23022018 - Confusion over Yobe girls; angry parents stone gov

Dangote Group’s 

revenue exceeds 

$4.1bn in 2017; to 

invest $4.6bn in sugar, 

rice, others in 3 yrs 

3 

Amnesty 

International accuses 

Buhari’s govt of 

unlawful killings; 

Army keeps mum 

2 

Northern senators 

split over Adamu’s 

sack 

•Why I was removed 

— ADAMU 

3 

** ** 

VOL. 26: NO. 63492 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2018 

Confusion over Yobe girls; 

By Henry Unoru 

ABUJA — The 

confusion trailing the 

attack on Government Girls 

Science Technical College, 

angry parents stone gov 

Dapchi, Yobe, by Boko 

Haram insurgents on 

Monday continued 

yesterday, as some 

aggrieved residents of 

Dapchi, headquarters of 

Busari Local Government 

•FG not sure of true situation of missing schoolgirls — Lai Mohammed Area of Yobe State, attacked 

Ibrahim Gaidam, Governor 

•We can’t confirm Yobe rescue story — DHQ 

of the state. 

They not only booed the 

number one citizen of the 

•Yobe govt apologises for false information 

state but threw stones and 

dangerous objects at his 

YOBE GOV's CONVOY STONED... 

convoy, resulting in the 

destruction of some 

vehicles. 

The governor, had 

disclosed during a visit, 

yesterday that contrary to 

earlier reports, none of the 

missing girls had been 

rescued. 

The governor, who 

disclosed this when he 

visited the community, 

yesterday, told weeping 

family members of the 

students to keep praying 

that the girls be found. 

Two of the vehicles in the convoy of Governor Ibrahim Geidam of Yobe State...damaged...yesterday. Photo: The Cable 

Oyegun working against me — TINUBU 45 

THE HANDSHAKE 

President Muhammadu Buhari exchanging pleasantries with Governor 

Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State (left)) during the meeting of the National Council 

of State at the Aso Chambers, State House, Abuja, yesterday. Photo: Abayomi 

Adeshida. 

COLUMNISTS: OWEI 31 AZU 

36 GWANGWAZO 31 

Council of State 

approves $1bn for 

agric, livestock 2 

support for herdsmen 

$2.1BN ARMS 

2 

CASH: Ihejirika to 

be grilled by EFCC 

Lagos after Abuja 

Nigeria's future: Devolve or 

die — ADAMOLEKUN 

DONU 

17 

30 

28 

Continues on Page 5 

National 

Assembly 

lacks powers 

to fix election 

dates 

— FALANA 

43 

Mr & Mrs

2—Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2018 

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

$2.1bn arms cash: Ihejirika to be grilled 

in Lagos after Abuja interrogation by EFCC 

By Soni Daniel 

ABUJA —AFTER being 

interrogated by 

operatives of the Economic 

and Financial Crimes 

Commission, EFCC, in 

Abuja for two days, the 

former Chief of Army Staff, 

Lt. General Azubuike 

Ihejirika (retd), is to face 

another panel of the antigraft 

agency in Lagos. 

A top source of the 

commission, who 

By Gbenga Oke 

THE 

Amnesty 

International has 

accused the Federal 

Government of unlawful 

killings, torture and 

detention in the last 12 

months. 

Enumerating a litany of 

mishaps it encapsulated in 

15 human rights issues in 

Nigeria, the London-based 

non-governmental 

organisation, in its 2017/ 

2018 annual report also 

lamented that intercommunal 

violence linked 

to lingering clashes 

between herdsmen and 

farming communities 

resulted in more than 549 

deaths and displacement 

of thousands in 12 states. 

It reported that "Boko 

Haram carried out at least 

65 attacks, causing 411 

civilian deaths, and 

abducted at least 73 people. 

Sixteen women, including 

10 policewomen, were 

abducted in June when 

Boko Haram ambushed an 

army-escorted convoy on 

the Maiduguri-Damboa 

road. 

‘’In July, Boko Haram 

ambushed a team of oil 

prospectors in a village in 

Magumeri. Three oil 

workers were abducted 

and at least 40 other people 

were killed, including 

soldiers and members of the 

Civilian Joint Task Force. 

"On 6 May, 82 Chibok 

schoolgirls, abducted in 

2014, were released by 

Boko Haram fighters in an 

exchange deal; 113 girls 

remained in captivity. In 

November, six farmers in 

Dimge village in Mafa 

were abducted and 

beheaded.’’ 

Contacted, yesterday, the 

Nigeria Army declined 

comment on the allegations 

Lack of 

accountability 

It decried what it 

described as government’s 

lack of accountability on the 

issues, saying: "In June, the 

Special Board of Inquiry to 

investigate allegations of 

gross violations of human 

rights, established by Chief 

of Army Staff, found that 

Giwa barracks was 

extremely overcrowded, 

confirmed the information to 

one of our correspondents 

last night, said the former 

army boss had given useful 

information to the EFCC 

operatives in Abuja, 

Wednesday, and yesterday. 

The source said: “We are 

asking him to report to 

Lagos and face another 

panel that is handling a 

different aspect of the $2.1 

billion arms probe just like 

we did to two other chiefs. 

”The interrogation of a 

former Chief of Army Staff, 

Lt. Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika 

(retd), continued for a 

second day with the 

operatives of the EFCC 

further confronting him 

with more revelations 

unearthed in the 

investigation of the now 

infamous $2.1 billion arms 

deal scandal. 

“Ihejirika, who came in 

to the EFCC 

Headquarters, Abuja at 

about noon today 

(yesterday), was later 

released at the end of the 

first round of questioning. 

He had requested to be 

allowed to go back home 

and gather more 

information as regards 

various documents and 

questions put to him by 

investigators.” 

The source did not, 

however, say when the 

former army chief would be 

in Lagos to face the panel. 

VISIT: From left, Paschal Dozie, Founder, Diamond Bank Plc; Dr. 

Benedict Oramah, President, Afrexim Bank; and Uzoma Dozie, Chief 

Executive Officer, Diamond Bank Plc, during a courtesy visit to 

Afrexim Bank head office, in Cairo, Egypt. 

Amnesty International accuses 

Buhari's govt of unlawful killings 

•Army keeps mum 

•Show us evidence —Junaid Mohammed 

with poor sanitation and 

insufficient ventilation, 

factors, which resulted in 

detainees’ deaths. It cleared 

senior military officers, 

alleged to have committed 

crimes under international 

law, of wrongdoing. 

Unlawful killings, 

torture, ill-treatment 

According to the report, 

"at least 10 IPOB members 

were killed and 12 others 

wounded by soldiers in 

Umuahia, Abia State, 

September 14. The military 

claimed that they were 

killed when they tried to 

resist the arrest of leader, 

Nnamdi Kanu, at his home. 

Witnesses say that, in 

addition to those killed, at 

least 10 IPOB members 

were shot and taken away 

by soldiers. The 

government subsequently 

banned the IPOB. 

"On March 9, a court in 

Abuja sentenced two police 

officers to death for their 

part in the extrajudicial 

execution of six traders in 

Apo, Abuja, in 2005. Three 

other police officers, 

including the leader of the 

police team were acquitted. 

In 2005, a Judicial 

Commission of Inquiry had 

indicted six police officers 

for the murders and 

recommended their trial as 

well as compensation for 

the victims’ families. One 

of them allegedly escaped 

from custody in 2015. 

In September, the High 

Court in Port Harcourt 

convicted five SARS 

policemen for the 

extrajudicial executions of 

Michael Akor and Michael 

Igwe in 2009. The court 

also awarded N50 million 

(USD143,000) in 

compensation to the 

victims’ families. 

Show me evidence 

—Junaid 

Mohammed 

Reacting to the report, 

Second Republic 

lawmaker, Dr. Junaid 

Mohammed, asked 

Amnesty International to 

show evidence of its 

allegation to Nigerians. 

“As far as I am concerned, 

I want to see evidence, 

which states how these 

unlawful killings took 

place. Even if such reports 

come from organisations 

like Oxfam, I would still 

love to see evidence before 

concluding. People cannot 

sit in London and New York 

and report what is going on 

especially in major parts of 

the North right now. 

Council of State okays 

$1bn for agric, livestock 

support for herdsmen 

By Johnbosco 

Agbakwuru 

ABUJA—THE Council 

of State, yesterday, 

endorsed $1 billion to boost 

agriculture and empower 

livestock farmers, including 

the Fulani herdsmen. 

The council also 

recommended inter-state 

security joint operations to 

flush out bandits, especially 

those operating from the 

forests. 

Governor Abubakar 

Badaru of Jigawa State, 

alongside Governor 

Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun 

State and Willy Obiano of 

Anambra State, stated this 

while briefing State House 

correspondents after over 

six hours Council of State 

meeting, presided over by 

President Muhammadu 

Buhari at the Council 

Chamber, Presidential Villa, 

Abuja. 

The meeting, which was 

attended by three former 

heads of state was centred 

on security, economy and 

electoral matters. 

The governors said the 

Council of State endorsed 

the $1 billion to increase 

agriculture funding from the 

current $200 million. 

The financial assistance to 

cattle farmers, they said, was 

not designed to support the 

rich livestock producers but 

movement of the existing 

herdsmen causing problems 

and incessant clashes with 

farmers. 

The fund will be disbursed 

through Anchor Borrower 

and Commercial 

Agricultural Credit Scheme, 

CACS Programmes, to 

encourage diversification of 

the economy and promote 

food security. 

Governor Ibikunle 

Amosun of Ogun State said 

council deliberated 

extensively on how to 

diversify the economy, 

efforts being made to pull 

Nigeria out of doldrums, 

efforts that had been made 

to move Nigeria out of 

recession and the progress 

being made. 

He said while council 

commended efforts that 

were being made to revive 

the economy, especially how 

Nigeria moved from 

monolithic economy to a 

diversified one, it advised 

that agriculture funding 

should be improved from 

$200 million to $1 billion. 

He said: “Council advised 

that we improve on the 

funding on agriculture. That 

the paltry sum of $200 

million when compared to 

what is being pumped into 

the oil sector is insignificant. 

“Council recommended 

that at least about $1 billion 

be pumped into agriculture. 

It noted how Nigeria moved 

the budget from about N4 

trillion to about N8 trillion . 

It also noted that when this 

President came in, the 

prices oil had nose dived 

from $112 in 2014 to $30 in 

2016. 

Briefing on security, 

Governor Abubakar Badaru 

of Jigawa State, said 

council was briefed by the 

National Security Adviser, 

Maj. Gen. Babagana 

Mungonu (retd). 

He said: “On the security 

situation in the country, we 

received a very long brief 

from the National Security 

Adviser, ranging from 

farmers/herdsmen clashes, 

Boko Haram, militancy in 

the Niger Delta, kidnapping 

and cattle rustling.” 

$1.2bn debt: 20m 9mobile subscribers 

face network cut-off in 2022 

By Henry Umoru 

ABUJA— SENATE 

investigations 

revealed, yesterday, that 

unless a new investor buys 

9mobile, about 20 million 

subscribers of the telecoms 

company would be cut off 

from the network in 2022, 

as a result of the $1.2 billion 

loan default to a consortium 

of 13 banks. 

The Senate prayed this 

ugly situation is avoided 

when a new buyer 

emerges, takes over the 

company and pays off the 

debt before the 15- year 

operational license given to 

the company expires in 

2022. 

The development also 

means that the over 4,000 

staff of the company may be 

sacked in the same year. 

The Senate may also 

summon Economic and 

Financial Crimes 

Commission, EFCC, in the 

investigation. 

This was disclosed, 

yesterday, during the 

investigative hearing by 

Senate Committee on 

Banking, Insurance and 

other Financial Institutions, 

which is currently 

investigating the loan 

default. 

In her remarks before the 

committee, Director of 

Legal Services of Nigeria 

Communications 

Commission, NCC, 

Yetunde Akinoye, said in 

2007, the 9Mobile was 

given a 15- year license to 

operate in Nigeria, which 

will expire in 2022. 

She said with the financial 

crisis facing 9mobile, there 

is hope that a new investor 

(buyer) will emerge to 

takeover the company, pay 

back the loan from 

consortium of banks and 

also pay for the renewal of 

the license to retain the 

services and subscribers. 

According to her, if this is 

not possible, the banks, in 

alliance with their security 

trustees, may push to 

enforce the loan conditions 

on 9Mobile, which might 

involve stripping the 

telecoms company to 

recover their investment.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2018—3 


DANGOTE AWARDS: From left, Mr Olakunle Alake, Director, Dangote Sugar; Mr 

Victor Osadolor, Deputy Managing Director, UBA Plc; Mr Muyiwa Bakare; Mr Femi Otedola; 

Alhaji Aliko Dangote, President, Dangote Group, and Mr Asue Ighodalo, Chairman, Sterling 

Bank Plc during Dangote Foods Gala Nite Award, in Lagos. Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi 

From left, Corporate Strategy Specialist, Mariya Aliko-Dangote; 

President/CE, Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote; winner 

of overall top performing distributor of Dangote Foods, Ali Balarabe; 

Executive Director, Sales & Marketing, Dangote Flour Mills Plc, 

Halima Aliko-Dangote; and Executive Director, Commercial, 

NASCON Allied Industries Plc, Fatima Aliko-Dangote at the event. 

Northern Senators divided 

over Adamu's sack 

•Why I was removed —Adamu 


ABUJA— The crack in 

the Northern Senators 

Forum, yesterday, took 

another dimension, as 

Senator Ali Wakili (APC, 

Bauchi South), disagreed 

with his colleagues on the 

removal of the forum’s 

immediate past chairman, 

Senator Abdullahi Adamu 

(APC, Nasarawa West). 

Speaking on the floor of 

the Senate, yesterday, 

Senator Ali Wakili, said 

there was no meeting 

where members reached the 

decision to remove 

Abdullahi Adamu, adding 

that his constituency and 

prominent leaders in the 

North were scandalised by 

what had happened. 

He said: “My 

constituency and other 

leaders of the North are 

disgusted, asking why we 

are trying to destroy our 

leadership.” 

Wakili, who came under a 

point of Order, Order 14 and 

15 of the Senate Standing 

Rules 2015 (as amended), 

drew the attention of his 

colleagues to the fact that at 

no time did the Forum meet 

to sack Adamu as its 

chairman. 

Wakili said he took 

exception to remarks 

concerning “monkeys,” 

even as he accused Senate 

spokesman, Aliyu Sabi 

Abdullahi, of leading the 

pack of lawmakers that 

briefed journalists on 

Wednesday. 

Deputy Senate President, 

Senator Ike Ekweremadu 

who also presided over 

plenary yesterday, did not 

allow for any debate on the 

matter. He simply said, 

‘Noted’. 

But refusing to allow the 

matter to die, Senator Aliyu 

Sabi Abdullahi absolved 

himself of any blame, 

saying he refused to 

comment on the issue 

when he briefed journalists 

on Wednesday. 

Why I was removed 

—Adamu 

Meanwhile, Abdullahi 

Adamu, who was removed 

as chairman of Northern 

Senators’ Forum on 

Wednesday, has denied 

allegation that he 

mismanaged funds 

belonging to the group. 

Adamu, who also attacked 

ex-President Olusegun 

Obasanjo for criticising 


Buhari, in an interview with 

Channels Television, 

yesterday, said the 

allegation was raised 

against him because he 

rejected the passage of 

election sequence by the 

Senate. 

•To invest $4.6 bn in sugar, rice, 

others in 3 years 

By Prince Okafor 

LAGOS— PRESIDENT 

and Chief Executive, 

Dangote Group, Mr. Aliko 

Dangote, has said his 

companies annual revenue for 

2017 exceeded $4.1 billion. 

He also disclosed that the 

group planned to invest $4.6 

billion over the next three 

years in sugar, rice and dairy 

production alone. 

Speaking during the 

Dangote Food Distributors 

Award night in Lagos, 

Dangote said: “In 2017, our 

annual revenues exceeded 

$4.1 billion. Our new projects 

include the world’s largest 

single train petroleum 

refinery, which is being built 

in Ibeju-Lekki in Lagos at the 

cost of $12 billion. 

‘’This, we believe, will 

We're yet to fully return 

to CAN — Catholic Bishops 

CATHOLIC Bishop 

Conference of Nigeria, 

CBCN, has denied media 

reports that it has returned 

to Christian Association of 

Nigeria, CAN. 

CAN had informed 

Nigerians in a statement on 

Sunday that the CBCN was 

back to its national body after 

five years of withdrawal. 

But in an exclusive 

interview with online portal, 

Premium Times, 

Wednesday, the CBCN 

president, Ignatius 

Kaigama, said although 

negotiations were ongoing 

for the expected return, the 

CBCN was yet to take a final 

decision about rejoining the 

umbrella body. 

He said: “We want to 

dialogue and conclude some 

issues of the constitution. We 

are still talking, we are still 

negotiating. We are still reexamining 

how things have 

• We're for peaceful 

coexistence — Military 

By Peter Duru 

M AKURDI—BARELY 

48 hours after the 

deployment of military to 

Benue State to check bloody 

herdsmen incursions, ethnic 

leaders of the state have 

expressed displeasure and 

apprehension over their 

activities, alleging that the 

exercise was aimed at 

providing cover for armed 

Dangote Group’s 

revenue exceeds $4.1bn 

in 2017 

been, so that when we return, 

our return will be total and 

complete. So the statement 

you saw did not emanate 

from the Catholic Church, 

although we are working 

with CAN at the state levels. 

“When we are through 

with our dialogue and 

negotiations with the 

Christian Association of 

Nigeria and we are mutually 

satisfied, we as the Catholic 

Bishops Conference will 

issue a statement to that 

effect.” 

Given the position of the 

CBCN, CAN President, 

Samson Ayokunle, 

explained that his media 

aide interpreted the decision 

of the CBCN to attend the 

constitution review and the 

executive council meeting 

organised by CAN, to mean 

that the Catholic Bishops 

had returned to the 

association. 

Exercise Ayem A’ Kpatema: 

Benue leaders accuse 

military of giving herdsmen 

cover 

address Nigeria’s energy 

needs and eliminate 

importation of refined 

petroleum products. 

“We will continue to launch 

massive agricultural projects 

across the country in rice and 

dairy farming. Our push for 

backward integration in 

providing our own raw 

materials on a massive scale 

has led to the planned 

investment of $4.6 billion over 

the next three years in sugar, 

rice and dairy production 

alone. That will eliminate the 

country’s reliance on imported 

materials, and the foreign 

exchange headaches that 

come with it. 

“We developed a sugar 

backward integration project 

plan targeted at the production 

of 1.5MT/PA from various sites 

across Nigeria, in the next 10 

years. 

“To this end, we are 

acquiring about 150,000 

hectares for sugar plantation 

in Adamawa, Taraba, 

Nasarawa, Kwara, Kogi and 

Niger states. We signed an 

MoU with Nasarawa State 

government recently, for the 

construction of an integrated 

sugar complex located at 

Tunga. 

“We envisage that we will 

generate over 100,000 

employment opportunities 

from all these sugar projects. 

In addition, we will establish 

integrated sugar mills within 

these locations, generate 

electricity, and produce 

animal feeds from bagasse 

and molasses. 

“At Dangote Flour Mills, we 

have a three-point growth 

plan; focus on sustaining high 

product quality, improving 

customer engagement and 

strengthening supply chain 

capabilities. We introduced 

new improved pasta product 

called Excellente.” 

Dangote further disclosed 

that the group was planning 

new investments in NASCON 

Allied Industries. 

herdsmen to take over 

Benue land. 

But in a swift reaction, 

Deputy Director, Army Public 

Relations, 707 Special Forces 

Brigade Makurdi, Major 

Olabisi Ayeni, maintained 

that the army would, in the 

course of the exercise, bring 

the killings to an end and 

ensure peaceful coexistence 

in all Benue communities. 

In a statement issued by 

Chairman of the joint ethnic 

leaders and President 

General of Mdzough U Tiv, 

Chief Edward Ujege, on 

behalf of the Idoma National 

Forum and the Omi 

Ny’Igede, they accused the 

military of allowing open 

grazing in the state. 

The statement read in part: 

“We wish to express our 

profound displeasure at the 

emerging trends of the 

military operation tagged, 

Ayem A' Kpatema. 

“The general public may 

recall our initial 

apprehension about the real 

mission of troops deployed 

to Benue State and true to 

our predictions, the flag off 

of the exercise has confirmed 

our fears. 

"A pamphlet circulated by 

Nigerian Army has defined 

the real intention of the 

military in Benue State. The 

pamphlet confirmed that the 

military had come to provide 

cover for armed herdsmen to 

take over our land. 

‘’The publication of the 

pamphlet in Tiv language 

gives the impression that the 

Tiv are the target of the 

exercise, whereas the 

herdsmen attacks cut across 

the entire Benue State, which 

is multi ethnic. This profiling 

of the Tiv people is also 

unacceptable.” 

We are for peaceful 

coexistence 

— Military 

However, the counter 

statement by the military 

read in part: “The Nigeria 

Army is a Federal 

Government agency 

saddled with the 

responsibility of protecting 

the lives and property of 

Nigerians as well as protect 

the territorial integrity of 

Nigeria. 

“All that the army needs to 

do here is to ensure that no 

Benue resident is killed or 

displaced from their homes, 

that is all we are doing. 

"We want to ensure 

peaceful coexistence among 

the herders and farmers. We 

are not saying herdsmen 

should not obey the anti 

open grazing law enacted 

by the Benue State 

government.

4 — VANGUARD, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2018 


LASG, hoteliers, eatery owners 

on collision course as Ambode 

automates consumption tax 

By Prince Osuagwu, 

Jimoh Babatunde & 

Monsuru Olowoopejo 

L 

A G O S — 

GOVERNOR 

Akinwunmi Ambode of 

Lagos State has lamented 

that hotels, eateries and 

restaurants in the state have 

not been duly remitting 

consumption tax collected 

into the state government 

coffers, causing the 

government to lose revenue 

annually. 

Ambode expressed 

dissatisfaction with the 

development, yesterday, 

while unveiling the 

automation processes of 

collecting the Hotel 

Occupancy and Restaurant 

Consumption Regulation 

Tax at a stakeholders 

meeting with owners of 

hotels, restaurants, bars and 

event centres in Ikeja Lagos. 

He warned that non 

compliance to the 

consumption tax regulation 

and automation process 

of collecting the revenue 

will pitch the hoteliers 

Court adjourns suit filed by PSP 

operators against LASG till March 7 

By Onozure Dania 

LTaofiquat AGOS—JUSTICE 

Oyekan- 

Abdullahi of a Lagos High 

Court , sitting in Igbosere, 

yesterday adjourned the 

suit filed by the 

Incorporated Trustees of 

Association of Waste 

Managers of Nigeria, also 

known as Private Sector 

Participation operators of 

wastes, against the Lagos 

State Government, till 

March, 7, to enable parties 

in the matter conclude their 

proposed settlement talks. 

Joined as co-defendants in 

the case are the Lagos State 

Attorney General and 

Commissioner for Justice; 

the state Commissioner for 

Environment; Visionscape 

2019: Durotoye registers with 

ANN, declares presidential bid 

By Emmanuel Aziken 

Lmotivational AGOS—LEADING 

speaker, 

Fela Durotoye, yesterday, 

formally joined the Alliance 

for New Nigeria, ANN, in 

Lagos and declared his 

intention to contest the 2019 

presidential election. 

The 46-year-old 

management consultant 

while formally identifying 

with the newly-registered 

ANN said his decision to 

register for the party was 

informed by the fact that the 

major political parties 

despite their formidable 

structures could not birth a 

new Nigeria. 

against the law. 

Reacting, hoteliers 

reminded the state 

government that imposing 

another 5% consumption 

tax would mean double 

taxation considering that the 

Lagos state government 

also has a share in the Value 

Added Tax, VAT, that they 

pay. 

Ambose said: “A critical 

overview of this particular 

line of tax shows that there 

has been high level of 

under-payment and nonremittance 

of what is due to 

the government. The 

objective of this regulation 

is to allow the state put in 

place efficient machinery to 

enhance the collection 

process and ensure 

compliance in the state.” 

Meanwhile, hotel 

owners and restaurant 

operators in the state, 

while reacting to the 

decision, demanded that 

the state government 

immediately harmonises 

the VAT and the 

Consumption tax, saying 

that collection of both is 

double taxation. 

Group, Visionscape 

Sanitation Solutions Limited 

and ABC Solutions Limited. 

The PSP operators are 

asking the court to restrain 

the Lagos State Government 

and its agents from 

terminating their right to 

collect, dispose and manage 

domestic solid wastes in all 

areas of Lagos. 

They are also asking the 

court to stop the state from 

taking over the role of 

managing solid wastes in 

the state from them and 

giving it to a foreign 

company, Visionscape 

Group, which is operating 

in partnership with two 

Nigerian companies – 

Visionscape Sanitation 

Solutions Limited and ABC 

Solutions Limited. 

Durotoye, who was 

escorted to the registration 

by some of his associates, 

subsequently told 

journalists that he was 

willing to offer himself to 

serve Nigeria at the highest 

level. 

He said: “But the real 

question for every Nation 

Builder who has love for 

their country and heart for 

the people and who, like 

me, aspires to serve their 

nation through elective 

office in the 2019 general 

election is, ‘What kind of 

party offers us the 

unfettered access to 

actualize our aspiration 

to serve our people?" 

Don’t touch $1.8bn meant for 

refineries TAM, Reps warn FG 

By Victor Ahiuma- 

Young & Emman 

Ovuakporie 

A BUJA—MEMBERS 

of the House of 

Representatives ad-hoc 

Committee investigating 

the Turn Around 

Maintenance, TAM, of the 

country’s four refineries, 

yesterday asked the 

Federal Government not to 

release the $1.8 billion 

allocated for maintenance 

until investigations are 

concluded. 

This came as the Nigeria 

Union of Petroleum and 

Natural Gas Workers, 

NUPENG, warned that it 

would shut down the 

Petroleum industry should 

Depot and Petroleum 

Products Marketers 

Association of Nigeria, 

DAPPMAN, sack its 

members as threatened in 

its ultimatum to the Federal 

Government. 

Briefing journalists on 

how the committee would 

discharge its duties, 

Chairman of the 

investigative panel, Garba 

Datti, (APC Kaduna) said: 

“We have written to the 

Minister of Petroleum 

Resources, the Minister of 

State, Petroleum Resources 

and the Group Managing 

Director of Nigeria National 

Petroleum Corporation, 

NNPC, not to release any 

money for TAM pending 

the outcome of our 

investigations. In the 

course of our investigation, 

we will find an amicable 

way of resolving the 

FRAUD: How I gave Akinjide, Adeseun 

N650m, witness tells Court 

By Innocent Anaba 

LAGOS — A witness 

for the Economic and 

Financial Crimes 

Commission, EFCC and a 

banker with a new 

generation bank, 

yesterday, told a Federal 

High Court sitting in 

Lagos, that she gave a 

cash sum of N650 million 

to former Minister of the 

Federal Capital Territory, 

FCT, Jumoke Akinjide; 

Senator Ayo Adeseun and 

one Yinka Taiwo, on the 

instruction of one Martins 

Ozuogbe, from the bank’s 

head office. 

Akinjide is standing trial 

before the court alongside 

Senator Ayo Adesheun 

and Mrs Olanrewaju Otiti 

over alleged N650 million 

fraud. 

Trial judge in the matter 

is Justice Muslim Sule 

Hassan. 

Adeniyi while being 

led-in-evidence by the 

prosecutor, said: “On 

March 6, 2015, I received 

a call from our head office, 

•As NUPENG threatens to shut industry if…, 

VISIT: From left; The Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal; Chairman, 

Nigeria Bar Association, Tiger Branch, Mr. Adesina Ogunlana; Secretary, 

Mrs. Muna Momoh Esegine, Esq, and Deputy Commissioner of Police, SCIID, 

Panti, Yaba, Mr. Bolaji Salami during the police chief's visit to the NBA. 

epileptic operations of the 

four refineries in the 

country.” 

Speaking on the 

committee’s terms of 

reference, he said: “it is to 

ascertain the viability of 

continuing investments of 

public funds on the nation’s 

four refineries and 

allocation of 445,000 barrel 

per day of crude utilisation 

for that purpose. It is also 

to determine the current 

utilisation level of Warri, 

Kaduna and Port Harcourt 

refineries. We will equally, 

carry out a comprehensive 

investigation on the Turn 

Around Maintenance 

carried out to date in the 

from Martins Ozuogbe, 

that we should take the 

sum of N650 million to 

Oloye Akinjide, Taiwo 

Yinka and Ademola 

Adeseun, upon signing of 

receipt payment and two 

means of identification. 

And they came and 

signed the receipt and 

presented the means of 

identification and 

payment was made.” 

four refineries. And 

identify the private and 

corporate individuals that 

have refused to utilize the 

licenses (regular and 

modular), the readiness 

and status of all current 

holders and report back to 

the House for further 

legislative action. 

NUPENG threatens to 

shut industry 

Meanwhile, while 

warning against sack of its 

members, NUPENG has 

urged President 

Muhammadu Buhari not to 

listen to those clamouring 

for the sale of nation’s 

refineries as they are selfcentred 

and interested only 

The witness, who is 

currently Head of 

Customers’ Service of the 

bank, further stated that 

the payment was made in 

Naira and the accused 

used their Hilux and box 

to collect the money. 

The receipt for the 

payment of the money 

was tendered and 

admitted by the court as 

exhibit P 1. 

in continuous milking of 

Nigeria’s resources. 

In a statement by its 

Executive Secretary, 

Olufemi Adewole, 

DAPPMAN said failure to 

meet the deadline would 

force its members to shut 

down all the depots 

including those that the 

NNPC currently use to 

store imported products, as 

well as disengaging their 

over 10,000 workers. 

But NUPENG President, 

Igwe Achese at a briefing 

after NUPENG Elders’ 

Forum/Stakeholders 

meeting in Lagos, insisted 

that the union would do 

everything within its power 

to protect the jobs of 

members and would not 

accept any situation to use 

members as scapegoat. 

Contending that there 

was urgent need for 

government to dialogue 

with the marketers, Achese 

said NUPENG would not 

take it lightly for members 

to be thrown into the 

unemployment market 

because of the issue. 

He said: “The problem 

will not only affect workers, 

but tanker drivers, hence if 

it happens, we will react to 

protect our members. If 

workers are sacked, the 

union will react 

accordingly.” 

UTME: JAMB to scrutinise eye glasses worn by 

candidates 

By Joseph Erunke 

ABUJA—AHEAD of 

the 2018 Unified 

Tertiary Matriculation 

Examination, UTME, slated 

to hold between March 6 

and 17, Joint Admissions 

and Matriculation Board, 

JAMB, has said 16 items, 

including eye glasses and 

wrist watches will not be 

allowed by candidates 

inside examination halls. 

The board said eye glasses 

•Prohibits pen, 15 other items from exam halls 

worn by students on 

medical grounds would be 

thoroughly scrutinized by 

invigilators to ensure they 

are not for ulterior motives. 

This was disclosed by the 

Secretary of JAMB/UTME 

Monitoring Groups, Ngozi 

Egbuna, in a memo to some 

civil society groups 

monitoring the 

examination. 

The prohibited items, 

according to the memo, are 

wrist watches, pen/biro, 

mobile phones or similar 

electronic devices, spy 

reading glasses which 

should be scrutinised, 

calculators or similar 

electronic devices, USB, 

CD, hard disks and/or 

similar storage devices. 

Others are books or any 

reading/writing material, 

cameras, recorders, 

microphones, ear pieces, 

ink/pen readers, smart 

lenses, smart rings/ 

jewellery, smart buttons 

and Bluetooth devices.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, 

FEBRUARY 23, 2018—5 

POCKET CARTOON 

NCS MEETING—From left: Former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon 

(Retd); Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Head of State, Gen. 

Abdulsalami Abubakar (Retd), discussing before the meeting of the National 

Council of State at the Aso Chambers, State House, Abuja, yesterday. Photo: 

Abayomi Adeshida. 



Continues from Page 1 

Governor Geidam’s 

statement came barely 

twenty-fours after the state 

government in a statement 

signed by Director of 

Information, Abdullahi 

Bego, said the girls had 

been rescued by the 

military. 

He urged the parents to 

remain faithful, adding that 

security operatives were 

still searching for the girls 

He said: “Soldiers have 

been pursuing the 

insurgents, although they 

received information that 

the Boko Haram insurgents 

had passed some areas, but 

the communities in the 

areas said they did not spot 

the girls along with the 

insurgents.” 

He assured that 

government and security 

operatives would not rest 

on their oars until the 

missing girls were 

accounted for. 

The waiting parents wept 

profusely as the earlier 

news that the girls were 

rescued turned out to be 

false. 

Angry residents stone 

Yobe Gov in Dapchi 

Meanwhile, some 

aggrieved residents of 

Dapchi, headquarters of 

Busari Local Government 

area of Yobe state, attacked 

Ibrahim Gaidam, governor 

of the state, yesterday. 

They not only booed the 

number one citizen of the 

state but threw stones and 

dangerous objects at his 

convoy, resulting in the 

destruction of some 

vehicles. 

The governor arrived the 

community before noon 

and immediately went into 

a meeting with traditional 

leaders at the palace of the 

village head. 

He was said to have 

taken the leaders into 

confidence but they agreed 

that he should also address 

the crowd which had 

gathered outside. 

“When Gaidam began 

speaking, we were calm. 

We followed all that he said 

with assurances that the 

situation was under 

control,” Abdullahi Dapchi, 

a resident of the town who 

said two of his sisters were 

among the captives, told 

TheCable. 

“But we got suspicious 

when he began dribbling 

us. You know how these 

politicians are. He said we 

should cooperate with the 

government that they were 

doing their best. We asked 

him about the situation and 

he said none of the 

students had been rescued. 

“At that point, some 

parents broke down in 

tears, some even collapsed 

and before you knew it, the 

atmosphere was chaotic. 

The governor had to be 

ferried away by his security 

operatives but the mob 

went after the vehicles in 

his convoy. The peace that 

we have been enjoying in 

this community was 

disrupted.” 

Dapchi said it took the 

intervention of soldiers, 

who fired shots into the air, 

for the crowd to disperse. 

He said moments after 

the troops left, some 

residents gathered again 

but this time around they 

started protesting. 

“They blocked major 

roads, chanting antigovernment 

songs and 

placing curses on Boko 

Haram,” he said. 

“They demanded the 

immediate release of the 

students and said they 

were not interested in how 

government would achieve 

that.” 

The protest did not gather 

momentum because 

attention had shifted to the 

school where Gaidam, 

under tight security, was 

awaiting the arrival of the 

delegation of President 

Muhammadu Buhari. 

Three ministers – Lai 

Mohammed (Information), 

Mansur Dan Ali (Defence) 

and Khadija Bukar Abba, 

Minister of State for 

Foreign Affairs – later 

arrived in two helicopters. 

They met with the 

governor and had a brief 

discussion with the media. 

Appealing to family 

members of the captive to 

exercise patience with 

government, Mohammed 

said the freedom of the girls 

would remain a priority. 

He said the actual 

number of the missing 

schoolgirls would be 

known when parents come 

forward with complaint of 

their wards. 

“On the issue of the 

number of missing girls, 

we cannot give what we 

are not sure of, until we 

hear from their parents, we 

cannot say this is the 

number,” he said. 

Yobe govt apologises 

for false news 

Meanwhile, Yobe State 

government has 

apologised for a false report 

it released stating that 

some of the missing 

schoolgirls from the state 

had been rescued. 

The government said in 

a statement last night: “‘The 

public may recall that we 

issued a statement last night 

in which we announced 

that some of the girls at 

Government Girls Science 

Technical College 

(GGSTC), Dapchi who 

went missing after Boko 

Haram terrorists had 

stormed their school last 

Monday were rescued by 

officers and men of the 

Nigerian Army who are 

currently executing the war 

against the Boko Haram 

Insurgents. 

“We issued the statement 

on the basis of information 

provided by one of the 

security agencies that is 

involved in the fight against 

Boko Haram and which we 

had no reason to doubt. 

“We have now established 

that the information we 

relied on to make the 

statement was not credible. 

The Yobe State 

Government apologises for 

that. 

“His Excellency Governor 

Ibrahim Geidam was in 

Dapchi today where he met 

with community leaders 

and the Principal and staff 

of the Girls’ College. 

“The governor also 

addressed the parents of 

some of the schoolgirls that 

are still unaccounted for 

where he told them to pray 

and exercise patience as 

the government and 

security agencies at all 

levels continue the work to 

address the unfortunate 

situation. 


Geidam has also directed 

Education Ministry officials 

and the school 

administration to work 

closely with the security 

agencies to establish the 

actual number of girls that 

are still unaccounted for 

and to contact parents and 

the community for possible 

information that could be 

useful in the investigation. 


