12092019

OLU FASAN 

31 

Responding to 

xenophobic violence in 

South Africa by 

attacking its 

commercial interests in 

Nigeria risks damaging 

investor confidence in 

Nigeria’s economy 

South Africa's 

Immigration harass, 

detain returnees 

•Delay flight for over 5 hours, allow only 188 of 320 to board 

8 

E-DAILY 

11 

MADUAGWU TO 

JULIET IBRAHIM: 

Avoid men who 

are morally 

corrupt if you 

want to 

re-marry 

NLNG awards $10bn Train-7 EPC contract to Saipem, Daewoo, Chiyoda 

9 

VOL. 26: NO. 63895 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019 

PRESIDENTIAL TUSSLE: 

Buhari floors Atiku 

•Tribunal: Buhari eminently qualified to contest; Electoral Act substantially complied with 

•Adds PDP didn't prove server exists; claims that Atiku's from Cameroon a non-issue 

•PDP heads to Supreme Court, says it’s a travesty of justice 

•I wasn't worried all along, says Buhari 

•Ruling in order, Atiku/PDP’s case, a complete waste of time – APC 

HOMEBOUND... 

ARRIVAL.. 

STORY 

ON PAGE 

5 

Mr & Mrs 

Murder of Ondo 

Professor: Killers 

must be brought 

to book — FAMILY 

FG raises 

VAT to 7.2%, 

•FEC approves 

N10.07trn 

ABOVE: The Air Peace flight that brought back the returnees on the 

tarmac at MMIA yesterday. Photo by Lamidi Bamidele. LEFT(above and 

below) Chaotic situation of boarding at OR Tambo Airport, Johannesburg, 

South Africa, also yesterday. See more photos on Page 40. 

Removing 

security votes’ll 

be inimical to 

Minimum Wage: 

Buhari orders 

immediate 

conclusion of 

12 

8 

devt, cause 

budget estimate 

consequential 

14 9 

for 2020 chaos, say Govs adjustment 

UK re-introduces two-year work visa for Nigerians, other foreigners 

9 

C 

M 

Y 

K

2— Vanguard, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019

Vanguard, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019—3

4— Vanguard, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019

vanguardnews @vanguardnews @vanguardnews 

Vanguard, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019 — 5 

POCKET CARTOON 

the basic educational 

qualification to contest the 

presidential election. 

AT THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION PETITIONS TRIBUNAL —From left: 

Minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs, Festus Keyamo (SAN); Chief of 

Staff to the President, Abba Kyari; and Attorney-General of the Federation 

and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), at the 2019 Presidential 

Election Petitions Tribunal’s judgement in Abuja, yesterday. Photo: NAN. 

Buhari floors Atiku at tribunal 

By Ikechukwu 

Nnochiri, Omeiza 

Ajayi & Dirisu 

Yakubu 

ABUJA — The 

Presidential 

Election Petition 

Tribunal sitting in Abuja 

yesterday validated 

President Muhammadu 

Buhari’s re-election. 

In a unanimous 

judgement, a five-man 

panel of Justices of the 

Court of Appeal, dismissed 

the joint petition the 

Peoples Democratic Party, 

PDP, and its candidate, 

Atiku Abubakar, lodged to 

challenge the outcome of 

the February 23 

presidential election that 

was declared in Buhari’s 

favour. 

Reacting, President 

Buhari said he wasn’t 

perturbed by the case at the 

tribunal all along, saying 

“Good conscience fears no 

evil report,” in a statement 

issued by his Special 

Adviser on Media & 

Publicity, Chief Femi 

Adesina. 

But the Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP, in a 

swift reaction, rejected the 

judgement of the tribunal, 

describing it as provocative, 

barefaced subversion of 

justice and direct assault on 

the integrity of the nation’s 

justice system. 

The ruling All 

Progressives Congress, 

APC, on its part, hailed the 

judgement, describing the 

petition by the Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP, and 

its presidential candidate, 

Atiku Abubakar, as a 

complete waste of time. 

However, the tribunal 

determined all the five 

issues the petitioners raised 

in the petition, against 

them, stressing that 

allegation that the election 

was rigged for President 

Buhari and the ruling All 


APC, was not proved 

beyond reasonable doubt. 

It held that the petitioners 

did not adduce sufficient 

evidence to warrant 

granting of any of the reliefs 

they sought in the petition, 

adding that they did not 

discharge the burden of 

proof placed on them by the 

law. 

In determining all the 

issues raised in the petition, 

the tribunal, in the lead 

judgement delivered by its 

Chairman, Justice 

Mohammed Garba, held 

that President Buhari was 

eminently qualified to vie 

for presidency. It held that 

PDP and Atiku were unable 

to prove that Buhari lacked 

Where Atiku, PDP’s 

petition failed, by tribunal 

In the judgement that 

lasted over nine hours, the 

tribunal held that the 

Buhari’s curriculum vitae 

that was tendered by the 

petitioners, “contained 

impressive credentials” that 

qualified him to contest 

the presidential election 

“even if he tendered 

primary school certificate.” 

The tribunal maintained 

that evidence of the 

petitioners proved that 

Buhari was not only 

“highly qualified, but 

eminently qualified” to 

contest the election. 

The panel held that the 

fact that Buhari did not 

attach his certificates to the 

Form CF001 he tendered 

before the INEC, was not a 

ground to draw a 

conclusion that he does not 

have the certificates. 

It said there was no 

evidence that Buhari was 

not qualified in line with 

provisions of Sections 131, 

137 and 138 of the 

Constitution, adding that 

the petitioners failed to 

prove that West African 

School Certificate was not 

in existence as at 1961 

when the 2nd Respondent 

(Buhari) joined the Army. 

Besides, the tribunal held 

that the statement by former 

spokesman of the Nigerian 

Army, Brigadier General 

Olajide Olaniyi, which the 

petitioners relied on to insist 

that Buhari lacked basic 

educational qualifications, 

was misconstrued. 

It equally held that 

though the petitioners 

claimed that Brig. Gen. 

Olaniyi had in the said 

statement, denied that 

Buhari’s certificate was with 

the Army, he was however 

not called to testify as a 

witness. 

The tribunal noted that 

Brig. Gen. Olaniyi had in 

the said statement, merely 

asserted that the Army was 

not with Buhari’s original 

certificates, admitting 

however that he had six 

credits in English 

Language, Geography, 

Hausa, Health Science 

and Literature. 

The tribunal wondered 

how Brig. Gen. Olaniyi 

knew about the subjects 

Buhari passed in his 1961 

WASC, if there was no 

credential in his Army file 

(Form 119a). 

“The only reasonable 

inference is that the 2nd 

Respondent presented his 

WASC to Army,” Justice 

Garba held, saying “it will 

be incredible to hold in the 

face of Exhibit P-24, that the 

2nd Respondent does not 

possess qualification to 

contest for the office of 

President of the Federal 

Republic of Nigeria as 

stipulated in section 131 of 

the Constitution”. 

It held that since the 

petitioners failed to produce 

Brig. Gen. Olaniyi as a 

witness, the statement he 

issued with respect to 

Buhari’s certificate which 

was admitted in evidence 

therefore lacked probative 

value and is deemed to 

have been dumped on the 

tribunal. 

More so, the tribunal 

held that whereas Section 

137 (1) stipulated 

conditions under which a 

person could be 

disqualified, Section 318(1) 

defined what School 

Certificate or its equivalent 

means as provided in 

Section 131. 

It listed credentials that 

can qualify a presidential 

candidate to include the 

Grade 2 Teachers 

Certificate, education up to 

secondary school, Primary 

6 Certificate or its 

equivalent, service in a 

public sector acceptable to 

INEC for a minimum of 10 

years, as well as the ability 

to read and write in 

English language. 

The tribunal said there 

was evidence before it that 

Buhari finished both his 

primary and secondary 

education in 1956 and 1961 

respectively, before he 

joined the Army. 

It said there was also 

evidence that Buhari 

attended military training 

from 1961 to 1963, saying 

“it was established beyond 

Continues on Page 41 

By Bose Adelaja, Olayinka Latona 

& Chiamaka Uba 

Should NCC regulate internet use in Nigeria? (3) 

The answer is YES 

and one of the 

ways of doing this is 

by giving constant 

enlightenment to 

internet users so that 

they won’t fall victim 

of internet fraud. 

Another way is 

making the Internet 

Industry Code of 

Practice for Internet 

Service very effective 

in the country. 

— Gbadegesin 

Samuel 

Blogger/Analyst 

CAPITAL no. It 

can’t be possible. 

It is not like that in the 

advance country so why 

do they want it otherwise 

in Nigeria. Beside, 

I believe the Nigerian 

government will 

take advantage of it. It 

will rob citizens of the 

right to freedom of 

speech. If it is allowed, 

they will regulate our 

opinion and comment 

on the Internet. 

— Olumide Ibironke 

Crane Operator 

I 

think it’s a welcome 

development because 

the rate of cyber crimes is 

very high; it is now the 

order of the day. By 

regulating the use of 

internet, such crime would 

be eradicated. Nigeria 

would be free from fraud 

and unethical use of the 

internet. If this is not 

curbed, the country will 

have a negative image. 

That’s not a way of 

moving the country 

forward. 

— Okoli Ifeanyi 

Student 

It's very urgent and 

important to our very 

survival as a nation because 

without regulating the use 

of the internet, the nation 

will not grow 

technologically. Many 

information today as we 

know, are sourced from the 

internet. 

For me, the NCC which 

is in charge of the sector 

should go ahead with the 

regulations since there is 

economic benefits to be 

derived from it. 

— Cletus Goki 

Fsars 

IT is an intrapersonal 

way of using it which 

should not be controlled 

by the NCC. So if there’s 

a regulation on how it is 

supposed to be used, I 

feel my right is being infringed. 

There is an extent 

to how we use the 

Internet, so why should 

it be regulated by the 

NCC. I disagree completely. 

— Akinwumi Solomon 

Clearing Agent 

THEIR responsibilities 

include regulating 

telecommunication services 

& facilities, promoting 

competition & setting 

performance standards in 

Nigeria. They’re actively 

promoting increased access 

to the internet and this is 

expected to heighten 

internet access. So this 

should be done in order to 

secure the country’s cyber 

space against threats and 

address issues such as online 

protection, privacy and data 

protection 

—Nwachukwu Patience 

Kelechi 

Student

6—Vanguard, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019 

Ex-banker 

docked for 

stealing 

customers 

N21.1m 

By Onozure Dania 

LAGOS—A 37-year-old 

former banker, Feyisola 

Kuteyi, who allegedly stole 

N21,190,000, from the 

accounts of customers was, 

yesterday, arraigned before a 

Lagos Magistrate’s Court 

sitting in Igbosere. 

Kuteyi, who resides at 4, 

Olurotimi Adesina Street, 

Seaside Estate, Badore 

Road, Ajah, is facing a sevencount 

charge bordering on 

fraud, forgery and stealing. 

The prosecutor, Inspector 

Ejime Okete, told the court 

that the defendant committed 

the offence between March 

and August, while she was a 

staff of a first generation 

bank. 

He said the fraudulent 

transaction took place at the 

Dosumu branch of the bank 

at Lagos Island. 

Okete also told the court 

that Kuteyi stole N3 million 

from one Emexkey Global 

Company account, who is a 

customer of the bank. 

According to him, “the 

defendant stole N3,350,000 

from one Awugo Titus, 

customer of the bank. She 

also withdrew $20,000 

dollars, which is equivalent 

to N7,200,000, on March 4, 

from one Jescaann Galaxy 

Empire, who is also a 

customer of the bank. 

“On June 20, the defendant 

stole $20,000, equivalent to 

N7,200,000, from one See 

Unique Cosmopolitan Co. 

Ltd, a customer of the bank.” 

He added that the 

defendant also stole 

N200,000 from one Iykef 

Resources, N220,000, from 

Greener Plants and forged 

the signature of one 

Nivanosike Chinatu. 

Okete said the total money 

that was stolen by the 

defendant from the customers 

was N21,190,000. 

According to the prosecutor, 

the offence is punishable under 

Sections 280 (b), (2) (c) (e) (f) 

287 and 365 (1) of the criminal 

law of Lagos State 2015. 

However, the defendant 

pleaded not guilty to the 

charge. 

Magistrate O. A. Aro-Lambo 

granted the defendant bail in 

the sum of N2 million, with two 

sureties in like sum. 

He said one of the sureties 

must be a property owner 

within Lagos, show evidence 

of tax payment to Lagos State 

government and have their 

office and residential 

addresses verified by the court. 

The case was adjourned till 

October 9 for mention. 

TERRORS: Some kidnappers and robbers terrorising Kaduna- 

Abuja Road, paraded by Force Police Public Relations Officer, Frank 

Mba, in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: Gbemiga Olamikan. 

Bandits sack 3 more communities in Niger 

By Wole Mosadomi 

MINNA—LESS than 24 

hours after gunmen sacked 

Kukoki village in Shiroro Local 

Government Area of Niger State, 

the bandits, yesterday, sacked 

three more communities in Rafi 

Local Government Area of the 

state. 

This came as youths in Kagara 

town in Rafi Local Government 

Area of Niger State, blocked the 

Lagos-Kaduna Highway, 

protesting incessant banditry and 

kidnappings in the area, and 

“neglect by government of those 

displaced and residing in schools 

and other open places.” 

The protest brought vehicular 

and other movements on the busy 

Trunk A road to a standstill for 

hours. 

They chanted war songs, as 

they called on the Federal and 

state governments to come to their 

rescue. 

The communities already 

attacked and sacked by the 

bandits included Rafin-Wayam, 

Rafin-Kwakwa and Gidan Dogo- 

Gurgu village. 

In yesterday’s attack, over 40 

bandits invaded the communities 

on motorcycles and started 

shooting sporadically, as the 

villagers fled to Kagara, 

headquarters of Rafi Local 

Government Area. 

An eyewitness, Malam Dahiru, 

told Vanguard on phone that “the 

bandits, armed with guns and 

other dangerous weapons, 

surrounded the villages, moving 

from one house to the other, 

demanding for money and other 

valuables, which they carted 

away. 

“As at 6:45p.m., there was mass 

exodus from the three villages 

with people numbering over 300 

moving through the forest and 

waters to safer places, especially 

to the open camps in Kagara.” 

Meanwhile, as the exodus 

continued, some of the youths 

who displayed various placards 

with inscriptions such as “We 

need help, Government save us,” 

“Help us with food, water,” among 

others, chanted anti-government 

slogans “over slow approach to 

the plight of displaced persons 

sacked by bandits for the past 

Villagers from the Niger State communities earlier raided 

by over 200 gunmen on Monday, escaping across a river. 

three days consecutively.” 

They lamented the poor 

By Bashir Bello 

KATSINA—BANDITS, in the 

wee hours of yesterday, 

attacked the residence of the 

Transition Committee Chairman 

of Matazu Local Government 

Area of Katsina State, Kabiru 

Farooq Matazu, killing his 

security guard and kidnapping 

two of his children. 

Spokesperson of Katsina State 

Police Command, Gambo Isah, 

confirmed the development. 

Isah said the bandits broke 

into the Chairman’s house, shot 

dead his security guard and 

kidnapped two of his children. 

Additional information from 

the area claimed the incident 

occurred around 2:10a.m. 

yesterday, when about 20 

hoodlums stormed the house. 

But the Chairman escaped 

unhurt. 

conditions at the internallydisplaced 

persons, IDPs, camp as 

The source said the two 

kidnapped children of the 

chairman were males: one is still 

in the secondary school while 

the other has completed his 

secondary school. 

Swap deals 

Meanwhile, the state 

government has again swapped 

eight bandits for 18 kidnap 

victims, as part of dialogue 

agreement reached by the 

bandits and the government 

upon visitation of Governor 

Aminu Masari to the hideouts 

of the bandits in the eight front 

line local government areas of 

the state, which ended on 

Monday. 

Recall that on Monday, the 

bandits released five kidnap 

victims to the state government, 

while on Tuesday the state 

government also released six 

they complained of lack of food, 

water and makeshift sanitary 

facilities. 

They called on the state 

government to urgently send 

food and other basics necessities 

to the displaced persons from 

Kukoki, Rafin Wayam, Rafin 

Kwakwa, Gidan Dogo-Gurgu, 

Maranji and Hanawanka. 

Most of the affected 

communities were only accessible 

by motorcycles (okada). 

The state Police Public Relations 

Officer, Muhammad Abubakar, 

who confirmed the incident, said 

they were reviewing the security 

architecture of communities in the 

hinterland. 

...kidnap Katsina council boss children 

•...as govt releases 18 bandits for 8 kidnap victims 

4 cars plunge into river in Anambra 

By Vincent Ujumadu 

AWKA—FOUR vehicles, 

including a tanker leden 

with petrol, a lorry and two 

buses, yesterday, plunged into 

the Idemili River at the Ideani 

end of the Onitsha-Nnobi 

Road. No life was lost. 

The petroleum tanker, with 

number plates LEH 37 XA; a 

Mercedes Benz lorry, XM 370 

ENU; an L300 bus, XG 680 

FGG and a J5 bus, NH 148 

ARL, all plunged into the river 

with their occupants following 

a head-on collision. 

Divisional Police Officer for 

Nnobi and his team 

rescued the nine occupants of 

the vehicles and rushed them 

to the nearby Moon and 

Fatima Hospitals, Nnobi, with 

the assistance of resdients of 

bandits in exchange for 20 

kidnapped victims. 

But the bandits only released 

11 females, including a 

toddler. 

Speaking after the Tuesday 

night release of 11 victims, 

Governor Masari said: “The 

dialogue we had with the 

bandits in our state has started 

yielding positive results. 

“Five persons were released 

yesterday (Sunday/Monday) 

while 10 women and a toddler 

were released today (Tuesday). 

We are expecting the release of 

additional 18 persons tomorrow 

(Wednesday). Worthy of note is 

that no ransom was paid.” 

With the attack on Matazu 

council, the bandits could be 

said to have resorted to 

attacking local governments 

outside the front line ones in 

the state. 

nearby communities. 

The driver of the lorry, one 

James Eze, who was alleged 

to be the main cause of the 

accident, was arrested by the 

Police. 

Police Public Relations 

Officer for the state, Mr. 

Haruna Mohammed, said the 

case was under investigation 

to ascertain circumstances 

surrounding the incident.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019—7 

We got N5.5m from relatives 

of students—Kidnappers 

By Kingsley Omonobi 

& Joseph Erunke 

ABUJA—THE 

Police, 

yesterday, paraded 58 

kidnappers, robbers, gunrunners 

and one chance criminals, who 

had been terrorising the Abuja- 

Kaduna Highway, FCT residents 

and Taraba State. 

Among them were the 

kidnappers of three students of 

the Ahmadu Bello University, 

ABU, Zaria, abducted on August 

26, along Abuja-Kaduna Road, 

who confessed that they got N5.5 

million as ransom. 

Those paraded also included 

the gang that abducted four 

Turkish construction workers from 

a bar in Ilorin on July 14 and 

demanded a ransom of $1 million. 

Another kidnapper, who 

belonged to a gang responsible 

for many of the kidnappings in 

Taraba State, Idris Audi, disclosed 

that his gang had successfully 

kidnapped 20 victims and made 

several millions, noting that in 

the process of the abductions, his 

gang killed eight persons. 

Asked how much the group had 

collected as ransom, Audi said the 

job of the gang was to do the 

kidnapping, while Oga, who he 

claimed to be a politician, did the 

negotiation and collected the 

ransom. 

Noting that sometimes they 

were paid N100,000 or more 

depending on the ransom, Audi 

said when he took policemen to 

the Oga’s house, he had escaped. 

A kidnap kingpin, who had 

been in the wanted list of the 

Police, Abubakar Mohammed aka 

Buba, was arrested in his hideout 

at Isanlu town in Ekiti State and 

15 AK-47 assault rifles were 

recovered from him. 

The Police said several 

kidnappers arrested in the past 

mentioned Buba as their gang 

leader and he narrowly escaped 

arrest in Kabba, Kogi State, three 

weeks ago when IRT zeroed in 

on him. 

Also paraded was a 

Cameroonian lady, Yanba 

Kinloga, who along with her sister 

lured a man to a hotel in Apo, 

Abuja, sedated his drink with 

drugs, followed him to the room 

where the victim passed out. 

They then stole his car, a Lexus 

ES 350, number plates YAB 735 

Robbers kill man, flee 

with his N590,000 thrift 

By Shina Abubakar 

THE Commissioner of Police in 

Osun State, Abiodun Ige, 

yesterday said the force was on 

the trail of the gunmen that killed 

one Lukman Owoade, a 

businessman around Oke Ayepe 

Area of Osogbo. 

Vanguard gathered that the 

deceased was a businessman at 

a sawmill, located at Oke Baale 

Area, but was killed by gunmen 

after a meeting at the Ayepe area 

of the state capital. 

The deceased had gone to the 

meeting to collect thrift since it 

was his turn and had to wait until 

the end of proceedings to collect 

the money. 

Sources at the area disclosed 

that shortly after Owoade was 

given N590,000, being his 

contributions to the thrift group, 

some armed men invaded the 

venue, shot and inflicted several 

machete cuts on him. 

The deceased was said to have 

struggled to get to the Osogbo- 

NY. 

Meanwhile, confessing to the 

kidnap of the students, one of the 

suspects disclosed that N5.5 

million was paid by relatives of 

the students before they were 

released from their den. 

Another suspect, Kabiru 

Abdullahi, linked to the kidnap 

of the Kaduna lawmaker, said they 

collected N10 million ransom 

before they released the legislator. 

He said his gang members 

short-changed him, when they 

told him the ransom was N6 

million and gave him N450,000. 

Ilesa Road, but collapsed. 

Contacted, the Commissioner 

of Police, said on Saturday, 

September 7, at about 9:30p.m., 

one Aranse Sikiru reported that 

while they were 

having meeting at Oke-Ayepe 

Area of Osogbo, some gunmen 

invaded the venue and shot the 

deceased. 

He said: “He (complainant) 

added that the attackers 

collected N590,000 from the 

deceased, being contribution 

given to him at the meeting. 

“Our men visited the crime 

scene and the victim was taken 

to Ladoke Akintola University 

Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, 

where he was confirmed dead 

by a doctor and his body was 

deposited at the hospital’s 

morgue for autopsy.” 

Ige said the command had 

intensified effort to apprehend 

the culprits and assured that the 

Police operatives were on their 

trail and would eventually bring 

them to justice. 

N65m fraud: Hearing on developer's bail application stalled 

... with Emma'nKen (08163121378) 

Stop smoking that thing, you said no. 

What of all the artificial things: 

hair, eye lashes, padded bra 

and some other things? 

By Innocent Anaba 

HEARING on the bail 

application of an alleged 

scammer and developer, Alabi 

Idowu, accused of defrauding 297 

accommodation seekers of N65 

million in Lagos State, before a 

Federal High Court sitting in 

Lagos, was stalled, yesterday. 

The developer was, on August 

11, arraigned before Justice 

Nicholas Oweibo, by the men of 

the Police Special Fraud Unit, 

PSFU, Ikoyi, Lagos, on 251 

counts charge of conspiracy, 

obtaining under false pretence 

and fraud. 

Among those allegedly 

scammed by the developer and 

the sum received from them 

according to the prosecutor are: 

Mohammed Akeem, N400,000; 

Philip Obinna, N320,000; 

Folorunsho Ridwan, N835,000; 

Mrs. Owodunni Adrtutu, 

N240,000; Abdulraham Named, 

N170.000; Folakemi Amosun, 

N220,000; Theresa Amazi, N175, 

000; Samson Emmanuel, N195, 

000; Salau Wasiu, N180,000; 

Khadyat Sanusi, N140,000; 

Ishola Matthew, N240,000; 

Michael Bashoru, N150, 000; 

Akinshola Samuel, N100, 000; 

Olaleye Bisola, N260.000; 

Emmanuel Agbakwuru, N270, 

000; Ayedun Oluwatobi, 

N200,000and many others. 

The offences according to the 

prosecuting Police Officer, 

Chukwu Agwu, are contrary to 

and punishable under section 

1(3) and 1(3) of the Advance Fee 

Fraud and Other Fraud Related 

Offences Act, 2006. 

The allegations the developer 

had pleaded not guilty to. 

While Justice Oweibo had 

ordered that the developer be 

remanded pending the hearing 

of his bail application, the 

Directorate of Public 

Prosecution, DPP, on September 

3, informed the court that it was 

taking over the prosecution of 

the accused. 

This according to Mrs. 

Adetutu Oshinnusi, a Deputy 

Director in DPP’s office was 

sequel to a Fiat issued to the 

Lagos State’s Attorney-General 

by the Attorney-General of the 

Federation, AGF and the 

development forced the court to 

adjourn the matter till yesterday, 

for hearing and determination 

of the developer’s bail 

application. 

However, at the resumed 

hearing of the matter, 

yesterday, Oshinnusi 

announced her appearance for 

the prosecution, Mr. Chukwu 

Agwu, from PSFU equally 

announced his appearance as 

the prosecutor in the case, the 

situation which made the court 

to ask for the substantive 

prosecutor in the case. 

Addressing the court on her 

position as prosecutor of the 

case, Mrs. Oshinnusi said: “Its 

unfortunate that the police is 

appearing in the matter after the 

court had granted the AG Lagos 

State to take over the matter. 

However, till now, it has been 

impossible for us to take over 

the matter because SFU has 

failed to make available to us 

necessary information relevant to 

this matter.” 

Saul, Jezebel. Who said ‘Adam’?


RETURNEES: 

Nigerians in 

South Africa 

at OR Tambo 

Internatinal 

Airport 

waiting to be 

evacuated to 

Nigeria, 

yesterday. 

FG raises VAT to 7.2%, as FEC approves 

N10.07trn budget estimate for 2020 

By Johnbosco 

Agbakwuru 

ABUJA—THE Federal 

Government has 

proposed an increase of 

Value Added Tax, VAT, from 

five to 7.2 per cent. 

This is as the Federal 

Executive Council, FEC, 

meeting approved N10.07 

trillion for the 2020 budget 

proposal. 

Minister of Finance, 

Budget and National 

Planning, Mrs. Zainab 

Ahmed, disclosed these, 

yesterday, while briefing 

State House correspondents 

after the Federal Executive 

Council, FEC, meeting 

presided over by President 

Muhammadu Buhari at the 

Council Chamber, 

Presidential Villa, Abuja. 

The minister said the 

increase would only 

commence after the VAT Act 

was amended by the 

National Assembly and after 

consultations with state and 

local governments as well as 

the populace. 

According to her, “our 

projection is to finish 

consultations early enough 

so that it takes effect in 2020.” 

She further disclosed that 

the FEC approved the 

Medium Term Expenditure 

Framework and Fiscal 

Strategic Paper, MTEF/FSP, 

for 2020 to 2022, which will 

guide the 2020 Budget. 

The minister said the next 

step would be to present the 

document to the National 

Assembly for consideration. 

She said: “We reported to 

council and council has 

agreed that we start the 

process towards the increase 

HEALTH TIPS 

By Sola Ogundipe 

Prevent diabetes foot ulcers 

THE rains are here. 

Remember to take care 

of your feet, especially if 

you're living with diabetes. 

Make time to examine 

your feet and foot wear. 

Avoid wading in water. 

It's important to prevent 

foot ulcers and amputations 

if you're living with 

diabetes as it can be 

dangerous to your feet— 

even a small cut can 

produce serious 

consequences. 

Diabetes may cause nerve 

damage that takes away 

the feeling in your feet. To 

avoid serious foot problems 

that could result in losing a 

toe, foot or leg, inspect your 

feet daily. Check for cuts, 

blisters, redness, swelling 

or nail problems. 

Bathe feet in lukewarm, 

never hot, water. Be gentle 

when bathing your feet. 

Wash them using a soft 

washcloth or sponge. Dry 

by blotting or patting and 

carefully dry between the 

toes. 

Use a moisturiser daily to 

keep dry skin from itching 

or cracking. 

Cut nails carefully. Cut 

them straight across and file 

the edges. Don’t cut nails 

too short, as this could lead 

to ingrown toenails. 

Shake out your shoes and 

feel the inside before 

wearing. Keep your feet 

warm and dry. Don’t let your 

feet get wet in rain. 

Consider using an 

antiperspirant on the soles 

of your feet. Never walk 

barefoot. Always wear 

shoes or slippers. Take care 

of your diabetes. Get 

periodic foot exams. Seeing 

your foot and ankle surgeon 

on a regular basis can help 

prevent the foot 

complications of diabetes. 

of the VAT rate. We are 

proposing and council has 

agreed an increase of the 

VAT rate from five per cent 

to 7.2 per cent. 

“This is important 

because the Federal 

Government only retains 

15 per cent of the VAT, 85 

per cent is actually for the 

states and local 

governments and states 

need additional revenue to 

be able to meet the 

obligations of the minimum 

wage. 

“This process involves 

extensive consultations that 

need to be made across the 

country at various levels 

and also it will involve the 

review of the VAT Act. So, 

it is not going to be 

implemented immediately 

until the Act is reviewed. 

“So, accordingly, 

following these 

assumptions, the total 

revenue estimate in the 

sum of N7.5 trillion for the 

year 2020 and N2.09 trillion 

will be accruing to the 

federation account and the 

VAT respectively. 

“There will, of course, be 

the distribution to the three 

tiers of government based 

on the statutorily revenue 

sharing formula as defined 

in the constitution and to 

this effect, it means the 

Federal Government will 

be receiving proposed 

aggregate of N4.26 trillion 

from the federal account 

and the VAT pool, while the 

states and the local 

governments are expected 

to receive N3.04 trillion and 

N2.27 trillion respectively. 

N10.07trn budget 

estimate for 2020 

“The expenditure for the 

year 2020 is in the total sum 

of N10.07 trillion. This is 

three percent less than the 

approved expenditure in 

the 2019 budget that has 

been passed unto law. 

“The total expenditure 

includes statutory transfers, 

non-debt recurrent 

expenditure such as salaries 

and pensions and also the 

social intervention 

Programme. 

“The 2020 budget has a 

debt service estimated at 

N2.45 trillion and a sinking 

fund to retire maturing 

obligations issued to local 

contractors and other creditors 

in the sum of N296 billion. 

“So there is a total sum of 

N3.43 trillion that is provided 

for personnel and pension cost 

inclusive of N218 billion for 

the top 19 government owned 

enterprises in the country. 

“This represents an increase 

of N453 billion over the 2019 

approved budgetary 

expenditure. This also 

implies a 40 percent of this 

recurrent expenditure to the 

projected revenue.” 

“The budget deficit is 

projected at N2.15 trillion in 

the year 2020 and this is lower 

than what was approved in 

the 2019 budget which was 

N2.47 trillion. 

“I want to add that council 

approved our presentation 

and so the next phase for us 

is to consult with the National 

Assembly and then the 

Medium Term Expenditure 

Framework, MTEF, to the 

National Assembly for their 

own view and subsequent 

approval. 

N182.68bn for road 

projects 

FEC also approved a total 

of N182. 68 billion for various 

road projects across the 

country. 

Minister of State for Works 

and Housing, Abubakar 

Aliyu, while briefing 

journalists stated that the road 

projects covered Lagos, Niger, 

Kano, Katsina, Edo, Kwara, 

Taraba, Jigawa, Imo, Abia, 

Yobe, FCT, and Anambra. 

The roads projects are the 

extension of Lagos-Badagry 

expressway project to Benin- 

Nigeria border N15.2 billion; 

two bridges at Kontagora in 

Niger State at N1.1 billion and 

Kano-Katsina Road at N9.4 

billion. 

Xenophobia: S-African 

Immigration officers 

harass Nigerian returnees 

•As first batch of i88 returnees 

arrived Lagos last night 

By Lawani 

Mikairu, Bose 

Adelaja & Victoria 

Ojeme, with agency 

reports 

SOUTH 

African 

authorities, yesterday, 

set hurdles in the way of 

Nigerians returning 

home in the wake of the 

xenophobic attacks in the 

country, stopping those 

without documentation 

from boarding the plane. 

A source told Vanguard 

that South African 

Immigration officials 

stormed OR Tambo 

Internatinal Airport in 

Johannesburg to arrest this 

category of returnees, asking 

them to explain how they got 

into the country. 

Vanguard also learned that 

officials of Nigerian High 

Commission in South Africa 

had a rough time stopping 

the Immigration officials from 

having their way. 

This was said to have 

caused the delay in the 

evacuation of the Nigerians, 

as the Air Peace plane, which 

was scheduled to depart 

South Africa at 9:10 am with 

about 320 passengers, who 

were already at the airport to 

board, didn’t take off until 

around 3 pm with only 188 

returnees. 

The Air Peace flight, which 

left Nigeria 11:30 pm arrived 

Johannesburg at about 4:00 

am, waiting for the returnees 

who sources said were 

enthusiastic about returning 

home. 

It was gathered that the 

Nigerian High Commission in 

South Africa had prepared 

travel documents for the 

Nigerians but the South Africa 

Immigration officials wanted 

to know how the Nigerians 

came into the country and 

began to arrest them, 

Official of the High 

Commission, who pleaded 

anonymity said: “South Africa 

is frustrating Nigeria. The Air 

Peace aircraft has been there 

since 4:00 am. Their 

Immigration started giving our 

High Commission problems. 

