16112017 - FG revokes Intels' expatriate permits

ILLEGAL ARMS POSSESSION: 

Court declines 

to stop 

11 

Dasuki’s trial 

You lied, 

Jonathan 

replies ex- 

EFCC boss, 

Waziri 10 

FG, Lagos govt move to 

tackle Apapa traffic 

•Ambode reconstitutes 

gridlock 

Task Force to restore sanity 

•No new tank farm in Apapa as FG 

considers all possible solutions 

12 

** ** 

VOL. 25: NO. 63422 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2017 

FG revokes Intels' 

expatriate permits 

•5 other firms affected; Immigration gives them till Nov 30 to quit Nigeria 

•Interior ministry to deport them after month end 

Court 

vacates 

interim 

forfeiture 

order on 

accounts 

without 

BVN 10 

Mugabe 

under 

house 

arrest as 

Buhari 

warns 

against 

crisis 

44 

Nigeria's 

unity not 

5 

settled 

— Ango Abdullahi 

APAPA GRIDLOCK... 

•Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, on an aerial assessment of the Mile 2-Apapa Expressway, Lagos, 

traffic lockdown. 

COLUMNISTS OMOROTIONMWAN 31 OCHEREOME 31 ADAMU 17 

By Godwin Oritse & 

Omeiza Ajayi 

ABUJA — THE Federal 

Government, 

yesterday, announced 

revocation of the residence 

permits of the expatriate 

staff in Intels 

and five other companies. 

A statement in Abuja 

by the Public Relations 

Officer of the Nigeria 

Immigrations Service, 

NIS, Sunday James, 

said the order was from 

its Comptroller-General, 

Muhammad Babandede. 

NIS said it took the 

decision after withdrawal 

of the operational 

licenses of the 

affected companies by 

the Oil and Gas Free 

Zones Authority, OGF- 

ZA. 

The service gave November 

30 as the deadline 

for the affected 

staff to leave the country, 

saying refusal to do 

so would mean getting 

the Ministry of Interior 

to forcibly deport them. 

Continues on Page 5 

Naira 

depreciates 

to N360. 70 

in NAFEX 

Mr & Mrs 

5

2—VANGUARD, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2017

VANGUARD, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2017 — 3


Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2017—5 

POCKET CARTOON 

President Buhari with Anambra APC gubernatorial candidate Mr. Tony Nwoye (2nd right) joined by 

Minister of Labour Dr. Chris Ngige (right) and Chief Orji Uzor Kalu (left), during the grand finale of 

the APC Anambra Gubernatorial campaign in Awka, Anambra State, yesterday. Photo: NAN. 

FG revokes Intels' expatriate permits 

Continues from Page 1 

The statement read: 

“The Comptroller-General 

of Immigration 

Service, Muhammad 

Babandede, hereby, revokes 

the residence permits 

of the expatriate 

staff of the underlisted 

companies, in the exercise 

of the powers vested 

on him in Section 

39, Sub-section 1 of 

Immigration Act 2015 

and Section 5, Sub-section 

5 of the Immigration 

Regulations 2017 

after withdrawal of the 

operational licenses of 

the under-mentioned 

companies by the Oil 

and Gas Free Zones 

Authority. 

“The affected companies 

are INTELS Nigeria 

Limited, PRO- 

DECO International 

Limited, West Africa 

Machinery Services 

Limited., Net Global 

System International 

Limited., MGM Logistics 

Solutions Limited, 

and ORIEAN Investment 

Limited. 

“Consequently, the 

CGI has directed that 

the expatriate staff of 

the affected companies 

above leave Nigeria 

not later than November 

30, 2017, failure of 

which they might be 

recommended to the 

Minister of Interior for 

deportation.” 

In a move analysts 

have described as 

largely political, the termination 

of the contract 

with Intels, alleging 

that the former vice 

president’s company 

did not comply with the 

Federal Government’s 

directive on the Treasury 

Single Account, 

TSA. 

The former vice-president 

is a chieftain of 

the ruling All Progressives 

Congress, APC, 

and his recent moves 

have indicated that he 

could be throwing his 

hat in the ring in the 

2019 general elections. 

IT'S UP TO YOU 

BY AYO ADIO - 08104802192 

It is possible to be content with what you have 

and yet have dreams of becoming bigger with a plan 

to achieve it. Contentment shouldn’t stop you from 

dreaming, it should only stop you from being greedy. 

TAKE HEART — ELLA RANDLE 

Life is available only in the present moment 

— MTake Heart Quotes 

ANY years ago, James Lachard wrote a piece 

called “An Interview with God.” In it, the 

narrator asked God: “What surprises you most about 

mankind?” 

God’s answer is telling: “Man. Because he 

sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then 

he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And 

then he is so anxious about the future that he does 

not enjoy the present; the result being that he does 

not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he 

is never going to die, and then dies having never 

really SAYINGS lived.” OF OUR PEOPLE 

An old woman is never shy of a dance step 

she is used to. 

No explanations 

for revocation, 

says OGFZA 

Reacting to the development, 

yesterday, 

spokesman of the Oil 

and Gas Free Zone Authority, 

OGFZA, Mr. 

Iboro Otong, told Vanguard 

that the Ministry 

of Interior has not informed 

the authority of 

the reason for the revocation 

of the residence 

permit of Intels’ expatriate 

workers. 

“There is no explanation 

for now. We have no 

formal reason from the 

Ministry, but I believe 

that in due time, the 

Ministry will let us know 

why the residence permit 

was revoked.” 

‘Don’t axe 95% of 

Intels because of 

Atiku’s 5%’ 

In his reaction, former 

Senior Assistant to 

former President Goodluck 

Jonathan on Maritime 

Matters, Mr. Leke 

Oyewole, said government 

should not throw 

away 95% of the huge 

investment in INTELS. 

He said there could be 

some immigration issues 

which could be resolved 

without going as far as 

revoking the residence 

permits of the expatriates. 

He explained that Intels 

has added value to 

the Nigerian economy, 

particularly the maritime 

industry. 

“In as much I do not 

support transgression of 

the laws of the country, 

they should be pardoned 

if they have transgressed 

our immigration 

laws,” Oyewole said. 

Similarly, a maritime 

lawyer, Chris Ebare, said 

officials of the Nigerian 

Nigeria's unity not settled — Ango Abdullahi 

By Levinus Nwabughiogu 

ABUJA - Barely 48 

hours after President 

Muhammadu Buhari 

asked Ndigbo of the 

South East to halt secession 

struggle and embrace 

national integration, 

the National Chairman 

of Northern Nigeria 

Union, Professor Ango 

Abdulahi, has said that 

Nigeria’s unity was not 

settled. 

He also said President 

Buhari’s endorsement 

and adoption for a second 

term in office in 2019 by 

the North was not automatic. 

Abdulahi spoke, last 

night, at a news conference 

in Abuja on the union’s 

readiness to host the 

5th Commemorative lecture 

in honour of late Dr. 

Olusola Saraki on November 

27 at International 

Conference Centre, 

ICC. 

The elder-statesman 

said it would be inhuman 

to say that the unity of 

Nigeria had been settled, 

noting that the many challenges 

still bedeviling the 

polity would always 

prompt questions about 

the unity of the country. 

He said: “Two days, I 

spent about 2 hours of interview 

with Biafra Radio 

of Germany and the issues 

have been unity, 

marginalization, dissatisfaction 

and so on and so 

forth. 

‘’So, based on this current 

debate, if you want 

to be honest and sincere, 

you cannot say that Nigeria’s 

unity has been finally 

settled and no more issues 

will be raised about 

it because it is not even 

human to say so, in the 

sense that if you’re really 

thinking about the constitution 

of the country, no 

constitution anywhere 

around the world is perfect. 

“Issues are being raised 

about constitutions of 

countries within themselves. 

Take for example, 

recent discourse in Britain; 

there was the issue 

of referendum to determine 

whether Scotland 

wants to remain or not after 

350 years. 

‘’You can see what is 

happening in Spain today. 

You can look at very 

many other countries like 

India, which started with 

one country, the following 

year, it is India and Pakistan, 

etc. Unity is not a final 

settled question in any 

country, particularly a 

country in diversity like 

Nigeria. 

“It is utopian to say that 

unity of Nigeria is settled 

because there will always 

be recurring questions 

about something wrong 

somewhere. Whenever 

you raise the issue of 

something is wrong, then 

you are also raising a fundamental 

issue of perhaps, 

this perfect unity 

people have been hoping 

for, needs to be revisited. 

‘’So, for me, I think the 

question of Nigerian unity 

should continue to be 

asked, especially now 

that we have not 

achieved the perfection 

our founding fathers want 

us to achieve.” 

Asked whether the 

Northern Union would 

endorse President Buhari 

NAIRA WATCH 

Naira depreciates to N360. 

70 in NAFEX 

By Peter Egwuatu 

Immigration Service, 

NIS, had every right to 

revoke the residence permits 

of Intels’ expatriate 

workers, if they were 

found to have violated 

any immigration law. 

Ebare also said that 

some of the affected expatriate 

workers may 

also have entered the 

country illegally and 

found themselves working 

in Intels, adding that 

if that was the case, the 

government has the right 

to revoke such permits. 

He said: “Some of them 

may have entered the 

country legally and perhaps 

their permits expired, 

the government in 

this case can revoke their 

permit and they may 

have also committed 

criminal offenses while 

working in Intels, they 

can have their permit revoked.’’ 

for a second term in 2019, 

Abdulahi said though the 

President had exceeded 

expectation in terms of 

outreach on the number of 

votes he got in the last 

election, adoption as the 

northern candidate in 

future election was not 

automatic. 

He, however, said Buhari 

was not seen as a 

parochial leader but a 

President for all Nigerians, 

irrespective of the 

votes he got in 2015 elections. 

The naira, yesterday, depreciated to N360.70 

in the Investor and Exporter (I&E) Foreign 

Exchange, forex Window. 

The indicative exchange rate for the I & E forex 

Window, known as Nigerian Autonomous Foreign 

Exchange, NAFEX, depreciated further to N360. 

70 per dollar, yesterday, from Tuesday’s market rate 

which stood at N360.27 per dollar. This indicates a 

43 kobo drop in the value of the naira. 

Meanwhile, the volume of dollars traded in the 

window, yesterday, was $299.80 million from $86.99 

million exchanged on Tuesday. This indicates a 

244.6 per cent increase in the volume of dollars 

traded in the market. 

The parallel market rate for the naira was 

exchanged at N363 per dollar and has remained 

stable for over two weeks.



8—Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2017 

In Italy: 

Autopsies of 

26 migrant 

Nigerian girls 

say most 

drowned 

P OST-mortem 

examinations on the 

bodies of 26 teenage 

migrant girls found dead 

in the Mediterranean in 

early November 

confirmed they almost all 

drowned at sea, Italian 

news agencies reported 

yesterday. 

The loss of the girls, 

believed to be Nigerians 

aged 14 to 18, has been 

described by the Nigerian 

foreign ministry as “a 

monumental loss and a 

sad moment for our 

country.” 

According to the postmortems 

carried out in 

Salerno, southern Italy, 25 

of the girls died of 

asphyxiation in the water, 

most of them when the 

inflatable dinghy they 

were travelling on sank. 

One girl suffered a 

wound to her liver and 

two of the dead were 

pregnant. 

The autopsies found no 

recent trace of physical or 

sexual violence. 

The bodies of the victims 

were found floating in the 

water by a Spanish 

military ship and brought 

to Italy on November 3 

after two separate rescue 

operations. 

In both cases, dozens of 

other migrants— mostly 

men but also women— 

were also rescued after 

they tried to cross to 

Europe from Libya. 

Family members, who 

survived the disaster, 

have identified some of 

the victims. In other cases, 

investigators managed to 

contact relatives after 

discovering phone 

numbers inside the 

victims’ clothing. 

Burial 

Funerals for the 26 girls 

will take place Friday in 

Salerno, where a day of 

mourning has been 

declared. 

A white rose will be 

placed on each coffin, 

while smaller roses will be 

placed for the two unborn 

children. 

Nigeria has called for an 

international 

investigation into the 

incident. 

According to Italy’s 

interior ministry, more 

than 111,700 people have 

reached the country by 

sea in the first 10 months 

of 2017, a decrease of 30 

percent from the same 

period last year. 

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

Man impersonates Mike Adenuga, makes N1m 

•Another makes N4m from Police employment fraud 

By Daud Olatunji & 

Esther Onyegbula 

ABEOKUTA—A 24-year-old 

man, Ehioboh Lucky, has 

been nabbed by men of Ogun 

State Police Command for 

allegedly impersonating 

billionaire businessman, Dr. 

Mike Adenuga Jr. 

Also, another suspect, 

Emmanuel Ebuzoma, was 

arrested by the Zone 2 Police 

Command of the Force for 

allegedly defrauding 

applicants seeking employment 

with the Nigeria Police Force. 

The Ogun State Police Public 

Relations Officer, Abimbola 

Oyeyemi, said Ehioboh Lucky 

was arrested on November 6, 

following a complaint by one 

Abiola Ogunseye, who claimed 

the suspect defrauded him of 

N1,028,770. 

Oyeyemi added that the 

suspect, who hails from Edo 

State, had opened a Facebook 

account with the name and 

picture of the business mogul, 

which he has been using to 

defraud unsuspecting 

members of the public. 

The PPRO said: “One of his 

victims, Abiola Olalekan 

Ogunseye, came into contact 

with him on Facebook, where 

he promised to get employment 

for him at Nigerian National 

Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, 

and asked him to pay N1.5 

million to ‘settle’ some 

members of the management of 

the corporation, who will 

influence his appointment. 

“The sum of N1,028,770 has 

so far been paid to the suspect 

before the victim realised that 

he was a fraudster. The victim 

lodged a complaint via a 

petition to the Ogun State 

Commissioner of Police and the 

officer in charge of Anti- 

Kidnapping and Cultism, CSP 

Opeyemi Kujore, was directed 

to go after the suspect. 

“After weeks of investigation, 

the suspect was apprehended 

on Monday, November 6. 

Recovered from him are one 

iPhone 6, a laptop, eight 

different SIM cards, five 

different ATM cards and one 

international passport.” 

Oyeyemi, however, said the 

suspect will be charged to 

court as soon as investigation 

is concluded. 

Police employment fraud 

It was also gathered, 

yesterday, that the Zone 2 

Police Command arrested a 

37-year-old man, Emmanuel 

Ebuzoma, for allegedly 

defrauding applicants 

seeking employment with the 

Nigeria Police Force. 

The Zone 2 PPRO, SP 

Dolapo Badmus, while 

parading the suspects, said 

the Chairman of Police 

Service Commission had, on 

November 2, petitioned the 

Lucky (above) and the Police employment fraud gang, Emmanuel Ebuzoma and Faith. 

Assistant Inspector General Emmanuel Ebuzoma The suspect immediately 

in charge of Zone 2, AIG 

Adamu Ibrahim, about a 

fraudster using his name to 

scam unsuspecting members 

of the public. 

She said on receiving the 

petition, AIG Ibrahim referred 

the petition to the public 

complaint bureau of the Zone. 

According to Badmus, “the 

detectives swung into action 

and the suspect Emmanuel 

Ebuzoma, an indigene of 

confessed that he obtained 

telephone numbers of 

members of the Senate, 

House of Representative, 

including governors, who he 

sent bulk text messages to, 

informing them of police 

recruitment exercise. 

“He implored them to send 

the names and phone 

contacts of four applicants 

they wanted to help into the 

Nigeria Police Force. 

contacted them, demanding 

various sums of money for 

their registration into the force. 

The applicants paid between 

N25,000 to N50,000. 

“Investigations revealed that 

the suspect has been able to 

rake in about N4,000,000 

through the accounts supplied 

by this accomplice, Faith.” 

Badmus said the AIG has 

directed that the suspects be 

charged to court at the 

Delta State, and his “Some of the government conclusion of investigation, as 

accomplice, Faith Oregbu, 

were subsequently arrested. 

functionaries sent numbers 

of their family members and 

she advised job seekers to be 

wary of fraudsters demanding 

“Upon interrogation, constituents to the suspect. money for employment. 

Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal, and officials of National Union of 

Road Transport Workers, NURTW, during a meeting over the decongestion of traffic in in 

Oshodi, yesterday. 

Strange disease kills 3 in Sokoto 

By Abdallah el-Kurebe 

A58-year-old father of five, 

one Malam Abdullahi 

Lawal; 15-year-old secondary 

school student, Bello 

Zoramawa, and 14-year-old 

house help, Nasiru Kamba, 

have been confirmed dead 

from a strange disease in 

Mabera area of Sokoto 

metropolis. 

It was gathered that the 

symptoms of the strange 

disease were bleeding from the 

eyes and diarrhoea. 

The late student’s mother, 

who did not disclose her 

name, informed Vanguard 

that her son fell sick last week 

Thursday and was treated for 

malaria. 

She added: “But by 10p.m., 

his temperature became very 

high; he was shivering. We 

took him to the hospital, 

where he died on Friday.” 

Vanguard further gathered 

that the house help, Nasiru 

Kamba, who stayed with him 

at the hospital, also 

developed the same symptom 

of high temperature, 

bleeding eyes and diarrhoea 

before she died. 

Dr. Adamu Adamu of the 

Paediatric Unit of Usmanu 

Danfodiyo University Teaching 

Hospital, UDUTH, told 

newsmen that the symptom was 

not known ”because Bello was 

not diagnosed of the disease 

before he died.” 

Also speaking on the death 

yesterday, the Deputy Director, 

Public Health in the state 

Ministry of Health, Alhaji 

Abbas Aliyu, who confirmed 

the three deaths, noted that 

preliminary investigation 

conducted by some doctors


By Monsuru 

Olowoopejo 

LAGOS—BARELY 24 hours 

after Amnesty International, 

AI, released a report on the 

alleged forceful demolition of 

structures at Otodo-Gbame, 

Ilubirin and other waterfront 

communities, the evictees have 

demanded that Lagos State 

Government resettles the over 

30,000 displaced residents. 

The protest came one year 

after the state government 

allegedly commenced pulling 

down of structures in the 

communities, which AI claimed 

led to the death of about 11 

persons and scores of others 

still missing after the 

demolition exercise. 

On their arrival at the State 

House Alausa Secretariat, 

Ikeja, yesterday, the protesters 

barricaded the entrance to the 

governor’s office, demanding 

that the governor immediately 

resettle them. 

‘We'll sleep here’ 

The residents, who were 

armed with placards, leaves 

and mats, promised to pass the 

night at the entrance of the 

Lagos House if Governor 

Akinwunmi Ambode fails to 

fulfil government's promises. 

They lamented that after the 

final demolition in April 2016, 

the state government allegedly 

promised to provide relief and 

resettlement to the evictees. 

Following the assurance, the 

protesters noted that they 

embarked on tracing evictees 

to various communities and 

compiled a list, which was 

handed over to the government 

for possible action. 

According to the protesters, 

even with the court order 

directing that evictees be 

resettled, Lagos government is 

yet to provide any relief or 

resettlement months after. 

They noted that the 

government has neither 

obeyed the court nor fulfilled 

promises made earlier and has 

decided to ignore all 

communications from evictees. 

Speaking on behalf of the 

suspected malaria as the cause 

of the deaths. 

Aliyu said a team of 

specialists was deployed to the 

area and people were 

sensitised to report any 

suspected case immediately to 

obtain samples for onward 

diagnosis. 

He regretted that no sample 

was extracted from all the 

deaths as they were buried 

same day, adding that at 

present, no such case had been 

reported again. 


Otodo-Gbame eviction: Victims lay siege to Gov 

Ambode’s office, demand resettlement 

protesters, Olutimehin 

Adegbeye, the Policy Advocacy 

•... as health officials lament 

absence of samples for tests 

The Director said government 

was determined to combat and 

address any form of outbreaks 

in the state, noting that similar 

incidents were recorded last 

year and affected victims were 

diagnosed with viral 

haemorrhage and fever, which 

required high degree of 

treatment. 

He acknowledged the receipt 

of cautionary information from 

the Federal Ministry of Health, 

alerting the state on possible 

occurrence of strange diseases. 

The Otodo-Gbame 

evictees ‘build’ 

make-shift 

apartments on Lagos 

State House road, 

yesterday. PHOTOS: 

Bunmi Azeez. 

and Communication Officer 

for Justice and Empowerment 

Highlander SUV.” 

Vanguard learned that the 

abductors later established 

contact with the wife, 

demanding N50 million 

ransom. Thereafter, the line 

went dead, until the family 

Initiative, JEI, the agency 

assisting the residents, 

Abducted octogenarian professor found dead in Benin 

By Simon Ebegbulem 

B ENIN—PROFESSOR 

Anthony Edosomwan, a 

retired lecturer at Ambrose Ali 

University, AAU, who was 

abducted recently, has been 

found dead around Ogida 

Quarters, Benin, the Edo State 

capital. 

The octogenarian, who was a 

former senior lecturer at AAU, 

was abducted in his Benin 

residence, penultimate Saturday. 

An eyewitness said when the 

gunmen came, “they accosted 

the house maid and rushed to the 

professor’s living room, where he 

was relaxing. They ransacked the 

house, collected money and 

mobile phones before taking the 

Professor away with his 

was informed that the dead 

body was sighted at a bush 

part around Upper Siluko 

Road, yesterday. 

The body has been 

deposited at a mortuary by the 

Police, while the car was also 

... as Edo donates N500,000 to 

widow of farmer killed by herdsmen 

GOVERNOR Godwin 

Obaseki of Edo State, 

yesterday, presented 

N500,000 to Mrs Gloria 

Omoregie, wife of Efosa 

Omoregie, killed by 

herdsmen on August 31. 

Omoregie, a farmer, was 

killed in his farm at Oben in 

the Orhionmwon Local 

Government Area of the state. 

By Wole Mosadomi 

MINNA—ONE of the 

four suspected robbers 

arrested by the Niger State 

Police Command at Ibelu 

village, a Fulani settlement in 

Magma Local Government 

Area of the state, said he has 

no regret going into crime and 

he did that out of conviction. 

The suspect, Isuhu Usman, 

who admitted his involvement 

in various crimes in the state 

during a chat with our 

Presenting the cash, the 

Majority Leader of Edo State 

House of Assembly, Mr 

Roland Asoro (APC 

Orhionmwon South), said he 

was making the donation to 

the widow on behalf of the 

governor. 

He quoted Obaseki as 

saying that the gesture was 

to assist the woman to regain 

correspondent, said: “I 

voluntarily and willingly 

committed the crime as 

nobody forced me into 

robbery. 

“I am not going to beg 

anybody for the offence I 

committed knowingly. So 

government should go ahead 

and jail me because I deserve 

it.” 

His accomplice, Bello Umar, 

pleaded for mercy, saying he 

cannot explain how he got 

involved in robbery. 

lamented that government has 

failed the victims. 

recovered. 

The state Commissioner of 

Police, Johnson Kokumo, noted 

that the incident occurred 

before he arrived the state and 

vowed, however, to get the 

suspects arrested. 

her stability and take care of 

family needs, because of the 

untimely death of her 

husband. 

Gloria thanked government 

for the gesture, saying she 

will use the money to pay her 

children’s school fees. 

The presentation was 

witnessed by chiefs and elders 

from Ugu Ward in Oben. 

I won't beg for leniency, says robbery suspect 

His words: “I regret my 

involvement in the crime and I 

plead with the Police to have 

mercy on me because I don’t 

know how I got into the gang. 

“This is not my first time and 

I can’t explain how the crime 

went into my blood, because I 

have been on it for years and I 

pray that Allah will forgive me.” 

Contacted, the state’s Police 

Public Relations Officer, Abigail 

Unaeze, disclosed that 

investigations were ongoing 

and that the four suspects will

10—VANGUARD, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2017 

:Vanguard 

News 

Court vacates interim forfeiture 

order on accounts without BVN 

•Varies conditions for unfreezing of unverified accounts 

•19 banks query court’s jurisdiction 

By Ikechukwu 

Nnochiri 

ABUJA — THE Abuja 

Division of the Federal 

High Court, yesterday, 

varied the orders it made 

on October 17, which 

directed 19 commercial 

banks in the country to 

freeze all accounts without 

Bank Verification 

Numbers, BVN. 

Justice Nnamdi Dimgba 

modified part of the order 

that granted the Federal 

Government interim 

ownership of funds in all 

the non BVN-linked bank 

accounts. 

The variation was sequel 

to an agreement the 

Federal Government 

reached with the 19 

commercial banks, 

yesterday. 

In his ruling, Justice 

Dimgba said he was 

minded to “revise” the 

earlier orders, in view of the 

fact that it had been posing 

some “practical problems.” 

The court directed banks 

to immediately unfreeze 

accounts that had since 

been linked to a BVN after 

the orders were made on 

October 17, following an 

ex-parte motion filed by 

Attorney-General of the 

Federation and Minister of 

Justice, Mr. Abubakar 

Malami, SAN. 

The court further revoked 

an aspect of the order, 

which had directed an 

interim forfeiture of the 

proceeds in all the accounts 

without BVN pending the 

determination of the 

substantive suit. 

The orders were modified 

on a day all the 19 

commecial banks 

challenged jurisdiction of 

the high court to entertain 

the suit markedFHC/ABJ/ 

CS/911/16, which has 

Federal Government and 

the AGF as the applicants. 

Whereas Federal 

Government was 

represented in the 

proceeding by Mr. Joseph 

Tobi, the 19 commercial 

banks were represented by 

Mr. Adeniyi Adegbonmire, 

SAN. 

However, the Central 

Bank of Nigeria, CBN, 

which was cited as the 20th 

respondent in the matter 

was not represented by any 

lawyer. 

Justice Dimgba noted 

that before yesterday, 

unfreezing the accounts 

without BVN, even with 

the account owners visiting 

the banks to undertake the 

BVN registration, would 

have amounted to a 

violation of one of the 

orders of the court since the 

ruling did not make BVN 

registration a pre-condition 

for unfreezing such 

accounts. 

He said with the way the 

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

BRIEFING: From left, Lead Actor, Fela and the Kalakuta Queens, Adeniji Heavywind; 

Afro beat dancer and choreographer, Yeni Kuti; Director, MTN Foundation, Dennis Okoro; 

CEO, Terra Kulture, Bolanle Austin-Peters; Executive Secretary, MTN Foundation, Ms. 

Nonny Ugboma and Nigerian Actor/Producer, Kunle Afolayan, at a press conference of 

MTN Foundation sponsored Fela and the Kalakuta Queens, in Lagos. 

order was couched, the 

freezing order placed on 

such accounts woud have 

subsisted until the case was 

finally determined and not 

by the account owner 

undertaking the BVN 

registration. 

Justice Dimgba said that 

aspect of his ruling had 

created “awkward and 

unfortunate result.” 

19 banks query 

court’s jurisdiction 

Meanwhile, counsel for 

the commercial banks, Mr. 

Adegbonmire, notified the 

court that his clients have 

filed an application to query 

jurisdiction of the court. 

“My lord, we have an 

application dated 

November 7, 2017 and filed 

same day. It, in the main, 

challenges the court’s 

jurisdiction to make the ex 

parte order of October 17, 

2017.” 

Adegbonmire said the 

application had been 

served on Federal 

Government, a 

development that was 

confirmed by the government’s 

lawyer. 

Similarly, some persons 

that identified themselves 

as interested Nigerians, 

through their lawyer, Mr. 

Afam Osigwe, applied to be 

joined as parties in the 

matter. 

Following request by 

counsel to Federal 

Government and the 19 

banks to be allowed to go 

through documents filed by 

the interested parties, 

Justice Dimgba adjourned 

the case till December 11 

for hearing. 

Defendants 

Original defendants in 

the suit are Access Bank Plc, 

Citi Bank Nigeria, 

Diamond Bank Plc, 

Ecobank Nigeria, Fidelity 

Bank Plc, FirstBank Plc, 

First City Monument Bank 

Plc, Guaranty Trust Bank 

Plc and Heritage Bank Plc. 

Others are Keystone 

Bank, Skye Bank Plc, 

Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc, 

Union Bank Plc, United 

Bank for Africa Plc, Unity 

Bank Plc, Wema Bank Plc, 

Zenith Bank Plc and CBN. 

You lied, Jonathan replies Waziri, 

ex-EFCC boss 

FORMER President, 

Dr Goodluck 

Jonathan, said, yesterday, 

that former chairman of 

Economic and Financial 

Crimes Commission, 

EFCC, Mrs. Farida Waziri, 

lied when she alleged 

being sacked by him 

because she refused to 

back down from the probe 

of one of the masterminds 

of fuel subsidy scam. 

Waziri had told newsmen 

in an interview in Lagos, 

last weekend, that the 

former President ordered 

her sack for refusing to stop 

the investigation of one of 

those involved in subsidy 

scam. 

She also said her removal 

then “has now helped her 

not to be associated with the 

alleged grand corruption 

that took place under 

Jonathan’s administration. 

“I’m only glad that those 

things didn’t happen under 

my watch as the EFCC 

chairman because it would 

have been too traumatic for 

me. 

“That is why, if I see 

President Jonathan today, 

I will kneel down to thank 

him for the honour done me 

by removing me as the 

EFCC chairman at the time 

he did.” 

But Jonathan in his 

Twitter handle 

@GEJonathan, yesterday, 

challenged the former 

EFCC boss, saying she 

was lying. 

He said: “If Farida is not 

telling lies, she should 

mention the person or 

company she was 

investigating and she was 

stopped. 

“Let the EFCC 

investigate; crime has no 

statute bar. If she can’t, 

then she was simply hired 

to attack me.” 

Local Content: Senate 

seeks Immigration 

Service assistance 

By Henry Umoru 

ABUJA—THE Senate 

has called on Nigerian 

Immigration Service, NIS, 

to partner its committee on 

Local Content to ensure that 

the Act was strictly applied 

in the area of expatriate 

quota to secure 

employment of Nigerians. 

According to the Senate, 

adherence to the Act will 

prevent what it described 

as unnecessary transfer of 

foreign exchange in the 

name of engaging foreign 

experts when there are 

local human resources 

available. 

Speaking, yesterday, in 

Abuja during a working 

visit to NIS headquarters in 

Abuja, Chairman, Senate 

Committee on Local 

Content, Senator Solomon 

Adeola (APC, Lagos West), 

said the 8th Senate was 

poised to fully see that the 

Local Content Act of 2010 

was fully enforced in the oil 

and gas industry to ensure 

Nigerians were gainfully 

employed in the industry. 

He also said the Senate 

was desirous about 

amending the Act to cover 

other areas that foreigners 

had been depriving 

Nigerians of employment 

as well as repatriate the 

nation’s foreign exchange 

through engagement of 

foreigners and 

procurement of goods. 

In a statement, yesterday, 

by his Media Assistant, 

Kayode Odunaro, Adeola 

said the expertise of NIS 

would be required when 

the committee visits 

companies covered by the 

Act in relations to 

employment of expatriates 

and their status. 

In his response, Alhaji 

Mohammed Babandede, 

Comptroller-General of 

Immigration, said most of 

the problems of youth 

agitation in the Niger Delta 

could be solved by effective 

implementation of Local 

Content Act. 

He said too often, 

expatriates take over jobs 

that could easily be done 

by locals, adding, however, 

that it was the Ministry of 

Interior that handles 

approval of expatriate 

quota, while NIS 

implements such approval. 

NCC, NAPTIP partner to 

end human trafficking 

By Emmanuel 

Elebeke 

A BUJA—EXECUTIVE 

Vice Chairman of 

Nigerian Communications 

Commission NCC, Prof. 

Umar Dambatta, has said 

the commission would 

partner with National 

Agency for the Prohibition 

of Traffic in Persons, NAPTP, 

to curb the menace of 

human trafficking in the 

country. 

Danbatta disclosed this, 

yesterday, when the agency 

paid a courtesy visit to the 

commission in Abuja. 

The EVC said human 

trafficking should be 

condemned by every right 

thinking person because it 

constituted a social problem 

not just to individual families 

but also to the entire nation. 

The NCC boss described 

human trafficking as a 

major crisis that constituted 

national embarrassment 

and social problem, saying 

all hands must be on deck 

to check the hydra-headed 

monster as it causes agony 

to loved ones. 

He stated that the 

commission was committed 

to collaborating with the 

agency, in line with its 

eight-point agenda on 

strategic partnership and 

co-operation with other 

agencies, adding that efforts 

were in place to complete 

emergency numbers, and 

that the toll free line, 622, 

will help citizens lodge 

complains. 

He said: “We frown on 

these unscrupulous 

activities. It must be 

eradicated from the society 

for us to have a safe society. 

We are assuring Nigerians 

that the 112 facility will be 

in use in most of the states 

of the federation, including 

the FCT. 

‘’By the time the project is 

completed, we see it as an 

important toll free number 

that will bring relief to 

citizens in distress and as 

well access health care and 

emergency services." 

Earlier in her address, 

Director-General of NAPTIP, 

Julie Donli, said they were 

on a familiarization visit to 

highlight areas of 

collaborations with NCC on 

dangers of human 

trafficking; seek areas of 

partnership and 

cooperation and to draw 

attention to the dangers of 

human trafficking to the 

nation. 

She explained that the visit 

was to seek ways of making 

NAPTIP a beneficiary of 

some of NCC’s initiatives, 

such as emergency 

communication centres, to 

breach distress gap between 

the distressed and 

emergency response 

agency, as well as help with 

a three-digit emergency 

number.

VANGUARD, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2017—11 

:Vanguard 

News 


LAUNCHING: From left, Mr Lare Ayoola, CEO Tranter IT Infrastructure Service Ltd; 

Mr Anandarao Karthik, Head of Presales, ManageEngine; Mrs Melanie Ayoola, Executive 

Director, Marketing/Strategy, Tranter IT Infrastructure Service Ltd and Sujoy Banerjee, 

Manager Channel Business, ManagerEngine, at the launch of ManageEngine, a software 

that offers integrated IT solution, in Lagos. Photo: Akeem Salau. 

FEC okays N458m for implementation 

of ERGP •Also N27bn for Gombe-Biu road 

By Johnbosco 

Agbakwuru 

ABUJA — THE Federal 

Executive Council, 

FEC, yesterday, approved 

N458 million for the 

engagement of Malaysiabased 

consultants to conduct 

a study to aid implementation 

of National Economic 

Recovery and Growth Plan, 

ERGP. 

FEC also approved the 

construction of Gombe-Biu 

Road estimated to cost N27 

billion. 

Minister of Budget and 

National Planning, Udoma 

Udo Udoma, disclosed these 

to State House 

correspondents at the end of 

the weekly FEC meeting 

presided over by Vice 

President, Prof. Yemi 

Osinbajo, at the Council 

Chamber, Presidential Villa, 

Abuja. 

Udoma explained that the 

job of the consultant was to 

identify relevant stakeholders 

in private and public sectors 

for the implementation of 

ERGP, saying the study will 

be conducted on agriculture, 

transportation, power, gas 

and processing. 

The minister said: "Today 

(yesterday), the Federal 

Executive Council approved 

a memorandum that was 

brought by the Ministry of 

Budget and National 

Planning to retain some 

consultants to help us to 

conduct some pilot labs. 

‘This is part of our 

implementation strategy for 

the economic recovery and 

growth plan and so we intend 

to conduct three labs. One in 

agriculture and 

transportation, one in power 

and gas and one in 

manufacturing and 

processing. 

“The key objectives of the 

labs are as follows. One to 

identify all relevant key 

stakeholders from the public 

and private sector that are 

crucial in the delivery and 

implementation of the ERGP 

initiative so as to create 

ownership early on in the 

development process. 

“We will review and reevaluate 

the ERGP and 

sectoral plans against set 

targets and progress and will 

include identifying gaps in 

the current eco system and 

the key success factors. 

Udoma explained that the 

consultancy will cover about 

three months or a minimum 

of 13 weeks. 

N27bn for Gombe- 

Biu Road 

Also briefing journalists, 

Minister of Power, Works and 

Housing, Mr Babatunde 

Fashola, said approval was 

given for the construction of 

Gombe/Biu Road at the cost 

of N27. 233 billion, adding 

that the road, which 

connects Gombe and Borno 

states, would be completed 

within 24 months. 

