joint in the area, added 

that the Police have since 

restored normalcy in the 

town. 

:Vanguard News :@vanguardnews :@vanguardnews NEWS HOTLINES: 08052867023, 08052867058 

Court orders Police to pay Evans' brother-in-law N2m 

•...as application by counsel to billionaire kidnap suspect stalls arraignment 

By Onozure Dania 

LAGOS—A Federal High 

Court sitting in Lagos, 

yesterday, ordered the 

Nigerian Police Force to pay 

Okwuchkwu Obiechina, 

brother-in-law to popular 

kidnap 

kingpin, 

Chukwudumeme 

Onwuamadike, alias Evans, N2 

million. 

Obiechina had filed a 

fundamental rights 

enforcement suit against the 

Police for “illegally” detaining 

him in the course of 

investigations into Evans’ 

activities. 

Justice Mohammed Idris 

ordered the immediate release 

of Obiechina, adding that he 

should be charged to court if 

the Police have any case against 

him. 

He also ordered the Police to 

tender apology to the 

kidnapper’s brother-in-law, 

which should be published in 

two national newspapers. 

The judge held that 

Obiechina’s arrest and 

detention was unconstitutional, 

adding that the remand order 

which the Police claimed to 

have obtained from a 

magistrate’s court was invalid. 

His arrest 

One Okoliagu Abunike, who 

deposed to a 15-paragraph 

affidavit in support of the ex 

parte application, said Mr. 

Obiechina was arrested by a 

team of policemen led by two 

officers, identified only as 

Phillip and Christian. 

Mr. Abunike argued that Mr. 

Obiechina was arrested and 

detained solely because of his 

relationship with Evans, 

adding that the Police officers 

had been bragging that no 

court would order the release 

of Mr. Obiechina. 

He said: “Since June 26, the 

first applicant is still being 

detained at the detention cell 

of the respondents till date, 

even beyond the 

constitutionally-allowed time 

by the Constitution of the 

Federal Republic of Nigeria. 

“The applicant has not 

committed any offence known 

to law to warrant his being 

arrested and detained by the 

operatives of the respondents. 

“The applicant has not 

committed any offence known 

to law that will warrant the 

infringement of his right to life, 

personal liberty, fair hearing, 

freedom of movement and 

dignity of human person.” 

Evans’ trial 

Meanwhile, Justice 

Oluwatoyin Taiwo of a Lagos 

High Court sitting at Igbosere, 

yesterday, adjourned the 

arraignment and hearing of 

pending application of the 

kidnap 

kingpin, 

Chukwudumeme 

Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, alias Evans 

Onwuamadike, popularly 

known as Evans, to October 27. 

Evans is being tried 

alongside five others over 

alleged murder, kidnap of 

Sylvanius Ahanonu Hafiia and 

attempted kidnap of the 

Chairman of Young Shall Grow 

Motors, Vincent Obianodo. 

Justice Taiwo adjourned the 

case following an application 

by Evans’ counsel, Olukoya 

Ogungbeje. 

The Police beefed up security 

within and outside the State 

High Court, as Evans was 

brought to court alongside one 

Victor Nonso Aduba at about 

9a.m. 

As at 7.30a.m., not fewer than 

30 heavily-armed mobile 

policemen were spotted 

around the court. Others were 

strategically positioned at 

entrance of both Igbosere Road 

and back of Tafawa Balewa 

Square. 

There were lawyers, litigants 

and spectators inside and 

outside the court trying to 

catch a glimpse of the 

billionaire kidnapper. 

Arraignment stalled 

However, the arraignment 

of the defendant, who was 

brought on two separate 

charges, could not go on as 

his counsel, Olukoya 

Ogungbeje, informed the 

court of two separate motions 

on notice dated October 19, 

seeking to quash the charge 

against his client, on the 

ground of jurisdiction to 

entertain the charge. 

He said: “The information 

from the prosecution has not 

being served on us. It was 

just this morning (yesterday) 

that we were served the 

information. 

“However, we got wind that 

our client would be arraigned 

this morning (yesterday), that 

is why we brought motion 

challenging the competence of 

the charge based on jurisdiction. 

“We have just been served as 

counter-affidavit this morning 

(yesterday) and this motion 

seeks to challenge the fourcount 

charge and they have 

replied. We intend to reply on 

points of law on the counteraffidavit 

by the prosecution; we 

are asking for a short 

adjournment to reply the 

prosecution. 

“It is settled in law that when 

an application seeking to quash 

a charge is brought, such 

application should be held first 

before any arraignment, 

because when plea is taken it 

means trial has started.” 

This is just as counsel to 

Aduba, Emmanuel Ochai, and 

the counsel to the three other 

defendants, Ogedi Ogu, did 

not object to the arraignment of 

the defendants. 

Ochai said: “We were served 

with the charge this morning 

(yesterday). Since we are 

seeing the charge for the first 

time, we do not wish to join 

issues; we leave it at the 

discretion of the court.” 

DPP’s position 

The Director of Public 

Prosecution, Ms Titi Shitta-Bey, 

said the defendants were served 

on August 28, and Inspector 

Idowu Haruna, who effected the 

service, disposed to an affidavit, 

which is in the court file. 

She said: “Section 87 (a) of the 

Administration of Criminal 

Justice Law, states that it is 

mandatory to serve the accused 

and not the counsel.” 

She further stated that the 

application seeking to quash 

the charge should not be heard, 

noting that “the application is 

not yet ripe for hearing; we were 

served late on Friday, October 

20, and we have diligently 

replied on counter-affidavit.” 

Shitta-Bey, however, said the 

business of the day was the 

arraignment of the defendants, 

but later conceded to the 

argument of Ogungbeje and 

said the application should be 

heard first. 

Consequently, Justice Taiwo 

adjourned till October 27 for the 

hearing of pending application. 

Poly student kills sex worke 

By Maureen Ojinaka escape. 

had agreed with her that he 

The Police Public Relations would pay her N4,000 after 

A 

final year student of a Officer, Ebere Amaraizu, passing the night with him. 

polytechnic in Enugu, Mr. yesterday, said the incident The police image-maker 

Emmanuel Ezeugwu, occured at about 3:30a.m. at quoted the suspect as 

reportedly stabbed a Onuato Street, Enugu. disclosing that he had drunk 

commercial sex worker to 

death in his house over 

disagreement on payment. 

It was gathered that 

Ezeugwu, who is in the 

Amaraizu said the victim 

accompanied the suspect to 

his apartment, where they 

had a disagreement which 

resulted in a scuffle that led 

to his fill and that on arrival, 

because it was already getting 

late, he demanded that they 

had sex immediately. 

According to Amaraizu, “his 

Department of Public to her death. 

request did not influence 

Administration, was arrested 

by the Police in Enugu on his 

way to Lagos, while trying to 

He said the suspect, who 

picked up the sex worker at 

Rangers Avenue on Sunday, 

anything as the deceased 

allegedly requested to finish 

what she was inhaling to be

Vanguard, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2017—7 

By Ifeanyi Okolie 

TWO members of a robbery 

gang terrorising residents of 

Satellite Town, in Amuwo Odofin 

Local Government Area of Lagos 

State, yesterday, disclosed that 

the gun they used for operations 

had no bullet in it. 

The suspects, Nwulu and 

Danjuma, told Vanguard when 

they were paraded before 

newsmen, by the Lagos State 

Commissioner of Police, 

Imohimi Edgal, at the State 

Command, Ikeja, that they 

used the locally-made pistol to 

scare their victims. 

Nwulu said: “Our gun has no 

bullet in it. But we were only 

using it to intimidate our 

victims. On the day we were 

arrested, we snatched a bag 

containing a laptop from a man 

and before we could escape 

from the scene the Police 

showed up.” 

The Police boss, Edgal, told 

reporters during the parade 

that the Command, on 

receiving intelligence report 

on activities of the gang, which 

specialised in phone 

snatching, deployed 

operatives at the Satellite 

Division, led by the Divisional 

Police Officer, Audu Ibrahim. 

He said the operatives made 

a breakthrough when it 

received a report that that the 

bandits had successfully 

robbed a resident of his laptop 

at gunpoint. 

Charms, shrine, 

fraud syndicate 

Edgal further disclosed that 

men of the Federal Anti- 

Robbery Squad, at the Lagos 

State Police Command, Ikeja, 

also busted fraud syndicate 

and apprehended three 

members of a fraud syndicate 

which specialised in 

defrauding unsuspecting 

members of the public, using 

charms and a fake shrine. 

Vanguard gathered that 

suspects, Ojo, Ifedayo and 

Olaleye, were rounded up in a 

house at Marwa area of Lekki, 

Lagos, where assorted charms 

and a shrine was discovered. 

He said the suspects had 

relocated to Lagos recently from 

Aramako in Ekiti West Local 

Government Area of Ekiti State 


Our operational gun has no bullet—Robbery suspect 

Suspect criminals paraded by Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal, yesterday. 

to canvas and lure victims into 

performing fake money rituals. 

It was learned that the 

operatives got wind of their 

plans, trailed and 

apprehended the suspects, 

16 killed, 18 injured in 

Maiduguri suicide bomb attacks 

MAIDUGURI—THE Police 

Command in Borno State, 

yesterday, said 16 persons were 

killed and 18 others sustained 

injuries in multiple suicide bomb 

attacks at Muna area of 

Maiduguri. 

The Police Commissioner, Mr. 

Damian Chukwu, confirmed the 

incident in a text message sent 

to newsmen in Maiduguri. 

Chukwu said the incident 

occurred when a male suicide 

bomber detonated an explosive 

device in a crowded area, killing 

13 people and wounding five 

others. 

He said two other female 

One dies as Customs, 

smugglers clash in Ogun 

By Daud Olatunji 

A BEOKUTA—ANOTHER 

clash between operatives of 

the Nigeria Customs Service, Ogun 

Area Command, and suspected 

smugglers, this time at Ajilete 

village in Ipokia Local Government 

of the state, has reportedly led to 

the death of one person. 

Vanguard gathered that the 

operatives got intelligence report, 

on Sunday, that some smugglers 

had taken three tokunbo vehicles 

into the village through the Idiroko 

land border from the neighbouring 

Republic of Benin. 

suicide bombers also 

detonated Improvised 

Explosive Devices, IEDs, 

strapped to their bodies and 

injured 13 persons. 

According to him, “On 

Sunday, at about 8:20p.m., a 

male suicide bomber 

detonated IED strapped to his 

body at Muna Garage, killing 

himself and 13 persons, while 

five others sustained injuries. 

“In another development at 

Muna Dalti, two female 

suicide bombers detonated 

IEDs killing themselves and 

injuring 13 others. 

“The injured persons were 

It was further learned that the 

operatives later stormed the 

village in search of the 

smugglers and they succeeded 

in impounding one of the 

allegedly smuggled vehicles, a 

Toyota Tundra pick-up van. 

An eyewitness told Vanguard 

that some hoodlums, suspected 

to be smugglers, barricaded the 

roads leading to the village with 

various objects, to prevent the 

Customs operatives from taking 

the impounded vehicle away. 

Their action led to a shootout, 

during which a stray bullet hit 

a passer-by. 

referred to the University of 

Maiduguri Teaching 

Hospital, UMTH, for 

treatment and corpses were 

evacuated, and Police EOD 

teams have been deployed to 

sanitise the scene. 

“In all, 16 persons were 

killed and 18 others injured 

in the three explosions.” 

Also, Alhaji Satomi Ahmad, 

the Chairman, Borno State 

Emergency Management 

Agency, SEMA, said the 

agency had conducted rescue 

exercise at the scenes of the 

attacks. 

Satomi said the state 

government will provide free 

medical treatment to the 

victims. 

He called on the people to 

be vigilant and provide useful 

information to security 

agencies. 

His words: “We 

have recorded about 13 

suicide bomb attacks this year 

at Muna area. The area is 

vulnerable and I advise 

residents to be more vigilant.” 

while their charms were 

recovered. 

Taraba Police 

kill Gana's 

deputy 

By John Mkom 

JALINGO—ONE Antyo 

Anyamadue, the 

Second-in-Command to in 

Benue State militant, 

Terwase Akwaza, 

popularly known as Gana, 

has been killed by 

operatives of the Taraba 

State Police Command. 

This was disclosed by 

Taraba State’s 


Mr. David Akinremi, while 

parading his body at the 

Police Headquarters. 

The Commissioner stated 

that Anyamadue met his 

waterloo while his gang, 

numbering over 10, was 

operating along Takum 

Katsina-Ala Highway at 

the border of Benue and 

Taraba states. 

He further revealed that 

only Anyamadue was 

gunned down, while some 

of his gang members 

escaped the scene with 

bullet injuries. 

r in Enugu 

in the mood for the business. 

“The accused maintained that 

after several hours of 

pressuring her and without any 

positive response, he slept off 

and woke up before 3a.m.” 

The fight 

The police spokesman said 

the accused immediately 

ordered the sex worker to 

leave his apartment since the 

aim of bringing her appeared 

to have been defeated. 

Amaraizu continued: “The 

accused said the deceased 

resisted the order and allegedly 

warned him to beware as she 

would not succumb to any 

threat whatsoever. 

“She later took a knife from his 

kitchen after allegedly biting 

him. The accused further 

revealed that a fight suddenly 

broke out between them and as 

the deceased tried to stab him 

to death with the kitchen knife, 

he overpowered her.” 

Amaraizu quoted the suspect 

as saying that the kitchen knife 

went straight to the stomach of 

the deceased and he finally 

stabbed her on the neck region 

and she died. 

Attempted escape 

The Police spokesman said 

the accused later wrapped 

her body and hurriedly 

arranged to travel to Lagos. 

According to him, the 

suspect was nabbed, 

following a tip-off from 

members of a local vigilante. 

He said the body was 

recovered from the apartment 

and deposited at the mortuary 

of the Eastern Nigeria 

Medical Centre, Enugu, as 

investigations into the 

incident had commenced. 

MADE IN ABA: Modelling made-in-Aba wears on the 

runway, during the National Convention of Abia State National 

Association, U.S.A and North America, ASNA-NA, held in 

New York City, USA, supported by Abia State Government.

8 — VANGUARD, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2017 


CONFERENCE: Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (left) in Jakarta, Indonesia for Extractive Industries 

Transparency Initiative, EITI, Beneficial Ownership Conference, yesterday. 

Terrorism: Fethullah Gulen group deliberates 

on planned extradition of members 

By Victoria 

Ojeme 

ABUJA—THE Fethullah 

Group in Nigeria has 

commenced a high level 

meeting to deliberate on 

their next line of action, in 

reaction to reported plans by 

the Federal Government to 

consider the request of the 

Turkish government that 

members of the group, who 

have taken refuge in the 

country, be extradited home. 

President Muhammadu 

Buhari and his Turkish 

counterpart, Recep Tayyip 

Erdogan, had on the 

sidelines of D-8 meeting in 

Istanbul, agreed to cooperate 

to fight terrorism, with the 

former agreeing to consider 

request of the latter put in 

last year. 

But speaking in an 

interview with Vanguard in 

Abuja, yesterday, an official 

of the group, who chose not 

to be named, said senior 

officials of the group had 

been in a marathon meeting, 

weighing various options on 

what next to do. 

Also contacted on phone in 

Lagos, yesterday, 

spokesman of the Fethullah 

Movement, FETO, who said 

he was speaking in his 

private capacity, said: “I 

have no problem with the 

Nigerian government. So if 

the order is the wish of the 

Nigerian government, I 

have no choice but to respect 

it. 

‘’I am speaking as a private 

Turkish citizen in Nigeria. If 

they want to extradite me, 

they will extradite me; what 

can I do?” 

On the possible reaction of 

FETO to the extradition 

order, he said: “We don’t 

have any specific reaction, 

we just respect the action of 

the government. We’re 

happy with the Nigerian 

government. So, there’s no 

problem.” 

Efforts to get the Ministry 

of Foreign Affairs to confirm 

if Nigeria had extradition 

treaty with Turkey last night 

failed as calls pulled through 

the phones of spokesman of 

the ministry remained 

unanswered at press time. 

The ministry later issued 

a terse statement, saying 

Minister of Foreign Affair, 

Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, had 

said every individual of 

whatever nationality legally 

residing in Nigeria was 

guaranteed full protection 

under Nigerian and 

Fidelity Bank grows profit by 65% to 

N16.2bn 

How we managed bailout, Paris 

Club refunds in Abia — Ikpeazu 

GOVERNOR Okezie 

Ikpeazu of Abia State 

has given detailed account 

of how his state managed 

the bailout and Paris Club 

refunds for payment of 

backlog of salaries he inherited 

and also in improving 

the infrastructure 

of the state. 

Speaking at the Nigeria 

Governors Forum Media 

Conference for Chief Press 

Secretaries and Commissioners 

for Information 

from the 36 states in Abuja, 

yesterday, Ikpeazu, who 

was represented by his 

deputy, Ude Oko Chukwu, 

also said the state government 

enshrined transparency 

in the governance 

of the state, where every 

Abian was updated quarterly 

on the affairs of the 

state. 

Speaking on the topic, 

international laws. 

The statement read: “The 

attention of the Ministry of 

Foreign Affairs has been 

drawn to some media reports 

credited to the Honourable 

Minister, Mr. Geoffrey 

Onyeama, implying that 

1000 Turkish nationals face 

extradition from Nigeria at 

the request of the Turkish 

"Application of the Paris 

Club Refund to State,’’ the 

governor said: “The receipt 

of the intervention funds 

has become a source of concern 

to some analyst, pundits, 

social critics and political 

commentators. Some 

comments have been made 

in the print and social media, 

which were half truths 

and sometimes outright lies. 

“May I use this opportunity 

to briefly state the facts. 

Interestingly, Abia State 

government received the 

following intervention 

funds from the Federal 

Government: Bailout fund 

of N14.2 billion, first tranche 

of Paris refund of N10.6 billion 

and second tranche of 

the Paris refund of N5 billion. 

“In line with the transparency 

approach to governance 

of the current administration, 

after the receipt of 

government. 

“For the avoidance of 

doubt, the ministry wishes to 

state in clear terms that no 

such agreement was entered 

into. Every individual of 

whatever nationality, legally 

residing in Nigeria is 

guaranteed full protection 

under Nigerian and 

international laws." 


FIDELITY Bank Plc, 

yesterday, released its 

third quarter, Q3, results 

ended September 30, 2017, 

recording a Profit Before Tax, 

PBT, of N16.236 billion, 

against N9.835 billion in the 

corresponding period of 

2016, thus representing 61.5 

per cent growth. 

Details of the nine months 

financial results released on 

the Nigerian Stock Exchange, 

NSE, showed a remarkable 

growth in some 

key revenue lines and improved 

efficiency and regulatory 

ratios. 

Gross Earnings grew by 

17.9 per cent to N130.1 billion 

from N110.3 billion reported 

in the same period in 

2016. 

“We are delighted with our 

nine months financial performance, 

which showed 

strong growth in key revenue 

lines and a corresponding 

decline in our operating expenses, 

despite the high inflationary 

environment,” said 

Mr. Nnamdi Okonkwo, Fidelity 

Bank CEO. 

He attributed the consistent 

delivery of strong financial 

results to the disciplined 

execution of the Bank’s medium 

term strategy which 

centred on optimal balance 

sheet management, strategic 

cost reduction and increased 

play in the digital and retail 

banking space. 

“The implementation of 

the initiatives from our Business 

Process Review Project 

continued to impact positively 

on our operational efficiency 

as total operating expenses 

declined by 2.6 per cent 

to N47.5 billion, leading to 

our cost-income ratio dropping 

to 66.8 per cent from 

77.3 per cent in 2016 FYE." 

the first intervention (bailout) 

fund, Abia State government 

constituted a committee 

made up of the different 

labour union leaders, 

namely NLC, TUC, 

NULGE, NUP, NUT and 

Joint Negotiating Council. 

"The committee took 

charge of the disbursement 

of the funds to various areas 

of greater needs and exigencies. 

“Indeed, the exercise was 

conducted, devoid of government 

intervention as 

100 per cent of funds received 

were expended in 

the services of workers’ 

payments. This exercise 

was (by all known standards) 

transparent and applauded 

by ICPC, 

which singled out Abia 

and two other states for 

their transparency in the 

disbursement and utilisation 

of the fund." 

NECA drags Reps to court 

over frequent summon of 

CEOs 

By Victor Ahiuma-Young 

LAGOS— NIGERIA 

Employers Consultative 

Association, NECA, 

yesterday, said it has 

dragged the House of 

Representatives to court 

over frequent summoning 

of chief executive officers, 

CEOs, of companies. 

According to the group, 

the actions of the lawmakers 

have been undermining 

business sustainability 

and growth. 

NECA is specifically 

praying the court to interpret 

Sections 88 and 89 

of the constitution, which 

the lawmakers rely to summon 

the CEOs in the 

name of oversight functions. 

“It is the conviction of 

our lawmakers that they 

have unrestricted power 

to dabble into any issue 

or the affairs of any enterprise 

in the economy, 

be it public or private. 

At a briefing in Lagos, 

Director-General of 

NECA, Mr. Olusegun 

Oshinowo, who accused 

members of the House, 

especially its committees, 

of disregards to court 

processes, contended that 

the continued disregard of 

court processes and persistent 

summons of chief 

executives of organised 

businesses to National 

Assembly smacked off flagrant 

disregard for the 

rule of law and legislative 

rascality. 

Oshinowo singled out 

the House of Representatives 

Committees on Labour, 

Employment & Productivity; 

Steel; Telecommunications; 

Public Safety 

and National 

Security;Ad-Hoc Committee 

on the Abuse of 

Pioneer Status by Companies 

and Ad-Hoc Committee 

Investigating Operational 

Activities of Telecommunications 

Equipment 

and Service Companies/Vendors 

in Nigeria, 

as the most guilty. 

He lamented that petitions 

to Speaker of the 

House of Representatives, 

Yakubu Dogara, over the 

activities of the committees 

had not been addressed 

till date, noting 

that to worsen the situation, 

members of the committees, 

instead of attending 

to CEOs directly, 

chose always to act 

through consultants. 

He said: “All efforts at 

exploring the avenue of 

dialogue, advocacy and 

lobbying as evidenced 

through our several correspondence 

to the House 

and submissions at hearings 

and visits to the National 

Assembly seem to 

have been ineffective in 

protecting the economic 

rights and interest of businesses 

in this environment." 

Revenue under-remittance: 

FG lost N1.7trn in 4 years 

—Senate C'ttee report 

By Henry Umoru 

ABUJA—THE Senate 

Ad-hoc Committee 

on alleged misuse, underremittance 

and other 

fraudulent activities in 

revenue collection has revealed 

that many agencies 

of the Federal Government 

shortchanged it 

to the tune of N1.7 trillion 

through under remittance 

between 2012 and 2016. 

According to the Senate, 

the 

N1.695,585,887,406 reportedly 

lost by the Federal 

Government during 

the period under review 

is from N21.5 trillion generated 

by 93 agencies covered. 

The committee also in its 

report, which was laid 

last Thursday and billed 

for consideration this 

week, disclosed that the 

Nigerian National Petroleum 

Corporation, 

NNPC, which is one of 

such revenue generating 

agencies, ran at a deficit 

of N3.1 trillion during the 

period under review. 

In the 32-page report, 

obtained yesterday, 25 of 

the entire 93 revenue generating 

agencies covered, 

were alleged to have defrauded 

the Federal Government 

of N1.7 trillion. 

NNPC, in particular, 

during the period which 

was reviewed, generated 

N15.541 trillion, just as 

its entire expenditure during 

the period was 

N18.657 trillion, thereby 

exceeding the corporation’s 

revenue profile by 

N3.115 trillion. 

The committee of eight 

members, with Senator 

Solomon Olamilekan Adeola 

(APC, Lagos West) as 

chairman, was constituted 

on Tuesday, November 

30, 2016. 

It followed a resolution 

by -the Senate to investigate 

the alleged misuse, 

under-remittance and other 

fraudulent practices in 

collection, accounting, remittances 

and expenditure 

of internally generated 

revenue by all revenue 

generating agencies of 


from January 2012 to December 

2016.

8—VANGUARD, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2017 

VANGUARD, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2017—9 


CONFERENCE: From left, Director-General, Nigeria Governors' Forum, Asishama Bayo 

Okauru; Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed (representing President 

Muhammadu Buhari); Director-General, National Orientation Agency, Dr Garba Abari, 

and Chairman,Federal Inland Revenue Service, Mr. Babatunde Fowler, at the Nigeria 

Governors' Forum Conference for Media Handlers of States' Chief Executives, in Abuja, 

yesterday. 

Our achievements are real, not 

propaganda, lies — Buhari 

By Emmanuel 

Elebeke 

A BUJA—PRESIDENT 

Muhammadu Buhari 

said his administration has 

recorded concrete 

achievements, which were 

there for all to see. 

He spoke against the 

backdrop of claims by 

former President Goodluck 

Jonathan, that his (Buhari) 

government was running 

on propaganda and lies. 

The President, who was 

represented by Minister of 

Information and Culture, 

Alhaji Lai Mohammed, 

made the assertion at the 

opening of a two-day 

Nigeria Governors’ Forum 

Conference for Media 

Handlers of States’ Chief 

Executives in Abuja, 

yesterday. 

"For our administration, 

our achievements are there 

for all to see. We are 

delivering in the broad 

areas that formed the plank 

of our policies: Security, 

fight against corruption and 

the economy, which 

includes the massive 

provision of infrastructure, 

ease of doing business and 

agriculture, just to mention 

a few," he said. 

Facts and figures 

Providing facts and 

figures, the President listed 

the administration’s 

achievements in ending 

subsidy and yet ensuring 

the availability of petroleum 

products; raising power 

generation, transmission 

and distribution, in the 

massive provision of 

infrastructure; in tackling 

insecurity and making a 

success of the agriculture 

revolution, among others. 

He said: "Those who 

accused this administration 

of ‘propaganda and lies’ in 

the fuel supply sector, for 

example, did not tell 

Nigerians that whereas 

they paid between N800 

billion and N1.3 trillion as 

‘subsidy’ yearly in their 

time, without making the 

products available, even at 

regulated prices, this 

administration is not 

paying any subsidy, yet all 

products are currently 

available at competitive 

prices and fuel queues are 

now history. 

"In their time, they paid 

subsidy of N3.7 billion daily 

in 2011; N2.2 billion daily 

in 2012 and 2013, and 

N2.5 billion daily in 2014, 

all for products that were 

never available. 

Power 

generation 

"Those who accused this 

government of 

‘propaganda and lies’ also 

said we have not achieved 

anything in the power 

sector. Comment is free, 

facts are sacred, as they say. 

"When this administration 

assumed office on May 29, 

2015, available power on 

the grid totalled 2,690MW, 

transmission capacity was 

around 5,000MW and 

distribution capacity was 

4,000MW. 

"As at September 4, 2017, 

the available power that can 

be put on the grid was 

6,619MW; the transmission 

capacity was simulated at 

6,700 MW (up from 5,000 

MW in 2015) but the 

distribution capacity was 

4,600 MW, which was what 

was put on the grid. On 

September 12, 2017, 

production of power 

reached an all-time level of 

7,001MW." 

President Buhari said it 

was an irony that those who 

presided over a budget of 

N18 billion for roads, N5 

billion for power and N1.8 

billion for housing in 2015 

are now accusing those 

who spent N198.25 billion 

on roads, N91.2 billion on 

power and N71.559 billion 

on housing in the following 

year of non-achievement. 

N47.169 bn paid 

to 62 contractors 

He said further: 

"Because of the increased 

spending in these areas, 

the massive debts owed to 

contractors are being settled 

so they can recall workers 

who were laid off and reopen 

closed work sites. 

"As a matter of fact, during 

the implementation of the 

2016 budget, we paid 103 

construction companies 

executing 192 projects, and 

they, in turn, employed 

17,749 people directly and 

52,000 people indirectly in 

works. 

"So far this year, N47.169 

billion has been paid to 62 

contractors working on 149 

projects to continue work on 

roads and bridges and 

keep people at work. 

Similar payments are being 

made to supervising 

consultants and to 

contractors in Housing and 

Power Sectors of the 

Ministry." 

The President also 

highlighted the 

achievements recorded by 

his administration in the 

area of the economy, 

wondering whether it was 

‘propaganda and lies’ that 

headline inflation has now 

fallen for the eighth 

consecutive month; that 

foreign exchange reserves 

are up to $32 billion, from 

$24 billion a year ago: that 

oil production is at nearly 

two million barrels per day 

and that Home-grown 

School Feeding 

programme now being 

implemented in 17 states 

was benefiting more than 

three million public primary 

school children and more 

than 30,000 cooks across 

20,000 schools. 

N-Power Programme 

He said close to 200,000 

youths were now benefiting 

from the N-Power 

Programme, which recruits 

unemployed graduates to 

work as teachers, 

agricultural extension 

workers, and health 

extension workers. 

President Buhari said the 

Government Enterprise & 

Empowerment 

Programme, GEEP, which 

provides micro-credit to 

farmers, traders, and 

artisans, now has in excess 

of one million beneficiaries, 

with women accounting for 

56% of that number. 

He added that at about 

$1.8 billion, the capital 

inflows in the second 

quarter of 2017 were almost 

double the $908 million in 

the first quarter. 

FIRS records 

N3.871trn revenue 

Earlier in his remarks, 

Director-General of Federal 

Inland Revenue Service, 

FIRS, Dr. Babatunde 

Fowler, said the service 

has recorded N3.871 trillion 

(79 per cent) of its annual 

budget so far in revenue 

collections. 

He said the feat was 

made possible through the 

introduction of a 

technology that allowed tax 

payers to pay from 

anywhere in the world. 

“In trying to make tax 

collection more transparent, 

the FIRS has introduce 

technology which allows all 

tax payers to make payment 

anywhere in the world at 

anytime of the day. 

"So far, the FIRS staff are 

trying their best, and have 

hit 79 per cent of their 

budget (N4.9 trillion) and 

hope to achieve 100 per 

cent before December 31." 

Nigeria still suffering 

from Malabu scandal 

— Osinbajo 

By Bartholomew 

Madukwe, with 

agency reports 

V ICE-PRESIDENT, 

Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, 

said, yesterday, that Nigeria 

was still suffering the 

consequences of lack of 

transparency in the award of 

OPL 245 to Malabu Oil and 

Gas Ltd in 1998. 

Speaking at a conference on 

beneficial ownership 

organised by Extractive 

Industries Transparency 

Initiative, EITI, in Jakarta, 

Indonesia, Osinbajo also said 

hidden corporate ownership 

posed real and present 

danger to most countries, 

especially the developing 

ones such as Nigeria. 

OPL 245 was awarded to 

Malabu at a time the 

beneficial owners were Dan 

Etete, then Minister of 

Petroleum Resources, who 

approved the licence, and 

Mohammed Abacha, son of 

the head of state at the time. 

Osinbajo said: “It is 

important to underscore the 

fact that opacity in one section 

of the globe undermines 

openness in the other. We 

need to break down this wall 

together as we are all at risk 

of the evil effects of opacity in 

business ownership. 

“Nigeria is still grappling 

with the negative 

consequences of the use of 

opacity by senior members of 

government and their cronies 

between 1993 and 1998 

awarding themselves juicy 

contracts in the extractive 

industry. 

“One of such incidents 

involving a company called 

Malabu Oil and Gas has 

been and is still subject of 

criminal and civil 

proceedings in many parts of 

the world involving huge 

legal costs while the full 

benefit of the natural resource 

remains unexploited for the 

benefit of the people of 

Nigeria to which it belongs.” 

Commending United 

Kingdom, Norway, 

Netherlands and Denmark 

for leading the initiative to 

establish public registers of 

the real, human owners of 

companies in their countries, 

the vice president urged other 

G8 and G20 countries to 

follow, by initiating actions to 

end corporate secrecy at home 

and their dependencies. 

ALLEGED N400M FRAUD: 

Dasuki kicks as Metuh 

asks court to summon 

Jonathan as witness 

By Ikechukwu 

Nnochiri 

ABUJA— ERSTWHILE 

National Publicity 

Secretary of Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP, 

Chief Olisa Metuh, 

yesterday, applied for 

former President Goodluck 

Jonathan to be summoned 

before the Federal High 

Court in Abuja to give 

evidence in his ongoing 

criminal trial. 

Metuh, who is answering 

to a seven-count charge the 

Economic and Financial 

Crimes Commission, 

EFCC, preferred against 

him and his firm, Destra 

Investment Limited, said 

the former President was a 

crucial witness in the 

matter. 

At the resumed hearing 

on the matter, yesterday, 

Metuh, who has already 

called seven witnesses to 

testify in his defence, 

named former President 

Jonathan and the detained 

former NSA, Dasuki, as his 

two remaining witnesses. 

He insisted that the duo 

were key elements in the 

charge against him, saying 

their appearance was 

critical for the case of the 

defendants. 

Metuh’s lawyer, Dr. 

Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, 

told the court that his client 

decided to apply for a 

subpoena ad testificandum 

to be issued against 

Jonathan, after the ex- 

President snubbed letters 

his chambers wrote to him 

with respect to the case. 

Meanwhile, EFCC 

lawyer, Mr. Sylvester Tahir, 

supported Metuh’s 

request to have Jonathan 

summoned as a witness in 

the matter. 

“My lord it is within the 

constitutional right of the 

1st defendant to call 

whoever he likes as his 

witness. It is the duty of the 

defendant’s counsel to not 

just habour the intention, 

but to actualise same by 

making the necessary 

applications”, Tahir 

submitted. 

EFCC urged the court to 

sign the subpoena against 

Jonathan, “so that at the end 

of the day, no blame will be 

apportioned to the judge or 

vice versa.” 

However, in another twist, 

Dasuki, yesterday, 

challenged the subpoena 

that was issued against him 

to appear before the court. 

In his application dated 

September 20 and 

predicated on section 255, 

492(3) of the ACJA, 2015, 

sections 183 & 198(2) of the 

Evidence Act, 2011, and 

section 36(6) of 1999 

Constitution, Dasuki asked 

the court to set aside the 

subpoena.

10—VANGUARD, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2017 


Nigeria contributes one quarter of diabetes 

burden in Africa — Health Minister 

By Chioma 

Obinna 

L AGOS—MINISTER 

of Health, Professor 

Isaac Adewole, has 

raised the alarm over 

high prevalence of 

diabetes among 

Nigerians, disclosing 

that the country 

constitute a quarter of 15 

million cases of diabetes 

in Africa. 

Speaking in Lagos at 


LAGOS—A Federal 

High Court in Lagos 

was yesterday, forced to 

adjourn continuation of 

hearing until November 

15 in a suit filed by the 

Federal Government 

against Shell Western 

Supply and Trading Ltd 

over alleged crude oil 

shipment worth 406.8 

million dollars. 

The suit, filed by the 

federal government’s 

counsel, Prof. Fabian 

Ajogwu (SAN), has 

the 2017 SANOFI 

Diabetes Summit, 

Adewole, said despite the 

fact that the disease had 

been a major cause of end 

stage renal disease and 

one of the commonest 

causes of blindness, it 

also shortened 

individual’s lifespan. 

He noted that while 80 

percent of its victims die 

of cardiovascular 

complications ranging 

from stroke, myocardial 

Shell Petroleum 

Development Company 

of Nigeria Ltd and its 

subsidiary — Shell 

Western Supply & 

Trading Ltd as 

defendants. 

The continuation of trial 

was stalled following the 

absence of the judge, 

Justice Mojisola 

Olatoregun, who was 

said to be attending a 

conference in Abuja. 

Similarly, a similar case 

before the same court 

involving the federal 

government and Agip 

infarction and kidney 

failure to foot gangrene, 

one in every 11 adults 

had diabetes and up to 

half of these were not 

diagnosed. 

His words, “Less than 

10 per cent of people 

diagnosed with diabetes 

meet the targets of 

metabolic control. Yearly 

there are five million 

diabetes and diabetes 

related deaths and 

every 10 seconds a limb 

Judge’s absence stalls FG’s $406.8m 

suit against Shell 

which was also scheduled 

for yesterday , was 

also fixed for November 

15 for hearing. 

