27052019New Minimum Wage, No Governor can say he won't pay - FG

INSIDE 

Sluggish 

economy weighs 

down coporate 

performance 

Nigerians’re 

getting poorer, 

feeling hopeless, 

helpless 

— Cardinal Onaiyekan 9 

IPOB, MASSOB, 

15 

others insist on 

May 30 Biafra day 

VOL. 26: NO. 63818 

Kukah 

Centre, 

int’l agency 

move to 

boost 

education 

in 

Northern 

Nigeria 

41 

NEW MINIMUM WAGE: 

MONDAY, MAY 27, 2019 

No governor can say 

he won't pay —FG 

•Says N30,000 new minimum wage started April 18 

STORY 

ON 

PAGE 8 

•C'ttee working out new template for consequential adjustment 

PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION INTERDENOMINATIONAL CHURCH SERVICE... 

From the left, the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; his Wife, Mrs. Dolapo 

Osinbajo; Mother of the Vice President, Mama Olubisi Osinbajo; former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon; the SGF, Mr. Boss 

Mustapher,; his wife, Mrs. Funmilayo Mustapher and former Senate President, Senator Ken Nnamani singing a hymn during the 

2019 Presidential Inauguration Interdenominational Church Service at the National Christian Centre, Abuja. Photo by Abayomi 

Adeshida. 

HERDSMEN: 

S'West under 

siege, Yoruba 

elders, Agbekoya 

tell FG 

17 

Tumour: JUTH 

undertakes first 

brain surgery using 

drilling machine 8 

Boko Haram kill 

25 soldiers in 

Borno ambush; 

it’s not true 

—ARMY 

COLUMNISTS OWEI LAKEMFA SOBOWALE HENRY BOYO 

31 29 30 

8 

Okorocha 

asks NJC, 

Abuja CJ to 

ignore 

EFCC’s 41 

petition 

against judge 

Buhari may 

block NASS’ 

final push to 

oust Magu, 

as Reps 

pass bill to 

make AIG 9 

head EFCC 

Mr & Mrs

2—Vanguard, MONDAY, MAY 27, 2019

Vanguard, MONDAY, MAY 27, 2019—3


Vanguard, MONDAY, MAY 27, 2019—5 

POCKET CARTOON 

Wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari (R) with other women during an interactive session as part of 

activities to mark 2019 Presidential Inauguration at the Presidential Villa in Abuja recently. 

LCCI tasks FG on huge debts, 

manufacturing, others 

By Udeme Akpan 

THE Lagos 

Chamber of 

Commerce and 

Industry, LCCI, has 

raised an alarm over 

dwindling investments in 

Nigeria’s oil and gas 

industry. 

In its report, Economic 

Review of the four years 

of President Buhari 

obtained by Vanguard, 

yesterday, the LCCI 

stated: “Pace of reforms in 

the oil and gas sector 

remained painfully slow 

over the past four years. 

"The Petroleum 

Industry Bill, PIB, was 

stalled, impeding the 

progress of the sector. In 

the upstream segment, 

contracting processes 

under the joint venture 

partnership took between 

12 and 36 months. This 

was a major problem for 

investors in the sector. 

This is one reason no new 

investors are coming into 

the sector. 

“The downstream was 

equally plagued by 

excessive regulation 

which made it difficult to 

unlock the huge potentials 

of the oil and gas sector. It 

is desirable to fully 

liberalize the sector so that 

investors can inject the 

needed private capital.” 

Blueprint 

The report, which 

beamed its searchlight on 

major sectors of the 

nation’s economy, stated: 

“Absence of an economic 

blueprint was a major 

concern in the early days 

of the administration, 

creating challenges of 

uncertainty. 

"However, the Economic 

Recovery and Growth 

Plan, ERGP, launched in 

April 2017 by the 

President, provided 

clearer economic policy 

direction of the 

administration. This 

enhanced the level of 

investors’ confidence and 

d i m i n i s h e d 

uncertainties.” 

Forex 

It stated: “The forex 

policy was one of the 

major challenges faced by 

investors in the first two 

years of the 

administration. There 

were issues of 

uncertainty, volatility of 

exchange rate, round 

tripping which resulted 

from the huge differentials 

in the rates, multiplicity of 

rates, acute liquidity 

crises which adversely 

affected investors’ 

confidence. 

"However, subsequent 

reforms in the forex 

market palliated these 

problems. Subsequent 

upswing in oil price and 

increase in oil output 

brought a great deal of 

calm and relief to the forex 

market.” 

Debt 

The report stated: “The 

National Debt grew from 

N12.6 trillion or US$65.4 

billion in 2015 to N24.3 

trillion or $79.4 billion in 

2018. This represents an 

increase of 93%; an 

estimated 15% of these are 

owed by the states. In the 

2019 budget, debt service 

provision was N2.14 

trillion; capital 

expenditure provision 

was N2.9 trillion and 

estimated revenue for the 

federal government was 

N6.97 trillion.” 

Manufacturing 

It stated: “The 

manufacturing sector 

experienced some major 

challenges during the 

past four years. The 

factors were both external 

and domestic. The main 

external factor was the 

collapse of oil price which 

affected forex availability 

and triggered sharp 

exchange rate 

depreciation in the first 

half of the administration. 

By Bose Adelaja,Yinka Latona, 

Dickson Omobola, Tolulope Oke, 

Chiamaka Uba, Erinfolami 

Abdulkudus& Janet Somoye 

What could be responsible for upsurge in suicide cases? (3) 

"However, the policy 

component of the problem 

resulted largely from 

foreign exchange policy 

choices which aggravated 

the problem of forex 

liquidity. The restriction 

of 41 items from access to 

interbank forex market 

added to the plight of 

some manufacturing 

firms.” 

Agriculture 

It stated: “The sector 

gained significant 

government support, 

especially in funding, 

with particular reference 

to rice farming and 

processing. However, the 

pace of mechanization is 

still low which is why why 

food prices remain an 

issue in the country. 

‘’It is only mechanized 

agriculture that can 

guarantee food security in 

a country with an 

estimated population of 

200 million. The 

protracted challenge of 

insecurity took its toll on 

the agricultural 

production in the country, 

especially in the last two 

years of the 

administration.” 

Various factors could 

be the reason for 

this. First is depression. 

Thinking too much about 

something could lead to 

trauma and depression 

and ultimately, suicide. 

The second one is 

frustration. When a 

person sees nothing 

good in life as a result of 

having to deal with 

failure, suicide might 

become an option. 

Miss Jane Matt 

Writer 

I 

can’t really place 

what is responsible 

for the upsurge but I 

would say that poverty is 

one of the main causes 

Depression is a big killer 

and people in this part of 

the world do not give 

much attention to it but it 

is real and it is killing 

people faster than any 

other thing. 

Mr. Stephen Ayobami 

Student 

It is mainly because of 

depression, lack of 

contentment, selfishness, 

illiteracy and inferiority 

complex. My opinion is 

that suicide is not the 

solution. Please kindly 

erase the notion from 

your memory. You can 

also share your problems 

with someone else rather 

than dying silently or 

committing suicide. 

Miss Okeke Favour 

Student 

In the past two months, 

we have heard news of 

teenagers taking sniper after 

seeing their examination 

scores. Some committed 

suicide due to pressure from 

family. Some might have 

committed suicide because 

this isn’t their first time of 

failing. 

Parents and friends should 

spend more time with loved 

ones and try to be 

understanding by not 

putting too much pressure 

on them. 

Mr. Awwal Damilola, 

Graphics designer 

The problem goes be 

yond the reasons given 

by some of those who 

committed suicide recently. 

I believe economic, social, 

and spiritual factors are responsible. 

Nigeria is not 

doing well in the areas I 

mentioned. Forget about 

what All Progressives 

Congress,APC, and its supporters 

are saying, there is 

real poverty in Nigeria. This 

is the most terrible period 

since 1999. There is no hope 

for the majority, who are not 

members of the ruling 

clique in Nigeria. 

Mr. Emmanuel Otobo, 

Businessman 

A 

lot of factors are re 

sponsible for the rate 

of suicide today among 

young Nigerians. They include 

economic, psychological 

and emotional issues, 

which result in depression. 

We live in a country full of 

uncertainty and anti-people 

policies. There is little or 

nothing the citizenry enjoy 

as welfare from the government. 

The only way to 

checkmate this ugly trend 

is to establish mental health 

centres at each of the local 

government areas. 

Ifeanyi Okoye, Analyst

6—Vanguard, MONDAY, MAY 27, 2019 

Man kills wife, son, hangs self in Lagos 

By Evelyn Usman son over allegation of infidelity on 

A 

the part of his wife. 

•...as Lagos Poly guard murders colleague 

GA Ikorodu community An argument, which reportedly Omomo was found dangling commenced. 

slit late Okoro’s throat and 

in Lagos was, weekend, ensued, degenerated into a brawl from the ceiling fan. 

chopped off his right wrist. He 

thrown into confusion after a between the couple in the early The Lagos State Police Public … poly guard 

thereafter raised the alarm that 

man allegedly murdered his 

wife and their six-year-old 

son. 

Thereafter, the suspect, 

Enifeh Akupa Omomo, 

hours of Friday, during which the 

woman was heard shouting for 

help. 

However, when neighbours went 

to the apartment by 8a.m. to settle 

Relations Officer, DSP Elkana 

Bala, confirmed the incident. 

He said detectives from the 

Homicide section of the State 

Criminal Investigations and 

In a related development, 

a private guard at Lagos State 

Polytechnic has been arrested 

for allegedly hacking his 

colleague to death. 

robbers had invaded the school. 

Unfortunately for him, the 

blood-stained knife was found 

in his bag, consequent upon 

which policemen at Shagamu 

committed suicide by scores between the couple, they Intelligence Department, The murder was suspected Division were invited. 

hanging himself in his oneroom 

were thrown off balance at the SCIID, Yaba, who visited the to have been for ritual Homicide detectives, 

apartment on 12 Eruga 

Street. 

Residents revealed that late 

sight of 38-year-old Faith Omomo 

and her son, Glorious, in a pool 

of their blood. 

scene, evacuated the corpses 

to the General Hospital for 

autopsy. 

purpose, as the suspect, 

Cletus Williams, committed it 

while the deceased, Okoro 

according to Bala, were 

investigating the matter to 

ascertain the suspect’s motive, 

Omomo had always As if that was not enough, He added that the John, was sleeping. adding that he would be 

threatened to kill his wife and residents said the lifeless body of investigation had Williams was said to have charged to the court thereafter. 

4 cultists 

nabbed over 

death at Ogun 

birthday party 

By Daud Olatunji 

ABEOKUTA—MEN of 

Ogun State Police 

Command said they have 

arrested four suspected 

members of a notorious cult 

over the death of a young 

man during a birthday party 

in Abule Lemode area of 

Ijoko in Ado-Odo/Ota. 

Police Public Relations 

Officer in the state, Abimbola 

Oyeyemi, disclosed this in a 

statement in Abeokuta, 

yesterday. 

Oyeyemi said the arrest 

followed a distress call 

received by the Police in 

Agbado Divisional 

Headquarters. 

Oyeyemi said the Police 

was hinted that one 

Oluwatoye Ogun of 34, 

Oyedele Close, Abule 

Lemode, was having a 

birthday party at her father’s 

house on May 24 when a 

group of boys, suspected to 

be cultists, stormed the 

venue of the party at about 

2a.m. with broken bottles 

and unleashed terror on the 

people at the party. 

He said: “The hoodlums 

stabbed the father of the 

celebrant on the head before 

they got hold of one Saibu 

Azeez, 26, and stabbed him 

in his stomach. 

“Having received the 

distress call, DPO Agbado 

Division, CSP Aloko Amodu, 

led his patrol team to the 

scene where four members 

of the dreaded group — 

Olalekan, Ologundudu, 

Omoboriowo and 

Anigilaje—were arrested. 

“The two injured persons 

were taken to the nearby 

hospital for treatment, but 

Saibu Azeez died while 

receiving treatment. 

“Preliminary investigation 

revealed that the deceased 

is likely to be a member of a 

rival cult and his assailants 

came on a likely reprisal 

attack.” 

Police nab 2 cultists at Yaba Tech’s matriculation 

By Evelyn Usman 

TWO suspected cultists, alleged 

to have attempted to disrupt the 

matriculation ceremony at Yaba 

College of Technology, have been 

arrested. 

Their arrest, according to Lagos 

State Police Command spokesman, 

DSP Elkana Bala, followed a 

distress call received by policemen 

at Sabo Division that Armed cultists 

were sighted in the school’s 

premises. 

This is just as six suspected traffic 

robbers were arrested, weekend, in 

different parts of the state, with 

stolen items, arms and ammunition 

recovered from them. 

Upon receipt of the distress call 

from the institution, Bala said: 

“Teams of policemen from Sabo 

Police Station and Tactical Units of 

the Command were promptly 

drafted to the scene to reinforce the 

campus patrol team. 

“Two suspects—Balogun 

Oluwadamilare, 24 and Badmus 

Idris, 23— were arrested. One 

Beretta pistol with four live 

ammunition and three expended 

ammunition were recovered from 

the suspects. Investigation is 

ongoing and the suspects will be 

charged to court.” 

Meanwhile, one of the arrests of the 

traffic robbery suspects was made at 

Kosofe Bus Stop by the Surveillance 

Patrol Team attached to Ketu Division 

at about 5.30a.m., Saturday, while 

members of the gang were 

operating. 

The suspected leader of the gang, 

popularly known as Gabazine, and 

two other members were arrested. 

One mobile phone, suspected to 

have been snatched from a victim, 

was recovered from them. 

Same day, two members of another 

gang were arrested at same bus stop 

by the team, while attempting to 

dispossess commuters who were 

trapped in traffic of their valuables. 

Identities of the suspects were 

given as Ayomide Ayobami and Taye 

Onofowokan, both residents of 

Agboyi Ketu. One pistol with three 

live ammunition and a jack knife 

were recovered from them, 

according to Bala. 

Elsewhere in Festac, a suspected 

traffic robber, Bamidele Ogunbanjo, 

30, was arrested with a locally-made 

pistol and one live ammunition. 

In another development, 

•...6 robbers, fake soldier, too 

Suspected cultists 

Suspected robbers 

policemen on traffic control 

from Iponri Division, arrested 

one Musa Muhammad Agile, 

who had been masquerading 

as a soldier, along Eko Bridge. 

Fake soldier 

Suspected robbers 

Bala said: “The suspect, 

who was fully dressed in 

military camouflage, was 

arrested while obstructing 

traffic and harassing road 

users. 

“The suspect confessed that 

he is not a soldier. Investigation 

is ongoing. All the suspects will 

be charged to court.”


Missing chartered accountant, 

Adewura, found dead in canal 

THE missing 36-yr-old 

chartered accountant, 

Adewura Latifat Bello, has 

been found dead. According to 

reports, her body was found in 

a canal. 

Adewura went missing on 

Wednesday, May 15. She was 

last spoken to last Wednesday 

night, when she was on her way 

back from work. She was said to 

have called home to inform her 

sister that she was at Cement 

Bus Stop, near Iyana Ipaja. But 

she didn’t get home. 

One of her family members 

said Adewura’s phone last 

synced to Google at 7:59p.m., 

inside Gowon Estate where she 

lives. Eleven days after her 

disappearance, the body of the 

lady was found in a canal. 

A Twitter user, Benjamin, who 

is said to be her cousin, 

announced this on Twitter 

yesterday. 

He twitted: “Thank you all for 

Police nab 5 vandals, impound speedboats, 

13,000 litres of locally-refined diesel 

POLICE operatives attached to 

Petroleum Products and 

Marketing Company, PPMC, 

Warri depot, weekend, reportedly 

arrested five persons in connection 

with illicit oil deal. 

It was gathered that the invasion 

of the hideout by vandals at 

Okpurishigbene community, 

otherwise known as Crayfish 

Village in Warri South-West Local 

Government Area of Delta State, 

by the operatives led to the 

recovery of about 13,000 litres of 

locally-refined diesel and four 

speed boats. 

Speaking on the arrest, the 

the search. Adewura is dead. 

Her body was found in a 

canal. Heaven has 

gained an angel. We 

depart to meet again. 

Till we meet again 

Adewura, forever 

in our heart. 

God, I am in 

pains, but 

who am I to 

question 

You.” 

Police 

story 

Contacted, 

Lagos 

State 

Police 

Public 

Late Wura 

Relations 

Officer, 

D S P 

Elkana Bala, said a body has 

been recovered, but that there 

is no confirmation 

Commander, IGP Task Force on 

Pipeline Vandalisation, PPMC 

depot, Warri Refinery, SP 

Mohammed El-Yakubu, disclosed 

that based on intelligence report, 

the Command had kept a close 

watch on the activities at the 

vandal’s camp for quite a while. 

According to him, “my men and 

I have been on the trail of this very 

cartel that specialises in converting 

stolen crude to cooked diesel for 

sometimes in this area and we 

immediately moved in to effect 

arrest when we were convinced it 

was appropriate to do so. 

“We wish to express our profound 

yet..According to him, “we 

have a body that 

we recovered 

around Ipaja, 

but we 

cannot 

ascertain 

whether it 

i s 

Adewura 

at this 

s t a g e 

because the 

body is 

decomposing 

and we 

need 

medical 

experts 

t o 

really 

confirm 

that. 

“So 

we have moved the body to the 

hospital for examination. We are 

awaiting the autopsy report.” 

Gunmen kidnap lecturer’s wife in Bayelsa 

By Samuel Oyadongha 

& Gabriel Enogholase 

THE wife of a staff of Bayelsa 

State-owned Niger Delta 

University, NDU, was in the 

early hours of yesterday 

abducted by gunmen in 

Gbarantoru, Yenagoa Local 

Government Area of the state. 

Also yesterday, members of a 

vigilante group and youths 

reportedly foiled an attempt to 

abduct the pastor of Redeemed 

Christian Church of God, 

RCCG, in charge of Ologbosere 

parish in Benin City, Edo 

State. 

Though details of the 

abduction of the NDU staff's 

wife were sketchy at press 

time, the gunmen were said to 

have struck at about 2a.m. 

It was gathered that the 

stillness of the night was 

shattered by the sporadic 

shooting of the invaders. 

The heavily-armed men 

reportedly stormed the sleepy 

settlement through the River 

Nun in a speedboat and 

marched to the residence of 

their target, simply identified as 

Dr. Charles. 

A community source told 

Vanguard that the gunmen 

narrowly missed the lecturer 

and instead seized his wife and 

escaped through same river. 

According to a source, youths 

of the community mobilised to 

the scene of crime a few minutes 

after the shooting ceased, only 

to see the lecturer emerging 

from where he was hiding. 

Contacted, spokesman of the 

state Police Command, Mr. 

Asinim Butswat, confirmed the 

development. 

“Yes, I heard of the incident,” 

he said, adding that the Police 

have commenced investigation 

with a view to apprehending 

the perpetrators and rescue the 

victim. 

... as pastor escapes 

kidnappers in Benin 

On the kidnap attempt in 

Benin, Edo State, the vigilante 

group and youths of the 

community, with support from 

worshippers, apprehended 

three suspects at 8a.m., who 

specialise in robbing 

residents and unsuspecting 

worshippers. 

Luck ran out of the threeman 

gang who had 

dispossessed unsuspecting 

worshippers of their money, 

phones and other valuables 

including cars, when they 

snatched a Toyota Camry car 

from another Church and 

were trying to escape. 

They were chased by 

youths and vigilante group 

members with some 

worshippers. 

It was gathered that the 

hoodlums abandoned the 

snatched car CGMi and 

proceeded to RCCG along 

Ologbosere Street in the 

same community, where they 

abducted one Pastor Ayo, 

and whisked him away in his 

SUV with Number plates, 

LAGOS: EKY353 CA. 

The vigilante members, 

youths and worshippers 

chased the hoodlums until 

they gave up and 

abandoned the pastor and 

his vehicle. 

appreciation to our Commander 

in Abuja, CSP Abiba Adamu, 

who had shown so much 

commitment to our resolve to 

curb pipeline vandalism in our 

area of coverage by supporting 

all our operations to remote 

areas.” 

He said the arrested suspects 

will be charged to court after 

investigations have been 

concluded and that the 

impounded product would be 

handed over to PPMC for 

evacuation after it had been 

authorised by DPR for 

discounting. 

... with Emma'nKen (08163121378) 

Simi see trouble o! Adekunle is 

bending. Is that how she likes it? 

It's guys that feel it most. 

Your name self go fear boys. 

Are you high? Just when we thought 

we've escaped WAEC Maths


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

By Johnbosco 

Agbakwuru 

ABUJA—THE Federal 

Government has said no 

governor in the 36 states of 

the federation will say he can’t 

pay the new minimum wage 

of N30,000. 

Minister of Labour and 

Employment, Senator Chris 

Ngige, who stated this in an 

interview in Abuja, weekend, 

maintained that payment of 

the new wage started on April 

18 when President 

Muhammadu Buhari signed 

the Minimum Wage 

Amendment Act Bill into law. 

The minister said it had 

become imperative that all 

employers of labour in the 

country complied with what 

he described as a national 

law, adding that a committee 

was working out a new 

template for upward 

consequential adjustment for 

those already earning above 

N30,000. 

Describing the negotiation 

for a new minimum wage as 

a tortuous one, he advised 

employers of labour, 

especially those who have not 

started implementation of the 

new law, to do so to avoid 

accumulating arrears. 

Ngige said: “It is a national 

law and no governor can say 

he will not pay. Issue of 

national minimum wage is 

Item 34 on the exclusive 

legislative list of the third 

schedule of Nigerian 

constitution. 

“Issue of labour is also there 

and not on the concurrent list. 

If it is on the concurrent list, 

then they can make their own 

state Assembly laws on that. 

Every state government is 

now owing workers if they 

have not started paying 

N30,000. 

Consequential 

adjustment 

“They (employers) are 

owing workers effective April 

18,. We are now in a 

committee working out a new 

template with which we will 

adjust upward the 

consequential adjustment for 

those already earning above 

N30,000. 

“The minimum wage is for 

the most vulnerable, down the 

ladder and that is the man 

on grade level one, step one. 

So, you must consequentially 

adjust for the man on grade 

level two, grade level three, 

grade level four and five, 

because that man on GL 1 

step 1 has overtaken them 

with his new payment. 

“That is what we refer to as 

consequential adjustment. 

This consequential 

adjustment touches more 

people on the lower ladder 

and we are working it out. The 

negotiation is going to be with 

the Joint Negotiating Council 

at both federal and state 

levels. 

“What we are trying to do 

now with the Salaries and 

Wages Commission is that we 

have a technical committee 

working out what the Federal 

Government will do for its 

workers and advise the state 

governments appropriately. 

“In 2011, there was a 

mistake in the consequential 

adjustment in some states 

when they applied the 

principle of percentage 

increase across board and 

they ran into trouble and were 

unable to pay. What this 

N30,000 translates into is that 

there is a 67 percent increase. 

“If a state government 

applies the same 67 percent 

increase across board, there 

will be serious trouble, the 

same with the Federal 

Government and when there 

is that trouble, there will be 

trade dispute because the 

principle of ability to pay will 

come in and International 

Labour Organisation, ILO, 

encourages us to apply those 

principles in our discussion." 

New minimum 

wage started April 

18 

Asked when workers would 

begin to enjoy the new 

minimum wage, Senator 

Ngige, whose office midwifed 

the new wage, said: “They 

will enjoy it. In fact, they have 

started enjoying it. 

Employers in the private 

sector adjusted immediately 

because it is easier for them 

to do. In the government 

sector, the bureaucracy and 

bottleneck of government is 

responsible for the delay. 

“You know that you must 

budget for it. That is what is 

causing the delay. But 

whenever the encumbrances 

are removed, they will pay 

arears with effect from April 

18, 2019. 

“So, the sooner an 

establishment starts paying, 

the better for you so that you 

don’t take a huge backlog 

that you cannot take. If you 

pay in piecemeal and 

progress from there, the better. 

‘’So, I advise all employers 

of labour in Nigeria, 

including state governments, 

to immediately set up their 

joint negotiating councils so 

that whatever we get from 

here, we give it to them and 

they will look at it based on 

their peculiarities." 

NLC president is 

playing politics 

—Ngige 

On the recent allegation by 

NLC that he was frustrating 

the implementation of the new 

minimum wage, Ngige said: 

“I saw the NLC President on 

television saying so. But that 

was when they were trying 

to picket me and I pitied him 

because he was trying to 

blackmail me in the wrong 

direction. 

“I am the prime mover of 

the new minimum wage. If 

you ask anybody in the 

Federal Executive Council, 

they will tell you so and the 

president will also tell you so 

and he has said so many 

times. So, the President of 

NLC is playing politics. 

‘’But he can’t play politics 

on workers like that. If he 

wants to play politics, he 

should leave labour unionism 

because labour laws do not 

allow labour leaders to play 

partisan politics.” 

On ASUU's threat 

Reminded that Academic 

Staff Union of Universities, 

CHILDREN'S DAY: Children dressed in Emirates Airline Pilots and Cabin Crew uniforms 

as part of activities to celebrate Children's Day by the airline in Lagos. Photo: Lamidi Bamidele. 

New minimum wage: No gov can say 

he won’t pay —FG 

•Says N30,000 new minimum wage started April 18 

•C'ttee working out new template for consequential adjustment 

ASUU, has threatened to 

resume strike if the Federal 

Government refused to 

implement the agreements it 

entered into with the union, 

Ngige said he had made it 

compulsory that every 

government establishment 

kept to any agreement. 

Ngige said: “I have forced 

government establishments 

to keep to agreements, 

especially the ones that we 

entered into now. Where we 

have difficulties is the 2009 

and 2013 agreements that the 

then government made. But 

nobody wants to know that. 

“They will tell you that 

government is a continuum. 

Tumor: JUTH undertakes first brain surgery 

using drilling machine 

JOS—JOS University 

Teaching Hospital, JUTH, 

weekend, undertook its first 

surgery to remove brain 

tumor using a machine that 

drills the skull bone to gain 

access to the tumor. 

Dr Origoya Peter Binitie, 

lead neurosurgeon in the 

operation, told News 

Agency of Nigeria, in Jos: “It 

is the first trans-labyrinthine 

approach to a posterior fossa 

tumor. We used the C-Arm 

machine to drill the skull 

bone so as to see what is 

behind, even while facing 

the front of the head. 

“In the past, we had to 

open the brain, which was 

always risky and led to 

deaths because the brain is 

delicate.” 

Noting that the tumor had 

been in the woman for three 

years before the surgery, 

Binitie said: “Half of her face 

was affected and she could 

not hear with the ear 

affected,” adding that the 

operation was a combined 

effort by neurosurgeons, Ear- 

Nose-Throats, ENT, 

surgeons and the 

Anaesthetists." 

Binitie, who described 

tumor as an abnormal 

growth of tissue largely 

outside the brain stem, said 

the new approach helped 

the surgeons to navigate 

around the head to see all 

sides at the same time. 

He said: “In the past, we 

used X-rays to ascertain the 

position of every part of the 

head; that involved moving 

the X-ray machine up and 

down to, and from, the 

theatre. 

“That process usually takes 

a longer time and will not 

give us the position of a bone 

or the tissue in real time. But 

with the new machine, it is 

very quick and saves more 

than two hours. 

“With the new device, we 

can easily get the picture in 

motion. While the X-ray is 

static and one must wait for 

results, the new device is a 

kind of video where one can 

see the picture in motion, 

instead of static motion. 

“The new device is also 

more accurate, can tell you 

exactly where you are and 

saves cost because you 

Boko Haram kills 25 soldiers in 

Borno ambush •It’s not true— Army 

BOKO Haram sect has 

reportedly killed 25 

soldiers and scores of 

civilians in an ambush in 

Borno State. 

The insurgent group 

reportedly attacked the 

soldiers on Saturday 

morning while they were 

evacuating people from 

villages in the state. 

The fighters were said to 

have opened fire on the 

soldiers and the villagers 

who were reportedly 

occupying about 50 

vehicles. 

But Acting Director, Army 

Public Relations, Col Sagir 

Musa, in a reaction 

yesterday, said: ‘’There is 

no truth in the report or 

claims that 25 soldiers were 

killed by Boko Haram. It is 

fake. No report of any 

terrorist attack on troops in 

Borno State at this 

moment.’’ 

However, a Civilain Joint 

Task Force, JTF, member, 

told Reuters: “They 

ambushed and surrounded 

the vehicles of both the 

soldiers and the civilians 

and opened fire on them. 

“They exchanged fire for 

some minutes before the 

Boko Haram militants 

overpowered the soldiers.” 

On Wednesday, the sect 

had released videos of 

some military men believed 

to have been captured on 

the battlefront in the North- 

East. 

So, as much as possible, we 

try to renegotiate some of 

these agreements to make 

them realistic. The ILO 

principles permit that 

agreements that are not 

feasible can be renegotiated. 

That is the luck we have and 

in this ministry, we have 

used it to the best of the 

advantage of the 

government." 

spend less time on 

anaesthesia which minimise 

the money you pay for that 

particular service. 

“We can also ease our job 

by taking the picture up, 

down, front, back or 

sideways,” he explained. 

Binitie, first neurosurgeon 

in northern Nigeria, who 

had been in service since 

1974, said the cost of such 

operation was around 

N300,000 in JUTH. 

“But it costs several 

millions of naira in other 

hospitals and even more 

when done outside 

Nigeria,” he said. 

The expert said there were 

a total of 90 neurosurgeons 

in the country, adding that 

more were being trained to 

meet rising demands. 

“JUTH is one of the few 

centres training 

neurosurgeons in Nigeria. 

Six are currently being 

trained and are at various 

stages of the programme,” he 

said. 

Binitie commended the 

management of JUTH for its 

efforts to improve services 

through acquiring modern 

equipment like C-Arm that 

would ease surgery and 

enable the hospital break 

new grounds. 

Speaking on the C-Arm 

device, Prof. Edmund 

Banwat, Chief Medical 

Director of JUTH, said it cost 

N32 million, adding that 

more equipment were being 

acquired to improve service 

delivery and break new 

grounds.


Buhari may block NASS’ 

final push to oust Magu 

•New bill stipulates EFCC must be 

headed by AIG, not ACP 

By Soni Daniel, 

Northern Region 

Editor 

Afinal push by the Na 

tional Assembly to oust 

the acting Chairman ofEconomic 

and Financial Crimes 

Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim 

Magu, has virtually 

been consummated with a 

bill to that effect already 

passed by the House of Representatives, 

pending concurrence 

by the Senate this 

week. 

Competent NASS sources 

said last night that the 

bill, which was passed by 

the House of Representatives 

two weeks ago, deliberately 

jerks the qualification 

for the office of the 

chairman of the anti-crime 

agency from Assistant Commissioner 

of Police, ACP, to 

Assistant Inspector-General 

of Police, AIG, aims to replace 

Magu with a superior 

police officer before the 

9th NASS takes off on June 

11, 2019. 

But Presidency sources 

hinted last night that the 

president might not assent 

to the bill, even if the Senate 

concurred with the 

House of Representatives 

before the end of the current 

8th NASS. 

Magu, who was recently 

promoted to the rank of a 

Commissioner of Police, CP, 

HEALTH TIPS 

By Sola Ogundipe 

Helping a choking person 

Choking happens when 

someone’s airway 

suddenly gets blocked, 

either fully or partly, so they 

can’t breathe. Food is 

among the most common 

causes of choking 

accidents, particularly 

among young children. 

Foods, such as whole 

grapes, nuts, seeds, 

popcorn, and other similar 

foods that are less likely to 

be chewed can easily get 

lodged in the airway. When 

that happens, it can be fatal. 

To lower the chances of 

choking in children, it’s a 

good idea to chop foods 

into smaller pieces or even 

mash them. 

Ensure your child eats 

sitting upright at a table 

and should not move 

around while eating. If the 

airway is only partly 

blocked, the person who is 

choking is usually able to 

speak, cry, cough or 

breathe. 

To help with mild 

choking in an adult or child 

over one year old, 

has had a running battle 

with NASS, having been 

rejected twice and re-presented 

twice by President 

Muhammadu Buhari for 

the same position. 

Vanguard gathered that 

the bill was spearheaded by 

some arrowheads in the 

House immediately the 

Senate rejected Magu’s 

confirmation for the second 

time and the refusal of the 

Presidency to replace him as 

demanded by the lawmakers. 