They said some Nigerians 

didn’t have papers. 

Immigration is arresting them, 

asking them to explain how 

they came to South Africa. 

“About five minutes ago, only 

182 Nigerians were allowed 

to board the flight; the rest are 

being barred by South Africa 

Immigration. They are 

frustrating the Nigerian High 

Commission, and are taking 

the passengers away. 

‘’They want to frustrate the 

airline and the Nigerian 

government. The aircraft has 

been burning fuel since 4:00 

am. They are not happy that 

Nigeria is evacuating its 

citizens. They don’t want the 

world to know that a Nigerian 

airline and Nigerian 

government is evacuating 

them. 

“Our high commission is 

having tough time with South 

African government. They are 

stopping and arresting 

Nigerians, saying they 

should explain how they came 

into the country.” 

It was also learned, 

yesterday, that officials of the 

airline were frustrated by the 

antics of the South African 

Immigration officials, as their 

action represented an increase 

in the airline’s operational 

cost. 

“The evacuation of 

Nigerians from South Africa 

would cost the airline about 

N300 million, which include 

the payment of passenger 

service charge, aeronautical 

and other charges in addition 

to the cost of operation,’’ an 

official of the airline told 

Vanguard yesterday. 

At press time, the returnees 

had not arrived the the 

Murtala Muhammed 

International Airport, Lagos, 

as their estimated time of 

arrival was now fixed for 

between 10 and 11pm. 

Their initial time of arrival 

was 2:00pm, if they had taken 

off in Africa at 9:00am earlier 

scheduled for the flight. 

Speaking on the 

development, yesterday, 

president of Nigerian 

Citizens Association in South 

Africa, Prince Ben Okoli, 

confirmed the antics of the 

South African Immigration 

officers, saying that accounted 

for the delayed flight 

“Some(Nigerian nationals) 

were identified as having 

problems with Immigration. 

Authorities are attending to the 

problem. By now, they should 

have left,” Okoli said at 

3.30pm. 

But the Nigerian Consul- 

General in Johannesburg, 

Godwin Adama, told 

Vanguard on the telephone 

last night that no Nigerian 

was arrested or left behind 

due to South African 

Immigration’s harassment. 

He said: ‘’It was a wonderful 

experience and a thing of joy, 

those that couldn’t make it 

today was not because of 

Immigration. 

‘’Those that were affected 

were the ones that either have 

three children or don’t have 

complete papers. They tried 

but we surmounted every 

obstacle. We were able to 

evacuate 188 today and we 

still have over 600 on 

ground.’’ 

On the fate of Nigerians in 

Prisons, he said: ‘’We are yet 

to get there, one step at a time, 

let’s finish the evacuation, 

then we talk about the 

Nigerians in Prison. 

He said: “When we get the 

full information about them, 

we will assess if they are 

Nigerians or not."


LETTER OF INTENT: From left, Walter Peviani, Managing Director, Saipem Contracting Nigeria 

Ltd; Tony Attah, NLNG Managing Director; Dr Osobonye LongJohn, Chairman NLNG Board of Directors; 

Sadeeq Mai-Bornu, NLNG Deputy Managing Director; Mrs Folasade Yemi-Esan, Perm. Secretary, 

Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources; Aka Nwokedi, NLNG General Counsel and Company Secretary 

(left standing); and Ikechukwu Eke, NLNG Assistant Company Secretary at the signing of the Letter of 

Intent for NLNG Train 7 EPC contract with SCD JV in Abuja, yesterday. 

Why I split Ministry of Power, Works 

and Housing —Buhari 

•Says his govt must not fail Nigerians 

By Johnbosco 

Agbakwuru 

AMuhammadu BUJA—PRESIDENT 

Buhari 

explained, yesterday, that he 

decided to split the Ministry 

of Power, Works and 

Housing and that of 

Transportation and Aviation 

to improve the efficiency and 

effectiveness of infrastructure 

delivery programmes and 

projects. 

President Buhari also 

reiterated that majority of 

Nigerians, who voted for his 

government, gave a clear 

mandate that included 

enhancement of the security 

of lives and property across 

the entire country, create a 

diversified and inclusive 

economy that will bring 

prosperity to all and to install 

governance and 

accountability in systems 

and processes, with a view 

to eliminating corruption. 

Speaking in his remarks at 

the first Federal Executive 

Council, FEC, meeting in the 

second term of his 

administration, at the 

Council Chamber, 

Presidential Villa, Abuja, 

Buhari tasked the cabinet 

members to work as a team 

to achieve the desired result. 

He said: “Let me make a 

few remarks at the maiden 

Next Level Federal 

Executive Council meeting. 

For the new cabinet 

members, this weekly 

meeting presents an 

opportunity to know your 

fellow ministers and 

exchange ideas with the goal 

of perfecting our stated 

policies, which will positively 

impact on Nigerians. 

“In the recently concluded 

elections, majority of 

Nigerians who voted for us 

gave a clear mandate to 

enhance the security of lives 

and property across the 

entire country, to create a 

diversified and inclusive 

economy that will bring 

prosperity to all, and to install 

governance and 

accountability in our systems 

and processes, thereby 

eliminating corruption. 

“Therefore, all ideas and 

projects that will contribute 

to achieving these goals 

shall be foremost in our 

deliberations.” 

Noting that decision to reappoint 

returning ministers 

was based on merit, the 

President said: “During our 

first term, you executed your 

mandate diligently in a 

patriotic manner. I expect 

you all to double your efforts 

in this second term. 

“To enhance service 

delivery, we decided to 

restructure some functions, 

which led to the creation of 

new ministries to achieve our 

goal of economic 

diversification and inclusive 

growth. 

“For example, we merged 

the Ministry of Finance with 

that of Budget and National 

Planning. We also created a 

Ministry for Humanitarian 

Affairs and Disasters 

Management and Social 

Development to fully 

institutionalise our various 

interventions that support 

some of the poorest and most 

distressed citizens of our 

country. 

“Furthermore, we split the 

Ministry of Power, Works and 

Housing and Ministry of 

Transportation and Aviation 

to improve the efficiency and 

effectiveness of our 

infrastructure delivery 

programmes and projects. 

“On security, keeping in 

mind the need to improve on 

our achievements, we created 

the Ministry of Police Affairs 

to oversee the development 

and implementation of 

strategies that will enhance 

Nigeria’s internal security in 

synergy with other security 

and intelligence agencies. 

“This will include 

supporting the reestablishment 

of civil 

authority in the liberated 

areas of the North-East. We 

also created a new Ministry 

of Special Duties and Inter- 

Governmental Affairs. This 

ministry will manage key 

projects and initiatives of the 

Presidency. 

‘’The minister’s role will 

include coordination of multiagencies 

and inter-ministry 

functions as designated by the 

President. I have instructed 

the Secretary to the 

Government of the Federation 

to draft a schedule of 

ministerial responsibilities for 

my review and final 

approval.” 

Minimum wage: Buhari orders immediate 

conclusion of consequential adjustment 

By Johnbosco 

Agbakwuru 

A BUJA—PRESIDENT 

Muhammadu Buhari 

has directed the relevant 

government officials and 

agencies to expedite action 

on the Consequential 

Adjustment Negotiations on 

Minimum Wage. 

He also approved the 

constitution of the 

Presidential Committee on 

Salaries and Allowances to 

handle all requests after the 

conclusion of Consequential 

Adjustment Negotiations. 

Minister of Labour and 

Employment, Senator Chris 

Ngige, disclosed this at 

Ministry of Labour 

headquarters, Abuja, when 

the Executive of Labour 

Correspondents Association 

of Nigeria, LACAN, paid 

him a solidarity visit over his 

re-appointment. 

He explained that the 

directive by the president for 

quick completion of 

Consequential Adjustment 

Negotiations would help to 

ward off accumulation of 

backlogs, especially for 

governors. 

He said: “My department 

of inspectorate as well as 

Employment and Wage are 

going to do more. We are 

going to fund them so that 

we can start full factory 

inspection and make sure 

that nobody is under 

employed and that those in 

employment get what they 

deserve in the world of work, 

so they can have decent 

work. 

“Part of it is the new 

minimum wage, which the 

president signed in April. It 

is a pity that after signing it, 

May came and a lot of us 

were sent on compulsory 

leave. We are now coming 

back from the leave. If you 

remember, a committee was 

set up and I was a member. 

“When we left, the 

Permanent Secretary took our 

place and were negotiating 

with the Joint negotiating 

Council on the consequential 

adjustment. The states are 

waiting for that and it is not 

proper for us not to fast-track 

that negotiation so that even 

the states will not have too 

much backlog to pay when 

the consequential adjustment 

is concluded. 

“We have our own budgeted 

for in the 2019 budget and we 

are going to also budget for it 

in the 2020 budget. We are 

concerned about the states 

because some of the states are 

not proactive like us. 

NLNG awards $10bn Train-7 

EPC contract to Saipem, 

Daewoo, Chiyoda 

By Michael 

Eboh 

THE Nigeria Liquefied 

Natural Gas Company, 

NLNG, yesterday, 

announced that SCD Joint 

Venture, JV, Consortium, 

comprising Saipem of Italy, 

Japan’s Chiyoda and 

Daewoo of South Korea, 

has emerged the preferred 

bidder for its Liquefied 

Natural Gas Train 7 project. 

The announcement was 

made by Managing 

Director of Nigeria LNG, 

Mr. Tony Attah, at the Letter 

of Intent signing ceremony 

in Abuja. 

He noted that with the 

presentation of the Letter of 

Intent to the SCD JV 

Consortium, the group had 

been awarded the contract 

to undertake the 

Engineering, Procurement 

and Construction, EPC, for 

the Train 7 project. 

Attah further stated that 

with the issuance of the 

Letter of Intent, NLNG was 

now closer to the signing of 

the Final Investment 

Decision, FID, of the Train 

7 project, which he 

disclosed would be attained 

before the end of October. 

He disclosed that the 

company had concluded 

arrangements to ensure 

that after the signing of the 

FID, the project would be 

completed within four to five 

years, as this would be 

critical to it remaining 

competitive and profitable 

in the global market. 

The NLNG chief 

executive explained that 

Train 7 was the company’s 

sure way to attaining the 35 

per cent increase in its 

production capacity, from 22 

UK re-introduces two-year 

work visa for Nigerians, other 

foreign students 

THE United Kingdom 

has announced a new 

visa regime, which will 

allow foreign students 

stay and work in the 

country for two years 

after graduation. 

British Education 

Secretary, Gavin 

Williamson, who 

disclosed this, yesterday, 

said the new policy 

would come into effect 

for students starting 

courses in 2020. 

The plan is an overturn 

of Theresa May’s 2012 

immigration policy, 

which mandated foreign 

students to leave four 

months after finishing a 

degree in the UK. 

According to him, the 

new policy will allow 

graduates apply for jobs 

regardless of their skills 

or the subject they 

studied. 

He said the policy was 

aimed at recruiting 

talented graduates in 

maths, engineering, 

technology and other 

million tonnes per annum, 

MTPA, to 30 MTPA. 

He noted that at 

construction phase, the 

NLNG Train 7 project would 

attract an investment of over 

$7 billion; boost Foreign 

Direct Investment, FDI, 

profile of the country, and 

provide about 10,000 jobs 

during the construction 

stage. 

He said: “With Train 7 on 

board our operation, we can 

consistently continue to 

deliver on our vision of being 

a global LNG company 

helping to build a better 

Nigeria." 

Also speaking, Executive 

Secretary of Nigerian 

Content Development and 

Monitoring Board, 

NCDMB, Simbi Wabote, 

informed the SCD JV 

Consortium that the board 

expected full implementation 

of the agreed Nigerian 

content levels as contained 

in the approved Nigerian 

Content Plan for Train-7 

project, covering 

engineering, fabrication, 

civil works, local 

procurement, project 

services, logistics, 

equipment leasing, 

insurance, hotels, office 

supplies, aviation, haulage, 

human capacity 

development, and jobs. 

In his goodwill message, 

Minister of State for 

Petroleum Resources, Mr. 

Timipre Sylva, who was 

represented by the 

Permanent Secretary of the 

Ministry of Petroleum 

Resources, Dr. Folashade 

Yemi-Esan, noted that the 

project had been a long time 

coming, noting, however, 

that the journey had been 

credible and thorough. 

disciplines. 

Williamson, who noted 

that the move would also 

contribute to the cultural 

development of the UK, 

said: “The important 

contribution international 

students make to our 

country and universities 

is both cultural and 

economic. 

“Their presence 

benefits Britain, which is 

why we’ve increased the 

period of time these 

students can remain in 

the UK after their studies. 

“Our universities thrive 

on being open global 

institutions. Introducing 

the graduate route 

ensures our prestigious 

higher education sector 

will continue to attract the 

best talent from around 

the world to global 

Britain.” 

British Prime Minister, 

Boris Johnson, also said 

the new policy would 

enable students “unlock 

their potential” and begin 

careers in the country.

10 — VANGUARD, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019 

FIRS recovers N97.7bn 

from tax defaulters 

By Emma Ujah, 

Abuja Bureau Chief 

A Federal 

BUJA—THE 

Inland 

Revenue Service (FIRS) 

has recovered about 

N97.7 billion from tax 

defaulters since banks put 

a lien on the affected 

individual’s and 

corporate accounts, on the 

instruction of the service. 

The Executive 

Chairman, FIRS Mr 

Babatunde Fowler, 

disclosed this at the 2019 

Annual Accountants 

Conference of the Institute 

of Chartered Accountants 

of Nigeria, ICAN, in 

Abuja, yesterday. 

He said that the N97.7 

billion was paid by about 

3,976 defaulting tax payers, 

out of 44,293. 

Fowler added that 74 out 

of 406 companies have 

paid about N4 billion under 

the special tax audit 

substitution exercise and 

another N3.84 billion 

defaulters under the 

Voluntary Assets and 

Income Declaration 

Scheme (VAIDS). 

FIRS has intensified its 

tax collection drive lately, 

especially given the 

revenue challenges 

facing the federal and 

Fire guts NNPC Ibadan depot 

By Ola Ajayi 

IBADAN—A section of 

the Nigeria National 

Petroleum Corporation, 

NNPC, Apata, Ibadan 

depot was yesterday, 

gutted by an inferno that 

left more than three tankers 

burnt. 

The fire incident occurred 

at the loading section of the 

depot, destroying a better 

part of the loading section. 

Journalists, Red Cross 

officials were prevented 

from gaining entry into the 

premises of NNPC by its 

officials who appeared to be 

covering the extent of the 

L Chairman 

AGOS—THE 

of 

Channels Media Group, 

Dr. John Momoh, will chair 

the 2019 Institute of 

Chartered Secretaries and 

Administrators of Nigeria, 

ICSAN, annual conference, 

beginning today in Lagos. 

Disclosing this in a 

statement in Lagos, 

yesterday, the institute’s 

President/Chairman-in- 

Council, Bode Ayeku, said 

this year’s theme: “Ease of 

Doing Business in Nigeria: 

The role of Regulatory 

Agencies” is aimed at 

promoting good 

governance in both the 

private and public sectors 

of the Nigerian economy, 

with a view to ensuring 

compliance with 

international best practices. 

He said the program, 

which begins today and 

state governments. 

It decided to enlist 

banks as tax collecting 

agents when it became 

clear that some of the 

defaulters deliberately 

refused to pay taxes, even 

when they had robust 

bank accounts. 

The FIRS chairman said 

that his team was 

determined to whip 

defaulters into line and 

was prepared to use every 

legal means in doing so. 

He warned banks caught 

sabotaging the new policy 

would be heavily 

sanctioned, saying that 

there existed many 

defaulters with tax 

liabilities totaling N254 

billion. 

His words, “As at today 

there are a total of 23,141 

tax defaulters who are yet 

to come forward to clear 

their outstanding liabilities 

of about N254 billion. 

“FIRS in collaboration 

with the banks have started 

engaging in compliance 

measures with regards to 

the tax defaulters and their 

accounts. 

“Failure to carry out 

this directive will result 

in the banks being 

sanctioned according to 

Section 31 subsection 1- 

3 and 32 respectively of 

FIRS Act 2007.” 

damage wrecked by the 

suspicious fire. 

Vanguard gathered that 

the fire could have been 

curtailed by the safety 

department of the 

corporation but a senior staff 

that could have checked the 

outbreak was said to have 

gone to the mosque to 

observe afternoon prayer 

leaving junior staff behind 

in the office. 

Although the details of the 

incident were still sketchy, 

Vanguard correspondent 

at the scene gathered that 

the fire was as a result of 

carelessness on the part of 

NNPC staff. 

Channels Chairman, Momoh, 

others for ICSAN conference 

ends tomorrow, will focus 

on how to do business in 

Nigeria with ease and the 

role various regulatory 

agencies have to play in 

achieving same. 

Ayeku stated that the 

keynote speaker is Ms. 

Yewande Sadiku, the 

Executive Secretary of 

Nigerian Investment 

Promotion Commission, 

NIPC. 

He added that the subtheme 

speakers are Dr. 

Folarin Gbadebo-Smith, 

Director-General, Nigeria 

Institute of Social and 

Economic Research, 

NISER; Mr. Wole 

Obayomi, Partner and 

Head, Tax, Regulatory and 

People Services, KPMG, 

and Mrs. Uto Ukpanah, 

Company Secretary, MTN 

Communications, and an 

array of discussants. 

IGBINEDION @ 85: From left; Chief Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion; his wife, Lady Cherry Igbinedion, 

former Edo State governor, Lucky Igbinedion and another guest during the 85th birthday celebration 

of Chief Igbinedion with friends and well wishers in Benin City. Photo: Barnabas Uzosike. 

OPC, VGC, Agbekoya, others begin 

S’West security mapping 

•As Aare Adams calls for collaboration with govs, police 

By Gabriel Olawale 

L Coalition AGOS—THE 

of Yoruba 

Local Security 

Organization, under the 

auspices of South West 

Security Stakeholders 

Group, yesterday, 

commenced strategizing 

on the best way to secure 

the South West to 

complement the efforts of 

governors and Nigeria 

Police. 

The Coalition, which 

comprises of Oodua 

People’s Congress, OPC; 

Vigilante Group of Nigeria; 

Agbekoya Farmers 

Association, Hunters 

Association of Nigeria, 

Yoruba Youth Council 

among others said that 

protecting the Southwest 

against invasion remains 

their major priority. 

In a communiqué issued 

at the end of the maiden 

edition of security summit 

organised by the Office of 

Aare Ona Kakanfo of 

Yorubaland, the group 

urged Aare Gani Adams to 

use his office and position 

to unite all the traditional 

rulers, who are the 

custodians of culture and 

tradition. 

The Communiqué, which 

was signed by all the 

leaders, agreed to use the 

medium to foster peace, 

love, understanding and 

unity among all the 

paramilitary and security 

stakeholders in the 

southwest. 

The Communiqué reads: 

“The group admonished all 

the leaders of various 

groups to sensitize and 

educate their followers not 

to betray the course of 

Yoruba interest. The group 

also urged the Nigeria 

Police Force and all 

other security agencies 

not to see the 

partnership as a threat to 

their establishment but 

an attempt to support in 

achieving common goal 

and objective of securing 

lives and properties.” 

Speaking at the meeting, 

the Aare Ona Kakanfo of 

Yorubaland, Iba Adams 

called on the respective 

organizations in the 

Southwest to set aside their 

differences and collaborate 

to tackle insecurity in the 

zone. 

He said: “I, hereby, 

task all the groups that 

came together to form the 

coalition to, at all times, 

support the Nigeria 

Police and the South 

West governors in 

protecting lives and 

properties. You should 

complement the efforts 

of all security agencies 

towards community 

policing in Nigeria.” 

MTN Group makes broad leadership changes 

MTN Group is 

making a number 

of changes to its executive 

leadership team across 

Africa. 

The JSE-listed 

telecommunications 

operator said that the 

CEO of MTN Zambia, 

Philip van Dalsen, will 

leave at the end of the 

month, with MTN 

Rwanda CEO Bart 

Hofker set to the reins. 

Van Dalsen joined the 

group in 2012 as head of 

MTN Cyprus, before 

taking on the Zambia 

role in January 2019. 

Mitwa Kaemba 

Ng’ambi has, meanwhile, 

been appointed as the 

new CEO of MTN 

Rwanda. Ng’ambi returns 

to MTN where she 

previously held the role of 

chief marketing officer at 

MTN Benin and several 

other roles at MTN Zambia. 

Ng’ambi joins MTN from 

Airtel Tigo Ghana, where 

she held the role of CEO. 

Prior to that, she was CEO 

of Tigo Senegal. 

Rescheduled 46th AAAN AGM/confab holds in Lagos 

L Association 

AGOS—THE 

of 

Advertising Agencies of 

Nigeria, AAAN, has 

concluded plans to hold 

its rescheduled 

46thAnnual General 

Meeting/Congress at the 

Orchid Hotel, Lekki/ 

Ajah, Lagos, on 20 and 

21 September 2019. 

In a statement by 

AAAN Publicity 

Secretary, Jenkins 

Alumona, the AGM/ 

Congress, which was 

scheduled to hold in 

July in Asaba, Delta 

State, was rescheduled 

due to circumstances 

beyond the Association’s 

control. 

The theme for this 

year’s AGM/Congress 

is The War Within: 

Solutions for Survival. 

President of the 

Association, Mr. Ikechi 

Odigbo reiterated that 

the Association aims to 

use the AGM as a 

platform to engage in 

intellectual and critical 

discourse on the 

challenges facing the 

business and practice of 

Advertising in Nigeria 

and 

advocate 

unorthodox solutions in 

rebuilding and 

rebranding the industry. 

Chairman of the Events 

Planning Committee, 

Mr. Doyin Adewumi, 

disclosed that the 

Association will invite its 

distinguished senior 

members to lead the 

discourse on the theme. 

To underscore the 

importance of the AGM, 

the Association has 

invited Mr. Jimi 

Awosika, Vice Chairman, 

Lastly, MTN Côte 

d’Ivoire CEO, Freddy 

Tchala will leave MTN at 

the end of September. 

Tchala has been with 

MTN for 17 years. After 

leaving MTN Cameroon, 

he served as CEO in 

Guinea, Conakry and 

Congo Brazzaville, before 

joining MTN Côte d’Ivoire 

four years ago. 

“MTN will make an 

announcement in due 

course regarding a 

successor to Tchala,” the 

group said. 

Troyka Holdings, as the 

keynote speaker. 

Panellists will include 

Mr. Steve Babaeko, 

Group CEO, X3M Ideas; 

Mrs. Chizor Malize, 

CEO, Brandzone LLC; 

and Mr. Igbo Amadi- 

Obi, CEO, BBDO. 

Adewunmi also 

revealed that in 

recognition of 

meritorious service, 

some senior members 

will be honoured and 

given special recognition 

awards at the AGM/ 

Congress.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019 —11 

Avoid men who are 

morally 

corrupt 

if you want to marry again 

– Uche Maduagwu tells Juliet Ibrahim 

Controversial Nollywood actor, Uche 

Maduagwu, recently took to his 

Instagram page to advise screen 

diva, Juliet Ibrahim, to avoid men who 

he describes as ‘morally bankrupt’ if she 

wants to experience a blissful life again. 

Recall that Juliet Ibrahim’s marriage to 

her ex-hubby, Kwadwo Safo Jnr. ended 

about four years ago after she discovered 

her husband had impregnated another 

lady. Her relationship with singer, 

Iceberg Slim also ended about a year 

ago. 

Maduagwu, however, advised the 

screen diva that it is better to be 

in a relationship with a broke 

man than one who cheats. “If 

you want to smell marriage 

again, avoid men who are 

morally bankrupt. My dear, a 

man that can cheat on you for 

years without you knowing is 

morally bankrupt. It is even 

better to be in a relationship 

with a boyfriend that is broke 

because one day, God will open 

Maduagwu doors for him, than a 

comfortable man that is morally 

bankrupt,” he wrote. 

Reekado Banks fires brother, Temi 

Solomon as manager 

Reekado Banks 

Juliet Ibrahim 

Popular family entertainment satellite TV 

channel, wapTV, recently received the 

distinguished Silver Play Button Award 

from YouTube in recognition of its achieving 

the milestone of 100,000 subscribers on 

wapTV’s YouTube channel. 

WapTV’s popular YouTube channel, 

named waptvchannel, is a free video-ondemand 

platform which gives subscribers 

unlimited access to thousands of 

entertaining videos; including Akpan and 

Oduma, Superstory, Papa Ajasco Reloaded, 

Nnenna & Friends, This Life, Odd World, 

Binta My Daughter, Chief Olododo 

Horoscope, Omonla on the Street, Celebrity 

Interviews, Nollywood Gist, and lots more. 

According to the Managing Director of 

wapTV, Wole Adenuga, “We appreciate 

every one of our 130,000 Subscribers on 

YouTube. We are equally grateful to YouTube 

Nigerian music star, Ayoleyi 

Hanniel Solomon, better 

known as Reekado Banks has 

been explaining why he 

decided to part ways with his 

brother, Temi Solomon who 

was formerly his manager. 

In an interview with Cool FM, 

the 25-year old singer said 

next level dealings informed 

his decision to drop his brother 

from managing him, and 

seeing that his vision has 

grown, he needs people who 

‘see as far as he sees’. 

“It was just next level dealings. 

I wanted to get somewhere 

else, the vision became a lot 

WapTV bags YouTube plaque 

Stories By Rotimi Agbana & Tolulope Abereoje 

for this award as a recognition of the 

quality of our content. While we 

continue to have millions of viewers 

watching wapTV on live TV via 

Satellite, this waptvchannel 

YouTube platform helps 

us satisfy audiences 

who want to rewatch 

something 

they have 

already seen on 

TV as well as 

those who 

prefer the 

Video-on- 

Demand method 

of consuming 

content.” 

farther, like I saw farther than I 

used to see and I just needed 

somebody that ’ll see as much, 

most especially someone that’s 

been there with other people 

(artistes). But me and my 

brother are cool,” he said. 

Reekado Banks is now managed 

by Twenty20 media led by 

Davido’s former manager, 

Kamal Ajiboye. 

When asked if Temi who has 

managed him since the 

beginning of his career is still a 

part of his team in a n y 

capacity, he 

answered in 

the negative 

saying that 

“not at the 

moment”. 

Wale 

Adenuga Jnr 

AY 

King 98 

Davido, other 

Nigerian 

musicians are 

very humble 

— Zimbabwean 

singer, King 98 

Having conquered the very 

discouraging music industry 

in his home country, popular 

Zimbabwean musician, 

Ngonidzashe Dondo, better known 

by his stage name as King 98, 

thought it pertinent to expand his 

music frontiers by coming to 

Nigeria to have a feel of the music 

ambiance and equally promote his 

brand of music which he has 

refused to define because he is a 

versatile artiste with no 

boundaries. 

Speaking on his mission to Nigeria 

in a chat with E-Daily, the music 

youngster said; “I love it here and 

it’s been cool; everyone is friendly. 

In terms of the music vibe, Afrobeat 

is dominating, not just locally 

but globally. I spend my time 

listening to Afro-beat now than 

hip-hop because of the manner of 

beats that are being made, the 

production, and the collaboration 

levels. Also, Burna Boy, Wizkid and 

the rest being on 

Beyonce’s album, so you 

see they are breaking out. 

Nigerian artistes are the 

ones at the forefront 

pushing African music to 

the world.” 

While describing the 

Nigerian music industry 

as the strongest and most 

viable in Africa; the young 

superstar who is still 

riding on the crest of his 

album titled ‘Francesca’; 

released earlier in the year 

stated that contrary to 

popular belief, Davido 

and many other Nigerian 

musicians are very humble 

people. 

“The strongest music 

industry in Africa is 

Nigeria and it’s also the 

friendliest. I remember I 

made a song with Davido. 

When I met Davido, the 

connection I made with 

him was easy compared to 

other artistes I’ve met back 

home in Zimbabwe. So, 

the love that Nigerian 

artistes have for 

entertainment is 

something else. I met him 

the first day, the next day 

we’ve made the song and 

shot the video. That was 

like very easy. When you 

see them on TV, they are 

like superstars but in 

person, they are very 

humble people. It’s easy to 

work with them. Even to 

the producers; I’ve worked 

with Speroach and I might 

work with Kelechi Ngezo. 

That’s just why I like 

working with Nigerians”, 

he said. 

Speaking on why it is so 

difficult to be hit limelight 

on the Zimbabwean music 

industry, the ‘Shoko’ 

crooner said; It’s difficult 

because we don’t have a 

lot of numbers compared 

to Nigeria and South 

Africa, where there are 

enough artistes and music 

is supported. Music is not 

really a big thing for us 

because it’s not valued. 

Only a few musicians have 

made it to limelight. 

If you give to everyone, you 

will become broke too - AY 

Celebrity life may come with many perks, but it also has its 

downside, and going by the flamboyance often displayed 

on social media, many automatically have high expectations from 

them and hence often reach out to them for financial assistance. 

Ace Nigerian comedian cum actor, Ayo Makun better known as 

AY, has taken to social media to complain about this issue and 

to address people who are in the habit of asking him for money. 

According to him, many people who constantly come to him for 

help fail to understand that he too might just become broke 

if he gives everyone. 

“From not wanting to disappoint anybody, people 

consistently expect you to please 

everyone. It’s only in Nigeria your N1 

million will attract 20 friends and 

family with 100k problems each. Why 

do they always fail to understand that 

if you give everybody, you will become 

broke too? People around you should 

understand that you cannot please 

everyone all the time. It usually ends 

u p being a terrible move whenever you 

try to do that among people who fails to understand 

or lacks appreciation for every little thing you do. 

We can only appreciate the sermon of ‘give and it 

will come back to you’ when you are in position to 

give. There’s always going to be someone 

disappointed, so you might as well make yourself 

happy and be you. ‘Givers never lack’ doesn’t 

mean you should lack sense. 

According to Timaya, I can’t kill myself,” he 

wrote.


Removing security votes’ll be inimical 

to devt —Govs 

By Henry Umoru 

A 

B U J A — 

GOVERNORS 

under the aegis of Nigeria 

Governors’ Forum, NGF, 

said, yesterday, that the 

removal of security votes for 

them would be inimical to 

development. 

The governors noted that 

the abolition of security votes 

would, aside from stifling 

development, increase 

insecurity and slow down the 

various states’ response to 

emergencies. 

Speaking, yesterday, in 

Abuja, Chairman of NGF 

and governor of Ekiti State, 

Kayode Fayemi, argued that 

abolition of security votes, as 

being advocated by many in 

the country, would breed 

chaos in the polity. 


removal will not curb 

corruption as is being widely 

believed, as there is no 

development without 

security. 

Fayemi stated this at a 

quarterly policy dialogue on 

accountability for security 

votes, organised by Anti- 

Corruption Academy of 

Nigeria, ACAN, at the ICPC 

Auditorium, Abuja. 

The Governors’ Forum 

chairman, in his keynote 

address, entitled "Security 

Votes: Are they necessary? 

Are they legitimate?" quoted 

from various authorities and 

sources, including books 

written by such First 

Republic icons as Chief 

Jerome Udoji. 

He argued that security 

vote had existed even before 

the coming of the military to 

power in Nigeria, stressing 

that doing away with it will, 

instead of addressing 

corruption, hinder 

development and security in 

the country. 

Fayemi faulted those who 

said security votes were 

illegal, quoting from the 

constitution and other 

Rivers APC congress: We'll not 

participate —Abe's faction 

By Egufe 

Yafugborhi 

PORT HARCOURT— 

SENATOR Magnus 

Abe’s faction of All 

Progressives Party, APC, in 

relevant authorities to 

emphasize the fact that 

security votes were not only 

legal but have also been in 

existence since the colonial 

era. 

“Governments all over the 

world have security votes but 

they may not call it the same 

name as ours because for 

obvious reasons, 

government business may 

not necessarily be in the 

public glare,” he said. 

He attributed the Iran- 

Contra affair and other 

government action in South 

America as products of the 

use of security votes, which 

those governments 

conveniently put away from 

the eyes of their citizens. 

He, however, stated that in 

his state, Ekiti, every 

transaction involving 

security votes was very well 

documented and receipted 

Rivers State, has declared 

that it was not going to 

participate in the states 

party’s congresses slated for 

September 17, 

The faction chaired by 

Prince Peter Odike, at a 

stakeholders meeting in Port 

Harcourt, Rivers State, 

yesterday, said it amounted 

to putting the cart before the 

horse for the APC National 

Working Committee, NWC, 

to contemplate conducting 

congresses for Rivers State 

before resolving the factional 

crisis, which denied the party 

participation in the 2019 

elections in the state. 

The faction, which is also 

angered by the non inclusion 

of its members in the NWC 

appointed Caretaker 

Committee for the Rivers 

APC, vowed to boycott the 

congresses. 

Meanwhile, the sale of 

nomination forms opened, 

yesterday, at Rivers APC 

faction’s secretariat loyal to 

the Transportion Minister, 

Chibuike Amaechi. 