The plaintiff is claiming 

$406.8 million from 

the defendants, representing 

the shortfall of 

money paid into the 

Federal Government’s 

account with the Central 

Bank. 

The money is for crude 

oil lifted in 2013 and 

2014. 

In a supporting 

is amputated due to diabetes. 

In fact diabetes is 

now the most common 

cause of lower extremity 

a m p u t a t i o n . 

Unfortunately many of 

these lives are lost at the 

peak of their prime in the 

fifth or sixth decade of 

lives with the attendant 

devastating effect on the 

family unit or the nation 

as a whole. 

Represented by the 

Chief Medical Director, 

Lagos University 

Teaching Hospital, 

LUTH, Prof. Chris Bode, 

Adewole said the disease 

remained one of the 

costliest conditions to 

treat, saying 

“The importance of 

these has made the 

Federal Ministry of 

Health to put in place an 

NCD Office, complete 

with staff and other 

resources and a Diabetes 

Desk Officer. The FMOH 

has also partnered with 

the World Diabetes 

Foundation, WDF to set 

up almost 390 diabetes 

clinics nationwide while 

other projects include 

175 clinics providing 

GDM care, 60 clinics 

providing Diabetes/TB 

care.” 

EFCC closes bribery case 

against Tarfa 


L AGOS—THE 

Economic and 

Financial Crimes 

Commission, EFCC, 

yesterday closed its 

case in the trial of a 

Senior Advocate of 

Nigeria, SAN, Rickey 

Tarfa, at an Igbosere 

High Court, Lagos, over 

alleged bribery and 

attempt to pervert the 

course of justice. 

Consequently, the 

embattled Senior 

advocate will on 

November 16, open his 

defence. 

The counsel to the 

EFCC, Mr. Rotimi 

Oyedepo, told the court 

that the prosecution had 

no more witnesses to 

call in the case. 

The EFCC had called 

six witnesses, who 

testified against Tarfa in 

the trial that began in 

March 2016. 

Responding to 

Oyedepo, Tarfa’s 

counsel, Mr Jelili 

Owonikoko (SAN), 

sought an adjournment 

to enable the defence to 

analyse its case and 

decide on the step to 

take. 

Consequently, Justice 

Adedayo Akintoye 

adjourned until 

Novermber16 to hear 

from the defence. 

The EFCC had first 

arraigned Tarfa on 

March 9, 2016 on a 27- 

count charge bordering 

on offering of 

gratification to some 

judges and perversion of 

the course of justice. 

The anti-graft agency 

alleged, for instance, 

that Tarfa offered N5.3 

million gratification to a 

judge of the Federal 

High Court, Justice 

Hyeladzira Nganjiwa, to 

‘compromise’ the judge. 

The agency also 

claimed that Tarfa 

transferred the money in 

several tranches to the 

judge between June 27, 

2012 and December 23, 

2014. 

The EFCC alleged that 

the SAN lied about his 

age and failed to declare 

his assets to the 

commission upon his 

arrest on Feb. 5, 2015. 

BOOK PRESENTATION IN HONOUR OF PROF BELLO, UNILAG VC 

From left: Dr Wale Babalakin,[SAN], Pro-Chancellor&Chairman Governing 

Council, University of Lagos, Chief Tolu Odebiyi, Representative of Ogun 

State Governor, Dr M.A Idoko, Reprentative of Prof Jerry Gana, Prof 

Rahamon Bello, Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos, Alhaja Adedoja Bello, 

Wife, Oba Kehinde Olugbenle, OLu of Ilaro, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, 

General Olatunji Olurin, [Rtd] Senator Olamilekan Yayi, and Chief Sunny 

Kuku, During the Public Presentation of A book'' Walking the Vision '' by 

Prof Rahamon Bello, Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos, Held on Monday 

23-10-2017, At J.F Ade Ajayi Auditorium, University of Lagos, Yaba, Lagos. 

From left; Prof 

Bamitale Omole, 

Former Vice 

Chancellor, 

Obafemi 

Awolowo 

University, Alhaji 

Musilu Smith, 

Former IG Police, 

and Dr Yusuf 

Lawal, Director 

Tess 

Administration 

JAMB. 

From left: Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, General Olatunji Olurin, (retd), Senator 

Olamilekan Yayi, and Chief Sunny Kuku. 

From left: Prof L.O Chukwu, Director Quality Assurance &Servicom Unit 

UNLAG, Prof Wole Atoyebi, Former Provost College of Medicine, UNILAG, 

Mr Gbenga Adefaye, General Manager/ Editor-in-Chief, Vanguard Newspaper. 

Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi.




Why operations at Ibom Specialist Hospital 

were suspended, by Emmanuel 

By Chioma 

Onuegbu 

GOVERNOR Udom 

Emmanuel of Akwa 

Ibom State has said that 

operations at Ibom 

Specialist Hospital were 

suspended as a result of 

failure of the managers to 

live up to the terms of 

agreement. 

Emmanuel also said that 

the managers could not 

offset the cost or declare any 

profit despite the huge 

investment made by the 

state government. 

The governor, who made 

this known during the 

October edition of 

Government House Prayer 

meeting at the Latter 

House Chapel, Governor’s 

Lodge, Uyo, stressed that 

state government had not 

received any profit since 

operations commenced in 

the referral hospital. 

He said: “If as a business 

man I receive 50 percent of 

the support we give to the 

person managing the 

Specialist Hospital, I will 

declare profit. It came to a 

point where I asked the 

manager,where is the 

money you are charging 

the patients, can’t it be used 

in payment of salary in the 

hospital? 

“I took over the payment 

of the Consultant’s salary 

and I paid the Consultants 

from my imprest, I have the 

vouchers. I took an oath that 

I would not place my 

interest above that of the 

state. 

“If people don’t know 

certain things let them ask 

questions and not to 

castigate the Governor. I 

don’t play politics with the 

development of the 

people.” 

The governor however 

assured that a new 

management team would 

be put in place after 

reviewing the terms of 

agreement for the hospital. 

He reiterated his 

administration’s 

commitment in ensuring 

that investment in every 

sector of the state economy 

yields returns that would 

help to enhance the 

revenue profile of the state. 

He stressed that 

defaulters in the 

management of assets 

belonging to the state 

government would face 

prosecution. 

He announced plans to 

lease out the Ibom 

Tropicana Hotel Complex 

Uyo, to a consortium to fix 

and manage the facility 

while the Four Point by 

Sheraton Hotel located in 

Ikot Ekpene Local 

Government Area would be 

completed and managed by 

the Sheraton Group. 

“We are going to lease out 

the Hotel in Tropicana to an 

expert because 

government cannot run the 

hotel. The expert would 

pay some money at the 

initial state and run the 

place for a certain number 

of years to enable them 

recover their money. 

“If I do this the expert 

would run the place very 

well inorder to recover their 

money." 

MEETING: Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State (left), with newly 

appointed Local Government Caretaker Chairmen, Vice Chairmen, Secretaries 

and other stakeholders in the local government system in the state, at a meeting 

in Government House, Yenagoa. 

2015 poll violence: Bayelsa community lauds Dickson, 

police for resettlement 

By Samuel 

Oyadongha & 

Emem Idio 

INDIGENES 


Peremabiri in 

Southern Ijaw Local 


Bayelsa State have 

commended the state 

Governor, Hon. Seriake 

Dickson and the State 

Police Command over the 

decision to resettle them 

after about 14 months of 

displacement due to 

political crisis. 

The over 300 displaced 

indigenes of the 

community made up of 

men, women and children, 

had in 2015 fled from their 

community following wide 

spread violence that 

erupted during the general 

elections and were camped 

by the state government. 

The displaced indigenes, 

however, returned to their 

community last Saturday 

amid fanfare as they 

rejoiced and danced 

applauding the 

government for all it did for 

them. 

Chairman of the 

Caretaker Committee of 

Southern Ijaw Local 

Government Area, Mr 

Nigeria Kia, expressed 

satisfaction for their return 

to the community. 

Kia commended the 

governor for making it 

possible for them to return 

to their various homes. 

The Special Adviser to the 

Governor on Security 

Matter, Mr Boma Spero- 

Jack, said since 2015, the 

government of Bayelsa had 

been responsible for their 

feeding 

and 

accommodation. 

“In our days, Peremabiri 

was known for rice planting, 

today, I am happy that it 

will be exporting it in large 

quantity. Everyone is 

happy to go back to their 

ancestral community after 

a long time,” he said. 

The Bayelsa 


Mr Amba Asuquo, assured 

them of safety, adding 

that the community 

was now calm. 

Asuquo advised them to 

forget the past as no society 

could achieve meaningful 

development under a state 

of rancour and also urged 

them to be law abiding and 

report any suspected cases 

of violence to the 

appropriate authority in the 

community. 

Wike dedicates fiscal index award to 

Rivers people 

RIVERS 

State 

Government says it 

will dedicate the Budgit 

Nigeria Fiscal 

Sustainability Index Award 

to the people of the state 

who have continued to 

believe and support the 

Nyesom Wike 

administration despite 

distractions from some 

quarters. 

Consequently, the state 

government said it will take 

advantage of the high 

profile endorsement to 

pursue better economic 

well-being and prosperity 

for the people of Rivers 

State. 

This was made known, 

yesterday, in a press 

statement in Port Harcourt 

by the Commissioner for 

Information and 

Communications, Mr. 

Emma Okah. 

According to Okah, this 

prime financial viability 

report makes Rivers State 

a beautiful bride in terms 

of investment opportunities 

and economic collaborations 

with the private sector 

actors who desire credible 

investment destinations 

in Nigeria and Africa 

as a whole. 

“The financial 

Sustainability index report 

which places Rivers State 

first among all the states in 

Nigeria is not an end in 

itself but a robust signal that 

those who do business in 

Rivers State are assured of 

sound financial reputation 

which will guarantee 

profitability, Okah said. 

Edo Assembly to probe 

industries, others 

By Simon 

Ebegbulem & 

Gabriel Enogholase 

AS part of its 

oversight functions, 

Edo State House of 

Assembly has set up three 

ad-hoc committees to 

investigate activities of all 

existing companies and 

industries operating in the 

state. 

The committees will also 

visit all ongoing state 

projects and summon 

heads of Primary 

Healthcare for a meeting. 

Speaker of the House, 

Mr. Kabiru Adjoto, who 

announced the constitution 

of the committees, 

yesterday, during the 

sitting of the legislature, 

said the action was it in line 

with the oversight functions 

of the House. 

Adjoto added that the 

committee to investigate the 

operational activities of all 

existing companies and 

industries in the state was 

in line with the state 

government aggressive 

drive to attract investors, 

adding that the auditing 

was to ensure that there is 

an enabling environment for 

the establishments to operate 

in the state. 

The 10- man committee 

headed by the Chris 

Okaeben, (APC), Oredo 

West has two weeks to 

submit its report. 

Herdsmen Delta chief, client 

in Edo 

By Akpokona 

Omafuaire 

R AMPAGING 

herdsmen, 

yesterday, kidnapped 

Chief James Omafuaire, 

his wife and a customer 

at his Ikpeshi Quarry 

site, near Auchi, Edo 

State, after collecting 

N200,000. 

Chief Omafuaire is 

elder brother of 

Vanguard Newspaper 

Senior Photojournalist, 

Akpokona Omafuaire. 

According to his 

daughter, Christy 

Omafuaire Atie, “My 

father was supervising 

his workers at his quarry 

site in Ikpeshi near Auchi 

when the herdsmen with 

guns kidnapped him, his 

wife and a customer. 

“They collected 

N200,000 from the 

customer and released his 

wife but they took both of 

them inside the bush. 

They have not contacted 

us."




4m pupils benefit from FG’s daily free 

meal 

By Johnbosco 

Agbakwuru 

ABUJA—FOUR million 

pupils from 25,771 

schools across 17 states 

have benefited from the 

Federal Government Home 

Grown Feeding 

programme, Laolu Akande, 

Senior Special Assistant to 

Vice President Yemi 

Osinbajo on Media and 

Publicity, has said. 

The School Feeding 

Programme is one of the 

crucial part of President 

Muhammadu Buhari 

administration’s Social 

Investment Programmes, 

SIP, aimed at tackling 

poverty and hunger, as 

well as creating jobs for 

Nigerians. 

Akande in a statement in 

Abuja, yesterday, said 

three new states of Akwa 

Ibom, Cross River and 

Niger were the new states 

that had been covered in the 

programme. 

The other 14 states 

already on the programme, 

he said, were Anambra, 

Enugu, Oyo, Osun, Ogun, 

Ebonyi, Zamfara, Delta, 

Abia, Benue, Plateau, 

Bauchi, Taraba and 

Kaduna. 

The statement said: "So far, 

in Cross River State, 

117,750 children in 973 

schools are being fed 

under the programme, 

while in Akwa Ibom, there 

are 171,732 children in 

1,101 schools being fed. 

Niger State has a total of 

710,880 being fed in 2,411 

schools in the state. 

"In total, 4,773,064 

schoolchildren in 25,771 

schools in 17 states are 

currently benefitting from 

the school feeding 

programme. This is a 

notable increase from the 

previous total of 2,918,842 

schoolchildren from 19,881 

schools in 14 states that had 

benefitted from the 

•25,771 schools, 17 states covered 

•As 115,000 Nigerians get N5,000 monthly stipend 

programme.” 

Besides, he said about 

34,869 direct jobs had since 

been created from the 

feeding programme across 

the participating states, 

saying: “In Cross River 

State, for example, 1,384 

cooks have been engaged, 

while 1,309 cooks are 

currently engaged in 

Akwa Ibom State, and 

5,924 are engaged under 

the programme in Niger 

State.” 

According to him, about 

115,000 beneficiaries are 

now being funded with the 

monthly N5,000 stipend in 

16 states, including Borno, 

Cross River, Niger, Kwara, 

Ekiti, Kogi, Oyo, Osun, 

Plateau, Bauchi, Anambra, 

Jigawa, Taraba and 

Adamawa. 

Akande disclosed that 

there were reported 

disbursement hitches in 

Benue and Anambra states, 

and they were being 

addressed. 

“This mainly has to do 

with non-opening of bank 

accounts and enrolling 

beneficiaries. It is expected 

that by the end of next 

month the hitches would 

have been completely 

resolved and the 

beneficiaries in position to 

receive the cash transfers in 

those states,” he said. 

Discharge justice without fear or 

favour, CJN tells judges 

By Grace Udofia 

A BUJA—CHIEF 

Justice of Nigeria, 

CJN, Justice Walter 

Onnoghen, yesterday, told 

judges in the country to 

discharge justice without 

fear or favour to earn the 

respect of the populace and 

the litigants. 

He spoke during a 

workshop on oil and gas 

matters for judges organised 

by Petroleum Technology 

Development Fund, PTDF, in 

collaboration with National 

Judicial Institute, NJI, in 

Abuja. 

He said: “Our 

responsibilities as judicial 

officers must endear the 

hearts of the populace and 

litigants alike. Hence, you 

2019: Lamido declares presidential ambition 

•Says PDP must salvage Nigeria 

By Emmanuel 

Aziken, Political 

Editor 

E RSTWHILE 

governor of Jigawa 

State, Alhaji Sule Lamido, 

has formally declared his 

interest for 2019 

presidential ticket of the 

Peoples Democratic Party, 

PDP, saying the onus is on 

the party to salvage the 

country from the rot it has 

currently found itself in 

the comity of nations. 

Lamido, in a letter to 

PDP members, said he 

might not be the only 

qualified person, but that 

SUMMIT: From left, Director, Enterprise Development Centre, 

EDC, Pan Atlantic University, Peter Bamkole; Associate Professor, 

Lagos Business School, Dr, Doyin Salami; Chief Executive, 3INVEST, 

Ruth Obih-Obuah; Chairman, Mixta Africa, Deji Alli; Managing 

Director, FMDQ OTC, Securities Exchange, Bola Onadele and Chief 

Executive Officer, Dunn Loren Merrifield Group, Sonnie Ayere, at 

the 6th edition of Real Estate Unite 2017 Summit, in Lagos, 

yesterday. 

he was offering himself at 

the vanguard of the move 

to lead the country back 

to its rightful position in 

the comity of nations. 

Lamido’s declaration 

follows the move by 

Governor Ayodele Fayose 

of Ekiti State, who in his 

declaration lamented that 

no person from the north 

had shown interest in the 

presidential ticket of the 

party. 

In his letter, Lamido 

said: “Today, 57 years 

after the independence of 

our dear country, can we 

in all sincerity claim to 

have achieved the dream 

of our founding fathers? 

Where did we fail and 

from where did we begin 

to fail? Nigeria with its 

natural endowment and 

human capacity cannot be 

forgiven for being 

otherwise. We cannot even 

demonstrate our ability 

and capacity to meet 

domestic, regional and 

global challenges which 

currently seem to 

overwhelm us. 

“The PDP will and must 

lead the nation back into 

a bright, progressive, and 

innovative future,” the 

letter reads. 

must be knowledgeable in 

the law and be in charge of 

your courts to ensure speedy 

resolution of disputes, which 

in turn serves as an 

economic development 

mechanism as investors and 

other major players in the 

industry will remain 

confident that their 

investments are safe. 

"My lords, I must not fail 

to emphasize that you must 

have recourse to the 

arbitration clauses contained 

in Oil and Gas Agreements 

and ensure that parties 

respect these clauses before 

exploring the option of 

litigation on the matter.” 

According to him, PTDF 

had been vested statutorily 

with special intervention 

powers and tools for the 

purpose of encouraging 

research and development 

in the oil and gas sector. 

Earlier, Executive Secretary 

of PTDF, Dr. Bello Aliyu 

Gusau, affirmed that the 

Nigerian oil and gas industry 

was currently undergoing 

very major and fundamental 

changes, including the 

introduction of series of new 

legislations that would 

govern the operations of the 

industry. 

Kaduna APC backs 

El-Rufai over sack, 

recruitment of teachers 

• Stop criminalizing deficiencies 

—Labour 

By Ben Agande 

K ADUNA—THE 

Kaduna State chapter 

of All Progressives 

Congress, APC, has backed 

the decision of the state 

government to sack over 

20,000 teachers in the state, 

saying the move is necessary 

to reposition the state 

education. 

But organised labour has 

rejected the plan, insisting 

that rather than criminalizing 

deficiency by sacking the 

teachers, the state 

government should train 

them and bring them up to 

date. 

Similarly, the party has 

given support to the state 

government to access $350 

million loan to address 

deficiencies in the 

educational sector. 

Addressing journalists in 

Kaduna at the end of an 

expanded meeting of the 

party at the state secretariat, 

a member of the National 

Assembly from the state, 

Garba Datti Muhammad, 

said the party leadership was 

satisfied with the explanation 

given by the state governor 

for the planned and 

recruitment of new teachers 

as well as reasons for the 

loans. 

Muhammad noted that for 

any society to develop, its 

teachers must be up to date 

in their competence, saying: 

“The entire party is satisfied 

with the position of Kaduna 

State Government in 

salvaging primary school 

education in the state, by 

introducing teachers’ 

competency test and also the 

professionalization of 

teaching in the state, devoid 

of politics and firmly 

rejecting the employment of 

unqualified persons as 

teachers. 

"The party agreed that the 

ongoing recruitment of 

teachers must be done 

accordingly without recourse 

to favouritism and irregular 

practices and without 

politicization.” 

On the proposed loan from 

the World Bank, the 

lawmaker said the “party is 

satisfied with the explanation 

of Kaduna State 

Government over the $350 

million loan from World 

Bank and, therefore, 

declared its unflinching 

support to the government 

of Kaduna State under the 

leadership of Malam Nasir 

el-Rufai to access the said 

facility without delay. 

Stop criminalizing 

deficiencies 

—Labour 

Faulting the planned sack, 

General Secretary of 

National Union of Textile, 

Garment and Tailoring 

Workers Nigeria, NUTGTW, 

Comrade Issa Aremu, 

warned that rather than 

“criminalizing deficiency” by 

sacking the teachers, the 

state government should 

train them and bring them 

up to date. 

According to Aremu, 

sacking the teachers was 

“unacceptable and counterproductive, 

dramatizing and 

criminalizing workers’ skill 

gap when what is required 

is skills upgrading and skills 

upgrading is wrong. " 

Forensic audit: Oando 

shareholders laud SEC 

By Nkiruka 

Nnorom 

SHAREHOLDERS of 

Oando Plc have 

commended Securities and 

Exchange Commission, 

SEC, for resolving to 

conduct forensic audit on 

the company based on the 

findings from review of the 

petition brought against the 

company by two of its 

shareholders. 

Following the decision, 

SEC had ordered 

suspension of trading on 

the shares of the company 

pending the conclusion of 

the exercise to protect the 

interest of the shareholders. 

In his reaction, Mr. 

Boniface Okezie, National 

Coordinator of the 

Progressive Shareholders 

Association of Nigeria, 

PSAN, said the decision 

would restore investors’ 

confidence in the capital 

market. 

According to him, it is 

imperative that SEC 

investigate and make 

observations public without 

delay, adding: “All 

bottleneck must be blocked. 

Thorough investigation is 

necessary. All decision must 

be made public.” 

Another shareholder, 

Chief Stephen Ozoloka, 

said the move by SEC has 

further given the needed 

impetus for the capital 

market to thrive based on 

its zero tolerance for 

infraction. 

He noted that the prompt 

decision of the commission 

to put on hold trading on 

the shares of Oando will 

guide against a possible 

run on the value of the 

shares, which would have 

been detrimental to 

members of the company 

in terms of value of their 

holdings.



Hearing on suit against 

proscription of IPOB for Nov 14 

By Emeka Mamah, 

Ikechukwu Nnochiri 

Peter Okutu & 

Dennis Agbo 

ABUJA—THE Federal 

High Court in 

Abuja, yesterday, deferred 

hearing on the suit 

challenging the 

proscription and 

declaration of the 

Indigenous People of 

Biafra, IPOB, as a terrorist 

organisation, 

till November 14. 

The Acting Chief Judge 

of the High Court, Justice 

Abdu Kafarati, who initially 

fixed yesterday to hear the 

matter, was said to be 

absent on an official 

assignment. 

The judge was said to 

have gone for a seminar. 

However, he directed the 

Court Registrar to hand the 

new date to counsel to 

IPOB, Mr. Ifeanyi Ejiofor. 

This came as the Igbo 

Civil Society Coalition, 

ICSCO, has asked Justice 

Binta Nyako of Federal 

High Court, Abuja, to 

summon the Chief of Army 

Staff, Lt. Gen. Turkur 

Bruatai, to answer query on 

the whereabouts of the 

leader of IPOB, Mazi 

Nnamdi Kanu. 

The group said it was 

only the Army that invaded 

Kanu’s house when he was 

on administrative bail, that 

can account for the IPOB 

leader’s disappearance 

after the invasion. 

This is even as former 

governor of old Anambra 

State, Senator Jim 

Nwobodo, has said 

separatist groups such as 

IPOB, and the Movement 

for the Actualisation of the 

Sovereign State of Biafra, 

MASSOB, would fizzle out 

if All Progressives 

Congress, APC, candidate, 

Tony Nwoye, is elected in 

the November 18 Anambra 

governorship polls. 

Proscription 

Recall that the High 

Court had, in a ruling 

on September 20, 

outlawed IPOB on the 

strength of an ex-parte 

motion the Attorney 

General of the Federation 

and Minister of Justice, Mr. 

Abubakar Malami ( SAN), 

filed on behalf of the 

government. 

Justice Kafafati declared 

as illegal, all activities of the 

group, particularly in the 

South-East and South- 

South regions of the 

country. 

He further restrained 

“any person or group of 

persons from participating 

•ICSCO asks court to summon Buratai over Kanu 

•IPOB, MASSOB 'll die when Nwoye wins in Anambra—Nwobodo 

The Catholic Archbishop of Onitsha Archdiocese, His Grace, Most Rev. 

Valerian Okeke (middle) celebrated his 64th birthday in Onitsha prisons, with 

some 700 inmates and officials of the prison, as well as Catholic faithful, at 

Onitsha Prisons. 

in any of the group’s 

activities.” 

The judge directed the 

AGF to ensure that he 

published the order 

proscribing IPOB in the 

official gazette, as well as 

in two national dailies, an 

order the Federal 

Government complied 

with. 

IPOB's suit 

However, the IPOB, in a 

motion it filed pursuant to 

Section 6(6) (1) of the 1999 

Constitution, as amended, 

maintained that the 

proscription order “was 

made without jurisdiction,” 

adding that it was “granted 

against an entity unknown 

to law.” 

IPOB queried the legal 

validity of the order it said 

was surreptitiously 

obtained by the AGF. 

It told the court that there 

was “clear suppression and 

misrepresentation of facts,” 

in the affidavit evidence the 

AGF submitted, upon 

which the order was 

granted. 

It argued that the 

proscription order was 

tantamount to declaring 

over 30 million Nigerians 

of Igbo extraction as 

terrorists. 

Besides, IPOB, which 

sought nullification of the 

proscription order on 13 

grounds, told the court that 

its members do not carry 

arms and have no history 

of arm struggle in the 

exercise of their 

constitutionallyguaranteed 

rights to self 

determination. 

It said: “The Indigenous 

People of Biafra, who are 

mainly of Igbo extraction, 

have no history of violence 

in the exercise of their right 

to self-determination. 

“That prior to and during 

the military invasion of the 

South-Eastern states, 

members of IPOB had 

never at any time resorted 

into arm struggle or engage 

in acts of violence capable 

of threatening the national 

security. 

“That the Federal High 

Court of Nigeria, Per Justice 

Binta Nyako of Court No 

4, had, in its rulings 

delivered on March 1, held 

that IPOB is not an 

unlawful organisation." 

ICSCO’s demand 

Rising from a general 

congress in Enugu, 

weekend, ICSCO’s 

National Coordinator, 

Professor Obasi Igwe, and 

the group’s Convener, 

Mazi Bismark Orji, said it 

was not the duty of Senator 

Enyinnaya Abaribe or any 

other surety of Kanu to 

account for his 

whereabouts, noting that 

“the onus lies on the 

Nigerian Army, who 

invaded his residence in 

defiance of the provisions 

of the law, to tell the world 

the whereabouts of the 

IPOB leader. 

“If Justice Binta Nyako is 

not biased, she ought to 

summon the Chief of Army 

Staff, Lt. Gen Tukur Buratai, 

to explain to the court why 

he acted in contempt of her 

court knowing that Nnamdi 

Kanu’s case was pending 

before her court and that the 

Army had no role 

whatsoever in the judicial 

process. 

“We demand that all those 

who were killed, wounded, 

tortured, extorted, 

assaulted or had their 

businesses destroyed 

during Operation Python 

Dance II in Igboland be 

accounted for and 

adequate compensations 

paid to the victims or the 

families of those killed. 

“In the same vein, the 

Nigerian Army has the 

moral obligation of fishing 

out the culprits who carried 

out the premeditated 

invasion of the NUJ 

Secretariat in Umuahia 

and unprovoked assault on 

the journalists as promised. 

“We demand that 

commensurate 

compensations be paid to 

NUJ, Umuahia and the 

victims.” 

Nwobodo 

On his part, Nwobodo, 

who is the chairman of 

APC’s committee on 

Anambra Elections, who 

spoke in an interview with 

Vanguard in Enugu, noted 

that Igbo youths’ 

complaining over 

marginalisation and lack of 

jobs will be settled if Nwoye 

emerged governor of 

Anambra State. 

His words: “The battle for 

the November 18 

governorship election in 

Anambra State will be 

between APC, All 

Progressive Grand 

Alliance, APGA, and the 

Peoples Democratic Party, 

PDP. 

“I am happy that as I 

speak to you, all aspirants 

who contested the 

primaries have teamed up 

to work for Nwoye, a 

grassroots man, a mobiliser 

and hard-working. 

“APC believes that the 

country is standing on a 

tripod and that the tripod 

is not complete because the 

South-East is not part of 

this government; since only 

the North and the South- 

West are there, the South- 

East should join APC for 

the tripod to be complete.” 

Abia govt, ASNA take 

Made-in-Aba to USA 

By Oboh 

Agbonkhese 

AS part of Governor 

Okezie Ikpeazu’s 

campaign for promoting 

Made-in-Aba products, 

Abia State government 

and Abia State National 

Association, U.S.A. and 

North America, ASNA- 

NA, showcased the 

potentials and quality of 

Aba products to the 

international community 

during the association’s 

national convention in 

New York City, USA. 

The event saw many 

designers, such as 

Chumar, and thousands 

of products shipped in 

from Aba on display, with 

models on the runway, 

adorning Aba-made 

designs. 


Special Assistant to the 

Abia State Governor on 

Diaspora Matters, Mr. 

John Ndubuisi, all the 

outfits on display were 

sold out and orders 

placed, noting that 

By Emeka Mamah 

E NUGU—THE 

Interim Chairman 

of Nsukka Local 


Enugu State, Dr. Ejike 

Asadu, has predicted 

victory for Peoples 


and Governor Ifeanyi 

Ugwuanyi in the 2019 

elections in Enugu State. 

Asadu, who spoke in 

Nsukka, said All 


APC, will not win 10 

percent of the votes in 

Enugu State in view of 

the hardship being 

experienced by 

Nigerians, especially 

Ndigbo, who were being 

punished for 

complaining about 

By Chinenye Ozor 

THE Area Command 

Station Officer of 

Nsukka, Enugu State, 

Mike Odoh, was among 

the Police officers 

promoted to various 

ranks. 

Odoh, who was 

promoted Assistant 

Superintendent of Police, 

in a ceremony in 

appreciation of the new 

rank, thanked the 

Inspector General of 

Police, the state's 

Commissioner of Police 

and the Area 

Made-in-Aba designs will 

soon be competing in the 

American market. 

He added that with the 

clamour for restructuring, 

Abia State Government is 

working to grow the local 

economy, provide 

employment, empower 

skilled artisans and boost 

internally-generated 

revenue, stressing that Aba, 

dubbed The Japan of 

Africa for its 

entrepreneurial ingenuity, 

creativity, fabrication and 

manufacturing, deserves 

international spotlight. 

The two-day event, 

which ended with a gala 

night, also saw delegates 

electing new executives, 

sworn in by the past 

President, Dr. Chris Ike, to 

run ASNA-NA for the next 

four years. 

The newly-elected 

President, Chief 

Ngwakwe Agburuike, 

assured the Association 

that his team shall 

continually push for 

agenda of mutual benefits 

for ASNA-NA and Abia. 

LG boss predicts 

victory for PDP in 2019 

marginalisation. 

He said Governor 

Ugwuanyi had, by his 

prudent management of 

resources, constructed 

roads as well as carried out 

other infrastructure 

development, even as civil 

servants were being 

promptly paid their 

salaries. 

On the activities of his 

local government, Asadu 

said the greatest problem 

facing the council was 

payment of primary school 

teachers’ salaries and gully 

erosion, which had been 

wreaking havoc in the 

town. 

He added that majority 

of the teachers earned 

from grade levels nine and 

16, taking about 80 percent 

of all monthly allocations. 

Promoted officer lauds IG 

Commander, Nsukka, 

assuring them of total 

commitment in the 

discharge of his duties. 

Reacting, chairman 

Police Community 

Relations Committee, 

PCRC, Mr. Dominic 

Ezema, commended the 

Area Commander, 

Nsukka, Steve Yabanet, for 

lowering the rate of crime 

in the university town. 

While applauding the 

Inspector-General of Police 

on the promotions of 

officers, he tasked the 

newly-promoted officers on 

dedication to duty.


AVIATION WORKSHOP: From left— Commissioner, Accident Investigation Bureau, Engr. 

Akin Olateru; MD/CEO, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA, Captain Fola Akinkuotu; Deputy 

Regional Director, International Civil Aviation Organisation, ICAO Regional Office, Dakar, Senegal, Mr. 

Prosper Zo'o Minto'o; Technical Officer, Air Navigation Bureau, ICAO Headquarters, Montreal, Canada, 

Ms Olga Defrutes; DG, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, Captain Muhtar Usman, and Director, 

ICAO Air Navigation Bureau, ICAO Headquarters, Montreal, Canada, Mr. Stephen Creamer, at the NCAA- 

ICAO Global Air Navigation Plan workshop for aviation agencies' CEOs, at NCAA Annex, Murtala 

Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, yesterday. 

PAPAL'S KNIGHT: From left— Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State; Vice-Chancellor, 

Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Anambra State, Sir. Fidelis Okafor; Bishop of Awka 

Diocese, Most Rev. Paulinus Ezeokafor, and Papal’s Knight celebrant, Sir. Chike Akunyili, at the 

investiture of Sir Akunyili as Papal's Knight by his Holiness, Pope Francis I, at St. Patrick's Cathedral, 

Awka, Anambra State. 

LUTH AWARDS: From left— Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee, Lagos University Teaching 

Hospital, LUTH, Professor Femi Fasomade; Chief Medical Director, LUTH, Professor Chris Bode; 

Head, Regional Trade and Regulatory Affairs, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Miss Mojisola Akpata, and Minister 

of State for Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, during the LUTH Annual Amity Award in Lagos. 

:Vanguard :@vanguardnews :@vanguardnewsN E W S 

Political roles should be 

created for monarchs 

—Ogwu 

By Tare Youdeowei 

ABOH—AJIE John 

Ogwu, has said that 

political roles should be 

created for traditional rulers 

in view of their immense 

contributions to peace and 

progress at the grassroots 

level. 

He made this known 

while speaking at the 44th 

anniversary of Obi of Aboh, 

His Highness, Macaulay 

Ogwu Olise Imegwu, at the 

headquarters of Ndokwa 

East LGA in Delta State. 

The Port Harcourt based 

businessman said: “The 

Obi of Aboh is a man of 

peace who has attracted a 

lot of development to Aboh 

kingdom. The building of 

a general hospital, 

secondary schools, 

construction of Aboh road 

and other developmental 

activities in the community 

FGC Ogbomoso old students 

move to transform alma mata 

By Gabriel 

Olawale 

L AGOS—FEDERAL 

Government College 

Ogbomoso Old Students 

Association, 

FEGOCOOSA, has 

announced a 365-day plan 

to deliver various projects 

and initiatives in 

commemoration of the 40th 

anniversary of their school. 

Established in 1977 with 

12 others designated as 

unity schools, as part of 

programs to foster unity 

among the various ethnic 

groups, Federal 

Government College 

Ogbomoso is now one of 

the leading 104 Unity 

Schools spread across the 

country. 

Speaking at a press 

conference to kick start the 

Family Booster holds annual 

married & singles confab 

By Olayinka Latona 

LAGOS—A 

nondenominational 

ministry, Family Booster 

Ministry has concluded 

plans to organize its annual 

Lagos Singles and Married 

Conference holding on 

Sunday, October 29, at the 

Indoor Sports Hall of the 

National Stadium, 

Surulere, Lagos. 

The President of the 

ministry, Pastor Bisi 

Adewale said that the 

conference is focused on 

equipping the married and 

singles, especially the 

youths in Nigeria with 

positive information in 

every area of their lives 

which include spiritual 

development, promoting 

healthy marriage, building 

have all been under his 

reign. His strategic 

engagement with the 

youths and oil companies 

which had resulted in 

peaceful atmosphere for 

investment and 

development, as well as the 

absence of youth 

restiveness or the blowing 

of oil pipelines in Ndokwa 

nation, are part of the 

positive contributions of the 

Aboh monarch. 

“Based on these 

achievements it would be 

a great disservice to the 

nation to limit the 

developmental efforts of the 

king to the local 

community. Youths, do well 

to imbibe the virtues of hard 

work, honesty and diligence 

which are the hallmarks of the 

Aboh king. We should continue 

to support the King in moving 

Aboh community forward so that 

more modern amenities can be 

attracted to the community.” 

Ogwu implored. 