But it was not clear last 

night how the lawmakers 

hoped to get the bill passed 

and assented to by the Presidency 

before the expiration 

of the current NASS, which 

does not have more than a 

few days to wind up and 

pave the way for the 9th 

NASS on June 11. 

Incidentally, the Senate 

has a few days to go as the 

lawmakers will only sit tomorrow. 

The current National Assembly 

is expected to be dissolved 

on June 7, while the 

9th NASS will be inaugurated 

on June 11. 

Details of the new bill 

sighted last night by Vanguard, 

effectively seeks to 

amend certain sections of 

the EFCC Establishment 

Act of 2004 and raises the 

bar for the appointment of 

the head of the agency. 

encourage them to keep 

coughing to try to clear the 

blockage. Don’t put your 

fingers in their mouth to 

help them as they may bite 

you accidentally. If choking 

is severe and coughing 

doesn’t work, the person 

won’t be able to speak, cry, 

cough or breathe. You may 

try a back blow. 

To carry out a back blow, 

stand behind the person 

and slightly to one side. 

Support the chest with one 

hand. Lean them forward 

and give 3-5 sharp blows 

between the shoulder 

blades with the heel of your 

hand. 

Check if the blockage has 

cleared. If not, get someone 

who knows how to give 

abdominal thrusts to give 

up to five abdominal 

thrusts. If the airway is still 

blocked, get help 

immediately. Don’t give 

back blows or abdominal 

thrusts to babies under one 

year or pregnant women. 

BOOK PRESENTATION: From left, Wife of Oyo State Governor, Mrs Florence Ajimobi; 

Governor Abiola Ajimobi; Alaafin of Oyo/Chairman of the occasion, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi; 

and the governor's daughter, Abimbola, during the public presentation of 'Abiola Ajimobi: 

Architect and Builder of Modern Oyo State' and 'Abiola Ajimobi: Legacy of a transformer,' 

written in honour of the governor, in Ibadan, weekend. Photo: Governor's Office. 

Nigerians are getting poorer, feeling 

hopeless, helpless —Onaiyekan 

•Nigerians should pray for Buhari —Gowon 

By Johnbosco 

Agbakwuru 

ABUJA —THE Catholic 

Archbishop of Abuja, 

John Cardinal Onaiyekan, 

yesterday, advised President 

Muhammadu Buhari to 

change his style of 

leadership, if Nigeria must 

recover from its current 

social-economic crises, 

saying Nigerians are 

getting poorer, feeling 

hopeless and helpless. 

The cleric also said there 

was tension in the land, 

while poverty rate was 

increasing on a daily basis. 

Onaiyekan, who stood in 

for the President, Catholic 

Bishops Conference, 

Archbishop Augustin 

Akubeze, stated this while 

delivering a message at the 

inter-denominational 

church service for 2019 

presidential inauguration 

ceremony held at National 

Christian Centre, Abuja. 

Speaking on the theme, 

“Let us chose life, not 

death,” Onaiyekan said it 

was expected that the blame 

game by the administration 

was over, stressing that 

dwelling on blame game 

will not take the country 

anywhere. 

Onaiyekan, who noted 

with dismay that Nigeria 

was not in a state where 

anyone should rejoice, said: 

"As we embrace a new term 

of government, it should be 

for us a new opportunity to 

change ways and review 

habits of governance, for a 

better Nigeria. 

‘’We can and we should 

do this, God has endowed 

us with resources to achieve 

this, resources that we, 

unfortunately, turn into 

curses.” 

He also said his 

submissions were his 

personal opinion and not 

from Archbishop Akabueze, 

adding that for a positive 

change to happen in 

Nigeria, sincere change of 

leadership will also need to 

take place. 

He said: “The blame game 

of pointing accusing fingers 

at others will not carry us far. 

For a positive change to take 

place, we must all be ready 

for a sincere change of heart, 

from the lowest to highest, 

but especially at the highest 

levels. Empty boast and 

barefaced denials of the 

realities around us cannot 

build the nation.” 

Onaiyekan stressed it was 

important for Nigerian 

leaders to tell themselves 

the truth and accept failure. 

“At this moment, we 

should do well to 

acknowledge our failure to 

do things the right way. 

Here, the words of the 

Psalmist should challenge 

each of us,’’ he added. 

Tension in the 

land, poverty 

swelling 

The Catholic cardinal 

stated that while the rich 

were swimming in 

affluence, the number of 

poor Nigerians sadly 

continued to be on the 

increase. 

“The truth is that our 

nation is not in a state for us 

to rejoice. The ranks of the 

poor are swelling by the day, 

hopeless and helpless, as 

they watch in frustration the 

affluence of the very few 

cruising in a different world. 

Such wide social economic 

disparity has led to anger, 

tension, violence and 

outright criminality in the 

land. All is not well. But all 

is not lost either. 

“Again, here we must tell 

the truth. For too long, we 

have been seeing what 

seems to be a policy of 

polarisation of the nation 

along primordial fault lines 

of ethnicity and religion. 

The result is that we have 

been indulging in the risky 

game of ’dancing on the 

brink of chaos'. 

“We do not know for how 

long we can continue to get 

away with this. But the 

handwriting on the wall is 

quite clear for all who cared 

to see. It is sad that no 

condition is permanent: 

certainly not the present 

state of our nation. 

“Our ethnic diversity is 

God’s will and gift that we 

ought to appreciate and 

celebrate. We should beware 

of those who seek to 

manipulate this in a game 

of divide and rule, for selfish 

interests. 

“In our emerging global 

world, we should be 

building on our long 

experience of living together 

across ethnic lines, if we are 

not to allow ourselves to be 

left behind in our fast 

developing modern world. 

“We are living in a world 

where many are 

abandoning faith in God, at 

great cost to humanity now 

and in the future. We do well 

to commend ourselves for 

our generally high level and 

of religious fervor. 

‘’But if this is to translate 

into a righteous nation, we 

must all seek the will of God 

for good human relations. 

This cuts across our 

religious differences and 

affiliations. Religion is good, 

but not enough. 

“Religion evokes a strong 

emotions that ought to be 

deployed for solving the ills 

of our nation, not compound 

them. Those who 

manipulate religion for their 

selfish political interest end 

up destroying religion and 

harming the nation. Our 

constitution is not perfect. 

“But its basic provisions 

about freedom of religion are 

valid and must be 

scrupulously respected by 

all, especially by those who 

control state instruments of 

coersion." 

Osinbajo advises 

Christians 

In his remarks, Vice 

President, Prof. Yemi 

Osinbajo, who was the 

special guest of honour, 

noted that Christians were 

to take the lead in giving 

hope to others. 

Expressing the confidence 

that the nation’s future was 

bright, Osinbajo said: “Our 

days will be better and 

better. This is the reason I 

am so confident, our 

ministry is that of 

reconciliation. We must not 

permit anyone to take 

advantage of the fault lines. 

"Our country stands at the 

threshold of phenomenal 

growth, the end of the story 

of light and joy. We begin 

with darkness and 

confusion but the end of our 

story is bright, the future of 

our nation is bright.” 

Nigerians should 

pray for Buhari 

—Gowon 

Former Head of State, 

Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd), 

in his remarks, urged 

Nigerians to pray for 

President Buhari and all the 

leaders for good 

governance and look after 

the interest of all Nigerians, 

irrespective of tribe, faith or 

belief. 

He urged Nigerians to 

“love your country and 

defend it in whatever way 

we can; let us have peace 

in the land and let us 

ensure that this nation 

continues to survive to 

eternity, God being our 

helper.”

10 — VANGUARD, MONDAY, MAY 27, 2019 

By Victor Ahiuma- 

Young, Olasunkanmi 

Akoni & Monsuru 

Olowoopejo 

LAGOS — DESPITE 

the expiration of the 

72-hour directive for the 

removal of all trucks and 

tankers in Apapa and its 

environs, the heavy duty 

vehicles still occupied most 

routes in the area yesterday. 

Motorists and residents 

experienced the usual 

gridlock as many vehicles 

were still parked 

indiscriminately on the 

roads. 

The worst hit areas are 

Otto-Wharf, Mile -2, Kirikiri 

junction, Mazamaza/Mile- 

2 Bridge, Old Ojo Road, 

Sunrise, and Trinity. 

Some armed Mobile 

policemen were seen 

controlling the traffic to some 

extent, but they were 

practically overwhelmed by 

large number of trucks on 

the roads. 

However, Vanguard 

noticed that the trucks were 

no longer at Cele, Ijesha, 

Sanya, and Second 

Rainbow by Fatgbems 

Filling Station. 

These came as a female 

officer of the Lagos State 

Traffic Management 

Authority, LASTMA, was 

crushed to death while 

enforcing the Presidential 

Order yesterday. 

The female officer 

identified as 33-year-old 

Folashade Arogundade, 

was said to have been 

crushed to death while a 

truck was reversing. 

However, some truck 

drivers, who were stuck in 

the gridlock, yesterday, told 

Vanguard that they were 

driving to a park that had 

been earmarked for them. 

Upon inquiry as to 

whether the relocation of 

the vehicles had 

commenced, Chief 

Executive of LASTMA, 

Chris Olakpe, said the joint 

taskforce has commenced 

enforcement gradually. 

We’ve commenced 

enforcement — LASTMA 

Olapke said: “All I can tell 

you is that it’s a vacation 

order by Mr. President and 

activities and action have 

commenced. And the trucks 

are being moved to areas 

Apapa gridlock: Truck drivers defy Buhari’s directive 

used as parking bay. The 

stakeholders have met and 

they are cooperative but 

activity is going on. With the 

collaboration of the private 

sector with LASTMA as 

arrow head in conjunction 

with men of the Federal 

Road Safety Commission, 

FRSC, they are working 

very hard 

“The challenge is that 

people really want to see the 

effect of enforcement 

immediately but I can assure 

the populace that by 

tomorrow (today) and 

Tuesday, the effect will be 

visible with astronomical 

improvement in traffic 

situation in the area. 

“Pragmatic action is ongoing, 

vehicles are being 

moved out. The operators of 

the trucks are also 

complying voluntarily 

backed up with serious 

enforcement, because they 

were part of the 

stakeholders’ meeting. 

Presently, we are dealing 

with the Trinity area and I’m 

sure the Asiwaju Bola 

Ahmed Tinubu Terminal at 

Orile-Igamu is almost 

completed to be used as 

parking bay very soon. 

“The operation being 

carried out on public private 

partnership collaboration is 

very much in place. We 

have sufficient capacity in 

terms of human material and 

equipment to achieve a 

resounding success for the 

operation. 

“However, the operators 

should sustain the voluntary 

compliance or face the wrath 

of the law. Any operator 

caught flouting the directive 

will be arrested and 

prosecuted accordingly. This 

is a sustainable operation 

until sanity is restored and 

there is peace and 

tranquility, progress that is 

visible and accessible for all 

Nigerians.” 

On the fear of security 

operatives not being 

compromised, Olakpe said: 

“This will be different 

because it has the direct 

backing of President 

Muhammadu Buhari. It’s 

not something to joke with. 

The directive has both the 

teeth to bite and make sure 

•Female LASTMA officer crushed to death 

NOT YET UHURU: ...Gridlock persists on Apapa - Oshodi expressway as truck drivers refuse to budge. 

everything is effective, 

effectual, dynamic and 

pragmatic operation. 

“The Lagos State 

Government is fully 

conscious of its 

responsibility to protect lives 

and property, as well as 

enforce the laws duly made 

for the safety of all.” 

It‘ll ease out today, says 

transport union official 

Reacting, an official of one 

of the transport unions, who 

spoke to Vanguard on 

condition of anonymity, 

assured that before the end 

of today, the situation on the 

Apapa Oshodi Expressway 

would have eased off, 

saying there was already 

over 80 percent compliance 

on Ikorodu Road and other 

adjoining areas. 

Female LASTMA officer 

crushed to death 

Vanguard learned that the 

LASTMA official, who was 

crushed to death, was 

survived by her two-year-old 

child. 

Vanguard gathered that 

the deceased, who was 

deployed to LASTMA Zone 

36, Apapa, one of the 

formations vested with the 

responsibility to assist in 

clearing the trucks from the 

axis, celebrated her third 

year in service last month. 

To prepare the ground for 

the clearance which starts on 

Monday (today), it was 

learned that Folashade and 

her colleagues in Zone 36, 

were directed by the State 

Government to commence 

operation on Saturday. 

A LASTMA officer told 

Vanguard that they were 

busy with the directives at 

Area B Police Command, 

when a truck with Borno 

State number plate: XB 220 

MAG, reversed suddenly 

and crushed her to death. 

LASTMA chief reacts 

Confirming her death 

yesterday, the LASTMA 

General Manager, Wale 

Musa, has assured the 

family and relatives that the 

driver will be arrested and 

prosecuted. 

Musa, in a statement 

made available to Vanguard 

by LASTMA Public 

Relations Officer, Mr. 

Mahmud Hassan, disclosed 

that the tragedy occurred at 

Late Mrs. Arogundade. 

Area B Apapa police station 

at 4:30 pm on Saturday. 

He said: “The deceased 

was busy with her duty 

when the truck reversed 

....Gridlock may lead to closure of firms — OPS 

By Victor Ahiuma- 

Young 

L Organised AGOS—THE 

Private 

Sector, OPS, weekend, 

lamented that the protracted 

gridlock on port access 

roads has forced many 

companies to either close 

down permanently or 

relocate from Apapa 

completely. 

Speaking on behalf of the 

OPS, Director General of 

Nigeria Employers’ 

Consultative Association, 

Fix deplorable roads in Lagos, Razak urges 

Sanwo-Olu 

LAGOS — A former 

Commissioner for 

Public Transportation in 

Lagos State, Chief Lanre 

Razak, yesterday, urged the 

governor-elect, Mr. 

Babajide Sanwo-Olu to take 

urgent steps in repairing 

most of the bad roads across 

the state to ameliorate the 

suffering of motorists and 

commuters. 

In a statement in Epe 

yesterday, Razak, while 

congratulating Sanwo-Olu 

and the deputy governorelect 

Dr. Obafemi 

Hamzat, said the 

deplorable condition of 

some of the federal and 

state roads, as well as 

heaps of wastes had been 

a major source of concern 

suddenly without the driver 

or his assistant standing 

behind the vehicle to guide 

him. 

“The vehicle crushed her 

against the wall. In a bid to 

rescue Folashade, her 

colleagues rushed her to 

Apapa General Hospital 

where the medical doctor 

confirmed her as Broughtin-Dead 

(B.I.D).” 

He disclosed that the 

remains of the deceased has 

been deposited at the 

General Hospital, Lagos 

Island morgue. 

According to him, the 

vehicle has been 

impounded by the Nigerian 

Police and they have 

NECA, Mr. Timothy 

Olawale, called on the Vice- 

President, who is the 

Chairman of the 

Presidential Taskforce on 

Apapa gridlock to bring his 

commitment to bear on 

Apapa gridlock 

conundrum. 

Olawale said: “The 

Presidential order, though 

commendable, is overdue. 

Businesses, especially 

those using the ports for 

importation of raw materials 

have had to face untold 

hardship and loss of money 

to many Lagosians which 

require immediate 

government attention. 

He said: ''Government 

should quickly address 

the heavy vehicular 

traffic experienced daily 

on most Lagos roads 

caused by the damaged 

commenced investigation to 

arrest the driver who 

escaped from the scene. 

Musa, 

while 

commiserating with 

colleagues, family and 

relatives of the deceased, 

described her as one of 

LASTMA best officers, 

saying, it is unfortunate that 

we lost her when we are 

restoring sanity to Apapa. 

While appealing to truck 

drivers and owners, the 

general manager stressed 

that the accident could be 

avoided “if the truck driver 

had done the needful, 

which is fixing a side mirror 

and someone at the rear, 

guiding him.” 

through the charade and 

high level bottle-neck that 

has created a platform for 

corruption in the ports. 

“The adverse effects of 

the lingering traffic situation 

and bad road network 

within Apapa/Tincan port 

axis and environs on 

corporate business, 

commercial activities as 

well as the social-cultural 

way of life of individuals 

either residing or doing 

business within that 

environment cannot be over 

emphasised.” 

portions. The State Public 

Works Corporation should 

be made more proactive in 

fixing bad roads while 

those responsible for 

management of waste 

redouble their efforts to 

ensure a cleaner Lagos and 

better environment." 

CHILDREN'S DAY: GTBank takes 

education to rural communities 

LAGOS—AS the country 

marks the 2019 

Children’s Day, Guaranty 

Trust Bank Plc (GTBank) 

has launched a nationwide 

initiative, tagged 

#BeatTheDistance, to 

improve educational 

outcomes for children in 

rural communities by 

easing the difficulties they 

face with mobility to school 

and back. 

Through the initiative, the 

Bank is providing students 

in remote parts of the 

country with bicycles to 

reduce the time and energy 

they expend in getting to 

school whilst helping to 

boost their attendance and 

focus on academics.



Okowa, Bayoko, Alubeze 

extol Clark at 92 

By Victor 

Ahiuma-Young & 

Festus Ahon 

AIfeanyi SABA—GOVERNOR 

Okowa of Delta 

State, Head of Service of the 

state, Mr Reginald Bayoko, 

and Leader, Burutu Council 

Legislative Arm, Joseph 

Alubeze, have described Ijaw 

National Leader and elder 

statesman, Chief Edwin 

Clark, as an outstanding 

patriot, committed leader and 

a man of courage, whose 

wise counsels have 

contributed immensely to the 

stability, growth and 

development of Niger Delta 

in particular and Nigeria in 

general. 

Okowa in a statement by 

his Chief Press Secretary, Mr 

Charles Aniagwu on the 

92nd birthday anniversary of 

Clark, said: “On the occasion 

of your 92nd birthday 

anniversary on May 25, I 

write to heartily rejoice with 

you and your family on 

behalf of the government and 

I’itikaf: Protection from 

hell fire 

THE remaining days of 

the month should be 

spent in prayers, seeking 

Allah's mercy and asking for 

His forgiveness, observing 

I’itikaf, searching for Layalatul-Qadr, 

doing good deeds, 

reflecting on your actions, 

reading, pondering on the 

Holy Qur’an and 

supplicating to Allah. 

The most important part of 

Ramadan is said to be the 

last 10 days. The revelation 

of the Qur’an, the night of 

majesty, the blessings, 

among others, had been 

perfected in it. 

This is a tradition and 

practice of Prophet 

Muhammad (S.A.W) and 

ordained by Allah (SWT) as 

indicated in the Holy Quran. 

“And when we made the 

House a pilgrimage for 

mankind and a (place of) 

security, and said ‘Appoint for 

yourselves a place of prayer 

on the standing-place of 

Ibrahim (Maqama- 

Ibrahim).’ And We enjoined 

Ibrahim and Ismail saying: 

‘Purify My House for those 

who visit (it) and those who 

abide (in it) for devotion, 

those who bow down (and) 

those who prostrate 

themselves.’ Q 2:125 

The act of confining oneself 

to the mosque for some 

period for the sake of Allah 

is meritorious. You will be 

detached from the worldly 

affairs and get closer to 

Allah. You also have the 

advantage of seeking the 

Night of Majesty as you will 

people of Delta State. 

“In the past 92 years of a 

life of outstanding 

accomplishments and great 

personal fulfilment, you have 

not only served our nation 

at different levels but with an 

uncommon sense of 

patriotism and unwavering 

dedication, to the peace and 

unity of our nation. 

“Till date, you have 

continued to give yourself in 

the service of our fatherland 

through your nationalistic 

ideals." 

On his part, Bayoko said 

Chief Clark is an 

embodiment of hope and 

inspiration to the younger 

generation, adding that his 

hard-earned success 

remains impactful on the 

growth and development of 

the country. 

Also, Leader of Burutu 

Local Government Area 

Legislative Arm, Alubeze, 

described Chief Clark as a 

true leader and an enigma 

as he clocks 92 years of age. 

have the opportunity of 

having no distraction from 

family members and worldly 

affairs. 

As we know that every act 

of ibadah attracts multiple 

reward in Ramadan, 

however, if the last 10 days 

are spent in Itikaf, the 

blessings and rewards 

increase exponentially. In 

one of hadiths, Prophet 

Muhammad (PBUH) was 

said to have equated the 

reward of observing Itikaf as 

equivallent to two Hajj. 

Itikaf also offers the chance 

to seek forgiveness from 

Allah Almighty. This is 

seeking of forgiveness and 

its consequent provision from 

Allah. Therefore, it is 

imperative that Muslims 

perform those very acts that 

guarantee them protection 

from the fire of Hell. Itikaf is 

one such acts that guarantees 

protection from the fire of 

Hell. 

Although there are no 

specific number of days for 

Itikaf, it can be one, three, 

five, seven or more according 

to intention for doing that. 

If we don’t have the 

opportunity of doing Itikaf in 

Masjid Harram, we can 

observe it in our local 

mosque. A number of 

mosques in various cities 

have put in places measures 

and facilities to observe Itikaf. 

It is not late, however, to 

embark on Itikaf. Alausa 

Central Mosque, Lekki 

Central Mosque are among 

other mosques in Lagos still 

open for any intending 

Mu’takiff. 

DONATION — President of Rotary Club of Warri under District 9141, Happy Apai (4th left) 

flanked by the District Governor 9141, Adeyemi Oladokun (3rd left) and others, handing over 

desks to Mr. Onovughe Mcmillan (6th right) representative of Principal of Dore Numa College,Warri, 

while Chairman of Warri South Chapter of Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, Mr Ishmael Ukuejawa 

(right), Theresa Edirin (5th right), Odibo (2nd left) and others observe. 

Boko Haram sent ex-President Jonathan 

letter to convert to Islam — Clark 

By Emma 

Amaize, Regional 

Editor, South-South 

A SABA—ELDER 

statesman, Chief 

Edwin Clark, has said Boko 

Haram sect audaciously sent 

a message to Dr Goodluck 

Jonathan when he was 

President to covert to Islam. 

Clark, who declined 

pressure from admirers and 

interest groups to celebrate 

his 92nd birthday, on 

Saturday, said the mounting 

insecurity in the country, 

which President 

Muhammadu Buhari has 

been unable to tackle in the 

last four years, was seriously 

distressing to him. 

He disclosed that there 

was a top-level conspiracy 

among top government 

officials and highly placed 

politicians in the killings and 

violence by Boko Haram, 

adding that service chiefs at 

the time were present at a 

meeting during which an 

abducted hostage, Abba 

Marama, released by the 

deadly sect, delivered the 

letter to Jonathan. 

Clark in a message on the 

“State of the nation,” 

yesterday, said: “I call on 

President Buhari to honestly 

come to terms with the stark 

truth, that his current efforts 

with his security apparatus 

are grossly inadequate for 

the task. 

“I call on Mr. President to 

urgently convene a sober 

‘National Discourse on 

National Security’ of former 

Heads of State, Presidents, 

statesmen and leaders, 

women and selected youths 

in Nigeria to work out a 

consensual and amicable 

resolution of this long, 

seemingly intractable, 

challenge afflicting the 

country since the entry of 

Boko Haram menace in the 

national psyche. 

Pleads with Boko 

Haram, herdsmen, 

others 

“While also pleading with 

Boko Haramists, herdsmen, 

bandits, whatever name 

they choose to call 

themselves, to please stop 

this dastardly act, I enjoin all 

Nigerians to join in praying 

fervently for our nation for 

God’s mercy. We do not have 

any other country to call our 

own. 

“Nigerians should unite, 

be courageous and sincere 

to fight Boko Haram to avert 

the disintegration of the 

country, now that it is clear 

that the government cannot 

do it alone.” 

Why I didn't 

celebrate my 

92nd birthday 

On plot by Boko Haram 

to convert Jonathan and 

other security issues in the 

country, he said Boko Haram 

delivered the message to 

former President Jonathan to 

covert to Islam through an 

abducted hostage, Abba 

Marama, who is now late 

after his release. 

He said: “Fellow 

Nigerians, you will agree 

with me that the issues 

raised in my 87th birthday 

in 2014 are still plaguing us 

and it is even worse. I am 

pained; my heart bleeds for 

our dear country, Nigeria. 

Moreover, it is the reason I 

have decided not to 

celebrate, again, this time. I 

cannot be celebrating when 

people are being killed, 

maimed and rendered 

homeless. 

“I cannot be celebrating 

when kids who could be my 

grandchildren and great 

grandchildren are abducted 

and held captive. There are 

many things wrong, ranging 

from the question of equality 

and diversity, economy, 

infrastructural development, 

unemployment, lack of 

power and most importantly, 

security. 

On security 

“I have decided to dwell 

my 92nd birthday message 

again on security, because 

the security situation all over 

the country is very troubling 

and gravely affecting every 

facet of the country’s activity. 

The nation’s constitution is 

clear when it states that the 

primary responsibility of 

government is to secure lives 

and property. 

“The issue of security has 

become a bane and national/ 

international embarrassment 

for us as a people and a 

nation. Killings, 

kidnappings, rape, burning 

down of towns and villages, 

cattle rustling, etc, are now 

the order of the day 

perpetrated by a group, 

which the government has 

identified as ‘bandits, 

herdsmen.’ Yet nothing is 

being done to arrest them, 

rather it is alleged that 

government officials collude 

with the criminals. 

“Now the Federal 

Government is putting much 

money into agriculture 

because it wants to diversify 

the nation’s economy. Is it 

aware that farmers no longer 

go to farm due to security 

reasons? 

“In one occasion recently, 

the Emir of Katsina, Dr. 

Abdulmumini Usman, 

advised President Buhari to 

‘tackle insecurity before 

agriculture’ when the 

Minister of Agriculture, 

Audu Ogbeh, and the 

Governor of Central Bank, 

Godwin Emefiele, paid him 

a courtesy visit in the course 

of launching one of the many 

agricultural schemes of the 

Federal Government.” 

Bayelsa facing environmental genocide 

—Archbishop of York 

waterways 

By Samuel 

Oyadongha 

Y ENAGOA— 

Chairman of 

Bayelsa State 

Environmental 

D e g r a d a t i o n 

Commission and 

Archbishop of York, Dr. 

John Sentamu, 

yesterday, alerted that 

the state was facing 

environmental terrorism 

and genocide 

He said it would be an 

unfair understatement 

for anybody to describe 

the magnitude of 

violence done to the 

environment due to 

spillages and pollution 

by the oil firms as 

degradation. 

Sentamu, after a Special 

Sunday Service, 

yesterday, in Yenagoa, 

lamented that the 

environment had been 

destroyed because of 

unchecked pollution, 

which culminated in the 

destruction of the people’s 

sources of livelihood. 

The cleric said he 

embarked on a trip for 

about six hours on the 

without 

seeing any bird flying 

because of the violence 

unleashed on the 

environment. 

Blaming the oil 

companies for not taking 

into cognizance the 

negative effects of their 

activities, he called on the 

people to speak out and 

draw international 

attention to their plight. 

He said: “The problem 

is that when you talk 

about environmental 

degradation, it sounds as 

if it’s acceptable. In other 

words, it’s bad but not 

really too bad whereas 

genocide is a tough word,


Nigeria's Statistician General gets 

threats over unfavourable data 

STATISTICIAN GENERAL of 

the Federation, Dr. Yemi Kale 

has alleged receiving threats in 

the course of his job from highlyplaced 

public functionaries 

because the National Bureau of 

Statistics published figures that 

would not put them in the good 

books of development 

Kale told the presenters of 

PUBLIC CONSCIENCE, an 

anti-corruption radio programme 

that the job of creating and 

providing data in Nigeria is one 

that does not permit the currying 

of favour by putting out 

inaccurate figures to please any 

interest or individual. 

The Statistician General said 

that in any such situation, he had 

always stuck to his guns knowing 

that being true to his duty was 

more important for Nigeria than 

being induced by one highlyplaced 

man or woman. 

Kale who is one of the Idols of 

integrity singled out for award by 

the Accountability Lab Nigeria 

advised Nigerians to hold on to 

their convictions since the nation 

Dangote still most admired 

African brand in fresh survey 

DANGOTE GROUP, for the 

second year running, has 

emerged as the most admired 

African brand, of African 

continent origin, by consumers 

ahead of the telecommunication 

giant, MTN in a survey of 100 

Africa best brands announced in 

Johannesburg at the weekend. 

According to the South Africa 

based Brand Africa in a survey 

carried out in collaboration with 

the Johannesburg Stock 

Exchange, JSE, the seventh 

edition which was released at the 

weekend, of 15,000 brands 

mentioned, Dangote ranked first 

brand when consumers were 

prompted to recall the most 

admired African brand. 

In the top 100 list, the United 

State sports and fitness mega 

brand, Nike, a non-African brand 

retains the overall number one 

brand in Africa spontaneously 

recalled by consumers. 

South African telecoms brand 

MTN is the number one African 

brand spontaneously recalled 

brand, while surging Ethiopian 

brand Anbessa Shoes, at number 

two, swapped positions with 

can only grow from resistance to 

vice or undue influence. 

The Statistician General who 

confessed that he gets scared by 

pressures he receives from time 

to time, said any man or woman 

who is determined to bring 

integrity into what they do would 

always hold their own and ignore 

the stubborn label likely to be 

foisted on them. 

He said he got his current 

portfolio without lobbying for it 

about seven years ago when he 

was an adviser to the minister of 

budget and planning. 

Kale intoned lack of pressure 

from the presidency in the 

performance of his duties since 

he was reappointed by President 

Mohammadu Buhari at a time the 

National Bureau of Statistics 

disclosed that the country had 

slipped into a recession. 

The National Bureau of 

Statistics among other things, 

monitors and publishes 

demographic and economic 

indicators which are vital for 

national planning. 

Nigerian conglomerate, Dangote, 

which is the number three most 

admired brand of African of 

origin. 

However, when consumers were 

prompted to recall the most 

admired African brand, Dangote 

retained the number one position. 

Just last year Dangote brand was 

named the most valuable 

brand among the top 50 brands 

in Nigeria for 2018 by Brand 

Nigeria. 

Further analysis of the 

ranking indicates that 

Overall, the 2018/19 Brand 

Africa 100 list, which is 

calculated from15,000 brand 

mentions illustrates a very 

diversified range of brands in 

Africa and shows year on year 

consistency with 80 per cent 

of the top 100 brands having 

been in the top 100 

Most Admired Brands 

in previous years. 

Overall, African 

brands faltered to an 

all-time low 14 percent 

share of the top 100 

most admired brands 

in Africa. 

MEETING:From left—Gen. Martin Luther Agwai (rted), Chairman, Board of Directors, Leadway 

Assurance; Oye Hassan-Odukale, MD/CEO, Leadway Assurance; Eugene Curley, Director, Leadway 

Assurance and Adetola Adegbayi, Executive Director, General Insurance, Leadway Assurance at the 

47th Annual General Meeting of Leadway Assurance Company Limited held in Lagos. 

Out of School Children: UNICEF visits 

Northern states over growing 

number 

By Bashir Bello 

KATSINA—WORRIED by the 

number of Out of School 

Children, OOSC in the country, 

United Nations Children Fund, 

UNICEF have visited Northern 

states with leading number of out 

of school children to express 

concerns over the growing 

number despite huge 

investments. 

Nigeria’s figure of Out Of 

School Children, OOSC, stands 

at 13.2 million with north having 

the highest. 

Chief Education, UNICEF, 

Nigeria, Wose Euphrates while 

on a visit to Governor Aminu Bello 

Masari of Katsina State and later 

to Kano State Governor Abdullahi 

Ganduje, said the North West 

shared the huge burden of 

OOSC hence the need for the 

visit to emphasize the concerns 

over the growing number. 

According to Euphrates, “SDG 

data on OOSC show Nigeria as 

worst in indicators, while the 

North West share the huge 

burden.The visit was to 

emphasize concerns on growing 

number of out-of-school- children 

despite huge investments. 

“Furthermore, with the 

demographic trends of Nigeria 

and the numbers of OOSC 

especially in Kano. Kano has the 

largest proportion of OOSC. It 

will be a wasted opportunity if 

children do not receive quality 

learning at the right age, time and 

environment.” 

She affirmed that the Education 

had already failed a generation 

of learners while assuring that 

UNICEF would support the 

government in advancing the 

reduction of OOSC. 

“One of the strategies of 

reduction of OOSC is by 

strengthening government 

systems to deliver quality 

education with foundational and 

employability skills for learners.” 

she said. 

Responding, Governor Aminu 

Bello Masari, observed that 

figures on OOSC was alarming, 

with Katsina among leading 

states, and linked absence of 

education to the myriads of 

security challenges especially in 

the rural communities. 

