19022018 - Benue killings, continuation of 1804 jihad

14 insurance companies, 5 others 

may face hostile take-overs 

INSIDE 

Alleged plot to divide 

North: Outrage, as 

Southern leaders blast 

Ango Abdullahi 

45 

VOL. 26: NO. 63488 MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2018 

Benue killings, continuation 

of 1804 jihad — ORTOM 

•Says no political campaigns in the state until crisis is resolved 

•Alleges that Miyetti Allah press statements were being issued from Abuja 

•Adds herdsmen activities beyond grazing 

OBASANJO IN BAYELSA... 

By Sunday Nwafor, 

with agency reports 

M BENUE AKURDI— 

State 

Governor, Samuel 

Ortom, has said that the 

kilings in his state, 

perpetrated by herdsmen 

is actually a continuation 

of the 1804 Jihad. He 

also said that there 

would be no campaigns 

for the 2019 elections in 

the state, if there was no 

solution to the clashes 

between herdsmen and 

farmers in the state. 

Speaking in an 

interview on an online 

TV programme, The 

Osasu Show, in 

Continues on Page 5 

Nigeria in 

safe, 

competent 

hands 

— Lai 

10 

Mohammed 

Mr & Mrs 

From left, former Presidents, Dr Goodluck Jonathan and Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson 

and Chairman of the State Council of Traditional Rulers, His Majesty, King Alfred Diete-Spiff during a church service at the St. 

Stephen’s Church, Otuoke in Ogbia Local Government Area of the state, yesterday. 

Malabu: Malami 

writes Buhari, 

wants trial of 

Adoke, Diezani, 

others stopped 

8 

2019: Offer 

Nigerians 

better choice, 

IBB tasks PDP 

COLUMNISTS OWEI 33 OCHEREOME 34 SOBOWALE 31 HENRY BOYO 32 

8 

Capture Shekau dead or alive, 

Buratai charges troops 

Kaduna APC faction 

suspends El-Rufai 

10 

8

2 — Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2018

C 

M 

Y 

K 

Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2018 —3

4 — VANGUARD, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2018

Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2018—5 

POCKET CARTOON 

President, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote (left), with Governor 

Godwin Obaseki of Edo State after they both attended different meetings at 

the Presidential Villa, Abuja, weekend. Photo: Abayomi Adeshida. 

Benue killings, continuation 

of 1804 jihad — ORTOM 

Continues from Page 1 

Makurdi, Benue State, 

the governor said "they 

are writing on social 

media and they have 

come out to say look, in 

1804 Jihad, it was Benue 

people that stopped them 

from penetrating from 

Sokoto to the sea.This 

time around, they are not 

going to stop." 

He added that he 

invited President Buhari 

to console the people of 

the state over the killings 

and destruction of their 

property but lamented 

that the President did not 

honour the invitation. 

He said, as President, 

Buhari was supposed to 

provide citizens of the 

country with security 

but had failed to take 

the required action to 

curb the killings. 

He said: “For now, my 

primary concern is to 

stop these killings; to 

ensure that the IDPs go 

back to their homes and 

live peacefully. Once 

that is done, we can talk 

about other things. 

“I don’t care about 

what happens tomorrow. 

Even if I am not 

governor, I can stay back 

and fight for the right of 

my people. 

“When we visited, we 

even invited the 

President to come to 

Benue State and pay his 

condolences to his people. 

We are members of the 

party (All Progressives 

Congress, APC,), he is 

our President. If these 

people are attacking us, 

we expect him to give us 

security. 

“He has done a number 

of things. He directed 

NEMA to provide relief 

materials; he also asked 

for security to be beefed 

up, but I am not satisfied 

with what the Presidency 

is doing on this matter. 

There is no doubt about 

that. I ask for justice for 

Benue people because 

we have not been treated 

fairly.” 

Ortom said the attacks 

on Benue was an act of 

vengeance by herders for 

losing the 1804 Jihad, 

stressing that Benue 

people stopped them 

from penetrating the state 

through Sokoto. 

He said though he did 

not know the level of 

“support the herders get 

from the Presidency”, he 

was sure that the press 

statements by the Miyetti 

Allah Cattle Breeders 

Association were issued 

by people living in Abuja. 

Beyond grazing 

“These people have 

gone beyond grazing, it 

is about invading the 

land and taking over. All 

the places they have 

attacked, they have 

chased the people away 

and they are using their 

farmlands' produce as 

feed for their cattle. 

“They are conducting 

international conferences, 

issuing press releases 

and writing on social 

media and they have 

come out to say look, in 

1804 Jihad, it was Benue 

people that stopped them 

from penetrating from 

Sokoto to the sea. 

“This time around, they 

are not going to stop. 

They will make sure that 

they mobilise all Fulani 

men across the globe, 

especially from the West 

African sub-region to 

ensure that they acquire 

arms and come and 

invade and take over the 

land. 

“Because they also said 

Nigeria is the only land 

that God has given them, 

so no other person will 

supervene on this land 

except them; that it is their 

own land, they got this 

land by conquest and we 

have no business staying 

on this land. It is 

unbelievable. The 

statement is coming from 

Miyetti Allah. 

“Well, I wouldn’t know 

about their patrons or the 

extent of their 

involvement. But one 

thing I know is that the 

people that have been 

issuing these press 

statements are known. 

They are living in Abuja, 

they are living with the 

powers-that-be," Governor 

Ortom said. 

Asked why he has not 

met with the Sultan of 

Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar 

III, and Emir of Kano, 

Lamido Sanusi, to call the 

herders to order, Ortom 

said it was the 

responsibility of the 

Federal Government to 

enforce the law. 

“Why will I sit down with 

them? We have constituted 

authority over this 

country. And it is the 

responsibility of the 


enforce the law. We 

expected them to have 

acted,” the governor said. 

Governor Ortom had 

been at daggers-drawn 

with the Federal 

Government since 

herdsmen killed no fewer 

than 73 indigenes of the 

state on new year day. 

The relationship 

between both 

governments was further 

soured by the remarks of 

the Inspector General of 

Police, Ibrahim Idris, 

who, without any 

investigation, had 

concluded that the killing 

was a result of communal 

clash, though he recanted 

later, and the Defence 

Minister, Mansur Dan 

Ali, who blamed the 

killings in Benue State on 

the anti-open grazing law 

enacted by the state 

government. 

Since the new year day 

killings in the state, there 

had been several others, 

including those of 

policemen and operatives 

of the civil defence corps. 

Poor turnout for INEC voter registration in the south 

By Bose Adelaja, 

Bartholomew Madukwe & 

Frederick Okopie 

Our people (Southerners) 

feel they are more elitist 

than people from other regions 

in Nigeria. They feel 

those who conduct elections 

are not equal to the 

task. Education is our 

number one enemy in the 

South because it makes us 

make wrong political decisions. 

And our leaders 

are not following due electioneering 

process. For example, 

some Councillors 

in my community are not 

better than street urchins. 

That is why most of us refused 

to waste our precious 

time doing voters registration. 

*Tola Omodehin, Businessman 

Most of our people are 

not interested in this administration. 

Why should 

people register when they 

have not seen anything visible 

done in the last three 

years. Another thing is that 

the way Independent National 

Electoral Commission 

,INEC, organises the 

exercise is frustrating in 

the South. There are too 

many flaws. Even most 

people don’t know that 

INEC is preparing for 2019 

election. 

The Independent National 

Electoral Commission, 

INEC, registration 

exercise in the South is 

characterised by so many 

challenges unlike in the 

North. I see it as a deliberate 

ploy by some people to 

disenfranchise and discourage 

most southerners 

from registering. The process 

is working in the North 

for reasons known to powers 

that be. It is left for our 

Southern leaders to ensure 

that our people register like 

their northern counterparts. 

Judith Arhore, Proprietor. 

The Southerners are 

aware that even when they 

register en masse, their 

votes will hardly count because 

the system cannot be 

trusted. Our leaders have 

ulterior motives. Imagine 

former President Olusegun 

Obasanjo coming up with 

another agenda. Was he 

not among those who supported 

the coming of the 

current bad leadership? An 

overhauling of the system 

is required. Southerners 

are fed up with deceitful 

governance. 

*Oluwatoba Adenuga, Electrical 

Engineer Isaac Tega, Entrepreneur 

People don’t trust the current 

government just like 

past governments. There is 

recycling of old players in 

this government. Above all, 

there is imposition of candidates 

on the masses. Because 

of these reasons, they 

should not expect a large 

turnout of voters from the 

South. We cannot keep 

doing things the old way 

and expect a new result. 

Kehinde Olutayo, Cleric 

Our people are losing interest 

because of unfavourable 

government policies. 

Many are scared that whoever 

they vote for may not 

win. The government is 

building on a failed structure. 

As much as people are 

willing to register, the process 

of registration is cumbersome 

because corruption 

has eaten deep into the 

system. The current regime 

wants to fight corruption but 

it can’t do it alone because 

many of those in Buhari’s 

cabinet are benefitting from 

corruption. 

*Yomi Adesanya, Cleric

6—Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2018 

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

2 arrested 

for killing 

guard 

By Evelyn Usman 

TWO 

suspected 

members of a robbery 

gang, who stormed MP 

Manufactures in Lekki 

area of Lagos, killing a 

private guard, said the 

guard caused his death as 

he kept struggling with 

them during the operation. 

The suspects, Daniel 

John, 23, and Collins 

Achibong, 25, were arrested 

by detectives of the State 

Intelligence Bureau, SIB 

Lagos State Command, at 

Marwa Roundabout, 

Lekki, weekend. 

The robbers numbering 

three, invaded the 

company located on Plot 25, 

Block 68, Bisola Durotimi 

Drive, Lekki Phase 2, 

November last year. Their 

mission, as gathered was to 

steal laptops that were 

delivered to the company 

same day. 

They reportedly went to 

the security post and 

ordered a guard, Abubakar 

Isiaka, to take them to 

where the laptops were 

kept, but Isiaka resisted and 

raised the alarm to attract 

his colleagues, who were in 

another section. 

However, on the arrival of 

his colleagues, Isiaka was 

found in the pool of his 

blood. 

When news of the 

incident reportedly reached 

the Commissioner of Police, 

Lagos State Police 

Command, Imohimi Edgal, 

he directed the SIB to 

investigate the case. 

One of them Daniel, who 

claimed to be an orphan, 

said: “We are private 

guards; we work with a 

security company where 

we are paid N20,000 

monthly. We were three that 

went for the operation and 

our intention was never to 

kill, but to collect what we 

went there for. 

“The security man caused 

his death. In fact, he almost 

overpowered us. He held 

on to Bassey (third suspect) 

as he kept shouting. 

Bassey stabbed him in the 

waist before he managed to 

free himself from the grip. 

“We only collected his 

phone and ran out when 

we heard footsteps. We sold 

the phone for N9,000 at 

Marwa Roundabout. I got 

N3,000; Collins, N2,000, 

while the third person, 

Bassey got N4,000. I used 

the money to feed. 

“We have forgotten about 

the incident and were 

going about our normal 

business when policemen 

arrested me first, then 

Collins. We don’t know 

where Bassey is.” 

CCTV exposes 4 robbers, fraudsters in Oshodi 

By Olasunkanmi Akoni 

LAGOS—NEMESIS caught 

up with two suspected 

phone thieves and two 

fraudsters when operatives of 

Rapid Response Squad, RRS, 

arrested them after one of the 

three mobile closed circuit 

television, CCTV, cameras 

stationed in Oshodi area of the 

state, exposed them. 

The suspects, who were 

arrested last week, were 

identified as Jelili Ganiu,19; 

Samson Owolabi, 23; Segun 

Lawoye, 47, an ex-convict, 

Toyin Samuel, 38. 

Jelili and Owolabi were 

caught in the camera footage 

stealing items suspected to be 

mobile phones from a passerby 

on Oshodi pedestrian 

bridge. 

They were monitored 

through the camera 

exchanging the stolen item 

with another suspect currently 

at large, before returning to the 

same location. 

They were later trailed by 

RRS operatives attached to the 

vehicle and arrested at the foot 

of the pedestrian bridge. 

Both men, during 

interrogation at the RRS 

headquarters, confessed that 

they stole a mobile phone from 

a passer-by on the bridge and 

that the third suspect, who they 

exchanged the object with, was 

the keeper of stolen items. 

Jelili added that the third 

suspect, simply identified as 

Omo Nla, is the one who sold 

the phone and that the money 

In Abule-Ijoko, Ogun State, Saturday. PHOTO: Kehinde 

Gbadamosi. 

was later shared in the 

evening. 

“Owolabi and I are 

conductors in Oshodi, but 

when there is no work or we 

arrive late at the park to reunite 

with our bosses, we 

steal phones, purses and 

other valuables from their 

owners at the pedestrian 

bridge,” Jelili confessed. 

Couple hypnotise victim 

According to the Police, the 

other suspects, Segun Latoye 

and Toyin Samuel, were 

arrested last Friday after 

being caught on camera 

thrice dispossessing victims 

of their belongings. 

On the last footage, they 

dispossessed a young lady of 

her bag containing two 

mobile phones and unspecified 

amount of money and then 

hurriedly boarding a bus after 

hypnotising their victim. 

However, the lady regained 

her consciousness few minutes 

later and reported the incident 

to RRS officers, who contacted 

the CCTV mobile camera for 

footage of the area the incident 

took place. 

Segun and Toyin, who claimed 

to be husband and wife, 

confessed after being shown the 

video clip. 

Contacted, the Police Public 

Relations 

Officer, 

Superintendent Chike Oti, said 

the command will continue to 

apply technology in combating 

crime in the state, adding that 

the suspects will soon be 

charged to court. 

A cross section of participants at the Malta Guinness Maltavator Challenge, at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos. 

PHOTO: Akeem Salau. 

Lassa Fever kills 3 in Delta, 24 

under surveillance 

By Festus Ahon 

ASABA—LASSA Fever 

has claimed three lives in 

Delta State, while 24 persons 

are under surveillance, the 

state’s Commissioner for 

Health, Dr. Mordi Ononye, 

has said. 

Ononye, in a statement, said 

two out of the three cases of 

deaths recorded since an 

outbreak of Lassa Fever was 

reported in Delta State on 

January 26, were from 

Anambra State. 

The Commissioner said 

some of the cases were 

referred from Federal 

Medical Centre, FMC, 

Asaba, to the Institute of 

Lassa Fever, Irrua, Edo State, 

adding that the first case has 

been treated and discharged. 

Dr. Ononye said active case 

search and contact tracing 

was ongoing and that as an 

immediate response to the 

outbreak, the Ministry of 

Health, through its rapid 

response team, has been 

coordinating the state’s 

response to contain the 

spread of the disease. 

Enlightenment campaign 

Ononye said the Nigeria 

By Onozure Dania 

A33-year-old businessman, 

Ugochukwu Nnubia, who 

allegedly forged invitation 

letters to procure American 

Centre for Disease Control, 

Abuja, has been contacted and 

presently collaborating with the 

state, adding that the Ministry, 

in collaboration with the State 

Primary Health Development 

Agency, was creating 

awareness through the mass 

media on how the disease can 

be transmitted and to take 

preventive measures to forestall 

its spread. 

He said some Personal 

Protective Equipment, PPEs, 

were earlier procured and 

distributed to health facilities 

across the state, including 

FMC, Asaba, in addition to the 

sensitisation of health workers 

in the state to have a high 

index of suspicion and take 

preventive measures, when 

managing infectious cases. 

He urged Deltans not to 

panic, but report any 

suspected case to the nearest 

health facility. 

Bizman docked over forged documents 

visa, has been arraigned before 

an Igbosere magistrate’s court in 

Lagos. 

Nnubia, whose residential 

address was not given, is facing 

a three-count charge bordering on



Police, pastor to pay N20m over killing of 22-yr-old student 

over missing musical equipment 

student. 

By Anayo Okoli 

UMUAHIA—FOR allegedly 

killing 22-year-old Vincent 

Uwagbaokwu, the Police and 

Pastor Martins of the Christ 

Empire International Church, 

Umuahia, Abia State, have been 

ordered to pay N20 million to 

the late student's family. 

The order was given by an 

Umuahia High Court presided 

over by Justice Kenneth 

Okereke in a judgment 

delivered in a suit filed by the 

father of the deceased, Mr. 

Emmanuel Uwagbaokwu. 

Vincent Uwagbaokwu, a 

student of Imo State Polytechnic, 

Umuagwo, was shot dead by the 

Police on the night of September 

10, 2015, on the allegation that 

he stole musical instruments 

belonging to the church. 

Mr. Ikechukwu Ogbonna, 

church deacon, and the four 

Police officers, ex-Sergeant 

Ogbonna Alieze, Sergeant 

Eyong Inah, Corporal Obi 

Chimbuike and Constable Okafor 

Ugochukwu, said to have been 

invited by Pastor Martins of 

Christ Empire International 

Church, invaded the family 

home of the Uwagbaokwus at 

Ohobe Afara, Ibeku, Umuahia 

North Local Government at night 

and killed the student. 

His father, Mr. Emmanuel 

Uwagbaokwu, then dragged the 

Police and the pastor to court for 

unlawful murder of his son. 

Judgment 

In his judgement, Justice 

Okereke indicted the Police for 

the killing and ordered them to 

jointly pay N20 million as 

compensation to the family of the 

deceased. 

Justice Okereke held that 

the respondents failed to 

justify the killing of Vincent 

Uwagbaokwu, who was not 

even the suspect in the 

alleged stealing of the church 

property and was not armed 

at the time the Police invaded 

their home. 

“Vincent Ikechukwu 

Uwagbaokwu died an 

innocent man,” Justice 

Okereke said and regretted 

that till date none of those 

involved in his killing has 

shown remorse and 

apologised. 

He said that the judgement 

will serve as deterrent to 

policemen, who feel they 

could take life at will just 

because they are armed. 

He also ordered that the 

pastor and all the policemen 

involved in the illegal 

operation be arraigned in 

court for murder of the late 

Protest grounds Port Harcourt 

as Police escort kills taxi driver 

By Egufe Yafugborhi & 

Davies Iheamnachor 

PORT HARCOURT—THERE 

was pandemonium at 

Rumuokoro area of Port 

Harcourt, yesterday, as a taxi 

driver was reportedly killed by 

a policeman escorting a vehicle 

conveying frozen foods. 

The incident happened 

around Rumuokoro 

Roundabout, Obio/Akpor Local 

Government Area. 

The remains of the victim, 

simply identified as Mr. Bright, 

a native of Ngwa in Abia State, 

was later taken to an unknown 

destination by the policemen. 

Eyewitness account 

A young boy— hawker— told 

Vanguard that the policeman 

jumped into the truck and the 

driver zoomed off after the 

policeman killed the man. 

forgery, preferred against him by 

the Police. 

The prosecutor, Sergeant 

Cyriacus Osuji, told the court that 

on October 5, 2017, the defendant 

forged two separate invitation 

letters, an identity card, and 

submitted the documents to the 

The boy said: “I was selling 

water to some people when the 

driver finished loading his taxi. 

As he was trying to enter the 

road, somebody blocked him in 

front, while the trailer driver that 

was carrying the MOPOL was 

behind him, blaring its horn. 

“The MOPOL later got down 

from the trailer, went to the taxi 

driver and shot him on the neck. 

He ran back and entered the 

trailer and they drove past the 

taxi. Because of fear, people ran 

away and nobody went after the 

vehicle; but it was carrying fish.” 

Youths on rampage 

Meanwhile, some Igbo youths, 

who identified the victim as their 

brother, barricaded the popular 

East-West Road, where the 

incident occurred, in protest. 

They demanded that the 

Commissioner of Police in the 

state, Ahmed Zaki, must fish out 

United States Embassy for it to be 

acted upon as genuine. 

However, Nnubia denied the 

offences in the charge. 

Magistrate, Mrs A. T. Omoyele, 

granted him bail in the sum of 

N200,000 with two sureties in like 

sum, and adjourned till March 5. 

the killer-policeman. 

One of the youths, who gave 

his name simply as Ifeanyi, 

said: “We are not happy that 

our brother, Bright, was killed 

while looking for daily bread. 

“The policeman just came 

down from the vehicle, killed 

him without provocation and 

left. This shows how the 

people who are meant to be 

protecting us have turned to 

our killers. 

“We want the Inspector 

General of Police to look into 

this matter. We are calling on 

the Commissioner of Police to 

fish out this officer and 

prosecute him.” 

Police invade scene 

Meanwhile, fully-armed 

policemen, invaded the scene 

of the incident to pick the 

remains of the victim. 

The angry youths had laid 

The father of the deceased, 

Mr. 

Emmanuel 

Uwagbaokwu, said he was 

happy with the judgement 

because the court has 

vindicated his son, who was 

killed and tagged a criminal 

by police and Pastor Martins. 

“The court has proved that 

my late son, Vincent, was not 

an armed robber and was 

innocently killed by the Police 

on the orders of the pastor, 

who illegally engaged them,” 

Uwagbaokwu said. 

Meanwhile, the indicted 

persons are to be arraigned 

in court today as the Attorney- 

General of the state has 

already filed information 

against the pastor, Deacon 

Ogbonna and the four 

policemen on a two-count 

charge of conspiracy to 

murder and murder of 

Vincent Uwagbaokwu. 

The protesters, yesterday (above and below). 

the remains of Mr. Bright on 

top of his car in the middle of 

the road, stressing that 

Governor Nyesom Wike 

must visit the scene to see 

the injustice. 

However, the development 

took another twist when 

fierce-looking officers arrived, 

shooting sporadically. 

The endless shooting 

caused anxiety and ground all 

business activities in the area. 

Contacted yesterday night, 

Rivers State Police Command 

confirmed the incident, saying 

the policeman was just 

passing through the state. 

The state Police Public 

Relations Officer, Nnamdi 

Omoni, said the policeman 

was escorting a company 

vehicle that has been 

identified and that the 

policeman will soon be 

fished out. 

Ex-convict, 

46, 

impersonates 

Ogun finance 

director 

By Daud Olatunji 

ABEOKUTA—MEN of 

Ogun State Police 

Command have arrested 

an ex-convict, Surajudeen 

Balogun, for allegedly 

impersonating an Ogun 

State Director of Finance on 

Facebook. 

The state Police Public 

Relations Officer, Abimbola 

Oyeyemi, in a statement 

yesterday, explained that 

the “suspect, a fashion 

designer, posed on 

Facebook as a staff of 

Nigeria National 

Petroleum Cooperation, 

NNPC, with the picture of 

the said finance director 

through which he had been 

defrauding unsuspecting 

members of the public. 

He said: “The 46-year-old 

suspect had earlier been 

arrested for similar offence, 

when he duped one Bimpe 

Akinmade of N950,000, 

claiming to be an NNPC 

staff based in Port Harcourt, 

Cross River State. 

“He asked the woman to 

lend him the said amount 

to secure the release of his 

brother, who was detained 

at Ibara Prison with the 

promise to repay her when 

he returns to Abeokuta. 

“He came to meet the 

victim under the pretext of 

running an errand for the 

Port Harcourt-based man, 

collected the money and 

blocked the woman on his 

Facebook page. 

“He was later traced and 

arrested by the Police, 

charged to court and 

sentenced to prison. 

“As soon as he came out 

of prison, he started his 

nefarious activities again. 

Luck ran against him when 

he was trying to defraud 

another woman on 

Facebook under the same 

guise, unknown to him that 

the woman is a Police 

officer. 

“The officer played along 

until Saturday, when he 

was arrested while trying 

to collect the money from 

the woman. On 

interrogation, he owned up 

to the crime, informing the 

Police that he downloaded 

the picture of the said 

finance director and use it 

as his DP to deceive his 

victims. 

“Meanwhile, the 

Commissioner of Police, 

Ahmed Iliyasu, has ordered 

that the case be thoroughly 

investigated and charged 

to court as soon as possible. 

He appealed to members 

of public to beware of 

fraudsters on social media.”



Zamfara killing: Arrest, disarm bandits, 

militia, IGP orders AIG, CPs 

By Evelyn 

Usman 

THE Inspector-General 

of Police, Ibrahim Idris, 

has directed the Assistant 

Inspector General of Police, 

Zone 10, Sokoto, and 

Commissioners of Police 

under the zone to arrest 

and disarm all suspected 

bandits, militias and 

criminal groups in 

possession of prohibited 

firearms and restricted 

weapons in Kebbi, Sokoto 

and Zamfara states. 

He handed down the 

directive during an 

operational visit, weekend, 

to Zurmi, Zamfara State, 

where scores of defenceless 

persons were killed by 

bandits who stormed the 

community last 

Wednesday. 

Trouble started for the 

villagers after some hunters 

from Birani village in 

Zurmi Local Government 

Area reportedly intercepted 

a herder alleged to have 

stolen some cattle and 

sheep, last Tuesday. 

But the herder reportedly 

abandoned the animals 

and escaped into the bush, 

to return next day with 

some bandits suspected to 

be from Isah Local 

Government Area, who 

ambushed the hunters in 

the bush. 

By the time security 

agents arrived the bush , 

18 dead bodies, including 

those of villagers who were 

on their way to the farm, 

were found in the bush. 

To forestall further loss of 

lives, the IGP also directed 

the deployment of 

additional three units of 

Police Mobile Force, PMF, 

to the affected areas, 

bringing to 10, Police 

Mobile Force Units 

dispatched to the state to 

augment the personnel of 

Zamfara State Police 

Command, to maintain 

law and order . 

He also instituted a Joint 

Special Investigation team 

headed by Assistant 

Inspector General of Police 

in-charge of Intelligence at 

Force Headquarters. The 

investigative team, as 

gathered, had since 

proceeded to Zamfara State 

to commence a detailed 

investigation into the 

killings. 

The Joint Police 

Investigation team, as 

gathered, is under a 

definite and strict mandate 

to arrest and bring to justice 

the perpetrators of the 

killings, investigate the 

incident, with a view to 

unraveling the remote and 

direct causes of the killings 

and prevent occurrence of 

such in the future. 

During the operational 

visit , the IGP, who was 

accompanied by the AIG 

Zone 10, Sokoto and 

Commissioners of Police in 

the zone, held a 

stakeholders meeting with 

traditional rulers, political 

office holders, local 

government chairmen , 

hunters, farmers and 

vigilante groups. 

Also in attendance were 

Fulani and Hausa 

communities and other 

critical stakeholders, 

Eminent Persons Forum , 

religious leaders as well as 

Police Community 

Relations Committee, 

PCRC. 

BRIEFING: From left, Dr. Oladoyin Odubanjo, Executive 

Secretary; Prof Gabriel Ogunmola, Chairman Secience Prize 

Committee; Prof. Musto Onuoha, NAS President and Prof Oye 

Ibidapo Obe, Chairman of Jury, Nigerian Academy of Science, NAS, 

during the NAS press briefing to dectare Dr. Emmanuel Iyayi 

Imuabonah as the winner of NAS Secretary, UNILAG, yesterday. 

Kaduna APC faction suspends 

El-Rufai 

By Ben Agande 

KADUNA— CRISIS in 

Kaduna State All 

Progressives Congress, 

APC, got messier, 

yesterday, as Restoration 

faction of the party, led by 

Senator Suleiman 

Hunkuyi, announced the 

suspension of Governor 

Nasir el-Rufai for six months 

for his failure to respond to 

a query issued to him last 

Thursday. 

El-Rufai’s suspension is 

coming two days after the 

main faction of the party 

announced the suspension 

of Senator Hunkuyi for six 

months and expelled 28 

others. 

But addressing a press 

conference in Kaduna, 

yesterday, factional 

chairman of the party, 

Alhaji Danladi Wada, said 

the failure of el-Rufai to 

respond to the query issued 

him necessitated the latest 

action. 

He said: “This briefing is 

sequel to 48 hours 

ultimatum/query and 

warning issued to the state 

governor to explain and 

defence himself against the 

allegations levelled against 

him, which he failed to 

respond. 

“The State Working 

Committee on Saturday, 

February 17, 2018, 

convened and resolved to 

consider and retify the 

findings 

and 

recommendations of the 

disciplinary committee and 

the Fact-Finding 

Committee put before it in 

accordance with the 

provision of article 21(B) 

section 3 of the APC 

constitution and 

accordingly, the Governor 

of Kaduna State, Mallam 

Nasir el-Rufai stands 

suspended for six months 

from the APC, commencing 

from 17, February 2018." 

The group noted that the 

Presidential Reconciliation 

Committee, led by national 

leader of the party, Asiwaju 

Ahmed Bola Tinubu, might 

hit the rock, if El-Rufai 

refused to admit his faults. 

A member of the 

Restoration faction, 

Mataimaki Tom-Maiyashi, 

noted the governor’s body 

language and action didn’t 

suggest the willingness to 

submit to genuine 

reconciliation. 

2019: Offer Nigerians a better 

choice, IBB tasks PDP 

By Dirisu 

Yakubu 

A BUJA—Former 

Military President, 

General Ibrahim 

Babangida (retd), has 

counselled Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP, to 

give Nigerians a better 

alternative in the interest of 

the nation. 

Babangida, who spoke in 

Minna, the Niger State 

capital, weekend, while 

receiving members of the 

National Working 

Committee, NWC, of the 

PDP, led by its National 

Chairman, Prince Uche 

Secondus, also expressed 

satisfaction with the 

repositioning effort of the 

party, ahead of the 2019 

general polls. 

“I am happy at your 

assurances that there will be 

no imposition in all your 

primary elections. It is all 

about choice and you have 

promised to provide the best 

choice,” a statement signed 

by the PDP National 

Publicity Secretary, Kola 

Ologbondiyan, quoted the 

retired General as saying. 

Commending the party’s 

conduct of its elective 

convention, the former 

President noted that not a 

few Nigerians expressed 

reservations on the 

possibility of a credible 

convention during the 

weeks leading to the 

exercise. 

He said: “Your ‘reposition, 

rebrand and regain’ 

agenda is working and I 

mean particularly the 

rebranding. Some people 

believed that having been 

in government since 1999, 

the PDP will find opposition 

difficult but you are carrying 

on well and providing a 

better alternative. 

“You have also not 

abandoned the people in 

times of crisis. I monitored 

your activities in Benue, 

Taraba and you just said 

your party has sent 

members to Zamfara to 

commiserate with the 

people. 

‘’Surely, you have made 

the people the centre of your 

Malabu: Malami writes 

Buhari, wants trial of 

Adoke, Diezani, others 

stopped 

ABUJA — The Attorney- 

General of the Federation, 

Abubakar Malami, has 

written to President 

Muhammadu Buhari, 

urging him to back off on 

his administration’s legal 

battles against the principal 

actors in the controversial 

Malabu Oil deal. 

The raging scandal over 

the OPL 245 oil block 

began in 2011 when the 

Goodluck Jonathan 

administration approved its 

purchase by Shell and 

Agip-Eni from Malabu Oil 

and Gas Ltd., a firm with 

ties to Dan Etete, Nigeria’s 

petroleum minister from 

1995 to 1998. 

The Jonathan 

administration officials who 

participated in the 

negotiation preceding the 

controversial sale of the 

massive oil block included 

Mohammed Bello Adoke, 

Attorney-General at the 

time; and Diezani Alison- 

Madueke, who was 

petroleum minister. 

In his letter to Mr. Buhari, 

Mr. Malami said, following 

due examination of the case 

Dangote, others for 

Editors’ Plaza foundation 

laying ceremony 

AFRICA’S richest man 

and President of 

Dangote Group, Aliko 

Dangote, is to play the role 

of chief guest of honour at 

the foundation stone laying 

ceremony for multipurpose 

Editors’ Plaza on 

return and they will not 

forget you because you were 

with them in time of 

sorrow,’’ IBB said. 

Earlier, Secondus had told 

Babangida that former 

leaders of the nation ought 

to come together to salvage 

the country from the All 


APC- led administration. 

He lamented the scourge 

of killings and economic 

hardship, which Nigerians 

contend with on daily basis, 

stressing that country had 

never witnessed the type of 

division now combing the 

national space. 

“As a leader, you made the 

welfare of Nigerians the 

thrust of governance. You 

were also concerned about 

the peace and unity of this 

nation. You created and built 

people as well as 

institutions. 

“Today, our nation is 

drifting and as leaders you 

cannot afford to keep quiet 

and watch on the sides. 

Leaders like you must come 

together and take a firm 

position on how to save our 

nation from the precipice." 

files, he was able to 

determine that the EFCC 

has no significant evidence 

to prove its allegations of 

sharp practices against 

prominent players like 

Bello Adoke, Diezani 

Alison-Madueke and 

others. 

Besides, Mr. Malami 

said, the Nigerian 

government risks being 

portrayed before the 

international community 

and foreign investors as an 

unserious country that 

could not be trusted to live 

up to its obligations to 

international partners. 

“Clearly, potential 

investors will not have the 

confidence to invest in 

Nigeria if the government 

of the country is perceived 

as one which does not 

honour its commitments,” 

Mr. Adoke said of the OPL 

245 oil deal. 

The September 27, 2017 

letter advised the president 

to pursue Nigeria’s 

possible investment in the 

disputed oil blocks rather 

than trying to repossess it 

or prosecute former 

government officials or 

Shell or Agip-Eni chiefs 

involved in the deal. 

Thursday, March 1, 2018, 

at Guzape District of Abuja. 

The project is that of the 

Nigerian Guild of Editors, 

NGE. 

Former governor of Akwa 

Ibom State, Senator 

Godswill Akpabio, who is 

also the Senate Minority 

Leader, will chair the event, 

while chairman of BUA 

Group, Alhaji Abdulsamad 

Rabiu, will perform the 

traditional ‘turning of the 

sod’ to herald the 

construction of a befitting 

plaza for Nigerian editors 

in the Federal Capital 

Territory, FCT. 

Minister of Federal Capital 

Territory, FCT, Alhaji 

Mohammed Bello, and his 

Information and Culture 

counterpart, Alhaji Lai 

Mohammed, are also 

expected to grace the 

occasion. 

Other dignitaries expected 

at the event are heads of 

ministries, departments and 

agencies, MDAs, members 

of corporate Nigeria, the 

business community, media 

executives, etcetera. 

The goal was to raise funds 

to build a befitting secretariat 

for the Guild in Abuja, to be 

named Editors’ Plaza. 

President of the Guild, 

Mrs. Funke Egbemode, said 

part of the proposed Editors’ 

Plaza in Abuja would serve 

as the Guild’s secretariat, 

while the rest would be 

leased to the public as offices.

C 

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Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2018 --9



Nigeria in safe, competent hands 

— Lai Mohammed 

By Olasunkanmi 

Akoni 

MINISTER 

of 

Information and 

Culture, Alhaji Lai 

Mohammed, has said with 

President Muhammadu 

Buhari piloting the affairs 

of Nigeria, the country was 

in very safe and competent 

hands. 

According to him, there is 

no cause for alarm. 

The minister, who stated 

this at a mini town hall 

meeting with staff of 

Nigerian Embassy in 

Madrid, Spain, and a 

cross-section of Nigerians 

living in the European 

country on Saturday, said 

contrary to fake news being 

peddled on the social 

media, Nigeria was making 

steady progress, especially 

in revamping the economy, 

tackling insecurity and 

fighting corruption— the 

three cardinal programmes 

of Buhari’s administration 

"Don’t believe everything 

you read on social media. 

Nigeria is neither at war nor 

in crisis. Contrary to what 

you may be reading on the 

Internet, Buhari’s 

administration is putting 

Nigeria on a solid footing, 

after the years that were 

eaten by the locust," he 

said. 

He said naysayers were 

spending millions of naira 

to distort the true situation 

of things in Nigeria and to 

make the administration 

look bad, adding that the 

government’s 

achievements should be 

evaluated against the 

background of the tough 

challenges it had faced 

since coming into office on 

May 29, 2015. 

Mohammed said: "It is 

said that if you don’t know 

where you are coming from, 

you won’t know where you 

are going." 