Anniversary, the Global 

President of the 

Association, Mrs Jaiyesimi 

Yetunde said, “FGC 

Ogbomoso has produced 

some of the brightest minds 

in and outside Nigeria and 

its 40th anniversary is a 

unique opportunity for us 

to explore new ways of 

partnering with 

Government and other 

stakeholders to improve the 

quality of education and 

living standards in the school, 

especially as resources available 

to the Education sector have 

continued to dwindle.” 

The theme of the 40th 

Anniversary is “Celebrating a 

Legacy of Friendship and Nation 

Building” and the first phase of 

activities will hold on the school 

premises from Friday, 27 – Sunday, 

October 29, 2017. 

good relationships, 

academic, career, 

association and others. 

He said that the 

programme tagged: ‘Great 

Marriage’ is poised to 

bring together thousands of 

singles and married people 

from across the country and 

enlighten them on the 

principles of great marriage 

adding that the programme 

has become an annual 

event that has been 

inspiring and transforming. 

In his words: “The focus of this 

conference is to talk about Great 

Marriage. We have poor marriage, 

turbulent marriage, a good 

marriage and great marriage. We 

will be opening the eyes of people 

to the difference between a good 

and great marriage and how to 

build a great marriage.”

What is wrong with Buratai's army? 

THE Nigerian Army has of 

late been behaving like 

what Max Siollun in his 

classic "Soldiers Of Fortune" 

called "a government-inwaiting". 

I saw on Channels 

TV on Saturday an 

advertisement by the Chief of 

Army Staff, Lt Gen. Tukur 

Buratai on his proposed 

"empowerment programme for 

internally displaced persons". 

I tried to get it but I couldn't. 

IDPs are in camps where they 

have no access to 

television.This ad vert is 

therefore not for them. Is 

Buratai contesting elections 

and wants to win 

voters'hearts? 

I saw the same Army Chief 

on BBC "Hard Talk" a few 

months ago and wondered 

what he was doing there. We 

can understand a former 

commander-in-chief exposing 

himself to all kinds of assault 

on such a hot seat,but a 

serving Chief beats all 

imaginations. Well, a former 

Chief of the same Army in his 

farewell in 1993 said it had 

become "an army of anything 

is possible". It is now 24 years 

after he spoke and a lot of dirty 

water has since passed under 

the damaged bridge. 

The way the Army has been 

gaining visibility lately 

reminds one of 1983 when the 

Shagari government sent 

solders to north-eastern 

border region to prevent 

infiltration by armed rebels 

from the neighbouring 

republic of Chad. The exercise 

was successful as the Major- 

General Muhammadu Buhari 

-led troops cleared the 

Chadians from the border area 

and advanced several 

kilometres into the Chadian 

territory. The civil authority 

ordered the troops back but the 

falcon could no longer hear 

the falconer.The troops only 

returned after Shagari enlisted 

superior officers Lt Generals 

Jalo and Wushishi to order a 

pull back. Shagari regime 

became history a few months 

after. 

Less I am accused of crying 

wolf where there is none, let 

me state that General Ibrahim 

Babangida has trained us to 

watch our men's actions when 

he confessed : 

"We could have toppled that 

government in 1982, before the 

(1983) elections. But then, we 

said no, because the people 

might go against us. We knew 

damn well that they were not 

going to conduct that elections 

freely and fairly, and, 

A woman jumps over a school fence to take her child in Anambra State 

therefore,we waited for the 

right time.You see, to stage a 

coup,there is one basic 

element that everybody looks 

for; there must be frustration 

in the society. So, by 1983 

when we voted, everybody 

was not happy ; there were 

complaints over this and that. 

;and the frustration built 

gradually.We found the coup 

easier when there was 

frustration in the land (Femi 

Ahmed. Domkat: A Biography 

of Domkat Bali,Page 134) 

What occupied the 

conspirators against Shagari 

in the intervening period was 

"coup baiting" a term 

employed to describe 

preparations for a coup by civil 

and military political opinion. 

In his memoir Beckoned To 

Serve, Shagari accused Gen. 

Obasanjo of being part of the 

"coup baiting " by criticising 

him in order to incite the 

military against him. Gen. 

Babangida confirmed this 

charge and that they reached 

Obasanjo with a promise to 

make him Head of State when 

plotting the coup : 

"It is true. But to be fair to 

General Obasanjo, he rejected 

the offer (to be made Head of 

state). He said it would 

destroy his integrity. That he 

handed over to Shagari and 

that it is not right for him to 

get involved. But he 

(Obasanjo) said he was not 

stopping us from going 

ahead"(Pointblanknews, 25 

January 2008). 

I have gone this length as 

pertinent background to the 

embarrassment the Nigerian 

Army is causing the 

government at present and for 

which no one is calling them 

to order. And this has to do 

with the unsolicited "medical 

mission" our men in green 

In his memoir 

"Beckoned To 

Serve", Shagari 

accused Gen. 

Obasanjo of being 

part of the "coup 

baiting " by 

criticising him in 

order to incite the 

military against 

him. Gen. 

Babangida 

confirmed this 

charge and that 

they reached 

Obasanjo with a 

promise to make 

him Head of State 

when plotting the 

coup 

have embarked upon which is 

causing panic in the land. 

From the entire South East 

through Rivers,en route Ondo 

and down to Borno states we 

have seen worrying images of 

school children "pick am for 

Vanguard, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2017 —17 

race" at the rumours that 

soldiers were approaching 

their schools to vaccinate 

them. Parents are not left out 

as they rush to schools to take 

their children home. I saw a 

woman scaling a fence that 

even men will have difficulty 

climbing in order to get hold 

of her child. 

Rumours have spread across 

cities that the Army was 

carrying out vaccinations 

aimed at killing school 

children by injecting them 

with the latest affliction in 

town-monkey pox.The rumour 

went further that there was a 

plan to reduce the population 

of certain sections of the 

country. Given the recent 

Operation Python Dance 

which allegedly inflicted 

horrors in the South East and 

"Operation Crocodile Smile" in 

South West and South- 

South,which has reportedly 

claimed some casualties in 

South West,the rumours 

became some referendum on 

the loss of faith in the Nigerian 

state. 

Explanation by the Military 

In Enugu, that the free 

medical outreach was not 

aimed at depopulating the 

region fell on deaf ears . 

Deputy Director, Public 

Relations, 82 Division, Enugu, 

Col. Sagir Musa (Sagir Musa 

!) in a statement on said the 

free medical outreach, being 

conducted by the army as part 

of Operation Python Dance 2, 

“was not harmful to anyone”. 

The statement read: “The free 

medical outreach is not a 

vaccine intended to infect 

South-East people with 

monkey pox or any major 

contemporary or emerging 

disease. 

“The exercise is part of the 

corporate social responsibility 

initiatives imbued into the 

overall Exercise EGWU EKE 

11 (Operation Python Dance 

2) package to the people of the 

South-East region which is the 

area of responsibility of the 82 

Division, Nigerian Army, and 

is also the theatre of the 

exercise. 

“Instructively, the free 

medical services in the region 

started on September 18, 2017, 

in Nkwaagu community of 

Abakaliki Local Government 

Area of Ebonyi State. 

“The wicked, ill-motivated 

rumour is the handiwork of 

unpatriotic elements who can 

go to any lengths to discredit 

the noble services of the 

Nigerian Army in the region, 

and they will not succeed. 

“The public is hereby 

requested to disregard the 

wicked rumour for the good of 

the people.” 

The rumour mongers of 

course succeeded because the 

Nigerian state already lost 

credibility with the people. 

The idea of medical mission 

by the military is not totally 

alien. It is usually done by the 

military in conflict situation for 

civil populace when it is 

difficult for medical personnel 

to reach such places. And that 

has to be with the permission 

of authorities in the areas 

concerned .There is no such 

situation in most of the 

communities the exercise had 

been carried out. And that 

there was no consultation with 

local authorities with the 

statement issued by the 

Anambra Government when 

the panic hit the state. 

Anambra State government 

spoke on the incident, through 

the Secretary to the State 

Government, SSG, Professor 

Solo Chukwulobelu, directing 

the suspension of the exercise 

so that the people would be 

made to understand that it was 

part of Army’s social 

responsibility to members of 

the public. “Strong 

apprehension among the 

populace has followed the 

exercise leading to withdrawal 

of students from schools by 

parents, misconception of the 

actual motive behind the 

exercise by stakeholders, 

community leaders and a 

general reservation by the 

public for whom the outreach 

is intended". 

“To this end and to ensure 

no further escalation of the 

situation, His Excellency the 

Governor, Chief Willie Obiano 

has contacted the Army 

Authorities and advised for 

immediate stoppage of the 

medical outreach until wide 

sensitisation is conducted to 

reassure people of its 

intentions and benefits. The 

exercise has therefore been 

put on hold." 

How would an Army that has 

been accused of shooting at 

people, soaking them in mud 

and beating people blue and 

black not expect the people to 

believe the worst rumour 

about it when it suddenly turns 

to "medical missioners" in the 

midst of hostile operations 

against locals? 

A sensitive Army should 

have suspended this operation 

immediately,especially when 

it is not the country's Health 

Ministry. And if it cannot read 

the mood of the public,the 

political authorities should 

order a call-off. 

The Army has however 

stubbornly continued with the 

exercise.I saw its spokesman 

on Channels TV on Thursday 

defending the exercise and 

vowing they will fish out the 

rumour mongers and punish 

them. I shook my head that 

this gentleman was not getting 

the message.The point is that 

a wide segment of the 

populace are showing hatred 

for the government and its 

military is being seen as an 

army of occupation. The 

spontaneous revolt by 

students, parents and 

guardians shows forfeiture of 

confidence. The more 

assurance the government 

offers, the stronger the public 

hostility.? 

The question that is not 

being asked is why should the 

army insist on giving medical 

service to a public that says it 

does not want? Is the military 

in charge that nobody can call 

it to order? Can't the 

government see it now has a 

lot to do to win back the trust 

of the people? 

I just don't get it! 

C 

M 

Y 

K

18 — Vanguard, TUESDAY,OCTOBER 24, 2017 

Time to check adverse 

revenue drives 

Amidst increasing pressures on the 

three levels of government to increase 

revenue generation, albeit, non-oil for 

the federal government and Internally 

Generated Revenue, IGR, for states and 

local governments, more unintended 

negative consequences are surfacing. 

Many observers and affected stakeholders 

have lamented the aggression by 

revenue agencies of the various governments. 

Their method, most times, 

borders on abuse of power and excessive 

use of force resulting in violation 

of citizens’ rights. 

We are particularly concerned with 

small business category, micro, small 

and medium scale enterprises, MSMEs. 

The importance of this group to the 

economy, especially at a critical time like 

this , cannot be over emphasised. All 

over the world, this category of businesses 

is the engine of growth and largest 

employer of labour. Nigeria cannot 

afford to pull down this economic power 

house for whatever reason. 

Current statistics show that about 

400,000 of the estimated 37 million operators 

in this segment are registered 

with the Corporate Affairs Commission, 

CAC. A first step towards formalisation 

of business and entering the tax net. Out 

of the figure, only an estimated 

170,000 are in the tax net. It was 

against the backdrop of this abysmal 

record that the Federal Inland Revenue 

Service, FIRS, in fighting the federal 

government’s non-oil revenue war, 

boasted that it would bring an additional 

700,000 companies into the tax net. 

At the states and local governments 

levels, the situation is more serious. 

Local village markets and farm lands 

are invaded to forcefully collect tax from 

women traders and individuals. 

We unequivocally condemn this unconventional 

method of generating revenue, 

particularly resort to aggression. 

We appreciate the importance of tax 

collection to governments at the three 

tiers and the need for citizens to perform 

this civic obligation, we however 

call for decorum and consideration for 

the larger economic interest. 

Thugs and sundry unemployed individuals 

should not be hired for tax collection. 

Paying such people on percentage 

of targets delivered can create 

lawless and chaotic revenue mobilisation 

environment. This should be 

checked. The overall economic end dictates 

that the larger interest can be 

served better when tax measures complement, 

rather than subvert business 

development, especially at the MSME 

levels. 

Tax defaults are responses to unfriendly 

regimes and strategies. The harsh 

economic realities have made businesses 

not to subject themselves to tax burdens. 

Many of them were company names 

abandoned by the promoters over outstanding 

tax obligations, and have gone 

to register new companies in order to 

continue their businesses. 

We recommend that governments at 

all levels should be more aggressive 

with tax holidays and grant amnesty to 

deserving small businesses that default 

. It is better for the economy to 

have these businesses running than 

folding up because of tax burdens. 

MY guess is like yours when I 

read a recent report that the 

Senate is to probe the Nigerian 

National Petroleum Corporation, 

the NNPC.I can’t tell the outcome 

of the Senate probe this time but 

like many probes conducted by the 

National Assembly I don’t have 

much anxiety at all. Thirty-Seven 

years ago, I was anxious about such 

a probe. On December 12, 1979, I 

covered the sitting of the House of 

Representatives and a motion was 

brought by Mr. Dagogo Princewill 

(Degema) and Mr. Fola Omidiji 

(Egba Alake Constituency) to probe 

the NNPC. Following a report that 

certain money was stolen in the 

Corporation. 

The Speaker of the House then, 

Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke (1935- 

2011) from Nnewi in the present 

Anambra state ruled both of them 

out of order. He then asked the two 

members to bring a substantive 

motion for deliberations. 

On January 15 1980, Prince 

Dagogo Princewill brought a fresh 

motion to probe the NNPC. He said 

“My enquiry has revealed, Sir, that 

in this Company there are no 

adequate personnel especially in 

the field of accounting and internal 

audit. I understand too, Sir, that 

people are being scared away for 

one reason or the other because 

they do not come from a particular 

part of this great country and also, 

Sir, because they do not belong, or 

because they were not ex-students 

of a particular institution. As a 

result of this, Sir, well qualified 

people left their jobs in this 

Corporation. I am told, Sir, that one 

Mallam M.Y. Wanka,from Bauchi 

State, a qualified Chartered 

Accountant, was the only one in the 

Audit Department. He was 

frustrated, and he had to leave, and 

today, he is in the Nigerian 

National Supply Company as a 

NNPC’s endless probe 

Representative/Agent in their 

London Office. Even as at today, Sir, 

there are only four qualified 

Chartered Accountants in that 

Company. 

Mr Speaker, Sir, members of the 

profession of which I am one are 

very difficult to get—I mean the 

Chartered Accountants. A 

Corporation of the magnitude of 

the NNPC should have gone to the 

Nigerian labour market and tried 

its best to get these people. Instead 

of that, Sir, there are only four 

Accountants, two in the audit 

department and two in the main 

accounts department. For a 

Corporation of this magnitude, this 

is grossly inadequate. The four 

Chartered Accountants are not 

even sufficient in one department 

not to talk of the whole 

Corporation. A Corporation of this 

standard should get at least twenty 

Chartered Accountants. I am also 

told that the service condition is 

very bad in this Corporation, and 

the service condition has made 

good people to run away from this 

Corporation. 

Now, Sir, the audit report as given 

by an internationally recognised 

and reputable firm of Chartered 

Accountants, disclosed that they 

were unable to confirm or find any 

justifiable reason for the 

misappropriation of N2.8billion. 

This is very serious. In this country, 

we are told that the Press is the 

watchdog of the nation. During the 

Army regime it was very difficult, if 

not impossible, to investigate this 

matter. Now it is falling on our 

shoulders to do this onerous task. I 

would like to commend the Punch 

Group of newspapers who were 

able to tell us what was happening 

in this Corporation, but they were 

On March 31 1980, 

Chief Ezeoke told the 

House that “I think I 

would seize this 

opportunity to 

congratulate ourselves 

for the progress we have 

made so far in respect of 

the investigation of the 

missing N2.8 billion in 

the NNPC 

unable to investigate further what 

had happened to N2.8billion. 

Either as a result of inefficiency or 

misappropriation, this amount is 

unaccounted for”. 

Other members who contributed 

to the debate were Mr. O. Akinboro 

(Oke-Ona/Owu/Gbaguar), Mr. 

M.O. Ugwu (Udi), Dr. E.J. Sowho 

(Ethiope North), Mr Debo Akande 

(Ibadan North), Mr Gbadebo 

Adewumi (Osogbo South), 

Professor Opayemi Ola (Ekiti 

West), Mr Abubakar Audu (Anpa 

South), Prince Awa Ekpo (Eket II), 

Mr. Charles Adigwe (Awka), Mr 

E.D.N. Nwandu (Mbaitoli), Alhaji 

Sanda Kunduga (Kunduga), Dr 

Junaid Mohammed (Kano West 

Ward) and the leader of the House 

then, Alhaji Yinusa Kaltungo 

(Tangale-Waja South). 

At the end of the day, the House 

set up a Committee to probe the 

NNPC. Alhaji Yinusa Kaltungo 

declared “the motion standing in 

my name read: That in accordance 

with House Resolution 48 of 15th, 

1980 the Special Committee on the 


Corporation should be made up of 

15 Members to be composed as 

follows: 6 Members of the NPN, 4 

Members of the UPN, 3 Members 

of the NPP, 1 Member of the PRP 

and 1 Member of the GNPP. The 

Motion was seconded by Mr Jimoh 

Damisa(Adabbi/Okehi). 

After the motion, two members 

spoke again. They are Mallam Sidi 

Ali (Dambata) and Dr. Junaid 

Mohammed (Kano West Ward). 

Dr Junaid declared,”Another 

thing is that we have to subpoena 

the Council Memo which was 

written and submitted to the 

Council asking for a 

transformation of the NNOC into 

the NNPC. These are very vital 

documents and vital personalities. 

Another person will be the former 

Chief Internal Auditor who has 

resigned and is now in Britain as 

the Representatives of the Nigeria 

National Supply Company. We 

have got to summon some of these 

people. It is absolutely important, 

Sir, that you co-opt more people as 

the Speaker of this House in order 

to make this Committee’s work 

succeed, otherwise, we are up 

against a very powerful clique. The 

Senate has been sitting on the Bill 

sent by the President to discuss and 

re-organise the NNPC. This gives 

us room for enormous suspicion 

and I think it is absolutely 

important we know the enormity of 

the task before us so that we do not 

deceive ourselves. Mr. Speaker, Sir, 

we may find that the Committee 

with all its intentions may be a 

worthless exercise. I want to add 

that we deal with it with all 

seriousness”. 

On February 4 1980, the 

committee was inaugurated by 

Chief Ezeoke and it was headed by 

my friend, Dr. James Taribo Sekibo 

(1939-2013) (Bonny II)) who later 

became the Odo-Abaji of Canoe 

House in Okrika, Rivers State. 

On March 31 1980, Chief Ezeoke 

told the House that “I think I would 

seize this opportunity to 

congratulate ourselves for the 

progress we have made so far in 

respect of the investigation of the 

missing N2.8 billion in the NNPC. 

(Applause) Following the events of 

the last week and the newspaper 

publications, the stand of this 

House in respect of the 

misappropriation of N2.8 billion 

by whoever it might be in this 

country, has now been fully justified. 

(Applause) I will maintain that the 

investigation must continue. We 

must satisfy the aspirations of the 

people who elected us into this 

august Assembly. I must maintain 

that we must not be a successful 

victim of any blackmail, any 

subversion, and any attempt by 

inside and outside sources to 

impede sources to impede the 

continuation of this investigation. 

Continues Online@ 

www. vanguardngr.com

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Rep signifies major changes underway 

in oil sector 

By Udeme Akpan 

THE Nigerian National Pe 

troleum Corporation 

(NNPC) may have started measures 

towards selling the 

nation’s old refineries, as well 

as withdrawal of licences from 

inactive investors in the sector. 

Mr. Joseph Akinlaja, Chairman, 

House of Representatives 

Committee on Petroleum Resources 

Downstream disclosed 

these at the 11th edition of Oil 

Trading and Logistics (OTL) 

Africa Downstream Week in 

Lagos yesterday. 

He stated: “I am aware of 

plans to announce new investors 

for the nation’s refineries; 

withdrawal of idle refining licenses 

from investors; and 

$400m part- payment to IOCs 

(International Oil Companies) 

to settle outstanding Joint-Venture 

cash call debts.” 

Akinlaja also said that the gas 

sector is experiencing a high 

demand underpinned by the 

growth of diverse demands (industrial, 

domestic, nuclear and 

power generation). 

He stated: “The sector is repositioning 

Nigeria from being 

among the top gas flaring countries 

in the world to being the 

most aggressive in gas utilization 

growth. “Robust growth in 

the last five years has delivered 

a rich gas sector portfolio that 

should generate significant income 

for the country in the future 

as well as fuel for the rapid 

industrialisation of the 

economy. I think these are 

progress that should be acknowledged.” 

But Akinlaja noted some shortcomings 

in the current fuel 

pricing regime when he stated: 

“NNPC needs to be run as a 

business so they must begin to 

$124.70 -0.14 

$ 2,124.00-14.00 

$13.95 -0.05 

$14. 71 

$57.61 -0.14 

$52.01 -0.17 

CURRENCY BUYING SELLING 

US DOLLAR 304.65 305.15 305.65 

POUNDS 401. 6506 402.3098 402.969 

EURO 359. 9744 360.5652 361. 156 

FRANC 310. 2974 310.8067 311.316 

YEN 2.6917 2.6961 2.7006 

CFA 0.5265 0.5365 0.5465 

WAUA 428. 5828 429.2862 429.9896 

RENMINBI 46. 0187 46.0947 46. 1707 

RIYAL 81.2313 81.3647 81.498 

SDR 430.2877 430. 9939 431.7001 

RAND 22. 3023 22.3389 22.3755 

CBN Exchange rate as at 23/10/2017 

move the market to a point 

where private sector operators 

are more involved. If the country 

achieves that, everybody will 

compete and have a longer 

term view of the market from 

an investment standpoint. 

“When 50 per cent or more of 

From left: Chairman Board of Trustees, Transportation Growth Initiative(TGI) Dr. Aminu 

Yusuf; General Manager, Sterling Bank Plc, Mr. Tunde Adeola with Chairman Senate Committee 

on Land Transportatoin, Senator Gbenga Ashafa, during the 2nd Transportation Growth 

Initiative International Conference in Abuja recently. 

Vanguard, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2017 — 19 

products are being brought in by 

marketers, there will be more 

activity in the sector, jobs will be 

created and more taxes will be 

paid to the government.” 

Transcorp returns to profitability, records 

N9.04bn PBT 


TRANSNATIONAL Corpora 

tion of Nigeria Plc 

(Transcorp), has returned to profitability 

in its financial results for 

the third quarter, 2017 (Q3’17), 

recording N9.04billion Profit Before 

Tax , as against a loss of N12.7 

billion in Q3 2016. 

The company’s group Profit After 

Tax (PAT), in the Q3‘17 showed 

a 158 per cent Year-on-Year (YoY) 

growth to N8.2 billion. 

Transcorp recorded a Q3‘17 

revenue of N56.76 billion, showing 

a 35 percent growth from 

N41.92 billion. The company’s 

Net Finance Cost for Q3‘17 stood 

at N7.77billion, down from 

N24.37billion in Q3‘16. The 

company’s Q3‘17 Profit After Tax 

of N 8.19billion represents a 158 

per cent YoY growth from loss of 

(N14.21billion) in Q3‘16 and Total 

Comprehensive Income of 

N10.1billion compared to loss of 

(N13.81billion) in Q3‘16 . 

Company’s Total Assets also 

grew to N287 billion, up from 

N232billion as at 31 December 

2016 while Shareholders Fund 

grew to N97billion up from 

N86bilion as at December 2016. 

Commenting on the result, the 

President and Chief Executive 

Officer, Transcorp Plc Mr. Adim 

Jibunoh stated: “Our Q3 2017 

performance highlights a significant 

improvement from full year 

2016. This result was achieved 

largely through improved and sustained 

production capacity in the 

power business as a result of improvements 

in gas supply amongst 

other initiatives and the positive outlook 

in our hospitality business. 

“Our power plant has consistently 

ranked as the number one power 

producer in the country for Q3 2017 

and we are on track for a stronger 

performance in Q4 2017, as we 

progress plans to increase our available 

capacity. “In addition, improvements 

in general economic activity 

in Abuja (on the back of implementation 

of FY 2017 budget) and return 

to operations of newly upgraded 

room stocks will boost occupancy 

and top line performance for 

Transcorp Hotels in Q4 2017.” 

Why banks, 

finance 

houses fail 

— FundTrust boss 

By Nwabueze Okonkwo 

AT the backdrop of a history 

of success in financial services, 

Managing Director of 

FundTrust Multipurpose Cooperative 

Society, Chief Silas 

Ifeanyi, has identified fraud and 

lack of skills in financial management 

as the major causes of 

crashes among some financial 

institutions in the country. 

But he regretted that most of 

the financial institutions owned 

by both governments and individuals 

or groups have either 

closed down or are fragile thereby 

filtering away huge sums of depositors 

and investors monies. 

He therefore urged the Federal 

Government to regulate the financial 

market properly to avoid 

becoming a free for all comers. 

He also noted that for a financial 

institution to survive and 

carry its customers along, it must 

have core values which borders 

on empowerment, protection of 

customers/money, adequate 

skills, integrity and adequate 

capital devoid of relying on customers/deposits. 

Ifeanyi said however that his 

company has demonstrated 

enough integrity and trust in the 

last three years they have 

been in operation, hence the 

huge confidence reposed on 

them by their ever increasing 

customers. 

He said in the last three years , 

they have moved from one 

branch to 10 branches located 

in various markets in and around 

Onitsha metropolis with about 

150 staff and 5,000 customers, out 

of which about 2,000 of them are 

currently on their loan scale. 

He stated: “ Our customers are 

the reason we are here.We tailor 

our businesses towards the need 

of our customers.. This has 

worked out for us here In three 

years, we have broken even. We 

intend to expand beyond Onitsha 

to Enugu, Abuja, Lagos, where 

we will be partnering with the 

locals. We are planning to introduce 

ATM cards. We have plan 

to take the business bigger 

than what we are doing now” he 

said. 

Group commends INTELS’ Chairman for move to resolve NPA dispute 

THE Nigerian Importers Integrity As 

sociation (NIIA) has commended 

the Chairman of INTELS Nigeria Limited, 

Mr. Gabriele Volpi, for intervening 

in the dispute between his company and 

the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) over 

remittances into the Treasury Single Account 

(TSA). 

While NPA had insisted that all funds 

collected on its pilotage agency agreement 

be remitted into the account, 

INTELS had argued that such directive 

was in violation of the terms of its contract. 

The stalemate led NPA to terminate 

the 10-year pilotage agreement contract 

with INTELS. 

The cancellation of the contract has 

generated controversies across different 

segments of the Nigerian society. 

However, Volpi , who had been out of 

the country for a while came in last week 

describing INTELS as a committed development 

partner to Nigeria, adding that 

he would do everything possible to ensure 

amicable resolution of the crisis. 

Volpi stated: “We intend to comply 

with the directive of government 

and transfer all the revenue to the 

TSA because we are a law-abiding 

company.” 

He also allayed fears that the company 

would pull out its investment 

in the Badagry deep seaport project. 

“We are committed to cooperating 

with the government and NPA in the 

development of Nigeria’s maritime 

sector and this includes the Badagry 

deep seaport.” 

Reacting to the development, NIIA 

President, Godwin Onyekachi, commended 

Mr. Volpi for the peace 

move. 

Onyekachi stated: “Mr. Volpi’s 

intervention is a mark of good leadership. 

It will save a lot of jobs and 

restore investor confidence in Nigeria. 

Disputes are bound to arise 

in commercial transactions of this 

nature ad it is the responsibility of 

concerned parties to shift grounds 

so as to arrive at an amicable resolution.” 

Speaking separately, a development 

Economist, Dr. Austin Nweze and leading 

financial analyst, Dr. Ken Igboanugo said 

the lingering NPA-INTELS face-off was a 

bad signal to Foreign Direct Investment 

(FDI). According to Nweze, “The government 

decision will send wrong signal to 

foreign investors who want to invest or those 

who would have wanted to do more than 

they have done because they know government 

can wake up one day to terminate the 

contract without recourse to the law and 

agreement of the contract. 

“Government is gradually destroying the 

economy with every of its action. International 

community take note of all contractual 

action and the irony is that we travel 

abroad asking investors to come and invest 

but what will they invest for when simple 

agreement cannot be adhered to.” 

On his part, Dr. Igboanugo, said NPA 

should take all necessary steps to resolve 

the dispute amicably in order to encourage 

investment in the country.

20 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2017 

By Kingsley Adegboye 

Following the ongoing 

national campaign to 

eliminate lead from paints in 

Nigeria, environment 

stakeholders who gathered at 

the formal release to the public, 

the study on lead solvent-based 

paints for home use in Nigeria 

under the auspices of 

International POPs Elimination 

Network (IPEN), in Lagos 

weekend by Sustainable 

Research and Action for 

Environmental Development 

(SRADev), an NGO, have 

called for urgent adoption of a 

national mandatory policy that 

will phase out the manufacture 

and sale of paints containing 

lead, a major source of 

childhood lead poisoning along 

with lead-contained dust. 

The study is the first activity 

of SRADev in its ongoing 

project titled Lead Paint 

Elimination Campaign: 

Facilitating National Standard 

and Regulation in Nigeria that 

was carried out between July 

and December, 2017, in 

collaboration with the Federal 

Ministry of Environment and 

Standards Organisation of 

Nigeria. 

In his keynote address, 

Executive Director, SRADev 

Nigeria, Mr. Leslie Adogame, 

said: “You may all be aware that 

lead is one of the world’s most 

ubiquitous heavy metal neurotoxicant 

known. It is a toxic metal 

which can be found in paints 

when a paint manufacturer 

adds one or more lead 

compounds to paint for some 

purpose. 

According to Adogame, in 

2009, SRADev Nigeria carried 

out a study to analyse 30 paints 

sampled from Lagos market, 

pointing out that in that study, 

23 solvent-based paints from six 

brands were purchased and 

analyzed. He said the result as 

at then showed that 100 per 

cent of paints contained total 

lead levels above 90 ppm. 

The result, he said, showed 

that all exceeded permitted 

lead levels far beyond the 

recommended limit of 90 parts 

per million (ppm), adding that 

in fact, it exceeded up to an 

alarming level of 129,837ppm, 

insisting that it is really 

worrisome that no far-reaching 

effort has been made to set 

regulatory limits for the paint 

sector in the country, “although, 

since we commenced our 

national campaign, it would 

appear that some progress is 

being made." Standard 

Organisation of Nigeria (SON) 

(NIS 269: 2017) has set lead 

paint standard at 90 ppm. But 

this standard still remains 

voluntary and needs to be 

backed by a regulation and 

enforced. 

“In our latest study carried out 

between July and August 2016, 

SRADev Nigeria purchased a 

total of 54 cans of solvent-based 

paint intended for home use 

from stores in Lagos, Nigeria. 

The paints represented 18 

different brands produced by 16 

manufacturers. All paints were 

analyzed by an accredited 

Paints with lead contenets 

Safe environment: Stakeholders 

advocate national policy on 

elimination of lead in paints 

laboratory in the US for their 

total lead content, based on dry 

weight of the paint. 

“Our findings include that 40 

out of 54 analyzed solventbased 

paints for home use (74 

per cent of paints) were lead 

paints, meaning they contained 

a total lead concentration of 

above 90 parts per million, 29 

paints (54 per cent) contained 

dangerously high lead 

concentrations above 10,000 

ppm. The highest total lead 

concentration detected was 

160,000 ppm, which is nearly 

1,800 times the 90 ppm. 

“That 26 per cent of paints (14 

out of 54) for home use 

contained total lead 

concentrations at or below 90 

ppm, suggesting that the 

technology to produce paint 

without lead ingredients exists 

in Nigeria, that paints with 

yellow (89 per cent) and red (67 

per cent) colours contained 

dangerously high level of lead 

above 10,000 ppm, compared to 

white (1 per cent) coloured 

paints, that only six per cent of 

paints (3 out of 54 paints) 

provided information about lead 

on their labels and most paints 

carried little information about 

any ingredients on can labels,” 

SRADev boss noted. 

To address the problem of 

lead in paint, SRADev Nigeria 

has called on the Federal 

Ministry of Environment in 

collaboration with the NESREA, 

to immediately draft a 

regulation that will ban the 

manufacture, import, export, 

distribution, sale and use of 

paints that contain total lead 

concentrations exceeding 90 

ppm, the most restrictive 

standard in the world. 

The NGO added that these 

bodies should also require paint 

companies to display sufficient 

information indicating harmful 

content on paint can labels such 

as solvents and provide a 

warning on possible lead dust 

hazards. 

To the paints manufacturers, 

SRADev said paint companies 

that still produce lead paints 

should expeditiously stop the 

use of leaded paint ingredients 

in paint formulations, 

maintaining that paint 

To individuals, 

households and 

institutional 

consumers, the 

NGO stated that 

paint consumers 

should demand for 

paints with no 

added lead from 

paint manufacturers 

and retailers 

companies that have shifted to 

non-lead paint production 

should get their products 

certified through independent, 

third party verification 

procedures to increase the 

customers’ ability to choose 

paints with no added lead. 

To individuals, households 

and institutional consumers, the 

NGO stated that paint 

consumers should demand for 

paints with no added lead from 

paint manufacturers and 

retailers, as well as full 

disclosure of a paint product’s 

lead content, insisting that 

household and institutional 

consumers should consciously 

buy, and apply only paints with 

no added lead in places 

frequently used by children 

such as homes, schools, daycare 

centres, parks and playgrounds. 

In his goodwill message, 

Deputy Director, Office of 

Pollution Control, Federal 

Ministry of Environment, 

Oyewole, an engineer, who 

represented the Minister of 

Environment, said the report of 

the research will no doubt 

provide a basis for policy 

formulation and development of 

a regulatory framework for the 

complete elimination of lead in 

decorative paints and paints 

used generally in our 

households in Nigeria. 

The Director-General of 

Standards Organisation of 

Nigeria (SON), represented by 

Mr. Steven Atahiru, said SON 

is working on the law to ensure 

manufacturers comply with the 

recommendations for 

manufacturing of paints in the 

country. 

The representative of 

NAFDAC said the agency is 

working with SRADev to 

ensure standard required is 

used in paints manufacturing in 

terms of lead usage, pointing 

out that lead is also used in 

cosmetics manufacturing. 

Mr. Jude Maduka who 

represented Paints 

Manufacturers Association of 

Nigeria, said the issue of lead 

has been on since 2010 when 

lead was discovered in Zamfara 

State. He noted that no paints 

manufacturer deliberately 

imports lead to produce, 

stressing that it comes with the 

raw materials used in paint 

making. 

According to him: “The 

materials used in producing 

paints are imported from 

abroad. We have no control over 

them. However, we are making 

efforts to ensure that lead is 

reduced in the manufacture of 

paints in the country,” Maduka 

said. 

Buildcon’s new 

estate offers 

opportunities at 

Lekki Free Trade 

Zone 

Buildcon Global Services 

Limited, a Lagos-based 

renowned real estate 

development company, has 

flagged off its new project 

known as the Pracht Court, 

located in Ajah in Ibeju/Lekki, 

Lagos, which offers 

opportunities to subscribers to 

own landed property in the 

Lekki Free Trade Zone (LFTZ), 

the fast-growing business hub 

of Lagos State. 

Pracht Court, located in a 

serene environment, offers topnotch 

luxury, comfort, 

maximum security and 

affordability. The estate consists 

of four-bedroom terrace (smart) 

houses, which incorporate 

advanced automation systems 

to provide residents with 

sophisticated monitoring and 

control over the buildings’ 

functions. It is being 

constructed by highly-skilled 

architects and engineers with 

vast knowledge in critical 

innovations required in a dream 

home. 

The Chief Executive Officer of 

Buildcon Global Services 

Limited, Mrs. Bukunola 

Gadzama explained that the 

success recorded at the 

company’s Pracht Gardens 

Estate in Ikota, Lagos, motivated 

the company to embark on 

Pracht Court project. 