The communique by 

former Rivers Attorney- 

General, Worgu Boms, at the 

end of the stakeholders 

meeting read: “The party is 

again treading the route of 

exclusion and disdain for the 

but nevertheless argued that 

unless something was done 

to ameliorate the malaise, the 

abuse of security votes in the 

country would continue to be 

rife. 

He attributed his argument 

to the creation of state police, 

which he prescribed as the 

antidote to the expenditure 

being incurred by governors 

in the types of assistance they 

render to the Nigeria Police 

Force which, according to 

him, would diminish the 

complaints that abound. 

Fayemi, however, 

advocated a partnership 

between NGF and ACAN to 

work out modalities that will 

lift the issue of security votes 

and its accounting processes 

to meet global best practices, 

to finally douse the hue and 

cry that had trailed the matter 

over time. 

rights and feelings of 

members that plunged 

Rivers APC into needless 

crisis resulting in the party 

being denied participation in 

Rivers in the general election. 

“As critical stakeholders, 

bearing in mind the 

circumstance of the party in 

the state, we were not 

consulted by NWC in 

appointing a caretaker 

committee in Rivers nor does 

the committee reflect the 

diversity of the party in the 

state. The so-called caretaker 

members are simply cronies 

of the Minister of 

Transportation." 

Meanwhile, the five-man 

caretaker committee chaired 

by Isaac Abott-Ogbobula has 

arrived Port Harcourt to the 

state APC Secretariat of 

Amaechi’s faction as its 

operating base where they 

immediately commenced 

sales of nomination forms to 

the anger of Abe’s faction. 

Amidst the protest, Abott- 

Ogbobula, yesterday, assured 

of “free, fair and transparent 

congresses. Our mandate is 

to run the affairs of the party 

pending the conclusion of the 

congresses,” while soliciting 

party members cooperation to 

ensure successful delivery of 

that mandate. 

N537m debt: Court vacates 

order on Donald Duke Lagos 

house 

By Innocent 

Anaba 

A 

Federal high Court 

sitting in Lagos, 

yesterday, discharged the 

order granted Asset 

Management Company of 

Nigeria, AMCON, to take 

over the property of former 

governor of Cross River 

State, Mr Donald Duke, 

over the N537 million debt. 

Trial judge, Justice 

Nicholas Oweibo, 

discharged the order 

following the settlement 

terms filed and moved by 

the AMCON’s counsel, 

Mrs Juliet Benson. 

She told the court that 

Duke had fulfilled the 

terms of the settlement and 

parties have agreed to the 

terms. She urged the court 

to adopt the terms of 

settlement as the 

judgement of court. 

Counsel to Duke, 

Edoigiawerie Uyi, confirm 

that his client had shown 

good faith by promptly 

making payment of over 

N350 million, which parties 

all agreed to, adding: “I 

join my colleagues to urge 

the court to enter our terms 

of settlement as full and 

final judgement of court.” 

Justice Oweibo, in a short 

ruling, granted the terms 

of the settlement and 

entered it as full and final 

judgement. 

The judge also said all 

orders in the case stood 

discharged. 

AMCON had on August 

8, 2019 sealed Ikoyi house, 

Lagos of Donald Duke 

following the order of the 

court. 

Flooding: Edo govt cautions 

residents over heavy rainfall 

By Gabriel 

Enogholase & 

Alemma Aliu 

BENIN CITY — 

EDO State 

government has cautioned 

residents in the state to be 

careful and vigilant as they 

move around in the rains 

through the momentary 

flooding that may arise from 

heavy rainfall. 

A statement in Benin City, 

Edo State, yesterday, by 

Special Adviser to Governor 

Godwin Obaseki on Media 

and Communication 

Strategy, Mr. Crusoe 

Osagie, urged residents to 

be wary of flooding in parts 

of the state and exercise 

caution when they move 

around as pedestrians or 

motorists to avoid casualties. 

He said: “We want to 

caution residents in the state 

to be careful and vigilant 

when they move around in 

the state, as we may 

experience momentary 

flooding in parts of the state. 

“Parents are advised to 

watch their children carefully 

so that they do not stray and 

get caught up in flash floods. 

We also caution motorists to 

drive carefully, avoid flood 

flash points, especially areas 

with deep drainage systems. 

“The flooding, as we all 

know, is momentary. The 

roads would be dry in no 

distant time, but we call for 

caution nonetheless so that 

we don’t record casualties." 

NDDC board: Okumagba, 

card-carry member of APC 

—Delta APC Olorogun 

By Perez Brisibe 

UGHELLI— 

Delta 

State chapter of All 


APC, has condemned 

media attacks on the 

nominee for Managing 

Director on the board of 

Niger Delta Development 

Commission, NDDC, 

Benard 

Okumagba, stating that the 

nominee is a card-carrying 

member of the party in the 

state. 

The party also described 

as “tissue of lies laced with 

falsehood” claims that 

Okumagba is not a member 

of the APC, saying: “He 

joined APC on January 6, 

2017 with registration 

number 17949553.” 

The party in a statement 

by its Publicity Secretary, 

Sylvester Imonina 

yesterday, disclosed that 

there was a ploy by certain 

desperate individuals to 

“hoodwink and bamboozle 

Mr. President into 

appointing covert PDP 

agents and apologists who 

masquerade as members of 

the party in Delta State.” 

Imonina said: “We 

condemn the attempt to 

rubbish the membership 

and contributions of Chief 

Okumagba, a foremost party 

member of APC, Delta State, 

from Warri South Local 

Government Area of the 

state."


Zamfara 

police arrest 

man for 

impersonation, 

duping 

By Nasir 

Muhammad 

Gusau 

ZAMFARA State Police 

Command has arrested 

one Ibrahim Muhammad 

Maigandi, for allegedly 

impersonating the state 

commissioner of police, 

Usman Nagogo, after 

defrauding a senator of N2 

million. 

The suspect, according to 

the police command, was 

arrested for impersonating 

:Vanguard 

News 

Nagogo and duping a 

senator, representing 

Zamfara West Senatorial 

district, Lawal Hassan 

Dan’iya, of N2 million. 

The state Police Public 

Relation Officer, PPRO, said 

the alleged fraudster was 

arrested following a 

complaint by the senator to 

the police that one person 

claiming to be the state 

Commissioner of Police, CP 

Usman Nagogo, and had 

been collecting money from 

him. 

The senator, according to 

the police, alleged that 

Ibrahim Muhammad 

Maigandi started sending 

text messages from 

September 1, through his 

MTN number and when 

the senator called, he told 

him he was the state CP and 

wanted to collect his 'Sallah 

gift.' 

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

Kwara govt conducts competency 

tests for principals, VPs 

ILORIN—NO fewer than 

173 Principals and 93 

Vice Principals yesterday 

sat for a competency test 

organised in Ilorin by the 

Kwara government. 

The Permanent Secretary, 

Kwara Teaching Service 

Commission, TSC, Mr 

Bayo Onimago, confirmed 

the figure at the venue of 

the test held at St. Anthony 

Secondary School, Ilorin. 

He said the test was to 

ensure that qualified 

personnel were deployed to 

improve the education 

standard in the state’s 

public schools. 


records of the participants 

were properly checked 

before being invited to write 

the test, noting that the 

exercise would now be held 

annually. 

“Every participant 

present has been properly 

screened and scrutinised. 

They all have professional 

educational qualifications 

before being invited. The 

Principals must have 

attained Level 16 while the 

Vice Principals must attain 

Level 15. We based the 

invitation on merit and not 

who you know. We want an 

improved system of 

education. We want to 

PRESENTATION—From left: Marketing Director, Nigerian Breweries, NB, Plc., Emmanuel Oriakhi; 

Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu; Portfolio Manager, Mainstream Brands, NB, Omotunde Adenusi; 

Chairman, Board of Directors, NB, Chief Kola Jamodu, and National Trade Marketing Manager, 

NB, Funso Ayeni, during a courtesy visit to present the new Goldberg bottles to the Oba at Iga 

Iduganran. 

Access Bank woos inactive account 

holders with promo 

LAGOS—ACCESS Bank 

Plc. has launched a 

promotional campaign 

tagged ‘Awuf Berekete’ to 

encourage customers of the 

bank with inactive accounts 

as well as those that do not 

have the required 

documentations, KYC, to 

operate bank accounts to 

return to the banking 

system. 

The bank has, therefore, 

launched Access Money 

Wallet to encourage 

customers who for some 

reason do not have some 

things required for KYC for 

the other types of bank 

accounts, to reactivate their 

accounts and be part of the 

ongoing promotional 

campaign. 

The bank, through ‘Awuf 

Berekete,’ targeted at 

inactive account customers, 

returns 20 per cent of a 

customer’s total transaction 

value upon carrying out 

funds transfer with their 

phones. 

Also, customers who 

hitherto had unfunded 

accounts with the bank, who 

fund their accounts with 

any amount and leave the 

funds in the account for 

seven days, are given back 

10 times of the amount 

deposited. 

Chinedu Onuoha, Head, 

Business Development and 

Success comes with hard work, prayers —Student 

By Temitope 

Adegbola 

I KORODU—THE 

outgoing headboy for 

2018/2019 session at Uncle 

Bayus Schools, Ikorodu, 

Ibraheem Moshood 

Adeyemi, has said success 

is only guaranteed if we 

work hard and pray to God 

and, I believe, according to 

Nelson Mandela, that the 

only weapon that can be 

used to change the world 

is education. 

Adeyemi, who gave this 

view on the occasion of the 

30th Founders Day, 

Graduation and Prize 

Giving ceremony of the 

school, added that the first 

step to being a leader is to 

be a follower. “Cooperation 

falls in afterwards, and that 

is why this school has been 

Planning, Access Bank, 

speaking at media parley in 

Lagos, said the campaign 

followed the CBN’s policy 

that has lifted restrictions on 

accounts without BVN and 

the need to encourage its 

Tier-1 customers to reactivate 

and transact with their 

a pathway to our successes. 

Have fun but stay on track. 

Listening is a skill. 

Remember to always listen, 

for, if you do, problems will 

lessen." 

Chairman, Board of 

Governors of the school for 

three decades, Mr. 

Olusegun Oyesanya, 

expressed great joy as he 

admonished the founder/ 

proprietor, Solomon 

Adebayo Idowu, not to forget 

his vision and mission for 

establishing the school 30 

years ago. 

While giving his speech at 

the event, the Principal of the 

school, Mr. Ayodeji 

Odugbesan, congratulated 

all staff and students, noting 

that professional trainings 

and development of teachers 

is an on going programme, 

and the outcome gives great 

accounts. 

He said: “So, we have 

customers who have not 

been transacting with us, 

they started with us and 

could not continue the 

relationship due to certain 

circumstances. We have 

Awuf Berekete and we 

have mobile money wallet." 

satisfaction that students 

have also been very active 

in their various pursuits. 

He advised that as 

students enter this new 

phase in life, they should 

never relent; they should 

be focused and be good 

ambassadors of the school. 

“Make our world a better 

place than you found it. 

Don’t be trapped into living 

by the ideas of other 

people. Have the courage 

to follow your heart and 

intuitions in decision 

making.” 

In her farewell message, 

the Primary Session head 

girl, Odebode Jesutofunmi, 

said: “We must endeavour 

to imbibe all knowledge that 

is made available to us 

within and without the 

school premises. We 

should be willing and 

ready to learn at all times." 

revolutionise education 

under the new 

administration.” 

The permanent secretary 

also advised the 

participants to be focused 

and be exemplary leaders 

to their teachers and 

students in their daily 

activities. 

He said Governor 

Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq, 

had released funds for the 

purchase of instructional 

materials for schools which 

would be distributed before 

resumption for new 

academic session. 

“We have everything 

ready to be distributed 

before the new academic 

session. Chalk, Desk top, 

Scheme of work, Science 

kits, Mathematical kits and 

other important materials 

will soon go round,” he 

said. 

Mr Rufus Agunbiade, 

one of the participants and 

Principal of Asa Local 

Government Commercial 

Secondary School, 

described the exercise as 

the first of its kind. 

“The test is good and will 

bring out the best in us. 

Merit is the watch word and 

not connection or ethnicity,” 

he said. 

Mr Yusuf Ayinla, another 

participant and Vice 

Principal of Government 

Day Secondary School, 

Alore, said the test would 

boost the morale of teachers 

to upgrade themselves. 

According to him, “it is a 

progressive arrangement 

that will really improve the 

quality of education in 

Kwara and produce quality 

principals.“ 

…As Kaduna SUBEB 

trains 6,828 teachers 

on reading, numeracy 

KADUNA—THE Kaduna 

State Universal Basic 

Education Board, SUBEB, 

has begun a five-day training 

of 6,828 teachers on Reading 

And Numeracy Activity, 

RANA. 

The Executive Chairman, 

Kaduna SUBEB, Malam 

Abdullahi Sani, made this 

known, yesterday, while 

supervising the training 

across primary schools in 

Kaduna. 

Sani said the training was 

in line with Better Education 

Service Delivery for All 

(BESDA), meant to improve 

literacy and enroll the 

145,000 out-of-school 

children in the state into 

school. 

He said: “One of the 

components of BESDA 

which is RANA, is to teach 

the teachers or facilitators the 

local language which would 

eventually enhance learning 

to primary one pupils upon 

their entry. The training is to 

ensure the pupils can 

understand the letters and 

numeracy aspects of the 

learning process taught by 

their teachers. 

“The Kaduna state 

government is ready to 

improve and make better the 

education sector of the state 

especially the foundation 

level. The state government 

is also planning on ‘Open 

Schooling’ to enroll children 

who are roaming about our 

streets. The teachers have 

a special role to play which 

is to inform their 

neighbourhood and other 

people who have neglected 

sending their children to 

school. 

“Most of the anti social 

problems we are 

experiencing today in our 

societies especially security, 

it’s as a result of illiteracy 

amongst our youths who 

were neglected without 

education during their 

childhood. We have earlier 

advised the teachers to 

refrain from unwanted 

behaviors and attitudes in 

front of the pupils which 

would have everlasting 

impact on their behavior 

and upbringing”. 

Sani urged the teachers 

to put efforts in 

understanding the purpose 

of the training which would 

ease the teaching process 

and enable pupils to 

understand better while in 

higher classes. 

One of the trainees, Mrs 

Hindatu Aliyu, in an 

interview, said she had 

understood how to read the 

Hausa alphabets, how to 

sing and make sentences 

with them.

14 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019 

Ekiti to hold LG polls December 7 

VISIT: Governor 

Seyi Makinde of 

Oyo State (left) 

presenting a gift to 

the Managing 

Director/CEO, 

Unity Bank, Mrs 

Tomi Somefun 

during the bank's 

management 

team's visit to the 

governor in his 

office, Ibadan. 

MURDER OF ONDO PROFESSOR: Killers 

must be brought to book — FAMILY 

•Murder barbaric, says govt 

By Dayo Johnson 

AKURE—THE family 

of the murdered 51- 

year-old Professor of 

Applied Mathematics and 

Acting Dean, School of 

Postgraduate Studies, 

University of Science and 

Technology, OSUSTECH, 

Okitipupa, Ondo State, 

Professor Gideon 

Okedayo and the state 

government, yesterday, 

called on security agencies 

to fish out his killers and 

prosecute them. 

Late Okedayo, of the 

Mathematical Science 

Department was abducted 

with his driver on September 

5 on his way to Ighara, in 

Edo State when he was 

abducted. 

His driver was later 

released but he was held 

captive until he was 

murdered without his captor 

requesting for ransom. 

Detectives of the Edo State 

Police Command later 

recovered his official vehicle 

where it was abandoned. 

His decomposing body 

was recovered days later in 

a bush not far from where 

he was abducted. 

Speaking with Vanguard, 

a family member, who spoke 

in confidence, said killers of 

the university Professor 

should be arrested and 

prosecuted. 

When contacted, widow of 

the deceased, Mrs. Marries 

Okedayo, declined 

comment on the death of 

her husband. 

When Vanguard called 

her, her younger sister said: 

“My sister would not speak 

to the press on this matter 

for now.” But another family 

member, who decried the 

prevailing insecurity in the 

country, said: “The killers of 

this innocent and hardworking 

man must be 

fished out and made to face 

the full wrath of the law.” 

Meanwhile, the General 

Overseer of the Redeemed 

Christian Church of God, 

Pastor Enoch Adeboye and 

Governor Rotimi Akeredolu 

have sent representatives to 

pay a condolence visit to the 

widow of the deceased in 

Okitipupa. 

Other callers at the late 

Professor’s residence 

include the Pro-Chancellor 

of the institution, Prof 

Akinbo Adesomoju, the 

Vice-Chancellor, Prof 

Sunday Ogunduyile 

and other top 

management staff. 

Pastor Yomi Osho led a 

team of 14 other RCCG 

pastors, while the state 

commissioner for 

Education, Science and 

Technology, Mr. Femi 

Agagu led the state 

government delegation. 

The state government, in 

a statement by the Senior 

Special Assistant on Media 

and Publicity, Ojo 

Oyewamide, described 

Okedayo’s death as 

heinous and barbaric. 

Condemning the murder, 

Governor Akeredolu called 

on “security agencies to get 

to the root of this and other 

avoidable killings that have 

pervaded the nation lately.” 

FUOYE bans SUG, orders students 

to vacate campus 

•I didn’t order shooting of 

students, says Fayemi’s wife 

By Rotimi Ojomoyela 

A FOLLOWING DO-EKITI— 

the 

attack on the convoy of the 

First Lady of Ekiti State, 

Erelu Bisi Fayemi by 

protesting students of 

Federal University, Oye- 

Ekiti, FUOYE, on Tuesday, 

the authorities of FUOYE, 

yesterday, closed down the 

school indefinitely. 

Students of the university 

had on Tuesday held a 

violent protest to demand 

the restoration of electricity 

to the two campuses in Oye 

and Ikole, where cars on the 

convoy of the First lady, who 

was on a local government 

tour, were destroyed and 

many sustained injuries in 

the process. 

The fracas led to a clash 

between security operatives 

and the students where 

Joseph Okonofua, a 300- 

level student of the 

institution was killed and 

several others injured. 

In a statement signed by 

Vice-Chancellor of the 

university, Prof. Kayode 

Soremekun, the 

management also 

proscribed the Students’ 

Union Government, SUG, 

in the institution 

henceforth. 

Soremekun said: “We 

hereby announce the 

immediate and indefinite 

closure of the university to 

forestall further breakdown 

of law and order. 

“In the same vein, the 

students’ union of the 

institution is disbanded 

indefinitely. 

“Following this closure, 

the students’ population are, 

hereby, ordered to vacate 

the university premises no 

later than 10 am 11th 

September 2019.” 

I didn’t order shooting of 

students—Fayemi’s wife 

Meanwhile, Mrs. Fayemi 

has denied social media 

reports that she ordered 

security operatives in her 

convoy to shoot students of 

FUOYE, saying “This is 

false. I did not encounter 

any group of students when 

I got to Oye town.” 

The governor’s wife, in a 

statement, regretted the 

attack on her convoy by the 

students, revealed that the 

casualties did not occur 

when she was at the scene. 

Mrs. Fayemi, while 

condoling with the family of 

the deceased student, 

wished a quick recovery to 

all those that sustained 

injuries in the fracas. 

She said: “Half-way 

through our event, there 

was a disturbance outside. 

The FUOYE students (and 

possibly infiltrated by local 

thugs) had re-grouped and 

were trying to get into the 

venue. The security officers 

prevented this from 

happening. We finished our 

program, and by the time we 

got outside, we found that 

vehicles from my convoy and 

those of my guests that were 

parked outside the venue 

had been vandalised. As we 

were driving out of Oye 

town, we encountered at 

least two roadblocks that the 

students had mounted to 

prevent the movement of 

vehicles. I could see 

students throwing stones 

and large sticks at us as we 

drove by. 

“However, the casualties 

that were recorded did not 

take place while I was there. 

There are eye-witnesses, 

photographs and video 

footage to confirm this. 

“Reports are circulating 

that the crisis occurred 

because I refused to address 

the protesting students. This 

is false. I did not encounter 

any group of students when 

I got to Oye town. They had 

dispersed before my arrival, 

and when they regrouped I 

was inside the venue. It is 

possible, as I stated earlier, 

that the group that came to 

the venue trying to gain 

access with sticks and stones 

in hand might have 

included local hoodlums, but 

there was no way of telling 

the difference. 

“I am shocked beyond 

words to hear that I 

instructed security officers to 

shoot at students. If I had 

met protesting students, as 

a social justice activist, I 

would have listened to their 

complaints and addressed 

them. I firmly believe in 

citizens’ rights to protest on 

issues of concern.'' 

By Rotimi Ojomoyela 

AEkiti 

DO-EKITI—THE 

State 

Independent Electoral 

Commission, EKSIEC, 

yesterday, disclosed that it 

will conduct local 

government elections on 

December 7, 2019. 

Chairman of the 

Commission, Justice Jide 

Aladejana said this during 

a chat with journalists in 

Ado Ekiti. 

The tenure of the 177 

councilors and 16 local 

government chairmen and 

other appointed officials 

will lapse on December 19, 

2019, having assumed 

office December 19, 2017. 

By Dapo Akinrefon 

L 

A G O S — 

EXECUTIVE 

Secretary of the Nigerian 

National Summit Group, 

NNSG, Mr. Tony Uranta, 

has said that the NNSG will 

resist against any attempt to 

break up Nigeria. 

Uranta, in a statement in 

Lagos, said that although 

the group was against 

Nigeria breaking up, it also 

believed that Nigeria was 

divisible. 

He said: “We are fighting 

against any current 

attempts to destabilise or 

break up Nigeria, but 

saying Nigeria is indivisible 

is balderdash. 

“There is no nation 

without security challenges 

and we have had our fair 

share in the past, but the 

dimension it is taking 

requires serious attention 

and input from all otherwise 

the consequences if not 

reduced will be dire for all. 

“Presenting as it is, every 

strata of the nation is 

affected, rich, poor, power 

brokers and all states of the 

federation. 

“We can no longer sit and 

watch this go on without 

Aladejana assured that 

the polls will be transparent 

and devoid of rigging, 

appealing to the 

opposition not to boycott 

the polls as has been its 

usual practice. 

The SIEC boss also 

disclosed that the body will 

use the voters’ registers of 

the Independent National 

Electoral Commission, 

INEC, and its guidelines 

for the conduct of the 

elections, saying voting 

will be by manual means. 

He said: “We are 

assuring the people that 

their votes will count, so 

all parties must sponsor 

candidates for the 

elections.'' 

NNSG’ll resist fresh attempts 

to break Nigeria up — URANTA 

Ondo South communities get 

electricity after 20 years 

By Dayo Johnson 

AKURE—ORE, 

a 

commercial centre, in 

Odigbo council area of 

Ondo State and other 

communities disconnected 

over non-payment of 

electricity bill, 20 years ago 

have been reconnected to 

the national grid. 

Their reconnection to the 

national grid was made 

possible by the personal 

intervention of Governor 

Rotimi Akeredolu. 

The Chief Executive 

Officer of Klick Konnect 

Networks International 

Limited, Mr. Alex Ajipe said 

this in Akure. 

Ajipe, who facilitated the 

Ondo-Linyi Industrial Hub 

where several companies 

are situated, said the 

conglomerate at Ore 

reconnected the 

communities as parts of their 

Corporate Social 

Responsibility, CSR. 

rising to it. There must be 

a way out that will 

compliment what security 

agencies are doing. 

“No group of persons or 

even security agencies can 

have all the knowledge for 

a tactical approach to 

dealing with those 

perpetrating these acts. 

“The killings are too 

many. The kidnaps, 

robberies, rituals, fraud, 

have reached its peak. If 

we don’t act now, these 

people will overrun the 

nation and we will all be 

victims. The time to act is 

now. Enough is enough.” 

Uranta, who reiterated 

calls for restructuring, said: 

“Nigeria stands the risk of 

break up if not restructured 

as being canvassed in 

different fora. 

“The NNSG in time past 

says that people pretend 

that Nigerians are bound in 

a non-negotiable unity 

when we have very loud 

secessionist agitations 

ongoing in at least three of 

Nigeria’s six zones. 

“As it is now, we must stop 

pretending that all is well 

with Nigeria. We must all 

agree that there is a need 

to restructure Nigeria.” 

Ajipe said: “The most 

significant development is 

that thanks to your 

intervention, Ondo-Linyi 

Industrial Hub, and their 

entire host community have 

just been electrified. 

“This is very significant 

to the host communities, 

who have had no 

electricity for close to two 

decades, and it is also 

significant to the Linyi 

investors who had relied 

on self-generated, 

expensive sources to 

power their equipment.” 

Aside from the 

reconnection to the national 

grid, Ajipe said the 

presence of the Ondo-Linyi 

Industrial Hub in Ore has 

led to the increase in the 

Internally Generated 

Revenue of the state 

government. 

“The Ondo-Linyi 

Industrial Hub has 

employed massively from 

the host communities.''


COMMISSIONING: From left— Regional Head Market Risk, Oyefuga Oladipupo; Head, Business Support and Resolution, 

Obasi Nwabueze, both of Stanbic IBTC Bank, and Supervisor for Education, Igbogbo Local Council Development Area, Lagos State, 

Yahaya Kamoru, at the commissioning of the newly-built modern toilet at Methodist Primary School, Elepe, Ikorodu, yesterday. 

‘Presidential election tribunal's 

judgment disjointed, complicated’ 

By Chioma Gabriel & 

Chimaobi Nwaiwu 

NNEWI—RESIDENTS of 

Onitsha, the commercial city 

of Anambra State, yesterday, 

received the judgment of the 

Presidential Election Petition 

Tribunal sitting in Abuja with 

passive and uninterested 

attitude, saying they are 

convinced that there will be no 

fair hearing in the tribunal, 

describing it as working with tied 

hands. 

The residents expressed anger 

that the tribunal made its 

judgment so complicated that a 

lay man cannot understand it, 

alleging that a lot of diversionary 

issues were brought in, leaving 

the main substance of the petition, 

which is the winner of the 

presidential election, to discuss 

the eligibility and non-eligibility 

of a Peoples Democratic Party, 

PDP, lawyer, Mr. Livy Uzoukwu. 

Speaking with Vanguard, 

chairman, Board of the 

International Society for the Civil 

Liberties and the Rule of Law, 

INTERSOCIETY, Nze Emeka 

Umeagbalasi, described the 

tribunal’s judgment as 

segregated, disjointed and 

incomprehensible. 

Also, an Onitsha resident and 

a retired civil servant, Chief 

Gideon Okoro, said what 

Nigerians want to hear is who 

won and who lost the election, 

and “not whether the petition 

seeking to nullify President 

Muhammadu Buhari’s reelection 

was validly and 

competently filed or otherwise.” 

Another decision of the tribunal 

that confused the residents was 

its dismissal of the Independent 

National Electoral Commission, 

INEC, contention that it lacks the 

jurisdiction to entertain the aspect 

of the petition alleging that 

President Buhari supplied false 

information regarding his 

educational qualification, 

wondering its relevance to who 

won the election. 

According to Chief Okoro, “we 

got more confused with the 

tribunal’s decision to strike out 

Atiku Abubakar’s petition 

indicting security agencies, while 

at the same time, declaring that 

the motion challenging 

Abubakar’s eligibility was 

diversionary.” 

According to the senior citizen, 

“all these decisions of the tribunal 

amounts to nothing to the lay man 

if it did not pronounce, point 

blank, whether the election was 

free and fair and in tandem with 

the wishes of the Nigerian 

masses,” adding that he was not 

surprised that people are so 

passive about the judgment. 

...as Okorocha reacts 

Meanwhile, former governor of 

Imo State, Senator Rochas 

Okorocha(Imo West) has 

congratulated President 

Muhammadu Buhari over his 

By Ugochukwu Alaribe 

UMUAHIA— THERE was a 

mild drama at Abia State 

Polytechnic, Aba, yesterday, as 

the Rector of the institution, 

Professor Ezionye Eboh, declined 

meeting with a delegation of 

Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, 

Abia State council, who were in 

his office over the sack of 250 

workers. 

The Rector insisted that he 

won’t receive the delegation, 

which comprised chairman of 

Senior Staff Association of 

Nigerian Polytechnics in Abia 

Polytechnic, Nwachukwu Chuks, 

and his Secretary, Fred Ugboaja, 

who were said to have been 

affected by the sack. 

Addressing staff of the 

polytechnic after the botched 

victory at the tribunal and 

remarked that the President’s 

victory is for all lovers of 

democracy, in and outside the 

country. 

Okorocha explained that with 

the victory, President Buhari 

would now be more encouraged 

to continue to work for the unity, 

progress and peace of the nation, 

while the distractions associated 

with the case would now be 

jettisoned. 

Okorocha commended the 

tribunal members for doing a good 

job and making the nation proud. 

He also commended Alhaji 

Atiku Abubakar for giving good 

account of himself and for his 

contributions to the nation’s 

democracy. 

Okorocha noted that with all 

these, there is light at the end of 

the tunnel for the nation’s 

democracy. 

UPP vindicated—Okorie 

Also yesterday, United 

meeting, Abia State NLC 

chairman, Uchenna Obigwe, 

urged the management to pay the 

16 months arrears of workers 

salaries and comply with civil 

service rules if it wants to 

downsize its workforce. 

The NLC chairman said the 

sack letters issued to workers 

must be withdrawn while the 

management engages labour to 

know the criteria for the 

downsizing of the workforce. 

His words: “If management 

wants to downsize, there are 

processes. If a staff is said to be 

redundant, you must determine 

the level of redundancy. There are 

processes of disciplining a staff. 

“We are not in support of 

anybody who has forged 

certificate. Our interest is that the 

management of Abia Poly should 

Progressive Party, UPP, and its 

leadership felicitated with the 

President on his victory at the 

tribunal. 

A statement by the national 

chairman of UPP, Chekwas 

Okorie, recalled that “on August 

17, 2018, when the National 

Executive Committee, NEC, of 

our party resolved unequivocally 

to support President 

Muhammadu Buhari of All 

Progressives Congress, APC, for 

the presidential election, we 

stated that we would work to 

ensure his victory at the February 

23 presidential election. 

“We said the victory would be 

so resounding in a manner that 

would make any petition against 

the outcome of the election to be 

mere and unnecessary national 

distraction.” 

UPP urged Buhari to accept his 

victory with the magnanimity of 

a forgiving father and to remain 

focused in carrying out the 

responsibilities of his office. 

Abia Poly Rector shuns meeting with 

NLC delegation over sacked 250 workers 

do what they are doing with a 

human face. You don’t look at 

people’s face and sack them. Civil 

service has rules; let them come 

to play. 

“As at today, no worker is 

sacked at Abia Poly unless those 

that forged certificates. 

“We had an understanding with 

management and a committee 

was set up. Chairman of joint 

negotiating council, Chris Okoro, 

represented labour. But labour 

has not got a copy of the report. 

This is not acceptable. 

“Let labour have the report of 

the committee so we will be sure 

that what they are implementing 

is contained in the report. 

“However, we gathered that the 

committee did not recommend 

the sack of up to 100 workers. How 

come 258 workers were sacked?” 

Tribunal upholds 

Ibezim's victory 

in Idemili 

North/South 

By Vincent Ujumadu 

AWKA—THE National 

Assembly Election Petition 

Tribunal sitting in Awka, 

yesterday, upheld the 

election of Mr. Ifeanyi 

Ibezim(Idemili North/South 

Federal Constituency) on the 

platform of All Progressive 

Grand Alliance, APGA, and 

dismissed the petition filed by 

Mr. Obinna Chidoka of Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP. 

Chidoka had approached 

the tribunal seeking the 

nullification of the election on 

the allegation of multiple 

voting and non-compliance 

with electoral laws, arguing 

that the Independent 

Electoral Commission, INEC, 

ought not to have conducted 

supplementary election in 

areas he clearly won. 

Justices Irele Ifijeh and O. 

O. Odubanjo, who read the 

judgment of the tribunal, held 

that the petitioner was unable 

to establish that results he 

presented before the tribunal 

were generated during the 

election, adding that he, the 

petitioner, could also not 

identify the source of the 

results. 

Reacting, Ibezim, who was 

in court, said he can now 

concentrate on serving his 

people of Idemili North and 

South who, he added, were 

happy that he had retained the 

mandate they freely gave him. 

NLC faults 

attack on 

Ohanaeze 

By Dennis Agbo 

ENUGU—ENUGU State 

chapter of Nigeria Labour 

Congress, NLC, has 

condenmed recent attacks by 

different groups and 

individuals on the leadership 

of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, led by 

its President-General, Chief 

Nnia Nwodo. 

The labour union said the 

attacks were venomous 

outbursts, insults and 

misdemeanour on the Igbo 

leader, whom they said is 

courageous and respected in 

Igboland. 

Chairman and Secretary of 

NLC Political Committee in 

Enugu State, Ike Ekere and 

Dr. Pat Eze, respectively, in a 

statement in Enugu, said the 

attack on Nwodo erodes 

tradition, culture, norms, 

values of Igboland and the 

pursuit for referendum and 

restructuring. 

They described Nwodo as an 

enigma, with high sense of 

justice and one that denied 

himself certain comforts and 

positions to achieve justice and 

serve humanity.