Geidam shares deeply and 

personally in the grief about 

Continues on Page 41 

On FG's declaration of hate speech as act of terrorism (3) 

By Bose Adelaja, 

Bartholomew Madukwe & 

Frederick Okopie 

This is a systematic vi 

olation of human 

rights. I keep asking the 

meaning of hate speech 

Stylistically, one will be 

forced to like what he 

doesn’t like. Remember 

the “Four Freedom 

Speech” by Franklin 

Roosevelt in 1941. Why 

taking us back to that 

time? Mr Emmanuel 

Ishaya, Businessman 

Who was it that set 

the precedent for 

hate speech? Practice 

what you preach. When 

Northerners say whatever, 

its not hate speech, but 

whatever anyone from the 

South says can be classified 

as hate speech. In as 

much they will arrest people, 

they should know 

that many will be perpetrators 

because Nigerians 

want good government. 

Miss Chisom Grace, Student 

Hate speech is part of 

politics, especially 

where there is democracy. 

Morever, there is no 

law that says somebody 

cannot speak. My point 

is that if we want to tackle 

hate speech there should 

be specific laws for that. I 

think that is how it should 

be. Where there is no law, 

there is no law breaker. 

Mr Okoro Udeh, Journalist 

The Constitution of 

Nigeria is the supreme 

law of the Federal 

Republic of Nigeria. Section 

38 (12) of the constitution 

makes it very clear 

that every offence must be 

defined. Hate speech is 

not defined. Hate speeches 

are intended to incite 

or when someone uses 

vulgar speech. 

Mr Ikechukwu Akunne, 

Graduate 

Many countries have 

hate speech laws. 

Belgium enacted theirs in 

1981, Brazil in 1988, Canada 

in 1990. France, Germany, 

Japan, South Africa, 

Denmark, Finland and 

host of others have also 

done so. In Canada for 

example, someone found 

guilty of hate speech may 

get as much as five years 

imprisonment. 

Ms MaryJane Okeke, 

Make-up Artist 

The law on hate 

speech, Terrorism 

Act 2011, defines hate 

speech, among other definitions, 

as an act deliberately 

done with malice 

and which may seriously 

harm or damage. 

Even if there is freedom 

of speech, one still needs 

to guard his or her utterances. 

Mr Tunde Julius, 

Engineer


Man 

sentenced to 

42 years 

imprisonment 

over car theft 


L AGOS—JUSTICE 

Sedoten Ogunsanya of 

a Lagos High Court, sitting 

in Igbosere has sentenced 

an apprentice barber, 

Samuel Edet, to 42 years in 

prison for robbery. 

Justice Ogunsanya 

convicted Edet of robbing 

an aluminum technician, 

Adewale Elelo, of his 

Nissan Pathfinder on 

February 21, 2012. 

She sentenced him to 21 

years imprisonment for 

conspiracy to commit 

robbery and 21 years for 

robbery. 

The sentences will, 

however, run concurrently. 

Edet, who hails from 

Akwa Ibom State, was 

arraigned on April 27, 

2015, on a two-count charge 

of conspiracy to commit 

robbery and robbery. 

The prosecutor, Haroun 

Adebayo, said the offences 

committed are punishable 

under sections 297 and 

295(1) of the Criminal Law 

of Lagos State, 2011. 

Edet had pleaded not 

guilty. 

During the trial, Elelo 

said: “On June 15, 2012 at 

11p.m., I was returning 

from church after a revival 

when, at St. Paul Street, 

along Agbado Road, 

leaving Toyin Bus Stop, the 

second street by the left, I 

saw a black SUV ahead of 

me and I began driving 

slowly. 

“The car flashed its full 

headlights at me and I 

became afraid. He (Edet) 

alighted from the SUV and 

accosted me. He asked me 

to get into the boot of my 

vehicle, but I ran away and 

pressed a remote control 

that was in my pocket to 

immobilise my vehicle . 

“I got to a Police 

checkpoint at Toyin Bus 

Stop and alerted the Police. 

The officers and passers-by 

came to my rescue and 

found the defendant in the 

car because the remote 

control had made the car 

immovable.” 

According to Elelo, Edet’s 

accomplices escaped as 

soon as the crowd arrived. 

However, Edet denied the 

allegations, describing 

himself as victim. 

Edet said: “I was looking 

for a shop or work when I 

saw people running and 

shouting ‘thief.’ I was then 

arrested and taken to the 

Special Anti-Robbery 

Squad, SARS, where the 

Police wrote on paper and 

asked me to sign.” 


10 die in Jigawa State auto crash 

NO fewer than 10 persons 

died, with 10 others 

injured in a road accident in 

Majiya town, Taura Local 

Government Area of Jigawa 

State, yesterday. 

DSC Adamu Shehu, 

spokesman of Jigawa 

Command of the Nigeria 

Security and Civil Defence 


LAGOS—A 47-year-old 

woman, Jero Nwoze, 

appeared before an Igbosere 

Magistrate’s Court in Lagos, 

yesterday, over alleged forgery 

of a letter purportedly written 

by an Assistant Inspector 

General of Police to obtain 

33,000 litres of fuel. 

Nwoze, whose address was 

not given, is facing a two-count 

charge of forgery and 

impersonation. 

The prosecutor, Inspector 

Abbas Abayomi, told the court 

that the defendant committed 

the offences in January at MRS 

Oil Nigeria Plc, at 8, McCarthy 

Corps, NSCDC, confirmed the 

incident. 

He said the accident 

involved a Sharon bus with 

number plates GWL 262 ZA 

and a Toyota Hilux van with 

number plates ZY 749 AGL. 

Shehu said the cause of the 

accident was yet to be 

ascertained. 

... another allegedly forges AIG’s 

letter to get 33,000 litres of fuel 

Street, Lagos. 

He said the defendant forged 

a letter purportedly signed by 

DCP Peter Tadefe, on behalf of 

the AIG of Police, C 

Department Annex, Lagos. 

Abayomi said the letter was 

written with the letter head 

paper of the Inspector 

General of Police and was 

addressed to the Managing 

Director of MRS Oil Nigeria 

Plc, McCarthy Street, Lagos. 

The prosecutor said Nwoze, 

presented the said letter to 

MRS to fraudulently obtain 

33,000 litres of petrol. 

He said the defendant was 

arrested when the company 

notified AIG office to confirm 

He, however, noted that 

“our men, who conducted a 

rescue mission along with 

some good Samaritans in the 

area, attributed the cause to 

speeding and loss of control.“ 

The spokesperson noted 

that rain showers were 

recorded in the area. 

He added: “At the time of 

the letter's authenticity, only 

to find out that there was no 

such written order. 

The offences contravened 

Sections 363 (1) and 380 (2) 

of the Criminal Laws of 

Lagos State, 2015. 

Magistrate Abimbola 

Komolafe granted her 

N500,000 bail with two 

sureties in like sum. 

She said the sureties must 

be gainfully employed, must 

be resident in Lagos and 

must show evidence of tax 

payment to Lagos State 

Government and have their 

addresses verified. 

She adjourned the case till 

April 3 for further hearing. 

giving this report, 10 people 

were confirmed dead; they 

include two children, one 

woman and seven men. 

“Ten others also sustained 

serious injuries and were 

rushed to Ringim General 

Hospital for prompt medical 

attention. 

“The bus is a commercial 

vehicle, while the van belongs 

to Wazobia Global Broadcasting 

and Communication FM.” 

Suspects paraded over allegation of operating illegal security outfits, at Nigerian Police Force Headquarters in Abuja, 

yesterday. 

Woman escapes rape by throwing 

menstrual pad at herdsmen in Abraka 

By Perez Brisibe 

ABRAKA—ONE woman, 

who gave her name as 

Mrs. Patricia Okpako, has said 

she escaped being raped by 

herdsmen by throwing her 

menstrual pad at them. 

This came as one man was 

feared killed with another 

battling for life at the Delta 

State University Teaching 

Hospital, DELSUTH, Oghara, 

following an attack by 

herdsmen at their cassava farm 

in Abraka. 

While Mr. Happy 

Akpomiemie, a father of 11, was 

killed, his wife, Mrs. Patience 

Akpomiemie, was reportedly 

shot on the back by the 

herdsmen, while trying to 

escape from the scene of the 

attack. 

Expressing worries that if 

nothing was done to stem the 

renewed attacks by herdsmen 

in the area, the member 

representing Ethiope East in 

the state House of Assembly, 

Mr. Evance Ivwurie, said: “I am 

afraid we are going to resort to 

self-help in defending 

ourselves.” 

Menstrual pad 

causes commotion 

Giving details on how she 

escaped being raped, Mrs. 

Okpako said: “The herdsmen 

did not believe when I told 

them I was menstruating. As 

they insisted on seeing 

evidence, I brought out the 

bloody pad and threw it at 

them. 

“It caused commotion 

among them. In the confusion 

that followed, I fled and 

escaped.” 

Speaking on his ordeal, son 

of Happy Akpomiemie, Elvis, 

who had accompanied his 

parents to the farm, said: 

“Sensing danger, my father 

told me to run and that he and 

my mother will look for a way 

to escape. 

“As soon as I started 

running, my mother followed. 

But unfortunately, she was 

shot on the back and this was 

followed by three more 

gunshots. 

“I was able to run for safety 

and hid in the bush till 10p.m., 

before I came out to town. My 

mother was also able to run to 

safety, from where she was 

taken to Abraka General 

Hospital and subsequently 

referred to Oghara, owing to the 

seriousness of her wounds.” 

We might resort to 

self-help—Lawmaker 

Ivwurie, speaking during a 

visit to the affected families, 

said: “It is so unfortunate that 

in the last two years, 12 of my 

constituents have been killed 

by these herdsmen. Today, we 

are running to save the life of 

this woman while another is 

missing. 

“I am calling on the Inspector 

General of Police and Delta 

State Commissioner of Police to 

immediately send a team to 

Abraka in the next 24 hours, to 

comb the area and find these 

culprits, else I am afraid we are 

going to resort to self-help and 

I am ready to die for this cause.” 

Man sets inher 

By Simon Ebegbulem 

BENIN—ONE 

Mr. 

Idemudia Obamwonyi, 

reportedly set the house he 

inherited from his late father 

ablaze over alleged refusal by 

the tenants to pay rent. 

Over 20 shops in the 

building located at Iwebo Lane 

behind Oba Market, Benin,



Man allegedly throws lover into 

lagoon for calling off 10-yr relationship 

By Evelyn Usman 

L AGOS—POLICEMEN 

attached to Oworoshoki 

Division in Lagos have arrested 

a man who allegedly drowned 

his lover in Lagos Lagoon, at 

Oke-Eri, Oworoshoki area, for 

allegedly ending their 

relationship. 

The deceased, identified as 

Iyabo Akinpelu, 48, had been 

living with her lover, Philip 

Ononaku, 45, until the 

relationship went sour on 

February 11, when she was said 

to have called off the 10 years 

relationship over battery. 

Report had it that she got into 

another relationship. 

By Emeka Mamah 

POLICE have rescued a 35- 

year-old gay from being 

lynched by a mob at Agbani in 

Nkanu West Local Government 

Area of Enugu State, following 

the death of his partner. 

The suspect (name withheld), 

was said to have been having 

an affair with a 29-year-old man 

who suddenly died at 

Umuokorouba Area of Ozalla in 

the area. 

Police sources told Vanguard 

in Enugu that the man’s death 

reportedly infuriated youths in 

Umuokorouba, who then 

apprehended the suspect and 

tied him to a tree with the aim 

of stoning him to death. 

ited house ablaze over tenants' refusal to pay rent 

•We're not owing; he needs extra money for his father's burial—Tenant 

were razed. 

An eyewitness said Idemudia 

stubbornly stopped those who 

attempted to put out the fire, 

insisting that it was better for 

him to raze the house than allow 

tenants stay in it for free. 

It was gathered that he 

allowed shop owners in the 

Eyewitness account 

A resident of Oke-Arin Street, 

who gave his name simply as 

Moshood, said: “Philip is a 

jealous lover. He even went to 

Iyabo’s new lover’s home to fight 

with them. But he was beaten up. 

“Philip then went to the Police 

to report the matter. Iyabo and 

her new lover were arrested, but 

later released. He was not happy 

that they were released. 

“He went about bragging that 

he will teach Iyabo and her new 

lover a lesson they will never 

forget. Some days after the 

threat, Iyabo was declared 

missing.” 

It was during the search for 

Iyabo that her bloated body was 

A Police patrol team, which 

arrived the scene could not stop 

the youths from carrying out their 

intention of killing the suspect. 

Operatives of Special Anti- 

Robbery Squad, SARS; Mobil 

Police Force, MOPOL, and the 

anti-cult team had to be mobilised 

before the suspect was rescued 

and taken to the Police 

building to close for the day 

before setting the house ablaze. 

The eyewitness, who identified 

himself as Ifaluyi Obasogie, 

expressed shock over the 

incident, narrating that “people 

were holding him and he was 

saying ‘let the house burn, I don’t 

get any money from it’.” 

found floating on the lagoon 

at Oworoshoki. Iyabo’s family 

reported the case of threat to 

the Police, which led to 

Philip’s arrest. Her limbs were 

tied before she was thrown 

into the lagoon. 

Police investigate 

Spokesman for the Lagos 

State Police Command, Chike 

Oti, confirmed the arrest. 

He said the suspect was 

arrested by the Oworonsoki 

Police Division and 

transferred to the homicide 

section of the State Criminal 

Intelligence and Investigation 

Department, SCIID, Yaba. 

According to Oti, “the onus 

headquarters in Enugu. 

Meanwhile, the corpse has 

been deposited at the 

University of Nigeria 

Teaching Hospital, UNTH, 

mortuary at Ituku Ozalla, 

while one of the suspects 

that allegedly tied the 

suspect to the tree was 

arrested. 

A shop owner, who gave his 

name as Justice Aigbekhan, 

claimed they had paid their 

rent, but Idemudia kept 

asking for money, saying he 

wanted to perform his 

father’s burial. 

According to Aigbekhan, 

“if they are having family 

lies on the detectives to 

ascertain the root cause of the 

murder before the suspect is 

charged to court. 

“One Christiana Akinpelu 

of Oke-Eri, Oworonshoki, 

came to the station and 

reported that the former 

husband of her sister, one 

Philip Ononaku, killed her 

sister, one Iyabo Akinpelu, by 

pushing her inside river after 

tying her hands and legs. 

“The DPO rushed to the 

scene with his men and 

arrested the suspect. The 

corpse has been deposited 

in a mortuary and the case 

was transferred to SCIID, 

Panti, Yaba.” 

Homosexual escapes lynching over lover's death in Enugu 

By Evelyn Usman 

AN official of Lagos State 

Neigbourhood Corps, 

LSNC, was, Wednesday night, 

killed by suspected cultists, who 

invaded Umunede bar at 

Mallam Isah Close in Aguda, 

Surulere area of Lagos, where 

football fans were watching a 

UEFA Champions League 

game. 

This came as one person 

was also killed and several 

Orchestra of the 

Deeper Christian 

Life Ministry 

performs at a citywide 

crusade on the 

theme One Night of 

U n c o m m o n 

Experience with the 

God of Solutions, 

hosted by the 

G e n e r a l 

Superintendent, 

Pastor William 

Kumuyi, in Minna. 

A senior Police officer, who 

confirmed the story in Enugu, 

told Vanguard that “some 

exhibits were recovered at the 

scene where the homosexual 

was to be killed, while the 

operatives of the State 

Criminal Investigation 

Department, SCID, had 

begun investigations.” 

Cultists kill LSNC, LASPOTECH student 

others injured when cultists 

invaded Lagos State 

Polytechnic, LASPOTECH, 

Ikorodu campus, Tuesday. 

The LSNC official, Moshood 

Bolaji, as gathered, was 

returning from work, when he 

issues, they should go and 

solve it. It is not for them to 

put us in trouble.” 

Another shop owner, 

Cynthia Obaseki, claimed she 

lost goods worth N5 million 

to the inferno, vowing that 

she will recover her money 

through the courts. 

Carpenter 

bags 16 

months in 

jail over 

N80,000 


LAGOS—A 32-year-old 

carpenter, Emeka 

Okonkwo, who pleaded 

guilty to stealing phones 

and cash totalling N80,000 

was, yesterday, sentenced 

to 16 months imprisonment 

by an Igbosere 

Magistrate’s Court in 

Lagos. 

Okonkwo, was arraigned 

alongside Isaac Ibrahim, 

55, on a three-count charge 

of conspiracy, stealing and 

receiving of stolen 

properties. 

Okonkwo pleaded guilty 

while Ibrahim denied the 

charges. 

The prosecutor, Sergeant 

Peace Chukwudi, had on 

November 7, 2017, when 

the duo were first 

arraigned, told the court 

that the defendants 

committed the alleged 

offences on November 5, 

2017, at 10:00p.m, at Elf Bus 

Stop, Lekki Phase 1, 

Lagos. 

She alleged that the 

defendants stole recharge 

cards valued at N50,000 

and cash of N30,000, 

belonging to the 

complainant, Mrs Ima 

Jack. 

According to her, the 

offences committed are 

Punishable under 

Sections 287, 329 and 411 

of the Criminal Law of 

Lagos State, 2015. 

However, Okonkwo 

pleaded guilty to the 

charge, while Ibrahim 

pleaded not guilty and was 

granted N200,000 bail with 

two sureties in like sum and 

Magistrate Patrick 

Adekomaiya adjourned till 

yesterday. 

stopped over at the bar to watch 

the UEFA Champions League 

match between Servilla and 

Manchester United around 

9.30p.m. 

Meanwhile, Police 

authorities said no fewer than 

five suspects have been 

arrested in connection with the 

two incidents. 

On the killing of LSNC 

personnel, Lagos State 

Commissioner of Police, 

Imohimi Edgal, has ordered a 

manhunt for the assailants. 

As first step, Edgal has 

directed a contingent of the 

Special Anti-Robbery Squad, 

SARS, and personnel of the 

command's Anti-Cultism Squad 

to relocate to Census Police 

Outpost, Aguda, Surulere, with 

immediate effect.

8 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2018

VANGUARD, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2018 — 9


' 

VANGUARD, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2018 — 11 


Ex-military men have no business in 

politics — OLURIN 

By Ola Ajayi 

IBADAN — AS the 

three musketeers in 

Nigerian journalism 

profession were celebrated, 

yesterday, a former military 

governor of the old Western 

region, Gen. Adetunji 

Olurin (retd) has declared 

that former military men 

have no business in 

politics. 

Olurin said this at the 

presentation of a book, 

titled: ‘The Three 

Musketeers’, written in 

honour of late Peter Ajayi, 

Chief Olusegun Osoba and 

Mr Felix Adenaike, which 

held at the Premier Hotel, 

Ibadan. 

According to the former 

governor of the defunct 

Western Region, his short 

foray into politics left a bitter 

pill in his mouth and would 

never venture into it again. 

Recalling his bitter 

experience when he was 

nursing the ambition of 

becoming the governor of 

Ogun State, he said: “I will 

never go into politics again. 

A military man has no place 

in politics.” 

Acknowledging the 

advisory role the three 

LAUNCH: From left: Special Adviser on Education in Lagos State, Mr. Obafela 

Bank-Olemoh; Divisional Head, Corporate Services of First City Monument Bank 

(FCMB), Felicia Obozuwa; Special Adviser, Oversea Affairs & Investment, Lagos 

State, Prof Ademola Abass and a Partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Mr. 

Pedro Omontuemhen, during the faculty launch of the ReadySetWork (RSW) initiative 

designed by Lagos State Govt to prepare students in higher institutions in the state 

for work after school in Lagos, yesterday. FCMB is a major partner of the programme. 

TI'S REPORT ON CORRUPTION: 

I'm vindicated, says Fayose 

•Expresses concern over missing Yobe school girls 

EKITI State Governor, 

Mr Ayodele Fayose 

has described the new 

report by Transparency 

International, TI, revealing 

that the perception of 

corruption in Nigeria 

worsened between 2016 

and 2017, as another 

vindication of his position 

that the All Progressives 

Congress, APC, 

government of President 

Muhammadu Buhari was 

not fighting any corruption. 

According to him, 

"Transparency International 

only confirmed what I have 

said before that President 

Buhari is only hiding under 

anti-corruption fight to 

harass his perceived 

political foes while 

protecting corrupt people in 

his government.” 

He also expressed 

concern over the reported 

abduction of 94 pupils of 

the Government Girls 

Technical College, Dapchi, 

Yobe State, appealing to the 

federal government to 

ensure that the remaining 

girls are found and stop 

lying to Nigerians that the 

Boko Haram insurgency 

had been “completely 

defeated.” 

In a statement by his 

Special Assistant on Public 

Communications and New 

Media, Lere Olayinka, 

Governor Fayose said it was 

painful that despite the 

earlier claim by the federal 

government that Boko 

Haram was “technically 

defeated” and the latest one 

that the insurgency was 

“completely defeated”, 

94 students could be 

•As Nigerians celebrate three musketeers 

musketeers played during 

his tenure, Gen Olurin 

noted, “When I was in 

trouble with the kings, 

Adenaike and Ajayi used 

to caution me. They always 

warned me to respect 

tradition. As a military 

governor, I thought I could 

smash everything but I 

learned many lessons 

through the media.” 

At the epoch-making 

event which attracted 

several prominent 

Nigerians like the Alaafin 

of Oyo, Oba Lamidi 

Adeyemi; former Governor 

of Western region, General 

Oluwole Rotimi (retd), 

General Adetunji Olurin 

(retd); former Military 

Administrator of Oyo State; 

Publisher of Vanguard 

Newspapers, Mr Sam 

Amuka-Pemu, who was 

also the Chairman of the 

occasion; the Editor-in- 

Chief, Vanguard 

Newspaper, Mr Gbenga 

Adefaye; Mrs Iyabode 

Ajayi and Mrs Kemi Ajayi, 

wives of late Peter Ajayi; 

Colonel Yakubu 

Anifowoshe (retd), Mrs 

Korede Adenaike and Mr 

Toye Arulogun, 

Commissioner for 

Information, Culture and 

Tourism, who represented 

the Oyo State Governor, 

Senator Abiola Ajimobi, 

among others. 

Alaafin hails ''three 

musketeers'' 

Oba Adeyemi, the royal 

father of the day who, in his 

characteristic manner, went 

down the memory lane 

listed icons in journalism 

profession and the roles 

they played, said the 

three musketeers, “may not 

be biological but the social 

gene that binds them 

together is that which 

breeds competence, 

excellence and professional 

integrity.” 

Their friendship was 

without its trials — Akande 

Reviewing the book, Prof. 

Adeolu Akande from the 

Department of Political 

Science and Public 

Administration, said the 

Three Musketeers’ stock of 

social capital was so 

immense that they dared to 

walk where angels feared 

to tread. 

He said: “That was the 

case when Osoba, as 

Managing Director of 

Daily Times contested the 

post of National President 

of the Newspapers 

Proprietors Association 

of Nigeria, NPAN 

against the publisher of 

National Concord, Chief 

M.K.O Abiola." 

Only LP Rep member decamps to ACP 

THE only member of 

Labour Party in the 

House of Representatives, 

Mr Segun Ogunwuyi, 

yesterday, decamped to the 

All Progressives Congress, 

APC, saying that he 

defected with the consent of 

his constituents. 

The lawmaker represents 

Ogbomoso North/South/ 

Oriire Federal Constituency 

of Oyo State in the House. 

The lawmaker’s notice of 

defection was read by the 

Deputy Speaker, Mr. Lasun 

Yusuf who presided over the 

plenary session. 

The notice read in part, “I 

wish to notify you and the 

entire House that I have 

defected to the All 

Progressives Congress, 

abducted in Yobe State in 

just one day. 

He said: “My heart goes 

to those 46 students that are 

yet to be found and I urge 

the federal government 

as well as the Yobe State 

government to do all 

within their powers to 

bring the students back 

to their families." 

APC. This action and 

decision are as a result of 

the factionalisation in the 

Labour party that 

sponsored my election into 

the House of 

Representatives. 

“Presently, there are two 

persons laying claim to the 

position of the National 

Chairman of the party with 

its attendant factional 

National Executive 

Committees. 

“After wide consultations 

with my constituents, I have 

been advised to formally 

defect to the All 

Progressive Congress so 

that we can together 

actualise our vision of 

moving our constituency, 

Oyo State and Nigeria at 

large forward. 

“This action is in tandem 

with the provisions of 

Section 68 (1) (g) of the 

constitution of the federal 

republic of Nigeria 1999 (as 

amended),” he announced. 

Addressing newsmen, 

the lawmaker stated that he 

defected with the consent 

of his constituents who 

voted for him under the LP 

and the same people 

would vote for him to return 

to the House come next 

year. 

Ogunwuyi said his 

constituency would have 

more dividends of 

democracy now that he is 

in APC which controls both 

the Oyo State and the 

Federal Government. 

Ondo govt halts monarch's 

anniversary over security 

concerns 

By Dayo Johnson 

A KURE—CITING 

unfavourable 

security concerns, the Ondo 

State government for the 

second time in seven 

months suspended 

indefinitely the one year 

anniversary celebration of 

the Alale of Akungba 

Akoko, Oba Sunday 

Ajimoh. 

The action was sequel to 

the lingering Chieftaincy 

tussle over the stool. 

However, the monarch 

rescheduled the celebration 

for today (February 23rd) 

only for government to 

wield the big stick again. 

The state government via 

a letter addressed to the 

traditional ruler directed 

that the event be put on 

hold in view of an 

unfavourable security 

report. 

Vanguard gathered that 

the Director, Chieftaincy 

Affairs, Mr Adeyemo 

signed the letter on behalf 

of the Permanent Secretary, 

Ministry ''of Local 

Government and 

Chieftaincy Affairs. 

The letter reads in part: 

“There is a threat to peace 

and security as a result of 

the proposed programme. 

The state government has 

therefore directed that the 

proposed anniversary 

celebration be suspended 

indefinitely.” 

Adeyemo said 

government would not 

allow anything truncate the 

prevailing peace in the 

state, “including Akungba 

Akoko which hosts one of 

the state universities.” 

1ST ANNIVERSARY: Ondo PDP, APC 

trade words over Akeredolu's 

performance 


AKURE—THE All 

Progressives 

Congress, APC and the 

Peoples Democratic Party, 

PDP, in Ondo State, 

yesterday engaged in war 

of words over the 

performance of governor 

Rotimi Akeredolu’s first 

year in officer. 

While the PDP insisted 

that Akeredolu had not 

performed to the 

expectations of the people, 

the APC, on its part, said 

the governor's 

achievements abound 

across the state. 

Akeredolu was sworn in 

as governor of Ondo State 

Osun govt releases N200m 

for payment of gratuities 

By Gbenga 

Olarinoye 

OSOGBO 

—THE 

Osun State 

Government says it has 

released N200 million to 

settle part of the 

outstanding gratuities due 

to the 2011/2012 retirees in 

the state. 

Mr Sola Fasure, the 

media adviser to Gov. Rauf 

Aregbesola, said this, 

yesterday, in Osogbo in a 

statement released after the 

Ooni, Sanusi, Dein, others for 

Southern Northern Young 

Leaders' conference 

EMIR of Kano, Alhaji 

Muhammadu 

Sanusi Lamido; Ooni of Ife, 

Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, 

and Dein of Agbor, 

Benjamin Ikechukwu 

would be among those 

attending the Southern and 

Northern Young Leaders 


The PDP Director of 

Media and Publicity of the 

PDP, Ayo Fadaka, who 

spoke while featuring a 

personality programme on 

Adaba FM in Akure, 

described the APC 

administration in the state 

as “a clueless government 

without any direction.” 

But in a swift reaction, the 

Information and 

Orientation Commissioner, 

Yemi Olowolabi, said “the 

current administration had 

performed better than 

administration of Dr. 

Olusegun Mimiko-led, 

when comparing the first 

year of both 

administrations. 

State Executive Council 

meeting. 

Fasure said that the 2,006 

retirees that were expected 

to benefit from the money 

would receive N100,000 

each on ‘first come, first 

served’ basis. 

He listed the beneficiaries 

to include 801 high school 

teachers, 704 civil servants 

and 501 others from 

parastatal agencies. 

Fasure said that the 

payment would commence 

on February 26. 

Conference. 

The conference is being 

convened by the Nigerian 

Young Professionals 

Forum, NYPF, in order to 

deliberate on the need to 

include young people in 

the processes leading to 

2019 general election.



Adesina urges lawyers to live 

up to their constitutional roles 

FORMER Secretary 

General of the 

Nigerian Bar Association, 

NBA, Deacon Dele 

Adesina, SAN, yesterday, 

urged the judiciary to 

continuously live up to its 

constitutional role, in a 

bid to preserve the legal 

profession. 

Adesina made the call 

in Lagos, at the public 

presentation of his book 

entitled New Development 

in Law and Practice in 

Nigeria. 

He said that the 

judiciary had continued to 

live up to its constitutional 

and historic role as the 

baston of constitutional 

democracy. 

He said that it remained 

the tripod on which the 

hope of democracy and 

the common man rest, 

adding that the time to 

stop politicization of the 

judiciary is now. 

According to Adesina , 

“To say that the Nigerian 

judiciary is corrupt is an 

unacceptable generalization 

which must yield up 

to specifics.” 

In his comment, Chief 

Wole Olanipekun, SAN, a 

discussant at the event, 

also advised lawyers to 

learn to “steal” knowledge 

from their colleagues, 

adding that it also impacts 

on the learning process. 

According to 

Olanipekun “Rome was 

not built in a day,” and so 

even as young lawyers, 

they must be prepared to 

learn and adhere strictly 

to the principles of legal 

practice. 

Warning lawyers 

against corruption, 

Olanipekun said: “Woe 

betide any lawyer who 

gives bribe, offers bribe, 

compromises the integrity 

of the legal profession or 

distorts justice, such 

lawyer will go to hell.” 

1999 Constitution: Bayelsa Assembly rejects two 

proposed amendments 

By Samuel Oyadongha 

Y ENAGOA—— 

BAYELSA State 

House of Assembly has 

rejected two provisions out 

of 15 proposed for 

consideration and voting 

on the 4th alteration to the 

constitution. 

The Assembly, which 

yesterday considered the 

15 provisions sent to state 

Houses of Assembly by the 

National Assembly, kicked 

against the issue of 

independent candidacy 

and the removal of a 

president or governor 

sworn in to complete the 

tenure of an elected 

president or governor 

elected to office for more 

than a single term. 

Moving the motion for 

the dissolution of the House 

into a Committee of Whole, 

Leader of the House, Dr. 

Peter Akpe said that the 

exercise was the 

contribution of Bayelsa 

people to the process of 

constitutional amendment. 

The members voted in the 

affirmative for 13 provisions 

including the total support 

for the change of the 

Nigeria Police Force to the 

Nigerian Police. 

Also supported was the 

abrogation of the state joint 

Account for Local 

Government Council and 

the empowerment of 

councils to maintain and 

operate special account 

with a provision to make 

savings in the Federal 

Account before distribution 

to other accounts. 

The members also 

supported the issue of 

immunity clause for 

members in respect to 

words spoken during 

plenary sessions on the 

floor of the House. 

BOOK PRESENTATION: From left, Chief Wole Olanikpekun, SAN, Dr Wale Babalakin, SAN 

and the celebrant, Deacon Dele Adesina, SAN, during the public presentation of his book, entitled: 

New Development in Law and Practice in Nigeria, to celebrate Dele Adesina at MUSON Centre, Lagos, 

yesterday. 

Amaechi blames non-functional ports on 

N-Deltans 

By Akpokona 

Omafuaire 

W 

A R R I — 

MINISTER for 

Transportation, Mr. 

Chibuike Amaechi, 

yesterday blamed the nonfunctional 

state of the ports 

in the Niger Delta region 

on the people of the region, 

whom he said had allowed 

activities that bred 

insecurity within their 

domains. 

He also accused some 

cartels operating within the 

nation’s maritime system of 

being responsible for the 

insecurity on the nation’s 

waterways. 

The minister made the 

assertions during a 

Maritime Stakeholders’ 

Interactive Forum held in 

Warri, Delta State. 

Amaechi, in his keynote 

address, said that some 

cartels, including security 

personnel, had ensured 

that the security situation in 

the nation’s maritime 

territories remain unstable 

so that they could continue 

making gains at the 

expense of all Nigerians. 

He promised to expose 

those involved in the cartel 

at the appropriate time, 

adding that it was a battle 

he will not reneged on as it 

was going to solve the 

Niger Delta question. 

According to him, “Those 

of you who spoke said the 

problem with the eastern 

ports is insecurity. Every 

day I receive reports of 

insecurity on our 

waterways. It is there in 

Lagos, but it is worse here 

in the eastern ports. 

Navy vows to flush out oil thieves, pirates 

By Jimitota Onoyume 

W 

A R R I — 

NIGERIAN 

Navy has ended its two 

days retreat at its Nigerian 

Navy Engineering 

College, Sapele, Delta 

State, with an assurance to 

crush illegal bunkering 

activities and related crimes 

on the nations waterways. 

Chief of Naval Staff, CNS, 

Vice Admiral Ibok Ibas 

“Somebody said here that 

to leave Warri after 2p.m., 

you are on your own, but I 

can hop into a vessel or a 

boat in Lagos and go to 

anywhere I want. You can’t 

do it here. Enter a boat from 

Port Harcourt to Bonny 

alone and see what will 

happen to you. 

“Nobody hates South- 

South. When I was 

governor, I thought so, 

then I thought that the 

Yoruba were deliberately 

trying to make sure that the 

Lagos port works as against 

the eastern ports, but when 

gave the assurance in his 

address, saying that the 

Navy had acquired two 

more operational patrol 

vessels and 200 locally built 

flat bottom boats to enhance 

its operations. 

He added that two more 

newly built 35 meter SDBs 

from France will be injected 

into the Nigerian naval 

fleet. These acquisitions, he 

said will greatly enhance 

Nigerian Navy’s ability to 

perform its statutory roles. 

I got to the office, the first 

thing I did was to ask for 

the solution for the eastern 

ports to work. 

“I asked the Igbo, I asked 

the former governor of 

Anambra State, Peter Obi, 

why don’t his people want 

to import through Port 

Harcourt or the Warri ports, 

he gave me the same 

reason. It costs twice what 

it will take to import from 

Lagos, plus all the 

miscellaneous costs on the 

road, to import from Port 

Harcourt to Onitsha or 

Aba.” 

He said the theme of this 

year’s retreat Optimizing 

operational availability of 

the NN fleet, was apt as 

the Navy was focused on 

improving operational 

effectiveness. 

Meanwhile, the Joint 

Task Force, JTF, now 

Operation Delta Safe, 

ODS, has crushed several 

illegal refineries in Yeye 

community, Burutu Local 

Government Area Delta 

State.



House C'ttee queries Transport Ministry, NIMASA 

over Cabotage waivers 

By Godwin Oritse 

THE 

House 

Committee on 

Marine Education and 

Administration, yesterday, 

queried the Federal 

Ministry of Transportation 

and the Nigerian Maritime 

Administration and Safety 

Agency, NIMASA, over the 

issuance of Cabotage 

waivers, challenging them 

to make available the 

number of waivers so far 

Alleged missing rice: Edo govt petitions 

Police, calls for probe 

By Simon Ebegbulem 

BENIN—EDO State 

Government 

yesterday petitioned the 

state Commissioner of 

Police, Babatunde 

Kokumo, asking him to 

investigate the allegation 

made by the state 

Chairman of the Peoples 

Democratic Party, Chief 

Dan Orbih, that the state 

government diverted 4,721 

bags of rice allegedly 

meant for Internally 

Displaced Persons, IDPs, 

camp in the state. 

The petition by Secretary 

to Edo State Government, 

Osarodion Ogie, said the 

PDP chairman had in a 

radio interview, “Falsely 

and maliciously stated that 

the Edo State Government 

was involved in a criminal 

conspiracy to divert 4,721 

bags of rice released by the 

Federal Government for 

distribution to IDPs in the 

state.” 

Also, the All Progressives 

Congress, APC, PDP in 

the state has described the 

allegation as diversionary. 

The APC in a statement 

by its Secretary, Lawrence 

Okah, said that the 

Obaseki-led administration 

will “never divert what belongs 

to the IDPs and the 

PDP knows that. What they 

are trying to do is to divert 

the attention of Edo indigenes 

and the general public 

from the ongoing investigation 

of most PDP leaders 

in the state by the EFCC 

as regards the looted funds 

in the NNPC and the Ministry 

of Works which they 

squandered during the 

2015 presidential election. 

“Most of them have been 

visiting the EFCC in the 

past six months and very 

soon they will be sent to jail 

NLC flays arbitrary retirement of primary 

school teachers in Bayelsa 

By Samuel Oyadongha 

& Emem Idio 

Y ENAGOA— 

CHAIRMAN of the 

Nigeria Labour Congress, 

NLC, Bayelsa State 

Council, John Ndiomu, has 

decried what he described 

as the “indiscriminate 

forced retirement” of some 

primary school teachers in 

the state. 

Ndiomu stated this on an 

approved. 

Speaking at a 

stakeholders’ meeting in 

Warri, Delta State, the 

Committee Chairman, Mr 

Mohammed Bago, said 

that the process of granting 

waivers under Cabotage 

has been shrouded in secrecy 

. 

Bago said the law establishing 

the Cabotage provides 

that waivers should 

be granted through a process, 

adding that that process 

must be adhered to. 