Disclosing that council also 

approved the Revised 

National Building Code, 

Fashola said: “We 

presented two documents, 

one was a memorandum 

that required council 

approval and the other was 

a note to inform council. 

“They are important 

because they follow closely 

and inter-relate with the 

economy and recovery 

plan. The first, which was a 

memo was a contract for the 

Gombe-Biu Road that 

connects Gombe State to 

Borno and also leads to 

Adamawa and Yobe. 

“The contract was for 

N27.23 billion for 117km. 

The entire road excludes the 

9km that had been 

constructed by the Gombe 

State government. 

“The other matter, which 

speaks to investment in our 

people, security of lives and 

property is the revised 

Nigeria national building 

code and this code is eight 

years behind its scheduled 

date and the first code was 

delivered in 2006 and it was 

revised in 2009 and since 

then it was stalled." 

Illegal arms possession: Court declines 

to stop Dasuki’s trial 

By Ikechukwu 

Nnochiri 

A BUJA—DETAINED 

former National Security 

Adviser, NSA, Col. Sambo 

Dasuki (retd), yesterday, 

failed to persuade the Federal 

High Court in Abuja to stop 

further hearing on the money 

laundering and illegal arms 

possession charge the 


preferred against him. 

Dasuki had in an 

application he filed through 

his lawyer, Mr. Ahmed Raji, 

SAN, asked trial Justice 

Ahmed Mohammed to 

hands off his case to await the 

outcome of an appeal he filed 

to challenge a ruling of the 

court that permitted Federal 

Government to shield 

identities of 14 witnesses 

billed to testify against him. 

The court had in a ruling 

on June 15, granted leave for 

all the prosecution witnesses 

to give their evidence behind 

screen. 

Justice Mohammed 

anchored the decision on 

section 232 of the 

Administration of Criminal 

Justice Act, ACJA, 2015, 

which he said permits the use 

of screen in the prosecution 

of cases involving economic 

crime. 

The Judge noted that major 

ingredients of the charge 

Federal Government levelled 

against Dasuki before the 

court bordered on illegal 

possession of fire arms and 

money laundering. 

Dissatisfied with the ruling, 

Dasuki took the matter before 

the appellate court. 

He prayed the trial court to 

suspend further hearing on 

the matter to enable the 

appellate court to decide the 

appeal marked CA/A/523C/ 

2017. 

However, government 

lawyer, Mr. Okpeseyi, SAN, 

opposed the application on 

the premise that section 306 

of the same ACJA forbade 

granting of stay of proceeding 

in criminal trial. 

He urged Justice 

Mohammed to dismiss 

Dasuki’s application and 

proceed with hearing the oral 

evidence of three witnesses 

he said were ready to testify. 

Meanwhile, in his ruling, 

the judge agreed with the 

prosecution counsel that 

Dasuki’s application lacked 

merit and ought to be 

dismissed. 

Consequently, it gave the 

Federal Government the nod 

to produce its witnesses to 

testify on January 17 and 18. 

Tribunal nullifies election of Katsina Rep, 

Mashi 

By Bashir Bello 

KATSINA — THE 

National Assembly 

election tribunal sitting in 

Katsina State, yesterday, 

nullified the Mashi/Dutsi 

Federal Constituency 

election, which brought in 

Mansur Aliyu Mashi as 

member representing the 

constituency in the House 

of Representatives. 

The tribunal also 

ordered fresh election to 

be conducted in 15 

polling units of the 

constituency by 

Independent National 

Drama as Ndume resumes 

after 90 legislative days’ 

suspension 

•Why I went to court—Ndume 


ABUJA – A mild 

drama in the Senate 

chamber, yesterday, 

heralded the resumption 

of Senator Mohammed 

Ali Ndume (APC, Borno 

South), from the 90 days 

legislative suspension 

clamped on him by the 

Senate. 

Ndume, who arrived 

the chamber at 11am, 

dressed in his usual 

white kaftan, white cap 

and black shoes to match, 

raised a point of order to 

formally let his 

colleagues know that he 

has resumed. 

The Senate had, 

Tuesday, said Ndume 

would resume yesterday 

without prejudice to 

court processes, as both 

parties are still in court 

over the suspension. 

Ndume shocked his 

colleagues when he 

recalled the sudden 

death of Senator Isiaka 

Adeleke (Osun West), 

who he said always sat 

behind him in the 

chamber before his 

demise, noting that he 

used to call the late 

Adeleke his “landlord” 

in the chamber. 

The drama played out 

as Senator Dino Melaye 

(Kogi West), whose 

certificate scandal case 

formed one of the planks 

Ndume was suspended, 

raised a point of order to 

puncture the Borno 

senator while he was still 

speaking. 

This did not, however, 

achieve the desired 

results as the Senate 

President, Dr Bukola 

Saraki, ignored Melaye. 

Ndume asked that the 

Senate observed a 

minute silence in honour 

Electoral Commission, 

INEC, within the next 90 

days. 

The by-election, which 

saw the emergence of 

Mashi (APC), was 

conducted on May 20, 

2017, sequel to the death 

of the member 

representing the 

constituency, Alhaji Sani 

Bello, on February15, 

2017. 

The Peoples Democratic 

Party, PDP, candidate, 

Nazifi Yusuf, and the party 

had gone to the tribunal to 

challenge the election that 

the APC candidate, Mashi, 

was not elected by majority 

of the late Osun-born 

senator, a prayer akin to 

revisiting what had been 

raised and concluded by 

the Senate in the past. 

When Ndume was 

done, Saraki simply 

ruled that the points 

made by him were noted 

and quickly moved on to 

other legislative matters 

listed for the day’s 

legislative business. 

Why I went to court 

—Ndume 

Addressing journalists 

later at the press centre, 

Ndume said he went to 

court to challenge his 

suspension to seek 

clarification on the 

position of the law about 

the manner the Senate 

suspended him. 

Ndume, who noted 

that he did not go to 

court for any personal 

benefit but to seek 

clarification in the 

interest of democracy, 

said there was nothing 

personal about his 

suspension, neither was 

he holding anybody 

responsible for it. 

He also said he went to 

court to test the law in 

defence of democracy 

and reiterated that he 

didn’t begrudge 

anybody over his 

suspension. 

Ndume, who noted that 

the Senate has made its 

intention to appeal the 

court ruling known, 

declared: "We will watch 

how it goes.” 

He added: “There was 

nothing about what 

happened. I did not see 

anything personal; I did 

not take anything 

personal. I don’t 

begrudge anybody but if 

there is anybody who 

took it personal, leave 

that to God.” 

of vote cast, adding that the 

result was invalid by 

reasons of non-compliance 

with the provisions of 

Electoral Act, since the 

election was marred by 

irregularities. 

Delivering the judgment, 

tribunal Chairman, Justice 

L. M. Boufini, said the 

tribunal had been 

convinced that there were 

election irregularities 

during the by-election. 

However, counsel to the 

respondent (Mansur Aliyu 

Mashi), Mr. Earnest 

Obunadike, said they 

would appeal against the 

tribunal’s judgment.

12-—VANGUARD, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2017 

8—VANGUARD, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2017 


By 

Olasunkanmi 

Akoni & Esther 

Onyegbula 

LAGOS—IN apparent 

response to public 

outcry over the total 

breakdown of law and 

order on the Apapa-Oshodi 

Expressway by tanker and 

other truck drivers, as 

highlighted by Vanguard 

Newspaper in the last few 

days, the Federal and 

Lagos State governments 

have taken steps to tackle 

the resultant gridlock and 

other security threats along 

the Mile 2 and other 

adjourning roads. 

In the last one month, 

gridlock along Mile 2 axis 

of the ever busy dual 

carriage way has crippled 

business operations and 

endangered innocents 

lives because of total 

disregard to traffic law by 

truck drivers aided by 

unscrupulous security 

operatives who allow the 

drivers to park 

indiscriminately on both 

sides of the expressway 

after being compromised. 

While Vice President 

Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, 

Tuesday night said the 

Buhari administration 

would find all possible 

solutions to end the 

gridlock, Governor 

Akinwunmi Ambode of 

Lagos, yesterday directed 

heads of security agencies 

in the state to immediately 

deploy adequate personnel 

to tackle the gridlock and 

other security threats. 

Meeting with 

private sector 

Prof. Osinbajo spoke at a 

Government/Private sector 

meeting at the Presidential 

Villa, Abuja, on how to 

speedily 

and 

comprehensively resolve 

the issue. 

The Vice President 

directed that the Federal 

Ministry of Power, Works 

and Housing and the 

Nigerian Ports Authority, 

NPA, implement clear 

objectives to tackle the 

Apapa traffic gridlock, 

saying “We should look at 

all the components and find 

a quick solution.” 

In his remarks, the 

Minister of Power, Works 

and Housing, Babatunde 

Fashola, noted that Nigeria 

ports had capacity for 34 

million metric tonnes of 

cargoes per annum, but it 

was now processing about 

80 million metric tonnes 

per annum. 

He also identified poor 

traffic management as a 

major cause of the 

persistent gridlock along 

Apapa access roads. 

In the same vein, the 

Managing Director of NPA, 

Hadiza Bala Usman, said 

the NPA would constitute 

a strong task force to 

address the issue. 

Both Fashola and Usman 

assured the Vice President 

that the issues would be 

tackled in a holistic way, 

not only to fix the problem, 

but also to support the 

Federal Government’s 

Ease of Doing Business 

reforms. 

Private sector 

stakeholders, including the 

President, Dangote Group, 

Alhaji Aliko Dangote; 

Chairman, Honeywell 

Group, Dr. Oba Otudeko; 

and the Chairman, BUA 

Group, Alhaji Abdulsamad 

Rabiu, were present at the 

meeting and they all made 

commitments. 

As part of its Corporate 

Social Responsibility, the 

Dangote Group will carry 

out palliative works and 

reconstruction of some 

major sections of the Apapa 

road, which is expected to 

be completed by June/July 

2018. 

In the same vein, 

Honeywell Group will 

construct a trailer park, 

while BUA Group will carry 

out construction works on 

the Tin Can road. 

Others actions to be taken 

by the Ministry of Works 

and the NPA include: To 

reduce congestion and 

ease traffic; empty 

containers within the 

Apapa area to be relocated 

to holding bays; Shipping 

companies no longer to be 

allowed to operate holding 

bays within the Apapa Port 

location. 

Other lines of action are: 

Tanks farms not to be 

permitted within the Apapa 

area; process of licencing 

access to trailer parks and 

port location by the NPA to 

commence; Advertisement 

seeking for expression of 

interests from private sector 

to operate trailer parks and 

holding bays within the Tin 

Can Island area to be 

issued; and a task force to 

manage the flow of traffic 

within the Apapa and Tin 

Can Island environs to be 

established. 

Also present at the 

meeting were the Minister 

of Defence, Mansur Dan- 

Ali, and representatives of 

the Inspector-General of 

Police and the Comptroller- 

General of Nigeria 

Customs Service. 

Reconstitution of 

task force 

Similarly, Governor 

Akinwunmi Ambode of 

Lagos, yesterday 

reconstituted the Joint 

Security Task Force 

established to manage the 

chaotic traffic situation and 

restore sanity on the road. 

The Task Force is made 

PRESS BRIEFING: Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Imohimi Edgal (2nd right), 

briefing Government House correspondents, shortly after the State Security Council 

meeting, presided over by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode at the Lagos House, Ikeja, 

yesterday. With him are Commander, 9 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Ikeja Cantonment, Brig. 

Gen. Elias Attu (right); Commander, Nigeria 561Base Service Group, Ikeja, Air 

Commodore Musbau Olumide Olatunji (middle); Commander, Nigeria Navy Beecroft 

Apapa, Commodore Murrice Ansa Eno (2nd left) and Executive Secretary/C.E.O, Lagos 

State Security Trust Fund, LSSTF, Dr. Abdulrazaq Balogun (left). 

FG, Lagos Govt move to tackle Apapa 

traffic gridlock 

•No new tank farm in Apapa, as FG 

considers all possible solutions 

•Ambode reads riot act, reconstitutes taskforce to restore sanity 

up of Police, military, 

officials of Lagos State 

Traffic Management 

Authority, LASTMA and 

the Federal Road Safety 

Corps, FRSC. 

State Commissioner of 

Police, Mr. Imohimi Edgal, 

disclosed the governor’s 

directive while speaking 

with State House 

Correspondents after the 

monthly Security Council 

meeting, chaired by 

Governor Ambode and 

attended by heads of 

security formations in the 

state. 

Edgal explained that 

while the issues that gave 

rise to the gridlock were 

being addressed, the Task 

Force would ensure that the 

roads in the axis were not 

totally locked down, and 

also prevent criminal 

elements from taking 

advantage of the gridlock 

to perpetrate their nefarious 

activities. 

Edgal addressed the 

media in company of 

commanders of security 

formations in the State. 

He said: “We deliberated 

extensively on the Apapa 

gridlock and the Governor 

has approved with 

immediate effect the 

reconstitution of a Joint 

Task Force made up of 

police, the military, 

LASTMA and FRSC 

officials to ensure that 

whilst the major problems 

that gave rise to that 

situation in the first 

instance are being tackled, 

we on our part as security 

agencies, will ensure that 

we have a good semblance 

of decency on our roads. 

“We will ensure that we 

create a corridor for smaller 

vehicles and ensure that 

there is no complete 

blockade to free flow of 

traffic. We will also have 

plain cloth and uniformed 

security agencies ensuring 

that there is no crime in the 

axis due to the traffic 

gridlock.” 

The CP, who assured 

residents that every 

necessary arrangement 

had been made to ensure 

peaceful yuletide season, 

said the Council also 

approved increased 

visibility and patrol in all 

parts of the State, especially 

in areas there are traffic 

gridlock as a result of 

construction activities. 

NUBIFIE warns of looming industrial unrest in financial sector 

By Victor 

Ahiuma-Young 

L AGOS—NATIONAL 

Union of Banks, 

Insurance, and other 

Financial Institutions 

Employees, NUBIFIE, 

yesterday in Lagos, 

warned of a looming 

industrial unrest in the 

nation’s financial sector, 

over alleged 

determination of officials 

of the Federal Ministry 

of Labour and 

Employment to foist a 

caretaker committee on 

the union against all 

known laws. 

Efforts to reach officials 

of the Ministry for 

comments were 

unsuccessful. 

Even the text messages 

sent to them on the issue 

were not responded to at 

press time. 

However, at a briefing, 

President of the union, 

Danjuma Musa, called 

on the Presidency and 

the Head of Service of 

Federation, to call the 

officials of the ministry to 

order before things 

degenerated to 

industrial unrest and 

other unforeseen 

reaction. 

According to him, the 

union had already 

notified leaders of the 

national assembly, Head 

of Service of the 

Federation, all relevant 

security agencies 

including the 

Department of State 

Service, DSS, over 

perceived illegal 

activities of officials of the 

Ministry of Labour and 

Employment that could 

lead to industrial unrest 

in the financial sector as 

well as the union. 

Danjuma noted that 

though the Ministry and 

the Minister of Labour 

and Employment were in 

the know of a court 

process over the 

ministry alleged 

interference in the 

affairs of the union, 

some officials of the 

ministry acting under an 

external influence, were 

determined and 

desperate to foist a 

caretaker committee on 

the union and throw it 

into turmoil. 

He said: “As a union 

that believes strongly in 

the rule of law and 

guided by its own 

constitution, we 

expected that whatever 

grievances arising from 

the conduct of our 

conference, should be 

pursued within the ambit 

of the law by any 

aggrieved party. 

"Unfortunately, certain 

elements within the 

Federal Ministry of 

Labour and Employment 

rather than acting within 

the ambit of the law, 

have taken advantage of 

the gullibility of our 

aggrieved comrades to 

perpetuate actions that 

are clearly outside the 

rule of law.” 

While giving details of 

the perceived 

interferences in the 

affairs of the union, he 

said, "We therefore call 

on the Head of Service 

of the Federation to call 

the affected officials to 

order so that they do not 

throw the financial sector 

into turmoil”

VANGUARD, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2017 — 13 


PDP presidential candidate won’t come 

from South West, Adeniran tells Fayose 

By Dirisu Yakubu 

A BUJA—FORMER 

Minister of 

Education and national 

chairmanship aspirant of 

the Peoples Democratic 

Party (PDP), Prof Tunde 

Adeniran has advised 

Governor Ayodele Fayose of 

Ekiti State to support his 

ambition to emerge the 

party’s national chairman in 

the December 9 convention, 

saying the South-West 

geopolitical zone will not 

produce the presidential 

candidate of the party in 

2019. 

He also called on the 

governor to jettison his 

Presidential aspiration and 

abide with the zoning 

arrangement of the party 

which zoned the Presidency 

to the North. 

Fielding questions from 

journalists shortly after 

submitting his Expression of 

Interest and Nomination 

Forms at the national 

secretariat of the 

party yesterday, the 

aspirant said Fayose’s 2019 

Presidential ambition may 

have led to his decision not 

to identify with his 

(Adeniran) chairmanship 

aspiration yet. 

Adeniran said: “My 

governor is interested in 

contesting the Presidency of 

this country and I believe 

that he thought that well, it 

will be impossible for us to 

have the President and 

national chairman from the 

same place. 

“Now, the more he 

realizes that the party has 

taken a decision that our 

president by the grace of 

God as for 2019 will come 

from the North, the more he 

realizes the reason to stand 

by the method decided by 

the party; the more he will 

realize that the position 

taken by the party at the 

convention is a reality and 

that he will support his 

brother Adeniran for the 

chairman. 

“In fact, I expect that he 

COCKTAIL EVENING: From left; Rida Nassereddine, Key Account Manager, Seven- 

Up Bottling Company Plc, G. Vijeyachelvan, National Key Account Manager, Seven- 

Up Bottling Coy; Ayo Olushekun, Digital Marketing Specialist, Red Bull Nigeria and 

Mark Loxley, GM, Southern Sun Ikoyi at the Sponsors Cocktail evening for the 6th 

annual Southern Sun Ikoyi Golf Day Tournament held at the hotel in Lagos. 

will lead the Ekiti State 

delegation to support me at 

the convention,” he said. 

Makarfi promises 

credible convention 

Speaking earlier, 

Chairman, National 

Caretaker Committee 

(NCC) of the party, Senator 

Ahmed Makarfi pledged 

PDP holds two parallel zonal meetings in Ibadan 

By Ola Ajayi 

IBADAN—THE crisis 

rocking the Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP, in 

the South West continued 

unabated, yesterday, as 

both the Senator Buruji 

Kashamu faction and that 

of Dr Eddy Olafeso held 

two parallel zonal meetings 

in Ibadan. 

The two factions of the 

party are both claiming 

authenticity. 

As for Chief 

Makanjuola Ogundipe, 

loyalist of Senator 

Kashamu, who brandished 

a court judgment which he 

said authenticated his own 

executive, he called on the 

Gani Adams tasks monarchs 

on traditional religion 

LAGOS—THE Aare 

Ona Kakanfodesignate, 

Dr Gani 

Adams has urged 

traditional rulers in the 

country to apply the same 

zeal they put into the 

promotion of other religions 

to the promotion of 

traditional religion, noting 

that they are traditional and 

not religious rulers. 

Dr Adams said this, 

yesterday in Lagos, while 

playing host to a 40 

member group of 

traditional rulers from 

Kwara State. 

Warning against the 

danger of neglecting their 

primary responsibility as 

custodians of culture and 

tradition, Adams said: 

“There are dire 

consequences if our native 

tradition is neglected.” 

He said there is nothing 

wrong with traditional 

rulers practising the 

religion of his choice, 

adding, however that, it 

should be done with 

moderation and balanced 

with the promotion of the 

traditional religion. 

He noted that the 

traditional rulers also have 

a role to play. 

the commitment of the 

committee to conduct a free, 

fair and credible convention. 

He however warned 

against the danger of 

breaching the peace pact 

signed by the aspirants 

on Tuesday, and urged 

the erstwhile Ambassador 

to Germany to call an 

unnamed supporter of 

national leadership of the 

party to ensure that 

impunity which led to 

defeat of the party in 2015 

elections does not lead to 

another electoral defeat. 

At the end of the zonal 

meeting of the factional 

executive of the party at 

Old Ife road, Ibadan 

yesterday, the Chief 

Ogundipe-led executive 

also said the position of the 

National Caretaker 

Committee that was zoned 

to the South West should 

remain so without playing 

unnecessary politics. 

Makanjuola, who was 

flanked by Otunba Femi 

Carrena, auditor, Alhaji 

Pegba Otemolu, zonal 

Secretary, Alhaji Bello 

Jimoh from Osun, Mrs 

Rachael Olaoye from Ekiti, 

Alhaji Rasaq Adeola, zonal 

auditor and Mrs Akinribide 

Grace from Ondo said, his 

his to order. 

He said: “I will assure you 

that as caretaker committee, 

we will do our best no 

matter what a few might say. 

We are determined to be 

transparent and to 

conduct a free and very 

fair convention where the 

views of PDP members 

will prevail.'' 

executive was committed to 

true and transparent 

democracy in the party and 

in the zone. 

Olafeso's meeting 

Olafeso faction at its own 

meeting appealed to all 

aspirants vying for the office 

of the national chairman to 

agree and reduce the 

number of aspirants so as 

not to jeopardise the 

chances of the zone. 

Olafeso, who allotted 

OGUN 2019: Amosun’s 

Commissioner, Ashiru, 

emerges Ijebu-Remo candidate 

By Daud Olatunji 

A BEOKUTA— 

AHEAD of the 

2019 governorship election 

in Ogun State, the Ijebu- 

Remo Governorship 

Agenda Elders Forum, 

yesterday, picked Ogun 

State Commissioner for 

Commerce and Industry, 

Otunba Bimbo Ashiru as its 

consensus candidate. 

Ashiru was said to have 

defeated former Deputy 

Governor, Segun 

Adesegun, Senators 

Gbenga Kaka and 

Olorunnimbe Mamora, 

Commissioner for Culture 

and Tourism, Olumuyiwa 

Yoruba, Igbo to celebrate 

heroic display of Ironsi, Fajuyi 

By Gabriel Olawale 

LAGOS—THE pan- 

Yoruba sociopolitical 

organisation, 

Afenifere and the apex 

Igbo socio-cultural group 

Ohanaeze Ndigbo have 

concluded plans to 

celebrate the brave 

display by former Head of 

State, late General 

positions of treasurer, 

deputy publicity secretary, 

deputy woman leader, two 

ex-offico members to some 

members of the party said 

the committee that zoned 

the positions was chaired 

by Senator Iyiola Omisore, 

with other members from 

Osun, Oyo, Ondo, Ekiti, 

and Lagos states like Dr. M. 

Oladimeji, Alhaji Kunmi 

Mustapha, Ladi Ojomo, 

Idowu Odeyemi and Tunji 

Shelle, respectively. 

Aregbesola, four Ministers to grace Cocoa festival 

Tension in Ekiti NUJ as members disrupt election 

By Rotimi 

Ojomoyela 

ADO 

EKITI— 

TENSION rose 

yesterday in Ado Ekiti 

during the election of the 

Nigeria Union of Journalists 

(NUJ), Ekiti chapter, as 

members from the 

Broadcasting Service of Ekiti 

State (BSES) and State 

Information Chapel 

allegedly beat up some 

members and disrupted the 

process of the election. 

By Gabriel Olawale 

L AGOS—OVER 

5,000 visitors 

representing over 20 cocoa 

and chocolate producing 

countries and 30 speakers, 

who are experts in the field 

of cocoa are expected at the 

2017 Cocoa Festival billed 

To avert further crisis and 

disallow anarchy in the 

system, the national body 

of the union, through its 

Secretary, Gbenga 

Bamidele, announced the 

constitution of fivemember 

caretaker 

committee to pilot the 

affairs of the union. 

Members of the committee 

set up in line with Article 5 

of NUJ constitution, include: 

Amos Ogunrinde 

(chairman), Yaqoub Popoola 

(Secretary), while Tunji 

for Eti-Oni, Atakumosa East 

LGA of Osun State. 

Among those expected are 

Governor Rauf Aregbesola 

of Osun State; Minister for 

Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh 

and Minister of State for 

Industry, Trade and 

Investments, Aisha 

Abubakar. 

Saliu, Rotimi Funke and 

Samson Falowo are 

members. 

A statement issued by the 

body said: “Members of the 

committee were selected 

based on individual merit 

and more importantly, in the 

interest of the union. 

''The credential committee 

for the aborted election is 

hereby dissolved. The 

property of the state council 

should be handed over to 

the committee with 

immediate effect.” 

Oladipo, Abayomi 

Ogunowo, Dr T Kazeem, 

Owodunni Opeyemi and 

Jimi Lawal. 

Vanguard gathered that all 

the aspirants were screened 

by Chief Olu Okuboyejo-led 

four man Selection and 

Screening Committee and 

settled for Ashiru. 

He is to battle for All 

Progressives Congress 

ticket with aspirants from 

other zones later in the 

governorship primaries to 

be conducted by the APC. 

He was announced 

yesterday in Ijebu-Ode after 

a tension-laced meeting of 

APC leaders in Ogun East 

Senatorial District. 

Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi 

and former Governor of 

the Western region, late 

Col. Adekunle Fajuyi at 

the point of death. 

Speaking during a press 

conference to herald the 

programme billed for 

January 11th, 2018, 

Chairman planning 

committee of Handshake 

Across The Niger, Mr. 

Yinka Odumakin said that 

the bond between Fajuyi 

and Ironsi at the point of 

death “shows and taught 

us as a nation that no 

matter our cultural 

differences, we can 

establish and nurture 

beneficial, purposeful 

and lasting union 

between ourselves and 

among our peoples.” 

Odumakin said that the 

remembrance of the 

heroes in Enugu will 

open a new vista in Igbo- 

Yoruba relations within 

the country. 

This was disclosed in 

Lagos by the traditional 

ruler of Eti Oni, Oba 

Adedokun Thompson, who 

said the main objective of 

the Festival is to create a 

renaissance in the cocoa 

industry and build bridges 

between production and 

consumption to achieve 

sustainability and through 

it, transform the rural 

community in line with the 

United Nations Sustainable 

Development Goals. 

“The 4th edition of the 

Cocoa Festival 2017, 

themed: ‘The royal origins 

and traditions of cocoa for 

sustainability, is geared to 

be even bigger and better 

than the previous years and 

the organisers have 

judiciously structured this 

edition to reflect the 

potential and proud 

heritage of one of Nigeria’s 

most culturally aware 

townships, “ the Oba said.



No political rift with Dickson —Jonathan 

By Samuel 

Oyadongha 

CONTRARY 

to 

speculations of a rift 

between former President 

Goodluck Jonathan and 

Governor Seriake Dickson 

of Bayelsa State, both men 

have denied the existence 

of leadership tussle. 

A press statement by the 

governor’s Chief Press 

Secretary, Francis Agbo, 

noted that Jonathan said 

this yesterday when 

Dickson paid a condolence 

visit to the former president 

in his Otuoke home on the 

passing of the Paramount 

Ruler of Otuoke 

Community, HRH King 

Lord Justin Ogiasa. 

The governor, who led a 

state delegation on the 

condolence visit, said he is 

part of the Ogiasa family 

and by extension, the 

Otuoke community of 

Ogbia Local Government 

Area. 

‘’We are here in full force 

as we have always done to 

commiserate with you, my 

elder brother, leader and 

the Ogiasa family in this 

hour of bereavement. We 

pray God to grant the late 

Ogiasa eternal repose,’’ 

Dickson said. 

The governor, who 

dispelled rumour of any rift 

with the former president 

said, in and out of office, 

Jonathan would continue to 

DTHA to DELSU: Release student’s result 

withheld for 5yrs 

By Perez Brisibe 

THE management of 

Delta State 

University, DELSU, 

Abraka, has been directed 

by the Delta State House of 

Assembly, DTHA, to 

immediately release the 

result of a student of the 

institution, Solomon 

Tedjere, who graduated 

five years ago. 

The order by the House 

is sequel to a petition filed 

by the student through the 

lawmaker representing 

Ethiope East constituency 

in the House, Mr. Evance 

Ivwurie. 

The petitioner who was a 

student of Agricultural 

Science in the Department 

of Vocational Education, 

had prior to now, appealed 

to the Delta State House of 

Assembly, DTHA, to 

investigate the continuous 

withholding of his result by 

the institution five years 

after graduation despite 

meeting the “prescribed 

requirements” for 

graduation. 

In its recommendation 

remain his leader, having 

come a long way with the 

former president. 

He, therefore, called on 

those, who want to cause 

imaginary differences 

between him and Jonathan 

to drop their plans. 

He said: “Both of us have 

come a long way. My 

personal political story 

cannot be complete without 

talking about my elder 

brother, Jonathan. He also 

knows that I made little 

contribution that is 

recorded in the political 

chapter of his life.’’ 

Governor Dickson said 

both he and Jonathan are 

not contesting any office and 

wondered why political 

jobbers are bent on 

destroying their good 

relationship. 

Responding, Dr. 

Jonathan thanked Dickson 

for the visit and denied the 

existence of any rift 

between them. 

While describing politics 

as a useless game, the 

former president said some 

people are using politics to 

create crisis. 

“There is no way I can sit 

anywhere and plan evil 

against Bayelsa or the 

governor. When I was 

dreaming of becoming a 

governor, Dickson was 

among the very few in the 

meetings we were holding, 

although he was not in the 

PDP he opted to help. 

"He said he didn’t want 

to be in the PDP, but I 

virtually forced him to join 

PDP. When I became 

governor, I appointed 

Dickson Commissioner for 

Justice and Attorney 

General and that was how 

he came into PDP and later 

became a member of House 

of Representatives and so 

on." 

EXHIBITION: From left: Art Collector, Femi Akinsanya; Art X Event 

Convener, Tokini Peterside; Art Collector/Session Moderator, Femi Lijadu; 

Managing Principal & Head, Tax and Legal, W8 Advisory, Bimpe Nkontchou; 

and Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers Limited, SIPML, Eric 

Fajemisin, during the Art X event supported by SIPML in Lagos, 

after hearing the matter, 

chairman of the DTHA 

Public Petitions Committee, 

Chief Timi Tonye, said: 

“This honourable House 

directs the Vice Chancellor 

of Delta State University, 

Abraka, to immediately 

release the final result of 

Mr. Solomon Tedjere, a 

student of Agricultural 

Science in the Department 

of Vocational Education and 

graduate him accordingly, 

to enable him proceed with 

his National Youth Service 

Corps. 

“That the vice chancellor 

should show evidence of 

compliance to the directive 

to the House within two 

weeks of the passage of this 

resolution.” 

Speaking on the 

recommendation by the 

House, an elated Ivwurie 

said: “This is victory for the 

downtrodden in the society 

and an evidence to show 

that the State House of 

Assembly is up and doing 

in the discharge of its 

legislative duties for all 

Deltans irrespective of 

political affiliation, tribe or 

gender.” 

PANDEF converges again 

Tuesday in Delta 

By Emma Amaize 

THE Pan Niger Delta 

Forum, PANDEF, will 

come together on Tuesday, 

November 21, at Effurun, 

near Warri, Delta State, for 

an emergency general 

assembly 24 days after the 

Police and Department of 

State Service, DSS, 

disrupted its fourth general 

assembly in Port Harcourt, 

Rivers State. 

Coordinating Secretary, 

PANDEF, Dr. Alfred 

Mulade, in a notice of 

meeting, stated that the 

forum would deliberate on 

the current security 

situation and the urgent 

need to sustain the peace 

and development in the 

Niger Delta region, 

outcome and aftermath of 

the just concluded fourth 

assembly and other 

burning issues impeding 

the implementation of the 

16-point agenda.” 

National leader of 

PANDEF, Senator Edwin 

Clark, who is already in 

Delta State, said: “We do 

hope the security agencies 

will not come again to Delta 

State to stop the meeting, 

as they did in Rivers State. 

“We of the Niger Delta are 

indeed an integral part of 

this country; we are not 

inferior or subordinate to 

any other group of persons 

of the Federal Republic of 

Nigeria. We are Nigerians, 

who are also under the 

protection of Mr. President, 

the President of Nigeria.” 

“No impression should, 

therefore, be given that you 

are fighting enemies within 

or without. We are still 

waiting for the Federal 

Government to give 

Nigerians the reason for 

their action of attempting to 

abort our meeting and 

laying siege on us at the 

Hotel Presidential,” he 

asserted. 

Insisting that PANDEF’s 

intervention paved way for 

the ceasefire by militants 

since August, last year, he 

said the forum in the 

interest of its mandate has 

scheduled the Effurun 

meeting to deal with the 

recent issues of the Niger 

Delta Avengers, NDA, and 

resumption of hostilities, 

among others. 

Following pressure from 

the emissaries sent by 

Senator Clark, the Niger 

Delta Avengers, had 

quietly shelved 

recommencement of its 

announced hostilities by 

two to three months to 

enable the Federal 

Government take concrete 

actions on its promises and 

plans for the region. 

Few days back, the 


announced the increase of 

the takeoff grant to the 

Nigerian Maritime 

University, NMU, 

Okerenkoko, from N2 

billion to N5 billion, an 

indication that it was 

desirous of fulfilling its 

promises on the takeoff of 

the institution, one of the 

items in PANDEF’s 16- 

point programme. 

Despite the Port-Harcourt 

disruption, PANDEF 

leaders have remained 

upbeat since the Minister 

of Niger Delta Affairs, 

Pastor Usani Uguru Usani 

and Special Adviser to the 

President on Niger Delta, 

Brigadier General Paul 

Boroh (retd.) visited the 

group to explain that 

government was aware of 

its tremendous role in the 

Niger Delta peace process. 

Group queries alleged 

fresh talks 

However, a rights group, 

the Ijaw Peoples 

Development Initiative, 

IPDI, picked holes in the 

claim by PANDEF that the 

Federal Government had 

through the visit of Usani 

and Boroh to Senator Clark 

in Abuja, opened talks with 

Niger Delta leaders



Police lied over attack on Wike’s convoy 

—Rivers govt 

By Jimitota 

Onoyume 

RIVERS 

State 

government has 

described as misleading 

and unfortunate, a report 

released by the state 

Commissioner of Police, Mr 

Zaki Ahmed, saying that 

neither Governor Nyesom 

Wike’s life nor that of the 

Minister of Transportation. 

Mr Chibuike Amaechi, was 

threatened, last Saturday at 

the scene of the incident 

involving convoys of the 

duo. 

Commissioner for 

Information and 

Communications, Mr 

Emma Okah, in a 

statement, yesterday, said 

it was clear the report was 

allegedly written for the 

Police to save their image, 

stressing that the Police 

report had shown alleged 

plans to assassinate the 

governor. 

He said: “The Rivers State 

Government has rejected 

and dismissed the Nigeria 

Police report on the convoy 

attack on the governor of 

Rivers State. The biased 

report is a sad development 

for the police force that has 

chosen to disgrace itself. 

The Police did not 

investigate the matter but 

acted a script written for it. 

‘’From the totality of the 

statement of the Police in 

Rivers State, it is very 

obvious that plans and 

strategies have reached 

advanced stages to 

eliminate the governor of 

Rivers State Mr. Nyesom 

Wike, and the incident of 

last Saturday is a 

manifestation of the plans 

of the Police. 

‘’It is wicked and wrong 

for the Police to treat a state 

governor like a subordinate 

of a minister, more so when 

the Police has been 

Anniversary: Gov Emmanuel to commission 

Obotme-Arochukwu Road 

By Emmanuel 

Ayungbe 

AKWA Ibom State 

governor, Mr. 

Udom Emmanuel, will in 

May next year 

commission a 14.7 

kilometre road linking 

Ini Local Government 

Area of the state and 

Arochkwu in Abia State, 

among other projects to 

mark his third year in 

office. 