According to her, a fourbedroom 

terrace home is worth 

N50 million with a 30 per cent 

initial deposit and balance 

payable spread over two years, 

pointing out that the unique 

features of the estate include 

home automation system, 

central water system and 

treatment plant, 24 hours worldclass 

security, a swimming pool, 

a club house, a table tennis 

court, beautiful landscape and 

underground electrical works. 

“As part of the exclusive 

benefits, subscribers are 

allowed to determine the 

progress and internal finishing 

of their homes and use of 

internal spacing. They are also 

entitled to six months liability 

period with Buildcon 

responsible for all repairs. 

“Buildcon is also offering 

opportunities to people to own 

parcels of land at the LFTZ. A 

plot of land measuring 648 

square metres in the area sells 

for N2.5million for outright 

purchase, and N3million for 

payment plan where a 

subscriber is required to make 

30 per cent initial deposit with 

completion within a period as 

agreed by both parties,” 

Gadzama noted. 

C 

M 

YK


Sustainable Ecotourism: Ambode, 

Asiodu, others canvass healthy 

environment 

Stories by 

Kingsley Adegboye 

Again, the need to make 

Lagos an ideal and 

healthy city was 

reiterated at the weekend at this 

year’s Walk for Nature organised 

by the Nigerian Conservation 

Foundation, NCF, in collaboration 

with Lagos State Government. 

The theme for this year was Cleaner 

Lagos: The Foundation for 

Sustainable Ecotourism. 

Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi 

Ambode in his keynote address said 

his administration would make 

everything possible to encourage 

sustainable tourism which will take 

full account of the current and future 

economic, social and environmental 

impacts to drive economic growth in 

the state. 

The governor who noted that 

sustainable tourism must address the 

needs of visitors, the industry and 

host communities because Lagos 

State has great advantage in naturebased 

tourism and ecotourism 

activities, added that the primary aim 

of his administration with regard to 

tourism is to create an enabling 

environment for the growth of the 

sector and maximize the benefits of 

tourism for the development of the 

state by influencing patterns of visitor 

flows and behaviour. 

Speaking through the state 

Commissioner for Environment, 

Samuel Adejare, the governor said 

it was his administration’s fervent 

belief that tourism has the potential 

to aid the socio-economic 

transformation of the state, pointing 

out that tourism is often viewed as 

the holy grail of bio-diversity and 

tropical forest conservation. 

According to him, there is need to 

conserve nature’s resources for the 

benefit of mankind, stressing that the 

state government has not only 

demonstrated understanding of the 

Builders to sensitize Lagos 

communities on building processes 

The Lagos chapter of the 

Nigerian Institute of Building 

NIOB, disclosed at the weekend 

that it has concluded plans to 

answer some of the questions 

troubling the minds of prospective 

home owners in Lagos as regards 

processes involved in building 

construction by embarking on 

sensitization of Lagos communities 

about these processes. 

Speaking ahead of the Institute’s 

forthcoming Annual General 

Meeting AGM, and 50th 

anniversary of the chapter holding 

between Thursday and Friday this 

week, the chairman of the Lagos 

Chapter of NIOB, Mrs. Adenike 

Said hinted that the conference will 

offer education on which of the 

Lagos state building agencies are 

to be invited at what point during 

construction of housing projects 

throughout the state till completion 

important role of the environment to 

human survival but has gone a step 

further to raise its voice for the 

conservation of nature’s resources. 

Advocating a shift in attitude 

towards the environment, he stated 

that the growing world population, 

the mounting pressure on nature’s 

resources and the dwindling wildlife, 

flora and fauna as well as the 

implications for our subsistence, have 

made a shift in attitude towards the 

environment a necessity. 

He noted: “The rich ecosystems in 

Lagos State, which are home to a 

variety of aquatic and terrestrial 

plants and animals, are under serious 

threat of extinction from a range of 

causes, chief of which is the rapid 

urbanization that has occurred in the 

state over the past five decades. 

He said people did not have to 

destroy what was irreplaceable to 

develop or survive, adding that there 

was an urgent need to improve on 

the environment and that people 

should start taking responsibility for 

behaviour and the attendant 

environmental impacts. 

He said climatic events such as 

flooding, hurricane and landslide 

have made us understand that "any 

development that is not mindful of 

the environment and its natural 

heritage is definitely not sustainable”, 

In his speech, President, Board of 

Trustees, Nigerian Conservation 

Foundation, Philip Asiodu, said the 

theme of this year’s event was a 

clarion call for an ideal, healthy city 

and the essence of making a cleaner 

environment a top priority, adding 

that NCF’s vision of Nigeria where 

people prosper while living in 

harmony with nature involves living 

in a clean and healthy environment. 

According to Asiodu, “We cannot 

attract and sustain ecotourism to the 

metropolitan city of Lagos and its 

environs if we do not ensure that it 

has a clean and healthy environment. 

Walk for nature is an awareness 

campaign platform for environmental 

protection, nature conservation, 

biodiversity and sustainable 

of the projects. 

She explained that at the 

moment there are dual functions 

by some of the Lagos State agencies 

that oversea building processes in 

the state, pointing out however, that 

participants at the AGM will have 

opportunity to know which exact 

agency is empowered to carry out 

certain responsibility. 

Adenike disclosed that the theme 

of this year meeting tagged, 

“Regulatory Authorities: The 

Panacea for Building Project 

Delivery in Lagos State”, would 

address concerns of stakeholders 

in building sector. 

“It is huge concerns for 

professional in the building 

environment and it is worrisome 

to know that the authorities 

concerned are not giving adequate 

information on their mode of 

operations. This is the reason the 

development among the citizenry. 

Environmental education needs to 

be promoted at all levels, and even 

entrenched in school curriculum to 

enable us emphasise that in all areas 

of human life, life is nature and nature 

is life,” Asiodu noted. 

Earlier, Commissioner for the 

Environment, Dr. Adejare, speaking 

through the Special Adviser to the 

Governor on the Environment, Mr. 

Babatunde Hunpe, in his welcome 

address, stated that the event 

provided another unique opportunity 

to celebrate the environment and 

draw people’s attention towards 

state chapter deems it fit to bring 

forth professionals, developers, 

contractors, end users together 

with the Authorities concerned 

to educate, fine tune and discuss 

best mode of their operations”, 

she said. 

Corroborating the chairman, 

Chairman, Conference 

Committee, Adelaja Adekanmbi, 

said the meeting will have in 

attendance government agencies 

to inform the general public of their 

roles during construction of 

building projects in the state. 

According to Lagos NIOB boss, 

the Chairman of the occasion will 

be Lagos state Commissioner for 

Physical Planning and Urban 

Development, Anifowose Wasiu 

Abiola, an architect, while the 

President of NIOB, Kenneth 

Nduka will be the special guest of 

honour at the two- day event. 

Walk for Nature 2017 

developing and responding 

efficiently to environmental 

challenges posed by nature. 

He maintained that the major 

QSRBN boss laments corruption in construction 

industry at doors, windows exhibition 

The President of Quantity 

Surveyors Registration 

Board of Nigeria QSRBN, 

Mallam Murtala Aliyu, has 

lamented the menace of 

corruption in the nation’s 

construction sub-sector of the 

economy, saying the trend is 

responsible for structural failures 

across the country. 

Mallam Aliyu who was the 

chairman at the just-concluded 

three-day Door, Window, Glass, 

Aluminum and Facade exhibition 

which held in Lagos, made this 

known. 

According to the QSRBN boss 

who said the role of QSRBN is to 

regulate the profession to manage 

the relationship between them 

and the outside world, said 

“There is a lot of corruption in the 

construction industry in Nigeria”, 

pointing out that one of the 

assignments of the board which 

he chairs is to fight corruption in 

the sector, and to sanction 

members collaborating to aid and 

abet corruption in the profession. 

The cost expert who noted 

specifically that the role of the 

board is to regulate the practice 

of quantity surveying profession 

as practised by quantity 

surveyors, said: “As a regulatory 

body saddled with the 

responsibility to ensure sanity in 

the profession, we ensure that our 

members operate within the 

guidelines of the ethics of the 

profession as cost experts.” 

Aliyu who disclosed that one of 

the roles of the board is to 

discipline corrupt members 

pointed out however, that “I 

cannot tell you anyone has been 

prosecuted over corruption, but I 

assure that any of our members 

that is caught to be involved in 

corrupt practice will be sanctioned 

by the board. 

“I just took over the leadership 

of the board, and so far, we have 

not had any of such cases. But 

one of the problems in 

construction industry is 

corruption which the regulatory 

board is out to fight”, he stated. 

On the incessant building 

collapse across the country, Aliyu 

maintained that corruption is 

hugely responsible for incessant 

building collapses across the 

country saying that as long as the 

gospel of the day was walking, which 

was an effective means the 

government had consistently 

promoted towards combating health 

and environmental challenges. 

monitoring officials are insincere 

and compromise, collapse of 

buildings will always occur 

He listed major causes of 

building collapse as bad designs, 

misapplication of the appropriate 

materials and specifications 

stressing that most collapses occur 

in private buildings as the 

investors hardly engage the 

services of professionals. 

On the three-day international 

exhibition known as Do Win 

Nigeria, the former minister of 

Power and Steel, commended the 

organisers for the initiative, 

maintaining that the exhibition 

would address some of the 

challenges in the nation’s 

construction industry in terms of 

equipment. 

According to him, “That is why 

we encourage this kind of 

exhibition where construction 

equipment are displayed for 

people to see and place orders 

rather than importing them from 

abroad which makes the cost 

higher.

22— Vanguard, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2017 

Kerosene price drops 

by 21% in Q3’ 17 

•As average price for 9 months stands at 

N304 per litre 

•Unaffordable for many households 

By Prince Okafor 

THE price of kerosene 

dropped by 21 per cent in 

the third quarter (July-August) 

of 2017, as a result of increased 

importation of the product into 

the nation. 

Investigations by Vanguard 

showed that the fall in price was 

fuelled by massive importation 

of the product to meet domestic 

shortfall. 

Figures obtained by 

Vanguard from the Nigerian 

National Petroleum Corporation 

(NNPC) showed that the apex 

oil company imported 127,071, 

174.38 litres in February alone. 

This which was about five 

times higher than its regular 

imports and others culminated 

in increased availability of the 

product nationwide. 

Consequently, the average 

price of kerosene dropped from 

N290.5 recorded in the second 

quarter to N256.38 per litre in 

the third quarter of the year. 

Despite the drop, the price of 

kerosene remained high and 

unaffordable to many 

consumers, especially 

households. 

According to the Nigeria 

Bureau of Statistic, NBS, the 

average price of the product 

stood at N304 per litre in the 

first nine months of 2017. 

NBS disclosed that the 

product was sold at an average 

of N433.84, N352.42, and 

N311.30 in January, February 

and March respectively in the 

entire states of the nation. 

Specifically, the price of the 

product dropped to N280.80, 

and rose again in May to 

N303.29 in the period under 

review. 

Also, in June, the product also 

dropped to N287.27, and 

continued on a steady decline 

to N280.489, N225.52 in July 

and August. 

Investigations by Vanguard 

showed that many households 

were not able to procure the 

product as a result of the high 

price. 

Despite the drop in the 

nation’s inflation rate to 15.98 

per cent in September from 

16.01 per cent recorded in 

August, the NBS disclosed that 

the average price per litre paid 

by consumers for National 

Household Kerosene increased 

by 17.28 percent month-onmonth 

and decreased by -8.38 

percent year-on-year to 

N264.48 in September 2017 

from N225.52 in August 2017. 

The agency also stated that 

Plateau (N316.67), Yobe 

(N294.44) and Kaduna 

(N294.12) were the states with 

the highest average price per 

litre of kerosene. 

It said: “States with the lowest 

average price per litre of 

kerosene were Abia (N240.56), 

Edo (N240.00) and Ekiti 

(N233.33). Similarly, average 

price per gallon paid by 

consumers for kerosene 

decreased by 0.45 percent 

month-on-month and by 16.35 

percent year-on-year to 

N973.72 in September 2017 

from N978.10 in August 2017.” 

The Nigerian National 

Petroleum Corporation, 

NNPC, stated in its July 2017 

report: “The petroleum 

products (PMS and DPK only) 

production by domestic 

refineries in July 2017 

amounted to 80.18 million litres 

compared to 186.26 million 

litres in June 2017. 

“A total of 1,121.92 million 

litres of white products were 

distributed and sold by PPMC 

in the month of July 2017 

compared with 1,205.97 million 

litres in the month of June 

2017. This comprised of 

1,003.01 million litres of PMS, 

41.67 million litres of Kerosene 

and 77.24 million litres of 

diesel.” 

Finding showed that a total 

of 32,213,822 litres of kerosene 

were produced from the 

nation’s local refineries, which 

is the lowest since the 

beginning of the year 2017. 

No import in 5 month 

Source: Vanguard Energy Database 

According to the Head of 

Energy Research, EcoBank, 

Dolapo Oni, “kerosene imports 

have been really low this year. 

According to the NNPC report 

for July, there were no import 

between March and July. 

THE average price 

of Organisation of 

Petroleum Exporting 

countries, OPEC’s basket 

of 14 crudes in the past 

one week was $55.72 

compared with $54.44 

recorded the previous 

week. According to 

OPEC’s calculation, the 

highest price of crude 

was recorded on October 

18, 2017, which averaged 

$56.12 per barrel, while 

the lowest price for the 

period under review 

averaged $55.41 

In addition, Oni said foreign 

exchange was responsible for 

the rise in the product since 

kerosene is deregulated. 

Consumers narrate ordeal 

According to a community 

health worker in Olodi Apapa, 

who simply want to be 

addressed as Obiageli, “The 

whole thing happening in the 

country today needs serious 

attention. Before the issue of 

kerosene, I used to complain 

about power supply. It’s been 

three months since we last 

enjoyed power supply in my 

area. I depend solely on 

kerosene stove to iron my office 

wears. Now the price of 

kerosene is so terrible to afford. 

Source: Vanguard Energy Database 

How can I buy a litre of 

kerosene for N290 just to iron 

my clothes or do other stuff? 

“It’s so annoying. I am not 

happy. The situation is causing 

pain to many households. We 

feel neglected and rejected by 

our leaders. Government 

officials and top politicians are 

not experiencing all of this. For 

the sake of the poor, our 

government should rise and 

make better plans for all 

Nigerians.” 

NNPC’s intervention 

Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, Group 

General Manager, Group 

Public Affairs Division, NNPC 

disclosed in a telephone 

interview: “The effort of the 

new administration to revamp 

the nation’s refineries, located 

in Port Harcourt, Warri and 

Kaduna, is yielding result. 

“That particular period in 

question, the refineries produce 

at an average of 60 per cent, 

and bulk of the kerosene 

consumption was produced by 

the refineries, particularly 

Kaduna and Port Harcourt. 

“The most important thing in 

the market is availability, and 

if NBS report say 17.28 percent, 

that’s insignificant compare to 

the time when price rose up to 

300 percent, it’s a manageable 

figure, and the refineries 

demand recommendation.” 

PowerGas partners Delta State 

on gas to power project 

P 

OWERGAS, an indigenous gas provider said it has come up 

with a sustainable solution to the power problem facing industries 

and other estates with its gas-to-power infrastructure for industries 

and manufacturers. 

The company stated this at the Virtual Gas-to-Power Summit held in 

partnership with the Delta State Government at Asaba. 

Explaining the rationale behind the gas-to-power concept, Managing 

Director of PowerGas, Mr. Pulak Sen said the basic objective is to convert 

gas into electricity for businesses and households, in a more efficient 

and economically feasible way depending on local dynamics. 

"This is a clean power solution when compared with other power 

solutions that have caused a lot of pollution. The compressed natural 

gas technology is the compressing and containerizing of natural gas 

to enable shipment to customers either through rails, roads or waterways 

in skid tanks, which is in line with the National Gas Policy. It is 

affordable, sustainable and a safe way to kick-start the gas-based 

industrialisation of Nigeria," Sen said. 

C 

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Vanguard Electricity Watch 

OUTREACH: From left: Business Manager, Akowonjo Business Unit Mr Olanrewaju Yusuf, Brand and 

Event Manager, Titilola Aikhomu, both of Ikeja Electric Plc, A US based Physician Dr. Olajide Olawepo, 

and Managing Director XT Monitor, Kayode Adeoti during free medical outreach on Diabetes, Hypertension 

and other non-communicable diseases (e.g malaria), in Lagos. 

Why marginal fields are not operational 

By Sebastine Obasi 

THE President of the Nigerian 

Association of Petroleum 

Explorationists (NAPE) said 

the award of most of the marginal 

fields to politicians instead 

of technocrats is one of 

the things responsible for 

their non-functioning since 

2003. 

Mr. Biodun Adesanya, President 

of NAPE, who stated this 

at a chat with the media in 

Lagos, said the oil industry 

requires knowledge and enormous 

fund to thrive. 

"Most of the people that got 

oil blocks during the marginal 

field bid round were politicians 

and not technocrats. The 

oil industry is capital-intensive. 

The politicians do not 

understand the business. 

Technocrats should be involved 

in the business so as 

to add the needed value," he 

said. 

Giving details of NAPE's 

35th International Conference 

and Exhibition, slated for 

November 19 to 23, Adesanya 

said Nigeria should diversify 

its economy to agriculture, 

as food is a basic necessity 

of life. 

According to him, "the Conference 

also throws its searchlight 

on survival strategies for petroleum 

exploration and exploitation 

in a challenging environment 

and also examine the effectiveness 

in the existing policies 

to drive growth in the oil and 

gas industry so as to come up 

with initiatives for the development 

of road maps and new policy 

initiatives. 

Adesanya also said that Ibe 

Kachikwu, Minister of State 

Local content: NCDMB, welding institute to 

tour France, South Africa 

Bayelsa signs MoU with Rehoboth to 

construct 60,000bpd refinery 

By Ediri Ejoh 

THE Bayelsa State Govern 

ment has signed a Memorandum 

of Understanding, MoU, 

with Rehoboth refinery for the 

construction of 60,000 barrels per 

day modular refinery. 

The plant is targeted at increasing 

the nation's refining capacity 

to grow its economy and local refining. 

Addressing newsmen after the 

signing in Lagos, Commissioner 

for Trade, Industry and Investment, 

Bayelsa State, Kemela 

Okara, said the partnership was 

to signal the federal and state governments’ 

commitment toward 

providing an enabling environment 

for private investment. 

AS part of the mandate of the Nigerian Content Development 

and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) to develop local content 

capacity in welding and fabrication in the Nigerian oil and gas industry, 

the Board in conjunction with the Nigerian Institute of Welding (NIW) 

will be undertaking a visit to the Southern African Institute of Welding 

(SAIW) and the Institut National De Plongee Professionnelle (INPP) 

an underwater welding training institute in Marseille, France this 

week. 

Investigations showed that the visit was planned as welding and 

underwater diving activities are two critical areas of the oil and gas 

industry which Nigeria needs to development its competencies. 

The President of the Nigerian Welding Institute, Dr. Solomon Iyobosa 

Edebiri, in a chat with newsmen in Lagos said that this is consequent 

upon the fact that the NCDMB in conjunction with International Oil 

Companies (IOCs) has been working to build capacity in the NIW to 

meet international standard as required by the federal government in 

order to fully domesticate welding activities in-country. 

Said he: "One of such efforts led to the support from the NNPC/ 

Shell joint venture under a Shell company subsidiary SNEPCO, which 

completed the NIW laboratory for weld testing and material analysis 

at the NIW Centre of Excellence for Welding Engineering and 

Technology located in Obayantor, Benin City, Edo state; one of the 

best of such laboratories in Africa. 

He also stressed that "the federal government through the 

NCDMB has approved a benchmarking process to benchmark 

the institute against global best practices," a process which requires 

that the NIW operates at the highest international standard. 

for Petroleum Resources, Kayode 

Fayemi, Minister of Solid 

Minerals Development, Peter 

Obi, former governor of Anambra 

State, Jeffrey Ewing, Chairman/ 

Managing Director of Chevron 

Nigeria Limited and Maikanti 

Baru, Group Managing Director, 


Corporation, NNPC, are some of 

the speakers at the event. 

He said: "As state government, our 

fundamental role is to do everything 

possible and ensure the private sector 

does what it does best. The milestones 

and efforts Rehoboth has 

made over the years in ensuring that 

the modular project can be kickedoff 

is quite remarkable. On our part, 

we thought it best to signal our commitment 

by signing the MoU. 

"The Governor of Bayelsa State, 

Seriake Dickson, has consistently signalled 

his commitment and that of the 

state to attracting investors into the 

state, especially in areas where we 

have comparative economic advantage 

and in that light, the steps we are 

taking will signal to private investors 

that Bayelsa State is friendly and 

ready to collaborate with investors. 

"We have taken a classic state government 

role. Also, the state has a 

state level industrial policy and in 

partnership with United Nations Industrial 

Development Organisation 

and we came up with a state government 

industry policy.” 

Enabling environment 

He, however, added that the state 

government was not necessarily supporting 

the project financially, "but 

doing everything possible to create 

an enabling environment as well as 

pushing for the kick-start of the 

project. It means we have a little equity 

in the project going forward. 

"We want to make sure that they 

succeed and in light of the government 

policy, the project sees the light 

of day. 

Project to cost $120m 

In his remark, Chief Executive Office, 

CEO, Rehoboth refinery, Joe 

Attueyi, explained that the project, 

on completion, would cost about 

$120 million and was to be ready 

within the space of 18 months or two 

years. 

According to him, "We have come 

with a positive mindset to build the 

project because we believe that partnership 

creates value. 

Also, we thought of partnering the 

communities if we must have a successful 

business."We went to purchase 

the land from the community 

and paid to the community, and to- 

Source: NCC Daily Operational Report 

Power outage: FG seeks AfDB's 

support for distribution network 

expansion 

AS the nation continues to grapple with epileptic electricity 

supply, the Federal Government has made passionate appeal 

to the management of African Development Bank, AfDB, to assist in 

expanding its power distribution network. 

The Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing, Mustapha 

Baba Shehuri made the appeal at a meeting between officials of the 

Ministry and AfDB in Abuja. 

The minister noted that with support of the AfDB and other 

development partners, generation and transmission capacities in 

the country has increased to an all-time high of 7,001MW and 6, 

800MW respectively. 

Shehuri, therefore, added that the only area that needs more 

attention from the Development Partners is that of expansion of 

distribution network. 

The minister also solicited for more support from development 

partners in the areas of technical and financial assistance to help 

the ministry fully implement the Power Sector Recovery Plan, PSRP, 

initiatives. 

He disclosed that the crux of the meeting was to appraise progress 

made on the implementation of the PSRP embarked upon by the 

ministry as an integral part of the Nigeria Economic Recovery and 

Growth Plan, NERG. 

Shehuri lamented the challenge being faced by the sector as that 

of strengthening the distribution infrastructure within the electricity 

value-chain in order to make it perform optimally. 

The Minister commended the AfDB, while assuring them of 

Federal Government's co-operation on the full implementation of 

the Power Sector Recovery Plan (PSRP).


VISIT: From Left: Engr. Alex Neyin of Nigeria with other recipients of the 

prestigious oil and gas industry Leadership Awards conferred by the American 

Institute of Mining Engineers and Society of Petroleum Engineers 

International(SPEI) at the event in San Antonio, Texas United States of America 

recently. 

HOSCOM meets 50% requirement for 10 

modular refineries 

By Michael Eboh 

HOST Communities of 

Nigeria Producing 

Oil and Gas, HOSCOM, 

said it has met over 50 per 

cent of the total 

requirements put forward 

by the Department for 

Petroleum Resources, DPR, 

for its planned 10 modular 

refineries in oilproducing 

states in the country. 

In an interview with 

Vanguard in Abuja, 

National Chairman of 

HOSCOM, Mr. Mike 

Emuh, disclosed that within 

the next couple of weeks, the 

group would have fulfilled 

almost all of the 

requirements for the 

construction of the 

refineries. 

Suspend tariff review till after customers 

enumeration, NAEE tells FG 

By Michael Eboh 

N IGERIAN 

Association for 

Energy Economics, NAEE, 

weekend, called on the 

Federal Government and the 

Nigerian Electricity 

Regulatory Commission to 

suspend plans to effect a 

review in the country's 

electricity tariffs, stating that 

before any change is 

introduced, electricity 

distribution companies, 

DISCOs and other 

stakeholders should address 

issues of customers 

enumeration. 

Addressing newsmen in 

Abuja as part of activities to 

mark the 2017 World Energy 

Day, President of NAEE, Mr. 

Wumi Iledare, said tariff 

increase should not be seen 

as a one-for-all solution to the 

problems in the Power sector, 

stating that instead, it should 

form a part of the general 

reforms of the industry. 

Emuh, who was speaking 

after a meeting with the 

Ministry of Petroleum 

Resources, Nigerian 

National Petroleum 

Corporation, NNPC and 

the leadership of 

HOSCOM, stated that the 

first set of refineries would 

be completed by 2018. 

He noted that its foreign 

technical partners, who are 

also financiers of the project, 

have already provided proof 

of funding for the project. 

Emuh said that 

HOSCOM had also 

registered the Pan Niger- 

Delta Hydrocarbon 

Refineries, which is going to 

be the umbrella body that 

would cover all the refineries 

set up in the communities. 

Iledare was represented by 

the immediate past president 

of the association, Mr. Adeola 

Adenikinju. NAEE is an 

affiliate of the International 

Association of Energy 

Economics, IAEE. 

He said, “Tariff issues 

should be taken with other 

reforms. In looking at tariffs, 

one key factor and 

denominator is the number of 

consumers, customers that the 

power companies are 

targeting. The country and 

particularly, DISCOs, have 

been reluctant to do proper 

customers enumeration. As a 

result, we continue to 

understate our denominator 

for tariff determination. That 

has made it difficult to have 

appropriate tariff rates. 

"It is important we address 

the issue of customer 

enumeration to properly 

arrive at what we say an 

appropriate tariff rates should 

be." Commenting on the 

He said: "In this situation, 

it is not business as usual, 

in the sense that in the past 

four to six years, modular 

refineries licenses were 

granted to people who 

could not actually meet up 

with the demands and the 

needs. 

"HOSCOM has gone far; 

we have gone the extra 

mile. We have gotten the 

land; we have done the 

survey in the various states; 

we have entered into 

Memoranda of 

Understanding with 

communities; communities 

have gone to the Corporate 

Affairs Commission, CAC, 

to register their modular 

refineries; they have passed 

the first and second stages; 

we have brought in foreign 

technical partners and 

financiers to finance the 

modular refineries. 

World Energy Day, Iledare 

lamented that Nigeria is 

seriously challenged by the 

inability or obvious lack of 

capacity to turn its huge 

energy potentials both 

renewable and nonrenewable 

into realised 

energy to support rapid 

economic growth, job creation 

and poverty reduction. 

He argued that energy 

security is a serious problem 

as Nigeria remains a net 

importer of refined products 

and suffers from significant 

power supply deficit. 

He said, "Nearly 15 years 

after electricity sector reforms 

began, and in spite of the 

various institutional changes, 

regulatory and policy reforms 

that have taken place, as well 

as the billions of dollars of 

public and private investment 

that went into the Power sector, 

electricity sector remains 

seriously challenged in 

Nigeria. 

UNION BANK: From left— Company Secretary, Somuyiwa Sonubi; 

Head, Corporate Strategy and Innovation, Lola Cardoso; Chief Executive 

Officer/ Bank CEO of the Year, Emeka Emuwa; Head, Corporate Affairs/ 

Corporate Communications, Ogochukwu Ekezie-Ekaidem, and Head, 

Services, Dupe Ogunbiyi, all of Union Bank, at the BusinessDay Banking 

Awards, in Lagos. 

CEREMONY: From left— Chief Fred Majemite, Olorogun Taleb Tebite, 

Mr. Ovuozorie Macaulay and Chief Solomon Ighrakpata, at the burial of 

Evangelist Lucky Omoriwhre, the father-in-law of Mr. Festus Ahon, at Oviri- 

Ogor, Ughelli North Local Government Area, Delta State. 

PTI CONVOCATION: From left— Principal/Chief Executive, 

Petroleum Training Institute, PTI, Efurun, Professor Sunny Iyuke; Permanent 

Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, representing Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, 

Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan; and representative of 

Mr. M. D. B. Ladan, Chairman, PTI Council, Dr. Isa Baba, at the Institute’s 2017 

convocation at Effurun, Delta State. 

MEETING: 

Former All 

Progressives 

Congress, APC, 

presidential 

aspirant, 

Senator Rabiu 

Kwankwaso 

(right) and MD/ 

CEO, BSS 

Communications, 

Mr. Enifome 

Ozuwo, at a 

function in 

Lagos.

C 

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Niger Delta Voice, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2017 — 25 

DELTA…THE BIG HEART 

OF THE NATION 

VOL. 1: NO. 157 

TUESDAY, , OCTOBER OBER 24, 4, 2017 

Abducted Delta 

lawmaker’s 

octogenarian 

mother shocks 

kidnappers: 

Kill me, 

spare my 

son 

Scavengers at the toxic dump site in Calabar 

C-River residents cry out over 

deadly govt dumpsite 

•Inhabitants exposed to cancer, diarrhea, cholera – Environmental experts 

•Govt to relocate dumpsite - Okokon, MD, C-River waste agency 

By Ike Uchechukwu 

CALABAR- RESIDENTS 

of Calabar, Cross River 

State, have raised the alarm 

over the critical health hazard 

a government-owned 

dumpsite at Ikot Effanga 

Mkpa, near Northwest Filling 

Station, on the outskirts of the 

state capital, pose to their 

lives. 

They called on the state 

governor, Prof Ben Ayade, to 

relocate the dumpsite 

measuring about 32-square 

meter, complaining that many 

residents were currently 

battling with cancer, diarrhea, 

cholera and respiratory tract 

infections because of 

emissions from the dumpsite. 

Environmental experts who 

spoke to NDV, corroborated the 

claim of the residents, saying 

the people were facing the 

menace of deadly diseases 

due to “toxic exposure.” 

Contacted, Managing 

Director of the Cross River 

State Waste Management 

Agency, CRWMA, Willy 

Okokon, said: “As a 

responsible government, we 

warned people not to build in 

that place. The dump site was 

set up 23 years ago and it got 

bigger as the years went by. 

As people did not listen to our 

warning, they stubbornly built 

houses in the area.“ 

Govt didn’t warn 

property-owners — 

Chief Ekpeyong 

The people, particularly 

those living close to the 

We are crying out 

to His Excellency 

to help us; 

the dump site 

should be 

relocated 

immediately; 

our people are 

dying; 

residents are 

dying silently 

from unknown 

diseases 

than it was about eight years 

ago. One of them, Chief 

Bassey Ekpeyong, maintained 

that cholera and diarrhea were 

among the many diseases that 

have afflicted the inhabitants 

at one time or the other. 

“I have lived here before that 

dump site was located, they 

(government) cannot claim 

that they warned us not to 

build, we complained bitterly 

because some of us are 

enlightened and we know 

what health hazards the dump 

poses. 

“We are crying out to His 

Excellency to help us, the 

dump site should be 

relocated immediately, our 

people are dying, residents 

are dying silently from 

unknown diseases, a lot have 

been attributed to witches and 

witchcraft,” he said. 

Inhabitants consume 

infected water 

Chief Ekpeyong asserted: 

“ They told us they are making 

plans but until date, nothing 

has been done, it is affecting 

our water too, what we are 

drinking here is contaminated, 

as you can see, water flows out 

of the dump, where does it 

really go to, inside the ground 

polluting the water body in the 

environment.” 

Speedily relocate dumpsite 

– Experts 

pleaded anonymity, stated that 

several residents suffer 

mental illnesses, headaches, 

nasal congestion, eye, nose, 

and throat irritation, 

hoarseness, sore throat, 

cough, chest tightness, 

shortness of breath, wheezing 

heart palpitation, nausea 

drowsiness and mental 

depression. 

A specialist, Sam Ekong, 

called for urgent removal of 

the dumpsite from its present 

location, saying, “Before now, 

I warned as far back as 1998 

that this place should be 

relocated because we knew 

that development will soon 

catch up with the area. But 

nobody listened, unfortunately 

it is now with us, a lot of 

people are already falling sick 

as a result of the dumpsite 

without even knowing it.” 

“ When a survey is carried 

out on people living in the 

area, you will find out that 

they are mostly suffering from 

cancer, cholera, diarrhea 

and more ,something needs 

to be done urgently because 

the dangers are too numerous. 

“The government of the 

day must do everything 

necessary to relocate the 

dump, the ground water is 

definitely polluted, what the 

people living in the area are 

dumpsite habitually 

experience upper respiratory 

tract infection apparently 

because they were open to 

heavy metal dust and polycyclic 

aromatic hydrocarbon, 

PAH, all toxic materials from 

the deposit. 

Residents said the dump site 

expanded and became larger 

One of the experts, who Continues on Page 26 

By Chancel Bomadi Sunday 

BOMADI- 

MRS. 

Ekpongbolo Preyor, the 

abducted octogenarian mother 

of the lawmaker representing 

Bomadi Constituency in the 

Delta State House of 

Assembly, Hon. Kenneth 

Preyor, who regained freedom 

from her abductors, 

penultimate week, has 

revealed how they threatened 

to kill and throw her remains 

into the river. 

Ma Preyor abducted from her 

residence at Kpakiama in 

Bomadi local government area 

of Delta State, last month, by 

a kidnap gang led by a kidnap 

kingpin, popularly known as 

Kareowei, which whisked her 

away from her bed at around 

10:30 pm on the ill-fated day. 

They strode cruelly on my 

legs 

Narrating her ordeal, as well 

as cordial relationships with 

her abductors during her stay 

in captivity, Ma Preyor 

divulged, “They said they 

kidnapped me because of my 

son (Hon. Preyor) and they 

wanted him to come for me.” 

“They also wanted me to call 

my son to come for my rescue, 

but I refused. They often 

threatened to kill me if he fail 

to come but I told them that 

my son would not come for 

me. 

“They raged against me 

when I refused to do their 


Ma Ekpongbolo Preyor 

after her release

26 — Niger Delta Voice, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2017 

FG rice prog runs into 

storm in C-River 

*Farmers allege they were 

shortchanged; 

inputs supplied behind schedule 

CROSS RIVER… 

THE PEOPLE’S 

PARADISE 

By Emmanuel Una 

CALABAR- THE Central 

Bank of Nigeria, CBN, 

Anchor- Borrowers scheme for 

farmers sponsored by the 

Federal Government has 

suffered a critical setback in 

Cross River State with 

hundreds of farmers bitterly 

complaining about the inept 

handling by state government 

officials. 

Exasperated farmers across 

the state bared their minds in 

separate interactive sessions 

with the Permanent Secretary, 

Ministry of Agriculture, Cross 

River, Pastor Justin Ugbe, who 

went round the three 

senatorial zones of the state to 

meet with participants on 

why the programme failed. 

They informed him that the 

scheme on the scheme did 

not meet the expected target 

on rice production and loan 

repayment by farmers because 

of conspicuous lapses. 

Denied access to 

financial component 

Mr. David Esese, who spoke 

on behalf of farmers in the 

southern senatorial district, 

told Ugbe that aside from 

farmers in Bakassi that were 

able to access the financial 

component of the loan, others 

in the remaining six local 

government areas in the 

southern part of the state 

were not given the agreed 

money to facilitate the planting 

of their rice farms. 

His words: “Majority of us 

got the rice input, but the 

fertilizers were distributed 

haphazardly with some 

getting the urea and others 

NPK. Some got the chemicals 

while others did not get and 

nobody was given the 

THE TEAM 

Emma Amaize, Editor 

Jimitota Onoyume 

Samuel Oyadongha 

Simon Ebegbulem 

Gabriel Enogholase 

Festus Ahon 

Egufe Yafugborhi 

Emmanuel Una 

Akpokona Omafuaire 

Godwin Oghre 

Chioma Onuegbu 

Ike Uche 

Davies Iheamnachor 

Emem Idio 

Brisibe Perez 

Theresa Ugbobu 

Ochuko Akuopha 

Barnabas Uzosike 

Nath Onajoke 

Chijioke Nwankpa 

financial component of the 

loan, apart from Bakassi 

farmers.” 