He said: “NIMASA and 

the Ministry of 

Transportation said they 

have not granted waivers 

to foreign operators in the 

last six years or more. If they 

haven’t, how are these 

foreign operators operating 

in Nigeria, to the detriment 

of our indigenous 

operators? 

“My message therefore, 

is that if NIMASA and the 

Federal Ministry of 

for their atrocities. So they 

are only trying to malign the 

the governor just to convey 

wrong impression to the 

public. Obaseki has spent 

millions of naira in rehabilitating 

both the IDPs and 

Libya returnees and I wonder 

how it will make sense 

to anybody to feel he can 

divert bags of rice meant for 

IDPs.” 

Meanwhile, the state 

government in the petition, 

said: “It is instructive to 

note that in making these 

allegations to the general 

public, Orbih claimed that 

he had facts and records to 

back up his allegations. 

“The purpose of this 

occasion to mark the 40th 

anniversary of the NLC 

with the theme: Nigeria 

Labour Congress: 

Yesterday, Today and 

Tomorrow, held at the 

Nigeria Union of 

Journalists, NUJ, Press 

Centre, Yenagoa, 

yesterday. 

His words: “Some 

teachers were retired from 

the teaching service before 

their due retirement age. 

Transportation in treating 

application for waivers 

under Cabotage as 

provided for in section 9 to 

14 of the Cabotage law, 

follow the requirement of 

articles 3-8 of the Executive 

Order, then the indigenous 

operators will be better for 

it. 

“There will no more be 

foreign ships scattered on 

our waterways operating 

without waivers." 

SEMINAR: From left: Mr Ade Adefeko, Corporate and Government Relations, OLAM Nigeria Limited; 

Mrs Audrey Joe-Ezigbo, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Falcon Corporation Ltd; Mr Ini Ebong, 

Group Executive, Treasury and Financial Institutions, First Bank of Nigeria Ltd; Dr Vincent Nwani, 

Director, Research and Advocacy, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Wole Obayomi, 

Partner and Head of Tax Regulatory and People Services, KPMG Nigeria at the KPMG Tax Breakfast 

Seminar themed in Lagos, yesterday. Photo: Lamidi Bamidele. 

complaint is to formally 

bring these weighty and 

unsubstantiated allegations 

to your attention and to 

request a thorough 

investigation with a view to 

establishing the veracity or 

otherwise of same. 

“It is the contention of the 

Edo State Government that 

Orbih should be called to 

provide evidence of the 

serious crimes he has 

accused the Edo State 

Government of and to 

furnish your command 

with facts, details and proof 

of the allegations he made 

in the public domain.” 

Labour will re-visit the 

matter. I want to assure all 

workers in Bayelsa that 

nobody will intimidate 

them and nobody will be 

punished unjustly. There 

must be collaboration 

between the employer and 

employees for the system to 

work. 

“We always adopt 

dialogue and constitutional 

means in resolving conflicts 

and matters that border on 

workers welfare." 

Ademokun blames fuel price 

hike on division in NLC 

By Gabriel 

Enogholase 

B ENIN—EDO 

State chairman of 

Nigeria Labour 

Congress, NLC, Mr. 

Emmanuel Ademokun, 

has attributed the rise in 

the pump price of 

petroleum products by the 

Federal Government in 

recent years to the 

division within the labour 

union. 

He stated this yesterday 

in Benin City, Edo State, 

during the 40th 

anniversary celebration of 

the NLC, insisting that the 

real player in the 

petroleum sector utterly 

backed out of the struggle 

that could have brought 

an end to the increase. 

Dickson charges Bayelsa youths 

to shun cultism, drug abuse 

By Samuel 

Oyadongha 

Y ENAGOA— 

GOVERNOR 

Seriake Dickson of 

Bayelsa State has called 

on youths to shun 

cultism and drug abuse. 

He said that 

indulging in such social 

vices will only give them 

temporary satisfaction 

but eventually destroy 

their lives. 

According to him, the 

youths who will make it 

in life are those that cultivate 

discipline, follow 

established procedures 

and take advantage of 

opportunities that come 

their way. 

He stated this during 

the graduation of a 

training programme, 

powered by the 

Industrial Training 

Preserve local languages, 

Akwa Ibom dep gov urges FG 

By Ugochukwu 

Alaribe 

AKWA Ibom State 

Deputy Governor, 

Mr. Moses Ekpo, has 

called on the federal and 

state governments to 

introduce policies that will 

help to preserve local 

Nigerian languages. 

Ekpo, who spoke at the 

National Institute for 

Nigerian Languages, 

NINLAN, Aba, Abia 

State during the 

international mother 

language day celebration 

at the institution, noted 

that the world faces the 

danger of losing its 

culture, tradition and 

moral values without the 

preservation of local 

The occasion had in 

attendance Professor Julius 

Ihonvbere who represented 

the state governor, Mr 

Godwin Obaseki, Permanent 

Secretary, Ministry of 

Agriculture and Natural 

Resources, Bashir Kadiri as 

moderator, Dean of Faculty of 

Arts, University of Benin, 

Professor Eddy Erhagbe, as 

the guest lecturer, labour 

leaders and workers from 

affiliated unions. 

Ademokun said: “When a 

house is divided against 

itself, what do you expect to 

get? It will not stand. But the 

truth is that we are actually 

on the issue in terms of the 

increase in the price of fuel. 

We know that the major 

union in that field is an 

affiliate of NLC, but they are 

not part of the struggle now." 

Fund, ITF, and the Bayelsa 

State Government. 

Dickson, who was represented 

by his deputy, Rear 

Admiral Gboribiogha Jonah 

(retd), congratulated the 

graduands for their perseverance, 

dedication and 

commitment to the training 

programme, stressing that 

they should maximize the 

benefits of the training to 

sustain themselves. 

Also speaking, Mr. Peter 

Agbo, Director of Corporate 

Planning at ITF 

Headquarters, who 

represented the Director 

General, said that the 

training programme was a 

collaborative effort between 

the ITF and the Bayelsa 

State Government which 

was packaged as the National 

Industrial Skills Development 

Programme. 

languages. 

“As we already know, 

languages are generally the 

major tools for education, 

communication, social integration 

and business. Unfortunately, 

despite this huge 

advantage, our indigenous 

languages have become endangered. 

There is gradual 

phasing out of indigenous 

languages and the world 

stands the risk of losing its 

huge diversity potential such 

as culture, tradition and a 

monumental repertoire of arts 

and moral values. There is a 

need for the government to 

see the local languages as an 

issue of fundamental rights 

and work towards its preservation." 

C 

M 

Y 

K

14 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2018 

PRESENTATION OF THE THREE MUSKETEERS 

A book, The Three Musketeers, written on Mr Peter Ajayi (RIP); Aremo Olusegun Osoba and Mr Felix Adenaike by Mr 

Agboola Sanni was presented at the banquet hall of Premier Hotel, Ibadan, yesterday. PHOTOS BY DARE FASUBE. 

From left; Publisher, Vanguard Newspapers and Chairman of the occasion, Mr Sam Amuka; 

Brig-Gen. Oluwole Rotimi (retd); Gen. Adetunji Olurin (retd); Mrs Iyabode Peter Ajayi; 

Mrs Korede Adenaike and Mr Felix Adenaike. 

From left; Emeritus Professor Kayode Oyediran; 

representative of Oyo State Governor, Mr Toye Arulogun; 

Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi; Former Ogun State 

governor, Aremo Olusegun Osoba and Chief Adebayo Adetunji. 

From left; Mr Ayo Afolabi; Chief Olusegun Osoba GM/Editor in Chief, Vanguard Newspapers, Mr Gbenga From left; Col. Yakubu Anifowoshe, his wife, 

and Mr Kunle Famoriyo. 

Adefaye (left) and ex-Editor, Tribune, Mr Folu Olamiti. Josephine and Mr Ayokunnu Fawole. 

MARITIME STAKEHOLDERS' INTERACTIVE FORUM 

Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi led a host of others to the Maritime Stakeholders’ Interactive 

Forum, which held in Uvwie Local Government Area, Delta State, yesterday. PHOTOS by AKPOKONA OMAFUAIRE. 

Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi (3rd right), Mr. Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi (3rd right); Mr. Dakuku Peterside (4th 

Dakuku Peterside (1st right), Hon. Mohammed Umaru Bago (4th right); Barr. Hassan Bello (right); Hadiza Bala Usman, Director General of the Nigerian Ports 

left), Gen. India Garba, retd (3rd left) and others. 

Authority (2nd right); Gen. India Garba, retd (3rd left) and Hon. Mohammed Umaru Bago, 

Chairman, House Committee on Maritime Safety, Education and Administration. 

A cross section of Stakeholders in the Maritime Sector. 

Barr. Hassan Bello (right) in a chat with Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, while NPA boss, Hadiza 

Bala Usman, Hon. Mohammed Umaru Bago, Gen. India Garba and others watch.



Herdsmen, farmers' crises: 

Osinbajo C’ttee recommends 

census, gazetted reserves, others 

By Umar Yusuf 

YOLA— THE Osinbajo 

Committee on Farmers/ 

Herdsmen conflict has 

recommended that all the 

three tiers of government 

should device ways such as 

census, gazetted reserves, 

control of foreigners’ influx 

to identify herdsmen in 

their areas and curb the 

menace of influx of foreign 

herders. 

The Ad Hoc Committee of 

the National Economic 

Council, NEC, headed by 

Governor Dave Umahi of 

Ebonyi State made the 

recommendation in a 

resolution after a 

stakeholders meeting in 

Yola, Adamawa State 

capital. 

The committee noted that 

since it was alleged that 

foreign herders were 

responsible for most of the 

conflicts with farmers across 

the country, proper census 

and identification of the 

herders in a particular area 

will curb the intrusion and 

atrocities of their foreign 

counterparts. 

The committee also 

recommended that state 

and federal governments 

should group the 

herdsmen into gazetted 

reserves to ensure peaceful 

co-existence between 

herdsmen and farmers. 

Governor Umahi, while 

reading the committee’s 

recommendation, also 

condemned the rampant 

killings and destruction of 

property in the state, saying 

“both parties need peace at 

this crucial moment.” 

He appealed to the 

warring groups that all 

clashes, killings and 

hostilities must stop while 

decorum be maintained 

when presenting their 

claims to enable the 

committee do a thorough 

job that will stand the test 

of time, while finding a 

lasting solution to the 

skirmishes. 

Roll call 

The meeting brought 

together representatives of 

the traditional rulers from 

Numan, Demsa, Lamurde, 

Shelleng and Giriei; 

farmers, Miyetti Allah, 

women group, Christian/ 

Muslim groups, security 

operatives and other 

stakeholders. 

The committee 

maintained that livestock 

production should be 

encouraged by the Central 

Bank of Nigeria, CBN, 

through the development 

and equipping of grazing 

reserves in states, where 

they existed, such as 

Adamawa. 

The committee further 

noted that Adamawa State 

had 31 grazing reserves of 

105,646 hectares of land, of 

which the state government 

submitted that some of 

these gazetted reserves had 

been encroached upon. 

... creates sub-committee 

Governor Umahi, 

thereafter, set up a subcommittee, 

with the Deputy 

Governor as Chairman, six 

members from Miyetti 

Allah, 10 from the five local 

government areas, 10 

members from the state 

government, including the 

Commissioner for 

Livestock Production. 

Others are Professor 

Alikison Voh, Usman 

Ibrahim, six traditional 

rulers, six members each 

from CAN and Muslim 

Council, all security 

agencies and six members 

of the farmers’ council. 

Earlier, Governor 

Mohammed Jibrilla of 

Adamawa State, 

represented by his deputy, 

Martins Babale, had 

described peace and unity 

as panacea for growth and 

development, saying 

dividends of democracy 

cannot be achieved in an 

atmosphere of chaos. 

ACADEMY PRESS: From left— Chairman, Chief Simeon Oguntimehin; Managing Director, 

Mr. Olugbenga Ladipo; Company Secretary, Mr. Joshua Adeoye, and Executive Director, Mrs Folashade 

Omo-Eboh, all of Academy Press Plc, at the firm's 53rd Annual General Meeting in Lagos, yesterday. 

PHOTO: Kehinde Gbadamosi. 

We'll not condone cattle rustling in Kogi— Bello 

By Boluwaji 

Obahopo 

L 

O K O J A — 

GOVERNOR 

Yahaya Bello of Kogi State 

has warned cattle rustlers 

that their activities will not 

By Marie-Therese 

Nanlong 

JOS 

Electricity 

Distribution Company, 

JEDC, has said 24,000 of 

the 50,000 metres allocated 

to its customers were 

inactive due to illegal bypassing 

by the customers. 

JEDC said it will 

introduce the whistleblower 

policy so that cases of illegal 

by-pass, tapping and 

vandalisation can be dealt 

be condoned in the state. 

Governor Bello, who 

spoke yesterday on the 

heels of a farm attack by 

rustlers, who killed one and 

stole 99 cows, said the 

state’s hospitality should 

not be taken for granted. 

with. 

Also, the company said it 

has not reviewed the tariff 

as approved by the 

Nigerian Electricity 

Regulatory Commission, 

NERC, urging customers 

to ignore rumour. 

Speaking with 

journalists in Jos, the 

company’s Chief 

Executive Officer, 

Mohamed Modibbo, 

maintained that the 

company’s retail tariff 

He spoke through his 

Director-General, Media 

and Publicity, Mr. Kingsley 

Fanwo, and assured people 

of the state that 

government will protect 

them from criminals. 

His words: “The reports 

JEDC laments dormant prepaid metres 

remains within the same 

bracket as other distribution 

companies in the country 

and the current tariff 

regime has not changed 

since its approval by NERC 

after extensive customer 

consultation in December 

2015. 

His words: “If actual 

economic indices or 

parameters are applied, 

consumers are likely to 

witness almost 100 percent 

increase in tarrif.” 

of cattle rustling in Mopa 

is regrettable. Security 

agencies will investigate the 

matter and bring 

perpetrators to justice. The 

State Security Adviser, 

Commander Jerry 

Omodara (retd) is working 

with security agencies to 

ensure that criminal 

elements do not have a 

place in our society. 

“Our open arms is no 

invitation to criminals. Our 

first responsibility as a 

government is to ensure the 

security of lives and 

properties in the state.” 

The governor assured the 

management of Daniyan 

Farms, victim of the rustling 

attack, that thorough 

investigations will be done, 

appealing to the people not 

to take the laws into their 

hands. 

Glo’s Professor Johnbull 

cautions against talebearers 

SEASON five of the 

Globacom-sponsored 

TV drama series, 

Professor Johnbull, ends 

today, Friday, with an 

episode is entitled ‘Story 

People,’ which revolves 

around Ikoku, played by 

Nollywood actor, Browny 

Igboewu, who goes 

about telling tales and 

claiming to know virtually 

all important people, 

including presidents of 

foreign nations. 

The series airs at 

8.30p.m. on Tuesdays 

and Fridays on NTA 

Network, NTA 

International on DSTV 

Channel 251 and NTA 

on StarTimes. 

Viewers will watch 

Ikoku spread his tales 

from the gullible Mai 

Doya (Funky Mallam) to 

Olaniyi (Yomi Fash- 

Lanso), and how he 

succeeds in making the 

philanderer, Flash 

(Stephen Odimgbe), 

Betting's revenue source for 

FG, entrepreneurs—Brooker 

By Oboh 

Agbonkhese 

MR. Alex Brooker, 

the publisher of 

Brooks Sporting Pools 

and Lotto, a new sports, 

pools and lotto weekly 

journal, has said betting 

is a source of revenue for 

the Federal Government, 

capital for entrepreneurs, 

fees for indigents 

students looking to enroll 

for exams and has also 

turned many away from 

a life of crimes. 

Speaking at the 

introduction of the 

specialised journal to 

newsmen in Lagos, Mr. 

Brooker said if the 

Federal Government is 

not making money from 

By Aliyu Dangida 

D UTSE—UNICEF 

has pledged to 

execute water project 

worth N6 billion in 

Jigawa State. 

The Managing 

Director, Rural and Water 

Supply and Sanitation, 

RUWASA, Engr. Labaran 

Adamu, who revealed 

this during a visit to the 

Chairman of Birnin Kudu 

Local Government, said 

UNICEF has selected 

Birnin Kudu, Roni and 

Birniwa councils to 

compete for the project. 

Adamu, who was 

represented by Engr. 

believe that he can pass 

his examinations without 

reading by drinking a 

substance that will make 

his brain work better. 

Besides, viewers will be 

anxious to find out why 

Olaniyi shuts his 

restaurant; if there is a 

goat-killing licence for 

pepper soup joint owners 

and if indeed there is a ban 

on beer consumption 

because of health 

concerns. 

In ‘Story People,’ the 

sitcom’s protagonist, 

Professor Johnbull 

(Kanayo O. Kanayo), is in 

his element as he calls for 

public sympathy for 

“compulsive prevaricators” 

such as Ikoku, who he 

describes as a 

“psychopath.” 

He cautions against 

public gullibility and urges 

people to be on the alert 

whenever the allknowing-tale 

bearers 

come calling. 

the multi-billion Naira 

betting industry, their 

agents and consultants 

must have compromised, 

noting that sports betting 

in the country has come to 

stay. 

He added that the 

journal, which is in touch 

with over 20 UK-based 

compilers, will serve the 

need of the staking public 

through authentic pools 

and lotto forecasts, while 

monitoring the activities of 

pools promoters and 

agents, and reporting 

same objectively. 

“With Brooks Sporting 

Pools and Lotto, an 

authoritative journal, we 

will create 35 millionaires 

in one month,” Mr. 

Brooker promised. 

UNICEF to execute N6bn 

water project in Jigawa 

Kamaluddeen Ahmed, 

explained that any of the 

three that excels in 

environmental hygiene, 

particularly in access to 

toilet and provision of soap 

or ash to wash afterwards, 

will win the project. 

Responding, the council 

chairman, Alhaji Sani 

Audu, vowed to utilise all 

available resources for 

public enlightenment to 

strengthen the personal 

and environment 

cleanness in the area. 

He said workers will be 

mobilised for door-to-door 

campaign against open 

defecation and promotion 

of personal hygiene. 

C 

M 

Y 

K

16—VANGUARD, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2018 


Reordering of election: Ebonyi PDP 

backs NASS 

By Peter Okutu 

A BAKALIKI—THE 

Ebonyi State chapter 

of the Peoples Democratic 

Party, PDP, yesterday threw 

its weight behind the 

National Assembly’s move 

to rearrange the sequence 

of elections in the country. 

State Chairman of the 

party, Barr. Onyekachi 

Nwebonyi, in a statement 

described the National 

Assembly’s move to 

rearrange the election 

sequence in the country as 

a welcome development, 

adding that the 

arrangement was not 

targeted at anybody or 

political party as it would 

restore and enhance trust 

in the country’s democratic 

practice and electoral 

process. 

“Election to the office of 

the president should come 

last if things should go 

naturally. Elections should 

hold from the bottom to the 

top. This will help make the 

decisions of the component 

units to count and help 

influence the top and not 

vice versa. This sequence 

will more or less look like 

the American Electoral 

College whereby the result 

is easily predictable from 

the popular votes, before the 

college vote even begins. 

“The sequence will help 

By Emeka Mamah 

U MUAHIA—THE 

Indigenous People of 

Biafra, IPOB, has 

disowned one Okwudili, 

who was allegedly 

paraded by the 

Department of State 

Service, DSS, in Abia State, 

as IPOB factional leader. 

The Biafran agitators said 

that the action of the DSS 

operatives was laughable 

as it showed that those 

behind the action did not 

do their jobs well. 

According to them, the 

story of Okwudili is like the 

trending story that Naira 

notes were swallowed by a 

snake. 

In a statement by its 

Media and Publicity 

Secretary, Comrade Emma 

Powerful, the organisation 

blamed those it said were 

being used as slaves by 

those in authority for the 

poor outing of the DSS, 

saying that IPOB 

supporters were the most 

disciplined on earth, and 

would therefore not 

engage in such charade by 

the Nigerian secret police. 

The statement read, “We 

trace malpractice more 

easily. If the presidential 

election result is far 

different from the expected 

outcome, it will be easy to 

trace the pattern of voting 

in the various areas. There 

are two important issues 

this reordering will 

address. One is the issue 

of sequence which I talked 

about, and the other is 

separating the polls. We 

should know that political 

parties, particularly the PDP 

conducts its primaries 

separately, and it is done 

from bottom up. 

“We conduct the state 

assemblies first, followed by 

the House of 

Representatives, senatorial, 

gubernatorial, and lastly the 

presidential primary. If you 

do it from top down, those 

who have won at the higher 

levels will influence the 

election, as well as the 

outcome, at the lower level. 

“If we are to get it right, 

no election should be 

combined with another. All 

the elections from the state 

assemblies should hold on 

separate days. Though 

INEC might see it as 

burdensome, the 

significance of elections to 

the overall wellbeing of the 

citizens makes it worth the 

expenditure. There should 

be five separate elections 

on different days with the 

legislative houses coming 

first in ascending order, and 

executives’ coming later in 

the same order. By so doing 

nobody would ride to 

victory on the back of 

another.’’ 

VISIT: From left—Chief Ochonga Anyijiofor Director-General, Jidda Pariya 

Atiku Solidarity Movement South-East ZoneAisha Abduuahi, National Women 

Leader;Dr. Ambassador Gashuwi; and Hon.Gbdallah Abeey, National Youth 

Leader, during the movement's visit to South-East Zone in Okija, Anambra 

State. 

IPOB disowns factional leader paraded by DSS 

in the IPOB view as 

laughable the latest attempt 

by the Nigerian secret 

police, the DSS to rescue 

one of their sinking Igbo 

slaves… by seeking to 

deflate attention with the 

concocted, faceless, nonexistent 

‘Okwudili’ they 

claim is heading a ‘faction’ 

of IPOB. 

“The DSS as a spy agency 

should work harder at 

infiltrating IPOB because 

all their efforts so far have 

failed miserably and will 

continue to fail because we 

are the most disciplined 

mass movement anywhere 

on earth today. 

“Parading what is in effect 

a ghost as fake IPOB 

leader to give the 

impression that IPOB is 

divided is a wretched joke 

anticipated four years ago 

by the highest command of 

IPOB and something we 

knew would happen, so we 

are prepared for it. It did 

not come to us as a surprise 

when this morning DSS 

hurriedly issued their usual 

‘Okwudili’ press statement 

to the media. 

“If this fake Okwudildi 

does exist, how come there 

is no picture of him 

anywhere, he doesn’t 

address any gathering, he 

has no village, no parents, 

nothing. He is a mirage, a 

figment of the imagination 

of DSS and corrupt Igbo 

leadership. ‘Okwudili' we 

know for sure exists in DSS’ 

computer hard drives and 

no place else.’’ 

No fresh herdsmen invasion, 

killings in Enugu—Police 

By Emma Nnadozie 

E NUGU—ENUGU 

State Command of the 

Nigeria Police Force, 

yesterday, stated that there 

was no fresh invasion or 

killings by herdsmen in the 

state adding that the state 

has remained peaceful after 

the last incident in 2016. 

The Police Public 

Relations Officer, PPRO, in 

the state, Ebere Amarizu, 

who said this in a release 

following trending online 

publications over the 2016 

invasion and killings in 

Ukpabi Nimbo, Enugu 

State stated that it was an 

electronically induced story 

that is trending and not a 

recent occurrence. 

He said: “The command, 

therefore, wishes to state as 

follows: That this is 

obviously an old story 

which the command 

promptly and diligently 

handled in 2016. There has 

not been any issue or crises 

between the herdsmen in 

the state, nor with farmers 

as the entire state has 

remained peaceful and 

calm.’’ 

Telecom: Competition will 

drive down tariff—NCC 

By Dennis Agbo 

E NUGU—THE 

N i g e r i a 


Commission, NCC, has 

said that it is not worried 

about the short term tariff 

modulation among telecom 

providers, saying that 

competition among the 

operators will drive down 

their prices. 

NCC spoke against the 

background of differences 

in tariff among telecom 

operators, saying that even 

though it regulates tariff in 

the industry, it was not 

much worried over tariff 

differences among the 

operators. 

NCC Head of Media and 

Public Relations, Mr Ruben 

Muoka, made the position 

known in Obollo-Afor, 

Enugu State at the 35th 

edition of the commission’s 

Town Hall meeting. 

Muoka said: “As a 

By Anayo Okoli the country, if not 

U 

aggressively tackled. 

MUAHIA—A NON- According to the 

GOVERNMENTAL President of the 

organization, International organisation, Mrs. Uju 

Corrections and Prisons Agomoh, it is regrettable 

Associations Africa, ICPA, that Nigerian governments 

has lamented the growing had not invested properly 

rate of youth in the army of youths in the 

unemployment in Nigeria, country, describing it as a 

warning that it is a time dangerous trend which 

bomb that could consume could spell doom to the 

FG to establish science 

parks in varsities 

E NUGU—THE 

Minister of Science 

and Technology, Dr 

Ogbonnaya Onu, has 

promised to help Nigerian 

universities establish 

science parks to facilitate 

diversification of the 

country’s economy through 

science, technology and 

innovations. 

Dr Onu made the 

promise in his address at 

the first International 

Conference for Science 

Parks and Innovation 

Ecosystem for National 

Development, SPIE4ND, 

holding at the University of 

Nigeria, Nsukka. 

The Minister said that 

the culture of establishing 

high-tech clusters should 

be promoted by 

universities, new business 

incubators and research 

complexes within the 

Science and Technology 

sector. 

Stressing that no nation 

would achieve greatness 

without Science and 

Technology, Dr Onu said 

his ministry was ready to 

partner and support 

science and technology 

innovations geared towards 

helping Nigeria transit to 

knowledge-based 

economy. 

The Minister explained 

that the Science Park project 

would facilitate the creation 

and growth of innovationbased 

companies through 

incubation and spin-off 

process, as well as provide 

other value-added services 

together with high quality 

space and facilities. 

Citing the example of 

Singapore, the minister 

said that history had shown 

that countries with smaller 

population had achieved 

greatness through science 

and technology. He stated 

that Nigeria with larger 

population could leverage 

on science parks to improve 

the pace of its economic 

growth. 

“I assure you that the 

collaboration between the 

University of Nigeria, 

Nsukka and my ministry 

and its parastatals would 

yield positive results with 

both organisations mutually 

benefiting for the overall 

development of Nigeria,” 

he said. 

regulator, we don’t interfere 

with day-to-day pricing. 

What we have done is to 

give a band within which 

the service providers will not 

charge beyond. What we 

entrenched in the system is 

competition. Competition is 

going to drive down prices 

and it has been so because 

if that service provider 

increases the price of his 

data services, there is 

option to go to another 

provider. 

“We are about to give 

them instruction that on 

auto renewal, that even 

when your data expires, 

you will have 14 days to roll 

it over in consideration of 

the consumer. 

Chairman of Udenu local 

government council, Mr. 

Frank Ugwuanyi while 

speaking to newsmen 

suggested that telecom 

operators should pay taxes 

to councils where their 

operational masks are 

mounted. 

Youth unemployment, time bomb, NGO warns 

nation 

Agomoh who spoke in 

Umuahia, Abia State, 

during at an empowerment 

programme entitled: 

“Empowerment Life 

Planning Skills Workshops” 

organised by ICPA for Abia 

youths, further lamented 

that "Nigeria has the worst 

case of youth 

unemployment in Africa." 

C 

M 

Y

VANGUARD, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2018 —17 

shame and not come 

up with any excuses 

and just say sorry to 

those he has let down! 

A Vanguard reader 

has told me off for 

voting for Buhari as 

follows: 

P 

R E S I D E N T 

Muhammadu Buhari 

has been gradually – and 

tragically - demystifying 

himself since he took over 

from ex-President Goodluck 

Jonathan nearly three years 

ago. I grew up sharing a 

widespread belief that he was 

an uncompromising 

disciplinarian who wasn’t 

willing to tolerate corruption 

in any shape or form. 

Like millions of other 

Nigerians, I regarded him as 

a super-strict senior soldier 

who would save us from 

venal, unpatriotic saboteurs 

who were undermining our 

economy, poisoning our 

society and mortgaging our 

collective future. Looking 

back, I was warned that he 

wasn’t the Messiah I yearned 

for. 

I particularly recall a friend 

who had worked with Buhari 

when he was in Opposition 

saying (after I’d 

enthusiastically explained 

why I was planning to vote for 

him in 2015) that “Buhari isn’t 

as tough as you think. I never 

once saw him put his foot 

down when some of his 

followers needed to be 

controlled.” 

Meanwhile, other critics 

accused Buhari of other 

weaknesses, including 

nepotism and tribalism…and 

expressed the view that his 

no-nonsense, principled 

reputation was undeserved. It 

was said in certain quarters 

that Major-General Tunde 

Idiagbon, the de facto Vice 

President, had been the real 

strong man and driving force 

during Buhari’s famous first 

stint as Head of State (1983- 

1985). 

I was told on numerous 

occasions that Buhari would 

disappoint me. But some of us 

have developed a bad habit 

of refusing to take alternative 

viewpoints that we don’t want 

to hear seriously; and I chose 

to ignore these prophets of 

doom. 

I took the view that there 

was nothing wrong with 

Shameful and depressing! 

giving a candidate the benefit 

of the doubt. For every anti- 

Buhari voice, there was a pro- 

Buhari voice. And as I’ve 

pointed out before on this 

page, I am not a fortune 

teller….and could not be sure 

how Buhari would conduct 

himself in the corridors of 

power. 

But guess what? 

Within weeks of Buhari’s 

return to the top office in the 

land, rumours about dodgy 

dealings within his 

administration were rife. And 

he didn’t help matters by 

bestowing too many major 

appointments on relatives 

and fellow Katsinans. 

We have constantly been 

assured that Buhari and his 

team are sincerely and 

aggressively fighting the 

He needs to pay 

more attention to 

the anger and 

hunger of large 

chunks of the 

electorate 

cancer that is corruption, but 

the “fight” seems to be as 

much about vindictive 

political score-settling as 

anything else; and Buhari has 

displayed an unfortunate 

penchant for overlooking the 

•President Muhammadu Buhari 

dubious practices of his 

favourites. The recent 

reinstatement of the NHIS 

boss being a classic example 

of his blind allegiance to 

people who should not be 

public servants. 

Long story short: Hardly 

anyone thinks that this is an 

ethical government. 

And now a really depressing 

bombshell has landed on us 

from a respected external 

source: According to the latest 

Corruption Perception Index, 

CPI, released by Transparency 

International, TI, on 

Wednesday, corruption has 

worsened since Buhari stood 

up in Eagle Square on May 

29, 2015 and assured an 

Buhari really needs to act! 

BUT leopards, especially 

elderly ones who have 

had decades in which to 

become rigidly set in their 

ways, rarely change their 

intently listening world that 

he would “belong to 

everybody and nobody”! 

We were ranked 136th (out 

of 180 countries surveyed) in 

2016; and we’ve now dropped 

to 148. New Zealand came 

first and Denmark second; 

Finland, Norway and 

Switzerland shared the third 

position. 

Other sub-Saharan African 

countries that are ranked 

higher than Nigeria are 

Botswana - whose joint 34 

rank is the best in Africa - as 

well as Rwanda (joint 48th) 

and Nambia (joint 53rd). 

If I were in Buhari’s shoes, 

I would hang my head in 

spots! So I’m not holding my 

breath that positive new 

winds will suddenly start 

gusting from the presidential 

Villa. 

08036335129 

Anonymous 

I disagree with you 

when you tried to 

excuse yourself from 

blame for supporting 

Buhari during the 

election on the 

grounds that you can’t 

predict someone’s 

behaviour. You like 

most fanatical Buhari 

supporters at the time 

of the election never 

showed any proper 

sense of history. 

You allowed 

yourself to be carried 

away by APC acid 

propaganda against 

Jonathan without 

bothering to equally take a 

look at the negative historic 

facts which were being 

published almost daily about 

Buhari. His tribalism, 

nepotism, religious 

fanaticism, sectionality, 

corruption... 

Is it too late for him to 

salvage his image and 

placate folks who are fed up 

with him before the next 

election? Well, nothing is 

impossible. But I’m not 

optimistic. He needs to 

urgently address concerns 

about the escalating Fulani 

herdsmen scandal. He needs 

to prove that he can be 

unbiased, untribalistic and 

flexible. 

He needs to pay more 

attention to the anger and 

hunger of large chunks of the 

electorate. He needs to show 

Southern and Middle Belt 

Christians that he can 

empathise with them on a 

profound level. He needs - 

even in his Muslim Northern 

heartland - to deliver more 

hope and concrete progress. 

He needs to sack, with 

immediate effect, some of the 

hated eminences who are 

lurking behind his throne and 

ruining his credibility (even 

his wife, our dear First Lady, 

Madame Aisha, can’t stand 

them!). 

Responses to: 

donzol2002@yahoo.co.uk 

or to 0802 747 6458 OR 0811 

675 9752 (texts only). 

PLEASE KINDLY NOTE 

THAT UNLESS YOU 

REQUEST ANONYMITY, 

YOUR COMMENTS MAY BE 

PUBLISHED, WITH YOUR 

NAMES AND CONTACT 

DETAILS ATTACHED. 

C 

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AN alert and dedicated policeman 

on duty made the difference 

between life and death for many 

members of the University of 

Maiduguri, UNIMAID, academic 

community when he shot and killed 

a male Boko Haram suicide bomber 

with deadly Improvised Explosive 

Devices, IEDs, strapped to his body 

in the evening hours of Monday, 


According to a routine situation 

report made available by the Borno 

State Commissioner of Police, Mr 

Damien Chukwu, to the Governor, 

Alhaji Kashim Shettima, the Mobile 

Police officer, Mr Baba Zakari (F/ 

No.241253 of 53PMF) at 7.20 pm on 

that day sighted the deadly intruder 

trying to get into the university’s 

compound and shot him dead 

without injury or danger to any 

other life or property. 

If not for the vigilance and 

commitment of this gallant officer, 

Borno policeman makes a big 

difference 

some of the law-abiding members of 

the university community who are 

still alive and going about their 

normal livelihood would have added 

to the gory statistics and body count 

that the Boko Haram Islamist terror 

has wreaked in the state, especially 

the University of Maiduguri, in 

recent years. 

Baba Zakari, by this feat, draws 

our attention once again to the 

importance of our law enforcement 

agencies in our national life. 

Despite the fact that all our 

uniformed and security forces are 

routinely linked to so many acts of 

malfeasance, corruption, 

dereliction of duty, partiality, 

special treatment for “sacred cows” 

and human rights violations, they 

are still very indispensable for the 

protection of our lives and property. 

No matter what may be their faults, 

the Police are still our friends. 

Our security agencies still have a 

good number of patriotic and 

dedicated officers like Baba Zakari 

who are ready to give their all to 

keep our country safe. It is 

unfortunate that these officers are 

often distracted by the many failings 

of governance which force the 

average Nigerian to look for ways 

of making ends meet. The Police and 

other security agencies are part and 

parcel of our society and its 

prevailing attributes. They will 

definitely improve in their 

performance when the crucial issues 

of good governance are addressed. 

As a society, we must find ways of 

motivating those who have signed a 

contract to risk their lives to protect 

us. We must show them respect and 

appreciation for their services. 

Highly motivated national security 

architecture will focus more on their 

jobs and help secure this country. 

We commend the Borno State 

Government and the State Police 

Command for steps taken to 

appreciate Mopol Baba Zakari’s 

gallantry. It will not only spur him 

to do more for his country, it will also 

encourage more officers to go the 

extra mile on their duty posts. 

Sometimes it takes only one 

individual to make a huge 

difference. 

By Ikeogu Oke 

It should not surprise us/That a snake would 

swallow/Cash in a country so rich/It sought use 

for money. 

Even animals in a zoo/Know the use of money. 

That it builds and keeps their cages,/And feeds 

their beastly souls. And the snake is the one/ 

They send to hunt for cash. 

– Ikeogu Oke, “The Cash Snake” 

THE snake that recently swallowed N36 

million kept in the offices of the Joint 

Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, 

in Markudi was not the first of its kind to 

interfere that remarkably in the affair of 

humans. 

In the Garden of Eden, one of its ancestors, a 

snake that could speak and was full of guile, 

played the key role in The Fall of Man. As 

stated in the book of Genesis, it managed to 

convince Eve, Adam’s wife, to eat the fruit of 

the knowledge of good and evil in disobedience 

to God, even after God had warned the first 

couple that they would die any day they ate the 

fruit. Think of a snake so cunning and 

mischievous that it could convince the 

matriarch of humanity to eat what would then 

amount to the fruit of suicide! 

The encounter between Eve and the snake 

took place in Adam’s absence. And as soon as 

she reunited with Adam she offered him the 

forbidden fruit and managed to convince him 

to eat it. And both, having eaten it, realised 

that they were naked, to God’s chagrin. 

And for foiling what seemed to have been 

God’s plan to keep humanity in an ideal place, 

a garden, a pristine bower of innocence where 

humans would roam naked like other animals, 

the snake, you might say, got its comeuppance. 

God cursed it, together with man and woman. 

God declared that it would thenceforth live 

without limbs. “Cursed are you more than all 

cattle, And more than every beast of the field;” 

OPINION 

Appreciating the Cash Snake 

God fumed. “On your belly you will go, And 

dust you will eat All the days of your life.” 