The Commissioner for 

Works, Mr. Ephraim 

Inyang-Eyen, made the 

disclosure, yesterday, 

receiving tremendous 

logistics and financial 

support from the Rivers 

State Government. Not to 

recognize the priority of the 

governor’s convoy over 

any other convoy in the state 

except those allowed by 

law, is a national 

embarrassment. Could this 

be the reason the Nigeria 

Police was recently voted as 

the worst in the whole 

world? 

“It is deliberate falsehood 

for the Police to say that at 

the time the outrider got to 

Nkpogu Junction and 

intercepted the Minister’s 

SUV Black Lexus 750 Jeep, 

the convoy of the governor 

was 400 meters away. It is 

even more satanic for the 

same police to say that they 

did not know how the 

outrider fell from his bike. 

‘’The governor’s convoy 

was a short one on that day 

while inspecting 

ongoing road projects in 

the state. 

Mr. Inyang-Eyen who 

expressed satisfaction at 

the level of work done so 

far by the contracting 

firms, said: “The 14.7 

kilometer Odoro Ikpe – 

Ikpe, Ikot Nkon, Obotme 

–Arochukwu road project 

will be among many 

other road projects 

expected to be 

commissioned by 

Governor Udom 

Emmanuel in May next 

year to mark his third 

year in office.” 

and the outrider who is the 

first part of the convoy was 

certainly not up to 60 meters 

away from the governor. If 

the Police was in doubt as 

to who knocked down the 

outrider, why did they not 

ask the rider? 

“It further mangles logic 

that the Police is confused 

as to who has the No. 1 

convoy right in the state. Is 

the office of minister above 

that of the governor of a 

state in Nigeria? It is wrong 

for the Police to accord 

priority to the convoy of a 

Minister over and above 

that of the state governor, 

confirming accusations that 

the Police has low regard 

for the government and 

people of Rivers State 

“When a police high 

command indulges in 

deliberate falsehood and 

closes its eyes to the truth, 

the people cannot trust it 

The project which is 

being executed by 

Peculiar Ultimate 

Concerns Limited 

through Alternative 

Project Funding 

Approach, APFA, mode 

of funding has achieved 

50 per cent completion. 

Inyang Eyen said the 

state governor is eager to 

open up rural 

communities in the state 

so that residents would 

have direct link with 

neighbouring Abia State 

to encourage interstate 

business transactions. 

“This project was 

and the result is an express 

invitation to anarchy as the 

police is doing in Rivers 

State. 

“Even if it was an 

accident, there should be a 

cause and an effect. There 

should be a party who is at 

fault. Even a traffic warden 

who raises his hand 

controls a traffic and he is 

obeyed by all. Why is the 

Police avoiding a 

preliminary finding of guilt 

against the Minister of 

Transport? 

‘’The Claim by the police 

that it will discipline officers 

found blameworthy in the 

ugly incident is the usual 

pattern and trick to shield 

SARS officers in the 

minister’s convoy and 

dismiss police officers in the 

convoy of the governor and 

frighten those who may 

want to defend the 

governor in case of future 

attack. " 

EMBER MONTH CAMPAIGN: From left: Mr Clifford Ndu, Perm 

Sec, Rivers State Government Cabinet; Federal Road Safety Corps Zone 6 

Commander, Kingsely Agomoh; Rivers State Commissioner for Transport, 

Idibia Walter, representing Governor Nyesom Wike; HM King Leslie 

Nyebuchi, Eze Oha Evo III of Evo Kingdom and Federal Road Safety Corps 

Rivers State Sector Commander, Imoh Etuk, during the Federal Road Safety 

Corps Ember Month Road Campaign flag-off ceremony in Port Harcourt, 

Rivers State, yesterday. Photo: Nwankpa Chijioke 

initially designed to 

terminate at the border 

point between Akwa 

Ibom and Abia states 

which is 14.1km but I will 

appeal to the governor to 

extend the road beyond 

the border by 600 meters. 

“This is to enable the 

project accommodate a 

dilapidated bridge which 

is linking the state with 

Abia State to ease 

interstate business 

transactions. There is no 

wisdom terminating the 

project at the border 

when road users cannot 

get to their destination.” 

Arewa leader bemoans level of 

abandoned projects in N-Delta 

By Davies 

Iheamnachor 

PORT 

HAR- 

COURT—THE 

leader of Arewa Initiative 

for Peaceful Co-existence in 

Southern Nigeria, Alhaji 

Musa Saidu, has 

expressed displeasure over 

the level of abandoned 

Niger Delta Development 

Commission’s, NDDC, 

projects in the oil-rich 

region. 

Saidu, who spoke in Port 

Harcourt, yesterday, 

regretted that the main 

essence for the 

establishment of NDDC 

has been defeated, alleging 

that money meant for 

projects allocated to the 

commission are being 

mismanaged by some 

political big wigs. 

Saidu said: “I am very 

9,993 graduands to bag awards 

at UNIBEN's 43rd convocation 

By Simon 

Ebegbulem 

worried because the main 

reason for the 

establishment of NDDC 

which is for the 

development of the Niger 

Delta has been defeated. 

Instead of seeing good 

projects, the area has been 

littered with abandoned and 

uncompleted projects. 

“This is bad because it is 

only causing agitations in 

the region. The commission 

has been politicized. There 

is need for the president to 

probe all the projects that 

have been awarded in that 

institution.’’ 

The leader urged 

President Buhari not to 

extend the tenure of the 

Managing Director of 

Niger Delta Development 

Commission, NDDC, 

noting that any attempt to 

extend the tenure would 

spark crisis in the region. 

FG urged to abolish capital 

punishment, detention of 

lunatics 

By Jimitota 

Onoyume 

THE 

Federal 

Government has 

been urged to abolish 

capital punishment and 

detention of lunatics in 

the country. 

Making the appeal, 

yesterday, in Port 

Harcourt, Rivers State, 

Executive Director, 

Citizens United for the 

Rehabilitation of Errants, 

CURE, Nigeria, Mr 

Sylvester Uhaa and Pastor 

Ray Chuks Afujue said 

research had shown that 

the capital punishment 

does not deter others from 

crime. 

The group said the right 

to life should be seen as 

sacrosanct, stressing that 

A 

total of 9,993 

graduands of the 

2015/2016 academic 

session will be honoured 

with different academic 

awards at the 43rd 

Convocation/ 47th 

Founder’s Day ceremony 

of the University of Benin, 

UNIBEN, the Vice 

Chancellor, Prof. Faraday 

Orumwense, has said. 

Giving a breakdown of the 

graduands, while briefing 

journalists about the 

convocation ceremony 

which kicks off on 

November 22, 2017, Prof. 

Orumwense disclosed that 

a total of 100 graduands 

taking another person's 

life was “barbaric, brutish 

and the highest act of 

violence.” 

Continuing, the group 

said about three percent 

of the total population of 

74,508 prison inmates in 

the country are on death 

row. 

“The number of death 

row inmates stands at 

2,264 representing 3 

percent of the prison 

population of 74,508. We 

condemn calls from some 

quarters for the execution 

of these people. Also, we 

want to emphasise that 

the right to life is 

sacrosanct and neither 

the state nor an individual 

has the right to take it,” 

the group said. 

will be awarded First Class 

honours degrees, 1,843 

Second Class Upper, 4,607 

Third Class while only one 

person will bag a degree in 

Aegrotat. 

Others are 188 diploma 

awards, 2 certificates 

awards, 527 unclassified 

graduands, 152 Post 

Graduate Diploma, PGD, 

1,120 Masters Degree and 

102 Doctorate Degrees. 

He also disclosed that 

the convocation lecture will 

be delivered by the 

immediate past Minister of 

Power, Prof.Chinedu Nebo 

while the Founder’s Day 

lecture will be delivered by 

an alumni of the university 

and immediate past 

Inspector General of Police 

(IGP), Dr Solomon Arase.


MASTERCARD VISITS VICE PRESIDENT: From left— Vice President, Government 

Services & Solutions, Paul Tswanya; Vice President and Area Business Head, West Africa, 

Omokehinde Adebanjo; President, Middle East and Africa, Raghu Malhotra, all of Mastercard; 

Vice President of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo (SAN); President and CEO, Ajay Banga, and 

Division President, Sub-Saharan Africa, Daniel Monehin, both of Mastercard, during Mastercard's 

chief executives' visit to Vice President Osinbajo in Abuja. 

FUTA ON SOIL MAPPING: From left—Registrar, Mr. Richard Arifalo; inaugural lecturer, 

Professor Francis Adekayode; Vice Chancellor, Professor Joseph Fuwape, all of Federal University 

of Technology, Akure, FUTA, and Oba Joseph Adelowo, the Olubule of Ibule Soro, Ondo State, at 

FUTA's 91st inaugural lecture entitled Digital Soil Fertility Mapping: A Paradigm Shift in Soil Fertility 

Studies. 

HOME DECOR LAUNCHES: From left— Managing Director, HomeWox, Mr. Afeez 

Olopade; Proprietress, Albedo Design School, Mrs Binta Suleiman; CEO, Adam & Eve, Mrs Modupe 

Ogunlesi; Alhaji Kunle Hamzat of Retail Council of Nigeria Ltd., Commercial Director, Clarion Events, 

Mr. Russell Hughes, at the official lauch of Home Decor & Giftware by Clarion Events in Lagos. 

PHOTO: Akeem Salau. 

By Olayinka 

Latona 

LAGOS—THE wife of the 

General Overseer of 

The Victorious Army 

Ministries International, 

Pastor Blessing Agboli, has 

refuted popular beliefs that 

most church leaders with 

private jets acquired them 

with proceeds from tithes 

and offering. 

Agboli made this 

statement at a press 

conference, jointly 

addressed by the Senior 

Pastor of the church, Apostle 

Joseph Agboli and his wife, 

to announce the Bethel 

Victory Convention of the 

church tagged: “God Of 

Wonders’ slated for 

Tuesday, 21st through 26 of 

November 2016. 

:Vanguard News 

Ashafa backs state of 

emergency in education 

sector 

By Olasunkanmi 

Akoni 

A BUJA—SENATOR 

Gbenga Ashafa, 

representing Lagos East 

Senatorial District has 

expressed support by 

concerned Nigerians for the 

need to declare State of 

Emergency in the 

education sector in the 

country. 

President Muhammadu 

Buhari, had a day earlier, 

hosted the Federal 

Executive Council to the 

Presidential Summit on 

Education organized by 

the Minister of Education 

Alhaji Adamu Adamu, 

where Buhari decried the 

rot being experienced in the 

Nigerian educational 

sector. 

Ashafa made the remarks 

yesterday, at the 

Convergence Summit, held 

at the NAF Conference 

AFC signs Accredition Master 

Agreement with GCF 

By Elizabeth 

Uwandu 

S EOUL—AFRICA 

Finance Corporation, 

AFC, has signed an 

Accreditation Master 

Agreement (AMA) with the 

Green Climate Fund, GCF, 

in Seoul, South Korea. 

Having received its 

accreditation in 2015, AFC 

is one of the first African 

development finance 

institutions to sign such an 

agreement. 

Established in 2010 by 

the 194 countries founder 

members of the United 

National Framework 

Convention on Climate 

Change, UNFCCC, the 

GCF launched its initial 

resource mobilization in 

2014, which rapidly 

gathered pledges worth 

Centre, Abuja. 

The senator said, “I am 

happy that the Minister is 

present at this event 

because he is very vital in 

achieving the theme of this 

event, which is “Driving a 

new public education 

initiative for Nigeria.” It 

goes without saying that 

the state of public education 

in Nigeria is very poor and 

crying for help. From the 

primary to tertiary 

institutions, public 

education in Nigeria is 

failing.” 

Ashafa who enumerated 

some statistics to buttress his 

point, said: “Permit me to draw 

some inferences quickly. 

According to the Central 

Intelligence Agency’s world fact 

book, the literacy level in Nigeria 

is just about 59 per cent, this is 

not too far from the UNESCO’s 

submission that about 65 million 

Nigerians are illiterate." 

US$10.3 billion. 

Following the signing of 

the AMA, AFC will have 

access to direct funding 

from GCF, rather than 

through intermediaries or 

third parties.Over time, the 

GCF is expected to become 

the main multilateral 

financing mechanism to 

support climate action in 

developing countries. 

AFC intends to leverage this 

partnership by mobilizing GCFs 

capital to further its low carbon 

emission investments in 4 of its 5 

focus sectors: power, transport, 

heavy industries and telecoms. 

To date, AFC has demonstrated 

a longstanding commitment to 

financing green energy in Africa 

through its early investment in 

the 26MW award winning 

Cabeolica wind farm in Cape 

Verde. 

Tithes, offerings can't buy 

private jets —Agboli 

Reacting to claims that 

church leaders were 

feeding fat on tithes and 

offering money, Agboli 

stated that jets are very 

expensive and that no 

amount of tithes and 

offering money can 

purchase them. 

In her words: “Offerings 

cannot buy private jets. You 

cannot just park a jet 

without making a business 

out of it. Owning a private 

jet is not a sin. I did not 

think offerings can buy jets. 

That we are pastors does 

not mean we should be 

poor”. 

On the church convention, 

Apostle Agboli disclosed that the 

convention is meant to liberate 

members and the generality of 

Nigerians from the affliction of 

poverty, hardship, among others.

“Our progress as a nation can 

be no swifter than our progress 

in education”. –J.F. Kennedy 

Prologue 

NOTHING 

more 

graphically projects the 

virtual un-importance of ‘memory 

(or recall) question’ as a 

component of ‘intelligence test’ 

than a piece I read on-line by a 

certain Professor Abubakar Aliyu 

Liman. Writing in defense of the 

controversial 21,000 El-Rufai 

teachers of Kaduna, Prof. Liman 

had argued that the yardstick 

used in assessing them –namely 

ability to recall materials 

mentally, instead of the ability to 

impart materials pedagogically, is 

the least important element of the 

domains under which 

intelligence is tested. 

There are three of such domains, 

he said: The Cognitive domain – 

which relates to ‘mental ability’, 

The Effective domain –relating to 

‘behaviour and or attitude’ and 

The domain of the Psychomotor 

which relates to ‘physiological 

coordination’. Each of these 

domains he said, has many 

levels, with ‘The Cognitive 

domain’ alone, having seven, 

and of which ‘memory’ or ‘recall’ 

is not just one of those levels, it is 

in fact ‘the lowest’ in that domain. 

And so, Prof. Liman’s argument, 

as I understood it, is this: that any 

test of intelligence, to be holistic, 

must incorporate all the three 

domains, touching on all the 

various levels under each 

domain. And he argued 

therefore, that to base a test only 

on the lowest level of a set of 

seven levels under just one of 

three domains which are co-equal 

and co-functional, cannot be said 

to be holistic, let alone valid. 

To be holistic he said, any 

exams, to test the aptitude or 

intelligence of teachers, must be 

‘professional’ and ‘standardised’ 

and it must apply a ‘complex 

research based instrument’, 

involving, he said, “A lot of 

variable, analyses and 

calculations.” 

Memory questions only, he said 

test the ‘ability to remember’, not 

the ability to ‘summarise’, 

‘compare’, ‘evaluate’, 

‘synthesize’, ‘analyze’ or ‘apply’. 

And just there he got me 

wondering: how in the world can 

the very ‘minds’ that conceived 

some of those ridiculous answers 

that we saw, do any let alone all 

of these? How can the Kaduna 

teachers that we now have the 

misfortune of knowing –with such 

less-than-kindergarten minds 

even to such pedagogically 

simple questions as identifying a 

triangle- ever be capable of 

handling such ‘complex’, 

‘standardised’, ‘professional’, 

‘research based’ questions that 

the Prof. said must involve 

‘variables’, ‘analyses’ and 

‘calculations’? 

Besides, if you pick only one out 

of three major domains; and if, 

while within that one domain, 

you pick only the bottomest 

‘memory’ level out of seven, to 

test supposedly ‘experienced’, 

‘professional’ teachers, tasking 

them only to recall simple things 

as the shape of a triangle or the 

name of the Governor, and many 

cannot, only obviate the need to 

'Teachers' or cheaters? 

not to waste more time testing 

them on other higher, more 

complex ‘levels’ within that one 

domain, let alone make more 

mockery of the whole situation by 

going into the other domains. 

Agreed, as Prof. Liman argued, 

that for any test to be valid – 

namely to measure that which it 

is organised to measure- it must 

ask the right questions to the right 

candidates. Agreed also that not 

every test will be relevant to 

everybody. And yes too, as the 

Prof. argued, even governors can 

fail some of the questions given 

to the Kaduna teachers. But truth 

is: teachers will not be entitled to 

the same justification for failure 

as may be available to a governor. 

Because whereas the questions 

That whereas the 

minimum 

requirement, by 

policy, is an NCE, 

most of them have 

only SSCs and 

Grade 2 certificates. 

Yet both the NUT 

and its parent 

bodies, the NLC 

and TUC insist they 

must not be sacked 

asked are relevant –even if not 

wholly valid- for testing teachers, 

the same are not valid for testing 

political administrators. 

Cross teachers 

must bear 

Governors are not elected to 

teach and so should not be asked 

pedagogical questions as basis for 

testing their ability to govern. The 

domain for testing the aptitude of 

governors must be governancerelated. 

It is the reason that when 

politicians appear on election 

debate they are not asked, like 

teachers may, to show that they 

know the shape of a triangle. Yes, 

they may be asked to sing the 

National anthem, like the Kaduna 

teachers should, but whereas for 

the governors it will be to prove 

how patriotic they are, for the 

teachers it will be essentially to 

test if they can teach it in class. It 

is the reason that, whereas the 

electorate may forgive a 

politician’s inability to recite the 

Anthem, it is unlikely that parents 

will be as magnanimous with the 

failure of a teacher to do the same. 

But teachers are employed to 

teach and may therefore be asked 

to prove not only that they can 

re-call what they know, but that 

they can teach that which they recall. 

To say that the way to validly 

test teachers is to ask them only 

questions on ‘methodology’ and 

not on ‘material’, is to suggest that 

‘methodology’, and not ‘material’, 

is what teachers are supposed to 

teach our pupils. I disagree with 

the Prof. that it is better to have 

teachers with ‘method’ but 

without ‘memory’ of ‘material’ 

teach our children, than to have 

teachers with ‘memory’ but 

without ‘method’ do so. 

Method is important; but it does 

not avail in the absence of 

knowledge of the ‘material’ to be 

taught. Teaching can take place 

without methodology, but 

methodology alone cannot teach 

without ‘material’. And these 

materials should reside both in 

text books and in the heads of 

teachers who should have both 

the ‘capacity’ to remember them 

and the ‘strategy’ to impart them. 

Besides it is absurd to suggest 

that teachers have the capacity to 

‘recall’ and apply ‘method’ but 

not the ability to remember and 

to deliver ‘material’. 

Many insist that rather than sack 

the 21,000, El-Rufai should ‘retrain’ 

and retain them. They make 

it so naively simple. But how do 

you ‘re-train’ one who has no 

‘training’ ab-initio? For crying out 

loud, how do you ‘train’ one who 

does not even appear to have been 

taught in the first place?. These 

‘teachers’ may have passed 

through some institutions of 

learning’ but these institutions 

evidently did not pass through 

them! You can tell, from their 

answer scripts, that El-Rufai’s 

teachers are empty, virgin heads 

that require to be filled with basic 

kindergarten ‘matter’ first, then 

primary and secondary materials, 

before they are taught raw 

‘methodology’ if they are ever to 

return to the classroom to teach. 

It is no wonder we are told that 

the decision to lay off Kaduna 

teachers came only after two years 

of failed ‘re-training’ exercises 

that gulped over 300 million since 

El-Rufai came in. You cannot ‘retrain‘ 

who is not trainable! Nor can 

you teach the un-teachable! 

One 

bad apple 

El-Rufai’s ‘teachers’ should 

confound both popular wisdom 

and the sayings even of the 

masters. If, as the saying goes, 

‘one bad apple spoils the bunch’, 

well then what’ll twenty one 

thousand bad ones do -to the 

Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2017 —17 

17 

bunch, and to innocent 

fingerlings that should feed from 

the bunch? Or if, as Robert Green 

Ingersoll wrote that “One good 

schoolmaster is worth a thousand 

priests”, what then will twenty 

one thousand bad schoolmasters 

be worth? Said Ralph Waldo 

Emerson, “The man who can 

make hard things easy is the 

educator” –namely the teacher. 

But then what do we make of 

El-Rufai’s 21,000 ‘educators’, to 

whom evidently even the 

easiest things appear to be the 

hardest? Who’ll teach who, 

between the teacher and the 

pupil? 

French General and 

Statesman, Charles De Gaule 

was the one who said that 

“Politics is too serious a matter 

to be left to the politician”. 

Suggesting that the politician is 

notorious for dealing more with 

the ludicrous than he does with 

the serious. El-Rufai alone, in 

our own clime, appears to have 

proven the sages wrong. Politics 

is not after all ‘too serious a 

matter’ to be left to ‘some’ 

politicians. Or maybe we 

should say ‘some’ politicians 

have proved themselves 

‘serious enough’ for ‘politics’ to 

be left in their hands. El-Rufai 

is proving J. P. Clarke wrong: 

not all politicians think only of 

“the next election”. That some 

of them are like “statesman” too, 

who think of “the next 

generation”. El-Rufai will rather 

lose ‘re-election’ than imperil 

the ‘next generation’. Or so he 

said, himself, that: 

“Many times the decisions we 

take offer us no political 

advantages in a polity long 

accustomed to the false allure 

of populism. But we do what is 

necessary, not minding the 

direct impact on us”. 

And maybe it is the reason one 

of America’s de-segregationists 

in child education, Francis 

Keppel said that “Education is 

too important to be left solely to 

the educators”. Suggesting that 

politicians –serious politicians 

that is- have a duty always to 

superintend over educators, to 

ensure that children are taught 

aright. And which is what Prof. 

Liman virtually admitted in his 

article; that the Teachers 

Registration Council, TRCN’s 

failure in discharging its mandate 

is what has led to the present 

decay. All that the Council does, 

he said, is “Collect membership 

registration fees for issuing 

meaningless certificates and 

collection of accreditation fees for 

poorly monitored programmes. 

TRCN concentrates more in 

making money than making the 

profession great”. 

It is a shame we are having to 

learn Francis Keppel’s lesson the 

hard way -the need to know that 

as ‘politics’ is too serious a matter 

to be left in the hands of 

politicians, so also is ‘education’ 

too important to be left solely in 

the hands of ‘educators’. Edo’s 

former Governor, Adams 

Oshiomhole did attempt to get 

involved. He was rebuffed, both 

by mediocre ‘educators’ who 

wanted education solely left to 

them –to continue to ruin; and by 

un-statesmanly politicians who 

prioritised ‘the next election’ over 

and above ‘the next generation’. 

Politics 

and education 

And we are ill-fated to have 

opposition parties that have 

mastered the art of locating 

silver linings always in the 

cloud of every effort at righting 

wrongs. Buoyed always by 

armies of gullible citizens, they 

detract every effort by good 

politicians to plan for the ‘next 

generation’. Ironically this rot 

has gone intra-party too. The 

afro-haired one from the red 

Chamber who rose to power on 

the crest public-spirited causes, 

is now the alpha male leading 

a pack of political wolves decampaigning 

El-Rufai 

preparatory to the ‘next 

election’. “All ambitions are 

lawful”, said Joseph Conrad 

“except those which climb 

upward on the miseries or 

credulities of mankind”. 

And if education, as Will 

Durant said, “is a progressive 

discovery of our ignorance”, but 

how can our innocent children 

in Kaduna arrive at that discovery 

to supplant ignorance with 

knowledge when those who teach 

them themselves are bleakly 

ignorant. Can the blind lead the 

blind? The NUT President on a 

Channel TV interview recently 

admitted Kaduna teachers –aside 

having failed the aptitude testare 

not qualified in the first place 

to teach. That whereas the 

minimum requirement, by policy, 

is an NCE, most of them have only 

SSCs and Grade 2 certificates. Yet 

both the NUT and its parent 

bodies, the NLC and TUC insist 

they must not be sacked. 

And like the biblical Pharisees 

and the Sadducees of old, they 

want us to split hairs debating 

who is justified, legally, to 

conduct test for teachers - 

between a corrective State 

Government concerned with 

quality and an eminentlynegligent 

Teachers 

Registration Council concerned 

only about job security of its 

members? 

By the way, the confession of 

the NUT President that the 

Kaduna teachers - not 

possessing the minimum basic 

qualification, NCE- are therefore 

not qualified legally, to teach, 

beggars the question: who then 

is acting to fulfill the law or who 

to subvert it? -the State that is bent 

on removing those who lawfully 

should not have been there, or 

the NLC that insists those who 

are incompetent, legally and 

existentially, should remain in 

class to teach our children? 

Epilogue 

The teachers are by no means 

innocent. They knew they were 

not qualified. They may have 

manipulated to get the jobs that 

they knew they could not do. 

But they have spent years 

destroying the minds of 

innocent children, and getting 

paid for it. And it could have 

continued if we hadn’t an El- 

Rufai. These teachers are no 

victims. They are part of the 

villainy in our education system. 

They and their collaborators 

should be sacked. And 

prosecuted! 

C 

M 

YK

18 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2017 

FOR the first time since 2000, the 

annual budget was presented to 

the National Assembly in fairly good 

time. It was promised for October and 

delivered on November 7, 2017 by 

President Muhammadu Buhari. The 

few days delay was insignificant 

compared to the time gained in The 2016 budgeting process extended 

ensuring the possibility that for the into the middle of the year, and its 

first time in recent history the nation’s effects spilled into the 2017 budget 

budget can be approved and become year. 

operational from January 2018. The ball is now partly in the courts 

This is a welcome departure from the of the National Assembly, NASS and 

past, and it represents the sort of the Federal Executive. The Joint 

change Nigerians expected from the Appropriation Committees of the 

Buhari administration. We are pleased Senate and the House of 

to note the efforts by the Federal Representatives should now move 

Ministry of Budget and National expeditiously to apportion 

Planning to improve on the budget responsibilities to various committees 

presented by the Buhari and give their chairmen and members 

administration in its first year which the timelines by which their reports 

was thoroughly bungled. It was must be submitted. 

characterised by scandalous Meanwhile, the Federal 

duplications and “budget padding”. Government should also help matters 

Kudos for early 2018 budget presentation 

further by desisting from sending 

unnecessary amendments to the 

NASS after the budget had been 

submitted. Ministers and Heads of 

Departments and Agencies who are 

called by the NASS to shed light on 

their budgets should also be under 

strict instruction to appear as and when 

needed. 

The 2018 Budget is coming on the 

heels of the 2017 Budget which most 

lawmakers and stakeholders in the 

economy assess as being poorly 

implemented. Most of the capital 

projects listed for the year have not 

been funded and may never see the 

light of day again. The lawmakers 

whose constituencies were adversely 

affected by the shortfall in funding are 

obviously spoiling for a fight and the 

Executive must be proactively 

prepared to accommodate such needs 

in the 2018 Budget to avoid 

unnecessary bickering and delays. 

To avoid losing the time gained by 

this early presentation, the FG must 

be prepared to compromise by 

prioritising in 2018 projects in those 

states which missed out in 2017. We 

call on the National Assembly to 

respond patriotically to the 

commendable early presentation on 

the 2018 budget by aiming to approve 

the budget before embarking on their 

Yuletide recess. 

With a full year in hand to 

implement the 2018 budget, we are 

confident that the Buhari 

administration has a brighter chance 

of delivering vital projects just before 

we get deep into the distractions of 

electioneering for 2019. 

By Isa Gusau 

WORKING with the Daily Trust for 

about ten years, I had the learning 

experience of reporting and managing 

reporters across the northeast, the Niger 

Delta, and some states in the southeast geopolitical 

zones. At work, I met different 

categories of people and seen scenarios. 

Of particular note, I have monitored 

relationships between governors and 

appointees in the north and south. I have 

seen humiliated appointees get running 

stomach on the mere sight of some 

governors. 

Just when I wished I never had to share 

the experiences of these appointees, I was 

appointed by a governor in February, 

2012. Leaving Port Harcourt for the 

political office, my worse concern was 

never to face the kind of humiliation I had 

seen appointees faced under two particular 

Governors, one in the Niger Delta and 

another in the Northeast. 

Incidentally, I came face to face with my 

fears a month after my appointment. 

Governor Kashim Shettima had given me 

some specific assignments. They were 

complex. The man’s standard, especially 

on writings, is very high. Shettima reads 

line by line, takes copious note of accuracy 

in names and dates, corrects punctuation 

marks, restructure paragraphs and he 

screens every sentence in a plagiarism 

checker he has on his laptop. Being a 

University lecturer, Shettima is very tough 

on plagiarism and insists on citing sources 

even if he paraphrases what someone 

unknown once said. Meeting these 

standards, the assignment kept me indoors 

for a whole day. I had done substantial 

OPINION 

Shettima’s ‘first and last words’ 

part of it but there was something I couldn’t 

achieve. 

Governor Shettima was reading some 

document when I walked into his office 

one night in March, 2012. He collected 

the papers I brought, looked at them and 

didn’t say anything. It was my vest first 

major task under him. I stood by the side, 

There is the common 

evidence that Shettima’s 

‘first’ and ‘last’, are part 

of his unconscious 

normal. But, unknown to 

him, these words define 

the willingness with 

which aides sincerely key 

into his vision for Borno 

watched him dropped the documents I 

gave him and shifted his attention back to 

what he was reading before I came in. His 

mind wasn’t with me anymore. I was totally 

disappointed in myself, thought I should 

leave but I didn’t want him to see me 

leaving. I thought of vanishing but didn’t 

have witchcraft or some Nollywood 

powers to disappear. Humanly, I decided 

to leave noiselessly; taking steps as soft as 

a cat and as quiet as an unarmed thief 

whose safety would only rely on how quiet 

he is able to sneak. I retired home. Just 

when I had perfected plans to avoid the 

governor for a number of days, I got phone 

calls from two persons, one a security aide 

and a commissioner, calling my two lines. 

I picked that of the security aide and he 

said, ‘Oga dey call you’. It was a troubling 

invitation. I returned the Commissioner’s 

call and he said the same thing in Hausa, 

‘Oga na kira, kazo yanzu yanzu’ (the 

governor wants you now now). As drove to 

Government House, I recalled how aides 

get humiliated. Back in 2008, I had seen a 

governor in Borno State publicly call his 

commissioners stupid. I had seen a 

commissioner rush to the mosque near a 

governor’s office to seek divine 

intervention after he was told a governor 

in Borno was calling him. That Governor 

was feared like Mr. Fir’auna (a.k.a 

Pharoah). He was feared because he could 

say just about anything to humiliate his 

aides and he never humiliates privately 

but publicly. His commonest insult in 

public was, ‘You are very stupid. Idiot’. I 

just couldn’t imagine reacting to that kind 

of humiliation. 

Finally, I arrived Governor Shettima’s 

office, met three persons in his office. A 

soon as Governor Shettima saw me 

approached his seat, he said, ‘Honourable, 

sorry, I didn’t know when you left my office. 

Actually when you came in, I was reading 

a security intelligence report, my mind was 

completely on the report. I called you back 

because I forgot to say thank you when 

you delivered that work. I have gone 

through it, I noticed the one you didn’t 

address but I will do it tonight when I get 

home. I will be closing as early as 8pm 

tonight so I can work on it at home. I am 

very grateful and I deeply appreciate your 

good efforts’. I was confused. So, I said, 

‘Your Excellency, but I don’t know why you 

asked me to come back’. He said there was 

nothing else, he just realised he didn’t 

appreciate me and it was for that he sent 

for me. The governor said he didn’t want 

to speak to me on phone. ‘Ikon Allah!’ I 

sighed. When he closed a little after 8pm, I 

got home wondering. However, my instinct 

as a journalist said to me, the governor 

was probably putting on an act. I found it 

unbelievable that a governor would invite 

his own appointee to ‘merely’ thank him. 

Of course I knew that most people, 

particularly politicians, have two 

(oftentimes, distinct) sides. There is ‘who 

they are’ and there is ‘who they want you 

to think they are’. So, I secretly decided to 

monitor Governor Shettima’s relationship 

not just with me but all of his aides. In over 

five years of working with him, Shettima’s 

‘last’ words to aides who impress him, is 

‘thank you so much’. My monitoring led 

me to identifying he not only uses ‘last’ 

words but also a ‘first’ word. This first word 

is ‘PLEASE’. Governor Shettima will never 

ask anyone, (including his messengers and 

drivers) to do any task without using the 

word, ‘Please’. This is known to all. If he is 

not speaking in English, he will say ‘dan 

Allah’ (because of God) which is the 

commonest alternative for ‘please’ in 

Hausa. 

There is the common evidence that 

Shettima’s ‘first’ and ‘last’, are part of his 

unconscious normal. But, unknown to him, 

these words define the willingness with 

which aides sincerely key into his vision 

for Borno. 

*Mr. Gusau , is SA on Communications 

& Strategy to Governor Shetimma of 

Borno State.

Inflation falls to 15.91% in October —NBS 

•As food price soars 

By Elizabeth Adegbesan 

THE National Bureau of Statistics, 

NBS, yesterday announced 

that the Consumer Price 

Index (CPI) which measure Inflation 

rate declined to 15.91 per cent 

Year-on-Year, YoY in October, 2017. 

This is 0.07 per cent points lower 

than the 15.98 percent recorded in 

September 2017, making it the ninth 

consecutive decline in the headline 

Y-o-Y inflation since January this 

year. 

Data from the bureau showed that 

on a Month-on-Month, MoM basis, 

the headline index increased by 

0.76 percent in October 2017, 

0.02per cent points lower from the 

rate of 0.78percent recorded in September, 

representing the fifth consecutive 

month on month contraction 

in headline inflation since May 

2017. 

The bureau stated that Urban index 

rose by 16.19 per cent YoY in 

October 2017, up by 0.01 per cent 

point from 16.18 per cent recorded 

in September and the rural index 

increased by 15.67 percent in the 

same month down from 15.81 percent 

in September 2017. On MoM 

basis, the report showed that the 

urban index rose by 0.82 per cent in 

October 2017, down from 0.84 per 

cent recorded in August, while the 

rural index rose by 0.72 per cent in 

October 2017, down from 0.74 per 

cent in September this year. 

On food Index, the bureau said 

that high food price and food price 

pressure continued into September 

though generally at a slower pace. 

According to the report, the rise 

in the food index, last month was 

caused by increases in prices of 

bread and cereals, meats, oils and 

fats, coffee, tea and cocoa, milk, 

cheese , eggs, vegetables and fish. 

On a MoM basis, data from the 

bureau indicated that the food subindex 

increased by 0.85 per cent last 

month, down from 0.87percent recorded 

in August. This represents 

the fifth consecutive disinflation in 

MoM inflation since a 2017 high of 

2.57 per cent in May 2017. October 

2017 also represented the lowest 

recorded m-o-m inflation since September 

2016. 

The bureau explained that the “All 

$127. 90 +0 85 

$2,110.00 -39.00 

$15. 08 -0.02 

$14. 71 

$61.49 -0. 72 

$55.04 -0.66 

CURRENCY BUYING SELLING 

US DOLLAR 305 305.5 306 

POUNDS 399.245 399.8995 400.554 

EURO 355.4165 355.9992 356.5818 

FRANC 306.5635 307.066 307.5686 

YEN 2.6908 2.6952 2.6996 

CFA 0.5227 0.5327 0.5427 

WAUA 427.2919 427.9924 428.6929 

RENMINBI 45.9142 45.9899 46.0656 

RIYAL 81.3225 81.4558 81.5891 

SDR 428.037 428.7387 429.4404 

RAND 21. 0161 21.0505 21.085 

CBN Exchange rate as at 15/11/2017 

Items less Farm Produce” or Core 

sub-index, which exclude the prices 

of volatile agricultural, stood during 

the month of October at 12.14 percent 

points from 12.12 percent recorded 

in September as all key divisions 

which contributes to the index 

increased. It further said that 

the highest increases were recorded 

in prices of maintenance and repair 

of personal transport equipment 

and other services related to personal 

transport equipment, air 

transport, Vehicle spare parts, carpets 

and other floor coverings, furniture 

and furnishings and repair 

of furniture, solid and liquid fuels 

,Shoes and other foot ware and 

Garments, clothing materials, other 

articles of clothing and clothing accessories. 