He listed the drastic fall 

in the price of crude oil, the 

low foreign reserves at $24 

billion, the fact that the 

Federal Government was 

borrowing to pay workers’ 

salaries, and the fact that 

many states were unable to 

pay salaries as some of those 

challenges. 

Mohammed also said 

when the administration 

came into office, unpaid 

pensions had run into 

billions of naira in many 

states, contractors had 

abandoned sites across the 

country because they were 

being heavily owed, 

infrastructure was in poor 

state, power generation 

was 2,690 megawatts, 

billions were being paid as 

‘fuel subsidies’ to fat cats, 

corruption was the order of 

the day, while 20 of the 27 

local governments in Borno 

State were under the firm 

control of Boko Haram. 

He said: ‘’Today, the 

trend is being reversed, and 

the results are showing: 

Foreign reserves is now 

$42.8 billion, the highest 

level in four years; inflation 

has fallen for 12 consecutive 

months to 15.13 per cent;, 

N108 billion has been 

saved from removal of 

maintenance fees payable 

to banks before Treasury 

Single Account, TSA; the 

nation is being saved N24.7 

billion monthly with the full 

implementation of the TSA 

and the elimination of 

ghost workers has saved 

the nation N120 billion." 

INAUGURATION: Archbishop of Jos, Ignatius Kaigama (m), 

inaugurating the Catholic Resource/Centre Guest House during the 

Catholic Bishops conference in Abuja on Sunday (18/2/18). With 

him is President of Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria, John 

Cardinal Onaiyekan (left); Gov. Lalung of Plateau (2nd left); and 

Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha 

(right). Photo: NAN. 

Court frees 475 Boko Haram 

suspects, okays their rehabilitation 

By Ikechukwu 

Nnochiri 

ABUJA—A total of 475 

detained Boko Haram 

suspects were, weekend, 

released by the Federal 

High Court sitting at Wawa 

Cantonment in Niger State 

and sent to their state 

governments for proper 

rehabilitation. 

Attorney-General of the 

Federation and Minister of 

Justice, Mr. Abubakar 

Malami, SAN, who made 

this disclosure via a 

statement, yesterday, said 

the suspects were freed 

after the prosecution failed 

to establish any link 

between them and the 

Boko Haram sect. 

He noted that the 

suspects were arrested and 

detained on the basis of 

information that they either 

belonged to the proscribed 

terrorist group, or that they 

concealed vital information 

that would have helped 

security agencies to 

prevent the commission of 

acts of terrorism by 

members of the sect. 

He said the prosecution 

could not charge them with 

any offence due to lack of 

sufficient evidence against 

them. 

“Therefore, the suspects 

were released on motion 

exparte pursuance of 

section 35 (4) of the 

Constitution of the Federal 

Republic of Nigeria, 1999 

(as amended),” the AGF 

added in the statement that 

was signed by his media 

aide, Mr. Salihu Isah. 

Aside ordering the 

immediate release of the 

suspects from detention, the 

high court directed that 

they should be properly 

rehabilitated “at any 

appropriate centre” to be 

provided by their 

respective states, before 

being re-united with their 

families. 

“Those suspects who are 

mentally deranged or 

challenged with their 

health are to be provided 

medical attention at any 

appropriate medical or 

other mental health 

facilities. 

“The states were also to 

provide appropriate 

training in the manner and 

for the period that the state 

deemed appropriate and 

reasonable. 

Sagay threatens judges who 

ignores provisions of ACJA 

By Bartholomew 

Madukwe 

P RESIDENTIAL 

Advisory Committee 

on Anti-Corruption, 

PACAC, has threatened to 

bring before the National 

Judicial Commission, NJC, 

any judge who ignores the 

provisions 

of 

Administration of Criminal 

Justice Act, ACJA. 

Chairman of committee, 

Prof. Itse Sagay, SAN, who 

issued the threat in an 

interview with Vanguard, 

yesterday, also said the 

committee would train 

young lawyers, journalists 

and members of civil society 

Catholics return to CAN 

after five years absence 

By Luminous 

Jannamike 

ABUJA —THE Catholic 

Secretariat of Nigeria, 

CSN, has returned to 

Christian Association of 

Nigeria, CAN, after five 

years of walking out of the 

national Christian umbrella 

body in the country over 

some irreconcilable 

differences with the 

leadership. 

Vanguard recalls that 

Catholic Bishops had in a 

letter dated September 24, 

2012, signed by President, 

Archbishop Ignatius 

Kaigama, and addressed to 

the then CAN President, 

Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, 

announced the withdrawal 

of the Catholic Church from 

the organisation. 

However, in 2017, 

Kaigama led a delegation 

from the Catholic Bishops 

Conference of Nigeria, 

CBCN, to the CAN national 

secretariat where, in a 

meeting with the CAN 

President, Rev Samson 

Ayokunle, and his team, 

they addressed the 

identified grey areas and 

fashioned out ways of 

addressing them. 

groups to monitor cases in 

courts across the country. 

Sagay said Chief Justice 

of Nigeria, CJN, Justice 

Walter Onnoghen, did well 

by directing that in all the 

court systems, special 

courts should be created for 

corruption cases. 

He, however, regretted 

that the CJN made a 

mistake by appointing 

Senior Advocates of 

Nigeria as monitors. 

He said: “These are the 

people who are defending 

looters and people who 

have corruption cases 

before the courts. You 

cannot be the hunter and 

the hunted.” 

Sequel to that, Kaigama 

disclosed the readiness of 

the Catholics to work with 

the new CAN leadership. 

Last Thursday and Friday, 

CSN delegation, led by Rev 

Fr. Prof Cornelius Afebu 

Omonokhua, who 

represented Most Rev 

Kaigama, was present at the 

expanded National 

Executive Committee, 

NEC, meeting for the 

amendment of the 

constitution of CAN and the 

quarterly meeting of the 

Association. 

Ayokunle, who could not 

hide his joy on the return of 

the Catholic Church to 

CAN’s fold, said: “Their 

return was one of the best 

things that had been 

happening since I was 

given the mandate to 

become the president of the 

association. 

"One of my visions for 

CAN is to bring our Catholic 

brothers and sisters back to 

the fold and I must 

acknowledge the support 

and understanding of my 

brother in Christ, Most Rev 

Ignatius Kaigama, 

President, Catholic Bishops’ 

Conference of Nigeria and 

his team." 

Capture Shekau dead or 

alive, Buratai charges 

troops 

CHIEF of Army Staff, 

Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai, 

has again charged troops to 

capture Abubakar Shekau, 

factional leader of the Boko 

Haram sect, alive or dead. 

The charge comes six 

months after Buratai gave 

his men a the Boko Haram 

leader, “dead or alive”. 

Speaking when he visited 

soldiers at Camp Zairo, the 

former command and 

control centre of the 

insurgents in Sambisa 

forest, Buratai said his men 

had done very well. 

“Let me say 

congratulations. But, we 

must move across to 

wherever this criminal, 

Shekau, is and catch him 

red-handed. I want you to 

get him. 

“Mr President, 

Command-in-Chief of the 

Armed Forces, says 

congratulations to all of you 

for recovering the Sambisa 

Forest. As far as we are 

concerned, we have come 

to the end of this operation 

(clearing the forest of 

remnants of terrorists). 

“What is remaining now 

is the Lake Chad waters 

only and we hope to do that 

(clear terrorists from it) also 

very soon. Meanwhile, you 

all know these criminals are 

still on the run; these guys 

are on the run, you must 

make sure that you get 

them wherever they are 

around this area. 

“You must not allow them 

to escape. Every day, you 

must go on patrol, lay 

ambush for them and you 

go on raids. This is the time 

we have to consolidate and 

ensure that this place – 

Sambisa forest, is safe and 

never for these criminals to 

come back to it.” 

The chief of army staff 

said that he was in Sambisa 

and Camp Zairo to confirm 

the capture, destruction 

and domination by the 

“gallant” troops.

C 

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12 — VANGUARD, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2018 


VISIT: From left; Executive Director, Sales & Marketing, Red Star Express Plc, Mr Victor Ukwat; 

General Manager, Business Development & Strategy, Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc (NAHCO) 

Mr Baba Yusuf; GMD/CEO, Red Star Express Plc Sola Obabori; MD/CEO, NAHCO Mr Idris Yakubu; Executive 

Director, Finance and Admin, Red Star Express Plc, Auwalu Babura; and CEO, Red Star Agro Trade Services Ltd, 

Mr Mudi Okumagba; after a business visit by the management of NAHCO to Red Star Express Plc. 

ATTACKS: Herdsmen carrying AK-47, killing 

farmers not Fulani — OYO MIYETTI ALLAH CHAIR 

By Ola Ajayi & 

Adeola Badru 

IBADAN—THE Oyo 

State Chairman of 

Miyetti Allah Cattle 

Breeders Association of 

Nigeria, MACBAN, Alhaji 

Yakub Bello, has said that 

herdsmen wielding Ak-47, 

who are involved in 

attacking, killing and 

maiming people in their 

farms are not Fulani. 

He, however, said those 

arrested in connection with 

the gruesome murder of a 

senior officer of the Special 

Anti-Robbery Squad, 

SARS, Saki unit, ASP 

Sheu Magu and an Iseyin 

farmer in his farm at Onitoto 

Village, should be brought 

to justice if they were found 

guilty. 

This came as the leader 

of Agbekoya in the state, 

Mr Ibrahim Shehu Ijaoreto 

has appealed to the Police 

Command in Oke Ogun 

•Monitor roles played by junior officers, Agbekoya tells police 

•As Ajimobi meets with farmers, herders today 

area to monitor the 

activities of junior officers 

alleging that they punish 

farmers unjustly after their 

farms have been destroyed. 

Also, the state Governor, 

Senator Abiola Ajimobi will 

today (Monday) hold a 

meeting with the 

leadership of farmers and 

herdsmen in a bid to restate 

the state government’s 

commitment to zero 

tolerance for claiming of 

innocent lives. 

Leader of MACBAN, 

Alhaji Bello, in an interview 

with Vanguard in Iseyin 

said that those who have 

been arrested as suspects 

must be convicted if 

found guilty, saying that 

“herdsmen carrying Ak- 

47 and killing of farmers 

are not real Fulani.” 

He said: “We have 

absolute commitment from 

the state government 

including the police that no 

stone will be left unturned 

in bringing Magu and 

Mustapha’s killers to book. 

Regardless of where the 

killers are, the long arm of 

the law will search for 

them.” 

“These criminals must 

face the consequences of 

their actions in a manner 

that will send a signal to 

others that we are peaceloving 

people and we have 

no hand in destroying 

people’s farms or killing 

innocent farmers,” Alh. 

Bello said. 

The Miyetti Allah leader 

restated that those, who 

wickedly take the lives of 

others, should be made to 

face the full force of the law, 

adding that government 

must put all things in place 

to ensure that there was no 

such reoccurrence. 

“There is the need to nip 

this unacceptable 

behaviour in the bud so that 

it would not infringe on the 

peace which has existed in 

the state for long,” he 

noted. 

Monitor roles played by 

junior officers, Agbekoya 

tells police 

Similarly, the Agbekoya 

leader in the state, Alhaji 

Ijaoreto, who exonerated 

police officers in Iseyin, 

Oke Ogun area of the state, 

noted that officers have 

been performing their 

intervention role in a 

professional way. 

He, however, said junior 

officers who are sent to 

represent them have not 

portrayed the image of the 

police in a good light. 

Ijaoreto said: “They 

appear to be saints only 

when their superiors are 

there but immediately they 

leave the station, they turn 

to another thing entirely. 

We have suffered unduly in 

the hands of junior 

policemen that are sent to 

us here. This has been 

happening for a long time 

that if our farmlands are 

destroyed by herders, in 

Iseyin here, the policemen 

who are junior officers 

always end up blaming the 

farmers who lodge their 

complaints.” 

Ajimobi holds peace 

parley 

Meanwhile, Governor 

Ajimobi is expected to hold 

a meeting with the 

leadership of farmers and 

herdsmen in the state. 

The enlarged meeting, 

Vanguard reliably 

gathered, was not 

unconnected with the 

earlier ones held as a 

follow up to foster 

harmonious relationship 

between the herdsmen, 

farmers and various 

communities hosting 

herders across the state. 

ONDO APC CRISIS: C'ttee 

recommends lasting solution 

By Dayo Johnson 

AKURE — THE crisis 

rocking the All 


APC, in Ondo State might 

soon be resolved, as the 

Reconciliation Committee 

put in place by its national 

leadership has 

recommended a way out of 

the tussle within the party 

in the state. 

The Reconciliation 

Committee, headed by 

Prince Tajudeen Oluyele 

Olusi, has recommended 

the return of Mr Isaacs 

Kekemeke, to the office as 

the State Chairman of the 

party in order to allow him 

to complete his tenure. 

The Committee 

alternatively, recommended 

that the embattled chairman 

should be persuaded to 

vacate the Chairmanship 

seat and be rewarded with 

a befitting federal 

appointment or federal 

AKINWUNMI ISOLA: His death, 

a monumental loss to Yoruba 

nation — Osun govt, Gani Adams 

By Gbenga 

Olarinoye 

O SOGBO—THE 

Osun State 

Government and Aare 

Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, 

Aare Gani Adams have 

described the death of Prof 

Akinwumu Ishola, as a 

setback to the promotion of 

Yoruba language, culture 

and tradition. 

They added that his 

death remains a 

monumental loss to Yoruba 

nation. 

In statement by the 

Commissioner for 

Information and Strategy in 

the state, Mr Adelani 

Baderinwa, the 

government said Ishola’s 

death was an irreparable 

loss to the Yoruba race. 

“He committed his life to 

the promotion of Yoruba 

culture through his creative 

works and valuable 

contributions to the 

international body of 

knowledge. 

“May his soul rest in 

Redeemer’s University promises 

solution to Lassa fever 

By Gbenga 

Olarinoye 

O Redeemer’s 

SOGBO—THE 

University, Ede, Osun 

State, has hinted that the 

institution was making 

serious efforts through 

researches towards 

providing a lasting solution 

to the dreaded Lassa fever 

scourge in the country. 

Vice Chancellor of the 

institution, Professor Debo 

Adeyewa, gave the hint 

weekend during the 13th 

board or corporation. 

The report of the panel 

made available to 

newsmen, in Akure, traced 

the crisis rocking the party 

to the emergence of both 

the chairman and deputy 

from the party’s congress 

that brought them as 

contestants for the office of 

the state chairman. 

The panel said the crisis 

got wings with the advent 

of aspirants for the 2016 

governorship election in 

the state saying the party 

was balkanized into 

different camps of the 

aspirants. 

The report said “That 

Governor Oluwarotimi 

Akeredolu won the primary 

and the election did not 

douse the tension.” 

As a result of the dispute, 

the Committee said 

“Kekemeke was no longer 

acceptable to the governor 

and some members of the 

party in the state." 

peace, may the work he has 

done in promoting our 

literature continue to 

endure and may our culture 

never die.” 

On his part, Aare Adams, 

while mourning Isola said: 

“one of the illustrious sons 

and scholars of Yoruba has 

gone.” 

In a statement by his 

Special Assistant on media, 

Kehinde Aderemi, Adams, 

said: “It is sad that Nigeria 

has lost one of the foremost 

language expert and orator. 

His role and contributions 

to the development of 

Yoruba language was next 

to none, and it is worthy of 

note that many of the new 

generation writers in the 

country today learn a lot 

from his wealth of 

experiences. As an 

illustrious son of Yoruba 

descendants, Prof. Isola, in 

his life, preached peace 

through many of his 

literary works and 

contributed immensely to 

the promotion of the Yoruba 

language and culture.” 

matriculation ceremony of 

the university. 

He said the university is 

spending of millions of 

naira on research into the 

infectious disease as part of 

its efforts to solve national 

problems, saying the 

federal government has not 

been giving support to 

encourage them. 

Adeyewa said: “We are 

the only university that has 

been addressing the issues 

scientifically. We have done 

research on Lassa fever. We 

are behind the screen 

providing solutions to 

Lassa fever." 

However, Adeyewa called 

for more collaboration 

with the federal 

government, saying the 

university has been 

spending its money to 

solve public problems. 

He said: “Our centre of 

excellence is currently 

supporting the 

containment of the 

nationwide Lassa fever 

scourge being managed at 

Irrua Specialist Teaching 

Hospital, Edo State. 

“As a foremost institution 

known for excellence, 

Redeemer’s University 

hosts the World Bank 

supported African Centre 

of Excellence for the 

Genomics of Infectious 

Diseases, ACEGID, 

engaged in cutting-edge 

research which has 

provided much needed 

panacea to the outbreak of 

such hemorrhagic fevers as 

Ebola Virus Disease, Lassa 

Fever and Monkey Pox, 

among others both locally 

and internationally.''

Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2018 —13 


IBB's letter to Buhari: Ensuing controversy overshadowed 

underlying message —Afegbua 

By Simon 

Ebegbulem 

B ENIN—PRINCE 

Kaseem Afegbua, 

spokesman of former 

Head of State, General 

Ibrahim Babangida, 

weekend, regretted that 

the controversy which 

emanated after the 

former Head of State’s 

letter to President 

Muhammadu Buhari 

took away the shine from 

the message, depriving 

Nigerians the 

opportunity to absorb the 

message. 

Afegbua, who stated 

this in an interview with 

Vanguard, said: "I had 

an option to shun the 

police invitation when I 

sensed it was not in good 

faith, but as a law 

abiding citizen, I needed 

to show appearance 

when I was declared 

wanted and of course, I 

also took the necessary 

legal steps to redeem my 

image and person. 

“They discovered that 

at the end of the day it 

was pointless inviting 

me and the brouhaha 

created by the statement 

took the shine off the 

contents of that 

statement. We spoke 

about state police, we 

spoke about insecurity in 

the country, we spoke 

about the need for new 

generation leadership, 

we spoke about 

leadership dynamism, 

we spoke about a 

number of issues that the 

former Head of State 

touched on but rather 

than allow Nigerians to 

absorb the message and 

deal with what is 

necessary, the 

harassment of my 

humble self took away 

the shine from that 

message." 

BIRTHDAY: Vice Chancellor, University of Benin, Prof. Osasere Orumwense; the celebrant Capt. 

Idahosa Okunbo (middle) and the guest lecturer, during the birthday lecture in honour of Capt Okunbo 

to mark his 60th birthday in Benin. Photo: Barnabas Uzosike. 

Bayelsa fast becoming Nigeria's medical 

tourism hub —Obasanjo 

YENAGOA — 

FORMER President 

Olusegun Obasanjo, 

weekend said the huge 

investments by Governor 

Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa 

State in ensuring quality 

healthcare delivery will 

soon turn the state into a 

medical tourism hub in the 

country. 

According to a statement 

by the Chief Press 

Secretary to the Bayelsa 

State Governor, Mr. Francis 

Agbo, Chief Obasanjo, at a 

command performance in 

his honour at the Chief DSP 

Alamieyeseigha Memorial 

Banquet Hall, Government 

House, Yenagoa, said he 

will henceforth visit the 

state regularly to have his 

medical check-ups. 

Obasanjo had, during his 

three-day visit to Bayelsa, 

commissioned several 

legacy projects, including 

the world-class diagnostic 

centre, Bayelsa State 

Specialist Hospital, the 

Bayelsa State Drug 

Distribution Centre in 

Yenagoa and the 

Aquaculture Village in 

Igbogene. 

He also interacted with 

students of the flagship free 

Model Boarding School, 

Ijaw National Academy, 

Kaima, as well as enrolled 

in the state Health 

Insurance Scheme, thereby 

becoming an honorary 

enrollee of the scheme. 

The former president 

noted with satisfaction the 

level of development that 

has transformed the state, 

especially in the areas of 

education, health, 

infrastructure, tourism, 

among others, stressing that 

he will testify to the world, 

what he has seen in 

Bayelsa. 

According to him, 

Governor Dickson’s 

placement of education at 

the top of his 

administration’s agenda, is 

a means to eradicate 

poverty, curb insecurity and 

create jobs for the teeming 

Buhari hasn't done enough to stop 

herdsmen —Jibunoh 

A 

S 

By Emma Amaize, 

Regional Editor, 

South-South 

A B A — 

FOREMOST 

Nigerian adventurer, Dr 

Newton Jibunoh, weekend, 

said that President 

Muhammadu Buhari has 

not put in place satisfactory 

measures to halt the 

mercenaries butchering 

defenceless civilians and 

policemen in parts of the 

country under the guise of 

herdsmen. 

He also said that the 

Inspector-General of Police, 

IGP, Ibrahim Idris, has 

demonstrated that he 

lacked the capacity to 

execute his constitutional 

mandate on the menace. 

Jibunoh, founder of the 

Fight Against Desert 

Encroachment, FADE, in 

a chat with Vanguard in 

Asaba, Delta State, 

however, rebuked the 

youths in the state. He 

called on investors within 

and outside the country to 

take advantage of the 

prevailing security, peace 

and stability in Bayelsa 

State. 

Obasanjo lauded 

Governor Dickson for 

recognising and honouring 

past and serving leaders of 

the state for their immense 

contributions to the 

development and growth 

of the state. 

Benue State governor, Mr 

Samuel Ortom, over his call 

on the police boss to resign, 

saying it was high-handed 

The environmentalist 

advocated speedy 

disarming of the 

mercenaries whose 

weapons of destruction are 

military in design and 

usage, as well as 

immediate cessation of 

cattle grazing and 

trampling on farmlands of 

ordinary citizens. 

Obasanjo, Jonathan, Dickson 

harp on reconciliation, unity 

O 

T U O K E — 

FORMER 

presidents, Chief 

Olusegun Obasanjo, Dr. 

Goodluck Jonathan and 

Governor Seriake Dickson 

of Bayelsa State, yesterday, 

reaffirmed their call on 

Nigerians to embrace 

peace and unity for the 

good of the country. 

They spoke during the 

thanksgiving service for the 

successful groundbreaking 

of the Azikel Refinery, at St. 

Stephen’s Anglican 

Church, Otuoke, Ogbia 

Local Government Area of 

the state. 

A statement by the Chief 

Press Secretary to Bayelsa 

State Governor, Mr. Francis 

Agbo, quoted Chief 

Court orders reinstatement of 

UNIBEN staff 

By Gabriel 

Enogholase 

BENIN—A National 

Industrial Court 

sitting in Akure, Ondo 

State, has declared that the 

letter of termination of 

Mr.Neville Obakhedo's 

appointment by the 

authorities of the University 

of Benin, UNIBEN, as a 

lecturer of the institution 

was unlawful, null and 

void. 

The court, in its judgment 

by Justice O.O Oyewumi, 

also held that the former 

Vice - Chancellor, Prof 

Osayuki Oshodin’s 

security alert issued against 

Mr. Obakhedo and some 

other persons was false, 

spurious and thus 

discountenanced. 

It will be recalled that 

Obakhedo’s appointment 

Obasanjo as saying that 

leaders, particularly the 

political class, must work for 

unity, peace and genuine 

reconciliation, irrespective 

of tribe, religion and 

political affiliation. 

Obasanjo, who heralded 

his speech with one of his 

favourite hymns, “Amazing 

Grace,” noted that God has 

blessed Nigeria with all the 

prerequisites of greatness. 

He urged Nigerians to 

learn from history rather 

than make the same 

mistakes and expect to 

have a better result. 

He said, “In a country 

like Nigeria, unless we 

preach, teach and practise 

reconciliation, we will not 

have peace." 

was terminated following 

an allegation that he and 

other persons planned to 

set parts of the university 

on fire and disrupted the 

NUGA games hosted by 

the university. 

The court ordered the 

University of Benin to 

forthwith reinstate the 

claimant to its employment 

and pay his salary, 

emoluments and all other 

entitlements without any 

loss of seniority or rank. 

According to Justice 

Oyewumi, “The claimant is 

entitled to his promotion 

upon the fulfilment of the 

procedure as stated in 

Chapter 111 of Exhibit 

NO3. Therefore, defendant 

is to forthwith set in motion 

the machinery for the 

promotion of the claimant 

to lecturer 1 and Senior 

lecturer respectively.”

14 — Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2018 

CLIPS FROM INDEPENDENT AWARDS 2017, HELD AT EKO HOTEL, LAGOS, WEEKEND. 

From Left—Alhaji Ismaila Isa Funtua, Chairman of the occasion; James Ibori, 

former Governor, Delta State; Mrs Edith Okowa, wife of Governor, Delta State; Mr 

Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa, Governor, Delta State/Independent Man of The Year 2017 

and Emmanuel Uduaghan, former Governor Delta State, during the Independent 

Awards 2017 held at Eko Hotel, Lagos. Photos by Akeem Salau. 

Mr Sam Amuka,Publisher Vanguard Newspaper (right) 

presenting Outstanding Chief Executive Officer of the 

Year (Insurance) 2017 to Alhaji Auwalu Muktari, GMD, 

Royal Exchange Plc. 

Alh Ismaila Isa Funtua, Chairman of the occasion presenting Governor 

of the Year 2017 Award to Lagos State Governor, Akinwumi Ambode, 

being received by Mr Tunji Bello, Secretary to the State Government. 

Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, former Governor,Kaduna State, 

receiving Party Leader of the Year 2017 Award from Aremo Olusegun 

Osoba, former Governor Ogun State. 

Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike 

Ekweremadu (right) receives the Independent 

Newspaper’s “National Legislator of the Year 

Award”, 2017, from former Governor of Ogun 

State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel. 

From Left—Alhaji Tajudeen Okoya; Alhaja 

Rashidat Okoya; and Hon Jumoke Okoya- 

Thomas at the awards event. 

Senator Ike Ekweremadu, Deputy Senate 

President (left), presenting Independent 

Bridge Builder of the Nation 2017 Award to 

Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ooni of Ife. 

Mr Ted Iwere, and Mr Peter Arigbe at the 

event. 

From Left—Hon Motoh Dogara; Hon Yakubu 

Umar Barde, Minority Whip, House of 

Representatives; and Hon Yusuf Makarfi, 

Chairman Na-Anko Motors & Transports, 

Kaduna at the occasion 

Mrs Adebunmi Adekanye, Permanent 

Secretary, Ministry of Education, representing 

Deputy Governor of Lagos (left) and Dr Yinka 

Ayandele, Permanent Secretary, Education 

District 1 Lagos State.

VANGUARD, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2018 — 15 

:Vanguard :@vanguardnews :@vanguardnewsNEWS HOTLINES: 

Why Imo APC is in crisis — AZOGU 

By Emmanuel 

Elebeke 

ABUJA—A member of 

Imo State Elders 

Advisory Council, Bishop 

Udo Azogu, says the APCled 

government in the state 

is currently facing crisis 

because his advice was not 

heeded by party faithful. 

He said that with the 

prevailing trend of 

intolerance and rascality 

within the leadership of the 

party, coupled with a 

collective sense of 

ambivalence towards 

reconciliation by party 

elders, the APC-led 

government of Imo State 

appears to be moving on a 

dangerous collision course 

with anarchy and warned 

key players in the party 

to tread with caution in 

order to save the party 

from imminent collapse. 

“My request for cessation 

of hostilities among party 

faithful was not heeded, 

resulting in the present 

impasse. With the 

prevailing trend of 

intolerance and rascality 

within the leadership of the 

party coupled with a 

collective sense of 

ambivalence towards 

reconciliation by party 

elders, the APC-led 

government of Imo State 

appears to be moving on a 

dangerous collision course 

with anarchy.” 

Bishop Azogu, who 

spoke to Vanguard in Abuja 

lamented that events 

unfolding in quick 

succession in the once 

celebrated APC-led 

government of Imo State is 

gradually spiraling out of 

control with far reaching 

consequences on the 

peace, security and stability 

of a state that was once 

adjudged the most 

peaceful in Nigeria. 

According to him, signals 

of great conflict within the 

APC-led administration of 

Imo State started emerging 

with the jostle for various 

elective offices, including a 

new successor to Governor 

Okorocha, whose second 

term in office expires in 

2019. 

“Events unfolding in 

quick succession in the 

once celebrated APC-led 

government of Imo State is 

gradually spiraling out of 

control with far reaching 

consequences on the 

peace, security and stability 

of a state that was adjudged 

the most peaceful in 

Nigeria,'' Azogu said.



Sixth anniversary: Bayelsa govt thanks Obasanjo, 

others 

By Samuel 

Oyadongha 

Y ENAGOA— 

BAYELSA State 

Government has thanked 

former President Olusegun 

Obasanjo for spending 

three days in the state 

commissioning remarkable 

projects such as the Bayelsa 

Specialist Hospital, a world 

class diagnostic centre and 

the aquaculture village with 

500 fish ponds. 

The commissioning of the 

projects was part of 

activities to mark the sixth 

anniversary of Governor 

Seriake Dickson’s 

Restoration Government 

which also saw the former 

president inspiring future 

leaders of the state during 

a special interactive 

session at the Ijaw National 

Academy. 

Commissioner for 

Information and 

Orientation, Daniel 

Iworiso-Markson, in a 

N-Delta agitators condemn killing of Edo 

vigilante member by soldiers 

By Emma Amaize 

Y ENAGOA— 

NIGER Delta 

agitators, yesterday, asked 

the Nigerian Army to 

explain why soldiers shot 

dead Efe Igbinovia, 

member of a vigilante 

group that arrested two 

herdsmen with an AK-47 

rifle, at Obadolovbiyeyi 

community in Ikpoba- 

Okha Local Government 

Area of Edo State, last week. 

The agitators, under the 

auspices of the 21st Century 

Youths of Niger Delta, in a 

statement by their 

spokesperson, W O Izon 

Ebi, also demanded to 

know why soldiers freed the 

two herdsmen 

apprehended by the 

vigilante group. 

Ebi said: “How can the 

Nigerian Army explain the 

killing of a vigilante 

member in Edo State that 

apprehended herdsmen 

with AK47 and immediately 

called the attention of the 

Nigerian Army, but the 

Nigerian Army came and 

shot and killed the vigilante 

member in cold blood and 

released the herdsmen 

with their AK47.” 

Shocked at the action of 

security officials, the 

agitators also asked, “How 

do you explain the 

assassination attempt on 

our vibrant past IYC 

president, Dr Chris Ekiyor, 

by herdsmen?” 

Late Igbinovia, member 

of the vigilance group that 

arrested some herdsmen for 

armed robbery on the 

Ogbe-Ijoh, Aladja crisis: Urhobo, Ijaw youths 

beg parties to embrace dialogue 

By Jimitota Onoyume 

W 

A R R I — 

URHOBO and 

Ijaw youths have come 

together to enjoin parties 

in the Ogbe-Ijoh, Aladja, 

Delta State crisis to give 

peace a chance, stressing 

that they should explore 

dialogue to resolve the 

issues that led to the fracas 

that has claimed several 

lives from both sides. 

A joint statement 

yesterday by the Ijaw 

Youth Council, IYC and the 

youth wing of Urhobo 

statement, yesterday, said 

Obasanjo’s visit to Bayelsa 

was a rare privilege and a 

great honour to the 

government and people of 

the oil-rich and fast 

developing state. 

According to him, the 

historic visit will remain 

memorable in the annals of 

the state, noting that the 

former Nigerian leader 

came despite his very busy 

schedule. 

The commissioner also 

commended immediate 

past President, Dr. 

Benin-Abraka expressway, 

last week, was left by the 

group to watch over the 

apprehended herdsmen, 

while other members went 

in search of other fleeing 

herdsmen, but soldiers 

stormed the place in a 

Honda car, shot at Igbinovia 

and set the herdsmen free. 

Spokesperson for the 4 

Brigade Command of the 

Nigerian Army, Capt. 

Mohammed Maidawa, 

Progress Union also 

appealed to elders of the 

two ethnic groups in the 

area to take urgent steps to 

pursue the path of peace. 

The statement by the 

national president of IYC, 

Mr Eric Omare and his 

counterpart in the Urhobo 

platform, Mr Nicholas 

Omoko, assured of the 

willingness of the two 

groups to support any 

peace process, adding that 

they will rally round for its 

success. 

“The IYC Worldwide and 

the Urhobo Progress Union, 

Goodluck Jonathan and his 

wife, Patience, for hosting 

Obasanjo at their country 

home in Otuoke. 

He also thanked former 

Deputy Senate President, 

Ibrahim Mantu, former 

Deputy Governor of Sokoto 

State, Murktar Shagari, 

former Minister of 

Information and Prof. Jerry 

Gana for commissioning 

the Bayelsa Health 

Insurance Scheme office 

and the Malaria, 

Tuberclosis, HIV/AIDS 

Research Centre. 

INDUCTION: From left: ESV Gerry Ikputu; Olorogun James Omeru, immediate past president 

of NIESV; Nuel Mark; Godwin Konyefa; Bature Mohammed, Ag. National Secretary of NIESV and Mr 

Monday Aluwe, Asst. National Publicity Secretary of NIESV, during the induction of ESV Konyefa and 

ESV Ikputu as Fellows of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers. 

however, explained that 

troop deployed to Ologbo 

for pipeline protection 

received a tip off from locals 

close to the location of 

suspected armed robbery 

activities and mobilized to 

the scene. 

He said the troop 

engaged armed men at the 

scene, but unfortunately 

one person who was later 

identified as member of the 

vigilante was killed. 

UPU- Youth Wing (Ighele), 

have called for peace 

between Aladja community 

in Udu LGA and the Ogbe- 

Ijoh community in Warri 

South West LGA, Delta 

State. Aladja, an Urhobo 

community and Ogbe-Ijoh, 

an Ijaw community have 

been engulfed in 

communal crisis over land 

which has claimed several 

lives with property worth 

millions of naira destroyed. 

Socio-economic activities in 

the two communities have 

also been paralyzed," it 

said. 

2019: Delta APC urges Buhari 

to run for 2nd term 

By Festus Ahon 

A SABA—DELTA 

North senatorial 

caucus of All 


APC, in Delta State has 

called on President 

Muhammadu Buhari to 

contest the 2019 

presidential election, 

passing a vote of 

confidence in him. 

The party, in a 

communique at the end 

of a critical stakeholders 

meeting held at the 

country home of the 

Minister of State for 

Petroleum, Dr. Ibe 

Kachikwu, said that a 

leadership committee 

headed by Chief 

Hyacinth Enuha, had 

been constituted to 

address the issues of 

unity and leadership in 

State police, panacea to internal 

security challenges —Retired DIG 

By Emmanuel 

Ayungbe 

U YO—DEPUTY 

Inspector General 

of Police, Mr Udom 

Ekpoudom (retd), has 

aligned himself with the 

demand by state 

governors for the 

establishment of state 

police, saying it was the 

only way out of the 

prevailing internal 

security challenges in the 

country. 

Ekpoudom made his 

position known while 

interacting with members 

of the State Working 

Committee, SWC, of the 

Nigeria Union of 

Journalists, NUJ, Akwa 

Ibom State Council, in his 

Delta expands job creation scope 

By Gab Ejuwa 

NO fewer than 

740 youths 

enrolled in the third cycle 

of the Delta State Skills 

Training and 

Entrepreneurship 

Programme, STEP and 

Youth Agricultural 

Entrepreneurs 

Programme, YAGEP, 

received pleasant 

surprises, weekend as 

the state government 

informed them that it had 

expanded the scope of 

their training to include 

new elements to help 

them acquire multiple 

skills and optimum 

proficiency in their 

different vocations. 

The Chief Job Creation 

Officer, Professor Eric 

Eboh, disclosed this at the 

conclusion of their 

the party. 

Noting that the APC's 

position on state police was 

unprecedented and should 

be commended, the party 

noted that from the 

inception of the third 

republic, the Delta Central 

and South senatorial 

districts have had two terms 

each. 

Declaring their support 

for the seeming zoning 

arrangement in the state, 

the APC said their right to 

complete the second term of 

the Delta North was not 

negotiable. 