God also ruled that the snake’s offspring and 

those of humans would always be at 

loggerheads. And that the snake’s descendants 

would bite those of humans whenever the 

opportunity presents itself, and the descendants 

of humans crush the head of the snake’s 

offspring underfoot as often as possible. 

Over the intervening millennia, millions of 

casualties, dead or injured, have piled up on 

both sides of this endless confrontation between 

We should be appreciative 

that, as it did recently by being 

the first country to appoint 

dead people to public office, 

ours has made history again as 

the country where the cash 

snake was first identified 

humans and snakes. And not a few snakes have 

strangled humans and swallowed them whole 

like the JAMB cash, even though there is no 

record, to my knowledge, of any human having 

swallowed a whole snake, dead or alive. 

So, between snakes and humans, we should 

know who is winning the war, especially in 

terms of enacting the bizarre, even without 

any snake having taken it to the point of 

swallowing millions of cash belonging to one 

of our government agencies, and by 

implication, humans, and disappearing 

without trace. 

In passing, it must be said that the snake that 

deceived Eve has been rightly condemned for 

its role in the Fall of Man, by which is meant 

God’s expulsion of man and woman from the 

Garden of Eden for the sin of disobedience. 

However, I think it would be wrong not to 

acknowledge the silver lining in the cloud of 

that deceit, especially with regard to how things 

evolved in the post-Eden world. For, since the 

first couple realised that they were naked and 

needed to wear “clothes” after eating the fruit 

whose consumption the snake introduced to 

them through Eve, resulting in God producing 

“clothes” for them, it then follows that the 

world owes the origin of its highly lucrative 

textile and fashion industries to that snake, 

which crept limbless out of Eden and into 

improved versatility, possibly flicking its 

tongue in contempt of the curse placed on it by 

God. 

And as a proof of the improved versatility, it 

has since evolved from a mere fruit-plucking 

reptile into the only creature that can swallow 

its own kind whole. And what’s the use of limbs 

when, without them, a snake can run faster 

than most limbed creatures; and can climb to 

the top of the tallest trees faster than most 

limbed creatures, for fun or in search of prey; 

and its menu is comprised mainly of limbed 

creatures including man, its sworn adversary 

on account of the divine curse? And when the 

lack of limbs has not prevented it from reaching 

the farthest ends of the earth? And when one of 

its type has evolved – a development that even 

Darwin should find intriguing – into the cash 

snake, to which I would ascribe the genus 

Pythonidae Moneytarius, able to swallow N36 

million of public funds without distress, it 

becomes indisputable that its species has 

scored the ultimate triumph in adaptability. 

Which other creature can do this? 

Even God must be amazed that the same 

creature that thwarted Him in Eden has also 

subverted His curse by contriving to become 

not the eater of dust He wanted but one of 

earth’s most successful predatory carnivores. 

But there are more reasons why the cash 

snake should be for us an object of 

appreciation, besides wonder. Its feat 

reinforces our Central Bank’s case for a 

cashless economy. The snake wouldn’t have 

bothered about an ATM card because it would 

know that it would need the owner’s PIN to 

access the cash, and given the almost nonexistent 

probability of its discovering the PIN 

let alone cashing N36 million from an ATM 

with the N100,000 seal on daily withdrawals. 

So our Central Bank can draft the snake into 

its campaign for a cashless economy. Imagine 

how effective it would be to persuade our 

citizens to accept a cashless economy with the 

message “Beware Of The Cash Snake! Go 

Cashless!” laid beside the image of a snake 

swallowing wads of Naira notes. 

And for those who may be wondering why a 

snake would swallow N36 million of public 

funds – even in a country so rich it sought use 

for money – it is to show us Nigerians that 

animals know the use of money unlike us, 

especially those living in zoos and game 

reserves. They know that money is useful for 

their feeding and for building and maintaining 

their cages and other facilities. So, like I said 

in the above epigraph, the cash snake is the 

one they send to hunt for cash (to fund their 

welfare). And we should appreciate its risking 

its life in the service of the animal world and 

what its mission says of the type of organisation 

that exists in that world compared to our 

country. Also, we should be appreciative that, 

as it did recently by being the first country to 

appoint dead people to public office, ours has 

made history again as the country where the 

cash snake was first identified. 

*Mr. Oke, a poet, wrote from Lagos. 

C 

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7 power firms generate zero mw of electricity 

By Prince Okafor 

SEVEN 

electricity 

generating companies 

(GenCos) were unable to generate 

electricity yesterday as their plants 

were shut down due to 

unavailability of gas and other 

infrastructural issues. 

As a result, the nation’s national 

grid was denied 3,523 megawatts 

(mw) of power, which is the total 

operating capacity of the 

companies. 

A report from the Power Advisory 

Team, Office of the Vice President, 

yesterday stated that “despite 

Federal Government’s efforts to 

address the nation’s power crisis, 

as well as mitigate the constant 

system collapse by the grid, about 

seven generating plants produced 

zero megawatts of electricity 

yesterday.” 

This is coming as insufficient gas 

supply, inadequate distribution 

and transmission infrastructure 

contributed to the loss of 2,173 mw 

of electricity. 

Vanguard findings showed that 

the following National 

Independent Power Plant, NIPPs, 

were affected: Sapele Ibom, ASCO, 

Azura-Edo, Egbin ST2-5, Jebba 

and Gbarain. 

According to the report, “On 

February 202018, average power 

sent out was 3,835MWh/hour 

(down by 134MWh/h from the 

previous day) 

“1175MW was not generated 

due to unavailability of gas. 29MW 

was not generated due to 

unavailability of transmission 

infrastructure, while 969MW was 

not generated due to high 

frequency resulting from 

unavailability of distribution 

infrastructure 

“There was no reported water 

constraint. The power sector lost 

an estimated N1.048 billion, on 

February 20, 2018 due to 

insufficient gas supply, distribution 

CURRENCY BUYING SELLING 

US DOLLAR 

POUNDS 

EURO 

FRANC 

YEN 

CFA 

WAUA 

RENMINBI 

RIYAL 

SDR 

DANISH 

RAND 

$122.35 +0.50 

$2,155.00-17.00 

$13.53 +0.15 

$63.00 +0.41 

61.81 0.13 

305 305.5 306 

424.743 425.4393 426.1356 

375.7905 376.4066 377.0226 

325.3333 325.8667 326.4 

2.8372 2.8419 2.8465 

0.5547 0.5647 0.5747 

442.1394 442.8642 443.589 

48.0117 48.0909 48.17 

81.3268 81.4601 81.5935 

442.86 443.586 444.312 

50.4533 50.536 50.6187 

26.0219 26.0646 26.1072 

CBN Exchange rate as at 22/02/2018 

infrastructure, transmission 

infrastructure and water reserves. 

There was rising high frequency 

constraint due to DISCOs inability 

to distribute load.” 

Meanwhile, the Transmission 

Company of Nigeria, TCN said that 

the new New Haven- Nsukka 

132kV Line (Double Circuit) in 

Enugu State has been vandalized. 

According to the company, “The 

vandalism took place at Eziama 

Nike in Enugu East of Enugu State. 

The new line under construction is 

to feed the new 9th Mile 

2x60MVA, 132/33kV Station, 

Nsukka 1x30MVA and Ayangba 

2x60MVA substations. All hands 

must be on deck to stop vandals 

before they stop our development. 

“It’s extremely unfortunate that 

while Federal Governmentt and 

TCN are doing all possible to 

improve and upgrade power 

supply services to the people, some 

wicked people are bent on 

frustrating these efforts.” 

In addition, the company stated, 

“We are working very hard to 

expand the grid network to about 

20,000mw in the next four years. In 

every industry such as ours, there 

are bound to be challenges but at 

the same time there are solutions. 

Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2018 — 19 

We would continue to work hard to 

achieve our goal, which is to make 

TCN a world class transmission 

company and we believe we would 

get there. 

“TCN had significantly improved 

before the January episodes of 

System Collapse. System collapses 

after the gas pipeline incident has 

significantly reduced. Prior to that 

in September, November and 

December 2017, TCN recorded 

zero system collapse and one in 

September 2017.” 

The national grid had already 

experienced six system collapses 

this year. 

From left, Associate Professor of Finance, Lagos State University, Dr Akin Onafalujo, 1st 

Vice President, Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers, (CIS), Mr Adedapo Adekoje, President, 

CIS, Mr. Oluwaseyi Abe and Registrar/Chief Executive OF CIS, Mr Adedeji Ajadi, at the 

stakeholders forum for CIS Professional Students in Lagos. 

FG raises N80bn from bond auction 

By Adaeze Okechukwu 

THE Debt Management 

Office (DMO) has revealed 

that the federal government sold 

N79.62 billion worth of bonds in 

its second bond auction 

for 2018 out of 

the N100 billion on 

offer. 

DMO disclosed this 

in a circular stating 

that more than half of 

the total subscription 

was skewed towards 

the 10-year 

bond. It noted that 

while the 10-year 

bond was oversubscribed, 

the five-year 

bond was 

undersubscribed. 

According to the 

circular, the federal 

government sold 

N52.44 billion worth of 

10-year bond at 13.98 

percent, while N27.18 

billion was allotted 

five-year bonds at 

13.70 percent. 

The five-year bond 

to mature in July 

2021 had 31 successful bids, 

while the ten-year bond due in 

February 2028 got 68 successful 

bids. 

The bureau noted that the fiveyear 

bond is a re-opening of 

previous issues, while the 10-year 

bond is a new offering. Investors 

bid as high as 16 percent for the 

bonds at the auction. 

The government has been 

working to lower its borrowing 

costs, particularly as inflation fell 

for the twelfth month in a row in 

January. It sold Eurobonds last 

Thursday to help repay some 

treasury bills rather than rolling 

them over as it has done in the 

past. 

Investors are waiting for the 

debt office to announce which bills 

it intends to pay off and a 

reduction in auction volumes for 

second quarter, which could 

spur buying. The federal government 

issues sovereign bonds 

monthly to support the local 

bond market, create a benchmark 

for corporate issuance and 

fund its budget deficit. 

Security: We’re prepared for Kaduna int’ trade fair 

— KADCCIMA 

By Naomi Uzor 

THE Kaduna Chamber of 

Commerce, Industry, Mines 

and Agriculture (KADCCIMA), 

has said that the chamber and the 

state government has made 

adequate security arrangement 

with all security agencies in the 

country for the 39th Kaduna 

international trade fair, starting 

tomorrow in Kaduna. 

President of the Chamber, Dr. 

Muheeba Dankaka, said the 

Kaduna state government and 

KADCCIMA are not leaving any 

stone unturned on the issue of 

security as several security forces 

have been deployed within the 

state and on the trade fair 

ground to secure lives and 

properties of exhibitors and 

visitors. 

As part of their preparations for 

the fair, she said the chamber has 

TSA: INTELS 

pays N13.2bn 

to NPA 

THE contract termination 

controversy between 

INTELS Nigeria Limited and 

the Nigerian Ports Authority 

(NPA) may be eased off 

following the payment of $42.6 

million (N13.2 billion) by 

INTELS into the NPA’s Treasury 

Single Account (TSA). 

The Managing Director of 

NPA, Hadiza Bala Usman, 

stated this while addressing 

members of the House of 

Representatives Ad Hoc 

Committee probing into the 

matter, saying that the company, 

after receiving termination 

notice from the Agency, wrote 

to apologise for not complying 

with TSA and the new sharing 

formula. 

She said as a result, INTELS 

has paid the sum $28.1million 

into the Agency’s TSA account 

with a notice of additional 

$14.5million said to have been 

paid, but yet to be confirmed by 

the NPA. 

“The implementation of TSA 

by the Federal Government 

compelled the authority to remit 

revenue generated directly into 

government coffers while NPA 

in turn pays agency fees of 28 

percent of whatever was 

generated to INTELS,” she 

said. 

She said according to NPA’s 

calculation of $4 million per 

month as government’s share, 

based on the previous 

agreement, what accrued to NPA 

would be $48 million. 

Usman said NPA has two 

layers of relationship with 

INTELS namely management 

agency where it collects 

revenues on behalf of NPA and 

keeps 28 percent and port 

infrastructure development on 

the basis of which INTELS 

constructed and manages the 

Onne Port in Rivers State. 

She explained that the initial 

agreement gave INTEL the 

powers to generate and keep 28 

percent of revenue collected on 

behalf of NPA. 

“The NPA under the new 

management had to come up 

with a new draft that 

incorporated a sharing formula 

in a model that complies with 

the TSA, which was why we said 

they should start remitting 

directly to the TSA while the 

NPA pays its 28 percent agency 

fees,” she added. 

The agreement, according to 

her, expires in 2020, which 

makes it 10 years. 

made extensive contact with industrialists, 

manufacturers, producers, 

fabricators, distributors 

and marketers, both within and 

outside the country to come and 

participate at this year’s Africa’s 

most famous fair. 

She stated: “On the side of 

participants and visitors to the 

fair, Kaduna chamber of 

commerce is envisaging a large 

turnout from both local and 

international participants. 

C 

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By Theodore Opara 

Past, present leaders commend FRSC at 30 

•Boboye Oyeyemi, FRSC Corps Marshal 

NIGERIANS from all 

walks of life have commended 

the Federal Road 

Safety Commission, FRSC, for 

its efforts in reducing road traffic 

accident rates across the 

country, and also called for 

adequate funding of the 

agency. At an event to mark 

its 30th anniversary at the 

Nigerian Airforce Conference 

Centre, Abuja, highly placed 

Nigerians lauded the agency 

for painting the country positively 

before the global community. 

There were goodwill messages 

from present and past 

Nigerian leaders, including 

General Ibrahim Babangida 

(retd), Vice President Yemi 

Osinbajo, Chief of Army Staff, 

Tukur Buratai, Speaker of 

House of Representatives, 

Senate President, ex-governors 

and senators among others. 

In his goodwill message, 

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo 

noted that prior to the establishment 

of FRSC, Nigeria 

had a worrisome history of 

road carnage to the extent 

that at a time, the World Bank 

declared Nigeria as the worst 

country on earth only after 

Ethopia in which to drive a 

motor vehicle. 

“Today, I am proud to observe 

that this ugly trend has 

been successful reversed 

through the personal sacrifice, 

dedication and commitment 

of our regular staff and 

indefatigable volunteers.” 

He added that over the 

course of 30 years, the corps 

have achieved a progressive 

reduction in road traffic crash 

statistics across the country. 

The vice oresident noted that 

this feat has been notice by 

other countries in Africa to the 

extent that countries like Sierra 

Leone, Ghana and 

Liberia are currently enjoying 

technical support from FRSC. 

“The FRSC has also demonstrated 

a culture of continuous 

innovation in keeping not 

only with its mandate to make 

our road safer, but also the 

changing times,”he said. 

One example of such is the 

successful transformation of 

the Nigeria driver licence and 

Weststar breaks into light-duty truck segment with 

Mercedes-Benz Accelo 

vehicle number plate systems. 

These and other reform initiatives 

have earned the FRSC 

endorsement by the World 

Bank as the best example of a 

lead agency in road safety 

management in Africa and a 

model for other developing 

FOLLOWING 

its 

successful launch in 

2017, the Mercedes Benz Accelo 

has carved its niche in the 

light-duty commercial truck 

segment in Nigeria. Weststar 

Associates Limited, Authorised 

General Distributor for Mercedes 

Benz in Nigeria explained 

the Accelo comes in 

various applications depending 

on specific needs. This is 

in line with the ever increasing 

pressure on businesses to 

increase efficiency, reduce operating 

costs and grow revenues. 

“Mercedes Benz introduced 

the ‘light-duty truck’ range to 

deliver unmatched versatility, 

reliability and efficiency for 

business owners and fleet managers 

in a variety of industries. 

Based on a solid design, the 

Mercedes-Benz Accelo allows 

fitment of several superstructures 

made to act on the large 

array of urban transport applications, 

such as: aluminum 

standard box body, water tanker, 

tippers, refrigerated truck 

body, dry cargo, rescue truck 

countries. 

Also speaking at the occasion, 

the Chief of Army Staff, 

Lt. General Turkur Buratai, 

commended the FRSC for the 

good job they are doing and 

tasked the military and paramilitary 

to support the FRSC 

in the fight to reduce road accident 

rate in the country. 

Buratai who said he was 

lucky to have lived after an involvement 

in a road accident 

in the 1970’s as a small boy, 

noted, “My first lesson on road 

safety was in the 70s. 

“I was with my mother who 

would do anything to defend 

us, her children. We were trying 

to cross the road and there 

was a bike coming on high 

speed. Instead of waiting like 

my other siblings as my mother 

instructed, I dashed into 

the road, with the hope that if 

I was knocked down, my 

mother would fight the rider. 

I was knocked down but unfortunately 

my mother didn’t 

do anything. She knew it was 

my fault.” With the lesson, he 

realised how cautious one 

needed to be when it comes 

to safety on the road. 

He further said, “Ï insist all 

and more” Mr. Umoh Ekanem, 

Sales Manager, Commercial 

Vehicles, Weststar Associates 

Limited said. 

Designed to deliver maximum 

productivity, exceptional 

driving comfort and the highest 

standards of safety, the Accelo 

offers exceptional power 

and agility. Providing the proven 

and unmatched Mercedes 

Benz quality standards, the 

robust truck is the perfect partner 

for transportation needs of 

all businesses. Its ruggedness, 

drive comfort, payload and maneuverability 

are unique features 

setting the Accelo apart 

from other commercial vehicles 

in its segment, thus making it 

a perfect cost-effective tool for 

demanding fleets in the private 

and public sector. 

The Accelo is fitted with a 

strong powertrain that ensures 

premium performance with 

strength, durability and Mercedes 

Benz recognized reliability 

and equipped with a Mercedes-Benz 

150 hp four-cylinder 

engine and boasts a payload 

of more than five tonnes. 

The Accelo cab has a modern 

design and ensures the highest 

level of occupant safety, excellent 

visibility and an ergonomic 

interior with the capacity 

to accommodate a driver and 

two passengers making the 

my men must have their drivers 

licence and revealed that 

he once sacked a domestic 

staff for challenging road 

safety officials on the road.” 

He explained that the FRSC 

was created at a time the traffic 

situation was very bad but 

with the hard work of the staff 

the situation had changed . 

“In three decades after the 

creation of FRSC accident rate 

has reduced, he said and commended 

the FRSC for reducing 

response time from 50 

minutes to 15 minutes but noted 

that more work needed to 

be done. He challenged them 

on provision of road signs 

and markings and advised 

construction workers to always 

give adequate warnings 

on the highways while carrying 

out their duties. 

In his remark, the Minister 

of Agriculture, Chief Audu 

Ogbeh recalled how he became 

a Special Marshal when 

FRSC was created. He 

warned passengers to always 

use seatbelts, especially those 

occupying the rear seat in 

sport utility vehicles. 

He also urged FRSC to do 

something about articulated 

vehicles by insisting they 

must carry reflective stickers 

on their rear. 

drive more comfortable while 

increasing driver productivity 

and alertness - disc brakes in 

the front and rear also enable 

fast, accurate response in everyday 

urban traffic. 

Mr. Mirko Plath, Managing 

Director & CEO of Weststar Associates 

Limited, who also commented 

on the successful introduction 

of the Accelo in Nigeria 

stated that the various requests 

from customers seeking 

light-duty trucks under the 

Mercedes Benz umbrella stimulated 

discussions with the 

manufacturer to explore options 

within this commercial 

vehicle segment. “We are happy 

to deliver trucks in this category”. 

In his words, “whether longhaul, 

construction site, or distribution 

transportation, the 

Mercedes-Benz brand offers 

the right solution for the lightduty, 

medium-duty and heavyduty 

truck segments. The Mercedes-Benz 

brand is indeed a 

synonym for top-class product 

and service quality, cost-effectiveness, 

reliability, and sustainability, 

as summed up by 

the slogan ‘Trucks you can 

trust’”. The Accelo, he added 

is available for immediate delivery 

through Weststar with 

quality aftersales support synonymous 

worldwide with the 

Mercedes-Benz brand”.

C 

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Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2018—21

22—Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2018


24—Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2018



By Abdulwarees Solanke 

TODAY, I take my 

reflections from Surat 

An-Nuur where in Allaah haz 

wa jal declares manifestly that 

He is The Light. I also fall back 

on how He qualified Himself in 

Surat al-Baqarat as the Waliyy 

of the believers, who He leads 

out of darkness to the light. 

Between these two verses, I 

gain awareness that man is 

ever on a journey, a straight 

journey of two opposite ends. 

One leads to perfect light and 

the other ends in utter 

darkness. 

On this journey of life, there 

are so many milestones. So 

many experiences. So many 

trials and tribulations. So 

many encounters. So many 

pearls to pick. So many thorns 

that prick. 

On this journey, there are 

valleys and mountains to scale. 

There are rivers and rivulets 

to cross. Deserts. Sandy desert 

of limitless horizon. Forests. 

Dark forests of thick foliage. 

I also gain certain 

consciousness that Allah is 

both the guide and the 

destination of light. And the 

third awareness, faith in Allah 

is a requirement to embark on 

the journey to the Light, the 

journey to Allah to live in His 

presence. He is the guide that 

takes man on this journey, this 

course of life to a finishing line 

of success and victory. 

What can turn man from the 

course of light? What can blind 

him from this luminous light? 

What can hold man down from 

the journey that leads to 

success and victory? Who can 

deceive man from following 

the excellent guide? 

In a further reflection, I am 

led to ask: How can darkness 

be made attractive for any 

sensible man to pursue? I think 

the answer is to be found in the 

entire story of creation. It is in 

Ibliis resolve to assail man on 

all fronts and stand on man’s 

path or confuse him because 

of Allah’s special grace on man 

above all creation, granting 

him dominion and freedom. 

But man is not left unguided 

or beclouded on the journey 

as succession of prophets 

came with revelations and 

warnings, the most detailed of 

which is the Quran conveyed 

to the seal of prophets and the 

mercy unto mankind, 

Muhammad Mustapha (saw). 

Do not follow the footsteps of 

shaitaan; He is to you and 

avowed enemy, Allah warns in 

several parts of the Quran. 

Ashaitan attracts you to 

lewdness and threatens you 

with poverty, Allah also 

Jumadal Akhir 7, 1439 A.H. 

Living in the light of Islam 

explains at some point. So 

many verses of the Quran 

point to the fact that it is 

Ashaitan that endears the 

path of darkness or makes 

corruption fair seeming. 

What does darkness 

portend for man? Fear, 

insecurity, helplessness. 

When man follows the course 

of darkness, he is only steeped 

in darkness, entering layers of 

darkness, swimming in ocean 

of darkness, exposed to 

dangers and threats he has no 

protection against. 

The man who gropes in 

darkness is not different from 

the blind. But he would not 

enter darkness in the first 

instance if he is not a confused 

man. Every confused man is 

blind. Every confused man 

will take even his enemy as his 

guide. 

A confused man cannot 

different poison from cure. A 

As you follow the 

shadow, you are 

led in His light. As 

you journey with 

this Guide, His 

shadow, as light is 

cast upon you. As 

you embark on this 

journey with 

Allah, you also 

become a grade of 

His light to 

illuminate the path 

for others 

confused man is ever in 

doubt. The faith of a confused 

man is easily shaken or 

threatened. A confused man 

is often hasty. A confused 

man wants just any way out 

of his problems. 

But Allah as the Guide who 

designed and understands 

the course and the terrain of 

life, he points to you the 

direction that leads to 

felicity, He tells you where to 

rest and conserve energy, 

where to be cautious and 

where to be hasty. 

He gives you courage on 

the journey when 

despondency and fatigue is 

about setting in. He warns 

you when you are too 

excited about a discovery, 

because that is not the 

ultimate of the journey. 

So whoever journeys with 

Allah till the end will have 

appropriated so many 

reflections of Allah, rays of His 

light. 

Hikma is wisdom, Allah gives 

to whomever He wills and 

whoever Allah has granted 

wisdom, has been granted a 

most bounteous gift. How can 

man walk with Allah and not be 

blessed with wisdom, a certain 

light? 

Sabr or patience is an 

attribute of Allah, a wonderful 

ray of His light. How can a man 

be patient, steadfast, and 

resilient, without attaining 

victory? Innallah ma 

asaabiriin. Allah is with those 

who are patient. 

One thing: the shadow of this 

Guide is light itself. As you 

follow the shadow, you are led 

in His light. As you journey 

with this Guide, His shadow, as 

light is cast upon you. As you 

embark on this journey with 

Allah, you also become a grade 

of His light to illuminate the 

path for others. 

Now, I take all the beautiful 

names of Allah to be the grades 

of His light. I take the dye of 

Allah to be the rays of His light. 

Aah! Sibgatullah! Who can 

colour man with such 

colourful, pleasant hue? 

It’s the light of faith that Allah 

casts in the hearts of His lovers, 

who are pleased with Him and 

in whom He is pleased, for 

whom He has prepared al- 

Jannat, the abode of the 

favored. 

BARKA JUMAH 

Toda 

oday's prayer 

May our prayer and praise for Allah at Jumat 

today connect us to the beauty of love of one 

another. 

May our worship unlock inner peace that balm the 

reason and believe that cause us to experience Allah 

through a balanced, strong, honest and truly 

life-transforming faith. 

And may Allah be ever pleased with you and all 

yours. Happy Jumat. 

—Dr. Adewale Adeeyo, OON 

Al-Falah School 

Mrs Saidat Oyewole, Proprietress, Al-Falah School, 

Adamo, Ikorodu (3rd left), with some parents during 

the School's Inter-House Sports, held at Itamaga, 

Ikorodu, Lagos, Wednesday. 

Pupils of Al-Falah School, Adamo, Ikorodu during a 

match past at the event. 

Hon Commissioner Lagos Ministry of Home Affairs, Dr. Abdul Hakeem Abdul 

Lateef, (Middle); Mrs. Toyin Awoseyi, the Permanent Secretary, (2nd right); Mr. 

Mufutau Okota, Executive Secretary, Lagos Muslim Pilgrim's Board (right); Mrs 

Yetunde Gbafe, Executive Secretary, Lagos Christian Pilgrim's Board; and Mrs 

Olubunmi Fatinikun, Director of Home Affairs at Retreat organised by the Ministry 

of Home Affairs on Monday 19th February, 2018 with theme: Systemic 

Growth Strategies in the 21st Century. 

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Sermon from Baitul Futuh 

Jumadal Akhir 7, 1439 A.H. 

MSSN faults FG’s silence on NASU strike 

•Calls for urgent resolution 

THE Muslim Students’ 

Society of Nigeria has 

expressed displeasure over 

the silence of the Federal 

Government on the ongoing 

nationwide strike embarked 

upon by Non-Academic Staff 

of Universities (NASU) in the 

country. 

The Amir (President) of the 

MSSN in Lagos State, Dr. 

Saheed Ashafa, in a statement, 

heralding the organisation’s 

Sisters Empowerment 

Programme and Campus 

Interactive Forum scheduled 

for February 24th and 25th 

respectively, said the alleged 

poor attention paid to the 

striking workers by the 

Federal Government could 

aggravate the situation. 

According to him, the 

ongoing strike had stayed 

too long and will further 

worsen the country’s 

standard of education, 

wondering why the 

Federal Government 

would subject a segment 

of universities’ workers 

to hardship, without any 

urgent effort made to get 

the issue resolved. 

Ashafa urged President 

Muhammadu Buhari to 

react to crisis like other 

national issues, saying 

“his not giving priority to 

the strike action is 

sending a bad perception 

about 

his 

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administration”. 

He said, “In the first place, the 

strike is avoidable and needless. 

It is unpalatable to the hearing 

that a country like Nigeria still 

pays low attention to workers’ 

welfare. The poor attention and 

undue silence of the Federal 

Government over the ongoing 

strike embarked upon by 

members of NASU, SSANU and 

NAAT is condemnable and highly 

demoralizing. 

“It is understandable that 

children of majority of those 

leading the education agencies 

and ministries that should engage 

the striking workers are studying 

abroad, but that should not mean 

that the sons and daughters of the 

Nigerian masses should be made 

to suffer for pursing their interest 

in education. 

“As we speak, some of our 

universities smell and stink, 

others have their libraries, health 

centres, power houses and other 

strategic facilities shut down. 

Students now live on university 

campuses like they are in the 

jungle. This is pathetic and must 

be urgently addressed. 

Ashafa, however appealed to 

the striking workers to be 

considerate, adding that students 

were at the receiving end of the 

strike. 

“It appears that the workers are 

fighting for their rights, but they 

should always remember that 

their children are affected. We 

plead with them not to allow the 

agitation for their rights to affect 

the whole essence of education 

in the country,” he added. 

The JAC, comprising the Senior 

Staff Association of Nigerian 

Universities (SSANU); the Non- 

Academic Staff Union of 

Universities and the Associated 

Institutions (NASU) and the 

National Association of 

Academic Technologists (NAAT) 

on Dec. 4, 2017, embarked on an 

indefinite strike. 

They are protesting nonimplementation 

of the agreement 

they entered into with the Federal 

Government in 2009. 

Chief Imam of Lagos State, Sheikh Su;aiman Abuh (middle) flanked by NASFAT 

Chief Missioner, Imam Maroof Onike Azeez (3rd left) and NASFAT President, 

Engr. Kamil Yomi Bolarinwa (3rd right) and others during a courtesy visit by 

NASFAT to the new Chief Imam recently. 

The power of mindful prayers 

Today I wish to tell you about a zikr, which is part of the sunnah 

[practice] of the Holy Prophet (sa). This Zikr is composed of prayers 

revealed by God the Exalted and if this Zikr is recited with attention to its 

meanings, one attains the understanding of Tauhid, the Oneness of Allah 

the Almighty enters into the protection and refuge of Allah the Exalted 

and is saved from all kinds of evils. 

The Holy Prophet (sa) before going to sleep, always used to recite 

Ayatul Kursi, Surah Ikhlas, Surah al-Falaq and Surah an-Naas three 

times and blow into his hands. (These are the last three Surahs of the 

Holy Qur’an and the Ayatul Kursi.) Then he used to rub his hands over 

his body in a way that he would start form the head and go down as far 

as his hands could reach. Thus, something which he used to practise 

regularly, came to be his Sunnah [his established practice]. Such a deed 

should be practiced by every Muslim. We Ahmadis whom the Promised 

Messiah (as) has additionally instructed to act upon every aspect of the 

Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (sa). We should make special efforts to 

adopt this practice. We should offer these prayers regarding these as a 

highly important sacred duty. With these prayers, we not only seek our 

personal spiritual and worldly benefits but also seek to safeguard against 

any discord, disturbance or the evil caused by envious people and the 

enemies. The Holy Prophet (sa) adopted this practice with such 

regularity that during his last illness, Hazrat ‘Aisha would personally 

recite these prayers, blow them into his hands and rub his own hands 

across his body. Hazrat Uqba bin Amir narrates that the Holy Prophet 

(saw) recited the last three chapters of the Holy Quran to me and advised 

that O Uqba! Do not let a night go by until you have recited them.’ The 

Holy Prophet (sa) was the person who obeyed and complied with all the 

instructions and commandments of Allah the Almighty the most. Only 

then did he guide others to do the same. 

The Holy Prophet (sa) said about the Surah Al-Ikhlas i.e. the chapter 

which begins with ‘say, ‘He is Allah, the One’, that this is equivalent to a 

third of the Holy Qur’an’”. Why did the Holy Prophet (sa) declare this 

small chapter to be one third [of the Holy Qur’an]? The reason for this is 

that Allah the Exalted revealed the Holy Qur’an to prove and establish 

the unity of God. Thus, the unity of God has been mentioned very 

elaborately and comprehensively in this chapter. Hence, by pondering 

on its words and acting in accordance with them, one develops the true 

comprehension of the unity of God and one’s deeds and actions will 

reflect this belief. Mere recitation of this chapter is not enough, one 

needs to recite it, develop the understanding of the unity of God and act 

in accordance with it. 

Hazrat Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, relates in one narration 

that “the Holy Prophet (sa) appointed an individual as the leader of an 

expedition and sent him to one of the battles. This person would lead his 

companions into prayer and would finish the recitation with Surah Al- 

Ikhlaas. When asked why, he said that I do so as this is an attribute of the 

Gracious God. This is the reason I enjoy reciting it. Upon this, the Holy 

Prophet (sa) said that ‘Allah the Exalted also loves him.” In Bukhari 

there is a narration by Hazrat Anas (ra) regarding an Imam who always 

recited Surah Ikhlas in every part of every Salat, when asked by the 

Holy Prophet (sa) the reason for this practice, the Imam responded by 

saying: ‘This Surah is very dear to me.’ The Prophet (sa) said ‘Your love 

of this Surah has made you enter paradise.’” 

Hazrat Abi bin Ka’ab narrates: “When the idolaters asked the Holy 

Prophet (sa), tell us about the ancestry of your Lord? As a response to 

this, Allah the Almighty revealed Surah Al-Ikhlaas. Therefore, Samad is 

the One who is not a father to anyone and no one is His father. There isn’t 

anything that has been created that will not perish and will be succeeded 

by something else. Whereas, Allah Almighty will neither perish nor 

does He have a successor. There is nothing like Him.” 

The Holy Prophet (sa) said: ‘People ask who created Allah Almighty?’” 

These questions were raised during the time of the Holy Prophet (sa) 

and today as well. The Holy Prophet (sa) said: “When you see such 

people, recite ‘Say, He is Allah, the One’ until you have recited this entire 

Surah” i.e. recite the entire Surah Ikhlaas and ponder over its meaning 

and you will realise that there is nothing that created Allah Almighty 

and He has always existed and will remain till eternity. He said, “Then 

they should seek refuge [with Allah] from Satan so he is not be able to 

cause them any harm.” Hazrat Abu Hurairah (ra) narrates: “I was with 

the Holy Prophet (sa) when the Prophet (sa) heard a person reciting 

‘Say, He is Allah, the One’, the Holy Prophet (sa) said ‘it has been assigned.’ 

I enquired ‘What has been assigned?’ The Prophet (sa) responded: 

‘Heaven has been assigned for this person because of the sincerity he is 

reciting this with.’” 

“Once a man came to the Holy Prophet (sa) and complained about his 

poverty. The Holy Prophet (sa) stated: ‘Whenever you enter your home, 

and someone is inside, say, ‘peace be upon you’, and if no one is there, 

then send greetings of peace and security upon yourself by saying ‘peace 

be upon you’. And recite ‘Say, He is Allah, the One’ once.’ So, this person 

followed these instructions and Allah Almighty increased his provisions 

tremendously.” Therefore, when a person acquires the knowledge of 

the Unity of God and acts upon it, and recognizes that God Almighty 

possesses all the powers, then Allah Almighty blesses such person 

immensely. Allah Almighty says that He grants provision for the 

righteous through means that are beyond their imagination. 

Read further online on www.vanguardngr.com 

C 

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AKURE AIRPORT: When cows, 

airlines compete for space on runway 

•Stray cows on the Akure airport runway 

By Dayo Johnson, 

Regional Editor, South-West 

THAT cows took over the 

runway of the Akure airport 

last Saturday and delayed an 

aircraft from landing is not news 

to many travellers using the 

airport. It has become a 

recurring decimal that cows 

compete for space on the 

runway as airlines have to wait 

endlessly to land on many 

occasions. 

In fact, staffers of the Federal 

Airports Authority of Nigeria, 

FAAN, at the Akure Airport cohabit 

with the cows almost on 

daily basis. 

The fear of attack by the 

herdsmen, who have 

permanently sojourned in the 

vicinity, has made officials of the 


Akure—A renowned cleric, 

Ade Adeniji has urged 

traditional rulers in the 

country to shun politics and 

acts that could lead to their 

dethronement or banishment 

by political office holders. 

Adeniji, who is the Pastor incharge 

of Chapel of Truth, in 

his prophetic message made 

airport to continue to keep 

sealed lips on the threat that 

their presence in the restricted 

area is causing. 

It has become a routine for the 

security personnel of the airport 

to engage the herders who stray 

to the runway from the forest 

surrounding the airport. 

Sources at the airport said the 

authorities have let the 

herdsmen be, to avoid 

confrontation with them. 

According to Vanguard’s 

finding, the cows, after grazing 

in the restricted areas, would 

take solace on the runway to 

relax for the night. 

They also litter the runway 

with cow dung which is always 

evacuated the following 

morning by the airport 

cleaners. 

Unfortunately, the airport has 

no perimeter fence to wade off 

intruders. 

With the absence of a fence, 

wandering herders and their 

cattle have had unhindered 

access to the airport. 

Vanguard was reliably 

informed that sometime last 

year; a legionnaire employed by 

the authorities of the airport, 

simply called Baba Ojo, was 

almost beheaded for 

challenging the herders from 

putting the lives of travellers at 

risk by allowing their cattle to 

stray on the runway. 

A source told Vanguard that 

some of the herders are so 

comfortable that they wave to 

airport officials while their cows 

graze daily in the restricted 

area. 