On a month-on-month basis, the 

bureau noted that the Core sub-index 

increased by 0.76 per cent in 

Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2017 — 19 

Ondo State Governor, Chief Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (middle) welcomes the Director-General 

of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Alex A. Okoh, to a meeting to discuss the Nigerian 

Romania Wood Industry (NIROWI) at the Government House, Akure, recently. With them is the 

BPE’s Director of Industry and Services, Mr. Chigbo Anichebe. 

October 2017, lower from 0.80 per cent 

recorded in September the same 

year. 

Analysts Comment 

Analysts at Vetiva Capital Management 

stated: “Inflation trend maintained, 

energy prices are one to 

watch. Our overall inflation outlook 

is little changed from the previous 

month, and we maintain our expectations 

over the pace of inflation moderation 

in the near-term. 

NNPC should be partially privatised — Moghalu 

By Prince Okafor 

DESPITE effort by the current 

administration to diversify the 

nation’s economy, a former Deputy 

Governor of the Central Bank of 

Nigeria, CBN, Mr. Kingsley 

Moghalu, has urged the Federal 

Government to partially privatize the 

Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, 

NNPC. 

This is even as he said that, 60 

percent of government revenues 

have being spent on servicing national 

debt. In his keynote address 

at the 5th Goddy Jidenma Foundation, 

GJF, public lecture, tittled: 

“The Challenge of Economic Growth 

in Nigeria” in Lagos, Moghalu 

said: “Nigeria’s poverty rate is 62 

per cent. Our national debt 

is increasing, and we now 

spend more than 60 percent 

of government revenues 

serving the national 

debt. 

“This plan, akin to the 

Saudi Arabian 

government’s economic 

diversification plan, should 

include a clear strategy 

with interlinked policies, 

trade, industrial, fiscal and 

far reaching structural and 

governance reforms of the 

NNPC that could include 

partial privatization, with 

share listed on the stock exchange 

for purchase by ordinary 

Nigerians and not 

government related cronies. 

“In doing so, the interest 

of local communities in the 

oil producing regions must 

be protected by ensuring a 

set aside in private ownership 

of the NNPC by members 

of the communities in 

the region.” 

Moghalu who is the Founder and 

President, Institute for Governance 

and Economic Transformation 

stated that, “Roughly 200 million 

persons in the world are jobless, and 

most of them are young men and 

women in developing countries 

such as Nigeria. That 30 million out 

of these 200 million people are in 

Nigeria - roughly 15percent of the 

world’s jobless - is a staggering fact 

with important consequences for 

Nigeria’s future. 

“When we consider that Nigeria’s 

population is projected to double 

by 2050, the implications of millions 

of young people entering the job 

market without a radical success in 

job-creation in Nigeria becomes 

clearer. 

“The first insight is to understand 

By Babajide Komolafe 

FITCH Ratings yesterday 

assigned a ‘B+(EXP)’ 

rating to Nigeria’s upcoming 

$2.5 billion Eurobond. 

The rating implies presence 

of default risk with limited 

margin of safety. The $2.5 Eurobond 

is part of the $5.5 billion 

foreign loan approved by 

the Senate on Tuesday. The 

Federal government said that 

the $2.5 billion Eurobond is to 

finance the 2017 Appropriation 

Act while the $3 billion is 

to refinance domestic debts. 

In a statement announcing 

the rating, Fitch said: “Fitch 

Ratings has assigned 

Nigeria’s upcoming senior 

that governments by themselves do 

not create jobs in today’s world dominated 

by private sector-led economic 

activities. The private sector does. 

Government creates the conditions for 

job growth through sound economic 

policy. 

“The second insight is that, for a 

country like Nigeria, job-creation cannot 

be addressed in isolation of the 

wider macroeconomic environment 

which is a product of economic policy. 

“The key to creating jobs is to ensure 

the constant increase in productivity 

across broad areas of the 

economy. Some aspects of the 

economy, such as manufacturing and 

agriculture, as well as entrepreneurship, 

and the IT industry, can by their 

nature create more jobs than others 

such as the petroleum exploration 

industry, for example. 

Fitch rates Nigeria’s $2.5bn Eurobonds ‘B+’ 

unsecured USD-denominated 

notes an expected rating of 

‘B+(EXP)’. 

“The assignment of the final 

ratings is contingent on the receipt 

of final documents materially 

conforming to information 

already reviewed. 

“The expected rating is in line 

with Nigeria’s Long-Term Foreign-Currency 

Issuer Default 

Rating (IDR) of ‘B+’ with a 

Negative Outlook. 

“The rating is sensitive to any 

changes in Nigeria’s Long- 

Term Foreign-Currency IDR. 

“On 31 August 2017, Fitch affirmed 

Nigeria’s Long-Term 

Foreign-Currency IDR at ‘B+’ 

with a Negative Outlook. The 

Long-Term Local-Currency IDR 

Made in 

Nigeria 

cables are 

world class 

– SON DG 

By Peter Egwuatu 

THE Director General / 

CEO of Standard 

Organisation of Nigeria (SON) 

Mr. Aboloma A. Osita has said 

that some made in Nigerian 

products are world best and that 

Nigerians should not be afraid 

of her products and services. 

Speaking at Consumer Rights 

Awareness Advancement and 

Advocacy Initiative (CRAAAI) 

2nd Annual National Consumer 

Summit held at Lagos 

Chamber of Commerce and 

Industry (LCCI) conference 

centre Ikeja, Lagos, Osita who 

was represented by Victoria 

Yoriyo of the SON stressed that 

Nigerian cable products are the 

best globally. 

He therefore urged Nigerians 

to patronize Nigerian products 

that have MANCAP certification, 

even as he urged consumers 

to obtain original receipt 

when making purchases 

as it would enable them to make 

legal complaints if the products 

they bought turned out to be 

counterfeited or of low quality. 

In the same vein Barrister 

Babatunde Irukera, DG Consumer 

Protection Council 

(CPC) who was represented by 

Mr. Tam Tamono called on consumer 

advocacy groups, manufacturers 

and others to act as 

effective whistle-blowers in the 

war against counterfeit food and 

beverage products. 

He said this would enable 

the government agencies to be 

more effective and efficient in 

their drive to ensure enforcement 

of the rules and regulations 

of the federal government 

bothering on sub-standard 

goods and services. 

According to him product 

counterfeiters are criminals, 

and only effective collaboration 

between agencies, 

consumers and NGOS can 

ameliorate or eradicate their 

evil activities across the 

country. 

is also ‘B+’ with a Negative 

Outlook.” 

Data released by the Debt 

Management Office (DMO 

on Tuesday showed that Eurobonds 

account for 21.5 percent 

of the country’s $15.35 

billion foreign debt and 53 

percent of debt service payments 

in the third quarter. 

Total domestic debt stood at 

N15.68 trillion as at September, 

compared with N13.35 

trillion last year. Multilateral 

loans, including financing 

from the World Bank, accounted 

for 64.5 percent of 

foreign loans while bilateral 

loans with China and other 

countries make up 14 percent.

20 — VANGUARD, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2017 

The International 

F i n a n c e 

Corporation, IFC, a 

member of the World 

Bank Group, has 

estimated that in Africa, 

small and medium 

enterprises, SMEs, face 

a financing gap of over 

$136 billion annually. 

Oumar Seydi, IFC 

Director for Africa 

Region, disclosed this 

on Tuesday, while 

a d d r e s s i n g 

entrepreneurs at the 

SME and Banking 

Africa Forum in Kigali, 

African SMEs face $136bn financing gap annually—IFC 

Rwanda to facilitate 

opportunities for the 

public sector and 

financial institutions to 

unlock the potentials of 

African SMEs. 

According to him, 

access to finance and 

financial inclusion play 

a critical role in 

enabling SMEs 

contribute to 

development. 

He stated: “SMEs 

positively impact 

By Franklin Alli with 

Agency report 

growth, equitable 

income distribution and 

poverty reduction in 

developing economies. 

Accessible and inclusive 

financial products and 

services will help SMEs 

realize their potential. 

To address this 

challenge IFC has 

developed a suite of 

innovative tools aimed 

at promoting financial 

inclusion and fostering 

access to finance.” 

He said that Small and 

medium enterprises 

account for 90 percent 

of all businesses in 

Africa, driving growth 

and development in the 

region. 

He added: “IFC is 

supporting innovative 

approaches to 

improving financial 

inclusion for SMEs 

such as digital financial 

services, through which 

an IFC program has 

helped more than seven 

million people open 

digital bank accounts.” 

Didier Acouetey, 

founder of AfricSearch 

and the SME & 

Banking Africa Forum, 

said: “The forum offers 

a unique ecosystem for 

SMEs as it facilitates 

access to funding, 

expertise and to new 

business opportunities 

across the continent. 

This year, there is a 

special focus on 

innovation in SMEs to 

boost their growth and 

improve their 

competitiveness” 

According to him, 

IFC is partnering with 

public and private sector 

actors to support the 

development of small 

and medium sized 

enterprises to address 

the employment crisis 

and 

promote 

entrepreneurship across 

Africa. 

From left: Mrs. Bolajoko Bayo-Ajayi, MD/CEO, Purple Pearl Consulting, Miss Ololade Kazeem, 

Business Executive, Agile Communications and Mr. Rufai Ladipo, MD/CEO, Agile Communications 

at the press conference to unveil the SMEs Brands Conference and Expo in Lagos. 

SMEDAN, SAGE to train 5400 school 

children on entrepreneurship 

The Small and 

M e d i u m 

E n t e r p r i s e s 

Development Agency 

(SMEDAN) in 

collaboration with USbased 

Students for 

Advancement of Global 

Entrepreneurship 

(SAGE) is set to train 

a total number of 5400 

school children from 108 

schools across Nigeria 

under the National 

S c h o o l 

Entrepreneurship 

Programme (N-SEP). 

SMEDAN Director- 

General, Dr. Dikko 

Radda, disclosed this in 

Katsina at the opening 

ceremony of the 

training of both primary 

and secondary school 

teachers for the 

programme. 

Radda, who was 

represented by Mr. 

Suleiman Tanimu, a 

Deputy Director, said 

the schools targeted for 

the pilot phase of the 

programme with the 

theme, “Mind Shift 

Entrepreneurship”, are 

from Katsina, Bauchi, 

Kwara, Ondo, Ebonyi 

and Cross Rivers 

States. He said 50 

students would be 

selected from each of 

the 108 primary and 

secondary schools 

selected from the six 

states. 

He said: “Eighteen 

schools will be selected 

from each state, nine 

primary and nine 

secondary schools. 

Among these nine 

schools, seven will be 

public schools, while 

the remaining two will 

be private. Fifty 

students are expected 

to benefit from the 

programme from each 

school.” 

The SMEDAN boss 

Eighteen 

schools will be 

selected from 

each state, nine 

primary and 

nine secondary 

schools. 

Among these 

nine schools, 

seven will be 

public schools, 

while the 

remaining two 

will be private 

said that the 

programme was aimed 

at providing access to 

f u n c t i o n a l 

entrepreneurship 

among students to 

tackle unemployment 

among youths in the 

country. 

“We want to involve 

students at lower levels 

so that after graduation, 

they will not only 

become self-reliant but 

employers of labour. 

Primary school pupils 

and secondary schools 

students are our 

targets, we want to 

catch them young,” he 

stated. 

Radda disclosed that 

the students would be 

taught how to set up 

businesses of their own 

after which they would 

come up with ideas to 

develop businesses of 

their choice. He said 

there would be a 

national competition, 

where the best students 

would be selected to 

represent the country 

at an international 

competition. 

How to get loan 

from BoI (6) 

THIS is the last part of the series on basic 

information for Bank of Industry, BoI loan 

applicants, and we use this to give a summary of 

all we have discussed over the past six weeks. 

The bank of industry targets businesses that 

engage in manufacturing and processing 

activities. Target sub-sectors include Agroprocessing, 

Solid Minerals, Information 

Technology, Oil and Gas and Creative Industry, 

about 41 business areas in all. 

The Bank only finances enterprises or 

companies and not individual persons or group 

of persons. The company / enterprise must be 

duly registered and you will be required to 

provide the registration number for a Limited 

Liability Company or business name for an 

enterprise before you can proceed with your 

application. 

The Bank finances manufacturing equipment 

only. It does not finance land and buildings for 

the manufacturing business neither does it give 

working capital loan directly. You can access 

your working capital requirements from any of 

the ten SME friendly banks that Bank of Industry 

partners with. 

Loan 

disbursement 

BoI does not disburse the loan to the borrower 

in cash but to the vendors and suppliers of the 

equipment that the loan application is for. 

BOI’s loan support to the SMEs starts from N5 

million. However, loan below N5 million is 

provided on its matching fund platform which is 

operated in collaboration with various state 

governments. They also grant such lower loans 

through its Bottom of the Pyramid (BOP) scheme 

which is operated through MicroFinance Banks. 

The Bank requires that you pledge some assets 

to secure your loan. We listed the forms of 

security in previous parts of the series. 

While the Bank under its general risk acceptance 

criteria requires a prospective borrower to have 

at least three years acceptable performance track 

record, it can also lend to start-ups at its 

discretion and on a case-by-case basis.


22 — VANGUARD, THURSDAY, November 16, 2017 

IKOYI APARTMENT CASH : Whistle blowers'ordeal raises 

questions 

BY CHARLES KUMOLU 

The ongoing contention 

over the delay in paying 

the whistle-blower, who 

exposed the sum of $43.5 

million, £27,800 and N23.2 

million hidden at No. 16 

Osborne Road, Lagos, directly 

mirrors everything that is 

wrong with Nigeria. 

Whether supporters of the 

current administration agree 

or not, the development 

speaks volume about the 

dysfunctionalities in the 

system. 

It is not just about the Buhari 

administration alone but the 

manifestation of the 

continuous failure of the 

institutions of governance in a 

country that daily, produces 

strong men instead of strong 

institutions. 

The leadership class, the 

instruments of governance and 

the functionality of the laws of 

the country among others, 

were put on the spot by the 

issue.In fact, they have literally 

become casualties in this 

melodrama. 

However, the saddest 

commentary is that the 

situation has further increased 

the deficiency of trust between 

the citizen and the state. 

For a country and government 

that are struggling to earn the 

trust of the populace, what 

seems to be the ordeal of the 

whistle-blower is detrimental 

to the desire for a patriotic 

populace. 

These observations which are 

widely held by analysts, were 

also aptly deduced by 

Vanguard from an exclusive 

chat with the Ikoyi Whistleblower’s 

lawyer, Mr. Yakubu 

Galadima and the Whistleblower 

himself, last Tuesday. 

Though the government had 

agreed to pay at the end of this 

month, it did not change the 

belief of many that the 

controversies over the matter 

are emblematic of the systemic 

nature of Nigeria’s problems. 

The 2016 Whistle-blower policy 

came indeed as a rare avenue 

of rejuvenating nationalistic 

feelings in a system where 

ethno religious allegiance is 

promoted above national 

interest. 

But the latest development is 

such that could rather inspire 

individuals into reaping from 

the proceeds of corruption 

instead of exposing corrupt 

practices. 

The above argument found 

relevance in the experience of 

the Ikoyi whistle-blower, who 

was reportedly labelled insane 

and consequently taken to a 

Psychiatric facility for 

persistently demanding for his 

reward. 

The policy primarily seeks to 

support the fight against 

financial crimes by exposing 

such crimes and rewarding 

Ikoyi whistle money and Acting Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, 

EFCC, Chairman, Ibrahim Magu 

whistle-blowers. 

In order to promote the 

practice, whistle-blowers are 

encouraged and offered 

protection from harassment or 

intimidation by their bosses or 

employers. 

Specifically, the violations 

were found to include, but not 

limited to mismanagement or 

misappropriation of public 

funds and assets;financial 

malpractice or fraud; 

collecting/soliciting bribes, 

diversion of revenue, 

fraudulent and unapproved 

payments, and procurement 

fraud especially, kickbacks 

and over-invoicing. 

A key aspect of the policy 

which is the issue of reward, 

clearly states that a 

whistleblower is entitled to 

anywhere between 2—5 

percent of any amount 

recovered. 

As impressive as this policy 

which was put together by the 

Ministry of Finance is, 

findings showed that there 

seems to be no law on the 

ground that clearly defines the 

programme. 

The policy was also found to 

have been silent on the time 

frame for the payment of a 

whistleblower. 

Though Sub-section 3 of the 

Whistle-blower Bill stated that 

“a whistleblower shall be paid 

within 30 days after the receipt 

of funds premised by his or 

her whistle blowing from the 

Attorney General’s office,” the 

programme under 

which the Ikoyi whistleblower 

is to be paid is silent on timeframe 

for payment. 

Perhaps, this could have 

informed the reason the 

compensation has not been 

paid since June 2017 when 

Justice Muslim Hassan of the 

Federal High Court, Lagos, 

ordered the permanent 

forfeiture of the fund to the 

Federal Government. 

Though the Senate had 

passed the Whistle Blower 

Protection Bill into law in line 

‘’The government 

was clearly in a 

hurry about the 

policy in order to 

encourage 

Nigerians to report 

corrupt practices 

That is what I 

observed because 

most of the things 

contained in that 

policy has not been 

enacted into law 

But the Federal 

Government should 

not rely on that and 

refuse to pay a 

reward to 

anyone, who gave 

information 

leading to the 

discovery of corrupt 

practice" 

with Article 33 of the United 

Nations Convention against 

Corruption, UNCAC, which 

enjoined UNCAC signatory 

countries to incorporate in 

their domestic legislation 

provisions protecting whistleblower 

from any unwarranted 

treatment, the policy by the 

Ministry of Finance is 

generally considered a 

policy-statement. 

While some have argued that 

a policy statement may be 

lacking a legal background, 

others rely on judicial 

pronouncements to state that 

such policy ought to have 

been backed by an act of the 

National Assembly, NASS. 

One of such pronouncements 

was the Wilkie vs FG case 

where it was ruled that:”A 

policy statement or guideline 

by the Federal Government 

does not give rise to a 

contractual relationship 

between the Government and 

a third party, and its nonimplementation 

does not 

entitle the third party to a legal 

redress against the 

government.” 

Also, in the In Fed Military 

Govt v Sani (N0.1) (1989) the 

Court of Appeal held that: 

“The policy of any government 

which has not received the 

force of law cannot be the 

basis for a punitive measure.” 

The need for the policy to be 

backed by law was earlier 

stressed by the Speaker of the 

House of Representatives, Mr. 

Yakubu Dogara, who argued 

that passing the bill into law 

to protect the whistle-blower 

alone, was not enough. 

He said:‘’This policy because 

it is not law, is subject to 

administrative review from 

time to time. 

A law, is, therefore, required 

not just to protect the whistleblower 

but also to prevent 

abuse of the policy. A policy 

may not be legally 

enforceable. 

A robust framework on 

Whistle-blower’s law will no 

doubt enhance quick and 

seamless recovery, forfeiture, 

and confiscation of property in 

respect of anti-corruption 

offences.’’ 

Speaking to Vanguard on the 

matter, the Second Vice 

President of Nigerian Bar 

Association, NBA, Mr. 

Monday Ubani urged the 

Federal Government to ensure 

that the policy is backed by an 

act of the NASS. 

‘’The government was clearly 

in a hurry about the policy in 

order to encourage Nigerians 

to report corrupt practices. 

That is what I observed 

because most of the things 

contained in that policy has 

not been enacted into law. But 

the Federal Government 

should not rely on that and 

refuse to pay a reward to 

anyone, who gave 

information leading to the 

discovery of corrupt practice. 

It behoves on the government 

to give what is due to 

anybody who offers 

information in accordance 

with the policy. 

‘’The policy has to be enacted 

into a substantive law so that 

it can be defended in court. 

Passing it into a substantive 

law will engender confidence 

in the mind of the people, who 

are giving information.’’ 

However, the Nigeria 

Whistle-blower programme 

does not exist in isolation, as 

many countries have enacted 

whistle-blower laws to protect 

individuals. 

The law reportedly originated 

from the United States as early 

as 1863 with the enactment by 

Congress of the False Claims 

Act. By 1989, the 

Whistleblower Protection Act 

was passed and amended in 

2007. 

Presently, it is known as the 

Whistleblower Protection 

Enhancement Act of 2007. 

Also, the United Kingdom 

passed the Public Interest 

Disclosure Act (PIDA) in 1999. 

These Acts offers protections 

for whistleblowers. 

The UK defined a whistleblower 

thus: “You’re a whistleblower 

if you’re a worker and 

you report certain types of 

wrongdoing. This will usually 

be something you’ve seen at 

work – though not always. The 

wrongdoing you disclose must 

be in the public interest. This 

means it must affect others, 

e.g. the general public. 

As a whistle-blower, you’re 

protected by law – you 

shouldn’t be treated unfairly 

or lose your job because you 

‘blow the whistle’. You can 

raise your concern at any time 

about an incident that 

happened in the past, is 

happening now or you believe 

will happen in the near 

future.”

VANGUARD, THURSDAY, November 16, 2017 — 23 

Why EFCC lose good corruption cases -----Alabi 

Mrs. Boma Alabi, a leading commercial lawyer and 

seasoned litigator. former President of Commonwealth 

Lawyers Association, CLA. 

In this interview, she shares her views on the 

challenges of law practice in the country, the fight 

against corruption, globalization of legal services and 

sundry issues. 

Excerpts: 

By Onozure Dania 

What is your appraisal of the 

anti-corruption war of the 

Federal Government? 

All said and done, it is 

laudable and must be 

supported,however, as the 

saying goes, no pain no gain’ 

the Federal Government must 

be ready to do the work to 

achieve the result. 

What do you mean by this? 

That means painstaking 

investigations, equipping 

and training their personnel 

in the anti graft agencies and 

raising awareness amongst 

the citizens to ensure their 

buy-in and active cooperation. 

Attempting to take 

a short cut such as the recent 

‘Ex Parte’ order forfeiting 

funds belonging to 

depositors without BVN, is an 

example of a short cut that 

will lead to an arid desert 

which can never be fruitful. 

How do you appropriate 

monies belonging to citizens 

because they have not 

complied with a CBN 

directive? 

It simply beggars belief! I am 

an administrator in an Estate 

that has not been settled over 

20 after. So, if there are bank 

accounts belonging to the 

deceased, the 

beneficiaries will lose their 

entitlement because they 

could not wake up the dead 

to be finger printed? What 

about Nigerians in diaspora 

with bank accounts in 

Nigeria? Many are not in 

touch with Nigeria and 

unaware of these directives. 

There are so many different 

scenarios that can result in the 

lack of a BVN on an account 

through no fault of the bank 

or the depositor. 

There was public outcry 

recently that the Economic 

and Financial Crimes 

Commission, EFCC, lost 

some high profile cases in 

the anti corruption war, how 

do you think we can 

strengthen the war to ensure 

victory over corruption? 

The outcome shows that the 

EFCC may have rushed to 

Court without taking their 

time to investigate and 

prepare for the cases. 

Strategic preparation is the 

key to victory in any litigation, 

including prosecution for 

financial crimes. For instance, 

the EFCC generally will 

charge the accused with 

numerous counts of various 

offences at the same time. As 

you well know, the onus is on 

them to prove each and every 

count but I would approach it 

differently. 

There have been calls for 

States Attorneys- General 

and other prosecutorial 

agencies of states to take 

overprosecution of corrupt 

politicians while the EFCC 

will focus on the prosecution 

of those who commit 

financial crimes as envisaged 

by the EFCC Act. What is 

your reaction to this? 

Corrupt politicians are also 

more often than not, accused 

of financial crimes and 

therefore come under the 

purview of the EFCC, when, 

as it invariably does, the 

alleged act of corruption 

involves money. I don’t think 

the issue is who prosecutes, 

rather it is how well they 

prepare their cases before 

rushing to Court. Presumably, 

legal opinions are sought 

prior to the decision to 

prosecute. That’s usually the 

case with prosecutions 

initiated by the Attorney 

General’s office, at least at 

state level where I assist with 

prosecution. If that is the case, 

a lawyer from the Ministry of 

Justice usually provides his 

Legal Opinion. Naturally, the 

MoJ lawyer is often not a 

subject matter expert and 

therefore, not fully conversant 

with all the factual elements 

required to succeed. It is 

important that in complex 

financial transactions, they 

enlist the help of subject matter 

experts beforehand. 

You can be assured that the 

defence, usually much better 

funded, will have subject 

matter experts working with 

the lawyers as consultants and 

also providing expert opinion 

where necessary. Funding is 

key to success. The EFCC has 

to be better funded to enable 

the agency pay counsel. 

What do you consider to be 

the greatest challenge facing 

commercial law practitioners 

in the country? 

The greatest challenge is the 

economy. We are not insulated 

from the effects of the recession 

as commercial lawyers. When 

business slows down due to the 

various factors that we know 

led to this recession, it impacts 

on the number of transactions 

and therefore on the 

transaction advisers too. 

How do we strengthen the 

whistle blowing policy to 

For instance, the 

EFCC generally 

will charge the 

accused with 

numerous counts 

of various 

offences at the 

same time 

make it more efficient and 

effective? 

A robust whistle blower 

protection scheme in addition 

to the cash incentive will 

increase confidence in the 

system. And that’s what we 

need! The British police get 

some of the best results in the 

world and that is due to the 

confidence the citizens have 

Mrs. Boma Alabi, former President of Commonwealth 

Lawyers Association, CLA 

in their local Bobby. They 

know that he will not reveal 

his sources and if need be, 

will go to any length to 

protect the whistle blower. 

That confidence means that 

people are eager to assist the 

police if they are aware of 

any criminal activity. This is 

where we need to be, where 

Nigerians feel confident 

enough to approach the 

police to report any criminal 

activity around them, not just 

corruption in high places. 

How do you think we can 

restructure Nigeria within the 

ambit of the law? 

Well, what is it that we wish to 

restructure in the first place and 

what do we mean by 

restructuring? This is a new 

buzz word for politicians and I 

Onnoghen, Solanke set for Gadzama annual 

public lecture 

Chief Justice of Nigeria 

Justice Walter Nkanu 

Onnoghen, CJN, is set to 

chair the 2017 edition of J-K 

Gadzama LLP annual public 

lecture while the first female 

Senior Advocate of Nigeria, 

Chief Folake 

Solanke, is expected to be 

Law page Cartoon 

really think we should examine 

this very critically before jumping 

on the band wagon. The three 

tiers of government have a lot of 

independence from each other, it 

is up to each tier to protect its 

constitutional powers from 

encroachment by another, and we 

will find if this is done, that what 

we actually have in place at the 

moment is more than sufficient. 

Recently, Lagos state, regained 

authority over its waterways from 

the National Inland Water Ways 

Authority (NIWA) by pursuing a 

claim on behalf of citizens against 

what was effectively double 

taxation, this is an example of 

what can be achieved within the 

structure as it is. If we restructure, 

whatever this means, and do not 

implement, there still would not 

be much progress. 

the guest speaker at the event 

which will hold on November 

28, 2017, at the SMA Belgore 

Hall, J-K Gadzama Court, FCT 

Abuja by 11 a.m., prompt.The 

theme for this year’s lecture is 

“ Whistle blowing policy, 

peoples power and corruption 

in Nigeria.” 

EDITORIAL 

Innocent Anaba 

( Head) 

Wahab Abdulah 

Ikechukwu 

Nnochiri 

Dayo Benson 

(Supervising 

Editor) 

08056180119 

dayobenson@yahoo.com



Work at home? 

A little discipline 

won’t hurt 

Everything has its pros 

and cons, and working 

from home is no exception 

Whatever the case might be, 

working from home is a reality 

with which most working 

mothers are confronted. 

Better to know the pros and 

cons of such a choice to make 

more informed decisions. 

There are a number of 

strategies for coping with these 

“working lifestyle” issues. 

Dress for business 

You could make a point of 

dressing for business every day, 

and going through a ritual 

every morning to get yourself 

in the mood for work. This can 

be as simple as shutting the 

door to the home office and 

turning on the computer, but it 

serves the purpose of focusing 

your energies on the job. 

Screen all calls 

Make a practice of using an 

answering machine to screen 

all personal calls during your 

business day. 

Network 

Attend networking lunches 

several times a week to avoid 

feeling isolated. Only you can 

tell whether you’ll be able to 

overcome these potential 

problems, because they’re 

based on your personality, 

working style, and your family 

and other individual 

circumstances. 

Location, location, location 

Some businesses operate 

most efficiently when they are 

located close to customers, 

suppliers, or certain other 

facilities or businesses. For 

example, law offices are often 

located close to the county 

courthouse, in part to 

minimize the time spent 

running back and forth to 

court. Also, many customers or 

clients seem to feel that a 

business with a permanent 

address other than someone’s 

Brandzone Consulting in 

collaboration with the Centre for 

Values in Leadership held the 

inaugural National Branding 

Conference 2017 recently at the 

Oriental Hotel, Lagos. This edition of 

the Brand Innovation Conference, with 

the theme “Branding: A Catalyst for 

Development and Growth was flagged 

off as the first ever National Branding 

Conference in Nigeria. 

In her welcome address, the 

Managing Partner, Brandzone 

Consulting LLC and the Convener, 

National Branding Conference, Chizor 

Malize, stated that the conference was 

birthed out of a burning desire to stir 

the nation towards adopting a 

deliberate approach in promoting a 

home is less likely to be a flyby-night 

operation, and more 

likely to be able to deliver on 

guarantees. 

Make expansion plans 

Businesses with outside 

locations tend to be easier to 

sell and to bring higher prices. 

For one thing, the new owner 

doesn’t have to scout out a 

new location and go to the 

expense of moving; for 

another, customers and clients 

We must promote the external image of the nation to the world — Utomi 

are already accustomed to 

visiting a particular office and 

can continue to patronize it 

despite the new ownership. 

Finally, don’t forget that 

commercial real estate can be 

a great investment. 

Queen of branding brings brands to the national scene 

positive national narrative. She noted 

that the National Branding Conference 

2017, the first of its kind in Nigeria, 

brings to the fore the need to be 

deliberate and strategic about building 

a strong, positive, unified public 

narrative for our nation that citizens can 

own and be proud of. 

Malize said: “This year’s National 

Branding Conference comes in 

recognition of the need to take ownership 

of and promote more positive narratives 

around our Nation’s brand. It is a 

strategic response to the need to 

consistently convey an appropriate and 

progressive public narrative that ensures 

our diversity, strengths and attributes as 

a nation are projected positively and 

consistently around the world.” 

Speaking further Malize noted, “We 

must be systematic about building a 

strong national brand by seeking to 

promote the commonalities that unify us. 

We must evolve and embrace a 

uniformity of message as a nation, that 

projects our strengths, diversity and 

capabilities positively. We must play our 

roles as great citizens in our various 

capacities. As a people we must imbibe 

a positive mindset, develop and be 

driven by positive value systems, we 

must consistently demonstrate love for 

our nation through our words and 

actions, we must be intentional about 

selling to the world our brand story 

rather than allow the world tell our 

stories as they see fit. We need to 

Continues on page 26


Foundation awards 

scholarship to 5 

students, donates 

bags, books to 24 

By Favour Nnabugwu 

ABUJA — Gosa 

community on Airport 

Road, Abuja was shut down for 

Israel Ibeleme Foundation 

when the foundation awarded 

scholarships to five 

outstanding less privileged 

students of the Junior 

Secondary (JSS) School in the 

Federal Capital Territory, FCT. 

The 4hour ceremony was 

packed full with 

activities that 

wrapped the 

school with over 

900 students to a 

stand-still which 

was attended by 

the wife of Mr 

C h i b u i k e 

A m e a c h i , 

Minister of 

Transportation, 

Mrs Judith 

Ameachi laced 

with cultural 

dances, quiz 

competition, talk 

show, among 

others. 

The founder of the 

foundation, Israel Ibeleme 

said that the students would 

be supported with their school 

fees and writing materials all 

through the secondary school 

Continued from page 25 

collectively rise to the challenge 

and take ownership of our story,” 

she enthused. 

The conference which was 

broadly inclusive recorded 

attendance by prominent 

Nigerians from diverse 

backgrounds that cut across the 

public sector, private sector, 

corporations, enterprise owners, 

visionary Board Directors and 

policymakers. 

In his welcome address, 

Professor Pat Utomi, Founder 

and Chief Executive Officer, 

Centre for Values in Leadership 

and Co-Convener, National 

Branding Conference 2017 

urged participants to take 

interest in the matters that affect 

the brand of our nation: “Every 

citizen of Nigeria must take a 

keen interest in and participate 

actively in the national branding 

process by projecting a positive 

image of the nation in ways that 

attract tourism, foreign capital, 

and other investments that lead 

to growth and development of 

the economy. We must 

consistently promote the 

external image of the nation to 

level. He said that the 

educational project would 

also touch the lives of 900 

students, while 24 students 

would receive school bags 

with complete writing 

materials and 20 chairs would 

be donated for the use of 

teachers. 

“My mission is to impart 

meaning to the lives of our 

people, especially by helping 

the poor. This is the eleventh 

year of this 

“This is the 

eleventh year 

of this project 

and this 

programme is 

being carried 

out to touch 

the lives of 

many people. 

project and 

t h i s 

programme is 

being carried 

out to touch 

lives of many 

people. I 

started this 

foundation in 

2006 by 

helping the 

elderly with 

just N10, 000, 

after which I 

embarked on 

another project 

that helped 150 

people and 

later, 2,000 people and more. 

“Last year, we visited an 

IDPs camp in the FCT and 

assisted over 1,000 victims of 

the insurgency from North 

East, Nigeria. We will 

the world and also the internal 

image to ourselves. Just the 

same way that businesses 

attempt to influence their 

customers’ perceptions of their 

brands through strategic brand 

positioning, we as a nation 

must attempt to influence the 

perception of both the internal 

and external stakeholders of 

this great nation,” he 

remarked. 

In her address, the 

Conference Chairperson and 

Keynote Speaker, Mrs Ibukun 

Awosika, Chairman, First Bank 

of Nigeria Limited, enjoined 

participants and Nigerians as 

a whole to embrace love for the 

nation and demonstrate 

passion and commitment to 

building a Nigerian brand of 

high value and equity. 

According to Awosika, “Our 

citizens must play an active role 

in promoting the nation’s 

brand through our positive 

actions. Like products, 

countries should be deliberate 

and strategic about cultivating 

a strong and positive image 

because how they are 

perceived by both the citizens, 

Wife of the Honorable Minister of Transportation, Judith Amaechi, Founder and CEO Israel 

Ibeleme Foundation, Mr. Israel Ibeleme, Principal of Junior Secondary School Gosa, FCT, 

Abuja. Mr. Achi Michael during the presentation of Scholarship Award to the Five Less-Privileged 

at Junior Secondary School Gosa, FCT Abuja. 

continue to strive to assist 

people in need, to give them 

a better life and build their 

hopes against all odds,” 

Ibeleme said. 

Ibeleme urged well to do 

Nigerians to endeavour to 

assist the less privileged in 

whatever little way they can, 

adding that one must not be 

a rich man to touch lives. He 

admonished Nigerians in the 

spirit of the forthcoming 

yuletide to remember those in 

need, especially the 

displaced and less privileged. 

Ibeleme also urged the 

beneficiaries of the 

scholarship, prizes and all 

other students to remain 

focused on their academics, 

keep away from vices, be law 

abiding and strive to become 

great. He said that the 

Queen of branding brings brands to 

visitors and the world at large 

can have impact on both the 

economy of the nation and the 

people of that nation. 

Visionary countries are 

transforming the way that 

people perceive them. They are 

deliberate about becoming 

points of destination for tourism, 

business hubs and foreign 

investment points. Nigeria is 

not an exception” 

The highlight of the 

conference was the extensive 

knowledge exchange by the 

various speakers through the 

different plenary sessions and 

the highly interactive 

engagement by delegates. 