“The Delta North APC is 

solidly on ground in Delta 

North and has the capacity 

to win the 2019 general 

election,” the communique 

read in part, encouraging 

all eligible gubernatorial 

aspirants of the party from 

Delta North to make their 

office. 

He said he was aligning 

with the position by the 36 

state governors because it is 

the best way of addressing 

the rising internal security 

challenges bedevilling the 

nation in recent times. 

The former police boss 

explained that since state 

governors are constitutionally 

empowered to create and 

manage internal security in 

their states, they will be able 

to identify flash points easily 

and deal with them promptly 

before they escalate. 

“If we have state police in 

all the states of the federation, 

it will allow indigenes of the 

states to be recruited into the 

force and remain in the state 

to tackle security challenges 

that may arise," he said. 

orientation programme at the 

Delta Songhai Camp, 

Amukpe, noting that the 

expansion became necessary 

to keep the trainees abreast 

with new technologies and 

market demands ahead of the 

establishment of their own 

businesses. 

“For those in ICT, we are 

looking beyond computer 

hardware which was on offer 

in the 2015/2016 and 2016/ 

2017 cycles. Even though 

computer hardware is still 

part of the training, we have 

expanded it to include 

software development, data 

base development and 

website development, so that 

you can come out as compete 

ICT persons. Your curriculum 

and training guide reflect this 

content and your trainers 

have been fully briefed,” 

Eboh told the happy 

participants.

C 

M 

Y 

K 



2018 UTME: JAMB decries ongoing 

non-academic staff strike 

By Joseph Erunke 

A BUJA—JOINT 

Admissions and 

Matriculation Board, 

JAMB, yesterday said 

the much anticipated 

conduct of the 2018 

Mock Unified Tertiary 

Matriculation 

Examination, UTME, 

would now hold on 

February 26, saying it 

could no longer postpone 

the conduct of the 

examination. 

This came as it 

lamented ongoing 

nationwide strike by 

non-academic staff in the 

nation’s universities, 

blaming the industrial 

action for the delay in the 

examination, as the body 

was forced to 

continuously shift it in 

anticipation that the 

industrial action would 

be called off. 

JAMB, in a statement 

by its Head of Media, Dr 

Fabian Benjamin, 

lamented that being a 

critical partner, the Non- 

Academic Staff Union of 

Educational and Related 

Associations, NASU’s 

absence in the 

scheduled examination 

would be greatly felt if 

•Fixes date for mock examination 

the issue that led to the 

industrial dispute was 

not resolved for members 

to participate in the 

exercise. 

According to him: “The 

unions are our critical 

stakeholders and their 

absence would be felt if 

the issue is not resolved 

before Monday, 

February 26. The Board 

could not have said it 

would go on with the 

examination with or 

without their suspending 

the strike, rather the 

Board found itself in a 

situation that it has to go 

on with conduct of the 

SKILLS ACQUISITION FOR ARTISANS PROGRAM: From left; Alhaja 

Fausat Gbadebo (APC Woman Leader, Lagos East Senatorial District), Senator 

Gbenga Ashafa (host), Senator Anthony Adefuye (co-chairman of the event), 

flanked by some of the participants of the 5-day entrepreneurship seminar/ 

skills Acquisition for artisans programme sponsored by Senator Gbenga 

Ashafa for Lagos East constituents weekend in Lagos. 

Ex-maritime workers union’s President-General 

decries state of Oshodi-Apapa Expressway 

By Victor Ahiuma- 

Young 

L 

A G O S — 

IMMEDIATE 

past President-General of 

Maritime Workers Union of 

Nigeria, MWUN, 

Emmanuel Tony Nted, 

weekend expressed 

disgust over Federal 

Government's neglect of 

Oshodi-Apapa 

Expressway, even as he 

financed a multi-million 

Naira road and solarpowered 

streets light for 

residents of Corporation 

Estate in Amuwo Odofin, 

Local Government Area, of 

Lagos State. 

At the commissioning of 

the projects, Governor 

Akinwunmi Ambode of 

Lagos State, urged 

wealthy Nigerians to give 

back to the society and 

assist the government in 

areas of infrastructure and 

social amenities as 

government could not do it 

alone. 

According to Nted, the 

level of infrastructural 

decay across the country, 

especially the dilapidated 

access roads to the nation’s 

ports was shocking and 

unbelievable, saying: “To 

me, it looks like people in 

government are not 

thinking. If they are, they 

would not allow the roads 

across the country, 

especially the access roads 

to the ports to degenerate 

to what they are today. That 

is the gateway to the 

nation’s economy where 

government generates the 

bulk of its revenue. So, if 

Apapa and Tin -Can Ports 

and others are actually the 

gateway to the nation’s 

economy, then government 

should act fast. 

“When I was the 

President-General of 

MWUN, we had four 

meetings with the 

government over this issue, 

nothing was done. Maybe 

now, it may be different. 

The maritime sector is the 

alternative to oil. Most of 

our cargo are now being 

diverted to neighboring 

countries due to bad roads. 

No importer will keep his 

goods in the port for 

months because he cannot 

access the roads. Even 

residents are fleeing from 

Apapa area because of the 

failed access roads. 

Government needs to act 

fast so that there will be a 

turn-around in Apapa.” 

On the road and solarpowered 

streets light, Nted 

said: “I was born a 

philanthropist which I 

learnt from my parents. I 

love to give. That is what 

motivated what I am doing 

today and everything in my 

life. I love to support the 

society.” 

Speaking, Ambode who 

was represented by a 

member of Lagos State 

House of Assembly, from 

Amuwo Odofin Local 

Government, Dipo 

Olorunrino, commended 

Nted saying: “As 

examination. We are still 

hopeful that an amicable 

resolution of the crisis 

would be reached before 

the date of the 

examination. 

'We had prayed and 

worked tirelessly to 

ensure that the strike 

was called off hence our 

continued shifting of the 

dates for the 

examination.“ 

government, we are 

supposed to do this but he 

has lifted some burdens 

from us. As government, we 

cannot do it alone. This is 

simply humanitarian 

service and not corporate 

social responsibility, 

CSR. CSR is a 

compulsory act by law.'' 

RECONCILIATION: Tinubu’s failure'll 

spell doom for APC — SEN SANI 

By Omeiza Ajayi 

A BUJA—THE 

S e n a t o r 

representing Kaduna 

Central in the Senate, 

Shehu Sani has warned that 

it will be a tragedy for the 

ruling All Progressives 

Congress, APC, if the 

presidential crisis mediator, 

Asiwaju Bola Tinubu failed 

in the task of reconciling all 

aggrieved members and 

factions in APC. 

Sani, who spoke weekend 

when he visited Chief John 

Odigie-Oyegun led 

National Working 

Committee NWC, of the 

party, said Tinubu’s 

appointment might have 

temporarily stopped the 

mass defection from the 

party. 

According to him, “It is no 

more news that the APC 

is faced with crisis in some 

states where it holds sway 

as a ruling party. This 

crisis has defied solutions 

for over two years. Efforts 

that were made in the past 

have not been able to 

address the problems. 

Nobody could have 

solved this problem other 

than President 

Muhammadu Buhari 

himself and through 

Asiwaju Bola Ahmed 

Tinubu. The governors 

cannot solve the problems 

because they are party to 

the crisis. The APC Senators 

and members of the House 

of Representatives cannot 

solve the problem 

because they are party to 

the crisis. The party itself 

at the national level 

cannot solve the problem 

LASUTH, Apollo Hospital launch 

kidney transplant centre 

By Chioma Obinna 

LAGOS—WITH the 

increasing rate of 

kidney diseases in the 

country, Lagos State 

University Teaching 

Hospital, LASUTH, and 

Apollo Hospital, India 

weekend launched a 

collaborative renal 

programme to provide best 

treatment as well as crash 

the high cost of kidney 

transplant. 

Addressing journalists in 

Lagos during a meeting 

with a team of kidney 

experts from Apollo hospital 

India, LASUTH Chief 

Medical Director, Prof. Wale 

Oke who disclosed that no 

fewer than five cases of 

kidney transplants had 

been successfully done by 

doctors in LASUTH, 

explained that the 

collaboration with Apollo 

was to further improve the 

skills of the doctors as well 

as reduce number of 

patients dying from kidney 

diseases. 

He said: “The new 

programme is to create 

opportunity to empower our 

doctors because the more 

surgeries they do, the better, 

they become. We have done 

five kidney transplants but 

unfortunately, we have 

rejection issue with one 

case. With this programme, 

such issue of rejection will 

be taken care of and more 

equipment will be 

procured. And some cases 

that cannot be done here in 

LASUTH will be taken to 

Apollo Hospital India in the 

company of our doctors. 

“This programme is in 

line with Governor Akin 

Ambode’s mission to 

reduce medical tourism as 

fast as possible, ensure that 

patients are treated here in 

the country and at a cheaper 

cost.” 

Oke explained that under 

the programme, ''Kidney 

specialists and 

Nephrologists will be 

visiting periodically to 

develop, train, and give 

expert opinion to the 

kidney patients. Doctors 

and technicians can travel 

to Apollo for exposure.” 

Speaking, a Consultant 

Nephrologist & Transplant 

physician, Apollo 

Hospitals, Dr. Manoj 

Gumber said the 

collaboration was not just 

shifting patients from 

Nigeria to India but 

exchange of knowledge 

among the doctors, adding 

that Apollo Hospitals has 

been in collaboration with 

various institutions from 

other countries in the 

last 20 years. 

YORUBA LANGUAGE: 

‘Ambode’s move timely, 

rewarding for Yoruba nation' 

By Dapo Akinrefon 

L AGOS—THE 

South West 

Think-Tank, SWETT, 

has commended Lagos 

State governor, Mr. 

Akinwunmi Ambode for 

because there is disrespect 

and disregard for the 

leadership of the party in 

the last two years. The 

very fact that the party 

itself has been inhibited 

by lack of funds and 

other challenges made it 

impossible for the party to 

bring to order what is 

happening. What we need 

to understand very clearly 

is that crisis within a ruling 

party is not new and not 

strange. 

“Each time you have a 

group of people who 

organise themselves and 

take over political power, 

you are bound to have 

internal crisis within the 

party. It is so with the 

National Liberation Front in 

Algeria, it is so with the 

African National Congress 

in South Africa.'' 

signing the Yoruba 

Language Preservation 

Law. 

Ambode last week signed 

the bill into law, making it 

possible for Lagosians to 

promote and propagate the 

Yoruba language. 

The new law also paved 

the way for students to be 

admitted into any stateowned 

tertiary institution, 

with credit pass in Yoruba 

language. 

The group described the 

move as timely, and 

rewarding for the Yoruba 

nation. 

In a statement by its 

secretary, Dr. Femi 

Adeogun, SWETT said: 

“By this singular effort, 

governor Ambode has 

displayed uncommon traits 

of an Omoluabi, setting the 

pace for other governors to 

emulate. Since his 

assumption to the exalted 

position as governor of 

Lagos State, Mr. 

Akinwunmi Ambode has 

never hidden his passion 

for the development of 

Yoruba race. An attribute 

that has garnered him more 

respect and honour among 

the Yoruba, particularly, 

stakeholders that promote 

the culture and tradition.''


THE Minister for Agriculture and 

Rural Development, Chief Audu 

Ogbeh, has been in the news for the 

widely rejected proposal to create 

cattle colonies in all the states of 

Nigeria. Soon, he and the President 

Muhammadu Buhari administration 

might be back on the front pages for 

another crisis which is rapidly 

building up unnoticed. 

The threat of massive famine in 2018 

and 2019 is becoming a reality to those 

close to Nigeria’s farmlands. In the 

past, food shortages had occurred on 

account of unfavourable weather or 

pest infestation. Low rainfall or 

excessive flooding as well as locust 

attacks had in the past also resulted 

in low food productivity. 

This year, the country is likely to 

experience the first full blow of the 

crisis occasioned by armed herdsmen’s 

attacks on farmers nationwide which 

had resulted in losses of lives and 

property and the displacement of 

Herdsmen attacks as trigger to famine 

thousands of farmers from the rural 

areas to safe havens far away from 

their farms. 

In most cases, these attacks were 

accompanied with the burning of the 

homes of the farmers, destruction or 

looting of their food storage facilities 

or the occupation and grazing on their 

farmlands by cows and herdsmen. 

Even if the ongoing military 

operations are successful, most 

displaced farmers will find it difficult 

to resume their farming. 

Government’s tardiness to put a stop 

to the armed Fulani herdsmen 

atrocities has created a situation in 

which farmers are unable to harvest 

what is left of their ravaged farms 

because they are either in refugee 

camps or are on the run for their lives. 

Most of them are also not planning to 

return home soon to start planning for 

the planting season which starts 

anytime from now. With millions of 

farmers not harvesting now and not 

planting for the next season, it 

requires no prophet to predict a 

looming famine. 

The blame should lie squarely at the 

doorsteps of the Federal Government 

which failed to mobilise the security 

forces to effectively provide security 

when the attacks intensified over the 

past couple of years. Media reports 

of these attacks were totally ignored, 

until the Benue State Government 

decided to conduct a state funeral for 

the victims of the New Year Day 

massacres on live television. 

We are raising this alarm to enable 

the Federal and state governments 

to brace up for the food shortages 

ahead and plan to mitigate them. All 

efforts must be made to eliminate the 

herdsmen threat. 

The nomadic livestock operators 

should be persuaded and assisted to 

accept the ranching option. There is 

no other way forward than this. 

The armed foreigners and their 

local accomplices must be 

apprehended and dealt with. Special 

plans must be made to resettle, 

rehabilitate and provide special 

funding to enable our farmers go 

back to work in safety and security. 

Not in IBB’s character 

By Sufuyan Ojeifo 

THE Igala of Kogi State in North-Central 

Nigeria have a proverb that succinctly explicates 

an exception to what is generally seen 

or thought to be the conventional. While the 

young people may decide to do all manner of 

acrobatic displays in the open field or in the 

farm, they say it is not in the character of old 

people to so behave. According to them, “An 

old man does not run in-between ridges in the 

farm for nothing; it is either he is chasing something 

or something is chasing him.” This provides 

the context within which I want to analyse 

the recent intervention in the state of the 

nation by the former military president, General 

Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (popularly 

referred to as IBB). 

My preoccupation is not to deconstruct the 

general and specific messages contained in the 

February 4, 2018 press statement in which he 

shared his thoughts with fellow compatriots 

on the need to infuse fresh blood or enthrone 

younger leaders in the mainstream of the nation’s 

political leadership in 2019; rather, the 

enterprise is to interrogate the likely circumstances 

that might have led the former military 

president to take to the popular media, against 

his style, to offer advice, pro bono publico, on 

the 2019 presidential race. 

IBB has been characteristically prudent in 

matters of presidential power. But, suddenly, 

he has unusually acted out of character, intrepidly 

lending his avuncular voice to the growing 

corpus of interventions on the modus of 

dealing with the nation’s seeming incompetent 

leadership that has brought about unimaginable 

pains on Nigerians. I think very seriously 

that he should be allowed to reinvent 

himself in the light of the cumulative hunger 

and anguish in the land, having stoically related 

with and acted in seeming condonation 

of the nation’s successive governments since 

he stepped aside on August 27, 1993. 

Apart from the coup of August 27, 1985 that 

produced him as head of state, consequent 

upon the overthrow of General Muhammadu 

Buhari during which he pilloried the governance 

style of his predecessor in his take-over 

speech, IBB has never been openly critical of 

any of his successors in office until presently. 

His refrain, anytime the media place a demand 

on him to assess the performance of any government 

in power, has been that there are open 

channels of communication through which he 

advises the president. 

For the records, he never criticised Chief 

Ernest Shonekan’s Interim National Government, 

ING, to which he handed over power on 

August 27, 1993 nor did he take on the regime 

of General Sani Abacha that took over from 

Shonekan, even when the regime unleashed 

a reign of terror on the nation. IBB also did not 

chastise General Abdulsalami Abubakar’s regime 

that came after the Abacha regime, not 

IBB would be consigning 

himself to the wrong side of 

history as a timid and confused 

leader if he failed to act 

to talk of President Olusegun Obasanjo’s eightyear 

administration with all its imperfections 

and malfeasance. 

There was speculation that Obasanjo 

breached a gentleman’s agreement to rule for 

a term of four years after which power would be 

guided to IBB, one of his sponsors to power. 

The gap-toothed general did not cause ruckus 

when Obasanjo forcefully retained power in 

2003. He had maintained a deep sense of equanimity 

and statesmanlike disposition. In 2007, 

after the failure of Obasanjo to manipulate the 

constitutional amendment to provide for his 

third term in office, his presidency had moved 

against IBB’s presidential bid. 

Again, IBB did not impudently fight back or 

insist on having his way. He quietly eased out 

of the race, explaining in a letter to Obasanjo 

OPINION 

as president and leader of the People’s Democratic 

Party, PDP, that he took the decision because 

his friend, General Aliyu Gusau, and his 

younger brother, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua 

(then governor of Katsina State), were already 

in the race and would not want to be seen to be 

competing with them for power. 

The fact that Obasanjo imposed Yar’Adua 

on the PDP as the presidential candidate might 

not have rankled IBB as he did not do anything 

subsequently to undermine the 

Yar’Adua presidency. At the most critical time 

in the presidency in 2009, when Yar’Adua was 

sick, it was Obasanjo who, surprisingly, championed 

the call for his resignation. When 

Goodluck Jonathan, another stooge of 

Obasanjo, who was then vice-president, 

stepped in following Yar’Adua’s death, 

Obasanjo characteristically did not support him 

to the end. 

To demonstrate his public rejection of 

Jonathan and his government, Obasanjo had 

to publicly tear his PDP membership card. He 

had earlier written an open letter to the Ijawborn 

leader titled: Before it is too late. Obasanjo 

did not leave anyone in doubt that he was 

supporting General Muhammadu Buhari for 

the presidency. His anti-Jonathan sentiments 

were so deep-seated that he made up his mind 

to vote for anybody but Jonathan. That predisposed 

him to glossing over, for instance, the 

weakness of Buhari in the area of the economy. 

For IBB, who has been a PDP leader from the 

outset, it was a time to remain steadfast, not a 

time to jump on the bandwagon just because 

the entire north was gravitating towards 

Buhari. He did not speak against the candidature 

of Buhari. But for perceptive watchers of 

the nation’s presidential politics, IBB’s body 

language was unambiguous. Nothing has 

changed or even mitigated his 1985 verdict 

about Buhari, with which he justified the overthrow 

of the Daura-born general as head of 

state. 

Methinks IBB just decided to live quietly and 

painfully with his apparent minority view about 

a Buhari presidency in 2015. It was clear he 

could do nothing to avert it. About three years 

in the saddle, Buhari has unraveled to the chagrin 

of a vast majority of Nigerians. Obasanjo’s 

January 23, 2018 intervention was just a confirmation 

of the pan-Nigerian sentiments about 

the incompetence and cluelessness of the administration 

that feed egregiously on nepotism 

and ethno-religious chauvinism. 

IBB possibly realised that his strategic diplomacy 

prelude to 2015 presidential election had 

not helped the nation when it mattered most. 

If there was anybody who could have spoken 

magisterially to Buhari’s capacity to rule, it was 

IBB. But he probably chose to watch with subtle 

amazement the mass hysteria about the 

garb of Messianism with which propagandists 

had clad Buhari. It was only a matter of time 

and the entire saga about a “redemptive mission” 

by Buhari has turned into a historic scam. 

Is IBB now trying to atone for his sin of seeming 

conspiratorial silence by which he left Nigerians 

to the task of construing or misconstruing 

his body language at a critical juncture 

when his voice was most needed to help chart 

a trajectory in the quest for a president with 

capacity to redeem our nation? I think this is 

the reason he has now taken up the gauntlet 

in the face of the economic ruins, growing 

misery, unconscionable divisiveness and rudderless 

leadership in our nation presently to 

stand up to be counted on the popular side. 

Otherwise, it is not in IBB’s character to lampoon 

and criticise his successors in office. He 

must have advised himself to earn his badge 

as a statesman, who has seen it all and sacrificed 

so much for the country; a statesman committed 

to the survival of Nigeria; a statesman 

like some influential others who are in the night 

of their lives, quietly waiting in the departure 

lounge for the ultimate “beatification and canonisation” 

of their respective legacies. 

IBB would be consigning himself to the 

wrong side of history as a timid and confused 

leader if he failed to act. This is why he has 

acted. Yet, the Yoruba have a proverb that “a 

hunter who has only one arrow does not shoot 

with careless aim.” That is the vital summation 

of IBB’s latest and, possibly, last act in the 

search for a digital president for our beleaguered 

nation. I just hope this act enjoys endorsement 

by a vast majority of Nigerian electorate for the 

actualisation of his advocacy. 

*Mr. Ojeifo, editor-in-chief of The 

Congresswatch, wrote from Abuja.

C 

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Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2018 — 19 

Eurobond: Nigeria external reserves to hit 54 months high of $45bn 

•Statutory allocation funds to lower cost of funds 

By Babajide Komolafe 

NIGERIA’s external reserves will 

rise to 54 months high of $45 

billion this month following the 

conclusion of federal 

government’s $2.5 billion Eurobond 

this week. The Eurobond, which 

commenced last week with the 

announcement of its pricing on 

Thursday, will be concluded on 

Friday. 

According to the Ministry of 

Finance, the $2.5 billion Eurobond, 

which attracted buying interest of 

$11.5 billion, comprises a $1.25 billion 

12-year series and a $1.25 billion 20- 

year series. The 12-year series comes 

with interest at a rate of 7.143 

percent, while the 20-year series will 

bear interest at a rate of 7.696 percent, 

and, in each case, will be 

repayable with a bullet repayment of 

the principal on maturity. The offering 

is expected to close on or about 

February 23, 2018, subject to the 

satisfaction of various customary 

closing conditions. 

Though the purpose of the 

Eurobond issuance is to refinance 

domestic debts, proceeds of the bond 

will, among other things, accelerate 

accretion to the nation’s external 

reserves. 

Commenting on how the Eurobond 

issuance will impact the domestic 

economy, analysts at Lagos based 

investment firm, Afrinvest Plc, said: 

“The proceeds from the Eurobond 

Continues on page 21 

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2018 

14 insurance companies, 5 others 

may face hostile take-overs 

•Another 19 still in limbo 

By Nkiruka Nnorom 

ATOTAL of 19 quoted companies 

may now be under threat of 

hostile take-over in the Nigerian 

Stock Exchange, NSE, following the 

crashing of their stock prices below par 

value in the last two weeks. The stocks 

were exposed to low valuation when 

NSE removed the decades-old par value 

price floor of 50 kobo below which stock 

prices could not go down. 

Subsequently, prices of these 

companies began dropping below the 

50 kobo with Consolidated Hallmark 

Insurance Plc leading the pack recording 

the lowest share price of 27 kobo in the 

market at close of trading last weekend. 

Other insurance stocks which have 

been stuck in the 50kobo base line under 

the old policy, seem to be more 

vulnerable with more companies in the 

sector registering price decline since the 

commencement of the rule on January 

29, 2018. Of the 19 companies that have 

been affected so far, 14 are insurers, 

while the remaining five are from other 

sectors. 

Financial Vanguard analysis showed 

that in addition to Consolidated 

Hallmark Insurance Plc, Lasaco 

Assurance Plc, Unic Diversified 

Holdings Plc, Multiverse Mining and 

Exploration Plc, ABC Transport Plc, 

Royal Exchange Plc and Japaul Oil and 

Maritime Services are some of the 

companies that have been heavily 

affected. 

Other companies that have 

experienced heavy downward 

movement in share price include African 

Alliance Insurance Company Plc, Equity 

Assurance Plc, Prestige Assurance Plc, 

UnityKapital Plc, First Aluminium 

Nigeria Plc, Cornerstone Insurance Plc, 

Guinea Insurance Plc, Courteville 

Business Solution Plc, FTN Cocoa 

Processing Plc, Sovereign Trust 

Insurance Plc, Mutual Benefit 

Insurance Plc and Niger Insurance Plc. 

However, capital market operators and 

shareholders, who spoke to Financial 

Vanguard, said that the new par value 

rule policy that now allows quoted 

entities to trade to as low as one kobo, 

may eventually lead to forceful 

acquisition and change in 

management. They called on companies 

that are threatened by the policy to retool 

their processes ad re-stategise to deliver 

optimal value to the stakeholders to 

avoid further erosion in their share 

prices. 

The new pricing rules 

Under the new pricing methodology, 

Continues on page 20 

Mutilated notes: CBN 

reduces currency sorting 

charges to N1,000/box 

PAGE.22 

Industrial goods sector set 

to benefit from increased 

CAPEX 

PAGE 24 

64% of vehicles on Nigerian 

roads run on fake insurance 

— NIA 

PAGE 28

C 

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FINANCIAL VANGUARD 

Continues from page 19 

Cover 

14 insurance companies, 5 others may face hostile take-overs 

the NSE classified stocks into 

three different groups, A, B and 

C. According to the rule, stocks 

in Category A comprises 

equities that are priced at N100 

and above. Equities in this 

category require 10,000 units 

to move the price, while the tick 

size - mark up or down limit - 

for this group was pegged at10 

kobo. 

Stocks in category B consists 

of equities that are priced at N5 

and above but below N100. The 

volume required to move their 

price was pegged at 50,000 

units, while the minimum tick 

size was put at five kobo. 

Stocks in category C, which 

consists of over 67 percent of 

companies listed on the NSE, 

comprises equities that are 

trading below N5. The volume 

required to move their price 

was put at 100,000 units, while 

the tick size was pegged at one 

kobo. 

The Exchange cited improved 

liquidity, material price 

improvements, and market 

efficiency as benefits of the 

amended rules. The NSE also 

highlighted that price 

discovery for every listed shares 

under the new par value rule 

shall remain determined by 

market forces and thus, equities 

may now trade below the 

erstwhile price floor 50kobo per 

unit. 

Losses recorded so far 

Financial Vanguard’s 

analysis of the market since the 

policy kicked off showed that 

insurance companies have 

recorded a flurry of activity with 

Consolidated Hallmark 

Insurance leading price 

decline at N0.23 or 46 percent 

to close at N0.27 from N0.50. 

UNIC Diversified Holdings Plc 

and Lasaco Assurance Plc 

depreciated by N0.18 or 36 

percent to close at N0.36 from 

N0.50 each. 

Multiverse Mining and 

Exploration Plc trailed behind 

with N0.015 or 30 percent 

decline to close at N0.35 from 

N0.50; Japaul Oil and 

Maritime Services Plc was 

down N0.14 or 28 percent to 

close at N0.36 from N0.50, 

while First Aluminium Nigeria 

Plc went down by N0.13 or 26 


N0.50. 

Royal Exchange Plc and ABC 

Transport Plc went down by 24 

percent or N0.12 within the 

review period to close at N0.38 

per share each. 

Similarly, UnityKapital 

Insurance Plc went down by 

N0.12 or 24 percent to close at 

N0.38 from N0.50 each. 

Courteville Business Solution 

Plc, an auto-reg company 

based in Lagos, recorded N0.04 

or eight percent decrease in 

one single day to close at N0.46 

from N0.50 per share. At the 

close of transaction on Friday, 

the share price had fallen by 


N0.38. 

Continuous 

erosion 

Further analysis showed that 

African Alliance Insurance 

Company Plc’s share price 

•Eddie Efekoha, MD, Consolidated 

Hallmark 

•Alhaji Auwalu Muktari, GMD, Royal 

Exchange Plc 

dropped by N0.10 or 20 percent 

to close at N0.40 from N0.50. 

Equity Assurance was down 

N0.08 or 16 percent to N0.42 

from N0.50. 

Furthermore, Cornerstone 

Insurance Plc went down by 


N0.45 from N0.50, while 

Guinea Insurance fell by N0.04 

or eight percent close to N0.46 

from N0.50. 

FTN Cocoa Processing Plc also 

fell by N0.04 or eight percent to 

close at N0.46 from N0.50; 

Prestige Assurance Plc nosedived 

by N0.02 or four percent 

to close at N0.48 from N0.50 

after recovery from initial losses. 

Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc 

depreciated by N0.02 or four 


N0.50; Mutual Benefit 

Insurance Plc saw N0.02 or four 

percent price decline to close at 

N0.48 from N0.50, while Niger 

Insurance also fell by N0.02 or 

four percent price decline to 

close at N0.48 from N0.50. 

Retool, quit or be acquired, 

stakeholders urge 

Operators and shareholders, 

who spoke to Financial 

Vanguard on the development 

said that companies that feel 

threatened by the continuous 

erosion in their share prices and 

possible outcome of the move 

should take steps towards 

managing their companies 

better to stem further 

devaluation in their share 

prices. 

This will, 

therefore, result 

in forced 

acquisition or a 

situation where 

the existing 

directors would 

opt for outright 

delisting 

Analysts at United Capital Plc, 

a Lagos-based investment 

banking firm, affirmed that the 

policy may result in sharp 

depreciation of up to 37 listed 

•Segun Balogun, MD, Lasaco Assurance 

Plc 

•Frank Nneji, MD,CEO, ABC Transport Plc 

securities which have not traded 

above 50kobo for a long time, 

especially insurance companies 

and other stocks that closed at 

50kobo on Friday, January 26, 

prior to the take-off of the rule. 

“With reduced minimum price 

of one kobo, stocks in the C 

categories that are intrinsically 

less than 50kobo may be more 

prone to strategic trades or 

possible acquisition. 

Some of the insurance names 

are the biggest suspects, 

especially as the sector remains 

ripe for further consolidation, 

amid the proposed 

implementation of more 

stringent risk-based supervision 

guidelines by the regulators,” 

they said. 

They, however, stated that the 

policy would likely increase 

market liquidity and improved 

price discovery, especially for 

lowly priced stocks. 

Though Mr. Ezekiel Oluyori, 

Chief Executive Offiecr, 

Investment One Stockbrokers 

International, also expressed 

fear of the possibility of the new 

policy leading to aggressive 

acquisitions, he said that it has 

improved liquidity in the 

insurance stocks. 

He argued that the rule is 

more advantageous than the 

concerns expressed by the 

stakeholders, saying, “since the 

rule commenced, most of those 

stocks that were trading at 

50kobo are even enjoying 

liquidity. Some of them that have 

gone to as low as 40kobo are 

now returning up again. But for 

almost three, four years, those 

holding these stocks were stuck 

because they were 50kobo and 

nobody was buying. 

“Immediately they start trading 

at 40 kobo and below, people 

began to see value and they 

began to buy them. So if I am 

an investor and I want to exit, it 

becomes easy for me to do that”. 

“So from liquidity point of 

view, I think it is a good rule. 

May be from issuer point of 

view, they can see it as a threat 

to them because if the stock 

becomes too cheap or the price 

becomes so low, it can lead to 

hostile take-over and I think the 

issuers should see this as a 

challenge,”he emphasised. 

Shareholders’ Opinion 

Igbrude Moses, General 

Secretary, Independent 

Shareholders Association of 

Nigeria, ISAN, said that the 

development may force the core 

investors of such companies to 

use their cronies to mop up the 

shares in order to check hostile 

takeover. 

He added that where there is 

a core investor and other 

substantial shareholders, it 

could lead to board room 

fighting to the detriment of other 

shareholders, adding that it 

could result to a situation where 

an investor will takeover a 

company and strip the company 

of its assets, while also resulting 

in more delisting. 

According to Adebayo 

Adeleke, former General 

Secretary, ISAN, “It is making 

a lot of those stocks to have 

market determined prices. It will 

probably make shareholders of 

those companies to query or 

remove boards and 

management. It may also make 

them more attractive to serious 

investors who can turn them 

around. I think if the shares of 

a company fall radically below 

the par value, the board should 

sack the management or the 

shareholders sack the board.” 

For Mr. Patrick Ajudua, the 

par value rule is not in the 

interest of minority shareholders 

as it will only favour the big time 

market players and foreign 

investors, who could take 

advantage of the free fall to buy 

over the companies at a 

ridiculous price far below the 

incorporated nominal value. 

“This will, therefore, result in 

forced acquisition or a situation 

where the existing directors 

would opt for outright delisting. 

So, it isn’t a safe rule for stocks 

with no fundamentals to back up 

their performance,” Ajudua 

added. 

Way forward 

Oluyori of Investment One 

Stockbrokers advised 

companies that are afraid of 

hostile take-over to sit up and 

manage the business well so 

that there will be value in it. “If 

a company is doing well; if it is 

paying dividend and it is 

announcing good results and 

people can see value in it, they 

will not value it at 20kobo or 

10kobo or one kobo.

C 

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Continues from page 19 

issuance would be used 

to refinance relatively 

expensive short term 

domestic borrowings as 

the FGN plans to 

achieve an optimal mix 

of domestic and foreign 

debt and reduce overall 

debt servicing cost. The 

impact of the debt 

refinancing, coupled 

with declining inflation 

rate and stability in 

foreign exchange rate, 

is anticipated to 

continue to anchor yield 

expectation lower in the 

near term and reduce 

crowding out of private 

sector borrowers.” 

External reserves 

accretion 

F i n a n c i a l 

Vanguard analysis 

reveals that the external 

reserves have grown by 

$3.5 billion or 8.9 

percent since the 

beginning of the year. 

According to the CBN, 

the external reserves 

which opened the year 

at $39.3 billion had risen 

to $42.8 billion last 

week. The sharp 

increase in reserves is 

driven by rising crude 

oil price, which touched 

$71 per barrel last 

month before retreating 

to $62 per barrel last 

week, as well as upsurge 

in dollar inflows 

through the Investors 

and Exporters (I&E) 

window of the foreign 

exchange market. 

F i n a n c i a l 

Vanguard analysis 

showed that turnover 

(dollars traded) in the 

I&E window rose by 10 

percent last week to 

$789.9 million from 

$716.57 million the 

previous week. 

Consequently dollar 

inflow since the 

beginning of the year 

through the I&E window 

rose to $8.37 billion, 

from $7.58 billion the 


Mixed naira 

performance 

However, in spite of 

the increased turnover, 

the naira depreciated 

marginally in the I&E 

window last week. 

According to data from 

the Financial Market 

Dealers Quote, the 

indicative exchange rate 

for the window rose by 

9 kobo to N360.36 per 

dollar last week from 

N360.27 the previous 

week. But the naira 

remained stable at N363 

per dollar in the parallel 

market during the week. 

The CBN on its part 

sustained its weekly 

intervention in the 

foreign exchange 

market by selling $210 

million in the interbank 

market. According to 


Eurobond: Nigeria external reserves 

to hit 54months high of $45bn 

•Annual inflation rates 

• Interbank Interest rates 

Acting Director, 

C o r p o r a t e 

Communications 

Department, CBN, Mr. 

Isaac Okoroafor, “The 

CBN offered $100 

million to authorized 

dealers in the wholesale 

The CBN 

offered $100 

million to 

authorized 

dealers in the 

wholesale 

segment of the 

market, while 

the Small and 

Medium 

Enterprises 

(SMEs) 

segment got the 

sum of $55 

million 

segment of the market, 

while the Small and 

Medium Enterprises 

(SMEs) segment got the 

sum of $55 million. 

Customers needing 

foreign exchange for 

invisibles such as tuition 

fees, medical payments 

and Basic Travel 

Allowance (BTA), 

among others, were also 

allocated the sum of $55 

million.” 

Statutory allocation 

funds to lower cost of 

funds 

Cost of funds is 

expected to further trend 

downwards in the 

interbank money market 

this week courtesy of 

inflow from statutory 

allocation to the three 

tiers of government 

which would be released 

this week by the Federal 

Accounts Allocation 

Committee (FAAC). 

The inflow, in addition 

to N56.3 billion inflow 

from maturing treasury 

bills (TBs) is expected to 

offset impact of 

outflow to be occasioned 

by N100 billion FGN 

Bond offer by Debt 

Management of Nigeria 

(DMO) this week; dollar 

auction by the CBN; 

and likely mop-up by 

CBN through secondary 

market (open market 

operations, OMO) TBs 

sale. 