Recall that sometime in May 

2016, during a clash between 

some herdsmen and farmers, 

the state government held a 

peace parley which included 

security agencies, farmers, 

cattle breeders, cattle rearers, 

Cleric advises monarch to shun politics 

available to newsmen in Akure 

lamented that the obaship 

institution which was divine 

has been dragged into the mud 

by politicians, who used and 

dumped the monarchs at will. 

Speaking at a meeting with 

some monarchs, the cleric 

wondered how some 

politicians who ran to 

monarchs for endorsement 

during political campaigns, 

turned around to depose them 

It has become a 

routine for the security 

personnel of the 

airport to engage the 

herders who stray to 

the runway from the 

forest surrounding the 

airport 

over slight mistake. 

Adeniji said: “Governors or 

presidents have no temporal 

or spiritual powers over obas 

and cannot appoint, demote or 

dethrone any traditional ruler. 

“It is a sin against man and 

God for politicians to go to the 

palace to prostrate before an 

oba to beg for his royal 

blessings and later browbeat 

them. It is abominable for oba 

to cringe at the roar of 

politicians or kowtow to them. 

Adeniji, who said the Land 

Use Act should be amended so 

that the lands could be given 

back to the monarchs, also 

advised the Federal 

Government to inaugurate the 

House of Chiefs so that 

monarchs would be able to 

play advisory roles to the 

government. 

In his welcome address, the 

Ogbolu of Ita-Ogbolu in Akure 

traditional rulers, community 

heads, and government officials 

among others. 

At the meeting, a top official 

of the FAAN in Akure shocked 

the gathering when she raised 

the alarm over security 

infringement by herdsmen 

whose cattle now use the airport 

runway as relaxation centre. 

The official said no fewer than 

40 cows on daily basis converge 

on the airport warning that they 

pose a serious threat to flight 

operations. 

Last week’s ugly incident 

where cows took over the airport 

runway and disrupted flight 

operations at the Akure Airport 

was seen as not only a security 

risk but an embarrassment to the 

country. 

Officials of FAAN and the 

airport security personnel had 

a hectic time clearing the 

runway to allow the aircraft to 

land safely after about 20 

minutes delay. 

Vanguard gathered that the 

pilot was about returning to 

Lagos when he was informed 

from the control tower that the 

cows would soon be cleared to 

allow for its safe landing. 

FAAN bares fangs at security 

officials 

Embarrassed by the ugly 

incident, FAAN swiftly 

apologised to Air Peace Airlines 

and its passengers for the 

incident. 

FAAN, in an apology by its 

General Manager, Corporate 

Affairs, Mrs Henrietta Yakubu 

said “normalcy was restored 

quickly, as officers of the 

Aviation Security department 

quickly dispersed the cows 

from the runway and the aircraft 

was cleared for landing. 

“The authority will like to 

assure travellers and the 

general public that efforts are 

already ongoing to close the 

gap that aided this incident,” 

Yakubu stated. 

But absolve itself of 

incompetence, FAAN 

suspended the head of Aviation 

Security in Akure for the 

embarrassment caused by the 

cows invasion of the runway. 

FAAN’s General Manager 

said the “agency was not 

unaware of recent 

developments at some airports 

within the country with respect 

to security breaches, and had 

started putting measures in 

place to improve security. 

“We have taken various 

initiatives and measures to 

guard against breaches of any 

sort at all our airports 

nationwide.” 

North Local Government Area 

of Ondo State, Oba Idowu 

Faborode said monarchs in the 

state were being marginalised 

in the promotion to the first 

class status by successive 

governments in the state. 

The monarch said the royal 

fathers in the state should be 

given recognition like other 

states in the federation.

By Gbenga Olarinoye 

OSOGBO—-The Ooni 

of Ife, Ooni Adeyeye 

Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, 

has said that survival of the 

African people rests heavily 

on the sustainability of 

the traditional culture saying 

government and the people 

must collectively utilise the 

culture as a way to greatly 

record productive economic 

advancement. 

Ooni Ogunwusi, who is 

the spiritual leader of the 

Yoruba race worldwide 

made the disclosure during 

the celebrations of annual 

Aje Festival (deity of wealth) 

at Ile-Ife. 

He said that Nigeria is 

abundantly blessed with 

cultural tourism potentials 

capable of turning the 

country to a viable economic 

nation. 

The Arole Oduduwa 

noted that the county’s 

cultural potentials should be 

productively showcased as 

culture does not affect 

By Daud Olatunji 

A BEOKUTA-Some 

leaders of the All 

Progressives Congress, 

APC, in Ogun State have 

urged Governor Ibikunle 

Amosun to anoint Speaker 

of the House of Assembly, 

Suraj Adekunbi as his 

successor for his loyalty and 

competence. 

The APC chieftains, 

EDITOR: Dayo Johnson 

DEPUTY EDITOR: Dapo Akinrefon 

08023844928 (sms only) 

CORRESPONDENTS: 

Ola Ajayi 

Gbenga Olarinoye 

Dare Fasube 

Daud Olatunji 

Rotimi Ojomoyela 

Monsuru Olowoopejo 

Adeola Badru 

religions saying culture 

does not even have a specific 

religion. 

He said: “As Christians or 

Muslims, we all need to 

respect our cultural 

heritage. In 2017, we prayed 

during the Aje Festival and 

we centred our prayers on 

the economic recession and 

within one week, we surp 

r i s i n g l y 

experienced dollar crash 

THE TEAM 

Ibadan 

Osogbo 

(Photo) 

Abeokuta 

Ekiti 

Lagos 

Ibadan 

OSUN STATE 

AJE FESTIVAL: Culture enhances 

economic growth — Ooni of Ife 

2019: Allow Ogun Speaker succeed you, APC 

leaders beg Amosun 

Ondo monarch commends Akeredolu 

By Chris Nwosu 

THE Olubaka of Oka 

Kingdom, Oba Yusuf 

Adebori Adeleye has 

commended Governor 

Rotimi Akeredolu of 

Ondo State, SAN, for 

embarking on 

infrastructural 

development in Iwaro 

Oke/Oke/Oka Road of 

the state. 

Receiving the governor, 

who came to inspect some 

roads and commission 

some projects at Oka 

•Ooni of Ife during the Aje festival 

including 

a 

former Minister of State for 

Education and one-time 

member of the Senate, 

Senator Iyabo Anisulowo; 

Prince Bolaji Aretola and 

Mrs Funmilayo Adeniran, 

spoke in Ilaro, Yewa South 

Local Government Area 

when Adekunbi met with 

women groups from the 

Ogun West Senatorial 

District as part of his 

Akoko recently, Oba 

Adeleye said the project 

was a life-saving one for 

those plying the road on 

a daily basis. 

He recalled that before 

the reconstruction of Oke 

from about N480 to N350. 

We have prayed and very 

soon, the economy will 

improve tremendously.” 

“Aje is the spirit of market 

profitability. That is why its 

festival is very important to all 

humanity, because nobody can 

survive without it. If we do 

business, profit is expected, if 

you work you, expect stipends 

at the end of the month, so that 

is simply Aje,” he explained. 

consultations for 2019 

governorship. 

Vanguard gathered that 

their stance came on the 

heels of recent reports that 

APC leaders in Ogun West 

zone, comprising the Yewa- 

Awori people, had pruned 

down list of governorship 

aspirants from the area to 

three after reportedly 

screening seven. 

Oka hilly road, a family 

of 18 lost their lives while 

returning from 

graduation ceremony of 

their son at Adekunle 

Ajasin University. 

Lawmaker commends Ambode 

over foot bridge 

By Clifford Ndujihe 

Amember of the Lagos 

State House of 

Assembly representing 

Oshodi/Isolo 

Constituency II, Jude 

Emeka Idimogu has 

commended Governor 

Akinwunmi Ambode of 

Lagos for considering 

and granting his request 

to construct a pedestrian 

bridge at Toyota bus stop 

along Apapa-Oshodi 

Expressway. 

In a chat with reporters, 

the lawmaker, who 

recently defected to the 

ruling All Progressives 

Congress, APC, from the 

People's Democratic Party, 

PDP, applauded the 

governor for the project 

which he announced last 

Monday to wild 

jubilation of traders while 

on inspection of various 

projects in the state. 


Dana Air incident: Stakeholders 

interrogate Aviation agencies' 

culpability 

Stories by Lawani 

Mikairu 

As Nigeria 

Accident 

Investigation 

Bureau, AIB, on 

Wednesday dispatched 

two of its investigators to 

Port Harcourt International 

Airport to commence 

investigation into the Dana 

Air plane incident at the 

airport, Aviation 

stakeholders have started 

interrogating the 

culpability of the various 

aviation agencies who 

have the responsibility to 

ensure safe flight 

operations at the airport. 

A very senior official of 

the Nigeria Civil Aviation 

Authority, NCAA, whose 

name cannot be in print for 

obvious reasons, has 

raised some posers he said 

he expects the AIB, to 

answer. 

According to the NCAA 

director, “As a major 

incident, the Accident 

Investigation Bureau has 

to carry out an 

investigation to ascertain 

the cause(s) of the incident. 

At the moment, all the 

aviation agencies are 

suspects viz; has NCAA 

been carrying out due 

diligence on aircraft and 

crew, is FAAN up to date 

in the provision of the 

required infrastructure for 

safe operations in Port 

Harcourt Airport”? 

While thanking God that 

all passengers and crew 

aboard the flight were 

evacuated and are safe, he 

further asked: “Has Nigeria 

Airspace Management 

Agency, NAMA, provided 

the necessary Instrument 

Landing Systems for safe 

operations during 

inclement weather? Was the 

weather report at the 

moment of incident as given 

by Nigeria Meteorological 

Agency, NIMET, up to date 

and correct?” 

According to him, “these 

and other issues” including 

the culpability or otherwise 

of the airline must be 

determined before any 

blame can be apportioned 

and appropriate measures 

recommended to avoid 

future occurrence. 

Confirming the 

commencement of the 

investigation, Mr. Tunji 

Oketunbi, General 

Manager, Public Affairs, AIB, 

said two of the bureau’s 

accident investigators have 

been sent to Port Harcourt 

Airport , the scene of the 

incident, to make sure no 

evidence is tampered with. 

They are to also commence 

immediate investigation as to 

why the Dana aircraft 

overshot the runway. 

Oketunbi further said until 

the investigation is done, 

preliminary report as to the 

cause of the incident cannot 

be released by AIB, as is the 

Geo Travels And Tour 

ours s partner 

tners 

NFF, , to fly Nigerians 

Geo Travels and Tours, 

a travel company 

is partnering the Nigeria 

Football Federation (NFF), 

to fly Nigerians who want 

to travel to Russia to 

support the country’s 

national team, The Super 

Eagles at the 2018 FIFA 

World Cup. 

A Director in the 

company, Mr Alex Ekeoma 

who disclosed this at a 

media brief to announce the 

partnership, said Geo 

Travels and Tours has over 

10 years experience in 

inbound and outbound 

Air Peace to link African nations by 

air, says Onyema 

Air Peace Airline has 

reiterated its 

determination to link 

African countries by air and 

connect the continent to the 

rest of the world, as 

seamless air connectivity 

is pivotal to the socioeconomic 

development of 

countries within the 

continent. 

This declaration was 

made by the Chairman of 

Air Peace, Mr Allen 

Onyema on Monday 

during the airline’s 

inaugural flight operations 

to Freetown, Sierra Leone; 

Banjul, The Gambia; and 

Dakar in Senegal. Onyema 

was represented by the 

airline’s Corporate 


Manager, Mr Chris 

Iwarah. 

According to Onyema: 

“In the next few weeks, we 

hope to add five more 

services to expand our 

regional route network to a 

total of nine destinations.” 

He also said that 

seamless air connectivity is 

pivotal to the socioeconomic 

development of 

countries within the 

travels. He also disclosed 

that Geo Travels and Tours 

is the official travel partner 

to the NFF for the FIFA 2018 

World Cup in Russia. 

He said : “We believe 

that it is the job of a travel 

agency to not only offer its 

customers the most 

enjoyable trips possible, but 

to also give them a travel 

experience where their 

personal comfort is 

enhanced and their travel 

needs are met in a manner 

that is convenient to them, 

speedy and cost-efficient.” 

aviation practice worldwide 

and in keeping with the 

International Civil Aviation 

Organisation, ICAO, 

recommended procedure. 

Recall, on Tuesday night, 

a Dana Air aircraft with 

registration numbere 

9J0363, flying from Abuja to 

Port Harcourt Airport 

overshot the Port Harcourt 

Airport runway. 

According to Mrs 

Henrietta Yakubu, General 

Manager, Corporate Affairs, 

Federal Airports Authority of 

Nigeria, FAAN, the incident 

“was suspected to have 

been caused by a heavy 

rain, which was 

accompanied by strong wind 

and storm in Port Harcourt.” 

She however added that 

no casualty was recorded, as 

all passengers on board were 

safely evacuated. 

Economic Community of 

West African States 

(ECOWAS) sub-region, 

adding that the airline was 

committed to unlocking the 

economies of Africa, 

offering air travellers on 

business and leisure trips 

seamless connectivity, as 

well as creating jobs for the 

people. 

“The launch of our 

Freetown, Banjul and 

Dakar services today brings 

our regional network to four 

routes and a total of 16 

domestic and West Coast 

destinations with more 

than 80 daily flights. 

“In the next few weeks, we 

hope to add five more 

services to expand our 

regional route network to a 

total of nine destinations. This 

broad route network ,we 

believe, will form a solid base 

to link African nations and 

connect the continent to the 

rest of the world by air.” 

Receiving the Air Peace 

delegation at the Freetown 

International Airport, Lungi, 

Mr. Balogun Koroma, the 

Minister of Transportation, 

Sierra Leone, commended 

the airline for extending 

operations to the country. “We 

are looking for in-flight quality 

service, on-time service and 

adherence to our local 

content laws in terms of 

employing our people; and 

Air Peace has given us the 

assurance that they would 

adhere to that,” Koroma said. 

Also at the Banjul 

International Airport, Mr 

Abdoulie Colley, Director of 

Operations, Gambian 

Airports Authority, assured 

Air Peace of the needed 

support to ensure hitch-free 

operations in the country. 

Similarly, Prof. Oluwasegun 

Ibidapo-Ope, Nigerian 

Ambassador to the Gambia, 

said the coming of Air Peace 

would strengthen bilateral 

relations between both 

countries.

30— Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2018 

Nigeria’s future: Devolve or die 

By Ladipo 

Adamolekun 

ONLY devolution 

can unleash the 

forces for consolidating 

democracy and 

achieving accelerated socioeconomic 

progress in 

Nigeria. The alternative to 

devolution will likely be the 

death of the federation. 

- Ladipo Adamolekun 

(2005) 

Clearly, one of the factors 

responsible for the ongoing 

failure of Nigeria is overcentralisation 

of powers. 

- Guardian, Editorial, January 

6th 2018 

In the darkest years of 

military rule under Sanni 

Abacha, the approaching 

end to my years abroad was 

the occasion for me to come 

up with my credo on the 

future of Nigeria. My political 

credo for Nigeria, 

“devolve or die”, was 

spelled out in the concluding 

paragraph to my commemorative 

article on 50 

years of federalism in Nigeria 

(“The Nigerian Federation 

at the Crossroads: 

The Way Forward”) published 

in Publius, The Journal 

of Federalism (2005). 

The paragraph ended with 

the first quotation cited atop 

this Note. The second 

quote from a recent editorial 

of the Guardian is an 

echo of my credo. 

Military culture and 

unitary federalism 

President Buhari’s convoluted 

structure/process perspective 

on restructuring in 

his 2018 New Year speech 

is no more than a camouflage 

for his continued attachment 

to the unitary features 

of the country’s federal 

system. He and other 

military politicians who 

ruled Nigeria for close to 

thirty years between January 

1966 and September 

1999 - from Aguiyi Ironsi 

to Abdulsalam Abubakar – 

had introduced the unitary 

features that were inspired 

by their military culture. 

Two crucial illustrations relate 

to (a) the concentration 

of powers at the centre (reflected 

in the skewed allocation 

of functions between 

the central and sub-national 

governments in the 1979 

and 1999 Constitutions) and 

(b) a distorted revenue allocation 

formula that assigns 

52.68% to the federal 

government, 26.72% to state 

governments and 20.6% to 

the local governments. 

Then, unsurprisingly, 

president Obasanjo who 

ruled as a civilian president 

between 1999 and 2007 

maintained the inherited 

unitary features because 

they were consistent with 

his military culture. Indeed, 

he promoted increased 

centralisation with 

the Universal Basic Education 

(UBE) law and his 

failed attempt to impose 

President Muhammadu Buhari 

federal power over local 

governments. At the primary 

education level, president 

Obasanjo invented a 

role for the federal government 

that was different 

from the relevant provision 

in the 1999 Constitution: 

Universal Basic 

Education (UBE) was designed 

as a federal government 

policy and programme 

in defiance of the 

provision in the 1999 

Constitution that assigns 

responsibility for primary 

education to state and local 

governments. The 

role of the federal government 

in primary education 

is limited to prescribing 

minimum standards 

as provided in the Constitution’s 

Second Schedule, 

Exclusive Legislative 

List, 60 (e). This hi-jacked 

primary education function 

(UBE) was used as 

part of the rationalization 

for the maintenance of 

the federal government’s 

lion’s share of the Federation 

account. More on 

this later. Regarding local 

governments, president 

Obasanjo promoted 

the Monitoring of Revenue 

Allocation to Local 

Governments Act 2005 

that vested the authority 

in the Auditor General of 

the Federation. This additional 

dose of over-centralisation 

was challenged 

by Lagos State 

and a few like-minded 

states and their challenge 

was upheld by a Supreme 

Court decision in July 

2006. 

Although President 

Yar’Adua formally committed 

to abrogating laws 

that underpin the unitary 

features of the country’s 

federal system, he was 

unable to pull this off because 

his presidency was 

short-lived due to illness 

and eventual death. (“I 

have also directed that all 

laws be examined that go 

against the federal system 

so that they will be 

amended to be in conformity 

with the federal systional 

Political Conference 

that he sponsored. The recommendations 

of the Conference 

included a significant 

number that would, if 

implemented, help tackle 

the over-centralisation of 

powers and resources that 

characterise our militaryinspired 

unitary federalism. 

However, the Conference’s 

recommendation on the 

creation of eighteen (18) 

new states means that the 

country would have 54 federating 

units that would be 

weaker than the current 36. 

Concretely, then, the two 

key dimensions to restructuring 

are (i) re-allocation 

of powers and resources 

and (ii) reconfiguring the 

country’s federating units. 

It is in respect of (i) that restructuring 

and devolution 

are used correctly as synonyms. 

All those who 

claim that there are as many 

versions (meanings) of restructuring 

as there are proponents 

are only being disingenuous. 

Re-allocation of 

tem of government” – 

quote from Yar’Adua’s interview 

with London’s Financial 

Times reported in 

various national newspapers. 

However, President 

Yar’Adua’s unambiguous 

commitment to abrogating 

the laws that underpin unitary 

federalism was ignored 

by his successor, president 

Jonathan. The latter’s contribution 

to the debate on 

Nigeria’s federal system 

was through the 2014 Napowers 

and 

resources 

The assignment of functions 

that would be consistent 

with a devolved federal 

system would follow 

closely the arrangements 

in the 1954 and 1960 Constitutions 

– a short exclusive 

federal list including 

national defence, the macro-economy 

and foreign 

affairs; joint responsibility 

in respect of some crucial 

functions that are current- 

The recommendations of the Conference 

included a significant number 

that would, if implemented, 

help tackle the over-centralisation 

of powers and resources that characterise 

our military-inspired unitary 

federalism 

Late Gen. Sani Abacha 

Chief Olusegun Obasanjo 

ly assigned exclusively to 

the federal government 

(for example, internal security 

and policing); and 

primary responsibility of 

the sub-national governments 

in respect of the other 

functions in the Second 

Schedule of the 1999 Constitution. 

The failure of the 

8th National Assembly to 

include devolution of powers 

in the proposed constitutional 

amendment 

that are currently being 

considered by State Houses 

of Assembly suggests 

that continued attachment 

to over-centralisation of 

powers is not only at the 

level of military politicians. 

In the circumstance, 

it would make 

eminent sense for citizens 

across all geo-political 

zones to make commitment 

to a constitutional 

amendment on devolution 

a litmus test of their 

vote for candidates in the 

2019 elections: legislators 

at the state and national 

levels as well as governors 

and the president. It is 

only logical that the existing 

sharing percentages 

applied to the Federation 

Account should reflect the 

proposed re-assignment 

of functions. I would propose 

a 35:65 sharing ratio, 

that is, 35% for the central 

government and 65% 

for the governments of the 

federating units. (For example, 

the central: provincial 

ratio in Canada since 

1985 is 45: 55). 

Reconfiguring the 

country’s federating 

units 

Unlike the clarity in respect 

of the re-allocation of 

functions and resources, 

there are two alternatives for 

reconfiguring the country’s 

federating units: increase 

the number of states by 18 

to make a total of 54 states 

or make the six geopolitical 

zones the primary sub-national 

units in the federation. 

I would argue that it 

was illogical for the 2014 

National Political Conference 

to simultaneously recommend 

the re-allocation of 

powers and resources along 

the lines summarised in the 

preceding paragraph (with 

some variations in the details) 

and the adoption of a 

54-state structure. Support 

for significant reduction in 

the powers and resources of 

the central government 

should mean either the 

maintenance of the existing 

36-state structure or a fewer 

number of federating units. 

In these circumstances, I 

align with the school of 

thought that advocates the 

adoption of the six geo-political 

zones as the country’s 

federating units. The equality 

of three zones in the 

south and three in the north 

will remove once and for all 

the inequality introduced 

arbitrarily by military dictators 

resulting in the current 

19:17 north/south sharing of 

states. When twelve states 

were created in 1966, the 

need to maintain balance 

between the northern and 

southern parts of the country 

was explicitly stated. 

The persistent agitation 

for an equal number of 

states among geopolitical 

zones since 1999 confirms 

the wisdom of the structural 

re-organisation of 

1966. Next, each geopolitical 

zone should be 

free to decide on the 

number of sub-units 

(states/provinces, districts/local 

governments) 

that are appropriate for its 

peoples, taking into account 

both cultural and 

developmental imperatives. 

In the context of the 

proposed new federal 

structure, the Federation 

Account should be 

shared between the central 

and six zonal governments 

in the ratio of 35 to 

65. The 65 per cent for 

sub-national governments 

should be shared 

equally among the zonal 

governments that would 

then freely decide on the 

proportions to share 

among their respective 

states/provinces and districts/local 

governments, 

as well as the formula to 

use for intra-zonal revenue 

sharing. 

Last Word 

Remaking Nigeria 

through devolution of 

powers and restructuring 

of the federating units is 

a worthy cause and the 

momentum that it has gathered 

cannot be stemmed. 

Yes, it can be delayed but it 

will triumph sooner than 

later because it is crucial to 

keeping Nigeria united. 

Professor Ladipo Adamolekun 

writes from Iju, 

Akure North, Ondo State. 

NIGERIA NOTES (New 

Series) 

C 

M 

Y 

K

VANGUARD, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2018—31 

Powerful parties, weak people 

THE ruling African National 

Congress, ANC, in South 

Africa, and its Nigerian counterpart, 

the All Progressives Congress, APC, 

are each a ‘Congress.’ However, 

while the ANC is a political party 

which during the Anti-Apartheid 

struggle, transformed into a people's 

movement, the APC lays claims to 

what it is not; a political party. The 

fact that a butterfly has wings and 

can fly, does not make it a bird. 

Founding South African 

democratic President, Nelson 

Mandela was as big as a politician 

can come; his image loomed large 

not only over his country and Africa, 

but the entire universe. Yet, he was 

contained within the ANC to the 

extent that when he was released, the 

position the party had for him was 

Deputy President under the less 

charismatic and far less known 

Oliver Tambo. But Tambo was quite 

sick, and the party in its wisdom, 

named the Secretary-General, 

Alfred Nzo, the acting President. 

This was more because Mandela 

had been in jail for 27 years and the 

party was not sure if at that time, he 

was sufficiently abreast of ANC’s 

principles and policies to lead it. 

Mandela himself was disciplined 

enough to understand that despite 

his overwhelming influence in the 

country and worldwide, he was no 

bigger than the party. In his 

autobiography, Long Walk To 

Freedom, he wrote: “My first 

responsibility (after being freed) was 

to report to the leadership of the 

ANC.” 

Mandela had all the 

characteristics of a messiah but what 

the ANC saw was a man; its cadre 

who had survived a long, harsh 

imprisonment for the struggle and 

had returned to join it. Outside the 

party, he repeatedly told people, he 

was no messiah. In contrast, even the 

APC Chairman, Mr. John Odigie- 

Oyegun wants Nigerians to accept, 

even if they would not believe, that 

President Muhammadu Buhari is a 

messiah. Just six days ago, he told 

Nigerians: “ I want to tell you that to 

this nation, God sent a messiah, God 

sent President Buhari to heal the 

wounds of this nation.” As for party 

discipline, in comparison to the 

ANC, it virtually does not exist. The 

APC is not a body that can exercise 

power and control over its members 

be they poor or wealthy, elected or 

unelected. Party supremacy is of 

course non-existent, as there must 

first be a political party, before it can 

assume and assert its supremacy. So 

while the APC in 2015 had its official 

candidates for the Senate Presidency 

and Deputy, House Speaker and 

Deputy Speaker, it was unofficial 

candidates opposed to the party 

leadership that swept the posts, and 

they remain in power to-date. Unlike 

the ANC in which the party leader, 

leads, in the APC, the party leader 

concedes leadership, at least to both 

the President and the National 

Leader. But this is not peculiar to the 

party; all the Nigerian registered 

political parties I know, are like the 

While the ANC is a 

political party which 

during the Anti- 

Apartheid struggle 

transformed into a 

people's movement, 

the APC lays claims 

to what it is not; a 

political party 

APC, contraptions and makeshift 

political platforms for elections. The 

fundamental difference between the 

ANC and Nigerian political parties 

is that while the former was formed 

with the people, the latter are formed 

for the people; while the ANC 

members own the party by paying 

membership dues and funding the 

party, almost all registered parties 

in Nigeria including the APC and 

the opposition People's Democratic 

Party, PDP, pay their members even 

to attend basic party functions while 

their national conventions are 

avenues for the ‘members’ or 

‘delegates’ to enrich themselves, to 

reap bountiful harvests where they 

have not sown. So unlike South 

Africa, multiparty democracy in 

Reordered 2019 election sequence: Politicians to 

answer own names on election day 

THE National Assembly 

(NASS) reordering of elections 

is all over the news. So too the ill 

advised intervention of INEC trying 

without much success to bar the 

Legislature from performing its 

constitutional responsibility. 

Of the three arms of Government, 

the NASS is The Lawmaker. INEC 

is only a Law Executor as errand boy 

of The Law Executor, the Executive. 

As elections edge closer, it won't want 

to be a Lawbreaker. And there are 

quite a hand full of other Law 

Breakers on the side of the executive, 

already tainting that Arm's image 

not caring that the voter's decision is 

just around the corner. If INEC isn't 

happy with the NASS legally valid 

reordering, if it thinks it has locus 

standi, as the lawyers say, it should 

take it up with The Law Interpreter, 

the Judiciary. 

You can't do The Law on the pages 

of newspapers or radio and TV. For 

the Change GMB APC the reordered 

elections singling out each of the tiers 

and levels of political power for 

individual attention of the voter is 

the best thing that has happened to 

Nigerian Democracy in recent times. 

Especially for those of us from the 

North where the GMB appeal has 

regularly been used and serially 

abused by opportunist politicians 

since 2003. The SAK bandwagon 

has done more harm than good to 

politics and more importantly 

governance, good governance in the 

North. 

The 2019 voters GMB must have: 

Core North Buharists, plus Tinubu 

& Team: 

With the reordered elections 

pattern the President is now not 

beholden to any Governor, not even 

to his party. It is clear with this, all he 

needs are politicians of his core votes 

bank, the traditional GMB 

supporters upnorth, and od course 

Tinubu and his team to make up for 

any shortfalls likely from the North, 

particularly the Christian middle 

belt that has been effectively hacked 

away by the wicked use of terror and 

propaganda these past year. 

SAK & 2019; Politicians on their 

own: 

The 2019 elections will sure be, 

"Kai da Halin ka". That is to say you 

are on your own, or words to that 

effect. For the mess made of the APC 

Change mantra, all Governors and 

politicians need GMB that is why 

they orchestrate the lie that the 

reordering is targeted at him so he 

intervenes and they ride back to office 

on his SAK bandwagon. Even when 

they have destroyed any semblance 

of participatory democracy in their 

states. Apart from Bukola Saraki 

and a scant few, no Senator or House 

of Reps member is sure of a ticket on 

the APC on his own steam without 

his Governor's say so. 

As such the reordered 2019 

election sequence will liberalize the 

democratic space such that where 

the APC Governors who have the 

party under their thumb deny them 

a ticket they can pick any and work 

the electorate to return to Abuja. The 

same thing will happen where the 

Governors continue their 

hardheaded "kaci, ba kaci ba, kaci" 

nomination of candidates, for all 

levels of elections. Note the LG 

elections by conscienceless State 

Election Commissions not one bit 

ashamed of the "Independent" tag on 

them. The latest of February 10th, in 

Kano was a mockery of we haven't 

seen in 40 years of politics. This 

travesty of "democracy" our "elected" 

civilian administrations claim and 

worse the "independence" their 

electoral agencies so shamelessly 

rub in our faces is so galling 

particularly for the Kano of Malam 

Aminu Kano and Muhammadu 

Abubakar Rimi. 

That 5 million votes 'dash' for GMB 

Someone fed my APC Governor 

funny figures that over 2.6 million 

votes were cast. Those preparing his 

LG elections victory speech went a 

step further and had him say, he will 

"dash" our GMB five million votes, 

leaving Kano and Kanawa the butt 

of mean jokes. This "dashed" some 

wicked ignorants the opportunity of 

having a field day on the social 

media with photos of under aged 

street urchins allegedly voting at the 

no-show Kano LG election. 

True or false, we again get reports 

of the same Kano APC authorities 

claim those photos were of the 2015 

election. This can't be from the Kano 

Government. Its enemies must have 

planted this as well as the tale and 

photos of the underaged voters. And 

all at a time of the worst voter apathy 

in Kano ever. All comprehensively 

reported by all of Kano's radio 

stations as the "elections" were 

supposedly on, where the "elections" 

took place, if at all. All these justifies 

the reordering of elections by the 

NASS, and they are no doubt in their 

right to do so. Everyone will now have 

to answer his father's name on 

election day. 

elRufai and his troubles 

Our chat here some weeks ago, 

raised an alarm on the fate of APC 

in Kaduna after the elRufai's sack of 

teachers got many responses. One 

actually suggested I was a "goat" for 

worrying about 200,00 votes that our 

party, APC could lose if nothing was 

done in good enough time. I referred 

to the Governor's Shia troubles, and 

the chiefs especially of Southern 

Zaria, his friend Senator Hunkuyi 

and Senator Shehu Sani. 

One MUSA DANTSOHO 

thought I was of the 'Akida (ideology) 

APC'. I may be accused of being of 

Nigeria is a mere nomenclature 

sanctified by a dependent electoral 

body that claims to be independent, 

propelled by underage voters, some 

less than half the official electoral 

age, dignified by leading political 

structures with an abiding faith in 

rigging elections, certified as ‘having 

substantially complied with the 

electoral law’ by observers funded 

by partisan donors, and blessed by 

the ‘international community.’ 

Despite its good pedigree and 

orientation, the ANC is exhibiting 

troubling signs that it can be both a 

good and bad example of party 

supremacy. Cyril Matamela 

Ramaphosa was sworn in as the fifth 

President of South Africa on 

February 15. But of the five 

Presidents, Nelson Mandela was the 

only one with the people's mandate 

to have completed his tenure and 

handed over to a successor elected 

by the electorate. When his successor, 

Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki lost the 

ANC presidency to his Deputy, Jacob 

Zuma, the party, exercising its 

supremacy, could not wait to get him 

thrown out. With nine months left to 

complete his second term in office, 

the ANC forced Mbeki to resign on 

September 20, 2008. Apart from 

losing the internal ANC elections 

and being considered somewhat 

dictatorial and aloof, Mbeki had no 

known scandals, and internationally, 

had a good image. These rumblings 

led to a split with leading ANC 

members like former Defence 

Minister, Mosiuoa ‘Terror’ Lekota, 

former Deputy Defence Minister, 

Mluleki George and former Premier 

of Gauteng Province, Mbhazima 

Samuel Shilowa, breaking away to 

found the Congress of the People, 

COPE. 

The man who completed the 

Mbeki term was Kgalema Petrus 

Motlanthe whom parliament 

elected by 269 of the 351 votes cast. 

'akida' politics, but am not of Kaduna. 

He says: "Gwangwazo, you just 

have to wait and see how far your 

'Akida APC' will reach in 2019. Do 

you think El-Rufai, as Governor 

would merely watch this bunch of 

opportunists in Garba Sani 

(meaning Senator Shehu Sani, I 

suppose) & co., destroy his political 

career? 

"Out of political stupidity of the 

likes of Sani, they let others make 

fun of educational system in Kaduna 

State and by extension, the North in 

general. After all, none of these critics 

have their children in Kaduna State 

public schools". 

But then the facts at issue over the 

2019 elections can't be disputed. The 

votes are at issue. What is more as 

nothing has been done to ameliorate 

the pitfalls for the Kaduna APC 

ahead of 2019 yet, elRufai has taken 

impunity to another level. The PDP 

in him keeps coming back as he 

demolished a political opponent's 

house at 4am. Wonder of wonders! 

So government works so well even 

at night? The excuse for demolishing 

the property (for overriding public 

interest!) was over unpaid land rates. 

The real reason is it is used as the 

factional headquartasked hag had 

the "democratic" audacity to 

suspend the Governor from APC. And 

yet, the focus should be on the votes 

in 2019. 

Asiwaju Tinubu as GMB's secret 

weapon Thank God, GMB is as 

focused on those votes as we are. 

Springing Asiwaju Tinubu on APC 

as his 2019 secret weapon after all 

The fourth President was Jacob 

Gedleyihlekisa Zuma. His team lost 

the December 2017 ANC elections 

to then Deputy President 

Ramaphosa. For a man dogged by 

scandals, it was not long before the 

ANC, exercising its supremacy, 

demanded and secured Zuma’s 

resignation. With such culture, it is 

not unlikely that the ANC may in 

future force Ramaphosa out of 

office. 

Another powerful party is the 

Zimbabwean African National 

Union, ZANU-PF, in neigbouring 

Zimbabwe. Exercising party 

supremacy, ZANU-PF has 

dominated the country’s political 

landscape since 1980 and decides 

who runs for what office and who 

does not. In December 2014, it 

sacked Vice-President Joice Mujuru. 

The party picked President Robert 

Mugabe as its Presidential 

candidate in the scheduled 2018 

elections and on November 6, 2017, 

sacked Vice-President Emmerson 

Mnangagwa. All these seemed 

settled matters. However, the 

military nine days later organised a 

coup putting Mugabe under house 

arrest and forcing some powerful 

party leaders to flee. It forced 

Mugabe to resign and the party 

reconvened to appoint Mnangagwa 

president. It then continued in its 

old tradition. This is to the extent 

that when on Wednesday, February 

22, former President Mugabe 

turned 94, the day was declared a 

public holiday to honour him, 

acknowledge and propagate his 

immense contributions to the 

country and the Black Race. 

We need genuine political parties 

in Africa who can assert themselves 

and impose party supremacy over 

every member, but they should not 

be so powerful as to make the people 

weak. As the ANC slogan goes: “The 

people Must Govern!”. 

the turmoil in the party shows he is 

conscious of the votes. On those 

votes, in Kano the fact at issue is 

beyond the Ganduje and 

Kwankwaso brothers rivalry, very 

important as it is. Every four-year 

election cycle Kano has delivered an 

added 200,000 votes since 2003. It 

wasn't any different in Kwankwaso 

and Ganduje's 2015 turn. These votes 

clearly need to be properly 

husbanded. The first State Visit GMB 

paid late last year confirmed that 

there may be apathy of unimagined 

proportions if things continued the 

way they are in Kano, as in many 

states of GMB sure bankers. And the 

Kano LG elections validated these 

fears if any validation was required. 

Tinubu, Kwankwaso and 

Kano Buharists, now and in 

2019 

With the justifiable fear of 

diminishing votes especially from the 

middle belt there would be little 

reason to insist on assuaging the 

Christian content of the North which 

is why Tinubu wasn't on the GMB 

2015 ticket. He should be on in 2019 

as the South west doesnt vote along 

religious lines. Also as part of 

reconciliation Kano should have 

more Buharists in the Central and 

State Government and on the 

frontline of 2019 elections. Up there, 

Kwankwaso needs to be part of the 

Government now, and upfront in the 

GMB 2019 campaign, such that he 

is at the core of Government to await 

2023.


YOUR LUCK TODAY 

By Joshua Adeyemo Phone 08056180139 

AQUARIUS; Better days are ahead of you but, you will 

today need to do away with non-productive argument and/ 

or agreement. Try to be more diplomatic now. 