He said farmers visited the 

Bank of Agriculture at 

Obubra several times to get 

the financial component of the 

loan, but were not given, a 

situation that frustrated their 

efforts to cultivate the 

hectares of swamp already 

earmarked for their farms. 

Rice didn’t sprout 

In Ogoja, the representative 

of the farmers, Osborn Kanjal, 

said the rice distributed to them 

as inputs did not germinate 

owing to the long period the 

rice was stored before 

cultivation. 

“We were given the rice in 

September, 2016 and by that 

time, the rice season had 

passed and so we kept the rice 

C-River residents cry out over deadly 

govt dumpsite 


drinking is contaminated 

water and very poisonous, 

something must be done 

now,” Ekong said. 

Call for environmental 

audit, prevalent disease 

statistics 

Another professional, Mrs. 

Grace Akadike, also advised 

the government to move the 

dumpsite to a distant place 

and the secured area to avoid 

people building around it, 

calling for immediate waste 

characterization and volume 

evaluation to ascertain current 

volume of waste 

Akadike posited that there 

was the need for an 

environmental audit, socioeconomic 

study of the 

environment and surrounding 

air quality measurements, 

surface and ground water 

testing, prevalent disease 

statistics from the nearest 

hospitals to arrive at a feasible 

solution. 

Her words:” In line with 

standard local practices, the 

state should have a minimum 

of five waste transfer-loading 

stations. There, waste sorting 

will be done, people will 

generate income, mini energy 

generation sources using 

methane gas from the dump 

will be possible and it should 

be turned to a waste to 

wealth.” 

Govt confirms plan to move 

dump site 

Managing Director of the 

•Rice farmers in training session 

for the 2017 rice planting 

season, but by the time we 

planted the rice, it refused to 

germinate owing to heat that 

affected it because of the long 

storage period,” he disclosed. 

Kanjal said over 90 per cent 

of the farmers in the northern 

senatorial district of the state 

could not access the financial 

component of the loan, as the 

Bank of Agriculture in Ogoja 

said the money was held up 

at the headquarters in 

Cross River State Waste 

Management Agency, Mr. 

Willy Okokon, said that 

government was very 

concerned about the people 

living in the area and has 

already concluded plans to 

relocate the dumpsite. 

“We are aware of the 

health implications of the 

dumpsite on the people and 

that is why we fumigate the 

dumpsite every three months, 

Kill me, spare my son 


bidding, marching violently 

on my legs in response. 

Sometimes they would walk 

violently on the raft floor 

where I was kept, asking me 

the whereabouts of my son. 

“Some other times, they 

would tell me that my son had 

come for me and he is already 

in the forest, threatening to kill 

him when he is in sight,” the 

octogenarian added. 

Her words: “When they 

would threaten to kill my son, 

I would plead with them not 

to do so, rather I offered myself 

to them to be killed, pleading 

that he is my only son. When 

I said that, they would rage on 

me the more, asking me if I 

did not see their sufferings, 

sleeping on the bare floor” 

Stalemated negotiations 

“The mosquitoes too were 

unbearable, coupled with the 

discomfort arising from the raft 

floor which they often come 

Kaduna. 

Shortchanged 

“We agreed in a meeting 

with the Commissioner for 

Agriculture, Professor Eneji 

that the farmers should get the 

sum of N230, 000 per hectre, 

but those who were lucky to 

access the money got only 

N90, 000 per hectare and the 

Committee claimed that 

N120, 000 was used for the 

inputs, which were way too 

which means that we fumigate 

the place four times every year 

.We have also concluded plans 

to relocate the site as soon as 

possible. 

Okokon, who claimed that 

the government had earlier 

warned people to stop 

building in the area, said that 

many of them were stubborn 

and ignorant and still went 

ahead to erect buildings in the 

area. 

during my sleeping hours to 

walk on violently, moving up 

and down in order to disturb 

my sleep, maybe, in response 

to deadlocked negotiations 

with my son. 

“Then, I would ask God, is 

this how You want me to die? 

They would often wake me up 

in my sleeping hours in the 

night, scaring me with funny 

tales, as well as asking me 

silly questions,” she said. 

Female kidnappers washed 

my clothes 

She asserted: “On the aspect 

of food, I would say they fed 

me well and I praised them 

for the care, though under 

their captivity. At a time I 

managed to take off some of 

my clothes to wash, the girls 

among them would help me 

to do the washing. 

“They also took the money 

that was with me during my 

abduction, and brought some 

change later. Often times, they 

high. Even at that, majority of 

us did not get the money, so 

from which source do we pay 

back the loan?” He queried. 

The farmers called for 

extension of the loan 

repayment period from 2017 to 

2018 to enable all the farmers 

access the money and 

complete inputs to cultivate 

their farms before repayment. 

Perm sec speaks 

The permanent secretary 

explained that the scheme was 

taken from the Ministry of 

Agriculture and given to a 

Committee, headed by Mr 

Godwin Akwaji, the Special 

Adviser to the Governor on 

Revenue, adding that most 

officials of the ministry were 

not conversant with 

developments linked to the 

scheme until the outcry by the 

farmers, 

Mute 

Efforts by our reporter to 

speak with Mr Akwaji did not 

yield results as he neither 

picked calls to his GSM 

phone nor responded to 

text messages. 

would come to me smoking 

Indian hemp. 

“I told them that I am tired, 

if they want to kill me, then 

they should go ahead and do 

so, but they said my son 

promised to pay them money 

and he failed to do so. The 

smaller boys among them said 

they would push my remains 

under the thick hyacinths after 

killing me. 

“They scared me with 

various threats on my son and 

tales of horror. Then, one night 

they brought a speedboat and 

said that they were taking me 

to the village,” she stated. 

Words of advice 

Mrs. Preyor asserted: ”I 

advise the younger ones to 

desist from kidnapping and all 

forms of vices because such 

habits lead to damnation. They 

should rather find something 

reasonable to engage in for 

survival."

C 

M 

Y 

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By Samuel Oyadongha 

ANGALABIRI-VEHICLES 

were driven to Angalabiri, 

Ofoni, Ayamasa and Aleibiri 

riverine communities at 

Sagbama and Ekeremor Local 

Government Areas, Bayelsa 

State, the first time in history 

on October 14, shattering a jinx 

of over four decades. 

No vehicle had entered the 

communities since conception, 

but the state governor, Hon 

Seriake Dickson, leading other 

government officials and his 

friend, a former deputy 

governor of Sokoto state, Alhaji 

Murktar Shagari, broke the 

curse with the ongoing 

construction of the N30 billion 

Sagbama-Ekeremor road 

project by his administration. 

The road, which is 60 per cent 

completed, is expected to be 

completed in 2018. Joyous 

villagers, who saw vehicles 

only when they traveled to 

cities and never believed that 

vehicles will come into the 

locality in their lifetime, 

trooped out in large numbers 

to welcome the governor and 

his entourage. 

At the moment, Toru-Orua, 

Angalabiri, and Ofoni on the 

Sagbama council area axis 

could be reached comfortably 

by road while the Ayamasa and 

Aleibiri stretch in Ekeremor 

council area could be reached 

by four- wheel vehicles. 

Why we rolled out drums- 

Inhabitant 

A villager told NDV: “We 

rolled out the drums because it 

was the first time in history that 

our people used to seeing only 

boats and other watercrafts, saw 

a long convoy of cars (all four - 

wheel vehicles) venturing into 

their land.” 

“The adults were not left out 

as they were unanimous in 

their show of gratitude to the 

governor, who fulfilled his 

electoral promise to open up 

the area. The road, which 

traverses a large swathe of the 

dense mangrove swamp 

though yet to be completed, is 

a bold demonstration of man’s 

ability to tame his environment 

if only there is the political 

will,” he said. 

Also, jubilant kids defied 

security operatives that 

escorted the governor and 

surrounded the Hilux Jeeps in 

approval. 

Overjoyed 

septuagenarian 

Pa Andaowei, a 72- year- old 

fisherman, beaming with a 

smile, could not thank 

Governor Dickson enough on 

behalf of the Ekeremor 

communities, as he expressed 

appreciation to him for 

remembering them after they 

had been forgotten all for those 

years. 

The septuagenarian said he 

was full of expectation that by 

next year, other vehicles will 

enter Ekeremor community by 

road. 

We didn’t believe 

Dickson initially - Chief 

Oyarede 

Spokesperson of Aleibiri 

Federated Communities, Chief 

Suru Oyarede, while thanking 

the governor for his 

commitment to the actualisation 

of the long abandoned road 

project, said: “When in 2012 

Dickson came on board and 

announced the takeover of the 

project and his desire to go all 

out to construct the road, not 

many thought that it would 

ever see the light of the day.” 

“Today, the governor has 

shamed the doubting Thomas, 

the cynics, the political jobbers 

and all those who had, over the 

years, played politics with this 

critical economic road. We lack 

words to appreciate the 

governor for what he has done 

for us as a people. He has 

wiped away our tears; he has 

made us feel that we are part 

of this country.” 

Another promise 

fulfilled- Chief Agbedi 

For Chief Fred Agbedi 

representing Sagbama- 

Ekeremor federal constituency: 

“This is another promise kept. 

•Jubilant kids 

seeing a car for the 

first time in their 

community 

scramble for a ride 

A lot of people felt that nothing 

was going on but I think today 

the doubting Thomas has been 

proved wrong. I am sure they 

will come celebrating with us.” 

Shagari, Okorotie hail 

Dickson 

Secretary of the Bayelsa 

Elders Forum, Chief Thompson 

Okorotie, captured the mood 

and gratitude of the 

communities thus: “I am the 

happiest person over this 

development. It is only 

somebody like Dickson with an 

uncommon courage, with 

uncommon political will that can 

do what he is doing even at the 

time of recession.” 

Former deputy governor of 

Sokoto state, Murktar Shagari, 

who accompanied Dickson, 

also expressed surprise at the 

boldness of the governor to 

construct the road in a swampy 

terrain. 

He said even though it was 

obvious recession slowed 

down the work, the governor 

must be given kudos for 

continuing with it even with 

persistent economic hardship 

in the country. 

Niger Delta Voice, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2017 — 27 

Koko leaders back Maku 

for second term 

KOKO- ELDERS and 

leaders of Koko 

community, Warri North Local 

Government Area, Delta 

State, have endorsed the 

current Chairman of the 

council, Hon Francis Maku, as 

the People’s Democratic Party, 

PDP, candidate for the 

forthcoming local government 

election in the area. 

The Olare-aja of Koko 

community, Chief Victor Nana, 

who spoke for the elders and 

leaders at the formal 

presentation of Maku, 

yesterday, said: “The 

community is fully ready to 

give Chief Maku the needed 

support to return as council 

chairman because since his first 

tenure , Warri North has 

recorded the highest peace in 

history.” 

Vehicles enter 4 Bayelsa riverine communities for the first time 

*Villagers roll out drums for Gov Dickson for breaking jinx with Sagbama- 

Ekeremor road project 

By Samuel Oyadongha 

YENAGOA- ACTIVITIES 

have again picked up in 

the eight Local Government 

Areas of Bayelsa State shut for 

three months, following the 

suspension of the strike 

embarked on by the state 

chapters of Nigerian Union of 

Local Government Employees, 

NULGE, and the Medical and 

Health Workers’ Union, 

MHWUN. 

During the strike, the councils 

under lock and key were almost 

taken over by weeds, but NDV 

observed that the situation was 

different last week, as the 

councils were opened for 

business and brimming with 

activities. 

Why I invited Shagari- 

Dickson 

An elated Dickson, who 

asked the Niger Delta 

Development Commission, 

NDDC, to hands off the road, 

asserted: “They do not know 

what we go through to bring 

about development in this our 

difficult environment. I had to 

invite my good friend, Alhaji 

Muhktar Shagari, to 

accompany me so that he can 

see for himself how much this 

area is in need of 

development.” 

He further asserted, “Most 

importantly, they do not know 

what we go through to bring 

about some semblance of 

development and so many more 

of our leaders will be invited to 

go round our state. Let them 

go into the creeks and see the 

conditions under which we 

live." 

Describing the project as 

strategic to the socio-economic 

development of the state, the 

governor said he was proud of 

his achievements, stressing 

that his administration has 

achieved 60 per cent 

The overgrown weeds had 

been mowed with commercial 

activities around the councils 

booming. 

Also workers of the councils 

were sighted at their duty posts 

going about their normal 

business. They were happy to 

be back at work and 

commended the steadfastness 

of the leadership of their 

unions and the state 

government in resolving the 

logjam. 

Workers commend state govt 

Comrade Akpos Ekiegha, 

state NULGE President and 

James Adama, chairman 

MHWUN, said the decision to 

suspend the sit-at-home action 

was taken after reviewing the 

efforts of the state Deputy 

Governor, Rear Admiral John 

Also speaking, a community 

leader, Pa H Etete, said: “Chief 

Maku’s emergence as our party 

candidate is putting round 

pegs in round holes 

because he is a perfect 

gentleman to the core and 

development projects over the 

years in spite of the current 

economic situation in the 

country.” 

Speaking, the council boss 

commended the people for the 

confidence reposed in him, 

saying: “My administration 

will continue to key into 

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s 

SMART agenda to provide the 

needed prosperity for all 

Deltans.” 

He urged all those who were 

in the race with him to join to 

build a new Warri North. 

completion of the road, which 

had been on the drawing board 

over the last four decades. 

…promises to 

complete project 

He said it was due to the long 

neglect of the federal road, 

which was being handled by 

NDDC that the state 

government took over the 

project to fast-track the 

development of the area. 

Dickson, who assured the 

people that the road would get 

to Ekeremor by the end of next 

year, expressed gratitude to the 

chiefs and people of the area 

for supporting his 

administration and voting his 

party, PDP, in the last elections. 

The Sagbama-Ekeremor road 

project designed as a ‘Trunk A’ 

road had been on the drawing 

board for more than 40 years, 

but was neglected by 

successive governments at the 

federal level. 

Residents in western flank of 

the state have to go through 

Bomadi in neighboring Delta 

state before they can access 

their communities. 

Bayelsa LGs spring back after strike 

Jonah (retd.) and the 

Commissioner for Local 

Government Administration, 

Mrs. Agatha Goma, in 

facilitating regular payments of 

salaries and some of the 

workers arrears during the 

strike. 

Specifically, the unions 

thanked Governor Seriake 

Dickson for personally 

intervening to resolve the 

plight of primary school 

teachers by approving monthly 

funding of their salary deficits. 

“This will obviously bring 

about a sigh of relief to the 

eight councils and ultimately 

guarantee regular payments of 

salaries not only for the council 

staff but also primary school 

teachers to restore industrial 

peace,” the unions said.

C 

M 

Y 

K 

28— VANGUARD, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2017 

A soldier reunites with his family upon his unit’s arrival from Marawi at Villamor air base in Pasay 

City. REUTERS 

Catalonia warns of civil disobedience as Madrid readies 

direct rule 

CATALONIA said on 

Monday it was 

confident all officials including 

police would defy attempts by 

Madrid to enforce direct rule 

on the region in a dispute that 

is raising fears of unrest 

among Spain’s European 

allies. 

The Spanish government 

has invoked special 

constitutional powers to fire 

the regional government and 

force elections to counter an 

independence drive. A vote 

in the national Senate to 

implement direct rule is due 

on Friday. 

But leaders of the 

secessionist campaign said a 

BANGLADESH called 

on Myanmar on 

Monday to allow nearly 1 

million Rohingya Muslim 

refugees to return home under 

safe conditions, saying that the 

burden had become 

“untenable” on its territory. 

About 600,000 people have 

crossed the border since Aug. 

25 when Rohingya insurgent 

attacks on security posts were 

met by a counter-offensive by 

the Myanmar army in 

Rakhine state which the 

United Nations has called 

ethnic cleansing. 

“This is an untenable 

situation,” Shameem Ahsan, 

Bangladesh’s ambassador to 

the United Nations in Geneva, 

told a U.N. pledging 

conference. “Despite claims to 

the contrary, violence in 

Rakhine state has not 

stopped. Thousands still enter 

on a daily basis.” 

Vital humanitarian aid must 

continue, Ahsan said, adding: 

“It is of paramount importance 

that Myanmar delivers on its 

recent promises and works 

towards safe, dignified, 

voluntary return of its nationals 

back to their homes in 

Myanmar.” 

Bangladesh’s interior 

referendum on Oct. 1, in 

which 43 percent of the 

electorate voted, gave them 

a mandate to claim 

independence from the rest 

of Spain. 

“It’s not that we will refuse 

(orders). It is not a personal 

decision. It is a seven millionperson 

decision,” 

Catalonia’s foreign affairs 

chief Raul Romeva told BBC 

radio. 

Romeva was asked 

whether he believed all 

institutions, including the 

police, would follow orders 

from Catalan institutions 

rather than obey the Spanish 

government. 

“And from that perspective, 

I have no doubt that all civil 

servants in Catalonia will 

keep following the 

instructions provided by the 

elected and legitimate 

institutions that we have right 

now in place (in Catalonia),” 

he said. 

Catalan authorities said 

about 90 percent of those who 

took part in the referendum 

on Oct. 1 voted for 

independence. But only 43 

percent of the electorate and 

1 in 3 Catalans participated, 

with most opponents of 

secession staying at home. 

The crisis over the wealthy 

Catalan region has raised 

fears among European 

countries of a spillover to 

other parts of the continent. 

Two wealthy regions of 

Rohingyas must go home but to safety, 

Bangladesh says 

minister was in Yangon on 

Monday for talks to find a 

“durable solution”, he said. 

But Myanmar continued to 

issue “propaganda 

projecting Rohingyas as 

illegal immigrants from 

Bangladesh”, Ahsan said, 

adding: “This blatant denial 

of the ethnic identity of 

Rohingyas remains a 

ONE of Russia's top 

radio presenters has 

had surgery after being 

stabbed in the neck by a 

man who broke into her 

newsroom at broadcaster 

Ekho Moskvy. 

Tatyana Felgengauer is 

in a medically-induced 

coma in a Moscow 

hospital but her life is not 

said to be in danger. 

A male suspect is under 

arrest. His motive is not 

clear, though police say it 

appears to be a personal 

grudge. 

Ekho Moskvy, an 

independent station, often 

broadcasts views critical of 

the Kremlin. 

The knifeman reportedly 

stumbling block.” 

Myanmar considers the 

Rohingya to be stateless, 

although they trace their 

presence in the country back 

generations. 

Filippo Grandi, U.N. High 

Commissioner for Refugees, 

later told journalists that the 

two countries had begun talks 

on “repatriation.” 

Russian radio presenter, 

Felgengauer stabbed in neck 

sprayed a gas into the face 

of a security guard as he 

broke in. 

According to Ekho 

Moskvy, the alleged 

attacker's name is Boris 

Grits. It describes the 

attacker as an Israeli, citing 

"informed sources". 

Russian police described 

him as a 48-year-old 

foreigner. "Initial findings 

show that personal dislike 

was the motivation," police 

told Interfax news agency. 

The Moscow police 

have released a video 

clip of the suspect under 

arrest, in which he claims 

that Felgengauer had 

"sexually harassed me 

through telepathy." 

northern Italy voted 

overwhelmingly on Sunday 

for greater autonomy, though 

those referendums were 

held in line with the 

constitution and were not 

binding on Rome. Separatists 

are active in Belgium’s 

Flanders region, and 

France’s Corsica has long 

been home to a secessionist 

movement. 

At a European Union 

summit last week, leaders 

sought to minimise Spain’s 

crisis with Catalonia and 

described the secession bid 

as a domestic issue. 

Weinstein Company faces 

civil rights probe 

New York prosecutors are 

investigating the company 

co-founded by Harvey 

Weinstein following 

allegations of sexual assault 

made against the film 

producer. The civil rights 

inquiry seeks to identify 

employees who have been 

subject to harassment. 

The attorney general's 

office said: "If sexual 

harassment or discrimination 

is pervasive...we want to 

know." 

Company documents will 

be seized as part of the 

investigation. 

The Weinstein Company, 

which was behind Oscarwinning 

films including The 

King's Speech and The Artist, 

has come under intense 

pressure over the scandal 

and fired Mr Weinstein from 

its board earlier this month. 

In a statement, New York 

attorney general Eric 

Schneiderman said: "No 

New Yorker should be forced 

to walk into a workplace 

ruled by sexual intimidation, 

harassment, or fear." 

"If sexual harassment or 

discrimination is pervasive at 

a company, we want to know." 

A source familiar with the 

investigation told the BBC 

that prosecutors will 

subpoena documents as part 

of the inquiry. These include 

documents relating to 

complaints about sexual 

harassment and how such 

complaints were handled. 

Life of Gaza conjoined 

twins in danger 

THE lives of a pair of Palestinian conjoined twins 

are at risk unless they are able to leave Gaza, 

doctors say. 

Shifa Hospital's Alam Abu Hamda said the 

"complicated condition" of the baby girls could not be 

dealt with by medics in the coastal territory, which is 

under blockade by Israel and Egypt. 

He said the hope was they could be transferred 

abroad for separation. 

The girls are joined at the abdomen and lower body. 

Born on Saturday, one is reported to be weaker than 

the other. 

The twins have one shared leg but separate hearts 

and lungs. Conjoined twins that share key organs 

generally have lower chances of survival. 

"Their lives are in danger, it's a complicated case," Dr 

Abu Hamda was quoted by The Times of Israel as 

saying. 

He said that while the condition of one of the twins 

was "ok", her sibling was suffering and required 

ventilation. 

KENYA: Western Diplomats 

warn against political unrest 

WESTERN diplomats have warned of "growing 

insecurity" in Kenya ahead of Thursday's 

presidential election re-run, boycotted by the main 

opposition. 

Inflammatory rhetoric and attacks on the election 

commission made it more difficult to hold a legitimate 

poll, the 20 envoys said. 

Kenyan prosecutors said opposition leader Raila 

Odinga's sister would be charged with inciting violence. 

Mr Odinga has vowed to disrupt Thursday's poll with 

a mass protest. 

He says the vote cannot be held before key reforms, 

including the sacking of Independent Electoral and 

Boundaries Commission (IEBC) officials, are 

implemented. 

About 70 people have been killed in violence since 

the IEBC declared President Uhuru Kenyatta the 

winner of elections on 8 August. 

The Supreme Court of Appeal annulled his victory, 

saying the poll was marred by irregularities and 

illegalities. 

And Mr. Odinga says nothing has changed since. 

Togo's President should resign 

immediately --Gambian Foreign Minister 

TOGO’S President Faure Gnassingbe should resign 

immediately and the African Union and West African 

regional bloc ECOWAS should persuade him to step down, 

Gambia’s Foreign Minister Ousainou Darboe told Reuters. 

Darboe’s comments are an early sign that opinion is 

shifting against Gnassingbe who took power in 2005 on 

the death of his father who ruled from 1967. Togo faces a 

political crisis in which at least ten have died since August. 

Top member of Trump 

administration visits Africa 

U 

.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki 

Haley arrived in Ethiopia on Monday, among 

the first visits to Africa by a senior member of President 

Donald Trump’s administration that diplomats hope 

will shed light on his plans to engage with the 

continent. 

While Africa is traditionally overshadowed by more 

urgent issues, the Trump administration has so far been 

hands-off. 

“The president is sending me because we want to 

build (our Africa policy) back up to what it was under 

(President George W. Bush); it has fallen and our 

African friends feel that,” Haley told a George W. Bush 

Institute event in New York on Thursday. 

Trump has been vocal about North Korea, Iran and 

tackling Islamic State militants during his first nine 

months in office, but said little about Africa until he 

held a lunch last month with nine leaders on the 

sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. 

It was there he announced he would send Haley to 

South Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo to 

help with efforts to broker peace in both countries, 

where millions of people have been displaced by 

ongoing violence and U.N. peacekeeping missions, 

each costing more than $1 billion annually, are 

deployed.




APC's change policy hinged on 

restructuring —Oyegun 

By Gabriel 

Enogholase 

N ATIONAL 

Chairman of All 


APC, Chief John Odigie- 

Oyegun, has said that the 

change promised by his 

party has to do with basic 

restructuring of the society 

and total rebuilding of the 

economy, which he said 

was run down by the 

previous administration of 

the Peoples Democratic 

Party, PDP. 

He also said that the 

APC will take advantage of 

the crisis rocking the PDP 

and the All Progressive 

Grand Alliance, APGA, to 

win the November 18 

governorship election in 

Anambra State. 

Chief Oyegun who 

spoke with journalists in 

Benin weekend while 

reacting to a question on 

how Nigerians have been 

faring in spite of the change 

promised by his party said, 

“Change has to do with the 

way people lives, it is a 

basic restructuring og the 

society. We have got to a 

level where we don’t k now 

the difference between 

rights and wrongs. 

“We have the case of 

those who benefited the 

system are very ready and 

determined to fight back. 

So, we have a President 

who insists that things must 

be done according to due 

process and the law of the 

land. The change is that 

PANDEF to N-Delta youths: Be patient as FG 

develops region 

By Davies 

Iheamnachor 

PORT 

HAR- 

COURT— PAN 

Niger Delta Elders Forum, 

PANDEF, has begged 

youths and agitators in the 

Niger Delta for patience, 

adding that the Federal 

Government is committed 

to developing the oil-rich 

region. 

PANDEF made the 

appeal in Port Harcourt, 

yesterday, while briefing 

newsmen on the fourth 

General Assembly of the 

body. It dismissed the 

claims that the group was 

slow in its engagements 

with the Federal 

Government. 

Speaking, the Rivers 

State leader of PANDEF, 

Alabo Graham Douglas, 

pleaded with Niger Delta 

youths of the region to be 

patient with the elders as 

they marshal out ways of 

ensuring a better life for the 

youths, stressing that panic 

would not revolve the 

we are rebuilding the 

economy which was run 

down and this real. Part of 

the change is that we are 

totally rebuilding the 

Nigerian economy. You 

know the conditions of our 

roads across the country 

and if the roads were built 

in the last few years, we 

they will not broke down 

totally. 

“The Buhari government 

is trying to give the nation 

a brand railway system 

which is the backbone of 

any economy, we are trying 

to improve on our electricity 

generation, providing 

challenges confronting the 

region. 

Douglas noted that the 

Federal Government has 

taken to heart the 

development of the region, 

noting that some of the 

items in the 16 point 

demands presented to the 

FG are being given 

attention. 

Douglas, who was the 

former Minister of Labour 

power in spite of the billions 

of Naira that have been 

filtered away by the 

previous administrations 

and we are building a new 

national carrier to replace 

the defunct Nigeria 

Airways. 

“So, it is no longer 

business as usual and 

people must complain. 

Even my followers in Abuja 

are also complaining. 

Nigerians should exercise 

patience and support this 

government to ensure that 

things are properly done 

and at the end of the day, 

we will all smile.” 

and also Minister of Sports, 

opined that it was wrong for 

youths in the region to say 

that no attention was being 

given to development of the 

region, pointing out that 

the Bodo-Bonny road 

which the FG flagged off 

recently was part of the 

demands of the body. 

He lambasted youth 

groups in the region that 

believe that PANDEF was 

On the forth coming 

Anambra State 

governorship election he 

said, “I can conveniently 

tell you that the chances of 

APC's candidate, Mr. Tony 

Nwoye wining Anambra 

governorship election are 

very bright. You can see the 

caliber of people that came 

out during our flag-off 

campaign in Awka. The 

crowd alone is a signal that 

the moving train of the party 

and its candidate is few 

kilometers away to 

Government House in 

Awka. That is to tell you that 

APC is ready for the 

election”. 

RECEPTION: From left: Mr. Chris Azubogu, Deputy Chairman, House 

of Representatives Committee on Appropriations; Chief Godspower 

Gbenekama, Ebe Beniowei of Gbaramatu Kingdom and Emeka Ugwu-Oju, 

Founder, NESH, at the NESH Oil and Gas Roundtable and Dinner Reception 

in Asaba. 

docile in the issue of 

development, adding that 

development was a 

gradual process. 

He said: “Our youths 

thought we were not active 

enough in bringing the 

needed result from the 

Federal Government. But 

we are working actively to 

bring development to the 

region." 

Bayelsa community alleges plans to disrupt 

SPDC gas project 

By Emem Idio 

THE leadership of 

Bilabiri community in 

Ekeremor Local 


Bayelsa State, says it has 

come to the knowledge of 

the community that some 

impostors are planning to 

disrupt the commencement 

of a gas pipeline project by 

Shell Petroleum 

Development Company, 

SPDC, after the process of 

engagement with all 

parties and host 

communities was clearly 

spelt out in the Global 

Memorandum of 

Understanding, GMoU. 


community leaders, some 

disgruntled non-indigenes 

who claim to be leaders 

have written letters to 

SPDC, threatening to 

unleash mayhem in the 

community should SPDC 

continue with the said 

project over claims of being 

sidelined, stating that the 

various security agencies 

have been put on notice. 

In a petition, yesterday, to 

security agencies in the 

state signed by HRM King 

Paul Seide, Ibenanawei of 

Bilabiri Mein Kingdom, 

HRH Mina Omotete, the 

Amananawei of Bilabiri II 

and CDC Chairman, Mr. 

Ebimobowei Deboh, the 

community leaders while 

declaring that the 

community was safe, urged 

SPDC to continue the 

project without fear as 

adequate security 

measures have been put in 

place to forestall any breach 

of the peace. 

Obaseki awards contract for 

Uhunmwode General Hospital 

G OVERNOR 

Godwin Obaseki 

of Edo State Mr. has 

disclosed that contract for 

the construction of a general 

hospital in Uhunmwode 

Local Government Area 

has been awarded to 

address the healthcare 

needs of people in the area. 

Obaseki disclosed this 

while speaking with 

members of All 

Progressives Party, APC, at 

Ehor, the administrative 

headquarters of the 

council, in continuation of 

his thank-you-visit to the 

state’s 18 local government 

areas. 

He explained that his 

administration has 

completed the design of a 

General Hospital to be 

sited in the council and the 

contract has been awarded 

by the state government. 

He added that statistics 

have shown that 

Uhunmwode Local 

Government Area ranks 

poorly in major indices of 

development, promising to 

change the narrative. 

“I am not happy with the 

level of progress recorded 

in Uhunmwode Local 

Government Area. An area 

with the largest land mass 

in the state should be 

assisted in developing 

basic infrastructure,” he 

said. 

The governor also 

promised to provide 

communities within the 

council electricity and 

potable water, assuring that 

they would benefit from 

efforts to attract investors 

from Indonesia and 

Malaysia to develop oil 

palm plantations in the 

council. 

Taiga urged to tackle issues 

affecting Urhobo nation 

THE forum of 

Presidents- 

General of the 24 

kingdoms of Urhoboland 

has tasked the President- 

General of Urhobo 

Progress Union 

Worldwide, Olorogun 

Moses Taiga, to tackle 

all pressing issues 

affecting the Urhobo 

nation. 

In a welcome address 

read by the Secretary- 

General of the forum, 

Olorogun Kenneth 

Iwhewhe, during a 

meeting by Taiga with 

the forum of Presidents 

General at Uvwie Town 

Hall, Effurun, Delta 

State, the PGs, listed 

some of the pressing 

issues as the Fulani 

herdsmen invasion of 

Urhobo towns and 

villages, which has 

rendered many Urhobo 

homeless in their 

fatherland and the land 

dispute between Aladja, 

an Urhobo town and 

Ogbe-Ijoh, an Ijaw town. 

They also urged him to 

use his knowledge of the 

oil industry to the benefit 

of Urhoboland, which is 

a major oil producing 

area. 

Also speaking, the 

Chairman of the forum, 

Dr. Peter Obakponovwe, 

said Taiga has all it takes 

and the pedigree to take 

Urhobo to greater 

heights. 

Delta LG polls: Itsekiri in Warri 

S-West reject Otuaro’s candidate 

By Festus Ahon 

S TAKEHOLDERS 

of Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP, in 

Warri South West Local 

Government Area of Delta 

State have warned 

against imposition of 

chairmanship candidates 

on the people in the 

January 6, 2018 local 

government council 

election, urging the state 

deputy governor, Mr 

Kingsley Otuaro, to 

respect the popular will of 

party leaders in the local 

council. 

They said the 

chairmanship position 

has been zoned to the 

Itsekiri ethnic nationality 

in the council in line with 

the zoning arrangement, 

with the Ijaws having 

produced the candidate 

for the position in the last 

six years culminating into 

two tenures and vowed to 

do anything within the 

ambit of the law to protect 

their franchise. 

The leaders said in a 

statement, signed by the 

PDP chairmen in the six 

Itsekiri wards in the 

council area, including 

Ikpotor Aboyowa, 

Rawlings Jakpa, Austin 

Kpogho, Austin Iyinbor 

and Oshoff Ollueh, said: 

“Now that it is the turn of 

the Itskiri to produce the 

council Chairman, the 

deputy governor (Ijaw 

man) should allow the 

major stakeholders in 

Itsekiri nation to make 

their choice." 

C 

M 

Y 

K


Jacob Zuma and the crisis of 

leadership in South Africa 

THE person of Jacob Zuma, 

current President of the 

Republic of South Africa, came 

into the news in our country in 

connection with the erection of a 

life-sized sculpture by the restless 

Imo State Governor Rochas 

Okorocha. That gesture has 

drawn a lot of flak at home and 

abroad. 

Within Nigeria, the social and 

print medias have been awash 

with commentaries. I will sample 

only a few. Professor Chidi 

Odinkalu, former Chairman of 

the National Human Rights 

Commission has noted: “The 

statue was unveiled on the day 

the Supreme Court (of South 

Africa) reinstated the corruption 

charges against President Zuma. 

Ironically, in Owerri dialect, 

Zuma means continue 

stealing…” I may also wish to 

remind Chidi that Zuma in the 

Hausa language actually means 

honey. The man may thus at once 

be a robber baron and a honey 

pot. 

Austin Osakwe, a Benin-based 

public affairs analyst was of the 

view that “the governor’s latest 

act indicates his poor 

By Akintola Benson-Oke 

WITHOUT any doubts whatsoever, 

the proper administration of the 

Local Government system is the fastest and 

most reliable way to bring development and 

the gains of democracy closest to the people 

of Lagos State. 

This is why it is important for civil servants 

who advise the government on policies to be 

grounded in the modalities for the 

administration of Local Government system 

in order to be able to review existing 

procedures and advise on future proposals. 

It is important to point out that the Lagos 

State governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, 

has once again demonstrated his 

commitment to stimulating the 

development of the State from the 

grassroots. In approving training, the 

governor is again attempting to call 

attention to the importance of this tier of 

government and the need for civil servants 

to fully understand and appreciate its 

potentials and challenges. 

In this opening address, I will point you 

all to the critical areas that this training will 

cover with a view to stimulating your interest 

the more in this endeavour. 

It is important to appreciate the 

importance of the local government 

administration in any political and 

governance structure. Without doubt, it is 

the foundation on which the superstructure 

of the state is based and the most effective 

tier of government to meet the basic needs 

of the citizens as it is the tier closest to the 

people. Indeed, nothing exists in vacuum 

and, as is famously attributed to Lord 

Denning, the late great English jurist, you 

cannot put something on nothing and expect 

it to stand. In the same way, we cannot expect 

the central governments to effectively 

govern when the smaller units are not 

understanding of the intricate act 

of diplomacy and statecraft. 

Only recently, many Nigerians 

were brutally murdered by the 

rampaging South Africans in a 

frenzy of xenophobic outbreaks”. 

Ndubuisi Osuagwu, an 

academic at the University of 

Calabar notes: “There cannot be 

any justification by a governor 

that presides over a state that has 

no internal roads to embark on 

such a project. I understand that 

the cost of erecting the statue runs 

into several millions of naira. 