Speakers at the first 

conference plenary session 

titled: Beyond the age of Oil: 

Finding Growth Opportunities 

in Diversification were the 

Former Minister of Solid 

Minerals/Education and Co- 

Founder, Transparency 

International, Dr Oby 

Ezekwesili, Former Governor, 

Cross River State, Senator Liyel 

foundation planned to visit 

other schools across the 

country to carry out similar 

interventions. 

Also speaking, Judith 

Amaechi, Wife of the Minister 

of Transportation, also 

congratulated the recipients 

of the scholarship and urged 

them to take their studies 

seriously as it was the only 

path to success. Amaechi, 

who is also the founder of the 

Empowerment Support 

Initiative (ESI), pledged to 

pay the school fees of the 

scholarship recipients to 

support the course of the 

Isreal Ibeleme Foundation.. 

She promised to take the 

request and complaints of the 

school to the relevant 

authorities in order to address 

them. She called on 

Imoke, Dr Andrew S. Nevin, FS 

Advisory Leader and Chief 

Economist, PwC West Africa, 

Mr. Akin Rotimi,Senior Special 

Assistant to the Minister of 

Mines and Steel Development, 

representing Dr Kayode 

Fayemi. Moderating the 

plenary was Abubakar 

Suleiman, Executive Director, 

Sterling Bank PLC. The panel 

evaluated the potentials in the 

diversification of the nation’s 

economy across other key 

sectors beyond oil such as 

mining, agriculture, travel and 

tourism etc. It evaluated the 

impediments to growth and 

evaluated the key success 

factors inherent in the sectors 

as well as the opportunities in 

building positive national brand 

narrative leveraging the 

milestones achieved across the 

sectors. 

The Second plenary session 

titled From Local to Global: 

Harnessing growth 

opportunities through brand 

export had thought leaders 

Nigerians to remain their 

brothers’ keepers as a simple 

show of love and concern 

could restore hope to millions 

of hopeless people and 

prevent them from 

perpetuating crime by 

seeking better life. 

In his remarks, Mr Michael 

Achi, Principal of the JSS 

Gosa, appreciated the Isreal 

Ibeleme Foundation for 

choosing the school as one of 

the beneficiaries of its 

educational outreach. He said 

that the gesture by the 

foundation was a ray of hope 

to the younger generation 

and less privileged whose 

hopes were previously 

dashed. Achi urged the 

recipients of the award to take 

this as a challenge for more 

hard work in order not to 

disappoint the gesture. 

L-R: Former Governor of Cross Rivers S 

Oby Ezekwesili; Chairman, First Bank o 

Centre for Values in Leadership, Prof. P 

National Branding Conference, Chizor M 

the Brand Innovation Conference 2017

— 


Foundation provides food for over 150 

women, children in IDPs camp 

....set to train, establish over 1000 IDPs with 

empowerment packages 

By Gabriel Ewepu 

ABUJA — A 

nongovernmental 

organisation called Nation First 

Foundation, NFF, has provided 

assorted cooked food for over 

150 women and children who 

have been malnourished. 

The National Coordinator, 

NFF, Onianwa Elidad, who and 

his team went to the Dagba IDPs 

camp in Abuja, explained why 

they decided to feed the IDPs 

with cooked food, said it was 

their responsibility as fellow 

Nigerians not to sit and watch 

other Nigerians to be crushed 

by hunger due to the situation 

they find themselves as a result 

of insurgency, disease 

outbreak, natural disaster, 

communal clashes, civil unrest 

and others. 

Elidad also described the 

situation in this camp as terrible 

following the malnourished 

nature of the children and 

women, whom he said hardly 

eat a day, and lamented that 

they were not receiving much 

food and water supply as 

expected, which have also 

worsen their health condition. 

He said: “The Internally 

Displaced Persons, IDPs, are not 

to be seen as second class 

citizens in this country, but they 

are equal with other Nigerians 

despite the situation they find 

themselves, which is not their 

making or choice. 

“We in Nation First 

Foundation, NFF, are pained 

the national scene 

tate, Senator LiyelImoke; Co-Founder, Transparency International, Mrs. 

f Nigeria Limited, Mrs. Ibukun Awosika; Founder/Chief Executive Officer, 

at Utomi; Managing Partner, Brandzone Consulting LLC and Convener, 

alize; and Executive Director, Sterling Bank Plc, Abubakar Suleiman, at 

in Lagos. 

National Coordinator, Nation First Foundation, NFF, Onianwa 

Elidad, with some of the children in Dagba Internally Displaced 

Persons, IDPs, Camp in Abuja, during the visit. 

with the condition they are at 

the moment, especially children 

and women, who are hard hit 

with malnutrition in this camp 

and other camps scattered all 

over the nation, like what they 

are passing through in Lake 

Chad Basin region, where 

children are dying daily of 

malnutrition and lack of food. 

“Like in this camp, they don’t 

have good and regular food 

here, and this have further 

worsened their health 

conditions coupled with the 

experience they had before 

fleeing their homes, others left 

their businesses and farms, and 

now no means of livelihood. 

Some have lost their certificates 

along with other valuables, 

others have lost their parents, 

bread-winners, and other things 

they depended on. 

“Nation First Foundation as a 

concerned organisation, which 

has been as self-sponsored 

nongovernmental organization 

deemed it fit to step in and 

rescue and bring respite to our 

fellow Nigerians who have 

equal status as other Nigerians. 

We decided to do what we can 

to put smile on their faces and 

to give them sense of belonging 

in order for them to be part of 

society by bringing this cooked 

food and other things to give 

them as our support and love. 

“We have over 150 women and 

children here whom we have 

distributed these cooked food to 

and they are happy. We gave 

them semo, soup, rice, and 

other food we brought.” 

Meanwhile, he (Elidad) also 

disclosed that Foundation has 

concluded plans to put in place 

intensive and professional 

training on different areas of 

entrepreneurial skill acquisition 

that would be unveiled in 2018, 

and subject matter experts 

cutting across the public sector, 

corporations and brand 

strategists who shared insights 

on the opportunities in creating 

positive national engagements 

abroad through brands 

exported out of Nigeria. This 

plenary was led by Chizor 

Malize, Managing Partner, 

Brandzone Consulting and 

Converner, National Brand 

Conference. 

Ndidi Nwuneli, Co-Founder 

of AACE Foods led the 

discussion on the third plenary 

titled: Breaking New Grounds: 

SMEs as Economic Growth 

Engine. She provided insight 

on the challenges faced by 

SMEs in the Nigerian 

environment, the growth 

opportunities and key steps for 

maximizing SME growth. The 

plenary explored the 

contribution of the SMEs to 

national growth and 

development through job 

creation, brand export and 

economic progression. Other 

speakers at the plenary 

included Tara Fela-Durotoye, 

Founder & CEO House of Tara, 

Seyi Abolaji. 

British Council tasks 

journalists on child’s protection, 

sensitive reporting 

By Vera Anyagafu & Elizabeth Uwandu 

With the advent of digital technology, the role of media 

i 

n 

educating, informing and influencing public opinion, 

especially in the reportage of child’s protection and sensitive 

issues like gender, religious and ethnic variations, have 

continued to raise questions on whether the media was geared 

towards ethical or sensational journalism. 

It was therefore the desire to expose journalists on the tools 

of digital media in promoting and sustaining mutual 

understanding for societal developments and peace cohabitation 

where everyone freedom and right was protected, 

irrespective of sex, age or ethnic-religious affinity that 

madeBritish Council Nigeria to host the first maiden Capacity 

Building Workshop for the media recently in Lagos. Lucy 

Pearson, Country Director, British Council Nigeria said the 

maiden capacity building workshop was part of ways the 

Council aimed to create new opportunities of knowledge 

sharing among key stakeholders. “As UK’s international 

Organisation for cultural relations and educational 

opportunities, British Council Nigeria constantly seeks different 

ways of creating opportunities by providing platforms where 

knowledge can be shared amongst key stakeholders. For us, 

this workshop is timely as we constantly seek to develop different 

sectors in the economy through 

capacity building initiatives and 

the media is one of such based on 

the huge role they play in the 

society,” noted Pearson. 

Speaking on child’s protection, 

Maria Williams, British Council, 

Child Protection Project Manager 

who raised alarm over high rate of 

abuse against children aged below 

18years said the media has 

obligation to protect children by not 

furthering exposing them to abuse 

through sensational reporting, 

rather the Nigerian Press Council 

Code on rights of a child should 

be applied. 

At British 

Council, we 

believe that 

child 

protection 

requires 

everyone to 

take 

responsibility 

and that every 

child matters. 

Her words,” At British Council, we believe that child 

protection requires everyone to take responsibility and that 

every child matters. We recognize that the care, protection and 

welfare of children is paramount and that all the children have 

the right to be protected from all types of harm. 

“And one such harm is indecent exposure of the child. As 

media, you should know that children also have rights. Hence, 

the National Press Council Code of Ethics for Nigerian 

Journalists under children and minors that state that, “ A 

journalist should not identify, either by name or picture, or 

Interview children under the age of 16 who are involved in 

cases concerning sexual offences, crimes and rituals or 

witchcraft either as victims, witnesses or defendant,” should 

be the guiding principle in reporting issues that concern them,” 

added Williams. On her part, Lauratu Umar Abdusalam, 

communication specialist and Media Engagement Advisor, 

Palladium who spoke on conflict sensitive journalism explained 

that journalists have the power to fuel or calm conflicts through 

presentation of sensitive issues. 

Participants at the event in Lagos.


By Henry Umoru, 

Vincent Ujumadu, 

Johnbosco 

Agbakwuru & 

Dennis Agbo 

A WKA—PRESIDENT 

Muhammadu Buhari, 

12 governors, 18 senators, 

many members of the 

House of Representatives 

and officials of the All 

Progressives Congress, 

APC, yesterday, rounded 

off the governorship 

campaign of the party for 

the November 18 election 

for Dr. Tony Nwoye at a well 

attended ceremony at the 

Alex Ekwueme Square in 

Awka. 

Buhari, who said he was 

highly impressed with the 

large turnout of APC 

supporters at the rally, 

expressed the hope that the 

party would bounce back by 

electing Nwoye on 

Saturday to serve as a clear 

demonstration of the 

support of Anambra people 

to his administration. 

He promised that the 

APC-controlled Federal 

Government would 

continue to meet the 

aspirations of the people, 

saying that he was 

expecting the national 

assembly to pass what his 

administration had 

planned towards 

infrastructural 

development in the country, 

which the South-East 

would benefit from 

massively. 

Commending the 

president for personally 

attending the rally, the 

national chairman of APC, 

Chief John Odiegie- 

Oyegun recalled that 

Buhari made history two 

years ago by removing an 

incumbent government, 

adding that he would also 

be making history by 

preparing to remove an 

incumbent governor in 

Anambra State. 

According to him, the 

presence of the president 

at the rally was an 

indication of his love for the 

Igbo people, adding that 

the country’s number one 

citizen deliberately came to 

make sure that Anambra 

people were with him. 

“We want you to give him 

Tony Nwoye as a gift to 

appreciate your love for 

him”, he said, adding that 

APC as a political party 

controlling the Federal 

Government was desirous 

of having Anambra State 

reconnected to the national 

grid and the only way to do 

so was to vote for Nwoye. 

Chairman of Tony Nwoye 

Campaign Organization 

and Governor of Bauchi 

State, Alhaji M.A. Abubakar 

said that Anambra State, 

which is the flagship of the 

Igbo was too important to 

be operating in isolation. 

“We want you to 

:Vanguard 

News 

discountenance the notion 

that APC is not your party 

because this is the party of 

Chris Ngige, Jim 

Nwobodo, Ken Nnamani, 

Orji Uzor Kalu, Sullivan 

Chime, Agunwa Anaekwe 

and George Moghalu, 

among many other 

prominent Igbo people. If 

APC succeeds in Igbo land, 

it will take Igbo to the 

national politics," he said. 

Former aspirants 

declare support for 

Nwoye 

Highlight of the 

ceremony was declaration 

of support for Nwoye by all 

the former governorship 

aspirants who contested 

with him at the party’s 

primary. 

Speaking on their behalf, 

Senator Andy Uba said, 

they would work hard in 

their various constituencies 

to ensure that APC won the 

governorship election on 

Saturday. 

He said: “We all ran for 

the primary and he won 

and we promise here that 

we will support him on 

Saturday. He is my political 

son because when I ran for 

governorship in 2007, Tony 

was my chairman and I 

won. Now that he is the 

candidate, we will ensure 

that he wins the 

governorship election to tell 

President Buhari that we 

love him.” 

The governors that 

attended the rally were 

Rochas Okorocha of Imo 

State, Yahaya Bello of Kogi 

State, Aminu Bello Masari 

of Katsina State, Aminu 

Tambuwal of Sokoto 

State,Ibukunle Amosun of 

Ogun State, Godwin 

Obaseki of Edo State, 

Simon Lalong of Plateau 

State and Rotimi Akeredolu 

of Ondo State, among 

others. 

Other party chieftains 

that were present included 

Minister of Science and 

Technology, Dr. 

Ogbonnaya Onu; former 

governor of Abia State, Dr. 

Orji Uzor Kalu; former 

governor of Enugu State, 

Mr. Sullivan Chime; 

Senator Ben Uwajimogu; 

Senator Osita Izunaso; Dr. 

Cairo Ojiugbo; Senator 

Agboti ; General Lawrence 

Onoja; Senator Ken 

Nnamani; Mrs. Uche 

Ekwunife and Senator 

Chris Ngige, among 

others. 

Buhari directs DIG 

to reinstate 

Obiano’s security 

aides 

Also yesterday, President 

Muhammadu Buhari 

directed the Deputy 

Inspector General of Police, 

DIG, in-change of 


MEETING: From 

Left—Chief 

Emmanuel 

Iwuanyanwu, 

member, PDP 

Board of Truestees; 

Otunba Gbenga 

Daniel, former 

Governor of Ogun 

State; and PDP 

chairmanship 

aspirant, Hon 

Jonas Okeke, 

during a meeting 

and courtsey visit 

by Daniel to the 

PDP BOT in Owerri 

yesterday 

ANAMBRA POLL: Buhari, 12 govs, 18 

senators, others round off APC campaign 

•President directs DIG to reinstate Obiano’s security aides 

•Senate says action is unlawful, dangerous to Nigeria’s democracy 

•As Ohanaeze warns against rigging of Anambra election 

operations to reinstate the 

security aides of Governor 

Willie Obiano of Anambra 

State that were 

withdrawn. 

The President's directive 

came on the heels of 

complaint by Governor 

Obiano when he welcomed 

the President on arrival to 

Awka for the grand finale 

of the All Progressives 

Congress Governorship 

rally. 

A statement by the Special 

Adviser to the President on 

Media and Publicity, Mr. 

Femi Adesina stated that 

before departing Awka, 

President Buhari directed 

the Deputy Inspector 

General of Police 

(Operations), Joshak 

Habila to ensure the return 

of the governor’s security 

personnel. 

Earlier, the Senate had 

ordered the Inspector- 

General of Police, IGP, 

Ibrahim Idris to restore all 

the withdrawn security 

aides to the Governor of 

Anambra State, Willy 

Obiano in the next twentyfour 

hours . 

At plenary yesterday, the 

Senate warned that if the 

action of the IGP was not 

nipped in the bud, he may 

do same to President 

Muhammadu Buhari; 

Senate President, Bukola 

Saraki; Speaker, House of 

Representatives, Yakubu 

Dogara and other 

politicians if they signify 

interest to contest for 

elective positions. 

The senate while 

describing the action of the 

IGP as unlawful and 

dangerous to the nation’s 

democracy, particularly 

mandated its chairman, 

Senate Committee on 

Police Affairs , Senator Abu 

Ibrahim, APC Katsina 

South to ensure compliance 

by the Police boss to the 

directive and report back to 

Senate today at plenary. 

In his contribution, 

Senate President, Bukola 

Saraki said that senate did 

the right thing to debate the 

matter even though it was 

against its standing rule; 

pointing out that what is 

wrong is wrong. 

Saraki said: “What is bad 

is bad. What the IG is 

reported to have done and 

defended as regards 

withdrawal of security aides 

of the Anambra state 

governor ahead of the 

coming election in the 

state is wrong and must 

be corrected as declared by 

the senate through the 

resolutions just taken.” 

The IG as widely reported 

in the media yesterday told 

Governor Obiano that 

his withdrawn Aide de 

Camp ,ADC and other 

security aides will report 

back to duty on Sunday 

morning , a day after the 

Saturday election. 

Ohanaeze warns 

against rig of 

Anambra election 

Similarly, Ohanaeze 

Ndigbo yesterday warned 

that Ndigbo will use all 

resources within its reach 

to resist any attempt to rig 

Anambra governorship 

election on Saturday, 

pleading that the people of 

Anambra State should be 

allowed to decide who 

should become their 

governor for the next four 

years. 

The apex Igbo 

organization also charged 

politicians and Ndigbo to 

watch their polling booths 

closely in order to ensure 

that declared results 

represent outcome of 

elections in their units. 

President General of 

Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief 

Nnia Nwodo in a press 

briefing in Enugu, 

yesterday, said that “the 

news of withdrawal of 

security details from 

Governor Obiano of 

Anambra state is highly 

regrettable.” 

Nwodo further noted that 

“all his (Anambra 

Governor's) opponents 

have security details,” 

adding that “ as a sitting 

Governor, who by 

constitution is the Chief 

Security Officer of the state, 

this action is nonsensical 

and ultra vires.” 

He stated that Ohanaeze 

was satisfied with the 

resolve of the people of 

Anambra state and all the 

political parties in the state 

to turn out for the election, 

adding that not to do so 

would be a dis-service to 

Anambra state and 

Ndigbo. 

“Ohanaeze is insistent 

that the votes of Ndi- 

Anambra must be 

respected in Saturday’s 

election,” Nwodo said. 

He disclosed that the 

Igbo body applied to the 

Independent National 

Electoral Commission, 

INEC, for observer status 

and that the organization 

has recruited lecturers from 

universities and 

polytechnics to help the 

Igbo group observe conduct 

of the election. 

“Any attempt to rig, 

manipulate, falsify or 

impose results on Ndi- 

Anambra in this election 

will be seriously resisted,” 

Nwodo threatened. 

He however urged the 

Anambra people to tidy 

evidences of the election 

since there were fears of 

fake results or look-alike 

result sheets and he 

categorically asked the 

people to reject any of such 

electoral fraud that may 

take place. 

“Ndigbo will resist 

rigging of Anambra 

election with every available 

resources within its armbit,” 

he stressed. 

On the threat by 

members of the Indigenous 

People of Biafra, IPOB, 

against the election, 

Nwodo said it was not in 

the interest of Anambra 

People to boycott the 

election because it would 

amount to anarchy. 

He stressed that the 

consequence of such 

boycott would be President 

Buhari’s imposition of sole 

administrator on the state 

until the president feels the 

state was ripe for election. 

“He can even bring a 

Governor from any part of 

the country. So it will be like 

a military ad ministration if 

they don’t vote."



$20.2bn missing from NNPC since 

1999 — FALANA 

L AGOS—HUMAN 

rights lawyer, Mr. 

Femi Falana, SAN, has accused 

the Nigerian National 

Petroleum Corporation, 

NNPC, of failing to remit 

over $20.2 billion since the 

return of democracy in 1999 

to date. 

According to him, “Instead 

of piling up external 

loans the federal government 

should be compelled 

by the Nigerian people to 

embark on the immediate 

recovery and repatriation of 

hundreds of billions of dollars 

from the NNPC.” 

Falana spoke yesterday 

in Lagos at a National Seminar 

on Promoting Transparency 

and Accountability 

in the Recovery of Stolen 

Asset in Nigeria: Agenda 

for Reform organized by 

Socio-Economic Rights and 

Accountability Project 

(SERAP) in collaboration 

with the Ford Foundation, 

USA. 

He said: “From five cycles 

of independent audit reports 

covering 1999-2012 

the National Extractive Industries 

Transparency Initiative 

revealed that the 

Nigerian National Petroleum 

Corporation, some oil 

companies and certain 

agencies of the Federal Government 

have withheld 

$20.2 billion from the Federation 

Account. “ 

“In 2006, the Central Bank 

of Nigeria removed $7 billion 

from the nation’s external 

reserves and placed 

same as deposit in 14 Nigerian 

banks. In 2008, the 

Bank gave a bailout of 

N600 billion ($4 billion) to 

the same banks. Up till now 

the CBN has failed to recover 

the said sum of $11 

billion from the banks. On 

September 6, 2016 the Nigerian 

National Petroleum 

Corporation (NNPC) announced 

that arrangements 

had been concluded 

to recover the sum of 

$9.6 billion in over-deducted 

tax benefits from joint 

venture partners on major 

capital projects and oil 

swap contracts. The NNPC 

is said to have recovered 

the said sum of $9.6 billion 

but has not remitted same 

into the Federation Account.” 

According to Falana, 

“Transparency and accountability 

are interconnected 

to the application of 

economic, political and administrative 

management 

of the affairs of a state. The 

exercise of these affairs is 

that they must be seen to 

be exercised by the citizens 

of a state. Where a government 

parastatal such as the 

Nigerian National Petroleum 

Corporation (NNPC) 

is said to have failed to remit 

oil revenue to the tune 

of $20 billion, issues of 

good transparency and 

governance become a crucial 

issue. 

“The Federal Government 

has to re-focus its re- 

covery of stolen assets by 

vigorously pursuing recovery 

of assets from multinational 

corporations and not 

just the countries that are 

illegally keeping the looted 

wealth of the country. 

The recovery of our looted 

wealth should also be extended 

to the few Nigerians 

who have been indicted 

in the Panama and Paradise 

papers. The EFCC 

and the Federal Inland 

Revenue Service should 

recover appropriate taxes 

from the offshore companies 

set up by such individuals.” 

Falana called on the government 

of President Muhammadu 

Buhari to “comply 

with the order of the 

federal high court which 

has directed the federal 

government to account for 

the loot recovered since 

1999.” 

Falana’s paper read in 

part “It is undoubtedly clear 

that the governments of 

western countries and the 

United Arab Emirates are 

not going to co-operate with 

SIGNING: From left; Representative of the Speaker, Kwara State House of Assembly, 

Hon. Abdulrafiu Abdulrahman; Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara 

State signing Health Insurance Agency Bill into law and Kwara State Attorney General 

and Commissioner for Justice, Kamaldeen Ajibade at Government House, Ilorin. 

Senate seeks free malaria treatment 

in public hospitals 


A BUJA—FOLLOW 

ING alarming rate of 

Malaria cases in Nigeria, 

the Senate yesterday called 

on the Federal Ministry of 

Health to urgently procure 

sufficient quantity of effective 

anti-malarial drugs to 

be supplied free of charge 

to all public health facilities 

across the country. 

The Senate also called for 

the implementation of the 

one per cent clause in the 

2014 National Health Act, 

aimed at ensuring that one 

percent of the Consolidated 

Revenue Fund was devoted 

to revitalizing the nation’s 

health sector. 

Similarly, it advised the 

Nigeria in the repatriation 

of the nation’s looted funds 

unless the Federal government 

is prepared to adopt 

appropriate diplomatic 

and legal measures. In 

addition, the labour unions 

and other civil society organizations 

in the affected 

countries have to be mobilized 

to mount pressure on 

their governments to return 

our looted wealth. 

“Upon the inauguration 

of the Mohammadu Buhari 

administration the governments 

of the United 

States, United Kingdom 

and Switzerland assured 

the federal government 

that stolen funds and assets 

stolen from Nigeria 

would be repatriated. Not 

only have these countries 

refused to cooperate with 

Nigeria they have also 

frustrated the efforts of 

the federal government to 

recover and repatriate 

such tainted funds and assets.” 

“In a display of sheer arrogance 

and hypocrisy in 

June last year the then British 

Prime Minister, Mr. 

David Cameron described 

government to embark on 

mass mobilization to provide 

adequate information 

to all Nigerians on how to 

take appropriate and effective 

malaria preventive and 

treatment measures. 

According to the senate, 

97% of the Nigerian population 

was at risk of being 

infected with malaria parasite, 

while Nigerian institute 

of medical research reported 

that 50 million persons 

tested positively annually, 

lamenting that Nigeria accounted 

for up to 25 percent 

of the global cases and 

deaths as a result of malaria 

endemic. 

Against this backdrop, it 

urged the Federal Ministry 

of Health to partner states, 

Nigeria as “a fantastically 

corrupt country.” In his reaction 

to the embarrassing 

comment, President Buhari 

asked Mr. Cameron to return 

the stolen wealth of 

Nigeria in the United 

Kingdom.” 

“The government of the 

United States has filed copious 

objections to the suit 

filed by Nigeria in Jersey 

for the recovery of over 

$3oo million of the Abacha 

loot. The gravamen of the 

objection is that the fund 

be released to the United 

States to manage on behalf 

of Nigeria.” 

“In the same vein, Switzerland 

has insisted that 

the sum of $321 million of 

the Abacha loot would not 

be repatriated to Nigeria 

unless the World Bank 

would be allowed to monitor 

the disbursement of the 

fund. Such patronizing attitudes 

of western governments 

cannot be justified 

having regard to the fact 

that they had connived 

with a few unpatriotic Nigerian 

public officials in the 

grand looting of the treasury 

of Nigeria.” 

local councils and development 

partners with a 

view to scaling up integrated 

vector management 

and control as well 

as streamlining all malaria 

programmes across 

the country. 

Non-performing c’ttees’ll forfeit 

reports to House — DOGARA 

By Emman 

Ovuakporie 

A BUJA—THE 

Speaker of the 

House of Representatives, 

Yakubu Dogara, yesterday 

ordered all committees still 

carrying out investigations 

that had not been concluded 

to immediately be subsumed 

into the Committee 

of the House. 

The Speaker apparently 

disturbed by the deliberate 

refusal of the affected committees 

to comply with his 

earlier directive five weeks 

ago, that such committees 

should submit their reports 

within one week, gave the 

matching order. 

The directive was sequel 

to a point of order raised by 

Ossai Nicholas Ossai, PDP, 

Delta State, citing Order 17 

Rule 3 and Order 10 that 

the issue should be re-visited 

as it affected the tenets 

of the 8th Assembly Legislative 

Agenda. 

Ossai, in his submission 

told the House that: “five 

weeks ago, Mr. Speaker, 

you ordered that committees 

that had not submitted 

their reports in the last one 

year should submit their reports 

or forfeit their rights 

to such bills. Mr. Speaker 

five weeks after nothing has 

happened and this runs 

contrary to the legislative 

agenda of this eighth 

House which you have 

been championing. These 

committees were mandated 

to submit their reports 

within 30 days according 

to our House Rules but six 

months and even one year 

after they are yet to submit 

reports.’’ 

He explained that some 

of the bills were more than 

a year old some were even 

two years old adding that 

“we will be failing in our 

duties if nothing is done.” 

At this point, the Speaker 

called on the Chairman 

Rules and Business, Orker 

Jev, APC, Benue State, to 

give a narrative to the 

House on the directive he 

gave five weeks ago. 

Jev told the House that: 

“We complied with the directive 

and letters were sent 

to all the affected committees 

but they complained of 

spending money to conduct 

public hearings so we 

gave them sometime. We 

gave them time because if 

we don’t, the House will be 

losing money and if you remember 

I was the one that 

brought it to the knowledge 

of the House.” 

Buhari to open World Aviation 

forum in Abuja 

By Favour 

Nnabugwu 

PRESIDENT Muham 

madu Buhari is to 

declare open the first 

World Aviation forum organized 

by the International 

Civil Aviation Organization 

(ICAO), scheduled to 

hold in Abuja. 

The 3-day Forum which 

is taking place next week 

is the first to be held outside 

the Organization’s 

headquarters in Montreal, 

Canada. 

The Minister of State for 

Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, 

yesterday, said the 

country’s hosting of the forum, 

was a clear indication 

of the confidence the Buhari 

Administration had 

elicited within the sector 

and an endorsement by the 

world body of its reform 

programmes for the nation’s 

aviation industry. 

According to Sirika,the 

Forum which is intended 

to explore the benefits of 

the aviation sector to socioeconomic 

development 

and prosperity of member 

states was aimed at topranking 

government officials 

in charge of aviation, 

transport and infrastructure 

finance, economy and tourism; 

and key industry and 

financial partners. 

The Minister said the 

Forum was also expected 

‘’to discuss, identify needs, 

and facilitate the funding 

and financing required to 

accelerate the implementation 

of international civil 

aviation standards and 

policies, as well as global 

plans for aviation, in 

support of the ICAO No 

Country Left Behind 

(NCLB) initiave.’’ 

WAEC unveils WASSCE for private candidates 

By Dayo Adesuslu 

THE West African Ex 

aminations Council, 

WAEC yesterday in Lagos 

unveiled WASSCE for private 

candidates beginning 

with 2018 - First Series. 

According to the body, 

the First Series of the 

WASSCE for private candidates, 

2018 will be an urban-based 

examination 

and candidates will be examined 

in 19 subjects. 

Consequently, intending 

candidates for the examination 

are to visit the Council’s 

corporate website – 

www.waecnigeria.org to 

confirm available examination 

towns and subjects before 

obtaining the registration 

PIN, he said. 

Speaking during the unveiling 

at WAEC office, in 

Lagos, its Head of National 

Office, Mr Olu Adenipekun 

said: “The examination for 

the 2018 series has been 

fixed for between January 

and February.” 

He explained that the 

purpose of the initiative was 

not to duplicate examination, 

but to ensure that candidates 

with difficulty in any 

subject would not necessarily 

need to wait for another 

six months before getting all 

his required subjects for tertiary 

admission.


No sign Nigeria is 

out of recession, 

Labour laments 

Stories by Victor Ahiuma- 

Young 

FIVE months after the 


announced Nigeria' s exit 

from the crushing economic 

recession, umbrella body for 

senior civil servants in the 

country, at its National Executive 

Council, NEC, meeting in Enugu, 

Enugu State, declared that there 

are no signs that Nigeria is out of 

recession. 

Under the aegis of Association 

of Senior Civil Servants of 

Nigeria, ASCSN, the group 

insisted that despite the claim that 

Nigeria has exited economic 

recession, all calibrated critical 

indices are pointing to the 

contrary. 

Addressing members and other 

guests, President-General of the 

Association, Bobboi Kaigama, 

represented by the Vice-President 

of ASCSN, Bola-Audu Innocent 

said: "Nothing appears to be 

moving in the right direction as 

all sectors of the economy are 

bleeding profusely. The country 

is witnessing a deteriorating 

standard of living, lack of public 

goods and services, high level of 

corruption and rent seeking. As 

things stand today, many people 

cannot eat let alone being in a 

position to afford ordinary things 

that make life comfortable and 

worthy of living. Little wonder, 

Nigeria that had once been 

ranked as one of the happiest 

nations in the world now occupies 

the near bottom position in terms 

of Happiness Index. The 

deterioration is best exemplified 

by the surge in vices now 

recorded in the land. 

"Many Nigerians, especially 

the youth want to get out of the 

country at all cost in search of the 

proverbial "greener pastures." In 

the process, many have lost their 

lives in the high sea in an attempt 

to cross to Europe. Recently, 23 

dead bodies of Nigerian women 

were found in a refrigerated 

section of a Spanish warship. 

They were on a rubber boat along 

with some other migrants trying 

to escape from the hardship that 

we are forced to live with here in 

Nigeria. We now live in a country 

where everybody is for himself 

and God for all. Life is no doubt 

getting tougher by the day. In 

view of this sorry state of affairs, 

we urge all our respective 

governments to rise up to the 

occasion by taking urgent steps 

to ameliorate the sufferings being 

experienced by the masses of this 

great country of ours and put 

smiles on the faces of Nigerians 

once again. Anything to the 

contrary will continue to push the 

country to the precipice with very 

dire consequences." 

Diversion of bailout 

Meanwhile, Kaigama declared 

that "it is quite shameful to note 

that all efforts by this Union in 

particular and the labour 

movement in general to remedy 

the dire state faced by workers in 

terms of prompt payment of 

salaries and pensions have 

proved abortive despite the 

release of bailout funds and the 

Paris Club refunds to states by the 

Federal Government. As we 

speak, many states still owe their 

workers between five (5) and ten 

(10) months' salaries and 

pensions arrears. Some of the 

worst hit states include Benue, 

Bayelsa, Nasarawa, Kogi, Ondo, 

Oyo and Ekiti. Osun State 

workers on their part have been 

on half salaries since July 2015. 

"As a trade union and a major 

stakeholder, the Association 

decries this most unfortunate 

situation of non-utilisation of 

bailout funds released by the 

Federal Government to pay 

workers salaries by some states 

and thus calls for the immediate 

probe of states that are known to 

have diverted the funds while 

culprits should be made to face 

the full weight of the law. What 

the erring states have done is 

nothing but act of terrorism 

•Frome left: Commissioner for Labour and Productivity, Enugu State, Emeka Okeke, Secretary 

General of ASCSN, Bashir Lawal, Vice President of ASCSN, Bola-Audu Innocent and Permanent 

Secretary Establishments, Mrs Ella Nuel Ugomsi, at the NEC meeting 

against Nigerian workers. 

"It is nothing but share 

wickedness for Governors to be 

enjoying with members of their 

families, leaving innocent 

workers to go home hungry on 

empty stomach. Moreover, states 

ought to get their priorities right. 

They have to embark on 

governance models that can 

stand the test of time. Before the 

What makes us tick, says ASCSN 

PRESIDENT-GENERAL of 

Association of Senior Civil 

Servants of Nigeria, 

ASCSN, Comrade Bobboi Bala 

Kaigama, has said that 

addressing the welfare needs of 

members; key investment 

initiatives and massive training 

and retraining of members, have 

been responsible for enviable 

state of the association today 

Kaigama told members that the 

Union has set an enviable 

standard through the methodical 

configuration of its objects in 

which all the organs of the 

platform are made to function 

efficiently and effectively. 

According to him: "This, of 

course, has translated into the 

successes which the Association 

has recorded in the recent past 

as regards its position as Council 

I of the Joint National Public 

As we speak, many 

states still owe their 

workers between 

five (5) and ten (10) 

months' salaries 

and pensions 

arrears 

Service Negotiating Council 

(JNPSNC) and a frontline affiliate 

member of the Trade Union 

Congress of Nigeria (TUC). The 

need to sustain the competitive 

edge of the Union in a volatile 

operating environment and the 

drive to reposition the body for 

the future has all along been the 

cornerstone of all of our efforts. 

You will note that the 

Association's direction, in this 

current dispensation, is tailored 

along three different perspectives 

namely: Addressing the welfare 

needs of our teeming members; 

Key investment initiatives; and 

Massive training and retraining 

of members. There is no doubting 

the fact that we have made 

tremendous and remarkable 

progress in these key areas. As 

we move along in the coming 

years, we are equally desirous of 

building on what we have 

achieved so that the union can 

be rock solid to withstand 

whatever shock that may come its 

way either now or in the nearest 

future. 

The PG noted that "it is 

saddening to note, however, that 

in spite of the giant strides made 

by the Association in the past 

couple of years, these 

accomplishments have been 

viewed negatively by a myopic 

few. They have forgotten the fact 

that change is the only thing that 

is constant in life. We as a trade 

Union body cannot continue to do 

things the same way and expect 

different result(s). On our part, we 

have elected to forget the past, 

endeavour to look forward so that 

in the final analysis, we can be 

seen to have done better than 

anyone might have envisaged. 

There are still 152 million victims of child labour, ILO warns 

INTERNATIONAL Labour 

Organisation, ILO's 

Director-General, Guy Ryder 

has warned that there are still 152 

million victims of child labour 

worldwide, and called on the 

international community to work 

together to achieve the total 

eradication of child labour by 

2025. 

In his opening address to the 

IV Global Conference on the 

Sustained Eradication of Child 

Labour, Ryder acknowledged the 

progress made in this area in the 

past 20 years, but warned that 

there is still a long way to go to 

eradicate child labour in all its 

forms. 