Last week, cost of 

funds fell sharply by 

over 2,500 basis points 

(bpts) following upsurge 

in market liquidity to 

N371.5 billion on Friday 

from N46.4 billion the 

previous week. The 

upsurge in liquidity was 

buoyed by inflow of 

•Exchange rates 

N266 billion from 

matured TBs, which 

offset the impact of 

outflow of N176 billion 

through primary market 

(new) TBs sold by the 

CBN during the week. 

•Yields on FGN Bonds 

Consequently, interest 

rate on Collateralised 

(Open Buy Back, OBB) 

lending dropped by 

2,516 bpts to 18.17 

percent last week 

from 43.33 percent the 


Similarly, interest rate 

on Overnight lending 

dropped by 2,600 bpts to 

19.5 percent from 45.5 

percent the previous 

week.

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AUTOMATION OF BDC OPERATIONS: From left, Bayo Oladejo, MD/CEO, Centrifuge 

Consulting; Aminu Gwadabe, Ag. President, Association of Bureaux De Change Operators 

of Nigeria (ABCON); O.A Olusoji, Assistant Director, Trade & Exchange Department, Central 

Bank of Nigeria (CBN); and Samuel Oluyemi, Head Vertical Markets, Nigeria Interbank 

Settlement System at a technical meeting on automation of BDC operations held in Lagos. 

Mutilated notes: CBN reduces currency sorting 

charges to N1,000/box •BCAN urges proper treatment of naira 

By Babajide Komolafe 

IN apparent bid to address 

the rising incidence of 

mutilated notes across the 

country, the Central Bank of 

Nigeria, CBN, has reduced 

the amount of money it 

charges banks for sorting 

mutilated naira notes from 

clean ones to N1,000 per box 

from N12,000 per box. 

The reduction is, however, 

limited to lower denomination 

naira notes, or polymer notes, 

namely N50, N20 and N10 

notes. Also, the reduction to 

N1, 000 per box which takes 

effect from January 2 will last 

for three months till March 28, 

following which the charge 

will be raised to N2,000 per 

box. 

A box of naira notes contains 

10,000 notes, hence with the 

reduction, banks will now pay 

N1,000 as currency sorting fee 

for a box of N50 which contains 

N500,000; N1,000 for a box of 

N20 notes which contains 

N200,000; N1,000 for a box of 

N10 which contain N100,000; 

and also N1,000 for a box of N5 

contains N50,000. 

Meanwhile, Bank 

Customers Association of 

Nigeria (BCAN), has called 

on Nigerians to treat the naira 

properly, saying that is the 

solution to the rising 

incidence of mutilated notes 

in the country. 

Banks are expected to return 

mutilated currency to the CBN 

for clean naira notes. Hence 

they are expected to sort 

mutilated naira notes from 

clean ones, before taking the 

mutilated notes to the CBN for 

replacement with new ones. 

However, in order to avoid the 

cost of machines and process 

for sorting the naira notes, 

they return the notes unsorted 

to the CBN. Hence, the apex 

bank charges banks for the 

cost of sorting the currency. 

Confirming the reduction of 

the currency processing 

charge to Financial Vanguard, 

Acting Director, Corporate 

Communications, CBN, 

Okoroafor, said that the 

reduction was done to 

encourage banks to bring the 

mutilated notes to the CBN in 

exchange for new ones. 

He said: “On the January 2, 

If you want to 

make a sale, if 

you are sure 

nobody will 

accept it from 

you, you reject 

it, but if you are 

sure somebody 

will take it from 

you, or if you 

take it to the 

banks, they will 

take it, you can 

accept it 

we wrote a circular to banks, 

telling them that the cost of 

currency processing, which 

stands at N12,000 per box, 

will be reduced from N12,000 

to N1,000 between January 

2 and March 28. 

That is, there is window of 

three months. And that any 

bank that brings a box of 

lower denomination currency 

notes, that is N50, N20, N10, 

N5, those are the polymer 

denominations, we would 

process it for them at N1,000 

per box instead of N12,000, 

because those were the ones 

that are more critical. 

Polymer 

notes 

And that after March 28, the 

cost of sorting is still low but 

it will go to N2,000, instead of 

the original N12,000, and this 

is for the polymer notes. The 

other ones are not as critical. 

“It is done to encourage 

banks to return these new 

notes so that we can issue new 

ones. We have enough new 

ones to issue to them. 

Our problem is that banks 

have not been returning these 

notes because of the fear of 

sorting that we would charge 

them. 

“Customers should insist 

that banks give them new 

notes because we are now 

giving them new notes and 

have reduced the cost of 

sorting from N12,000 to N1 

per box within the window and 

to N2000 after March 28. So 

customers should insist on 

new notes from them. We 

believe that a combination of 

these, customer’s insistence 

and the large waiver we have 

given, I don’t see why people 

should not be getting those 

new notes.” 

Meanwhile, the Bank 

Customers Association of 

Nigeria (BCAN) has said 

that the poor treatment of the 

naira is the root cause of 

mutilated naira notes, urging 

Nigerians to treat the 

naira properly. 

Speaking to Financial 

Vanguard, BCAN President, 

Mr. Uju Ogubunka said: “The 

Fidelity Bank promotes 

financial inclusion with N18m 

By Elizabeth Adegbesan 

FIDELITY Bank, in a bid to 

promote financial inclusion 

and encourage savings 

culture in Nigeria, has rewarded 

some of its customers with 

N18 million cash and 18 consolation 

prizes in its 

ongoing “Get Alert a Million 

reloaded” promo. The bank disclosed 

this during the fourth 

and second bi-monthly draw of 

the promo at its headquarters 

in Lagos last week. 

Speaking at the draw, Head, 

Retail Banking, Fidelity Bank 

PLC, Mr. Richard Madiebo, 

“This is the Get Alert a Million 

promo reloaded. This is the 

seventh in the series of promo 

we have held. This is the fourth 

monthly draw. Today, we will 

be giving out N18 million cash 

prizes and other consolation 

prizes. We have N 42 million 

outstanding cash prizes to be 

given out.” 

From the Northern region, 

same people that get the new 

notes, when you see that note 

again, within two or three 

days, you won’t believe they 

were from the mint at the time 

they came out, and it is all 

about education, the level of 

awareness of our people to 

handle such a issue.” 

“My first advice to them is 

that they should use the notes 

properly to avoid a situation 

of receiving bad, torn, dirty, 

wet, oil notes. 

“The second side is, If you 

go to banks and they give you 

The Obazelu of Benin 

Kingdom, Chief Osaro 

Idah has commended Skye 

Bank for empowering its 

customers through its Skye 

Millionaire promo. 

Speaking at the draw of 

the promo held in Ekiosa 

market in Benin City, the Edo 

State capital, Chief Idah, 

commended the efforts of the 

bank for encouraging savings 

culture in Nigeria and for 

giving equal opportunities to 

customers to get a chance to 

win in the on-going ‘Reach for 

the Skye millionaire’ reward 

promo, said that, he was very 

impressed with the great 

steps taken by the financial 

institution to make life 

beautiful for the people. 

“I am also particularly 

happy that the winner is our 

own daughter and I believe 

that she will use the money 

to do well in our state, 

helping other people to live 

Chisokwu Nwosu from Abuja 

branch and Musa 

Kwajaffa from Kaduna branch 

won N1 million each 

while Emmanuel Akinrinlola, 

an unemployed graduate from 

Jos branch won N2 million. 

From the South West 

region, Ifesowopo Social Club 

won N1m while from the South 

South, Ikalumhe Osiobugie 

and Iyalla Rex won N1 million 

each. 

Winners of N1 million from 

the South East region were 

Chukwunonso Igwe from Anambra 

branch and Ability Anurugwe 

from Owerri branch 

while Salome Obiageri and 

Azeez Adedoyin ( a student) 

from Lagos branch emerged 

winners of N1 million and N2 

million cash prizes respectively. 

In the second bi-monthly 

draw, Adebiyi Olaide, (businessman) 

from Iwo, Ibadan 

branch and Obot Cecilia (Civil 

servant) from Abuja branch 

won N3 million each. 

mutilated notes, you reject it 

right there, insist they change 

it for you. And if you are in a 

market place and they give 

you mutilated notes, you have 

the option of rejecting it. 

But if you want to make a 

sale, if you are sure nobody 

will accept it from you, you 

reject it, but if you are sure 

somebody will take it from you, 

or if you take it to the banks, 

they will take it, you can 

accept it. But if nobody will 

accept it from you, it is as 

useless as a common paper.” 

Obazelu of Benin lauds Skye 

Bank for empowering customers 

well and get better. I 

encourage Skye Bank to 

continue with this initiative to 

make more people happy and 

help their businesses to 

grow,” he added. 

At the conclusion of the 

draw, Mrs. Eunice Odubor, 

an Inspector with the Civil 

Defense Corp, emerged 

winner of N1 million while 

forty other lucky loyal 

customers across Nigeria also 

went home with various cash 

gift ranging between 

N20,000, N50,000 and 

N100,000 respectively. 

Mrs. Odubor expressed 

gratitude to Skye Bank for the 

money and promised to tell 

others to bank with Skye 

Bank. She said: “Part of the 

amount will be invested into 

the education of my child who 

had dropped out of the 

Ambrose Alli University 

Ekpoma due to lack of 

money.”

C 

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VANGUARD, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2018 — 23

C 

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Industrial goods sector to benefit from 

increased CAPEX 

By Nkiruka Nnorom 

AGAINST the bear run 

that ruled the stock 

market last week and saw all 

the sectors close in the red, 

investment bankers and 

stockbrokers have said that 

the industrial goods sector will 

benefit immensely from the 

proposed N2.4 trillion capital 

expenditure in the 2018 

budget. 

Consequently, they opined 

that the sector’s performance 

this year will be better 

compared to 2017. They 

added that investors would be 

positioning to take advantage 

of low prices in the equities 

market this week ahead of the 

earning season. 

On the performance of the 

industrial sectors, analysts at 

Cordros Capital said: “In 

2017, growth in the industrial 

goods sector remained 

downbeat despite marked 

improvement in factors like 

energy shortages and foreign 

exchange illiquidity that 

impeded growth in the 

previous year. The slow growth 

in the sector can be attributed 

to low government spending 

in the real sector and a delay 

in the 2017 budget approval. 

“Looking ahead, we expect 

the sector’s performance to be 

better than 2017 as the 

proposed budget for 2018 

contains another record capital 

expenditure, CapEx estimate 

of N2.4 trillion”. 

They noted that expected 

resurgence in consumer 

demand, as well as individual 

home owners discretionary 

spending is more likely to 

open up new grounds for 

construction activities will all 

combine to aid growth in the 

sector this year. 

Meanwhile, a review of 

activity in the stock market last 

NB beats Forte Oil, others to 

early release of 2017 financials 

•Posts N33bn profit 

By Nkiruka Nnorom shareholders. The 

D 

recommended dividend is 

ESPITE its huge inclusive of interim dividend 

operations, Nigerian of N8 billion, which is N1.00 

Breweries, NB Plc has beaten per share earlier paid by the 

all quoted companies by company in November 2017. 

coming out first with the full The company’s Secretary/ 

year ended December 31, Legal Adviser, Mr. Uaboi 

2017 financial statement. Agbebaku, said in a statement 

With this performance, NB that “while the foreign 

has upstaged companies like exchange situation improved 

Forte Oil Plc and the tier-1 in the course of the year, 

banks that are known for double digit inflation 

timely submission of their continued to impact both 

results ahead of the statutory businesses and consumers. 

deadline of March 31st for Nevertheless, the company 

submission of annual results. was able to end the year with 

Analysis of the result improved results through 

released, weekend, on the continuous focus and 

floor of the Exchange showed execution of the twin agenda 

that the company posted N33 of cost leadership and market 

billion Profit After Tax, PAT, leadership supported by 

which represents 16 percent innovation”. 

increase compared to N28 Agbebaku maintained that 

billion recorded in the while there are some early 

preceding year. 

signs of improvement in the 

The company’s revenue for macro-economic condition, it 

the review period was up 10 is yet to be reflected in 

percent to N334 billion from consumer confidence, adding 

N313 billion in 2016. 

that the Board is confident 

Consequently, the Board of that the company has a clear 

Directors have recommended strategy to deliver good return 

a dividend payment of N33 on investment to shareholders 

billion, amounting to N4.14 as part of its commitment to 

per share dividend to its winning with Nigeria. 

week showed that transaction 

closed in the negative territory 

for a second week in a row 

with investors losing N175 

billion. 

At the end of the week’s 

trading, equities capitalisation 

dropped to N15.302 trillion 

from N15.477 trillion, 

representing 1.13 percent 

decrease. 

Also, the All Share Index, 

ASI, depreciated by 1.13 

percent to 42,638.83 points 

Besides, there are strong 

indications that the new 

structure may usher in some 

additional responsibilities for 

the current executive 

members. The structure is 

coming on the heels of a new 

constitution which will take 

effect any moment from now. 

It will be recalled that 

ASHON’s Chairman, Mr. 

Patrick Ezeagu, had, at the 

association’s last Annual 

General Meeting, AGM, 

stated: “With our renewed 

energy and change in 

strategic plan, we are 

focusing on the challenges of 

the association and resolving 

them as they confront us. 

“The Executive Committee 

is taking steps to implement 

the provisions of the new 

constitution accordingly. We 

expect that the new structure 

provided for in the 

constitution will take effect as 

soon as we tidy up the 

processes. ASHON has been 

turning economic challenges 

from 43,127.92 points in the 


Performance across sectors 

was largely bearish as all 

sectors declined. The 

insurance sector depreciated 

the most, losing 1.7 percent on 

the back of losses in 

Consolidated Hallmark 

Insurance Plc, which went 

down by 22.9 percent and 

Prestige Assurance Plc that 

depreciated by 14.3 percent. 

The industrial goods sector, 

followed closely, falling by 1.1 

percent as a result of 9.3 

percent losses inChemical 

and Allied Products Plc and 

2.5 percent decline in Dangote 

Cement Plc. 

The consumer goods sector 

declined by 0.9 percent on 

sustained profit taking in 

Guinness Nigeria Plc and 

Nigerian Breweries Plc. The 

banking and oil & gas sectors 

went down by 0.6 percent and 

1.0 percent following price 

depreciation in Union Bank of 

Nigeria, Diamond Bank Plc, 

Forte Oil Plc and Total Nigeria 

Plc, which fell by 9.1 percent, 

5.8 percent, 6.6 percent and 

0.4 percent respectively. 

Repositioning: ASHON’s current exco may transform into 

Governing Council 

By Peter Egwuatu 

INDICATIONS have 

emerged that the current 

executive committee members 

of the Association of 

Stockbroking Houses of 

Nigeria (ASHON) may 

emerge as a Governing 

Council, the highest decision 

making body of the Group 

following its on-going 

restructuring exercise. 

Vanguard gathered that a 

new structure for the 

association would soon be 

unveiled as part of its plan to 

enhance corporate 

governance in line with its ongoing 

repositioning exercise. 

into opportunities for its 

members through strategic 

thinking and innovativeness 

aimed at solving problems.” 

Ezeagu explained that to 

seek additional income for its 

members, the Executive 

Committee commenced the 

establishment of Lagos 

Commodities and Futures 

Exchange (LCFE). 

“The birth of LCFE is to 

create another platform that 

will provide additional means 

of income for our members. In 

spite of the many challenges 

that have adversely impacted 

the Nigerian economy and the 

capital market, we have 

strived to maintain good 

working relationship with our 

regulators to moderate the 

impact of Minimum 

Operating Standard (MOS), 

brokers categorization, 

demutualization, debt capital, 

Direct Cash Settlement (DCS) 

and Universal Insurance 

Policy for Capital Market 

Operators (CMOs) among 

others.” 

He, however, advised 

ASHON members to support 

the executive by meeting their 

financial obligations 

promptly. 

Corroborating him, the 

Acting Chief Executive 

Officer of the proposed LCFE, 

Mr Akin Akeredolu-Ale, 

explained that the LCFE 

would create a big business 

opportunity for all dealing 

members. Akeredolu-Ale 

described the LCFE as a 

market that is just there 

waiting to be tapped. 

“It is a market that is just 

there waiting to be tapped. 

What we are just doing is 

bringing structure and 

organisation into an existing 

market system. We are going 

to be trading on the electronic 

receipt and the first thing is 

the documents, which are the 

electronic receipts. They are 

going to be passed on to the 

Central Securities Clearing 

System (CSCS)” he said.

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Why we projected 

25% returns for stock 

market this year 

— Capital Bancorp analyst 

Mr. Aigboje Higo, Chief Executive Officer, CEO, Capital 

Bancorp Plc, in this interview speaks on issues that will 

influence the Nigerian stock market, interest rate and the 

economy in general in 2018. 

Excerpts: 

By Peter Egwuatu 

HOW do you assess the 

performance of Nigerian 

stock market last year, and what 

is your expectation for this year? 

The Nigerian stock market had 

an impressive showing in 2017 

having closed the year with 

return of 42.30% making it the 

third best performing stock 

market behind Argentina which 

returned 77% and Turkey which 

returned 48%. We have projected 

a 25% returns for the Nigeria stock 

market for 2018 though downside 

risk to achieving this target 

remain visible. 

The market gains in 2017 were 

driven by impressive returns in 

the Banking sector which 

returned 73.32%, the consumer 

goods sector which returned 

36.97% and the industrial goods 

sector which returned 23.84% 

while other sectors of the market 

recorded gains except for the 

Alternative securities market 

(ASEM) which closed down by 

8.60%. 

Increased investor 

confidence 

The trading aspect recorded 

significant recovery while the 

market witnessed increased 

issues compared to 2016 where 

there were no issues. The year 

2018 is expected to witness a 

similar trend as economic 

indicators have improved and the 

world now projects increased 

investor confidence and GDP 

growth for Nigerian economy. 

Going forward we expect to see 

more trading activities in the 

secondary market as listed 

companies will begin to trade at 

new highs never seen before 

even as their profitability soars on 

the back of a vibrant economy. The 

primary market is also expected 

to be active in the year with 

expectation of new listings, 

Mergers and acquisitions, Rights 

issue, listing by introduction etc, 

all expected to drive overall 

market activity and deepen the 

market in the process. 

What is your take on the 

bullish run witnessed in the 

Nigerian stock market at the 

beginning of the year? 

This year is different from 

previous years as we saw the 

market being bullish. In previous 

years the markets use to be 

bearish at the beginning of the 

year. It is normal since the 

economy has continued to 

maintain growth from recession. 

We still expect further bullish 

market if the economic activities 

continue to improve. The stock 

market does not work in 

isolation of the economy. Our 

market has been experiencing 

growth across the sub 

sectors- banking, cement, 

Fast Moving 

Consuming Goods, 

FMCG, insurance etc. 

So, we don’t see any 

bubble burst at the 

moment because the growth 

is balanced. 

Don’t you think that 

speculators are the ones pushing 

the stock price upward, 

especially for those with no 

fundamentals? 

There are speculations no doubt 

especially when you see some 

stocks’ prices rising without good 

fundamentals. We do advise 

people to be wary of those stocks. 

Anyway these are the risk that 

goes in the market. These 

speculators may gain or lose from 

these stocks. Everything will 

depend on the full year results 

that the market is expecting. If 

the result of these companies 

turns out to be good, then the 

price would be sustained but if 

the reverse becomes the case then 

you will see people losing money. 

What really attracted the 

foreign investors into the 

Nigerian stock market? 

Investment and confidence in 

shares significantly improved in 

2017 given the improved investor 

sentiments towards the Nigerian 

Year 2018 is 

expected to 

witness a similar 

trend as economic 

indicators have 

improved and the 

world now projects 

increased investor 

confidence and 

GDP growth for 

Nigerian economy 


economy. Significant 

improvement in corporate 

earnings for companies listed on 

the stock market drove investment 

back to the market even as foreign 

portfolio investors came back into 

the country on the back of a more 

stable and predictable Foreign 

Exchange, FX market. This drove 

the Nigerian stock market to close 

the year with a return of 42.30%, 

its first positive return since year 

2014. 

Do you see interest rate falling 

below 14 percent this year? 

Having maintained the 

Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) and 

Cash Reserve Requirement 

(CRR) at 14% and 22.5% 

respectively while also retaining 

the asymmetric corridor of +200 

bps above and -500 bps around 

the MPR for over a year, we 

expect a rate cut at the first 

meeting of the Monetary Policy 

Committee of the CBN in 2018, 

and we are of the opinion that 

the committee will cut the 

benchmark interest rate by 0.5 

percent or 1.0 percent thereby 

taking the MPR to 13.5 percent 

or 13 percent. 

The projected cut in rate is 

imminent owing to the CBN’s 

continuous slash in stop rates for 

treasury bills which once stood at 

a high of about 18.8 percent in 

May 2017 and closed the last 

auction date at 15.57 percent in 

November 2017. The continuous 

decline in inflation figures has 

also supported the banks’ target 

to reduce the interest burden on 

its debt obligation and also offer 

real return on its securities. In a 

bid to reduce the country’s 

domestic debt obligation the CBN 

repaid all the maturing treasury 

bills that matured in December 

2017 and have signalled that it 

would continue to drop its stop 

rate going forward into year 2018 

even as the CBN targets and 

inflation rate below 12 percent for 

2018. 

What are your expectations for 

Nigeria in terms of GDP growth 

for 2018 given the fact that the 

country would be entering into 

election period from the third 

quarter? 

We also hope that appropriate 

policies: both monetary and fiscal 

policies will be put in place in 

2018 to drive economic growth. 

We also hope that the Federal 

Government will rapidly pass the 

2018 budget into law and 

execute the projects in desirable 

time to boost economic activities. 

We are of opinion that if the 

government rides on the current 

events which presently are in the 

favour of Nigeria, Nigeria will 

grow by an average of 2.2 

percent in 2018, despite 

downside risk to this growth 

forecast. The projected GDP 

growth rate for 2018 should 

become a reality if government 

continues to boost its non-oil 

sector revenues and properly 

deal with issues relating to 

wasteful government spending 

and non-friendly business 

policies. 

Stanbic IBTC Imaan Fund donates to charities 

STANBIC IBTC Asset Management Limited has donated the 

non-permissible income of its Shariah compliant mutual 

fund - the Stanbic IBTC Imaan Fund, to a registered charity, in 

line with the principles of Shariah. 

The Stanbic IBTC Imaan Fund, which was originally introduced 

to private investors in 2011 as a Shariah compliant portfolio, has 

the primary objective of achieving long-term capital appreciation 

of its assets by investing in Shariah-compliant equity securities 

approved by the Shariah Advisory Committee of Experts (ACE). 

The Fund invests a minimum of 60 percent of its assets in equities 

of Shariah-compliant companies listed on the Nigerian Stock 

Exchange, NSE, while retaining a maximum of 40 percent in 

non-interest bearing fixed income securities (Sukuk). The Fund 

prohibits investments in businesses that sell or produce alcohol, 

tobacco, pork products, conventional financial services, (banking 

and insurance), weapons, defense products and entertainment. 

The non-permissible income, which constitutes a certain 

percentage of the Fund’s dividend income, is usually donated to 

charities that have gone through screening and approval by ACE. 

The screening is undertaken to ensure that the benefiting charities 

are not involved in any activity that is contrary to Shariah 

principles. 

Speaking at the presentation of N787,037.02 cheque in Lagos, 

Mr. Aigboje 

Higo 

Mrs. Bunmi Dayo-Olagunju, Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC 

Asset Management Limited, said as a company with strong 

corporate governance, adherence to ethical conduct, underlined 

by probity and transparency, will remain cardinal operational 

principles. 

The Stanbic IBTC Imaan Fund, she said, is tailored to meet 

the needs of those seeking investments compliant with their 

religious principles and beliefs, and specifically targeted at 

people seeking conformity with their religious beliefs and ethics. 

The pooled funds are invested in Shariah-compliant equity 

and non-interest bearing fixed income securities. The minimum 

subscription amount into the fund is N5,000 and subsequent 

investments of N5,000, Dayo-Olagunju said. 

She noted that Stanbic IBTC Asset Management Limited has 

amassed impeccable wealth of experience and expertise in 

managing funds on behalf of savings schemes, institutional 

and corporates bodies and high net-worth individuals for over 

two decades. 

“Mutual funds offer investors the advantages of portfolio 

diversification and professional management at low cost. These 

advantages are particularly important because diversification 

and professional management ensure steady returns when 

compared to other investment strategies” she said.

Y 

K 



By Emeka Anaeto, Business 

Editor 

AT the backdrop of a heartwarming 

projections by a 

reputable institutional analyst, 

investors’ bear bandwagon 

appeared too strong on the stock 

of First Bank of Nigeria Holdings 

Plc (FBNH). 

The stock, which has been one 

of the best performing in the past 

one year, succumbed to a market 

rebalancing last week posting 

11.8% decline so far in February. 

In deed against the peak 

performance this year at N14.75 

the closing price last Friday at 

N12.30 shows a 16.6 % regress. 

It had gotten to a peak loss 

position of 21.7% mid last week 

before a recovery on Thursday. 

But the stock, riding on the last 

month’s bull bandwagon, had 

posted one of the most 

impressive returns so far this 

year with investors coasting 

home on 58.7 % capital 

appreciation in January alone. 

By early this month market 

sentiment, which principally, 

drove the bear run, had waned 

leading to significant retreats in 

many stocks including FBNH. 

However, analysts at ARM 

Investment Ltd, a Lagos based 

investment banking firm, have 

turned a positive flip side to the 

stock valuation and possible 

pricing module for the foremost 

financial establishment. Analysts 

at the firm have posited that 

following the dramatic share 

price decline FBNH looks 

increasingly attractive 

underpinned by improving asset 

quality and above par core 

banking metrics. 

Operational 

efficiency 

They see further potential 

upside from lower provisioning, 

resilience in Net Interest Margin 

(NIM), operational efficiency 

and possible streamlining of 

branches. 

Consequently, they estimate 

full year 2017 (FY ‘17E) earnings 

per share (EPS) of N1.72 as 

against N1.28 recorded in its 

nine-month 2017 financials. 

The actual result is expected 

to be announced any moment 

from this week. 

FBNH’s records 

Over the last 11 quarters, the 

bank booked N442 billion on 

loan loss provision stemming 

from deteriorating loan quality 

with Non-Performing Loan 

(NPL) ratio and Cost of Risk 

(CoR) at 25% and 10.8% 

respectively as at FY 2016 as 

against 18.1% and 6.1% in FY 

2015. 

ARM says much of the 

provisioning stemmed from 

concerns on its exposures to Oil 

& Gas, ICT and Manufacturing 

sectors with Atlantic Energy, 

9mobile, Oando, amongst others 

posing specific risk to loan 

quality. 

However, over the first ninemonths 

of 2017, asset quality has 

recovered with NPL and cost of 

risk declining to 20% and 6.4% 

respectively. 

Investors Forum 

First Bank: Analysts recommend strong buy as 

investors’ bandwagon push in opposite direction 

•2017 result speculations to determine fortune this week 

•Ibukun Awosika, Chairman, FBNH 

ARM says much of the 

improvement has come from the 

downstream oil and gas sector 

where NPL concentration 

declined to 11% in 9M 17 from 

35% in FY 16. 

The bank had achieved 

noteworthy progress with 

regards to the remediation of its 

two largest delinquent assets in 

the subsector. The Management 

had also noted that it has 

restructured the credit facility 

and received cash flow required 

to make interest payments over 

2017. Consequently, the bank 

reclassified the assets as 

performing in the third quarter. 

Analysts’ positions 

Against these backdrop the 

analysts at ARM stated: “Going 

forward, we expect to see sizable 

improvement from its upstream 

Oil and Gas (O&G) exposure 

which currently constitutes 43% 

of NPL as at 9M 17. Given the 

recovery in crude oil production 

and higher crude oil prices, we 

expect upstream O&G NPL to 

moderate to 30% in FY 18. 

“Atlantic Energy loan, of 

N140 billion, is expected to 

remain the major NPL in its 

upstream Oil &Gas books. On 

that front, though management 

is optimistic on a possible 

resolution even as assets (8 oil 

fields) remains productive, 

government delays has 

informed our cautious view on 

NPLs reclassification. 

“Furthermore, we expect the 

collateral of dragging 

downstream assets to be 

disposed, which supports further 

contraction in downstream 

NPLs. 

“Elsewhere on 9mobile and 

Oando, the resolution of 

9mobile’s debt is progressing 

well. The infrastructure of the 

business is quite modern being 

the last of the licensed Telcos with 

significant interest from a 

number of investors. 

“In addition, the business has 

not significantly lost customers 

and its revenue remains very 

strong. We expect conclusion of 

sale by YE 2018. Oando is 

essentially an ownership 

dispute. The operational 

activities of the business have not 

been curtailed by any means. 

“Similarly, we do not expect 

any significant impact on 

Oando’s capacity to meet its 

Overall, we 

forecast 2018F 

EPS of N3.18 

(+85% Year-on- 

Year) and DPS 

(Dividend Per 

Share) of N1.43. 

Furthermore, at 

current pricing, 

its 2017E 

dividend 

translates to 

dividend yield of 

6.4% 

obligations. Notwithstanding, 

FBNH’s exposure to 9mobile 

and Oando is relatively low at 

1.25% and 0.05% of the bank’s 

loan book respectively. 

“While the prospect of 

reclassifying NPLs to performing 

loans guides to a possibility for 

• Sola Adeduntan, MD, First Bank of Nigeria Limited. 

write-backs, we note concerns on 

exposure to manufacturing, 

trade, and real estate. 

“Excluding asset quality 

concerns, FBNH core banking 

metrics remain above peer 

average with key metrics 

pointing to sustained 

momentum. Central to core 

performance is the robust 

contribution of higher asset 

yields to interest income and 

lower funding cost to expansion 

in Net Interest Margins (NIMs). 

“On asset yields, despite our 

expectation of a 200bps decline 

in yields on investment 

securities, the largely sticky 

nature of interest rate on loan 

books should moderate the 

impact of a lower yield 

environment. “Accordingly, we 

forecast asset yields of 15% for 

2017E and 2018F, and an 

average of 14.8% for the period 

2019F-2021F. Overall, we 

forecast NIMs of 10.7% for 2017E 

and 2018F. ” 

ARM analysts say 

Management’s aim here is to 

protect NIMs, leveraging on its 

low-cost funding structure even 

as it remains focused on 

optimizing income from interest 

earning assets while further 

driving increased non-interest 

income contribution. On the 

latter, they added, Management 

noted that the bank has 13 

million active customer accounts 

with at least 80% of the customer 

induced transactions done on its 

digital platform. 

FBN has at least 35% of all 

electronic traffic in Nigeria either 

by count or value on the 

Interswitch platform and 

remains the only bank to process 

over 100million transactions per 

month on the Interswitch 

platform multiple times. The 

bank is currently setting up a 

digital lab to further drive 

innovative solutions. 

Operational efficiency 

Operational efficiency at FBN 

has been upbeat with Cost to 

Income ratio (CIR) in 9M 2017 

of 53.4% lower than its 5-year 

average (excluding 2016 where 

FX-induced income drove CIR 

lower to 47%). 

ARM stated further: “We now 

estimate FY 17E OPEX 

(Operating Expenditure) of 

N230 billion as against the ninemonth 

2017 actual of N175 

billion. Further out, we forecast 

a 3% average growth in OPEX 

over 2018F – 2021F. 

“The foregoing, alongside our 

gross earnings forecast guides 

to relatively flattish CIR over our 

forecast period. To note, 

management guides to a 

possible review of some branches 

as the bank is currently piloting 

the agency banking model. 

“In summary, with a focus on 

leveraging lower funding cost, 

operational efficiency, adequate 

capital buffer, no plans to grow 

risky assets, and lower loan-loss 

provisioning, downside risk to 

2018 earnings now seems 

moderated than was earlier 

expected. 

“Overall, we forecast 2018F 

EPS of N3.18 (+85% Year-on- 

Year) and DPS (Dividend Per 

Share) of N1.43. Furthermore, at 

current pricing, its 2017E 

dividend translates to dividend 

yield of 6.4%. 

“Our FVE of N16.69 

translates to a 32% upside from 

current pricing. Consequently, 

we rate the stock a ‘STRONG 

BUY’, reflecting attractive 

valuation and a view that 

fundamentals will improve 

going forward.

C 

M 

Y 

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64% of vehicles on Nigerian roads run 

on fake insurance — NIA 

By Rosemary Onuoha 

ONLY about 36 percent of 

vehicles plying Nigerian 

roads are currently insured as 

records indicate that most of the 

vehicles run on fake insurance 

certificates. 

Chairman of Nigerian 

Insurers Association, NIA, Mr. 

Eddie Efekoha, who disclosed 

this said that only about 4.5 

million vehicles out of 12.5 

million plying Nigerian roads 

are registered on the Nigerian 

Insurance Industry Database, 

NIID, which captures all 

legitimately insured vehicles in 

Nigeria. 

He stated that fake motor 

insurance is still controlling a 

huge chunk of the market. 

Speaking at an insurance 

consumer forum organised by 

the National Insurance 

Commission, NAICOM, in 

Lagos, Efekoha said that a 

situation whereby most 

insurance companies have 

offices only in Lagos, Abuja 

and Port-Harcourt is a 

contributing factor to the 

thriving fake motor policy 

business. 

The NIA chairman stated that 

fake insurance thrives in states 

where insurance companies 

are absent, however, the target 

of the industry is to register all 

vehicles that ply Nigerian 

roads on the platform. 

According to Efekoha, the 

NIA is partnering with various 

state governments to ensure 

that insurance is done only by 

registered insurance 

companies. 

He stated: “One trend we 

have seen is that many states 

have decided to use third party 

motor insurance as their 

internally generated revenue 

measure as way of raising 

By Cynthia Alo 

WAPIC Insurance Plc, has 

launched ‘Safety on 

Wheels’ campaign aimed at 

checkmating the rising 

incidence of motor accidents in 

the country. 

Addressing journalists at the 

company’s head office in Lagos, 

Managing Director, Mrs. Yinka 

Adekoya, said the ‘Safety-on- 

Wheels’ campaign is conceived 

to empower Nigerians with 

relevant knowledge and 

appropriate skills that will 

reduce road accidents and raise 

general awareness about 

collective road safety 

responsibility. 

She said, “Most road 

accidents in Nigeria have 

resulted in many deaths. 

According to Nigeria Bureau of 

Statistics, NBS, data, of the 

money for their government. 

We have partnered with some 

of these state governments or 

state directorates or agencies as 

the case may be in order to 

moderate and streamline all of 

these. These are some of the 

reasons why we are back to the 

drawing board to do some 

things. These are problems we 

have seen and therefore we see 

the need to devise a solution. 

We will go through the various 

stakeholders including the 

regulator to sort it out.” 

The NIID is a platform of the 

NIA aimed at getting more 

vehicles and Nigerians into the 

insurance net and boosting the 

culture of insurance among 

citizens of the country. The 

platform provides protection to 

From left: Graeme Hay, Director Operations, VTTI; Michael Ikenna Nkemka, Physical 

Operators Assistant, Algasco LPG Services Ltd; Uche Morah, Star Prize Winner of Power bike; 

Maxwell Agi, member, PTD NUPENG Navgas Unit; Merlin Figueira, Managing Director, Navgas 

Ltd during the official presentation of the power bike to the star prize winner of the Navgas 

Drivers’ Loyalty and Reward Programme held at the company premises in Lagos. 

CSR: Consolidated Hallmark renews 

insurance cover for journalists 

...Unveils new website 

C ONSOLIDATED 

Hallmark Insurance Plc 

has renewed the Group 

Personal Accident Insurance 

cover worth N24 million in sum 

insured for insurance 

journalists in the country. 