Ramadan: Pray against ‘political irresponsibility, 

corruption’, JNI urges Muslims 

By Ben Agande 

K Nasril ADUNA—JAMA’ATU 

Islam, JNI, has called on 

Nigerian Muslims to pray against 

‘political irresponsibility’ and the 

high rate of corruption in the 

country 

The JNI is Nigeria Muslims 

umbrella body, led by the Sultan of 

Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar. 

In a message to mark the last ten 

days of Ramadan which is considered 

by Muslims as the holiest, the 

organisation also urged Muslims to 

embark on alms giving especially the 

less privileged in the Society. 

The message was contained in a 

statement by the Secretary General 

of the JNI, Dr. Abubakar Khalid- 

Aliyu. 

The statement also enjoined 

Muslims to pray for the country 

over the increasing spate of killings, 

kidnapping, armed robbery and 

banditry. 

It said ‘the last 10 days of Ramadan 

is the peak of worship and there is 

the need for secret conversation with 

Allah for special invocation over the relief 

of Nigeria’s challenges’. 

The period, according to the JNI, "is 

the search for the most blessed night 

(LaylatulQadr); the night of decree and 

honour had begun which is sought in 

the odd nights i.e. 21st, 23rd, 

25th, 27th and 29th of the 

Ramadan, in which 

they(Muslims) are expected to 

seek the face of Allah. 

“Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) 

under the leadership of His 

Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad 

Sa’ad Abubakar, CFR, mni, the 

Sultan of Sokoto and President- 

General, JNI, once again 

felicitates with the Nigerian 

Muslim Ummah, for the 

successful commencement of 

Ramadan Fast on 6th May, 2019. 

“Undeniably, through the past 

days we have witnessed 

commitment, patience, servitude 

and dedication to Allah, the Most 

High in Ramadan." 

New Emir of Rano vows to promote 

security, socioeconomic development 

By Abdulmumin 

Murtala 

KANO—NEWLY appointed 

Emir of Rano, Alhaji Tafida 

Abubakar Il, has promised to 

improve security, health and 

economic development in his 

Emirate and Kano State at large. 

The new Emir, popularly known 

as Autan Bawo, while receiving 

youths yesterday who paid him 

a solidarity visit, said he would 

contribute “100%” to improve 

security in his Emirate. 

According to him, security was 

the bedrock of development in 

every society without which no 

progress would be achieved, 

noting that the Emirate would 

collaborate with the state 

government and security 

agencies to secure the area and 

the state at large. 

The Autan Bawo also restated 

commitment of the Emirate on 

healthcare development through 

effective synergy with the state 

government, calling on people to 

accept polio immunisation in view 

of its health benefit. 

According to him, “Let me also 

express my determination in 

agricultural development. I want 

us to know that, before; we used 

to produce food just to feed 

ourselves. Nowadays, farming 

has become a business or 

commercialized. Therefore, I call 

on our governments at all levels 

to invest massively on modern 

agriculture.


85TH & 70TH BIRTHDAYS OF ENGR & PROF WOLE OLUKOYA 

Engr. Samuel Adewole Olukoya celebrated his 85th birthday while his wife, Prof Adepeju Olukoya celebrated her 70th with a thanksgiving 

service at Bola Memorial Anglican Church, Ikeja and reception at 3bee Event Centre, Ketu, Lagos yesterday. PHOTOS: AKEEM SALAU. 

Engr. Samuel Adewole Olukoya and wife, Prof Adepeju Olukoya. 

From left: Otunba Shade Olukoya; Engr Adewole Olukoya; Prof Adepeju 

Olukoya and Alhaja Idayat Gamu. 

From left: Mrs Ajibike Ogunsanwo; Mrs Olufunke 

Awofisayo and Chief Bunmi Olaopa. 

Prof Oladapo Ashiru and Mrs Idowu Ashiru. 

From left: Mrs Ajibike Ogunsanwo; Mrs Olufunke 

Awofisayo and Chief Bunmi Olaopa.


ROBOTICS TRAINING: From left—Student, Edgewood College, Lekki, Josephine Aghedo; 

Managing Director, Vodacom Business Nigeria, Wale Odeyemi; Olamipo Aderigbe, Chika Nwokobia, 

both from Edgewood College; Commercial Director, Vodacom Business Nigeria, Solomon Ogufere, and 

another student of Edgewood, Fiyinfoluwa Afolayan, at the Vodacom Inter-School Robotics Training/ 

Competition, in Lagos. 

IPOB, MASSOB, others 

insist on May 30 Biafra Day 

By Dennis Agbo 

E NUGU—THE 

Indigenous People of 

Biafra, IPOB; Movement 

for the Actualisation of 

Sovereign State of Biafra, 

MASSOB; and a coalition 

of pro-Biafra groups have 

said they will ignore the 

military build-up and 

intimidation of Biafra 

agitators, insisting that they 

will mark May 30 as the 

52nd anniversary of the 

declaration of Biafra 

Republic in 1967. 

The groups said it will be 

celebrated in a unique 

method with honour to 

nations and bodies that 

have always identified with 

the aspirations of Biafra 

people. 

IPOB said threats, lies, 

propaganda, misinformation, 

arrests, torture, illegal 

detention, will only serve to 

strengthen their resolve to 

restore Biafra rather than 

diminish it. 

It regretted that whereas 

Biafraland is under siege, 

with hundreds kidnapped 

on daily basis, the Nigeria 

Army capitulates in front of 

Boko Haram while it 

supports ethnocentric 

campaign of genocide 

against non-Northern 

population. 

IPOB spokesman, Emma 

Powerful, told Vanguard 

that “Biafra remembrance 

day celebration is on 

Thursday, May 30, and 

Biafrans must not come out 

on that day. 

“It will serve as a 

reminder to the overlords 

in Nigeria that we Biafrans 

are united in our quest to 

be free from the iniquitous 

bondage called Nigeria. 

“We owe it to our fallen 

heroes and heroines to 

honour them in the finest 

traditions of IPOB on May 

30. No matter how many 

troops they deploy on our 

streets or how many people 

they kill or arrest, 

Biafraland will be locked 

down on that fateful day. 

“There is nothing the 

Federal Government, the 

Police, Army and other 

security apparatus can do 

to stop or jeopardise May 

30. It will be observed. 

“It is better for the Police 

and other security agencies 

to stay indoors and respect 

that day or the spirit of 

those that died in the quest 

for Biafra will destroy 

them.” 

Coalition 

Similarly, the coalition of 

pro-Biafra groups, 

including MASSOB; 

Eastern Peoples Congress, 

EPC; Bilie Human Rights 

Initiative, BHRI; 

Movement of Biafrans in 

Nigeria, MOBIN, among 

others, have condemned 

the alleged arrest of over 

140 members now 

remanded inside Enugu 

Prison and other arrests in 

Onitsha, with killing of two 

pro-Biafra activists. 

They said the arrests, 

clampdown and killings 

were illegal, insensitive and 

By Chinonso 

Alozie 

OWERRI—IMO State 

governor-elect, 

Emeka Ihedioha 

yesterday, pleaded with the 

people of the state to wait 

until May 29 when he will 

speak to them. 

Ihedioha spoke at the 

Grasshopper International 

Handball Stadium in 

ethno religiously 

motivated. 

They insisted that 

Biafrans will never succumb 

or be intimidated “with 

Fulanisation of Nigeria, 

adding that the May 30 

Biafra Day anniversary is 

sacrosanct and settled. 

“No amount of security 

agencies can deter Biafrans 

from celebrating and 

honouring our heroes.” 

Leader of the coalition and 

head of MASSOB, 

Uchenna Madu, said: “The 

pro-Biafran groups have 

unanimously agreed and 

resolved to jointly observe 

and celebrate the 52nd 

anniversary of Biafra 

declaration by our foremost 

leader, 

Dim 

Chukwuemeka 

Odumegwu Ojukwu on 

May 30, 1967. 

“We will observe the day 

in a unique form that will 

attract the presence of 

notable indigenous leaders 

of ethnic nationalities in 

Biafraland. We plan to 

honour and celebrate the 

heroic exploits of our 

gallant Biafra soldiers and 

other individuals that have 

contributed immensely 

towards the progress of 

Biafra. 

“We shall also honour 

other individuals, friendly 

nations and organisations 

that assisted immensely for 

the survival of the people 

of Biafra. 

“The May 30 anniversary 

convention will also attract 

notable Biafran leaders 

from Ikot Ekpene, 

Ijawland, Igbo, Calabar 

and Bakassi people. 

“There shall be special 

prayers and supplication 

for the fallen Biafra heroes 

during the civil war and our 

comrades that were killed 

by security agents 

including the people of 

Biafra that died in the 

hands of Boko Haram and 

herdsmen. 

“The people of Biafra all 

over the world are 

enjoined to observe this 

year’s anniversary. 

“It will be celebrated as 

a mark of respect and 

honour for our fatherland; 

it is also a reminder of the 

visions 

and 

commandments of our 

great ancestors and Dim 

Chukwuemeka 

Odumegwu Ojukwu (Eze 

Igbo Gburugburu).” 

The coalition also 

condemned the gruesome 

murder of a front line vocal 

pro-Biafra activist, Prophet 

Anthony Nwoko. 

I'll say a lot on May 29— Ihedioha 

Owerri, during the 

interdenominational 

Church service held as part 

of the activities for the May 

29 swearing-in ceremony. 

This is just as the Catholic 

Bishop of Owerri Diocese, 

Anthony J. V. Obinna, 

warned the incoming 

administration to avoid 

sycophants. 

In his short message, 

Ihedioha said the stadium 

in which he will be 

inaugurated as next 

governor of the state was 

in a very bad shape and it 

was the effort of his 

transition committee that 

put it in good use. 

According to him, “two 

weeks ago, if you visited 

this stadium, you will 

hardly spend a minute. 

Thank God for giving us 

wisdom and capacity for 

Abia APGA elects new EXCO 

By Anayo Okoli 

U MUAHIA—THE 

All Progressive 

Grand Alliance, APGA, 

Abia State chapter, 

weekend, re-elected 

Reverend Augustine 

Ehiemere as its 

chairman. 

Ehiemere was elected 

alongside 27 other 

members to constitute 

the State Working 

Committee, SWC, of the 

party. 

The emergence of 

Ehiemere was as a result 

of the harmonisation of 

the two factions which 

almost put members and 

supporters of the party in 

the state into confusion 

during the last election. 

In his remarks at the 

occasion, the state 

Congress Committee 

No state's as peaceful as 

Enugu—Archbishop Chukwuma 

By Chinedu 

Adonu 

THE Archbishop of 

Enugu Ecclesiastical 

Province (Anglican 

Communion), Most Rev. 

Dr. Emmanuel 

Chukwuma, has 

expressed gratitude to 

God for the peace, unity 

and good governance 

being enjoyed in Enugu 

State under the 

administration of 

Governor Ifeanyi 

Ugwuanyi. 

Archbishop 

Chukwuma, who 

maintained that “no state 

in Nigeria is as peaceful 

as Enugu State,” also 

thanked God for the 

peaceful election in the 

state and successful first 

term of Governor 

A WKA—ANAMBRA 

State government 

said, yesterday, it had set 

up a panel to probe the 

collapse of a threestorey 

building under 

putting it back in use. 

“God is with us and God 

will continue to be with us 

for putting Imo back to the 

comity of civilised states 

again. 

“I am not yet governor; 

the journey has been 

tasking. We prayed and 

fasted, and our prayer was 

answered. By the grace of 

God, on May 29, I will 

speak to all of you.” 

chairman Engineer 

Uchenna Okogbuo, said 

the party decided to 

harmonise the two factions 

to make for a united front. 

Okogbuo, the national 

deputy chairman of 

APGA, South, supervised 

the congress together with 

two other members of the 

committee set up by the 

National Working 

Committee of the party. 

Swearing in the new 

state executives, Okogbuo 

tasked the new executive 

council to ensure that they 

carry everybody along. 

He said the national 

chairman, Victor Oye, was 

committed to moving the 

party forward. 

In his acceptance 

speech, Ehiemere thanked 

members for reposing 

confidence in him and the 

other members. 

U g w u a n y i ’ s 

administration, declaring 

that God is in control of his 

second term. 

The Archbishop spoke at 

Government House, 

Enugu yesterday, during 

the inter-denominational 

Christian service 

organised by the state 

government as part of the 

activities marking the 

second term inauguration 

of Governor Ugwuanyi 

and his deputy, Mrs. 

Cecilia Ezeilo. 

Archbishop Chukwuma 

stated that the entire 

Church in the state 

gathered on the last 

Sunday of the first term of 

the present administration 

to thank God for its 

successful end and offer 

prayers over the 

governor’s second term. 

Anambra sets up panel on 

Onitsha building collapse 

By Vincent 

Ujumadu 

construction at 9, 

Ezenwa Street, Onitsha, 

last week. 

A statement by the 

Commissioner for 

Information and Public 

Enlightenment, Mr. Don 

Adinuba, said the panel 

is expected to find out 

the immediate and 

remote causes of the 

building collapse, 

including the calibre of 

persons and quality of 

materials used, as well as 

the granting of approval 

for the construction by 

the regulatory body. 

Members of the panel 

have however, not been 

named. But according to 

the commissioner, 

determining the cause(s) 

of the collapse would go 

a long way to prevent 

similar occurrences.


AGM: From left— Chairman, Board of Directors, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Nigeria Plc, Mr. Edmund Onuzo; 

Company Secretary and General Counsel, Mr. Uche Uwechia; Finance Director, Mr. Kareem Hamdy and 

Independent Non-Executive Director, Plc, Mr. Tunde Lemo, at the 48th Annual General Meeting of the company 

in Lagos. Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi. 

Edo Central Hospital gets accreditation 

for post graduate training 

By Alemma Aliu 

BENIN 

CITY— 

CONTRARY to media 

reports that the hospital 

was not in good shape, the 

Medical Director, Central 

Hospital Benin City, Dr 

Philip Ugbodaga yesterday 

said the hospital in the last 

two years under his watch 

has achieved several 

milestones including the 

full accreditation for the first 

time since its establishment 

to continue the training of 

specialist Obstetricians and 

NIGCOMSAT launches satelite TV with 140 

partnership between 

channels 

By Emmanuel 

Elebeke & Mayoma 

Baiyegunhi 


government has 

launched a channels 

satellite TV provider on the 

Nigerian Communications 

Satellite, NIGCOMSAT, 

limited Direct-To-Home, 

DTH platform called 

NextTv. 

The satellite TV service 

with 140 channels is a 

Gynecologists by the West 

African College of 

Surgeons, WACS. 

Other areas where 

accreditation to train 

specialists was also secured 

included the departments 

of Family Dentistry and 

Family Medicine and that 

positive accreditation outcome 

was also gotten from 

the Faculty of Obstetrics and 

Gynecology of the National 

Postgraduate Medical 

College of Nigeria, 

NPMCN. 

Okowa's inauguration: Foundation offers free 

medicare, scholarships 

By Elizabeth 

Uwandu 

U GHELLI— 

CHAIRMAN, 

Williams Foundation 

Comrade Andrew Evbie, 

has promised to carry out 

free medical care and give 

scholarships to students of 

Ughelli North Local 

Government Area, as part 

of activities to celebrate the 

swearing-in of Governor 

Ifeanyi Okowa. 

Evbie, a native of 

Ogbovwan community, 

Ughelli North council who 

stated this in a chat with 

newsmen, said: "Now is the 

time for private individuals 

with capacity to join hands 

with the governor to build 

the state and l am prepared 

to lead the charge." 

Describing Okowa's 

NIGCOMSAT and NextTV 

which is poised to be joint 

venture company. 

NextTV is a synergies of 

3 media companies built to 

provide content over a 

Direct-To-Home platform as 

well as solutions for 

Telecommunication 

companies, OTT providers 

and PayTV operators and 

Mobile carriers. 

Under the partnership, 

Nigus will be the lead 

partner in the joint venture 

company and brings the 

administration as one of the 

finest the country, he said, 

"The love and support shown 

to the youths by Governor 

Okowa is one of the motivating 

Commissioner tasks workers on loyalty 

ASABA—THE outgoing 

Delta State 

Commissioner for Finance, 

Mr. David Edevbie, has 

called on the staff of the 

Ministry to extend their 

hands of fellowship and give 

maximum support to the 

commissioner that would oversee 

the Ministry in the next political 

dispensation. 

He made the call during a sent 

forth party organized in his 

honour by the staff of the ministry 

in Asaba, the Delta State capital. 

Edevbie, who said that he was 

extremely overwhelmed, 

expressed surprise for the 

Describing some media 

reports credited to him that 

patients sleep on the floor 

as false, Ugbodaga said part 

of the structure housing the 

male ward collapsed some 

years ago but that 

management of the hospital 

created a space for female 

patients at the Maternity 

complex and that it was 

wrong to now interpret that 

as patients sleeping on the 

floor. 

He said the hospital in 

furtherance of global best 

total investments capital 

needed for this venture as 

well as management, 

administration, license, 

marketing and content. 

NIGCOMSAT on its part 

provides the transponders 

for the use of NextTv with 

a minimum of 4 

transponders available to 

the JV. NIGCOMSAT will 

hold a 15% equity stake in 

NextTv. 

On the other side, GWIC 

provides the uplink equipment as 

well as access to back-up satellites 

to provide redundancies to 

factors why l decided to sponsor 

the free medical care and also 

approved for the foundation to 

give a certain number of 

scholarship to indigent students. 

Evbie said rural dwellers would 

gesture, saying that he could not 

thank the staff for the honour 

done to him. 

He attributed his modest 

achievements to the support and 

cooperation of the entire staff of 

the ministry, saying that a tree 

cannot make a forest. 

While saying that he was 

fulfilled working with the staff of 

the Ministry, urged them to remain 

dedicated to their duty to 

move the Ministry to greater 

heights, even as he described 

them as great assets to Delta 

State and Nigeria in general. 

Earlier in his address, the 

Permanent Secretary in the 

practices established a 

health and wellness 

Centre “where our team 

of experts provide 

education on sexual 

health, smoking 

cessation, nutrition, 

drugs and alcohol, fitness 

and stress management. 

We also provide a 

specialised programme 

for fitness tests, preemployment 

medical 

screening and routine 

medical examination and 

investigations. 

NextTv and will hold a 10% 

equity stake in NextTv 

Minimal cost for premium 

quality DTH services to serve 

the continent of Africa. 

Unveiling the satellite TV, 

the Vice President, Prof. Yemi 

Osinbajo who was represented 

by the Minister of 

Communications, Barr. 

Adebayo Shittu said the 

federal government is 

interested in the partnership 

between NIGCOMSAT and 

Next and is ready to offer all 

the needed support to make the 

partnership work. 

be the major beneficiaries of 

free medical care, pledging to 

mobilise 1000 youths to the 

venue of the inauguration "To 

join other Deltans to celebrate 

the continuation of the Okowa 

Smart Agenda." 

Ministry, Mr. Cornelius 

Semiteje, eulogized the startling 

leadership qualities of Mr. 

Edevbie, saying that he was a 

mentor, motivator and a great 

inspiration to the staff. 

Also speaking, the 

Accountant General of Delta 

State, Mr. Cyril Agbele, the 

Chairman, Delta State Board 

of Internal Revenue, DBIR, Sir 

Monday Onyeme, among 

others, said that Mr. Edevbie 

who was also the Finance 

Commissioner during Chief 

James Ibori’s regime, was a man 

of integrity and a delight to 

work with. 

Oil price drops as trade fears 

linger 

OIL price has dropped to its worst weekly loss 

of the year as tensions lingered over how the 

trade feud between the world’s top economic super 

powers will hit demand. 

According to Bloomberg, futures in New York rebounded 

somewhat on Friday but still ended the 

week down 6.6er cent, the biggest decline since late 

December, after days of escalating rhetoric between 

China and the U.S. 

Chinese envoy Cui Tiankai said the Asian nation 

was committed to striking a deal on Friday but said 

it’s ready to apply countermeasures to American 

sanctions. 

“These worries over the trade situation with China 

are becoming more pronounced here,” said John 

Kilduff, a partner at Again Capital LLC. 

“It really strikes at the heart of the demand side of 

the equation of crude oil and the fallout is across 

the Asian region.” 

Oil plunged 5.7per cent in New York on Thursday 

as investors fled riskier assets following the White 

House’s blacklisting of Huawei Technologies Co. and 

several Chinese surveillance companies, moves that 

have been met with defiance by Beijing. 

Prices retook some of that ground on Friday, joining 

a bounce-back rally for equities. 

A report showing U.S. crude explorers cut drilling 

activity last week may have eased concern over growing 

oil supplies, said Ashley Petersen, an oil analyst 

at Stratas Advisors LLC in New York. 

World Bank scales up emergency 

support for Mozambique, Malawi, 

Zimbabwe 

THE World Bank has mobilized over half a bil 

lion dollars in new resources to help people in 

Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe affected by 

the assessed impact of Cyclone Idai. 

In a statement obtained by Vanguard, the bank stated: 

“World Bank is activating the International Development 

Association (IDA) Crisis Response Window 

(CRW) to provide up to $545 million in total for 

the three affected countries. 

“This is in addition to nearly $150 million in resources 

that have recently been made available from 

existing projects. Together, total World Bank support 

to the three countries’ recovery reaches around 

$700 million. 

“The World Bank is also working with Mozambique 

and Comoros to assess and respond to the newest 

development—Cyclone Kenneth. 

“Cyclone Idai caused catastrophic damage earlier 

this year that affected millions of people, and this 

tragedy has been compounded by Cyclone Kenneth,” 

said World Bank Group President David Malpass, 

following a tour of Beira’s affected areas. 

“The World Bank Group is working closely with 

our partners to help the population recover from these 

terrible storms, build back stronger than before, and 

improve countries’ resilience to natural disasters.” 

The bank stated: “Mozambique, the country hardest 

hit by the cyclone, will receive $350 million in 

CRW financing to re-establish the water supply, rebuild 

damaged public infrastructure and crops, and 

support disease prevention, food security, social protection, 

and early warning systems in the impacted 

communities. 

WTI dropped 2.5 percent on Wednesday after government 

data showed that U.S. crude inventories rose last 

week, hitting their highest levels since July 2017. 

Nigerian financial crimes agency 

investigating MTN Nigeria listing 

MTN Nigeria is under investigation by the Ni 

gerian financial crimes agency over its listing 

earlier this month, the company said on Saturday. 

According to Reuters, the firm “has not been accused 

of any wrongdoing” by the Economic and Financial 

Crimes Commission. 

MTN Nigeria is a unit of South African telecoms 

firm MTN Group. 

Some stories credited to Reuters

VANGUARD, MONDAY, MAY 27, 2019 — 17 

By Dayo Johnson, Dapo 

Akinrefon & Ola Ajayi 

IBADAN—BARELY a week 

after former President 

Olusegun Obasanjo accused the 

Federal Government of being 

lackadaisical about invasion and 

unprovoked attacks by herdsmen 

across the country, the Yoruba 

Council of Elders, YCE, has 

advised the Presidency to 

check the killing spree of the 

herders, especially in 

Yorubaland to prevent people 

from resorting to self-defence 

and anarchy. 

This came as Agbekoya 

Farmers Society said it will not 

fold its arms while killings, 

rape and kidnappings go on 

unabated by herdsmen. 

Also, the Peoples Democratic 

Party, PDP, in the South West 

has raised the alarm that the 

South West was under siege of 

herdsmen who perpetrate 

crime on a daily basis in the 

most unfettered manner. 

Check herdsmen to prevent 

anarchy — YCE 

The Yoruba elders, who said 

unequivocally that it appears 

the herdsmen were 

untouchable, listed many 

instances when they 

kidnapped and killed 

innocent people without any 

justifiable reason. 

In a statement by its 

President, Col. S. Ade Agbede 

(retd), the elders’ council 

alluded to the abduction of a 

professor and lecturer at 

Obafemi Awolowo University, 

OAU, Ile-Ife recently on 

Ibadan-Ife road as well as 

several killings of Yoruba sons 

and daughters on their 

farmlands by herdsmen to 

justify its worries, insisting that 

the trend be stopped. 

Making reference to a report 

that there were 1,123 cells built 

by herdsmen within the South 

West, YCE called on its people 

to be “on guard” and hold the 

issue of security so dearly to 

prevent further loss of lives and 

property. 

The statement read: “As 

Yoruba elders and leaders in 

our own rights, we owe it a 

duty to speak up. There are 

said to be 1,123 cells 

belonging to armed herdsmen 

located across Yoruba nation. 

The cells are said to be well 

organized and they are said to 

appear to network with each 

other as the cells may not be 

known except that there has 

been increase in their 

organisational skills. 

“Perhaps, the most 

challenging issue confronting 

the present administration of 

President Muhammadu 

Buhari is that of insecurity and 

it is not hidden, the various 

efforts being made. But, one is 

constrained to observe that the 

situation is degenerating and 

vanguardnews @vanguardnews @vanguardnews 

AREGBESOLA @ 62: Governor Adegboyega Oyetola of Osun State (left); former Governor 

Osun State, Ogbeni Raul Aregbesola (2nd left), Naibu Imam of Osogbo, Sheikh Haroon 

Samongogo (2nd right), and Grand Imam of State of Osun State, Sheikh Musa Animasahun 

(right), at a special prayer session organised in honour of the 62nd birthday anniversary of 

the former Governor Aregbesola, at Government House, Osogbo, yesterday. 

HERDSMEN: S’West under siege, 

Yoruba elders, Agbekoya tell FG 

•Say people may resort to self-defence 

when such a situation arises, it 

needs drastic solution. 

“We are not oblivious of the 

great task of the military in 

nearly all parts of the north and 

some parts of the south against 

insurgents and bandits. This 

has made the military very 

stretched, thereby, needing 

the understanding and 

cooperation of Nigerians to 

render a helping effort in 

intelligence gathering to 

forestall what appears like a 

planned invasion of Yoruba 

nation. 

“This is part of the reasons we 

are now calling on our people 

to be on guard and forge a 

common front to ensure the 

security of lives and property 

in our region. A released 

victim from herdsmen captivity 

said unequivocally that Yoruba 

nation is under siege as he 

recounted how about 10 armed 

men dressed in army uniform 

(camouflage) kidnapped him. 

“We all have to wake up from 

our slumber and flush out all 

strange and potentially 

dangerous people hiding in 

our forests. 

“A situation which makes the 

herdsmen appear untouchable 

and have laxity to behave as 

they like is embarrassingly 

worrisome and poses grave 

danger to peaceful 

coexistence among the 

various ethnic groups in the 

country. 

“The Federal Government 

should resolve to rein in 

herdsmen and bandits so as 

not to pave way for a situation 

where everybody will resort to 

self-defence which will 

ultimately lead to anarchy and 

descend to Hobbesian state of 

nature where life is short, 

brutish and nasty.” 

While calling on the Federal 

Government to redouble its 

efforts at curbing the menace 

of kidnappers, YCE advised 

that security agencies increase 

their air surveillance activities 

across the country. 

“The moment the 

kidnappers know that they 

have no hiding place 

anywhere around the country, 

they would abandon the illicit 

venture”, YCE stated. 

We won’t fold our arms 

— Agbekoya 

Also expressing worry over 

the rate of insecurity, banditry 

and kidnapping in the South 

West, the Agbekoya Farmers 

Society said it will collaborate 

with the Nigeria Police to 

curb the kidnapping, rape 

and killing in South West. 

The National Executive of 

Agbekoya Farmers Society, 

who met, weekend, to address 

the menace in the region, 

warned herdsmen to desist 

from terrorizing Yorubaland. 

Its President General, Aare 

Okikiola Kamorudeen Aremu 

said: “The Agbekoya cannot 

continue to fold its arms while 

her sons and daughters are 

killed, raped and kidnapped 

on a daily basis by the Bororo 

Fulani. Agbekoya Farmers 

Society is ready to join hands 

with Nigeria Police Force and 

other security agencies in 

order to stop the killings, rape, 

abduction and kidnappings in 

the South West of the country. 

“While we commend the 

efforts of the Nigeria Police 

Force, we want all hands to be 

on deck to fight the 

kidnappers and the killers that 

have invaded Yorubaland.” 

While Aremu warned the 

herdsmen to stop terrorising 

the Yoruba, he asked them to 

stop invading the South West 

“for their own good.” 

“Agbekoya stands for peace 

and unity of the Yoruba and 

Nigeria. We are calling on the 

Bororo leaders to call their 

people to order and warn them 

to desist from killing, 

abducting, kidnapping and 

rape in our area.” 

We’re under siege of 

terrorists, S/W PDP raises 

alarm 

On its part, the PDP in the 

South West, said: “It is absurd 

and inexcusable for us to be 

under siege in our own 

nation.” 

In a statement by the party’s 

Zonal Publicity Secretary in 

Akure, Mr. Ayo Fadaka 

lamented that Nigerians now 

live in “fear and trepidation as 

insecurity across the length 

and breadth of the nation 

continues to grow in alarming 

proportions.” 

Fadaka lamented that the 

insecurity has continued “with 

no sign that Mr. President is in 

any manner ready, equipped 

and prepared to bail the nation 

out of these orgies of violence, 

war, destruction and needless 

deaths.” 

The statement read: “It is 

unfortunate to state that the 

South West is today under the 

siege of Fulani terrorists or 

herdsmen, who perpetrate 

criminal actions daily, in the 

most unfettered manner. 

“In our region, kidnapping, 

assault and rape by these 

marauders remains 

unchecked, this lethargy has 

even emboldened them to 

attack a traditional ruler in his 

palace, without repercussions, 

thus egregiously making a 

bold statement that we the 

Yoruba have become their 

captives. 

“This we condemn out 

rightly as a direct assault, 

insult and desecration of our 

corporate heritage as Yoruba 

people. 

“We demand of President 

Buhari to immediately order 

the security agencies to flush 

these criminals out of the 

South West. If he does, we, the 

Yoruba, will heave a sigh of 

relief and discard our 

suspicion that ethnic 

cleansing is about to be 

prosecuted in our nation." 

NEWS HOTLINES 

018773962, 

08052867058 

Our roads must be 

made safe for all 

— AKEREDOLU 

By Dayo Johnson 

A KURE—GOVERNOR 

Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo 

State, weekend, said the era of 

awarding certificate of road 

worthiness without the 

mandatory test has gone for 

good in the state. 

He stated this at the 

inauguration of the 

Computerised Vehicle Inspection 

Centre in Akure, Ondo State. 

Akeredolu said: “The decision 

to introduce technology to 

determine the worthiness of all 

kinds of vehicles plying roads, 

across the length and breadth of 

the state, was to ensure their 

reliability and safety of lives and 

property.'' 

The safety of lives and property 

of all and those using roads in the 

State according to him is 

paramount to his administration. 

Noting that all vehicles would 

be subjected to the same tests as 

required by experts, he said: 

“Nobody will be allowed to 

peddle influence. No official will 

be allowed to compromise the 

process. Our roads must be made 

safe for our people.” 

On other benefits derivable from 

the facility, the governor said: 

“Technology and scientific-based 

evaluation and analysis of matters 

are always more accurate and 

more reliable. 

“They produce faultless results 

based on objective parameters set 

for the purpose of evaluation.” 

Oyetola, 

Aregbesola urge 

supporters to 

remain united 

OSOGBO — GOVERNOR 

Adegboyega Oyetola and 

his predecessor, Ogbeni Rauf 

Aregbesola, yesterday, pleaded 

with their supporters to remain 

united in the task of developing 

the state. 

They pledged their commitment 

to taking the state to an enviable 

height. 

They spoke during a special 

prayer session at the Government 

House to commemorate 

Aregbesola’s 62nd birthday. 

On his relationship with 

Aregbesola since taking office six 

months ago, Oyetola said: 

“People have said a lot and 

rumoured unprintable things 

about us and our relationship, but 

as true leaders, we don’t allow 

such to separate us. 

“Our relationship is age-long to 

the extent that we have become a 

family, we are fond of each other 

and no one can intrude. 

“We have built a relationship in 

such a way that the interest of the 

state and the welfare of the people 

remain our topmost priorities. 

“One thing that those peddling 

rumours do not know is that 

Governor Aregbesola will share 

in the praises when we succeed.” 

Aregbesola reaffirmed his 

commitment to ensure the success 

of Oyetola’s administration. 

He said the progress of the 

state is their concern.