How can Rochas Okorocha 

spend that kind of money erecting 

a statue of the president of a 

country that is presiding over the 

killing, frustration and 

harassment of Nigerians? Most 

of those who are facing this ugly 

situation in South Africa are 

from Rochas Okorocha’s Imo 

State.” 

Sir Truelove Njoku, Patron of 

the Igbo Community Association 

in Kwara State, sternly observes: 

“Naturally, when a sane person 

is in a financial crisis, he or she 

should exercise financial 

restraint and prudence. But this 

is not so with Imo State and its 

properly administered. It is thus my hope 

that you will fully appreciate that it is futile 

to suppose that a federal system can function 

efficiently and effectively by concentrating 

focus, powers and resources in the central 

government to the detriment of the 

federating states and local governments are 

gravely mistaken or mischievously deluded. 

I am glad to note that this training will 

also cover the history of local government 

administration in Nigeria starting from the 

systems in place before the advent of the 

colonialists. The objective of the colonialists 

in establishing the Native Authorities was 

simply the maintenance of law and order 

and the perpetuating of British rule through 

the now well-documented system of indirect 

rule. Subsequent development in the system 

government….a statue for a 

saintly Mandela would be 

uncalled for, let alone for the 

(current) President of South 

Africa, Jacob Zuma, who has 

been tagged with many corrupt 

charges at home….” 

There are many forces out there 

that want to pitch Nigeria and 

South Africa against each other. 

I am one of those who deeply 

believe that our two nations need 

not be caught up in some kind of 

binary titanic rivalry for 

continental hegemony. On the 

contrary, I have always made it 

clear to whoever cares to listen 

that our two nations ought to be 

the engine and locomotive of 

African integration. The 

example of France and Germany 

in Europe is relevant here. From 

the very beginning, the 

rapprochement between Charles 

de Gaulle of France and Konrad 

Adenauer of what was then West 

Germany was the foundation of 

post-war European integration. 

To this day, the two nations are 

the central pillars of European 

unification. They have the final 

word on whatever happens in 

Europe. 

Nigeria and South Africa are 

bounded by destiny to play a 

similar role in Africa. Nelson 

Lagos state: Understanding local govt admininstration 

It is important to examine 

the ideal and basic 

concepts that ought to 

define an efficient and 

effective local government 

administration system 

of local government administration were 

also designed, not to create or promote 

development, but to implement the policies 

of a higher governing structure which, at 

one time, was the colonial government and 

later, the regional, central, state and federal 

governments, as the case may be. 

It is important to examine the ideal and 

basic concepts that ought to define an 

efficient and effective local government 

administration system. Such administration 

must be democratic, having been elected 

by the people, representative of the people 

and devoted to the advancement of the 

interests of the people; such administration 

must reflect the principles of the doctrine of 

the Separation of Powers in having at the 

Rochas Okorocha 

showed the lowest 

point of his sense 

of judgement in 

erecting that illthought 

sculpture 

Mandela did not particularly 

warm up to Nigeria because he 

said he was ostensibly 

disappointed by our corrupt 

leaders and our failure to live up 

to our promise of greatness. His 

successor Thabo Mbeki was 

definitely better for Abuja- 

Pretoria relations, perhaps aided 

by the fact that he spent some of 

his most formative years as ANC 

representative in our country. 

When Olusegun Obasanjo and 

Thabo Mbeki held the 

incumbencies of the High 

Magistracy in their respective 

countries our relations were at 

their best. Both leaders had a 

deep rapport with each other. 

They were the only two leaders 

who could rein-in Muammar 

Gadaffi’s excesses within the 

African Union. The two leaders 

were the principal architects of 

the New Partnership for Africa’s 

Development, NEPAD, which 

articulated a new vision for 

Africa’s transformation in the 

twenty-first century. 

For far too long I have held 

back from writing anything that 

is derogatory about Jacob Zuma. 

There is no doubt that he came 

under persecution as Mbeki’s 

deputy when made clear he was 

setting his sights on the ultimate 

price. Mbeki was deeply 

convinced that he did not have 

the intellect or personality to be 

President of South Africa. He 

therefore placed all sorts of 

stumbling blocks on his path. It 

had the opposite effect. Jacob 

Zuma became the underdog. He 

drew the sympathy of the masses, 

and particularly youth leaders 

like Julius Malema, leader and 

founder of the radical Economic 

Freedom Fighters, EFF, party. 

In 2005, he was charged with 

rape but was soon acquitted. 

minimum, the executive arm distinct from 

the legislative arm; and such 

administration must be based on the rule of 

law, which law must incorporate a charter 

on the fundamental rights of the people. 

It is necessary to consider the arguments 

for and against the indispensability of the 

local government system. Participants will 

also be led to articulate the role of the system 

in the democratic and political functioning 

of the state. A deep appreciation of these 

considerations and argument is a sine qua 

non for any civil servant who will advise the 

government on local government 

administration matters. After the exercises 

on this point, participants will be invited to 

discuss and highlight the cardinal 

parameters or foundational imperatives 

that must be in existence in order for the 

arguments in favour of the local 

government system to hold. Participants will 

realise that only a system where the people 

see local government administrations as 

responsible, empowered and peopleoriented 

tiers of government can result in 

the institution of an effective system. Such 

a system will make it easier for the state 

government to dispel the impression that 

the local administration is populated by the 

not-so-savvy class and almost irrelevant to 

the people’s daily lives in terms of its powers 

and constitutional responsibilities. 

This training will also focus on the history 

of the administration of the local 

government system in Lagos State since its 

creation in 1976. Participants will be led to 

appreciate and examine the structural and 

constitutional limitations on the 

effectiveness of the local government 

system, the heroic struggle of Lagos State 

Government in opposing the federal 

government’s attempt to frustrate the 

legitimate exercise of constitutional powers 

of establishing and regulating local 

Unfortunately, after he was 

sworn in as president in May 

2009, it soon became clear that 

he had immense deficits both in 

character and intellect. He was 

charged for corruption and 

racketeering as a result of his 

links with his financial advisor 

Schabir Shaik in April 2009. He 

illegally committed state funds 

for the renovation of his palatial 

home, Nkandla, in Zululand. 

I was in Johannesburg in late 

September 2009 when his appeal 

trial came up at the Supreme 

Court in Bloemfontein. Ever the 

dramatist, Zuma donned Zulu 

war regalia, including leopard 

skin and all, singing the 

liberation war song, 

“mishimiwami”. I suspect that 

the entire court was 

overwhelmed by the thousands of 

youths that surrounded the 

courthouse. 

Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma 

has been a disaster for South 

Africa. A man who has been 

charged for rape, corruption, 

fraud and racketeering certainly 

is unfit to lead such a great 

country. He is definitely not in the 

same league as Thabo Mbeki, 

not to talk of Nelson Mandela. 

He has brought nothing but 

disgrace to South Africa. The 

economy has been in nearcollapse; 

investors have fled in 

droves; crime has been on the 

increase, and with it murderous 

xenophobia and random 

nihilistic violence. It is no 

wonder that the international 

ratings agencies have 

downgraded the country, 

compounding the challenges of 

development and growth. 

Rochas Okorocha showed the 

lowest point of his sense of 

judgement in erecting that illthought 

sculpture. 

governments, and the Lagos State’s judicial 

victory at the Supreme Court which 

validates the rightly held view that, in a 

federal system, the central government does 

not have the powers to withhold funds due 

to any of the federating units. 

Moving on, this training will then identify 

the challenges confronting local 

government administration in Lagos State. 

Participants will find that, the challenge of 

unemployment and its impact on the 

welfare of the people at the grassroots and 

on the maintenance of law and order there 

deserve a special attention. Again, 

participants will be in the position to 

appreciate the relevance and importance 

of the initiative of the administration of 

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode in founding 

the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund. 

Better appreciation of the challenges at the 

local government level will enable civil 

servants to better advise the state 

government on similar initiatives that could 

be directed at tackling these challenges. 

This training will also focus on the 

adequacy or otherwise of the constitutional 

provisions relating to local government 

administration. Participants will deliberate 

on the impact of the failure of the 

constitution to prescribe the tenure of local 

government governments. 

Is this an omission that should be remedied 

or an appropriate omission? Given the 

peculiarity of the local government system 

as the tier closest to the people and given 

the diversity of Nigeria, is it the right 

approach is for each state to be 

constitutionally competent to legislate on 

the local government administration 

system considered most appropriate and 

suitable to the needs of her people? 

Continue Online @ www.vanguardngr.com 

*Being excerpts of a speech by Dr. Benson- 

Oke, Lagos State Commissioner for 

Establishment, Trainning and Pensions during 

a training programme organised By the Public 

Service Staff Development Centre. 

C 

M 

Y 

K


YOUR LUCK TODAY 

By Joshua Adeyemo Phone 08056180139 

SCORPIO; You will be in better position to consolidate 

on progress made yesterday. And it is wrong to 

take people for granted today. 

SAGITTARIUS; Many people may be disappointed 

because of broken promises, therefore you will need to 

prepare your mind accordingly and refuse to take others 

for granted 

CAPRICORN ;You can make it a good day as both 

career advancement and financial success are closer 

to you. Secret lovers are in for an exciting day. 

AQUARIUS; Although there will be challenges here 

is a day when things will eventually go according to 

your plans. Don’t take friends for granted. 

PISCES; From now until next few days you will need 

to be as practical as possible along your career line; 

this is the wrong time to experiment with new ideas. 

ARIES; You may not be in total control of your mind 

till around 5.36pm. That is to say you will need practical 

approach in all you do today. Be more co-operative. 

TAURUS; Continue to be more careful about proposals 

having to do with joint ventures. Yet that is not to 

say you can not take good advice. Prepare to work 

harder. 

GEMINI; You stand good chance to extend favourable 

events of yesterday both at work and on matters-ofthe-heart. 

Watch what you sign before 5.36pm. 

L E I S U R E 

THOUGHT FOR TODAY 

“There comes a time when might must make right, the seeds of an evil 

foe. For when we stand before our maker face to face to be asked, Did you 

live to make the world a better place?” 

Written in 2014 by Tony Muscato — New York 

“In the art of democracy, anyone can blame or fame the system but the 

mission / vision of any system shall be accomplished only if the state of 

two minds transformed each other with the positive approach.” 

Written in 2014 by Chinnappan Baskar — India 

TERROR MUDA in “Never say goodbye” 

By Kola Fayemi 

CANCER; Young-at-heart-Librans will be willing to 

give priority attention to sentimental related issues 

probably because of yesterday’s success. 

LEO; Refuse to become mentally arrogant or else you 

would be working against your own interest. Your love 

life will continue to enjoy favourable aspects. 

KAPTAIN AFRIKA in “Pretty Lunatic’ By Andy Akman 

VIRGO; Financial success is within your reach, especially 

if you back your old plans early in the day. The 

more family minded you are the better for you. 

LIBRA; It is important you don’t allow others to 

mislead you in the name of giving you good advice 

before 5.36pm. Those travelling or moving around in 

search of love may be in for both an exciting and pleasurable 

day. 

ASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLING 

Send your date e and place of birth th to the Astr 

trological 

Counselling, P.M.B 100 

007, 7, Apapa, Lagos 

Comprehensive of my 

life analysis 

Dear Joshua, 

I want comprehensive Astrological analysis of my 

life, especially my love life and what I should expect 

from social activities around me; if possible be as 

blunt as possible. 

Daniel, Lagos. 

Dear Daniel, 

You were given handsome and magnetic body. 

Many planetary placement in Leo particularly the 

conjunction of magnetic Uranus, sexual Mars and 

romantic Venus are pointer to very active love life. 

Certainly romantic fun with beautiful women can 

not elude you, but you must always be careful. 

Major challenge of your love life is coming from 

difficult aspect from Jupiter in death related Scorpio 

to the conjunction of Mars, Uranus and Venus 

in child bearing Leo, if this is not well managed it 

can cause avoidable death either of a spouse or a 

child. But your being spiritual can take good care 

of this tough challenge of your love life. 

Here is an incurable LOVER OF TOTAL FREE- 

DOM. But fortunately on one hand Saturn made it 

very difficult and rough at the initial stage and 

instilled discipline into your inner-self, but unfortunately 

on the other hand the same difficult Saturn 

killed some of rascally useful traits in you capable 

of making you a big time freedom fighter. Let 

me say this here, the truth is as much as some of 

wicked witches and wizards would like to harm 

your FAME your natal affiliation to them through 

your Neptune in Scorpio at positive angle to your 

natal Sun in homely Cancer will not allow them; 

then that does not mean you should leave your 

defence open unnecessarily. 

VIRGINIA 

HOME & ABROAD 

dadadekola@yahoo.com 

By Lawrence Akapa

Y 



Ayiri can't be Ologbotsere 

of Itsekiri, says Lori-Ogbebor 

By Charles Kumolu 

RIGHTS 

activist, 

Chief Rita Lori- 

Ogbebor, has said Chief 

Ayiri Emami will not be 

recognised as the 

Ologbotsere of Itsekiri 

nation because the Olu of 

Warri, His Majesty 

Ogiame Ikenwoli, 

conferred the title on him 

against the wishes of the 

people and collective 

interest of the Itsekiri 

nation. 

Briefing newsmen in 

Lagos, she said the 

Itsekiri had rejected 

Emami prior to his 

appointment, last Friday, 

noting that it was 

surprising that the Itsekiri 

monarch went ahead to 

make him the 

Ologbotsere. 

She said: “I will, 

therefore, not believe that 

the Olu will rush to confer 

a title on anybody because 

there is no reason to do 

so. Above all these 

reasons is the fact that 

there is a saying, which 

guides the Itsekiri throne 

and it is Mi ni mi ni I gbo, 

I gbo mi ni, meaning the 

people own the palace 

and the palace owns the 

people. “It is this 

marriage between the 

people and the throne 

Amnesty programme headed for disaster 

—Muturu •Condemns kidnap of expatriates in Enekorogha 

By Etop Ekanem 

CHAIRMAN, Phase 

II of the Presidential 

Amnesty Programme in 

Delta State, Mr. Kingsley 

Muturu, has said that the 

programme is headed for 

disaster as close aides were 

shielding the Coordinator, 

Gen. Paul Boroh (retd.), 

from useful information that 

could turn things around. 

Muturu, a Peace 

Ambassador, also 

condemned the alleged 

kidnap in Enekorogha, 

recently, of expatriates on 

free medical services to the 

people of the Niger Delta. 

He described the action of 

the kidnappers as evil and 

tasked all men of goodwill 

to prevail on the captors to 

release them. 

Speaking to newsmen in 

Bomadi, Muturu lamented 

that himself and other 

leaders of Phase II of the 

Amnesty Programme, went 

to Abuja to see Gen Boroh 

only for them to be directed 

to see the Chief of Staff and 

that makes the Itsekiri 

throne unique. This is 

why people would die for 

the throne and the throne 

should do same. “Simply 

put, the Olu does not take 

a decision on his own 

without proper 

consultation. It would be 

sad if it is true that the 

Olu conferred any title on 

Ayiri. “In this case, he 

refuted the letter I wrote 

because the people 

refused to accept Ayriri 

Emami as their 

Ologbotsere. 

other security agencies. 

He said: “Several months 

after that meeting, our 

expressed reservations on 

how the programme is 

being run have not been 

addressed nor are efforts 

made by Gen. Boroh to 

reach out to the people with 

explanations. The 

implication is that either the 

close aides were shielding 

him from the truths we told 

him or he decided to ignore 

truth-telling. 

“You find a situation 

where trainings earmarked 

for three months or more are 

done in just one month 

while people lined for 

degree programmes are 

invited for a one-month 

training in one agricultural 

programme or the other. 

How can real objectives be 

achieved when contractors 

or vendors are not called to 

order in these 

circumstances? It is sad 

Gen. Boroh does not care 

about complaints. 

“Our efforts to reach him 

is to give him an 

opportunity to correct errors 

in our desire to exhaust 

internal mechanism for 

solving problems, which 

should not be interpreted 

to mean that we do not 

know how to reach higher 

authorities to his 

embarrassment." 

Edo Speaker hails Obaseki’s economic plans 

By Simon 

Ebegbulem 

SPEAKER of Edo 

State House of 

Assembly, Alhaji Kabiru 

Adjoto, weekend, 

commended Governor 

Godwin Obaseki on his 

efforts in transforming the 

state into an economically 

buoyant one by providing 

conducive atmosphere for 

investors. 

Adjoto, who stated this 

while addressing members 

“The second time, the 

people protested that they 

still did not want Ayiri as 

their Ologbostere. 

Therefore, it is quite clear 

to the Olu that the people 

have spoken. 

“There are people who 

want to take Itsekiri 

throne and palace 

because of their resources 

and this is what the 

people should worry 

about. Let it be clear that 

as the custodian of the 

Itsekiri throne, we shall 

not surrender our throne. 

of the All Progressives 

Congress, APC, in Akoko 

Edo Local Government 

Area, urged leaders of the 

party in Akoko Edo to 

ensure discipline and 

promote internal 

democracy, which 

according to him, will bring 

capable people into power. 

The Speaker who 

enjoined members of the 

party to ensure that 

Governor Obaseki is given 

a rousing reception when 

he visits the council on 

“This is not a war of 

guns. This is a war of just 

being ourselves as a 

people, who do things 

with their brain and not 

with violence. “I only saw 

Olu, Ayiri and three chiefs 

somewhere. I do not see 

anything that suggests 

that a chieftaincy title was 

being given out. “If it is 

true that a chieftaincy title 

was given, the Olu would 

be putting his credibility 

on the line. Please fight 

nobody, but just ignore 

Ayiri as the Ologbostere of 

Itsekiri people.” 

BURIAL: From left: Member representing Ughelli South Constituency 2 

in Delta State House of Assembly, DTHA, Prince Eric Oharisi; Senator 

Emmanuel Aguariavwodo; Speaker of DTHA, Chief Sheriff Oborevwori; Mr 

Festus Ahon, his wife, Vivian and member representing Ughelli South in 

DTHA, Mr Rueben Izeze, during the burial ceremony of Ahon's father-in-law 

at Oviri-Ogor, Ughelli North Local Government Area, Delta State. 

November 3, 2017, said the 

governor’s economic 

policies for the state are 

already yielding results 

with the number of investors 

already in the state. He 

added that with its 

developmental policies, the 

APC government will 

ensure that the PDP does 

not come back to the state. 

“We must give credit to 

Governor Obaseki for all he 

has been doing to make the 

state economically 

buoyant," he said. 

Delta communities flay attack 

on Okowa’s SSA 

By Gab Ejuwa 

S 

A P E L E — 

LEADERS of 

Amupke and Okirighwre 

communities, both in 

Sapele Local Government 

Area, Delta State, yesterday 

condemned the recent 

attack on Governor Ifeanyi 

Okowa’s Senior Special 

Assistant (Special Duties), 

Mr Eugene Inoaghan, 

regarding his place of 

origin. They also raised 

alarm over what they 

termed the “Current 

wanton acts of con men in 

our domains who falsify our 

signatures and stamp of our 

Odogun Okpe, (traditional 

council) to rubbish our 

image and the reputation 

of Odogun Okpe, as well 

as to swindle our illustrious 

sons and daughters in 

politics and in the business 

firmament.” 

In a statement by their 

President-General, Goddey 

Okpako and two other 

leaders said, “Mr. Eugene 

Inoaghan is our illustrious 

son. He hails from the 

Ororo dynasty of Okpe 

land. He is, by origin, from 

Amukpe community here 

in Okpe Kingdom of 

Sapele LGA of Delta state.” 

Oghenekaro cautions Delta 

APC against alleged blackmail 

By Victor Ahiuma- 

Young 

THE 

Director– 

General of Okowa 

Legacy Group, OLG, Chief 

Omanefe Oghenekaro, has 

slammed the All 


APC, in Delta State, over 

alleged falsehood, 

misinformation, 

propaganda and 

misrepresentation of facts 

aimed at inciting the people 

of the state against the 

Governor Ifeanyi Okowaled 

Administration. 

Speaking at Igbodo, 

during the unveiling of the 

Okowa Legacy Group’s 

Economic Empowerment 

Programme for rural 

dwellers in Delta State, 

Chief Oghenekaro 

cautioned the APC against 

cheap blackmail, skewed 

reports, unfounded 

rumours and other acts 

inimical to peace and 

democratic norms. 

He particularly criticized 

the photo shopping of failed 

portions of roads not 

constructed by the Okowa 

administration to deceive 

Deltans, insisting that no 

political party had 

monopoly of propaganda 

andindecent methods of 

achieving cheap political 

points. 

The OLG DG maintained 

that Nigerians and indeed 

Deltans, were more 

politically conscious and 

wiser now than in 2015, 

saying the blame game, 

buck passing and general 

demonizing of the Peoples 


must give way to objective, 

fair and critical assessment 

of the performance of the 

Okowa-led administration 

based on its electoral 

promises vis-à-vis the 

reality on ground. 

In a good will message, 

founder of the group, Dr. 

Isioma Okobah, said the 

empowerment programme 

was designed to empower 

the economically weak and 

make them productive 

members of the society. 

Edo govt orders collection of 

revenue from Agric Ministry, others 

By Simon 

Ebegbulem 

BENIN—EDO State 

Government has 

ordered the state Revenue 

Board to commence the 

collection of revenues in the 

Ministries of Agriculture, 

Environment and Oil and 

Gas, regretting that 

government was losing 

revenues in these sectors. 

The deputy governor of 

the state, Mr. Philip Shaibu, 

who gave the charge 

during a meeting with 

Commissioners, Permanent 

Secretaries and Directors in 

the state Revenue Board, 

charged them to mobilise 

revenue collectors to the 

field, adding that manual 

collection of revenues will 

be applied until February 

2018 when the system 

would have been 

automated. 

Asserting that the state 

government would soon 

stop the use of consultants/ 

contractors in the collection 

of revenues, the deputy 

governor said: “The process 

must be very transparent to 

maximize revenue for 

government in the various 

beats. You must do away 

with the old order where 

there are leakages, causing 

government money to end 

up in private pockets. 

“This pilot project is for 

three months only. The 

manual collection starts 

November 1, and will end 

by February 1, 2018 when 

the process will be fully 

automated. So I urge the 

ministries affected to take 

advantage of the one week 

window, between now 

and November 1st, to liaise 

with the revenue Board."

C 

M 

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FG trying in vain to pin Kanu’s absence 

on Abaribe — IPOB 

By Vincent 

Ujumadu 

A WKA—THE 

Indigenous People 

of Biafra, IPOB, has 

described the Federal 

Government’s denial of 

knowing the whereabouts 

of its leader, Mazi Nnamdi 

Kanu, as a tissue of lies, 

saying the government had 

been trying in vain to pin 

IPOB leader’s absence on 

Senator Enyinnaya 

Abaribe. 

A statement by IPOB 

Media and Publicity 

Secretary, Comrade Emma 

Powerful, said 

government’s statement 

that it did not know the 

whereabouts of Kanu was 

only aimed at diverting the 

attention of the 

international community 

from the situation on 

ground. 

The statement read: “This 

denial of the whereabouts 

of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and 

trying vainly to pin it on 

Senator Abaribe is a well 

rehearsed path they had 

taken so many times in the 

hope of repeating the same 

lies until the public are 

forced to swallow it. 

“The press statement by 

government was timed and 

choreographed to coincide 

with its non appearance in 

court to defend the black 

market exparte order 

obtained from Justice 

Kafarati of Abuja Federal 

High Court. 

“By releasing a statement 

asking Senator Abaribe to 

produce IPOB leader on a 

day the government knew 

perfectly well that Justice 

Kafarati would run away 

from his own court rather 

than hear IPOB motion 

challenging his order 

designating our movement 

a terrorist organisation, had 

again demonstrated its 

utter contempt for the rule 

By Joshua 

Yousouph & 

Mabel Uyebi 

MINISTER 


Industry, Trade and 

Investment, Okechukwu 

Enelamah, has solicited 

support of Nigerians 

towards the recently 

launched technical skills 

centre and industrial 

village by Association of 

Anambra State 

Development Union, 

AASDU, for the 

empowerment of youths in 

Anambra state. 

Speaking during his 

keynote address on the 

association’s annual lecture 

and awards day, the 

minister who was chairman 

of law. 

“The Nigerian 

government, through its 

soldiers, stormed the 

residence of Mazi Nnamdi 

Kanu and the evidence of 

the carnage is there for all 

to see, including bullet 

holes on the walls of his 

bedroom. 

“Who was the army 

shooting at inside Kanu’s 

bedroom? Who sent the 

army to invade his home 

and how can they claim 

they don’t know where he 

is? 

“Could the army have 

invaded a private 

residence without making 

sure that the person they 

were looking for was there? 

These are the questions that 

must be put to the Nigerian 

government because only it 

can say where it took Kanu 

to, or what it did with his 

body.” 

BRIEFING: From left: Kenneth Robinson, member, Central 

Working Committee, Pan Niger-Delta Forum, PANDEF; His Highness, 

Anabs Sara-Igbe, PANDEF chieftain, and Alabo Tonye Graham- 

Douglas, PANDEF Leader, Rivers State Chapter, during a media 

briefing ahead of PANDEF's General Assembly in Port Harcourt, 

Rivers State, yesterday. Photo: Nwankpa Chijioke. 

Monkey pox controversy may impede 

battle against polio — Rotary 

By Vincent 

Ujumadu 

AWKA—THE Rotary 

International, yesterday, 

raised the alarm that the 

recent monkey pox scare in 

some parts of the country 

might impede the ongoing 

polio eradication programme 

by the organisation.. 

Chairman of Nigeria 

National Polio Plus 

Committee, Dr Tunji Funsho, 

who spoke with reporters in 

Awka described the 

of the event stated the 

technical skills centre and 

industrial village is aimed 

at empowering youths in 

Anambra State against 

unemployment and 

therefore, solicited the 

support of investors and 

noble Nigerians for its 

success. 

The minister, who was 

represented by his Special 

Adviser, 

Mr. 

Chukwuemeka Ifezulike, 

noted: “This technical skills 

centre and industrial 

village will create various 

opportunities in 

empowering the 

unemployed youths of the 

state. It will give them the 

opportunity to create local 

goods that will compete 

coincidence of the scare and 

Rotary’s programme of 

house-to-house vaccination 

of children in some parts of 

the country as worrisome. 

According to Funsho, there 

is need to educate Nigerians 

on the importance of the 

battle against polio, warning 

that negative impact on the 

battle might lead to the return 

of polio in the country. 

He said: “Since the news 

broke about monkey pox, we 

have met a brick wall 

following the allegation that 

Youth empowerment: Minister solicits 

support for AASDU technical skills centre 

with foreign ones. 

"It will also equip our 

youths with knowledge and 

skills needed in 

entrepreneurship. On 

behalf of AASDU, we 

hereby solicit the support of 

indigenes of Anambra State 

in Lagos and other noble 

Nigerian investors for the 

success of the project.“ 

Similarly, the President of 

AASDU, Chief Vincent 

Osakwe during his 

welcome address stated 

that the event was to 

reward some deserving 

citizens of Anambra State 

and some friends of the state 

for their immense 

contribution to the society 

as well as to generate fund 

for the centre they proposed 

to build in the state." 

vaccines were meant to wipe 

out people from certain parts 

of the country. 

“We have been making 

effort to debunk it and we 

are happy that some 

traditional rulers have also 

joined in the education of their 

subjects that polio vaccines 

have nothing to do with 

monkey pox.” 

According to him, Rotary 

International brought the idea 

of fighting polio 30 years ago, 

adding that with the support 

of the World Health 

Organisation, WHO, Rotary 

was able to adopt the polio 

eradication programme and 

the virus had been reduced 

drastically such that there 

were only 12 cases in three 

countries, namely, Nigeria, 

Afghanistan and Pakistan. 

He said in the past 14 

months, there had not been 

new cases of polio in Nigeria, 

explaining that Rotary was 

not relenting in continuing 

with the regular 

immunization. 

Funsho said: “There are 

only two cases of polio in 

Nigeria and to ensure that we 

do not record new cases, 

every child below five years 

must be immunized. 

“So far, polio eradication 

has consumed $300 million 

in Nigeria and the 

immunisation exercise has 

been going on smoothly, 

except in the North East 

where there were challenges 

of the Boko Haram.” 

Obiano should explain 

what he did with LG 

funds —Nwoye 

By Charles 

Kumolu 

G OVERNORSHIP 

candidate of All 


APC, in Anambra State, Dr. 

Tony Nwoye, has asked 

Governor Willie Obiano of 

of Anambra State to explain 

what he did with the funds 

accruable to local 

governments from the 

federation account, noting 

that local governments in 

the state were being starved 

of funds. 

He also demanded an 

explanation regarding the 

funds left behind by 

Obiano’s predecessor, 

Paris Club refund and a 

loan of N15 billion obtained 

by his administration. 

Nwoye, who said this in 

Lagos at a dinner held in 

his honour, berated the 

governor for failing to 

conduct local government 

elections for more than three 

years. 

His words: "Obiano 

receives local government 

funds of more than N20 

billion from the Federal 

Government. He has also 

received Paris Club funds 

of more than N13 billion, 

yet he gave communities 

APC campaign flag-off 

will yield no fruit in 

Anambra —Obigwe 

N ATIONAL 

Coordinator All 

Progressive Grand Alliance, 

APGA, Media Warriors 

Forum, Chinedu Obigwe, 

has described the All 


APC, governorship 

campaign flag off as a 

political macabre dance that 

will yield no fruitful result in 

Anambra. 

Speaking with newsmen 

in Awka, he said APC as a 

party has nothing to offer 

the people of the state. 


mission of APC in Anambra 

State is to impoverish the 

people the same way some 

of their governors that 

attended the rally 

impoverished those they are 

governing. 

Obigwe said Anambra 

people cannot be 

hoodwinked into voting for 

APC despite Vice President 

Yemi Osinbajo’s promise 

that the APC-led Federal 

Government will complete 

the 2nd Niger Bridge. 

“The trio of Governors 

Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, 

Rochas Okorocha of Imo 

State and Nasir el-Rufai of 

Kaduna State lack moral 

justification to tell Anambra 

people to vote for Tony 

Nwoye. 

"The Kogi State governor 

only N20 million each. 

"If the local governments 

are supposed to receive 

over N100 million a month, 

multiply it by 12 calendar 

months and you will know 

how much each is supposed 

to get. For the past three 

years, he has not conducted 

local government elections, 

and he does not give the 

local governments up to 20 

per cent of their monthly 

allocations. 

“For instance, in a local 

government like Njikoka 

where we have Enugu- 

Ukwu, Nimo, Agulu, 

Abagana and Nawfia, and 

the governor gives a big 

town like Enugu-Ukwu 

N20 million, where then is 

the money that Enugu- 

Ukwu is supposed to get 

from local government 

funds, and I’m not even 

talking about the state 

funds. 

“Every month, Enugu- 

Ukwu should receive not 

less than N30 million, but 

they are not receiving it. So 

Enugu-Ukwu alone is 

supposed to get about N300 

million yearly from the 

federation account. Yet the 

governor says he is giving 

them N20 million." 

should bury his head in 

shame for owing Kogi civil 

servants11months salary that 

pushed one of them, known 

as Soje, of the state's 

teaching service commission 

to commit suicide because of 

his inability to meet up with 

his financial obligations.” 

Obigwe also said Rochas 

Okorocha as governor failed 

Imo indigenes and the entire 

Igbo race by honouring 

Jacob Zuma, President of 

South Africa, in Imo State 

with the erection of a 

gigantic statue when Igbo 

are being massacred in 

South Africa. 

He further said that el- 

Rufai insulted Igbo with his 

widely reported comment as 

chairman of APC 

restructuring committee, that 

Igbo are unequal to 

northerners and for that 

reason, cannot be treated 

equally with northerners in 

Nigeria. 

He said: “APC in Igbo land 

represents bad luck. The 

people of the state will not 

vote for APC on November 

18 because doing that is 

tantamount to Igbo bringing 

bad luck upon themselves. 

“Governor Willie Obiano 

remains the best choice of 

the people of the state and 

nothing will stop them from 

re-electing him for a merited 

second term.”



People'll stone me, if I don't implement grazing law—Gov Ortom 

By Peter Duru 

•...as Maiyetti Allah begs for more time 

M AKURDI—BARELY 

seven days to the 

commencement of the 

enforcement of the Open 

Grazing Prohibition Law in 

Benue State, Governor 

Samuel Ortom has said his 

people will stone him if he 

failed to implement the new 

law. 

Governor Ortom, who 

spoke at a meeting with the 

leadership of Maiyetti 

Allah Cattle Breeders 

Association, traditional 

rulers, local government 

council chairmen and other 

stakeholders in Benue 

State, insisted that the 

November implementation 

date was sacrosanct. 

Ortom said: “The entirety 

of our people demanded 

for the law, and from the 

response of the leadership 

of the various ethnic groups 

in the state, if I fail to 

implement the law, they 

have threatened to 

implement it themselves 

and that means chaos and 

instability will set in. 

“What that also means is 

that if this government fails 

to do the bidding of the 

By Demola 

Akinyemi 

ILORIN—THE Nigerian 

Medical Association, 

NMA, yesterday, reacted to 

the new policy of the 

Federal Government 

banning medical doctors in 

public health institutions 

from engaging in private 

practice during working 

hours, describing it as 

illegal. 

The association also 

asked the Federal 

Government to define what 

it meant by “working hours. 

According to NMA, 

doctors in public hospitals 

are already working more 

that the period required by 

law. 

NMA’s National 

President, Professor Mike 

Ogirima, a professor of 

Orthopaedics and Trauma 

Surgery, stated this in Ilorin 

at a briefing to mark the 

2017 Physicians’ Week. 

He said: “The attempt to 

stop private practice by 

doctors working in public 

health institution is against 

the law of the land. NMA 

frowns on our members, 

who use the working hours 

to attend to their private 

clinics/hospitals. 

“Government should 

enforce the law by 

reconstituting the Medical 

and Dental Council of 

majority of our people, we 

risk being stoned by the 

people who insisted that 

the law should come into 

being.” 

Earlier, the National 

President of Maiyetti Allah 

Cattle Breeders Association 

of Nigeria, MACBAN, 

Alhaji Muhammadu 

Kirowa, declared the 

support of his people for the 

law and the government’s 

move to check the recurrent 

herdsmen/farmers crisis in 

the state. 

Kirowa said: “Initially, we 

thought that the law was 

intended to chase 

herdsmen out of Benue, 

but we have realised that it 

is intended to create 

peaceful co-existence 

among our people. 

“We appeal to the state 

government to allow our 

group more time to get 

acquainted with the law 

and to liaise with governors 

of the northern states to 

ensure that the over 400 

grazing reserves in the 

country are functional.” 

VISIT: From left— President, Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, Professor 

Mike Ogirima; Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State, and Chairman of 

NMA, Kwara State chapter, Dr. Kunle Olawepo, during a visit to the Governor 

by NMA at Government House, Ilorin, yesterday. 

FG can’t stop doctors from private 

practice—NMA 

Nigeria, MDCN. 

Government must not 

dissolve the MDCN 

without immediate 

reconstruction; we want it 

in perpetuity. 

“NMA will work in 

tandem with government 

to discipline erring 

members, subjecting them 

to MDCN’s disciplinary 

tribunal, which has since 

being in limbo because of 

lack of MDCN.” 

Workload 

Speaking further, the 

NMA President lamented 

that in the last two weeks, 

the association had lost six 

members because they 

were ‘‘overwhelmed with 

By Bala Ajiya 

D AMATURU—THE 

Emir of Fika, Alhaji 

Mohammadu Abali, has 

debunked the rumour of 

harmful vaccination being 

administered on pupils at 

government schools as 

mischievous. 

Speaking at the 

immunisation programme 

of state primary health care 

in Fika Emirate, Alhaji 

Abali said the rumour was 

work overload and had 

stress-related death.” 