This, according to the 

company, is part of its Corporate 

Social Responsibility (CSR) 

Wapic Insurance to tackle rise in accidents 

•Trains one thousand drivers on safety 

11,363 roads accidents recorded 

in 2016, 5,053 resulted in death. 

“With creating sustainable 

value for the society at the centre 

of Wapic Insurance’s social 

responsibility activities, the 

company intends to drive social 

progression and build safe-road 

use culture in Nigerians by 

ensuring that motorists, 

passengers, pedestrians and 

the society at large are 

knowledgeable about road-use 

commandments that guide 

traffic interactions.” 

She noted that road accidents 

have a lot of effect on everyone 

stating: “We are aware that road 

accidents have far reaching 

emotional, financial and 

psychological effects on families 

and the workforce which in turn 

have significant negative effects 

on socio economic facets of the 

society. 

project, to ensure that journalists 

who are exposed to danger and 

hazard in the discharge of their 

civic duties are adequately 

protected. 

The Group Personal Accident 

Insurance covers death, 

permanent disability and 

medical expenses. The policy 

has been running since 2012, 

and is renewed annually by the 

company. 

The cover, renewed in October, 

2017 is due to expire in 

September 2018. The company 

has promised to continue to 

renew the coverage for the 

journalists every year. 

Managing Director of the 

company, Eddie Efekoha said 

journalism profession both 

within and outside the country 

is exposed to different kinds of 

risks, and such calls for the need 

for insurance to mitigate the 

risks in the event of this nature. 

He disclosed that in the case 

of the death of any of the 

concerned journalists, the 

family of the deceased is entitled 

to N1 million death benefits. A 

journalist who suffers 

permanent disability in the 

discharge of his duties will also 

be entitled to N1 million. The 

cover provides for medical 

expenses to the tune of 

N200,000 per journalist in the 

case of an accident. It would be 

recalled that in 2013, Mrs. 

Bimbo Oyetunde a staffer of 

Radio Nigeria received medical 

bill compensation from CHI. 

She was involved in a ghastly 

motor accident alongside other 

members of the Nigerian Union 

of Journalists (NUJ) on their 

return from Abuja after an 

official assignment where three 

people died. 

Meanwhile, the company has 

unveiled a new website to 

ensure that its service offerings 

are within the reach of its 

growing clientele and potential 

customers. 

The company said the new 

website has been designed to 

present an utmost userfriendly 

experience alongside 

hassle-free navigation and 

improved functionalities. It 

enables users, with a click, 

access to information on 

various classes of general 

insurance business to take 

decisions based on available 

options and forms of protection 

desired. 

Managing Director of CHI 

Mr. Eddie Efekoha said that 

with a very easy and friendly 

on boarding process, the 

website enhances the purchase 

of insurance products online 

through the aid of premium 

calculators. It also facilitates 

payments with bank debit cards 

and online payments via 

specified bank accounts with 

several tier one and two banks. 

Nigerians against the activities 

of insurance fraudsters, 

particularly the third party 

motor insurance certificate 

racketeers. 

The NIID is an information 

technology-based system that 

facilitates easy collation and 

dissemination of statistical and 

other information relating to 

insurance on one hand, and 

also serves as a vehicle for 

easy identification of genuine 

insurance documents by 

relevant authorised persons. 

Some of the benefits of the 

NIID include monitoring and 

authenticating insurance 

transaction documents; 

reducing red tape and 

corruption by integrating with 

the vehicle registration system 

of the Federal Road Safety 

Corps (FRSC), police and other 

relevant government agencies; 

ensuring easy access to 

statistical data for effective 

decision making. 

Axa Mansard 

empowers 

youths on 

financial 

security 

AXA Mansard Insurance, 

member of the AXA 

Group, has taken its social 

investment programme to 

educating members of the 

National Youth Service Corps, 

NYSC, on different solutions 

available for their financial 

security, health and general wellbeing. 

The company which took the 

corps members through an 

awareness campaign at several 

NYSC camps, said the move is 

a demonstration of its 

commitment towards 

empowering Nigerian youths. 

The company visited the Lagos, 

Abuja and Rivers NYSC 

Orientation camps, to enlighten 

the 2017 Batch ‘B’ Orientation 

Course (Stream II) corps 

members on solutions available 

from AXA Mansard, such as the 

right investment vehicles for 

them, insurance for their 

valuables and loved ones, 

pensions to start saving for their 

retirement and health insurance 

for access to quality healthcare. 

In addition to the awareness 

drive at the camps, AXA 

Mansard Health Insurance 

provided free basic medical 

services to Corps members, such 

as medical consultation, basic 

medical check-up, BMI and 

blood pressure. 

Commenting on the initiative, 

Mr. Kola Oni, Group Head, 

Strategy and Marketing at AXA 

Mansard said, “Youth 

empowerment is important to us, 

because it affords us the 

opportunity to enable and propel 

youths to become effective 

drivers of change and societal 

transformation.” 

C 

M 

Y 

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C 

M 

Y 

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DHL considering using 

drones for courier services 

—Adeseyoju 

Muyiwa Adeseyoju, the first Nigerian Country Managing Director of 

DHL Express Nigeria, in this interview with Dotun Ibiwoye, speaks on the multinational’s 

innovations in e-commerce, supply chain, disclosing that the company 

plans to use drones for delivery. He also spoke of the challenges confronting 

the logistics business in Nigeria. Excerpts 

WHAT impact have you 

made in the e-commerce 

subsector and terms of 

job creation in Nigeria? 

In the terms of E- 

commerce, we have 

been able to innovate, solidify 

and held forth in the market. 

Basically, we are dealing with 

all the major e-commerce customers 

like Konga, we also had 

an arrangement with Jumia. 

We are dealing more with 

Africans to bring their goods 

from the United States and we 

are extending the partnership 

also across borders. 

We are engaging more and 

more of e-commerce customers 

to export their products to Europe 

and the United States. 

We are even planning to have 

another workshop next two 

weeks to bring all the e- 

commerce customers together 

and then give them the 

opportunity for a platform to 

market their goods across borders. 

Distribution 

centre in Abuja 

So we keep engaging with 

these e-commerce customers 

in Nigeria. Nothing has 

changed as we are still doing 

normal things that we normally 

do. But basically, we believe 

in Nigeria and we are still investing 

in the economy. Just 

to mention some few investments 

that we have put in 

place, we just finished our 

ultra modern facility in Port 

Harcourt, which was opened 

last year. 

We are trying to expand our 

gateway at the airport and we 

are building a new ultra modern 

facility at Lekki, Admiralty 

Way in Lagos state.We are also 

trying to build a new distribution 

centre in Abuja. 

These are our little investments 

that we are putting together 

and these are substantial 

sums of money that we 

have put into the economy. All 

these investment is huge. 

You mentioned across borders, 

in what way have you 

been able to align with the 

start-ups and MSMEs? 

What we have to do is to take 

into consideration the scale of 

their operations. We have designed 

a special tariff to move 

their things out of Nigeria. So 

anywhere they are taking their 

Whether it is e- 

commerce or 

within Africa, 

the projection 

within Africa 

and e- 

commerce is 

going to be 

growing 

exponentially 

market to we put them on that 

same platform. 

So that is easy for them to 

market their goods especially 

to Europe and America. Those 

are the two key markets that 

we are looking at. Because if 

those two market accepts 

whatever they are selling, then 

there is a likelihood that they 

can replicate it across board. 

Whether it is e-commerce or 

within Africa, the projection 

within Africa and e-commerce 

is going to be growing exponentially, 

So we want to be positioned 

everywhere we are 

operating and we take advantage 

of these opportunities because 

we know that the potentials 

are there. 

In terms of exports are you 

into any partnership with any 

government agency? 

Not exactly directly with Nigeria 

Export Promotion Council. 

Our belief is that those e- 

commerce customers already 

know their products. They already 

have a way of certifying 

their products. Our own is just 

to provide them the logistics 

on how the product from 

Nigeria gets to wherever they 

want to export it to. So we do 

deal think directly with Nigeria 

Export Promotion Council, 

so we allow them to do their 

own licensing, get their own 

•Muyiwa 

Adeseyoju, 

certification and take their 

product from here and move 

to anywhere they want to 

move it to. 

In Chain supply application, 

how will your product, parcel 

locker, be used for the benefits 

of Nigerians? 

We have a product as part of 

our services we called On Demand 

Delivery, ODD. So we 

give our customers the opportunity 

of choosing how their 

parcel will be delivered to 

them, rather than making 

direct delivery. If they want, 

we will deliver the parcel at 

their time and their convenience. 

They can go to our locations 

and pick it up. That is 

the concept. So it is not only 

delivery directly to door steps 

but we also give the customers 

the opportunity of picking 

up their stuffs at their own time 

in those boxes, called parcel 

locker. 

Right now we have four of 

them. We are going to continue 

to expand that scope. One in 

Port Harcourt, one in Isolo, one 

in Ikoyi and one in Victoria Island. 

We are trying to continue 

to expand more and more for 

our customers, that is the concept 

we drive across the country. 

Is there plans for drones delivery? 

Ultimately yes. We are looking 

into that but we will take 

it step by step. Yes, it has been 

deployed in some parts of Europe 

and US and we will take 

it down to Africa as time goes 

on. 

No impediments against 

the drones? 

Well, you know we are still 

very sensitive. Government 

agencies are still sensitive because 

of security issues. I am 

sure we will overcome all of 

that as we go along. When 

they now start to understand 

that this drone can also be 

used for non security 

purposes, then once the government 

agency try to understand 

and they partner with 

us, we can continue to use our 

drone to make deliveries. 

What is the scope of your 

Corporate Social Responsibility 

activities? 

We are involved in so many 

activities. The major ones if I 

might just mention briefly, is 

clean the environment in Lagos 

especially. We are also in 

Badagry on this clean initiative. 

There is this organisation 

where we partner with them 

to assist children, give them 

books and then there is a 

physically or mentally challenged 

home that we are also 

trying to support as well. We 

have quite a number of them. 

Economic challenges in Nigerian 

market? 

There are so many but I will 

just mention one or two. We 

have a gateway where we have 

in-house Customs and all our 

materials come through that 

same gateway. We are in the 

express business so we want 

to get our goods out of the airport 

as quick as possible. We 

still have a lot of challenges 

and it is a major issue. 

Is that peculiar to Nigeria? 

Yes, it is peculiar to Nigeria. 

You don’t have such issues 

in other climes? 

Well, it might be there but 

not as much as Nigeria. 

Don’t you feel is a protocol 

process? 

No. It is an attitudinal thing 

and again Nigeria is still 

ranks very high in corruption. 

So you see, we are a fully compliant 

company. We don’t want 

to be seen involved in any 

kind of corrupt activity, 

therefore, we still have challenges 

handling those guys 

and making that they facilitate 

our process as quickly as 

possible. Second challenge is 

that we are in a logistic business. 

Unfortunately, the road 

infrastructure of the country is 

very poor. 

Security system 

of the country 

So we are bound to be incurring 

a lot of cost flying materials 

rather than go by road 

and a lot of different infrastructural 

issues that we have. 

Security issues, electricity 

issues and others. We have to 

be running generator across 

the country and it is at very 

huge cost that we are incurring. 

Are you suggesting intervention 

from the government 

in terms of aiding logistics 

and chain supply? 

I will still really get back to 

the challenges. For example, 

all the things we mentioned 

about challenges still emanates 

from the government 

like road network. We are not 

going to be able to build roads. 

It’s only government that can 

do it. 

It is not about policies, it is 

just getting things down 

right. If there is electricity, improving 

on the security system 

of the country and if they 

are able to improve on infrastructure 

then of course, life 

will be more easier for us and 

we can do business at a more 

reduced cost. 

What motivates you and 

aided your appointment to be 

head of DHL Nigeria? 

For me, just like any normal 

human being, you want to 

succeed and of course, I want 

to succeed in anything that I 

am doing. In every stage of 

my life, I have been trying my 

best to keep advancing myself 

forward. But one thing that is 

key for me is the people 

around me. They are the real 

driving force because without 

people you cannot fully succeed. 

People of like minds, 

who are very sound and willing 

to do things when they are 

motivated. 

C 

M 

Y 

K



“It does not matter if the cat is black or white as long as it 

catches rats.” 

Malaysian proverb. 

Those were the words of wisdom from the Malaysian 

lecturer who delivered the first keynote address at the 

Nigerian Economic Summit Group meeting in 1992. I 

still have the hand-notes taken from that promising workshop. 

The fact that the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, ERGP, 

which has become the main 

thrust of our rapid economic 

growth plan is based on an 

idea which was offered to us 

free of charge twenty six years 

ago tells a lot about Nigerian. 

Now we are paying. 

Only God knows how far 

we would have gone towards 

becoming one of the twenty 

biggest economies if 

Babangida, Abacha, 

Abubakar, Obasanjo, 

Yar’Adua and Jonathan had 

dusted up the records to 

implement the idea. Buhari, 

self-admittedly slow, took five 

months to appoint Ministers. 

That was something which 

young President Macon of 

France did in less than a week, 

and geriatric Donald Trump 

finished in three weeks. 

Fifteen months to the end, his 

government comes up with a 

plan which should have been 

put forward in 2015 and 

should by now have been 

implemented for two years. 

That is vintage Buhari. 

Last week, time was 

identified as the cardinal 

enemy of ERGP, an idea 

brought forward by Senator 

Udoma, who participated at 

the first NESG workshop. 

Time, however, is not the only 

obstacle standing in the way 

of this infinitely laudable 

idea. Standing shoulder to 

shoulder with endless time are 

limited financial resources. 

The plan calls for the 

Federal Government to come 


By Providence Emmanuel 

What are your expectations for 

the microfinance sub sector in 

2018? 

Actually, we have been having 

some serious liquidity challenge 

for a while and we hope that it is 

worth solving this year. Like the 

issuing of $300 million that they 

are trying to release to the market, 

we hope that would spur 

economic activities and we 

should be able to tap into that. 

We are also hoping that the 

economy would pick up so that 

there would be a lot of activities 

in terms of the microfinance 

subsector. We are thinking that 

people would have more 

economic power so that there 

would be some savings which we 

can pay into the little investment 

of the active poor in terms of 

giving them more loans to be 

able to improve their business 

activities. We are also thinking 

that what the government has 

done is to give us some lee way 

to do microfinancing, like the 

micro housing scheme of the 

federal government which was 

introduced for people who have 

special interest, if it gets to the 

citizens they would key into it, 

those are the things we are 

hoping to do in the year. 

What are the factors behind 

high loan default in the 

ERGP 

and the mountains to climb – 2 

Finally, there 

is every reason 

to be skeptical 

about any FG 

initiative in 

Nigeria. Our 

history is 

replete with 

grandiose plans 

which have left 

us worse than 

when they 

started 

We would put more pressure on govt over 

N220bn MSMED fund - MD, BBB MfB 

Managing Director, BBB Microfinance Bank, 

Mr. Mustapha Buraimoh in this interview spoke on 

developments in the microfinance (MfB) industry, noting 

that the move to increase the capital base of MfBs could 

erode public confidence in the industry. 

Excerpt: 

industry? 

That is a major challenge that 

we face in the industry because 

we lend to the active poor who 

do not have collateral. The 

Nigerian factor too, when people 

want to take loan they are so 

cognitive, they are ready to do 

all that you ask them to do, but 

the moment they take the money, 

it becomes a different ball game. 

What we are doing with the 

Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, 

is that we have been trying in 

this regard by introducing the 

Credit Bureau. The Credit 

Bureau gives a helping hand in 

limiting the menace of people 

not wanting to pay back loan. 

Before you give credit to 

anybody, you are expected to 

check with the credit bureau the 

status of the customer. We the 

microfinance too have to follow 

the rule by keying into the credit 

up with $49bn and the private 

sector is expected to kick in 

$196bn. Fine on paper, but, is 

it realistic? Can the FG 

provide $49bn in the next four 

years and whatever it must 

between now and May 29, 

2019? The reference to next 

year May is important 

because the FG must certainly 

be aware that unless two 

things happen, the plan is 

dead on arrival. 

First, Buhari must be reelected. 

Without that, all we 

will have on our hands is 

another abandoned project – 

after we have spent billions 

getting it started before the 

curtain call on the Buhari 

administration. 

Second, the current 

National Assembly must have 

passed the necessary bills and 

approvals to raise and 

disburse the huge sums 

required for ERGP before 

going into history in May next 

year as well. If not, even 

Buhari’s re-election will mean 

starting all over again to seek 

NASS approval for the ERGP. 

Now, let us place the 

request for N49bn investment 

by the FG in context. Nigeria 

is already neck deep in debt 

which all financial institutions 

find unsustainable. 

Government will need to raise 

the debt ceiling by double the 

level it stands at the moment 

to raise the funds required to 

pay the $49bn bill. Where will 

the money come from? Our 

external reserves have 

reached $48bn now because 

the price of crude oil shot up 

to over $70 per barrel; not 

because the CBN was clever. 

They will decline if the price 

ever goes back down to 

bureau system so that all 

customers’ data is keyed into the 

system so that every MfB can 

check any customer coming for 

money by clicking online to 

check the customer before giving 

credit. That way, you have some 

level of confidence that whoever 

you are giving the money to has 

the integrity to want to pay back. 

However, integrity is one thing 

and ability to pay is another. 

What if you have integrity to pay 

and you have some challenge in 

the business and you are unable 

to pay back? Because there is no 

serious collateral to fall back on, 

you may not be able to recover 

your money. But be that as it may, 

we have a method we use in 

curbing this menace. For 

instance, doing group lending 

in which individual member of 

the group is a potential 

guarantor for the others. That can 

under $40. Even Mr. 

Emefiele knows that. So, that 

cannot be a reliable source of 

funds. 

The balance in our 

Sovereign Wealth Fund is still 

below $2.5bn and the Excess 

Crude Account, ECA, was 

recently depleted to under 

$2bn with the $2bn withdrawn 

to fight “defeated” Boko 

Haram. According to the 

Medium Term Expenditure 

Framework, MTEF, the 

country will run deficit 

budgets well into 2020. So, 

there is little hope for any 

surplus to help finance the 

ERGP. It requires no more 

than first year economics or 

finance training to reach the 

obvious conclusion. The 

$49bn can only be financed by 

borrowing most, if not all, of 

it. That immediately raises the 

question: who will lend us 

such huge amounts which 

represent three times our 

annual budget for 2018? If the 

current debt repayment 

schedule is already regarded 

as unsustainable, what will 

all the prospective lenders 

think of us when we ask for 

more? The next question 

follows logically from the first. 

Will they lend? 

MICRO-FINANCE 

also curb the menace of bad debt 

in the system. 

What are the MfBs doing to 

ensure interest rate is 

comfortable for borrowers? 

The challenge here is that the 

system is good but the customers 

themselves are ready to take their 

money to the commercial banks 

but when it comes to taking 

money, they want to borrow from 

us but they put their savings in 

the commercial banks. So you 

can see that it is a question of 

where do we always get money 

to lend to them. There is high 

cost of borrowing from 

commercial banks in addition to 

high operation and dolling it out 

to customers in bits. You also take 

more energy pursuing 

customers to get your money 

from them. Meanwhile, 

commercial banks do big ticket 

transactions, one member of staff 

can pursue millions of naira 

worth of transaction while a 

microfinance bank need so 

many staff to pursue that volume 

that the commercial bank lend. 

By all standard, cost of doing 

microfinance business is very 

high. 

Obviously, the ERGP, as it 

stands rests on foundations 

that are not entirely under 

government’s control. In fact, 

very little of it is under the 

FG’s control. Its own 

contributions to the pool of 

funds depend on how others 

view the plan. Substantial 

thumbs down on it will mean 

the end of the plan. If that 

happens, where is Plan B? 

Finally, there is every 

reason to be skeptical about 

any FG initiative in Nigeria. 

Our history is replete with 

grandiose plans which have 

left us worse than when they 

started. Operation Feed the 

Nation (Obasanjo), Green 

Revolution (Shagari), 

Structural Adjustment 

Programme (Babangida), 

$13-16bn Power Emergency 

(Obasanjo, again), and Power 

(Jonathan) have consumed a 

lot of our scarce resources, 

with nothing to show, after 

loud promises, still ringing in 

the years of those of us old 

enough to have lived through 

them. 

“Wise skepticism is the first 

attribute of a good critic”, 

according to James Russell 

Lowell, 1819-1891, American 

historian. The Minister of 

Budget and National 

Planning and his staff have 

done a brilliant job. But, given 

the Nigerian Factor, it might 

amount to casting pearls 

before swine. It might end 

nowhere… 

Are you aware of CBN’s 

move to increase MFBs’ 

minimum 

capital 

requirement? 

At the level of the association, 

we are looking at that, I don’t 

know what would be the 

outcome, but we are keeping our 

fingers crossed to see how that 

works out. Of cause, sometimes 

government might have better 

understanding of the system. 

From the association’s point of 

view, we want to see how we can 

handle this but for us we think 

that raising minimum capital 

requirement might erode 

confidence but let’s see how it 

works. 

About 95% of MfBs have not 

been able to access the 

N220billion MSMED fund. 

Why is this so? 

Again, government policies 

sometimes you wonder whether 

these policies are well thought 

out. We felt that by now that 

money would have been fully 

disbursed to MfBs but only a few 

have accessed the fund. I think 

the criteria are too stringent for 

other MfBs to access the money. 

We hope that from the 

association’s point of view we 

would put more pressure on 

government to ensure that so 

many MfBs access the fund.


(08052201997) 

‘ HOUSEHOLDS have 

become severely 

traumatized, nationwide by the 

escalating prices of goods and 

services, particularly in the last 

six months or so. The uneasy 

feeling that one’s pocket, has 

been picked has probably 

become common after every visit 

to the market, as the smallest 

available plastic sachet may be 

all that is needed to pack your 

N10,000 purchase(s) from the 

ubiquitous corner street 

medicine stores in our cities. 

In retrospect, in 1977, the 

highest Naira denomination 

was the N20 note, and 

exchanged for almost $30 when 

it was first issued. 

Unfortunately, after the serial 

devaluations which followed 

the IMF inspired Structural 

Adjustment Program, the 

N1,000 note became the highest 

denomination in our currency 

by 2005, and exchanged for just 

over $8. Sadly, in the last 

12months or so, the latest round 

of Naira devaluation has further 

depleted the exchange value of 

the same N1000 to about $3. 

Although, coins officially 

remain a part of the Naira 

profile, they have however, been 

widely rejected because of their 

worthless present value; 

consequently, the N5, N10, 

N20, N50, N100 secondary 

denomination notes now 

perform the roles normally 

reserved for hard wearing, 

longer lasting, metal currency 

to facilitate change and 

transactions in the market place. 

Nonetheless, if the present 

free-fall of the Naira remains 

unchecked, and if the rate 

approaches $1=N1000, the 

N1000 note may ultimately also 

assume the role of lower 

denomination coins despite its 

fragile fabric; indeed if Naira 

dropped from N165 to almost 

N400=$1 in 12months, and 

dollar supply remains grossly 

inadequate to match the 

subsisting, persistent excess 

Naira supply, Naira exchange 

rates will invariably become 

much weaker and a rate of 


THE 

Standards 

Organisation of Nigeria 

has embarked on a nationwide 

mopping up of substandard 

tyres with the aim of destroying 

them in an operation codenamed, 

‘Operation Gbale’. 

Director, Inspectorate and 

Enforcement, SON, Mr. Bede 

Obayi, disclosed this to 

journalists on Friday during the 

destruction of over N5 billion 

worth of seized tyres, which 

were kept in the agency’s 

warehouse in Lagos. 

Obayi said SON had been 

carrying out sensitisation 

campaigns aimed at educating 

buyers about the dangers of 

The inevitable choice between N10,000 

note and redenomination 

N1,000=$1, may become 

inevitable. 

Thus, even if N10,000 note is 

introduced as highest 

denomination, it will only 

exchange for $10. Similarly, 

new issues of N2,000 and 

N5,000 notes will exchange for 

$2 and $5 respectively. Clearly, 

unless the fundamental flaw in 

the pricing model that produces 

weaker Naira exchange rates is 

addressed, further Naira 

depreciation will prevail and 

ultimately N20,000 and 

N50,000 notes may become 

necessary. This may seem 

farfetched, but we should be 

reminded that Ghana’s currency 

profile included 50,000Cedi 

notes before the 4 point 

redecimalisation in 2006. 

Evidently, the adoption of 

N2,000, N3,000, N5,000 and 

N10,000 notes will facilitate cash 

handling, but it will also 

challenge the cashless project, 

on which government has 

invested so much to implement. 

However, the relative success of 

the cashless project, 

notwithstanding, some critics 

may contend that, with respect 

to monetary policy, the 

promotion of the cashless 

project may have been actually 

counterproductive, as it 

expectedly fuelled an already 

incendiary inflationary spiral, 

because of the increased 

velocity in money circulation 

that it induced. 

Higher denomination Naira 

notes will obviously facilitate 

portability, but they may also 

attract the usual threat to 

security associated with large 

cash transactions and will 

therefore set back the cashless 

initiative. Higher 

denominations will however, 

become inevitable if the 

continuous slide in the Naira’s 

exchange rate is not arrested. 

The addition of N2,000, N3,000, 

patronising fake tyre 

distributors. He said that in a 

bid to ensure that the tyres would 

not find their way back into the 

market, the agency had 

acquired sophisticated and 

rugged equipment that could 

destroy the tyres without 

causing harm to the 

environment. 

He stated: “This nationwide 

campaign is meant to 

discourage people from selling 

and buying these tyres because 

N5,000 and N10,000 notes will 

however, be popularly 

welcomed to replace the 

increasingly ‘worthless’ lower 

denominations below N1,000. 

Nevertheless, competitive 

retailing will invariably be 

challenged by the rejection of 

lower denominations, as 

products will become priced in 

steps of N500 and N1,000.00, 

so long as primary kobo coins 

remain worthless. 

Alternatively, however, the 

need to restore portability and 

competitive retail best practiceprofile 

with an embedded 

usage of primary coins, may 

Higher 

denominations 

will however, 

become 

inevitable if the 

continuous slide 

in the Naira’s 

exchange rate is 

not arrested 

advise that a 3 point 

decimalization of the Naira 

profile will facilitate such 

objective. Under such 

arrangement, the current 

N1,000 note will be replaced 

with a New N1 note, while the 

current N100 note will be 

replaced with a Ten Kobo coin, 

so that the existing N50 note 

will become a New five kobo 

coin, similarly, the present N10 

will become the new one kobo. 

In such a redenominated 

profile, one US dollar, will 

exchange for N0.3, in 

consonance with the subsisting 

average exchange rate of about 

N300=$1; consequently, if the 

Naira further dips to say 

N500=$1 

before 

redecimalization, the New N5 

will exchange for $1 and so 

forth. Invariably, currency 

redenomination will be a much 

more expensive undertaking 

than the alternative of new 

issues of higher Naira notes, 

because a redenominated 

profile will incorporate the 

whole gamut from the new kobo 

coin (old N10) to the highest 

new N100=$30, with the 

inclusion of new designs for 

other standard denominations 

in-between. 

In addition to the significant 

production 

cost, 

redenomination requires longer 

production lead time and 

extensive public enlightenment 

and campaign to facilitate 

adoption of the new Naira 

profile. Consequently, it may 

not be realistic to schedule less 

than two years before the 

complete withdrawal of the old 

currency, so that the new issues 

actually gain circulation and 

acceptance. 

Additionally, a compact 

currency profile would provide 

digital margins for competitive 

retail pricing as kobo coins and 

lower denomination secondary 

coins and notes become readily 

available; the attrition caused by 

the shortage of change in 

transactions between petrol 

attendants, shop keepers and 

customers will also be 

minimized to the benefit of an 

otherwise constantly stressed 

citizens. The reintroduction of 

coins with more purchasing 

value will similarly facilitate the 

rapid expansion in the use of 

slot machines, which are 

commonplace 24hour dumb 

service outlets for a wide range 

of consumables (See Articles 

SON commences nationwide mop-up of 

substandard tyres 

they are dangerous. These tyres 

are mopped up at various 

locations in the 36 states of the 

federation and the Federal 

Capital Territory. 

“They are being mopped up 

from those who are packing tyres 

in three-in-one, four-in-one to 

save cost. By the time you bring 

these tyres in such shapes, you 

have destroyed the tyres, even 

if you have the SONCAP, which 

Nigeria has approved as a 

clearing document for products 

that are coming into this country; 

the certificate has already been 

invalidated.” 

According to him, millions of 

seized tyres are in the agency’s 

warehouse because it is not 

easy to destroy them. “If we 

throw them into the sea, these 

tyres cannot melt, they will just 

remain there and constitute 

aquatic problems, and that is 

why we have mopped them up 

and are keeping them to destroy 

them appropriately. When they 

titled”Redenomination: Why & 

Why Not?” (17/09/07) and 

“Redenomination of Ghana’s 

Currency” (15/01/07) at 

www.lesleba.com ). 

The reality however, is that 

N100,000 and N200,000 notes 

with minimal value may 

ultimately become inevitable 

and will create serious 

accounting challenges if the 

Naira profile is not 

redenominated and if the slide 

in the Naira exchange rate 

continues unrestrained. 

Advisedly, the significant 

funding requirement for 

redenomination and the 

complete overhaul of the Naira 

profile may be reduced, if the 

Nigerian Security Printing and 

Minting Company is 

appropriately retooled and 

upgraded to produce a 

substantial part, if not all the 

new cash requirements. 

Unfortunately, however, the 

subsisting underlying triggers 

of inflation will not be 

neutralized by the mere issue 

of higher Naira denominations 

or the complete overhaul and 

redenomination of the Naira 

profile. Consequently, 

unrestrained double digit 

inflation rates and a Naira 

exchange rate beleagued by the 

persistent, untamed, surplus of 

Naira liquidity will inevitably 

sustain a new cycle of Naira 

abuse that will, ultimately, in 

years to come, compel either of 

these same options of higher 

currency notes or complete 

currency overhaul, to recreate 

a compact currency profile 

which facilitates transactions 

and simplifies the accounting 

process.” 

This above article was first 

published in the Vanguard and 

Punch newspapers on August 

15, 2016. 

SAVE THE NAIRA! SAVE 

NIGERIANS! 

ECONOMY 

are burnt, they can equally 

cause environmental pollution 

and that is why we have 

acquired rugged machines that 

can destroy these tyres in such 

a way that nobody can put them 

back into use,” Obayi added, 

He said the perpetrators were 

in the habit of scrapping off the 

expiry dates on the tyres and 

changing them with new and 

recent dates to deceive 

consumers. 

According to him, fairly used 

tyres are usually picked from 

the garbage dumps overseas 

and repackaged for sale to 

unsuspecting Nigerians. 

C 

M 

Y 

K

The Honeymoon is over 

WHEN I was young, I used to 

reflect that nature in its 

eternal generosity gave us ‘spare 

parts’. We had two eyes, and in the 

absence of one, the other could still 

function; the ears are two, the arms, 

legs, lungs, ovaries, testes and 

kidneys come in pairs. 

But I had only one elder brother, 

Vincent Kurowei (VK) Lakemfa. I 

didn’t think much about him being 

the only one; he was everything to 

me as he led me gently through 

childhood into adolescence. As a 

High School kid, he introduced me 

to the world of news and books. He 

was always clutching a reading 

material and came back from the 

mega supermarkets with books. 

As I grew, I went beyond reading 

the title of publications on his 

bookshelves to actually reading 

them. Soul On Ice by Eldridge 

Cleaver was one I remember quite 

clearly for it opened my eyes to 

racism and African American 

resistance by the Black Panthers, and 

unforgettable Brothers like Bobby 

Seale and Huey P. Newton. 

Books like that led me to a 

recurring name, Malcolm X. Like 

magic, I discovered his 

By Nathaniel Ngerem 

MOHAMMED Adamu, I highly 

commend your well articulated, 

balanced view on the issues bordering on 

Israel, Jerusalem, and Donald Trump’s recent 

landmark declaration. 

However, I’ll like to comment on some points 

that I think you, and any other person with 

similar perception, need to get right. I’m happy 

that you accept the authority of the Bible on 

life matters specifically on Israel and God. 

Abraham’s ‘incestuous’ relationship with 

Sarah his wife 

Before God chose Abraham, the man had 

married his wife, Sarah, and He knew their 

biological relationship. Yes, they were blood 

relations, but I don’t think any mortal should 

teach the Almighty what to do with a man 

living in sin, especially if He has an 

appointment with such an individual. God’s 

reactions are always blunt and outright against 

sin. So, if God found Abraham’s marriage 

unacceptable, He would do what He Had 

always done against ungodly living. His 

appointment with Abraham and his 

generation was too critical to be built on an 

abominable foundation. 

In the ancient, Old Testament time, it was 

normal to marry from within one’s family. So, 

God had no issues with the marriage between 

Abraham and Sarah. 

Isaac and Ishmael: These two sons of 

Abraham have been a point of contentions 

among the Christians and Moslems. But, since 

you have a healthy attitude towards the Bible, 

let’s go there to find out the truth. Genesis 

16:1-4 

Sarah hadn’t given birth to any child for her 

husband, Abraham, well advanced in age. God 

had promised them that Sarah’s old womb 

would still produce a child of their own, in 

their old age. When they waited for God to 

fulfill His promise, it appeared He was not 

forth coming; and out of the usual human 

desperation, Sarah persuaded Abraham her 

husband to go in to her maid, Hagar, to 

produce a child for them; he did, and the result 

was Ishmael. Against God’s programme and 

purposes, they got themselves a child. After 

autobiography on VK’s bookshelf 

and devoured it. One book 

frequently mentioned, which was on 

his bookshelf I could not get myself 

to read was one with the tantalizing 

title, Wretched of the Earth by Franz 

Fanon; I did not seem to understand 

it. But in my first year in the university, 

it became like my Bible. 

That reminds me that VK ensured 

I went through the university. Back 

in my youth, he influenced my taste 

of music; reggae, and of course, Afro 

Beat as he was a devotee of the 

Afrikan Shrine and Fela’s music. 

Then my world seemed to collapse 

when without warning, VK was 

gone! That was in 1986. I then 

reflected that despite its eternal 

generosity, nature gave us only one 

head, one liver and one heart; I had 

no spare elder brother. 

However, 29 years later when I 

became Media Consultant to the 

Presidential Amnesty Programme, I 

encountered Tamarabebe (Tam) 

Freeman Mologe on the 

Programme’s Management Team. 

He seemed so familiar. When he was 

introduced to me, his name rang a 

bell of past acquaintance. After the 

meeting, he called and greeted me 

familiarly. Then I was in one shock 

after the other; he asked about my 

siblings and extended families; both 

maternal and paternal. He knew my 

late parents quite well! Then a few 

days later, he made reference to an 

occasion with VK! 

I came to realise that apart from 

being a younger friend of my brother 

who passed away three decades 

earlier, they had a lot in common. 

Friendly and unassuming. Mologe 

clutched newspapers or books 

wherever he went just like VK. When 

he read an opinion I wrote in the 

newspapers, he discussed it and 

suggested I needed to read more 

about colonial Nigeria especially its 

administration. 

He backed it up by bringing books 

Re: Who's Jerusalem 

the child was born, to the couple’s surprise, 

God still reiterated His promise, that a child 

of His covenant was still on the way; a child to 

be delivered by the old womb of Sarah, not 

Ismail from Hagar, their housemaid. God even 

gave the child’s name, Isaac. 