18 — Vanguard, MONDAY, MAY 27, 2019 

The scars left on our collective 

psyche by our long tenure under authoritarian 

rules – British colonialism 

and military rule – continue to haunt 

people in government even after 20 

unbroken years since the return of democracy 

in 1999. 

At every opportunity, elements in the 

Legislative and Executive arms of government 

continue to relapse back to 

the shop-worn authoritarian gambits 

meant to restrict the democratic space 

and curb the freedom of our people 

and the media to access public information. 

In June 2018, it took a major uproar 

and feisty challenge to nix an attempt 

by the Senate to make a law to “regulate” 

the Nigerian internet space. This 

time around, the Management of the 

National Assembly, preparatory to the 

inauguration of the Ninth session on 

June 11, 2019, rolled out 20 new accreditation 

guidelines for media and 

journalists which sought to reduce 

NASS’s aborted attempt to gag media 

media access to the two chambers of 

the National Assembly. 

Among requirements for accreditation 

included code of certification from 

the National Library, proof of minimum 

daily circulation of 40,000 copies 

for newspapers which must be published 

daily, recertification form to be 

signed by the CEO and the Abuja Bureau 

Chief, minimum of two years coverage 

before permanent accreditation, 

submission of tax income returns 

for two years for each media house, 

among others. 

Even though the office of the Senate 

President, Bukola Saraki, and some 

top officials of the NASS Management, 

have denied being behind 

these preposterous recertification requirements, 

it is obvious that whoever 

were behind it did not understand 

the media industry they sought to gag, 

or the laws guaranteeing freedom of 

the press in Nigeria. 

They do not even understand that 

the National Assembly is a forum 

where the Nigerian people are represented, 

and the media being an 

estate standing as the eyes and ears 

of the people in the parliament, have 

an inalienable right to freedom of 

access to its activities within the laws 

of the country. 

It was not surprising that the Nigeria 

Union of Journalists, NUJ, the Nigerian 

Guild of Editors, NGE and other 

socially-active groups came out en 

masse to force its retraction. 

Next time the NASS Management 

seeks to review its accreditation guidelines 

with a view to weeding out fake 

journalists and keeping accredited 

media houses manageable, it should 

consult and work with the relevant 

media unions and stakeholders. 

The Nigerian media have a long history 

of zero tolerance to the muzzling 

of its constitutionally-guaranteed mandate 

to serve the people and hold government 

to account. This history dates 

back to the colonial days and endured 

through 29 years of abrasive military 

rule. 

Press freedom has come to stay in 

Nigeria. The Media will continue to 

be a major promoter of our democratic 

rights and defender of our freedoms. 

TCN, power grid collapses and the blame game 

By Gabriel Ikesse 

WITHIN the first ten days of May, this 

year, Nigeria, once again suffered a 

series of nationwide blackouts due to a 

collapse of the transmission grid. Nigerians 

are, unfortunately, becoming accustomed 

to these highly unpalatable occurrences and 

each time they happen, they plant a thought 

in the mind of Nigerians - regular power 

supply is still a long way from here. 

This particular incident was caused by a 

multiple tripping that resulted in the failure 

of a substation owned by Transmission 

Company of Nigeria, TCN, in Onitsha, 

Anambra State on May 8, at 2:32 p.m. 

Seemingly, a growing trend of such failed 

or burnt transmission sub-station incidents 

- Lagos, Calabar, Abuja, Enugu and Benin. 

Grid collapses occur when there are 

system disturbances along the transmission 

grid. Such disturbances could include a 

massive drop of load from a sub-station that 

would cause the grid to become unstable. 

And this is more so in the absence of the 

spinning reserve that will ordinarily prevent 

such an occurrence. In 2019, to date, there 

has been a total of eight transmission grid 

collapses - five times in January, once in 

April and twice in May. Post-privatisation, 

there have been in excess of 100 system 

collapses. 

What is interesting is that shortly after this 

latest incidence of grid failure, TCN 

launched an attack on the Distribution 

Companies, DISCOs, accusing them of 

rejecting load which eventually resulted in 

TCN requesting that the Generating 

Companies, GENCOs, ramp down their 

delivery of energy. TCN, in defence of this 

failure, stated that the DISCOs needed to be 

recapitalised. It is instructive to note that a 

host of factors can lead to disturbance in 

the system, i.e. drop in power generation 

due to unavailability of gas, disturbances at 

different points in the transmission 

infrastructure such as the recent incident in 

Onitsha, as well as challenges with TCN/ 

DISCO interfaces. Of these causes, the least 

likely to result in a ‘massive’ load drop is 

the latter. 

Of significant note, the Managing 

Director/Chief Executive Officer of TCN, Mr. 

Usman Gur Mohammed, on Thursday, 

February 7, 2019, provided a clear pointer 

to one of the challenges. He stated: “The 

grid, as it is, is not run with spinning reserves, 

and this is how it was even before we took 

over. But for the first time, we have done 

competitive procurement of spinning 

reserves and we have forwarded to NERC 

260 megawatts spinning reserves. 

“We are expecting NERC will approve it 

any time from now because we have done 

all the consultations leading to the 

approval. Once NERC approves this and we 

deploy the spinning reserves, I am going to 

assure you that system collapse will be a 

thing of the past.” 

Another important challenge, which the 

TCN agrees with, is its present inability to 

monitor the transmission grid. Speaking 

after the last collapse, the TCN MD/CEO, 

stated that: “If we have a functional SCADA 

(Supervisory Control and Data) system, it 

will show clearly what happened on the grid, 

and that is why, to us in TCN, deployment of 

SCADA is not an option, we have to deploy 

it. Because for us to have modern grid you 

need to have a functional SCADA for 

management of the grid.” 

SCADA systems are software packages 

that are used to control and monitor and 

analyse real-time data. They are mostly used 

in critical sectors of an economy such as 

electricity. With a large, centralised grid as 

OPINION 

the one we have, it almost begs belief that 

the entire grid is still managed manually. 

Presently, instructions to the DISCOs are 

manually conveyed through a system of adhoc 

communications. The same goes for 

allocation of available load to generation 

companies. Such manual operations 

preclude the efficiency associated with 

transparency, exactness and consistency of 

the SCADA. 

The SCADA basically, ensures that there 

is real time exchange of information 

between remote stations and the National 

Control Centre. Without this kind of bird’s 

eye view of the whole network, it is almost 

impossible to apportion culpability or 

address service and infrastructure-specific 

issues like load rejection, damaged lines, 

etc. As the TCN MD/CEO, himself, said in 

TCN needs to step up its 

game and come into the 

reality of playing the critical 

role that is required 

an interview published on August 28, 2018: 

“Nigeria has failed attempts to have a 

functional SCADA three times. The last one 

was between 2006 and 2007, I was in the 

Project Management Unit, PMU, of TCN 

when the World Bank financed it and 

Nigeria spent about $46 million. But the 

SCADA that was completed had significant 

deficiencies that it could not see more than 

40 per cent of the network.” 

Without the benefit of this sight over the 

network, how was TCN able to arrive at 

the conclusions of its present blame game? 

Most analysts agree that the transmission 

grid in its present form - riddled with aging 

and obsolete critical infrastructure - is so 

massive and too large to manage as a 

single entity and there have been several 

recommendations that it should be 

decentralised. In fact, TCN, consistent with 

international best practices and efficacy, has 

been licensed into Independent System 

Operator, ISO, and Transmission Services 

Provider, TSP. Unfortunately, in a bid to 

continue the “empire” syndrome associated 

with government agencies, TCN continues 

its failure to implement this critical 

separation, a fundamental requirement for 

promoting efficiency in the transmission of 

energy. 

While searching for possible solutions to 

our national electricity supply situation, this 

separation may just be one requirement that 

should be expeditiously implemented. As it 

is, all plans of TCN, to date, indicate its 

interest in becoming bigger. But as we all 

know, bigger does not necessarily mean 

better. So, an important question is, “Is TCN, 

doubling also as System Operator and 

Market Operator - becoming Federal 

Government’s biggest enterprise with 

associated inefficiencies, thereby, 

constituting the weakest link and holding 

back the power value chain.” 

When you combine the continuous calls by 

the TCN for DISCOs to “recapitalise”, as 

well as the recent interest by TCN to venture 

into power distribution, despite not being an 

electricity distribution licensee, the cause for 

concern can only be more urgent. 

The distraction associated with TCN 

clamouring for DISCOs access to additional 

funding, while germane, ultimately, results 

in TCN taking its eyes off the critical day-today 

requirements necessary for the successful 

operation of the transmission grid. Indeed, 

for an entity that has wheeled no more than 

4,557MW (February 7, 2016), in its history, 

TCN rather than talking about a wheeling 

computer simulation of 8,100MW needs to 

step up its game and come into the reality of 

playing the critical role that is required of it 

along the value chain. 

•Ikesse, a social analyst, wrote from Lagos

Vanguard, MONDAY, MAY 27, 2019 —19 

Rising optimism drives up Business Confidence Index to 62pts 

•N200bn inflow to moderate cost of funds 

By Babajide Komolafe 

THE Business Confidence Index 

increased more than hundredfold to 

62.7 points for June, driven by firms 

increased optimism of more 

improvement in the macroeconomic 

environment. 

The optimism, however, did not extend 

to access to credit as firms were pessimistic 

about access to credit in June. 

The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, 

disclosed these in its Business 

Expectations survey report for May 2019. 

Among other things the report showed 

that firms expect higher economic growth 

rate, naira appreciation and higher interest 

rates in the coming months. 

Business Confidence 

The report stated: “At 29.7 index points, 

respondents expressed optimism on the 

overall confidence index, CI, on the macro 

economy in the month of May 2019. The 

business outlook for June 2019 showed 

greater confidence on the macro economy 

with 62.7 index points. 

“The optimism on the macro economy 

in the current month was driven by the 

opinion of respondents from services (15.7 

points), industrial (9.7 points), wholesale/ 

retail trade (2.8 points) and construction 

(1.4 points) sectors. Whereas the major 

drivers of the optimism for next month 

were services (36.6 points), industrial (18.7 

points), wholesale/retail trade (4.9 points) 

and construction (2.5 points) sectors. 

“The positive outlook by type of business 

in May 2019 were driven by businesses 

that are neither import- nor export-oriented 

Continues on page 21 

MONDAY, MAY 27, 2019 

Sluggish economy weighs down 

corporate performance 

•Revenue in marginal growth 

•Profit down 2.5% 

•Analysts/stakeholders in divergent projections 

By Peter Egwuatu 

THE first quarter 2019, Q1’19, 

financial results of leading 

companies listed on the Nigerian Stock 

Exchange, NSE, has indicated a heavy toll 

on corporate performance exerted by 

sustained weak macroeconomic growth in 

2018 and Q’ 19. 

About 102 quoted firms that have 

already turned in their results to the NSE 

this year reported abysmal performance 

in both earnings and profitability. 

Figures obtained by Financial 

Vanguard from the Exchange showed 

their profit declined by 2.5 percent, though 

revenue for the period grew marginally 

by 3.4 percent. 

Total revenue of the companies was N2.3 

trillion in Q1’19. However, at the 3.4 

percent growth the corporate revenue 

outperformed the country’s Q1’19 gross 

domestic product which stood at 2.1 

percent and consistently below 2.0 per cent 

in 2018. 

But the companies recorded a total of 

N469.3 billion in Profit Before Tax, PBT 

during the period, representing a decline 

of 2.5 percent from N481.4billion 

recorded in the corresponding period 

Q1’18, a situation attributed to a 

narrowing margin under a high operating 

cost environment. The companies were 

unable to pass the costs to consumers due 

to overstretched purchasing power. 

Meanwhile, analysts and stakeholders’ 

projections for the second quarter 2019, 

Q2’19, results differ as some have 

predicted positive outlook, while others 

say that the Q2’19 results may follow the 

same pattern of Q1’19. 

Some of the analysts have attributed the 

poor performance of the companies to the 

sluggish economic growth occasioned by 

inconsistent government spending, budget 

delay and election hiccups which 

undermined impact of high crude oil price, 

increased foreign exchange inflows and 

marginal monetary easing during the 

quarter. 

Sectoral performance 

Analysis of the performance of the 

companies captured in this study showed 

that the Banking sector maintained its 

leading position in earnings in absolute 

term, recording N1.003 trillion in Q1’19, 

up marginally by 2. 6 percent from 

N978.97 billion in Q1’18, while in 

percentage terms, the Construction sector 

topped the chart, rising by 74 percent to 

N64.721 billion from N37.016 billion 

Continues on page 20 

CBN, IFC challenge MfBs 

on self regulation, 

consolidation 

Equities may revert to 

We suspend raising Tier-1 

negative with profit taking capital to enhance shareholders 

22 on MTN 

24 value —Access Bank CEO 27 

C 

M 

Y 

K


FINANCIAL VANGUARD 

Sluggish economy weighs down corporate performance 

COVER 

Continued from page 19 

Q1’18. 

Banking sector 

Within the Banking sector, 

Ecobank Group led in earnings 

in absolute term recording 

N199.4 billion in Q1’19 as 

against N198.6 billion in Q1’18, 

representing 0.4 percent growth, 

while in percentage term, Wema 

Bank top the chart rising by 27.2 

percent to N16.1 billion 

from N12.6 billion in Q1’18. 

Zenith Bank came second in 

earnings in absolute term 

recording N158.1 billion in 

Q1’19 as against N169.2 billion 

in Q1’18, but this indicates a 6.5 

percent decline, while Unity 

Bank came second in percentage 

terms rising by 14.3 percent to 

N10.05 billion in Q1’19 from 

N8.794 billion in Q1’18. 

First Bank Nigeria came third 

in absolute terms in the earnings 

chart posting N112 billion in 

Q1’19 as against N110.8 billion 

in Q1’18, while Fidelity Bank 

occupied third position in 

earnings growth rate as it rose 

by 11.8 percent to 

N48.443billion in Q1’19 from 


In PBT, Zenith Bank led the 

chart in absolute term recording 

N57.3 billion in Q1’19 as against 


percentage term, JAIZ Bank 

occupied top position rising by 

223.8 percent to N0.5 billion in 

Q1’19 from N0.15 billion in 

Q1’18. 

GTBank occupied second 

position in PBT in absolute term 

posting N56.98 billion in Q1’19 

as against N52.6 billion in Q1’18, 

while Access Bank came second 

in absolute term rising by 64.4 

percent to N45.1billion from 


In absolute term PBT, Stanbic 

IBTC came third position 

recording N45.1billion as 

against N27.44 billion Q1’18, 

while in percentage term, Wema 

Bank occupied third position in 

PBT rising 50.6 percent to 

N1.33billion from N0.88billion 

in Q1’18. 

Oil & Gas sector 

Trailing behind the Banking 

sector in absolute term in 

earnings was Oil and Gas sector 

recording N398.33 billion in 

Q1’19, up marginally by 2.0 

percent from N390 billion in 

Q1’18, while in percentage term, 

the Services sector came second 

in earnings, rising by 50.1 

percent to N10.992 billion in 

Q1’19 from N7.323 billion in 

Q1’18. 

Within the Oil and Gas sector, 

Oando led in earnings in 

absolute term recording 

N168.01billion in Q1’19 as 

against N150.55 billion in 

Q1’18, while in percentage term, 

Forte Oil occupied the first 

position rising by 50.0 percent to 


N28.4billion in Q1’18. 

Total Nigeria followed in 

earnings occupying second 

position in absolute term 

recording N77.422 billion as 


while Japaul Oil occupied 

second position in percentage 

term rising by 30.3 percent to 



The third position in earnings 

in absolute term was Seplat 

Petroleum, recording 

N48.94billion in Q1’19 as 


while Oando occupied the third 

position in percentage term 

rising 11.6 percent. 

In PBT, the Oil & Gas sector 

performed woefully as only three 

companies out of eight 

companies captured in this 

report recorded profit. Oando 

topped the chart in both absolute 

and percentage term recording 

N17.1billion in Q1’19 as against 

N14.889 billion in Q1’18, 

representing 14.8 percent. 

Seplat, in absolute term, came 

second in PBT recording N5.96 

billion in Q1’19 as against 


percentage term, 11 Plc came 

second declining by 26 percent 

to N3.02 billion in Q1’19 from 

N4.1 billion in Q1’18. Also, 11 

Plc came third in absolute term 

on PBT, while in percentage term 

RAK Petroleum came third 

though it recorded a loss of - 

N0.01billion down from -N0.023 

billion in Q1’18. 

Consumer Goods Sector 

In absolute term Consumer 

Goods sector came third in the 

sectoral performance recording 

revenue of N300.95 billion in 

Q1’19 billion down marginally 

by 1.3 percent from N304.935 

billion in Q1’18. But in 

percentage term, Courier/Freight 

Forwarding sector occupied the 

third position rising by 45.8 

percent to N8.944 billion from 

N6.136 billion Q1’18. 

Sectoral profit performance 

The banking sector also 

maintained leading position in 

PBT in absolute term recording 

N263.72billion in Q1’19 from 

N233.99 billion in Q1’18, 

indicating a 12.7 percent growth 

rise, while in percentage term, the 

Services sector led the chart 

rising by 149.1 percent to N1.3 

billion in Q1’19 from N0.122 

billion in Q1’18. 

Industrial Goods sector came 

second in absolute term 

recording N85.65 billion PBT in 

Q1’19 as against N108.31billion 

in Q1’18, thus showing a decline 

of 20.9 percent. Conversely, in 

percentage term , Courier/Freight 

Forwarding sector occupied the 

second position as it went up by 

97.2 percent to N0.42 billion in 

Q1’19 from N0.212 billion 

Q1’18. 

Consumer Goods sector 

occupied third position in 

absolute term recording N49.72 

billion PBT in Q1’19 as against 

N50.54billion PBT in Q1’18, 

indicating 11.5 percent drop. 

Conversely, in percentage term, 

Airline sector came third rising 

by 38.9 percent to N0.32 billion 

in Q1’19 from N0.23 billion in 

Q1’18. 

Stakeholders’ reaction 

Commenting on the corporate 

performance, analysts at United 

Capital Limited, a Lagos based 

investment finance company, 

said: “As we look back at the Q1 

2019 earnings season, one 

The banking sector 

enjoy fairly decent 

yields on their 

investments, 

increased income 

on electronic fees 

as well as a decent 

level of decline on 

impairment charge 

which reduced 

pressure on its 

earnings 

notable trend that jumps at us is 

the non-synchronized nature of 

earnings growth, even within 

each sector. Generally, most 

Nigerian companies posted 

lackluster earnings for the period 

with the biggest drag to results 

being uncertainties around the 

2019 Presidential elections, 

which slowed business activities 

and delayed investments. 

“Overall, players in the banking 

sector were the standout, even 

though election uncertainties 

predicated flattish quarter loan 

book. Performance in the 

Consumer Goods sector was 

mixed as brewers continued to 

face competitive pressure, not to 

also mention the effects of higher 

excise taxes.” 

However, Fast Moving 

Consumer Goods, FMCG’s such 

as Nestle Nigeria, benefited from 

volume growth. “For the 

Industrial Goods sector - even 

though we are yet to see any filing 

from WAPCO - pressure on pricing 

impacted Dangote Cement’s 

earnings. 

‘‘For the oil sector players, 

performance in the downstream 

Oil and Gas sector was 

unimpressive – a reflection of the 

continued challenging operating 

environment, while the 

performance for upstream 

players was equally 

underwhelming as declines in oil 

production predicated relatively 

lower topline numbers. 

“In Q2-19, our outlook remains 

mixed for corporates, though 

performance may be more 

positive relative to Q1-19 since 

election risk is largely done 

with.” 

Commenting as well, Analyst/ 

Head Research and Investment, 

FSL Securities Limited, Victor 

Chiazor, said: “The pattern 

observed in Q1’19 was largely 

expected being an election year. 

The banking sector enjoy fairly 

decent yields on their 

investments, increased income on 

electronic fees as well as a decent 

level of decline on impairment 

charge which reduced pressure 

on its earnings. 

“The consumer goods sector has 

remained pressured as a result of 

the weak demand for goods 

owing to weak disposable income 

of consumers and the high level 

of cheaper substitute products 

from rival companies. The sector 

may remain pressured until we 

see a general economic boom 

and consumer disposable income 

improve. 

‘The upstream players in the oil 

sector are exposed to oil price 

volatility, however the oil and gas 

sector despite the slight increase 

in revenue, suffers from high 

operating cost which continues to 

pressure earnings and until the 

players in this sector efficiently 

manage and reduce its cost to 

income ratio its profits may 

remain weak. 

“Performance for Q2’19 is 

projected to remain low similar 

to what was observed in Q1’19, 

while we expect a much improved 

performance from each of the 

sectors from the third quarter of 

2019.” 

The National Chairman, New 

Dimension Shareholders 

Association of Nigeria, Mr 

Patrick Ajudua, said: “The 

companies’ management should 

be commended for sustaining this 

moderate level of profitability. 

The economic environment 

remains unstable, unfavourable 

and hostile. It is not peculiar to 

Nigeria alone as the world 

economy is still suffering from 

unstable oil prices and currency 

fluctuations. 

“The dwindling performance of 

Q1 ’19 versus Q1 ’18 is a 

reflection of slow pace of 

economic growth knowing fully 

well that we are just coming out 

of recession. The drop in PBT is 

expected at this stage as its spill 

over of the previous Q4 results. 

“I am optimistic that with the 

conclusion of the elections , 

confirmation of the Central Bank 

of Nigeria, CBN governor 

reappointment which shows a 

measure of continuity, confidence 

and policy stability, we will be 

able to turn out a better Q2’ 19 

results.” 

Managing Director/CEO, APT 

Securities Limited, Mallam 

Garba Kurfi said: “As regard Q1 

2018 versus Q1 2019 it is very 

clear that last year, All Share 

Index, ASI, closed positive while 

current year is negative. This was 

due to election and withdrawal 

of foreign investors from the 

stock market, and poor 

performance by some of 

companies such WAPCO, 

Nigerian Breweries, PZ 

Industries, among others. 

“As regards the performance of 

the banks most of them 

performed better because CBN’s 

policy favours the sector and that 

is why most of the banks decided 

to buy Treasury Bills, TBs instead 

of lending to the economy. 

“The implications of this is 

massive unemployment, lower 

GDP in Q1 2019, and probably 

that is why CBN, in their recent 

MPC promised to come with the 

policy that will restrict banks 

from buying TBS. 

“The Oil sector’s PBT was lower. 

This was as a result of the 

increase in the price of Crude oil 

which reduces their margins 

especially in diesel and other 

lubricant oil which give a high 

margin. Thus, the revenue 

increased but not same with 

PBT. The increased cost of 

production affected most of the 

companies in the Consumer 

Goods as it was not easy to pass 

the cost to the consumers as you 

witness in the price of bread 

among others. 

‘‘The performance of Q2 2019 

will look better because of the 

introduction of MTN into the 

market which did not only 

increase our market 

capitalisation by over N2 trillion 

but its gain erased ASI 

cumulative loss of about 10 

percent into positive. By the end 

of Q2 2019 we are looking at 

about N14trillion as market 

capitalisation.”



Sectoral contributions to the overall business outlook index 

Overall Business Outlook on the Macroeconomy 

Rising optimism drives up Business 

Confidence Index to 62pts 

Continues from page 20 

(20.8 points), both importand 

export-oriented (5.3 

points), import-oriented 

(3.0 points), and those that 

are export-related 

On firms’ financial 

conditions and access to 

credit, the report stated: 

“Respondents’ outlook on 

the volume of total order 

and business activity in 

May 2019 remained 

positive, as both the indices 

stood at 15.0 points. 

Similarly, respondents 

were optimistic in their 

outlook on financial 

conditions (working capital) 

and average capacity 

utilization as the indices 

stood at 12.5 and 16.8 index 

points, respectively. 

Respondents expressed 

pessimism on access to 

credit in the review”. 

The report also showed 

while firms expect further 

appreciation of the naira, 

they however expect 

interest rates to rise further. 

It stated: “Majority of the 

respondent firms expect the 

naira to appreciate in the 

current month, next month 

and next twelve months as 

their confidence indices 

stood at 28.5, 40.1 and 50.1 

index points, respectively. 

“Respondent firms expect 

borrowing rates to rise in the 

current and next months, 

as well as in the next 

twelve months as the 

confidence indices stood at 

3.7, 2.4 and 6.9 points, 

respectively”. 

On the inflation 

expectation of firms 

surveyed, the report said: 

“The respondents’ average 

expected inflation rate in the 

next six months and the 

next twelve months stood 

at 11.29 and 11.21 percent, 

respectively. 

Respondent firms 

expressed satisfaction with 

the management of 

inflation by the government 

with a positive net 

satisfaction index of 3.9 in 

May 2019. The net 

satisfaction index is the 

proportion of satisfied less 

the proportion of 

dissatisfied respondents. 

On economic growth 

expectation of firms, the 

report said: “Respondents 

anticipate better economic 

conditions as their index of 

economic growth rose in the 

short run with an index of 

36.2, 49.4 and 57.0 points 

for the current month, next 

six months and next twelve 

months, respectively” 

Cost funds to fall as 

N200bn hit interbank 

Cost of funds is expected 

to moderate this week in 

response to inflow of N200 

billion from maturing 

treasury bills (TBs). 

Last week, cost of funds 

rose sharply following 

liquidity mop up by the 

CBN, in response to inflow 

of N322 billion from 

matured TBs and statutory 

allocation funds. While the 

market received inflow of 

N106.92 billion from 

matured TBs, it also 

received N215.3 billion from 

statutory allocation to states 

and local governments from 

the Federation Accounts 

Allocation Committee 

(FAAC). 

In response the CBN 

issued and sold N360.7 

billion worth of secondary 

market (Open Market 

Operations, OMO) TBs. 

Further details show that 

the apex bank sold N16.18 

billion worth of 91-Days 

bills, N47.56 billion worth 

of 182-Days bills and 

N296.95 billion worth of 

357-Days bills. The 91-day, 

182-day and 357-day 

instruments were issued at 

marginal rates of 11.4 

percent, 11.7 percent and 

12.5 percent respectively. 

As a result of this outflow, 

average short term cost of 

funds rose by 660 points 

with interest rate on 

Collateralised (Open Buy 

Back) lending rising by 657 

basis points (bpts) to 11.14 

percent last week from 

4.57 percent the previous 

week. Similarly, interest 

rate on Overnight lending 

rose by 671 bpts to 12 

percent last week from 

5.29 percent the previous. 

Analysts at Afrinvest, a 

Lagos based investment 

banking firm, however, 

projected that this trend will 

be reversed this week due 

to inflow of N200 billion 

from maturing TBs. 

“Next week Thursday, 

OMO maturity of N133.6 

billion is expected to hit the 

system while total T-bills 

maturities worth N67.4 

billion are expected. We 

anticipate OBB and OVN 

to hover around single digit 

in the coming week as we 

expect the roll-over of 

maturing T-bills as well as 

possible OMO issuances 

to have a muted impact on 

liquidity”, they said. 

On their part, analysts at 

Cowry Asset Management 

Limited projected further 

decline in the stop rates of 

fresh TBs to be issued by 

the CBN this week. 

They said: “In the new 

week, CBN will auction T- 

bills worth N67.37 billion, 

viz: 91-day bills worth 

N24.37 billion, 182-day bills 

worth N23.16 billion and 

364-day bills worth N19.84 

billion. “ 

We expect their stop rates 

to decrease marginally, 

given the increasing 

preference for fixed income 

assets by investors. We also 

expect NIBOR to fall amid 

maturing N176.56 billion T- 

bills and increased liquidity 

from FAAC recent inflows.” 

Interbank interest rates



CBN, IFC challenge MfBs on self regulation, consolidation 

By Babajide Komolafe 

THE Central Bank of 

Nigeria, CBN, and the 

International Finance 

Corporation, IFC, have 

charged Microfinance Banks, 

MfBs to embrace self regulation 

and consolidation to enhance 

performance and sustainability 

of the sector. 

Meanwhile, the National 

Association of Microfinance 

Banks, NAMB, has called for 

standardized performance 

measures and requirements for 

operators in the subsector. 

These were some of the 

highlights of the fifth annual 

symposium of the Nigeria 

Microfinance Platform held in 

Ibadan, Oyo State, with the 

theme, “Self Regulation for 

Sustainability and Development 

of the Microfinance sector”. 

In her keynote address, 

deputy governor, Financial 

Sector Surveillance, Central 

Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mrs. 

Aisha Ahmad, stressed the 

need for self regulation in the 

MfB subsector, saying: “A 

comprehensive oversight 

mechanism is required for 

effective supervision of 

microfinance activities of over 

900 licensed MfBs; this is where 

the relevance of a selfregulatory 

organization comes 

into play.” 

Stressing the expectation of 

the CBN from MfB operators in 

terms of self regulation, Ahmad, 

who was represented by Mrs. 

Tokunbo Martins, Director, 

Other Financial Institutions 

Supervision Department 

(OFISDs) said: “We believe that 

the effectiveness of selfregulation 

in driving 

performance of the microfinance 

sector depends on an effective 

and efficient mechanism for 

addressing non-compliance, 


measures driven by the best 

performing operators in the 

microfinance sector. It is 

therefore important that the 

umbrella associations set the 

tone right from the onset and 

clearly communicate their 

expectations which should be 

congruent with the regulators’ 

expectations for the 

microfinance industry.” 

Also speaking, the Country 

Director of IFC, Mr. Eme 

Essien, noted while self 

regulation is important it will not 

happen immediately but 

gradually as operators and 

regulators work together. She, 

however, stressed that in 

addition to self regulation, there 

is need for consolidation in the 

MfB sector, noting that most of 

the MfBs in the country are 

small and their viability is 

fragile. 

She said: “There must be 

pursuit of consolidation in the 

sector. We hope that the smaller 

banks will look for partnership 

with other larger ones. You can 

join forces, you can grow your 

network in that way, you can 

expand your offerings in that 

way, you can grow the 

credibility of the sector in that 

way and you can build trust 

among customers. In fact, 

overtime we see a very 

significant benefit in combining 

businesses. This will also 

reduce the pressure on the 

CBN, but broadly it will lead to 

a high level of sustainability in 

the sector so that the 

microfinance sector really has 

its place in driving financial 

inclusion in Nigeria.” 

From left: Adetunji Afolabi, Head of Training, Microfinance Learning and Development Centre (MLDC); Bassey Duke, Deputy 

Director, Other Financial Institutions Department, OFID, Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN; Eme Essien, Country Director, International 

Finance Corporation, IFC; Joshua Etopidiok, Director, Special Insured Institutions Department, Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, 

NDIC; Tokunbo Martins, Director, OFID,CBN; Rogers Nwoke, National President, National Association of Microfinance Banks, NAMB 

and Hasal MFB MD; Oyerinmade Oladejo, Coordinator, Nigeria Microfinance Platform, NLP in MLDC; Tutu Ogunnaike, Board Chair 

AFOS Foundation INGO, Nigeria; at the 5thsymposium of the Nigeria Microfinance Platform in Ibadan, Oyo state. 

GUARANTY Trust Bank Plc 

said it is partnering with 

the Development Bank of 

Nigeria, DBN, to disburse 

N25billion funding to 

entrepreneurs in Nigeria’s 

Micro, Small and Medium 

Enterprises, MSMEs, sector. 

The bank, in a statement, 

said the funding is the single 

largest disbursement by the 

DBN to any financial 

institution in Nigeria since it 

commenced operations. 

Commenting on the 

partnership, Managing 

Director and Chief Executive 

Officer of Guaranty Trust Bank 

Plc, Mr. Segun Agbaje, said, 

FBNQuest achieves GIPS compliance 

FBNQuest 

Asset 

Management, a subsidiary 

of FBNQuest Merchant Bank 

and part of the FBN Holdings Plc 

g r o u p , h a s 

announced compliance with the 

Global Investment Performance 

Standards, GIPS. Introduced in 

1999, the GIPS standards are a 

rigorous set of investment 

performance measurement 

principles, which have been 

adopted in over 40 countries and 

recognized around the world for 

imbuing trust, integrity and 

uniformity to performance 

reporting and enabling 

comparability of a firm’s track 

record. By voluntarily adopting 

NAMB President, Mr. Rogers 

Nwoke, averred that self 

regulation has been one of the 

cardinal objectives of the 

association since inception, 

adding that there is huge 

prospect for self regulation in 

the sector. 