He said currently, doctors 

in Nigeria were working 

below the World Health 

Organisation, WHO’s 

standard, which prescribed 

a ratio of one doctor to 600 

patients (1:600), as against 

one doctor to over 200,000 

patients (1: 200,000), 

obtainable in Nigeria. 

“By law,” he continued, 

“doctors are supposed to 

work for only 40 units. We 

have doctors working for 

up to 80 units. If you want 

me to work more than 40 

units, pay me for more than 

40 units. So if you want to 

enforce it, maybe we 

should start from there.” 

He decried a situation 

where government at the 

states and federal levels 

... as Emir refutes claim of 

harmful vaccination in Yobe 

aimed at discouraging the 

vaccination scheme. 

He, therefore, solicited the 

cooperation of parents to 

allow their children to be 

immunised, assuring them 

that the vaccination was 

safe. 

Recall that pupils in Yobe 

abandoned school lesson 

for about three weeks, 

following rumour of 

harmful vaccination 

carried out by health 

officials. 

claimed they don’t have 

money to employ doctors, 

but embark on “white 

elephants projects some of 

them may not even 

complete. It is a shame for 

this country.” 

Poor vaccination 

Reflecting on the theme 

for the 2017 Physicians’ 

Week, which he said called 

for sober reflection, the 

NMA president said: “The 

2006/2017 immunisation 

coverage survey indicates 

that only 33 percent of 

children, aged 12 to 23 

months, had three doses of 

vaccine against the global 

target of 90 percent and 

only 23 percent were fully 

immunised. 

“40 percent does not 

receive any vaccines.” 

Schools, which were 

closed due to the rumour, 

however, re-opened after 

intervention of government 

and traditional rulers in the 

state. 

Earlier, the Director, 

Administration and 

Academic Service, Yobe 

State Universal Basic 

Education Board, Alhaji 

Larema, said schools 

were re-opened after the 

board meeting with emirs, 

parents and guardians. 

Jigawa spends N5.2bn on water 

By Aliyu Dangida 

D UTSE—JIGAWA 

State government 

has spent N5.2 billion for 

the provision of portable 

drinking water in the last 

two years. 

The Commissioner of 

Water Resources, Alhaji 

Ibrahim Giwa, who made 

this known while 

presenting his ministry’s 

scorecard, said of the 

amount, N1.67 billion 

was spent on the 

procurement of diesel 

lubricants and chemicals 

on the operation and 

maintenance of water 

facilities. 

Giwa said N641 million 

was spent on 

improvement of water 

By Demola 

Akinyemi 

ILORIN—THE Pro- 

Chancellor and 

Chairman of Council of 

Osun State University, 

Yusuf Ali (SAN), has 

appealed to 

philanthropists to assist 

in the effective funding 

of tertiary institutions in 

the country in order to 

secure the future of the 

nation. 

Ali, who said this in the 

address he delivered at 

the formal opening and 

unveiling of Osun State 

University Access Road, 

commended the 

Chancellor of the 

university, Dr. 

... as Osun commissions 

another model school 

OSUN 

State 

government has 

disclosed its readiness to 

commission another 

state-of-the-art school 

and begin the distribution 

of citizens identification 

cards, known as 

Omoluabi Cards. 

The Commissioner for 

Education, Mr. Kolawole 

Omotunde-Young, who 

disclosed these at the 

Governors Office, Abere, 

Osogbo, said the model 

school, Ilesa Government 

High School, Ilesa, was 

in furtherance of 

Governor Rauf 

Aregbesola’s education 

revolution. 

He said the 

commissioning of the 

school was a clear 

testimony of the state’s 

resolve to build a 

complete person through 

the provision of 

functional, quality and 

qualitative education. 


present administration 

supply in four major towns, 

adding that 

1,432 hand pumps were 

drilled at the cost of N987 

million, including 

constituency projects and 

EU/DFID-supported water 

and sanitation projects. 

He said 40 solarpowered 

water supply 

schemes under 

constituency projects, 

were constructed at the cost 

of N247 million. 

According to him, 110 

motorised schemes were 

rehabilitated by the water 

board for N415 million, 

while government, in 

collaboration with 

UNICEF, EU and DFID, 

has constructed 300 VIP 

latrines in primary schools 

at the cost of N285 million. 

Nigerians urged to assist 

govt in funding education 

Folorunsho Alakija, for 

making the dreams of the 

university access road 

come to reality by donating 

N250 million, more than 60 

percent of the money 

needed for the project. 

In her remarks, Dr. 

Alakija, who said her 

gesture was prompted by 

the fact that education was 

the bedrock of any nation, 

urged other well meaning 

Nigerians to also assist. 

In his address, Governor 

Rauf Aregbesola, who 

declared the access road 

opened, named it after the 

Chancellor, and appealed 

to other well meaning and 

kind-hearted Nigerians to 

support government in 

funding education. 

has invested larger chunks 

of its resources on 

education. 

The commissioner 

described the model 

schools built across the 

state as one of the factors 

that had placed Osun 

above its counterparts in 

the country, as the state’s 

education policy had been 

widely copied. 

Omotunde-Young said 

the commissioning of the 

school, which had been 

scheduled for today, will be 

a testimonial to the 

government’s 

determination to develop 

the complete person. 

On Omoluabi Cards, 

which will be flagged off 

and distributed to persons 

who had registered on the 

same day, Omotunde- 

Young said the initiative 

was for accurate 

documentation. 

He disclosed that about 

two million citizens had 

been documented so far 

through the initiative. 

C 

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Turkish Airlines will continue to 

maintain its leading position 

M 

. Ilker Ayci is chairman of the board and executive 

committee of Turkish Airlines. He was named to the 

position in 2015, following the resignation of his predecessor, 

Hamdi Topcu. Since the 2016 Terror attacks at Istanbul 

Ataturk Airport--the airline company’s main base, there 

possibly has been no time in the airline company’s 84 years 

when the need to reposition itself as a global player was 

more far-reaching. 

Despite the setbacks suffered as a result of the terror attack, 

the airline rebounded increasing its fleet and efficiency as 

well as running high-profile ad campaigns featuring worldrenowned 

celebrities. With a campaign push that’s getting 

deeper things have come full circle and the airline company 

has once again piqued the interest of many international 

travelers. Under llker’s leadership, Turkish Airlines achieved 

record revenue growth, operational performance and profit 

margins that outpaced most industry peers. 

More importantly, he has been a vocal proponent of airline 

industry consolidation and corporate governance which 

provides a more stable and competitive industry for 

employees, customers, communities and stockholders. 

Turkish Airlines seems to 

run a very strong 

system of corporate 

governance. What’s the 

background to these 

measures? 

Our corporate governance 

system is based on principles 

of transparency, and 

accountability and is hugely 

representative of the Turkish 

aviation industry. We have also 

been very consistent in 

continuously improving the 

airline’s corporate governance 

in compliance with the 

Corporate Governance 

Principles. In this context, 

routine sustainability reports 

are prepared for monitoring 

our works. All Partnership 

policies, systems and 

procedures within the 

Corporate Governance are 

then revised from time to 

time. 

What did you place 

importance on when you 

became board chairman of 

Turkish Airlines? 

In recent years, sad and 

worrying events occurred in 

Europe, that echoed in Turkey 

and as well as in Turkey. The 

incurred tension affected 

tourism, people’s travel 

choices, as well as the aviation 

sector. Therefore; managing 

liquidity, assets and equities 

and decreasing costs were 

highly important. In all of 

these, we were able to 

determine our priority by 

increasing effectiveness and 

productivity and reducing our 

costs. To this end, we have 

been very proactive in terms 

of essential/ urgent processes 

such as capacity optimization, 

successful savings policy and 

the sacrifice demonstrated by 

our employees. Through all of 

these, we were able to boost 

to meet the rising market 

needs. So far, our efficiency 

has been upped to meet up 

with our previous successes. 

What sort of management 

style do you think Turkish 

Airlines should cultivate? 

Management style must be 

sensitive to the dynamics of 

the industry. Also, it is very 

important for a Management 

to closely follow technological 

updates and analyze them 

because by so doing, it would 

be possible to differentiate its 

strategies from others. Our 

strategies have been of great 

importance for the 

accomplishment of our 

objectives. 

What is the largest 

opportunity and also the 

greatest challenge for 2017 

and beyond? 

Since the beginning of this 

year, we have been able to 

assuage the effects of the 

recent terror attacks. So far, 

the number of passengers we 

carried during the first eight 

months of the year exceeded 

the number of passengers we 

carried during the same 

period of 2016. Our goal is 

to outdistance the traffic and 

financial data for 2016 by end 

of 2017. 

As you know, Istanbul’s 

new airport will be opened on 

October 29th, 2018. The new 

airport, which will have 

capacity for 90 million 

passengers, will be the 

world’s largest. The overall 

capacity, once fully completed 

will be about 200 million 

passengers when all phases 

are completed. We’re 

M. llker Ayci 

Chairman of the board, Turkish Airlines 

planning to move our 

operations and all other 

services to the new airport. 

The new airport will provide 

many great opportunities for 

the Turkish Aviation Industry 

and the ultimate goal is to 

maximize passenger 

satisfaction by taking the 

advantage of state-of-the-art 

facilities of our new airport. 

Our strategies 

are important 

to us and we 

are willing to 

develop more 

passenger 

market, while 

growing our 

network of 

flights in 

Africa 

How has the airline full 

government ownership 

impacted the company? 

First of all, Turkish Airlines 

is not a government 

institution. 49% of our 

partnership belongs to the 

Turkish Asset Fund and 51% 

is open to the public. This 

allows our business processes 

to progress more quickly and 

be more flexible, especially 

when making strategic 

decisions. 

As the airline company 

continues to expand its fleet, 

in which geographic areas 

would you like to increase the 

Turkish Airlines footprint, 

and what are the criteria used 

when selecting new 

destinations 

We will continue to maintain 

our leading position as the 

only airline flying many 

destinations around the world. 

The Asia-Far East region is 

one of the most important 

markets. Our strategies for 

Asia’s fast-developing 

markets are so important for 

us; but we are also willing to 

develop passenger market in 

Europe and South America at 

the same time. Our growing 

network of flights in Africa will 

also continue. Our narrow 

bodied aircraft reach over 60 

capital cities. Our hub, 

Istanbul, is a uniquely 

positioned city with very high 

route connectivity and in this 

respect; we give priority to the 

markets that have meaningful 

traffic potential for us. 

Turkish Airlines main goal 

of reaching the top-tier in the 

international airline industry 

has been achieved. Looking 

ahead, what have you 

identified as the main 

objectives? 

We believe that the 

important thing at this point 

is the sustainability of success. 

We have caught our recent 

growth trend in 2017, after a 

rapid and effective recovery 

programme from the effects of 

recent terror attacks in our 

region. We will continue to fly 

to more countries than any 

other airline in the world by 

growing our fleet and 

network. Beside this, we aim 

to be amongst the top 10 

airlines in terms of global 

market share. To achieve this 

goal; we will increase our 

number of passenger and fleet 

over 500 by 2023. 

How is the airline planning 

to expand in the long term 

in order to accommodate the 

growing demand of the 

industry? 

Airlines are heading for 

various commercial 

agreements according to their 

regional to improve their 

market share. Developments 

in customer and airline 

benefits come to exist with 

merger decisions. We are in 

the process of signing 

commercial agreements with 

Anadolu Jet, as a low cost 

airline (LCC) . Through this, 

we also aim to grow in 

important markets like China 

over the coming years. 

The ever-increasing 

development of local 

airlines, as well as global 

giants, has created a highly 

competitive environment, 

and Turkish Airlines attracts 

its fair share of envious 

glances. How has the 

company’s strategy adjusted 

to deal with the increased 

competition? 

Despite the increasing 

competition in local and 

international markets, Turkish 

Airlines continues to expand 

its fleet to meet up with 

competition. In addition, we 

see that there’s a growing 

demand for low-cost carriers 

in the aviation sector and we 

are considering such for our 

domestic and international 

routes with our planned 

agreements with Anadolujet, 

which currently operates 

domestic routes. 

Rising fuel prices, regional 

political unrest, and global 

economic woes are creating 

challenging times for the 

airline industry. In what 

ways are these factors 

impacting the airline? 

The airline industry is 

directly affected by rising oil 

prices, regional political risks 

and economic woes. The 

security aspect also seriously 

affects the travel tendencies of 

people. But with many travel 

preferences in terms of 

destination, they still feel 

inclined to travel. 

What is Turkish Airline’s 

ongoing strategy in the quest 

to establish a robust global 

presence? 

As the national flag carrier 

of Turkey, serving many 

international destinations 

around the world, Turkish 

Airlines will continue to 

develop its competitiveness 

with a focus on expanding 

network and reflecting an 

excellent service approach in 

every area of our service so 

as to protect our brand values 

for the long term. 

C 

M 

Y 

K

Vanguard, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2017 --- 37 

Wizkid vs Davido: 

Is the war over? 

Yesterday, the internet 

was thrown into frenzy 

after Davido liked a 

video of Wizkid on social media! The duo have 

in the past, taken swipes at each other over different 

issues and fans have termed it a battle of supremacy, to 

confirm who is a better artiste. 

A popular Instagram handle ‘@Wizkidnews’ known 

for handling latest stories and accomplishments of 

Wizkid, shared a video of him performing 

on stage at the recently concluded 

Felabration 2017, and Davido liked it. 

This action has left many questions in the 

hearts of fans and critics, asking if this 

could be the end of the battle for who’s a 

better musician between the two pop stars. 

•Tiwa Savage 

BY ROTIMI AGBANA 

Sean Shefau, son of 

professional dancer and 

choreographer, Kaffy, proved that 

he is truly a chip off the old block 

on stage on Sunday, at the much 

anticipated Buckwyld and 

Breathless concert which took 

place at Eko hotel and Suites, 

Victoria Island Lagos. 

While thrilling guests to hit songs 

from her musical repertoire, Mavin 

Records nightingale, Tiwa Savage, 

accepted a dance competition with 

Kaffy’s son, Sean, who had earlier 

•Wizkid 

Kaffy’s son, battle Tiwa 

Savage in dance duel 

proposed during her rehearsals for 

the concert. She paused her performance, 

called Sean upstage, 

challenging him to prove to her that 

he is a better dancer than she is. 

To the surprise of Tiwa and jubilation 

from guests, the little 

boy who can’t be more than three 

or four years of age, gave Tiwa a 

run for her dance skills. In the 

company of Tiwa, his mom, Kaffy 

and her dance crew, he accurately 

imitated every dance move they 

made like he was part of the crew. 

With frenzied excitement and 

jubilation from the audience, Tiwa 

later gave up, conceding to defeat. 

Singer, Mr. 2Kay battered, 

robbed at gunpoint 

TOLULOPE ABEREOJE 

Sunday, October 22nd, 2017, was one night too 

sad for music sensation, Abiye David Jumbo, 

popularly known as Mr. 2Kay. He was reportedly 

robbed at gun point in his hotel room at Eko Hotel 

and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, after performing 

at 2face’s Buckwyld and Breathless Concert, which 

took place at the convention centre of Eko Hotel. 

According to his manager, James Silas, four armed 

men were said to have gained access to Mr. 2Kay’s 

hotel room after he mistook one of them for room 

service. On opening the door, they forcefully made 

their way into the room threatening to shoot him or 

his friend if they attempt raising alarm. 

2Kay, who was in the company of a friend was 

said to have engaged one of the robbers in a duel, 

as others battered him repeatedly with their guns, 

warning 

him to 

cooperate 

with them or 

they harm 

them both. 

S i l a s 

further 

disclosed to 

E-daily that 

the robbers 

eventually 

made away 

w i t h 

valuables, 

w h i c h 

includes the 

singer’s 

clothes, 

jewelry, 

phones, 

•Mr. 2Kay 

perfumes, 

and money, 

leaving him 

totally 

bound, arms, legs and mouth while his friend was 

locked up in the bathroom. 

The hotel authorities and the police are said to 

have swung into action as they have taken 2Kay 

and his friend’s statements for investigation 

purposes. 

Meanwhile, Mr. 2Kay is currently receiving 

medical attention for his wounds, while the police 

continue their investigations, promising to clamp 

down on the evil perpetrators. 

QMA debuts ‘Moremi the Musical’ 

As the grand finale of Queen 

Moremi Ajasoro (QMA) 

2017 gathers momentum, the 

organizers of the yearly cultural 

beauty pageant have announced 

the debut of Moremi The Musical, 

as part of events to make the 

grand presentation a colourful 

and entertaining one. 

Billed for December 3 at the 

Oriental Hotel, Lagos, a statement 

released by the Ambassador of 

Moremi Legacy, Princess Ronke 

Ademiluiy, revealed that the 

musical show will be headlined 

by tested names as Gbenga Yusuf, 

who is slated as the director of the 

debutant show. 

Yusuf is noted as the producer 

of Flower The Musical and the 

dance director of Wakaa and Saro 

the musicals. Also featuring as 

choreographer is Victor Phullu as 

the dance instructor. Phullu has 

successfully managed eight 

seasons of Maltina Dance Hall 

competition. 

The musical feature will tell in a moving 

manner the story of the legendary Queen 

Moremi, a Princess from Offa who was 

married to Oranmiyan, the ruler of Ile Ife. 

Through an act of bravery, selflessness and 

love for her 

p e o p l e , 

Moremi dared 

death to save 

her people. 

The Ooni of 

Ife, Oba 

A d e y e y e 

E n i t a n 

Ogunwusi 

Ojaja II, who is 

the brain 

behind the 

project stated 

thus: “Moremi 

A j a s o r o 

exhibited an 

unrivalled 

heroism in •Princess Ronke 

fighting for 

Music is an escape 

route for me -Bkay 

Nigerian born South African 

based artiste, Araloyin 

Oluwabukunmi, aka, Bkay Manni 

is leaving no stone unturned in his 

quest to take over the nation’s 

music scene. 

Asked his thoughts on the 

meaning of music and the role it 

plays in his life, he told E-daily in 

an exclusive chat that music is an 

escape route to expressing his 

deepest feelings. 

“I feel music is a tool to express 

someone’s innermost 

contemplations and to open up on 

things that have been living in you 

for long. Any idea that comes to my 

mind, I try my best to be free, with 

no restrictions when I’m about to 

record a song on it. The unique 

thing about my music is that I don’t 

allow any boundaries and it comes 

from the heart”, he said. 

•Bkay


Chibok diaries: Chronicling a Boko Haram kidnapping 

•Nigeria schoolgirl kidnappings 

ONE of the Chibok girls 

freed in May has been 

telling journalist Adaobi 

Tricia Nwaubani how a diary 

was kept of some of her three 

years in captivity with Boko 

Haram Islamist militants. 

One of the oldest in her 

class, Naomi Adamu was 24 

when she and more than 200 

mainly Christian students 

were taken off into Boko 

Haram's Sambisa forest 

hideout in north-eastern 

Nigeria in 2014, sparking 

global outrage. 

While in captivity, the girls 

were given exercise books for 

the Koranic classes they were 

made to attend. 

But some of the girls used 

these to keep secret diaries. 

When the militants found out, 

they were forced to burn the 

books. 

Ms Adamu managed to 

hide hers. She and her close 

friend, Sarah Samuel, now 

20, and three other girls used 

the books to chronicle some 

of their experiences. 

The diary entries, written 

in passable English and poor 

Hausa, are undated and 

appear to be from their early 

months in captivity. 

Here are 10 of the many 

disclosures. Some spelling 

and punctuation have been 

altered for clarity: 

1) Kidnap was not the plan 

The militants who attacked 

the Chibok school on 14 April 

2014 had come with the 

intention of stealing an 

"engine block", the diary 

notes. It is not clear what 

piece of machinery they 

wanted - there had been some 

construction work at the 

school a few weeks earlier, 

so it may have been the 

machine used for moulding 

cement blocks, which can 

also be used for constructing 

crude weapons, or they may 

have been after an engine 

block from a vehicle. 

But when it could not be 

found, they argued over what 

to do with the students they 

had gathered in groups. After 

considering a number of gory 

options, they decided to take 

the girls with them. 

"They started an argument 

in their midst. So one small 

boy said that they should burn 

us all and they said: 'No let 

us take them with us to Sambisa.' 

Another person said: 

'No let's not do that. Let's lead 

them... to their parent homes.' 

As they were in argument, 

then one of them said, 'No, I 

can't come with empty car 

and go back with an empty 

car. If we take them to 

[Abubakar] Shekau [Boko 

Haram's leader], he will 

know what to do.'" 

2) A telltale prevented 

escape 

Some girls were loaded 

into the militants' vehicle at 

the school while the majority 

were made to walk at 

gunpoint for miles, until 

several trucks arrived to ferry 

them away. 

Who wrote the diaries? 

Main diarists: Naomi Adamu 

and Sarah Samuel Rhoda 

Peter, Saratu Ayuba and 

Margaret Yama made smaller 

contributions. 

Four of them were freed in 

May 2017, after negotiations 

Sarah Samuel agreed to marry 

a militant last year and remains 

in captivity. 

On their way to Boko 

Haram's forest hideout, when 

some students began 

escaping by jumping off the 

trucks, one of the kidnapped 

girls alerted their abductors - 

perhaps out of fear of being 

left alone, or a propensity to 

obey whoever is in authority, 

or the desire to have company 

in misery. 

"Then one girl in the car 

said, 'Driver, some girls are 

jumping to escape.' Then the 

driver opened the door of the 

car then searched for them 

with the torch but didn't find 

anyone. So they said to them 

that they should stay [in] one 

place, that if they jump down 

again, if they saw her or any 

they will shoot her." 

3) Cruel tricks 

The militants played a 

number of cruel tricks on the 

kidnapped girls, including 

pretending that their parents 

had been captured by Boko 

Haram. On one occasion, they 

separated the Christian girls 

from those who were Muslim 

and threatened to burn those 

who would not convert to 

Islam with petrol. 

"Then they came to us and 

said: 'Those who are Muslim, 

it is time for prayer.' After they 

had prayed, (they said), 

'Those who are Muslim, let 

them be on one side and 

those who are Christian let 

them too be on one side.' 

"Then we saw jerrycan in 

the car so we thought it was 

petrol. Then they said, 'Who 

and how many of you will 

turn to Muslim.' So many of 

us, because of fear, some of 

us stand up and went inside. 

So (they said), 'The rest that 

remain you want to die, is that 

why you don't want to be 

Muslim? We are going to 

burn you. 'Then they give us 

that jerrycan which we 

thought it was petrol. It is not 

petrol, it is water." 

4) Militant anger over 

rape claims 

Some of the Chibok girls 

have stated in previous 

interviews that they were not 

sexually abused or forced into 

marriage - although they 

were sometimes whipped to 

persuade them to marry. Some 

girls were also taken as official 

concubines. 

The girls hid the diaries by 

burying them in the ground 

or stuffing them in their underwear 

The diaries show that the 

militants were livid about 

insinuations in the media that 

they were raping the girls. 

The group's leader, Abubakar 

Shekau, ranted about this a 

number of times, first in a 

recorded message that was 

played to the girls. 

"Then in the night, they 

gathered us and preached to 

us and put [on] a cassette. 

They said that cassette is from 

their master Mr Abubakar 

Shekau. So he said that just 

because they kidnapped us 

to come and teach us the way 

of God, then your parents 

and the government and your 

principal are crying to us and 

saying that we are raping you 

and are doing bad, bad things 

to you. We brought you to 

teach you the way of Allah." 

5) Hijabs against 

temptation 

The militants pleaded with 

the girls to not lead them into 

temptation, encouraging 

them to always keep their 

bodies covered in a hijab. 

"He opened the Koran and 

started reading it, then he 

read one place that said 

anybody which they kidnap 

on the fight of jihad, it is your 

own, whatever you like, you 

will do with that person. But 

they give us hijab because 

they don't want to see our 

body, which will make them 

to sin and do what is very 

bad." 

6) Marriage proposals 

The marriage proposals 

from militants were frequent 

and forceful. 

"One girl wanted to go 

inside the room and pick 

something, then Malam 

Ahmed [one of the militants] 

went and met her and asked 

her about marriage. Then she 

said, 'No.' He asked her, 'And 

so what is your own decision 

about this marriage?' 

"Then she said that no, they 

kidnapped her from GGSS 

(Government Girls Secondary 

School) Chibok and 

brought her to Sambisa and 

now they are talking to her 

about marriage. How will she 

get married - after all her 

mother and her father and her 

aunties and the rest of her 

colleagues, they don't even 

know. Then she asked him, if 

she says no - that she will not 

get married, she will only stay 

and follow her God alone, is 

it not good? Then he said: 

'No, it is bad.'" 

Some were pressured to 

change their mind. 

"We saw the people come 

in two Hilux (vans). Then 

they came asking for those 

who want to get married. They 

asked us and said anybody 

who accepts Muslim 

religion… must get married 

if truly she holds the religion 

with two hands. They gave 

us 30 minutes to give them 

their answer but we kept 

quiet. Then we stayed for an 

hour but nobody answered 

them." 

Naomi Adamu told me that 

those who refused to get 

married were treated as 

slaves: "Every day, they beat 

us. They tell us to marry and 

if you refuse, they will beat 

you. We will wash cloth, fetch 

water, do everything for their 

wives. We were slaves." 

7) Escapees returned 

by villagers 

Despite the global Bring 

Back Our Girls campaign, 

which saw the involvement 

of celebrities like former US 

First Lady Michelle Obama, 

some people in surrounding 

communities wanted no part 

in bringing back the girls, 

and returned some of the girls 

when they managed to escape. 

"There is another day that 

some girls ran. They tried to 

escape but they couldn't. So 

those people arrested them. 

The way they arrested them 

was they entered into a shop 

and asked them to help them 

and give them water and biscuits. 

8) Conversion blame 

game 

The girls were told that they 

would be allowed to go home 

to their families if they all, with 

no exception, agreed to convert 

to Islam. Those who 

agreed to convert then 

blamed the girls who refused 

for their continued captivity. 

What's happened to the 

Image copyright, AFP. 

diarists? 

Naomi Adamu and three 

other diarists - Rhoda Peter, 

Saratu Ayuba and Margaret 

Yama - were released in May. 

In September, the government 

sent them to study at 

the American University of 

Nigeria in the north-eastern 

town of Yola. 

Ms Adamu, the second of seven 

children, said she kept the diaries 

with only her family in mind, and 

seems baffled by my interest. 

"I wrote it because of remembrance," 

she said.

Vanguard, TUESDAY OCTOBER 24, 2017 — 39 

Maina: Outrage as 

Danbazzau, Head of 

Service trade blames 


director and posting to 

the Interior Ministry as 

Head of Human Resources. 

Manga said, “The 

Head of the Civil Service 

of the Federation 

(HCSF) wishes to inform 

the public that the reinstatement 

and posting of 

Alhaji Abdulrasheed Abdullahi 

Maina never 

emanated from the Office 

of the Head of the Civil 

Service of the Federation. 

“Consequently, the purported 

reinstatement and 

posting by the Office of 

the Head of the Civil 

Service of the Federation 

is totally erroneous and 

misleading.” 

We know nothing 

of this — DSS 

In the same vein, the 

Department of State 

Services, DSS, also 

washed its hands off the 

affair, saying it did not 

smuggle the embattled 

officer into his new office 

while on the wanted list 

of the EFCC. 

The DSS in a statement 

made available to Vanguard 

last night said: 

“The DSS, hereby, states 

categorically that it has 

no hand in the recall or 

reinstatement of Mr Abdullahi 

Abdulrasheed 

Maina. 

“There was no correspondence 

of any sort 

between the DSS and the 

Head of Service with respect 

to Mr. Maina. The 

DSS is not investigating 

him nor handling any 

matter connected to Maina 

and neither has the 

DSS ever forwarded any 

correspondence to Mr 

President or any arm of 

government for the recall 

or reinstatement of Maina. 

“The Service is aware 

that Mr. Maina is a civil 

servant and any disciplinary 

action as regards 

Maina’s official conduct 

will, therefore, be handled 

as required by the 

civil service rules. So it 

will, therefore, be absurd 

for anybody to imply or 

insinuate that the DSS 

has a hand in the recall 

or reinstatement of Maina.” 

It’s shocking 

— PDP 

Reacting to the development, 

yesterday, the 

PDP in a statement 

signed by the National 

Publicity Secretary, 

Prince Dayo Adeyeye, 

expressed shock at the 

manner of Maina’s reinstatement. 

The party said: “We 

demand the immediate 

sack of the Minister of 

Internal Affairs, Abdulrahman 

Danbazzau, Attorney-General 

of the 

Federation and Minister 

of Justice, Abubakar 

Malami, who have been 

fingered in the illegal act 

of restoring Maina to office 

against good conscience. 

“All people of good conscience 

will not forget in 

a hurry that Maina, who 

was given an assignment 

by the last administration 

of the PDP to 

superintend the now defunct 

Presidential Task 

Force on Pension Reforms, 

dipped his hands 

into the jar and helped 

himself to N100 billion of 

what he was supposed to 

safeguard. 

“With good conscience 

at fighting corruption, 

the PDP government 

then mandated the anticorruption 

agencies to 

perform their constitutional 

duty. Maina fled, 

only to resurface in the 

country four months ago 

under the Buhari administration. 

“While we are growing 

fatigued shouting ourselves 

hoarse in protest 

against nepotism, a 

clear form of corruption 

under this administration 

which has been elevated 

to state craft, we 

are appalled that the reinforcement 

of financial 

corruption by this government 

might soon lead 

to the demise of this nation 

if the celestial does 

not intervene,” the statement 

read in part. 

The party also expressed 

worry over government’s 

inability to tolerate 

criticism, saying 

shielding criminals has 

become part of the ruling 

party’s work ethic. 

“We are worried that 

the APC administration 

seems to have grown 

thick skin to constructive 

criticism, otherwise, no 

sane government, in 

spite of the open condemnation 

the party has 

received from Nigerians 

over its protection of 

those accused, will repeat 

another one as done 

in the case of Maina. 

“The PDP wishes Nigerians 

can demand from 

the APC government, the 

civil service rule it relied 

upon in promoting a 

wanted criminal who had 

abandoned his duty post 

as an Assistant Director, 

to the position of a Director 

with all benefits attached. 

“We wish the APC government 

will tell Nigerians 

where and when, 

and under which court 

jurisdiction, Maina was 

cleared of his criminal 

Onlookers stand beside a blood stained taxi rick-shaw at the scene of three 

suicide bomb blasts that left 13 people dead in Maiduguri, Borno State, 

yesterday. Photo: AFP. 

allegations of stealing, 

warranting his restoration 

to duty and getting 

rewarded with double 

promotion,” the statement 

continued. 

“We are shocked and 

sad as well that the Economic 

and Financial 

Crimes Commission 

(EFCC) with its viable 

network under the administration 

of the PDP 

has suddenly lost steam 

to the point that it wasn’t 

aware of the entrance of 

a high class wanted 

criminal into the country 

until the media exposed 

it. 

“Nigerians can see that 

the APC administration 

has taken the fire out of 

our security agencies 

like the Police, the Department 

of State Services 

(DSS) and the likes. 

“Nigerians will not forget 

in a hurry that the 

President Buhari administration 

has severally 

shown it’s commitments 

to protecting financial 

criminals who are willing 

to play ball and are 

known to be ardent supporters 

of the ruling party,” 

it added. 

Citing instances to corroborate 

its claims 

against the Buhari-led 

government, the PDP 

urged the President to 

rise to the demands of 

his office and act in the 

interest of the nation. 

“Nigerians have not 

forgotten in a hurry how 

the so-called corruption 

fighting government of 

President Buhari refused 

to allow the law take its 

course in the graft allegations 

involving the 

suspended Secretary to 

the Government of the 

Federation (SGF) Babachir 

Lawal and the Director-General 

of the Nigeria 

Intelligence Agency 

(NIA), Ayo Oke. 

“The government seem 

to have also buried without 

shame, the expose by 

the Minister of State for 

Petroleum Resources, Ibe 

Kachikwu on the illegal 

award of contracts running 

to over $25 Billion 

by the Group Managing 

Director (GMD) of the 


Corporation 

(NNPC) who has told the 

world that he has the 

support of President Buhari 

in carrying out the 

heist. 

“Though we know that 

the APC is like a dead 

horse immune to any 

positive prompting, we, 

however, will not do, but 

ask that the right thing 

be done. 

“In this wise, we ask 

that President Buhari 

should for once, act like 

a President of a nation 

and not as a sectional 

leader whose ideas of 

right and wrong depends 

entirely on who is 

involved. 

“We, therefore demand 

the immediate arrest and 

prosecution of Maina for 

his atrocities, arrest, and 

prosecution of those who 

helped him return to the 

country and got restored 

to his duty post with promotion,” 

the party stated. 

Those involved 

should be arrested 

— Sagay 

Reacting to the development, 

yesterday, Sagay, 


Presidential Advisory 

Committee on Anti-Corruption 

(PACAC), called 

for the arrest of those involved 

in Maina’s absorption 

into the service 

even as he lauded the 

president’s intervention. 

“When a man accused 

of serious crimes, has 

been on the run and has 

been on the wanted list 

for what I will call a crime 

against humanity, when 

you deprive retired old 

people, who have served 

the country for decades 

and sacrificed for the 

country and have retired 

and looking forward to 

the small amount to live 

the rest of their lives with 

and one man comes and 

swoops away everything 

for himself, for me, that 

is a crime against humanity. 

“Therefore, anybody 

who absolves a man like 

that who has been on the 

run, someone who has 

committed such heinous 

crimes and absolved him 

back quietly into the Civil 

Service of this country, 

that person, in my view 

is an accessory after the 

fact. In other words, 

whatever Maina is guilty 

of; he is guilty of supporting 

him after being 

aware of the crime. Such 

a person would be tried 

along with Maina.” 

On the President’s directive, 

he said: “The 

President has given the 

right directive that he 

should be disengaged. 

You know the Presidency 

cannot do it directly; 

it has to be done by the 

Public Service Commission. 

The President has 

given the directive that 

he (Maina) should be 

disengaged, arrested, 

charged and tried.” 

Fayose, 

Adeniran react 

Governor Fayose, in his 

reaction described President 

Buhari and those 

around him as defenders 

and protectors of corruption. 

He said; “Even the 

former Chairman of 

EFCC, Ibrahim Lamorde, 

who was accused of corruption 

by the Senate, 

removed from office unceremoniously 

and declared 

wanted is now the 

Commissioner of Police 

in charge of the Special 

Fraud Unit (SFU), Ikoyi, 

Lagos. 

“When the Minister of 

State for Petroleum Resources 

Ibe Kachikwu 

raised allegation of 

award of $25 billion contracts 

without following 

due process against the 

Group Managing Director 

(GMD) of the Nigerian 

National Petroleum 

Corporation (NNPC); Dr. 

Maikanti Baru, the Presidency 

was the one that 

defended him (Baru). 

“Also, President Buhari 

has refused to act on the 

report of the committee 

that investigated the $43 

million discovered in an 

apartment at Osborne 

Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos, 

despite that Nigerians 

have been asking him to 

act on it. 

“Even the Acting 

Chairman of EFCC, Ibrahim 

Magu was indicted 

of corruption by the 

Department of State 

Service (DSS) and all 

that was done by President 

Buhari was to ask 

the Attorney General of 

the Federation and Minister 

of Justice, Abubakar 

Malami (SAN), to 

investigate the DSS report. 

Up till today, nothing 

has been heard about 

it and Magu, despite his 

rejection by the Senate, 

is still acting as the 

EFCC chairman. 

“It was also under this 

government of Buhari 

that Ahmed Gambo 

Saleh; the Supreme 

Court Registrar was indicted 

and put on trial 

for alleged over N2 billion 

fraud. The case 

against Gambo Saleh 

was withdrawn almost 

immediately, and he has 

been appointed the Secretary 

of the National 

Judicial Council (NJC). 

Not only that, he was 

made the Secretary of the 

Corruption and Financial 

Crime Cases Trial 

Monitoring Committee, 

headed by Retired Justice 

Isa Ayo Salami. 