"And Abraham said unto God, O that 

Ishmael might live before thee! And God said, 

Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; 

and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will 

establish my covenant with him for an 

everlasting covenant, and with his seed after 

him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: 

Behold, I have blessed him, and will make 

him fruitful, and will multiply him 

In man’s assessment, Ismail 

was Abraham’s first son: 

but in God’s eternal 

purpose, Isaac was 

Abraham’s ONLY son, and 

God’s covenant child 

I realise that 

even if nature 

gave us two 

pairs of body 

parts, both can 

be lost 

exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and 

I will make him a great nation. But my 

covenant will I establish with Isaac, which 

Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in 

the next year”. 

Genesis 17:18-21 

After the birth of Ismail outside God’s 

arrangement, Abraham and his wife were 

satisfied, and began to build their future on 

him. Abraham even prayed God to accept the 

boy as the covenant child, his heir-apparent; 

but God insisted on His counsel. The covenant 

child was still coming, from Sarah’s loins. 

Even before Ismail, Abraham had also 

presented his servant, Eliezer of Damascus, as 

a possible candidate for God’s covenant. “And, 

behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, 

saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that 

I never heard about the topic. I run 

two columns in the ‘Vanguard 

Newspapers’ and could be sure that 

by the time we met in the office, he 

had read my column for the day and 

we discussed it. His office was 

upstairs; whenever he passed, he was 

sure to come into my office. 

Gradually, the staff came to know 

that whenever they could not find him 

in his office, mine was one place he 

was likely to be. He was so doting 

Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2018 --33 

that he would ask his drivers to take 

me anywhere even when I also have 

an official car! Most times he came 

into my office, a familiar question 

was “Owei, you write so much, have 

you eaten?” If he was not convinced 

about my answer, he ordered food. 

Even when I had eaten, he insisted I 

share his food. 

Mologe was so steep in Ijaw history, 

culture and tradition, that he became 

my consultant; free of course! The 

Ijaw language had many variations, 

and it was always a delight watching 

him switch from one to another. 

When I accompanied Mologe on 

official trips, I watched an artist 

weave tradition, whether it was 

before Ijaw or Urhobo monarchs or 

the Olu of Warri. 

On such occasions, his 

performance was like a professional 

ballet dancer or an Olympic 

gymnastics champion. What death 

deprived me from learning by 

snatching VK, I learnt from Brother 

Mologe. 

I had been a very restless young 

man, and as a student activist, visited 

virtually all the tertiary institutions 

including Schools of Nursing and 

Basic Studies. As a journalist for 

about two decades, I criss-crossed the 

country and thought I knew Nigeria. 

That was before I renewed my 

acquaintance with Mologe; there 

was no town I mentioned, he was not 

familiar with. In contrast, he 

mentioned many, I had not even 

heard about. 

As the struggle against Boko 

Haram terrorists progressed in the 

North-East with one village or town 

contested, I would go to him to find 

out about such places and he was 

sure to know. He had been Deputy 

Controller-General of the 

Immigration Services and worked 

shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall 

be thine heir” Genesis 15:4 

At God’s appointed time, Isaac, the long 

awaited child of God’s covenant with 

Abraham was born, by old Sarah; and not 

surprisingly, the madam of the house 

demanded that the arrogant, insulting maid 

Hagar, and her son, Ismail, should leave the 

family immediately. Abraham was reluctant, 

but God asked him to grant his wife’s demand. 

“And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be 

grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and 

because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah 

hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; 

for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.” Genesis 

21:12 

So, Hagar the bond woman and her son 

Ismail, left Abraham, Sarah and the covenant 

child Isaac, to chart the path to a great future 

with God. Hagar and her son were not the 

only ones Abraham settled in that manner. We 

read: ”And Abraham gave all that he had unto 

Isaac. But unto the sons of the concubines, 

which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and 

sent them away from Isaac his son, while he 

yet lived, eastward, unto the east country.” 

Genesis 25:5,6 

So, Isaac was left alone to enjoy the status of 

the sole heir to his father’s wealth, and the 

fruit of a covenant with the Almighty. We can 

summarise the story of Ismail and Isaac thus: 

a.Ismail was a product out of human 

desperation, when man could not wait for 

God’s time forthe arrival of the promised child, 

Isaac. b. At the right time, God instructed that 

Hagar and her son, Ismail be sent away from 

Isaac, to allow the covenant child to savour 

the glory of his father’s covenant with God. c. 

In man’s assessment, Ismail was Abraham’s 

first son: but in God’s eternal purpose, Isaac 

was Abraham’s ONLY son, and God’s 

covenant child. 

“And it came to pass after these things, that 

God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, 

Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And 

he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, 

whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land 

of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt 

Send Opinions & Letters to: 

opinions1234@yahoo.com 

across the country. But that was not 

why he was an expert on Nigerian 

towns and borders; he had a passion 

for it, studied them and quite often, 

visited, going far beyond the call of 

duty. Apart from Professor Anthony 

Ashiwaju, he was the only other 

expert on borders I knew. 

In 2017, my old Comrade, 

Abdulkadir Isa, a retired 

Immigration officer visited me from 

Kano. I asked whether he knew 

Mologe. He shot up, inquired if I 

meant the retired DCG, I confirmed. 

He said he knew the name in service, 

but never met him.”He is the expert 

on borders in the Immigration”. 

When I told him Mologe had an 

office upstairs, he insisted we go see 

him immediately. After introducing 

them, Isa did not come down with 

me. Such was the attraction of 

Mologe. 

I asked him why he did not write a 

book on our borders only to discover 

that he had a big manuscript. He 

also told me about a project on the 

electronic mapping of our borders 

especially the North-East he was 

involved in under the Federal 

Government with some foreign 

experts. His regret was that after his 

retirement, the project seemed to 

have died. 

On January 26, I called his wife’s 

number, he picked. We discussed. 

Three days later, I called and the wife 

informed me that he had been 

hospitalised. 

About midnight Monday, January 

30, 2018, the elder brother I did not 

know I had, passed on. He is to be 

interred in Patani on March 2. I 

realised that even if nature gave us 

two pairs of body parts, both can be 

lost. 

offering upon one of the mountains which I 

will tell thee of.” Genesis 22:1,2 

If there is any great regret the world has 

today, it is the error committed by Pa Abraham 

and his wife, Sarah in trying to be faster than 

God. That error was the one that produced 

Ismail, the father of the Arabs. The situation 

of the Arabs and the rest of the world today is 

the fulfillment of what God said about Ismail 

their father: “And he will be a wild man; his 

hand will be against every man, and every 

man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell 

in the presence of all his brethren.” Genesis 

16:12 

Israel, as God’s chosen people, with the 

promised land. The relationship between God 

and Israel is beyond the understanding of 

mortals. But the truth is that He, the Almighty, 

out of His sovereign counsel, chose a man 

called Abraham. God called this man, and 

without questions, he believed the Almighty 

and followed Him. God was pleased with 

Abraham’s faith and decided to strike a 

covenant with him and by extension, his 

generation. The covenant is everlasting. 

Forunately, both the Bible and the Quran 

acknowledge this exclusive position enjoyed 

by Israel. Let’s hear the Lord. "Now the Lord 

had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy 

country, and from thy kindred, and from thy 

father’s house, unto a land that I will shew 

thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, 

and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; 

and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless 

them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth 

thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth 

be blessed.” Genesis 12:1-3 

“And I will establish my covenant between 

me and thee and thy seed after thee in their 

generations for an everlasting covenant, to be 

a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.And 

I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, 

the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the 

land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; 

and I will be their God. And God said unto 

Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant 

therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their 

generations.” Genesis 17: 7-9 

Continues on Wednesday pg 18 

*Mr. Ngerem, is a cartoonist with Vanguard 

Newspapers. 

C 

M 

Y


TODAY’s article is based on two 

major comments that a leader of 

the All Progressives Congress, APC, 

Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, uttered since 

President Muhammadu Buhari gave 

him the herculean assignment of 

reuniting their party. In response to the 

public statements by Generals Olusegun 

Obasanjo and Ibrahim Babangida 

advising Buhari not to seek re-election 

in 2019 as the country needed new 

people with fresh perspectives, Tinubu 

advised them to “join the retirees club.” 

Also in a meeting with other leaders 

of APC, he candidly admitted that the 

party had lost much of its goodwill. Said 

he: “I sympathise with us and we should 

equally look at ourselves. Since we won 

the election, the expectations were very 

high and the goodwill was extremely 

high. But where are we today?” 

It would appear that Tinubu has 

conveniently forgotten that President 

Buhari whom he has already endorsed 

for a second term eminently belongs to 

the charmed club of “retirees.” The 

advice he tabled before Obasanjo and 

Babangida equally applies to his party 

leader, Buhari. In fact, Buhari deserves 

the advice more than any of his fellow 

political gluttons from the military 

profession who refuse to let go of the 

reins of power. IBB is physically 

incapacitated but still mentally agile. 

OBJ is both physically and mentally 

feline though he is one of the oldest of 

the rapacious, win-the-war military 

gang. 

Buhari, on the other hand, was both 

mentally and physically incapacitated 

until white medical wizards gave a new 

life, at least physically. But, even a 

comprehensive stem cell rehabilitation 

might not have the ability to reverse the 

ravages of aging in the upstairs 

quarters. A person who no longer has 

full grasp of happenings around him has 

no business running the affairs of an 

explosively complex and difficult country 

like Nigeria except to run it aground. It 

is high time all these military 

buccaneers who attached themselves to 

the Nigerian pie like venomous parasites 

went home to watch television, play with 

their grandchildren and tell them tales 

by the moonlight. Buhari even knows 

how to converse with his cows. They are 

earnestly yearning for him in Daura. 

But of course, Tinubu, Nasir el Rufai 

and other APC chieftains who believe 

they owe their links to power to Buhari 

will not allow the old man to rejoin his 

By Ayodele Adio 

AFTER the unceremonious exit of colonialists from Africa, 

the continent was hopeful for a prosperous future, one 

that was less oppressive and led by people of similar ancestral 

ties. So, whether it was Lagos, Accra or Nairobi, the shared 

belief was that Africa, governed by Africans will ensure the 

restoration of the dignity the white man stole from us collectively. 

We were wrong!! Our ‘heroes’, those who led the struggle 

against imperialism, were handed power and in no time, were 

fulfilling the prophesy of Lord Frederick Lugard who described 

the typical African, particularly her leaders as “lacking the 

power of organisation, conspicuously deficient in the 

management and control of men or business; loves the display 

of power but fails to realise its responsibility.” 

Africa soon realised she was being oppressed by her own 

kind and her resources plundered by those she once considered 

heroes. Our leaders became overly entitled, corrupt, totalitarian, 

lacking in capacity and a crude and unrepentant adamancy 

for perpetuating themselves in office. 

Though gradual, Africa is beginning to turn the corner away 

from its ugly past. This fundamental shift is largely due to a 

profound awakening of citizens across the continent many of 

whom have found the courage to demand more from their 

leaders. The brave demands for accountability, rights and good 

governance by citizens across the continent is sending strong 

Why APC lost goodwill 

colleagues in the retirees’ club. They still 

believe that Buhari is the only one 

among them who will bring the fabled 

12 million Northern votes (much of 

which is made up of unqualified minors). 

Their chimeric 12 million votes remain 

constant, it does not matter that many of 

The APC is probably 

more associated with 

propaganda, lies, and 

denial of campaign 

promises than any other 

party in government ever 

to rule Nigeria 

them have died, a whole lot of them have 

left in disgust for other options and new 

people will be qualified to vote four 

years after 2015. 

That the APC has lost goodwill is selfevident. 

It helps the party that its leaders 

like Tinubu are willing to admit this. But 

you cannot lose goodwill and keep your 

contrived 12 million votes intact. A loss 

of goodwill means a loss of support base 

and votes. Former President Goodluck 

Jonathan beat Buhari by scoring 

22,495,187 compared to Buhari’s 

12,214,853 in 2011. By 2015 when 

Jonathan had lost his enormous 

goodwill, he lost about 10 million votes, 

scoring 12,853,162 compared to Buhari 

who only marginally improved his usual 

12 million bracket by scoring 15,424,921 

(heavily assisted by under-aged almajiri 

votes in the North). 

The APC Federal Government started 

losing the goodwill that propelled it to 

power almost from Day One. The loss 

started from within the party because its 

Is there a new dawn in Africa? 

OPINION 

internal cohesion was horribly 

mismanaged, with Buhari and Tinubu 

at the centre of the mismanagement. 

Instead of recognising that the party 

was an amalgam of at least four major 

factions (the Congress for Progressive 

Change (CPC), the Action Congress of 

Nigeria (ACN), the All Nigerian 

People’s Party (ANPP) and the 

breakaway faction of the People’s 

Democratic Party known as the “new” 

PDP), Tinubu seduced Buhari into 

accepting his proposal for a two-way 

power sharing arrangement. 

Tinubu wanted Buhari to run the 

government while he would administer 

the party. “The Party” would be none 

other than Tinubu himself. “The Party” 

would decide who would occupy the 

leadership positions in the two chambers 

of the National Assembly and perhaps 

be in a position to use the Legislative 

arm and the party machinery to control 

the Presidency. The plot flopped for two 

main reasons. First, the “new” PDP went 

into alliance with the PDP and grabbed 

the leadership of the National Assembly. 

Secondly, Buhari, having achieved his 

long-sought objective of capturing the 

presidency, appeared to lose interest in 

the party. He was only interested in 

using the power to achieve the purposes 

for which he contested for president 

FOUR times. He invited his family 

members, kinsmen, clansmen, 

tribesmen and Muslim Northerners to 

“come and eat.” He did take a good 

number of Tinubu’s people on board, but 

almost totally disregarded elements of 

the ANPP and the “new” PDP. 

There were loud complaints of neglect 

coming from the likes of Engineer Buba 

Galadima, a longstanding Buhari 

acolyte. Intra-party discrimination led to 

early internal alienation. This was unlike 

Obasanjo’s approach in 1999 when he 

signals to corrupt ‘sit-tight’ dictatorial leaders that ‘you cannot 

fool all the people all of the time’. In the last three years alone, 

Africans have witnessed what our grand and great grand parents 

couldn’t dare to dream of. In 2015, former 

President Goodluck Jonathan clothed 

himself with statesmanship when he 

called General Buhari to concede defeat 

in what was a keenly contested election. 

Against the wishes of certain elements in 

his party, he refused to challenge the 

elections in court and peacefully handed 

over power. My ambition he said, wasn’t 

worth the blood of any Nigerian. Africa 

had never seen an incumbent concede 

defeat in that manner. 

Barely a year after, John Mahama, the 

incumbent president of Ghana lost the 

presidential election to a long-time 

Africa is 

beginning 

to turn the 

corner away 

from its 

ugly past 

challenger, Nana Addo and without hesitation, conceded defeat 

and willfully handed over power. In both cases, no blood was 

spilt and democracy had won. The strides in Nigeria and 

Ghana must have given the people of Gambia the courage to 

demand the exit of a reluctant Yahya Jammeh after he lost a 

fiercely contested election to Adama Barrow. The world was 

beginning to see a different Africa. 

decided to invite elements of the 

opposition All People’s Party, APP, into 

his government. He also gave every 

section within his party a sense of 

belonging in his government. In 

contrast, no effort was made to transform 

the APC from a multiparty gang-up into 

a united, organic political party bound 

by a commonly-shared set of ideologies, 

visions, values and interests. 

Buhari’s extreme nepotism which is at 

a scale unprecedented in Nigeria’s 

history, contributed in alienating so 

many people. A lot of people who 

contributed in getting Buhari into the 

seat of power were not “rewarded”, 

while a few were over-rewarded (like 

Raji Fashola who was given charge over 

three enviable portfolios – Power, Works, 

and Housing). 

One of the greatest sources of 

alienation of the party within the general 

Nigerian populace was a systematic 

approach to governance through 

propaganda, lies, deceit, and denial of 

campaign promises. The APC is probably 

more associated with propaganda, lies, 

and denial of campaign promises than 

any other party in government ever to 

rule Nigeria. 

Of the three cardinal points Buhari 

campaigned on, the anti-graft war has 

exposed the regime for lack of 

seriousness through the various scandals 

such as Mainagate, the “grass-cutter” 

episode, the Osborne cash scandal, the 

reinstatement of the National Health 

Insurance Scheme, NHIS, DG, Professor 

Usman Yusuf after he was suspended 

for alleged multimillion naira fraud, 

among others. 

Probably, the final nail on the coffin of 

Buhari and APC’s goodwill is the 

unwillingness of this administration to 

confront the menace of the armed Fulani 

herdsmen who have been killing people 

and destroying farms all over the country, 

especially the Central and Southern 

states. It seems the APC Federal 

Government is determined to punish 

former PDP states which voted for them 

in 2015, such as Benue and Plateau 

states by allowing their people to be 

slaughtered like chicken by pastoral 

hoodlums, many of whom are foreign 

Fulani militiamen. 

For most Nigerians, the APC Federal 

Government under Buhari is anything 

but what they had expected. When you 

dash people’s expectations, you can only 

expect disappointment and possible loss 

of mandate. 

Over 70 per cent of the population in Angola and Zimbabwe 

were yet unborn when Jose Eduardo Dos Santos and Robert 

Mugabe took over power in their respective countries. So, 

when Dos Santos resigned from office last year paving way 

for democratic elections to hold, it was clear that Africa was 

on the verge of a new dawn. Perhaps, if Robert Mugabe was 

less of an egomaniac, he probably would have avoided his 

disgraceful removal from office by resigning just like his old 

comrade did in Angola. 

Thankfully, Ethiopian Prime Minister, Hailemariam 

Desalegn was quick to realise that you cannot keep a people 

down forever and in a shocking broadcast a few days ago, 

read his resignation speech. It is South Africa, however, that 

teaches a more important lesson to the continent, one of 

moral leadership, institutional integrity and citizens' action. 

The ANC, rather than protect one of the poster boys in the 

fight against apartheid, Jacob Zuma, they sought to purge 

their party of corrupt elements and reposition it to meet the 

demands of the people who elected them. The lesson they 

teach is that democracy should and must work for the people, 

not just a tiny elite. 

Africa must sustain this momentum and its citizens should 

continue to demand better from those they elect. The hope 

for a better Africa is no longer in the hands of self-proclaimed 

messiahs but in sustained and relentless actions, collectively 

by citizens. 

•Adio, communication strategist lives in Lagos 

C 

M 

Y 

K

C 

M 

Y 

K 


36 —VANGUARD, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2018 

08070524223 

By OSA AMADI 

The journalist 

walked from one 

artisan’s shop at 

Alaba Rago, Lagos, to 

another in search of a 

workman that could repair 

his imported Compaq 

laptop bag which he 

so much cherished. He 

was directed to the 

slummiest part of the 

slum known as Alaba 

Rago. All kinds of dirt 

and fouled waste water 

dominate the place. 

Smoke emitting from 

cooking, meat and fish 

grilling activities filled 

the whole environment 

and flies swarmed everywhere. 

Anyone who 

is not used to such condition 

could easily 

choke to death from the 

smoke. If you survived, 

the horrible odour of 

smoke that clings on 

your clothes won’t let go 

until you wash the 

clothes. 

Inside and outside 

squalid shops, men 

worked: bags, footwears, 

belts, boxes, etc. The 

journalist approached 

one of the men, Sylla 

Mactar, a Senegalese. 

He was so quiet and 

soft-spoken. Sylla was 

sewing a bag with a 

sewing machine. “Sir, 

can you repair my laptop 

bag?” the journalist 

asked. 

“We don’t repair bags. 

We make new bags,” 

Sylla said softly as he 

sewed. 

“But you can’t make 

new one of this my Compaq 

laptop bag.” 

“He can make it. Even 

better,” the only apprentice 

Sylla has, Aminu, 

said. 

“You can make new 

one of this?” the journalist 

asked turning to Sylla. 

“Even better,” Sylla 

repeated what Aminu 

said. “But it will be pure 

leather, not cloth like 

that.” 

“For how much money?” 

“Twenty thousand 

naira” 

“Don’t say that! Why 

so costly?” 

“Leather, sir; high 

quality leather; high 

craftsmanship, and the 

art. It is handmade,” 

Sylla explained. 

“Then make it with 

cloth so that I won’t have 

to pay so much.” 

“We work with leather 

only. No cloth or rubber, 

it is waste of time and 

skill,” Sylla said. 

To test Sylla’s skills, 

the journalist gave N10, 

000 advance payments. 

When Sylla finished the 

laptop bag, the journalist 

could not believe it. 

Truly, it turned out to be 

better than the imported 

Compaq one. 

Next shop near Sylla is 

John Adili, who makes 

footwears of all kinds. 

John also works with 

leather only. He, too, 

made sandals for the 

journalist – sandals bet- 

•John Adili 

Artis 

tists ts obsessed with leather 

ter than those made in 

Italy! 

John and Sylla are artists 

in their own right. 

Their works fall into the 

handicraft category, 

more precisely expressed 

as artisanal 

handicraft or handmade. 

Products of arts and 

crafts are useful and 

decorative objects made 

completely by hand or by 

simple tools. 

There is a certain fascination 

to leather. First, 

leather is durable. Then, 

it has aesthetic values, 

and products made of 

real leather speak of 

high quality. When bags, 

footwears, belts, wrist 

watch straps, glass cases, 

Bible covers, and 

many other personal 

items are artistically 

made of real leather, 

they stand out, bear the 

marks of quality and 

stand the test of time. 

These are the areas 

where Sylla and John 

specialise. 

John, Sylla and many 

others like them who 

work with leather are 

addicted to leather. So 

also are those who patronise 

the products of 

their creative endeavour. 

When they take 

your order, you need not 

fear whether they would 

use real leather or synthetic 

leather, given that 

it is not always easy to 

ARTS AND CRAFTS 

differentiate between the 

two at sight. Their obsession 

to real and high 

quality leather is your 

guarantee. Even when 

you request that your job 

be done with synthetic 

leather, “Sorry, sir, we 

work with only leather” 

is always the reply. And 

real leather it must be. 

Animal skins, the 

source of quality leather, 

abound in Nigeria. 

Nigeria’s Sokoto red 

goat skin is said to be 

one of the world’s best 

and attracts huge demand 

by global fashion 

houses. Developed 

countries, especially Italy, 

are major consumers 

of Nigerian leather. 

According to reports, 

“Nigerian leather is still 

mainly used in the production 

of shoes and 

bags, resulting in thriving 

local production and 

exportation to the West 

African region, yet, the 

country still imports 

about $500 million worth 

•Sylla Mactar 

of leather products annually.” 

Arts and craftsmen 

like Sylla and John 

who insist on best leather 

qualities are among 

those who patronise imported 

leathers. 

Unfortunately, Sylla 

and John have only one 

apprentice each, which 

shows that not many 

people are willing to 

learn their skills, even 

though the two craftsmen 

cannot fill the deluge 

of orders they get 

from customers. While 

unemployment is 

squeezing life out of the 

nation, the arts and 

crafts industry in Nigeria, 

one of the major 

drivers of every economy, 

is left untapped. 

Recently, an IMF research 

investigated why 

China’s economy has 

done so well. The research 

team reported 

thus: “Although capital 

accumulation – the 

growth in the country’s 

stock of capital assets, 

such as new factories, 

manufacturing machinery, 

and communications 

systems –was important, 

as were the number of 

Chinese workers, a 

sharp, sustained increase 

in productivity 

(that is, increased worker 

efficiency) was the 

driving force behind the 

economic boom. Between 

1979 and 1994, 

productivity gains accounted 

for more than 

42 per cent of China’s 

growth and by the early 

1990s, had overtaken 

capital as the most significant 

source of that 

growth. This marks a 

departure from the traditional 

view of development 

in which capital 

investment takes the 

lead. This jump in productivity 

originated in 

the economic reforms 

begun in 1978.” 

In a more direct statistics, 

“the results of a recent 

study into the economic 

impact of the arts 

and crafts industry show 

that more than $54 million 

is contributed to the 

state economy each year 

through the sale of arts 

and crafts in West Virginia, 

USA. The study, 

sponsored by six state 

arts and crafts organisations 

and the Small 

Business Development 

Division of the West Virginia 

Development Office, 

is the first of its kind 

to measure the arts and 

crafts industry in West 

Virginia.” 

Arts and craftsmen 

such as Sylla and 

John who dot the 

country need support. 

John told Vanguard 

Arts & Reviews that he 

first learned how to 

repair footwears before 

graduating to making 

brand new ones, and 

that he has been on 

the job for 10 years. 

With his one apprentice 

and simple hand 

tools, he makes about 

five pairs of footwears 

a day. But with more 

workers and better 

machines, he could 

produce up to 25 pairs 

a day. 

Sylla does not like 

the environment where 

he works. “This is not 

the right place to do 

this type of work, because 

what we do here 

are quality works.” He 

would prefer to move 

to a more decent environment 

in order to attract 

more workers and 

customers. 

Both Sylla and John 

desire to pass their 

crafts and skills to as 

many people as possible, 

but unfortunately, 

where they are is so 

hidden and squalid, 

and Nigerian government, 

which makes 

empty and endless 

promises of job creation, 

is not interested 

in them and what they 

do, at all. 

We apply creative means to keep urchins out of street – Tony Rapu 

... unveils ‘My Lagos Dairies’ series 2 

•Fatima, a reformed patient 

•Dr. Tony Rapu and one of the street boys 

In its second billing 

after a tremendous 

impact in the first 

edition, My Lagos Diaries 

is making a second 

come-back with another 

series as sequel to the 

former coming on local 

televisions in Nigeria. 

Filmed in a diary-like 

format, My Lagos Diaries 

chronicles a 12-year 

journey embarked 

upon by Dr. Tony Rapu 

and Freedom Foundation 

to highlight the 

myriad struggles of residents 

of Lagos’ poorest 

communities. This was 

unveiled to the press on 

Friday, February 16 at 

FilmHouse IMAX Cinema, 

Lekki, Lagos. 

Dr Tony Rapu, a pastor 

and social reformer, 

in a chat with Vanguard 

Arts & Reviews, passionately 

disclosed: “It 

is easy to take for granted 

the privileges we enjoy 

often forgetting that the difference between us and many of these poor 

people is just the exposure to education and opportunities we have been blessed 

with. That’s why it becomes a responsibility for those of us who have these 

privileges to create lasting opportunities for others, however small.” 

He said that My Lagos Diaries’ ultimate goal is to sensitise the general public 

about the struggles of these underprivileged persons while providing an 

opportunity for interested individuals and organisations to support Freedom 

Foundation’s vision via donations and funding. 

According to him, the media screening officially launches the 13-episode 

documentary series, which will begin airing on Saturday, February 24. It will 

tell some of the real stories of rehabilitated prostitutes, armed robbers, drug 

addicts, beggars and other neglected individuals in the society. 

“In this new series, Fatima, a drug addict who resides in Ipodo, Ikeja, dropped 

schooling and ran away from home at form four. She joined a bad gang. After 

a hellish life, she cried out for help which came timely through the foundation 

and was moved to Genesis House where she became new treasure in the eyes of 

man and God. One case too many, in the whole scenario a relapse from drug 

addiction pervades but was adequately taken care of,” Tony said.

VANGUARD, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2018 —37 

08070524223 

Africa and the observation of 

Black Histor 

ory y Month 

•Prof Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, Dr Wale Okediran comment 

By Chris Onuoha 

Black History Month or 

‘Black Achievement 

Month’ is an annual 

event that started in America in 

1929 by Dr. Carter G. Woodson. 

It is celebrated annually in the 

United States and their embassies 

across the globe including 

Canada in the month of February; 

United Kingdom and the 

Netherlands in October, and 

other parts of the world as a 

way of remembering prominent 

black people and events in the 

history of Africans in the diaspora. 

Carter Woodson, born to slave 

parents in America was a Harvard 

history scholar. In the 

course of his studies at Harvard, 

he was disturbed at the 

discovery that history books 

largely ignored the black 

American population which, 

according to him, generally reflected 

the inferior social position 

they were assigned at the 

time. At the time of Negro History 

Week’s launch in the second 

week of February to coincide 

with Abraham Lincoln and 

Frederick Douglas’ birthdays, 

Woodson contended that the 

teaching of black history was 

essential to ensuring the physical 

and intellectual survival of 

the race within broader society. 

Although the celebration was 

met with enthusiasm and grew 

in popularity throughout the 

following decades, with endorsement 

as a holiday from 

President Gerald Rudolf Ford, 

the 38th US President during 

the celebration of the United 

States Bicentennial, it has attracted 

criticisms in some quarters 

querying the continued 

usefulness and fairness of a 

month dedicated to the history 

of one race when other races 

do not have such singular 

month anniversary. It was 

hence branded as pure racism. 

Similarly, Morgan Freeman, 

an African American actor and 

actress Stacey Dash had criticized 

Black History Month, 

with Freeman saying, “I don’t 

want a Black history month. 

Black history is American history.” 

Freeman has argued that 

there was no White History 

Month, because white people 

did not want their history relegated 

to just one month. It’s 

pure racism.” 

Prof. Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, 

former Dean, English Department, 

University of Lagos 

is of the opinion that such celebration 

is only observed by 

Americans as a holiday. She 

faulted the name ‘Black History’ 

saying it should have been 

African-American history celebration 

because the blacks in 

America wanted an identity. 

“In Nigeria, we have so many 

ways in which we celebrate 

similar events by way of African 

cultural festivals. We don’t 

call it black history celebration 

but African festivals. That can 

possibly represent the making 

of African history. If we call it 

•Fela Anikulapo Kuti 

black history, it limits its significance, 

judging from the 

fact that other races such as 

Asians, red Indians, etc., do 

not have such designated celebrations. 

There’s nothing 

wrong if a holiday would be 

declared continental-wise to 

have a proper African history 

day. We are Africans and 

we represent African race 

everywhere. Celebrating 

black history is somehow racist 

to me because in America, 

Afro-Americans want 

identity to hold on to.” 

For Dr. Wale Okediran, “It 

was originally meant to be an 

Afro-American month of History 

celebration and that’s 

why it is not widely celebrated 

in Africa. It’s only the 

scholars of Afro-American literature 

that celebrate it 

here. It will not be a bad idea 

to have it widely celebrated 

here as a way of identifying 

with the spirit of the whole 

concept. Nigerian teachers 

of Afro-American literature 

alongside other members 

wish to start something like 

that here in the country to 

create awareness.” 

Talking about the concept, 

it is also argued that removal 

of history as a subject from 

Nigeria’s school curriculum 

has affected knowledge of 

African history among the 

youths, while cultural values 

and appreciation of our heritage 

seem to be waning. 

In Africa, proponents of 

black consciousness, Negritude 

movement and great 

nationalists such as, 

Olaudah Equiano, Samuel 

Ajayi Crowther, Herbert 

Macaulay, Kwame Nkrumah, 

Leopold Sédar Senghor, 

Felix Houphouet Boigny, 

Nnamdi Azikiwe, Tafawa 

Balewa, Jomo Kenyatta, 

Julius Nyerere, Shaka Zulu, 

and Nelson Mandela, to 

mention but few, are not celebrated 

enough, though 

•Dr. Carter G. Woodson 

•Nelson Mandela 

some public spaces have been 

named after them. 

In the United States for instance, 

Malcolm X, Marcus 

Garvey, Martin Luther King, 

W E B Dubois, Booker T. Washington 

and others, are celebrated 

beyond recognition 

with public holidays and sociopolitical 

and cultural 

movements assigned to some 

of them. 

In Africa, it is a different 

story except the Afro beat 

maestro, the late Fela Anikulapo 

Kuti, whose family 

has instituted an annual 

ceremony called Felabration, 

to immortalise him. 

Meanwhile, the February 

2018 ‘Black History Month’ 

was celebrated in American 

embassy in Nigeria and 

also at the Centre for American 

Studies, University of 

Nigeria Nsukka. Dr. Nnamdi 

Azikiwe, said to be the 

first black African to teach 

Negro Studies at Lincoln 

University in the United 

States of America in the 

1940s alongside Kwame 

Nkrumah before the struggle 

for Nigerian independence 

in 1960, was the focus 

in the lecture series delivered 

at the center during 

the commemoration. Zik 

was observed to be the pioneer 

of intellectual freedom 

who used his academic 

prowess together with 

Kwame Nkrumah to liberate 

Africa from the shackles of 

colonial imperialism. 

The core highlights of the 

lecture centered on repositioning 

the states of Africa 

through the review of the 

achievements of the pioneers 

of freedom and emancipation 

of black consciousness. 

With the theme: The 

United States Civil Rights 

and African Liberation 

Movement, speakers like 

Mr. Lawrence Sotha, Cultural 

Officer of United 

States Embassy in Nigeria; 

Prof. Daryl Zizwe Poe of 

Lincoln University Pennsylvania 

and Prof. Jonah Onuoha, 

director of the center, 

stressed the need for Africa 

to say no to injustice and 

discrimination in the continent. 

They added that time 

has come when Africans 

should write their own history 

and present it to the 

world, a true story about 

Africa, and also that Africa 

should use education acquired 

to bring freedom to 

the oppressed in the society. 

“People from different 

parts of the world may have 

written the history of Africa 

– how they feel and perceive 

the continent. Africa 

has produced people who 

have made many contribu- 

•Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe 

•Kwame Nkrumah 

tions to the world, so it is 

time for us to correct the 

wrong impressions about 

Africa by writing the correct 

history of Africa,” Sotha 

said. 

Down the lane, lack of 

substantial developments 

has continued to remain an 

issue. Challenges such as 

unstable democracy, high 

poverty index, poor education 

and health system 

alongside low esteem syndrome 

have beclouded the 

states of African continent. 

It is not the wish of these 

great African men to see 

their efforts in emancipation 

of black consciousness 

become a waste or for Africa 

to remain underdeveloped 

for decades.

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

38 —VANGUARD, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2018 

Press Freedom Day 2018: LASUSOC calls for papers 

“When the press is free, it can be good or bad but certainly without 

freedom, it can be anything but bad” - Albert Camus (1954). 

By OSA AMADI 

The veracity of the above 

quote can best be confirmed 

when the freedom 

of the press is thought of as one 

of the basic requirements of free 

and rational society. It is against 

this backdrop that governments 

of many states have made declarations 

that tend to legitimise 

the freedom of the press. Besides, 

it has been established by 

scholars that the press and democracy 

are soul-mates. Globally, 

this is why there has never 

been a nation where democratic 

and electoral processes came to 

being and nurtured outside an 

environment inimical to the provision 

of plurality of ideas and 

opinions which the media promote. 

Indeed, the Universal 

Declaration of Human Rights 

(1948) has been adopted by 

many countries including Nigeria 

and enshrined in their constitutions. 

Argungun fishing 

festival bounces back 

…as Bagudu appoints Kangiwa as aide 

on tourism and culture 

By OSA AMADI 

THE Argungun Fishing 

festival at its prime, many 

years ago, was on the global 

tourism calendar. It brought fame 

and honour to Nigeria and Kebbi 

State but disappeared from global 

cultural watch list due to 

unexplained circumstances, 

thereby denying Kebbi State the 

needed tourism revenue and the 

people access to foreign 

investments on hospitality and 

employment. 

But the festival is set to bounce 

back with the Kebbi State 

Governor, Senator Abubakar 

Bagudu’s appointment of 

Alhaji Nura Sani Kangiwa as 

Senior Special Assistant on 

Tourism Matters with mandate 

to restructure and rebrand 

Argungun fishing festival into 

a notable world-class cultural 

event. 

Indeed, the governor’s 

choice and appointment of 

Nura Kangiwa to revamp the 

festival and the entire tourism 

architecture of Kebbi State 

sign-posts a fresh beginning 

for the famous festival. 

Alhaji Sani Kangiwa, a 

prince of the Kebbi Emirate 

Kingdom and a frontline 

tourism investor, has begun 

with key projects that would 

create signature influence on 

the about-to-be-rebranded 

festival, beginning with critical 

assessment of other special 

cultural offerings in the state. 