From Left: Program 

Director, Impulse, 

Adnane Alaoui; Country 

Manager (Nigeria), OCP 

Africa, Caleb Usoh; 

Digital Lead, OCP 

Africa, Onar Chraibi and 

Head Supply Chain, 

OCP Africa, Uma Obasi, 

during the Impulse 

UM6P Start-Up 

Accelerator Information 

Session in Lagos. 

PHOTO; Kehinde 

Gbadamosi 

Tribunal: My victory call for more service 

—Sen Alimikhena 

By Alemma Aliu 

BENIN 

CITY— 

FORMER Deputy 

Chief Whip of the Senate, 

Senator Francis 

Alimikhena has lauded the 

ruling of the National and 

State Elections Petitions 

Tribunal sitting in Benin 

City Edo State which 

returned him as the senator 

representing Edo North 

Senatorial District. 

In a statement yesterday 

issued by his Special 

Assistant on Media and 

OGMBA moves to unite stakeholders in energy 

industry 

By Gabriel Olawale 

LAGOS—OIL and Gas 

Masters’ Ball, Africa, 

OGMBA has concluded 

plans to unite stakeholders 

in the energy industry with 

aims to enhance business 

tourism in Nigeria and 

elevate the economy. 

Speaking ahead of the 

maiden edition of Oil and 

Gas Grand Ball slated for 

24th November in Lagos, 

the founder and CEO of 

OGMBA, Mr. Oba Osoba, 

said that the Oil and Gas 

Masters’ Ball 2019 will 

identify and honour 

distinguished players in the 

energy sector, expand 

Nigeria’s investment 

terrain, thus, optimizing the 

nation’s economy for 

growth and business 

tourism. 

“The Oil and Gas 

Masters Ball will constitute 

Tribunal upholds Lagos Rep, Johnson's 

election 

By Elizabeth 

Uwandu 

LAGOS—THE National 

Assembly Election 

Petitions Tribunal sitting in 

Ikeja, Lagos has affirmed 

the victory of Hon. Ganiyu 

Johnson of All Progressives 

Congress, APC as member 

representing Oshodi-Isolo 

2 Federal Constituency in 

the House of 

Representatives, while it 

dismissed the petition of 

Emmanuel Nnodim, of the 


Publicity, Benjamin Atu, 

Alimikhena said his victory 

which he described as 

divine was a call for more 

service to his people 

He said: "elections are 

over and all anger must be 

put behind. I appeal to the 

good people of Edo North 

to forgive those who must 

have wronged them in one 

way or the other. Let us put 

away bitterness and enmity. 

We are stronger when we 

are together. I call on my 

opponents who challenged 

my election at the election 

a fulcrum of business 

tourism and investment 

possibilities as it will attract 

a gathering of Oil magnates 

from around Africa as well 

as potential investors. 

“This is an opportunity for 

industry stakeholders, 

government and the society at 

large to let their hair down and 

celebrate significant 

achievements in a relaxed and 

absolutely fun-filled, high 

Okowa's aide tasks political parties' 

chairmen on unity of purpose 

A SABA—POLITICAL 

parties in Delta State 

have been urged to work 

with unity of purpose in 

order not to lose focus on 

the benefits of the 

democratic process. 

The Senior Political 

Adviser to the Governor of 

Delta state, Hon. 

Funkekeme Solomon, who 

PDP. 

While delivering his 

judgment on Tuesday, 

Justice, S.I Okpara said that 

the petitioner who in a suit 

no EPT/LAG/REP/14/2019 

had failed to give 

substantive evidence that 

the election was marred 

with irregularities and not 

conducted under electoral 

act, as the sole witness of 

the petitioner, who was 

neither a party agent nor a 

collation agent was not an 

eye witness but relying on 

evidence given by agents 

and other members of her 

party. 

petition tribunal to come on 

board let us develop our 

land. We give glory to God, 

the tribunal has reaffirmed 

our mandate there is no 

need for acrimony.” 

Meanwhile, some members of 

the Ikpoba-Okha/Egor Federal 

Constituency have kicked against 

the judgment of the Tribunal that 

struck out the petition filed by 

Hon Ehiozuwa Agbonyinma for 

lack of merit. 

Agbonyinma who the Special 

Assistant on legislative matters 

South-South to the Speaker of 

the House of Representatives 

networking environment whilst 

continuing to give back to society. 

“Scheduled strategically to 

serve as a prequel to the Abu 

Dhabi Formula 1 Grand Prix, the 

Grand Ball will adopt an Arabian 

theme where over 700 dignitaries 

across Africa will be treated to an 

experience of Arabian aesthetics, 

electrifying ambience, decor and 

entertainment. 

Osoba further explained that 

there will be an ultra modern 

made the appeal when he 

met with chairmen of 

registered political parties 

in the state, said the parties 

must de-emphasize 

groupings or associations 

that tended to cause 

division. 

He, however, reminded 

the party chairmen that the 

Inter Party Advisory 

In his judgment, the Judge 

maintained that the prayer of the 

petitioner that he be declared 

winner and the election of 

respondent set aside. He 

maintained that it was not going 

to be granted since he had 

challenged the victory on the 

grounds that Independent 

National Electoral Commission, 

INEC, conducted the election 

with non compliance to the 

electoral act and corrupt practices. 

The judge wondered which of the 

result would be used to declare 

him (petitioner) winner and since 

INEC did not have two results 

the court would not grant his 

prayer. 

challenged the election of Jude 

Ise-Idehen of the Peoples 

Democratic Party but the tribunal 

ruled that the case has crumbled 

even though he struck out the 

reply of respondents in the suit 

for filing out of time. 

The Ikpoba-Okha/Egor 

constituents who spoke under 

the auspices of Democratic 

Restoration said members of the 

Peoples Democratic Party were 

already congratulating the All 

Progressives Congress after the 

tribunal stuck out seven 

applications filed by the 

respondents but were shocked at 

the final decision of the tribunal . 

exhibition centre at the waterfront 

concourse of the venue 

where partner companies, 

sponsors and other brands would 

showcase their products and 

services to guests. 

The Oil and Gas Masters Ball 

will pave way for other activities 

lined up by the parent company 

(Oil and Gas Grand Ball Africa), 

such as the “Women in Oil and 

Gas Mentorship Brunch” and the 

“Oil and Gas Scholars Academy.” 

Council, IPAC, was a 

statutory body to which they 

must all belong, but clarified 

that welfare issues would 

be on political party basis, 

advising IPAC to remain 

non partisan and not 

interfere with internal affairs 

of the political parties. 

Solomon said he was 

holding the Senior POLAD 

position on trust and would 

not do anything that would 

undermine the integrity of 

the office or betray the 

confidence reposed in him 

by the Governor. 

The senior political adviser 

assured the party chairmen of the 

readiness of government to 

partner with them, pointing out 

the need to sanitize the system 

to make it beneficial to all critical 

stakeholders in the democratic 

process. 

He said the Office of the Senior 

POLAD would soon embark on 

the verification of political parties 

in the state for the purpose of 

authentication, and would do so 

without fear or favour to ensure 

things were done right. 

U.S. corporate bond, IPO markets 

heat up as recession fears persist 

CORPORATE America appears to be rushing to get 

the most out of the decade-long bull market in stocks 

and bonds before a possible recession and election-year 

stock market volatility slam the IPO and credit windows 

shut. 

Approximately 70 companies have registered with the 

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to go public, 

according to estimates from Renaissance Capital, while $72 

billion in investment-grade corporate debt – a figure nearly 

as large as the total issuance in August - was issued last 

week, according to data from Dealogic. 

The rash of new deals comes as the U.S.-China trade war 

weighs on the global economy, helping push 30-year Treasury 

yields to record lows and increasing fears of a global 

economic slowdown. U.S. manufacturing activity contracted 

for the first time in three years in August, while construction 

spending barely rose in July, helping send business 

confidence lower, according to the Institute for Supply 

Management. 

Wall Street opens higher on 

upbeat trade move 

U 

.S. stocks opened higher yesterday as China’s 

move to ease tensions with the United States 

assuaged some concerns about the ongoing trade war 

between the world’s two largest economies. 

The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI rose 18.62 points, 

or 0.07%, at the open to 26,928.05. 

The S&P 500 .SPX opened higher by 2.02 points, or 

0.07%, at 2,981.41. The Nasdaq Composite .IXIC gained 

7.53 points, or 0.09%, to 8,091.68 at the opening bell. 

Africa: Investors must come 

to Africa on our terms 

HOPES for Africa's economy have been raised be 

fore, particularly when the continent enjoyed boom 

times prior to the financial crash of 2008, much in part to 

a commodities "super cycle" that saw sustained high prices 

for its raw materials. However, prices for Africa's minerals 

are well down on those heady days while few countries 

have yet to escape the extractive model by managing 

to add value to their commodities. Now, however, 

there is a growing determination to achieve this, with 

Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa and 

Namibian President Hage Geingob last week calling for 

value to be added to their countries' minerals before they 

are exported. 

"The problem of investors or foreigners who come to 

Africa is that they come on their own terms. From now 

on, Africa must tell investors when they come, they come 

on our terms," said Geingob, speaking at the World Economic 

Forum (WEF) on Africa that ended in Cape Town 

on Friday. "Why should my diamonds go out in raw form?" 

Geingob questioned. 

Mnangagwa, who said he is striving to rebuild Zimbabwe's 

"collapsed economy", said it is vital to understand 

the needs of the private sector for investment in technology 

that could add value locally. 

The over-arching requirement is for African countries 

to reassure their own populations and investors that they 

can offer a framework for stable growth, said Seychelles 

President Danny Faure. 

SA economy not out of the 

woods yet - RB 

GENERAL Electric (GE.N) is looking to raise up 

to $3 billion in sale of majority-owned Baker 

Hughes (BHGE.N) shares, resulting in a reduction of 

the U.S industrial conglomerate’s stake in the oilfield 

services provider to less than 50%, Baker Hughes has 

said. 

Shares of Baker Hughes, in which GE owned an about 

50.4% stake as of June 30, fell 3.7% to $23.20 in after hours 

trading, while GE’s were marginally up at $9.15. 

GE had long planned to sell down its stake in Baker Hughes 

Ḃut the issue came under scrutiny last month when Madoff 

whistleblower Harry Markopolos issued a lengthy report 

that alleged in part that GE was improperly counting 

Baker Hughes’ income, capital and cash in GE’s financial 

statements. 

GE has said its accounting was appropriate since it is the 

majority shareholder. 

Baker Hughes said GE would sell up to 120.75 million 

shares, including over-allotment option, of Baker Hughes’ 

Class A common in a secondary offering. 

Stories credited to Reuters & BCC


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

INNOVATIVE CHALLENGE: From left: Divisional Head, Transaction Banking, First City Monument Bank 

(FCMB), Mrs. Rolayo Akhigbe; Leader of Team Solution and winner of the first prize of the Professor Ogundipe 

Innovative Challenge, Augustine Udeolisa and Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos, Professor Oluwatoyin 

Ogundipe, during the competition, sponsored by FCMB, held at the University campus, Akoka, Lagos. 

ILLEGAL EMERGENCE OF HoR MINORITY LEADER: 

Wike blasts PDP investigative committee 

O R T 

P HARCOURT— 

GOVERNOR Nyesom 

Wike of Rivers State has 

lambasted the Committee 

set up by the Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP, to 

investigate the alleged 

illegal emergence of Ndudi 

Elumelu as the Minority 

Leader of the House of 

Representatives, 

describing the committee as 

the most corrupt in the 

BAYELSA GUBER: Alaibe denies defecting from PDP 

By Samuel 

Oyadongha 

Y ENAGOA— 

F O R M E R 

Managing Director of the 



Chief Timi Alaibe has 

disowned claims by some 

politicians in Bayelsa State 

that he has defected from 

the Peoples Democratic 

Party, PDP, over alleged 

unfavourable outcome of 

the last governorship 

primaries of the party in the 

state. 

NDDC board in order, NASS must amend Act 

to reposition commission, says ex-Minister 

By Soni Daniel 

FORMER member of 

the House of 

Representatives, Chief 

Nduese Essien, has said 

that the appointments 

made by the Presidency 

into the board of the Niger 

Delta Development 

Commission Board, 

NDDC, are in line with the 

extant law establishing the 

agency and should not 

cause any disagreement in 

the region. 

It will be recalled that 

governors in the region 

and some groups had 

raised issues with the 

composition of the board 

history of the party. 

Speaking in Port Harcourt, 

yesterday, Wike thanked 

former Deputy Speaker of 

the House of 

Representatives, Mr Austin 

Opara, for withdrawing 

from the committee by not 

allowing himself to be 

entangled in the illegal 

outcome of the committee’s 

activities. 

He said: “The Committee 

set up by PDP on the illegal 

According to Alaibe, he 

has not joined any political 

party as being bandied in 

the media as he is a loyal 

member of the PDP despite 

being bombarded by 

requests and offers of 

opportunities by other 

political parties. 

Alaibe, in a statement 

yesterday, by his campaign 

organisation and signed by 

the Administrative 

Secretary, Professor Seiyefa 

Brisibe, said no decision 

has been taken on his next 

move. 

The statement reads, 

and called for the immediate 

reversal as they did not meet 

their expectations. 

But Essien, who was part 

of the team that drafted the 

NDDC Act, in a statement 

in Abuja, yesterday, said 

that the confusion, claims 

and counter claims of 

ownership of the key posts 

in the agency were either 

borne out of mischief or 

ignorance or both and were 

unnecessary since the right 

thing had been done by the 

government. 

Essien, a former Housing 

Minister, drew attention to 

the fact that under the law 

establishing the 

ccommission, the post of the 

emergence of Elumelu is 

the most corrupt committee 

ever set up by the party. 

“We thank our worthy son, 

Austin Opara for 

withdrawing from that 

committee, so that he is not 

entangled in the illegal 

activities of the tainted 

committee.” 

Wike warned the party not 

to toy with Rivers State as it 

was not in the interest of the 

party to do so. 

“The Timi Alaibe 

Campaign Organisation 

observed that since the 

declaration of the results of 

the PDP primary election 

for the governorship of 

Bayelsa State, our teeming 

supporters have been left 

without clear and precise 

information as to the next 

step to be taken by our 

principal, Chief Alaibe, in 

search of justice in what 

was generally seen as a 

deliberate adulteration of 

due process in the conduct 

of the primary election. 

“We thank our supporters 

chairman is to rotate among 

the nine-member states in 

alphabetical order starting 

with Abia, Akwa Ibom, 

Bayelsa, Cross River and 

now the turn of Delta State. 

Essien said: “But as 

would be seen, the post of 

the Managing Director also 

falls for Delta State at the 

same time with that of the 

Chairman. The positions of 

the Managing Director and 

those of the Executive 

Directors of Finance and 

Administration and Projects 

rotate among the major oilproducing 

states of Akwa 

Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta and 

Rivers states according to the 

quantum of oil producion.'' 

He said: “We are warning 

PDP to be careful not to toy 

with Rivers State. Rivers 

State has all it takes to 

withstand the PDP and fight 

the party to a standstill. 

“The Rivers State 

governor is not one of those 

governors that anyone can 

cajole. The Rivers State 

governor is not one of those 

governors that will 

kowtow to their illicit 

activities,” he added. 

and the good people of 

Bayelsa State for their 

unprecedented support 

evidenced by dead silence 

in the state on Wednesday 

September 4, 2019, over 

peaceful conduct and 

patience since the 

unacceptable election result 

was announced last week. 

We apologise for the 

vacuum created by our 

silence which had given rise 

to various speculations 

planted in the media by 

those who masterminded 

the injustice in order to 

confuse the people. 

“As it is traditional in 

matters of this kind, we 

needed to carry out due 

consultation across board 

with our supporters; 

particularly the 

stakeholders — including 

our vibrant youths and 

women before taking any 

step or embarking on any 

decision in search of redress 

or alternatives. We are 

almost at the end of the 

necessary consultations. 

“However, let it be stated 

that Chief Alaibe has not 

joined any political party as 

bandied in the media. He 

is still a loyal PDP member 

despite being bombarded by 

requests and offers of 

opportunities by other 

political parties. That 

decision has not been taken. 

Any speculation to the 

contrary remains what it is 

— mere speculation.'' 

A’Ibom bank moves to 

recover verified debts 

•Publishes names of debtors 

By Harris Emmanuel 

UYO—IN an attempt 

to regain its position 

as a leading primary 

mortgage institution, Akwa 

Ibom Loans and Savings 

Ltd, has launched moves 

to recover its verified debts 

estimated at over N1.2 

billion. 

The move is coming 

barely a week after staffers 

of the organisation took to 

the streets over 

nonpayment of salaries 

running into millions of 

Naira covering several 

months. 

The management of the 

bank said it was relying on 

relevant sections of the 

Central Bank of Nigeria, 

CBN, guidelines in 

publishing the names of its 

debtors. 

“Pursuant to and in 

compliance with the 

circular issued by the 

Central Bank of Nigeria in 

April 2015, Akwa Savings 

and Loans Limited hereby 

publishes the list of 56 top 

delinquent debtors,” the 

bank said in a statement. 

According to the bank, 

the publication had become 

necessary as all avenues by 

the bank to propose 

acceptable terms of 

resolution had failed. 

The bank said that it was 

open to amicable 

settlement of the debts 

within a reasonable 

timeframe falling which it 

would exercise its legal 

powers to recovery, which 

may include the sale of 

collateral used to secure 

these facilities. 

Among the top loan 

defaulters are a school in 

the state said to be owing 

the bank N152,436,185, a 

company with a debt of 

N74.9 million and another 

construction company 

owing N68.991 million. 

Other top defaulters 

include politicians and 

individuals as well small 

business operators with the 

least being N3.8 million. 

Okowa seeks support to redress 

Egbema environmental challenges 

By Jimitota Onoyume 

W 

A R R I — 

GOVERNOR 

Ifeanyi Okowa has assured 

people of Egbema , Warri 

North Local Government 

Area of Delta State that his 

government was working 

to address environmental 

challenges in the area, 

urging them to continue to 

support the good 

intentions of the 

administration. 

Senior Special Assistant 

to the governor on Security, 

Mr Daniel Ezekiel, who 

spoke at a Town Hall 

meeting he convened in 

Opuama and Sekelewu 

communities in the council 

enjoined the people to 

continue to remain 

peaceful. 

“I assure you that 

Governor Okowa will make 

life more meaningful for 

Egbema people once again. 

Above all, we must remain 

peaceful, and ensure that 

we channel our grievances 

to the state governor 

through lawful means 

because development 

cannot strive in a situation 

of chaos,” he said. 

He further urged youths 

to shun sea piracy, oil 

thefts, cultism and related 

criminal activities. 

He also warned cultists in 

Ovwian and Udu 

communities to turn a new 

leaf or be ready to face the 

wrath of the law when 

caught. 

Speaking when he 

visited the Burutu Area 

Command of the Police 

and Ovwian community, 

he urged residents of 

Ovwian and environs to 

assist the Police to 

effectively rid the areas 

of criminal elements. 

OIL PIPELINE EXPLOSION: 

Come to victims' aide, Oyibode 

tells relevant authorities 

By Festus Ahon 

Aby SABA—WORRIED 

the effect of the 

recent pipeline explosion, 

the Commissioner 

representing Udu, Uvwie, 

Ughelli South and Urhobos 

of Warri South on the Board 

of Delta State Oil 

Producing Areas 

Development Commission, 

DESOPADEC, Chief 

Vincent Oyibode has called 

on the relevant authorities 

to take urgent action to 

alleviate the pains of the 

people. 

Inspecting the explosion 

site in Otu-Jeremi, Ughelli 

South, Oyibode said 

international best practice 

should be observed, 

especially in situations that 

have to do with the 

environment once there 

was an explosion. 

Expressing concern over 

the havoc caused by the 

explosion in terms of 

destruction of the 

ecosystem, water and the 

environment, he called on 

relevant authorities to take 

urgent steps to alleviate the 

pains of those affected by the 

explosion. 

Speaking further, he said 

a clean-up exercise should 

be undertaken immediately 

to avert fire outbreak, 

complaining that the youths 

of Ughelli South and Udu 

who are host to OML 30 

have been deprived of the 

surveillance job. 

He commended the 

community for its efforts 

at safeguarding the 

affected area.

Katsina Governor got it wrong 


OVER the penultimate weekend, 

Nigerians woke up to one of the most 

scandalous and outrageous 

photographs which made the front 

page of many newspapers and went 

viral on the social media. 

Governor Aminu Bello Masari, a 

former Speaker of the House of 

Representatives, was seen in a group 

tional responsibility of defending the 

photograph with the leader of the socalled 

“bandits” who was clutching an 

country from external aggression and 

internal insurrection. 

AK-47 assault rifle. 

Even if dialogue with these criminal 

Unfortunately, there was a Nigerian 

elements who have massacred and 

Army officer in the photograph who 

abducted thousands of innocent 

stood unarmed and gazing vacantly 

Nigerians in the North West can be 

into space. 

remotely excused, allowing their 

That picture was reportedly taken 

leader to wield a gun while our own 

after the governor held possible 

soldier posed empty-handed in front 

amnesty negotiations with the foreign 

of an elected governor depicted the 

“bandits” who are also styled as 

unconscionable and unacceptable abdication 

of our security institutions to 

“armed herdsmen” in the Middle Belt 

and Southern parts of the country. 

the superior firepower of these foreign 

invaders. 

It instantly told the whole story of 

how our security agencies are gradually 

failing in their sacred constitu- 

Many questions are begging for answers 

here. What has been the outcome, 

on our security well-being, of 

countless operations launched by our 

security organisations in the last few 

years? 

Up North, why have the governors 

suddenly decided to beg the outlaws 

to accept amnesty and publicly giving 

them heroic treatments? 

Another question that the Nigerian 

authorities are yet to answer is 

whether it is true that some politicians 

had brought in these armed foreigners 

to fight their battles only to abandon 

them once they achieved their political 

objectives, whereupon they turned to 

crime? 

We cannot understand why these 

bandits have defied all reported 

efforts by our military to flush them 

out. 

Why have the mighty Nigerian forces 

which successfully kept Nigeria one 

in the civil war of 50 years ago and 

achieved serial exploits in the West 

African sub-region suddenly become 

ineffective in securing our country 

against rag-tag bandits? 

Could the recent bust of N600 million 

reportedly stolen from the GOC 

of the 8 Division of the Nigerian Army 

fighting the North West bandits, Major 

General Hakeem Otiki, by his own 

soldiers be a confirmation that some 

bad eggs in the military have been 

profiteering from these military 

operations? 

The Federal Government must flush 

out all foreign invaders and reassert 

the full sovereignty of the Federal 

Republic of Nigeria over every inch 

of our country. 

OPINION 

Viable alternative to curbing air pollution: Nigerian telcos taking the lead? 

By SEGUN AKANDE 

THE beginning of the 21st century 

marked the start of a major 

transformation of the Nigerian 

telecommunication industry. In the year 

2000, the industry experienced a great leap 

when the government of ex-President 

Olusegun Obasanjo issued operating licence 

to Econet Wireless. The entire Nigerian 

citizenry had a major relief. Reaching out 

to loved ones, business partners over long 

distances was no more going to be an issue. 

Among other things, subscribers had hoped 

as well that over time, the very expensive 

tariff was going to tilt southwards, data 

services were going to be cheaply accessible, 

banking operations and services to 

customers were going to be seamless. As 

envisioned, it happened exactly! In fact, 

expectations were exceeded! 

In no time, after Econet Wireless, Mobile 

Telecommunication Networks, MTN, 

Globacom Nigeria and Etisalat got their 

licences too. The Nigeria 

Telecommunications, NITEL, also rolled 

out a GSM arm called MNet (now defunct). 

This altogether put the subscribers at 

advantage. The competition between these 

telecommunication companies, telcos, has 

been stiff since then, with prices dropping 

on all products and services. However, all 

we have benefited in ease of life, we have 

unfortunately lost largely to poor health! 

Between the year 2000 and now, the 

Nigerian topography has been littered with 

not less than 50,000 on-air Base Transceiver 

Stations, BTS. This means over 50,000 

diesel-powered electricity generators (called 

DGs in telecommunications parlance) 

continuously release carbon monoxide into 

the air space around us. A sense of the degree 

of damage this causes could be made in 

thinking of the 150 deaths per 100,000 

people attributable to air pollution in 

Nigeria. 

According to the Health Effects Institute, 

HEI, in a 2018 report on annual State of the 

Global Air Report, SGAR, air quality in 

Nigeria is among the deadliest in the world, 

causing very high death rates. Extreme air 

pollution sources like generator fumes and 

vehicle emissions were identified as largely 

responsible. Nigerians are aware of the 

dangers these telecommunication sites pose, 

but uncertain of our resolve to end it. It was 

a case to be likened to a willingness to 

exchange a few years of our collective living 

for ease of communication. Until recently, 

there was no alternative means of powering 

the active equipment at these BTS sites, no 

thanks to the unreliable power supply from 

our national grid. 

The disturbing noise of continuously 

working generators is another major 

environmental pollutant. Though the 

maximum healthy noise level is 60dB of 

sound, but generators at BTS sites often 

sound louder. With majority of these 

generators running over 20,000 hours 

unchanged, the noise levels often exceed 

90dB, even more as run hours increase. 

Today, however, the narrative has changed 

tremendously, with even bigger promises of 

lesser air pollution and consequently, 

ridiculously cheap voice and data services 

provided by these telcos. It is interesting to 

know that a search by the telcos for cheaper 

ways of running business has not only 

become environmentally-benefiting, but 

also economically advantageous to the 

subscribers. 

The leading telecoms infrastructure 

companies in Nigeria went into massive 

rollout of alternative power solutions for 

their sites from 2010 till date. This has since 

seen at least 20,000 sites powered in an 

unconventional manner. The regular way 

was to run an Alternating Current Generator, 

ACDG, nonstop. A 15KVA generator will 

consume 1,200 litres of diesel in a month 

with an average DC load of 30 Amperes and 

AC load of 15Amperes. The combustion of 

this volume of diesel will produce about 

3216 kilogrammes of carbon monoxide. 

Too dangerous for human when we make a 

sense of it across over 50,000 BTSs. The 

diesel consumption increases with 

increasing site’s load. 

As an alternative, Direct Current 

Generators, DCDGs, and backup batteries 

are deployed alongside solar panels to keep 

the sites running. The solar panels run the 

site as well as charge the batteries during 

We must embrace the green 

solution and ensure its 

implementation in BTSs 

across the country is total 

the day, while the batteries take over when 

there is low or no sunlight. Adequate amount 

of battery strings of 12V165Ah rating per 

battery can run at least 20,000 hours or more 

depending on site load, after which the 

DCDG will take over for only two to three 

hours before the sun rises again. This has 

proven to be a very effective way of reducing 

air pollution, taking Nigeria several steps 

closer to the clean energy era. 

It is great news to know that this will 

continue with little support from 

government. The telcos have continually 

sought ways of improving on their green 

energy solutions. This is particularly because 

the lesser the need to run diesel engines, the 

lesser the cost of operation. I believe the 

future is brighter for telcos with clean energy 

solutions at the core of their organisational 

objectives. A continuous effort to eradicate 

the use of diesel will be endearing to 

subscribers because of the consequent 

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reduction of noise and carbon monoxide in 

the environment. It is a win-win solution: 

telcos spend several billions less, subscribers 

get lesser environmental threat and cheaper 

call and data rates. 

Since founding till date, the combined 

profit declaration of MTN, Airtel, 

Globacom and Etisalat is well over $32bn. 

Then in 2018, a jaw-dropping profit of 

$453m was declared by MTN. Bharti Airtel 

declared $312.9million for the first half of 

2019. It has been momentous in the past ten 

years as there has been massive rollout of 

alternative power projects, thereby creating 

thousands of jobs during the project period. 

Clearly, the future holds even more beautiful 

realities for Nigeria in the area of air 

pollution, especially because it has become 

popular among the telcos that the greener 

they go, the bigger their revenue. Telecoms 

infrastructure giant, IHS Towers is leading 

in this regard, followed by American towers. 

Sooner than envisioned, the use of dieselpowered 

generators will reduce 

monumentally, leading us several steps 

closer to an entirely clean energy industry. 

The Ministries of Communication, 

Environment, Agriculture and Health are 

duty-bound to encourage 

telecommunication companies to adopt 

only the clean energy alternative to solving 

air pollution challenges ravaging the 

Nigeria airspace and ensure compliance to 

the existing environmental laws. To nip the 

menace of air pollution occasioned by 

diesel-powered generating plants 

nationwide in the bud, all hands must be on 

deck. We must embrace the green solution 

and ensure its implementation in BTSs 

across the country is total. 

Other industries must be encouraged to 

embrace this as well. Nigeria stands to 

benefit because the health of its citizenry is 

bolstered with an attendant increase in life 

expectancy. 

•Akande, a Telecoms Professionalwrote 

from Kano

CBN mandates banks to record CP 

transactions as loans, deposits 

By Elizabeth Adegbesan 

The Central Bank of Nigeria, 

CBN, has mandated banks 

and discount houses to record all 

Commercial Papers (CPs) 

purchases and sales as loans and 

deposits respectively, in their 

balance sheet. 

The apex bank gave the directive 

yesterday in its latest guidelines 

on the issuance and treatment of 

Bankers Acceptances, BAs, and 

CPs. 

CP is an unsecured, short-term 

debt instrument issued by a 

company, typically for the 

financing of accounts payable and 

inventories and meeting shortterm 

liabilities. 

BA is a short-term debt 

instrument issued by a company 

and guaranteed by a commercial 

bank. 

Section 18.4 of the guidelines 

read: “Banks and discount houses 

shall book all CP purchases and 

sales on their balance sheets as 

loans and deposits, respectively.” 

On tenor and rollover of BAs 

and CPs section 6.1 stated: “The 

tenor of the BA, including rollover, 

shall not exceed: In the case of 

financing purchases, 365 days, 

after execution of documents and 

acceptance by the bank. 

“In the case of financing sales, 

the shortest remaining credit 

period extended by the drawer 

(seller) to the purchaser(s) of the 

goods. 

“In the case of importation of 

capital goods, 365 days and a final 

rollover of additional 180 days, 

subject to CBN approval. 

“The CP shall be issued for 

maturities of between 15 days and 

270 days, including rollover, from 

the date of issue; every issue of a 

CP is therefore, a separate CP; 

and the capitalization of upfront 

interest and discount on maturing 

CP into a rollover is not allowed.” 

CURRENCY BUYING SELLING 

US DOLLAR 

POUNDS 

EURO 

FRANC 

YEN 

CFA 

WAUA 

RENMINBI 

RIYAL 

SDR 

DANISH 

RAND 

$101.15 2.80 

2,218.00 0.00 

$10.83 -0.05 

$60.90 -1.48 

$55.91 -1.49 

305.85 306.35 306.85 

377.5412 378.1584 379.7756 

336.6491 337.1994 337.7498 

307.7581 308.2612 308.7643 

2.8396 2.8442 2.8489 

0.4956 0.5056 0.5156 

418.1454 418.829 419.5126 

42.9688 43.0395 43.1102 

81.5404 81.6737 81.807 

418.831 419.5157 420.2004 

45.11 45.1837 45.2574 

20.8441 20.8782 20.9123 

CBN Exchange rate as at 11/09/2019 

On limits and the amount of 

issue of BAs and CPs, the 

guidelines states: “ Off-balance 

sheet BAs and guaranteed CPs 

extended to a single obligor shall 

not exceed 30 percent of a bank’s 

or discount house’s 

shareholders’ funds unimpaired 

by losses. 

“Aggregate off-balance sheet 

BAs and guaranteed CPs shall 

not be more than: 150 percent of 

shareholders’ funds unimpaired 

by losses for a bank; and 300 

percent of shareholders’ funds 

unimpaired by losses for a 

discount house.” 

On penalty for non compliance 

to the guidelines the apex bank 

said: “Non-compliance with 


these guidelines or any part 

thereof shall attract appropriate 

penalties as prescribed in Section 

60 (1) of the Banks and Other 

Financial Institutions Act 1991 

(as amended) and may also 

include debarring from the BA 

or CP market, or as may be 

prescribed by the CBN from time 

to time.” 

From left, Mrs Funke Osibodu, MD/CEO, BEDC Electricity Plc, Prof. James Momoh, Chairman, 

Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and Prof. Olukayode Amund, Vice- 

Chancellor, Elizade University Ilara-Mokin, Akure, at the Graduation ceremony for graduate 

trainees and technician trainees of BEDC in Asaba, Delta State. 

Bonny Light price rises further to $64.65 as 

OPEC puts Nigeria’s output at 1.8m bpd 

By Udeme Akpan 

THE price of Bonny Light, 

Nigeria’s premium oil grades, 

has surged further to $64.65 per 

barrel, yesterday, from $63.00 

recorded Tuesday, just as the 

Organisation of Petroleum 

Exporting Countries, OPEC, 

continues to eliminate excess oil 

from the volatile market. 

Meanwhile, OPEC, 

in its report released 

yesterday, puts 

Nigeria’s oil output at 

1.8 million barrels per 

day, mbpd, in August, 

this year. 