He noted that self regulation 

among other things will 

eliminate the regulator-anxiety 

of the operator and enhances 

compliance, adding that it will 

also streamline compliance 

GTBank partners DBN to disburse N25bn to SMEs 

“Empowering Small and 

Medium Scale Enterprises is 

key to accelerating Nigeria’s 

economic growth and making 

the lives of millions of 

Nigerians better. This 

partnership with the 

Development Bank of Nigeria 

Sterling Bank tasks architects on housing for 

low-income earners 

S 

TERLING Bank Plc has 

urged architects in the 

country to design buildings 

that are affordable for lowincome 

earners so that the bank 

can collaborate with them. 

compliance with GIPS, 

FBNQuest Asset Management 

joins a select list of investment 

firms and asset owners globally, 

who uphold this set of standards. 

It reinforces its position as a 

thought leader as well as its 

commitment to promoting 

transparency and credibility in the 

investment management 

industry. Commenting about the 

achievement, Ike Onyia, 

Managing Director, FBNQuest 

Asset Management, said “Our 

firm’s compliance with GIPS 

means that our performance 

reporting framework is now 

comparable to best practice in 

mature markets. The 

indicators according to size, 

status and risk framework of the 

microfinance banks. He added 

that in addition to the above self 

regulation will grossly reduce 

cost of statutory regulation and 

promote consumer protection. 

He however averred that for 

these to happen there is need 

to develop effective mechanism 

for addressing noncompliance, 


measures and requirements 

driven by best performing 

reflects our commitment to 

building a strong MSME sector 

buoyed by easy access to all of 

its financing needs.” 

He further stated: “As a bank 

that is passionate about 

promoting enterprise, we will 

continue to provide innovative 

Mr. Yemi Odubiyi, Executive 

Director, Corporate and 

Investment, Sterling Bank, gave 

the challenge in Lagos recently 

as a guest speaker at the closing 

ceremony of the Lagos 

standardisation of our process 

and the growth in adoption of 

these standards by the industry 

will benefit asset owners, as it will 

become easier to evaluate and 

compare the performance of 

different service providers. 

“FBNQuest Asset 

Management is at the forefront 

of entrenching transparency, full 

and fair disclosure as well as best 

practice standards in our nascent 

industry. The promotion of these 

standards is important to the 

credibility of the investment 

management industry and our 

voluntary initiative demonstrates 

our commitment to adding value 

to our clients.” 

operators in sector. He said 

in addition to these, there must 

be focus on developing, 

disseminating and promoting 

best practice through 

developing guidelines, ratings 

and codes of conduct. 

He said the CBN will also 

have to make MFB ratings a 

condition to receiving 

intervention funds and other 

incentives, and allow for peergroup 

differentiation, use of 

external validation, production 

of scores and penalties for noncompliance.” 

solutions and create global 

platforms that expand 

opportunities for small 

businesses to build capacity, 

grow revenue and connect with 

consumers and business 

experts from around the world.” 

Architects Forum 2019 Lagos 

10.0 with the theme: 

Architectural Regeneration 2, 

The Lagos Response. 

“We are willing to support the 

housing sector but will only 

partner with you as long as you 

continue to create affordable 

housing designs. Our 

immediate focus is housing 

units that are less than N4 

million and can even be lower 

over time. The challenge we are 

throwing at you is to design 

buildings that are affordable 

which we can finance at scale,” 

Odubiyi said. 

He observed that the bank’s 

presence at the architects’ forum 

was not by chance because it 

has always been keen on 

finding a solution to the 

country’s affordable housing 

problem. He disclosed that 

Sterling Alternative Finance 

(SAF) is well positioned to 

lessen the country’s housing 

deficit.




Equities may revert to negative with profit taking on MTN 

By Nkiruka Nnorom 

OPERATORS in the 

capital market have 

hinted the likelihood of the 

equities market reverting to 

the negative zone this week 

on anticipated sell pressure on 

the shares of MTN Nigeria 

Communications Plc. 

They also tipped Ecobank 

Transnational Incorporated, 

ETI, stock to watch for the 

week. 

Though the market closed 

6.97 percent up last week, 

analysts observed that due to 

the negative close on Friday, 

the market may have returned 

to its pre-MTN listing status 

and projected that the 

negative trend would be 

sustained. 

Activity at the Nigerian Stock 

Exchange, NSE, had 

sustained its upward 

movement for two consecutive 

weeks following the listing of 

MTN on May 16, 2019 and 

rally on its stock as well as that 

of Dangote Cement Plc. 

Their share prices rose by 

28.56 percent and 13.63 

percent to close at N140.00 

and N200.00 respectively. 

However, the rally came to a 

halt on Friday after the All 

Share Index, ASI, fell by 1.89 

percent when the two market 

heavy weights closed in the 

red. MTNN lost for the first 

time since listing on May 16, 

while Dangote Cement also 

went down by 2.44 percent 

as market begins to readjust. 

Nonetheless, the overall 

very good. We have about 

76,000 shareholders in our 

company and they get returns 

in continuous dividend 

payment over the years that we 

have been in the stock 

exchange. 

“The future is bright, 

opportunities that exist in 


BERGER Paints Nigeria 

Plc has embarked on 

transformation initiatives to 

enhance its market 

dominance for the next 60 

years, even as it declared 60 

kobo per share dividend for 

its shareholders for the 

financial year ended 

December 31, 2018. 

The transformative 

initiatives, which cover the 

company’s structure, people, 

processes and digital 

operations, have been 

endorsed by the company’s 

Board of Directors. 

Besides, the shareholders 

have approved the sum of 

N188.385 million to be paid 

as dividend which translates 

into 65 kobo per share. By the 

company’s financial 

statement, its revenue grew 

market performance measure 

- ASI - further closed 

northwards at 30,881.29 

points, having risen by 6.96 

percent week-on-week (w-ow). 

The market capitalisation 

also rose by the same margin 

to close at N13.602 trillion. 

Reacting, analysts at Vetiva 

Securities projected another 

negative week if profit taking 

persists on the shares of MTN. 

They said: “With both Dangote 

Cement and the recent market 

catalyst (MTNN) closing 

under Friday, the index 

returned to it’s trend of red 

closes, which was the norm 

pre-MTN listing. Despite 

closing negative, market 

indicators such as market 

breadth and sector 

Nigeria and in the consumer 

goods sectors are huge. We will 

continue to take advantage of 

the opportunities to grow and 

deliver more returns to our 

shareholders,” he said. 

Sam Ndata, doyen of 

stockbrokers, speaking on 

behalf of his colleagues, 

by 12 percent to N3.377 billion 

in 2018 as against N3.013 

billion in the previous year 

while profit before tax stood 

at N454. 3 million, 

representing growth of 33.8 

percent over N339.5 million 

recorded in the corresponding 

year. 

Addressing shareholders at 

the company’s Annual 

General Meeting, AGM, in 

Lagos, the chairman, Mr. Abi 

Ayida, explained that on 

assumption of office, and after 

due consultation with the 

various units of the company 

and meetings with the 

relevant stakeholders, it was 

imperative for the company to 

re-position for global 

competitiveness and 

sustainable increase on return 

on investment, ROI. 

“I solicited views on how 

this required journey could be 

performances point towards 

mixed trading on the 

exchange. As such, we expect 

another mixed session, with a 

negative tilt, should investors 

continue to take profit on 

MTNN to kick off the new 

week.” 

Also, analysts at Cowry Asset 

Management projected that 

the equities market would 

close marginally in red 

territory as the strong demand 

for the shares of the telecoms 

giant has softened. 

“Nevetheless, we expect 

investors to continue to take 

advantage of the general low 

share prices in the market, 

especially in the banking 

sector, in order to maximize 

their returns.” 

PZ Cussons assures investors of consistent dividend payout 

By Nkiruka Nnorom 

MR. 

Christos 

Giannopoulos, 

managing director/ chief 

executive of PZ Cussons 

Nigeria Plc, has reiterated the 

company’s readiness to 

continue to create value for its 

shareholders through 

consistent dividend payment. 

Giannopoulos, who spoke 

while sounding the trade’s 

closing gong at the Nigerian 

Stock Exchange, NSE, in 

commemoration of the 

company’s 120 years 

anniversary, said that PZ does 

not have any intention of 

raising fresh capital as its 

financials are strong and 

healthy. 

He said the company will 

continue to invest in the latest 

and best technology that would 

guarantee its customers highest 

quality in order to drive 

revenue, while reiterating that 

the company does not have any 

plan of leaving the country as 

reported in the media some 

months back. 

“We are here, we are very 

strong. We are going through 

what I will call challenging 

times, but the fundamentals of 

our company are extremely 

good; our market shares are 

commended PZ for the 

investments it has made in the 

country in 120 years of its 

operation and assured that 

stockbrokers would support the 

company whenever it’s ready 

for fresh capital raising. 

made, and attained 

unvarnished narrative of what 

we as employees, partners, 

stakeholders and leaders 

were doing well and what not 

so well. The outcome of these 

valuable sessions, after Board 

review and consideration, 

confirmed that there was 

significant headroom for 

improvement in our people, 

processes and organisational 

structure,” said Ayida. 

Ayida stated that to put the 

company on the path of 

sustained profitability, the 

Board had created the office 

of chief operating officer to 

drive the operations and 

technical aspects of the 

business, while Mr Anjar 

Sircar has been appointed the 

new managing director to take 

charge of strategic business 

development decisions and 

marketing function of the 

Consolidated 

Hallmark 

shareholders blame 

NAICOM for bad 

business 


S HAREHOLDERS of 

Consolidated Hallmark 

Insurance, CHI Plc, have blamed 

the National Insurance 

Commission, NAICOM, for the 

low business experienced by 

indigenous insurance firms. 

But the shareholders, at the 

company’s 24 th Annual 

General Meeting, AGM, in 

Lagos, also tasked the Board of 

Directors to intensify effort 

towards meeting the N10 billion 

new capital base required for 

General insurance services. 

They said that though they were 

not against increase in minimum 

capital but stressed that the 

operating environment has not 

been favourable for the insurance 

sector to grow and make 

reasonable profit. 

Addressing the shareholders at 

the AGM, Managing Director of 

CHI Plc, Mr. Eddie Efekoha said: 

“We will do our best to meet the 

new minimum capital base. At 

present we are a little above N6 

billion shareholders’ fund and we 

will call on you when the need 

arise to shore up our capital.” 

Commenting on the 

performance of the company for 

the year ended December 31, 

2018, he said: “The company’s 

total assets increased to N10.8 

billion, representing a growth of 

14 percent over N9.4 billion in 

2017. The company has 

proposed dividend of N162 

million culminating to two kobo 

per share due to every 

shareholders for the 2018 

financial year. However, due to 

management’s disciplined 

approach to cost management, 

the group still recorded a profit 

after taxation growth from N406 

million in 2017 to N407 million 

in 2018.” 

Berger Paints restructures for global competitiveness, pays 65k dividend 

company. 

Shareholders commended 

the company’s Board and 

Management for the rapid 

improvements in all 

performance indicators within 

the last one year. A 

shareholder, Mr Lawrence 

Oguntoye, who urged the 

company to sustain its 

outstanding performance, 

expressed concern on the 

effects of taxation on the 

manufacturers in Nigeria. 

Ayida attributed the 

company’s performance to 

collective efforts of the board, 

management and secretariat. 

He reiterated the company’s 

commitment towards value 

creation and assured 

shareholders of more 

opportunities for robust 

engagement with the 

stakeholders.






We suspended 

raising Tier-1 

capital to 

enhance 

shareholders 

value 

—Access Bank 

CEO 

Access Bank Plc Group Managing Director, GMD/ 

CEO, Mr Herbert Wigwe in this interview at the just 

concluded 30th Annual General Meeting, AGM held 

in Lagos spoke on the concerns raised by shareholders 

regarding dividend payout, capital raising, green bond 

issuance, merger with Diamond Bank Plc, the banks’ 

financial performance among others. 

Excerpts: 


THE shareholders have 

expressed their concern 

on low dividend payout for 

2018 financial year and have 

requested for a higher 

dividend come next year, 

what is your view? 

We are assuring our 

shareholders of enhanced 

value creation in the years to 

come; however, the 50k 

dividend for the financial year 

2018 was due to the bank’s 

decision to suspend raising 

of Tier 1 capital. The bank’s 

decision to depend on 

organic capital contributed to 

the 50k dividend during the 

period under review. 

The Bank needed to think 

towards the future and 

cautiously decided on the 

dividend based on the just 

concluded merger. The Bank’s 

dividend payout in 2017 was 

40 kobo, with earnings per 

share of N2.11. Access Bank 

would remain committed to 

the optimisation of 

shareholders value as better 

rewards were ahead in terms 

of dividend to shareholders 

and stakeholders. 

What is your view on the 

increase in the unclaimed 

dividend as contained in your 

financial statement? 

The rising unclaimed 

dividend is worrisome. We will 

try to map out strategies to 

reduce the N14.6 billion 

shareholders’ unclaimed 

dividend as at the financial 

year ended December 31, 

2018. We are also not happy as 

the figure keeps increasing, so 

we want shareholders to come 

over and pick their dividend. 

We will work with our registrar, 

company secretary to see how 

to get this figure down. 

Your debt recovery drive has 

been commended, what will 

happen to the debt owed to 

Diamond Bank now that you 

have merged with the bank? 

We recovered N2.2 billion 

bad debt in the year under 

review. Access Bank will 

intensify effort to ensure that 

it recovers the debt owed to 

Diamond Bank. We will go out 

for Diamond Bank’ debtors 

and if they are not ready to 

We recovered 

N2.2 billion 

bad debt in the 

year under 

review. Access 

Bank will 

intensify effort 

to ensure that it 

recovers the 

debt owed to 

Diamond Bank 

redeem their debt we will 

publish their names in the 

newspapers. 

You have heard the concern 

by stakeholders on their 

future, regarding sustenance 

of dividend payment given 

the successful merger with 

Diamond Bank; what is your 

take? 

We have assured 

shareholders of our 

determination to enhance 

their value while thanking 

them for the support and 

approval given to them to 

merge with Diamond Bank Plc. 

whilst acknowledging the 

merits of the merger with 

respect to revenue and profits. 

We will not lose sight of 

operating efficiency and 

return ratios. These measures 

will continue to be our priority, 

ensuring that shareholder 

value is maximized. Customer 

satisfaction will also remain a 

key focus, ensuring the new 

entity delivers superior 

benefits to its newly expanded 

customer base. 

The Bank began its five year 

strategy in 2018 with focus on 

retail banking growth. Capital 

and liquidity levels for the 

period remained adequate at 

19.9 percent and 50.9 percent 

respectively, providing buffers 

as we continued to explore 

market opportunities. 

What is your assessment of 

the financial performance in 

the year 2018? 

The group recorded a profit 

before tax of N103.2 billion for 

the financial year ended 

December 31, 2018 as against 

N78.2 billion achieved in 

2017, an increase of 32 per 

cent. Profit after tax of N95 

billion, growing by 58 per cent 

compared with N60.07 billion 

recorded in the corresponding 

period of 2017. 

Our gross earnings rose by 15 

per cent to N528.7 billion in 

contrast with N459.1 billion 

posted in the comparative 

period of 2017 with interest 

and non-interest income 

contributing 72 per cent and 

26 per cent respectively. The 

asset base of the bank 

remained strong and 

diversified with a growth of 21 

per cent in total assets to N4.95 

trillion in December 2018 from 

N4.10 trillion in December 

2017. 

Loans and Advances rose to 

N2.14 trillion during the 

period under review against 

N2.06 trillion in 2017. Total 

assets grew by 21 percent to 

N4.95 trillion from N4.1 trillion 

in 2017. Deposit also grew by 

14 percent to N2.56 trillion in 

2018 from N2.25 trillion in 

2017. Our shareholders’ 

equity, however, fell by four 

percent to N491 billion in 2018 

from N511 billion in 2017. 

Customer deposits increased 

by 14 per cent to 2.57 trillion 

in December 2018, from 2.25 

trillion in December 2017. The 

Board and Management 

gratitude goes to our 

shareholders, customers and 

all who have stood by us 

through the years. With their 

support, we have built a world 

class sustainable institution 

underpinned by strong 

ethical and 

governance 

standards. 

Can your elaborate 

on some of the 

expected benefits to 

the bank following 

the successful 

merger with 

Diamond Bank? 

Following the 

successful 

completion of 

the merger 

w i t h 

Diamond Bank in March 

2019, we have now fully 

positioned ourselves in the 

retail market with a view to 

bringing the power of banking 

to the doorsteps of millions. We 

are providing a broader 

platform to facilitate payments 

services in Nigeria and across 

Africa, by harnessing our 

significantly enhanced digital 

technology capabilities. 

The merger brings together 

Access Bank’s strong 

wholesale banking 

capabilities and Diamond 

Bank’s unparalleled retail 

expertise. The bank would 

create an institution with over 

27 million customers, 3,100 

ATMs and 33,000 POS as well 

as over 10 million mobile 

customers. The bank, with over 

600 branches represented in 

10 countries and three 

countries would soon expand 

footprints to Asia. Access Bank 

is the only Nigerian bank to 

record profit in its London 

subsidiary. 

Most respected 

African Bank 

We remain committed to the 

achievement of our strategic 

imperatives going forward; as 

we continue to invest in our 

people, technology and most 

importantly, our product 

offerings to customers. Our 

focus is to become the world’s 

most respected African Bank 

by leveraging on the strength 

of our retail and wholesale 

business to provide unrivalled 

value to our customers. 

The bank floated and listed 

a green bond recently, what is 

your view on it? 

Like you witnessed during 

the meeting, the shareholders 

did commend on our initiative 

on the bond issuance. The 

green bond issuance 

highlights the bank’s 

commitment to sustainability 

and its status as a pioneer in 

green financing in both the 

domestic and international 

capital markets. The bond 

comes amidst a global drive 

for responsible and 

sustainable green financing 

and will allow the financing of 

new loans and refinancing of 

existing loans in accordance 

with the Bank’s green Bond 

Framework. It will support 

projects directed at flood 

defense, solar generation 

facilities and agriculture. 

At Access Bank we are a 

pioneer in both domestic and 

international capital markets, 

leading the way with our 

commitment to sustainable 

banking. We hope that this 

bond issuance inspires other 

African companies to support 

the long-term development of 

the green finance market 

whilst simultaneously 

realizing the growth potential 

of the fast-developing low 

carbon economy. 

Your first quarter, Q1 2019 

results look good, do you see 

the Bank sustaining this in the 

remaining quarters of the 

year? 

The group delivered solid 

earnings underscoring the 

value potentials of the newly 

expanded business model. 

Gross earnings showed a 16 

percent increase to 

N160.1billion from the prior 

year, comprising strong 

earnings on Interest income 

and non-interest income of 69 

percent and 31 percent 

respectively, whilst Profit 

before Tax, PBT, grew by 66 

percent to N45.1billion. 

Liquidity 

position 

Our capital and liquidity 

position remained above 

regulatory levels, with CAR at 

19.5 percent and liquidity 

ratio of 47.6 percent further 

demonstrating the capacity of 

the enlarged balance sheet to 

cope with possible negative 

shocks. 

We hope to sustain and 

surpass this performance in 

the remaining quarters of 

2019. Following the successful 

completion of the merger with 

Diamond Bank in March 

2019, we have now fully 

positioned ourselves in the 

retail market with a view to 

bringing the power of banking 

to the doorsteps of millions. We 

are providing a broader 

platform to facilitate payments 

services in Nigeria and across 

Africa, by harnessing our 

significantly enhanced digital 

technology capabilities. 

We have made solid progress 

throughout the first quarter of 

2019 in line with our 2018- 

2022 five-year strategy, and we 

remain committed to the 

achievement of our strategic 

imperatives going forward; as 

we continue to invest in our 

people, technology and most 

importantly, our product 

offerings to customers. Our 

focus is to become the world’s 

most respected African Bank 

by leveraging on the strength 

of our retail and wholesale 

business to provide unrivalled 

value to our customers.


Congrats CBN Governor, but 

there is wahala (2) 

The "Yes-man" is the enemy. Your true friend will argue with and even fight you — 

Aleksander Solzhenitsyn, Russian Writer, at Harvard University. 

THE easiest way to be loved, 

even pampered by those in 

power in Nigeria, or elsewhere 

for that matter, is to always 

shower praises on measures 

proposed or taken by the leaders. 

Request for appointments are 

quickly granted and other 

favours follow. That is the subtle 

form of bribery and corruption 

which corrodes the basis of 

society as surely as the barefaced 

embezzlement of public funds by 

the custodians of funds and 

trusts. It is even much easier 

when one generally agrees with 

the official to fall into the trap of 

becoming a cheap praise-singer. 

It is tendency that must be fought 

always. 

The first part of this series 

ended with the statement 

"Emefiele is about to throw good 

money out of the CBN window 

on cotton….". The sentence was 

deliberately left dangling. Let 

me complete it now. "The CBN 

should stop it now, because, I 

strongly believe that it is the 

wrong commodity, being 

promoted for the wrong 

economic reasons and at the 

wrong time". Future historians 

might regard this misadventure 

as one of the greatest blunders 

of the first quarter of the new 

millennium. I am not a gambler; 

I never bet on anything. But, if it 

comes to it, I will bet that this a 

failed project ab initio. It will not 

solve the problems it is designed 

for and Nigeria will end up 

poorer, not stronger for it. Mark 

my words. 

Before you dismiss that 

statement as the ranting of a 

media pen-pusher, let me 

remind the reader that Emefiele 

is the third governor of the 

Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, 

with whom I have taken serious 

issues on very important matters 

and I have been proved right the 

first two times. This controversy 

is actually the easiest for me and 

there is little doubt in my mind 

that it will, unfortunately for 

Nigeria, end in another true 

prophecy ignored by the 

Nigerian leaders. 

"When something is too good 

to be true; it most probably isn't 

true." That has always been my 

guiding principle since taking a 

course in Decision Making 

Under Conditions of Uncertainty. 

In the early 1990s, when 

gullible Nigerians thought that 

most Nigerian second generation 

banks were performing wonders, 

I wrote a column on these same 

Vanguard Business pages titled 

Funny Money. In it, I 

pronounced that the Annual 

Reports and Accounts of most of 

the banks operating then were 

falsified to deceive the unwary 

public that they were highly 

profitable. Two of the "darlings" 

of the financial markets were 

Alpha Merchant Bank and 

Commerce Bank. They 

announced such "mouthwatering" 

results every half year 

and they also declared such 

unprecedented dividends that 

anybody with some 

commonsense would have 

known they were untrue. But, 

commonsense is not common; 

and thousands of businesses fell 

into their traps. 

In that article, Funny Money, 

that is, I listed nineteen banks 

which were on the brink of 

collapse. Alpha and Commerce 

topped the list. The insults and 

maledictions which came as 

rejoinders to that article ranged 

from "stupid" to "ignorant" to 

"subversive" to "lunatic". But, 

when Abacha promulgated the 

Failed Banks Decree, all the 

nineteen banks were on the list 

of failed banks and hundreds of 

bankers were arrested, Jimi 

Lawal, Managing Director of 

Alpha ran away. The MD and 

DMD of Commerce joined 

several other bank managers in 

detention and jail. Some 

companies I advised and who 

took the advice gave me bonuses 

which lasted me for more than 

five years. Some others who 

ignored my warning have either 

Throwing billions of 

naira into large scale 

farming of any product 

in Nigeria today 

amounts to offloading 

billions of our good 

money into the sewer 

gone out of business or are still 

feeling the pains till today. The 

CBN governor, at the time, never 

once warned Nigerians about the 

impending collapse of the banks. 

When Professor Charles (now 

Chukumah) Soludo, introduced 

Bank Consolidation in 2005, my 

advice and prediction can be 

summarised as follows. Allow 

more time for consolidation. 

Otherwise, it will fail and bring 

more anguish than relief. The 

former CBN governor was 

adamant. In 2008, when the 

initiative changed name to "Con- 

Soludo-tion" and many of the 

celebrated banks began 

crumbling, I advised 

shareholders to dump their bank 

shares. Soludo and Dr. Ndidi 

Onyiuke, the Director General of 

the Nigerian Stock Exchange, 

Vanguard, MONDAY, MAY 27, 2019 — 29 

DG-NSE, more or less told bank 

depositors and shareholders to 

ignore me. 

Today, Transcontinental Bank 

and Oceanic Banks are no more; 

the MD of Transcontinental ran 

away. Bank shares priced at N50 

in 2008 now go for under N10 in 

2019. "Con-Soludo-tion" has 

wrecked millions of Nigerian 

shareholders and the 

consequences can be seen in 

what is happening to the 

AMCON. 

So, Mr Emefiele will be well 

advised to take a look at the track 

record of his advisers and 

compare to mine. He ignores this 

controversy at his own and our 

nation's peril. I am getting sick 

and tired trashing CBN 

governors who still go ahead and 

get Nigeria into trouble on 

account of fundamentally 

defective measures. Invariably, 

the praise singers urge them on; 

I stand almost alone in saying 

NO! And, the record is there. I 

am saying NO! now. 

Let me now turn to the technical 

reasons why the "Cotton 

Programme" will (notice I did not 

say might not, it is deliberate) not 

work. The first and most 

important reason is the timing. 

Throwing billions of naira into 

large scale farming of any 

product in Nigeria today 

amounts to offloading billions of 

our good money into the sewer. 

Nothing but grief will come out 

of it in the short run; and perhaps 

in the long-term also - however 

you define those terms. 

Right now, millions of 

Nigerians are leaving the rural 

farming communities for the 

relative security of urban and 

sub-urban areas and no amount 

of money will make them to return 

this year or next or next. For 

those who might doubt that 

statement, here is some of the 

evidence. 

There'll be no farming in 

Zamfara unless more soldiers 

are deployed — Emir of Anka, 

Sunday Punch, May 19, 2019. 

The Emir went on to explain 

what he meant. He said: 

"Farming is not going to be 

possible this year unless there is 

peace. Almost all my farms are 

in the rural areas. Many people 

also have their farms in the rural 

areas; just like me. So farming 

activities would grossly be 

affected this year." What Alhaji 

Attahiru Ahmad said in that 

interview had been repeated to 

me by traditional rulers at 

Badeggi, Niger State and Yelwa 

Yauri, Kebbi state. 

They were bulk rice suppliers 

to Haske Rice Mill Sokoto when 

I was in charge of the plant and 

we have remained friends ever 

since. Traditional rulers who 

hitherto had snapped their 

fingers and farm workers run to 

go to work, now snap their 

fingers and the boys run away - 

never to be seen again in the 

community. So, who will grow the 

cotton this year or the next two 

years given that peace - which is 

the principal economic resource 

now - is not guaranteed for the 

next five years. 

It will be interesting to read the 

feasibility studies conducted by 

the "experts" to convince Emefiele 

that the Cotton Programme is 

possible at this time. I want to 

know how much weight they 

gave to peace as an economic 

variable in a situation in which it 

is the basic requirement without 

which all the other resources in 

the world count for nothing. Who 

is the Technical Adviser who will 

risk his life to go and grow cotton 

at Talata Mafara when the 

governor of Zamfara State hides 

in Abuja for dear life? Who? 

Next: What will cotton replace 

among the current basket of 

crops now cultivated? 

FINANCIAL VANGUARD MICROFINANCE 

MfBs have not failed in their responsibility - MD Layelu MfB 

Managing Director, Layelu Microfinance Bank, MfB, Limited, 

Ondo State, Mr. Akinbinu Charles, in this interview, said that the 

MfBs have not failed in their responsibility of empowering the 

Micro Small and Medium Enterprises, MSMEs. He also 

expressed optimism that the sub-sector would come out of the 

many challenges it is facing at present. 

By Providence Emmanuel 

HOW is the MfB business 

fairing in your state? 

The microfinance bank business 

in Ondo and Nigeria generally, 

has not really come on stage 

because of various challenges 

befalling the sector. With time, I 

believe we would get out of these 

challenges and these challenges 

have to do with policy somersault 

from the regulators. By and large, 

there is prospect in microfinance 

bank activities and business in the 

country because of what it is 

meant to achieve, to impact on the 

lives of the down trodden. 

Is it true that the MfBs have 

failed in their responsibility to lift 

people out of poverty? 

I don't agree with that 

statement. Quote me anywhere. 

What they want to do and what 

they want to achieve, let us watch 

and see what will happen to that 

scheme they are about to pilot in 

the next two years. Those that they 

supposed to empower to do the 

work, those that are on ground to 

do the work are not being 

empowered to do it. We have been 

clamouring that they should give 

us funds to use for our businesses. 

It would not be easy for you to ask 

someone that has never been in 

the terrain to go there. MfB has 

peculiarity as regards 

environment as what happened in 

Lagos may not happen in Ondo 

state, it is not possible, I know that 

is why they want to pilot in about 

four or five state to see what will 

happen. I want to tell you that 

The microfinance 

thing is more of 

practical than the 

theory that the 

regulators are 

bringing in 

nothing would happen, it would 

fail. 

It is true that the MfBs 

performance has been poor? 

If our performance is as poor as 

described, by now, most of us 

would not be in business. What 

they fail to understand is that the 

economic activity of the people we 

deal with, which is the people at 

the bottom of pyramid is not in 

line with what they said we should 

do. For instance, if I give N50,000 

to a petty trader in my village, I 

can tell you that N20,000 out of 

that would go into household 

maintenance because the 

economy is not good. N30,000 

would be spent on the business. We 

don't have enough funds and cost 

of funds is high making some 

MfBs to charge higher interest 

rate. These are the challenges I 

mentioned that are affecting the 

MfB business, we don't have 

enough funds to do business. 

Assuming we have a good and 

interest free fund from 

government, we can offer our 

service at a very low interest rate 

that would impact meaningfully 

on the customers. 

Does it mean loan default is 

still high with all the new 

initiative to mitigate it? 

All these initiatives are paper 

theories but in practice, it is not 

realistic. Coupled with the 

economy we are running, things 

are just too high, so people that 

are trading are fighting tooth and 

nail to break-even. A lot of my 

customers now sell on credit to 

civil servants because salaries are 

not paid as at when due. Some 

have even closed shop because 

they have sold all their product on 

credit and there is nothing to 

replenish the shops. Do you expect 

such person to meet obligation? 

It's not possible. The microfinance 

thing is more of practical than the 

theory that the regulators are 

bringing in. They are talking of 

Bangladesh, when our 

government cannot do a lot of the 

things that their government is 

doing to alleviate their suffering. 

Don't you think NIRSAL MfB 

is a threat to existing MfBs? 

I do not see it as a threat, we are 

in the same market, let us see how 

it goes.


(08052201997) 

The inevitable choice between N10,000 note and redenomination 

NIGERIA's Currency 

profile has, notably 

failed to serve the needs of our 

people and our economy. 

Arguably, lower denominations 

of primary kobo coins and low 

value notes have been largely 

rejected because of their 

extremely negligible 

purchasing power. Overtime, 

the Naira Currency has lost 

significant value, as the highest 

existing compact denomination 

of N20 (the popular Muri) in 

1977 was equivalent to over 

$20. 

Regrettably, the present 

highest denomination of N1000 

note exchanged for over $8 

initially in 2005, but now, 

disturbingly exchanges 

around $3. The N1000 note, 

also compares rather 

awkwardly, for example, with 

the new Ghana Cedi which was 

introduced between 2006-2007 

with highest denomination of 

a 100 Cedi note, but exchanges 

in 2019 for about $20, after the 

Cedi steadily depreciated from 

GH?100=$110. 

Thus, in view of the present 

paltry value of $3 against the 

highest Naira denomination of 

N1000, a more robust currency 

profile that will truly reflect the 

cherished qualities of money 

(i.e. portability, stable value, 

durability, acceptability, etc.) 

has become necessary. The 

present choice is therefore 

between Naira redenomination 

and the issue of higher value 

denominations of N5,000 and 

N10,000 notes. 

The above title "The 

Inevitable Choice Between 

N10,000 Note And 

Redenomination" was first 

published on August 15, 2016. 

The issues raised therein, 

unfortunately, still remain very 

resonant today. Please read on. 

"Households across Nigeria 

have become severely 

traumatized by escalating 

prices of goods and services. 

The uneasy feeling that one's 

pocket, has been picked has 


ANOTHER set of four 

customers of First City 

Monument Bank, FCMB, have 

emerged winners of N1 million 

each in the first draws of season 

six of the bank's reward scheme 

tagged “Millionaire Promo.” 

Moreover, hundreds of other 

customers smiled home with 

various exciting prizes, 

ranging from LED televisions, 

power generating sets, 

decoders, tablets and 

smartphones, among others. 