In a press release issued in 

Lagos, Frank Meke, tourism 

media coordinator to Nura 

Kangiwa, said the comeback 

It is in view of this, that 

May 3 of every year has 

been declared “World Press 

Freedom Day.” Therefore, 

towards marking this year’s 

Press freedom day, the Department 

of Journalism, 

School of Communication, 

Lagos State University is 

organising a one-day conference 

with the theme: 

Press Freedom, Electoral- 

Process and Politics in Nigeria. 

Quality papers (theoretical 

or empirical) are 

expected to be presented at 

the conference by members 

of the academic community, 

professionals from industry, 

government and 

non-governmental organisations 

in the following 

and other related areas: 

Fake news, hate speeches, 

and virtual journalism; 

Safety of journalists; Economic 

issues and Journalism 

survival in Nigeria; 

Legal and Constitutional 

bid of Argungun fishing 

festival would add a fresh flip 

to the desire to open up the 

cultural offerings of northern 

Nigeria to which Kebbi State 

was once a notable tourism 

destination attracting both 

foreign and local visitors in 

droves not only to witness the 

fishing festival but also to 

appreciate the state’s huge 

basin as agriculture 

wonderland. 

“The lake rice produced in 

Kebbi State to which Lagos 

State is a major investor, is a 

testimony to the fact that Kebbi 

would also leverage on this 

window to open up a special 

tour to the state on agricultural 

offerings and a greet and meet 

project at the Emir’s palace for 

visitors to appreciate our 

tradition and hospitality,” Nura 

Kangiwa said. 

•Alhaji Nura Sani Kangiwa 

context of 

journalism 

practice; 

Freedom of 

Information 

and 

journalism 

practice in 

Nigeria; 

Ownership 

influence 

and the 

challenges 

of professionalism; 

Media theories 

and 

freedom of 

the press in 

a changing 

society; 

Commercial free speech and 

Press freedom. 

Deadline for abstract submission 

of papers is 28 February 

2018 (between 200 and 

250 words to 

POETRY 

•Prof. Rotimi Olatunji, Dean, LASU School of Communications, LASUSOC,(2nd right); Prof. 

Lai Oso, former Dean, LASUSOC (4th from left); Deputy Vice-Chancellor, LASU (middle) 

and others, during the 3rd edition of the History Series of LASU School of Communication & 

the Association of Communication Scholars & Professionals of Nigeria (ACSPN) & Diamond 

Award for Media Excellence which held at LASU, Ojo, Lagos. Photo: OSA AMADI. 

Poet: Ikeogu Oke 

Analyst: John Chukwuma Ajakah 

The Way I Want To Go 

What you do you must do on your own. 

The main thing is to write 

for the joy of it. 

– Seamus Heaney, “Station Island” 

Father has called and warned me not to go 

The way I want to go: 

“It is no life you spend among the trees!” 

Mother as everyone at home agrees. 

And good opinion says the trend of the era 

shows 

That those whose pen must feed must write 

in prose. 

“To write in verse,” they say, “is agony. 

For poets,” they press, “do not make money.” 

And I have given thought to what they say, 

While alone and headed on my way. 

The wisdom of the world and age apart, 

The truly wise must listen to his heart. 

And yet the poet should not deny his pain, 

Or fail for lack to stress his fair bargain. 

For if poets do not make money, 

Then, neither does money make poets. 

Nigeria Prize for Literature award-winning 

poet, Ikeogu Oke describes poetry as ‘a 

healthy narcotics’ as he romanticises with the 

genre that has bought him honour. The poet 

says this in reference to his collection of poems, 

Heresiads, which recently earned him the 

Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas Ltd sponsored 

award. One of the poems in the anthology, The 

Way I Want to Go anchors on the works of 

Seamus Heaney and other literary exponents 

who affirm the adage that ‘every man is the 

architect of his own destiny’ or as John 

Fletcher asserts in his poem, Upon an Honest 

Man’s Fortune, ‘... man is his own star.’ 

Central Theme 

Ikeogu uses the poem to portray the belief 

in oneself and ones’ innate abilities. Everyone 

needs to take personal responsibility especially 

with regards to charting a career path. 

Pecuniary considerations should never be at 

the front burner when one makes such 

decisions. As the poet stated on the occasion 

of the award event held in his honour, ‘Time 

is too precious to waste doing what you do not 

love even if it brings you a fortune.’ The poem 

also reveals that God made man as a free moral 

agent. So, he chooses what to do with his life 

and gets the rewards or faces the consequences 

of every choice made. Such crucial decisions 

jide.jimoh@lasu.edu.ng) and 

notification of acceptance will 

be on 14th March 2018, while 

full submission of papers 

comes up on 20 April, 2018. 

A Poem as a Dreamer and Pacifist 

The conference date is 

May 3, 2018 at the School 

of Communication Building, 

beside LASU Radio, 

Lagos State University, 

Ojo, Lagos. 

include career choice. In this regard, the poet 

explains with reference to The Way I Want to 

Go, ‘the poem has served me as a literary 

manifesto since I wrote it about 15 years ago, 

as a response to the concerns expressed by 

those who thought my career choice of poetry 

was a waste of time and tantamount to entering 

into a life-long pact with penury’. 

Structure 

The poem begins with these lines from 

Seamus Heaney’s, Station Island: 

What you do you must do on your own 

The main thing is to write 

For the joy of it 

The Way I Want To Go has two main 

stanzas. In the first stanza, the poet persona 

presents the scenario at home where the 

parents admonish him to tow a career line 

contrary to his heart desire. They suggest that 

he writes in prose instead of verse if he 

chooses a writing career as the future of 

poetry- in terms of pecuniary reward, is bleak. 

Their reasoning is captured in the lines below: 

Father has called and warned me not to go 

The way I want to go: 

“It is no life you spend among the trees!” 

Mother as everyone at home agrees. 

And good opinion says the trend of the era 

shows 

That those whose pen must feed must write 

in prose. 

“To write in verse,” they say, “is agony. 

For poets,” they press, “do not make money.” 

Contrary to the concerned opinion expressed, 

the persona determines to do what he loves. 

Love for poetry motivates him, not the money. 

So, he goes into writing despite the criticisms. 

Admitting that he had considered the 

suggestions, the poet persona insists that it 

is wisdom to do what he loves instead of being 

a man pleaser. Ikeogu reiterated this position 

in his speech while receiving the Nigeria Prize 

for Literature, ‘Poetry is the only healthy 

narcotic on earth. I am happy to be addicted 

to it as shown by my refusal to be swayed by 

such concerns... one’s resolve to pursue one’s 

dreams in spite of such concerns is the best 

decision that can lead to a fulfilled life.” The 

2nd stanza portrays the persona’s resolve after 

the contemplation in these lines: 

And I have given thought to what they say, 

While alone and headed on my way 

The wisdom of the world and age apart, 

The truly wise must listen to his heart. 

The poem has the aa bb rhyming scheme 

pattern. Each pair of lines ends on a similar 

note and runs into the next pair, forming a 

couplet.

VANGUARD, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2018—39 

AGREEMENT: Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai 

Mohammed (left) and UNWTO's Secretary-General, Mr. Zurab 

Pololikashvili displaying copies of the signed agreement on Nigeria's 

hosting of 61st CAF meeting, in Madrid, Spain, on Friday. 

ITEL RED VALENTINE: From left: Mr Oke Umurhohwo, 

Marketing Communications Manager, itel Mobile; Anyanwu Gift, 

On-time customer and Marvin Umebiye, Marketing Manager, itel 

Mobile at the Itel Red Valentine with fans and customers in 

Lagos.Photo: Akeem Salau 

SUBSTANDARD TYRES: From left, Bede Obayi, Director 

Inspectorate & Compliance, SON; Makwe Mathias, Assistant Director, 

Inspectorate & Compliance, SON and Hassan Aiyu, Standard Office 

11, during the destruction of Abba substandard tyres, in Lagos. 

CONDOLENCE VISIT: Sympathisers condoling Mrs Adebola 

Isola, widow of late scholar, playwright and actor, Prof Akinwunmi 

Isola (left) during a condolence visit at her Ibadan residence, 

yesterday.

40 — VANGUARD, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2018 

:Vanguard 

:@vanguardnews :@vanguardnewsNEWS 

MASSOB to Igbos: Get your PVC 

for Biafra referendum 

ADEWOYE 

I, formerly known and 

addressed as Miss 

Olabisi Abiodun 

Adewoye, now wish to be 

known and addressed as 

Mrs. Olabisi Abiodun 

Adewoye-Aremu. All 

former documents remain 

valid. The Lagos State 

Government and general 

public please take note. 

SAMBO 

Confirmation of Name 

This is to confirm that the 

name Hauwa Sambo 

Ahmad and Hauwa 

Sambo refer to one and 

the same person, now 

wish to be known and 

addressed as Hauwa 

Sambo Ahmad. All former 

documents remain valid. 

General public please take 

note. 

SAMCO 


addressed as 

Itsebenaho Samuel 

Samco, now wish to be 

known and addressed 

as Ivhador Samuel 

Samco. All former 

documents remain 

valid. General public 

please take note. 

ONYEMA 



Onyema Mary Queen 

Nneka, now wish to be 


as Mrs. Ojukwu Mary 

Queen Nneka. All 


valid. General 


NWOGU 


addressed as Nwogu 

Gloria Chinwe, now 


addressed as Ike 

Gloria Chinwe. All 

former documents 

remain valid. General 

public please take 

note. 

AKPAN 

AN 


same name wrongly 

written as Akpan 

Emmanuel Amos, now 


addressed as Amos 

Emmanuel Akpan. All 


remain valid. First 

Bank of Nigeria PLC 

and general public 


ANNE 


addressed as 

Nwankwo Anne 

Oomi, now wish to be 


as Nwankwo Ebele 

Oomi. All former 



and authority 

concerned please take 

note. 

ADEOYE 


addressed as Adeoye 

Oluwaseun Rhoda, 

now wish to be known 

and addressed as Ajao 

Oluwaseun Rhoda. All 




OMOWUNMI 


addressed as 

Olalekan Esther 

Omowunmi, now wish 

to be known, called 

and addressed as 

Olomu Esther 

Olalekan. All former 




CHUKWUANI 


addressed as Dr. 

Ufuoma Chukwuani, 


and addressed as 

Dr. Mrs Ufuoma 

Ohwo. All former 




EZUGWU 



Ezugwu Edith 

Chinwe, now wish to 

be known and 

addressed as Mrs. 

Omenogor Edith 

Chinwe. All former 




NWADIE 


addressed as Nwadie 

Andrew Isioma, now 


addressed as 

Emmanuel Andrew 

Isioma. All former 




JOHNSULE 



Johnsule Mary Eleojo, 


and addressed as Mrs. 

Yahaya-Frederick 

Mary Eleojo. All 




ANDY 


addressed as Ema 

Andy, now wish to be 


as Ema Okwara. All 




AKAKARI 



Mamuzo Akakari, now 



Mamuzo Abu Ibhe. All 




OLAYE 


called Miss Promise 

Ehizogie Olaye, now 

wish to be known, 

called and addressed 

as Mrs. Promise 

Ehizogie Aisosa Iyoha. 

All former documents 

remain valid. The 

general public should 

take note. 

SOBOWALE 



Sobowale Olabisi 

Samiat, now wish to be 


as Mrs. Akinola 

Olabisi Samiat. All 




EMUASHE 



Oghenevwoke Helen 

Emuashe, now wish to 

be known and 


Ashere Helen 

Emuashe. All former 




PAULA 


addressed as Paula 

Oyie Mathias, now 


addressed as Paulina 

Iwube Mathias. All 




DAREN 

Correction of Name 

MY correct name is 

Daren Daniel 

Okwuokenye, but it 

was wrongly written as 

Dare Daniel 

Okwuokenye. My 

correct name is Daren 

Daniel Okwuokenye. 

All former documents 



FAITH 



Enomariarie Faith .O., 


and addressed as Mrs. 

Ojo Faith. All former 




EHI-SULAIMAN 



Favour Ilobekemen 

Ehi-Sulaiman, now 



Favour Ilobekemen 

Udoka. All former 




GABRIEL 


addressed as Gabriel 

Nelson Owan, now 


addressed as Excel 

Nelson Owan. All 


valid. First Bank 

and general public 


MUSA SADA 

Addition of Name 


addressed as John 

Musa, now wish to be 


as John Musa 

Ogweda. All former 




By Chinonso Alozie 

Senator, agency train 120 

beneficiaries in vocational skills 

in Lagos 

By Olasunkanmi 

Akoni 

L AGOS—SENATOR 

Gbenga Ashafa, in 

partnership with Small and 

Medium Enterprises Development 

Agency of Nigeria, 

weekend, organised 

a 5-day entrepreneurship 

skill acquisition 

training program for 

120 beneficiaries. 

Ashafa, representing 

Lagos East Senatorial 

District, at the graduation 

ceremony in Lagos, 

explained that the 5-day 

entrepreneurship training 

commenced on Monday 

12th of February, 

2018 and ended Friday, 

16th February 2018. 

According to Ashafa, 

the exercise was in line 



Emmanuella Orerhime 

Sada, now wish to be 


as Miss Emmanuella 

Orerhime Daphey. All 




O Movement WERRI—THE 

for Actualization 

of the Sovereign 

state of Biafra, MASSOB, 

yesterday, called on the 

people of the Southeast region 

to get their permanent 

voters cards, PVC, as such 

would be used for Biafra 

referendum. 

MASSOB through their 

National Secretary, Comrade 

Ugwuoke Ibem 

Ugwuoke, made this statement 

in a release to newsmen 

in Owerri. 

MASSOB pleaded that, 

“All Biafrans that are constitutionally 

eligible to 

vote to immediately go for 

voters registration card in 

the nearest INEC office. 

“That possession of 

the Nigeria voters card is 

not merely for Nigeria 

elections only but for 

Biafra Referendum as the 

only identification card for 

eligibility of the people 

that will determine the 

future of Biafra actualization 

through a United 

Nations observed referendum.” 

They also 

warned that, “Boycotting 

voters registration and 

non possession of the voters 

card is a self inflicted 

decision for any future referendum 

on the self determination 

for sovereignty 

of a state. “That for 

a proposed statehood of 

Biafra to be ordered and 

declared by United Nations, 

the voting population 

of Biafrans through 

the registration and possession 

of the voters card 

must be captured in the 

national demography of 

the existing political entity 

(Nigeria) from which 

the voting population of 

the coming statehood 

(Biafra) is seeking for a 

separation.” 

However, the pro-Biafra 

group alleged that in the 

ongoing voters registration 

that in the northern region, 

under aged were allowed 

to register. 

“MASSOB calls for review 

of the current voters registration 

exercise because the 

entire permanent voters 

registration exercise is 

fraudulently dubious 

schemed to favor only the 

northern region. INEC patterned 

the exercise to include 

even underaged children. 

“We saw even an underaged 

person of northern 

origin below 18 years registered 

by INEC for 2019 

general elections. With 

these INEC sponsored 

trend of registering underaged 

persons from northern 

region, MASSOB will 

never allow elections to 

hold in eastern region in 

2019,”MASSOB said. 

with his commitment to 

ensure that he empowers 

as many of his constituents 

towards the attainment 

of economic selfsustainability. 

Ashafa in his remarks 

said: “Considering the 

economic challenges that 

Nigeria has experienced 

in the past few years, and 

the effect on majority of 

Nigerians, we were faced 

with two choices. The first 

being whether to sit down 

and complain about the 

decline in the availability 

of jobs, or the second, 

being for us to square up 

our shoulders and face 

the challenge with a view 

to keying into the diversification 

drive of the 

Muhammadu Buhari led 

APC government, by acquiring 

entrepreneurial 

skills and contributing 

our quota to the rejuvenation 

of our economy. 

“Obviously, we have 

adopted the more sensible 

second option and I 

am pleased to say that 

we are already seeing 

the benefit.” 

The participants were 

trained on such vocations 

as phone repairing, 

laptop repairing, general 

electronic repairing 

and catering.

YOUR LUCK TODAY 

By Joshua Adeyemo Phone 08056180139 

AQUARIUS; Even if you are tempted to gamble by 

whoever and/or whatsoever reason you must resist it or 

else you would be the loser. Being aggressive may help. 

PISCES; Provided you are willing to co-operate with 

others things will not go out of hands but exhibition of 

inordinate ambition can earn you avoidable trouble. 

ARIES; Element of luck will assist you. Those of you who 

are more hard working will have more positive things to 

show for your efforts. Take care of your health. 

TAURUS; Many natives of this Zodiac sign will be excited 

either because of romantic interest within your working 

arena or practical advancement at work. 

GEMINI; Reason with those you can take as veterans 

within your base of operation because if you want to force 

your way without carrying necessary and more 

experienced people along it would back-fire now or 

soonest. 

TERROR MUDA in “Never say goodbye” 


L E I S U R E 

TAKE HEART —ELLA RANDLE 

“Stay committed your decisions, but stay flexible in your 

approach.” — Tony Robbins 

If you feel dissatisfied or let down by an outcome, then you 

must have been expecting somethingdifferent. Rather than 

get upset, ask yourself, 

“Were my expectations too narrow?” and “What new truths 

have I learned? The bottom line is that you must see and 

accept things as they are instead of as you hoped, wished, or 

expected them to be. Just because it didn’t turn out like you 

had envisioned doesn’t mean it isn’t exactly what you need to 

get to where you need to be. - Ella Randle 

SAYINGS OF 

OUR PEOPLE 

Wisdom is not 

like money to be 

tied up and 

hidden. 

~ Akan proverb 

By Kola Fayemi 

CANCER; The more creative you are the better for your 

cause. However is typical day when too much expectation 

can bring disappointment. Be more family minded. 

LEO; If your priority is financial success you may not be 

disappointed provided you prepare for a few challenges. 

For now both your mental energy and physical attributes 

are enough to win you love not MONEY. Be more receptive. 

VIRGO; This is your day when both good luck and your 

personal efforts will bring you success. Try to be as caring 

as possible to those within your base. 

LIBRA; Although there will be challenges at the end of it 

all you will have genuine cause to smile. The more 

secretive you are the better for your cause. This is not the 

right time to ignore your sex life. Do away with 

unnecessary argument. 

SCORPIO; This is not the right time for you to either 

gamble with money or take friends for granted. Secret 

lovers may be in for an exciting day. 

DUDU in “ROLLING HOT” By A.O. OLAIDE 

SAGITTARIUS; Success is within your reach, although 

you will need to seek all important supports of the 

influential people around you. Be more loving. 

CAPRICORN; The more ambitious you are today the 

better for your cause. And here is a good day to plan for 

the future but you must do away with whatever can not be 

placed above board. Yong-at-heart among you may be in 

for a romantic day. 

ASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLING 

Send your date and place of birth to the Astr 

trological 

Counselling, P.M.B 100 

007, Apapa, Lagos 

When would my time come? 

Dear Joshua, 

I have been following your works in the newspapers 

for many years and the truth is you are very 

good. I therefore want your in-depth analysis and 

tell me both about my inner-self , social life and the 

time I am likely to have my much desired breakthrough 

in life. 

Anonymous, Nigeria. 

Dear Anonymous, 

What you will find here-under will answer your 

questions. Here is a natural SPIRITUAL PERSON, 

with great capability for HEALLING (talking of real 

faith healing ministry in the modern Christianity 

language). Yes! You are aggressive, domineering, 

captivating and can be rightly called SPIRITUAL 

MOTHER of many. 

And like your God you are truly a jealous person 

who will do everything within your powers to protect 

those you loved and those who are your faithful 

disciples. 

Although, you are highly intelligent and can 

achieve your desire along the academic world, the 

spiritual energy in your inner-self and great emotional 

personality in you will eventually give in to 

SPIRITUAL callings as indicated by the Moon and 

Neptune that conjoined in most powerful and spiritual 

Scorpio when you were born. 

Social life will always bring you attention, good 

luck, enviable oppositions and possibly fame. The 

best way for you not to be constant loser in the social 

world is to always study situation practically and 

know that your finance will not suffer (if it can not 

be beneficiary) from the setting before taking responsibility. 

As for influential friends you will have them but 

never always take them for granted. 

Sudden SUCCESS will come your way during your 

46th year on earth and will serve as a break-through 

year you can build great foundation of endless success 

on. But the same 46th year will bring love related 

challenges you must manage with all maturity 

or else it will linger till after your 48th year on earth. 

VIRGINIA 

HOME & ABROAD 

dadadekola@yahoo.com 

By Lawrence Akapa

42--- VANGUARD, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2018 

2019: APC has made 

it easier for us to win 

— Makarfi 

SENATOR Ahmed Makarfi was former 

Governor of Kaduna State between 1999 

and 2007. He also served as a Senator 

before becoming Chairman, National 

Caretaker Committee of the People's 

Democratic Party, PDP. 

In this interview in Lagos over the 

weekend, he bares his mind on various 

national issues ranging from re-ordering of 

elections by the National Assembly, 

preparation of the PDP ahead of the 2019 

elections and how the party is managing 

the fallouts from the December National 

Convention. 

He also talked about the failure of the 

South-West to clinch the chairmanship of 

the party as well as restructuring. Excerpts 

*Makarfi 

By Gbenga Oke 

and former governors in order to forge that the convention should decide who such confusion, who do you blame? You 

THE People's Democratic Party, 

the way forward for the party. I am sure becomes the chairman and deputy cannot blame anybody. Be that as it may, 

PDP was enmeshed in crisis 

the party is set and working so hard to chairman. Failure of a certain part to sit no part of this country should be taken 

ahead of its National Convention be a virile opposition party. 

down and agree should not be seen as for granted. 

and there were still some skirmishes 

the rest of the country heaping Except you don’t understand the 

after the convention. Can you tell us 

What is your reaction to insinuations something on somebody. 

politics of Nigeria, that is why you will 

the progress the party has made after 

that your leadership stirred disaffection Nobody directed the North to meet and expect to win election on the convention 

that? 

in the South-West zone after it opened maintain what they did, I did not ask ground. Before you get to the 

Well, not many people gave us a 

up the office of national chairman to them, it was not in my position to do convention ground, all the alliances 

chance before the convention, many 

all zones despite earlier zoning the that and nobody stopped the South from have been formed and you will know 

thought the party was going to scatter 

office to the region where the party is agreeing on certain terms. Failure to whether you will win or lose before 

from the Eagle Square but that did not 

not strong? 

agree was what made the race open and getting to the convention ground. 

happen. But that does not mean there 

I want to disagree with you in your politics is an issue of negotiation. So You may not have the leadership of 

was no fall-out from the convention. 

assertions about states of the South- they came to the convention divided, the party, you may end up having what 

After any convention, there must be 

West. First, there was no intention of campaigning against each other and in is even more than the leadership of the 

issues arising from the conduct of such 

throwing away the South-West or any politics, when you are campaigning party. As chairman of the party, you have 

conventions. So, it is not different that 

other bloc from any part of the country. 

limited powers even when your party 

PDP has some minor issues after the 

And by the time we went to the 

is in government. Can you tell me how 

convention but it is gladdening that the 

convention, there was no political 

powerful the chairman of APC, Oyegun 

party remains solid, remains united and 

arrangement from the South as to where 

is today? I think where people should 

one. Before the convention, we 

the chairman of the party should come To think that elections look up to is the Executive because that 

anticipated that some issues would 

from. We came in May and a convention 

is where policies are formulated and 

arise, that was why we set up the 

was scheduled for August in Port- should be ordered this executed and that is where the interest 

reconciliation committee which moved 

Harcourt, the PDP met in Port-Harcourt 

way or that way, it is a of people you represent can be 

to work immediately after the 

and micro-zoned the chairmanship of 

implemented. That is my personal 

convention. 

the party to the South-West before lazy way of 

opinion. 

The current leadership also set up two 

August last year. 

approaching elections. 

Apart from the Dickson committee, I 

other committees which consist of 

When we went to Port-Harcourt, 

know there is another committee being 

Seriake Dickson Committee and the 

because of interference from Whichever way it is led by Dr. Nwodo with Dr. Bello Haliru 

other one led by former principal officers 

government, that election could not take 

and David Mark. They are 

of the National Assembly to reach out 

place and our tenure was extended for 

ordered, we should 

complementing what others are doing 

to the aggrieved and to bring them back 

a year. When we were approaching the campaign and work. I just to ensure peace and 

on board and to integrate them in a bid 

December convention, the North met 

accommodation in the party. When you 

to provide a united front. This is also to 

and politically discussed among believe strongly that 

mention that the party is absent in the 

provide a strong and virile opposition 

themselves and maintained the microzoning. 

The South met and they could 

me, you have to go gradually to achieve 

anyhow the elections South-West, I disagree with that. For 

to the All Progressives Congress, APC, 

which is in power. We have covered a 

not agree on the micro-zoning. Before come, PDP can win peace, anything you rush into especially 

lot of grounds, but that does not mean 

every convention, you meet, discuss 

where there is sharp division, you are 

to say there are still no issues but I am 

and also take certain decisions. The 

bound to fail. So the party is very 

not in a position to know what those 

unity that existed from the South before 

conscious of these problems and we are 

outstanding issues were because I am 

the August convention disappeared 

against each other and you want the rest 

doing all we can to harmonise. I can 

not the national chairman of the party 

before the December Convention. When 

to give you power, it becomes more 

tell you that you will know our strength 

now. 

they met, they could not agree. Then 

difficult. So really, it was a local failure 

as a party when the elections come. 

I have left the office of chairman but I 

they met again and agreed on all other 

because the remaining part of the 

Nigerians should stop looking at the big 

continue to give advice in areas where positions except two positions which 

country had their agreement intact. But 

picture of ceremonial things, those 

I am needed and I am also handling 

were the chairmanship and the deputy 

I think they did not see a reason to unify 

things don’t win elections. You don’t go 

issues I can handle on my own just to 

chairmanship. And they left that 

before they decided that the convention 

by the crowd to win elections. In 2015, 

bring unity into the party without decision among themselves and even 

should determine who emerges. 

which crowd did we not have as a party? 

necessarily having recourse to the 

the South-East excused themselves from 

It was at the venue of the convention 

Did PDP not lose elections? So, don’t 

current leadership. The current 

it but the South-South and the Southwhen 

the election was about to start, 

be carried away by the crowd that 

leadership has been meeting with West could not agree. 

some of them started going round to say 

attends a rally. 

relevant organs of the party, the 

And when they could not agree, the 

they now have a consensus candidate 

governors, National Assembly members 

South-West and South-South decided 

while some others started going round 

disclaiming the same agreement. So, in 

Continues on Page 43


Continued from Page 42 

It is being said in some quarters that 

PDP has not shown enough confidence 

and direction to convince Nigerians the 

party is set to take over power from 

APC in 2019. How prepared is the party 

for 2019? 

No serious party will want to continue 

to remain as an opposition party. The 

role of any opposition party is to take 

over power and that is what we set our 

eyes on right now. And I want to thank 

APC for actually making our job easier 

and I continue to pray that APC 

continues to make our job easier as we 

move closer to elections. 

I do not pray Nigerians continue to 

suffer and that is why I believe 

Nigerians will make the right choice by 

voting out the party in power. As to our 

preparations, all I can say is that we are 

doing all that is legally and politically 

doable to achieve our objectives. It 

would be inappropriate for me to give a 

hint of what we are doing or what we 

are planning. 

It will amount to someone going to a 

battlefront and publishing your war 

plans, you have as well committed 

suicide before going for the war. We keep 

our plans to our chest but be rest assured 

we are used to the politicking and we 

shall leave no stone unturned. 

Till date, many still feel the overbearing 

influence of the Governors in 

the PDP is part of the reason why the 

party lost in 2015. It is also believed 

that such played out in deciding who 

emerged Chairman of the party at the 

December Convention. Being a former 

Governor and a major player in PDP, 

how do you react to this? 

Well, going back to the 2015 elections, 

the North expected to have the ticket 

but even at that, our language was not 

so polite in the campaigns. The manner 

and language some of our members 

used in campaigning for 2015 was 

insulting to a certain part of the country. 

Also, the party structure was not used 

for campaigning rather Transformation 

Ambassadors of Nigeria, TAN, was used 

for the Presidential campaign. And TAN 

was just a motor formulated by some 

people to impress those in power, it was 

not something structured, PDP is a 

structured party down toward the village 

level; to now abandon that asset and use 

something superficial, naturally there 

will be problems because it discouraged 

some people while some others became 

nonchalant. I can tell you that some 

governors are not even aware how 

campaigns were going on and no 

governor was sitting in the campaign 

council. When you blame governors, I 

can tell you that not even the chairman 

of the PDP Governors' Forum was in the 

Presidential Campaign Council. 

These factors contributed to losing 

elections, not that APC won, but PDP 

threw away the election. There could 

have been difficulties or challenges, but 

if we had acted differently, there was 

no way we could have lost the 2015 

elections. If we are talking about the 

states, I can say yes but at the 

presidential level, there was no 

question of over-bearing influence by 

any governor especially as I mentioned, 

no governor was in the Presidential 

Campaign Council. They were basically 

expected to be on-lookers until you visit 

their states to campaign. They made a 

mistake. Going forward, the PDP has 

only 11governors, so the people are 

working together with the governors we 

*Makarfi 

APC has made it easier 

for us to win — Makarfi 

have and the governors are also 

showing their support. I have not seen 

where they are showing overbearing 

influence on anybody; if they have 

ideas, they share ideas and we 

implement the ideas. 

Right now, you won’t find that in PDP 

because the situation is completely 

different, we know that and we are 

making use of all the assets that we 

have, whether governors, former 

governors or former ministers, we 

respect the view of all who can add 

value to our party. 

Recently, the APC stated that the party 

is now for restructuring after they 

initially rejected it. Many believed it is 

because elections are approaching. 

Where does your own party stand on 

the issue of restructuring? 

I addressed a World Press Conference 

when this matter came up. I said that 

APC is now like a chameleon changing 

colors. All I can say is that, right from 

the beginning, we in PDP were for 

restructuring. Besides that, the 

Governor of Kaduna State and the 

Chairman of the committee by the APC 

They said they are not 

a political party, time 

will tell; if they turn 

out to be a political 

party, we will see how 

it plays out. Obasanjo 

himself said anytime 

they turn to a political 

party, he will cease to 

be a member 

said on Channels Television that 

restructuring is not important. The 

following day, I featured along and said 

all the conferences that were initiated 

for the processes were done by the PDP 

because it was during Obasanjo and 

Jonathan some of the conferences were 

done and some of the recommendations 

border on the issue of restructuring. 

I also said restructuring means 

different things to different people, the 

starting point is to narrow down the 

understanding and proceed stage by 

stage because there are things you can 

do immediately, some on short-term and 

some on long-term basis. Several of 

these issues being raised today are 

because of several issues happening 

within the country right now and we 

have to be sensitive. 

I believe running away from this issue 

of restructuring is like running away 

from reality. For a party to say because 

they want to win elections, therefore 

they have changed their position, that 

is the height of deception and it is for 

Nigerians to take them for who they are, 

people who will do anything just to 

remain in power not because they mean 

it. 

Does the PDP feel threatened by the 

political moves of ex-President 

Olusegun Obasanjo especially with his 

third force? 

We don’t feel threatened by the 

Coalition of Obasanjo. I can tell you that 

most of them are friends and associates. 

They said they are not a political party, 

time will tell. If they turn out to be a 

political party, we will see how it plays 

out. Obasanjo himself said anytime they 

turn to a political party, he will cease to 

be a member. My take on it is like in 

the United States where you have 

independent candidacy, you have the 

Democrats and the Republicans, then 

you have an independent candidate who 

looks at a candidate and decides where 

to swing at the last minute. 

That is what I feel it is, time 

will tell what their aims are. 

What is your take on the 

re-ordering of elections? 

The position of the law is 

clear on this. It is not what 

is passed but what is signed 

that becomes law. If the 

President signs it, it 

becomes law. We passed 

the same law during my 

time at the Senate and then 

a Court said it was 

unconstitutional and that it 

was INEC that has the 

power to do that. If that is 

the case, so be it. But for 

me, I think my take is, PDP 

should prepare to win no 

matter how elections are 

ordered. 

To think that elections 

should be ordered this way 

or that way, it is a lazy way 

of approaching elections. 

Whichever way it is 

ordered, we should 

campaign and work. I 

believe strongly that 

anyhow the elections come, PDP can 

win. So we should concentrate on the 

main issues and not through any shortcut. 

On the issues of Herdsmen ravaging 

the Country. What do you think the 

APC led government be doing to tackle 

the issue? 

I believe this issue has assumed a 

dimension which is alarming and all 

hands need to be on deck to address it. 

This a problem that is ravaging the 

North Central of the country and the 

Southern part of the country. When I 

was governor, this problem was rampant 

in my area but people did not know but 

it was similar to what is happening 

now; tough the ferocity was quite 

different, the proliferation of arms was 

not there, just cutlass and arrows. 

The influx of some of these people 

because of free movement of ECOWAS 

has also made it difficult and it has 

complicated the matter. Therefore, this 

matter we must look at it critically. The 

Federal Government has talked about 

the issue of the colony, colony as a word 

sounds to be offensive, colonization to 

me means domination. Ranching 

sounds business, anybody can go into 

ranching and you do business where it 

is feasible, you cannot do business 

where it is not feasible. 

So, we have to begin with the policy 

of modernization of ranching where it 

is most feasible at this time and re-orient 

and re-indoctrinate the herdsmen. It will 

take time but it is doable, modernize 

their profession, give them some level 

of education, give them incentives to 

make them change their ways and 

methods. Anything to achieve peace is 

not a waste. I am not saying they should 

reward them for criminality or illegality, 

I am talking of domestic herdsmen that 

are Nigerians, they should assist them 

to modernize their practice. Then on the 

issue of free movement by ECOWAS, if 

people will be crossing our borders and 

killing and maiming people all in the 

name of ECOWAS free movement, that 

is absolutely wrong because every life 

is important and in the spirit of 

ECOWAS, we should not continue to 

waste lives.



Buhari’s northern agenda beclouding his 

ability to rule Nigeria—Nwabueze 

By Emeka Mamah 

E 

N U G U — — 

NATIONAL 

Chairman of the Patriots, 

Prof Ben Nwabueze, has 

said that President 

Muhammadu Buhari's 

alleged Islamisation 

agenda for Nigeria was 

beclouding his ability to 

rule the country as a 

sovereign nation. 

Nwabueze said that 

Buhari was more interested 

in the unity of the Northern 

Nigeria than that of the 

Nigerian Republic, adding 

that this was why he was 

running a one-sided 

administration against the 

Southern part of the country. 

These were contained in 

a statement entitled, 

“The quit notice, hate 

speeches and President 

Buhari’s Northernisation/ 

Islamisation Agenda,” 

issued in Enugu yesterday 

evening. 

Nwabueze said that the 

President’s undisguised, 

unabashed favouritism and 

solicitude for a united 

Northern Nigeria arouses 

in him and his fellow 

northerners a renewed 

sense of solidarity in 

defence of whatever they 

perceive, rightly or 

wrongly, to be its interest, 

and inclines them to adopt 

antagonistic, even 

confrontational, stance 

towards southerners in 

discussions of national 

affairs, thereby disabling 

them from approaching 

national issues in the spirit 

of what the interest of the 

nation as a whole 

demands.” 

He further chided Buhari 

for declaring the 

Indigenous People of 

Biafra, IPOB, a terrorist 

orgainsation instead of the 

Arewa Youths which carried 

out hate speeches against 

Ndigbo and gave them 

quite notice to leave the 

north while he was on 

medical tourism abroad. 

He listed such national 

issues to include “restructuring, 

herdsmen 

insurgency,” among others. 

His words: “Second, his 

bias for the herdsmen and 

their masters, the Cattle 

Breeders Association 

(Miyetti Allah) is the aspect 

of his lack of impartiality 

that most compromises his 

position as leader of the 

nation. 