These show a mixed 

development in the 

nation’s 2019 fiscal 

estimates as the oil 

price is significantly 

ahead of the $60 budget 

benchmark while the 

output is equally 

significantly below the 

budgeted 2.3mbpd. 

However, the report 

painted a gloomy 

global economic 

picture, and by 

extension oil demand 

when it stated: “US 

economic growth was 

revised down to 2.3per 

cent for 2019 and 1.9per 

cent for 2020. The 

forecast for Euro-zone 

growth in 2019 remains 

at 1.2per cent, while 2020 was 

revised down to 1.1per cent. 

Japan’s 2019 growth was revised 

up to 0.9per cent due to a 

stronger-than-expected 1H19, 

although there was a downward 

revision to 0.3per cent in 2020. 

“China’s 2019 growth forecast 

remains at 6.2per cent and is 

expected to slow to 5.9per cent in 

2020. India’s growth forecast was 

revised down to 6.1per cent for 

2019 and 6.7per cent for 2020. 

Brazil’s 2019 growth forecast was 

revised down to 0.8per cent, but 

is then projected to reach 1.4per 

cent in 2020. After low 1Q19 

growth, Russia’s growth forecast 

for 2019 was revised down to 

1.1per cent, and is forecast at 

1.2per cent in 2020.” 

The report obtained by 

Vanguard further stated: “World 

oil demand in 2019 is expected to 

grow by 1.02 mb/d, which is 0.08 

mb/d lower than last month’s 

projection. The drop can be 

attributed to weaker-thanexpected 

data in 1H19 from 

various global demand centres 

and slower economic growth 

projections for the remainder of 

the year. Both OECD and non- 

OECD demand growth forecasts 

were revised lower, by 0.03 mb/d 

and 0.05 mb/d, respectively. 

Recapitalisation: 

Insurance sector 

to witness 

significant 

growth in 10 yrs 

— report 

By Rosemary Onuoha 

The Nigerian insurance 

sector has been projected 

to increase in penetration to 

3.69 percent in the next ten 

years from the current 0.31 

percent. 

The sector was, however, 

projected to retain about 25 

insurance companies or 40 

percent of the operators after 

the on-going recapitalisation 

enforcement end in June 

2020. 

The remaining 34 would 

have to be absorbed into the 

surviving institutions or be 

liquidated. 

The Head of Research at 

Coronation Merchant Bank, 

Mr. Guy Czartoryski, who 

disclosed these in its report 

titled “From Lagoon to the 

Ocean”, said the industry 

research indicates that 

companies that will survive 

the exercise will be strong 

enough to deepen insurance 

penetration in the country. 

Czartoryski, who spoke at 

a press briefing to announce 

the research report on the 

insurance sector by the bank, 

noted that in the last ten 

years, the industry has not 

grown in real terms as 

insurance penetration stands 

at 0.31 percent, pointing out 

that with 25 strong 

companies, the sector should 

witness growth in real terms 

in the next ten years. 

Czartoryski said a number 

of factors including 

favourable capital 

importation, oil price, 

transactions in bonds and 

treasury bills as well as 

equities will play significant 

roles in redefining the 

fortunes of the sector, which 

is currently hounded down 

by low capitalization. 

He stated: “At the end of the 

recapitalisation exercise in 

the insurance sector, we are 

going to have just about 25 

insurance companies 

remaining, from the 59 that 

are currently in operation 

now. It is going to be similar 

to the 2004 recapitalisation in 

the banking sector where only 

25 banks emerged against 89 

banks that were operating 

before then. 

“This is going to be good 

for the insurance sector 

because the companies are 

going to be stronger and will 

have more capacity to deepen 

insurance penetration in the 

country.” 

Unity Bank partners Binkabi to ease lending to farmers 


In a bid to ease lending to 

farmers and promote 

financial inclusion in the 

country, Unity Bank Plc, in 

collaboration with Binkabi 

Limited, has launched an 

Agro Commodity Trading 

Platform. 

Executive Director, 

Corporate Planning & 

Compliance, Unity Bank, 

Usman Abdulqadir, disclosed 

this at a media launch in 

Lagos. 

Explaining the reason behind 

the adoption of the product, 

Abdulqadir said: “By way of 

strategy we look at the various 

value chains across the agric 

sector and incidentally while 

some banks prefer to 

concentrate on certain types of 

customers, the big ones that 

have little or no risk exposure 

we lean across the entire value 

chain. What we are doing today 

is to integrate all the members 

of the value chain to one single 

entity to have an integrated 

approach to funding the agric 

sector. 

“Now there are problems 

within the agric sector one of 

them that has inhibited banks 

from lending to the agric sector 

is the difficulty in accessing 

risk there is no data, even 

when there is data it is 

unreliable. 

“Consequently, we are 

working with rice farmers, 

wheat farmers, maize farmers 

and cotton farmers, agro 

processors , rice mills flour 

mills and other players in the 

processing space.”

20—Vanguard, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019

Vanguard, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019 — 21

22—Vanguard, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019


We condemn violence 

against migrants in 

South Africa ...Tallen 

…As ministry proposes collaborative 

initiative to reduce maternal, child death 

By Victoria Ojeme 

The Minister for Women 

Affairs Pauline Tallen 

has condemned the 

recent upsurge in violence against 

migrants in South Africa saying it 

is sad and unacceptable. 

Mrs Tallen made this 

condemnation at the weekend 

during a media conference to mark 

school resumption of Nigerian 

children. 

She appealed for calm, adding 

that Nigeria had contributed 

immensely to the apartheid of 

South Africa and their 

independence. 

“What happened in South Africa 

is heart breaking and we 

condemn it totally. Mr President 

has taken the matter with all 

seriousness by sending envoys 

who are already meeting with 

Ambassadors to ensure 

Nigerians are safe. 

“ I appeal for calm and pray for 

all Africans to support one another 

and ensure all Africans are safe 

all over the world,” she said. 

Speaking on reduction of 

maternal and child deaths and 

other health related issues, she 

said the ministry intends to 

undertake the national level 

advocacy meeting with the 

Minister of Health and other 

relevant Stakeholders. 

“Nationwide advocacy and 

sensitisation programmes with 

Executive Governors, Legislators, 

Health Policy makers, traditional 

leaders, Civil Society 

Organisation, on reduction of 

maternal and child mortality. 

Others include breastfeeding, girl 

child education, all forms of 

violence against children such as 

ending child marriage, drug 

addiction, rape, online sexual 

exploitation amongst others. 

"The ministry intends to 

mobilise communities to promote 

routine immunisation and 

advocacy activities aimed at 

educating and sensitising mothers 

and caregivers to boost the 

nutrition status of children and 

Wife of the 

Commissioner of 

Police, Kwara State 

Command, and Chairperson 

Police Officers Wives 

Association, POWA, Mrs 

Elizabeth Egbetokun has called 

on all well meaning Nigerians 

to support POWA to further 

impact on widows in the state. 

Mrs Egbetokun made the call 

popularizing Iocally available 

weaning food,” Tallen said. 

She said children constitute the 

foundation on which the future of 

nations are built, as such their early 

years of life have a profound impact 

on their future, health, 

development, learning and well 

being. 

Tallen said education was the 

major ingredients for self 

actualisation and attainment of 

potentials of any child, saying it is 

a basic human right recognised by 

the Child Rights Act. 

She said according to the 

Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, 

MICS, 5 of 2016 and 2017 

conducted by the National Bureau 

of Statistics in collaboration with 

UNICEF and other partners, 

about 60 per cent of children of 

school age are out of school. 

“The North- East with 53.3 per 

cent holds highest number of girls, 

out of school of primary school age, 

while the South-East had the lowest 

number of girls out of school at 46.2 

per cent. 

“States in the North-East and 

North-West have female primary 

net attendances rates of 47.7 and 

47.3 percent respectively. 

Indicating that half of the girls are 

not in school. 

“The Girl Child is often withdrawn 

from school for early marriage due 

to economic reasons or some other 

excuses such as inability of parents 

to pay school fees, provide school 

uniforms, books, sandals and other 

hidden costs involved in the 

education of children,” Tallen said. 

She said Ministry would continue 

to focus on girlchild education and 

mentoring in order to prove the 

quality of manpower and 

population of Nigeria, adding that 

collaboration with the Ministry of 

Education would be robustly 

strengthened. 

POWA calls for widows’ empowerment 

BY Esther Onyegbula 

* Pauline Tallen, Minister for Women Affairs 

at the Police Officers Mess, 

while empowering 23 widows 

of policemen who lost their 

husbands. 

Addressing the widows and 

other police officers wives, Mrs 

Elizabeth Egbetokun stated that 

widow’s the world over are 

vulnerable, majority of them 

go through harrowing 

experiences to cater for the 

needs of families and the 

education of the children left 

behind by their breadwinners 

with little or no assistance from 

people around. As a matter of 

fact that, widows don’t want to be 

beggars, they desire to be 

financially independent to be 

able to provide for their families 

and stand to be counted among 

women of dignity” . 

“Empowering them can 

actually bring them out of the 

deplorable financial situations 

most of them found themselves 

in after the demise of their 

husbands. She reiterated her 

desire to empower as many of 

the widows as possible, out of the 

* Hajiya Hadiza Masari, wife of Katsina State Governor 

Masari’s wife urges FG to 

give significance to women, 

youths in agribusiness 

By Ezra Ukanwa 

Wife of Kastina state 

governor, Hajiya 

Hadiza Masari, 

yesterday urged the Federal 

Government to involve 

women and youths in 

agribusiness, saying it would 

enhance agricultural 

productivity and improve 

the country’s ability to 

process and reduce wastage 

to human farm produces. 

Hadiza made this urge 

during an Agriculture 

Summit Africa in Abuja, 

organized by Sterling Bank 

themed ‘Agriculture: Your 

Piece of the Trillion Dollar 

Economy” when she stated 

that the effort of women and 

youth in the agricultural 

sector will make it flourish 

and that it would have a 

reprisal effect in boosting the 

economy. 

“It gives me great pleasure 

and honour to be here today 

to discuss what is very close 

to my heart, which is agric 

business. Most importantly is 

the fact that this season, is 

about women and youths 

inclusion to boosting our 

economy through up scaling 

agriculture. 

“It is a well known fact that 

we are going to end hunger 

and poverty in our lifetimes, 

we need to include women 

52 widows presented for 

interview, 23 of them were 

slated for the empowerment 

which included training on 

soap making and giving of 

token that is enough to start the 

business on small scale, 

arrangements have been 

concluded to guide them from 

take off to the smooth 

operation of the business”. 

The empowerment program 

is part of Elizabeth Egbetokun 

vision to consciously alleviate 

the sufferings of wives of 

and youths to enhance 

agricultural productivity, 

improve our ability to process 

and reduce wastage to our 

human farm produce. 

“It is also a well known fact 

that women and youths make 

up half of agriculture labour 

in many developing countries 

including Nigeria of which, 

giving significance to them 

will increase the yield and 

affect more people in the 

world, knowing full well that 

women are more likely to 

invest their income back into 

farm yield, to improve 

education, nutrition and 

health. 

“I, therefore, come to tell you 

that when we encourage 

women and families, we are 

also encouraging them to add 

their best and so also, the 

Nigerian economy will also 

flourish. 

“If we improve agricultural 

activities for women and 

youths, and implement all our 

laudable policies in agric 

businesses, linking women 

and youths to credit, market, 

as well as polish up their 

abilities to add value to 

agriculture produces, we then 

stand a chance to meet global 

standard”, Hadiza said. 

policemen who lost their 

husbands. The widows were 

also supported with food items, 

so that the money given to them 

would not be spent on food but 

for the purpose it was meant. 

She also appreciated the 

POWA President, Hajia Fatima 

Adamu, the wife of the 

Inspector General of Police, 

wives of the Deputy Inspectors 

General of Police and the 

Kwara State Commissioner of 

Police, Ag. Cp Kayode 

Egbetokun for their support for 

all POWA programs in Kwara.


Why we want everyone involved in 

#FollowDisAct project for PWDs 

— Odumakin 

By Ebunoluwa Sessou 

As part of efforts to make 

inclusion of Persons 

With Disabilities 

PWDs, a reality in the policy 

of Nigeria, #FollowDisAct was 

recently launched to cater for 

the engagement of PWDs 

through advocacy programme 

called ‘Project Enable’. 

The ‘Project Enable’ is a 

community development 

initiative founded in 2014 to 

advocate for the rights and 

empowerment of persons with 

disabilities in Nigeria. 

The programme is designed 

to address discrimination of 

PWDs in the country, since, it 

is believed that everyone 

deserves quality of life and that 

no one should be 

discriminated against on the 

basis of their disability. 

Speaking on the project, the 

chairman of the board, Dr. Jo 

Okei Odumakin, disclosed 

that, #FollowDisAct 

Campaign was coined from 

Follow the ‘Discrimination 

Act’, which has been designed 

as a 5-year campaign project 

to coordinate a national efforts 

to push for the full 

implementation of the 

Discrimination against 

Persons with Disabilities 

Prohibitions Act. 

According to her, “With this 

campaign, we would have 

reached about 100million 

people before expiration of the 

five-year project and as much 

as possible, we want to advise 

that everyone should be 

involved, that way, the bill itself 

that was recently presented to 

the national assembly will not 

die on arrival. 

"It is a wakeup call and I 

think, it is a wakeup call and 

we will engage government 

and ensure we deliver what the 

bill entails. 

“In the last five years, we 

have stayed true to our goal 

which is to promote the rights, 

empowerment and social 

inclusion of persons with 

disability; we have done that 

by engaging policymakers 

and various stakeholders 

within the community of 

Persons with Disability, PWDs 

towards advocating for 

inclusion both at policy and 

inspiration level. 

“We have also been 

instrumental in providing 

direct and indirect 

empowerment opportunities 

for persons with disabilities in 

areas such as ICT; web design, 

graphic design, digital 

business marketing, 

vocational, entreprenuerial, 

digital, leadership and 

advocacy. 

“As we celebrate our 5th 

anniversary, we are inspired to 

strengthen the advocacy for 

PWDs with the official launch 

of the Inclusion Hub, the first 

in Nigeria alongside the 

#FollowDisAct Campaign. 

“On the accountability of 

PWD especially the unlearned, 

she said, FollowDisAct 

campaign is inclusive on both 

learned and the unlearned 

PWD. We have all materials in 

whatever language suitable 

for anyone because we know 

that sigmatisation happens in 

* Chairman of the Board, Enable Project and President, Women Arise for Change; Dr Jose 

Okei-Odumakin (2nd right); Managing Director, Development Communication, Mr Akin 

Jimoh; and Founder, Enable Project, Mr Olusola Owonikoko, during the launch of 

#FollowDisAct at the inclusion hub in Lagos recently. 

remote areas. 

Some of the PWD members 

have been treated as outcast, 

witches, some of them have 

committed suicide as a result 

of being humiliated. We will 

ensure that we reach all the 

nooks and crannies of media 

organisations and it will be 

done in major languages. 

“The Bill was recently 

passed into law in January 

2019 as a federal legal 

framework that promotes the 

social inclusion of persons 

with disabilities across all 

sectors and levels in the 

As part of measures 

towards addressing 

poverty among women 

who are estimated to 

constitute a larger percentage 

of Nigerians living above the 

poverty line, Inner Wheel 

District 911 Nigeria, last week, 

flagged-off a two-month 

vocational training for fifty 

women and girls drawn from 

across various local 

governments in Lagos State. 

Among practical skills 

taught at the training currently 

on-going at the Festac-based 

vocational centre of the district 

include make-up and gele 

tying, fashion designing, cake 

making, and pedicure/ 

manicure. 

According to the District 

Chairman, Mrs Adejumoke 

Odulaja, who urged the 

participants to learn with zeal, 

the training, which was in 

fulfillment of promise made at 

her investiture ceremony to 

train 50-100 women, was also 

a continuation of the district’s 

empowerment initiative which 

has remained part of yearly 

activities in the last 35 years. 

“I want you to utilize this 

society”, she said. 

Olusola Owonikoko, founder 

and Project Director, reiterated 

that, FollowDisAct Project has 

been designed to monitor, 

track, report and drive the 

implementation of the newly 

assented Discrimination 

against Persons with 

Disabilities Prohibitions Bill, 

2018. 

“The goal of the campaign is 

to engage all stakeholders 

from the private, public and 

civil society sectors. The 

campaign would be 

implemented at a national 

level across the six 

geopolitical zones in Nigeria. 

“In addition, the campaign 

will monitor track and report 

progress in the 

implementation of the 

disability bill through a 

dedicated PWD desk that will 

produce regular reports. We 

will be hosting stakeholders’ 

fora within one year, towards 

engaging with various 

stakeholders including labour, 

traditional, media, religious, 

private sectors among others 

on the need for a socially 

inclusive society and 

services”, he said. 

On the method of 

disseminating the messages, 

he said, “We will commence 

the animation series to explain 

the bill in different languages 

including English, Yoruba, 

Igbo and Hausa. We are not 

only going to be using the 

social media but we will make 

use of radio as a source of 

disseminating information so 

that everybody will be carried 

along. 

“Our message is that of social 

inclusion and we will be 

working with private 

organisation to make 

processes accessible. We will 

be doing lot of connecting 

physically challenge persons 

to job opportunities”, he 

noted. 

One of the participants, 

Folashade Salimonu, a 

broadcaster with Lagos 

Television, expressed her 

satisfaction with the 

programme. 

“It is something that people 

with disabilities have been 

expecting that people will 

come together to support us in 

the area of inclusion. This is a 

step in the right direction and 

it is my hope that it will grow 

and they will do more for 

PWDs. 

“PWDs are also part of the 

society. We pray that the 

federal government that 

enacted the law will start to 

implement. We appreciate 

Lagos state for what it is doing 

for people with disabilities, we 

are expecting more, we want 

to be empowered and we want 

people to deal with us as 

Nigerians. 

“We want corporate 

organizations to employ 

persons with disabilities who 

are qualified. Show empathy 

to them, empower them so that 

they can contribute their own 

quota to the growth and 

development of this country 

and Africa at large” she 

added. 

Inner Wheel moves to tackle poverty among women 

…begins 2-month free vocational training 

By Josephine Agbonkhese 

opportunity judiciously 

because opportunity comes 

once most times. With the 

current economic hardship in 

the country, this training can 

enable you to start off 

something from which you can 

support your family. The 

beautiful thing about 

vocational skill acquisition is 

that even if you travel abroad 

eventually, you will find these 

skills useful,” she 

said. 

Stressing that 

such free vocational 

trainings ought not 

to be taken for 

granted by 

beneficiaries, 

Odulaja said: 

“Even though this 

training is given to 

you free of charge, 

some persons paid 

the financial cost to 

make sure you are 

trained. I want you 

to therefore not 

render their 

investments a 

waste.” 

She assured 

beneficiaries that at 

the end of the twomonth 

training, they would be 

given free start-up kits that 

would enable them establish 

their various businesses. 

Meanwhile, the Project 

Committee Chairman, Kafilat 

Afodun, and Co-chairman, 

Magdalene Adegoke, told 

Woman’s Own that the 

selection process for 

participants was devoid of 

bias. 

“You only need to be 

‘interested’ to be part of the 

exercise. These women and 

girls were gathered from the 

17 Inner Wheel Clubs in Lagos 

State. We appreciate spirited 

Nigerians who supported this 

project and wish more would 

come on board so we are able 

to train and empower more 

women and girls to own their 

own businesses and come out 

of poverty,” Afodun added. 

*Mrs Adejumoke Odulaja, Chairman, Inner Wheel District 911(8th right) 

flanked by some beneficiaries of the free training and members of the district 

during the flag-off in Lagos recently.


We created "It's New to Me' 

to clear stigma against ‘used 

item’ buyers – RCCG COD Parish 

By Chris Onuoha 

When Pastor 

Iluyomade of the 

Redeemed 

Christian Church of God 

(RCCG), City of David Parish 

was thinking of easy means of 

helping the less privileged in 

the society, little did he know 

that a business model he 

created to that effect will 

eventually change the 

perception and stigma 

attached to “second hand” 

items sold in the country. For 

him, it was a vision he had to 

help the needy in the society. 

However, it has become a 

general rallying point. 

‘It’s New To Me’ as a brand 

name, is a group of charity 

shops set up by His Love 

Foundation, the charity 

organisation of the Redeemed 

Christian Church of God 

(RCCG), City of David Parish 

Victoria Island, Lagos. The 

shops operate a unique 

business model, in that they 

sell fairly used clothes, 

household and other items 

donated by church members 

at a little amount to the lessprivileged 

members of the 

church and society at large,” 

says Olubukola Aneke, the 

Chief Operating Officer. Mrs. 

Aneke who took over the head 

of the trading outfit about 5 

years ago said: "The primary 

aim of this initiative is 

basically to demonstrate the 

love of Jesus Christ by 

changing lives. I started 

overseeing the brand’s affairs 

about 5 years ago when the 

shop was re-launched. Back 

then, I worked as a volunteer 

till I was officially appointed 

to become the Chief Operating 

Officer.” 

*Olubukola Aneke 

According to her, the shop is 

retailing donated items from 

RCCG church members and 

anonymous donors who are not 

members of the church. “We use 

the proceeds of the sales for 

charity works and other 

interventions in the church. This 

implies giving out free funds to 

indigent people among us in 

the church to cater for school 

fees of their wards, and other 

needs. It’s been impactful, 

wonderful and fulfilling. We 

have given people hope, wiped 

tears and made peoples’ wishes 

come to pass in the process,” 

Aneke said. 

She also disclosed that 

beneficiaries of the ‘Its New To 

Me’ project comprise both 

members and non members of 

the church. Citing a particular 

instance, she said a widow from 

a wealthy family whose life 

dwindled after her husband’s 

death had a new lease of life 

when she discovered and 

started patronising the shop. 

The shop to her was a great 

relief as she was able to make 

up her old lifestyle once again 

with items from the shop. To her, 

it was goldmine to see and 

purchase those kinds of clothing 

and items she was used to when 

life was good at a little or no 

cost. 

“The name “It’s New To Me” 

apparently implies something 

that is old to you but could be 

new to me. In other words, 

anything that one does not 

attach much interest to; not 

necessarily bad anyway, but 

may have lost its appeal could 

be a new item to someone else. 

We don’t see our stock here as 

old, though it may be outdated 

but could still be appealing to 

someone. 

Expansion Drive 

“One of the reasons for relaunching 

is to expand our 

outlets. We however, focus on 

Oxfam that has about 750 

shops globally as our benchmark. 

We have outlets in Akoka, 

Ikoyi and Ikorodu alongside 

the main shop here in Victoria 

Island. We will keep 

expanding to reach out to the 

needy in the country. We have 

items and clothes for as low as 

N100, N200, and N300. And it 

also depends on items value 

but everything is relatively 

cheap. We do not stock lowquality 

items because the 

calibers of people that drop 

items at our drop box are 

mostly high society and influential 

people. Some of our 

stocks are brand new items that 

the owners do not have any 

need for. Using Oxfam as our 

benchmark, we want to stem the 

stigmatization among users of 

fairly used items in our society 

making it obvious that there is 

nothing wrong is buying what 

someone else does not need. 

Mrs Aneke explained that the 

church is making sure that all 

members are involved in 

touching lives through free 

donation of items to the shop’s 

drop box. “We do not intend to 

import goods for this purpose 

but we embark on sensitization 

drive so that members donation 

will saturate the shops,” she 

said. 

Location and visibility 

Although this is Pastor 

Iluyomade’s initiative at the 

City of David which has became 

an entire RCCG’s 

project. It is meant to be a 

Christian Social Responsibility 

of the church and so far, every 

branch of the church is bound 

to open a shop. For 

donors, we have established 

a relationship 

with church 

members and they do 

bring things. What we 

do is to announce and 

it serves as a reminder 

that the shops 

exist. The shop is for 

the general public 

and not for RCCG 

members alone. We 

are not concentrating 

on the highbrow 

areas alone. We plan 

to go into places that 

are occupied by lessprivileged 

individuals 

where RCCG 

planted churches. We 

are also planning to 

embark on road walk 

to create awareness 

about the existence of 

the shop. 

*Wife of Kebbi State Governor, Hajiya Aisha A. Bagudu 

(middle), and others during an empowerment programme 

for physically challenged women 

Why MALLPAI cares for 

almajiri —Aisha Bagudu 

By Kabir DanKatsina, Birnin 

Kebbi. 

The mass literacy for 

the less privileged 

and Almagiri 

Initiative, MALLPAI 

Foundation initiated by Her 

Excellency, the wife of Kebbi 

State Governor, Hajiya Aisha 

A. Bagudu, is aimed at 

empowering less privileged in 

the society and other people 

who need help. 

Since 2009, the programme 

has been an avenue to 

restore hope to the hopeless 

as well as making 

humanitarian service a way 

of life. 

According to Hajiya 

Bagudu, the reasons for 

initiating the foundation was 

her twenty years' experience 

in humanitarian work applied 

in various business areas such 

as production manufacturing 

and management for having 

being a successful business 

woman and humanitarian 

track records, possessing a 

desire to succeed and target 

driven wire community 

development ethic, 

programmed implementation 

of researched and successful 

grassroots initiatives with 

entrepreneurial input to 

pioneer growth in 

communities, mostly rural 

areas. 

Speaking on her behalf, her 

press secretary, Hajiya Safiya 

Abdullahi said the foundation 

has rendered humanitarian 

services in sectors including 

health, education, agriculture 

and social lives. 

On health she said the 

foundation has purchased 

drugs and hospital equipment 

worth five million naira and 

provided them to clinics, 

maternity and health clinics in 

Bagudu, Suru, Birnin Kebbi, 

Kok/Besse, Argungu and 

Ngaski local government 

areas of the state. 

‘’MALLPAI also distributed 

free drugs to the five Fulani 

communities particularly 

Barbarejo, Aljannare, Bagudo, 

Dakingari and Dalijan”, she 

said. 

On education, the 

foundation has converted 10 

Tsangaya schools to modern 

in rural areas adding that in 

Bagudo and Ka’oje 

communities, the foundation 

provided the schools with 

skill acquisition equipments 

such as knitting, soap and 

barbing machines and teach 

were recruited teaches pupils 

on how to learn soap making, 

barbing and knitting during 

their non- working hours that 

is Thursday and Friday as 100 

were graduated in these skills. 

‘’MALLPAI did not stop 

there, it also empowered and 

taught about fifty students in 

Public Schools on how to 

produce chalk, color, pencils 

and shoes and after their 

graduation provided them 

with equipment free of 

charge”, she noted. 

Similarly, she stated, ‘’On 

agriculture, the foundation 

has assisted over 100 Youths 

in the State particularly in 

rural communities in Illo, Lolo 

Gwandu and Bunza on dry 

season farming and provided 

them with farm inputs which 

at the end of their cultivation, 

produced over 200 bags each 

of paddy rice, soya beans and 

sorghum”, she added. 

According her, “On RUGA 

rehabilitation, the foundation 

has rehabilitated over forty 

Fulani communities in the 

State where it constructed 

clinics, schools, open wells 

and accommodation in each 

of these communities. 

“The foundation has 

empowered persons with 

disabilities with clothing, 

food stuff and mobile 

machines during Ramadan 

fasting periods while at the 

state’s orphanage home, Her 

Excellency, Hajiya Aisha 

Bagudu is always visiting 

there and donating relief 

packages such as food stuff, 

clothing materials and 

cosmetics for female 

members”, she concluded.

C 

M 

Y 

K 


japhdave@yahoo.com 

08066625505 

Onuzulike’s double unlocks the mystery of seed 

yams 

By Japhet Davidson 

*Some of the works exhibited during the three day show 

AS the Igbo and other eth 

nic groups that value 

yam, celebrate the new yam 

festivals, ceramics artist, poet 

and art historian, Ozioma 

Onuzulike is set to metaphorically 

explore the vicissitudes 

surrounding the edible 

food in what can be described 

as a monumental exhibition 

tagged Seed Yams of 

Our Land . 

Coming from the heels of 

one of the celebrated artist 

and lecturer, the exhibition 

which will open with a formal 

presentation of the artist’s 

published collection of 

poems of the same title, Seed 

Yams of Our Land is scheduled 

to start by 4.00pm on 

14th September, 2019 at the 

Centre for Contemporary Art, 

Lagos and will run till 25th 

October 2019. 

According to the curator, 

Iheanyi Onwuegbuchulam, 

“the artist will metaphorically 

explore yam (Dioscorea spp.) 

and the yam barn – emblems 

of economic and political 

power among the Igbos of 

southern Nigeria – in ways 

that examine the unequal 

relations within individuals 

and groups in Africa, as well 

as Africa’s precarious relations 

with first world countries 

and their imperial powers. 

“In doing this, the artist reflects 

on the nature of his basic 

material (clay) as a mineral 

that is symbolic of life and 

explores the violent ceramics 

studio processes (pounding, 

cutting, crushing, firing …) as 

fitting metaphors for the human 

conditions in Africa today. 

These include the horrific 

implications of “reckless politics”, 

hunger, unemployment, 

banditry and armed conflicts 

on Africa and her people, especially 

the youth - representative 

of Africa’s future 

and values, which the artist 

symbolically uses as “seed 

yams” to draw attention to 

Nollywood star set for 

London recognition, award 

ON Saturday, 9th 

November, 2019, 

the Crik Banqueting 

Hall in London, 

United Kingdom, 

where this year’s edition 

of the prestigious 

Edo Festival and 

Awards organised by 

JJ Barry Entertainment 

Limited will be held 

would be set agog as 

personalities, artistes 

and showbiz entrepreneurs 

would congregate 

to witness the epoch 

event. 

Aisosa Okoro, a 

Benin based historian 

cum movie costumer, is 

elated as she gets set for the 

showstopper event where she 

has been slated as one of the 

recipients of the prestigious 

award of recognition for her 

untiring effort to promote the 

rich culture of the Benin 

Kingdom spiced with her dexterity 

in folklore recitations. 

In her acceptance of the invitation 

for the award, the 

elated Aisosa stated: “I am 

elated at the recognition that 

JJ Barry Entertainment Limited 

has given me by nomi- 

*One of the works to be exhibited 

*Aisosa 

Okoro 

nating me for the award of 

recognition as an active artiste 

and a historian of note 

in the Nollywood Movie 

world. 

“While doing my bit contributing 

to the promotion of 

the rich culture of my people, 

the Benins I never thought 

that a day like this will come 

when I will be given recognition 

for what I am doing. 

“I really appreciate this 

honour and I am certain that 

it can only be the starting 

point and not the limit of the 

their desecration by vicious 

forces from within and outside 

Africa.” 

The exhibition will open 

with a formal presentation of 

the artist’s published collection 

of poems of the same title, 

Seed Yams of Our Land 

published by the Centre for 

Contemporary Art, Lagos. 

In his artists statement, the 

University of Nigeria, Nsukka 

trained scholar who has remained 

committed to his studio, 

producing a large body 

of work in utilitarian ceramics 

and in mixed media sculptures 

and installations said, 

good tidings 

that would 

come my 

way in no 

distant time. 

“ T h i s 

award is going 

to be a 

stepping 

stone as I am 

certain that 

more would 

soon follow 

suit.” 

And she 

has a word of 

encouragement 

to JJ 

Barry Entertainment 

Limited: 

“Keep it up. 

The world is 

watching all 

you have 

been doing to 

promote 

achievers 

and highlight 

their achievements. 

The 

reward will 

come in torrents 

in time 

to come.” 

“My current project attempts 

to extend my previous work 

around issues of man’s inhumanity 

to man and the horrific 

implications of conflicts 

and wars on human beings 

and on the natural environment. 

The yam with its physical 

and conceptual attributes 

offers me fitting metaphors 

with which to engage the human 

condition of my own people, 

a condition (a “barn”) 

that has largely been shaped 

by our unequal relations with 

countries of the “first world” 

and their imperial powers. 

“Although increasingly 

eroded by the influx of alternative 

food items, the yam remains 

a prestigious crop and 

an important natural resource 

within my Igbo native soil in 

Nigeria. The yam barn used 

to be a site of political and 

economic power, a space in 

which a man asserted his supremacy 

over his wives and 

children, and the “capital” or 

“currency” with which he negotiated 

his political status in 

society. 

In my Yam Bodies project, I 

think of seed yams as our children, 

our youth, our future; 

and the family, school and 

society at large as the farm in 

which they are planted and 

nurtured. We harvest what we 

grow. Our harvests remain a 

function of the quality of our 

inputs and the conditions under 

which we grow them. 

Given the digital age in which 

we currently live and work, 

our farms’ borders have grown 

increasingly porous and vulnerable”. 

His works have been shown 

in numerous group exhibitions 

and in nine solo shows 

between 1995 and 2018 in 

Nigeria, Italy and the USA. 

Onuzulike who is a notable 

scholar of African ceramics art 

history presently lectures as 

professor of art and art history 

in University of Nigeria, 

Nsukka . He has exhibited 

in numerous group exhibitions 

and in nine solo shows 

between 1995 and 2018 in 

Nigeria, Italy and the USA 

and his work has received 

endorsement through awards 

and prizes from many institutions/bodies. 