“There are still 152 million 

children victims of child labour, 

that is, almost one in 10 in the 

world. Of those, almost half are 

in hazardous work. We need to 

recognise that progress has been 

very uneven,” Ryder added. 

Target 8.7 of the United Nations 

2030 Agenda calls for the 

elimination of child labour in all its 

forms by 2025, and of forced labour 

by 2030. 

According to the latest ILO 

estimates, there are 25 million 

victims of forced labour worldwide. 

“The goals cannot be clearer, nor 

can the uncomfortable reality that 

if we do not do more and better, we 

will not achieve them,” Ryder 

warned. 

According to the Director -General 

of the ILO, the sustained 

eradication of child labour requires 

an integrated approach that tackles 

the deep and systemic causes of 

child labour and does not focus 

only on treating the symptoms. 

This integrated approach 

includes the application of 

international standards related to 

child labour, labour market policies 

focused on the areas where most 

child labour is found – namely the 

rural economy and informality – 

social protection against poverty 

and insecurity, and quality 

universal education accessible to all. 

next set of bailout, we urge the 

Federal Government to enact 

rigorous clauses for benefiting 

states. Every bailout handed over 

to states without rigorous 

conditions is simply money 

flushed down into some corrupt 

pockets. Future bailouts should 

attach stringent conditions to 

them including settlement of all 

salary arrears and pensions." 

For us, refusing to prepare for the 

future is a blind way to face life, a 

stance that lets the world pass you 

by, as you think you are coming 

to grips with it. 

"It may interest you to note that 

since the commencement of our 

massive capacity-building 

programme, we have discovered 

that the natural authority in 

speech, body language and 

disposition of our members is now 

more pronounced, a quality that 

the training programme has 

instilled in them. More 

importantly, it has been 

commendations galore by many 

from far and wide. It is against 

this backdrop that I call for your 

hand of fellowship to sustain the 

milestone attained so far by the 

Union. With our current level of 

attainment, we should avoid 

being complacent. All we need to 

do now is to work harder, always 

put our eyes on the ball and 

remain focused. We should 

distance ourselves from those 

retrogressive ideas and negative 

acts that had destroyed sister 

organisations that were the envy 

of all in the years gone by but 

which have now become 

carcasses and shadows of 

themselves. We should 

strengthen the structure by 

continuing to build on our current 

level of attainment. Success 

should at no time be taken for 

granted. We should therefore 

continue to be on top of our game 

so that we can always excel and 

at the same time remain relevant 

in the scheme of things no matter 

the scenario that plays itself out."

Ignore IPOB, go and vote 

IF you ask the Indigenous 

Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, and 

other Biafra independence 

activists what they want, they will 

tell you they want a referendum 

to enable “the people” to 

separate from Nigerian and 

establish the Republic of Biafra. 

Ask them again who will 

organise the referendum, they 

will point towards the United 

Nations. They also believe the 

major Western powers, notably 

the United States, the United 

Kingdom and France, have the 

clout to put pressure on Nigeria’s 

rulers to allow “Biafra” to pull 

out of Nigeria. 

The assumption on their part is 

that once the referendum is 

granted, the “Biafrans” will vote 

overwhelmingly to get out of 

Nigeria. They believe it is as 

simple as peeling and eating 

banana. It is this naïve mindset 

that appears to drive the 

mentality of today’s promoters of 

the Biafra utopia. 

In truth, before you arrive at the 

portals of an independence 

referendum, the country from 

which you are breaking away has 

a BIG say in it. No power in the 

MANY have since concluded that the 

Federal Highways across the 

nation have become a metaphor for the 

worst of every situation. In the first part 

of this article, which appeared in Thisday 

Newspapers of August 28, 2009, page 16, 

we dwelt exhaustively on the Lagos-Benin 

Highway that was adjudged the worst 

road in Nigeria at the time. 

We have seen divergent views at the 

highest level. On August 6, 2007, Diezani 

Alison-Madueke, Minister of Transport, 

as she then was, wept profusely when she 

came face-to-face with the failed portions 

of the road. At the point of rationalisation, 

former President Goodluck Jonathan 

maintained that bad roads don’t cause 

accidents, perhaps oblivious of the fact 

that failed portions of any road are 

harbingers for armed robbers, 

extortionists, kidnappers and beggars. 

Our Highways have been getting 

incrementally worse, with portholes 

expanding to pigholes and more roads 

have become a lot worse than the Lagos- 

Benin Expressway, so-called. 

We recollect, with nostalgia, that in the 

Second Republic, a journey from Benin to 

Lagos took less than three hours of smooth 

drive; but today, that same journey has 

become a whole day’s punishment with 

hard labour. 

A few days back, a friend travelled from 

Abuja to Benin. Just before noon, he 

phoned to say he had reached Ekpoma. 

We were elated because ordinarily, he had 

less than 40 minutes to go. Little did he 

know that the journey had just begun. 

These roads now defy time-honoured 

rules of mathematics. In elementary 

Geometry, we learnt the theorem that a 

straight line is the shortest distance 

between two points; but not anymore. By 

today’s practice, a straight line between 

Ekpoma and Benin would take you from 

Ekpoma–Uromi–Igueben–Ebele–Ogua– 

world can impose an 

independence referendum on a 

country which is unwilling to let 

go of any of its part. Any such 

attempt could result in a war, 

which the pro-independence 

section must win to achieve its 

objectives. Which country will 

add to its own headaches to fight 

for your independence, except 

there is a strategic self-interest in 

it for them? 

For as long as the generality of 

Nigerians cling to the concept of 

the “indivisibility and 

indissolubility” of the Federal 

Republic of Nigeria, no section 

of this country will be allowed to 

break away. If any section of this 

tenuously “united” country is 

allowed to go (it does not matter 

if the area is as tiny as Ogoniland) 

the rest will suddenly develop 

unbearable appetites for 

independence, and no power can 

stop the disintegration of the 

country from that point. 

All sections of the Nigerian 

ruling class, the major Western 

powers and the United Nations 

know this all too well. They also 

know the implication of such 

chaos descending on a country 

Highways of endless death-traps 

Ujogba–Ugieghudu– Eguaeholor– 

Ugoneki–Benin - - an endless navigation! 

Lest we forget, our friend finally arrived 

Benin just before midnight. The main 

township road in Ekpoma is totally 

obliterated! 

For as long as we produce 

budgets that are 

operational only for an 

infinitesimal part of the 

budget year, naturally, we 

have no right to expect 

much improvements on 

our highways 

If only the Federal authorities realised 

the immeasurable damage they are doing 

to States and Localities by their 

negligence, they would have a rethink. 

The State roads are not built for those 

heavy articulated vehicles and equipment. 

But because of the negligence of the 

Federal authorities, their inadequacies 

end up being transferred to States. Just 

imagine how that beautiful road between 

Ugoneki and Ugieghudu and the 

Evbuobanosa–Oghada–Igbanke road 

built by the Edo State Government at 

enormous costs, have so soon been torn to 

shreds! And nobody is talking about that! 

The State governments will soon learn to 

put a charge on them. 

Travelling anywhere in Nigeria has 

become an ordeal, no thanks to the failure 

of Big Brother. The so-called East - West 

Highway has since become a mirage, only 

seen on the pages of budgets. The other 

day, we travelled from Port Harcourt to 

Benin. Just before entering into the Delta 

State belt at Patani, the road had caved in 

and was totally blocked. We had to 

of 180 million-strong 

population. They will do 

everything in their power to assist 

Nigeria to stay together or part 

ways only if they can find a 

peaceful means of doing so. 

Unlike the Scottish 

and Catalan cases 

Biafra is not a 

settled matter 

among the Igbo 

people let alone 

their neighbours 

within the former 

Eastern Region 

Another daunting issue which 

the Biafra movements have not 

convincingly settled is the vexed 

matter of “who” the Biafrans are. 

IPOB and many of its sister 

groups romantically assume that 

Biafra includes the South East 

and South-South (perhaps, 

excluding Edo State) and some 

parts of Benue State. Again, there 

is a big problem with this 

assumption. 

When the Military Governor of 

the defunct Eastern Region, Col. 

Chukwuemeka Odumegwu 

Ojukwu, declared the Republic of 

Biafra on 30th May 1967, he did 

so with the full mandate and 

backing of the leaders of all the 

ethnic groups in the Region. But 

meander our 

way back to the 

Owerri-Onitsha 

route. We later 

ran into a 

terrible gridlock 

at the 

bridgehead in 

Onitsha. A 

journey that was 

originally 

planned for 

Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2017- 31 

when the civil war started, the 

Igbo people were largely 

abandoned to carry that heavy 

cross, which they could not 

sustain against the mighty 

federal forces backed by the 

major Western and Arab powers 

(except France). 

While Mazi Nnamdi Kanu 

reigned supreme, he regularly 

received delegations from many 

Minority groups even outside the 

presumed catchment area of 

Biafra. Still a lot of Igbo and non- 

Igbo groups openly distanced 

themselves from the separatist 

agenda. Unlike the Scottish and 

Catalan cases Biafra is not a 

settled matter among the Igbo 

people let alone their neighbours 

within the former Eastern Region. 

The Igbo people are too deeply 

involved in the Nigerian project 

to voluntarily abandon it – once 

again – and resume from the 

scratch. Igbo people have a 

saying: jide nke I ji. Hold on to 

what you have achieved. They 

deride the okpata otufue people: 

those who throw away or waste 

their achievements. Though the 

Igbo man craves justice and 

equity within Nigeria or total 

freedom, he will no longer 

abandon what rightly belongs to 

him to other Nigerians out of 

rash emotional hoopla. 

It is against this background 

that I now address the Anambra 

election matter. In two days, the 

Anambra electorate will line up 

to vote for their next governor 

along with members of the State 

House of Assembly. IPOB, which 

had been mute since its 

proscription and designation as 

a “terrorist” group by 

Muhammadu Buhari’s 

some four hours ended up extracting more 

than 15 long hours from us. 

Those travelling from Benue to Edo 

State cannot celebrate being able to 

meander through the Ninth Mile axis in 

Enugu. They must wait till they get to 

Upper Iweka area of Onitsha. On a fairly 

busy day, they would be lucky if they spent 

just four hours on a single spot. 

Nigeria keeps repeating the same 

mistakes year after year. At the peak of 

these mistakes, we resort to what has 

become popularly known as palliative 

measures, which simply involve spreading 

sand and gravel over the portholes, only 

to be washed off by the first rain. To us, it 

is criminal to keep talking of palliative 

measures when we can provide 

permanent remedies – even where the 

palliative measures pay higher dividends 

to field practitioners. 

We have observed elsewhere that in the 

Southern part of Nigeria, the Federal 

Highways run across major rain forests; 

and road construction in these areas could 

be capital-intensive. We are reminded by 

the lessons of history that Europe and 

America have passed through similar 

experiences. We remember John McAdam 

(1756-1836) who invented the 

macadamized roads in which road cross 

sections were composed of compacted 

sub-grade of crushed rock designed to 

support the load, covered with surface of 

light stones to absorb wear and tear and 

shed water to the drainage ditches. People 

talk of the high cost and ask if we can 

Send Opinions & Letters to: 

opinions1234@yahoo.com 

government, has once again, 

called for a “boycott” of the vote. 

As usual, IPOB has not explained 

the gains of a boycott. Rather, 

because it successfully called for 

a sit-at-home protest on 30 th 

May this year, its leader, Mazi 

Nnamdi Kanu had assumed that 

a boycott of the Anambra poll 

would work. IPOB shut down 

Onitsha a few days ago in a 

reiteration of the call. 

I am hereby urging the good 

people of Anambra State to come 

out in their numbers and vote for 

a candidate of their choice out of 

the 37 odd governorship 

aspirants, as well as legislative 

candidates. The boycott call is 

foolish in the extreme. It will 

produce no positive result. Even 

if the candidates and their family 

members alone come out to vote, 

backed up by their strong 

supporters throughout the state, 

all it requires is a simple majority 

and 25 per cent of votes cast in 

14 local government areas and a 

new governor will emerge. 

Even if the boycott call is 

heeded, the All Progressives 

Congress, APC, Federal 

Government will merely install 

an unpopular governor; a 

governor that is elected in spite 

of IPOB will emerge. He will 

have the grudge motive to treat 

IPOB and its adherents as 

political enemies in cahoots with 

the Federal agencies and 

instruments of coercion. 

IPOB is on its own in the call 

for the Anambra poll boycott. All 

well meaning Igbo people should 

listen to Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo on 

all matters concerning their 

interests within the Nigerian 

commonwealth. 

afford it. Of course, it is affordable if only 

we steal less and work more in the interest 

of this nation. There is an aspect of 

macadamization by the Imo River 

between Port Harcourt and Aba, which 

was provided during the colonial era. 

Every part of the system is interwoven. 

We do not require any cult of experts to 

tell us that our bad roads are products of 

poor budget cycles. For as long as we 

have budgets that are approved into the 

heart of the rainy season when public 

works are on hold; and for as long as we 

produce budgets that are operational only 

for an infinitesimal part of the budget year, 

naturally, we have no right to expect much 

improvements on our highways. 

Need we say, therefore, that we have 

missed it again this time around? The 

2018 Appropriation Bill has just been 

presented to the National Assembly. This 

is coming too little too late! Those calling 

on the National Assembly to pass the Bill 

before the end of the year are ignorant of 

the budgetary process; hence they are 

trying to stampede the National Assembly 

into doing a shoddy job and to rubberstamp 

the Budget. In real terms, no magic 

will produce the 2018 Appropriation Act 

before May 2018! 

Above all, the Nigerian transportation 

system can only be developed within an 

integrated context. If we must have 

enduring roads, this is the time to add 

meaning to the development of our 

Railways which will remove some of the 

strains on the roads. 

C 

M 

Y 

K

32–Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2017 

YOUR LUCK TODAY 

By Joshua Adeyemo Phone 08056180139 

LIBRA: Whatever anybody says or does, you will have both 

your say and way. Venus and Jupiter may tempt some of you 

to embrace illicit (or secret) romance within your base of operation. 

SCORPIO: Venus and Jupiter at positive angles may tempt 

you to join some of your friends who are already onboard of 

merry making train. Watch your health. 

SAGITTARIUS: Minor financial success you record today 

can lead to something bigger and good in the near future; as 

good luck will smile at many and induce love of luxury, merry, 

making and romantic association. Genuine lovers will need to 

be on guard against deceit from new admirers. 

CAPRICORN: Both financial success and emotional satisfaction 

are closed to you than before. Those of you travelling 

because of maters-of-the-heart are in for an exciting romantic 

day Those ambitious career-wise will succeed after few 

struggles. 

AQUARIUS: Many members of your opposite sex will go 

out of their ways to attract your romantic interest. This is the 

wrong time to engage on unnecessary argument. Been your 

lucky day you are expected to take good advantage today. 

PISCES: If you priority is love, much of it would come your 

way as desired. But here is a better day for more ambitious in 

the business world. Don’t allow anybody to deceive you over 

money. 

ARIES: Those of you with secret admirers within your working 

area will have the needed opportunities to make the 

needed moves. Resist the temptation to deceive others. 

TAURUS: Although matters-of-the-heart may give you cause 

to smile broadly, if care is not taken, you would cause friction 

that can’t help you r case at work. This is the wrong time for 

unnecessary scheming within your working arena. 

GEMINI: Those of your who are red-blooded for romance 

may have an exciting and satisfying day. Happenings within 

your social circles must be taken more seriously. 

L E I S U R E 

THOUGHT FOR TODAY 

“Cherish every day. Yes, laugh, sing, play and remember to find time to pray. Enjoy the cool 

breeze or the rays of the sun. Smile and tell someone you love them. Yes, cherish every day 

before the days pass away.” 

Written in 2013 by Janice Harris — Florida 

Take time to live and enjoy your life. It is a gift not to be taken lightly. Cherish it and make 

good use of it. 

“I always welcome obstacles and try to solve them in an awesome manner. Never treat 

obstacles as problems but treat them as a game and in the such game, play like a Winner 

because YOU DESERVE IT.” 

Written in 2014 by Amit Mane — India 

Keep in mind obstacles arises to test your confidence. Therefore your confidence must be 

strong enough to claim your success. 

TERROR MUDA in “Never say goodbye” 

By Kola Fayemi 

CANCER: Confrontation may come your way in the circle 

but the heavens are working favourably for you. Some doses of 

romance is not too much for you on a day like this. 

LEO: Provided you don’t allow your innate ability to be as 

diplomatic as necessary desert you, things work favourably for 

you to the betterment of your finances. 

KAPTAIN AFRIKA in “Pretty Lunatic’ By Andy Akman 

VIRGO: Many of you will be in sentimental mood and exhibit 

strong romantic desire openly. But then, if care is not 

taken, you may be carried away to the detriment of your finances. 

Serious minded lovers are in for happy day. 

ASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLING 

Send your date and place of birth to the Astr 

trological 

Counselling, P.M.B 100 

007, Apapa, Lagos 

What’s my Horoscope? 

Dear Joshua, 

I want you to give me my comprehensive horoscope, especially 

what my special gift is. 

Which day of the week was I born? Where were my natal planets 

and their meanings? Who am I? 

Kayode, Abuja 

Dear Kayode, 

There is no space for comprehensive horoscope but what you’ll 

have here -under is answer to your questions/ You were born on a 

Thursday and your special gift is LEADERSHIP quality. 

YOUR HOROSCOPE DATA 

Day Of Birth: Thursday 

Sun Sign: Virgo: Sun in 20th Degree of Virgo 

Moon Sign: PISCES: Moon on 10th Degree of Pisces 

Mercury in 16th Degree of Libra 

Venues in 5th Degree of Scorpio 

Mars in 13th Degree of Cancer 

Jupiter in 6th Degree of Pisces 

Saturn in 5th Degree of Aquarius 

Uranus in 2nd Degree of Virgo 

Neptune in 11th Degree of Scorpio 

Pluto in 10th Degree of Virgo 

North Node in 6th Degree of Leo 

South Node in 6th Degree of Aquarius 

Quality and Element 

Cardinal and air star signs hosted two planets each fixed and 

earth three each, no planet in fire while mutable and water star signs 

hosted five planets each. 

Push-full influence = 20% 

Non- push-full element = 80% 

Final dispositor = Lucky Jupiter 

General Analysis 

Just 20 per cent of push-full influence in your chart can deceptively 

present you to others as a soft (or even timid) person but 

practical Virgo that hosted nothing less than three heavenly bodies 

when you were born and Astrological aspects between Mercury 

(mental focus) and aggressive Mars in you r chart are pointers to the 

contrary. 

Yes! You are highly intelligent and your mind works the same way 

detective’s minds do. It is true, there are little contradictions between 

your inner self and your emotional being as indicated quality, water 

element and Virgo characteristics. 

One moment, you can be very emotional, exhibiting temper with 

stinging tongue but a few hour later you are amiable, easy going, 

friendly and compassionate. You are the adaptable type who will 

see changes as sources of good opportunities. 

LEADERSHIP quality is one of your greatest gifts from God. 

placement of your natal sun (basic-selfhood) and moon (your emotional 

being) in Virgo and Pisces respectively mean that characteristics 

of both Virgo and Pisces are highly pronounced in your innerself. 

VIRGINIA 

HOME & ABROAD 

dadadekola@yahoo.com 

By Lawrence Akapa



Alleged coronation of Pere of Olodiama 

Kingdom sacrilegious —Oba Ewuare II 

By Simon 

Ebegbulem 

EDO 

State 

Government and 

the Benin Traditional 

Council, BTC, have 

described as abominable 

and sacrilegious, the 

purported coronation of 

Pere of Olodiama 

Kingdom, an Ijaw 

community in Ovia 

North-East Local 

Government Area of Edo 

State, asserting that the 

entire Edo South 

senatorial district is an 

enclave of the Oba of 

Benin, Oba Ewuare II, 

and no other person. 

Consequently, Governor 

Godwin Obaseki has 

ordered the arrest and 

investigation of all those 

involved in the purported 

coronation, declaring that 

it was another attempt to 

cause crisis in the state, 

which according to him, 

will be resisted. 

It would be recalled that 

one Godwin Oguyenbo 

was being congratulated 

as the Pere of Olodiama 

Kingdom. 

Reacting swiftly, the 

BTC, led by the Iyase of 

Benin, Chief Sam Igbe, 

the Esoagban of Benin, 

Chief David Edebiri, who 

addressed journalists, 

yesterday, said: “Ovia 

North East Local 

Government Area is 

under the authority of the 

•As Obaseki orders arrest of Oguyenbo, others 

Militant group threatens attack on SPDC facilities 

By Tare Youdeowei 

SUPREME Egbesu 

Tigers of Africa, a 

militant group in the 

Niger Delta region, 

yesterday, threatened to 

attack oil and gas facilities 

belonging to Shell 

Petroleum Development 

Company, SPDC, in 

Ekeremor Local 

Government Area of 

Bayelsa State, for 

allegedly neglecting the 

local content law in the 

state. 

The group, in a 

statement by its 

spokesperson, Mr. 

Ogoun Tensighan, also 

issued two weeks 

ultimatum to the company 

to involve the Amabuluo 

Federated Communities 

in its operational activities 

in the area, failure of 

which it would carry out 

its threat. 

Describing the attacks 

by the Niger Delta 

Avengers as "child's play" 

compared to its planned 

Oba of Benin. 

“We only have one 

monarch in Edo South 

senatorial district, that is 

the Oba of Benin. The 

title Pere of Olodiama 

Kingdom does not exist. 

Gelegele is under the 

overlordship of the Oba of 

Benin and there cannot 

be two monarchs in 

Benin. We are advising 

the Pere of Gbaramatu, 

Delta State, to avoid 

falling foul of the relevant 

laws of Edo State. 

“The Ijaw people in 

Gelegele are free to live 

in the area just as other 

ethnic groups that live in 

attack, Tensighan said: 

"The silence of the group 

should not be taken for 

granted as we are 

determined to make the 

region uninhabitable for 

the oil company to 

operate. 

"We have watched with 

patience the impudence 

of some individuals from 

Egbemagalabri 

that axis. Any attempt to 

lay claim to non-existent 

title and community or 

village under any guise 

would be totally resisted. 

We call on law 

enforcement agencies to 

fully investigate and 

arrest those that are 

behind this abominable 

and sacrilegious act.” 

Also, the state 

government, in a 

statement by the 

Secretary to the 

Government, Osarodion 

Ogie, said: “The claim of 

such a non-existent title in 

a non-existent community 

under any guise is a clear 

community to undermine 

the people of Amabulou 

Federated Communities. 

"Job slots and benefits 

for the people of 

Amabulou are being 

diverted by these 

individuals while the 

original owners of the 

land where the oil is being 

explored are suffering. 

"It is based on this that 

and pre-meditated 

breach of our laws, particularly 

the Traditional 

Rulers and Chiefs Law of 

Edo State which sets out 

the lists of all recognized 

traditional rulers and 

chiefs of Edo state. 

“The said law further 

makes it a criminal offence 

for any person to 

recognize or purport to 

install any person as a 

traditional ruler except as 

provided for under the 

law and in fact makes it 

an offence for any 

unqualified person to 

present or permit himself 

to be so addressed.’’ 

VISIT: From left: Charter President, Rotary Mega Club of Lagos Island, 

Vinod Gard; District 9110 Governor, Rotary International, Dr. Adewale 

Ogunbadejo, his wife, Ann; the Club's President, Sanjeev Tandon and his 

wife, Geetika, at the presentation of a gift to the District 9110 Governor, Dr. 

Ogunbadejo, during his official working visit to the club. 

we are issuing this two 

weeks ultimatum. This is 

not a threat, we have 

already alerted SPDC 

and the security 

operatives in the Niger 

Delta region of our 

intentions and no 

measure of security 

measure would 

undermine our attack if 

SPDC fails to see reason." 

Ogoni clean-up: HYPREP begins selection of firms 

By Davies 

Iheamnachor 

THE Hydrocarbon 

P o l l u t i o n 

Remediation Project, 

HYPREP, yesterday, 

disclosed that it has 

commenced the selection 

process for companies 

that would be involved 

in the cleanup of 

Ogoniland. 

The body responsible 

for the remediation 

process also dismissed 

claims that the clean-up 

had not begun, noting 

that the process 

commenced months ago. 

The Project 

Coordinator, HYPREP, 

Dr. Marvin Dekil, 

explained that the 

project coordination unit 

has started the selection 

of companies that would 

be involved in the 

setting up of emergency 

facilities for the clean-up 

of oil impacted 

communities of Ogoni. 

Dekil, who was 

represented by 

HYPREP’s Head of 

Communications, Issa 

Wassa, while sensitizing 

people of Kpean and 

Buan communities in 

Khana Local 

Government Area of the 

state, called for 

cooperation among the 

communities to allow for 

a hitch-free clean up of 

the impacted areas. 

Dekil assured that Local 

Content Laws would be 

strictly followed during 

the entire clean up 

exercise, adding that the 

communities would be 

carried along in the 

process. 

Ika stakeholders declare support 

for Okowa, honour Ofume 

By Victor Ahiuma- 

Young 

P 

E 

O P L E S 

Democratic Party, 

PDP, stakeholders in Ika 

South Local Government 

Area of Delta State have 

honoured the immediate 

past Chairman of Ika South 

Local Government Area, 

LGA, Mr. Fred Ofume, 

even as they declared 

support for the re-election 

of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa 

in 2019. 

Operating on the aegis of 

the “Bridge Builders”, they 

commended both Governor 

Okowa and Ofume for their 

efforts at bringing 

development to the area 

Speaking at the ceremony 

held at the residence of the 

convener of the group, Mr. 

Peter Idion, which was 

IPND announces new leadership, 

to promote devt in N-Delta 

By Dare Oso 

A BUJA—THE 

Indigenous People 

of Niger Delta, IPND, 

yesterday, announced new 

leadership that will pilot its 

affairs in the country and 

Diaspora for the tenure they 

will be in office. 

In a statement by the 

National Spokesman, 

IPND, Mr. Ogbonnaya 

Ugwu, IPND stated that 

the new leadership will 

always engage the 

government, other 

stakeholders and 

indigenes of the Niger 

Delta selflessly, because the 

interest and development 

of the people comes first on 

its agenda. 

He said: “IPND, a sociopolitical 

group established 

to advocate for the rights of 

the people from the states 

of the Niger Delta region 

in line with the UN Charter 

Jeddo group donates education 

materials to school 

JEDDO Stakeholders 

Forum has donated 

sets of chairs and desks to 

Jeddo Secondary School, 

Okpe Local Government 

Area, Delta State, as part of 

their quota to the 

development of Jeddo 

community, saying that, the 

human and capital 

development of the 

community is the forum’s 

priority. 

President of the forum, 

Mr James Umukoro, who 

made the donation stated 

that they arrived at the 

choice of the chairs and 

desks as this year’s project 

when they visited the 

school last year in the 

course of selecting students 

attended by no fewer than 

3,000 members and other 

pressure groups within the 

PDP family in the area, the 

Chairman of the group, Mr. 

Chuks Emuebie said the 

reception organized in 

honour of Ofume was in 

appreciation of his 

contributions to the growth 

and development of the 

local government during 

his tenure in office and to 

formally welcome him into 

the group. 

While urging Ofume to 

sustain his contributions for 

societal growth and 

development, Emuebie 

disclosed that the members 

of the Bridge Builders were 

committed towards 

overwhelming victory for 

Governor Okowa in the 

2019 gubernatorial election. 

on indigenous people has 

elected its new leadership 

that will dialogue with 

government and other 

stakeholders. 2017. 

“They are: President 

General, Tiemo Pumokumo 

(Delta State); Vice 

President, Amaka Kalu 

(Abia State); National 

Secretary, Harcourt Benny 

Emeka (Rivers State); 

National Treasurer, 

Emmanuel O. Useh (Delta 

State), National 

Spokesman, Hon Ugwu 

Ogbonnaya (Ebonyi State), 

National Women Leader, 

Arinze Patience (Anambra 

State), National Youth 

Leader, Josiah Kemefa 

(Bayelsa State); National 

Financial Secretary, Okuta 

Ejimorwan (Cross River 

State); National Public 

Relations Officer /Publicity 

Secretary, Siloko James 

(Delta-Edo), among others. 

for scholarship programme. 

He revealed that some of 

the students were sitting on 

bare floor, a situation which 

is not conducive for 

effective learning. 

According to him “This is 

to demonstrate our 

commitment towards the 

educational advancement 

of our community. JSF is 

driven by a vision to 

contribute meaningfully to 

the socio-economic 

development of Jeddo 

community” 

The Principal, Mrs Pat 

Origho while receiving the 

materials on behalf of the 

school, expressed 

gratitude to the forum for


:Vanguard 

News 

Buhari to Ndigbo: My appointments 

based on merit, track record 

•MASSOB faults his ‘campaign’ promises to Ndigbo 

By Dennis Agbo 

& Peter Okutu 

A BAKALIKI— 

P r e s i d e n t 

Muhammadu Buhari, 

Tuesday night, in Abakaliki 

explained that many 

appointees in his 

administration were 

appointed purely on merit 

and proven track records. 

Speaking at a state dinner 

organised in his honour, 

President Buhari 

emphasised that he always 

considered what was best for 

the country in his decisions. 

He said: “Some of the 

people holding high 

positions in the government, 

like my ministers, will tell you 

that I didn’t know them from 

Adam. I just came across 

their names from the records 

and I worked with the 

records. I thank God that I 

have a very good team.” 

The president commended 

Governor David Umahi for his 

developmental strides in the 

state, saying: “The absolute 

commitment of the governor 

to his position is very 

remarkable and I am very 

impressed.” 

Buhari, while expressing 

gratitude to God and the 

people of Ebonyi State for 

recognising his modest 

contributions to the country, 

described Nigeria as a great 

country with incredible 

resources and highly talented 

people. 

MASSOB faults 

Buhari’s ‘campaign’ 

promises to Ndigbo 

But in a contrary 

development, Movement 

for the Actualization of 

Sovereign State of Biafra, 

MASSOB, has described 

Buhari‘s promises to Ndigbo 

at Abakaliki as campaign 

promises, aimed at fooling the 

people once again. 

MASSOB also said it 

amounted to insult for the 

President to have said his 

visit to Igboland in two years 

of his administration was a 

proof that he loved South- 

East people. 

The group noted that for 

Buhari to describe Biafra 

agitation as a senseless and 

laughable propaganda 

shows how uncomfortable his 

government is and exposed 

his level of understanding. 

MASSOB National 

Director for Publicity, 

Comrade Samuel Edeson, 

said it was ironical for 

President Buhari to ask 

leaders to lead by example, 

“yet he, Mr. President, has 

shown us the example by 

displaying hatred with 

passion against Ndigbo. 

“It’s like Mr. President did 

not understand the tolerance 

and acceptance of diversity 

when the Fulani herdsmen 

are killing, destroying 

people’s farmlands and 

burning houses. Mr. 

President merely called them 

criminals. 

“The Arewa youths gave 

quit notice to Ndigbo, they 

were addressed as youths. 

But when we said that we are 

no longer interested in the 


political entity called Nigeria, 

we became terrorists. Soldiers 

invaded our land killing our 

people and destroying our 

property and Mr. President 

called it tolerance and 

acceptance.” 

MASSOB said that 

President Buhari’s promise to 

build Enyimba/Nnewi auto 

park was nothing but political 

propaganda, aimed at 

deceiving Biafrans. 

“Mr. President also said 

that he stands on inçlusivity 

and will not leave any section 

or citizens behind. That is 

called a very grand lie from 

Mr. President. 

“MASSOB wants to make 

it clear that construction of 

second Niger bridge, 

reconstruction of all the roads 

in ala Igbo (Igboland) cannot 

change our desire for Biafra 

restoration." 

CONFERENCE: From left: Ogechukwu Anozie, Brand Manager 

Pepsodent, Unilever; Dame Paulen Tallen, former Deputy Governor, 

Plateau State, representing Mrs. Aisha Buhari, wife of the President; 

Ahmed Yakasai, President, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, PSN; 

Lady Nnenna Vivian Okechukwu, wife of Deputy Governor, Abia 

State; and Mrs Gloria Modupe Chukwuma, former Director of Foods 

& Drug Services, Federal Ministry of Health, at PSN Conference, in 

Abia. 

Obiano, Nwoye’s constituents welcome 

Ojukwu jnr's defection to APC; endorse 

Nwoye 

•He is a prodigal son of APGA —Oye 

•Nwoye'll transform Anambra — Obende 


& Enyim Enyim 

STAKEHOLDERS in 

Anambra East/West 

Federal Constituency, 

home of Governor Willie 

Obiano and All 


APC, governorship 

candidate, Dr. Tony Nwoye, 

have welcomed the 

defection of Chief 

Chukwuemeka Ojukwu 

Jnr. to the APC, saying it is 

an indictment on the poor 

governance of the 

incumbent governor. 

The stakeholders under 

the canopy of Anambra East/ 

West Political Forum in a 

statement in Awka, 

yesterday, said the defection 

was also reflective of the 

good deeds of Nwoye and 

the bad governance of 

Obiano. 

The statement issued by 

the coordinator, Chief Peter 

Anekwe said: 

“What happened at 

today’s campaign rally of 

the APC, best reflects the 

mind of our people on our 

two sons contesting this 

weekend’s governorship 

election and the significance 

cannot be lost on us. 

“Two of our sons are 

contesting for the election 

and we dare say that the 

incumbent has done very 

badly and it is shown by the 

spate of defections from his 

party, APGA, to other parties 

and notably All Progressives 

Congress, APC. 

“That the son of our eternal 

hero who bears the torch of 

the Ojukwu family has left 

APGA to join the APC is 

indicative of the fact that 

everyone, everywhere in 

Anambra State has seen the 

failures of our son, Obiano". 

He is prodigal son 

of APGA—Oye 

Ojukwu declarartion for 

APC went simultaneously 

with a press conference by 

a factional national 

chairman of APGA, Chief 

Victor Ike Oye, where he 

described Ojukwu as a 

prodigal son of APGA. 

“That Emeka Ojukwu jnr 

is joining APC does not 

matter to APGA. It is not a 

big deal. He is insignificant. 

He is a prodigal son of 

APGA for now. After the 

election on Saturday and 

APC fails, he will come back 

to APGA and we will accept 

him back." 

Oye also confirmed that the 

security detail of the state 

governor, Chief Willie 

Obiano that was withdrawn 

three days ago had been 

restored. 

Nwoye'll transform 

Anambra State 

— Obende 

In a related development, 

former Vice Chairman, 

Senate Committee on the 

Federal Capital Territory, 

FCT, Senator Domingo 

Obende, has described 

APC governorship 

candidate, Nwoye, as the 

best choice for the state. 

Speaking with Vanguard, 

Obende, who noted that 

Nwoye will transform the 

state, said he has what it 

takes to deliver on the 

promises for his people, 

especially against the 

backdrop of where he is 

coming from as a grassroots 

person, who understands 

the needs of the people. 

He scored the APGA 

government in Anambra 

State low in performance, 

blaming Governor Obiano 

for failing to address the 

state’s pressing needs. 

Labour decries worsening 

conditions of workers 

By Denis Agbo 

ENUGU— Association of 

Senior Civil Servants of 

Nigeria, ASCSN, has raised 

the alarm over the worsening 

living conditions of workers 

and other Nigerians, and 

urged the Federal 

Government to constitute a 

panel to negotiate a new 

national minimum wage 

without further delay. 

Speaking in Enugu at the 

National Executive Council, 

NEC, meeting of the 

association, its President, 

Bobboi Kaigama, lamented 

that “the massive 

devaluation of the naira has 

made nonsense of the take 

home pay of an average 

Nigerian worker, particularly 

the civil servants.” 

Kaigama, who was 

represented by Bola-Audu 

Innocent, a Vice President of 

the body, said: “Monthly 

...Nnewi agog as NGO 

campaigns against violence 

By Etop Ekanem 

NNEWI, the second 

largest industrial and 

commercial city in Anambra 

State, was agog, yesterday, 

as a Non Governmental 

Organisation, NGO, United 

for Zero Election Violence, 

UZV, stormed the city to 

preach non-violence ahead 

of the November 18, 2017 

governorship election. 