The new millionaires are 

Olabisi Omotayo (Lagos 

region), Mustapha Egba 

probably become common after 

every visit to the market, where 

the smallest available nylon 

sachet may be all that is 

needed to pack over N10,000 

purchase(s)." 

"In retrospect, in 1977, the 

highest Naira denomination 

was N20 note, which 

exchanged for almost $30; 

regrettably, however, after the 

serial devaluations which 

followed the IMF inspired 

Structural Adjustment Program 

between 1985-90, the N1,000 

note was issued as the Naira's 

highest denomination and 

exchanged for just over $8 in 

2005. Sadly, however, the same 

N1000 presently exchanges for 

about $3 after Naira 

devaluation in 2016." 

"Invariably, coins have been 

widely rejected because of their 

worthless present value; 

consequently, the N5, N10, 

N20, N50, N100 erstwhile, 

secondary denomination notes, 

now perform roles normally 

reserved for hard wearing, 

longer lasting, metal currency 

to facilitate change and 

transactions." 

"Nonetheless, if Naira's 

freefall remains unchecked, 

and ultimately $1=N1000, the 

N1000 note will also assume 

the role of lower denomination 

coins, despite its inappropriate 

fragile paper fabric. In such 

event, even if N10,000 note is 

issued as the highest 

denomination, it will only 

exchange for $10. Similarly, 

new issues of N2,000 and 

N5,000 notes will exchange for 

$2 and $5 respectively. Clearly, 

unless the fundamental flaw in 

the pricing model that always 

produces a weaker Naira 

exchange rate is addressed, 

further Naira depreciation will 

result and ultimately N20,000 

and N50,000 notes may become 

inevitable, just as Ghana's 

currency profile in 2006 

included ?50,000 notes which 

exchanged for just $5, before 

4-point Cedi redecimalisation!" 

The heavy funding 

requirement for Redenomination 

and the 

complete overhaul of 

the Naira profile can 

be reduced, if the 

Nigerian Security 

Printing and Minting 

Company is appropriately 

upgraded to 

produce a substantial 

part, if not all the new 

cash requirements 

Winners emerge in FCMB's ‘Millionaire Promo’ 

(Abuja & North region), Helen 

Okon (South-east & Southsouth 

region) and Sholanke 

Olalekan (South-west region). 

One of the winners of 

N1million, Mrs. Helen Okon, 

commended FCMB for its 

commitment to the success of 

its customers through the 

‘’Millionaire Promo” and 

other reward as well as 

empowerment initiatives. 

According to her, "I was very 

surprised to win N1million in 

the promo; it is unbelievable. I 

thank FCMB, I am very proud 

to be a customer of the bank 

"Although, the adoption of 

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

N10,000 notes will facilitate 

cash transactions, it will also 

challenge the cashless project, 

on which government has 

invested tens of billions to 

implement. However, the 

relative success of the cashless 

project, notwithstanding, some 

critics may contend that, with 

respect to monetary policy, the 

cashless project, may be 

actually counterproductive, as 

the increased velocity in money 

circulation that it induces also 

worsens an already incendiary 

inflationary spiral!" 

"Invariably, higher 

denomination of Naira notes 

will facilitate portability, but the 

facilitation of large cash 

transactions also poses a 

security threat. Instructively, 

however, 

higher 

denominations will be 

inevitable, if the continuous 

slide in Naira exchange rate is 

not arrested. From a cost 

perspective, the issuance of 

higher notes may cost less, 

since the existing currency 

profile and design remain the 

same, while the addition of 

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

and very grateful. This prize is 

very special to me. Surely it is 

going to change so many things 

for me. I don't regret being a 

customer. I appreciate the 

bank's quality of service." 

N10,000 notes will be popularly 

welcomed to replace the 

increasingly 'worthless' lower 

denominations below N1,000. 

Notably, however, so long as 

primary kobo coins remain 

worthless and rejected, retail 

pricing will again be in huge 

leaps of N500 and N1,000!" 

"Alternatively, the need to 

restore, value, portability and 

retail best practice with the 

embedded usage of primary 

coins, may advise a 3-point 

decimalization of the present 

Naira profile to support these 

objectives. Under this 

arrangement, the current 

N1,000 note will be replaced 

with a New N1 note, while 

N100 note will be replaced with 

a 10Kobo coin, so that the 

existing N50 note will become 

a New 5Kobo coin; similarly, 

the present N10 will become a 

new 1kobo coin." 

"Thus, one US dollar, will 

exchange for N3.6, in 

consonance with the subsisting 

average exchange rate of about 

N360=$1; however, if the Naira 

further dips to say N500=$1 

before redecimalization, the 

New N5 will exchange for $1 

and so forth." 

"Invariably, currency 

redenomination is a much 

more expensive undertaking 

than the alternative of higher 

Naira note issues, because a 

redenominated profile will 

incorporate the whole gamut 

from kobo coin (old N10) to the 

highest new N100= $36, with 

the inclusion of new designs for 

other standard denominations 

in between." 

"A compact currency profile 

would notably, provide digital 

margins for competitive retail 

pricing as kobo coins and lower 

denomination secondary coins 

and notes become readily 

acceptable; the attrition caused 

by the shortage of change in 

transactions between petrol 

attendants, shop keepers and 

customers will become 

minimized. Furthermore, the 

Speaking on 

the promo, Mr. 

Olu Akanmu, 

Executive 

Director, Retail 

Banking, FCMB, 

said: “We are 

delighted to 

produce another 

set of millionaires 

and winners of 

other prizes in 

the first draws of 

the promo. Thousands of 

Nigerians have so far benefited 

from this life-changing 

initiative since it commenced in 

2013. The season six of the 

re-introduction of coins with a 

greater purchasing value, will 

similarly facilitate trade with 

the use of slot machines, which 

are commonplace 24hour dumb 

service outlets for a wide range 

of consumables (See Articles 

titled "Redenomination: Why & 

Why Not?" (17/09/07) and 

"Redenomination of Ghana's 

Currency" (15/01/07) at 

www.lesleba.com )." 

"The danger however, is that 

if the current Naira profile is 

not redenominated while the 

slide in the Naira exchange 

rate continues, ultimately, 

N100,000 and N200,000 notes 

with minimal value will become 

inevitable, despite the related 

drawback of portability and 

accounting challenges." 

"Advisedly, however, the 

heavy funding requirement for 

Redenomination and the 

complete overhaul of the Naira 

profile can be reduced, if the 

Nigerian Security Printing and 

Minting Company is 

appropriately upgraded to 

produce a substantial part, if 

not all the new cash 

requirements." 

"Unfortunately, nonetheless, 

the underlying triggers of 

inflation, and Naira 

depreciation will not be 

neutralized by the mere issue 

of higher Naira denominations 

or the complete overhaul of the 

Naira profile with 

redenomination. 

Consequently, unrestrained 

double digit inflation rates and 

a Naira exchange rate 

perennially beleagued by, 

persistently surplus Naira 

liquidity in CBN auctions, will 

inevitably fuel a new cycle of 

currency rejection that will, 

ultimately, demand these same 

options of higher currency 

denominations or complete 

currency overhaul, to recreate 

a compact currency profile 

which will facilitate both 

transactions and the 

accounting process." 

SAVE THE NAIRA! SAVE 

NIGERIANS! 

ECONOMY 

promo will produce another set 

of 16 millionaires. 

“We will continue to reward 

and enhance the experience of 

our customers through this 

promo and other offerings 

aimed at further empowering 

and adding value to them in 

line with our core values. 

“We are also committed to 

distinguish our offerings in the 

retail banking space by 

delivering exceptional 

products and services that 

would ultimately ensure the 

growth and achievement of the 

personal and business 

aspirations of our customers.”


Send Opinions & Letters to: 

opinions1234@yahoo.com 

Local governments: Victims of 

rape who are also rapists 

THERE is pretence of a debate 

over the practice and funding 

of local governments in the country. 

The Federal Government, putting 

up a facade of defending local 

governments, rolled out new 

guidelines on their expenditure, 

including a maximum daily 

N500,000 cash withdrawal. 

The Federal Government knows 

that local governments are serially 

raped by state governors who do not 

allow them to run as a different tier 

of government, but looks the other 

way. This is partly because all 

political parties, whether ruling or 

in opposition, are involved in the 

racket. Since our return to civil rule 

- it is indeed a rule, not 

administration - the only time I recall 

the Federal Government intervened, 

was its seizure of the local 

government funds of Lagos State. 

That was under President Olusegun 

Obasanjo; it was a purely vindictive 

and punitive move. 

The Executive Governors who 

have practically killed the system are 

shamelessly quoting the 

constitutional provisions which in a 

cavalier manner, they constantly 

violate. This includes seizing, 

disbursing and spending the funds 

accruing to local governments. 

Governors rape the local 

government system crudely and 

shamelessly, like the police in Abuja 

who were accused of raping 

commercial sex workers openly at 

the police stations using discarded 

pure water sachets as condoms. They 

dissolve local government executives 

at will, reconstitute them when they 

feel like, impose ‘Caretaker 

Committees’; and when they 

remember they are supposed to be 

democrats, conduct mainly sham 

elections that only the ruling party 

in each state wins. Where in error a 

candidate from the opposition gets 

elected as a local government 

chairman as happened in Oyo State, 

he may not be sworn in. 

Just as they are violated, so do the 

local governments rape the citizenry. 

To most Nigerians, local 

governments are unaccountable tax 

collectors who terrorise market 

people, commercial drivers and 

street vendors. The local government 

chairmen, councillors and 

traditional rulers in their area of 

jurisdiction, share what is left of the 

monthly allocation passed down by 

state governors. 

Even when some primary schools 

bear the name Local Education 

Authority which presupposes that 

they are run by local governments, 

neither the pupils nor their parents 

associate that level of education with 

that tier of government. Even the 

teachers do not hold allegiance to 

the local governments which are 

nominally their employers. Partly to 

ensure absolute control, and the fact 

that in the past, local government 

authorities looted the salaries of 

teachers, it is the state governments 

that are seen to pay teachers' salaries 

at that level. 

It is not uncommon to find thugs 

and street urchins hired by local 

governments and backed by the 

police and Civil Defence Corps 

members on the highway. This 

ragtag army carry planks with long 

nails with which they puncture tyres 

of motorists who fail to stop when 

flagged down, and sticks with which 

The local 

government system 

is a fraudulent 

contraption by 

military regimes 

who created them 

without principles 

or known criteria 

they can break windscreens. They 

claim to be ‘task force’ collecting 

‘advertisement fees.’ Sometimes, like 

I witnessed in Edo State last Tuesday, 

these thugs who are ready to become 

violent within seconds, are 

complemented by ‘mobile courts’ 

before which helpless and 

undefended motorists are dragged 

and sentenced for alleged violation 

of laws. 

The selected targets are usually 

travellers who need to move on 

quickly or delivery trucks that cannot 

afford to be impounded. So nobody 

sues, and the rape by the local 

governments simply go on. Involved 

in this brazen violation of the 

citizenry are the combined forces of 

the local governments desperate to 

milk the people for money, the states 

that use the judiciary to establish 

contraptions called ‘mobile courts’ 

and who also supply the magistrates, 

and the Federal Government that 

provides the enforcers called police 

and Civil Defence Corps. 

The local government system 

which, with the connivance of the 

state governments, local politicians 

and traditional rulers, rape the local 

people, is also an instrument used 

monthly to raid the federation 

accounts in the name of allocation; 

the loot is then unevenly shared. The 

sharing formula is such that Bayelsa 

State that produces the bulk of the 

resources gets eight portions, and 

Kano State that contributes very little, 

gets 44 portions. 

There is no doubt that local 

administration is needed to cater for 

the needs of local communities; but 

the local government system is a 

fraudulent contraption by military 

regimes who created them without 

principles or known criteria. The 

military is hierarchical and if you 

had power or influence during the 

military regimes, you could allocate 

a local government to yourself or get 

one as your own share. Let us analyse 

our recent history. In the 1991 and 

2006 census exercises, Lagos and 

Kano states were virtually at par, yet 

the former has 20 local governments 

and Kano, 44. 

Both census exercises gave Jigawa 

State a population less than half that 

of Lagos State, yet it has 27 local 

governments compared to the 20 in 

Lagos State. This means that old 

Kano State (now Jigawa and Kano 

states) which was created along with 

Lagos State based on parity of states, 

now has 71 local governments 

compared to Lagos with 20. So what 

equality or fairness can be achieved 

in using the number of local 

governments as a means of sharing 

the federal revenue? 

The local governments from 

conception to establishment, violate 

the preamble of the Constitution 

which states that its principles are 

built on: “Freedom, Equality and 

Justice, and for the purpose of 

consolidating the unity of our 

people.” Local governments were not 

created in freedom, are built on 

inequality and are, therefore, unjust. 

Rather than consolidating unity, the 

local government system as is 

presently constituted, creates 

disharmony. 

Rather than engage in sterile 

debates, the solution is to run the 

country on the basis of Section 2(2) 

which states unambiguously that: 

“Nigeria shall be a Federation 

consisting of States and a Federal 

Capital Territory.” If we accept this 

basic constitutional provision of 

what constitutes Nigeria, then it 

means that the current militaryimposed 

local governments will go, 

and each state will be free to create 

any number of local governments it 

chooses provided they are purely 

internal matters and that it funds 

them. 

For instance, Lagos State has cried 

for over two decades now that the 20 

local governments allocated to it are 

inadequate given the fact that it has 

a mega city of 18 million people. The 

same for oil-rich Bayelsa State which 

is allocated a miserly eight local 

governments over difficult watery 

terrain and oil-polluted lands. So in 

true freedom, the state can decide to 

double or triple its number of local 

governments. On the other hand, if 

Kano State chooses, it can maintain, 

increase or reduce its local 

governments to a number it can 

afford based on its revenue 

allocation and its Internally 

Generated Revenue. 

Edwin Clark: Portrait of a statesman at 92 

By Prince Akpo Abugo 

WE cannot describe Chief Edwin 

Kiagbodo Clark in one episode. Like 

the divided opinion of the blind who touched 

different parts of the elephant, many 

similarly describe him in several ways, their 

divergent views representing the many parts 

in him. 

In the Niger-Delta, every ethnic group 

regards Clark as a leader, a fearless crusader, 

educationist, philanthropist, legal luminary, 

conscience of the South-South, a politician 

with track records of service and a national 

colossus whose sense of unity is anchored on 

true federalism. He is also viewed as an anticorruption 

crusader who prefers justice to 

compromise; and that is why he abhors 

injustice against minorities in Nigeria. 

May 25, 2019 was his birthday. He is a 

cult hero, a reincarnated Chief Bekederemo 

of blessed memory in his native Delta State. 

Bekederemo was his great grandfather, a 

wealthy merchant who took up battles on 

behalf of the poor; he reduced prices of 

commodities and had several conflicts with 

Chief Dore Numa. 

Bekederemo had a steam ship, and 

according to the National Archives, “built a 

palace that is as big and comparable to the 

palace of the Oba of Benin.” That edifice is 

still standing today. Clark’s grandfather, 

Fuludu Bekederemo, was also a man of 

substance, a warrant chief, a politician of 

note who attended the Western Region Chief’s 

Conference of 1941 in Ibadan. 

Fuludu Bekederemo gave birth to Chief 

Clark Fuludu, father of Edwin Clark. He 

became a wealthy merchant who traded in 

several coastal cities in the tradition of 

family business, and was involved in 

community service and politics as councillor. 

He rose to be a customary court judge of 

appeal in Bomadi. Chief Clark Fuludu 

understood early the importance of 

educating his children; he saw tomorrow 

and invested in their education. He instilled 

in them the tradition of public service he 

inherited from his forebears. The result is 

what we see today in the larger family. Edwin 

Clark was groomed for leadership through 

education and mastery of Ijaw language 

and culture, and was sent to Okrika. The 

name Edwin was given to him by his teacher, 

Thompson Okitikpi. 

Edwin started political activism early; he 

was a councillor in his community, as was 

his father, Chief Clark Fuludu. While at 

home, the bond between father and son was 

strong but in service, public interest 

prevailed above family ties. That was why 

father and son could disagree on matters of 

policy. Edwin Clark was a teacher and 

became headmaster before travelling to the 

United Kingdom to study law. A member of 

NCNC in the UK, he was elected Secretary 

of the Zikist Movement. As a lawyer, he 

offered his services for the emancipation of 

Ijaw people and succeeded. 

He used law as tool for emancipation 

rather than source of wealth acquisition. The 

1966 coup that killed Northern leaders was 

a turning point for Edwin Clark; the killings 

and their aftermath were shocking and he 

condemned the celebration of the death of 

Sardauna of Sokoto by some Igbos, 

describing it as unfortunate. He also 

condemned the pogrom that was the 

consequence of the coup. As the crisis 

escalated, Clark was among the few who 

called for national understanding in 

averting war. Though Clark admitted the 

Igbo aggravated the situation, he equally 

condemned Northern soldiers' killing of 

Igbos. 

Col. Ogbemudia appointed him 

Commissioner of Education, but when the 

cabinet was later reshuffled, Clark became 

Commissioner for Finance and 

Establishment. He continued his selfless 

services, giving scholarships and building 

new secondary schools to open Ijaw 

hinterlands. He gave Ijaw girls interested in 

education scholarship; Ijaw in higher 

institutions enjoyed same gesture. Clark was 

among the team that championed creation 

of the higher institution that metamorphosed 

into the University of Benin when all efforts 

to affiliate the new institution to the 

University of Ibadan, University of Ife and 

others failed. 

He embarked on foreign trips for 

recognition, visited Stanford University, 

California, U.S.A. to recruit lecturers and 

went on students recruitment drive, after 

which he was eventually appointed prochancellor 

of the institution. 

Edwin Clark used law as 

tool for emancipation rather 

than source of wealth 

acquisition 

Clark’s performance under Ogbemudia 

was widely acknowledged; his bonding with 

people and appreciation expressed by them 

led General Yakubu Gowon to invite him to 

join his government. This was while he was 

still serving as Commissioner of Finance 

under Ogbemudia. Clark took over from 

Anthony Enahoro, and held this position 

until the coup that toppled Gen. Gowon. In 

the Second Republic, Clark, a member of 

the National Party of Nigeria, NPN, 

supported Shehu Shagari’s presidential bid 

and was appointed pro-chancellor and 

chairman of council, University of Minna. 

He was also elected Senator of Bendel South. 

Clark speaks truth to power, especially 

political leaders who pilfer state resources. 

He is respected by restive youths because of 

his track records. Leadership of ethnic 

groups in the region defer to him because 

he bears the burden of the people. In 2005, 

President Olusegun Obasanjo convened a 

political reform conference with each state 

producing six delegates. Under the 

prompting of the late Governor Diepreye 

Alamieyeseigha of Bayelsa, the delegates 

from the Niger-Delta nominated Edwin 

Clark as South-South leader. Under his 

leadership, they rejected the 18 per cent 

derivation and argued for 25 per cent. But 

when others refused, Clark led the boycott 

that was tagged First walk out. In President 

Goodluck Jonathan’s conference, Clark was 

made automatic leader of the South-South 

and he tirelessly worked for the success of 

that conference. 

Clark has fought many battles. When Rivers 

State was engulfed in cult crisis, he called for 

a state of emergency, alleging that most 

political leaders in the state were sponsors. 

In Delta, his home state, he single- handedly 

fought ex-governor James Ibori's adversaries 

over the ex-convict saga but later fell out with 

him. He similarly fought other political leaders 

over corruption allegations because to him, 

“corruption is an evil that must be crushed.” 

Clark also criticised Northern leaders' 

insensitivity to the plight of their people 

despite years in power. He frowns at the 

Almajiri system and the poverty in the north 

which he attributes to poor leadership. 

His struggles reflect the story of the founding 

fathers of Nigeria who recognised our diversity 

in cultures and gave a federal constitution that 

gives each section space to develop at its own 

pace. 

The Edwin Clark University Kiagbodo 

which he founded is a legacy of service and 

dedication which define his personality. 

Clark’s life is a book, a history of dedication. 

He is an enigma still unfolding. We wish him 

good health on his birthday. 

•Abugo, a social analyst, wrote from Uzere, 

Delta State. 

C 

M 

Y 

K


Ihedioha: From the Green 

Chamber to Douglas House 

By Hon. Victor Afam 

Ogene 

WHEN the Imo state 

electorate chose the Rt. 

Hon. Emeka Ihedioha as their 

next governor, at the last election, 

it was a bold statement 

anchored on an informed 

judgement. Their action was 

a clear message that “leadership 

is a serious business that 

is sustained by trust and evaluated 

by its level of responsibility 

and responsiveness.” 

That apparently was the verdict 

that ensured that the people 

openly rejected Uche Nwosu, 

the son in-law of the outgoing 

governor, Rochas Okorocha, 

who he had presented as 

his preferred candidate, on account 

of the perceived recklessness 

of the administration 

and its apparent disconnect 

from the people. 

The election presented the 

needed platform for self examination 

in retrospect, for the 

people of the state, over the 

mandate they had given to the 

governor in the past. And in 

what could be likened to a referendum, 

they spoke in unison 

about the path they desire 

the state to travel, going forward, 

especially as they were 

obviously dissatisfied with 

how the affairs of the state was 

managed by Governor Okorocha, 

in the past eight years. 

A nod for a new order 

And their collective resolve 

was a nod for a new order. 

New vision. New direction, 

inspired by the belief that Imo 

state deserves better. And that 

with a more responsible leadership 

that would make the 

interest and wellbeing of the 

people the overriding priority 

of government, Imo would, in 

no distant time, regain its 

pride of place in the nation. 

Urbane, savvy, articulate 

and astute, Ihedioha presents 

a fresh hope for this collective 

desire for fresh reinvention, 

reinvigoration and re-engineering 

of the creative energy 

of the state that would engender 

development, prosperity 

and progress in the state. 

The choice of Ihedioha, the 

candidate of the Peoples Democratic 

Party (PDP), therefore, 

was a consensus endorsement 

for quality leadership, 

doggedness, loyalty, creativity, 

and perseverance. It was a 

vote for a man whose aspiration 

came with years of strategic 

networking and preparedness 

for leadership. And given 

his well-known antecedent as 

a trust bearer, Ihedioha’s fidelity 

to genuinely be of service 

to ndi Imo cannot be of any 

doubt. 

The nod given to Ihedioha 

to pilot the affairs of the state, 

however, didn’t come on a platter. 

He worked hard and triumphed 

over 60 formidable 

opponents from other 

political parties and persuasions, 

which included a former 

governor, former ranking senators, 

boardroom titans, 

businessmen and even the clergy 

Ṁany commentators have, 

therefore, posited that all eyes 

would be on Ihedioha and Imo 

state, especially as the pre election 

controversies that engulfed 

the state and the controversial 

public image of his 

predecessor have combined to 

turn Imo into a state of interest 

in national political dis- 

*Emeka Ihedioha 

Ihedioha presents 

a fresh hope 

for this collective 

desire for fresh 

reinvention, reinvigoration 

and reengineering 

of 

the creative energy 

of the state 

course. 

Notedly, Ihedioha is not unaware 

of this unpleasant narrative. 

He understands, 

through his training and practice 

as a veteran journalist, 

frontline legislator and former 

Deputy Speaker, House of the 

Representatives, that this 

mandate comes with big responsibilities 

and very high 

expectations. 

In doing that he assured 

that his administration 

would consult widely and 

work as a team as he disclosed 

that in the course of the campaign, 

“we promised good 

governance while stimulating 

development in all sectors and 

across all the zones of our dear 

state.” 

And because of the urgency 

to turn around the fortunes of 

the state, the passion, apprehension 

and interest of many 

Imo indigenes to see that the 

pitfalls of the past were avoided, 

have become very palpable. 

I think I am in agreement 

with one of such Imo sons, Obi 

Nwakanma, who had proposed 

in an open letter to Ihedioha 

thus: “I think that irrespective 

of what your technical 

committee provides for 

you, you already have some 

distinguished templates from 

which to design your programs. 

I think you must borrow 

and hybridize five playbooks 

– Azikiwe’s “Eastern Nigerian 

Economic Development 

and Reconstruction 

plan, 1954-1964” which was 

fully implemented by Dr. Okpara, 

for its visionary impetus, 

the Ojukwu War Action 

plan authored by Dr. Pius 

Okigbo, which turned the East 

into a vast workshop, the Ukpabi 

Asika postwar Reconstruction 

program, with its 

bold economic and social initiatives, 

and the Imo state 

Economic Development plan 

of the Mbakwe administration. 

These plans, with a few 

contemporary tweaks, are still 

profoundly brilliant, farreaching 

and relevant.” 

It is imperative to note that 

any meaningful future programmes 

and projections 

could benefit from the values 

and wisdoms of history, as 

Nwakanma, has suggested. 

The late Dr. Sam Mbakwe, for 

instance, remains a positive 

reference point in administrative 

acumen, leadership and 

development foresight, in the 

recent history of Imo state. 

In fact, it was documented 

that “At creation in 1976, Imo 

was completely bare and bereft 

of infrastructure, on account 

of the 1967 – 1970 Civil 

War, which affected most communities 

in the old Eastern 

Region. But with Mbakwe’s 

election in 1979, in a period 

of four years, the state had outpaced 

even the older counterparts, 

including those that did 

not witness the war in terms of 

development. That deployment 

of energy and exhibition 

of committed leadership in 

piloting the affairs of the state 

by Mbakwe, is still celebrated 

by the people, years after 

his demise. That has also 

formed the benchmark for assessing 

successive administrations 

in the state.” 

Beyond fashioning a suitable 

economic template that 

take Imo state out of the 

woods, this is the time, Your 

Excellency, to deploy your 

leadership skills and talent to 

unite, mobilize and galvanize 

the good people of Imo state 

for the good of the state. 

It is already a consensus 

among the people that Imo 

needs healing. There is an urgent 

need to rebuild trust 

among the people, for them 

to have faith in your leadership. 

This trust building must 

begin with consultations and 

listening to the people in order 

to appreciate their unique 

challenges, wishes and aspirations 

which will in turn 

guide the policy thrust of your 

government. 

Sense of belonging and 

working for their common 

good 

By carrying the people along, 

giving them sense of belonging 

and working for their common 

good, you will be strengthening 

their belief in democracy and 

its uplifting principles that 

make the people the bedrock 

of democratic practice. 

Let fairness, justice and equity 

shape your leadership ethos. 

But I don’t have any iota of 

doubt that you will make your 

people proud, as your time in 

the leadership of the House of 

Representatives have sufficiently 

prepared you for the task 

ahead, the same way it prepared 

your good friend, Governor 

Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, 

former Speaker of the House, 

in taking Sokoto state to a path 

of sustainable development. 

So, my dear brother, boss and 

former colleague, I urge you to 

roll up your sleeve, and get to 

work, because the task ahead, 

going forward, calls for total 

commitment, focus, courage 

and dynamism, that will have 

no room for distractions that 

may arise from avoidable bickering, 

rancour and other inanities 

of politics. 

Widely hailed as Igwe during 

his time as deputy speaker, 

Ihedioha is instructively, not associated 

with the traditional red 

cap which defines royalty; instead, 

he adorns the Green cap, 

which symbolises vegetation 

and regeneration. 

Therefore, as he mounts the 

saddle on Wednesday, May 

29, 2019 as Governor - with 

his traditional green cap 

perched on his head - Imolites 

can be rest assured that the 

urgent task of Rebuilding Imo 

has started in earnest! 

C 

M 

Y 

K

& Vision Multimedia Limited was 

entitled to seek the licenses, and 

he added further, that Malam 

Modibbo Kawu was removed 

from everything related to the 

company, from the moment that 

he was appointed the Director 

General of the National Broadcasting 

Commission. What I discovered 

further, was that licenses 

issued by the President are actually 

provisional and they translate 

to nothing, until they have 

been paid for, and the NBC’s 

Engineering Directorate issues 

the frequencies for transmission. 

So the question to ask is simple. 

Why have the windbags of 

CACOBAG gone to town with 

their allegation about “license 

racketeering” at the National 

Broadcasting Commission? The 

reason appears very clearly. The 

sponsors of the ICPC trial-bymedia, 

against Malam Modibbo 

Kawu and Pinnacle Communications 

Limited, as well as the 

arraignment in court, have seen 

the way that their case is crumbling 

under cross examination. 

It is looking like the court route 

is not going to earn them the 

prize of removal of Malam Modibbo 

Kawu from his position as 

Director General of the National 

Broadcasting Commission. 

So they have chosen to go 

through a different route. There 

are so many “For Hire”, unemployed 

scum bags in the urban 

centers of Nigeria today, who 

call themselves “civil society 

activists”. 

The Lagos political machinery 

that is desperately seeking the 

ouster of Malam Modibbo Kawu 

as DG of the NBC, so that they 

can implant one of their own, 

as part of the systematic takeover 

of all strategic Federal institutions, 

controls and funds 

many of these so-called “civil society” 

groups; the windbags of 

CACOBAG belong to the Lagos 

political rabble that believes it 

must destroy everyone that is in 

the way of their inordinate ambition 

to takeover every strategic 

institution in Nigeria. They 

work with other blindly ambitious 

individuals inside the 

NBC; these are the ones who 

release NBC documents, for the 

ridiculous purposes, such as has 

been done by the windbags of 

CACOBAG . But in this, their 

inordinate agenda, they will also 

fail. The Lagos political group 

does not own Nigeria. It cannot 

use blackmail and dirty politics 

to hound decent, hardworking 

Nigerians from genuine service 

to our country. They cannot be 

allowed to malign the characters 

of patriots genuinely serving 

Nigeria. Neither the windbags 

of CACOBAG nor their 

sponsors in the Lagos political 

machinery, will be allowed to 

destroy the character of Malam 

Modibbo Kawu, just because 

they want this former Commissioner 

to be forcibly implanted 

as DG of the NBC. There was 

nothing like a “license racketeering” 

at the NBC, as alleged 

by the hired guns of CACO- 

BAG. It is a futile attempt at creating 

a cheap scandal that has 

no basis, but which is the manner 

the Lagos political machinery 

has always operated. Nigerians 

have now seen through 

their evil plans against an innocent 

patriot, Malam Modibbo 

Kawu. Their plot will not succeed. 

The Holy Qur’an in Suratul 

Al-Anfal (8:30) said: 

“...they plot and plan, and Allah 

too plans, and Allah is the 

Best of planners”. 

Abubakar Mahmoud Ahmed, 

retired Journalist; Public Affairs 

Consultant and Hadith Scholar, 

lives in Kurmi Mashi, Kaduna.




Queen 

Moremi 

flags off 

Books & 

Music 

Festival 

Pg 37


OSA MBONU-AMADI 

08070524223 

osaamadi@yahoo.com 

Queen Moremi 

flags off Books & 

Music Festival on 

Children’s Day 

By Chinasa Afigbo 

Miss Toluhi Oreoluwa 

Adedamola, the 

reigning Queen Moremi 

Ajasoro is scheduled to flag off 

her Books & Music Festival 

initiative with students of 

Queen’s Model School, 

Enugu, on Children’s Day, 

tomorrow May 27, 2019. 

The initiative which will 

involve special book reading 

with school children of 

Queen’s Model School, 50 

One Day Road, Awkunanaw, 

Enugu, has as slogan: 

Reading Maketh a Woman. 

From Enugu, in South-East 

Nigeria, the queen’s book 

reading project will move to 

the northern part of the 

country. 

The reading project is a 

result of collaboration between 

Save Our Children’s Tomorrow 

Foundation and Queen 

Moremi Ajasoro Initiative. 

Miss Toluhi Oreoluwa 

Adedamola, former make-up 

artist, model and a 300-level 

English language student of 

the Obafemi Awolowo 

University, OAU, defeated 

other 21 finalists, at the 

grand finale of the contest, 

held last year in Abeokuta, 

the Ogun State capital, to 

emerge winner of the 2018 

edition of the Queen 

Moremi Ajasoro, QMA 

beauty pageant. 

The book, Toluhi, Queen 

Moremi Ajasoro will be 

reading is titled: The 

Legendary Moremi Ajasoro. 

According to Adedamola: 

“I am going there to read 

the book with the children 

so that they can know how 

powerful Queen Moremi is 

in the Yoruba culture. We will 

move from school to school 

in the states. For now, we 

have Enugu. From there, we 

are moving to Kwara, Osun, 

Abeokuta, and then Lagos.” 