Issele Uku’s Inne festival kicks off 

in grand style 

T 

H E 

third edition 

of the 

Annual 

Inne Festival 

of Issele 

Uku has 

b e e n 

scheduled 

to hold 

from 14 to 

19 September 

2019. 

This is the 

third outing 

of the 

King of 

I s s e l e 

O l i g b o 

kingdom, 

HRM Obi 

Agbogidi 

N d u k a 

(Mnse). 

The Inne 

festival is 

an occasion 

where all 

the titled 

chiefs of 

the town 

dress in the 

best of 

their regalia 

and 

*HRM, Obi Agbogidi Nduka during one of his recent outings 

dance to the king’s palace 

to pay their annual 

homage. 

This year’s festival will 

be an improvement of the 

previous years’ because it 

will hold for 5 days and 

feature activities like inter-village 

traditional 

dance competitions among 

the 9 villages of Issele 

Uku. A cash reward of 

N300, 000, N200, 000 and 

N100, 000 also await winners 

of the 1st, 2nd and 

3rd positions respectively. 

Other activities lined up 

for the festival include 

traditional fashion show 

and raffle draws in which 

the winners will go home 

with a motorcycle and a 

sewing machine respectively. 

According to HRM Obi 

Agbogidi Nduka, culture 

is the people’s way of life 

and a people without culture 

are like a tree without 

roots. This year’s action-filled 

festival promises 

to be a turning point 

where elegance, culture 

and tradition will combine 

with opulence and royalty 

to produce a festival all 

stakeholders will be 

proud of.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019 — 27


By Francis Moneke 

THE recent resurgence in 

South Africa of wanton 

aggression against Nigerians 

and some other foreign 

nationals resident in that 

country, has incurred the 

infuriation of Nigerian people 

and government, who are 

united in the expression of 

unequivocal condemnation 

of what has now become a 

recurring and rampant 

practice 

of 

mindlessxenophobic 

violence perpetrated by 

South African citizens, and 

more so the apparent lack of 

commitment on the part of 

South African government to 

prevent such attacks and 

redress the situation by 

bringing the perpetrators to 

justice and making 

reparations to the victims. 

This reign of impunity in 

South Africa attracted 

reciprocal violent recourse 

by some disgruntled 

Nigerians against South 

African economic interests in 

Nigeria, which were however 

quickly contained by 

proactive law enforcement 

agents. More appositely and 

strategically, the Federal 

government has swiftly taken 

steps to respond to the 

situation in a manner that is 

in tandem with the legal 

regime on international 

relations. 

Now, xenophobia is the fear 

or hatred of that which is 

perceived to be foreign or 

strange, engendering 

violence as a defence 

mechanism against such fear 

or a catharsis of an 

overflowing hatred. It seems 

that the perpetrators of the 

xenophobic attacks in South 

Africa among other 

indignations blame Nigerians 

and other foreigners in their 

country for taking over their 

jobs, which according to them 

is the reason for their 

hardship and poverty.More 

appalling were the attempts 

by some top officials of South 

African government to justify 

the attacks by claiming that 

most Nigerians in their 

country indulge in criminal 

activities. These are pathetic 

excuses, which cannot justify 

extrajudicial attack against 

legal foreigners in their host 

country. If some foreigners in 

South Africa engage in 

criminal activities, it is 

incumbent on the law 

enforcement agency of that 

country to find and bring such 

persons to justice, and not 

allow the citizens to resort to 

jungle justice against such 

perceived alien criminals. On 

the other hand, South 

Africans cannot blame hard 

working foreigners for their 

suffering, they should rather 

08152060944 

XENOPHOBIC ATTACKS: Nigeria must act 

now to counter S-Africa 

*South African spoiling for attack on foreigners 

blame their government, 

because such foreigners 

mostly engage in personal 

businesses, which they have 

labored so hard to build and 

grow. If anything such 

businesses built by foreign 

nationals, especially 

Nigerians, add substantial 

value to South African 

economy – they employ 

South Africans, pay taxes to 

the government and 

generally bring more 

development to the country. 

South African government 

has failed to admit that the 

attacks against foreigners in 

that country are xenophobic, 

preferring to describe them as 

mere illegal activities by 

some criminal elements, with 

mere half-hearted 

condemnation of the attacks 

by President Cyril 

Ramaphosa.It is rather 

unfortunate that South 

African government has 

failed in its duty by allowing 

its people to lose a sense of 

history, which should have 

taught them to remain in 

perpetual gratitude to Nigeria 

and other African countries 

for the critical roles they 

played in extricating that 

country from the morbid 

hold of apartheid. 

The question now is 

whether under international 

law South African 

government is fully 

responsible and answerable 

for the attacks on Nigerians 

and other African foreigners 

in that country perpetrated 

by its citizens. The 

international legal regime 

governing this matter is the 

International Law 

Commission Draft Articles on 

Responsibility of States for 

Internationally Wrongful 

Acts adopted by the United 

Nation’s General Assembly in 

2001 – (ILC Draft Articles). 

Under this regime where, as 

in this instance of xenophobic 

attacks in South Africa, 

unlawful acts are committed by 

individuals not acting as 

defacto State officials against 

foreigners, the State on whose 

territory the acts are 

committed incurs international 

responsibility only if it did not 

act with due diligence 

(culpable negligence) – i.e. if 

it omitted to take necessary 

measures to prevent attacks on 

foreigners and their assets, or 

after perpetration of the 

unlawful acts, failed to search 

out and duly punish the 

authors of those acts, as well 

as pay compensation to the 

victims or their families. 

The recurrence of 

xenophobic attacks in South 

Africa has risen above 

ordinary state responsibility 

to the status of aggravated 

state responsibility, which 

arises when a state violates a 

rule laying down a 

‘community obligation’, that 

is either a customary 

obligationergaomnes 

The question now 

is whether under 

international law 

South African 

government is 

fully responsible 

and answerable 

for the attacks on 

Nigerians and 

other African 

foreigners in that 

country 

perpetrated by its 

citizens 

protecting such fundamental 

values as peace or human 

rights of peoples or an 

o b l i g a t i o n 

ergaomnescontractantes laid 

down in a multilateral treaty 

safeguarding those 

fundamental values, such as 

the African Charter on Human 

and Peoples’ Rights and the 

International Covenant on 

Civil and Political Rights. In 

the instant case of attacks on 

foreigners in South Africa, it 

is obvious that the 

government of that country 

was negligent in preventing 

such attacks and protecting 

the lives and properties of 

foreigners. Indeed there 

seemed to be a tacit 

complicity if not direct 

incitement of the attacks by 

government officials. The 

gruesome killing and brutal 

maiming of Nigerians 

including wanton 

destruction of their assets in 

South Africa by the citizens of 

that country unbridled by the 

security apparatus therefore 

entitles Nigerian government 

to invoke aggravated state 

responsibility against South 

Africa government. 

Ordinarily, a delinquent 

state owes several obligations 

to the injured state. First, it 

must cease the wrongdoing if 

it is continuing. Second, it 

must offer appropriate 

assurances and guarantees of 

non-repetition. Third, it must 

make full reparation for the 

injury caused. Fourth, if it 

refuses to make reparation or 

pay compensation to the 

extent required by the 

injured state, pursuant to 

Article 2,3 of the UN Charter 

the responsible state must 

accede bona fide to any 

attempt peacefully to settle 

the matter made by the 

injured state. On the other 

hand, the injured state, if it 

decides to invoke the 

responsibility of the 

delinquent state, must take 

the following steps. It must 

first give notice of claim to the 

responsible state. If the 

responsible state does not 

comply with its requests, the 

injured state must endeavour 

to settle the dispute through 

peaceful means by proposing 

negotiation, mediation, 

conciliation or arbitration. It 

is only where the responsible 

state refuses to make 

reparation or to enter into 

alternative dispute settlement 

process that the injured state 

will be entitled to resort to 

countermeasures. It must be 

noted that in the case of 

aggravated 

state 

responsibility such as the 

instant case, the legal 

consequences of the wrongful 

act no longer consists merely 

of bilateral relation between 

the responsible state and the 

victim, but of a ‘community 

relation’ between the 

wrongdoer and all other 

states. This means that 

countermeasures against the 

delinquent state will not only 

ensue from the injured state 

but from the comity of 

nations at large, because of 

such violation of an erga 

omnes obligation. 

Nigerian government has 

obviously taken steps toward 

peaceful resolution of this 

sordid situation by first 

summoning the South 

African Ambassador to 

Nigeria and then sending a 

delegation to South Africa. 

The outcome of those 

engagements should inform 

Nigeria on the way forward in 

terms of what stringent but 

n o n - f o r c i b l e 

countermeasures to adopt if 

South Africa does not show a 

bonafide readiness to resolve 

the matter or if the 

government of that country 

is amenable to settlement, the 

terms of an amicable 

resolution of the matter. 

Nigerian government pulled 

out of the World Economic 

Forum that was recently held 

in South Africa; recalled the 

country’s Ambassador to 

South Africa thus temporarily 

breaking diplomatic relations 

with that country; and 

mobilized military jets 

including a donated Air 

Peace aircraft to convey 

Nigerians in South Africa 

back home. These 

arecommendable 

preliminary 

and 

p r e c a u t i o n a r y 

countermeasures taken by 

the Nigerian government 

toward compelling the 

government of South Africa 

to seat up and respond 

expeditiously and 

appropriately to the matter. 

South African government 

must be compelled to once 

and for all address this issue 

of xenophobic attacks in that 

country by arresting and 

punishing the perpetrators, 

Continues on Page 29 

C 

M 

Y 

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Insecurity of land title in Lagos: Suggestions for reforms 

By Gbenga Ojo 

PRESENTLY, 

land 

transaction in Lagos 

state is chaotic. Lawlessness, 

violence, murder, arson, 

wanton destruction of 

properties are regular 

fallouts of dispute arising 

from land transactions. This 

is as a result of multiple 

sales of land to different 

purchasers by the land 

owning families. In most 

cases, the buyer purchases 

law suits and litigations while 

the families smile to the bank. 

Central to all these are the 

Omo oniles, the 

unscrupulous members of 

land owning families, land 

agents and mercenaries 

called land grabbers. 

There are other instances 

where a bona fide purchaser 

of legal estate would lose his 

land after several years 

because the party that sold 

the land to him did so when 

there was pending litigation 

over the land and the party 

has been adjudged as a 

trespasser. Meanwhile, no 

amount of due diligence 

would reveal the pendency of 

the suit. There is also the 

problem of acquisition of title 

to land by adverse 

possession. By adverse 

possession, a trespasser/ 

squatter on account of being 

in possession of the land for 

12 years without the consent 

Nigeria must act now to counter S-Africa 

Continued from page 28 

paying 

adequate 

compensation to the victims 

and giving firm assurance of 

non-repetition. Nigerian 

government must engage the 

Assembly of Heads of State 

and Government of the Africa 

Union, and the General 

Assembly and Security 

Council of the United Nations 

for a community action against 

South Africa to bring to a 

permanent stop the recurring 

epidemic of xenophobic 

attacks in that country. 

In the final analysis, it is 

refreshing to see how Nigeria 

is united with one voice in 

condemning the attacks 

against Nigerians in South 

Africa. But what calls for 

serious reflection is what 

value the Nigerian 

government places on the 

lives of the citizens, what with 

the rampant killings in the 

country by Fulani herdsmen, 

the Boko Haram, armed 

robbers and kidnappers, 

which have so far remained 

EDITORIAL 

Innocent Anaba 

( Editor) 

Ikechukwu Nnochiri 

Henry Ojelu, 

Onozure Dania 

of the real owner, would have 

his trespass turn to 

ownership of the land and 

the title of the real owner 

extinguished. This is 

legislative endorsement of 

land theft. 

The Lagos state 

government has been very 

responsive in a bid solve the 

problems with various 

legislations like Land 

Registration Law of 2015 and 

Property Law of 2016 

popularly called Land 

Grabbers Law. But even the 

promulgation of Land Use 

Act with its high expectations 

also failed to achieve the 

desired result. All these laws 

are merely palliative; they 

treat the cause and not the 

effect. This is because 

notwithstanding all the laws, 

the problems of insecurity of 

title to land remain prevalent 

in the state. 

The situation under 

customary law 

The hallmark of good 

management and 

administration of land 

tenure system is simple, 

cheap and systemic 

acquisition of good title and 

disposition of the land devoid 

of controversies or 

litigations. This cannot be 

said of acquisition of title to 

land particularly in the 

Lagos state and by extension 

intractable by the entire 

security apparatus of the 

country. People are 

murdered virtually on daily 

basis in very gruesome 

manners, yet there is no 

serious effort by the 

government to prevent such 

attacks or protect the lives 

and properties of citizens. If 

Nigerian government cannot 

protect its citizens and show 

that it places very high 

premium on the life of every 

Nigerian, it would savour of 

hypocrisy to expect the 

government a foreign 

country to place such 

premium on the lives of 

Nigerians and thus go out of 

its way to protect Nigerians 

against attacks in foreign 

land. Also, the endeavour to 

bring back Nigerians in South 

Africa, while in itself 

laudable, raises the question 

whether the government has 

made 

deliberate 

arrangements to rehabilitate 

such persons and not just to 

leave them economically 

stranded upon return to 

Nigeria. The nightmarish 

experience of Nigerians in the 

hands of South Africans 

should be a wakeup call to 

Nigerian government on the 

need to genuinely commit 

itself to abatingthe reign of 

corruption and impunity in 

Nigeria and, make a singleminded 

devotion to good 

governance that would yield 

tangible democratic 

dividends to citizens. This 

will discourage the exodus of 

Nigerians to foreign 

*Gbenga Ojo 

in southern states of Nigeria. 

Land in Lagos State is 

generally held under the 

customary laws. The 

important characteristic of 

customary land holding is 

that land belongs to the 

community, the family, 

relatively and in recent 

times, to individuals. To 

acquire title to land under 

the customary laws, there are 

requirements of obtaining 

multiple consents. This means 

the consent of the head of the 

countries in search of greener 

pastures where they suffer all 

manner of indignities, and 

usually end up in the wrong 

arm of the law in their 

desperate effort to eke out a 

living. This however, does not 

by any means justify 

Nigerians who out of greed 

and inordinate desire to 

amass sudden wealth join the 

fast lane of criminal activities 

in foreign countries. Nigerian 

youths must embrace the 

orientation of hard work and 

delayed gratification, and if 

resident in foreign lands must 

eschew criminality and 

commit themselves to 

legitimate endeavours, 

working hard to earn their 

living and comport 

themselves as good 

ambassadors of the country – 

always projecting a very 

respectable image of Nigeria. 

Francis Moneke, Executive 

Director, Human Rights & 

Empowerment Project Ltd/Gte 

The hallmark of 

good management 

and administration 

of land tenure 

system is simple, 

cheap and systemic 

acquisition of good 

title and disposition 

of the land devoid of 

controversies or 

litigations 

family or community as well 

as the consents of the 

majority of the principal 

members of the family or 

community. The multiple 

consents have been turned 

into an engine of fraud. 

Central to the sales are the 

notorious land speculators. 

The sales of land under 

customary law are informal. 

No documentation of the title 

of the family or community is 

required. So, in most cases, 

with the connivance of the 

land speculators, the buyers 

buy the land either without 

the consent of the head of the 

family or community or 

without the consent of the 

principal members. In both 

cases, the buyers have 

bought nothing but litigation. 

Lis pendens 

While the search for 

guaranteed good title to land 

continues, there is another 

problem of equal proportion 

constituting a stumbling 

block on acquisition of title to 

land in Nigeria. This is 

caused by the doctrine of lis 

pendens. While a case on 

title to land is pending in 

court, one of the parties, to 

cut his loss{es} would sell 

the land to unsuspecting 

innocent buyers, who cannot, 

no matter the level of the 

investigation of title to land 

discover that there was a 

pending court case on the 

land. The buyer or buyers 

meanwhile, ignorant of the 

pending law suit, would 

have invested a lot of money 

on the development of the 

land. The fortunes or gains 

of the purchaser of such land 

will be dictated or 

determined by the result or 

outcome of the litigation. 

The buyer or buyer{s} 

would get to know about his 

misfortune, several years 

after, when the judgment 

creditors come calling with 

the officers of the court to 

enforce the judgment by 

wrestling from him under the 

compulsion of law vacant 

possession of the property 

that has served as his home 

for several years. It does not 

matter that in between, he 

has obtained a certificate of 

occupancy over the land from 

the government. Ironically, 

one arm of government gives 

him a certificate of occupancy 

while another arm of 

government dislodges the 

purchaser from the property 

notwithstanding the 

certificate of occupancy. 

It becomes more 

complicated, where the 

buyers have mortgaged the 

land to a bank using the 

certificates of occupancy as 

security for the lending. This 

is becoming rampant in 

Lagos state in particular. The 

best practices in other 

jurisdiction like England, 

India and other countries is 

statutory modification of the 

raw doctrine of lis pendens. 

In all these countries, 

pending litigation over title 

to land are made registrable, 

The registration is 

mandatory. The registration 

will serve as notice to the 

public. Apart from searching 

for title at the Land Bureau 

or the office of Surveyor 

General, the prospective 

buyer will also search at the 

Lis Pendens Registration to 

find out, if there is any 

pending case or litigation on 

the land. With deployment of 

ICT, the searches can be 

done on line with money 

paid to the government. 

It serves two purposes. 

Generate revenue for the 

government and also helps to 

reduce insecurity of title to 

land in the state. I have done 

a lot of academic work/ 

researches in this area. I 

have published two papers 

on this. I titled one Lis 

Pendens and insecurity of 

title to land in Nigeria. I can 

proudly say with all sense of 

modesty that “Lis Pendens” 

is my baby. I am willing even 

pro bono to assist the 

government with the 

implementation of lis 

pendens in Lagos State.


08052202308 (sms only) 

Global wor 

orker 

ers’ union rises up 

against xenophobia, Afro-phobia 

•Blames bad governance, calls for full employment of African youths 

Stories by Victor Ahiuma- 

Young 

“Poor-on-poor violence in major 

cities of South Africa under the 

guise of Xenophobia points to 

crisis of governance and bad 

leadership in Africa.” 

Those were the words of The 

Vice President of 

IndustriALL Global Union, 

Africa Region, Issa Aremu, who 

spoke while addressing 

Special Congress of National 

Union of Mine Workers, NUM, 

Aremu in Durban, South 

Africa. 

The Vice President lamented 

that the wave of antiimmigrant 

violence which 

swept some settlements of 

Johannesburg and Pretoria 

with attendant looting of shops 

owned by immigrants also cast 

shadows on the historic miners’ 

Congress as well as World 

Economic Forum, WEF, which 

took place in Durban and Cape 

Town respectively. 

The Vice Geneva-based 

IndustriALL Global union 

organizes 50 million industrial 

workers world wide with 

majority manufacturing 

workers from South Africa and 

Nigeria. 

According to Aremu who is 

also doubles as the General 

Secretary of National Union of 

Textile and Garment and 

Tailoring Workers of Nigeria, 

NUTGTWN, hundreds of 

African immigrants had been 

killed in the series of violent 

protests by some South Africa 

citizens, the first outbreak in 

2008. 

Addressing delegates drawn 

from various mining regions of 

South Africa, he urged 

organized labour in Africa to 

demand for inclusive growth 

and development, declaring 

that labour must hold 

respective African 

governments accountable with 

respect to Industrialization, job 

creation, poverty eradication 

and income inequalities, being 

the factors driving youth 

violence, insurgency and 

xenophobia on the continent. 

Aremu described as 

“unacceptable paradox” a 

situation in which the two 

biggest economies in Africa: 

South Africa and Nigeria with 

50 per cent of Africa’s wealth, 

parade as much as 60 per 

cent open youth 

unemployment rate as many as 

60 per cent living below 

poverty level. 

He challenged “both the two 

labour centers in the continent, 

namely COSATU and NLC to 

engage their governments on 

reindustrialization, job- led 

inclusive growth, full decent 

employment, shared prosperity 

within the context of UN 

Sustainable Development 

Goals,SDGs falling which youth 

violence and loss of faith in 

democracy will persist. Despite 

the present diplomatic rows 

caused by xenophobic criminal 

attacks, Nigeria and South 

Africa have similar poor 

governance statistics; widening 

A cross section of IndustriALL Global Union, Nigeria, during campaign against precarious 

jobs. 

inequalities between few 

billionaires and bottom poor 

majority millions, growth 

without jobs, new illiteracy and 

ignorance among youths, 

absence of sense of history about 

pan-Africanism, leadership 

complacency and leadership 

denial. 

“South African political 

leaders to lead like Nelson 

Mandela who he recalled in 

Maritime Workers Union of 

Nigeria, MWUN, has 

pleaded with the International 

Transport Federation, ITF, for 

the training and upgrading of 

the skills of members to boost 

their 

employment 

opportunities. 

President-General of MWUN, 

Adewale Adeyanju, made the 

appeal while playing host to a 

delegation of ITF from Kenya 

and London, led by the African 

Regional Secretary, 

Mohammed Safiyanu. 

Safiyanu, a Nigerian is a 

former President of National 

Union of Air Transport 

Employees, NUATE. 

Adeyanju among others, 

recalled that when the 

government of Ibrahim 

Badamosi Babaginda 

clampdown on the union 1991, 

ITF stood by the union and 

assisted it to bounce back, 

How to promote industrial peace; increase productivity ---SEWUN 

THE Automobile arm of Steel 

and Engineering Workers’ Union 

of Nigeria, SEWUN, has advised 

employers in the sector to do 

the needful and embrace purposeful 

negotiations to ensure industrial 

peace and boost productivity. 

The union passed the message at 

its Annual Industrial Relations 

workshop jointly organized with 

Bablink Consultancy Services in 

Abeokuta, Ogun State, saying “one 

of the cardinal principles behind 

the formation of trade union movement 

is to act as a body that would 

negotiate on various issues of interest 

of members with the employers 

of labour or government.” 

2008 even in retirement 

proactively rose to damn 

xenophobic attacks on fellow 

Africans. I condemn late 

response of South African 

President Cyril Ramaphosa to 

serial murders of fellow African 

immigrants by criminal 

elements in South African 

cities. There is evidence that 

some local politicians in 

Johannesburg opted for cheap 

Speaking at the workshop with 

theme “Effective Negotiation for 

achieving sustainable Industrial 

Harmony” the union’s President, 

Elijah Adigun, said the programme 

was meant to address Conflict 

resolution, skill acquisition, management 

of union fund, Labour 

laws and Employment Regulations, 

productivity and work ethics, 

Workmen Compensation Act, etc. 

He said among others that “it is 

important that programmes be 

organized for members for the 

purposes of education; especially 

now that some branch officers 

hardly negotiate welfare packages 

for their members; but rely on the 

diversionary negative populism 

during the last elections to blame 

immigrants for youth 

unemployment and poor 

governance service delivery in 

South Africa. The promise of 

Africa Union as contained in the 

Constitutive Act of the Africa 

Union, AU, launched in 2002 is 

United States of Africa in which 

all Africans will collectively 

promote shared prosperity 

Maritime workers seek ITF’s help for skills upgrade 

begging ITF to assist the union 

in the training of Seafarers to 

meet to international 

certification. 

According to him, “I will 

appeal to you to do all that is 

possible to ensure that the 

trainings that has been denied 

Seafarers, not only the 

Seafarers, the dockworkers and 

other port workers are brought 

back. Training is very 

important, it is the key to moving 

forward. We want ITF to return 

the training as was being 

between 1987 and in the 1990s 

of training our members to 

compete with their foreign 

counterparts.” 

Responding, Safiyanu, among 

others said “We have discussed 

on how to address some of the 

deficiencies in the sector. Of 

course, our discussion is on 

seafarers. Why do we have foreign 

vessels operating in Nigeria 

waters without Nigerian 

seafarers in the vessels? What has 

come out is lack of training . 

Most of the Nigerian seafarers 

have what we called the basic 

training. The only way for you to 

be part of the global seafarers 

Labour network operations is to 

have internationally recognized 

certification. 

Most Nigerians do not have 

this. So, when we go back to 

London, we will see how to design 

some strategies to bridging that 

gap so that Nigerian Seafarers 

can have the international 

certification to work in 

international vessels.” 

He assured that ITF would 

continue to work to ensure that 

all ITF affiliates in Nigeria 

benefit from the the global body, 

saying “the only thing I will like 

that will also boost our image and 

gives us leverage for us to have 

capacity building in terms of 

national secretariat to do the negotiation, 

even when the items involved 

are domesticated. 

Adigun lamented that a proposal 

for negotiation was sent to employers 

in the association of Automobiles 

and Precision sectors where it 

has its members, “but the later is 

yet to invite us while the former 

has scheduled a date. We commend 

the Automobile industry for appreciating 

effective negotiation. We do 

hope employers in the precision 

industry will invite us any time soon 

because we cannot afford to create 

an industrial conflict at this time”. 

Lamenting further, the union 

stated that the influx of second-hand 

vehicles (Tokunbo) and inferior 

through trade and investment. 

African Trade Unionists as 

pan-Africans and members of 

global trade union movement 

must strongly condemn 

xenophobia, Afro-phobia, 

bigotry and neo-fascism. 

IndustriALL Global Union 

stands for democracy, peace 

and freedom for all. African 

workers have a right to seek 

legitimate work anywhere in 

the continent, of course within 

the context of national laws. 

There should be sanctions 

within the rule of law against 

criminals but it’s unacceptable 

to criminalize all Africans in 

Africa or anywhere. African 

National Congress, ANCis 

oldest political party in 

Africa. It is not by accident 

the party was named African 

National Congress, not South 

African Congress. Pan 

Africanism is a South 

African heritage, nobody 

dares to exorcise it now.” 

Aremu called on “organized 

labour to promote peoplepeople 

contact between 

Nigeria and South Africa. The 

present relationship between 

the two countries has been 

informed by zero-sum 

business game and profit 

making in which few rich 

winners take all, while 

ordinary people of the two 

countries count their loses in 

terms of limited job 

opportunities, crimes and 

violence. I call for the 

revival of Nigeria-South 

Africa bi- commission to 

facilitate cooperation instead 

of un-rewarding competition 

and confrontation.” 

training, additional welfare 

facilities is for you, as much as 

possible, to see how you can also 

increase your membership. We 

have a system in ITF that has to 

do with declaration of 

membership. We need to 

sustain this power, we are 

having these opportunities 

because of our strength in 

terms of membership. Like I 

said earlier that we have about 

55 percent of total members in 

Africa, but if we have 

additional membership 

declaration, I think it will give 

us better and additional 

leverage .“I want to assure 

you that not just because I am 

a Nigerian, I was actually part 

of you and will continue to be 

part of you. Whatever that is 

due to you in terms of welfare, 

training and others, be sure 

that you are not going to be 

denied it. 

electrical cables from China have 

also been the sectors bane, reiterating 

that unhealthy business environment 

has made negotiations 

almost impossible with the employers. 

Managing Partner, Bablink Consultancy 

Services, University of 

Ibadan, Mr. Ogunsade Sunday, on 

his part said, “it is imperative that 

21st Century Union leaders make 

a radical shift from the traditional 

ways of doing things. “We must 

imbibe new ideas that are in consonance 

with global best practices. 

Union officials must be exposed to 

various techniques involved in successful 

negotiation to maximize the 

gains of labour movement.”

SOUTH Africa has an acute 

problem with xenophobia. 

That goes without saying. The 

recent wave of xenophobic attacks 

on Nigerians and other Africans 

was just one of such appalling 

incidences. It is a terrible stain on 

the reputation of a country that 

calls itself the “rainbow nation”! 

Yet, Nigeria did not cover itself in 

glory with the reprisal attacks and 

unsavoury calls for retribution. 

South Africa’s xenophobia is vile, 

but Nigeria has no claim to moral 

superiority on hate-filled 

violence. Its moral outrage 

smacks of the pot calling the kettle 

black. Let’s start with the kettle: 

South Africa. 

Truth is, there is an ingrained 

culture of violence among Black 

South Africans, seared by 

decades of brutal apartheid rule. 

When they stopped attacking the 

Whites as apartheid neared its 

end, they turned on one another. 

In the early 1990s, Black-on- 

Black violence between 

supporters of the Inkatha 

Freedom Party and the African 

National Congress claimed over 

15,000 lives. But since the end of 

apartheid in 1994, South African 

violent streak took a xenophobic 

form, as Black South Africans 

turned on foreigners. 

As I said, the recent xenophobic 

attacks were only the latest in a 

series of attacks on foreigners, 

dating back several years. In 

2015, hundreds of South African 

youths looted and burned shops 

belonging to foreign nationals, 

asking them to “return to their 

home countries”. Similar 

xenophobic attacks took place in 

2008, when a wave of antiimmigration 

violence left about 62 

people dead. Two years earlier, 

in 2006, xenophobic riots broke 

out for several months in Cape 

Town. But what we call 

xenophobia is, in fact, Afrophobia, 

the hatred of fellow Africans. As 

the then South African police 

minister, Nathi Nhleko, said after 

the 2015 attacks, there was 

widespread Afrophobia in South 

Africa. The country’s current 

foreign minister Naledi Pandor 

said the same thing following the 

recent violence: there is a 

prejudice in South Africa against 

people from other African 

countries. 

This is very sad. Why would 

Black South Africans hate their 

fellow Africans? Have they 

forgotten so quickly how Nigeria, 

and other African countries, 

supported their struggle against 

apartheid? How could they forget, 

for instance, that Nigeria 

harboured several prominent 

ANC exiles, and made significant 

financial and diplomatic 

contributions to help accelerate 

the collapse of apartheid? As 

President Jacob Zuma said in 

2015, the solidarity of other 

African countries “was critical to 

achieving the freedom and 

democracy we are enjoying 

today”. Sadly, South African 

youths, even some of their elders, 

hardly remember that today! 

But let’s face it, poverty and 

inequality also play a key role in 

fuelling the xenophobic attacks. 

South Africa is one of the world’s 

most unequal countries, with one 

of the highest unemployment 

rates, currently at 29 per cent. 

Over 10 million South Africans 

are unemployed and half the 

country live below the poverty 

line. Yet, out of the country’s 55 

million-strong population, two 


million, with 800,000 of them 

Nigerians, are foreign born. 

When you have a large visible 

immigrant community in a 

country amid widespread poverty 

and inequality among the locals, 

xenophobia is not far away. 

Poverty and inequality tend to 

breed the resentment of 

foreigners. 

Of course, xenophobia is not a 

uniquely South African problem. 

It is a world problem! What is 

unique about South Africa’s 

brand of xenophobia is the violent 

element. Sadly, South Africans 

have allowed their fear of 

immigrants to have a violent 

streak. There is absolutely no 

excuse for any form of violence. 

Which brings us to Nigeria. 

The reactions in this country to 

the xenophobic attacks in South 

Africa have been frenetic, even 

hysterical. Of course, Nigeria has 

a right to protest the ill treatment 

of its citizens in another country. 

Yet, what I have read and seen in 

the newspapers over the past two 

weeks smacks of confected 

indignation, an unconvincing 

claim to the moral high ground. 

There were reprisal attacks on 

South African companies in 

Nigeria, forcing, as one 

newspaper said, MTN to “shut 

offices nationwide”. That’s 

irrational because responding to 

xenophobic violence in South 

Africa by attacking its commercial 

interests in Nigeria risks 

damaging investor confidence 

and, thus, Nigeria’s economy. 

Sadly, even some prominent 

Nigerians were advocating farreaching 

economic sanctions. 

President Buhari’s party, All 

Dealing with the zeitgeist of South Africa’s xenophobia 

By PATRICK OBAHIAGBON 

THE incidents of xenophobic attacks 

in South Africa by South Africans, 

with Nigerians very largely as targets, 

have been characteristic and assumed 

nauseating dimensions. The rising orgy 

of killings and arsons has been quite 

worrisome. One wonders what offence 

Nigeria and Nigerians have committed 

to become consistent victims of 

xenophobia that has almost assumed a 

genocidal dimension. 

This is a strange comeuppance, given 

the huge investments - especially 

pecuniary, totalling over $60 billion - that 

Nigeria deployed in South Africa and 

Southern Africa to torpedo the apartheid 

regime foisted on the former British 

colonies by the minority White in cruel 

circumvention of the rights of the 

majority South African and Southern 

African Blacks. 

One had expected that South Africa, 

in particular, should, indeed, have 

always treated Nigeria as a 

compassionate big brother in the 

ramifications of the successful antiapartheid 

struggle. A celebratory attitude 

towards all issues that are Nigerian by 

the government and people of South 

Africa should have been taken for granted 

and as a matter of course to which fidelity 

should be kept as a directive principle 

of state policy. 

It is insalubrious and opprobrious that 

the good gesture by Nigeria had not 

found anchorage in a reciprocal gesture 

by South Africa; in which case the 

present leadership under President Cyril 

Ramaphosa, cannot escape essential 

South Africa’s xenophobia and 

Nigeria’s moral relativism 

indictment for the rising complexities 

and waves of debilitating xenophobic 

assaults on the significant other Blacks 

of foreign origin. 