PISCES; If what you’re doing today’ll depend on 

tomorrow’s event it’s better you’re more careful now. Even 

things may not go according to your personal plans today. 

Yet it’s important you plan both your immediate and far 

future carefully now 

ARIES; If you take to aggression, your ego would be 

deflated by your superior colleagues, but your being cooperative 

in a civilised way’ll prevent trouble 

TAURUS; Those willing to put you to shame one way or 

the other’ll be disappointed with the turn of things today. 

It’s good to secure support of your spouse. 

GEMINI; You’ve had enough of fun in the recent times 

and it’s now time you settle down for hard work in order to 

prevent avoidable trouble. Be patient please. 

L E I S U R E 

TAKE HEART —ELLA RANDLE 

“Pray as if God will take care of all; act as if all is 

up to you.” -Ignatius- 

This is so true, it’s about using your faith to fuel positive 

thinking and positive action, every single day. 

When people undermine your dreams, remember, 

they’re telling you their own sad story, not yours. 

They’re dumping their own doubts into the air. Ignore 

them. Go diligently in all you do, and focus on achieving 

your dreams. - Ella Randle 

TERROR MUDA in “Never say goodbye” 

SAYINGS OF 

OUR PEOPLE 

You always 

learn a lot 

more when 

you lose than 

when you 

win. ~ African 

proverb 

By Kola Fayemi 

CANCER; Your concentration level and determination 

are the pillars of your success today. Yet you’ll need to respect 

your senior colleagues and protect your image 

LEO; It’s true you’re willing to work harder but you just 

have to drop both aggression and mental arrogance to 

allow things to roll accordingly. Then, you’re accident 

prone within your working arena. Respect the law and its 

agents today. 

VIRGO; Serious thought may be giving to matters of the 

heart but it’s better you tarry a while. Joint ventures of 

short duration today may be an invitation to avoidable 

trouble. 

LIBRA; If you back your financial plans with concrete 

and positive actions things’ll go according to your desire. 

If you fail to realise importance of your spouse you would 

work your way into avoidable trouble; aren’t you tired of 

crisis? 

SCORPIO; Your intelligence, competence and level of 

concentration may today bring you envy, which you don’t 

deserve within your working arena in a negative form but. 

DUDU in “ROLLING HOT” By A.O. OLAIDE 

SAGITTARIUS;. The Moon highlights your Solar second 

house of money which is good but, if you try to buy 

true love with money, you’ll be disappointed 

CAPRICORN; The. Moon in your Star sign’ll gives you 

new confidence and with new supports from the powersthat-be, 

it’s like you are now un-stop-able. But be cautious, 

especially with the veterans within your base of operation. 

ASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLING 

Send your date and place of birth to the Astr 

trological 

Counselling, P.M.B 100 

007, 7, Apapa, Lagos 

Success for me? 

Dear Joshua, 

I am interested in your Astrological counselling. Kindly 

tell me everything about myself, especially my finance 

and career; would I be rich eventually, if yes what should 

I do to make it happen quickly. 

John, Ibadan. 

Dear John, 

There are indications of financial success for you but 

you can not change what Almighty God Has designed for 

you talking about the timing (the quickness you talked in 

your letter) Certainly however no failure for you. 

Mercury –the planet of education and Accountancy, 

together with mighty Sun at positive angle to planets in 

Virgo (another Accounting Star sign) attracted you to 

both Accountancy profession and the academic world. 

Truly you did not make wrong choice of career. 

Money will eventually come along this line but it’ll not 

be as faster as if you take to OIL RELATED BUSINESS. 

Because Neptune (the planet of OIL) was very comfortable 

when you were born. It will not be out of place if you 

have filling stations as time goes by, because you are basically 

a GAS PERSON. Another money spinning vocation 

for you include writing either along your line or for 

film making industry; it is important you exhibit the higher 

quotient of creativity in your inner-self. Yes your dream 

of becoming A Professor will come to reality. Politics is 

another area you are not looking at now but will surely 

come. Do you say why? Because Aquarius is equally political 

Venus that was powerfully placed when you were born 

is all about MONEY. Thus you have special ability to 

make money. And as it was at positive angle to disciplined 

Saturn, you are not giving to serious frivolity. One 

major challenge here is envy by others but you will eventually 

overcome. Another source of challenges is your 

love life which looks not totally balanced. 

Basically you are a family minded person. You are 

equally loving and caring. But sometimes your love of 

freedom get better off you to the resentment of your closer 

partner(s).Then some other times it is other party’s fault 

making love-business very interesting. And unless you are 

more careful and determined you may marry more than 

once. 

VIRGINIA 

HOME & ABROAD 

dadadekola@yahoo.com 

By Lawrence Akapa



Auchi Poly bill scales 2nd reading in Senate 


A BUJA—THE 

Senate has 

started debate on a Bill for 

an act to establish City 

University of Technology, 

Auchi, sponsored by the 

Deputy Senate Whip, 

Senator Francis 

Alimikhena (APC, Edo 

North). 

The bill which scaled 

second reading yesterday 

MEETING: From left: Director-General, Standard Organisation of Nigeria SON, Osita Aboloma; 

Director, DG’s Office, Abuja, Mr. Richard Agu and Director, Inspectorate and Compliance, 

Bede Obayi, during SON lubricant stakeholders’ meeting in Lagos. Photo: Akeem Salau. 

Uyo church collapse: A-Ibom govt begins 

implementation of report 

By Chioma Onuegbu 

& Harris-Okon 

Emmenuel 

U YO—GOVERNOR 

Udom Emmanuel of 

Akwa Ibom State has set 

machinery in motion to 

implement the 

recommendations of the 

report of the Commission of 

Inquiry into the collapse of 

Reigners Bible Church 

building in, Uyo. 

The state Commissioner 

for Information and 

Strategy Mr. Charles 

Udoh, in a statement 

yesterday in Uyo, said the 

state Attorney General and 

Commissioner for Justice, 

Mr. Uwemedimo Nwoko, 

had been mandated to 

commence the process of 

taking appropriate actions 

against all persons found 

culpable in the church 

building collapse on 

December, 10, 2016. 

Udoh said this came after 

a detailed review of the 

report which the 

Commission of Inquiry, 

headed by Justice 

Umoekoyo Essang (retd), 

submitted to the governor 

in June, 2017. 

He said: “Following the 

collapse of Reigners Bible 

without any objection at 

the Senate seeks to 

convert Federal 

Polytechnic, Auchi to City 

University of Technology. 

Speaking on the bill 

before it was put to vote, 

Deputy President Ike 

Ekweremadu who 

presided over plenary 

drew the attention of the 

Senate to the current 

strike by university 

workers and the impact 

Church building in Uyo on 

December 10, 2016, the 

governor of Akwa Ibom 

State, Mr. Emmanuel, 

constituted a Commission 

of Inquiry to investigate the 

circumstances which led to 

the unfortunate incident 

and recommend measures 

to forestall future 

occurrence. 

“After a detailed review of 

the commission’s report, the 

governor has set in motion 

necessary machinery to 

implement the 

recommendations of the 

Prosecute INEC officials involved in 

registration of minors —Ukweni 

By Ike Uchechukwu 

CALABAR—A legal 

luminary, Mba 

Ukweni, SAN, has called 

on federal agencies 

including Independent 

Corrupt Practices 

Commission, ICPC, to 

prosecute all those involved 

in the registration of 

underage persons in some 

parts of the country. 

Ukweni who spoke with 

Vanguard, yesterday, in 

Calabar, lamented the 

continuous registration of 

on the educational 

system. 

The Senate also asked 

the Committee on Tertiary 

Institutions and 

TETFUND to as a matter 

of urgency, look into the 

dispute with a view to 

getting the workers back 

to work, just as it urged 

the committee to look into 

fair distribution of share of 

federal institutions across 

states and senatorial 

report. The Attorney 

General 

and 

Commissioner for Justice 

has been mandated to 

commence the process of 

taking appropriate actions 

against all persons found 

culpable in the church 

building collapse. 

“All cases of proven 

professional negligence 

will be dealt with decisively 

within the ambit of the law. 

Similarly, all verified 

outstanding bills for 

treatment of victims in the 

various hospitals in Uyo 

underage people which 

according to him, was 

portraying the country’s 

image negatively and 

making the electoral 

process laughable. 

His words: “The 

Independent National 

Electoral Commission, 

INEC, officials who 

indulged in registration of 

underage people should be 

brought to book and 

prosecuted for corruption. 

The age of voting is 18. It 

is wrong for INEC officials 

to register under age 

districts. 

In his lead debate, 

Senator Alimikhena said, 

“I am excited by the 

prospect of transforming 

this polytechnic to a 

university of technology, 

not because it is based in 

my senatorial district, but 

because it will motivate 

both students and 

academic staff, just as it 

will upgrade its facilities 

and enhance its capability 

to achieve its objectives." 

have been fully paid up by 

the state government. 

“Government also 

extends its gratitude to the 

various hospitals and 

clinics in Uyo that attended 

to victims promptly. 

“While reiterating its 

avowed commitment to the 

protection of lives and 

property, the Government of 

Akwa Ibom State once 

again commiserates with 

families of the victims of the 

Reigners Church building 

collapse and prays the 

Almighty God to comfort 

them,” Udoh added. 

persons. 

“This is part of corruption. 

Corruption is not just 

somebody taking money. 

Anything that is done 

improperly in order to 

obstruct the proper course 

of things is corruption. 

Registration of underage 

people is corruption, so it 

should be investigated. 

“Government should 

investigate and ensure that 

people who do that are 

brought before the 

appropriate agency for 

prosecution." 

Rivers PDP chair hails Wike 

on awards 


G OVERNOR 

Nyesom Wike of 

Rivers State has been 

commended by the state 

Chairman of Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP, 

Mr Felix Obuah, for 

bagging the prestigious 

Silverbird Man of the 

Year and Sun Newspaper 

Governor of the Year 

awards. 

He added that the 

choice of Wike as the 

candidate of the party in 

2015 was a wise one. 

Obuah, in a statement 

in Port Harcourt, lauded 

Wike for his 

developmental efforts, 

especially in areas of 

infrastructure and human 

capacity development in 

the state. 

Commending the 

governor for winning the 

prestigious Silverbird 

award, which 

presentation will hold on 

February 23 in Lagos and 

the Sun Newspaper 

Governor of the Year 

Award, which 

presentation will be on 

February 24, Obuah said 

the party was not 

surprised that what the 

governor is doing in the 

state was appreciated, 

even by those outside the 

state, adding that a gold 

fish has no hiding place. 

He recalled that in less 

than three years of being 

in office, Wike has 

remarkably reshaped the 

state, proving that indeed 

good governance is 

possible if done with 

sincerity of purpose. 

2019: Ndokwa East youths 

want Ossai in DTHA 

By Festus Ahon 

A SABA—YOUTHS 

under the aegis of 

Ndokwa East Youths 

Association, NEYA, 

yesterday, urged Delta 

State Commissioner for 

Lands, Surveys and Urban 

Development, Mr. Chika 

Ossai, to vie for the state 

House of Assembly seat for 

the Ndokwa East 

constituency in the 2019 

general election. 

They made the call 

through a motion moved 

by Mr lucky Iyanma and 

seconded by Mr Basil 

Agbanashi. Speaking at 

Iselegu when he led 

members of NEYA on a 

visit to the commissioner, 

President General of the 

association, Mr Simeon 

Chukwuemeke, said the 

call became necessary 

after due consultation, 

adding that Ossai’s 

relationship with leaders 

and landmark 

achievements within a 

short time as a 

commissioner were 

overwhelming. 

Commending Ossai for 

his assistance to the youths 

in Ndokwa East and 

bringing electricity to the 

area after eight years of 

darkness, he assured the 

commissioner of total 

support from Ndokwa East 

youths any time he makes 

up his mind to run for the 

House of Assembly 

position. 

Responding, Ossai 

thanked the youths for their 

support for the state 

governor, Dr Ifeanyi 

Okowa and ensuring that 

absolute peace reigns in 

the council. 

Osemegie emerges new 

president of EGSOSA 

OLD students of 

Emede Grammar 

School, Isoko South 

Local Government Area, 

Delta State, under the 

aegis of Emede 

Grammar School Old 

Students Association, 

have elected new 

executives to pilot the 

affairs of the association 

for the next three years. 

The election which 

held at Emede town 

produced Osazuwa 

Osemegie as president, 

Victoria Oki-Obiubho, 

vice president, Christine 

Fiakpore- Aluyi, 

secretary, Esther 

Agbaga, treasurer, Duke 

Igbine, financial 

secretary, Amos Iwari, 

PRO. 

Others are Monday 

Umukpero, Assistant 

Secretary, Gabriel 

Okeme, Assistant PRO, 

Theresa Etareri-Wiliki, 

Welfare Officer, Niger 

Delta Zone, Sunday 

Ezoh and Welfare Lagos 

Zone, Fortune Eghwe. 

Speaking after the 

election, Osazuwa 

Osemegie promised to 

improve on his 

predecessors 

achievements to ensure 

that all old students of 

the school are carried 

along in course of the 

discharge of his duties. 

He added that all the 

other zones are to retain 

their current executives 

until elections are 

conducted. 

C 

M 

Y 

K

C 

M 

Y 

K 


By Anayo Okoli 

U MUAHIA— 

GOVERNOR 

Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia 

State has reopened the Aba 

General Hospital after 

being moribund for over 

seven years, describing it 

as the soul of health care 

service in Aba. 

Governor Ikpeazu 

explained that the reopening 

of the hospital was 

part of his administration's 

efforts to strengthen the 

secondary healthcare 

system in the state. 

The governor recalled 

with nostalgia that “the 

hospital was firm, secure 

and renowned for medical 

practice but a few years ago 

the story changed. Today is 

yet another milestone. This 

is good news for Aba 

people that your general 

hospital has bounced 

back.” 

Still going down memory 

lane, Ikpeazu recalled that 

the hospital was famous for 

offering all kinds of relief 

to many with ailments in 

the past and promised to 

equip the hospital to do 


Ikpeazu re-opens Aba General 

Hospital 7 years after 

better because “I see a 

tomorrow for this place 

better than what we have 

seen before. Soon the best 

equipment in the world 

will be in this hospital. “ 

The governor announced 

that he would provide a 250 

By Dennis Agbo Nevertheless, he 

E 

disclosed that different 

NUGU—THE Enugu countries of the world 

Chamber of including Japan, USA, 

Commerce, Industries, Turkey, Indonesia, Ghana 

Mines and Agriculture, among others have 

ECCIMA, has said that 

thriving economy and free 

indicated interest to 

participate in the fair, which 

enterprise are he noted has been made 

indispensable for 

sustainable democracy in 

Nigeria. 

The chamber noted that 

the economy could be 

rejuvenated by boosting the NNEWI—TO complete 

industrial sector and ongoing projects and 

spurring small and medium move some departments to 

enterprises, SMEs, for its permnent site, the 

inclusive growth. management of the 

It also stated that the 

country needs to boost her 

Nnamdi 

University 

Azikiwe 

Teaching 

export drive by Hospital NAUTH, Nnewi, 

engendering the has appealed to the Federal 

competitiveness of her Government to step up its 

products on the global capital votes. 

market. 

NAUTH also appealed to 

New President of the House of 

ECCIMA, Sir Emeka Representatives 

Udeze made the remarks at 

Committee on Health 

a press briefing 

Institutions to look into 

announcing the 29th 

improving the capital vote 

of NAUTH, adding that the 

Enugu International Trade 

school needs money for 

Fair that will hold from 

ongoing projects and the 

March 16 to 20, 2018. 

hospital. 

Udeze had during his 

Chief Medical Director, 

installation pleaded with CMD, of NAUTH, Prof. 

South East Governors to Anthony Igwegbe, made 

help attract wider the call when members of 

participation for the 29th the House of 

Enugu International Trade Representatives 

Fair. 

Committee on Health 

KVA generating set to the 

hospital within one month 

while rehabilitation of 

structures would continue 

to bring them to good stand. 

Ikpeazu also disclosed 

that the state was expecting 

four containers of assorted 

Thriving economy, free enterprise panacea for 

sustainable democracy—ECCIMA 

ready with improved 

infrastructure at the fair 

ground. 

Udeze said that the 

Enugu Trade Fair was 

conceived as a major and 

key economic event that has 

been in place to foster the 

South East and indeed 

Nigeria economy. 

Udeze pledged to 

enhance institutional 

capacity building of the 

chamber and Human 

Capital Development; 

promote agriculture, 

Industrial and 

entrepreneurship 

development and 

consolidation of public 

policy advocacy. 

UNCOMPLETED PROJECTS: NAUTH 

appeals to FG for increased funding 

Institutions paid a visit to 

the hospital’s temporary 

and permanent sites in 

Nnewi and the confluence 

of Nnewi, Oraifite and 

Ozubulu communities. 

Prof. Igwegbe told the 

committee that “the health 

institution has 450 bed 

capacity with about 4,000 

staff, six outstations in 

Onitsha, Oba, Neni, Ukpo, 

Umunya and Awka and it 

is becoming very difficult to 

operate optimally from the 

temporary site, hence the 

need to move some 

departments to the 

permanent site. 

While thanking the 

Minister of Health, Prof. 

Isaac Adewole for his 

assistance and Governor 

Willie Obiano’s 

administration for assisting 

in constructing access 

roads to the permanent site, 

hospital equipment some of 

which would be allocated 

to the general hospital. 

In his remarks, the 

Commissioner for Health, 

Dr. John Ahukanna 

commended Ikpeazu for 

his passion in ensuring that 

the secondary healthcare 

system of the state is 

strengthened. 

EXHIBITION: Managing Director, NIPCO Plc, Sanjay Teotia (left), 

welcoming Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Emmanuel Ibe 

Kachikwu to the joint exhibition booth of NIPCO Plc, while the OPEC 

Secretary General, Mohammed Barkindo (3rd right) watches, during 

the just concluded NIPS in Abuja . 

he noted that the temporary 

site is no longer conducive. 

His words: “The major 

problem of the health 

institution is lack of 

accommodating space 

following the increasing 

number of patients... We are 

prioritizing the building 

projects we are constructing 

at the permanent site 

because of lack of funds, we 

want to get ready the 

administration, male 

surgical and general 

outpatients department 

and few other departments, 

for us to move to the 

permanent site. 

“All our capital votes have 

been going into the 

construction of the projects 

in the permanent site, we 

need more funds for us to 

complete some specific 

projects in the permanent 

site for us to move in.” 

Anambra monarch says killerherdsmen, 

strayed wild cards 

By Chimaobi 

Nwaiwu 

N traditional NEWI—THE 

ruler of 

Omor in Ayamelum Local 

Government Area, 

Anambra State, His Royal 

Highness, Igwe Chris 

Oranu, has described as 

"strayed wild cards" 

herdsmen responsible for 

various attacks and killings 

of people in his and other 

communities in Nigeria. 

He said they are first time 

visitors, who strayed into 

their victims communities 

and engage in clashes and 

killings in their host 

communities nationwide, 

especially his agrarian 

community in Anambra 

State. 

Igwe Oranu, who 

recently ascended the 

throne of Omor, said this 

during a ceremony in 

Omor, where he unveiled 

his development blueprint 

for the predominantly 

farming community and 

equally played host to a 

body of farmers association 

and other stakeholders in 

the agricultural sector in the 

council area who paid him 

courtesy visit. 

Igwe Oranu, who also 

observed that established 

herdsmen who know the 

grazing route where they 

graze regularly and have 

their families residing in 

those communities do not 

Chief Sab Okoye passes on 

THE family of Chief 

Sab Okwara Okoye 

has announced the death 

of their father, the Ozuo 

Omee 1 of Ihioma, Chief 

Sab Okwara Okoye, 

aged 85. 

A statement signed by 

Festus Okoye Esq. for 

the family, described the 

• Late Chief Sab 

Okoye 

late Chief Okoye as 

mentor and patriarch of 

the Okoye clan. He died 

in Jos, Plateau State on 


He was a renowned 

community leader, 

consummate politician, 

outstanding Councillor, 

peace maker, 

businessman, 

philanthropist, Grade 1 

football referee and strict 

disciplinarian. 

He is survived by his 

sisters, children, 

including Festus Okoye 

Esq and other relations. 

engage in violent clashes 

with farmers and killing of 

people in their host 

communities. 

He said: "The regular 

herders know their grazing 

locations and had known 

their hosts very well and 

would naturally not rock the 

boat of the existing smooth 

relationship between them 

and their hosts. The ones 

causing trouble and killing 

people and burning their 

houses are 'strayed wild 

cards’ who enter host 

communities for the first 

time." 

On his strategies to 

contain further attack 

against his people, he said 

he has fine-tuned 

strategies with which to 

cope and wade off invading 

herdsmen, adding that the 

Anambra State 

Government has also done 

well in that area by putting 

structures in place through 

office of the Special 

Assistant to the Governor 

on Cattle Menace, who 

supervises and advises the 

governor on that and other 

related issues. 

“Again, there is an 

understanding between the 

Governor of Anambra State 

and the Miyetti Allah Cattle 

Breeders, such that if the 

cattle destroy any farm, 

there is a desk at the 

governor’s office to report 

the matter for prompt 

attention, investigation and 

action," he noted. 

The late Chief Okoye 

would be buried in his 

residence in Umudim, 

Ihioma, Orlu Local 

Government Area of Imo 

State at a date to be 

announced by the family. 

Pa Babatunde 

for burial today 

• Late Engr. 

Babatunde. 

ENGR. 

Joseph 

Oluwole Babatunde, 

who died on November 6, 

2017, aged 88 will be buried 

today at Badagry Cemetery 

by 10:00am. 

Christian wake was held 

Wednesday, February 21 at 

his residence, 10, Maculay 

Street, Era, Ijanikin, Lagos. 

He is survived by his 

widow, children, grand 

children and great grand 

children. Among the 

children are Jide 

Babatunde (Vanguard 

staff).

C 

M 

Y 

K 



LAUNCHING: From left: Co-founder, Betking, Adekunle Adeniji, Brand 

Ambassador, Betking, Austin Jay-Jay Okocha, and CEO, Betking, Byron 

Petzer, at the launch of BetKing, a premium sports betting platform, at Ikeja 

City Mall, yesterday. 

Count me out of Lagos gov race 

— Sen Ashafa 

By Olasunkanmi 

Akoni 

L AGOS—FOLLOWING 

a news item published 

on an online news blog, 

Senator Gbenga Ashafa, 

representing Lagos East 

Senatorial District has said 

that he has no plan to 

contest the governorship 

slot with the incumbent 

Governor Akinwunmi 

Ambode of Lagos State. 

According to Ashafa, in a 

statement, yesterday, “My 

attention has been drawn to 

news item published on an 

online news blog, 

captioned “Again Talks 

Gbenga Ashafa Interested 

in becoming next Lagos 

Gov floats about town”. 

“I hereby use this 

medium to reiterate my 

support for the governor, 

His Excellency, Governor 

Akinwunmi Ambode and to 

state that I am firmly 

focused on my assignment 

as the Senator representing 

the people of Lagos East 

Senatorial District in the 

upper chamber of the 

Legislature. I am equally 

committed to supporting 

the brilliant strides of the 

incumbent Governor of 

Lagos State and will 

continue to support him 

accordingly. 

“It is pertinent to state at 

this juncture that only last 

week, on Friday 16th 

February, 2018, I used a 

medium through my 

address at the closing 

ceremony of the 

Entrepreneurship Training 

and Skill Acquisition 

program for constituents of 

Lagos East in conjunction 

with SMEDAN to further 

publicly drum up support 

for the government of 

Governor Ambode, 

particularly in the aspect of 

youth empowerment.” 

He recalled that he 

played a very vital role in 

rallying the Lagos East 

General Assembly of the All 

Progressives Congress to 

ensure that a vote of 

confidence was passed on 

government of Governor 

Ambode during the recent 

General Assembly, held in 

Ikorodu on December 4th 

2017, under the leadership 

of Otunba Bushura 

Alebiosu (BUSH). 

At the General Assembly, 

Ashafa was quoted to have 

hailed the exemplary 

leadership of the governor 

and also that the present 

developmental projects in 

the state should be allowed 

to continue, describing 

Ambode as the most 

effective governor in 

Nigeria. 

‘MAKEIGO 

to ease 

travelling 

experience 

in Nigeria' 

By Gabriel 

Olawale 

L AGOS—DERIVE 

Efficiency Limited in 

partnership with corporate 

transporters companies are 

set to officially launch 

MAKEIGO.com, an online 

transportation booking & 

payment platform. 

Speaking ahead of the 

formal launch in Lagos, the 

Managing Director of 

Derive Efficiency Ltd, Mr 

Olumide Solarin said it is 

time for travelers in Nigeria 

to start experiencing and 

preferring convenience to 

the stress of physically 

going through vehicular 

traffic to bus parks, days 

ahead to make payments. 

“The world has moved forward 

from that stressful and timewasting 

task. What is more, is that 

the world and indeed Nigeria is 

going cashless, so why won’t we 

have cashless be more popular 

in bus travel booking & payment 

in Nigeria? MAKEIGO.com has 

simply come to the rescue for 

travelers, and on its platform, 

travel tickets are even cheaper 

than the prices they get at the 

bus parks” 

Solarin disclosed that 

passengers who book on 

Makeigo.com enjoy discounts on 

tickets compared to the transport 

fares at the bus parks, “their 

online payments are secured 

because Makeigo.com is 

supported by the various systems 

offered by leading ICT firms and 

banks in Nigeria."


IHAD almost overcome my fear 

of flying when the news broke 

that the door of a Dana Airline flight 

from Lagos to Abuja fell off on 

touchdown. 

In a pathetic back-and-forth with 

passengers who had shared their 

experiences on social media, the 

airline’s management did not deny 

that the door fell off. Instead, it 

absolved its crew of responsibility 

and put the blame on imaginary 

suicidal passengers fiddling with the 

exit door. 

As a regular traveller on the Lagos- 

Abuja route, I’m weighing my 

options. I’m asking myself if it would 

not be better to travel by road. 

Before I’ve had time to answer the 

question, another Dana Airline plane 

overshot the runway in Port 

Harcourt. 

Since the Nigeria Civil Aviation 

Authority (NCAA) has been 

irresponsibly silent, it’s only a matter 

of time before Dana issues another 

statement, claiming that unruly 

passengers distracted the pilot on 

landing in Port Harcourt. 

I was still trying to make sense of 

this nonsense when it was reported 

that an Air Peace flight to Akure was 

forced to delay landing as cows, 

perhaps in search of grazing colony, 

had strayed into the airfield; and that 

was days after an alleged heist by 

suspected thieves said to have 

attacked the hold of one of its aircraft 

at the Lagos airport shortly before 

departure. 

Forward to the past? 

Memories of the tragic air crashes 

of the mid-2000s flooded my mind 

once again. After years of dodging, 

I’m thinking it’s time to travel to 

Abuja from Lagos by road. 

I’m not crazy to think about road. 

That was how we travelled before 

government created a cottage 

Dana by road to Abuja 

industry of private jets, almost 

completely neglecting the roads – the 

same poor regulatory habit that now 

appears to be putting air travel in 

danger. 

Stories of kidnappings, highway 

robberies and rickety, unmarked 

trailers driven by burnout drivers are 

common road hazards. But, 

strangely, you’ll hardly hear road 

safety being discussed as seriously 

as we’ve been discussing Dana. There 

are many who would swear that road 

travel is a suicide mission. But, 

believe me, it was worse. 

When Wole Soyinka took on the 

dangerous task of serving as the 

country’s first Road-Marshal-In- 

Chief, over 40,000 people were dying 

every year from road accidents. 

That figure has gone down over 

the years to fewer than 6,000 road 

traffic deaths two years ago and 

under 4,500 by last year. 

The current Corps Marshal, 

Boboye Oyeyemi, also said during 

the Corps’ 30th anniversary on 

Monday that emergency response 

time has been reduced by roughly 

one-third from 50 minutes and that 

the corps, voted by the World Bank 

as Africa’s lead agency in road safety, 

are putting their best foot forward to 

meet the target of the UN decade of 

action for road safety. 

So, why should planning a trip 

from Lagos to Abuja by road – a 

distance of about 750 kilometres – 

be a thing of misery? 

Blood of Jesus 

Thousands of passengers, mostly 

ordinary folks trying to eke out a 

living, make this trip everyday. Many 

of them travel by night, and in spite 

of warnings, they just fill the potholes 

with prayers and cover whatever 

other dangers may be lurking with 

the blood of Jesus. 

But big men and women have 

something to be afraid of because, 

in spite of the improving safety 

statistics, they have done – and 

appear to continue to do – their 

utmost to undermine road safety. 

Former President Goodluck 

Jonathan said that at the time he took 

office in 2010 only 5,000 kilometres 

out of the 35,000 kilometres of 

federal roads were motorable; and 

that he had improved quality road 

access by five-folds at the time he was 

campaigning for re-election in 2014. 

Yet, just one year before he started 

campaigning a Gallup-NOI poll 

said that seven out of 10 Nigerians 

felt the roads were still dangerous 

and unsafe. And that was after an 

estimated N1.75 trilion had been 

poured out on road construction, 

repairs and maintenance. 

It was possible that part of the funds 

were swallowed up by snakes in the 

Ministry responsible for fixing the 

roads, or that portions of the roads 

were washed away by the 

hypocritical tears once shed by 

Diezani Allison-Madueke when she 

was Minister of Transport. Whatever 

the case, the elite have maliciously 

neglected road maintenance 

because they have other travel 

options, especially flying. 

With concerns about air safety 

rising yet again, we might as well 

ask ourselves what needs to be done 

to make the roads safer. 

Big men as risk factor 

Big men and women often create 

peculiar problems for regular road 

users. They travel in bulletproof 

vehicles in long convoys that have 

no respect for traffic signs, speed 

limits or traffic officers. Often, 

commercial drivers who drink at 

motor parks, smoke and overload 

their vehicles are the poster-boys for 

bad driving. 

Yet some of the bitterest battles for 

safer roads have been fought against 

politicians – big men and women – 

who will not use seatbelts or obey 

traffic signs and regulations. 

Our big men and women have 

made our roads so unsafe that when 

their sirens cannot fetch them a right 

of passage, their armed escorts ride 

roughshod over other road users for 

right of way. 

The other day, the Speaker of the 

Abia State House of Assembly, 

Chikwendu Kalu, ordered 

policemen attached to him to shoot 

road marshals for stopping his wife’s 

car, that was apparently over 

speeding. Not satisfied with her 

husband’s order, the Speaker’s wife 

came down from her car to 

personally supervise the assault on 

the road marshals. 

Of course poor driving habits by 

many ordinary road users have also 

contributed to make road travel a 

nightmare but the collective 

attention and discipline that should 

make our roads safer are often taken 

for granted by the elite who somehow 

think they’re above the law. 

Since our railways may not be 

ready for mass transit until perhaps 

the next five to ten years and the 

NCAA is sleeping on duty, it’s in our 

enlightened self-interest to take our 

fate in our own hands and make the 

roads safer. 

It’s a measure of how bad things 

have become that travelling from 

Point A to Point B within the country 

can leave you with more than a few 

grey hairs. 

Ishiekwene is the Managing 

Director/Editor-In-Chief of The 

Interview and member of the board 

of the Global Editors Network. 

C 

M 

Y 

K


ABATI 

I, formerly known and 

addressed as Abati 

Olapeju Moriamo, 

now wish to be known 

and addressed as 

Akinfeso Olapeju 

Moriamo. All former 

documents/certificates 

remain valid. General 

public please take note. 

MBAH 

This is to confirm that 

the names Ogendi 

Mbah, and Mbah 

R e m i g i u s 

Amogechukwu Ogendi 

refer to one and the 

same person, but now 

wish to be known and 

addressed as Mbah 

R e m i g i u s 

Amogechukwu 

Ogendi. All former 

documents remain 

valid. General public 

please take note. 

OBICHUKWU 


addressed as 

Obichukwu Ifeoma 

Florence, now wish to 

be known and 

addressed as Amaechi 

Ifeoma Florence. All 

former documents 



ITOJE 


addressed as Miss 

Itoje Roseline 

Iruoghene, now wish 

to be known and 

addressed as Mrs. 

Frank Roseline 

Iruoghene. All former 




OGBONNA 

The names, Ngwoke 

Stanley Friday and 

Ngwoke Stanley 

Ogbonna belong to the 

same person but now 


addressed as Ngwoke 

Stanley Friday. All 


remain valid, any 

authority it may 

concern and the 

general public to take 

note. 

ONWUBU 


addressed as Onwubu 

Nancy Chinemerem, 



Uchechukwu Nancy 

Chinemerem. All 




ADEBAMBO 


addressed as 

Adebambo Kehinde 

Titilope, now wish to be 

known and addressed 

as Adebayo Kehinde 

Titilope. All former 




ONIKOSI 

OSI 


addressed as Onikosi 

Adebukola, now wish 


addressed as Adedeji 

Adebukola. All former 




UJAH 


addressed as Ujah 

Joyce Eberechi, now 


addressed as 

Nwachukwu Joyce 

Eberechi. All former 




SAMUEL 


addressed as Samuel 

Eniola Ayeni, now wish 


addressed as Ayeni 

Eniola, All former 


Valid. General public 


AREMU 


addressed as Anofi 

Sulaimon Aremu, now 


addressed as Anofi 

Sulaimon Damilare. All 




MALO 



Malo Sochima 

Catherine, now wish to 

be known and 


Ozoude Sochima 

Catherine. All former 




TIMILEHIN 

This is to confirm that the 

names, Oloruneto 

Timilehin, Oloruneto 

Timilehin Emmanuel and 

O l o r u n e t o 

Oluwatimilehin refer to 

one and the same person, 

but now wish to be known 


O l o r u n e t o 

Oluwatimilehin 

Emmanuel. All former 

documents remain valid. 

General public please 

take note. 

NWOBI 


addressed as Nwobi 

Ifeoma Sandra, now 



Nnawulezi Ifeoma 

Sandra. All former 




ATAR 

AROMA 

My name was wrongly 

written as Amos 

Sunday Ataroma, but 

my correct name is 

Amos Sammie 

Thankgod. All former 




BENSON 


addressed as Benson 

Mabel Chidinma, now 



Iloabuchi Mabel 

Chidinma. All former 




EGUNOMA 

This is to certify that the 

correct spelling of my 

name is Patricia Oboh 

Egunoma and not Pat 

Oboh Egunoma, and that 

I now wish to remove 

Egunoma from my name 

such that I now wish to 

remain known and 

addressed as Oboh 

Patricia. All former 



take note. 

OGHENEKEVWE 



Diana Oghenekevwe, 


and addressed as Mrs. 

Dinah Idjerhefere. All 




ASHAYE 


names, Miss Arinola 

Otukoya Ashaye and 

Miss Arinola Mabel 

Otukoya refer to one and 

the same person, but now 



Arinola Otukoya 

Oyebode. All former 



take note. 

OKONKW 

ONKWO 



Ifeoma Ukamaka 

Okonkwo, now wish to 

be known and 


Ifeoma Ukamaka 

Okpoko. All former 




EMMANUELA 


addressed as 

Emmanuela Ifeoma 

Chiaka, now wish to 

be known and 

addressed as Ifeoma 

Chiaka Njemanze. All 


remain valid. NSITF 

and the general public 


OGUNLOWO 


addressed as 

O g u n l o w o 

Oluwafunmike 

Elizabeth, now wish to 

be known and 

addressed as Amolegbe 

Oluwafunmike 

Elizabeth. All former 


valid. FSL, LASU and 

the general public 


IGHETSEMHE 


addressed as Ighetsemhe 

Blessing, now wish to be 

known and addressed as 

Ighetsemhe Blessing 

Pemosi. All former 



take note. 

AGBRO 



Elohor Doreen Agbro, 



Elohor Doreen 

Ogethakpo. All former 




MAZCELLIN 


addressed as Dansou 

Mazcellin Alowamou, 



Dansou Maxwell 

Alowamou. All former 


valid. Banks and 

general public please 

take note. 

OGWU 



Anne Nkonyenum 

Ogwu, now wish to be 


as Mrs. Annabelle 

(Anne) Nkonyenum 

Uruakpa. All former 




JOSEPH 



Nwose Joseph, now 



Nwose Onyenike. All 




IBEZIM 



Ibezim Perpetua 

Nneamaka, now wish 



Perpetua Nneamaka 

Akposionu. All former 




OLABUWONNINU 


names, Olabuwonninu 

Faosat and Faosat Cole 

refer to one and the same 

person, but now wish to 

be known and addressed 

as Faosat Cole. All former 



take note. 

PRECIOUS 


addressed as 

Precious Saturday, now 


addressed as Oseeny 

Saturday Omu. All 




EBIAKPO 



Ebiakpo Torubiri, now 



Ebiakpo Torubiri Ude. 

All former documents 



LONGJOHN 


addressed Nyanabo 

Longjohn, now wish to 

be known and 

addressed as Nyanabo 

Felix. All former 


valid. UBA, Diamond, 

GT bank and the 


take note. 

GAMBIAKEME 


addressed as 

Gambiakeme Alari, now 


addressed as Gambia 

Alari. All former 


valid. First bank and 


take note. 