Co-Founder of the NGO, 

Chief Chima Onwuzulike, 

led other members of the 

NGO at a rally, which 

started with a road show, 

and lasted for over four 

hours and rounded off at 

the popular Nkwo triangle 

in Nnewi. 

Speaking at the Nkwo 

triangle, Onwuzulike said 

the rally was the Anambra 

South Senatorial District 

emoluments of workers can 

no longer take them to the 

bus stop let alone taking them 

home. The current 

minimum wage of N18,000 

came into force in March, 

2014, meaning that it is long 

overdue for re-negotiation. 

"It is worthy of note that the 

Palliative Committee set up 

by the Federal Government 

to fashion out measures to 

cushion the effect of 

petroleum price increase on 

the people had since 

concluded its assignment 

and established the 

framework for the 

negotiation of a new national 

minimum wage. 

"We ,therefore, appeal to 

the Federal Government to, 

as a matter of urgency, 

inaugurate the panel to do 

the negotiation so that a new 

national minimum wage for 

the country can be arrived at 

in the next few months.” 

Anambra poll: Onitsha 

community assures Obiano 

By Chimaobi 

Nwaiwu 

NNEWI—THE people 

of Onitsha, the 

commercial city of Anambra 

State, have assured Governor 

Willie Obiano of their 100 per 

cent vote to ensure his land 

slide victory in the Saturday 

November 18, 2017 


It will be recalled that the 

traditional ruler of Onitsha, 

and chairman, Anambra State 

Council of Traditional 

Rulers, His Royal Majesty, 

Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe had 

in his recently concluded 

16th Ofala Festival, disclosed 

the endorsement of Governor 

Obiano for second tenure by 

the Anambra State Council of 

Traditional Rulers, for his 

administration's support to 

the traditional rulers. 

However, the assurance by 

the people of Onitsha was 

given by a member of Ndichie 

Okwa/Okwareze and Omodi 

Daike of Onitsha, Chief Albert 

Ibekwe; national organizing 

secretary of All Progressive 

Grand Alliance, APGA,Chief 

Mike Kwentor; member 

representing Onitsha North 

Local Government 1 

Constituency, in Anambra 

State House of Assembly, 

Chugbo Enwezor, all from 

Onitsha. 

Assurances also came 

from chairman, Willie’s Work 

Force, WWF, Traffic section, 

and Onitsha North Traffic 

Agency, ONTA, Mr. Douglas 

Nwachukwu Egbuna, and 

General Commandant WWF, 

Mr Obinna Ajegbu, during 

the carnival organised by 

WWF in Onitsha in honour 

of Governor Obiano who they 

assured of their 100 per cent 

votes. 

version of campaign 

against election fraud and 

election violence initiated 

by the NGO to ensure that 

the governorship election in 

Anambra State is free from 

fraud and violence, noting 

that they have gone round 

the major towns in the 

district distributing 

handbills to sell their 

message. 

Corroborating, cofounder, 

National 

Programme Director of the 

NGO, Udoji Amedu, 

explained that the NGO 

had already held similar 

rally in Awka, the state 

capital for Anambra Central 

Senatorial District and in 

Aguleri for Anambra North 

Senatorial District 

respectively, adding that 

the Nnewi version was the 

grand finale.



Drug abuse: NDLEA seals 3 patient 

medicine stores, arrest 108 in Katsina 

By Bashir Bello within the last three sativa was seized, which five are undergoing 

K 

months, also said the 48.159kgs of psychotropic long term counseling.” 

I L O R I N — 

GOVERNOR 

ATSINA State agency has arrested about substances (Diazepam, Sani called for the 

Abdulfatah Ahmed of 

command of National 108 suspects and seized Exol and Tramadol) were cooperation of government 

Kwara State said, 

Drug Law Enforcement 101.71kg of illicit drugs. also seized, while 49.7 litres agencies, NGOs, 

yesterday, that his 

Agency, NDLEA, Sani said of the 108 of cough syrup with traditional and religious 

administration has 

yesterday, sealed off three suspects arrested, four were codeine (translating to 497 institutions, parents and 

disbursed about N1 

patient medicine stores as females, while 11 were bottles) were also teachers to succeed in the 

billion to 500 smallholders 

farmers and 40 

part of effort to reduce drug students of tertiary impounded. The total of fight against illicit drug 

trafficking and abuse in the institutions and secondary seizure is thus 101.71 trafficking and abuse. 

commercial farmers in the 

state. 

schools, with three of them kilogrammes. 

He noted that “the threat 

state. 

The State Commander of underage. 

“Ninety suspects were of drug abuse is real, 

Besides, he said, 381 

NDLEA, Maryam Sani, She said: “During the referred to our drug especially in the Northern 

kilometres of rural roads 

who disclosed this while at period under review, demand reduction unit for region. It is a great danger 

will be rehabilitated in 

a briefing on it activities 53.5521kgs of cannabis counselling session, out of to our youths.” 

2018 under the Rural 

Access and Agricultural 

Marketing Project, 

RAAMP, in partnership 

with the World Bank and 

the Federal Government. 

Speaking at the 

opening of the 2nd 

CORONATION: From left— Oba of Ikateland, Oba Saheed Ademola Elegushi; Obateru of 

Egun, Oba Hakeem Adeoriyomi Oyebo; Elejigbo of Langbasa, Oba Hafeez Olakunle Badiru, and the 

Adegboruwa of Igbogboland, Oba Semiudeen Orimadegun Kasali, at the grand finale coronation 

reception ceremony of Oba Hafeez Olakunle Badiru in Ajah, Lagos. 

Don’t set S-South against S-West, Bode George 

warns PDP stakeholders 

LEADING contestant to 

the national 

chairmanship of Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP, 

By Marie-Therese 

Nanlong 

JOS—AS tension mounts 

in Kanam Local 

Government Area of 

Plateau State over 

rumoured cancellation of 

last Saturday’s All 


APC, councillorship 

primaries, party leaders in 

the locality have appealed 

for calm, saying there was 

no such plan in the offing. 

It will be recalled that the 

By Boluwaji 

Obahopo 

LOKOJA—KOGI State 

internally-generated 

revenue, IGR, has hit N1 

billion monthly, Executive 

Chairman of Kogi State 

Internal Revenue Service, 

KGIRS, Dr. Yakubu Oseni, 

has stated. 

Oseni said this, yesterday 

in Lokoja, while speaking 

with members of the 

By Bartholomew 

Madukwe 

Chief Olabode George, has 

Rumours of APC primaries' 

cancellation raise tension in Plateau 

party’s councillorship 

primaries, conducted to 

produce candidates for the 

February 2018 local 

government elections, had 

been marred by complains, 

despite the party’s claim 

that the exercise was a 

success. 

Rumours from Kanam 

council have it that the 

party is set for a repeat of 

the exercise in the locality, 

when names of successful 

candidates had already 

be sent to the party’s 

Kogi's IGR hits N1bn monthly 

Correspondent Chapel of 

Nigeria Union of 

Journalists, NUJ, Kogi 

State chapter, adding 

“before we took over, the 

state was generating N300 

million monthly; but now 

we have hit one billion 

naira on the average, after 

blocking all the leakages.” 

He said though the state 

governor gave the agency 

N3 billion monthly targets, 

but the recession in the 

appealed to elders and 

other stakeholders of the 

party not to allow the 

election set the South- 

South and the South-West 

zones against each other. 

headquarters in Jos. 

However, the Deputy 

Speaker of the state 

House of Assembly, Mr. 

Saleh Yipmong, the 

immediate past Deputy 

Speaker, Yusuf Gagdi, 

and a party chieftain, 

Amos Gizo, who are from 

the local government, 

yesterday, insisted that 

there will be no such 

thing, as they were only 

expecting the 

chairmanship primaries, 

billed for this Saturday. 

country was one of the 

reasons the agency was yet 

to meet its target. 

He, however, decried the 

nonchalant attitude of the 

citizen towards tax 

payment, saying only 

400,000 persons, 

including both the state 

and local government 

workers, are paying tax; 

half of the figure, he said, 

were not consistent in 

their payment. 

He made the appeal 

while addressing party 

stakeholders at PDP state 

secretariat in Calabar, Cross 

River State, Tuesday, in 

continuation of his 

nationwide campaign tour. 

He said the decision of 

PDP leadership to throw the 

chairmanship and deputy 

chairmanship elections 

open to all comers from the 

two zones was like pitching 

brothers against one 

another other. 

He added that the 

situation could have been 

avoided by encouraging 

dialogue and negotiation to 

arrive at a mutuallybeneficial 

decision on 

where each of the positions 

should go, without rancour. 

He said the people of the 

South-West and South- 

South zones had always 

worked together for the 

good of the country, 

adding that this election 

should not be allowed to 

divide them. 

Responding, the state 

chairman of the party, 

Chief Ntufam Inok, 

commended George for 

his unflinching loyalty 

and support for the party 

during its crisis. 

He noted that some 

aspirants had visited the 

state, stressing that it was 

only George, who came to 

the party secretariat to 

meet with the people. 

540 Kwara farmers get N1bn 

By Demola 

Akinyemi 

Bounce News wins 

AppsAfrica award 

BOUNCE News App 

has been declared 

winner of the 2017 

AppsAfrica Best News 

and Entertainment App 

Award . 

The AppsAfrica awards 

ceremony, held in Cape 

Town, South Africa, last 

week, recognises 

innovation in the tech 

ecosystem across Africa, 

and is supported by 

Mobile Monday South 

Africa and Mobile 

Ecosystem Forum, MEF. 

The award adds to the 

growing collection of 

Bounce News’ laurels 

and also underlines its 

fast-rising profile as 

Nigeria’s leading online 

news destination. 

Accepting the award on 

behalf of Bounce News, 

Modupe Ogunyemi, 

thanked the organisers 

for recognising Bounce 

NAF, FUTA deepen partnership 

THE Nigerian Air 

Force, NAF, and 

Federal University of 

Technology, Akure, 

FUTA, have put in place 

a machinery to further 

deepen their relationship 

towards sustaining an 

existing Memorandum of 

Understanding, MoU, 

and other allied 

collaborations in the 

areas of engineering, 

meteorology and digital 

sciences. 

The MoU, part of which 

include maintenance 

and repairs of NAF 

aircraft, signed about five 

years ago, allowed 

FUTA’s engineers to be 

deployed to join a team 

that repaired some NAF 

aircraft in Port Harcourt. 

Leading a team from 

the Air Force High 

Command to explore 

Harmony Agriculture 

International Fair, HAGIF, 

at Banquet Hall, Ilorin, the 

governor said the smallholder 

farmers were also 

provided access to 2,550 

hectares of land across the 

state. 

He said Off-Takers 

Demand Driving 

Agriculture, ODDA, 

scheme was a programme 

formulated to drive 

employment, boost food 

production and diversify 

the state’s economy. 

Earlier, Chairman of 

Harmony Holdings, 

Professor Halidu 

Abubakar, said with the 

state government's 

support, the company 

gave out loans to over 100 

cooperative societies and 

1,000 farmers. 

News Apps’ excellence in 

delivering personalised 

news to its users within 

Nigeria and across the 

world. 

She pledged that the 

company will maintain the 

higher standards set in 

producing original news 

content, while tailoring the 

app’s content to suit 

individual user 

preferences, pointing out 

that Bounce News has 

been nominated for the 

World Architectural News 

Award, WAN, the largest 

international architecture 

award programme. 

Meanwhile, Bounce, 

established eight months 

ago, attributed its digital 

innovation and superior 

news gathering technique, 

which leverages artificial 

intelligence to provide 

Nigerians with 

personalised content. 

ways of deepening the 

collaboration, Chief of Air 

Staff, Air Marshal Sadique 

Abubakar, represented by 

Chief of Standard and 

Evaluation, NAF 

headquarters, Air Vice 

Marshall Kingsley Lar, 

stated the readiness of 

NAF to tap into FUTA’s 

expertise in areas of the 

university’s core 

competence. 

Responding, FUTA’s 

Vice-Chancellor, 

Professor Joseph 

Fuwape, said the 

institution has the 

capacity to collaborate 

with NAF and several 

reputable organisations, 

adding that the Force 

can benefit from FUTA’s 

technical know-how in 

climate science, space 

research and applications, 

and allied fields.


PRESENTATION: From left— Sales Director, Euro Global Foods 

and Distilleries Limited, Mr. Felix Aighobahi; MD, Shina Stores, star-prize 

winner, Mr. & Mrs Andrew Onyike; COO, Mr. Ashok Manghnani; Group 

MD, Mr. Ajai Musaddi, both of Sona Group of Industries; Marketing Manager, 

EG, Mr. Devanshu Seth; Managing Director, Euro Global Foods & Distilleries 

Ltd., Mr. Manish Uniyal, and Regional Sales Manager, EG, East, Mr. Bolaji 

Lasisi, at the presentation of prizes to winners in Lagos. 

AWARD: Chief Executive Officer, Globe Gate West Africa Nigeria limited, 

Mr. Kenneth Okoro-Obi (left), recieving the Prestigious Maritime Personality 

Award from the Publisher of Prestige Blended Magazine, Mr. McAnthony 

Onuoha, in Lagos. 

HONOUR: MD/CEO, Mudet Read Solution Nig. Ltd., Alhaji Mutiu Adisa 

Oladejo (left), recieving Tellview International Magazine Role Model Award from 

the magazine's Editor, Mr. Sunday John, in Ibadan, Oyo State. 

AGREEMENT: President & CEO, Africa Finance Corporation, Andrew 

Alli (left) and Zambia's Minister of Finance, Mr. Felix Mutati, during the signing 

of an Accreditation Master Agreement, AMA, with the Green Climate Fund in 

Seoul, South Korea.


Why I am backing Obaze 

— Nwobu-Alor, APGA chieftain 

CHIEF Sylvester Nwobu- 

Alor is a second Republic 

lawmaker and former 

Director-General of the 

Peter Obi Campaign 

Organisation. He is a 

founding chieftain of the 

All Progressives Grand 

Alliance (APGA). 

In this interview, Alor gives 

his perspectives on the 


Excerpts: 

By Dapo Akinrefon 

WHAT is your take on the 

impending election and 

the standing of the incumbent 

governor, Chief Willie Obiano? 

Truly, Anambra in the past had 

it good in terms of governance. 

Starting from the regime of Ngige 

and then to Peter Obi’s 

administration, Anambra State 

posted superlative and sterling 

results in terms of democratic 

dividends and performance, and 

so if the citizenry now complain, 

that means there is a gap and 

lull in the expectation. 

Truly, given the current outcry 

and from personal observation, 

Willie Obiano, though a nice 

man, his government has not met 

the yearnings and expectations 

of Anambrarians. 

But the government of Obiano 

has reacted by saying that ‘Willie 

is working,’ so why do you 

doubt its performance? 

It is preposterous and 

prevaricating for a properly 

constituted government with 

huge allocations and IGR to point 

at the payment of salaries and 

pension as an achievement. 

By the way, it is legal, moral 

and natural to pay all workers at 

the due time. It is unconscionable 

and despicable really to owe a 

worker who has completed his 

task. 

Therefore, Obiano’s 

government should not see the 

payment thereof, as an 

achievement. Besides, 

governments before it (that is, 

Ngige and Obi’s) paid salaries 

and pensions and still performed 

and packaged the infrastructure 

to the admiration of Ndi 

Anambra. 

More so, Obiano’s government 

has no reason not to pay salaries 

and improve the lives of Ndi 

Anambra because a solid 

financial foundation was availed 

by the preceding government of 

Peter Obi. 

What of the N20million 

disbursement to communities in 

Anambra State by the 

government of Willie Obiano? 

I tell you one thing, Willie is 

working, but regretfully Willie is 

indeed working woefully and 

that’s why his government is 

illogical, comical and theatrical. 

The N20million development 

fund comes with too much 

baggage. First, it is a misdirection 

and misappropriation. No- 

Why Anambra elders are behind 

Obiano — Ezeife 

By Vincent Ujumadu 

FIRST civilian governor of 

the state, Chief Chukwuemeka 

Ezeife has given reasons 

why the state’s elders are backing 

the incumbent governor, 

Chief Willie Obiano for a second 

term. 

Ezeife regretted that the 

ongoing electioneering 

campaigns in the state were 

based on blatant lies and denials, 

adding that people were even 

denying the stupendous growth 

in the agricultural sector, as well 

as in infrastructural development 

across the state. 

The former governor, who is the 

chairman of the Elders’ Council 

said: “In the beginning, Governor 

Willie Obiano, after being sworn 

in, told the elders of Anambra 

State in his first meeting with the 

council, that his first priority 

would be security. 

“I was the first member to 

respond to the governor’s 

statement and I told him that it is 

only people who feel secure that 

will come and invest in our 

•Alor 

body knows where he is getting 

the funds to finance the “Community 

Projects,” but assuming 

it is from the joint L. G. account, 

then it is illegal. 

The Local Government system 

as enshrined in the 1999 

Constitution of the Federal 

Republic of Nigeria is the third 

tier of administration with clearly 

defined and delineated 

obligations and mandates and 

which obviously does not include 

the wanton disbursement of cash 

to communities. 

Therefore, Governor Obiano’s 

penchant for appropriating funds 

meant for the Local Government 

administration for other uses is 

unlawful and illegal, ab initio. 

Second, since such 

disbursements are not lawfully 

appropriated and deployed, it 

gives room to all manners of 

manipulations. 

For instance, it’s been shown 

that the current disbursement 

bazaar by the current 

government only gets to his 

surrogates and lackeys. 

Third, the direct cash 

disbursement to communities 

being an illegality itself is also a 

Greek gift whereby it’s given with 

the ‘right hand’ and stealthily 

collected with the ‘left hand’. 

You seem critical... 

A government that cannot 

point to a single signature project 

to its credit has failed the 

electorate and does not deserve 

a re-election. The media is awash 

of how previous governments’ 

projects are claimed as Obiano’s 

achievement. 

If the government has performed, 

why claiming other people’s 

projects, for instance, road 

networks done by Ngige and 

Obi’s regime? For example, it is 

on record that Peter Obi’s administration 

did a total of 265 roads 

during his tenure and one cannot 

point to a single road done 

by this Willie administration and 

that is scandalous and suffocating. 

Your party, APGA has been 

factionalized and fumbling, 

what is your take on this? 

It is painful seeing a project one 

heavily invested in suddenly 

sinking and skidding. As one of 

the founding fathers of APGA, I 

know the plan was to make APGA 

a national party with an Igbo 

base. 

So, why are you backing 

Obaze? 

I believe in objectivity and not 

swayed by parochialism and 

sentiments. Honestly, the 

government of Obiano has not 

done anything positive to warrant 

a second tenure. 

I say it again; giving Obiano a 

second chance means total liquidation 

of Anambra State. 

•Ezeife 

economy. Another member of the 

council stated with emphasis that 

should the governor succeed 

with security, he would easily be 

allowed to go for the second term, 

although most people doubted 

the possibility of achieving 

meaningful security in Anambra 

State because of the situation the 

state was in at the time. 

“Today, the story is clear and 

definite. Anambra State is one of 

the safest in the country. 

Before Obiano’s security 

solution, visiting Anambra State 

was with great fear and some 

Why Anambarians want Nwoye 

— Arinze 

Barrister Ken Arinze 

served as a commissioner 

in the Dr. Chris Ngige 

administration in Anambra 

State and is a passionate 

supporter of Dr. Tony 

Nwoye in the forthcoming 

election. In this interview, 

he speaks on why Nwoye 

should be elected the next 

governor of the state. 

Excerpts: 

WHAT is your opinion of 

the forthcoming contest 

in Anambra State? 

To us in Anambra, the contest 

is between black and white. 

Governor Obiano represents the 

black and Dr. Tony Nwoye is the 

white. I am bold to say that I 

support him though I know that 

there are others who are also 

angling to stop the rot that we 

are now seeing under Willie 

Obiano. 

The other major candidates 

have their good sides I must 

confess, but their advantages 

compared to what Dr. Nwoye is 

bringing becomes insignificant. 

What are those advantages that 

you see in Nwoye? 

Number one is that Nwoye has 

the vision of a better Anambra 

more than all the other 

candidates all of who are far 

better than the incumbent. He 

has lived with us here and the 

only times he has been out is 

going to Abuja to represent his 

constitutency in the House of 

Representatives. So he knows 

the pains and the pressures on 

our people. You see the way he 

connects with the populace, he 

speaks the common language of 

the people, he understands their 

pains. 

Secondly, Tony as some of us 

call him, has the energy of the 

youth to drive his vision. One or 

two of the other candidates may 

have good vision, but they are 

getting too old, into their sixties 

and though life and health 

belongs to God, these men may 

not have the dynamism to pursue 

whatever vision they are 

espousing in the same way that 

Nwoye has been going about. 

But some paint him in the 

negative, saying that as a former 

president of NANS that he must 

have been a cultist and all that? 

Well, I will answer your 

question by putting it to you that 

you are a 419ner or all the 

negative things that they say 

about Nigerians. Is that correct? 

No! The fact that Tony became 

president of NANS does not 

mean that he was a cultist. I think 

it is an insult to the sensibility of 

Nigerian students who aspire to 

leadership to say that they are 

all cultists. It is even more 

revolting given the fact that it is 

on record that Tony played a 

major role in fighting cultism as 

a student activist. Have you not 

heard the record of how Prof. 

•Arinze 

Mbanefoh (Prof. Ginigeme 

Mbanefoh, former vice-chancellor 

of the University of Nigeria) 

commended Tony’s role in the 

fight against cultism in UNN? It 

is rare in this country for a vicechancellor 

or a former vice-chancellor 

to commend a students 

union leader, but in the case of 

Tony, the commendation was 

glaring and he earned that commendation 

without sacrificing the 

demands of the students. 

He has since progressed to 

qualify as a medical doctor and 

now a sitting member of the 

House of Representatives where 

he has demonstrated ability and 

capacity. 

Some say that he didn’t do very 

well during the television 

debate. 

Ah my brother, that is another 

thing. But he was not the last. 

You sure knew that Obiano took 

last in the debate. For me and I 

have asked, Tony may be a 

medical doctor, but he is not 

dumb and I know that he had 

about two hours to prepare for 

that debate. Tony in the past one 

month hardly sleeps more than 

three hours in a day and you 

could see the physical stress on 

him during the debate but even 

at that, I am proud that he was 

able to project his passion for the 

development of infrastructure. 

You heard how he kept on 

harping on power, power, power 

as the thing needed to liberate 

the entrepreneurial spirit of 

Anambarians. 

How confident are you of your 

man’s chances in this election? 

If you don’t know, Tony 

represents Governor Obiano in 

the House of Representatives. 

He is perhaps the only member 

of the House of Representatives 

who won election despite the 

opposition of the sitting governor. 

That is because the people of his 

constituency saw something in 

him and voted for him despite 

the opposition of the governor 

who is also from the same place 

with him. It is this good thing that 

the people of Anambra East/West 

Federal Constituency saw in 

Tony Nwoye that I and every 

other Anambarian want to enjoy. 

As a member of the House of

38 —VANGUARD, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2017 

Obiano’s scorecard 

and November 18 poll 

By Amanze Ubochi 

ANAMBRA 

State 

governorship election 

holds on Saturday, November 18, 

and the past few weeks have 

been electrified by the campaign 

of the contestants. 

The contenders include 

Governor Willie Obiano of the All 

Progressives Grand Alliance 

(APGA); Tony Nwoye, All 

Progressives Congress (APC); 

Oseloka Obaze, People’s 

Democratic Party (PDP). 

They also include Godwin 

Ezeemo, Progressives Peoples’ 

Alliance (PPA); Osita Chidoka, 

United Peoples Party (UPP); Oby 

Okafor, Advanced Congress of 

Democrats (ACD) and Henry 

Onuorah, Peoples Party of 

Nigeria (PPN). 

But the field is dominated by 

Obiano, Nwoye and Obaze 

because of the forces behind their 

candidacy or circumstances of 

their run.Former Governor Peter 

Obi’s name is closely linked to 

Obaze and many wonder if Obi 

is seeking a third term through 

the back door. 

But it appears Obiano 

represents the conscience of the 

people of Anambra, not just by 

virtue of his party, APGA, which 

has done so much for the state in 

the past 12 years, but by his 

achievements in office for three 

years and eight months. 

He enjoys the support of town 

union associations, market men 

and women groups, autonomous 

communities, traditional rulers, 

religious leaders and leaders of 

thought across political divides. 

But he cannot take the race for 

granted. 

The charged political climate in 

the state hinges on the battle of 

the political godfathers and their 

surrogates to get rid of Obiano 

from office and reactions to The 

Enablers in the blueprint he 

unveiled in the early days of his 

administration. 

The Enablers include Trade 

and Commerce, Agricultural 

Revolution, Security of Lives and 

Property, Improved Healthcare 

Delivery, Quality Education and 

Oil and Gas. 

The document was crafted as 

the easiest way to impact public 

and private sector workers as well 

as traders and artisans. 

Anambra is generally regarded 

as safe. The Obiano 

administration understands the 

symbiosis between security of 

•Obiano 

lives and property and has 

invested money, energy, time and 

strategy in security. 

What has stabilised the 

business and economic 

environment is not the function 

of a fat treasury the 

administration inherited but the 

way resources have been 

deployed to benefit the people. 

Data obtained from the 

Anambra State Chamber of 

Commerce, Mines and 

Agriculture showed that “in the 

last three years, the number of 

small scale industries has 

increased by 38 per cent as 

against what it was before 

Obiano’s inception, and a total 

of 126 medium-scale industries 

that were moribund have come 

back to life.” 

Most of those who fail to see 

the impact of Obiano’s 

administration on agriculture are 

detached from the people, the 

farms and markets. 

They are used to life in Abuja 

and Lagos where they dash from 

fast food restaurant to 

supermarket to grocery store in 

search of processed agricultural 

produce. 

They get confused when they 

hear that what is in Sokoto is now 

in the sokoto trousers they are 

wearing. 

In this era of economic 

downturn, when life is 

unbearable for the average 

Nigerian, Anambrarians have 

seen an alternative in farms that 

yield bountiful produce that put 

cash in their pockets. 

Obiano uses his “Choose Your 

Project Initiative” to bond with 

the 177 communities in the state 

and – adapting banks’ “Know 

Your Customer (KYC)” – has 

worked out modalities to interface 

with voters to make governance 

felt. 

He gives the people the 

opportunity to choose the projects 

they want. 

Nearly all roads in the state are 

asphalted because the N20 

million each community now 

gets to meet basic needs was in 

the past used by politicians to 

drink Champagne. 

Obiano’s performance does not 

depict a man who does not 

understand the dynamics of 

governance, demands of his 

people and preparedness to 

satisfy them. Other governors are 

content flagging off projects they 

are not ready to complete. But 

his priority is to attend to projects 

inherited from his predecessor, 

Obi. 

Not even the frosty relationship 

between him and Obi has 

stopped him from completing 

projects initiated by Obi. 

Obiano has completed the 

construction of 51 of the 101 road 

projected carried over from the 

Obi era, given N10 million each 

to 65 markets for facelift and built 

the first Anambra Broadcasting 

Service (ABS) digital television. 

To further open up the state 

economy, he recently flagged off 

an Anambra Airport City Project 

in Umueri sitting on 1,500 

hectares of land. 

It is funded with $2 billion 

pooled by a consortium of 

Chinese and Nigerian firms, and 

is expected to be completed in 

three years and provide 1,200 

direct jobs and 3,600 indirect 

ones. 

Tax payers’ money is not 

involved because the project is 

in a Build, Operate, Manage 

and Transfer (BOMT) 

arrangement. 

•Ubochi, a political analyst, 

wrote in from Owerri.



Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2017— 41 

Anambra election: Let no darkness fall 

By Esinwoke Chinedum 

YOUR Excellency, this open 

letter is necessitated by the 

urgent need to rekindle purposeful 

leadership that will fan the embers 

of Nigerian unity. 

Your Excellency, November 18th, 

2017 presents you with another 

opportunity to write your name in 

gold, consolidating your 

achievements as the chief servant of 

Anambra people. 

The date remains sacrosanct as it 

is going to be another test of 

Nigerian election. 

However, my concern in all of this, 

is the peace and tranquility that will 

possibly guarantee the safety of the 

people and the existing 

infrastructures in the state. 

As a matter of importance, you 

must do all within your powers to 

ensure that peace prevails during 

and after this all-important election. 

The place of Anambra in 

Nigeria’s socio-economic and 

political development cannot be 

overemphasised hence, the need to 

shock those who are praying for 

darkness to fall in a state reverred 

as the “Light of the Nation”. 

As the illuminating ‘Light of the 

Nation’, Anambra State under your 

watch must do well to shine more 

brighter devoid of traces of literal 

darkness. 

Obviously, it is another beautiful 

political era in the history of 

Anambra State to shine for the sake 

of the nation. You, Willie Obiano as 

the chief security/safety officer of the 

By Valentine Obienyem 

AS is evident across Anambra 

State and demonstrated 

severally by those who should know, 

Gover Willie Obiano has steered the 

ship of State backwards right from 

his assumption of office. He made 

so much noise in his early days in 

office that he seemed to have 

forgotten about governance in the 

ecstasy of victory. Sadly, he is still 

celebrating; and marked this 

Month with the appointment of 

several more aides. Presently, he has 

a retinue of over 1,000 aides, more 

than 500 of whom are from his home 

town, Aguleri. Such are his 

nepotistic and parochial inclinations 

that even as he has practically 

neglected the infrastructural needs 

of the State, he has completed over 

35 roads in his native Aguleri. In the 

meantime, most of the abandoned 

roads have since developed gullies 

that are threatening to cut off several 

communities; compelling them to 

embark on self-help palliatives. 

Indeed, Gov. Obiano’s oppressive 

policies have had debilitating effects 

on the majority of Anambrarians 

and their communities. 

On the government sensitivity 

scale, there is no gainsaying that 

Gov. Obiano will rate abysmally. 

How is it responsive to the yearnings 

of the people? Is the government 

prudent or how does he see the 

treasury ? What is the government's 

response to the provision of 

infrastructure? What is the 

government doing to attract 

investors to the state? Comparing 

the administration of Peter Obi with 

that of Obiano's, the people of 

Anambra identify Obi with the 

pleasure of wisdom, while Obiano 

with that of wisdom of pleasure. 

While Obi used must of his time 

exploring means of improving 

Anambra, Obiano is drenched in 

Hedonism [pleasure-seeking] and 

Epicureanism [Let us eat today for 

state must once again show the world 

that you are more resilient than ever 

to ensure your humble state remains 

secured at its enviable pinnacle of 

glory as the fourth Nigeria’s largest 

economy. 

In July this year at a breakfast 

meeting entitled: Investment 

Promotion and Protection: The 

Anambra State Experience, 

Challenges, and Opportunities held 

at Lagos you said through your 

deputy Dr. Nkem Okonkwo that you 

You must do all within 

your powers to ensure 

that peace prevails 

during and after this allimportant 

election 

inherited Anambra State with an 

average ambition, explaining that 

through strategic refocusing, the 

state had been positioned as one with 

the greatest chances of producing 

the most surprising development 

results in the next five years, therefore 

ahead of November 18 

gubernatorial election in the state, it 

is profitable not to let darkness fall. 

This great state with a long list of 

“firsts” in Nigeria history must shine 

purer! 

However, with the relative peace 

the state is enjoying since your 

entrance in the corridor of Anambra 

politics, there is no gain saying that 

you and your team came with a 

clearly defined vision and mission, 

A glimpse into the Obiano’s years 

tomorrow we die]. As Governor, 

Obiano has lived it up to a gross and 

unwholesome scale. Consider some 

of his tastes and idiosyncrasies at 

public expense: 50-vehicle convoy, 

party-orgies, imported customised 

wines, blew N5 billion to celebrate 

his first 100 days in office in 2014, 

sponsored 160 persons, including a 

musician to the USA for his 

daughter’s graduation ceremony, 

procured over 400 vehicles for his 

re-election campaign but not even 

one for the public schools, to mention 

a few. 

For over three and half years, Gov. 

Obiano persistently denied he 

inherited about N75 billion [some 

of it in US Dollars] from the Obi 

administration. Then the bubble 

burst with the courageous expose by 

The Nation Newspapers of his 

surreptitious sale of the Dollar 

Savings meant for the State and at a 

discounted rate for that matter. 

Confronted with the ultimate truth 

at the gubernatorial debate of 12th 

of November, he admitted lying to 

Who do we look 

for?In Oseloka 

Obaze we have a 

higher man 

the people. Is that not enough reason 

for a decent person to throw in the 

towel and ask for pardon? Not the 

Willie Obiano we now know: He is 

even brazenly seeking a second term 

in office. Would Anambra people 

give him another mandate he has 

abused for four years? 

Among his other shady claims is 

that he had completed 51 roads. I 

personally went through the list to 

discover that about 48 of the roads 

he mentioned were actually started 

and completed during the Obi years. 

which is to make Anambra State the 

first choice investment destination 

and a hub for industrialisation and 

commercial activities. As well as a 

socially stable, business friendly 

environment that would attract both 

indigenes and foreigners to seek 

wealth-creating opportunities. 

Right now, the state is at the mercy 

of November 18th gubernatorial 

election. It holds the breathe and 

future of Anambra State, which must 

be safeguarded with all intent and 

purposes. 

Anambra State in recent times 

have been in the eyes of the sociopolitical 

storms ocassioned by 

different level of grievances. 

However, I salute your leadership 

dexterity in calming such storms. 

The warm, hospitable and highly 

enterprising features of Anambra 

State must not be allowed to go down 

the drain in the name of politicking. 

As a safety officer, I owe it a great 

duty to proclaim the gospel of peace 

and unity, which is a pivotal 

instrument for sustainable 

development as a country. 

Apart from changing the 

narratives of politics, it takes 

patriotism and selflessness to build 

a societal gallery of enviable heritage 

embellished with peace and unity, 

good governance, accountability 

and transparency. 

Your Excellency, I shall trust your 

disposition in matters of this nature. 

*Mr. Chinedum , a former Zonal 

commander , Federal Fire Service, 

(South east) , wrote from Abuja. 

He further claimed that he exported 

Ugu [Pumpkin] leaves worth 

US$5m even as no one in Anambra 

State has identified the farm or 

garden where he cultivated such a 

volume of the highly-perishable 

vegetable. Goaded by his aides , he 

also boasted of an order to export 10 

million tubers of yams. Sadly, none 

of his aides reminded him that 

Anambra State is not even selfsufficient 

in yam production; as the 

bulk of its supplies come from Benue 

and Taraba States. 

Gov. Obiano outdid himself when 

he declared that Anambra was the 

only State unaffected by the recent 

recession, which effectively means 

that Anambra has become a State 

within a State. Is he suggesting that 

while the price of rice, for instance, 

doubled in other parts of Nigeria due 

to the recession, it remained the old 

rate in Anambra State? 

It is also open to question whether 

Obiano thinks about the future, with 

his hedonistic and Epicurean 

inclinations. How can he? Is he not 

the same person who justified the 

squandering of Anambra Dollar 

Savings to the effect that saving for 

the future is “useless?” Peter Obi had 

a great vision for the State and set 

out to realize. One of the tragedies 

of the Obiano Government is the 

abortion of that great vision. 

In the last three years or so, the 

Obiano government has consistently 

insulted the sensibilities of Anambra 

people by its oppressiveness, and 

insensitivity. But with the election at 

the corner, Anambra people now 

have a golden opportunity to remove 

Obiano and end the long and terrible 

nightmare of oppression. Who do 

we look for? In Oseloka Obaze we 

have a higher man. People and 

organizations that have worked or 

interacted with him can assert with 

surety that he pursues with dedicated 

ardour the tenets of good governance. 

*Mr. Obienyem,wrote from Agulu, 

Anambra State. 