“This is manifested in his 

inability or unwillingness to 

take firm, decisive actions 

against the herdsmen’s 

killings in Benue, Taraba 

and Zamfara States in 

particular, and against 

Miyetti Allah’s blunt, 

anarchic refusal to abide 

and be bound by the Anti- 

Open Grazing Law of 

those states, which is the 

governing law there until 

declared unconstitutional, 

null and void by the courts. 

“The president should 

not condone anarchy by 

anyone, the Miyetti Allah 

people not exempted. 

Gratifyingly, the herdsmen 

are said to be now “willing 

to abide by the Benue State 

anti-open grazing law,” 

according to a media report 

on February 14, 2018. 

“Third, the president’s 

favouritism for the North in 

pursuance of his 

Northernisation Agenda is 

again betrayed in a 

markedly unabashed 

manner by his 

reinstatement of the 

Director-General of the 

National Insurance Health 

Scheme, NIHS, Professor 

Usman Yusuf, a northerner, 

suspended for alleged 

financial impropriety by the 

Minister of Health, 

Professor Isaac Adewole 

whose ministry has 

supervisory authority over 

the scheme. Work at the 

NIHS has been paralysed 

by workers’ industrial 

action caused by 

controversy over the 

president’s action." 

CSOs condemn herdsmen killings, under-age 

voters registration 

By Anayo Okoli 

U MUAHIA—THE 

Igbo Civil Society 

Coalition, ICSCO, a 

coalition of civil society 

organizations, activists, 

professional bodies, 

human rights groups and 

the academia in Ala-Igbo 

has condemned the 

activities of the murderous 

militia in parts of the 

country and called on the 


take serious decisive action 

before it got out of hand. 

The group also 

commended the Tivs of 

Benue State for writing to 

the international 

community to draw its 

attention in the mass 

killings in parts of the State 

being perpetrated by the 

herdsmen. 

The group also 

challenged the 

Independent Electoral 

RALLY: Rivers State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety 

Corp, Imoh Etuk, addressing officials of the Corps in Port-Harcourt, 

during a mega rally to mark the 30th anniversary of FRSC at the 

weekend. Photo by Nwankpa Chijioke. 

Commission, INEC, on the 

registration of the 

underage voters in some 

Northern states and 

wondered why the bogus 

numbers being touted as 

eligible registered voters do 

not reflect in revenue, taxes 

and other demographic 

data. 

Describing the registered 

figures in the North as 

phony, the group warned 

that the phony figures 

would be unacceptable to 

Ndigbo and other 

concerned Nigerians since 

it implies rigging before the 

election. 

The group however 

called on the South East 

governors to make 

possession of PVCs 

mandatory and a condition 

to enjoy some essential 

government services. 

Rising from a meeting in 

Enugu, weekend, the 

group in a communiqué 

signed by the group’s 

national coordinator, Prof 

Obasi Igwe and the 

convener, Mazi Ikechukwu 

Bismarck Oji said: “ICSCO 

commends the Tivs of 

Benue State for writing to 

the international 

community to intervene in 

the ongoing genocide 

being perpetrated against 

them and other Middle 

Belt ethnicities by foreign 

mercenaries disguising as 

herdsmen since the Federal 

Government has failed to 

protect them." 

APC will forget state police after election, says IPOB 


Indigenous People of 

Biafra, IPOB, has accused 

the All Progressives 

Congress, APC, of 

attempting to deceive 

Nigerians ahead of the 

2019 general election. 

In a statement yesterday, 

IPOB described the party’s 

proposition of state police 

in the country as an 

“election gimmick”. 

A restructuring committee 

set up by the APC had, 

among other things, 

recommended that Nigeria 

should employ the use of 

state police. 

Although the federal 

government is yet to adopt 

the recommendation, IPOB 

said the party is only trying 

to buy time with such move. 

According to Emma 

Powerful, IPOB 

spokesman, the idea of 

state police would be 

forgotten after the election, 

just like the “APC did with 

its promise of restructuring. 

“Even the most 

unintelligent person knows 

that this state police 

proposal is a key 

component, if not the 

central plank, of the report 

on restructuring by the APC 

committee appointed by 

the presidency.” 

Mock primaries, endorsements 

not acceptable to INEC—Imo REC 

By Chidi 

Nkwopara 


Imo State Resident 

Electoral Commissioner, 

REC, Professor Francis 

Chukwuemeka Ezeonu, 

has advised people 

championing 

endorsements and mock 

primaries in the state, to 

retrace their locus as they 

are not legitimate processes 

of choosing political party 

candidates. 

Professor Ezeonu, who 

made the position of the 

Independent National 

Electoral Commission, 

INEC, known to newsmen 

in Owerri, also described 

what is currently playing 

out in Imo as “mere 

pranks”. 

“Any acceptable and legal 

primaries must be 

conducted according to 

party constitution, 

witnessed and certified by 

INEC. Anything short of 

this may lead to 

disqualification”, Ezeonu 

said. 

While seeking to know 

the pedigree of those 

endorsing candidates and 

where they are coming 

from, the REC however 

said that “sometimes, you 

hear about people who 

went to endorse a 

candidate, ending up 

fighting over sharing of 

money”. 

He said: “It is about 

sharing booty. There is so 

much poverty. The people 

are so impoverished that 

they are looking for any way 

to make money. The same 

thing goes for the so called 

mock primaries. I am 

hearing it for the first time 

in Imo State.” 

Answering a question, 

Professor Ezeonu 

explained that the 

Commission will not have 

any problem if the political 

party wishing to adopt 

mock primaries and 

endorsements, have such 

an exercise enshrined in 

it’s constitution. 

Voter Registration: Ugwuanyi Support 

Group embarks on sensitisation 

campaign 

E 

N 

U G U — 

DETERMINED to 

ensure that all eligible 

voters in Enugu State, who 

have not registered with the 

Independent National 

Electoral Commission 

(INEC) in the on-going 

voters’ registration exercise 

do so and collect their 

Permanent Voters’ Cards 

(PVCs), a support group of 

Governor Ifeanyi 

Ugwuanyi, “Workable 

Partners for Gburugburu 

2019” has embarked on an 

aggressive awareness/ 

sensitization campaign 

across the state. 

The support group 

comprises professionals in 

their various fields of 

endeavour, who are 

promoters of peace and 

good governance in Enugu 

State and committed to the 

re-election of Gov. 

Ugwuanyi in 2019. 

The group’s welldesigned 

sensitization 

posters and strategically 

located billboards have 

flooded most parts of the 

state, especially the Enugu 

metropolis with the 

inscriptions: “For continuity 

of peace and good 

governance, register with 

INEC to collect your 

permanent voters’ card, if 

you have not done so; PVC 

is your power to enjoy more 

dividends of democracy” 

The group is also 

running awareness radio 

jingles in the major 

broadcast stations in the 

state urging “Ndi Enugu” 

and residents from 18 years 

of age who have not 

obtained their PVCs to take 

advantage of the on-going 

voters’ registration exercise 

to register at the INEC 

designated centre nearest 

to them. 

Tension in Imo over plan to 

impeach Dep Gov 

By Chinonso 

Alozie 

OWERRI—THERE is 

tension in Imo State, 

following reports of a plot 

to impeach the state 

Deputy Governor, Prince 

Eze Madumere. 

Investigations by 

Vanguard yesterday, 

revealed that a coalition of 

youth groups of the All 


APC, in the state, is 

planning to stage a protest 

to the Imo House of 

Assembly over the alleged 

plot by Governor Rochas 

Okorocha to coerce 

members of the state House 

of Assembly into initiating 

impeachment proceedings 

against Madumere over 

issues relating to his 

gubernatorial ambition. 

Okorocha, has however, 

denied that there were 

plots to impeach his 

deputy. 

His Chief Press Secretary, 

Mr Sam Onwuemeodo, 

who spoke for his principal 

denied any plan to impeach 

Madumere. 

However, uneasy calm 

has enveloped the state as 

the governor has declared 

his readiness to support his 

son law, Mr. Uche Nwosu, 

if he declared his interest 

to succeed him in office.


Rivers State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Corps Commander Imoh Etuk in 

company of a Special Marshal, when the state command visited and donated items to crash victims at 

the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital in commemoration of the 30th Anniversary of Federal 

Road Safety Corps over the weekend in Rivers State. Photo. Nwankpa Chijioke. 

Alleged plot to divide North: Outrage, as 

Southern leaders blast Ango Abdullahi 

By Emmanuel 

Aziken, Clifford 

Ndujihe, Dapo 

Akinrefon, Charles 

Kumolu, Simon 

Ebegbulem & 

Emman Ovuakporie 

L AGOS—OUTRAGE 

overflowed from 

leading Southern 

leaders yesterday over 

comments attributed to 

Prof. Ango Abdullahi, 

the spokesman of the 

Northern Elders Forum, 

NEF, accusing them of a 

plot to divide the north 

and also, among others, 

justifying the rampage 

of herdsmen in the 

south. 

In an exclusive 

interview with Sunday 

Vanguard, Prof. 

Abdullahi, a former vicechancellor 

had said the 

kidnap of former 

Secretary to the 

Government of the 

Federation, SGF, Chief 

Olu Falae was nothing 

extra-ordinary, even as 

he accused Southern 

leaders of a covert plot to 

split the unity of the 

north. 

Among Southern 

leaders, who reacted 

yesterday, were South- 

South leader, Senator 

Edwin Clark; Afenifere, 

former Senate Chief 

Whip, Senator Roland 

Owie; former Lagos State 

deputy governor, 

Kofoworola Bucknor- 

Akerele; National 

Chairman of the United 

Progressive Party, UPP, 

Chief Chekwas Okorie; 

former Ohaneze 

Secretary-General, Chief 

Nduka Eya and Mr. Akin 

Oshuntokun, a chieftain 

of the Collation for 

Nigeria Movement, 

CNM. 

He wants to 

break Nigeria, he's 

arrogant — Clark 

Reacting to Abdullahi’s 

assertions yesterday, 

Clark in an interview 

said: “Prof. Ango 

Abdullahi has been very 

irresponsible, 

disrespectful to the 

people of the south and 

does not behave like a 

patriotic Nigerian. "He 

does not even behave 

like a former vicechancellor 

who produced 

graduates," Clark said. 

“I told him at Maitama 

Sule’s book launch that 

Maitama Sule is gone 

and nobody will restrain 

him from making his 

provocative statements 

and that is what he has 

done, and now he has a 

field day. 

“Prof. Abdullahi is not 

the type who will unite 

Nigeria; he has been 

talking of breaking 

Nigeria into two. 

“We have 19 states in 

the North and 17 states 

in the South, and we 

have not made any 

attempt to divide them; 

it is people like Ango 

Abdullahi who will 

discriminate against 

them when it suits them. 

"When it suits them, 

some northerners are 

Christians; some 

northerners are 

Muslims; when it suits 

them, they are all 

together. So, they should 

re-examine themselves 

especially when they are 

appointing men into top 

positions. 

“We all believe in the 

unity of this country, and 

that every Nigerian 

should be equal to the 

other, no one should be 

superior to the other. If 

we want a Nigeria, we 

must all be equal in that 

Nigeria. 

“So, Ango Abdullahi is 

arrogant, unpatriotic and 

a very irresponsible 

Nigerian. He believes 

that he is superior to 

other people, what makes 

him think so? Ango 

Abdullahi should realise 

that the people of the 

south want a united 

Nigeria,” Chief Clark 

affirmed. 

His remarks 

unfortunate — 

Afenifere 

Describing Abdullahi’s 

comments as 

unfortunate, the pan- 

Yoruba socio-political 

organisation, Afenifere 

said elders of his nature 

should not speak as 

such. Afenifere’s 

National Publicity, Mr. 

Yinka Odumakin said: “I 

read the interview and it 

is quite unfortunate that 

an elder statesman, a 

former Vice-Chancellor 

will make such 

utterances and also 

justifying the killing of 

Nigerians by herdsmen. 

He is supposed to be the 

spokesman of the 

Northern Elders Forum. 

Elders do not make these 

kinds of utterances.” 

Senator Owie on his 

part described the elder 

statesman as a great 

disappointment to those 

whose relations had 

been killed by herdsmen. 

According to Owie, “for 

him to make the 

statement he made, 

elevating herdsmen 

above other human 

beings, I think that he 

has to seek urgent 

medical attention 

because he could not 

have said what he said 

under normal condition. 

“How can Southern 

leaders be accused of 

splitting the North? Is he 

saying that the North 

has always been united? 

No. Let us not pretend; 

we know what is the 

makeup of the North. 

Northern Elements 

Progressive Union , 

NEPU, led by late 

Aminu Kano, do you 

know why GNPP came 

up under Alhaji Waziri 

or UMBC under late 

Tarka or MPP under late 

Solomon Lar, Owie 

asked. 

Owie who is the South- 

South leader of the 

Action Democratic Party 

(ADP), added: “In any 

case, I am expecting the 

younger generation led 

by Junaid Mohammed, 

Buba Galadima, and a 

host of other younger 

men from the North to 

take over from Ango 

Abdullahi so they can 

work for a united 

Nigeria. 

“I urge Prof.Abdullahi 

to retire now so that he 

will not be insulted by 

younger men and 

women. He is a man I 

respect, he should not 

become a palace jester in 

the Nigerian political 

system. 

We can't value 

cattle more than 

human beings – 

Bucknor-Akerele 

Reacting to the 

interview, former Lagos 

State Deputy Governor, 

Senator Kofoworola 

Bucknor-Akerele, 

described Professor 

Ango Abdullahi’s claims 

as ridiculous. Wondering 

how Southern politicians 

are splitting the North 

and how the country has 

been unfair to herdsmen, 

she urged Abdullahi and 

other northerners, who 

share his views to wake 

up to present realities. 

Her words: "That is a 

ridiculous comment. I 

don’t know how southern 

politicians are splitting 

the North. Are we 

splitting the Arewa 

Consultative Forum? He 

is ridiculous for making 

that statement. 

“Many people from the 

North, who share Ango 

Abdullahi’s views 

should be realistic about 

Nigeria of today. We are 

in the 21st century not in 

the ages of hunters and 

gatherers. They must try 

and move with the times 

instead of dragging us 

back. How can we be in 

a country where people 

value cows more than 

human beings?" 

Abdullahi is one 

of Nigeria's 

problems – 

Chekwas Okorie 

Also speaking, 

National Chairman of 

the United Progressive 

Party, UPP, Chief 

Chekwas Okorie, 

described Professor 

Ango Abdullahi’s 

comments as destructive 

and inciting. 

He said: "This man is 

one of the problems 

because he has always 

made divisive and 

inciting statements. We 

are not saying that he 

should not support his 

ethnic group but given 

his age, exposure, 

educational attainment 

and having headed one 

of the federal 

universities, one expects 

him not to be the 

northern irredentist he 

has become. 

"Nigeria is at cross 

roads. People like him 

should be thinking of 

their grand-children and 

the kind of country they 

are leaving for them and 

not saying things that 

can lead to violence. 

Nigerians should stop 

taking him seriously. He 

does not deserve the 

media space he is 

getting. When former 

President Olusegun 

Obasanjo was in power, 

he opposed Obasanjo 

but supported late 

President Musa 

Yar’Adua. 

“He has never been a 

genuine supporter of 

restructuring and 

finding solutions to the 

problems. He once said 

that Nigeria could break 

up so that the North 

could stand on its own. 

These kinds of comments 

are not expected from 

him given his age. 

Compare that to the 

interventions of General 

Ibrahim Babangida and 

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, 

who are younger. His 

interview was very 

destructive and inciting." 

He is a master of 

twisted logic 

—Osuntokun 

Also reacting, a leading 

member of the CNM, Mr. 

Akin Osuntokun 

described Abdullahi as a 

master of twisted logic. 

Osuntokun said: “That 

is typical of Ango 

Abdullahi. By now, you 

know the kind of stuff to 

expect from him. He is a 

master of twisted logic, 

who thrives as a 

sectional agent 

provocateur. It is the 

utterance of people like 

him that created the 

poisonous and toxic 

environment of intra 

Nigeria disharmony. No 

southern baiting illogic 

is too absurd for him to 

ventilate. The tragedy 

really is how he has 

turned out the exact 

opposite of what a 

scholar and university 

administrator should 

be.” 

Rep. Sergius Ogun, 

PDP, Edo in his comment 

said: “Ango Abdullahi’s 

antecedents point to the 

fact that he’s not matured 

enough to speak on 

national issues. 

“So we in the South 

should keep quiet as 

herdsmen are killing 

Nigerians all over the 

country? Honestly, I 

don’t want to really join 

issues with him. 

Ango Abdullahi is 

part of Nigeria’s 

problems— Eya, ex- 

Ohaneze Scribe 

Also speaking, a former 

Secretary General of 

Ohaneze, Chief Nduka 

Eya, said: “Ango 

Abdullahi is part of the 

problems we have in 

Nigeria. My friend, Prof 

B.I.C Ijeomah responded 

to Ango Abdullahi in a 

book where he said that 

they want to hoodwink 

us into ignoring realities 

of the truth. Ango 

Abdullahi is among the 

educated northerners 

who don’t want us to say 

the truth. When the 

North East Development 

Commission Bill was 

passed, he said nothing 

but objected to the South 

East Development 

Commission Bill. What 

Ango Abdullahi 

exhibited 

is 

characteristic of those 

who want to run this 

country on their terms 

with arrogance. How 

can the solidarity for 

Benue people be 

described as divisive? 

Who even made Benue 

Northern Nigeria? "


Trump criticises FBI over Florida shooting 

*Survivors to march on Washington 

US 

President 

Donald Trump 

has criticised the FBI for 

allegedly spending too 

much time on the Russia 

investigation instead of 

preventing the Florida 

school shooting. 

Trump said on Twitter 

that it was “very sad that 

the FBI missed all the 

many signals sent out by 

the Florida school 

shooter.” 

“This is not acceptable. 

They are spending too 

much time trying to 

prove Russian collusion 

with the Trump campaign 

- there is no collusion,” 

he said. 

Trump’s remarks came 

after the FBI said it received 

a tip last month 

that the shooting suspect, 

19-year-old Nikolas 

Cruz, had a “desire to 

kill” and access to guns, 

but the FBI agents failed 

to act on the information. 

Trump also criticised 

the Democrats for their 

failure to pass gun control 

legislation. 

“Why didn’t the Democrats 

pass gun control 

legislation when they 

had both the House Senate 

during the Obama 

Administration. Because 

they didn’t want to, and 

now they just talk!” he 

said on Twitter, referring 

to the administration of 

former US President 

Barack Obama. 

Meanwhile, young survivors 

of Wednesday’s 

school shooting in Florida 

have announced a 

BENJAMIN Netan 

yahu, Israeli prime 

minister, has labelled Iran 

“the greatest threat to the 

world” in his address to 

the Munich Security Conference 

in Germany. 

Comparing Iran to Nazi 

Germany, Netanyahu said 

on Sunday that Iran advocates 

“master faith” just 

like Nazi Germany used 

to advocate “master race”. 

“The commander of the 

Revolutionary Guard, 

[Mohammad] Ali Jafari, 

said: ‘We are on the path 

to the rule of Islam worldwide’. 

I think it is in my 

judgement the greatest 

threat to our world,” he 

national march on Washington 

to demand political 

action on gun control. 

Students organisers 

told US media that they 

were determined to make 

Wednesday’s shooting a 

turning point in the national 

gun debate. 

The attack, which left 

17 students and staff 

members dead, was the 

said. 

Listing the countries in 

which he said Iran was a 

troublemaker, he said “nowhere 

is Iran’s belligerent 

ambitions clearer than in 

Syria”. 

“There, Iran hopes to 

complete a contiguous 

empire, linking Tehran to 

Tartus, the Caspian to the 

Mediterranean,” he said, 

adding that Israel would 

“continue to prevent Iran 

from establishing a permanent 

presence in Syria”. 

“Israel will continue to 

act to prevent Iran from 

establishing another terror 

base from which to 

deadliest US school 

shooting since 2012. 

Yesterday protestors 

chanted “shame on you” 

to US lawmakers and the 

president. 

Mr Trump said last year 

he would “never” infringe 

on the right to 

keep arms - a long-running 

and contested debate 

within the US. 

Iran is greatest threat to the world — 

Netanyahu 

threaten Israel,” he said. 

“We will act without hesitation 

to defend ourselves. 

And we will act if 

necessary not just against 

Iran’s proxies that are attacking 

us, but against 

Iran itself.” 

Speaking at the conference 

later on Sunday, 

Mohammad Javad Zarif, 

Iranian foreign minister, 

said “cartoonish” attacks 

on Iran did not deserve a 

response. 

“You were the audience 

for a cartoonish circus just 

this morning which does 

not even deserve the dignity 

of a response,” he 

said. 

ROF leader 

receives 

2017 Africa 

leadership 

award 

All-Africa Students 

Union,AASU 

stormed 

the 

headquarters of The Reformed 

Ogboni Fraternity, 

ROF, in Lagos to 

present the 2017 Africa 

Leadership Award to the 

Supreme Leader of the 

fraternity, Otunba Francis 

Meshioye for selfless 

service to Africa. 

Speaking during the 

award presentation, AA- 

SU’s Vice Present for 

Central Africa, Comrade 

Kounedji Hermann said 

the recipient is a man 

that sees Africa as an industrious 

continent. 

Hermann, who led delegate 

from north, west, 

east, south and central 

Africa, said Meshioye 

has consistently made 

valuable contributions to 

peace and unity in 

Africa. 

On his part, Oluwagbemiro 

said the award 

was one of the numerous 

he had received but yet 

remained the most cherished. 

He said: “It is to 

my delight that the 

youths who the leaders 

of tomorrow recognised 

our commitment to 

human development in 

Africa. 

“We will continue to 

defend and support the 

black race to achieve its 

rightful position.’’ 

IRAN: Dozens feared 

dead in plane crash 

Sixty-six people are feared to have been killed 

in a passenger plane crash in the Zagros 

mountains in Iran. The Aseman Airlines plane, en 

route from Tehran to the south-western city of Yasuj, 

came down near the city of Semirom in Isfahan 

province. 

The Red Crescent deployed search and rescue 

teams to the site. The airline has retracted a statement 

saying definitively that all aboard were dead. 

Flight EP3704 left Tehran at 04:30 GMT, and crashed 

about an hour later. The aircraft, a twin-engine 

turboprop, came down on Dena Mountain, 22km (14 

miles) from Yasuj, news channel Irinn reported. 

Sixty passengers, two security guards, two flight 

attendants and the pilot and co-pilot were on board. 

The airline initially said everyone had been killed, 

but said later: “Given the special circumstances of 

the region, we still have no access to the spot of the 

crash and therefore we cannot accurately and 

definitely confirm the death of all passengers of this 

plane.” 

Bad weather, including fog and heavy snow, has 

hampered rescue efforts. Emergency teams have had 

to travel to the crash site by land rather than using a 

helicopter. Passengers’ relatives have gathered at a 

mosque near Tehran’s Mehrabad airport, according 

to Reuters news agency. “I can’t bring myself to 

believe it,” said one woman whose husband was on 

board. One man told Tabnak news website that he 

had missed the flight. Showing an unused ticket as 

proof, he said: “God has been really kind to me but I 

am so sad from the bottom of my heart for all those 

dear ones who lost their lives.” 

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani expressed 

sympathy for all involved, saying, in a statement, 

that the incident brought “great grief and sorrow”. 

Iran has suffered several aviation accidents in 

recent years and has an ageing aircraft fleet. 

12 ISIS widows sentenced to 

death, life by Iraqi court 

A 

Turkish woman was sentenced to death and 

11 other foreign widows to life in jail by an 

Iraqi court for their involvement with Islamic State 

of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The 12 women - 11 

Turks and an Azeri, some of whom appeared at the 

court in Baghdad nursing infants - were convicted 

on Sunday despite pleas they had been duped or 

forced by their husbands to join them in Iraq. 

The women, aged between 20 and 50, were all 

arrested in Mosul or Tal Afar where their husbands 

were killed as Iraqi forces recaptured the northern 

cities from ISIL last year. 

Only the woman condemned to death, speaking 

through an interpreter, acknowledged she willingly 

travelled to Iraq with her husband and their 

children. 

“We had to leave Turkey because my husband was 

a wanted man. I wanted to live in an Islamic state 

where sharia is the law of the land,” she said. 

But “I regret having come,” said the 48-year-old 

Turkish woman whose husband and two sons were 

killed in air strikes. 

Zimbabwe mourns Tsvangirai 

ZIMBABWE’s President has called on all 

citizens to unite to mourn opposition leader 

Morgan Tsvangirai, who died of colon cancer last 

week. 

A memorial service for Tsvangirai was held in a 

packed church in the capital Harare, while outside 

hundreds of supporters of his Movement for 

Democratic Change (MDC) gathered. 

He will be buried in his home village of Buhera 

on Tuesday. President Emerson Mnangagwa visited 

Tsvangirai’s family to offer condolences ahead of 

the service. 

“Let us all be brothers and sisters, and come 

together and mourn our former prime minister,” he 

said after his visit. 

“When we write the history of this country, we 

cannot leave out the participation and role that the 

former prime minister played in the effort to 

entrench democratic values in this country,” Mr 

Mnangagwa added. 

The new president, who took over following the 

military ousting of Mr Mugabe in November, called 

for “fair, free and credible” elections, which are due 

to take place this year. 

Tsvangirai, the fiercest opponent of Zanu-PF rule, 

had led the opposition MDC since its formation in 

1999. 

He gained the most votes in the first round of the 

presidential election in 2008, but pulled out of the 

second round after a sharp increase in violence 

directed at the opposition. Tsvangirai himself was 

beaten up and jailed.

Cameroon dumps 

Nigeria out of 

Women’s World Cup 

Nigeria will not feature 

for the first time in 

the FIFA U17 Women’s 

World Cup after it lost on 

the away goals rule to 

Cameroon yeaterday in 

Yaounde. Cameroon was 

forced to a 1-1 draw by its 

Nigerian counterparts in 

the return leg after the first 

game ended in a 2-2 draw. 

Nigeria has featured in 

all five U17 Women’s World 

Cups since the inaugural 

edition in 2008. 

Alice Kameni gave the 

home team a 16th minute 

lead, before substitute 

Martha Vincent drew the 

Flamingos level eight 

minutes from time. 

Groves beats 

Eubank Jr in 

brutal, bloody war 

EORGE GROVES won 

G an epic blooddrenched 

war with Chris - 

Eubank Jr last night to 

retain his world title. 

The WBA supermiddleweight 

grudge fight 

turned into a brutal slugfest 

at the Manchester Arena. 

An accidental clash of 

heads in the third round left 

challenger Eubank with 

blood pouring from a twoinch 

gash above his right 

eye and Groves spattered 

with it. 

Even ref Michael 

Alexander’s white shirt was 

covered with claret as the 

fighters waded into each 

other. 

By the 12th round Groves 

was fighting with just his 

right hand after suffering a 

suspected dislocated left 

shoulder. 

And as Eubank went for a 

late knockout, the ringside 

TV camera was hit with 

blood. 

•Eubank 

Moses battles Ndidi 

for Nigerian player 

of the year award 

ard 

•Infantino, Ahmad lead stars to Lagos 

An array of 

prominent global 

figures, including 

FIFA President Gianni 

Infantino and CAF 

President Ahmad, political 

chieftains, football stars, 

renowned administrators 

past and present, captains 

of industry, legends of the 

Nigeria game and oaks of 

the entertainment industry 

are now confirmed for the 

inaugural edition of the 

AITEO/CAF Football 

Awards holding at the Eko 

Hotels and Suites, Victoria 

Island, Lagos today. 

FIFA and CAF sources 

confirmed yesterday that 

Infantino and Ahmad will 

arrive in Nigeria today and 

would be live at the event 

venue alongside Presidents 

of about 20 Member 

Associations of FIFA. 

The highlight is the player 

of the season men award, 

being contested for by 

Victor Moses, Wilfred Ndidi 

and Anthony Okpotu, while 

Asisat Oshoala, Charity 

Reuben and 

Francisca Ordega will 

battle for the women’s 

player of the year award. 

NFF 1st Vice President 

and Chairman of the 

Organizing Committee, 

Barrister Seyi Akinwunmi 

said that broadcast partners 

SuperSport and Africa 

Independent Television 

(AIT) will relay the 

program live as from 7pm. 

“SuperSport and AIT will 

broadcast the Awards 

ceremony live, starting 

from 7pm, and it will last 

for exactly 90 minutes – the 

period of a football match.” 

Governor Akinwunmi 

Ambode of Lagos State is 

expected alongside a 

number of his cabinet 

members, with AITEO Vice 

President/CEO Francis 

Peters and topshots of the 

Sponsor company also set 

to add glamour to the big 

event. 

Ronaldo rejects Pogba 

ristiano Ronaldo 

Cdoesn’t want Paul 

Pogba at Real Madrid. 

Pogba has had public 

spats with Jose Mourinho, 

with the United boss 

benching his star man 

earlier this month after a 

fall-out. 

The Red Devils ace has 

been linked with a move 

away from Old Trafford in 

recent weeks. 

It was claimed Real 

Madrid, who missed out on 

Pogba in 2016 when he 

joined United, are readying 

a mammoth £120m bid for 

the former Juventus 

midfielder at the end of the 

season. 

However, according to 

Spanish news outlet Diario 

Gol, Ronaldo has told Real 

he doesn’t want Pogba at the 

Bernabeu. 

They reckon the Portugal 

talisman has demanded 

Real don’t table a bid for the 

France international this 

summer. 

Ronaldo also told Real he 

doesn’t want Kylian 

Mbappe, Mauro Icardi or 

Neymar to join the Spanish 

giants. 

Reports this week claimed 

Pogba ‘regrets’ joining 

United in 2016, when he 

had the chance to head to 

Real. 

Pogba, 24, has started 16 

Premier League games 

under Mourinho this time 

out, netting three goals and 

chipping in with nine assists 

in all competitions. 

•Ndidi 

•Ronaldo 

•Iwobi 

•Moses 


Higuain doubtful for Tottenham tie 

onzalo Higuain 

G could be a doubt 

for Juventus’ Champions 

League last 16 second leg 

fixture against Tottenham 

after the Argentine striker 

limped off in his side’s 

victory over Torino. 

Higuain scored both of 

his side’s goals in the 2-2 

first-leg draw on 

Tuesday but he 

now may be 

unable to play at 

Wembley in the 

return fixture next 

month after 

hobbling off 

yesterday. 

The striker 

failed to make it 

past the 20 minute 

mark in the Derby 

della Mole as he 

took a blow to his 

ankle in a 

challenge with 

Iwobi: Arsenal can save 

season by winning 

Europa League 

lex Iwobi claimed 

AArsenal can still salvage their 

season by winning the Europa 

League and securing a top-four 

finish in the Premier League. 

The Europa League is increasingly 

looking as though it will provide 

their best chance of qualifying for 

next season’s Champions League as 

the Gunners lie eight points behind 

fourth-placed Chelsea with 11 

games remaining. 

Asked if the players believed 

Europa League glory was the most 

likely route back to the Champions 

League, the midfielder told 

Standard Sport: “No, we have to do 

our best in both competitions. That’s 

what we are trying to do: get top four 

and also win this competition. That’s 

the aim.” 

Iwobi also warned Arsenal cannot 

afford any complacency in next 

Thursday’s second leg, especially 

with the Carabao Cup Final against 

Manchester City to come three days’ 

later. 

Torino goalkeeper 

Salvatore Sirigu. 

Higuain received 

treatment on the pitch 

and tried to continue 

playing but was 

eventually hooked 

and replaced by 

Federico 

Bernardeschi. 

•Higuain 

Uzoho keeps 11th 

clean sheet in 15 

eportivo de La Coruña 

D goalkeeper Francis 

Uzoho is set to earn a spot in 

Nigeria’s World Cup going by his 

form for Depor Fabril in the 

Segunda División B - Grupo I. 

The former Golden Eaglets 

invitee won plaudits from the 

fans following his performance 

on his debut against the 

Argentinian national team last 

November, keeping the 

strikers at bay as Nigeria 

came from behind to beat 

the two-time world 

champions 4-2. 

Amokachi wants 

his twins to play 

for Nigeria 

Former Super Eagles 

striker, Daniel Amokachi 

who declared himself 

Super Eagles number one 

fan still has that patriotic 

zeal running in his veins 

like in the days he played for 

Nigeria. 

The USA ’94, France ’98 

and Korea-Japan 2002 World 

Cup star has said he would 

want to see his twin sons follow 

the path he has threaded, by 

playing for Nigeria, instead of 

Tunisia, the country of their 

mother. 

Amokachi, fondly called Da 

Bull in his active days said, 

“Definitely, that would be my 

dream, their mother’s dream, 

even their dream because 

their heart is with 

Nigeria.” 

He informed that the 

boys had turned down 

the opportunity to be 

capped by Tunisia, 

but remains hopeful 

that call will come 

up for them to play 

for Nigeria. 

“They are doing 

pretty well in Besiktas, 

they are with the U23 

team, we are trying to 

see if they can play the 

professional angle of it 

because, in Turkey, they 

leave the foreign slot for 

professionals. Right now, 

however, they are working very 

hard and we hope that soon, 

they will get the opportunity to 

play in a place where they can 

give a good account of 

themselves,” Amokachi said. 

Kida declares NOGIG 

2018 games open 

he Deputy Managing 

T Director,Total Nigeria, 

Ahmedu Musa Kida yesterday 

urged participants in the 2018 

Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry 

Games to compete without anger 

or hate. He enjoined the athletes 

to demonstrate good 

sportsmanship and “lose 

cheerfully,” because tomorrow 

victory could swing in your 

favour.” 

Declaring the games open at the 

Chevron Recreation Centre, 

Gbagada yesterday, Kida who is 

also President of the Nigeria 

Basketball Federation said “we 

owe a lot of gratitude to the 

founding fathers of NOGIG who 

envisaged a platform to explore 

other avenues to compete among 

ourselves outside our 

occupational endeavours.” 

He pledged his commitment to 

NOGIG, saying, “as a sportsman, 

I want to pledge my support for 

NOGIG, any time they knock on 

my door.” He supplied all the 

trophies and medals being 

competed for at the games. 

In a ceremonial table tennis 

match, Kida defeated Esimaje 

Brikinn, GM, Public Government 

and Public Affairs Department, 

Chevron Nigeria. Kida was 

decorated with a gold medal. 

He challenged companies in 

the Oil and Gas sector to use a 

fraction of their profits to support 

sports in the country. “Sports is 

my first passion and it is a passion 

I will go down with.” 

Earlier, Chairman of the 

Organising Committee Aminu 

Zaria said the 2018 edition of the 

games was special because of the 

improvement in almost all 

aspects of the biennial 

competition.

Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2018 

TODAY’S PUZZLE 

Sudoku 

YESTERDAY’S ANSWER 

TODAY’S CROSSWORD 

QUICK CROSSWORD 

YESTERDAY’SOLUTION 

How to Play Sudoku 

ACROSS 

1 Edible shellfish (6) 

4 Handgun (6) 

8 Immature form of insect (5) 

9 Miserable (7) 

10 Cosseted (7) 

11 Purchaser (5) 

12 Emancipated (9) 

17 Extra (5) 

19 Savoury pear-shaped fruit 

(7) 

21 Amaze (7) 

22 Classical language (5) 

23 Devils (6) 

24 Difficult, complex or 

intricate (6) 

DOWN 

1 Spite (6) 

2 Fruit-filled Austrian 

pastry (7) 

3 Messages via the 

internet (5) 

5 Restrain (7) 

6 Inebriated (5) 

7 Strata (6) 

9 Sneaky (9) 

13 Nomadic Arab (7) 

14 Most costly (7) 

15 Source of danger (6) 

16 Rider in a horse-race (6) 

18 Piece of information (5) 

20 Instrument with pipes (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. 

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

19022018 - Benue killings, continuation of 1804 jihad

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