AMAMULADEI 

I, Angila Nathaniel Amas 

hereby confirm that the 

names Angila Amas, 

Angila Amamuladei 

Amas refers to one and 

same me. I now wish to 


as Angila Nathaniel 

Amas. All former 


Skye bank and general 


AGAI 

I, Ebinipre Ajoa Agai 

hereby confirm that the 

name Ebinipre Agai 

refers to one and same 

me. I now wish to be 


as Ebinipre Ajoa Agai. 




EDEOGU 



C h a r l i c e 

Chukwudumebi 

Edeogu, now wish to be 


as Mrs. Charlice 

Chukwudumebi 

Akaeze. All former 



please take note.

38 —Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2018 

ENEGARE 


the names, Efe 

Enegare and Efe 

Joseph refer to me but 

I now wish to be known, 

called and addressed 

as Efe Joseph. All 




OSHORAKPOR 

EGWARE 

OMOUYI OKUGBAWA 

DANIEL MOMODU 


Mr. Osakwe Sunday 

Omouyi is also known 

as Mr. Osakwe Sunday 

Patrick and the names 

refer to one and the 

same person. All former 


valid. Ministry of Lands 

and Survey, Benue 

State and the general 


OJETTEH 



Ojetteh Nkem 

Magdalene, now wish 



Rohi Nkem 

Magdalene. All former 




ONWUEMERIE 


addressed as 

Onwuemerie Friday, 



Chukwuka Friday O. 




OGBONNA 

The names, Ngwoke 

Stanley Friday and 

Ngwoke Stanley 

Ogbonna belong to 

one and the same 

person but now wish to 

be known and 

a d d r e s s e d 

as Ngwoke Stanley 

Friday. All former 




KEVWE 


addressed as Joseph 

Kevwe now wish to be 


as Joseph Kevwe Gift. 



public take note. 

IBEH 



Ibeh Augusta Ozioma, 



Oguegbu Augusta 

Ozioma. All former 



take note. 



O g h e n e o v o 

Oshorakpor , now wish 



Iboyi Ogheneovo 

Peace. All former 





addressed as Miss Violet 

Ogheneyerhovwome 

Okugbawa, now wish to 


as Mrs. Orode 

Ogheneyerhovwome 

Violet. All former 


Delta State Civil Service 

Commission and general 


EYEREKOK 

OKO 



Blessing Ogheneruemu 

Eyerekoko, now wish to 

be known and 


Blessing Ogheneruemu 

Edabor. All former 




JOLLY 


addressed as Ikem 

Chinedu Jolly, now 


addressed as Ologbo 

Ikem Henry. All former 




OSOH 


addressed as Osoh 

Enakeme, now wish to 

be known and 

addressed as John 

Enakeme Festus. All 




EJAIT 

AITA 

This is to notify the general 

public that Ighoshemusua 

Ejaita Peter and Ejaita 

Peter is one and the same 

person now wish to be 

known and addressed as 

Ighoshemusua Ejaita 

Peter. That my surname 

Ighoshemusua was 

mistakenly omitted from 

my BVN form. All former 


First Bank Plc and the 

general public take note. 

ABIA 



Abia Iquo Dan, now 



Ekewedaye Iquo Dan. 




GODBLESS 

YASHIM 

CHANGE OF NAME 


the names, Anthony 

Godbless Oghale and 

Anthony Oghale refer 

to me but I now wish to 

be known, called and 

addressed as Anthony 

Godbless Oghale. All 






Daniel Otobong 

Bassey, now wish to be 


as Mrs. Chima 

Otobong Festus. All 




EMORDI 



Emordi Sandra Uju, 



Omoregie Sandra Uju. 




I, formerly known as 

Miss Priscillia Yashim, 



Priscilla Ayuba. All 

former document 



ODO 


addressed as Odo 

Jeremiah Uchechi, 


and addressed as Onwe 

Jeremiah Uchechi. All 




ONOJOVW 

VWO 



Ufuoma Hilary 

Onojovwo, now wish to 

be known and 


Ufuoma Hilary Ifeta. All 




NNAWUIHE 


addressed as 

Miss Ogechi Mary 

Nnawuihe Ikechukwu, 



Ogechi Vivian Mary 

Ikechukwu. All former 






Egware Iluoghene 

Peace now wish to be 


as Mrs Iluoghene 

Peace Etaredafe. All 


remains valid. General 




Winifred Usilado 

Momodu, now wish to 

be known and 


Winifred Usilado Dania. 




IBRAHIM 



Ibrahim Yomi, now wish 



Adegbite Yomi. All 




AKPUVIENOW 


Miss Elili Zalia 

Akpuvienow wish to be 


as Mrs. Zalia Akpuvie 

Agbomedarho All 




SERIEDJOR 

This is to notify the 

general public that Seri- 

Kpuwhara, Harrison 

Orhuerakpor, 

Serivbredjor 

Orhuerakpor, Seriedjor 

Harrison, Seri-Kpuwhara 

Orhuerakpor H. is one 

and the same person now 


addressed as Seri- 

Kpuwhara, Harrison 

Orhuerakpor. All former 


General public take note. 

KEHINDE 


addressed Miss Kemi 

Kehinde, now wish to 

be known and 


Kemi Omizu. All former 




EMIFONIYE 



Emifoniye Patience 

Fure, now wish to be 


as Mrs. Peace Fure 

Osekhabame. All 




ONAJITE 



Blessing Onajite Utiri 


and addressed as Mrs 

Blessing Onajite Utiri- 

Alibor. All former 

documents remains 


take note. 

ILOCHI 



Ilochi Genevieve 

Chiamaka, now wish to 

be known and 


Anyaogu Genevieve 

Chiamaka. All former 




NDUKAUB 

UBA 



Ndukauba Chioma 

Patience, now wish to 

be known and 


Onyenugwu-Oju 

Patience Chioma. All 




OWOLO 


Mrs. 

Kate 

Oritseweyinmi Owolo 



Kate Oritseweyinmi 

Ugege. All former 


valid. First Bank and 

the general public 


JOSEPH 

This is to notify the 

general public that 

Joseph Esther and 

Esther Tukumaere 

Amasoumo is one and 

the same person now 


addressed as Esther 

Tukumaere Amasoumo. 




ENDURANCE 


addressed as Awirhe 

Endurance Akpovona, 



Awirhe Bright 

Akpovona. All former 




BROWN 



Susan Dickson Brown, 



Susan Kevin Wami. All 


remain valid. TSKJ Nig. 

Ltd. and the general 


OVU 

VUAKPORA 

AKPORAYE 

YE 


addressed as 

Ovuakporaye Okoro 



J o s h u a 

Oghenekparobo 

Okoro. All former 



take note. 

IHESIE 



Ihesie Lilian Ifeanyi, 



Etumnu-Ihesie Ifeanyi 

Lilian. All former 




ILOCHUKWU 



Amaka Ilochukwu, now 



Amaka Ibekwe. All 




ELUYI 


Miss Loveth 

Ogechukwu Eluyi, now 



Loveth Ogechukwu 

Okoye. All former 




OYIBORHOR 

YIBORHORO 



Oyiborhoro, Joy 

Marieta now wish to be 


as Mrs Seri-Kpuwhara, 

Joy Marieta. All former 



take note. 

UZEZI 


addressed as miss 

Beauty E. Christiana 

Uzezi Anyisire, now 



Beauty E. Godsend. All 




OGBUAGU 

GU 


addressed as Prisca 

Ngozi Ogbuagu, now 


addressed as Prisca 

Ngozi Igbokwe. All 



public please take note.

DENILA 




CHANGE OF NAME 

EYO 



Caroline Christopher 

Eyo, now wish to be 


as Mrs. Caroline 

Effiong Eyoettee. All 




IGBAFEN 



Omagbemi Jah-Love 

Denila, now wish to be 


as Mrs. Nelson Jah- 

Love Iniruoh. All 



Emmanuella Martina 

Igbafen, now wish to be 


as Mrs. Emmanuella 

Martina Igbafen- 

Akporowho. All former 





TUADIBOF 

ADIBOFA 



Boloarekemefa 

Tuadibofa, now wish to 

be known and 


Boloarekemefa Jacinta 

Roy Asaba. All former 




KEDO 


addressed as Kedo 

Vivian Orho, now wish 


addressed as Anyiam 

Amarachi Orho. All 




CHIGBU 



Queen Mary Chigbu, 



Queen Mary Agbuza. 




AJIBOLA 


addressed as Ajibola 

Imoleayomide Mercy, 



Imoleayomide Mercy 

Ololade Ajayi. All 




NWAOZUZU 


addressed as 

Nwaozuzu Eustesia 

Onyinyechi, now wish 


addressed as Ndubuisi 

Eustesia Onyinyechi. 


remain valid. Guaranty 

Trust Bank and general 


YAHUD 

AHUDA 



Yahuda Eseoghene 

Faith, now wish to be 


as Mrs. Akhere Faith 

Eseoghene. All former 




OSENI 



Oseni Gloria Mamuna, 



Erheriene Gloria 

Mamuna. All former 




AKPOS 


addressed as Mukoro 

Akpos Henry Roland, 



Mragbozo Roland . All 




ETIM 


addressed as 

Utomobong Sunday 

Etim, now wish to be 


as Utomobong Sunday 

Ubaha. All former 



take note. 

ETUK-IREN 


addressed as Etuk-Iren 

Aniefiok Emmanuel, 


and addressed as Iren 

Aniefiok Emmanuel. All 

former documents with 

either name remain 



OVUARUME 


addressed as Friday 

Prince Erakpowerin 

Ovuarume, now wish to 

be known and 

addressed as 

Ovuarume Prince Israel 

Erakpowerin. All 




OKOR 

ORO 



Okoro Ufuoma Kate, 



Uwagho Ufuoma Kate. 




CHINONSO 


addressed as 

Runningsea Chinonso 

Ovua, now wish to be 


as Runningsea 

Sampson. All former 




OWOTADE 


addressed as Owotade 

Omolara Gbolahan, 


and addressed as Iren 

Odumosu Omolara 

Gbolahan. All former 

documents with either 

name remain valid. 


take note. 

SPACE 

FOR 

SALE 

THIS SPACE 

IS 

FOR SALE


VANGUARD, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2018 —41 

COMMISSIONING—From left: Director-General, National Space 

Research and Development Agency, Prof. Saidu Mohammed; Director of 

Energy Centre, University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), Prof. Paulinus Ugwuoke; 

Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu; his wife, Chinyere; 

and UNN’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Benjamin Ozumba, cutting a cake during 

the commissioning of Science and Technology Building at UNN in Nsukka, 

Enugu State, yesterday. Photo: NAN. 



Continues from Page 5 

the unfortunate event at the 

Girls’ College and, under 

his leadership, the Yobe 

State Government will 

continue to do everything 

necessary in partnership 

with security agencies and 

the federal government to 

address the situation.’’ 

FG not sure of true 

situation of missing 

schoolgirls – Lai 

Mohammed 

Also yesterday, the 

Minister of Information, Lai 

Mohammed, said the 

Federal Government would 

need more time to assess 

the situation around the 

community where the 

schoolgirls were reportedly 

kidnapped in Yobe State on 

Monday. 

“On the issue of the 

number of missing girls, 

we cannot give what we 

are not sure of, until we 

hear from their parents, we 

cannot say this is the 

number,” the minister told 

reporters shortly after he 

arrived at Government 

Girls Science and Technical 

NAIRA WATCH 

College, Dapchi, yesterday 

afternoon. 

“Give us a few more time 

please,’’ he pleaded. 

Alhaji Mohammed was 

among the three ministers 

that 

President 

Muhammadu Buhari 

asked on Wednesday to 

embark on an immediate 

fact-finding mission to the 

state. 

His comments that the 

Buhari administration 

cannot immediately give 

any details about the 

situation came a day after 

the state government said 

some of the kidnapped 

girls have been rescued 

and handed over to the 

Nigerian Army. 

But that account now 

seems to be in dispute, as 

the Defence Headquarters 

said the alleged rescue 

could not be confirmed. 

“We cannot confirm” the 

statement by Yobe State that 

some of the girls have been 

rescued, Defence 

spokesperson, John Agim, 

said yesterday morning. 

Similarly, a federal 

lawmaker who represents 

the community, said the 

report that girls were 

Naira depreciates further to 

N360.66/$ in I&E 

By Adaeze Okechukwu 

THE Naira, yesterday, depreciated further to 

N360.66 per dollar in the Investors and 

Exporters (I&E) window of the foreign exchange 

market. 

Data from the Financial Market Dealers Quote 

(FMDQ) showed that the indicative exchange rate 

for the I&E rose to N360.66 per dollar, yesterday, 

from N360.40 per dollar on Wednesday, indicating 

a 26 kobo depreciation in the naira. 

The depreciation was prompted by an 11 percent 

decrease in the volume of dollars traded in the I&E 

window. The window recorded a turnover of $174.25 

million yesterday, indicating a $20.98 million 

decrease from $195.23 million recorded on 

Wednesday. 

Meanwhile, the naira remained stable at N362 

per dollar yesterday in the parallel market for the 

third consecutive day. 

kidnapped was untrue. 

“The military did not 

rescue any girls yesterday 

as being reported in the 

media,” Goni Bukar, the 

lawmaker representing 

Bursari/Geidam/Yunusari 

federal constituency,’’ said. 

“I am currently speaking 

with you from the school 

and I stand here with the 

governor and other top 

military officials. I can tell 

you that no girls were 

rescued,” he added. “We 

have only been able to 

locate some girls in one or 

two batches at different 

places.” 

Alhaji Lai Mohammed 

arrived at the community 

with Khadijat Bukar- 

Ibrahim, Minister of State 

for Foreign Affairs. 

Governor of Yobe State, 

Ibrahim Geidam, was on 

ground to receive the team. 

The Theatre Commander, 

Operation Lafiya Dole, 

Major-General Rogers 

Nicholas was also on the 

scene. 

The minister and his 

entourage were briefed by 

the governor and the 

General Officer 

Commanding 3 Division, 

Damaturu. 

Shortly after the briefing, 

Mohammed told reporters 

that he was delegated by 

the President to visit the 

attacked community and 

commiserate with the 

victims. 

He said his delegation 

which also includes a 

representative of the 

Minister of Defence, was 

also to find out the true 

situation about the missing 

schoolgirls, saying it was 

still too early to determine 

their whereabouts. 

He said: “We are still 

monitoring the situation 

and what I want people to 

understand is that since two 

days ago some of the 

students who fled to 

neighbouring towns and 

communities had returned 

and more have been 

returning. 

“When we arrived here 

we have been briefed by 

the governor and the GOC 

about the situation of the 

students. We know there 

are few students who are 

yet accounted for, but we 

don’t want to manufacture 

stories on this issue. But 

give us few days, we will 

be able to tell you exactly 

the real situation of things. 

“But you can see 

response of the military, the 

response of the state 

government is quite 

commendable. Since four 

days now we have been 

following the efforts being 

made to arrest the 

situation,” he said. 

He lampooned the Boko 

Haram and said the sect 

only attacked the school 

because it is in its dying 

days and craving media 

attention. 

“But we must understand 

that these are the dying 

days of the Boko Haram 

and what they intend to do 

is to embarrass the 

government because they 

have been degraded, they 

have been pushed out of 

Sambisa forest. 

“They have been starved 

out of oxygen and the 

oxygen they feed on is 

publicity so that they can 

grab the world’s attention. 

But I can assure you that 

with the determination of 

our gallant military, the 

days of Boko Haram are 

numbered.” 

We can’t confirm 

Yobe rescue story 

— DHQ 

However, Defence 

Headquarters yesterday 

dismissed insinuations that 

the Army had rescued the 

missing girls. 

“We cannot confirm the 

statement by Yobe State that 

some of the girls have been 

rescued,’’ Defence 

spokesperson, Brigadier- 

General John Agim, said 

yesterday. 

Agim said he could not 

give further details about 

the military’s intervention 

in the matter. 

The police could not also 

confirm if the girls had 

been rescued as an aide to 

the Commissioner of Police, 

Sunmonu Abdulmaliki, 

said the police had no 

information that the girls 

were actually rescued from 

Boko Haram. 

“There’s nothing we can 

confirm,” said the CP’s 

aide, who added that the 

police would be working 

with the team of three 

ministers that President 

Muhammadu Buhari sent 

on Wednesday day to 

travel to Yobe. 

“We hope that after the 

visit by the delegation, the 

picture would be clearer,” 

he added. 

Senate condemns 

attack, resurgence 

of Boko Haram 

Meanwhile, the Senate, 

yesterday condemned in 

very strong terms, the 

resurgence of Boko Haram 

insurgency in the North 

East, following alleged 

kidnap of of no fewer than 

111 school girls of the 

Government Girls 


Yobe State. 

Consequently, the Senate 

yesterday asked the 

Federal Government to 

quickly recover the girls to 

avoid a repeat of the Chibok 

girls’ experience. 

It also said it was 

unfortunate and 

disheartening that Boko 

Haram was back to the geopolitical 

zone of the country. 

The position of the Senate 

on the resurgence of Boko 

Haram seems to contradict 

claims that the insurgents 

had been decimated or 

defeated. 

Resolutions of the Senate 

were sequel to a motion by 

Senator Abba Bukar 

Ibrahim (APC, Yobe East), 

who drew the attention of 

the senators to Monday 

night’s attack on 

Government Girls’ 


in Yobe State. 

Narrating the incident, 

Senator Ibrahim, who noted 

that 46 of the 926 girls in 

the school had gone 

missing since the attack, 

said that no lives were lost 

in the attack, though it was 

still not clear if the girls were 

abducted. 

Senator Bukar Ibrahim 

said: “On Monday, 

February 20, 2018, some 

suspected Boko Haram 

insurgents attacked 

Government Girls Technical 

College, Dapchi, Yobe State. 

“Concerned that out of 

936 female students, who 

ran into the bush, 46 are still 

missing. 810 returned. I 

understand that the 

governor of Yobe State has 

already got the military to 

deploy military and the 

police. 

“So far, there has been no 

case of killing. Nobody is 

sure if it was a case of 

abduction or some of the 

girls who ran home have not 

yet come back. These are yet 

to be confirmed. The 

Federal Government has 

already sent a high 

powered delegation; three 

ministers to go and stay in 

Damaturu and report to Mr. 

President on a continuous 

basis until the matter is 

resolved.” 

During discussions on the 

motion, senators, however, 

clashed over comments on 

the governor of Yobe State, 

Ibrahim Geidam. 

Infact, the clash was 

between the Senate leader, 

Senator Ahmed Lawan 

(APC, Yobe North) and 

Senator Mohammed 

Hassan (APC, Yobe South). 

While Senator Lawan 

hailed the governor for 

being proactive, Senator 

Hassan disagreed sharply 

with the Senate leader. 

Senator Lawan, who 

commended the quick 

response of President 

Muhammadu Buhari and 

the state government to 

arrest the situation, said 

what happened should be 

an eye-opener that Boko 

Haram now sees girls and 

women as value target for 

ransom, just as he called for 

extra vigilance and security 

in schools, especially in all 

girls schools. 

Senator Lawan said: 

“What happened was 

unfortunate and after the 

Chibok incident, it was the 

wish of every Nigerian that 

it doesn’t happen again in 

the country. I want to, at this 

point, commend Mr. 

President, Muhammadu 

Buhari, for immediately 

taking action by directing 

the armed forces to move 

into yobe to ensure that 

book haram did not run 

away with any single girl. 

“I want to also commend 

the governor of Yobe State, 

Ibrahim Geidam, for 

ensuring that parents were 

comforted, for sending 

officials of the ministry of 

education to go round the 

families and ensure that 

they took head counts of the 

girls from that school. 

“What happened is a 

lesson for us. That Boko 

Haram sees girls or women 

as value targets. What they 

did in Chibok earned them 

some funds, because 

negotiations were held 

somehow and they got a lot 

of money. 

‘’Now, the lesson is, we 

need to be extra careful and 

take extraordinary 

measures in protecting our 

schools; especially girls’ 

schools in Borno, Yobe and 

Adamawa. 

Countering the position 

of the Senate Leader, 

Senator Mohammed 

Hassan, who noted that 

the state government didn’t 

deserve 

any 

commendation, said the 

state government has 

“failed serially” to protect 

the people and that the 

praise from Ahmed Lawan 

was misplaced. 

According to him, since 

the incident happened, 

there has been no single 

report by the state 

government. 

He said: “In 2013, a 

secondary school in 

Potiskum was attacked, 

where over 70 children 

were killed. A year after, 

another secondary school 

in Mamudu was attacked 

where school children 

were slaughtered. There 

was another attack in Buni 

Yadi where students were 

attacked, the state 

university too was attacked 

and now we have this one. 

“This is quite 

disheartening to hear, with 

due respect to Senator 

Lawan, to commend the 

state government for 

serially failing to protect 

our students. This is the 

primary responsibility of 

the government; to protect 

the lives and properties of 

its citizens. 

Stop paying Boko 

Haram money — 

Senator Lidani 

In his contribution, 

Senator Joshua Lidani 

(PDP, Gombe South), said 

he thinks Nigeria might 

have emboldened Boko 

Haram each time it acceded 

to its demand for ransom 

and urged President 

Muhammadu Buhari to 

show greater concern by 

speaking to the people 

when events like this 

happens. 

Lidani said: “I have a 

difference in the manner in 

which the mission was 

carried out. The Chibok 

incident ought to have 

given us a signal, 

especially those in the 

states that are concerned - 

Borno, Yobe, and 

Adamawa.

42 --- VANGUARD, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2018 

AMAECHI AND ABE: 

Too much turbulence for Tinubu in Rivers 

THE festering feud between Transport Minister, Rotimi Amaechi and Senator Magnus Abe in Rivers State is one 

assignment that would definitely stress the imaginations of the All Progressives Congress, APC trouble-shooter, Asiwaju 

Bola Ahmed Tinubu 

By Egufe Yafugborhi 

THE unfolding drama in the Rivers 

State chapter of the All Progressives 

Congress, APC, is not 

entirely new. Ahead of the 2015 

elections, Senator Magnus Abe was said 

to have buckled to the supremacy of the 

outgoing governor, Rotimi Amaechi albeit 

grudgingly when Dr. Dakuku Peterside 

was chosen as the governorship candidate. 

The disaffection created by that situation 

was believed to have, in part, deepened 

the setbacks which resulted in the failure 

of the party to win the governorship 

contest. 

Ahead of the 2019 governorship contest, 

Abe’s body language suggests that he is 

not prepared to acquiesce to Amaechi’s 

superiority this time. 

Amaechi’s kinsmen cling to Abe 

Abe apparently took his case to Amaechi’s 

backyard when he got some of the former 

governor’s kinsmen to endorse him earlier 

this month. 

A clan of the pro-Abe supporters, 

grouped as Rivers East APC 

Stakeholders, made up of party stalwarts 

from Ameachi’s Ikwerre enclave, on 

February 6th in Port Harcourt, endorsed 

Abe as the “overwhelming choice” of the 

district for the 2019 governorship ticket. 

Present at the occasion were some 

leading party stalwarts who had in the 

past, strongly identified with Amaechi. 

Among them were the member 

representing Ikwerre Emuohua Federal 

Constituency, Chidi Wihioka, Allwell 

Onyesoh, Adokiye Oruwan. Also present 

were Tony Okocaha, Amaechi’s former 

Chief of Staff, Golden Chioma, former 

lawmaker and Chibuiko Akarolo, former 

Mayor of Port Harcourt City among others. 

“We have endorsed Abe to contest the 

2019 gubernatorial election under the 

APC. It is our conviction that Abe is most 

qualified to contest and salvage our state 

from the rudderless voyage it is on. Rivers 

people and all men of goodwill should 

support this cause,” Amaechi’s kinsmen 

declared in a communiqué. 

Amplifying reasons for their preference 

for Abe, Akarolo said: 

“You cannot deliberately undermine your 

best student to field a far less qualified 

one to represent you in a game of wits, 

school debate or academic contest. We tried 

it in 2015, where did it land us?” 

I will never support Abe, Amaechi 

stokes the conflict 

Penultimate weekend, Amaechi ended 

the mind game of silence, stoking the 

raging conflict, apparently having had it 

with the speculations. “No fight in the 

APC. I am not in any way stopping Abe 

from running for the governorship, but 

what I know is that I will not support him. 

Abe is daring me, an Ikwerre son. He is 

abusing me everyday. I will ensure I use 

Ikwerre vote on him,” he exploded at a 

meeting in Port Harcourt with another set 

of Ikwerre APC Chiefs and Elders’ Forum, 

IACEF. 

He also stressed that his opposition to 

Abe was on the need to rotate the 

governorship between the upland and 

•Amaechi •Tinubu •Abe 

riverine sections of the state. 

“When we finish with riverine, if Ogoni 

shows interest, we will support them. I 

am not saying that Ogoni people do not 

have qualified persons. At the moment, 

we have not chosen a candidate, only God 

will decide who will become the next 

governor.” 

Abe and promoters of his candidacy 

continue to fault Amaechi's preference for 

rotational governorship, fondly tagged 

Upland/Riverine dichotomy, as an 

insincere and indefensible conspiracy at 

changing the goal post in the middle of 

the game if only to displace Abe. 

Those who cling to this view note that if 

Amaechi defied this sentiment when he, 

an Ikwerre Uplander took over from 

Governor Peter Odili, also from the 

Upland, that he shouldn’t be whipping 

up the same sentiment. 

Added to the argument is the pain that 

Ogoni as a major Rivers ethnic block, has 

never been allowed to enjoy the 

governorship. Yet, another argument is the 

claim that Amaechi had, in 2015, accused 

Ogoni of late indication of interest in the 

governorship with a promise to support 

them come 2019 should they make early 

declaration of intent. 

However, Darlington Nwauju, an APC 

member strongly defended Amaechi 

saying the former governor never said the 

things alluded to him. 

“I challenge anyone to come up with 

proof of how and when Amaechi made 

such promise. The Transport Minister is a 

man known for his tenacity. He wouldn’t 

eat his words. If he agrees to fight for a 

Head or tail, the odds 

of divisions rocking 

the Rivers APC seem 

to be proving a booster 

to Wike’s quest for an 

unassailable second 

term 

cause, he supports you till the end,” 

Nwauju noted. 

Saraki, Ikanya, even Wike caution 

In the midst of the tension, key 

stakeholders have called for caution. 

Senate President, Bukola Saraki, who led 

colleagues to Abe’s election thanksgiving 

earlier this month, pressed for peace. “We 

want all APC members in Rivers to call 

for peace and reconciliation. What is wrong 

is wrong. We want peace to reign in Rivers 

and the chapter of the party,” Saraki said. 

In a vote of confidence in Abe, Saraki 

further said, “The presence of Senators 

from across the country as well as other 

dignitaries at the reception shows that Abe 

is a very humble person. Abe worked very 

hard for the party. If not for Magnus Abe, 

somebody will not be in the cabinet today. 

You are a very loyal and courageous 

person.” State chairman of the party, 

Davies Ikanya who was present at the 

occasion, said, “Candidates will emerge 

from the congresses of the party at the 

proper time. All adoptions and 

endorsements before the congress are 

illegal and amount to nothing. The party 

is not involved in those.” 

At the thanksgiving, a most unlikely 

advisor was Governor Nyesom Wike who 

cautioned that the state politics was like a 

wrestling contest that those who rush in 

before the real fireworks start may lose 

steam to sustain the fight in the middle of 

the game. 

“The state should be first to be 

considered at all times. The interest of the 

state is paramount. When we come 

together, all we should preach is how 

Rivers should be the number one state in 

the country. When the time for wrestling 

comes, we will wrestle. I am urging you 

to hold on, when it is set we will come 

out,” he charged stakeholders. 

Abe’s options 

Abe has yet to respond to Amaechi’s 

public declaration not to support his 

governorship ambition, but those who 

know him are sure he would respond. 

“You know he hasn’t declared for 

governorship, but it’s a very predictable 

possibility. Abe will say his mind at the 

appropriate time, which won’t be long 

from now”, a chieftain of the Rivers APC 

told Vanguard. 

Given Amaechi’s influence in the APC 

and vehement rejection of an Abe ticket, 

except a miracle happens or some other 

factors intervene, Abe and his supporters 

know the balance of power for the APC 

governorship ticket rests majorly on 

Amaechi. 

Knowing that Abe is not also given to 

giving up easily on a cause he believes 

in, there are suspicions that in his recent 

sizzling closeness with Wike, he may have 

worked a Plan B - to decamp and pull his 

support base to the People's Democratic 

Party (PDP) should he be edged out again 

for the APC governorship ticket. 

Abe has strongly insisted that he would 

not leave the APC he cofounded to bring 

change in the polity. However, not many, 

especially among mainstream Rivers APC, 

believe him. An APC chieftain said, “Abe 

is a wise man, but this calculation could 

consume him. We know his game plan. 

He already made up his mind to join Wike 

in the calculation that he retains his Senate 

seat and waits on Wike’s magnanimity to 

get the governorship ticket in 2023. 

“Wike would be happy for it to better his 

chances for a second term next year, but 

he certainly can’t be trusted to support 

even Abe’s retention of his Senate seat in 

the PDP or APC. He is going to be the 

ultimate loser.” 

Head or tail, the odds of divisions 

rocking the Rivers APC seem to be proving 

a booster to Wike’s quest for an 

unassailable second term. Added to the 

dismal performance of the APC-led 

Federal Government, the cracks in Rivers 

APC have become a reference point for 

the governor’s new found role as an 

advocate of political tolerance. 

No crack in Rivers APC, we are 

politicking — Pro APC group 

However, with the conflict and its negative 

consequences glaring to unbiased watchers, 

the Free Rivers Development Initiative, tilted 

to Amaechi’s interest in the APC maintains 

that there are no cracks in the party 

President-General of the group, Sampson 

Ngerebara, said: “Whether you are a leader 

or not, you have a divine right to have choice. 

Amaechi, yes, is the leader of Rivers APC, 

but he has just one vote at the primaries. 

How many persons will emerge as party 

candidate? Just one. So assuming you have 

three, four, five persons contesting the 

primary, will Amaechi vote for all?


National Assembly lacks power 

to fix election dates 

By Femi Falana, SAN 

SINCE the return to 

democratic rule in 1999, 

the Independent National 

Electoral Commission (INEC) 

has conducted the general 

elections on a two-tier or threetier 

basis. Even though the 

national assembly had 

attempted in the past to use 

the Electoral Act to alter the 

sequence of elections fixed by 

the INEC it did not succeed. 

In spite of the ongoing 

controversy surrounding the 

sequence of elections our 

recent experience as a nation 

has shown that there is nothing 

sacrosanct about it. In 1999 and 

2007 the presidential election 

came up last while it came up 

first in 2015. In influencing 

the order of elections in 2015 

the ruling party had thought 

that holding the presidential 

election first would have 

bandwagon effect on the 

outcome of the other elections. 

But the result was a disaster 

for the ruling party. 

It has equally been 

confirmed that when elections 

into the legislative houses 

were held before other election 

in the past majority of sitting 

legislators lost their seats. So, 

there is no indication that 


Buhari stands to benefit 

electorally from the decision of 

the INEC to retain the 2015 

sequence of elections. But 

notwithstanding the reactions 

of the presidency and the 

national assembly to the 

sequence of elections 

announced by the INEC it is 

pertinent to review the 

relevant provisions of the 

Constitution, the Electoral Act 

and judicial authorities on the 

vexed issue. 

Needless controversy 

In preparations for the 2019 

general elections the INEC 

recently released a timetable 

for party primaries and the 

elections into the various 

offices in exercise of its powers 

under Sections 76, 116, 132 

and 178 as well as paragraph 

15 of Part 1 of the Third 

Schedule made pursuant to 

section 153 (1) of the 

Constitution. Under the 

arrangement the presidential 

and national assembly 

elections will be held on 

February 16, 2019 while the 

governorship and house of 

assembly elections will take 

place on March 2, 2019. But 

in the Electoral Bill 2018 

recently passed by the national 

assembly the sequence of the 

general elections has been 

altered. The sequence 

proposed by the new 

amendment is A. National 

Assembly Election, B. 

Governorship and State 

Assembly Elections and C. 

Presidential Election. 

No doubt, the matter has 

generated a needless 

controversy to the extent that 

little or no attention is paid to 

the other provisions of the 

Electoral Bill which have the 

capacity to promote internal 

democracy and enhance the 

credibility of the electoral 

process. Perhaps not aware of 

the state of the law the INEC 

has announced its intention to 

approach the Supreme Court 

to test the constitutional 

validity of the Electoral Bill 

2018 if it is eventually signed 

into law by the President. 

Since there are indications 

that the President may 

withhold his assent in the 

circumstance, the national 

assembly has threatened to 

override his veto. 

Having watched the trend of 

the debate it is regrettable to 

note that the parties involved 

in the dispute have not 

studied the decision of the 

Court of Appeal in the case of 

National Assembly v. 

President (2003) 9 NWLR (PT 

824) 104 at 143-144. In that 

case, President Obasanjo had 

refused to assent to the 

Electoral Bill 2002 which had 

been passed by both 

Chambers of the National 

Assembly and transmitted to 

him June 24, 2002. 

Subsequently, by a motion of 

veto-override the national 

assembly passed the bill into 

law. In an originating 

The interference 

in the exercise of the 

powers of the INEC 

to appoint dates for 

holding the general 

election in Nigeria 

is illegal as the 

provision of the 

Electoral Bill, 2018 

is inconsistent with 

S e c t i o n s 

76,116,132 and 178 

of the Constitution 

summons filed at the Federal 

High Court the INEC 

challenged the validity of the 

passage of the Bill into law 

and the constitutionality of 

Section 15 of the Act which 

had provided that general 

elections shall be held in one 

day. 

The trial court held that the 

Bill was properly passed into 

law but that Section 15 thereof 

was inconsistent with Sections 

76, 116, 132 and 178 of the 

Constitution. Dissatisfied with 

the annulment of Section 15 of 

the Electoral Act, the national 

assembly filed an appeal at 

the Court of Appeal. On his 

own part, the Attorney-General 

of the Federation filed a cross 

appeal to challenge the 

passage of the Bill into law. In 

its judgment the Court of 

Appeal held that the manner 

of passing the bill into was 

unconstitutional but declined 

to set it aside on ground of 

public policy as the 2003 

general elections were being 

conducted under the law. 

However, the Court of Appeal 

affirmed the decision of the 

Federal High Court on the 

illegality of Section 15 of the 

Electoral Act. 

In his contribution to the 

judgment of the Court, 

Oduyemi J.C.A (as he then 

was) stated that “in so far as 

Section 15 of the Electoral Act, 

2002 seeks to fetter that 

discretion and limit the 3rd 

Defendant to only one day in 

the year for all elections to the 

offices concerned, that 

provision of the Act is 

inconsistent with the 

provisions of the Constitution 

above referred to and is to that 

extent a nullity. Section 1(3) 

of the Constitution… All in all, 

I agree with the reasoning in 

the judgment of the lower 

court and with the conclusion 

in the judgment that Section 

15 of the Electoral Act, 2002 is 

inconsistent with the specific 

provisions of the Constitution 

of the Federal Republic of 

Nigeria, 1999 in Section 

132(1), 76(1), 178(1), 116(1), 

78, 118 and Item 15(a) of the 

3rd Schedule: that it infringes 

upon the absolute discretion 

vested by the Constitution on 

the 3rd Respondent with 

regard to the fixing of dates 

for election into the various 

offices concerned.” 

Alteration of the 

Constitution 

However, the national 

assembly took advantage of the 

2010 Alteration of the 

Constitution to attempt to 

overrule the judgment of the 

Court of Appeal in the case of the 

National Assembly v. The 

President (supra). Thus, in the 

first alteration made to the 

Constitution, the national 

assembly amended sections 

132(1), 76(1), 178(1), 116(1), 118 

and 178 of the Constitution by 

adding the phrase “in 

accordance with the Electoral 

Act”. Although the power of the 

INEC to “organize, undertake 

and supervise” the general 

elections conferred on it by 

paragraph 15 of part 1 of the third 

schedule made pursuant to 

section 153 of the Constitution 

was left intact, the national 

assembly members erroneously 

believed that they had conferred 

on themselves the power to fix 

the dates for general elections in 

Nigeria. Hence, in the 2018 

Electoral Bill, the national 

assembly is alleged to have 

tampered with the discretion of 

the INEC to fix the dates for the 

2019 general elections. 

Apart from the illegality of 

subjecting the provisions of 

the Constitution to the 

Electoral Act, the Alteration of 

the Constitution did not confer 

on the national assembly the 

power of fix dates for holding 

Femi Falana. 

the general election in 

Nigeria. To that extent, the 

national assembly cannot use 

the Electoral Act to usurp the 

powers exclusively conferred 

on the INEC to appoint dates 

for holding the general 

elections in the country. 

Indeed, the Supreme Court 

has had cause, after the first 

2010 Alteration of the 

Constitution, to confirm the 

discretionary power of the 

INEC to fix the dates for 

holding the general elections. 