“In the words of APC 

Senator, Shehu Sani, 

‘when it comes to fighting 

corruption in the 

National Assembly and 

the Judiciary and in the 

larger Nigerian sectors, 

the President uses insecticide, 

but when it comes 

to fighting corruption 

within the Presidency, 

they use deodorants.’ 

“Like I have said several 

times, as far as President 

Buhari is concerned, 

corruption involving 

his men is family 

affair, and one won’t 

be surprised if Maina is 

rewarded with bigger office 

very soon, just like 

others before him.” 

Also speaking, the Executive 


Centre for Anti-Corruption 

and Open Leadership, 

CACOL, Mr. Debo 

Adeniran, said: ‘’His reinstatement 

into the 

service shows that there 

is a corruption network 

at various levels of government. 

And it shows 

that not everyone is in 

support of Mr. President’s 

anti-corruption 

crusade. Obviously, 

those that brought him 

back through the back 

door have something in 

common with him. It is 

the vigilance of the media 

and other Nigerians 

who mean well that ensured 

that his coming 

back was dictated. 

“Bringing him back also 

confirms the absence of 

cohesion among the various 

organs of the executive 

arm of government. 

His sack by the 

President shows that 

President has listening 

ears and is not averse to 

criticisms. Now that he 

has been sacked, he 

should be prosecuted 

since he had earlier been 

declared wanted by the 

EFCC.”




Future in danger without structural reforms 

By Adeleke 

Adeseri, South West 

Editor, Olasunkanmi 

Akoni & Monsuru 

Olowoopejo 

— SOUTHERN GOVS 

S OUTHERN 

governors 

yesterday called for 

fundamental structural 

reforms to uphold the 

country’s federalism 

asserting that the 

country’s future would 

be endangered without 

devolution of powers to 

the states. 

All 17 southern 

governors but one were 

present at the summit 

where the governors 

vowed to sustain their 

resolve through regular 

meetings. The only 

absentee was Governor 

Rochas Okorocha of Imo 

State. 13 governors were 

present while three 

states, Delta, Cross 

River and Anambra were 

represented by their 

deputies. 

Aside host, Governor 

Akinwunmi Ambode, the 

meeting was attended by 

Governors of Ogun, 

Senator Ibikunle 

Amosun; Oyo, Seantor 

Abiola Ajimobi; Osun, 

Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, 

Ebonyi, David Umahi; 

Edo, Mr. Godwin 

Obaseki; Ondo, 

Arakunrin Oluwarotimi 

Akeredolu; Abia, Mr. 

Okezie Ikpeazu; Enugu, 

Mr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; 

Bayelsa, Mr. Seriaki 

Dickson and Ekiti State, 

Mr. Ayodele Fayose. 

Governors of Cross 

River, Anambra and 

Delta were represented 

by their Deputies - Mr. 

Evara Esu; Dr. Ikem 

Okeke and Mr. Kingsley 

Otuaru respectively. 

At the closed door 

session where the 

governors deliberated on 

the agenda, Vanguard 

gathered that following 

the opening address by 

Governor Ambode, 

Governors Emmanuel, 

Aregbesola, Wike, and 

Ikpeazu, took turns to 

bemoan what was 

described as the 

country’s distorted 

federalism which they 

repeatedly said was 

limiting the progress of 

the country. 

The governors who also 

lauded Governor 

Ambode for the initiative 

for the meeting endorsed 

him as the chairman of 

the forum with Governors 

Dave Umahi of Ebonyi 

and Seriake Dickson of 

Bayelsa as co-chairmen. 

SOUTHERN GOVERNORS SUMMIT: From left: Governors David Umahi of Ebonyi State; Udom Emmanuel of 

Akwa-Ibom, Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia and Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, during the Southern 

Governors Summit, 2017, at Lagos House, Ikeja, yesterday. Photo: Bunmi Azeez. 

The Forum also 

scheduled the next 

meeting for Port 

Harcourt in a yet to be 

announced date. 

Governor Ambode who 

read the communiqué 

said the Governors after 

extensive deliberations, 

also emphasized priority 

on security and lives and 

properties of citizens of 

the regions, while also 

resolving to work on 

effective linkage on 

good infrastructure 

across the 17 States in 

the region. 

True federalism 

Earlier, Governor 

Ambode, while 

welcoming his 

colleagues to the 

meeting, reflected on the 

clamour for true 

federalism and 

devolution of powers, 

saying that states will 

benefit from the 

envisaged restructuring. 

He said the goals of 

true federalism, which 

included the 

strengthening of 

autonomy and the 

enhancement of fiscal 

viability will enable the 

states to develop at their 

own pace and based on 

their peculiarities. 

He said the forum had 

achieved an increased 

awareness on the 

sustenance of the 

national question 

germane to peaceful coexistence 

in the country. 

However, he said there 

was a lot to be done and 

achieved, stressing that 

true federalism required 

urgent, meticulous and 

proactive attention by 

the forum. 

Review of revenue 

formula 

Ambode frowned at 

what he described as the 

non-periodic review of 

the revenue formula as 

provided by the 

constitution to reflect 

evolving realities. 

He said the review was 

crucial to enhance the 

viability of states and 

local government and 

their capacity to fulfil 

their developmental 

roles in the polity. 

The governor added: 

“States are disparaged 

for always carrying 

begging bowls to Abuja 

in quest of hand-outs 

from the Federal 

Government. This is a 

function of our present 

national constitution that 

burdens the Federal 

Government with 

activities and 

responsibilities that 

rightly fall within the 

province of states. 

“The productivity and 

revenue-generating 

capacities of most states 

are thus stifled, thus 

turning them into no 

better than street beggar 

states incapable of even 

meeting routine 

obligations of paying 

workers’ salaries and 

pensions without federal 

support.” 

Ambode recalled that 

Lagos State had fought 

and won several legal 

battles since 1999 that 

have systematically 

strengthened her 

autonomy and enhanced 

her fiscal viability. 

He noted that the state 

had won the legal 

control over the 

management of its 

environment, the control 

of urban and physical 

planning, the regulation 

of overhead masts, the 

registration and 

regulation of hotels and 

restaurants, and the 

control of inland 

waterways. 

Ambode said these 

victories belonged, not 

only to Lagos, but also to 

other states, adding that, 

if Lagos could achieve so 

much by fighting alone, 

the Southern Governors’ 

Forum will accomplish 

more through collective 

planning and strategy. 

The governor said the 

forum has been 

reactivated at the time 

the National Assembly is 

harmonising its 

differences over the 1999 

Constitution 

amendment, which will 

soon be transmitted to 

the Houses of Assembly 

for approval 

He said: “It is 

important for this forum 

to comprehensively look 

at the proposed 

amendments with a view 

to working with our 

respective Houses of 

Assembly to ensure a 

coordinated response on 

our part that will 

strengthen the practice 

of democracy, 

f e d e r a l i s m , 

constitutionalism and 

the rule of law." 

Ambode clarified that 

while pushing for 

greater devolution of 

powers, responsibilities 

and resources from the 

centre to the states, the 

goal of the forum was 

neither to seek a weak 

centre nor strong states 

and vice versa. 

The governor paid 

tribute to former Lagos 

State Governor Bola 

Tinubu for his initiative, 

recalling that he hosted 

the first meeting of the 

forum in Akodo Beach 

Resort, Ibeju-Lekki, 

when he was at the helm 

of affairs. 

He said while the 

initiative was received 

with mixed feelings at 

the time, Tinubu was 

vindicated later because 

of its achievements as 

the forum became a vocal 

voice on maters of critical 

importance, not only to 

the Southern Nigeria, 

but to the country as a 

whole. 

Ambode hailed the 

forum for advocating for 

a special allocation to oilproducing 

states in the 

Federation Account, 

adding that its agitation 

led to the current 13 per 

cent revenue derivation 

and allocation from the 

Federation Account. 

He said: “Another 

major victory won 

towards strengthening 

the country’s practice of 

true federalism was the 

declaration bybthe 

Supreme Court in 2002 

that the then prevalent 

practice of the Federal 

Government deducting 

monies from the 

Federation Account as a 

first charge for the 

funding of Joint Venture 

Contracts, the NNPC 

priority projects, 

servicing of Federal 

Government’s external 

debt, the judiciary and 

the Federal Capital 

Territory (FCT) and other 

federal obligations were 

illegal 

and 

unconstitutional. 

“The Supreme Court in 

that case abolished the 

special funds created by 


to enable it draw funds 

from the Federation 

Account to pay for 

matters that fell within 

its exclusive 

responsibility before 

sharing whatever was 

left with states and local 

governments.”

42 ---- Vanguard, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2017 

Polio: Optimism as Nigeria edges towards 

elimination 

•Rotary donates $45.9m to support immunisation 

By Sola Ogundipe 

WITH just 11 

confirmed polio 

cases so far in 2017, the 

world is on the brink of 

eradicating polio, a 

vaccine-preventable 

disease that once 

paralysed hundreds of 

thousands of children 

each year. 

Currently the Wild Polio 

Virus, WPV, is circulating 

in Afghanistan, Pakistan 

and Nigeria. A country 

is regarded as polio free 

or non-endemic if no 

cases have been detected 

for a year. However, it is 

still possible polio 

circulates under these 

circumstances, as was the 

case for Nigeria, where a 

particular strain of the 

Wild Polio Virus 

resurfaced after five years 

in August 2016. 

In September 2015, the 

World Health organisation 

removed Nigeria from the 

list of polio endemic 

countries, however, polio 

made a return to the 

country in and efforts have 

since been on to get the 

eradication campaign back 

on track. 

But for that setback, the 

nation would have been 

certified by the World 

Health Organisation, 

WHO, as a polio-free 

country in 2017. 


National Primary Health 

Care Development Agency 

NPHCDA, there has been 

no recent history of polio 

in Nigeria since August 

2016. 

Nigeria has been 

pursuing eradication of 

polio for more than two 

decades. To be certified 

polio-free, the nation 

needs to maintain zero 

case status, strengthen 

surveillance system, 

improve routine 

immunisation and 

maintain high quality 

campaigns. The road to 

eradication of polio is 

hinged more on improved 

vaccine coverage and 

supplementary 

immunisation. 

According to the Bill and 

Melinda Gates 

Foundation, eradication of 

polio in Nigeria will be the 

Foundation’s greatest 

achievement. 

As the world marks 

another Polio Day, yet 

another ideal opportunity 

to celebrate the 

A health worker vaccinating children against polio. 

successes, raise public 

awareness, and talk about 

what is needed to end 

polio for good is at hand. 

But only through 

sustained funding and 

political commitment will 

to eradication occur as the 

disease could return to 

countries that are now 

polio-free and put 

children everywhere at 

risk. 

According to 

the NPHCDA, 

there has been 

no recent 

history of 

polio in 

Nigeria since 

August 2016 

Our hospitals, medical schools will continue to lag behind 

except... — Adeyeye 

By Gabriel Olawale 

THE Special Adviser to 

Ondo State Governor 

on Health, Dr. Jibayo 

Adeyeye has faulted the 

approach and manner in 

which the nation’s medical 

colleges and government 

hospitals are run, stating 

that failure to accept that 

things are not normal in the 

health sector will continue 

to hamper moves to enable 

Nigeria compete 

favourably with other 

countries. 

Adeyeye who spoke at 

the Silver Jubilee 

Anniversary of the 1992 

Alumni of College of 

Medicine University of 

Lagos, regretted that 

Nigeria which was the 

choice of many African 

countries for learning in the 

1980’s, has been deserted 

with Nigerians now 

rushing to those countries 

for learning. 

He blamed the political 

class for politicising health 

issues and condemned 

Nigerians’ wrong 

perception of free health 

and free education. 

“During my days in the 

university in the 80’s we 

had students from different 

part s of Africa that came to 

study in Nigeria, it is sad 

to note that our progress 

has been reversed as a 

nation. 

“Our children now go to 

Ghana to study medicine 

while Gambia University 

now advertises in our 

national dailies looking for 

students from Nigeria. The 

Indian High Commission 

is now a Mecca for 

Nigerians seeking medical 

treatment and to make 

matters worse, the Indian 

Embassy now issues visas 

only after 21 days 

irrespective of the type of 

your ailment. Why do we 

deserve to be treated like 

this?” 

Adeyeye who joined the 

1992 Alumni in cutting the 

Towards ending polio, 

Rotary is giving $49.5 

million in grants to support 

immunisation and 

surveillance activities led 

by the Global Polio 

Eradication Initiative. 

Nigeria will obtain 

$7.71 million of the grant, 

meant to support efforts 

to end polio in the 

remaining countries 

where polio remains 

endemic. Afghanistan will 

ribbon of the renovated 

hostel toilet in the College, 

said policy makers are not 

bold enough to ask citizens 

to pay for healthcare 

services despite the fact 

that they do not have 

resources to pay for 

citizens “despite the fact 

school fees in UNILAG 

college of medicine about 

N30,000 per annual which 

is less than $100, foreign 

students don’t still want to 

come to Nigeria, this tells 

us that what they 

patronize is not cost but 

quality. 

“In the University of 

Ghana, a Nigerian will 

pay about $17,000 per 

annual to study medicine, 

which is more than all the 

tuition fees paid in the 

UNILAG College of 

Medicine. So it’s therefore 

impossible to expect 

Medical School with little 

or no funding from Federal 

government and charging 

less than $100 to compete 

favourably with their peers 

obtain $9.32 million while 

Pakistan gets $8.94 

million. 

Further funding will 

support efforts to keep six 

vulnerable countries poliofree: 

Chad ($2.37 million), 

the Democratic Republic of 

Congo ($4.5 million), 

Guinea ($961,000), Somalia 

($1.62 million), South 

Sudan ($3.77 million), and 

Continues on page 42 

around the world. 

“We must do everything 

possible to support health 

insurance in all state of 

Federation, this will 

address out of pocket.” 

In her welcome address, 

Chairperson, Medilag ’92 

Alumni, Dr. Adebimpe 

Adebajo said that the 

renovation of hostel toilet 

and public lecture was to 

celebrate the 25th years as 

Alumni and to give back to 

the school in appreciation. 

“The choice of toilet 

renovation is to help them 

live a healthy lifestyle that 

is free of toilet related 

diseases. Today, 10 of our 

members out of about 130 

are no longer alive and for 

those of us alive we thank 

God and pray may their 

soul rest in peace. 

While appreciating the 

gesture, Provost, College of 

Medicine, University of 

Lagos, Prof. Afolabi Lesi 

expressed pleasure over 

spirit of giving among the 

Alumni. 

Resolve this 

lingering crisis, 

LAUTECH 

doctors urge 

hospital 

IN the wake of the 

protacted industrial 

action called by the 

Association of Resident 

Doctors, Ladoke Akintola 

University of Technology, 

(LAUTECH) Teaching 

Hospital Ogbomoso, the 

aggrieved doctors, have 

urged the management 

of the hospital to be sincere 

towards ensuring speedy 

resolution of the crisis. 

The doctors are alleging 

they were paid 28 percent 

of their salary since 

January 2016. 

In a press statement 

jointly signed by the 

President, Dr. Sebastine 

Oiwoh and the Secretary, 

Dr Ayobami Alabi, they 

alleged that their 

members are being owed 

12 month salaries. 

“We want to state clearly 

that the Association of 

Resident Doctors, 

LAUTECH Teaching 

Hospital Ogbomoso has 

never and will never 

support any acts to pilfer, 

launder or to decimate the 

finances and resources of 

the hospital through 

illegal acts of corruption. 

The hospital is replete with 

evidence of this our 

relentless resolve to 

transparency, equity and 

due diligence,” they 

stated. 

Reacting to plans by the 

state government to 

restructure the teaching 

hospital, the duo said the 

needful would have been 

done within 22 months 

without the attendant loss 

of lives of staff, patients 

and families. 

If indeed the state 

government isn't 

insensitive must she wait 

until 22 months before 

coming up with 

restructuring. 

They reiterated that the 

reason for the actions 

remained poor working 

conditions, persistent 

payment of percentage 

salary, poor funding of 

residency training, dearth 

of man power, incomplete 

infrastructural 

development, and neglect 

of the hospital amongst 

others. 

They argued that the 

reasons for the current 

protracted industrial 

action in the hospital can 

be resolved immediately 

with sincerity.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2017 ---- 43 

FG, Novo Nordisk team up against 

diabetes 

By Sola Ogundipe 

A 

CAMPAIGN for 

access to free diabetes 

screening, and diagnosis 

with referral services for low 

income earners in Lagos 

was launched recently by 

Novo Nordisk, a Danish 

company. 

Data from the 

International Diabetes 

Federation, IDF, show that 

the number of persons 

having diabetes but are 

undiagnosed is higher 

than anticipated because 

the disease is on the 

increase and most of those 

suffering or are at risk, are 

often unaware. 

It is estimated that six out 

of 10 Nigerians that are 

diabetic are unaware while 

less than one in 10 diabetes 

patients are on treatment. 

According to the Vice 

President for Africa & The 

Gulf, Novo Nordisc, Mr 

Mads Larsen, the 

screening exercise is 

targeted at Nigerians with 

poor access to care. 

Larsen said whole idea is 

to improve diabetes 

diagnostic rates through 

integration of diabetes 

screening into routine 

general health services in 

Nigeria. 

The 1st Phase for six 

months targets 82,500 

people for screening in 18 

selected health facilitiesand 

blood glucose tests for 

40,000 of those at risk. 

In Nigeria, of 1.56 million 

of those with diabetes, just 

610,000 or 39 per cent are 

diagnosed, out of which 

310,000 (20 per cent) are 

receiving care. Of these, 

150,000 (10 per cent) are 

achieving target treatment 

while just 77,000 (5 per 

cent) are achieving the 

desired outcomes. 

Currently, 1.56 million 

adults or 2.3 percent of the 

adult Nigerian population 

aged 20-79 years and 

above are known to have 

diabetes. Almost 40,800 

adults were estimated to 

have died from diabetes 

related diseases in 2015, 

averaging 112 deaths per 

day. and there are fears that 

the number of Nigerians 

with diabetes could grow by 

111 percent by 2040. 

The Danish Ambassador 

in Nigeria, Mr Torben 

Gettermann, assured that 

with a vibrant and active 

pharmaceutical industry, 

Denmark was fully 

supporting Nigeria’s 

campaign against diabetes. 

Gettermann said that his 

home government would 

continue to encourage more 

Danish companies to 

collaborate with Nigerian 

private and public sectors. 

“We would continue to 

open our doors to Nigeria 

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World Bank, PharmAccess support Kwara 

State Health Insurance Scheme 

By Amarachi Adiele 

WORLD Bank Group 

and PharmAccess 

Foundation, PAF, are 

partnering with the Kwara 

State government on a 

functional State-wide 

Health Insurance. 

Speaking during a 

courtesy call to the 

Executive Governor of 

Kwara State, Alhjai 

AbdulFatah Ahmed by the 

Programme Manager and 

Health Lead, Health in 

Africa Initiative, World 

Bank Group/IFC Prof. 

Khama Rogo and a team 

of PharmAccess 

Foundation officials (PAF) 

in Nigeria led by the 

Country Director, Njide 

Ndili, at the Government 

house, World Bank Group/ 

IFC Prof. Khama Rogo said 

the visit was to advocate 

strongly for a State-wide 

Health Insurance Scheme 

towards achieving 

Universal Health 

Coverage. 

Rogo said, "The focus is 

on health and the recommitment 

to Universal 

Health Coverage which 

will avail quality health care 

to everyone on the planet" 

WORKSHOP: From left; General Manager, Middle Africa, Novo Nordisk Mr. Venkat 

Kalyan; Consultant Endocrinologist, College of Medicine, Univeristy of Lagos, Prof. 

Anthonia Ogbeira; Vice President for Africa & The Gulf, Novo Nordisc, Mr. Mads 

Larsen, CMD, Federal Medical Centre, Ebute Metta, Dr. Adedamola Dada and Danish 

Ambassador in Nigeria, Mr. Torben Gettermann, during launch of a campaign for 

access to free diabetes screening, and diagnosis by Novo Nordisk in Lagos recently. 

World Bank's Health in 

Africa Initiative and 

PharmAccess Foundation 

has been providing 

technical assistance to 

Kwara State to enable 

transition from its 

Community Based Health 

Insurance Scheme to a 

State-wide Health 

Insurance Scheme. 

Rogo highlighted the 

many challenges in Africa 

due to high disease burden 

and low access to health 

care services. 

He commended Kwara 

State Government's 

leadership with its 

Community Based Health 

Insurance Scheme which 

has been recognised 

globally. 

Rogo also reaffirmed the 

commitment of the World 

Bank to continue to support 

Kwara State encouraging 

the launch of the mandatory 

scheme this year. 

Responding, the 

Governor of Kwara State, 

Alhaji AbdulFatah Ahmed 

appreciated the visiting 

team. 

He acknowledged the 

challenges with health care 

services in Africa and 

mentioned that the state is 

preparing its 2018 budget 

with focus on health in 

terms of infrastructural 

development for a robust 

service delivery.


2018 World Cup: 

Eagles target 

semi final — Rohr 

SUPER Eagles coach 

Gernot Rohr has 

set a semi-final target for 

Nigeria at the 2018 World 

Cup in Russia, saying that 

they already advanced to 

the round of 16 in three 

previous tournaments. 

Against all the odds, the 

national team qualified for 

next year’s showpiece 

with a game to spare after 

beating Zambia 1-0 in Uyo 

on October 7. 

‘’They are already out of 

the group stage to go to 

the round of 16, especially 

in 2014 when they faced 

the French team (0-2 

defeat),’’ Rohr told French 

sports newspaper 

L’Equipe. 

‘’We will try to do as 

well. Unfortunately, here, 

the ambitions are a little 

more excessive: the team 

must reach at least the 

semifinals. ‘’We have the 

ambition of the leaders to 

manage, even if I get 

along very well with the 

president (Amaju 

Pinnick), who came to 

get me." 

FIFA moves to prevent 

bonus strike by African 

players 

WORLD 

soccer 

ruling body FIFA 

is said to be considering 

paying World Cup bonuses 

to member associations 

that qualified for 

the FIFA World Cup tournament, 

a move geared 

towards preventing row 

over bonuses especially 

by African players. 

After bonus row issues 

involving Cameroon, 

Ghana, and Nigeria at the 

2014 World Cup, FIFA, 

under now-ousted President 

Sepp Blatter, suggested 

they would mandate 

member associations 

to show signed agreements 

with players ahead 

of the next tournament in 

2018. 

Now, it appears the 

new leadership of the 

world body is going a step 

further to try to prevent 

crisis within the organi- 

sations by paying the bonuses 

ahead of kickoff. It 

has already been widely 

reported that Nigeria’s 

federation will pay the 37 

players who took part in 

qualifying the team for 

Russia equally, with the 

players getting equal 

portions of the $12.5 million 

qualifying bonus. 

According to said 

source, the full amount is 

set to be paid in advance 

of the tournament, rather 

than being split into a 

$2.5million preparation 

fee, and $10 million after 

the event. 

A FIFA spokesman did 

not deny nor confirm the 

proposed change, when 

contacted by KweseEspn 

sports via email: “Please 

note, that the matter you 

mention in your query 

will be communicated in 

due time.” 

Nice, Sundowns lead 

chase for Ezenwa 

FRENCH Ligue 1 

side OGC Nice, 

Mamelodi Sundowns of 

South Africa as well as 

Israeli clubs Maccabi 

Haifa and Hapoel Tel 

Aviv are among the clubs 

now in hot pursuit of Super 

Eagles goalkeeper 

Ikechukwu 

Ezenwa. 

It was 

further 

learnt 

there 

Everton sack 

Koeman after 

Arsenal defeat 

EVERTON 

have 

sacked manager 

Ronald Koeman after 

Sunday’s 5-2 home defeat 

by Arsenal left them 

in the Premier League 

relegation zone. 

A statement said the 

club “would like to express 

their gratitude to 

Ronald for the service he 

has given to the club over 

the past 16 months”. 

The Toffees are 18th in 

the Premier League and 

have won just two of their 

nine league games this 

season. 

“I still believe I can 

change the whole situation,” 

Koeman had said 

on Sunday. 

Koeman became the 

third Premier League 

managerial casualty of 

the season after Frank de 

Boer left Crystal Palace 

and Craig Shakespeare 

was sacked by Leicester. 

The 54-year-old Dutchman, 

who guided Everton 

to seventh place in his 

first season in charge last 

term, paid the price for a 

poor start to this season 

despite having spent 

£140m in the summer. 

Everton’s majority 

shareholder Farhad 

Moshiri gave Koeman 

his backing a fortnight 

ago after their 1-0 defeat 

by Burnley, but the Toffees 

then drew at Brighton 

and lost to Lyon, in the 

Europa League, before 

their Goodison Park humbling 

by Arsenal. 

are also interests from 

Egypt and Tunisia. 

Ezenwa’s contract with 

FC Ifeanyiubah has expired 

and he has revealed 

he is a free player 

and will be open to offers. 

The goalkeeper’s agent 

and chief executive of Johannesburg-based 

Gzedsports 

Management 

Company, Godwin Emmanuel, 

said: “Yes, it is 

true that some clubs are 

showing interests in 

signing Ezenwa. 

“We are not surprised 

anyway given the favour 

of God on him which has 

granted him the grace of 

Paris Saint-Germain 

forward Kylian 

Mbappe has won the 

European Golden Boy 

award with Gabriel Jesus, 

Marcus Rashford, 

Christian Pulisic and 

Ousmane Dembele 

among the players to miss 

out. 

The award, handed out 

annually by Italian 

newspaper Tuttosport to 

Europe’s top footballer 

under the age of 21, is 

decided by a panel of 30 

journalists and relates to 

performances across the 

calendar year. 

France international 

Mbappe, 18, helped 

Monaco to the Ligue 1 

title and Champions 

League semifinals last 

great performances in recent 

times both for club 

and country but particularly 

in the World Cup 

qualifiers. “I cannot disclose 

the names of the 

clubs because there are 

other people working behind 

the scene for the 

success of Ezenwa. 

“I can only tell you that 

we are waiting for divine 

direction on the next 

move for Ezenwa.” 

Ezenwa simply said, “I 

am not thinking of where 

my next port of call will 

be. I have left it in God’s 

holy hands. 

Mbappe beats Jesus, 

Dembele to win Golden Boy 

Ethiopia will play 

Nigeria in the 

second round qualification 

match of the FIFA 

Under-17 Women World 

Cup after Kenya pulled 

out of the tie. 

Kenya cited their inabil- 

Ronaldo wins 5th FIFA Best Player Award 

Ronaldo wins 5th FIFA Best Player Award 

CRISTIANO Ronal 

do retained his 

FIFA men’s player of the 

year crown on Monday 

night, beating Lionel 

Messi and Neymar to 

earn the accolade of the 

world’s best footballer. 

The Real Madrid star 

picked up the award 

ahead of his rivals from 

Barcelona and Paris Saint- 

Germain on the back of 

triumphs in La Liga and 

the Champions League 

last season. 

Ronaldo has scored 44 

goals for club and country 

so far in 2017 and 

scored twice in the Champions 

League final in 

June as Real retained the 

trophy and became European 

champions for a 

season before joining 

Paris Saint-Germain on an 

initial loan that is set to 

become a €180 million 

deal. He became the 

highest-scoring teenager 

in the Champions League 

this week when he netted 

against Monaco. 

Fellow France 

international Dembele 

became Barcelona’s 

record signing in the 

summer after having built 

on his early promise with 

Rennes during his solitary 

season at Borussia 

Dortmund. The 20-yearold 

has yet to make an 

impact at the Camp Nou, 

though, after suffering a 

serious injury during his 

third appearance for 

Barca. 

FIFA U-17 WWC: Ethiopia to 

host Nigeria December 1 

record-extending 12th 

time. ‘Thank you a lot 

guys for voting for me,’ 

Ronaldo said. ‘(I would 

like) to give a mention to 

Leo (Messi) and Neymar 

for being here. Real 

Madrid supporters, my 

teammates, coach, president 

all support all 

through the year so I have 

to say thank you to them." 

ity to raise a team for the 

first round match this 

month as their reason for 

pulling out. 

Kenya Football Federation 

boss Robert Muthomi 

said: “We were scheduled 

to play Ethiopia in October 

2017. However, following 

consultations with the 

schools and Ministry of 

Education officials, we 

have decided to withdraw 

our participation. 

“This is to allow players 

ample time to prepare and 

sit for their exams, which 

we also find crucial for 

their development.” 

Ethiopia will host the 

Flamingoes in the first leg, 

first round on December 

1 before visiting Benin for 

the second leg two weeks 

later.



Proposed FIFA rule on nationality switch: 

Nigeria may pay England for Iwobi, Aina 

FIFA is currently looking 

into several options 

in their bid to effect changes 

to the rules guiding players 

nationality switch after representing 

another country at 

junior level. 

Head of FIFA stakeholders 

committee Victor Montagliani 

confirmed they are looking 

into the rule, which currently 

forbids players who 

have played a competitive international 

for one team from 

switching to another national 

side even when they hold 

dual nationality. 

Already the Cape Verde 

football federation has proposed 

for the rule to be relaxed 

especially when the 

player has only featured in 

few games, say one or two 

games for his original side, 

but has no chance of earning 

a recall. 

However, FIFA only allows 

players to represent a country 

with no blood relation if 

they have played and lived 

there for five years, a rule 

which Montagliani said 

could be reviewed into 

changing the period probably 

extending it. 

The other option the 

Montagliani lead committee 

are looking at is a 

compensation scheme in 

cases where a player goes 

through the training system 

of one country and represent 

it at youth level before 

switching to another. 

Mikel inspires Tianjin Tedah 

to avoid relegation 

TIANJIN 

Teda 

narrowly escaped 

relegation from the Chinese 

Super League after their 2-0 

result against Beijing Guoan 

at Tianjin Olympic Center 

Stadium yesterday 

confirmed their safety. 

The Tianjin Tigers had 

looked destined for the drop 

at the beginning of June no 

thanks to their shambolic run 

of form. 

The Super Eagles captain 

who had been out with an 

injury since those misfortune 

times had stepped up to 

inspire his side to a run of 

four consecutive wins which 

helped steer the club clear of 

relegation waters with two 

games to spare, netting once 

and playing a crucial role in 

eleven games. 

•Iwobi 

NBBF invites 16 for FIBA Africa 3x3 Tourney 

THE Nigeria Basketball 

Federation has 

invited 16 players to camp for 

the FIBA Africa organized 

3x3 championships to be held 

in Lome, Togo. 

The 3x3 men and women’s 

teams will be in camp for 8 

days for the championship 

starting from the 1st of 

November. 

The Women’s team will be 

led by Nkechi Akashili and 

Chioma Udeaja both of First 

Bank Women Basketball 

Cavani saves Paris, Neymar sees red 

THE French Classique 

was of great drama last 

night in southern France. 

Marseille came into the game 

with a fierce desire to beat 

down their rival undefeated 

so far in all competitions. 

It did not take long for OM 

and Luis Gustavo to take the 

lead in this game. But PSG 

quickly responded by 

Neymar. Marseille and PSG 

were less aggressive in the 

second half until Thauvin 

surged to score the second 

goal from a cross from the 

right. 

Neymar saw his first red 

card in Ligue 1 after he was 

not able to control his nerves 

and booked with a second 

yellow card. And Cavani at 

the last second scored a 

wonderful direct free kick 

and save a point for Paris. It 

was an exciting night for the 

fans and a great show. 

On his goal, Cavani said 

after the match. 

Akwa Utd commend Gov Udom, 

thank media, fans for support 

ITHOUT God on 

"Wour side, without the 

total support of “World Cup 

Governor Udom” the media, 

Supporters and fans, we 

would not have achieved 

what has turned out to be the 

best season for the Club since 

its inception in 1997" - says 

Paul Bassey Chairman of 

Akwa United F.C. 

Mr. Bassey while 

addressing Management, 

Technical Crew and Players 

of the Club in Uyo last 

Saturday was full of praise 

for the overwhelming 

support he got in his first full 

year as Chairman of the 

Club.”On January 1st this 

year (A Sunday) we took this 

club to God and asked Him 

to take control. God 

responded in the affirmative 

and here we are.”Our Aiteo 

Cup triumph and fourth 

place finish in the league ( 

our highest ever finish) could 

not have been possible 

without the encouragement, 

motivation and support of 

our amiable Governor 

Deacon Udom Emmanuel 

who stood by us throughout 

the season.”We are 

particularly grateful to the 

Honorable Commissioner 

for Youth and Sports Sir 

Monday Ebong Ukoh for his 

belief in us and constant 

support to the team. Looking 

Club of Lagos who were 

members of the 2017 

Afrobasket women 

championship winning 

team in Mali. The list 

released on Monday also has 

Chidinma Deborah and 

Nkemuwa Akaraiwe of First 

Bank who were also part of 

the Afrobasket preparation. 

IGP Queens Basketball 

club duo of Grace Okonkwo 

and Christiana Isaac and 

Dolphins’ Roselyn Queen 

Ulabo as well as Josette 

•Neymar 

back, success would have 

been difficult without his 

presence “on our bench”.Our 

appreciation also goes to the 

supporters club, fans and the 

media community for their 

unflinching support to the 

team which motivated and 

encouraged us to victory in 

the Aiteo Cup and the 

unbeaten home record we 

achieved in the league.The 

vibrant Akwa Ibom State 

Football Supporters Club 

deserve our commendation 

under rain and shine.We also 

benefitted from a new SWAN 

leadership led by Solomon 

Bassey who defied all odds, 

fought our battle and today 

are part of our success story.” 

•Gov. Udom 

Anaswem complete the list 

of invited players. 

For the men, 8 players 

were drawn from Kano 

Pillars, Civil Defence, Rivers 

Hoopers and Kwara Falcons 

for the apex 3x3 basketball 

event in Africa. 

Yahaya Abdul, Azuoma 

Dike and Lucky Subel were 

invited from Pillars for the 

camping exercise which will 

be held at the Indoor Sports 

Hall of the National Stadium, 

Lagos.


Vanguard, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2017 

Sudoku 

QUICK CROSSWORD 

TODAY’S PUZZLE 

YESTERDAY’S ANSWER 

TODAY’S CROSSWORD 

YESTERDAY’SOLUTION 

How to Play Sudoku 

Across 

1 Coarse rough file (4) 

3 First letters (8) 

9 Precious stone (7) 

10 Data arranged in rows 

and columns (5) 

11 Inexpensive (5) 

12 Catlike (6) 

14 Whipped (6) 

16 Illegible handwriting (6) 

19 Opera by Bizet (6) 

21 Storehouse (5) 

24 Mythological abode of the 

dead (5) 

25 Slanting (7) 

26 Yellow cage-birds (8) 

27 A smaller amount (4) 

Down 

1 Deride (8) 

2 ‘The final frontier’(5) 

4 Fall asleep (3,3) 

5 Aggregate (5) 

8 Balkan country (7) 

7 Solid fat used in cooking (4) 

8 Pair (6) 

13 Conspirators (8) 

15 Substitute (5,2) 

17 Embrace (6) 

18 Nap (6) 

20 Skinflint (5) 

22 Resentment of a slight (5) 

23 Elegantly stylish (4) 

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

have two of the same number). 

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

(also nine lines from top to bottom) and 3 X 3 block 

within a bold block (nine blocks) contains number 

from 1 through 9. This means that no number can 

appear twice in any block, column or row. 

No mathematics is involved – no adding, subtraction, 

division or multiplication, just plain logic and your 

imagination. 

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

01-4544821. Abuja Advert Hotline: 09-2921024. E-mail: editor@vanguardngr.com, news@vanguardngr.com, letters@vanguardngr.com. Advert:advertproduction@yahoo.com 

Website: www.vanguardngr.com (ISSN 0794-652X) Editor: EZE ANABA. Phone: 01—4548355, All correspondence to P.M.B. 1007, Apapa Lagos.

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