To be sure, whereas post-apartheid 

South African presidents, particularly the 

late legendary and inimitable Nelson 

Mandela and other well-meaning, 

perceptive, perspicacious and temperate 

leaders of the anti-apartheid struggle, 

had worked so hard at continental amity, 

it is a harsh and corrosive verdict of 

history that the wheel of brotherhood is 

being reinvented by South Africa under 

President Ramaphosa. 

While it may not be correct to assert 

that xenophobia was alien to South Africa 

before the coming of Ramaphosa, the 

sheer magnitude of his body language 

had, without a doubt, encouraged an 

unprecedented renewed revulsion by 

South Africans for other foreign 

nationals, especially Blacks of African 

descent. 

His deputy minister of Police Affairs, 

Mr. Bongani Michael Mkongi, had 

recently endorsed the spate of 

xenophobic attacks wherein he referred 

to the activities of foreigners who were 

involved in legitimate business as 

tantamount to economic sabotage to 

South Africa. The ruling African 

National Congress, ANC, in South Africa 

does not seem to find anything wrong 

about these wanton killings, attacks on 

foreign nationals and looting of the 

businesses of foreign nationals; 

otherwise, it should have condemned the 

madness in the strongest terms possible. 

In the circumstance, it would be 

Responding to 

xenophobic violence in 

South Africa by 

attacking its 

commercial interests in 

Nigeria risks damaging 

investor confidence, 

Nigeria’s economy 

impracticable to expect a South African 

government under Ramaphosa’s 

presidency to demonstrate a political will 

to decisively address the scourge. 

Therefore, it is delicate for Nigeria, in 

particular, to continue to maintain 

diplomatic niceties in the face of real 

danger to her policy of citizen diplomacy. 

The attitude and body language of 

Ramaphosa’s government have not 

helped matters at all. 

The fact that no single South African 

had been arrested, tried and sentenced 

to prison for these dastardly acts 

reinforces the complicity of Ramaphosa’s 

government, which has negative 

implications for South Africa’s acclaimed 

good faith in the crystalisation of 

The South African way is 

not the appropriate 

trajectory to global 

humanism 

bilateral, multilateral and diplomatic 

relations. This is the reason the blame 

for the recent upsurge in xenophobic 

attacks should be laid at Ramaphosa’s 

feet. 

In the absence of expeditious and 

clearly effective and reinforcing positive 

actions by the South African government 

to halt this festering madness, protect 

the life and property of Nigerians and 

other foreign nationals and preserve 

their right to legitimate businesses, I will 

be at great pains not to concur with the 

call by the National Chair of the All 

Progressives Congress, APC, Comrade 

Adams Oshiomhole, for the 

Send Opinions & Letters to: 

opinions1234@yahoo.com 

Progressives Congress, called on 

the president to “nationalise” 

South Africa’s companies in 

Nigeria. The party’s national 

chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, 

asked Nigerians to stop 

patronising MTN and other 

South African companies in 

Nigeria, and called on the 

government to revoke the landing 

right of the South African Airways, 

adding that “it shouldn’t have the 

right to fly in any part of Nigeria”. 

So, instead of exercising selfrestraint, 

as expected of any 

responsible party and politician, 

Nigeria’s ruling party and its 

chairman are whipping up 

reckless populist sentiments. 

Yet, consider this. According to 

Xenowatch, xenophobic attacks 

in South Africa have claimed 309 

lives and displaced 100,000 

people in 24 years, between 1994 

and 2018. Few of those are 

Nigerians. But, in 2018 alone, 

according to Human Right 

Watch, Boko Haram killed at least 

1,200 people and forced the 

displacement of 200,000; while 

herdsmen killed at least 1,600 

people, causing the displacement 

of 300,000! 

Ethnic and religious attacks 

have claimed more Nigerian 

lives than South African 

xenophobic attacks. Yet, where is 

the moral indignation? Where is 

the justice for the victims? How 

many people have boycotted 

herdsmen’s cows? Is it more 

tolerable when Nigerians kill 

Nigerians than when South 

Africans kill Nigerians? Judging 

by the reactions to the xenophobic 

attacks, the answer is yes. The 

moral relativism is galling! 

nationalisation of South African 

businesses in Nigeria. 

After all, the volume of trade between 

Nigeria and South Africa tilts in favour 

of South Africa. South African companies 

in Nigeria repatriate about $60 billion 

to their home country, whereas Nigeria 

is less disadvantaged in this regard. It 

is rankling that due to their laissez faire 

lifestyle of hedonism, epicureanism and 

riotous modus-vivendi, envious South 

African youths who depend on their 

government for social security benefits, 

would unleash terror, pains and death 

on Nigerians, in particular, and other 

foreign nationals, for their industry and 

resourcefulness. This is a queer macabre 

sense of vengeance against a people 

whose only offence is the obvious reward 

they derive from a competitive South 

African economy for their investments 

and hard work. 

Xenophobia has afflicted the South 

African spirit and inured their 

sensibilities. It is a misplaced zeitgeist 

that must be condemned by the global 

community. The United Nations must 

lend its stentorian voice in condemnation 

of the dastardly and beastly act. What 

we need more than ever before is 

continental and global peace. The South 

African way is not the appropriate 

trajectory to global humanism. South 

Africa must be made to respect the rights 

and preserve the life and property of 

legal migrants; otherwise, it should 

resort to becoming an insular nation, 

having no dealings with the rest of the 

human world. 

•Hon. Obahiagbon contributed this 

piece from Benin City.


YOUR LUCK TODAY 

By Joshua Adeyemo Phone 08056180139 

VIRGO:Challenges of yesterday will today bring you 

good opportunities along your career/business 

lines to the betterment of your finances seek supporters 

of powerful ones. 

LIBRA:Think of the best way to improve on your working 

pattern in order to enhance your career 

prospects if you listen to your creative self, things will 

work out fine for you. Be more loving. 

SCORPIO:Success is boldly printed on your cards today. 

Think of both immediate and far future while you are 

savouring goodies offered you but mother nature. 

SAGITTARIUS:You should not have it tough while trying 

to win the needed supports of others. Take good advice 

from some of your friends who are creatively gifted. 

CAPRICORN:Your creativity ...... is enhanced today and 

if you demonstrating this within your working arena, you’ll 

earn success and consolidate on your recent progress. 

AQUARIUS:As mercury prepares to go on backward 

motion it is important you don’t take things for granted. 

Watch carefully what you agree to do. 

L E I S U R E 

TAKE HEART — ELLA RANDLE 

“Trust your hunches, they are usually based on fact 

filed away just below the conscious level.”- Joyce 

Brothes- 

When we are in the presence of certain people we 

feel a warm glo but not so much with others. Perhaps 

a handshake or hug feels warm or it is off-putting and 

you feel instant withdrawal? Perhaps it is something 

about the voice, tone and pitch or even what their 

eyes convey. You can learn a lot intuitively whom to 

trust from these simple cues. Ella Randle 

TERROR MUDA in “Never say goodbye” 

SAYINGS OF 

OUR PEOPLE 

Beautiful 

from behind, 

ugly in 

front. 

~Uganda 

Proverb 

By Kola Fayemi 

PISCES:Better than yesterday. Others will be willing to 

give you the needed co-operation both at home and within 

your working arena. This is a good day for lovers. 

ARIES:Those of you who are more enterprising will have 

much to show for your efforts. The more cooperative you. 

Don’t neglect love. 

TAURUS:Mercury will start to go on backward motion 

soonest, therefore you will need to re-examine both your 

personal ideas and advice given to you by other people. Be 

family minded. 

GEMINI:Avoided you don’t allow others to mislead you, 

things will not go wrong. The more willing you are to take 

the initiative the better for you. Take your love life more 

seriously. 

CANCER:Although you will need to be as secretive as 

you can, your success will attract others’ attention to you 

to the betterment of your cause. Be ambitious. 

DUDU in “ROLLING HOT” By A.O. OLAIDE 

LEO:People who more influential than you will be willing 

to support your cause but you will need to make the 

necessary move. The more self assertive you are the better. 

ASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLING 

Send your date and place of birth to the Astrological 

Counselling, P.M.B 1007, Apapa, Lagos 

What does future have for me 

Dear Joshua, 

I don’t want you to publish my data. However, I want to 

know how the planets lined up when I was born. And 

which day of the week was I born, would I record 

success in life ? When would my success come? 

Azeez, Lagos. 

Dear Azeez, 

You were born on a Jupiter ruled day - Thursday. 

You=ll succeeded earlier than you think. 

Your Horoscope Data 

DAY OF BIRTH: THURSDAY 

SUN SIGN = PISCES: SUN IN 25TH DEGREE OF 

PISCES 

MOON SIGN: PISCES: MOON IN 21ST DEGREE OF 

PISCES 

MERCURY IN 28TH DEGREE OF AQUARIUS 

VENUS IN 28TH DEGREE OF ARIES 

MARS IN 7TH DEGREE OF CANCER 

JUPITER IN ZERO DEGREE OF AQUARIUS 

SATURN IN 27TH DEGREE OF CAPRICORN 

URANUS IN 22ND DEGREE OF LEO 

NEPTUNE IN 11TH DECREE OF SCORPIO 

PLUTO IN 6TH DEGREE OF VIRGO 

NORTH NODE IN 6TH DEGREE OF PISCES 

CARDINAL AND MUTABLE STAR SIGN HOSTED 

THREE PLANETS 

EACH, FIXED AND WATER FOUR EACH, FIRE 

EARTH AND AIR 

HOSTED TWO EACH. 

PUSHFUL INFLUENCE = 40% 

NON-PUSHFUL INFLUENCE = 60% 

HIGHLY HIGHLIGHTED STAR SIGN = AQUARIUS 

FINAL DISPOSITOR = SATURN 

ANALYSIS OF THE HOROSCOPE DATA 

Saturn as the final dispositor-the most influential planet 

at home when you were born, pointed to you as an 

ambitious person who must have a well developed 

career. You are a disciplined person with 

higher degree of leadership quality in yourself. 

Although, you can be emotional, you are stable and 

reliable. Less than 50 per cent of push-full influence in 

you is an indication of your being an amiable 

person. Both your natal sun/moon in Pisces and 

Aquarius are indications of characteristic of star signs 

are highly pronounced in your inner-self Having your 

hands on public pulse will always bring you unexpected 

success and fulfilment. 

Around your 30th birthday an endless cycle of great 

success and achievements will start for you. Oil-petrol 

chemicals will feature in your life when the predicted 

great cycle gets started for you. 

Congratulation. 

VIRGINIA 

HOME & ABROAD 

dadadekola@yahoo.com 

By Lawrence Akapa


NUJ expresses worry 

over silence on raid of 

Umahi’s residence 

By Peter Okutu 

A BAKALIKI— 

NIGERIA Union of 

Journalists, NUJ, Ebonyi 

State Council, has 

expressed worries over 

perceived inaction of the 

Inspector-General of 

Police, IGP, Adamu 

Mohammed, concerning 

the raid of the state 

governor, David Umahi’s 

Abuja residence. 

The council condemned 

the invasion of Governor 

Umahi’s Abuja home as an 

unwarranted attack, not 

just on Governor Umahi 

and the South-East 

governors, but against the 

entire Ndigbo. 

NUJ, in a communique 

by the chairman and 

secretary, Tony Nwizi and 

Nnamdi Akpa, respectively, 

expressesed concern 

on the continued silence 

of the Inspector General of 

Police and the Presidency 

on the invasion. 

NUJ called on them to 

make pronouncements on 

the outcome of their 

investigations, if any. 

The Council, said: 

“Congress, after extensive 

deliberations, resolved as 

follows: council wishes to 

congratulate His 

By Agbonkhese Oboh 

ABenin, Edo Statebased 

social activist, 

Michael Eghaghe, has 

called on the Federal and 

Edo State governments to 

find a solution to the poor 

state of Benin-Auchi Road, 

especially the Federal 

High Court axis, 

Benin City. 

Eghaghe said: “It is 

terrible experience 

navigating through the 

road. I am calling on 

Governor Godwin Obaseki 

and the Federal 

Governments to urgently 

do something about the 

road. 

“This is the only Federal 

High Court in Edo State 

and, unlike in other states, 

the access road is not 

motorable. 

“Most politicians are 

aware of the deplorable 

condition of the road as 

they have at one time or 

the other gone to the court 

for determination of their 

cases, but they have not 

deemed it necessary to 

seek for a solution to the 

deplorable state of the 

access road.” 

Edo govt reacts 

Responding to enquiries 

about the state of the road, 

Excellency, Governor of 

Ebonyi State, Engr. 

David Umahi, on his 

recent deserved victory 

at the governorship 

election tribunal 

judgement held in 

Abakaliki, which reaffirmed 

him as the 

winner of the March 9 

governorship election in 

the state; 

“The Council also 

applauded Governor 

Umahi for successfully 

securing approval of the 

Federal Government to 

build an international 

airport in the state, 

describing it as a great 

feat that will bring so 

much fame to the state 

when accomplished; 

“The Council assures 

its members of her 

resolve to run inclusive 

government to the 

benefit of all and to the 

members of the 

credentials-screening 

committee of its total 

support and 

encouragement to 

ensure they successfully 

carry out the 

assignment.” 

Meanwhile, the 

council has set up an ad 

hoc committee for the 

2019 NUJ Press Week. 

Edo, FG tasked on poor roads 

John Inegbedion, 

Commissioner for 

Infrastructures, said the 

state government was 

working in phases. 

He pointed out that 

“the problem of that area 

is the topography. The 

expressway is higher 

than the access road. 

“The proper thing is to 

channel underground 

drainage beneath the 

road so that water can 

flow through. I will send 

a team of engineers for 

inspection to see how 

well they can handle it, 

working with the 

Federal Government’s 

contracting firm. 

“Formerly, Five 

Junction, Tomline and so 

many other places in 

Benin were prone to 

flooding, until the storm 

water project that was 

done and a lot of 

underground drainage 

to take water away to 

Ogba River and Ikpoba 

River. 

“The next phase is the 

Gapiona Storm Water 

that will de-flood GRA 

and environs through 

Sapele Road back to 

Ogba River.” 

He faulted building 

and dumping of refuse 

on waterways. 

Imo begins ‘Open Budget System’ 

By Chidi Nkwopara 

OWERRI—Imo State 

government 

yesterday, made a radical 

departure from the past by 

signing up to what it called 

“Open Budget System.” 

Disclosing this to 

newsmen in Owerri, 

Commissioner for Budget 

and Economic Planning, 

By Chinonso Alozie 

OWERRI—THERE are 

fears that some 

political leaders in Imo 

State have started recruiting 

thugs to storm the 

governorship election 

tribunal on the day 

judgement will be 

delivered on the matter 

challenging the process 

that produced Emeka 

Ihedioha of Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP, 

the winner of the March 

9 governorship election in 

the state. 

One of the court’s staff 

told Vanguard that based 

on movements in the 

premises, on the day of 

judgement, he would 

pretend to be ill. 

When Vanguard visited 

the High Court venue of 

the sitting in Owerri 

yesterday, some court 

officials expressed fear 

over what they had 

encountered since the 

tribunal started sitting. 

Recall that during the last 

sitting, when the various 

candidates came to the 

court to adopt their final 

written addresses, persons 

suspected to be political 

thugs forced themselves 

into the premises and 

refused security checks 

after making threatening 

statements which sent 

Mr. Reginald Ihebuzor, 

explained that Emeka 

Ihedioha’s administration 

took the position because 

the citizenry ought to know 

their state budget. 

According him, “in 

adopting the open system, 

government felt that there 

is the need for Imo citizens 

to know their state budget 

system, even as it makes 

people scampering for 

safety. 

There were also reported 

clashes among the thugs, 

who vowed to camp 

around the premises until 

judgement is delivered 

on the matter. 

A worker at the High 

also for transparency and 

accountability.” 

The Commissioner 

revealed that throughout 

Rochas Okorocha’s 

administration, Imo people 

were completely in the dark 

about the budget system 

and the results of the audits 

of the state government 

accounts. 

He added that he 

Court, who spoke to 

Vanguard in confidence, 

said: “For me, I may not 

come to work that day. I 

will pretend that I am not 

feeling well. The way 

these young people have 

prepared themselves on 

that day of judgement, 

engaged the office of the 

State Auditor-General to 

look at accounts of 2015, 

2016, 2017 and 2018. 

Ihebuzor also directed the 

Budget Office to “go ahead 

and make public the 

accounts of these past 

years, so that Imo citizens 

will know what was 

budgeted for and how their 

funds have been spent.” 

CULTURE COMMUNICATIONS: From left—Client Service Director, Dare Okuntilu; Managing 

Director, Yomi Benson, and Group Account Director, Nathaniel Ogbu, all of Culture Communications Ltd., at 

the media launch of For FeedTonight Entrepreneurship Programme, in Lagos. 

Gov tribunal: Fears of violence 

in Imo over judgment day 

N 

N 

E W I — 

INDIGENOUS 

People of Biafra, IPOB, 

yesterday, said it had 

planted the seed of Biafra 

self-determination in the 

heart of the European 

Union, EU, from its session 

with the European 

Parliament. 

It described the meeting 

as an indication that it is 

not only respected, but 

regarded as a force for good 

things to happen in Africa. 

IPOB said that in spite of 

“stumbling blocks and 

attempts to scuttle 

interaction with European 

Parliament, it went on 

through its leader Mazi 

Nnamdi Kanu, to present 

its case.” 

In a statement by its 

Media and Publicity 

Secretary, Emma Powerful, 

the separatist group said: 

“The historic meeting was 

held in the European 

Parliament in Brussels, 

Belgium, on September 10 

and the desperate bid and 

effort to stop our leader, 

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, from 

meeting with EU 

parliamentarians failed and 

will continue to fail. 

“The more the Nigerian 

state fight IPOB, the 

stronger and more resolute 

we become. 

“We remain conscious of 

the fact that the Nigerian 

government will continue 

with their blackmail, 

subterfuge and 

misinformation, but wish to 

assure them that IPOB’s 

diplomatic team has more 

pedigree than anything the 

Nigerian Foreign Affairs 

Ministry can muster. 

“Our invitation to this 

great meeting signifies that 

IPOB is not only respected, 

there could be bloodshed. 

“Sometimes, they drive 

into the court premises 

and will not like to be 

searched. I am afraid that 

many things will happen. 

"The worst thing is that 

if you stop them, they will 

jump over the fences.” 

We’ve planted seed of Biafra 

self-determination in EU—IPOB 

By Chimaobi 

Nwaiwu 

but regarded as a force for 

good things to happen in 

Africa and the events in 

Brussels have confirmed 

that Biafra restoration 

project is divinely ordained 

by Almighty God, hence all 

efforts by the Nigerian 

Government to intimidate 

and bully the organisers 

failed spectacularly. 

“Our leader, Mazi 

Nnamdi Kanu, made it 

clear that the struggle for 

Biafra freedom has shifted 

to the international 

community. 

“We are demanding the 

European Union to hold 

Nigeria to account for 

human rights abuses, and 

to support the fundamental 

rights of Biafra to seek selfdetermination 

within the 

ambit of international law, 

just as he promised 

Biafrans that he will be in 

Washington DC and 

United Nations.”

C 

M 

Y 

K 


Tribunal judgement: Gunmen invade Abi/Yakurr Reps 

member’s homes 

By Dapo 

Akinrefon 

C lawmaker ALABAR—THE 

representing 

Abi/Yakurr federal 

constituency in the House of 

Representatives, Dr Alex 

Egbona, yesterday, raised 

the alarm that his homes in 

the village and in Calabar 

had been under heavy 

attacks, days after he 

decided to challenge the 

tribunal judgement against 

his election at the Court of 

Appeal. 

The first attack was the 

invasion of his Ekureku 

country home by suspected 

military men about 24 hours 

after the tribunal judgement, 

which gave victory to the 

Remain 

steadfast, 

Okowa's aide 

tells new 

Urohobo Youth 

Council exco 

YOUTHS in Delta State 

have been enjoined to be 

proactive and remain 

steadfast to join hands with 

the Governor Ifeanyi 

Okowa-led administration 

towards building a stronger 

state. 

Executive Assistant to the 

Governor on Youth 

Development, Innocent 

Esewezie, gave the advice 

when he received in 

audience the newly 

inaugurated executive 

members of Urhrobo Youth 

Council, UYC, worldwide 

in his office in Asaba. 

Esewezie, who 

congratulated the new 

executive members for 

being found worthy to lead 

the entire youths of Urhorbo 

extraction, reminded them 

of the need to see their new 

positions as that of service 

and work closely with 

government policies, 

especially in the 

maintenance of peace across 

the state. 

Earlier, the UYC President, 

led by the chairman, 

Godspower Enerho, told 

Esewezie that they were in 

his office to felicitate with him 

on his appointment and to 

use the occasion to introduce 

to him the new executive 

members of UYC. 

Enerho in company of the 

16-member executive 

assured that they would 

continue to support Okowaled 

administration in the 

state. 

Also at the office of the 

Commissioner for Youth 

Development, Ifeanyi 

Egwunyenga, Enerho told 

the commissioner that they 

were in his office to felicitate 

with him on his appointment 

and also introduce the newly 

elected executive members 

of the council and promise 

dto partner with him. 


PDP, candidate, John Gaul 

Lebo. 

Speaking to newsmen after 

the attack, Egbona said: 

“Yesterday(Tuesday) again, 

I got a message that some 

unknown gunmen 

terrorised my village from 

about midnight and shot 

sporadically. About the same 

time too, another set of 

unknown gunmen went to 

my house in Calabar and 

shot several times before 

leaving. 

"I cannot understand why 

my homes have come under 

attacks. If the tribunal had 

ruled that the PDP candidate 

won at the tribunal, I have 

the right to appeal and 

should be allowed to be alive 

and pursue my case at the 

court of appeal. 

“This intimidation will take 

us nowhere. I am going to 

the Court of Appeal to test 

the law and no amount of 

intimidation can stop me. 

My mission to the Court of 

Appeal is to prove that my 

people freely gave me a 

mandate and that mandate 

cannot be taken away 

through a bush market 

judgement. 

“I am appealing to law 

enforcement agents in our 

state to ensure my safety. I 

have drawn the attention of 

the police in my local 

government to the threat to 

my life and I believe that they 

will take appropriate actions.” 

The lawmaker also alleged 

that he had received threat 

calls warning him to stay 

action on the appeal if “I 

wanted to remain alive.” 

He said: “My family 

members in the village are 

now living in fear. This is not 

the democracy we fought for. 

I do know that this is a phase 

and it will pass away." 

SECURITY SHOW: From left, Africa representive of International 

Foundation of Protection Officers, Dr Ona Ekhomu; Executive Director 

of IFPO, Mrs Sandy Davies and Dame Victoria Ekhomu,Trustee of 

IFPO Nigeria, at the IFPO booth during the GSX Security show in 

Chicago, USA. 

NDDC board: Your actions can result to 

ethnic clashes, N-Delta youths tell govs 

By Festus Ahon 

ASABA—NIGER Delta 

Youth Council, NDYC, 

has taken a swipe at the 

governors of the region, who 

protested against the 

composition of the board of 



saying their actions could 

result to unnecessary ethnic 

clashes in the oil-rich region. 

Reacting to the protest of 

the governors, the group, in 

a communique at the end of 

its emergency meeting in Ikot 

Abasi, Akwa Ibom State, 

noted that the Act 

empowering the commission 

required “them to play 

advisory role in a constituted 

board and not as regards the 

constitution of the board.” 

Insisting that the 

governors were acting in 

futility, the group, in the 

communique by its 

President, Mr Daniel Etaga, 

and others noted that the 

governors lacked the moral 

justification or constitutional 

leverage to advise the 

president on his nominees. 

He said: “For clarity of 

purpose, Section 3 of NDDC 

Act states that the President 

can nominate members and 

same section gives premise 

for rotation of the managing 

director on the quantity of 

oil produced by member 

states and by virtue of that, 

Delta State qualifies for the 

position of managing 

director after Rivers and 

Akwa Ibom states, which 

have produced the past 

managing directors of the 

board. 

“The Act also states that the 

chairmanship rotation 

should be by alphabetical 

order and this has 

automatically placed Delta 

State to qualify for both 

positions of chairman and 

managing director. 

“Despite this, let us not 

forget that the president has 

the final decision. So if the 

President in his 

magnanimous nature 

decided that Delta Sate 

should get the managing 

director and leave the 

Chairman for Edo State that 

has been short changed over 

the years, the president, 

therefore, has made the right 

decision. 

“We must not play dirty 

politics with the development 

of the region. The Ijaw have 

always produced Executive 

Directors and acting 

managing director from 

either Delta, Bayelsa or 

Rivers because of their 

heritage cutting across these 

states." 

Edo APC crisis: Benin 

leaders flay Oshiomhole 

By Gabriel 

Enogholase 

BENIN 

CITY— 

BENIN Leaders of 

Thought, BLT, has 

described as reprehensible, 

the failure of the National 

Chairman of All 


APC, Mr Adams 

Oshiomhole, to follow the 

part of reconciliation 

initiated by the Oba of 

Benin, Omo N’ Oba 

Ewuare II and other state 

traditional rulers, saying: “It 

is a demonstration of 

disrespect to our traditional 

institutions, especially as he 

is an Edo man.” 

BLT in a communiqué at 

the end of its emergency 

meeting in Benin City, Edo 

State, yesterday, by Prince 

Edun Akenzua, Ogie- 

Obazuwa (Chairman) and 

Dr. Festus Imuetinyan 

(Secretary), however, 

commended the Benin 

monarch and other 

traditional rulers from the 

state that travelled to Abuja 

to request President 

Muhammadu Buhari to 

resolve the dispute 

between the national 

chairman and the state 

governor. 

The communiqué said: 

“BLT abhors and condemns 

godfatherism wherever and 

however, it shows its face. 

Governor Godwin Obaseki 

had issued the 

Proclamation Letter and the 

House has been 

inaugurated according to the 

Clerk of the House. 

“The elected members of 

the House, who have not 

completed their 

inauguration should 

present themselves to the 

clerk to be inaugurated. 

“The elected members 

who have not been 

inaugurated and who have 

grievances should report to 

their constituencies. The 

elected members who now 

reside outside Edo State 

should return to their 

constituencies where they 

were elected.” 

The group said since all 

the 24 members belonged to 

the same party, APC, the 

state chapter of the party 

should be the first body to 

intervene in the 

reconciliation process and 

should, therefore, carry out 

that function. 

It called on the national 

body of the party to direct 

the state chapter to intervene 

in the reconciliation process, 

saying the directive by the 

National Assembly to the 

state governor to issue 

another Proclamation Letter 

for the inauguration of the 

House of Assembly was 

farcical and unconstitutional. 

BTC also said the threat 

by the National Assembly to 

take over the Edo State 

House of Assembly was a 

violation of the sovereignty 

of the state government. 

2,000 IDPs in Ogoni beg 

NEMA, FG for help 

Gunmen kidnap Kogi miners’ 

chairman 

By Boluwaji 

Obahopo 

LOKOJA —Chairman, 

Kogi State Miners 

Association, Yunusa Oruma, 

has been kidnapped from his 

residence at Ankpa Local 

Government Area of the state. 

Brother of the victim, Prince 

Oruma, who confirmed the 

kidnap, yesterday, said his 

brother was in his house 

when gunmen, numbering 

eight, invaded the place at 

about 8pm on Sunday and 

began shooting sporadically. 

He said the gunmen in the 

process seized his brother 

and drove away with him, 

adding that no information 

had been heard since the 

incident. 

Oruma said the incident 

had been reported to the 

police and other security 

agencies in Ankpa, 

appealing for concerted 

efforts to secure release of 

the victim. 

Contacted, Police Public 

Relations Officer of the Kogi 

Command, William Aya, 

confirmed the incident, 

adding that efforts were 

ongoing by its men to 

rescue the victim. 

By Davies 

Iheamnachor 

PORT HARCOURT— 

No fewer than 2,000 

Internally Displaced 

Persons, IDPs, in Ogoni, 

Rivers State, have cried out 

to the Federal Government, 

through National 

Emergency Management 

Agency, NEMA, for relief 

materials as their plight 

intensifies. 

The victims of communal 

war and cult clashes made 

the plea when officials of 

NEMA visited the crisis 

ravaged communities in 

Ogoni to carry out on-thespot 

assessment of the level 

of damage in the area. 

Speaking, Alice Dekor, a 

victim of the crisis lamented 

her misfortune as she begged 

the government to assist her 

and her five children, 

regretting that she lost her 

husband and two sons to the 

crisis. 

Dekor said: “The 

government should help us 

because we are suffering 

here. We have been here since 

May 19 this year, and we 

have not been able to return 

to our farms because these 

bad boys are still in our 

community. 

Ogoni Youth Federation, 

OYF, president,Mr Legborsi 

Yamaabana, regretted that 

Ogoni citizens had not given 

attention to the security 

problem in the area to 

alleviate the suffering of the 

internally displaced persons 

in Ogoni. 

However, Coordinator, 

NEMA, South-South Zonal 

Office, Walson Brandon, 

said: “The reason for coming 

to Ogoni is to carry out onthe-spot 

assessment of the 

loss. We have seen the level 

of damage and we shall go 

back to write a report and 

send to the national 

headquarters and we will on 

our part, facilitate the process 

to ensure speedy response so 

that succor comes to you as 

soon as possible.


FG to prosecut 

osecute e saboteur 

eurs s of SIPs 

— Uwais 

By Yinka Kolawole 

The Federal 

Government said 

it has intensified 

efforts to track down and 

prosecute those who are 

sabotaging its Social 

Intervention 

Programmes (SIPs) by 

exploiting beneficiaries 

for personal gains. 

Special Adviser to the 

President on Social 

Investments, Mrs 

Maryam Uwais, stated 

this in a statement, 

disclosing that the 

National Social 

Investment Office (NSIO) 

is working with relevant 

security agencies to 

ensure that culprits are 

arrested and 

prosecuted. 

She added that the 

dragnet will be extended 

to people who are 

sensationalising 

untruths to discredit the 

programmes'efforts at 

uplifting poorer citizens 

of the country from 

poverty. 

Uwais made the remark 

against the backdrop of 

reports quoting her to 

have accused monarchs 

and other traditional 

rulers in the country of 

collecting bribes from 

beneficiaries of SIPs, 

urging members of the 

public to dismiss such 

reports 

as 

sensationalism and a 

total misrepresentation 

of facts. 

She denied ever 

mentioning monarchs or 

traditional rulers as 

among those involved in 

demanding kickbacks 

from SIP beneficiaries in 

rural areas. 

Uwais stated: "At a 

similar event held 

sometime ago, a young 

man had publicly 

reported that some 

beneficiaries were being 

short-changed in his 

community, so I 

promised to have it 

investigated. This 

investigation was carried 

out by Africa Network 

for Environment and 

Economic Justice 

(ANEEJ), the principal 

monitor 

of 

disbursements of the 

Abacha restituted funds. 

"The report of the 

investigation revealed 

that the disclosures were 

essentially factual. Some 

community leaders and 

LGA officials were in the 

habit of demanding 

levies after payment is 

concluded in the 

communities. So we 

resolved to undertake 

measures to counter 

those adverse practices 

in the field. Indeed, we 

are planning an event in 

the communities to 

engage the beneficiaries 

with a view to building 

their confidence, so 

they can refuse to 

accede to such 

demands. 

"In addition to field 

reports we get from our 

independent monitors 

and volunteers, we have 

continued to encourage 

and welcome feedbacks 

from members of the 

public, on acts of 

infraction and other 

challenges that can 

assist government to 

achieve better results in 

the implementation of 

the Social Safety Net 

Programmes." 

•From left: Enyinna Nwigwe, Nollywood Actor; Eti-Inyeme Godwin Akpan, an awardee of the 25 

Under 25 Awards; Ismail Olalekan, Head, Home and Broadband, Airtel Nigeria during an award 

presentation at the Airtel Sponsored 25 Under 25 SME 100 Awards, which recently held at Terra 

Kulture, Victoria Island, Lagos. 

CAC C moves to improve processes for MSMEs 

The Corporate Affairs 

Commission (CAC), as 

part of its mandate to 

improve the ease of 

doing business in Nigeria, 

has announced a preincorporation 

and postincorporation 

process 

aimed specifically at 

improving the ease of 

doing business process 

for Micro, Small and 

Medium Enterprises 

(MSMEs). 

For the preincorporation 

phase, 

CAC noted on its website 

that the following are key 

features to consider: 

Users will now have an 

option to check for 

conflicting names before 

making a name 

reservation to reduce the 

number of denied name 

reservations and the 

attendant costs. 

Also, users will no longer 

be directed to the Upload 

segment of the website 

but will now be 

prompted to upload 

signed incorporation 

documents as soon as the 

payment of filing fees and 

stamp duties are made. 

In addition, Certificates 

of Incorporation will 

now be printed by the 

accredited user. 

The Commission said 

that for the postincorporation 

phase the 

key requirements are: 

When a company is 

incorporated, the portal 

sends a notification to 

the company's registered 

email prompting it to 

create online profiles of 

accredited users who it 

intends to engage for 

purposes of its postincorporation 

filings. 