She said the book is 

majorly on the history of 

Moremi which depicts 

leadership. “It will teach 

children how strong they can 

be and how vast an 

opportunity they have to do 

whatever they want to do. She 

said the book is mainly for 

secondary schools. The 

reading, she said, is going to 

NICO identifies culture as effective tool for 

foreign relations 

By Chinasa Afigbo 

A 

nation is identified by its 

culture. Culture, therefore, 

holds the key to understanding 

the behavioral pattern of the 

people that make up a country. 

Culture plays a vital role in 

foreign relations. It also means 

that culture can be a tool for 

diplomacy and marketing of a 

country, rather than through the 

force of imperialism or 

colonialism. 

Because culture is critical to a 

country's external relations and 

works to win the hearts and minds 

of others by attracting them 

through cultural activities, the 

National Institute for Cultural 

Orientation, NICO, hosted its 

quarterly public lecture titled: 

Culture as an effective tool for 

foreign relations. The lecture was 

held recently at the Nigerian 

Institute of International Affairs, 

NIIA, Lagos. 

During the event, former Foreign 

Affairs Minister, General Ike 

Nwachukwu (rtd) conceptualised 

culture as a critical element in the 

socio-economic development of 

Nigeria. He said no nation thrives 

above its culture. Hence, Nigeria 

must make effective use of its 

culture for development. 

General Nwachukwu went on to 

implore the Federal Government 

to allow the Foreign Affairs 

Ministry to coordinate the nation's 

cultural diplomacy policies, not 

any other ministry. "This would 

allow for effective harmonisation 

of cultural elements for the 

promotion of national 

development as well as foreign 

relations," he said. 

The acting Executive Secretary, 

NICO, Louis Eriomala in his 

welcome address said culture is 

•General Ike Nwachukwu (rtd), cutting the tape during the event 

beyond the way we see it. It is our 

existence and heritage, greater 

than all the mineral resources of 

a nation put together. "Culture can 

be positively deployed on our 

foreign relations to create 

understanding, promote our 

national heritage; and market the 

Nigerian brand," he said. 

The guest lecturer, Dr 

Sharkdam Wapmuk, Senior 

Research Fellow, NIIA, explained 

that foreign relations can be 

enhanced through various means 

like sports. "We should not only 

promote foreign sports such as 

football, boxing, and others. 

Nigeria needs to harness, develop 

and promote to international 

levels its local sports and games, 

Nigerian cuisines, cultural 

tourism, festivals, Nigerian films, 

music such as Fuji, Highlife, Goge, 

Afrobeat and others. Others, such 

•Miss Toluhi Oreoluwa Adedamola, 2018 Queen Moremi 

as dances and literature are 

cultural agents. The different, but 

collective Nigerian dress styles 

can also be used by the Diasporas 

to promote the rich and diverse 

Nigerian culture abroad." 

The chairman of the occasion, 

Otunba Olusegun Akinsanya, 

former Nigerian Ambassador to 

Ethiopia said: "The conduct of 

foreign relations of any country, 

big or small, rich or poor, is guided 

principally by national interest, 

which is the totality of the 

political, economic, sociocultural, 

particularistic or 

collective group interest 

formulated into a framework that 

has guided Nigerian foreign 

policy since independence." 

Generally, the public lecture 

emphasized culture as promoting 

Nigerian foreign relations 

through sports, cultural festivals, 

be combined with music and 

other forms of interactions 

with the children. 

music and dance, films and 

culinary diplomacy. 

The event was wrapped up with 

an exhibition of the 

aforementioned cultural tools 

such as Aso Oke, Adire; cuisines - 

Abacha, Amala and Ewedu, art 

and crafts, etc. 

Among the distinguished 

personalities who attended the 

event were acting Director- 

General, CBAAC, Mrs. Ndidi 

Aimienmwawu, representing the 

Minister of Information and 

Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; 

Mrs. Titilayo Solarin, 

representing the Deputy 

Governor of Lagos; Abiola 

Dosunmu, the Erelu of Lagos; 

Prof. Duro Oni; Prof. Akin 

Oyebode; and Victoria Agodo, 

pioneer Executive Secretary, 

NICO. 

Story 

Theatre 

celebrates 

children’s 

Day with 

Adio the 

Musical 

By Prisca Sam-Duru 

Beginning from Friday 

24th May 2019, Story- 

Theatre with Grandma Wura, 

a musical theatrical 

experience that showcases 

the rich culture of Nigeria in 

dance, music, drama and 

mime, complemented by 

spectacular lighting and 

colourful costumes, will be 

celebrating children with Adio 

The Musical. 

This year’s edition of Story 

Theatre with Grandma Wura 

features the story of Adio The 

Musical, a rich theatrical 

piece written, directed and 

produced by Bola Edwards, 

and songs written by Patrick 

Edwards. The four-day 

performances will open on 

Friday, May 24, and end with 

a special performance on 

Monday, May 27, Children’s 

Day, at Terra Kulture, Victoria 

Island, Lagos. 

“This year, we worked with 

physically challenged 

children from Pacelli School 

for the Blind in Lagos just to 

emphasise the importance of 

gifts and talents despite any 

challenges we face. It is a 

family show as well as 

schools, corporate 

organisations and the entire 

society,” said Patrick. 

“We intend to tour with 

this story to begin to engage 

society about leadership 

issues by starting a 

conversation that a great 

leader starts with the heart.” 

Mrs. Edward explained 

that Grandma Wura is a 

character that Proud African 

Root created to push the 

Back2MyRoot project. “Story 


combines all elements of 

Grandma Wura’s mission of 

raising a new generation of 

leaders through her school 

tours, contents, events and 

other activities into a single 

unforgettable theatrical 

experience. 

“An audience of over 2000 

in total is expected to be in 

attendance which includes 

schools, families, religious 

worship groups and 

government officials as well 

as celebrities from various 

walks of life,” she said. 

She added that Story 


brings together seasoned 

professionals in acting and 

theatrical production as well 

as discover and develop child 

actors.

38 — Vanguard, MONDAY, MAY 27, 2019

YOUR LUCK TODAY 

By Joshua Adeyemo Phone 08056180139 

GEMINI; 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. 

CANCER; Serious thought may be given 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 

LEO; 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? 

L E I S U R E 

TAKE HEART — ELLA RANDLE 

“ Focus on what you want, not what you’re not getting.”-Corinne 

Valentine - 

Instead of focusing on the problems, give your attention and 

energy to trust, love, abundance , wisdom , patience and peace. 

Every single day, try to give in some way to everyone you 

meet. Give a smile, a compliment, kind words or kind actions, 

always give joy! Do your best to make sure that others have a 

better day because of your act of kindness. 

Ella Randle 


SAYINGS OF 

OUR PEOPLE 

Milk and honey 

have different 

colors, but 

they share the 

same house 

peacefully. ~ 

African proverb 

VIRGO ; 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, you’ll succeed.. Entertain no fear, and take 

advantage of your sex-appeal for love. 

LIBRA;The Moon’s placement highlights your Solar 

second house of money which is good but, if you 

try to buy true love with money, you’ll be disappointed 

SCORPIO; You are more confident and with new supports 

from the powers-that-be, it’s like you are now 

un-stop-able. But be cautious, especially with the veterans 

within your base of operation 

SAGITTARIUS; Tomorrow is your better day. But 

you will today need to do away with non-productive 

argument and/or agreement. Try to be more diplomatic 

now. 

CAPRICORN 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. 

AQUARIUS; If you take to aggression, your ego 

would be deflated by your superior colleagues, but your 

being co-operative in a civilized way’ll prevent 

trouble 

PISCES; 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 

ARIES; 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. 

TAURUS;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. 

ASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLING 

ASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLING 

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

trological 

Counselling, P.M.B 100 

007, 7, Apapa, Lagos 

TERROR MUDA in “Never say goodbye” 

DUDU in “ROLLING HOT” By A.O. OLAIDE 

By Kola Fayemi 

BASIC CHARACTERISTICS OF SAGITTARIUS 

Sagittarius is a mutable sign by its quality. It ‘s element 

is fire, symbolised by half horse half man and/or an Archer 

aiming at the sky. Mutable means changes and 

experimentation, while fire is all about enthusiasm, taking 

of the initiative and leadership ability. Thus, you are 

the type that will exhibit strong interest in an important 

project that catches your fancy and you will not mind to 

experiment with ideas just to achieve your objectives 

and aims. Sagittarius is 9th of the twelve Zodiac signs 

that rules philosophy, RELIGION, law, foreign land, 

higher mind/higher institutions, lawyer, long (distance) 

travelling, in-laws, future, optimism and bluntness. 

Major problem or weak points of Sagittarians are excessive 

openness/bluntness and sometimes fanatical 

approach to religion. 

Being a born adventurer, you are not afraid of exploration 

and new beginning. Sagittarians are incurable optimists 

and ever ready to listen to and eager to believe 

others. Honesty is truly in your inner self You are a tolerant 

person but you are not ready to compromise your 

FREEDOM 

Sagittarius as a fire sign can make you a quick tempered 

person. Half horse half man as the symbol, of 

Sagittarius indicates dual (double) personalities known 

in different circles with different personalities. Yet, you 

are not a pretender. As the Archer aims arrow into the 

sky so also Sagittarians have many lofty ideas and ambitions. 

But sometimes their ideas and/or ideals are not 

practical enough for realisation. Many times, they start 

too many things at the same time only to .either forget 

or lose view of their original target. 

Development of practical approach is more important 

for Sagittarians this is in order to make success of many 

of their brilliant ideas, otherwise they tend to become 

dreamers. 

In reality, Sagittarians are dreamers (by this 1 mean 

real dream many use to have at night when sleeping) 

and many of their dreams usually come to pass. Sometimes 

their dreams are vividly prophetic. 

Sagittarians are born philosophers. That is why they 

have well developed minds indispensable to rare wisdom, 

Then, they are humorous, lively, sports loving out 

going, energetic, good hearted, in love with change/experimentation, 

ever willing to co-operate, socially inclined, 

enthusiastic and highly intelligent. Ironically as 

intelligent as they are, they can surprisingly appear fanatical 

about their convinction and/or views. 

VIRGINIA 

HOME & ABROAD 

dadadekola@yahoo.com 

By Lawrence Akapa


Le Pen beats Macron in France as 

nationalists gain in EU poll 

MARINE Le Pen’s farright 

party edged 

just ahead of the centrist alliance 

of President Emmanuel 

Macron in exit polls as 

French voters led what pollsters 

expected to be a nationalist 

surge in an EU parliament 

election on Sunday. 

The defeat for the president 

was narrow amid a sharply 

increased turnout that was 

matched across the continent 

in what Brussels is portraying 

as a positive sign, in spite 

of gains for anti-EU groups. 

Le Pen’s National Rally 

would get just one more seat 

than Macron’s En Marche, 

with 24 of France’s 74 in the 

European Parliament, the 

exit poll showed. 

But it was a bitter blow for 

those who hope the French 

leader can inspire Europeans 

to embrace the Union as 

an answer rather than as part 

of the problem in the face of 

social change that has bewildered 

and frustrated some 

voters. 

Macron’s office immediately 

put out a statement calling 

the performance — 

22.5% for En Marche against 

24.3% for the party of the 

woman he beat to the presidency 

, disappointing but 

no disaster. And it noted 

that pro-EU parties were in 

the majority. 

The French Greens also 

did well, coming third in a 

crowded field, to add to the 

dazzling second place of 

their German counterparts, 

lending further credibility to 

expectations of a “green 

wave” that will influence 

policy in the coming years. 

The European Parliament 

has said that this year’s election 

will be the highest in at 

least 20 years at 51%, according 

to preliminary results. 

That’s based on 27 EU 

countries, which excludes 

the UK. Pending on the 

UK’s turnout, the turnout 

could be between 49-52%. 

Ireland’s Green Party has 

also made big gains this 

year, according to estimates 

provided by the EU. They 

party is set to take the first 

seats it’s held in the EU parliament 

in 20 years. 

Meanwhile, Taoisearch 

Leo Varadkar’s Fine Gael 

Party (FG) is leading estimates 

with 29% of votes — 

which is double the amount 

of support that any other 

party has received. 

US-IRAN TENSION: Iraq vows to stand by Iran 

*Sentences French ISIS members to death 

IRAQ’s leaders have 

vowed to stand with 

Iran after the United 

States ramped up its rhetoric 

against what it calls the 

Iranian threat. 

Foreign Minister Mohamed 

Ali al-Hakim made 

the pledge following talks 

with his Iranian counterpart. 

Iran and Iraq have close 

ties through trade, culture 

and religion. But Iraq relies 

on US to combat the threat 

of ISIL. 

This came as three Frenchmen 

were sentenced to death 

by an Iraqi court after being 

found guilty of joining the 

Islamic State (ISIS) militant 

German Jews warned not to wear 

kippas after rise in anti-Semitism 

THE German govern 

ment’s anti-Semitism 

commissioner has urged 

Jews to avoid wearing skullcaps 

in public. 

Felix Klein warned Jews 

against donning the kippa 

in parts of the country following 

a rise in anti-Semitism. 

He said his opinion on 

the matter had “changed 

compared with what it used 

to be”. 

Israel’s President Reuven 

Rivlin said the recommendation 

amounted to “an admittance 

that, again, Jews 

are not safe on German 

soil”. 

A sharp increase in the 

number of anti-Semitic offences 

was recorded by the 

German government last 

year. 

Official figures showed 

1,646 hate crimes against 

Jews were committed in 

2018 - an increase of 10% 

on the previous year. 

Physical attacks against 

Jews in Germany also rose 

A “yellow vest” looks on as election officials count ballots as vote counting 

starts in European parliament elections in Cambrai, France, May 26, 

2019. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol 

in the same period, with 62 

violent incidents recorded, 

up from 37 in 2017. 

Speaking to the Handelsblatt 

newspaper, Justice 

Minister Katarina Barley 

said the increase in anti- 

Semitic crimes was “shameful 

for our country”. 

“I cannot recommend to 

Jews that they wear the 

skullcap at all times everywhere 

in Germany,” he told 

the Funke newspaper 

group. 

group. 

The men - named as 

Kévin Gonot, Léonard Lopez 

and Salim Machou by 

AFP news agency - have 30 

days to appeal. 

They were among 12 

French citizens captured in 

Syria by US-backed fighters. 

In February they were 

transferred to Iraq for trial. 

The three are the first IS 

suspects from France to be 

sentenced to death. 

France has yet to react to 

Sunday’s court ruling in 

Baghdad. But when 

pressed on the issue in February, 

French President 

Emmanuel Macron declined 

to comment, saying 

it was a sovereign matter for 

Iraq. 

Human rights groups 

have heavily criticised the 

trials of suspected IS fighters 

in Iraq. Activists they 

say the courts often rely on 

circumstantial evidence or 

confessions made under 

duress. 

Gonot, 32, is from southeastern 

France. He is believed 

to have entered Syria 

through Turkey to join the 

al-Nusra Front, a branch of 

al-Qaeda, before pledging 

allegiance to IS. 

He was arrested in Syria 

with his mother, his wife, and 

his half-brother in December 

2017. A French court has 

also sentenced him in absentia 

to nine years in prison 

Ṁachou, 41, belonged to 

an IS cell composed of European 

fighters that has 

carried out attacks in Iraq 

and Syria and planned others 

in Paris and Brussels, according 

to the Centre 

d’Analyse du Terrorisme 

(CAT), a French think tank. 

Lopez, a 32-year-old from 

Paris, also travelled with his 

wife and two children to ISheld 

Mosul in northern Iraq 

before entering Syria, CAT 

quotes French investigators 

as saying. 

Forces that unite Africa are intrinsic — NEPAD CEO 

DR. Ibrahim Mayaki, 

CEO, African Union 

Development Agency-NE- 

PAD, has reiterated that the 

forces that unite Africa are 

intrinsic and greater than 

the superimposed influences 

that keep the continent 

apart. 

In a message to mark the 

Africa Day, Mayaki said the 

commemoration of Africa 

day allows Africans to celebrate 

the founding of the 

Organisation of African 

Unity (OAU) on May 25, 

1963. He said “One of the 

most prominent leaders 

behind the founding of the 

OAU, Kwame Nkrumah, 

was quoted as saying, “The 

forces that unite us are intrinsic 

and greater than the 

superimposed influences 

that keep us apart”. 

This, he said, still applies 

now under the Africa 

Union, where the focus is 

on addressing not just political 

but also the development 

and economic challenges, 

as well as creating 

current and future opportunities 

for Africa’s young 

population. 

“This year, the AU has 

decided to strengthen its 

action towards refugees and 

displaced persons in order 

to develop durable solutions 

for them, focusing on 

autonomy and resilience. 

Why Huawei’s Google woes 

worry Africa 

By Dickens Olewe 

GOOGLE’s decision to withhold its Android 

software from Huawei is being seen as the beginning 

of a technology cold war that could compel 

African countries in the future to choose between 

US and Chinese technology, analysts have told the 

BBC. 

Most Africans connecting to the internet today are 

likely to be using a Chinese smartphone, powered 

by a Chinese-built network, and at least half of the 

time, it was built by Chinese tech giant, Huawei. 

“Huawei built huge swathes of Africa’s current IT 

infrastructure and if the US is successful in crippling 

the company, the aftershocks could be very 

painful for Africa’s burgeoning tech sector that now 

relies on a company in Washington’s crosshairs,” 

Eric Olander, from the South Africa-based China 

Africa project, says. 

US President Donald Trump has been leading a 

public campaign urging American allies to cut ties 

with Huawei, saying the company’s technology, 

among other things, was a security risk because it 

allowed the Chinese government to spy. 

The company has repeatedly denied the claims. 

The US campaign could spark what Eric Schmidt, 

Google’s former CEO, predicted would be the inevitable 

bifurcation of the internet, between a “Chinese-led 

internet and a non-Chinese internet led 

by America”. 

If this happens, Africa should not take sides, Harriet 

Kariuki, a Sino-African relations specialist, told 

the BBC. 

“It’s not our battle, we should instead focus on 

what works for us,” she said. 

African countries should instead come together to 

educate people about what is at stake, and hopefully 

agree on an EU-type data protection law to protect 

African consumers, Ms Kariuki said. 

“This is probably the time Africa considers developing 

its own technologies relevant to its market 

instead of being passive consumers. I want to see 

African countries come together and push back 

against this creeping digital colonisation,” she told 

the BBC. 

While the recent concern about Huawei has been 

focused on communications networks in the West, 

there are also allegations of a previous security 

breach in Africa. 

Critics of Huawei operations point to a report in 

January 2018 in French newspaper Le Monde that 

found that the computer system at the African Union 

headquarters in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, 

which was installed by Huawei, had allegedly been 

compromised. 

The discovery found that for five years, between 

the hours of midnight and 0200, data from the AU’s 

servers was transferred more than 8,000km away - 

to servers in Shanghai. 

The allegations were denied by the African Union 

and Chinese officials. 

African governments, even those with close security 

relationships with the US, have mostly sat out 

of the debate about Huawei - and the reasons are 

obvious. 

Huawei runs a vast operation in Africa including 

being a major seller of smartphones. 

It has built most of Africa’s 4G internet network, 

Cobus van Staden, a Senior China-Africa researcher 

at the South African Institute of International Affairs, 

told the BBC. 

The CEO of Kenya’s telecom giant Safaricom Bob 

Collymore said Huawei had been a “great partner 

for many years”. 

“We would like to stick with our partners as much 

as we can, however there can be some practical difficulties 

if the embargo is on American companies 

working with Huawei because it is an interconnected 

business,” he said in a recent speech. 

The company, which opened its first office in Africa 

in 1998, is also in pole position to win contracts 

to roll out 5G network on the continent. 

The super-fast network is touted as the internet 

iteration that will power “Internet of Things” technologies, 

smart cities, autonomous vehicles, and 

more. 

“The scaling of Huawei’s presence on the continent 

has been made possible by being the first company 

to exploit the potential of the IT economy in 

Africa, and having the wherewithal to support its 

projects,” Mr Van Staden said. 

“China’s tied-aid conditions that requires African 

governments to work with Chinese companies, has 

also helped it,” he added. 

“African countries should not choose a side, in 

fact it would be interesting if during this tech cold 

war it could form a non-aligned movement that 

looks after its interests,” Mr Gagliardone said. 

His research, despite suspicion, has not found any 

evidence that China has been actively urging countries 

in Africa to adopt its censored version of the 

internet. *Culled from BBC


Okorocha asks NJC, Abuja 

CJ to ignore EFCC’s 

petition against judge 

G 

O V E R N O R 

Rochas Okorocha 

of Imo State, has urged 

chairman of the National 

Judicial Council and the 

Chief Judge of the Federal 

High Court, Abuja, to 

discountenance the petition 

by the Economic and 

Financial Crimes 

Commission, EFCC, 

against Justice Taiwo Taiwo 

for lack of merit. 

In the said petition, 

EFCC had alleged 

professional misconduct 

and abuse of judicial 

powers against the judge 

for granting an order 

enforcing Okorocha’s 

fundamental human rights. 

Okorocha, in the letter to 

the NJC Chairman and 

FHC Chief Judge, titled 

Re: EFCC Reports Justice 

Taiwo to NJC over 

Restraining Order on 

Okorocha, Saraki, stated 

that “Contrary to the 

impression being created 

by the EFCC through its 

chairman, the order 

granted by the Honourable 

Justice Taiwo was made 

pursuant to two 

fundamental human rights 

suits that I filed before the 

Court.” 

He said the move against 

him by the EFCC smacked 

of political vendetta and 

persecution, adding that 

EFCC operatives 

ransacked his house in Jos, 

Plateau State, in May 2017, 

with the hope of finding 

something incriminating 

against him but found 

nothing. 

He said that EFCC had 

also arrested almost all his 

principal staff “and in every 

case insisting that they 

must make statements to 

indict me. When they 

refused, they were kept in 

custody for two days.” 

According to Okorocha, 

the EFCC was persecuting 

him to distract, decimate 

and prevent him from being 

sworn in as a senator 

representing the people of 

Imo West senatorial district 

on June 9, 2019, when the 

9th National Assembly 

would be inaugurated. 

“My political opponents 

accused me of nursing an 

ambition to contest for the 

position of the Deputy 

Senate President. In their 

reasoning, they said the 

position will give me an 

edge to contest as President 

in 2023; so, everything must 

be done to get me out of the 

way,’’ Okorocha said. 

He stated that to shield 

himself from unwarranted 

attacks by EFCC, he 

approached the Federal 

High Court for the 

enforcement of his 


as guaranteed by the 1999 

Constitution. 

The governor said: 

“Instead of the Magu-led 

EFCC to prove its case 

before the court, having 

submitted to its jurisdiction, 

it has resorted to cheap 

blackmail, needless namecalling 

and unwarranted 

arm-twisting, all in a bid to 

achieve their sinister motive 

of decimating me by all 

means. 

“The position of the law 

that has been wellespoused 

in the case of 

Governor of Lagos State Vs. 

Ojukwu (1986) 1 NWLR 

(Pt.18) PG 621 S.C., is that 

it is an affront to the Rule of 

Law to disobey or render 

nugatory an order of court 

whether real or 

anticipatory, and in 

particular, the case equally 

states that parties who are 

before the Court must act 

within the dictates of equity 

or directions of the law and 

court until the matter is 

finally disposed.” 

He said the order granted 

by Justice Taiwo in the 


suit he initiated against the 

EFCC and others was 

appropriately given, in view 

of the facts placed before 

the court. 

Kukah Centre, int’l agency move to boost education 

we are the ones 

in Northern Nigeria partnering with others to 

implement this project,” 

•Target 3m pupils in next five years 

By Chris Ochayi 

ABUJA—Worried 

by the 

deplorable state 

of education in Northern 

Nigeria, the Kukah 

Centre, in conjunction 

with ProFuturo, an 

international educational 

foundation, has flagged 

off a programme geared 

towards reversing the 

trend. 

Director of the Kukah 

Centre, Rev. Fr. Attah 

Barkindo, who addressed 

journalists on the 

programne at the 

weekend in Abuja, said 

it was designed to 

provide digital 

classrooms for public 

primary schools across 

the region, adding that 

the tartet was to reach at 

least three million pupils 

in five years. 

He said it had nothing 

to do with the Almajiri 

but was directed at 

pupils already enrolled 

in primary schools where 

the state of teaching and 

learning facilities do not 

guarantee quality 

education. 

Barkindo disclosed that 

the digital classroom 

programme was meant 

for disadvantaged 

children who have not 

been getting the best 

quality education from 

the current system. 

He said that while the 

Kukah Centre was 

concerned about the 

growing population of 

out-of- school children in 

Enugu State Governor, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (2nd left) his wife, Monica (3rd left), and the Chief 

Judge of the State, Hon. Justice Priscilla Ngozi Emehelu (1st left) with heads of Christian denominations 

in the state, during the intercessory prayers for the governor at the pre-inauguration service, held at 

the Government House, Enugu, yesterday. 

the North, the current 

.effort was not about 

Almajiri but a way of 

refocusing attention on 

education to ensure a 

better future for Nigeria. 

“It is a digital 

classroom project for 

children across the 19 

northern states and we 

are very privileged that 

he said. 

Lead Consultant, 

ProFuturo Project, Mr 

Michael Magaji, said 

the programne was 

meant to complement 

government’s efforts in 

education service 

delivery by using new 

tools of technology, a 

curriculum similar to 

what we have in 

Nigeria. 

•Calls on NASS, anti-graft agencies to 

commence investigations 

Magaji said the Kukah 

Centre has entered into 

an agreement with the 

Northern Governors 

Forum to ensure a hitchfree 

implementation of 

the programme. 

He said: “The 

innovation in the idea is 

the use of technology to 

enhance teaching and 

learning. Hopefully that 

will encourage more 

school enrolment and 

more importantly 

improve the learning and 

teaching experiences of 

the pupils and their 

teachers respectively. 

‘’This will ultimately 

lead to better outcomes in 

terms of better quality 

performance by the 

pupils in examination 

and movement from the 

primary to secondary 

school. This is essentially 

and primarily what the 

programne seeks to 

achieve. 

SIP: Aisha Buhari’s N500bn fraud claim 

vindicates us —PDP 

By Dirisu Yakubu 

ABUJA- The 

P e o p l e s 

Democratic 

Party, PDP, yesterday said 

revelation of fraud in the 

N500 billion Social 

Investment Programme, 

SIP, by wife of the 

President, Mrs. Aisha 

Buhari, 

and the N16 billion 

Mosquito net Project of 

the Muhammadu Buhari 

administration, has 

further vindicated its 

stance that the 

administration is 

deceitful and only 

pretending to be fighting 

corruption. 

The party also noted 

that Aisha’s revelation 

has further shown that it 

(PDP) has not been 

crying wolf by insisting 

that President 

Muhammadu Buhari 

must account for the 

trillions of naira 

allegedly stolen under 

his watch in the last four 

years. 

In a statement signed 

by its spokesman, Kola 

Ologbondiyan, 

yesterday, the party 

expressed dismay at the 

development saying 

“more disheartening is 

the fact that the said 

funds were meant for the 

welfare of the poor, 

whom Mr. President had 

always claimed to 

represent 

in 

government. 

“Unfortunately, these 

poor Nigerians have 

been waiting endlessly 

for the failed social 

investments promised by 

President Buhari only to 

have their hopes dashed 

as revelations by Mrs. 

Buhari had shown that 

the money provided for 

the programme had 

been stolen. 

“The PDP holds that 

now that the truth has 

been revealed by no 

lesser Nigerian than 

Mr. President’s wife, the 

National Assembly and 

all anti corruption 

agencies should 

immediately commence 

forensic investigation on 

how these funds were 

dispensed and utilized.” 

It continued: 

“Nigerians can now see 

how the same 

administration presided 

over by ‘Mr. Integrity’ 

has been using the 

names of innocent poor 

Nigerians to loot our 

national treasury and 

fritter away billions of 

naira to finance their 

wasteful lifestyle while 

Nigerians wallow in 

abject poverty. 

“It is indeed appalling 

that the Buhari 

administration would be 

sitting on such colossal 

corruption and continues 

to thrive in evil 

concealment while 

diverting public attention 

from their rot by 

hounding innocent 

opposition figures on 

trump-up corruption 

charges. 

“The PDP had always 

maintained that no matter 

how much deceit and 

falsehood appear to 

thrive, the truth must 

prevail at the end of the 

day. 

“Our party therefore 

charges President Buhari 

to speak out on the matter 

and immediately 

commence the process of 

recovering the money 

and channeling it for the 

benefit of the poor 

Nigerians.” 

Mrs. Buhari at the 

weekend labelled the 

implementation of the 

SIP a failure in the 

northern part of the 

country.




SANUSI 

I, formerly known as Miss 

Sanusi Aderonke Ayobami, 

now wish to be known as 

Mrs. Fehintola Aderonke 

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documents remain vaild. 

General public take note. 

AJIEH 

I, formerly known as Ajieh 

Prince Chika, now wish to 

be known as Chika 

Ashiomaneadum. All former 



EMMANUEL 

I, formerly known as Stephen 

Abobo Emmanuel, now wish 

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Stephen Abobo. All former 

documents remain valid. 


AJONGBADE 

I, formerly known as 

Ajongbade Tosin Faith, 


Olaitan Oluwatosin 

Adeyinka. All former 



UBRURHE 


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former documents remain 

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note. 

OYIBO 

My name was wrongly written as 

Oyibo Sylvester, instead of Oyibo 

Ogheneriobororue Sylvester, 

which is my correct name, I now wish 

to be known as Oyibo 

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former documents remain valid. 

General public please take note. 

OPITI 


Opiti Angela Afokeoghene, 


Mrs. Afokeoghene Angela 

Umahon. Keystone bank 

PLC and general public 

please take note. 

EMOJEVWE 

I, formerly known as Mr 

Emojevwe Victor, now wish 

to be known as Mr Emojevwe 

Oghenekparobo Victor. All 


valid, any authority it may 

concern and general public to 

take note. 

NWABUAKU 


Miss Elimuyah Princess 

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known as Mrs. Ossai 

Princess Nwabuaku. All 


valid. General public please 

take note. 

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I, formerly known as Sanusi 

Waliyat Omolade, now wish 

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I, formerly known as Kayode 

Maria Omowunmi, now wish 

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I, formerly known as Miss Akra 

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Omamuli henceforth. All 

documents bearing my former 

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general public, banks and all 

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NNAMANI 


Nnamani Akuabata 

Rosemary, now wish to be 

known as Mrs Bilabi 

Rosemary. All former 



OKOLIKE 


Okolike Emilia Chekwube, 


Mrs Madu Emilia 

Chekwube. All former 



IDUDJE 

I, formerly known as Idudje 

Jerry Oghenekevwe, now 

wish to be known as Odiabo 

Jerry Oghenekevwe. All 



note. 

OGBUDHU 


Eseoghene-Aghogho 

Francisca Umolo, now wish 

to be known as Mrs. Aghogho 

Francisca Ogbudhu. All 



take note. 

OKWUKO 

I, formerly known as Mrs 

Mamah Agnes Okwuko, now 


Idoko Agnes Ada. All former 


General public please take 

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I, formerly known as Josephine 

Ukusare, now wish to be known 

as Mrs. Josephine 

Oghenekevwe Eduvie, former 

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State Hospitals Management 

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EZECHIEDO 


Paul Linda Adaeze Ezechiedo, 


Mrs Aya Linda Paul. All 



take note. 

LATEEF 

I, formerly known as Itabor 

Lateef Ayegbeni, now wish to 

be known as Itabor God’stime 

Ayegbeni, All documents 

bearing my former name still 

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and all relevant authorities 


UKHUREBOR 


Ukhurebor Isaac Abel, now 

wish to be known as Abel 

Ekata Isaac. All former 



AGUZIE 


Aguzie C. Stella, now wish 

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former documents remains 

valid, general public please 

take. 

OYIBO 

I, Oyibo Harrison Nyore, wish 

to notify the general public 

that in my account with Union 

Bank Plc my name was 

wrongly written as Oyibo 

Harrison Doris, instead of 

Oyibo Harrison Nyore. All 


valid. General public take note. 

EDIDEM 


Imaobong King Edidem, now 

wish to be known as 

Imaobong Friday Francis. All 


valid. Zenith bank and the 

general public please take 

note 

OKOTETE 

I, formerly known as Okotete 

Mirabel, now wish to be 

known as Okotete Mirabel 

Avwenaye. All former 



DJEBAH 


Onajevwe Maria Djebah, now 


Onajevwe Maria Enaregha. 



take note. 