Obiano's imprints on security 

By Kenechukwu Ezenwoke 

NIGERIA is a country of surprises. Each time things seem to take 

a turn for the worse, some surprise development will occur to 

raise hope in the future of our country. This has happened over and over 

again in our tortuous history.. 

The recent surprise turn around in the state of security in Anambra 

State approximates one such development. The security miracle in 

Anambra State is taking place at a time the nation has virtually lost 

hope in the face of widespread threats to lives and property in Nigeria 

by a wide range of criminals some of whom have directly and 

successfully challenged the Nigerian state in armed uprisings that 

approximate to a civil war. 

Beginning with the OPC challenge of the late 1990s in the South West, 

to the Militancy in the Niger Delta, the Boko Haram terror group and 

Herdsmen have taken the nation by storm, killing, maiming and 

destroying lives and property across the country on a regular basis. 

The IPOB recently joined in the mayhem, even as commercial 

kidnapping spreads from the South East and South South to the North 

and the South West. In the North Central and North East Herdsmen 

have turned whole geopolitical regions into a theatre of war and 

bloodshed. Southern Kaduna has witnessed a sustained bloody war 

between Herdsmen and indigenous communities, while Zamfara has 

become a theatre of bloody attacks by cattle rustlers year in year out 

with horrible tales of bloodshed and destruction of entire communities 

along the border with Niger Republic. 

While most governors keep running to Abuja cap in hand to beg for 

federal intervention, Governor Willie Obiano, a fresh hand on the job 

in his first term as Governor decided to take the bull by the horns: He 

won't accept the fate that had befallen Anambra for almost two 

generations as the most crime infested state in the South East of Nigeria. 

Name it: Kidnapping, armed robbery, MASOB violence, cult wars: All 

combined to make Anambra a true hell in the South East. Suddenly 

even Ndi Anambra began to flee the State, while annual Yam festivals 

and Christmas holidays witnessed fewer and fewer people coming home! 

The economy nosedived into prolonged stagnation as the highly 

industrious and commercial people of Anambra moved their businesses 

to other parts of the country. Believing that he must take the destiny of 

his people firmly into his own hands, Governor Obiano decided to 

prioritise security as a number one programme on assumption of office 

in 2014. building on the initial work of his predecessor. Obiano engaged 

the security sector through a well thought out and well funded 

intervention, working through the Police and all the other Security 

Agencies. 

Through consistent visioning, planning, partnership and supply of 

equipment, funding and motivation of the security agencies, Obiano 

gradually and firmly turned the tables against kidnappers and other 

armed criminals who had made Anambra the epicenter of their 

nefarious and destructive operations for decades. He followed this up 

with community policing and awareness campaign backed by consistent 

leadership. 

Within two years of his tenure: the impossible began to happen: all 

the hardened criminals and their networks began to relocate from 

Aanambra to other parts of the country! Onitsha, Awka and Nnewi 

began to witness calm and serene peace. Today bank and shop robberies 

have abated. The high ways are safer. Neighbourhoods now witness 

less and less crimes and night life has actually returned to Onisha of all 

places! The State has started to witness a new lease of life. Ndi Anambra 

can testify that coming home now is done with more confidence. 

The result is the huge dividends being recorded in sharp upsurge in 

economic growth in the last few years. Gradually Anambra has become 

a leading destination for inflow of foreign direct investments in 

commerce, industry, agriculture, manufacturing, and air and land 

transportation. 

Even as Nigeria roiled in one of the most disastrous economic 

recessions in the last three years, Anambra witnessed high annual GDP 

growth of between 12 and 16 per cent in the Obiano years. 

Not only has Anambra taken the lead in rice and vegetable production, 

it has become a modest earner in foreign exchange from the export of 

vegetables. The State has continued stable growth in investment 

grossing $7 USD in three years. Hotels in Awka and Onitsha are filled 

up on daily basis as business continues to boom in Anambra State. 

Internal revenue generation also continues to witness steady growth to 

the extent that from last September, Governor Obiano started paying 

salaries and wages without waiting for allocations from the Federation 

Account. This in spite of the fact that he rejected all the bail out loans 

offered by the Federal Government to other states to pay backlogs of 

salary arrears. He owes no worker or pensioner a dime in Anambra 

State. 

The icing on the cake of the investment dividends improved security 

and business environment have brought to Anambra State was the 

recent announcement by Chinese investors to build an international 

Cargo Airport City in Anambra State worth 2.6 Billion US Dollars. 

The Airport which groundbreaking ceremony was performed a few 

weeks ago will be the biggest in West Africa on completion, and all 

without a dime from Anambra State treasury. 

In just three years Governor Obiano has proven that State Governors 

can, and indeed have a responsibility to provide their people with security 

of lives and property. He has also demonstrated the maxim that security 

is the foundation of economic growth and prosperity. The Obiano 

security model shows clearly that absence of leadership at the State 

level is largely responsible for the insecurity in Nigeria. 

As Anambra returns to the polls on November 18 to choose who 

among the 37 candidates will lead the State in the next four years, 

incumbent Governor Obiano has proven in three years that fixing 

Nigeria's security crisis can indeed be done within reasonable timeline. 

The missing link is focused leadership, the right priority, funding and 

the motivation of our security agencies to do the job! 

*Mr. Ezenwoke, wrote from Awka, Anambra State. 

C 

M 

Y 

K


UI first Professor of 

Pharmacy becomes 

Chrisland varsity V-C 

From left: Vice-Chancellor, Lead City University, Ibadan, Prof. ‘Remi Adeyemo; Oyo State 

Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, Chancellor, Prof. Gabriel Ogunmola; Vice President and 

Guest Speaker, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, GCON, SAN and Pro-Chancellor/Chairman of Council, 

Prof. Jide Owoeye at the 10th convocation of Lead City University on Thursday. 

UBEC N380BN FUND: 

20% yet unaccessed 

— Executive Secretary 

•Stakeholders should takeover basic primary education funding— NUT 

•Admission seekers go for education after failure- Prof. Osarenren 

By Dayo Adesulu 

Executive Secretary, Universal 

Basic Education Commission, 

UBEC, Dr. Hammid Bobboyi, has 

disclosed that Federal Government 

statutorily released more than 

three hundred and eighty billion 

naira (N380bn) as the FGN- 

Universal Basic Education grant as 

at 31st October 2017. 

This was contained in his speech 

delivered at the 2017 Annual 

National Education Summit 

organised by Education Writers’ 

Association of Nigeria, tagged 

Whither Basic Education in 

Nigeria? 

Bobboyi, however, stated that a 

total of N303, 933, 462 representing 

80 per cent of the funds had been 

disbursed to 36 states and Federal 

Capital Territory, Abuja, leaving a 

balance 20 per cent unaccessed. 

He said the Commission had 

always ensured that the money 

disbursed was well utilised 

through rigorous monitoring. 

Speaking on challenges faced by 

the Commission, Bobboyi 

lamented that some states were 

exhibiting non-challant attitude 

towards basic education, adding 

that they needed to buckle up. 

He also stated that the 

Commission was faced with 

challenges posed by over 10.5 

million out-of-school children and 

youths including the Almajiri and 

children with special needs and 

getting them into basic 

education schools. 

Other challenges mentioned 

include: low level of budgetary 

allocation to basic education at 

state and local government 

levels, low quality and 

inadequacy of teaching staff 

amongst others. 

The Executive Director urged 

parents and guardians not to 

neglect or take proper education 

of their children for granted. 

In his conclusion, Dr. Hammid 

Bobboyi, said that education for 

all is the responsibility of all. 

“Therefore, we must rise up to 

the occasion to recommend and 

institute positive turnaround 

strategies that will improve the 

basic education sub-sector. 

Meanwhile, at the summit, 

stakeholders in Basic Education 

were urged to come together to 

fund education in the primary 

school level in order to make it 

work. 

National Chairman, Nigerian 

Union of Teachers, Michael 

Alogba who was represented by 

the Union’s deputy chairman in 

Lagos, Adedoyin Adeshina, said 

education was the bedrock of 

learning. 

He also said the funding of 

basic primary education should 

be taken over from local 

government by stakeholders to 

accelerate national 

development. 

Speaking earlier, former Edo 

State Commissioner for Education, 

Professor Ngozi Osarenren, 

commended the association’s 

members for coming up with the 

programme saying the theme 

was apt at this point in time. 

She said until stakeholders 

decided to give children the best 

education standard, the country 

would not be able to meet up 

No provision 

for desks, we 

write with books 

on our thighs; 

we are over 700 

and the seats 

available are 

barely 500 

with global practices. 

According to her, admission 

seekers jumped into studying 

education because they could 

not meet up with cut-off marks 

of the initial courses of choice. 

However, the professor said 

that mass failure in Mathematics 

is a result of teachers skipping 

some topics they don’t know. 

“You cannot give what you 

don’t have. Teachers that are not 

versatile enough cannot teach 

our children,” she added. 

By Joseph Erunke 

Her ascendancy to the 

head of Chrisland 

University, one of the newly 

established vision-driven 

private universities in 

Nigeria, located in Abeokuta, 

Ogun State,after approval by 

the federal government, did 

not come to many as surprise, 

given her academic 

pedigree. 

Yes, no doubt, Professor 

Chinedum Peace Babalola, 

has been appointed the first 

female Vice Chancellor of the 

Chrisland University, 

Abeokuta, thus taking her 

away from the Presitious 

University of Ibadan, where 

she had remained to practice 

her trained career after 

emerging equally as the first 

female Professor of 

Pharmacy. 

It is often said that the 

reward of hardwork is in 

heaven, but looking at what 

has befallen Professor 

Babalola Chinedum Peace, 

following her hardwork, one 

cannot but conclude that that 

belief is no longer 

fashionable. 

Babalola proved her mettle 

in both her professional 

career and leadership at her 

alma mater, when she did not 

only lecture but also serve as 

Dean of the Faculty of 

Pharmacy, respectively, 

While holding sway as the 

Dean of the Faculty of 

Pharmacy, she was also the 

principal investigator of the 

University of Ibadan Centre 

for Drug discovery, 

development and production, 

founded by MacArthur 

Foundation ,Faculty of 

Pharmacy , University of 

Ibadan. 

Apart from emerging as the 

first female Professor of 

Pharmaceutical Chemistry 

and Pharmacokinetics from 

the prestigious University of 

Ibadan, Babalola Chinedum 

Peace (née Anyabuike) 

traversed the length and 

breadth of academic world 

beyond the shores of Africa 

where she bagged other 

certificates to her credit. 

Prof.Chinedum obtained a 

Bachelor of Pharmacy 

(B.Pharm.) degree in 1983 

from the University of Ife, now 

ObafemiAwolowo University 

and a doctorate degree 

(Ph.D.) in Pharmaceutical 

Chemistry from the same 

University in 1997. She 

completed her pre-doctoral 

fellowship at the University of 

British Columbia in 1995, and 

a PG Diploma in Industrial 

Pharmacy Advanced Training 

(IPAT) in 2012 jointly from 

Kilimanjaro School of 

Pharmacy, Tanzania and 

Purdue University, USA. 

Professor Babalola rose 

through the ranks as a 

Graduate Assistant at OAU, 

Ile-Ife in 1985 to a Lecturer. 

In 1998, she was appointed a 

Senior Lecturer at University 

of Ibadan, became a Reader in 

2003 and a Professor in 

2006.She has served the 

Faculty and university in 

various capacities. She was 

the Director of General Studies 

Unit (GSP) UI (2005-2010) 

where she brought 

innovations currently being 

used for processing of POST- 

UME in University of Ibadan 

till date.She has served as 

Head of department (twice) 

and sub-dean in Faculty of 

Pharmacy. 

Professor Babalola has had 

an incredibly productive 

career. Her research has 

continuously helped to 

provide novel results 

contributing to important drug 

information by an African 

scientist.Shehas focused her 

research on pharmacokinetics/ 

pharmacodynamics (PK/PD), 

pharmaceutical analysis, 

pharmacogenetics and 

bioethics as tools to study the 

disposition of several 

antimalarials, anti-infectives 

and other drugs in Nigerians 

as a guide to optimizing 

therapy in Blacks. Her 

research has revealed 

significant reduction in (40- 

90%) levels of antimicrobials 

by antimalarial in human 

calling for urgent dose 

regimen adjustment.The 

outcome of her research has 

revealed wide ethnic/racial in 

drug disposition and 

treatment outcome which 

further generated her interest 

in pharmacogenetic studies in 

African population. 

Peace is one of the scientists 

that reported the first 

pharmacogeneticstudy in 

healthy and sickle cell patients 

in Nigerians with proguanil 

as a probe. The report 

revealed that some Nigerians 

are carriers of mutant poor 

metabolizer genes CYP2C19, 

as well as marked differences 

between sickle cell patients 

and healthy population on this 

gene disposition.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2017 --- 43 

From Left: Senior category winner, Master Munachi Ernest-Eze of Loyola Jesuit College, Abuja; 

Managing Director, Promasidor Nigeria Limited, Mr. Anders Einarsson and junior category 

winner, Master Jesse Uche-Nwichi of Graceland International School, Rivers State at the finals 

of 2017 Cowbellpedia Secondary Schools Mathematics TV Quiz Show in Lagos last weekend. 

Cowbellpedia Math contest: 

Ernest-Eze emerges double winner 

…As Abuja, Rivers shine in the finals 

By Oghenefego Obaebor 

Munachi Ernest-Eze has 

launched himself into the 

Hall of Fame of the 

Cowbellpedia Secondary 

Schools Mathematics 

Television Quiz Show by 

becoming the first winner of 

both Junior and Senior 

categories. 

Two years after he won the 

Junior category, Ernest-Eze, 

now 16 years old and an SS2 

student of Loyola Jesuit 

College, Abuja, returned to 

claim the title in the Senior 

category as the curtain fell on 

the 2017 edition of the 

competition. 

The day also belonged to 

Jesse Uche-Nwichi of 

Graceland International School, 

Rivers State, who beat all 

comers to win the Junior 

category of the competition 

sponsored by Cowbell, the 

flagship brand from the stable 

of Promasidor Nigeria Limited. 

Each of the champions got N1 

million and an all-expense paid 

education excursion outside the 

country. 

In the Senior category, Ernest- 

Eze was trailed by Oluwanifise 

Onafowokan of The 

Ambassadors College, Ota, 

Ogun State and Evans 

Owamoyo of Greater Tomorrow 

International College, Arigidi 

Akoko, Ondo State who 

finished as first and second 

runners-up respectively. 

Michael Paul of Excel Grace 

Academy, Akaajime-Gboko, 

Benue State; Ikechukwu Ibeh 

of Federal Government 

College, Suleja, Niger State 

and Tomiwa Olatunbosun of 

Bibo Oluwa Academy, Ilesha, 

Osun State were the other 

finalists in the Senior category. 

Ernest-Eze, who fulfilled his 

promise to re-enact his 2015 

feat when he won in the Junior 

category,could not hide his 

emotion after his historymaking 

performance. “I thank 

God for the end of the journey 

today. I am now confident to 

tell Nigerians that I was a 

Champion and I am a 

Champion again today. God has 

done it and it is marvellous in 

my eyes,” he told journalists 

outside the studio in Lagos last 

weekend. 

His father, Ikechukwu Ernest- 

Eze, beaming with smiles, 

expressed gratitude to God and 

Promasidor for the double 

honours. 

Earlier in a thrilling final 

encounter at the Junior 

category, 13-year-old Uche- 

Nwichi scored 115 points to 

confine Oluwafemi Adeyanju of 

Jesuit Memorial College, Port 

Harcourt, Rivers State and 

Ezekiel Ekanem of Advanced 

Breed Group of Schools, 

Sagamu, Ogun State to the 

second and third places 

respectively. 

The trio of Osasere Egharevba 

of Graceland International 

School, Port Harcourt, Rivers 

State; Joel Ndoh of Marist 

Brothers Juniorate, Okigwe, 

Imo State and Abdulwakil 

Olayinka of Nigerian Tulip 

International College, Kaduna, 

Kaduna State could not go 

beyond the first round. 

Uche-Nwichi dedicated his 

victory to God and his parents, 

while promising to maintain the 

momentum. 

His father, Chukwu Uche- 

Nwichi, who was ecstatic at the 

moment of fame, commended 

Cowbell and Promasidor for the 

huge investment in the 

competition and urged 

government and other corporate 

bodies to tread a similar path. 

Olatunde Ayorinde, Uche- 

Nwichi’s teacher, commended 

the champion for the honour he 

brought to him as a person and 

to the school as a whole. “I thank 

God for today. My effort has not 

been in vain. Nothing can be 

better than this. I am grateful 

to God, Cowbell and 

Promasidor,” he said. 

The first and second runnersup 

for each category won 

N750,000 and N500,000 

respectively. 

Each teacher of the 2017 

champions in each categorywas 

rewarded with N400,000, while 

* 

those of the first and second 

runners-up received N300,000 

and N200,000 respectively. 

Also, the winning schools won 

Mathematics textbooks, desktop 

computers and printers. 

In a chat with journalists, the 

Managing Director of 

Promasidor Nigeria Limited, 

Anders Einarsson reiterated the 

commitment of the company 

towards education, saying it is 

the most important investment 

for the future of the children of 

Nigeria. 

“The programme has 

absolutely met its objectives. We 

are committed to this initiative 

and by next year, we will 

celebrate 20 years of 

Mathematics and Cowbell,” he 

said. 

He congratulated the finalists 

for their excellent performance 

and assured that Promasidor 

Gbenga and Aisha Oyebode 

in partnership with the 

Murtala Mohammed 

Foundation and Harbor Point 

Limited recently brought the 

Hidden Figures initiative to 

Nigeria. The critically acclaimed 

movie, Hidden Figures, tells 

the true life story of three 

brilliant African-American 

women who were 

mathematicians at the National 

Aeronautics and Space 

Administration (NASA) and 

served as the brains behind one 

of the greatest operations in 

history: the launch of astronaut 

John Glenn (Glen Powell) into 

orbit, a spectacular achievement 

that became one of the historical 

moments the world remembers. 

Pioneered by Infor CEO, 

Charles Philips alongside other 

business leaders in the United 

States, this initiative plans to 

offer free admission to the 

movie, to thousands of middle 

school students globally. Over 

25,000 middle school students 

in New York alone were 

beneficiaries of this program, 

Managerial qualities 

are key to success 

...as Nigerian professionals get 

IPMA-UK certification 

By Happy Ekeyede 

Head, Africa Regional 

Office of International 

Professional Managers 

Association (IPMA), Professor 

Olufeyisan Feyi-Sobanjo has 

stated that if any manager will 

succeed in management 

practice, he must possess some 

qualities and attributes. 

In his message published on 

the programme for the IPMA- 

UK 2017 induction ceremony 

held in Lagos, Feyi-Sobanjo 

said the first guide to good 

management practice are 

integrity, humility and 

observance of human rights 

principles. 

He said: "Managers have 

personal responsibilities and 

should demonstrate integrity, 

humanity, observe principles of 

human rights and avoid all 

discriminatory practices that 

relate to race, sex, religion and 

politics." 

Feyi-Sobanjo who insists on 

the indispensability of these 

managerial qualities, added 

that a manager must also 

uphold the interest of his 

organisation, the society and 

display respect for the 

reputation of other corporate 

organistions. "Respect for the 

confidentiality of official 

information, regular training 

and retraining are key," he said. 

He explained that a 

professional manager is 

expected to accept from clients 

only works that he has 

competence in; respect other 

institutes’ codes; and be 

objective in giving professional 

opinions. 

On the need to respect 

others, he said: “Do not injure 

120 students benefit from Hidden Figures initiative 

successfully executed with the 

partnership of organisations 

such as 20th Century Fox, 

Google, Facebook, Infor and 

AT&T. 

Recently, the initiative kicked off 

in Nigeria with 120 students from 

f o u r 

selected 

public 

schools 

going to 

t h e 

Genesis 

Cinema, 

Palms 

Lekki to 

watch 

t h e 

movie. 

Thirty 

students 

e a c h 

were 

selected 

from the 

f o u r 

schools - 

Kuramo 

Junior 

Secondary 

or attempt to injure maliciously 

or recklessly, directly or 

indirectly, the professional 

reputation of others." 

Also speaking, the President 

of IPMA–UK Nigeria Forum, Dr 

Chinedum Igbokwe, 

underscored the need for 

professional managers to join 

professional bodies. 

He listed partnership 

programmes, academic 

collaborations and grants as 

some of the benefits that accrue 

to members of IPMA. 

He said: “In continuation of its 

efforts to enhance the business 

and professional interest of 

members, the IPMA-UK Council 

has approved the grants of 

various partnership and 

collaboration opportunities for 

members to explore and 

enhance their businesses. 

“To promote the careers of our 

members, IMPA-UK has 

established collaborations with 

several accredited universities in 

Africa and Europe for Top-Up 

Bachelor Degree programmes, 

Advanced Placement Master's 

Degree programmes and 

Doctorate Degree programmes.” 

On his part, the Chairman of 

IPMA-UK, Prof. Allan Sensicle, 

urged professional managers to 

always ensure mastery of the 

business by constantly 

upgrading their knowledge 

through learning and sharing of 

information with relevant 

professionals. 

He also underscored the need 

for managers to hit the ground 

running with their new ideas 

and concepts; otherwise, they 

would lose them to competitors 

who spy on and monitor their 

plans. 

School, Victoria Island, Kuramo 

Senior Secondary School, Victoria 

Island, Maroko Junior Secondary 

School, Ikoyi and Maroko Senior 

Secondary School, Ikoyi 

respectively.


Mugabe under house arrest as Buhari warns against 

crisis 

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru 

with agency report 

ZIMBABWE’S military 

has placed President 

Robert Mugabe under 

house arrest in the capital 

Harare, South African 

President Jacob Zuma 

says. 

Mr Mugabe told Mr 

Zuma in a phone call that 

he was fine, the South African 

leader’s office said. 

Troops are patrolling the 

capital, Harare, after they 

seized state TV and said 

they were targeting “criminals”. 

The move may be a bid 

to replace Mr Mugabe 

with his sacked deputy, 

Emmerson Mnangagwa, 

BBC correspondents say. 

Mr Mnangagwa’s dismissal 

last week left Mr 

Mugabe’s wife Grace as 

the president’s likely successor. 

Mr Mugabe, 93, has 

dominated the country’s 

political scene since it 

gained independence from 

the UK in 1980. 

Maj Gen Moyo also said 

Mr Mugabe and his family 

were “safe and sound 

and their security is guaranteed”. 

It is not clear who 

is leading the military action. 

Since then military vehicles 

have been out on the 

streets of Harare, while 

gunfire has been heard 

from northern suburbs 

where Mr Mugabe and a 

number of government officials 

live. 

In a statement, Mr 

Zuma’s office said: “President 

Zuma spoke to President 

Robert Mugabe earlier 

today who indicated that 

he was confined to his 

home but said that he was 

fine.” 

At heart is a power struggle 

over who succeeds Mr 

Mugabe. The rivalry between 

his wife Grace and Mr 

Mnangagwa has split the 

governing Zanu-PF. 

Following a call from Mrs 

Mugabe, Mr Mnangagwa 

was removed from the vicepresidency 

earlier this 

month. 

Meanwhile, President 

Muhammadu Buhari in a 

statement by his Special Adviser 

on Media and Publicity, 

Mr. Femi Adesina , called 

for calm and respect for the 

constitution of Zimbabwe. 

He urged all political and 

military stakeholders in Zimbabwe 

to avoid any action that 

may plunge the country into 

unnecessary conflict and impact 

negatively on the region. 

Buhari said: “Every attempt 

must be made to resolve 

all contentious issues by 

constitutional means in Zimbabwe 

to save the country 

from avoidable political instability.” 

Military vehicles and soldiers patrol the streets in Harare. REUTERS 

Russia moves ahead with rules 

targeting foreign media 

RUSSIA is moving 

ahead with legislation 

that threatens U.S. media outlets 

operating in the country. 

The lower house of Russia’s 

parliament approved an 

amendment Wednesday that 

clears the way for media outlets 

that receive funding from 

abroad to be designated as 

foreign agents. 

The measure must go to the 

upper house of parliament 

before being signed by President 

Vladimir Putin. 

The measure approved 

Wednesday does not specify 

which media outlets would be 

designated as foreign agents, 

or how the process would 

work. 

It’s the first tangible response 

to a move by the U.S. 

Department of Justice to re- 

quire the firm that produces 

the U.S. branch of Russian 

television network RT to register 

under the Foreign 

Agents Registration Act. 

For weeks Russian government 

officials, including Putin, 

have promised a tit for tat 

response targeting American 

outlets operating in the country. 

According to the draft legislation, 

media outlets designated 

as foreign agents would 

be subject to the same rules 

that currently apply to foreignfunded 

non-governmental 

organizations. Those groups 

are required to report on their 

funding, include a “foreign 

agent” disclaimer in content 

they publish and are subject 

to inspections by authorities. 

Tillerson, in Myanmar, calls for 

credible probe of atrocities 

U 

.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called on Wednesday 

for a credible investigation into reports of human 

rights abuses against Rohingya Muslims committed 

by Myanmar’s security forces after a meeting with its 

civilian and military leaders. 

More than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to 

Bangladesh since late August, driven out by a military 

counter-insurgency clearance operation in Buddhistmajority 

Myanmar’s Rakhine State. 

A top U.N. official has described the military’s actions 

as a textbook case of “ethnic cleansing”. 

“We’re deeply concerned by credible reports of widespread 

atrocities committed by Myanmar’s security forces 

and by vigilantes who were unrestrained by the security 

forces during the recent violence in Rakhine State,” 

Tillerson told a joint news conference with Aung San Suu 

Kyi, the head of a civilian administration that is less than 

two years old and shares power with the military.



Eagles exhibited 

strong will – Rohr 

Super Eagles coach 

Gernot Rohr 

praised his 

team’s resolve after the 

three-time African 

champions came from two 

goals down to beat 

Argentina 4-2. 

Nigeria won thanks to 

a goal each for Kelechi 

Iheanacho, Brian Idowu 

on his debut and a brace 

from Alex Iwobi. 

“My players are 

mentally strong, they 

showed strong will.” Rohr 

said. 

“I’m very happy with 

their performance. There 

were two completely 

PSG star Angel D’ 

Maria revealed 

that the Argentine time 

was simply overran by a 

rampant Nigerian Super 

Eagles during their 

international friendly in 

Russia. 

D’ Maria who scored 

against Nigeria at the 

2008 Olympic Games 

final in Beijing stated that 

Kelechi Iheanacho’s goal 

was a warning sign to 

Argentina. 

‘’What a match. We 

started well, successfully 

held the first half. But the 

goal of the Nigerians 

before the break was a 

turning point. 

‘’We were physically 

overpowered by a very 

strong opponent. And we 

calmed down a bit, and 

we paid for it. It’s good 

that this is not the World 

Cup yet. 

‘’We will slowly play, 

correct the mistakes. 

Italy? She received a 

serious blow. Extra proof 

that any team can win 

different halves. 

“The opening period 

was very hard. One could 

believe the match was 

already over after 

Argentina scored their 

second goal. But we 

managed to perform a 

comeback. 

“After we scored we 

rearranged our play in 

the break and performed 

much better in the second 

half.” 

The win will have been 

special for Idowu who 

was born in Russia and 

plays for Russian premier 

league club Amkar Perm. 

I’m glad we didn’t lose a 

World Cup game — Di Maria 

from the so-called 

heavyweights.’’ 

Italy sack coach after World Cup failure 

Italy have sacked coach 

Giampiero Ventura 

after the four-time 

champions failed to reach 

the World Cup for the first 

time since 1958. 

The Azzurri lost a 

play-off with Sweden 1- 

0 on aggregate to spell 

the end of 69-year-old 

Ventura’s 17-month 

tenure. 

Ventura said his record 

was “one of the best of the 

last 40 years”. 

“I lost only two games 

in two years,” he told 

Italian television show Le 

Iene before the Italian 

Football Federation fired 

him on Wednesday. 

Ventura replaced 

Antonio Conte in June 

2016, and was described 

as a “master of football” 

by Italian football 

federation president 

Carlo Tavecchio. 

However, Italy took one 

point out of a possible six 

against Spain in 

qualifying and also drew 

at home to Macedonia. 

Diego Maradona has called on 

the Argentina Football 

Association to give him another 

crack at managing the national 

team after accusing Jorge 

Sampaoli of throwing away the 

team’s prestige. 

Argentina, who qualified in the 

final round of fixtures for the 

World Cup in Russia, were 

humbled at home in a 4-2 defeat 

by Nigeria on Tuesday evening 

to leave the former Sevilla 

manager on the brink. 

Maradona not only claimed it 

was time for Sampaoli to go, but 

suggested that he would be the 

U- 20 Female World Cup: Give us the ticket, 

Edo Deputy Gov charges Falconets 

As the U- 20 National 

women’s team 

tackle their counterparts 

from Morocco on 

Saturday at the Samuel 

Ogbemudia Stadium in 

Benin –City for the FIFA 

U-20 Women’s World 

Cup qualifiers, Edo State 

Deputy Governor, 

Comrade Philip Shaibu, 

has charged the 

Christopher Danjuma– 

led team to go all out for 

goals, adding that the 

Edo State government 

has put all machinery in 

place to ensure a 

successful game. 

Addressing the 

Falconets at their first 

training session in Benin, 

Comrade Shaibu said 

that Edo State 

government is happy 

hosting the team as he 

charged them to ensure 

they beat Morocco. 

“On behalf of the State 

Governor, Mr. Godwin 

Obaseki. I want to 

welcome you all back to 

Edo State again. We are 

very happy hosting you 

once again. I want to use 

this opportunity to inform 

you that the government 

has put every thing in 

place to ensure a 

successful game. I also 

want to congratulate you 

for putting up a big fight 

in far away Morocco. I’m 

very convinced that you 

are battle ready to do 

Nigeria proud on 

Saturday. What we are 

interested in is the ticket 

for the France 2018 

Female World Cup.” 

“I also want to tell you 

that the Governor has 

directed all female 

schools in Benin to come 

TOO HOT... Super Eagles striker Alex Iwobi outwits Argentina’s 

Cristian Pavon (left) during the international friendly match. Iwobi 

scored two goals. 

“I can only apologise to the Italians, 

not for the will or effort but for the result, 

which as I know is the main thing,” said 

former Napoli and Sampdoria boss 

Ventura after Italy’s World Cup hopes 

were ended. 

Maradona wants Argentina job 

to the Stadium on Saturday to 

cheer you to victory. And we have 

also thrown the gates open for 

people, that is to tell you that the 

government is interested in the 

promotion of female football in 

Nigeria. We will all be at the 

stadium to ginger our girls to 

victory.” 

Okpalla loses dad 

The death has been announced 

of Octogenarian, Pa 

Raymond Eze Ibekwe Okpalla 

who passed on last week at his 

country home in Nkpologwu 

village, Aguata Local Government 

Area of Anambra State. 

Pa Okpalla who was over 90, is 

survived by many children and 

grand children, among whom are 

former Nigeria international, 

Sylvanus Okpalla, Christian 

Okpalla, Okechukwu Okpalla, 

Priscillia Okpalla, Samson Okpalla, 

Ngozi Okpalla, among others. 

prime candidate to replace him 

after comparing his winning 

record to any of Argentina’s 

recent managers. 

The list of statistics shows that 

Maradona’s winning record of 75 

per cent, achieved between 2008 

and 2010 as Argentina coach, is 

the highest out of any manager 

since Cesar Luis Menotti’s reign 

in the 1960s. 

Writing on Instagram, 

Maradona said: ‘Who won more? 

Make your own conclusions. I am 

furious because they are 

throwing away our prestige, but 

it is not the fault of the lads. 

‘I want to return.’ 

Argentina were booed off the 

pitch after submitting to defeat 

against Nigeria, in which they 

threw away a 2-0 lead and 

conceded three times in the 

second half to leave confidence 

ahead of the 2018 tournament at 

an all-time low. 

A 

former Argentinian soccer 

official took his own life 

the same day he was accused of 

taking bribes on the second day 

of the FIFA corruption trial. 

Jorge Delhon was accused 

during testimony into the FIFA 

corruption trial on Tuesday of 

accepting $500,000 a year from 

2011 to 2014 to secure 

broadcasting rights to 

international soccer games 

Delhon was found dead on rail 

tracks in Buenos Aires after 

colliding with a train later that 

day. 

The 52-year-old lawyer worked 

for Football For All, a government 

program which held broadcasting 

rights for soccer games in 

Argentina. 

Iwobi’s goals 

were classic, 

says Macherano 

BARCELONA and Argentine 

defender, Javier Macherano has 

stressed that Alex Iwobi’s brace for the 

Super Eagles in their international 

friendly on Tuesday night were quality 

strikes. 

“He (Iwobi) took his goals really 

well,” Mascherano said. 

“Maybe we should have defended 

better but the quality of the second 

strike from the edge of the box makes 

me think otherwise. 

“We dominated the first half but they 

scored from their only shot on target 

before the half-time break. Their second 

goal was well taken by the Arsenal lad 

(Iwobi) then the fourth goal by the same 

player killed the game off. 

“It’s better to lose this way before we 

get to the World Cup, and the Nigerian 

team are obviously one of the most 

physical sides we have faced in a while. 

“Congratulations to Nigeria they 

deserve to win.” 

Hard to say we 

would’ve won if 

Messi played 

– Argentina Coach 

Jorge Sampaoli the coach of the 

Argentina national team has played 

down suggestions that his team would 

have beaten Nigeria if they had 

Barcelona star Lionel Messi playing 

during their 2-4 loss in Tuesday’s 

friendly. 

Messi returned to Barcelona after 

Argentina 1-0 win over Russia in a 

friendly game decided on Saturday, 

hence missed the 2-4 loss to Nigeria, a 

game which Argentina threw a two goal 

lead. 

Speaking after the game Sampaoli 

refused suggestions that if Messi had 

played they would have won, insisting 

that the players he had on the pitch 

should have done better. 

“We (Argentina) have to move away 

from being a one man team. Maybe the 

scoreline would have been different with 

Messi on the pitch, but it’s hard to say 

because we had enough quality in the 

team to win any game”, Sampaoli said. 

“Nigeria were way better in the second 

half, they never stopped running and 

that made it hard for us to find any sort 

of rhythm going forward which they took 

advantage of to win. They did well to 

win”. 

Argentine football official commits suicide 

His name was mentioned during the 

FIFA trial in New York centering on 

Jose Maria Marin, the former head of 

Brazil’s Football Confederation, Juan 

Ángel Napout, former Fifa vicepresident 

and Manuel Braga, who led 

Peru’s soccer federation. 

Aguero set for City 

medical check-up 

Sergio Aguero is set for a medical 

check-up at Manchester City 

after being taken unwell at half-time 

in Argentina’s friendly against Nigeria. 

The club have moved to ease worries 

about their record scorer’s health and 

at this stage have not ruled him out of 

Saturday’s Premier League game 

against Leicester.


Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2017 

Sudoku 

QUICK CROSSWORD 

TODAY’S PUZZLE 

YESTERDAY’S ANSWER 

TODAY’S CROSSWORD 

YESTERDAY’SOLUTION 

How to Play Sudoku 

ACROSS 

1 Loss of memory (7) 

5 Desist (5) 

8 Tall building (5) 

9 Idle or wild fancy (7) 

10 Ailment (7) 

11 Intrepid (5) 

12 Small and dainty (6) 

14 High regard (6) 

18 Young ladies (5) 

20 Lauded (7) 

22 Protective garment (7) 

23 Mourning song (5) 

24 Liquid measure (5) 

25 Stories in instalments (7) 

DOWN 

1 Behaved badly (5,2) 

2 Small amphibians (5) 

3 Taverns (anag.) (7) 

4 Bowman (6) 

5 Ascend (5) 

6 Run-of-the-mill (7) 

7 Dodge (5) 

13 Turbulent swiftflowing 

stream (7) 

15 Defamation (7) 

16 Insanity (7) 

17 Russets, pippins, 

etc. (6) 18 Menacing 

animal sound (5) 

19 ‘The final frontier’ 

(5) 21 Arab country (5) 

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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