In PDP V. SYLVA (2012) 13 

NWLR (PT 1316) 85 the 

respondent challenged the 

decision of the INEC to cancel 

and reschedule the 2012 

governorship election in 

Bayelsa State. In dismissing 

the contention the Supreme 

Court (per Rhodes Vivour 

JSC) held that ‘’INEC has the 

sole responsibility to fix dates 

for election and to my mind if 

INEC fixes a date for elections 

and for whatever reason, be it 

logistic, I do not think anyone 

has a cause of action against 

INEC for canceling an election 

(not held) and rescheduling 

elections for another day’’. 

Similarly, in NDP V INEC 

(2013) 20 WRN 1 at 45 the 

Supreme Court (per Ariwoola 

J.S.C.) held that “It is not in 

doubt that the Independent 

National Electoral Commission 

(INEC) that is, the 

respondent, has the sole 

responsibility to decide when 

elections are to hold. See 

Peoples Democratic Party v 

Timipre Sylva & Ors (2012) 13 

NWLR (Pt 1316) 85 at 122. The 

respondent also reserves the 

prerogative to decide what 

Timetable of Activities to 

publish for a General Election.” 

Furthermore, in Hon. James 

Abiodun Faleke v INEC (2016) 

50 WRN 1 the Supreme Court 

reiterated the view that by 

virtue of paragraph 15 of Part 

1 of the Third Schedule made 

pursuant to section 153 (1) (f) 

and (i) of the Constitution, the 

Independent National 

Electoral Commission has 

power to organize, undertake 

and supervise all elections to 

the offices of the President, Vice 

President, the Governor and 

Deputy Governor of a State and 

the membership of the Senate, 

the House of Representatives 

and the House of Assembly of 

each state of the Federation. 

No doubt, the national 

assembly would have achieved 

its objective if it had 

incorporated the sequence of 

the general elections in the 

Constitution. But by providing 

that the INEC shall fix election 

dates “in accordance with the 

Electoral Act” the interference 

in the exercise of the 

discretionary power of INEC’s 

constitutional power to fix the 

dates for the elections cannot 

be justified in law. As far as 

the Constitution is concerned, 

the power of the INEC to 

organize, undertake and 

supervise the elections which 

has been interpreted to include 

the power to fix the dates for 

the general elections or 

determine the sequence of the 

elections has not been altered 

in any material particular. 

It is the height of legislative 

absurdity to say that the power 

donated to the INEC by the 

Constitution shall be exercised 

in accordance with the 

provision of an interior 

legislation. In Attorney- 

General, Abia State v. 

Attorney-General of the 

Federation (2002) 1 WRN 1 at 

45 Kutigi CJN (as he then 

was) held that “where the 

provision in the Act is within 

the legislative powers of the 

National Assembly but the 

Constitution is found to have 

already made the same or 

similar provision, then the 

new provision will be regarded 

as invalid for duplication and/ 

or inconsistency and therefore 

inoperative. The same fate will 

befall any provision of the Act 

which seeks to enlarge, curtail 

or alter any existing provision 

of the Constitution. The 

provision or provisions will be 

treated as unconstitutional 

and therefore null and void.” 

From the foregoing, it is 

submitted that the interference 

in the exercise of the powers of 

the INEC to appoint dates for 

holding the general election in 

Nigeria is illegal as the provision 

of the Electoral Bill, 2018 is 

inconsistent with Sections 

76,116,132 and 178 of the 

Constitution. To the extent of 

such inconsistency, the provision 

of the Electoral Bill is illegal, null 

and void as stipulated by section 

1 (3) of the Constitution. In other 

words, since the INEC has been 

empowered to organize, 

undertake and supervise all 

elections the National Assembly 

cannot rely on the provision of 

the Electoral Act to usurp the 

powers of the INEC to fix the 

dates for the elections. In view 

of the settled position of the law 

the INEC should not waste 

public funds by rushing to the 

Supreme Court to contest its own 

constitutional duty to organize, 

undertake and supervise the 

2019 general elections.


Trump, Putin, Xi Jinping, others 

undermining human rights — Amnesty 

WORLD leaders are 

undermining 

human rights for millions of 

people with regressive 

policies and hate-filled 

rhetoric, but their actions 

have ignited global protest 

movements in response, a 

rights group said. 

US President Donald 

Trump, Russian leader 

Vladimir Putin, and China’s 

President Xi Jinping were 

among a number of 

politicians who rolled out 

regressive policies in 2017, 

according to Amnesty 

International’s annual 

human rights report 

published on Thursday. 

The human rights body 

also mentioned the leaders 

of Egypt, the Philippines and 

Venezuela. “The spectres of 

hatred and fear now loom 

large in world affairs, and we 

have few governments 

standing up for human rights 

in these disturbing times,” 

Salil Shetty, Amnesty’s 

secretary-general, said. 

“Instead, leaders such as 

el-Sisi, Duterte, Maduro, 

Putin, Trump and Xi are 

callously undermining the 

rights of millions.” 

Amnesty’s The State of the 

World’s Human Rights 

report cites Trump’s 

controversial travel ban 

prohibiting entrants to the US 

from six Muslim-majority 

countries, Venezuelan 

authorities’ use of force 

against demonstrators and 

unlawful killings in the 

Philippines’ anti-drug war 

as evidence of policies 

resulting in an international 

regression on human rights. 

More than 20,000 people 

have been killed since June 

2016 in Philippine 

President Rodrigo Duterte’s 

anti-drug campaign, 

according to an internal 

report. 

Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, the 

UN’s human rights chief, 

has denounced 

Venezuela’s excessive use of 

force against antigovernment 

protesters, 

stating pro-government 

security forces and armed 

groups were responsible for 

dozens of demonstrator 

deaths between April and 

July last year. 

‘Gun control advocates exploiting 

Florida tragedy’ 

THE head of the most 

powerful gun lobby in 

the US has blamed 

Democrats and media for 

“exploiting” a school 

shooting that left 17 people 

dead. 

Wayne LaPierre said 

“opportunists” are using the 

14 February tragedy to 

expand gun control and 

abolish US gun rights. 

Mr LaPierre’s comments 

came during the 

Conservative Political Action 

Conference (CPAC) in 

Washington. 

He also echoed President 

Donald Trump’s call to arm 

teachers who are trained to 

carry concealed weapons. 

“As usual, the opportunists 

waited not one second to 

exploit tragedy for political 

gain,” said Mr LaPierre, 

who is the executive director 

and CEO of the National 

Rifle Association (NRA). 

“They hate the NRA. They 

hate the second 

amendment. They hate 

individual freedom,” he 

said, referring to the second 

amendment, which governs 

the right to bear arms. 

His comments were the 

powerful gun lobby’s first 

more than a week after an 

alleged gunman opened 

fire on the Marjory 

Stoneman Douglas High 

School in Parkland, Florida 

and killed 17 people. 

Mr LaPierre lambasted 

the FBI for failing to follow 

up on a tip about the 

suspect, Nikolas Cruz, 

before the attac. 

He also criticised 

America’s “European-style 

socialists” who are calling 

for more gun control. 

“They don’t care if their 

laws work or not,” Mr 

LaPierre. “They just want to 

get more laws to get more 

control over people. But the 

NRA, the NRA does care.” 

Survivors of last week’s 

deadly shooting have 

renewed calls for stricter 

gun laws, prompting the 

nationwide activist 

movement #NeverAgain. 

Mr LaPierre condemned 

Democratic Senators Nancy 

Pelosi and Chris Murphy, 

saying they were “eager to 

smear” the NRA and blame 

the organisation for 

country’s mass shootings. 

Democratic Senator Chuck 

Schumer hit back at the 

group on Twitter. 

Britain warns of ISIS attacks 

in South Africa 

BRITAIN has warned of 

a threat of attacks by 

Islamists on foreigners in 

South Africa after two 

British nationals were 

kidnapped in a small town 

there, but South African 

police said they had no 

evidence militants were 

behind the incident. 

UNICEF boss resigns over 

allegations 

EX-Save 

the 

Children chief 

executive Justin Forsyth 

has resigned from Unicef 

as he says he does not 

want coverage of his past 

to “damage” the 

charities. 

Mr Forsyth faced 

three complaints of 

inappropriate behaviour 

towards female staff 

before leaving Save the 

Children, the BBC 

reported this week. 

He was accused of 

sending inappropriate 

texts and commenting on 

what young female staff 

were wearing. 

He said he 

“ a p o l o g i s e d 

unreservedly” to the 

three workers at the time. 

Mr Forsyth said the 

reason for his 

resignation as Unicef’s 

deputy director was not 

because of what he 

described as the mistakes 

he made in his former 

role at Save the Children. 

“They were dealt with 

through a proper process 

many years ago,” he said 

in a statement. 

“There is no doubt in 

my mind that some of the 

coverage around me is 

not just to (rightly) hold 

me to account, but also to 

attempt to do serious 

damage to our cause and 

the case for aid.” A 

statement from Unicef 

said it was grateful to Mr 

Forsyth for his work over 

the past two years. 

Africa’s most 

industrialised country has 

a large expatriate 

community and attracts 

many tourists, and has 

seldom been associated 

with Islamist militancy. No 

attack followed a similar 

warning by Britain and the 

United States in June 2016. 

South Africa’s elite police 

unit Hawks said the force 

was investigating the 

kidnapping, which took 

place on Feb. 12. 

Britain’s Foreign Office 

(FCO) said on its website 

the main threat was from 

Islamic State. 

In an email to Reuters 

on Thursday, the FCO 

said: “We have updated 

our travel advice to 

include this recent 

incident”, referring to the 

kidnapping. “Our travel 

advice already states that 

terrorists are likely to try 

to carry out attacks in 

South Africa. This remains 

our assessment.” 

The FCO declined to 

give details on the 

kidnapping. 

A spokesman for the 

Hawks, Lloyd Ramovha, 

said two suspects had been 

arrested in connection with 

the kidnapping of the 

British couple. 

PDP squandered our 

resources in the worst form 

of impunity —Utomi 

Chima Daniel 

Well said Prof. Pat 

Utomi . President Buhari 

did not sack people from 

work. He did not 

withhold people’s 

salaries. What he stop 

was wasteful spending of 

public fund. . Any 

patriotic Nigerian that 

mean well for the country 

would commend him. 

Uyi Jfk · Stockholm, 

Sweden 

It is a disgrace from a 

man I respect so much. 

Prof you disappointed 

me. You of all people. 

Obum 

I have so much respect 

for Pat Utomi and I 

thought that he is always 

persistent on his stands. 

The actions and inaction 

of Pat Untomi since the 

last couple of years 

showed that he was not 

comfortable with this 

government. How did he 

become one of this 

government’s praise 

•Pat Utomi 

singers as 2019 is 

approaching? 

C h i e m e l e 

Field_Marshal 

Your sentiments can’t 

diminish the Prof’s 

worth. Not the director of 

the prime Lagos 

Business School. 

Cleansignorance 

Obum 

President Buhari has 

threatened him with the 

EFCC, on his bank 

looting case with 

AMCON, hence he 

became an APC saint 

overnight by crossing 

over to the APC and 

singing like a cannery in 

APC’s praises now 

I took actions based on instructions by 

President’s wife, Jonathan’s aide tells court 

Share Idea Okojie 

Ne Ewatto 

Please, don’t join issue 

with them. If giving 

instructions to people 

that serve you is now a 

crime, Buhari and all 

APC members should be 

guilty of same. Are 

individuals no longer 

allowed to change dollar 

to Naira? If EFCC 

cannot provide evidence 

of government money 

being traced to Patience, 

every other conjecture is 

just media trial that will 

not have any legal effect 

rather, it will only 

diminish Patience’s 

image publicly. 

Sir Demo share Idea 

Forget about looting, 

giving or receiving $1 

million, about N290 

million in cash is money 

laundering 

share Idea Sir Demo 

How many politicians 

in Nigeria have you 

heard have been 

convicted of money 

laundry? None. 

However, majority have 

been convicted for actual 

crime committed when 

prosecuting agencies 

proved that actually, the 

money discovered in 

someone’s position 

could be traced for 

government funds 

misappropriated 

(corruptly earned) as a 

result of the person 

abusing his or her 

position 

peoples voice Sola 

Akinwande 

Telling the court you 

only take instructions 

from your boss who is 

your employer, what is 

wrong in that, does that 

make them guilty of the 

crime? 

The facts Chiemele 

Reno is not a law 

enforcement officer. It’s 

the law enforcement 

officers that indict 

suspects. I think people 

should be educated 

enough to know that. 

S’East governors asked 

to invest in ranches 

Kelechi Anozie 

Umezurike 

Why was this not urged 

during last governments? 

alitaaruku 

If there should be any 

investment in ranches in any 

other region besides the 

north it should be for people 

of that region. Let the 

northern governors invest in 

ranches too for their people, 

let them plant grasses and 

create canals and irrigation 

channels so their people 

wouldn’t need to run south 

for pasture 

Conscience Kalitaaruku 

Even if the South East 

governments put up 

ranches, herdsmen must 

pay to access it. There should 

be no freebies. Cattle 

rearing is business or don’t 

herdsmen get paid when 

they sell their cattle? 

AryLoyds Conscience 

The Fulani herdsmen you 

see tending to this cattle in 

bushes are just workers, the 

cattle are owned by 

businessmen in the north, so 

don’t let these animals 

deceive you 

Tiger News Conscience 

The ranches should be like 

the ones in Holland. 

Anything short of that is not 

acceptable. 

PolyGon2013 

Conscience 

Of course, that is the idea. 

Very brilliant. 

Chiemele Conscience 

Now there are 

conditionality’s you put on 

the ground. Simply saying 

No, is a no brainer. 

Conscience Chiemele 

What is wrong with 

putting “conditions”? 

Should cattle rearers pay tax, 

levies etc? Is Nigeria not a 

communist nation? Services 

have to be paid for. If you go 

to the North to do business, 

won’t you pay tax, levies, 

won’t you pay your shop 

landlord? It’s as simple as 

ABC. We should stop 

sentimentalism and 

emotionalism in this country. 

Business is business.


:Vanguard :@vanguardnews :@vanguardnewsNEWS HOTLINES: 

Oyegun working against me in 

APC —TINUBU 

•Party wades into Kogi, Kaduna crisis 

•As Adamawa Assembly passes vote of confidence 

on Oyegun, NWC 

By Omeiza Ajayi 

ABUJA—THE crisis in the 

ruling All Progressives 

Congress, APC has taken 

another dimension with the 

party’s lead trouble shooter, 

Asiwaju Bola Tinubu 

accusing the national 

chairman, Chief John 

Odigie-Oyegun of erecting 

barriers to peace in the ruling 

party. 

Tinubu in a letter dated 

February 21, 2018, 

specifically accused the 

national chairman of 

festering the crises through 

unilateral decisions regarding 

the crises in the Kogi, Kaduna 

and Adamawa chapters of the 

party. 

Meanwhile, the APC 

National Working 

Committee, NWC has 

constituted a team of national 

officers to investigate the fresh 

rumpus in the Kaduna State 

chapter of the party which led 

to the demolition of the 

factional secretariat of the 

APC last Tuesday. 

Tinubu’s assertions 

nonetheless, Chief Odigie- 

Oyegun got a ringing 

approval of his performance 

as national chairman by the 

Adamawa State chapter of the 

party who visited him in his 

office yesterday. 

Tinubu in his missive titled, 

'Actions and Conduct 

Weakening the Party from 

Within,' Tinubu said, "those 

who were entrusted with 

positions of high 

responsibility within the party 

seemed unable to handle the 

success given to them. Little 

attention has tendered the 

principles upon which this 

party was formed and 

pursuant to which it was 

presented to the public as an 

alternative to the cynical 

politics of the PDP". 

He said since the election, 

there have been reports of lack 

of fairness and openness, 

leading to crises in the states, 

while "there have been 

allegations of self-induced 

crisis resulting from 

merchandising of internal 

processes." 

Tinubu recalled how he 

recently visited the Chief 

Odigie-Oyegun led National 

Working Committee NWC 

and extracted commitments 

from them to support the 

processes of reconciliation. 

"Unfortunately, the spirit of 

understanding and 

cooperative undertaking to 

revive the party seems not to 

have lived beyond the 

temporal confines of that 

meeting. I assure anyone who 

cares to know that this 

positive spirit of cooperation 

did not meet its demise at my 

hands...Disappointment 

greeted me when I discovered 

out that you had swiftly acted 

in contravention of the spirit 

of our discussions. Instead of 

being a bulwark of support as 

promised, you positioned 

yourself in active opposition 

to the goal of resuscitating the 

progressive and democratic 

nature of the APC. As a party, 

we have strived to be the best, 

present hope for the nation. 

Yet, your goal appears to be 

something of a lesser 

pedigree". 

Tinubu said that even after 

mentioning the Kogi, 

Kaduna, Adamawa and Kano 

chapters as deserving critical 

attention due to the peculiar 

nature of their crises, he said 

the national chairman did not 

have any restraint rushing to 

Kogi last weekend to 

unilaterally “inaugurate a 

new slate of state officials, 

parallel to the officials 

already heading the state 

chapter of the party". 

"It is my understanding that 

your dissolution of the dulyconstituted 

state executive and 

the hurried naming of the 

above-mentioned caretaker 

group was not approved by 

the NWC. You had let this 

situation fester for months on 

end. Only when I was 

appointed to help resolve 

internal disputes and when 

you realized I might focus 

early on Kogi, did you stir 

from your indifference and 

inaction." 

He said Oyegun's inaction 

led to the festering crisis in 

other states, saying the 

chairman also failed to avail 

him of the status reports on 

the affected state chapters as 

earlier promised. 

"Drawing from your 

behaviour in Kogi, Kaduna 

and with regard to the state 

chapter assessment requested, 

I am led to the inference that 

you have no intention of 

actually supporting my 

assignment." 

The letter was copied to the 

president, vice president, 

Senate President, and speaker 

of the House of 

Representatives. 

Wades into Kaduna, 

Kogi crisis 

Meanwhile, the APC has 

waded into the crisis in its 

Kaduna State chapter while 

reaffirming that in Kogi State, 

the Haddy Ametuo-led 

executive remains intact. 

The decisions of the NWC 

were taken at the NWC 

meeting on Wednesday, 

according to a statement 

issued by party spokesman, 

Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi. 

"After its executive session 

which held yesterday, the 

National Working 

Committee of the All 

Progressives Congress (APC) 

has decided as follows: That 

the unfolding situation in 

Kaduna State is deeply 

regrettable and requests all 

parties in the disagreement to 

maintain utmost decorum 

and give opportunity for true 

reconciliation. Consequently, 

the NWC has set up a threeman 

committee led by the 

Deputy National Chairman 

(South), Engr. Segun Oni to 

embark on a fact-finding 

mission to Kaduna State with 

a view to identifying the 

remote and immediate causes 

of the disagreement and the 

circumstance that led to the 

demolition of the house of 

Senator Hunkuyi. The 

committee is to report back 

to the NWC within a week. 

Other members of the 

Committee are the National 

Auditor, Chief George 

Moghalu, and National 

Woman Leader, Hajia 

Rahmatu Alliyu. 

"In respect of Kogi State, the 

NWC reaffirms that Alhaji 

Haddy Ametuo remains the 

Chairman of the APC in the 

state until the appropriate 

organ of the party decides 

otherwise in accordance with 

the party’s constitution. 

Adamawa Assembly 

passes vote of 

confidence on 

Oyegun, NWC 

Meanwhile, members of the 

Adamawa State House of 

Assembly led by Speaker 

Kabiru Mijinyawa yesterday 

passed a vote of confidence on 

the national chairman and 

the NWC. 

Mijinyawa who spoke on 

behalf of the legislators said: 

"There are several partisan 

criticisms, but the criticisms 

hold no weight. They are not 

constructive, and that is why 

today we are here to register, 

render and show our 

appreciation and maximum 

support to the national 

executive of the APC. We also 

want to register and show our 

appreciation and maximum 

support to the state executives 

of our party. We appreciate 

them and are in support of 

them. We are behind them 100 

percent," the speaker said. 

Majority Leader of the 

House, Hassan Barguma on 

his part said: “For the past 

three years, we have seen how 

you have handled the party 

right from national to states, 

local governments, and 

wards. With all these 

turbulences and 

encumbrances, we are still the 

great party that we are. 

"Our visit is a show of 

support for the national 

executive. We are with you. 

Despite whatever is 

happening, there is no 

impunity in the APC. This 

good leadership of yours is 

what has made me come to 

the APC. 

Responding, Odigie- 

Oyegun said; "In the last 

few months, I have had the 

fortune of having nothing 

but good news from 

Adamawa. Your colleagues 

in the NASS have also 

visited and shown 

solidarity. 

"Today you are here, and 

what have you said? 

Loyalty to your governor, 

loyalty to your party in 

Adamawa, loyalty to the 

national party and loyalty 

to Mr. President and I don't 

think anybody can wish for 

more".


MATRICULATION: From left, Prof. Steve Afolami, Vice 

Chancellor, Augustine University, AUI, Ilara-Epe; Sir Steve Omojafor, 

Chairman, Board of Trustees, AUI; Chief Gilbert Grant, Chairman, 

Governing Council, AUI, and Prof. Michael Faborode, Secretary- 

General, Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, 

CVCNU, during the 3rd matriculation of the university at Ilara-Epe, 

Lagos, yesterday. 

EMPOWERMENT: From left, Mr Seun Fajuke, Digital Banking 

Sales Manager, UBA; Alhaji Sonibare Lukeman receiving POS 

terminal from Mrs. Folake Soetan, Chief Commercial Officer, Ikeja 

Electric, IE; Lawrence Okoye, Business Manager, IE, Ikorodu 

Business Unit and Mr. Leke Olubode, Executive Director, E-Top, 

during the empowerment of Ikorodu CDC/CDA Chairmen with free 

POS terminals for entrepreneurship, in Lagos. 

UNVEILING: From left, Head, Corporate Marketing, LG 

Electronics West Africa operations, Mr. Hari Elluru; Technical/Sales 

Manager, Air Solution LG Electronics, Mr. Vijay Bakshi; Sales 

Manager, Air Solution LG Electronics, Mr. Saheed Adeyemi and 

General Manager, Air Solution Division, LG Electronics West Africa 

Operations, Mr. Cholyong Park, during the unveiling of LG Multi 

V5 commercial air conditioner, in Lagos. 

INTER-HOUSE SPORTS: From left, Mrs Olubukola Adewuyi, 

CEO, Supreme Education Foundation; Mrs Adenike Adamolekun, 

Founder, SEF, Ebomoyi Tegase, who represented Red House; Hebron 

Kanu, Yellow House; Onipede Anuoluwa, Green House and Mrs 

Harriet Esenwah, Head of School, SEF during the 16th annual interhouse 

sports of the school in Ikeja, Lagos. 

FIFA Executive Football Summit: 

Singabele applauds Pinnick, 

drums support for 2nd term 

C ONFEDERATION 

of African Football 

Medical Committee 

member, Dr Peter Singabele 

has applauded 

President of Nigeria 

Football Federation, Pinnick 

Melvin Amaju on 

the successful hosting of 

the FIFA Executive Football 

Summit held at the 

Eko Hotels and Suites, 

Victoria Island, Lagos. 

‘’Its unbelievable that 

Pinnick could attract 

such array of World football 

stars to hold its executive 

summit in Nigeria. 

Nobody ever believed 

that a Nigerian 

could bring such world 

audience to our country’’, 

Singable marvelled. 

The roll-call in Lagos 

include, President of 

FIFA Infantino, as well 

as CAF President Ahmad, 

FIFA Secretary 

General Fatma Samoura, 

FIFA Council members 

Kwesi Nyantakyi of 

Ghana and Sonia Bien 

Aime from Turks and Caicos 

Islands, alongside 

presidents of 17 Member 

Associations of FIFA: 

Lesotho, Mauritius, 

Namibia, Somalia, South 

Sudan, Swaziland, Dominican 

Republic, 

Grenada, Guyana, Turks 

and Caicos Islands, Denmark, 

FYR Macedonia, 

Lithuania, San Marino, 

Sweden and host country 

Nigeria. 

President Weah meets 

Drogba, Mbappe 

Liberia President George Weah met Ivory Coast 

legend Didier Drogba and French sensation 

Kylian Mbappe at a recent lunch at the Elysee 

Palace. 

French president Emmanuel Macron had hosted 

his Liberian counterpart Weah for a lunch at 

the Elysee Palace recently and present at the occasion 

were the now-retired Drogba and the nowflourishing 

Mbappe, who is currently on loan from 

Monaco at Paris Saint-Germain 

This was Weah’s first visit outside Liberia as a 

president of his nation and he took a trip to France, 

the country where he started off his football career 

in. Macron had invited Weah to the lunch and a 

number of prominent football leaders also graced 

the occasion. FIFA President Gianni Infantino and 

CAF President Ahmad too were present. 

League Cup final 

Keown backs Arsenal to beat City 

ARSENAL can beat Manchester 

City in Sunday’s Carabao Cup 

final - as long as they find a way to 

keep Kevin De Bruyne quiet. 

That’s according to former Gunners 

defender Martin Keown. 

The two sides meet at Wembley this 

weekend to battle it out for this season’s 

first piece of silverware. 

Manchester City’s quadruple 

hopes ended on Monday as they 

crashed out of the FA Cup at the 

hands of Wigan. 

And Arsene Wenger will be hoping 

to heap more misery on the Pre- 

Only two other cities in 

Africa – Nouakchott in 

Mauritania and Dar es 

Salaam in Tanzania – are 

in the mix of the 12 cities 

worldwide hosting 

the FIFA Executive Football 

Summits. 

The Bayelsa Stateborn 

surgeon who was 

among the dignitaries at 

the Eko Hotels and 

Suites also noted that 

Pinnick had broken all 

barriers in football administration 

as well as 

transforming the football 

house to a beautiful bride 

that is sort after by Corporate 

organisations. 

‘’I’m thrilled that Pinnick 

has achieved so 

much when nobody 

gave him the chance after 

he mounted the saddle’’, 

Singabele who also 

pointed out Pinnick’s 

passion, energy, vision 

and drive said. 

Of particular mention 

was the manner the Eagles 

qualified for the 

Russia World Cup finals 

with a match to spare 

from the so-called Group 

of Death. 

mier League leaders as he plots a repeat 

of last season’s FA Cup semi-final. 

Keown believes his former side can take 

full advantage of City’s vulnerability and 

can win a trophy to ease the pressure on 

their miserable season. 

But he has warned Arsenal that their only 

hope of success is to stop De Bruyne from 

controlling the game. 

“The smart money is on Manchester City 

to win the game,” he told the Daily Mail. 

“Though Arsene Wenger has pulled off 

some quite remarkable results in cup competitions 

in recent years.’’. 

Chelsea pick Moses to represent club at 

Winter Olympics figure skating 

With the 2018 Winter 

Olympic Games in 

full swing at Pyeongchang 

County South Korea, 

Chelsea have decided to 

pick their team, assuming 

they were allowed to participate 

in the competition. 

Pacy right wing-back Victor 

Moses was selected to 

represent the Blues at figure 

skating due to his gracefulness 

and sharp turn of 

speed. 

Other first-teamers selected 

and their disciplines are 

: 

Ethan Ampadu - Snowboarding 

Thibaut Courtois - Ice 

Hockey 

Alvaro Morata - Skeleton 

Olivier Giroud - Skeleton 

Francesca Kirby (Chelsea 

Ladies) - Luge 

Eden Hazard - Slalom skiing 

N’Golo Kante - Cross- 

•Pinnick 

country skiing 

Hedvig Lindahl, 

Magdalena Eriksson, Maria 

Thorisdottir and Maren 

Mjelde (Chelsea Ladies) - 

Bobsleigh 

Cesc Fabregas - Biathlon 

Ji So-yun (Chelsea Ladies) 

- Coach 

Nigeria participated at the 

2018 Winter Olympics in two 

disciplines - Bobsleigh and 

Skeleton- the country’s first 

appearance at the Games.

Vanguard, FRIDAY FEBRUARY 23, 2018 — 47 

•Blatter 

Blatter backs 

Morocco 2026 

World Cup bid 

isgraced former Fifa 

Dpresident Sepp Blatter 

has called for Morocco to be 

awarded the hosting rights 

for the 2026 World Cup. 

Morocco will go up 

against the joint Concacaf 

bid from the United States, 

Canada and Mexico, with 

the 68th Fifa Congress on 

June 13 to decide on whether 

it will select one of the 

official bids. 

The north African nation 

have fallen short in 

attempts to secure the 

showpiece in 1994, 1998, 

2006 and 2010. 

Blatter recently ended a 

lengthy Twitter silence, 

having been ejected from 

office in October 2015 after 

evidence of a 1.3-millioneuro 

“disloyal payment” to 

similarly removed ex-Uefa 

chief Michel Platini. 

The 81-year-old is still 

serving a six-year ban 

from all football 

activities, but posted 

on social media to 

throw his weight 

behind Morocco’s 

pitch. 

Sterling’s 

future in 

doubt 

R aheem Sterling’s 

future at 

Manchester City is 

under increasing 

doubt after talks over 

a new contract failed 

to materialise. 

The England 

international has been 

one of the stars of City’s 

outstanding season, 

scoring 20 goals for Pep 

Guardiola’s side. 

But City are yet to 

make a definitive 

move to extend 

Sterling’s 

existing terms 

despite the 

fact he 

enters the 

final two 

years of his 

deal at the 

end of the 

season. 

Sterling’s 

current deal 

is worth £180,000 per 

week but he can 

expect a sharp pay 

rise given his 

brilliant form this 

season. 

But discussions 

over a new deal have 

not been 

forthcoming, news 

D’Tigers begin World Cup qualifier against Uganda 

Nigeria’s senior men’s basketball 

team, the D’Tigers open their 2019 

World Cup qualifiers today in Bamako, 

•Diogu 

Mali with a game against 

Uganda with 2017 

Afrobasket MVP, Ike Diogu 

as the team’s pivot. 

Playing in group B of the 

qualifiers against other 

teams like Rwanda and 

host, Mali, D’Tigers will file 

out in the second match 

against Rwanda tomorrow 

before ending the first round 

against Mali on Sunday. 

Apart from Diogu, the 

other player from the 2015 

Afrobasket winning squad 

in the team is Ben Uzoh 

both of whom will be joined 

by Michael Efevberha, who 

AKPEYI: 

Critics won’t s 

stop me 

from 2018 World W 

Cup 

Super Eagles goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi “I am not competing with any goalkeeper in the 

has vowed not to allow critics derail team. I am grateful to the coach for extending 

him as he bids to work hard so as to invitation to me and also giving me an opportunity 

make the cut for the 2018 FIFA World to play,” the former Flying Eagles goalkeeper said. 

Cup in Russia. 

“Nigeria have good goalkeepers waiting for this 

The Chippa United 

opportunity, if anyone deserves it let him play and 

goalkeeper said he would let’s support him so that we can have a formidable 

remain undaunted despite team for the World Cup and come back with good 

harsh criticism of him, insisting results.” 

that he has continued to work He said he would never defame or run anyone 

hard at the club level so as to be down in a bid to make the trip to Russia and he’s 

in top shape whenever he’s unhappy some people are orchestrating attacks on 

called up for national duty. him. 

He said as much as he is “You don’t have to talk me down with stories or 

keen on making coach Gernot lie against me on the pages of newspapers 

Rohr’s team to the Mundial as because you need to promote someone,” he 

demonstrated by his further said. 

continuous work at “I didn’t come this far in my career by mistake 

the club level, he even though I wasn’t given a chance to get here; 

would support but I was positive about myself and I worked hard 

the decision of for it and with God’s grace I reached the level I am 

the coach so today. 

long it 

“I haven’t reached my mark yet, yes, I made 

would be in some mistakes; some of the world’s best 

the overall goalkeepers have made worst slips, but they didn’t 

interest of quit because they were criticized and condemned, 

the team they fought through it to become the best they are 

in Russia. today. So, I’m not exceptional, I will keep fighting.” 

•Sterling 

•Pogba 

•Akpeyi 

Man U to offer Pogba to Barca 

Paul Pogba will 

be made 

available for sale 

at Manchester 

United this summer 

with Barcelona a potential 

destination, according to shock 

reports in Spain. 

The Catalan giants were interested 

along with Real Madrid in the former 

Juventus star before he returned to 

Old Trafford in 2016. 

Manchester United paid a then 

world record fee of £89m to re-sign 

the midfielder. 

But under Jose Mourinho, the 24- 

year-old has encountered injury 

problems, dips in form and issues 

surrounding his best position. 

powered Nigeria’s offense 

with a team-high 17.4 

points per game in the 

2009 edition of 

FIBA Africa’s 

flagship 

tournament in 

Libya. 

Nigeria’s final roster for the 

qualifiers are Ayodeji Akindele, Ojo 

Michael Adetokunbo, Nwogbo Afam, 

Obi Emenago, Ofoegbu Uche, 

Christopher Obekpa, Omogo 

Emmanuel, Bryant Mbamalu, Tali 

Zanna, Ike Diogu, Ben Uzoh and 

Micael Efevberha. 

Despite a public defence from 

Mourinho of late, the pair’s 

relationship is said to be on the rocks. 

They were seen having a heated 

discussion during last month’s 2-0 

defeat at Tottenham, while Pogba has 

also been dropped to the bench in 

recent games 

According to Spanish outlet Don 

Balon, Mourinho would now give the 

green light to a departure at the end of 

the season. 

His representative, Mino Raiola, is 

said to be offering Pogba around to 

top clubs in Europe. And that includes 

Barcelona, who would be intrigued by 

the prospect of signing the United 

man. 

•Benzema 

PSG, Lyon, 

Monaco chase 

Benzema 

K arim 

Benzema is 

being chased 

by a series of 

top clubs 

from France, 

according to 

Le10Sport. 

The Lyon-born 

star has had a 

difficult season for Real 

Madrid, scoring just three 

league goals for the 

Santiago Bernabeu club, 

but that has not damaged 

interest in him. 

Moneyed PSG are 

reportedly keen 

on bringing 

him in this 

summer as the 

latest superstar 

to join their 

side. 

His 

hometown 

club Lyon, Marseille 

and Monaco are all also 

interested in giving 

Benzema a shot next 

season. 

Lyon believe that the 30- 

year-old could be a good 

replacement for ex-Real 

forward Mariano, who is 

being chased by Atletico 

Madrid after an excellent 

season. 

PSG are convinced he 

could be a good 

replacement for Edinson 

Cavani, while they are 

aware Neymar is likely to 

be a target for Real in the 

summer. 

Lagos agog for 

StarTimes Bayern 

Youth Cup 

he Lagos zonal 

Ttournament of the 

ongoing FC Bayern Youth 

Cup holds tomorrow at 

Campos Mini Stadium, 

Lagos Island. 

According to the sponsors 

of the age-grade event, 

StarTimes Nigeria, eight 

teams will compete in the 

final. The teams battling for 

the top prize are Bethel FC, 

Mission Soccer Academy, 

Ablaze Academy, Lekki 

Junior Striker, The Future 

Academy, Esperanza FC, 

Leo Football Academy and 

Young Stars 

The StarTimes FC Bayern 

Youth Cup Nigeria 2018, a 

tournament for Under-16 

boys,kicked off last month, 

with games played in all six 

geo-political zones of the 

country. This is the first 

edition of the tournament 

in Africa which will have 

the best 10 players being 

selected to play at the world 

finals in Germany. 

Speaking on the final, 

Brand and Marketing 

Director of StarTimes, 

Qasim Elegbede said, ‘’this 

marks the completion of the 

zonal tournament and 

winners here will proceed to 

Abuja to battle it out for in 

the National Finals on 

March 10 th where a 

winner will emerge” 

He added that “the winner 

from the Finals in Abuja will 

proceed to Germany to 

represent Nigeria in the 

world champions 

competition.” 

So far, over 50 games and 

150+ goals have been 

recorded with 320 players 

from across 6 states taking 

part in the competition.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2018 

Sudoku 

QUICK CROSSWORD 

TODAY’S PUZZLE 

YESTERDAY’S ANSWER 

TODAY’S CROSSWORD 

YESTERDAY’SOLUTION 

How to Play Sudoku 

ACROSS 

1 Least possible quantity (7) 

5 Opera by Puccini (5) 

8 Loaves, rolls, etc. (5) 

9 Heavily armed mounted 

soldier (7) 

10 Molasses (7) 

11 Vacant (5) 

12 Lottery (6) 

14 Pandemonium (6) 

18 Outspoken (5) 

20 Inspirit (7) 

22 Colonist (7) 

23 Hurl (5) 

24 Dots-and-dashes code 

(5) 

25 Counterfeit (7) 

DOWN 

1 Criminal gang member 

(7) 

2 Female relative (5) 

3 Declaim (anag.) (7) 

4 Infuriate (6) 

5 Tantalise (5) 

6 Eighth sign of the zodiac 

(7) 

7 Vex (5) 

13 Modest bet (7) 

15 Large dish (7) 

16 Absconder (7) 

17 Omar —, film star (6) 

18 Breast (5) 

19 Fine net fabric (5) 

21 Ether (anag.) (5) 

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

the same number). 

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

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

blocks) contains number from 1 through 9. This means that no 

number can appear twice in any block, column or row. 

No mathematics is involved – no adding, subtraction, division or 

multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination. 

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

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

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

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