ISIAKA 

I, formerly known as Isiaka 

Iyabo, now wish to be 

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All former documents 

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public please take note. 

ALIYU 

I, formerly known as Miss Ladi Aliyu 

aka Ladi Santheodora Aliyu, now 

wish to be known as Mrs Ladi 

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former documents remain valid. BUK 

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the general public please take note. 

OKORUWA 


Elizabeth Ehiaghe Okoruwa, 


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Ehiaghe. All former 



note. 

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I, formerly known as Tajudeen 

Layi Ajao, now wish to be 

known as Tajudeen Layi Ajao- 

Alare. All documents bearing 

my former name still remain 

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relevant authorities please take 

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OWODUNNI-BANJO 


Owodunni-Banjo Adenike 

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Adenike Oluwatoyin. All 


vaild. General public take note. 

ABAH 


Cordelia Ndidiamaka Abah, 

now wish to be known as Mrs 

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Joshua. All former documents 

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ONWOCHEI 


Rebecca Onyinye Onwochei, 


Mrs Rebecca Onyinye 

Etadade. All former 



UGBOKERE 


Ufuoma Vera Ugbokere, 


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note. 

BIU 

I, formerly known as Ahmad, 

Khadijah Biu, now wish to 

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other documents remain 


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ADEGBEMIRO 


Adegbemiro Tosin Omotola 

and Adegbenro Oluwatosin, 

now wish to be known as Mrs 

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ATANDA 

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Mutiat Oladunni, now wish 

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Dasola Oladunni. All former 



note. 

OBIEFUNA 

I, formerly known as Obiefuna 

Ifunanya Emmanuela, now wish 

to be known as Ezeibe Ifunanya 

Emmanuela. All former 


Godfrey Okoye University, 

NYSC and general public please 

take note. 

ENEBI 

I, hereby confirm that Miss Enebi 

Ingobikumo, Enebibolokemi Ingobikumo 

and Enebi Ingobikumo, Ingobikumo Eneibi 

and Mrs Enebi Solomon, Odotimi 

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Ingobikumo and Enebi Amiekumo refer 

to the same and one person. Former 

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OLANIYI 

I, formerly known as Olaniyi 

Younge David, now wish to 

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note. 

IGHO 

This is to notify the general public 

that Onogheghe Victor Igho and 

Ogbemudiare Victor Oghominene 

refers to one and the same person now 

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Victor Oghominene. All former 

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Union Bank Plc.General public take 

note 

OGHENEJUVWETEE 


Oghenejuvwetee Brume Sam, 


Joseph Brume Sam. All 


valid. General public take 

note. 

OJOKO 


Ojoko Nkechi, now wish to 

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OPEYEMI 


Emakpoyeri Refo Paulina 

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General public, banks and all 

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TONWE 


Tonwe Besidone 

Blessing, now wish to be 

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Solomon Edafe Etphwo, now 

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Usedafe Solomon. All former 

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MADUEKE 

I, formerly known as Mrs 

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Mrs. Madueke Vivian 

Chidimma Jejeniwa. Former 



note. 

OKOH 

I, formerly known as Okoh 

Favour, now wish to add 

Rita, to be known as Okoh 

Favour Rita. All former 



note. 

IHABAEME 


Ihabaeme Juliet Chika, now 

wish to be known as Mrs. 

Juliet Victor Eleonu. All 



take note. 

With new e-gov 

masterplan, 7% 

GDP growth 

target 

achievable —FG 

By Emmanuel 

Elebeke 


Government has said 

that with implementation of 

the new e-Government 

Masterplan, the 7% GDP 

growth target by 2020 is 

achievable. 

The Secretary to the 

Government of the 

Federation, Boss Mustapha 

stated this at the weekend 

while unveiling the new e- 

Government Masterplan in 

Abuja. 

He said the new plan 

remains key in delivering 

on quality, efficient, and 

transparency in 

governance. 

According to him, a 

faithful implementation of 

the plan will result in rise in 

GDP growth, openness, 

enhanced service delivery, 

transparency and 

accountable governance. 

He added that the 

initiative will also enhance 

national competitiveness 

and enormous growth and 

uplift millions of citizens out 

of poverty. 

For Mustapha, who was 

represented by Permanent 

Secretary, Timi Lawa, it will 

not only increase our e- 

Government indices but 

enhance efficiency and 

transparency in the public 

sector. 

Children’s Day 

Celebration: 

VanguardLive 

hosts school 

children at its 

studio 

By Funmi 

Ajumobi 

AS THE world 

c e l e b r a t e s 

International Children’s 

Day, Vanguard will today 

throw her doors open to 

host pupils drawn from 

public schools in 20 local 

government of Lagos 

State on our online 

platform, VanguardLive. 

To kick off the activities 

are Oluwatetisimi 

Akande and Temisan 

Taire with Newspaper 

Review at 8:30am. 

This will be followed by 

an interview with the 

State Chairman, 

Standard Universal Basic 

Education Board, Dr. 

Abdul Ganiyu Oluremi 

Shopeyin, to be 

anchored by Adediran 

Farida and Abdulahi 

Mustapha. 

An interview session with 

the Coordinator Child 

Protection Network 

Nigeria, Ngozi Okoro, will 

be anchored by Opemipo 

Ajumobi. 

Thereafter, the children 

will air their views in line 

with Vanguard’s theme, 

‘’The Nigeria I Desire.’’


We can surprise 

the world 

— Kingsley Michael 

Bologna starlet Kingsley 

Michael was one of the star 

performers for the Flying Eagles 

as they began their campaign at 

the 2019 FIFA U20 World Cup with 

a 4-0 thrashing of Qatar. 

Tom Dele-Bashiru netted on his 

international debut after receiving 

a threaded pass from the 2015 U17 

World Cup-winning midfielder in 

the 68th minute. 

The 20-year-old Michael is 

mentioned in the group of players 

on whom it is worth paying 

attention to in this tournament but 

he is not distracted. 

‘’There are so many talents in 

our team that we can surprise the 

world,’’ Michael said to 

laczynaspilka.pl. 

‘’I am aware of the responsibility 

that lies with me. I accept the 

challenge and am ready to play at 

any time for the team, it’s pressure 

for me, but I pray that it will go as 

well as possible. 

‘’The key to a successful 

tournament in Poland is to listen 

to our coaches.’’ 

Thomas Tuchel says he can 

not guarantee Neymar and 

Kylian Mbappe will be at Paris 

Saint-Germain next season, although 

he wants them to stay 

with the French champions. 

When asked about the speculation 

surrounding the futures of 

Neymar and Mbappe, Tuchel - 

in Monaco for Sunday’s Grand 

Prix - told Sky Sports F1: “I am 

used to this. Now it is May, the 

stuff that I say now might not be 

true next month. 

Prudent Energy Handball League: 

Kano Pillars, Safety Babes 

are phase one champions 

By Solomon Nwoke 

Kano Pillars and Safety 

Babes handball teams 

have won the men and 

women categories of the first 

phase of the Prudent Energy 

The official malt drink of the 

Nigerian Football Federation 

(NFF) and supporter of the Nigerian 

Super Falcons, Amstel Malta, 

is applauding the feat of the 

female national team in qualifying 

for the 8th FIFA Women’s 

World Cup taking place in France 

from June 7 to July 7. 

The Super Falcons who continue 

to show remarkable spirit, hard 

2019 WWC: Amstel Malta drums 

support for Super Falcons 

work and resolve, have won nine 

African championships and will 

be competing in the earth’s greatest 

sporting spectacle for women. 

“The Super Falcons have overtime 

proven the power of women 

and we at Amstel Malta are endearing 

Nigerians to join us to 

cheer the Falcons on to gold at the 

World Cup.” Portfolio Manager, 

Non-Alcoholic Brands, Ngozi 

Tuchel can’t guarantee Neymar, Mbappe will stay 

“Things are like they are, 

there is a lot of speculation 

which means we have a lot of 

quality and talent. 

“My wish as a manager and as 

a coach is clear, I want all my 

players to stay at PSG and stay 

with our project. The work is not 

finished, it has just started. 

“My wish is clear, but I can’t 

promise as that would be naïve 

and I don’t want to be naïve in 

this business.” 

Mbappe revealed last week 

that he was considering his future 

after admitting he was 

open to a “new project”, although 

PSG later released a 

statement insisting the France 

World Cup winner would be 

staying. 

Neymar has been regularly 

linked with a switch to Real 

Madrid since he moved to Paris 

from Barcelona in the summer of 

2017 for a world-record fee of 

£198m. 

Handball League which ended 

weekend at the Velodrome of the 

Abuja National Stadium. 

Pillars defeated Plateau Vipers 

26 – 22 to earn a total of 20 points 

while Safety Shooters gathered 

18 points after beating De Defenders 

35 – 29 to occupy the second 

place on the league table 

Safety Queens are the top team 

in the women category as they 

defeated Imo Grasshoppers 39- 

33. The defeat reduced the points 

of the Owerri Grasshoppers, who 

Nkwoji, said 

on Friday. 

The Super 

Falcons continually 

prove 

themselves to 

be unmistakable 

symbols 

of heroism 

thereby Amstel 

Malta has launched a daring 

campaign themed “We’ve Got 

Balls” to celebrate and highlight 

the strength, fortitude and bravery 

of the Nigerian woman who 

against all odds, thrives and wins. 

The campaign features a historic 

all-female cast and crew with 

Nollywood, music and entertainment 

stars like Tiwa Savage, Dakore 

Egbuso– Akande, Tonto 

Dikeh, Ihuoma Linda Ejiofor– 

Suleiman and Cynthia Nwadiora 

(Cee C). The campaign also features 

Super Falcon players; Asisat 

Oshoala, Onome Ebi, Rita Chikwelu, 

Ngozi Okobi-Okeoghene and 

Tochukwu Oluehi. 

Speaking at the launch of the 

were hitherto in second, and 

pushed them to fourth position 

on the log. 

Plateau Peacocks are second on 

the log with 15 points after a slim 

26-25 win over Kada Queens, 

while Edo Dynamos are third on 

the log with 14 points as they 

comfortably defeated Abia Valliants 

34-19. 

Other games in the men category 

saw Lagos Seasiders beating 

Owena Kings 40-30 to finish 

in fourth place with 16 points, 

while Niger United showed more 

superior power over Borno Spiders 

with a 40-23 victory. 

COAS Shooters, meanwhile, 

ended the first phase of the 

league with an emphatic 30-24 

win over Prison Key Boys, while 

Sokoto Rima defeated Kada 

Stars 20-17. 

campaign celebrating the strides of 

the Nigerian women, Nkwoji said: 

“We are proud to be associated 

with The Super Falcons and the 

winning spirit that has pushed 

them into becoming trailblazers for 

women’s football in Africa and global 

football. We at Amstel Malta are 

proud to be associated with the 

team and will continue to edge 

them on for more victories.” 

Having won the AWCON in Ghana, 

the Falcons will be one of the 

teams representing Africa at 2019 

FIFA Women’s World Cup to be 

held in France along with South 

Africa and Cameroon who came in 

second and third respectively.


Flying Eagles 

target victory 

against USA 

Another three points 

that will take them to 

the championship’s 

knockout stages is the 

objective of Nigeria’s U20 

boys, Flying Eagles, as they 

confront Team USA in their 

second match of the 2019 

FIFA U20 World Cup this 

evening. 

Venue is the 15,000– 

capacity Bielsko-Biala 

Stadium in the city of the same 

name, a facility constructed 

on the site of an old facility 

and which hosted its last 

international game in March 

2018, when Poland tackled 

England in an U20 match. 

Coach Paul Aigbogun is 

banking on the flaming form 

of his boys, who amassed 

four goals against Qatar in 

their first match against 

Qatar in Tychy on Friday, to 

consume a desperate Team 

USA still looking for its first 

point of the finals. The 

Americans lost 1-2 to 

Ukraine also on Friday. 

“We had a great game 

against Qatar and we want to 

stay in that spirit all through 

the championship. We will not 

make the mistake of underrating 

any team; our 

approach remains taking it 

one game at a time. We go in 

there and fulfill our gameplan 

of achieving victory. 

“It is not going to be an 

easy match; the Americans 

France 2019: Oshoala, 

Ihezuo storm Falcons’ 

camp in Austria 

Strikers Asisat Oshoala and Chinwendu Ihezuo 

on Sunday arrived the Super Falcons’ Avita 

Resort camp in Austria, completing the final squad 

of 23 players that have been picked by Head Coach 

Thomas Dennerby for the 8th FIFA World Cup finals. 

The nine –time African champions went on an 

endurance drill in the woods of Bad Tatzmannsdorf 

on Saturday, as the technical crew swung to stamina 

building ahead of the World Cup. 

Twenty-one players, including forward and 

captain Desire Oparanozie and defenders Onome 

Ebi and Osinachi Ohale, took part in the drills. 

There will be normal training sessions on Monday 

and a training match, against an All-Star team, has 

been scheduled for Tuesday at the team’s Avita 

Resort camp. 

The Falcons will depart from Austria on Tuesday, 4th 

June for Paris, before proceeding to Reims, the city 

where they play their first match of the 8th FIFA World 

Cup finals against Norway on Saturday, 8th June. 

Nigeria will then tackle Korea Republic in 

Grenoble on 12th June before concluding their group 

phase assignment against host nation France in 

Rennes on 17th June. 

NTA, HotSports ready to bring 

AFCON 2019 to Nigerian fans 

HotSports Media 

Group, Nigeria’s 

f o r e m o s t 

marketing and production 

company, has formalised its 

relationship with Africa’s 

largest television network, 

the Nigerian Television 

Network, as the Official 

Exclusive Marketers of the 

32nd African Cup of Nations 

which kicks off in Cairo on 

June 21. 

NTA will broadcast the 

matches on terrestrial 

television channels across 

Nigeria, while the Super 

Eagles will be among 24 

teams contesting to lift the 

trophy on July 19 in the 

showpiece game. 

Other tournaments in the 

bouquet of the NTA/ 

HotSports marketing 

partnership include the U23 

Africa Cup of Nations (the 

2020 Olympics soccer 

qualifiers that will be hosted 

by Egypt in November, this 

year), Africa Women Cup of 

Nations (Congo Brazzaville 

2020), U20 Africa Cup of 

Nations in 2021 in 

Mauritania, the U17 Africa 

Cup of Nations in Morocco 

also in 2021 and CAF 

SuperCup 2020. 

At the signing of the 

Memorandum of 

Understanding between NTA 

and HotSports in Abuja 

during the week, NTA Director 

General, Yakubu Ibn 

Mohammed assured that NTA 

would deploy its immense 

experience in the coverage and 

broadcast of international 

sports competitions to AFCON 

2019 and the other 

tournaments in view and it is 

determined to deliver exciting 

moments for Nigerian sports 

fans through the partnership 

with HotSports. 

Responding, the President/ 

CEO of HotSports Media 

Group, Taye Ige said that the 

confidence that NTA has it 

his team would not be taken 

for granted, assuring that the 

partnership would deliver 

results that all the partners 

and the viewing public 

would be delighted about. 

are hurt after losing their first 

game. But we are in good 

form and we need the three 

points to assure our place in 

the Round of 16,” Aigbogun 

said on Sunday. 

Both countries first met at 

this level in the semi finals of 

the 1989 edition in Saudi 

Arabia, with a high –spirited 

Nigeria side just coming 

from a miraculous triumph 

over old Soviet Union in the 

quarter finals. The Flying 

The United States lost 2-1 to Ukraine 

in their opening game of the 2019 

U20 World Cup and must avoid defeat 

in their next game against Nigeria today 

to stand a chance of progressing to the 

last sixteen of the competition. 

This USA team is regarded 

as the strongest they’ve taken 

to an U20 World Cup, with 

players on the books of Benfica, 

Köln, Ajax Amsterdam, Bayern 

Munich, Wolfsburg, PSV 

Eindhoven, Barcelona, PSG 

and Hannover named to the 21- 

man roster, while there are ten 

Major League Soccer players 

in the squad. 

USA 1994 World Cup star 

Tab Ramos, who now coaches 

the U20 team, is hoping to get 

their campaign back on track 

Eagles had come from a 0-4 

deficit with 15 minutes left 

on the clock, to tie the 

encounter with the Soviets in 

Dammam and went ahead to 

win on penalties. 

On 28th February 1989, 

goals by Mutiu Adepoju 

sealed a 2-1 win over USA at 

the Prince Abdullah Al- 

Faisal Stadium in Jeddah to 

send Nigeria into her first – 

ever Final match of the FIFA 

U20 World Cup. 

Dele-Bashiru: I think we 

could go far 

The last time Nigeria 

won their opening 

match at the FIFA U- 

20 World Cup was back in 

2011, against Guatemala. 

Since then the Flying 

Eagles, who have never won 

the tournament and who 

even managed to miss out 

on it altogether last time 

around (in 2017), have 

suffered more than their fair 

share of bad luck. 

In their opening Group D 

encounter on Friday, Paul 

Aigbogun’s charges 

appeared determined to put 

their previous failures 

behind them by scoring four 

well-worked goals – two in 

each half – against Qatar, 

who were outclassed by the 

dynamic and powerful 

Africans. 

Ayotomiwa Dele-Bashiru, 

scorer of the third goal, was 

one of the star Nigerian 

performers in Tychy. 

“We prepared well for the 

match, and we got our 

reward,” he said. “We fully 

deserved the win, and I’m 

glad that we’ve brought our 

bad run of luck to an end.” 

The Manchester City 

man put in a tireless shift in 

US coach: We need to beat Nigeria 

Henry Onyekuru had a 

great celebration party 

with Galatasaray as 

they paraded the Turkish Cup 

and Turkish Super Lig trophy in 

the Turk Telekom Stadium on 

Saturday night. 

The atmosphere was electric 

and each player was called to 

the stage at different intervals to 

celebrate the club’s success in 

any way that is comfortable for 

them. 

When it got to Onyekuru’s 

turn, the Nigeria international, 

who scored the winning goal 

that gave Galatasaray a 2-1 win 

over Istanbul Basaksehir last 

Sunday, stepped up to the stage 

with some dance moves, which 

trended in his home country. 

Onyekuru started with the 

Shaku Shaku dance and then 

switched to Zanku moves. 

The Everton loanee was 

joined by teammate and Dutch 

international Ryan Donk in 

doing the famous legwork, 

which has taken over Nigeria’s 

entertainment space. 

Onyekuru is part of Gernot 

Rohr’s 25-man provisional 

squad for Nigeria’s campaign at 

the Africa Cup of Nations in 

Egypt. 

The Super Eagles have been 

paired against Guinea, 

Madagascar and Guinea in 

Group B. 

by beating the Flying Eagles. 

‘’We prepared in the Ukraine game to get 

three points, now we go to the Nigeria game 

to get three points,’’ Ramos told reporters at 

a press conference after their loss to Ukraine. 

‘’Nigeria’s result, our 

own result at this point 

don’t really matter, we 

are going to do the same 

thing. 

‘’I think when you go 

to the third game that’s 

when you start playing 

the mathematical 

games, at this point we 

just need three points.’’ 

Nigeria and USA face 

off at the Bielsko-Biala 

Stadium, Bielsko-BiaBa 

this evening. 

Onyekuru dances shaku shaku in title 

celebration party 

Sporting Charleroi striker Victor 

Osimhen has broken a record 

held by Imoh Ezekiel after 

scoring the quickest goal in the history 

of the Belgian First Division A on 

Sunday, May 26. 

The Wolfsburg loanee took only 8.15 

seconds to open the scoring in Sporting 

Charleroi’s 3-2 loss to Antwerp at the 

Bosuilstadion (Deurne), surpassing the 

previous record set by compatriot Ezekiel 

on August 11, 2013 after 10.8 seconds 

for Standard against Racing Genk. 

Osimhen took advantage of a mix-up 

in the Antwerp defense, latched onto a 

loose ball and burst into the penalty area 

before firing a right footed shot past 

•Bashiru 

the middle of the park, and 

he was recompensed for his 

efforts after an hour of play, 

when he made a superb run 

to take Kingsley Michael’s 

threaded pass in stride and 

finish adroitly. 

“I’m really proud of my 

goal, because it’s the first 

I’ve scored for my national 

team and it comes on my 

first official appearance for 

the U-20s. I’ve worked so 

hard to be here today,” Dele- 

Bashiru said with a smile. 

This excellent start to the 

competition, during which 

the Nigerians more than 

showed what they are 

capable of, sent a clear 

message to their future 

opponents. 

Offia: 

US 'll be 

easier 

than Qatar 

Flying Eagles attacker, 

Henry Offia has 

pointed out that they want 

to build on their victory 

against Qatar when they 

face the United States in 

their second game in 

Poland. 

Nigeria romped to a 4-0 

win over hapless Qatar 

with Maxwell Effiom, Offia, 

Tom Dele-Bashiru and Aliu 

Salawudeen on the 

scoresheet in a Group D tie 

played at the Tychy 

Stadium in Tychy on Friday. 

Paul Aigbogun’s men will 

play the USA in Bielsko- 

Biala tonight and another 

victory could confirm their 

progress to the next round. 

“Thank you to everyone 

who watched and supported 

us against Qatar,” Offia said 

after the victory over Qatar. 

“It was really a great one 

and actually I thank God for 

the goal and most 

especially it was really good 

that we got a win in our first 

game. It was really 

important. 

“It builds more confidence 

in us ahead of other games. 

The little I watched of the 

United States and Ukraine 

I believe we can do better 

than we did against Qatar 

when we play against them. 

Osimhen breaks record in Belgium 

goalkeeper Sinan Bolat. 

Prior to today’s game, Osimhen had 

already been crowned the winner of 

the Nigerian Golden Shoe and his 

strike against Antwerp took his tally 

for the season to 19 league goals. 

With the striker’s loan spell at 

Sporting Charleroi coming to an end, 

his future is expected to dominate the 

foreign and local press in the summer 

transfer window, and he could put 

himself in the shop window if he is 

included in the Super Eagles 23-man 

squad for the Africa Cup of Nations. 

Osimhen made 34 appearances 

in the Belgian First Division A this 

term, including 31 starts.


IT KAN’T BE 

Kante set to miss 

Chelsea’s Europa 

League final 

N’GOLO KANTE is set to miss 

Chelsea’s Europa League final 

against Arsenal after suffering a 

knock in training. 

Despite recovering from a recent 

hamstring strain, it is believed a blow to 

his knee during the Cobham session has 

all but ruled him out of the clash in Baku. 

Only six days ago, Chelsea were handed 

a huge boost when Kante returned to 

training after hamstring trouble which 

threatened to wreck his chances of 

making the final. 

He was also pictured moving freely in 

training just four days ago. 

But it is understood Kante suffered the 

knock during training yesterday and he 

will be checked over by medical staff 

today. 

And this latest setback could see the 

tireless holding man miss out which is 

terrible news for the Blues given their 

current injury list. 

Youngster Callum Hudson-Odoi and 

defender Antonio Rudiger are out while 

fellow midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek 

ruptured his Achilles in a friendly in the 

US two weeks ago. 

That means Ross Barkley, Jorginho and 

Mateo Kovacic will be the likely midfield 

trio on Wednesday. 

Kerber suffers shock d defeat 

Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber said the 

pain from an ankle injury was “not my excuse” 

after her shock first-round exit at the French Open. 

The German fifth seed lost 6-4 6-2 to world number 81 

Anastasia Potapova. 

The three-time Grand Slam champion said she “did not 

have much expectation” after pulling out of the Madrid 

and Rome clay tournaments this month. 

Elsewhere, Spanish 19th seed Garbine Muguruza 

came from a set down to beat American Taylor Townsend 

5-7 6-2 6-2. 

Muguruza was broken for a second time late in the first 

set by the world number 83 but breezed through to win the 

next two sets in the first main draw match on the new 

Simonne Mathieu court. 

The 2016 French Open champion will play Sweden’s 

world number 172 Johanna Larsson in the second 

round, following her victory over Slovakian Magdalena 

Rybarikova 

French Open: 

Federer zooms 

into second 

round 

Roger 

Federer made a 

winning return to the 

French Open with a dominant 

first-round victory over Lorenzo 

Sonego. 

The Swiss 20-time Grand Slam 

winner, playing at Roland Garros 

for the first time in four years, beat 

the Italian 6-2 6-4 6-4. 

He arrived to a standing ovation 

on Philippe Chatrier court and left 

with the crowd on their feet in 

delight. 

The 37-year-old will play 

German lucky loser Oscar Otte, 

ranked 145th in the world, in the 

second round. 

“I knew I can play very well on 

clay and I am very happy I did it 

in straight sets today,” Federer 

said. 

Nigeria Football Feder 

ation President, Amaju 

Pinnick has revealed that it 

will cost N3.5 million (approximately 

US$9,800.00) to 

purchase a flight ticket for 

Mikel Obi’s trip to Asaba for 

the national team’s pre-Africa 

Cup of Nations training 

camp. 

The football administrator 

went on to say that the Nigerian 

Federation have to 

spend approximately N70 

million as traveling expenses 

for the foreign-based professionals 

called up to the 

training camp which begins 

on Sunday, June 2 in the 

Delta State capital. 

‘’It is not a hidden document, 

we have a budget of 

about N1 billion every year 

but what is backed by cash is 

65 percent which comes to 

about N650 million,’’ Pinnick 

said on a television programme 

monitored in Lagos. 

‘’But let me give you an example, 

when the Super Eagles 

are playing a game the 

minimum it costs is N200- 

250 million. 

‘’Now this morning, they 

sent a memo to me for the 

players that they invited. 

Mikel Obi’s ticket alone is 

N3.5 million, it is normal, 

anchester City are 

Mready to 

battle Liverpool for the 

signature of Lyon attacker Nabil 

Fekir. 

Fekir was said to be on the 

verge of joining Liverpool in last 

summer's transfer window, only 

for the France international to fail 

his medical due to concerns over 

a long-standing knee problem. 

The 25-year-old has enjoyed 

another productive campaign 

with Les Gones, scoring 12 

times and contributing nine 

assists in 39 appearances in all 

Westerhof: 25 yrs after, Buhari redeems 

Abacha’s pledge 

When the late Pa Chuba Ikpeazu 

board of the Nigeria Football 

Association hired Clemens Westerhof 

as the Super Eagles coach, the Dutch 

was given a target. 

One day Ikpeazu ushered Westerhof 

into his office and said the following to 

him: “We have won the Africa Nations 

Cup. We could win it again but the 

greatest thing you can do for us is to 

qualify us for the World Cup. Nigerians 

will appreciate that. If you do so, you 

will command an interesting chapter 

in the history of Nigerian football. 

Nigerians will never forget you. Please, 

take us to the World Cup and you will 

remain dear to this country.” 

Westerhof later said that Ikpeazu 

appeared very emotional when he 

spoke with him and that really inspired 

him and he vowed to work tirelessly for 

Nigerian football. But what drove him 

City to battle 

Liverpool for Fekir 

competitions. 

Lyon president Jean- 

Michel Aulas has confirmed 

that Fekir can leave Lyon this 

summer with his current deal 

expiring at the end of the 

2019-20 campaign. 

According to The Sun, 

Liverpool are ready to revive 

their interest but the Reds 

will face strong competition 

from City, who 

pipped Jurgen Klopp's side 

to the Premier League 

title on the final weekend of 

the season 

NFF to spend over N70m to fly 

Mikel, others to Asaba 

Ighalo’s own is above N4 million. 

If you put all these together, 

you are talking about 

N60-70 million alone for their 

coming. 

‘’Then you talk about daily 

Fashola & Buhari 

Lobi Stars and Enyimba have 

qualified for the season-ending 

playoffs in the Nigeria Professional 

Football League (NPFL) despite failing to 

get victories in their matchday 22 games 

on Sunday. 

While the People’s Elephant were beaten 

2-1 by Katsina United, Lobi Stars could 

only pull off a draw against Remo Stars, 

but it was still enough for the duo to pull 

through to the Super Six, alongside Enugu 

Rangers, who had already qualified with 

allowances, you talk about 

bonuses, accommodation, 

match organization, referees 

indemnity and you are 

dealing with 13 national 

teams.’’ 

Insurance go down as Lobi, Enyimba 

join Rangers in Super Six 

two games to spare. 

The Pride of Benue 

finished on 35 points 

while coach Usman 

Abd’Allah’s men had 

33 points from 22 

games 

MFM, who were 

hoping to sneak into 

the post-season 

competition, were 

denied the chance as 

they were beaten 4-2 

by Sunshine Stars in a 

tense Southwest derby. 

The loss by the 

Olukoya Boys saw them finishing 

just one point outside the playoff 

positions. 

In the lower rank of the table, 

Kawra United got an away win in 

Minna against Niger Tornadoes, but 

it was too little too late as the 

Harmony Boys still got relegated. 

Bendel Insurance were the biggest 

casualties of the day as they were 

beaten 1-0 by Rivers United in Port 

Harcourt. 

Westerhof 

most were the Nigerian people. 

“They are crazy about football, they call you 

coachito and they are ready to do anything for 

you. When I stop on the street they gather and 

tell me things about football. Here, everybody 

is a coach. So, I must prove that I’m a better 

coach. Therefore, I work, I tell you, I work,” 

Westerhof said at the time. He got down to 

work, qualified Nigeria for their first ever World 

Cup finals in USA ’94 and said “I want to arrive 

USA as African Champions.” 

He went to Tunisia ’94 and won the Nations 

Cup and the Eagles truly arrived USA as 

African champions. By the time his contracted 

ended after the World Cup, Nigeria was rated 

the 5th best football nation in FIFA ranking. 

It was the highest ranking by any African 

country till date. 

Today, 25 years after then Head of State, 

General Sanni Abacha rewarded the Tunisia 

’94 team for the Nations Cup victory with a 

house each, the government of Mohammadu 

Buhari, through the Minister of Works, Power 

and Housing, Raji Babantunde Fashola will 

present to Westerhof a letter of 

allocation and key to a three bed room 

house to fulfill government’s side of 

the story. The house is in 

Gwagwalada, Abuja. 

“I look forward to it, I’m very happy 

about this,” Westerhof said from 

Holland, adding “I thank the minister 

and I thank President Buhari for this 

honour. My days in Nigeria are 

unforgettable and I can’t thank them 

and all Nigerians enough. I’ll sleep in 

the house when I come.” 

He was expected in Abuja last night. 

He is regarded as the BEST foreign 

coach Nigeria ever had. 

Man Utd rule out 

move for De Ligt 

Manchester United have ruled out 

a move for Ajax defender Matthijs de 

Ligt, according to Sky sources. 

Reports in the national press over 

the weekend had suggested 

United could move for the 

£65m-rated Netherlands 

international this summer. 

But Sky Sports News 

understands United have 

withdrawn the interest they 

held in De Ligt, with many 

among the Old Trafford 

hierarchy believing the 19- 

year-old is set to join 

Barcelona. 

When asked about his 

future on Sunday, De Ligt 

said: “Where do I see myself? 

Well, obviously the Premier 

League is a big competition, 

Spain also, but you have 

other competitions, it’s not 

(just) about those two. 

“I still don’t know 

anything about where my 

future is, so I see how it goes. 

First, we have to play two 

games (in the Nations 

League) and then after that, 

we’ll see what happens 

next.” 

De Ligt has been a regular 

for Ajax over the past three 

seasons and captained the 

club to a league and cup 

double this campaign.

Vanguard, MONDAY, MAY 27, 2019 

TODAY’S PUZZLE 

Sudoku 

FRIDAY’S ANSWER 

TODAY’S CROSSWORD 

QUICK CROSSWORD 

THURSDAY’S SOLUTION 

Crossword 

1 Hazard (4) 

3 Insensibility (8) 

9 Not deep (7) 

10 Debate (5) 

11 Tender (5) 

12 Missive (6) 

14 Season of growth (6) 

16 Wax light (6) 

19 Husband or wife (6) 

21 Worth (5) 

24 Star sign, the Ram (5) 

26 Break (8) 

27 Outhouse (4) 

Down 

1 Answer (8) 

2 Personnel (5) 

4 Ailing (6) 

5 Explosion (5) 

6 Intellectual (7) 

7 Observed (4) 

8 Old two-shilling coin (6) 

13 Beaten (8) 

15 Facsimile (7) 

17 Period before Christmas 

(6) 

18 Underground room (6) 

20 Distressed (5) 

22 Blood-sucking worm 

(5) 

23 Young cow (4) 

How to Play Sudoku 

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

of the same number). 

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

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

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

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

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

multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination. 

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