The Company will then 

enter details of the users 

Firm offers N1m seed money for entrepreneurial idea 

Feed 

Tonight 

Foundation (FTF), an 

arm of marketing 

communications firm, 

Culture Communications 

Limited, said it has set 

aside N1million for any 

entrepreneurial idea that 

requires seed fund to 

succeed. 

Speaking at the launch of 

the initiative in Lagos, 

Managing Director/Chief 

Executive Officer, 

Culture Communication, 

Mr. Yomi Benson said: 

"The company is doing 

this because we believe 

beyond profit we need 

purpose, beyond 

business you need 

purpose and beyond 

success you need a 

purpose that is what 

elevates your body, 

mind and soul. You can 

have all the money and 

sit on high tables with 

kings and king makers, if 

you lack purpose you 

lack the soul to be a real 

enabler. This is our own 

way to deliver on our 

purpose" Benson said. 

He further stated that the 

contest is open to males 

and females within 

Nigeria, irrespective of 

educational background 

or ethnicity. 

and their email 

addresses. 

Once this is completed, 

the accredited user 

receives an email with 

login details, which 

grants them access to 

the portal to process 

post-incorporation 

filings on behalf of that 

Company. 

He said also that 

participation and 

opportunity to win would 

be easy but the applicants 

must demonstrate 

willingness and passion to 

succeed. 

"The FTF 

Entrepreneurship 

Program will be annual 

four-week events that will 

see one individual emerge 

as the winner of the one 

million naira prize money. 

Interested individuals are 

to submit their business or 

ideas proposal through 

dedicated online 

platforms within a period 

of two weeks.” 

Record keeping for small 

businesses 

Good business record-keeping lets you prepare 

financial statements of your company, one of the 

key ingredients of a good business that has a future. 

It helps you keep tabs on your expenses, and comes 

in handy if you ever need to seek a business loan 

from any bank. 

For starters in this topic you shoul hold to heart 

this eight small business record keeping rules: Always 

keep receipts, bank statements, invoices, payroll 

records, and any other documentary evidence that 

supports an item of income, deduction, or credit 

shown on your business transactions; Expenses that 

are less than N1000 or that have to do with 

transportation, lodging or meal expenses might not 

have a receipt. But you still need to put them in your 

expense record showing where and when the expense 

occurred, and what it was for. 

With the tax regime in Nigeria becoming very 

aggressive and compelling these records need to be 

kept for at least three years. 

In view of the challenges of keeping documents it is 

advised that you go paperless, store everything 

electronically, and always make backups. With this 

system the records can be kept for many years, indeed 

through the life of the business. 

Even if you don't need a document to do your taxes, 

you might need it for something else. When it doubt, 

keep it. 

Here are the main types of records you should hang 

on to: Receipts, Cash register tapes, Deposit 

information (cash and credit sales), Invoices, Proof 

of payment/electronic funds transferred, Credit card 

receipts, Bank statements and Petty cash slips for 

small cash payments. 

Others include, accounts payable and receivable, 

Payroll records (both for regular employees and 

casual labourers, Tax papers, any other documentary 

evidence that supports any money transactions.

C 

M 

Y 

K 


FSTC hostel levy: Parents lament N50,000 imposition 

…The levy is not a compulsion – PTA chairman 

parent having four children, 

such parent would pay 

N200,000. I have a daughter in 

SS1 who will resume in 

October while the other one 

may resume the same time her 

name was released for 

admission into JSS One. “ he 

said 

The levy is not compulsory – 

PTA chairman 

A call to FSTC PTA chairman, 

whose name was given as Mr. 

Olise, revealed a different 

story. 

Mr Olise who initially 

declined to speak on phone, 

however, explained that the 

decision was unanimously 

reached by the parents. 

His words: “Madam, I cannot 

speak with you over the phone 

about that because it is a 

decision of parents and we are 

not mandating anybody. As per 

imposing the levy, it is not true. 

As you know, out of every 12, 

there would be a Judas. 

“If parents say, ”chairman, this 

is what we want, and the 

parents formed a committee and 

went to Abuja to meet the 

Director/Perm-Sec, Federal 

Ministry of Education and say, 

”this is what we have agreed to 

do. Would I say no? Definitely, 

there are some parents that may 

not be happy with the decision, 

and I don’t blame them anyway. 

“The parents agreed that since 

all fingers are not equal, nobody 

should be mandated to pay it at 

once, that every parent should 

pay at his or her pace. If I am 

around, I would have shown 

you evidence. And we don’t 

collect cash, everything goes 

into the bank for accountability. 

Even, the building, it is the 

parents that will build as they 

have a committee of over 30 

parents who are professionals 

that include Engineers, 

Architect “ he noted. 

*From left: Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council, The Technical University, 

Prof. Ibidapo Obe, Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde, Vice-Chancellor of the university, 

Prof. Ayobami Salami and member of the council, Dr Sunday Adetona during the visit of the 

University's Governing Council to the Governor’s Office, Ibadan. 

By Elizabeth Uwandu 

As new academic 

session begins, 

parents of students of the 

Federal Science and 

Technical College, FSTC, 

Yaba, are lamenting an 

alleged N50,000 imposed 

on students by the school’s 

parents teachers 

association, PTA for the 

construction of a new hostel. 

This is as they accused the 

PTA of insensitivity by not 

carrying every parent along 

and by sending back home 

students whose parents 

refused to pay the fee they 

termed donation. 

According to a parent, 

Mrs. Idowu Ajayi (not real 

names), the association 

even went ahead to create a 

private account for the levy. 

Her words: “The Parents 

Teachers Association of 

FSTC, Yaba has imposed 

N50,000 fee on every child 

purportedly for a new hostel 

project. 

“They claim that the 

decision was taken at a PTA 

meeting. I am a parent in the 

school. I was not invited to 

any PTA meeting where 

such a decision was taken. 

I understand that parents 

who were present at the 

meeting protested. 

“Yet, students returning to 

school for the new session 

will not be checked in unless 

they show receipt of 

payment of this imposed 

illegal fee. Can the Federal 

Ministry of Education 

Authorities intervene?” 

She added: "I have made 

efforts to get the contact of the 

Chairperson of the PTA, nobody is 

providing it. Part of the letter reads: 

'Project Account: as agreed at the 

PTA General Meeting held on 

Saturday, 27th July 2019, the 

project account has been opened 

for parents to pay-in their 

donations. Bank: ACCESS BANK. 

NO. 0817220952. ACCOUNT 

NAME: FSTC YABA PROJECT 

ACCOUNT.' 

“This is different from PTA Levy 

of N5,000. They call it a donation, 

yet, they make it mandatory by 

denying entry to any child without 

a receipt of payment. They collect 

money from parents for blazers 

which they never supplied. The 

school is supposed to be tuitionfree, 

yet, parents are exploited 

under various fraudulent guises,” 

she alleged. 

However, a visit to the school 

on Tuesday saw parents 

challenging the imposition. 

A parent who refused to disclose 

his name told Vanguard that: “They 

refused to stamp my daughter’s 

document despite the fact that I 

brought the receipt of the N5,000 

levy I paid to the bank. That money 

is huge, and they said I will bring 

...parents who were 

present at the meeting 

protested; yet, 

students returning to 

school for the new 

session will not be 

checked in unless 

they show receipt of 

payment of this 

imposed illegal fee 

the two tellers before they can 

stamp the documents. Mind 

you, the normal PTA levy is 

paid directly to the school’s 

account. but this one now is a 

new account," he lamented. 

Some parents who took the 

decision are now crying foul 

For a parent who gave her 

name as Mrs. Blessing, and 

whose daughter would begin 

SS 2, it was some parents who 

made the decision and agreed 

that any child whose parents 

did not pay the levy for the 

purported new hostel should be 

sent home. 

According to her:” Yes, it is 

true that parents are asked to 

pay N50,000 to build a new 

hostel. PTA said it is 

compulsory and that one can 

pay the installment. This 

money is too much. Yet, some 

were the ones that did the 

meeting and agreed that if any 

parent does not pay, his or her 

child should not be allowed 

into the school. 

Asked if she attended the said 

meeting, Mrs. Blessing 

reiterated that, “ I got to know 

about the N50,000 through a 

newsletter my son brought back 

home. And since I don’t want 

my child to stay any longer at 

home, I plan to pay it twice.” 

she stated. 

We will protest this new levy 

According to Mr. Peter Igho, 

although his ward was yet to 

resume, he, however, vowed to 

resist paying such amount. “I 

heard about the N50,000 levy 

but, I doubt if we will pay, as 

the parents may protest. That 

money is too much. Imagine a 

RESUMPTION: Non-payment of fees, 

lack of books keep students at home 

By Adesina Wahab & Elizabeth Uwandu 

When primary and 

secondary schools 

resumed activities for the 

2019/2020 academic session in 

Lagos State on Monday, 

many of the pupils and 

students were not in school, 

no thanks to a number of 

factors, finance being the 

major one. 

Investigations by Vanguard 

showed that pupils and 

students in private primary 

and secondary schools were 

the most affected, as some 

school owners insisted on the 

payment of school fees before 

pupils and students would be 

allowed in. 

For instance, in some schools 

in Agbado and Ajasa areas of 

Lagos, many pupils and 

students were turned back at 

the gates for not presenting 

bank tellers of fees paid by 

their guardians and parents. 

At St Gladys Primary School 

and Grimes International 

College in Agbado, pupils 

and students who were yet to 

have their fees paid were 

denied entry 

It was gathered that the 

owners took the drastic step 

because of the huge amount 

of fees some parents and 

guardians were owing, even 

from the last academic 

session. 

Some school owners are also 

disappointed with the 

practice by some parents and 

guardians who would change 

the schools of their wards after 

incurring huge debts in some 

other places. 

Also, the inability of some 

parents to buy necessary 

books, uniforms, shoes among 

other needs, also kept some 

pupils and students at home. 

A visit by Vanguard to 

schools in Mushin and Ijesa 

areas of Lagos showed that 

majority of the children were 

yet to resume. 

“ We have resumed and 

concluded a test now. 

However, the turnout today 

was low, as only 20 out of 58 

pupils were present in class. 

I want to believe the children 

will inform their mates that 

work has resumed,” Mrs 

Adeyemo, a teacher at 

Abiodun Nursery and 

Primary School, Mushin 

said. 

For pupils of Ilasamaja 

Primary School, academic 

activities started in earnest 

with the conduct of a welcome 

back test for the pupils. 

However, some of the pupils 

were not in school because 

their wards and parents were 

still battling with buying 

books and other teaching 

aids for them. 

According to Mrs Lilian 

Patrick, Headmistress, Danec 

Nursery and Primary School, 

Ilasamaja, although some old 

pupils did not turn up in 

school, about eight new 

pupils registered in various 

classes. 

Recall that Lagos State 

Commissioner for Education, 

Mrs Folasade Adefisayo, over 

the weekend directed that all 

schools should resume on 

September 9. 

This, she said, would allow 

conformity with the unified 

school calendar, and 

discourage some private 

schools who usually resume 

a week after.

C 

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Lessen our tax burdens, 

school owner pleads with govt 

By Adesina Wahab 

The proprietress of T- 

Square Schools, 

Ahmadiyya, Lagos, Mrs Abiodun 

Adebusuyi, has called on the 

government to remove the 

burdens of multiple taxes placed 

on private school owners in the 

country, saying the taxes can run 

them out of business. 

Adebusuyi, in a chat with 

Vanguard, said local and state 

governments were culpable in 

the imposition of sundry taxes on 

private schools and that most of 

the taxes were mere duplications 

and many not relevant to the 

business of running schools. 

She pleaded with both local 

and state governments to review 

downward taxes being paid by 

school owners in Lagos State. 

She identified some of the taxes 

as radio/television, branding of 

school vehicles and tenement 

rate. She condemned what she 

described as constant 

harassment by local government 

officials over local government 

papers. 

She said: “Some of the time, the 

council officials would just jump 

on the road from nowhere and 

block your way with sharp objects 

capable of bursting your vehicle 

tyres if you are unfortunate to run 

over such dangerous weapon. 

Even after showing them the 

papers, they will ask for basket, 

hawker permit and other things 

just to extort you. Let the 

government tell us the various 

taxes to avoid double taxation. We 

want reduction in charges by the 

government. These levies and 

charges have negative effects on 

the development of the school,” 

she noted. 

Education is not all about 

seeking job after graduation 

— Karounwi 

By Bola Oguntola 

The Proprietress of Rosecroft 

Preparatory Primary School, 

Ikeja, Lagos, Mrs Kofo 

Karounwi, has said that 

education is not all about 

searching for and securing a job 

after graduation, but a means 

of opening one’s mind to be 

able to think, reason and make 

the best of whatever life puts at 

one’s table. 

In an interview with Vanguard, 

she described education 

as service to life, “because it is 

what is given to the children 

that will go with them into life, 

so if you give them quality 

education, they will become 

better people in the society.” 

Karounwi noted that because 

some children did not get it 

right a the tender age, they 

would go on to engage in 

examination malpractice and 

other vices. 

She said employers need people 

who could think out of the box 

but when students could not 

even think within the box, let 

alone outside of the box, they 

would become square pegs in 

round holes who would not be 

useful. 

“Industries need people who 

are innovative, imaginative and 

can add values, hence, the 

On her expectations from the 

government, she said: “We want 

the government to assist private 

schools in the area of loans or 

grants. Some school owners 

cannot afford the interest rate 

being charged by the banks 

hence, the need for state 

governments to come to our aid. 

“The government should see us 

as partners in the education 

sector. We are not competing with 

the government. We will also 

appreciate the inclusion of private 

school students in government’s 

Spelling Bee competition. The 

government should give all the 

children equal rights and 

opportunities whether you are in 

public or private school. What 

they give to students in public 

schools should also be extended 

to their counterparts in private 

schools. 

“Some of the parents of students 

in private schools are civil 

servants, they pay taxes and other 

levies to government,” she 

added. 

On the impact of economic 

downturn on their business, 

Adebusuyi noted: ”Irregular 

payment of school fees is another 

area that is giving school owners 

sleepless nights. Some parents 

are funny as they jump from one 

school to the other as a result of 

school fees. When they know that 

they are owing you so much, 

instead of working out a suitable 

arrangement with the school 

owner on how to pay the debt, 

they change schools. 

“It is not possible to collect 

school fees 100 per cent at the end 

of the term, but we thank God that 

the method being adopted here 

is paying off.” 

need to overhaul our 

educational system by giving it 

the priority it deserves. Give 

teachers credit for the work they 

do, review the curriculum, 

change methods of teaching, 

and inculcate teacher training so 

that we can be at par with our 

counterparts around the world 

as we are training for the global 

market now. 

“This is possible when children, 

at an early age, are given the 

liberty to think and make 

decisions on their own rather 

than being told what to do from 

primary to tertiary levels,” she 

stated. 

She opined that when teachers 

insist on garbage in, garbage 

out, the students would not be 

able to think on their own. 

“What students study in the 

university does not necessarily 

determine who they become in 

future but what they have 

imbibed in the process of 

learning. We do not need 

western education to be openminded 

because when the 

Europeans came, they met an 

organised society and a people 

who had their own ways of 

doing things and inculcating 

values into their wards,” she 

said. 

*Few children back in classroom on first day of the new term. 

Education Summit: 

A'Ibom indigenes set for training 

in textile engineering 

By Ebele Orakpo 

Ten indigenes of Akwa Ibom 

State are to be enrolled for 

studies in Textile Engineering in 

Europe come September 2020. 

Governor Udom Emmanuel 

announced this while 

addressing participants at the 

1st Akwa Ibom State Education 

Summit And Exhibitions in Uyo. 

Hear him: “Officials of an 

institution in Europe watched 

this programme live and 

communicated to me, saying 

that having watched this 

programme and listened to my 

passion for technology-based 

education, by September next 

year, they will grant scholarship 

to 10 Akwa Ibom citizens to 

study Textile Engineering." 

Pointing out that lack of 

capacity-building has been a 

major problem in the society, he 

said: “the problem in Nigeria is 

not unemployment but capacitybuilding, 

if we can build our 

capacity, certificate will not be an 

issue.” 

He said the need to restructure 

the current educational system 

cannot be overemphasised in 

view of its overall importance in 

defining the future of the 

children. 

Emmanuel maintained that 

education must be tailored 

towards producing 

entrepreneurs and craftsmen in 

vocations that will add value to 

society, adding that such 

craftsmen would be produced 

in the state. 

“I am looking at a situation 

where certain categories of 

skilled labour are produced 

here,” he stated. 

He hinted that arrangements 

have been completed for the 

establishment of computer 

laboratories in at least a school 

in each of the 10 federal 

constituencies of the state. 

The governor explained that 

the Modula Classrooms built in 

primary schools within Uyo 

urban are technologically 

designed to fasttrack 

communication with schools in 

remote areas, pointing out that 

technology will simplify learning 

..emphasis is on 

skilled-based 

education and 

internship and 

industrial experience 

are preferred to 

theoretical experience 

as knowledge will be transferred 

with the in-built facilities. 

Delivering a lecture titled: 

Knowledge as a Bedrock for 

Entrepreneurship, Job And 

Wealth Creation, the Chief 

Human Resources Officer, 

Dangote Worldwide, Logos 

State, Mr. Usen Udoh, advocated 

a change in teaching method and 

curriculum of studies. 

Mr Udoh said that 21st Century 

education adopts problem 

identification method and 

ability to solve such problems 

rather than training on grammar. 

He said emphasis is on 

skilled-based education and that 

internship and industrial 

experience are preferred to 

theoretical experience as 

employers do not look at 

certificate but qualifications that 

can solve problems. 

He, however, called on the 

organisers of the summit to come 

up with educational roadmap 

that will transcend different 

administrations in the state. 

A former Vic-Chancellor of the 

University of Uyo, Prof. 

Akaneren Essien, who spoke on 

the topic: Funding of Education 

in Akwa Ibom State: A 

Collective Responsibility, 

identified appropriate funding of 

education as key to functional 

education, maintaining that 

there exists a nexus between 

capacity-building and funding of 

education. 

Prof. Essien pointed out that 

poor or improper funding and 

implementation of projects in 

the educational system could 

have poor effects on student’s 

performance and called for 

collaborative funding of 

education, which he explained, 

covers funding from family, 

Parent Teachers Association , 

corporate bodies, government, 

alumni associations etc. in order 

to achieve the desired results. 

Ogunde advises parents, 

proprietors on school fees 

By Elizabeth Nwandu 

As a new academic session 

begins, parents have been 

charged to give priority attention 

to the payment of their wards' 

school fees. 

Also, school owners have been 

advised to be considerate in the 

fees being charged and the mode 

of payment. 

The advice was given by the 

Founder, Concerned Parents and 

Educators Network, CPEN, Mrs 

Yinka Ogunde in a chat with 

Vanguard. 

She opined that though the 

nation is experiencing serious 

economic challenges, that should 

not be the reason to deny 

innocent children sound 

education. 

She, therefore, called on school 

owners and parents to dialogue 

on ways school fees would be 

paid that would be acceptable to 

both parties. 

She suggested that school 

owners could allow parents and 

guardians to pay the fees in 

instalments. 

Speaking in the same vein, Mrs 

Toyin Olawale said: “School 

owners should make school fees 

reasonable considering the value 

of education and the fact that 

most of them are products of free 

education programme in the 

past.” 

On her part, Mrs Funmilayo 

Ismail said the owner of the 

school her children attend 

allowed for school fees to be paid 

in instalments and it made it 

easier for her to cope.

C 

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How we generate 24-hour 

power supply—Babcock VC 

By Elizabeth Uwandu 

Despite 

epileptic 

power supply in the 

country, Babcock 

University, Ilishan-Remo, 

Ogun State, is able to 

generate uninterrupted 

power supply courtesy of 

its 4.4 megawatts 

Independent Power 

Project, IPP. 

The Vice-Chancellor, 

Prof. Ademola Tayo, 

disclosed this during an 

interactive session with 

newsmen to mark the 

20th anniversary of the 

university. 

He noted that though 

between N80 million and 

N85 million is spent 

monthly on the IPP, the 

management of the school 

embarked on the project 

because a citadel of 

learning like Babcock 

must provide conducive 

atmosphere for teaching, 

learning and research. 

He added that the event 

was a double celebration, 

as it marked the 60th 

anniversary of the 

establishment of the 

Adventist College of West 

Africa, the institute that 

grew to become Babcock 

University by the Seventh 

Day Adventist Church. 

According to the VC, “I 

wish to tell this audience 

that ever since Babcock 

University became the 

By Adesina Wahab & 

Rotimi Ojomoyela 

Governor of Ekiti 

State, Dr Kayode 

Fayemi, has approved 

the appointment of Prof. 

Victor Olufemi 

Adeoluwa, as the 

Provost, College of 

Education, Ikere- Ekiti. 

A statement in Ado Ekiti 

on Monday by Fayemi’s 

Chief Press Secretary, 

Yinka Oyebode said 

Adeoluwa, a Professor of 

Education, is former 

Deputy Vice- Chancellor 

(Development), Ekiti 

State University. 

He had earlier lectured 

at the College of 

Education, Ikere, before 

joining the services of 

Ekiti State University. 

The appointment of the 

new Provost takes 

immediate effect. 

He is to replace the 

Acting Provost of the 

institution, Dr. Victor 

Kehinde. 

Kehinde has been 

presiding over the 

institution in acting 

capacity since the 

removal of his 

predecessor, Prof. Moji 

Oyarekua by Governor 

Fayemi. 

first private university in 

Nigeria to admit students 

on September 19, 1999 

with about 106 students; 

the first to graduate 

students in June, 2003; 

the first private 

university to mobilise 

students for the National 

Youth Service Corps, 

NYSC and the first to turn 

critical mass of workers to 

the labour market, we 

have earned so many 

firsts in the course of our 

20 years journey as a 

private university. 

“Again, I am not sure we 

have any private 

university that runs its 

own independent power 

project, IPP, of 4.4 

megawatts of 24 hours of 

uninterrupted power 

supply. "We also boast of 

19 halls of residence 

which could contain up to 

20,000 students.” 

Tayo said the university 

is not for profit and not 

owned by one 

individual. 

“It is a non-profit 

organisation owned and 

operated by the Seventh 

Day Adventist Church. We 

tap on the network of 115 

universities and colleges 

owned and operated by 

the same proprietor. 

“On our fees being on 

the high side, there is a 

saying that if you think 

education is expensive, try 

ignorance. What people 

fail to understand is the 

fact that Babcock 

University's fee is 

consolidated. It 

accommodates the 

students, feeds the 

students, insures the 

students against health 

hazard. Consider how 

much students in public 

universities spend on 

rent, feeding, and for 

transportation within the 

campus, add all these to 

handouts and others. It is 

huge. Our fee is the 

cheapest,” he added. 

On relationship with 

the National Universities 

Commission, he said: “I 

am glad to inform you 

that all our 38 

programmes are fully 

accredited. We don’t have 

any denial status or 

interim programme. The 

only three that are 

remaining are those ones 

that we have just been 

given approval to run. 

Usually, the way NUC 

does it is that after three 

years of approval, the 

course or courses are 

subjected 

to 

accreditation.” 

He some of the 

challenges facing the 

school include stringent 

policies by government, 

high taxes, security and 

curbing external 

distractions. 

Fayemi appoints former EKSU DVC 

College Provost 

•As law students are screened for bursary 

Oyarekua was 

appointed the Provost 

shortly after former 

Governor Ayodele Fayose 

assumed office in 2014. 

Meanwhile, Ekiti State 

Government has started 

the screening of law 

students from the state 

who applied for the 2018/ 

2019 bursary awards. 

The Commissioner for 

Education, Science and 

Technology, Mr. Foluso 

Daramola said the 

Kayode Fayemi 

administration would 

continue to support 

students of Ekiti State 

origin to excel in their 

studies. 

While stressing that 

Governor Fayemi had 

continued to demonstrate 

his passion for the 

development of 

education despite the 

lean resources accruing 

to the state from the 

Federation Account, the 

Commissioner noted that 

the bursary award for law 

students would motivate 

and encourage them to 

strive for excellence in 

their academic pursuit. 

He urged the students 

to be agents of change by 

keying into the campaign 

of the Fayemi-led 

administration to restore 

the values of the state. 

In his remarks, the 

Special Assistant to the 

Governor on Youth and 

Student Matters, Mr. 

Moses Ademiloyo, who 

appealed to the law 

students to be good 

ambassadors of the state, 

advised other youths in 

the state to always strive 

for excellence and stay 

away from social vices 

that could jeopardize 

their future. 

Earlier in his welcome 

address, the Acting 

Executive Secretary of 

Ekiti State Scholarship 

Board, Mr. Sola 

Ogunmiluyi, disclosed 

that about N17millon 

had been approved by 

Governor Fayemi for 

disbursement as Bursary 

to 113 students in the six 

campuses of the 

Nigerian Law School for 

2018/2019 Academic 

session. 

He explained that the 

screening of the law 

students, whose names 

were sent from the 

Council of Legal 

Education in Abuja, was 

to confirm that they were 

eligible and qualified for 

the award. 

Gen Buhari’s Cambridge Certificate is as 

nonexistent as Louis Odion’s self esteem 

BY RENO OMOKRI 

IT was Lord Alfred Denning who said 

that you cannot put something on nothing 

and expect it to stand. That was what 

flashed in my mind, when I read Louis 

Odion’s dribble, ‘Atiku, ambition and the 

endgame’, which tried to argue away General 

Buhari’s lack of a school leaving certificate 

on the basis that Mr. Buhari had 

attended high military courses and was a 

former head of state. 

What Chapter VI, Part I, Section 131 of 

the Nigerian Constitution prescribes as 

minimum qualifications to qualify a person 

to contest for the office of President is 

as follows: 

“They have been educated up to at least 

School Certificate level or its equivalent.” 

A military course is not an equivalent of 

a School Leaving Certificate. 

I understand that General Buhari only 

last month appointed Louis Odion as his 

Senior Technical Assistant on Media (whatever 

that means), but that should not mean 

that Mr. Odion should succumb to intellectual 

laziness in his bid to please his 

master. 

In his attempt to accuse Waziri Atiku 

Abubakar of fraud, he said the Peoples 

Democratic Party candidate dug up an old 

video of Lai Mohammed and passed it off 

as new. That is a lie and Mr. Odion knows 

that. But even if it were true, and so what? 

What matters is not when Lai Mohammed 

said what he said. What matters is whether 

what he said is true or not. 

If I say Louis Odion is a man. That statement 

remains true, irrespective of when it 

was made. The only thing that may arguably 

change its validity is if Louis Odion 

had a sex change surgery. I know Louis 

has had a conscience change surgery 

when General Buhari appointed him as 

his 10th media aide, but he still remains a 

man. At least, I hope so. 

For the avoidance of doubt, what Lai 

Who is super corrupt 

between an Atiku, 

who is the most investigated 

politician 

in Nigeria, without 

anything being 

found against him... 

Mohammed said is as follows: 

“53 years after a fellow has left secondary 

school. 53 years, I think we should 

pardon him. Because has not even known 

where he kept it.” 

That remains true today as it was on the 

day the statement was made. 

And Lai Mohammed’s testimony corroborates 

Maj.-Gen. Paul Tarfa (rtd) evidence 

to the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal 

that the Nigerian Army neither asked 

for or retained the school certificates of 

enlisted men or recruits. 

Both Mr. Mohammed and Mr. Tarfa corroborated 

a 2015 affidavit by the Nigerian 

Army that they were not in possession of 

then candidate Buhari’s certificate. So obviously, 

General Muhammadu Buhari lied 

under oath. He committed perjury. 

If General Buhari thinks he has an attack 

dog in Louis Odion, I urge him to 

have a rethink. What he has is a little domestic 

kitten, who is eager to fatten up. 

Mr. Odion says Mr. Abubakar is “super 

corrupt” and that he laundered N150 million. 

Even the paramilitary wing of the All 

Progressive Congress (AKA EFCC), has 

not accused Atiku Abubakar of such or 

anything close to such. 

RIGHT OF REPLY 

•President Muhammadu Buhari 

Yes, they brought charges against his sonin-law 

and lawyer, but these charges were 

not for laundering N150 million. The charges 

are laughable political motivated charges. 

In proof of this, I remind Nigerians of 

how they lied that money had been laundered 

to former President Obasanjo, until 

Babalele Abdullahi produced evidence to 

show that they lied and his donation went 

through normal banking channels. 

But if Mr. Odion is so set against money 

laundering, why is he silent about Bola 

Tinubu, who was caught on camera, by 

drones, ferrying money to his house in bullion 

vans on the morning of the last Presidential 

elections, in contravention of the 

Money Laundering Act, 2011, and then 

went on to boast about it the next day on 

Channels TV? 

Who is super corrupt between an Atiku, 

who is the most investigated politician in 

Nigeria, without anything being found 

against him, and a General Buhari, who 

loaded his cabinet with corruption gold medalists? 

If Mr. Louis Odion says General Buhari 

has integrity, then I have the following 

questions for him: 

Why was Goje's N25 billion corruption 

case dropped? 

Who owns the Ikoyi apartment billions? 

When will @AishaMBuhari's ADC be 

tried? 

Who reinstated and double-promoted 

Maina? 

When will the NNPC N25 billion scandal 

be investigated? 

Where is N40 fuel? 

Where is N1 equal to $1? 

Where is subsidy removal? 

Where is Boko Haram's defeat? 

Where is uninterrupted power? 

Where is the promised security? 

Where is the promised refinery? 

Where are 3 million jobs annually? 

Where is no foreign medical treatment? 

Where is ‘we will not tolerate corruption? 

Where is I belong to everybody and I belong 

to no one? 

As for Louis Odion, I would not take such 

a person seriously. Google his 2017 article 

“PMB, Atiku And Illusion Of Party" https:/ 

/www.thecable.ng/pmb-atiku-illusion-party. 

In that piece, Louis Odion praised Atiku 

to the moon and back and ridiculed Buharists 

(as he called them). Below is an 

excerpt from the piece: 

“Put together, the tribe of Buharists are 

free to continue to live in denial. Though 

they may be unwilling to admit it, Atiku 

already scored the preliminary strategic 

point: framing the 2019 debate within APC 

and baiting Buhari to declare his stand.” 

Today, he is singing a different tune. Why? 

People like Odion are what Warri people 

call ‘anywhere belle face’! 

•Reno Omokri, A former aide to ex-President 

Goodluck Jonathan.

LAUNCHING—From left: Head, Brand and Corporate Communications, 

Anchor Insurance Company Limited, Mr. Nelson Egboboh; ED, Technical, 

Mr. Adebisi Ikuomola; MD/CEO, Mr. Augustine Ebose, and GM, Business 

Development, Olajide Fasanmi, during the media launch of Travel 

Insurance and Agriculture Insurance policies by the company, in Lagos, 

yesterday. Photo: Akeem Salau. 

THANKSGIVING—From left: The Presbyter, Wesley Cathederal, 

Olowogbowo, Lagos, Very Revd John Olarewaju Solubi, with the National 

Assembly's Speaker's mother, Madam Olufunke Gbajabiamila; Conference 

Education Board Secretary, Methodist Church Nigeria, Very Revd David 

Oyebade; Thanksgiving Service Guest Preacher, Very Revd Kehinde 

Popoola, and the Former Medical Director, NPA, Dr. Akin George, at the 

Thanksgiving Service in honour of Gbajabiamila and the family, in Lagos. 

VANGUARD, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019—39 

:Vanguard 

News 

Mariam Kamara to head LafargeHolcim 

Awards jury 

Guillaume 

A 

jury of nine 

experts, headed by 

Mariam Kamara, Principal 

and owner of Atelier 

Masômî (Niger), will 

evaluate entries in the 6 th 

International 

LafargeHolcim Awards for 

the region of Middle East 

Africa. 

The awards seek real 

projects, as well as bold 

ideas that combine 

sustainable construction 

solutions with architectural 

excellence. 

The competition offers a 

total of USD 2 million in 

prize money and is open 

for entries until February 

25, 2020. 

In Middle East Africa, 

the jury includes Mariam 

Kamara (Head), as well as 

Zegeye Cherenet, 

Professor at the Ethiopian 

Institute of Architecture, 

Building Construction & 

City Development 

(Ethiopia); Linna Choi, 

Principal at OUALALOU + 

CHOI (Morocco); Joana 

Dabaj, Co-Founder & 

Principal Coordinator at 

CatalyticAction (Lebanon); 

Huda Shaka, Associate 

Director at Arup (United 

Arab Emirates), and 

Heinrich Wolff, Director at 

Wolff Architects (South 

Africa). 

:@vanguardnews 

The jury will be 

complemented by 

members of the Academic 

Committee of the 

LafargeHolcim Foundation 

Marilyne Andersen, 

Professor of Sustainable 

Construction 

Technologies, Swiss 

Federal Institute of 

Technology, Lausanne 

(Switzerland) and 

LEADING peer-topeer 

bitcoin 

marketplace, Paxful, is 

making inroads into Africa 

with its platform for bitcoin 

trading which has 

achieved widespread 

acceptance in other parts 

of the world. 

Launched in 2015, Paxful 

said it boast of over two 

million users and had 

facilitated trading of almost 

500,000 bitcoins, at the 

same time believed that 

the success of its business 

model and impressive 

track record provide a 

strong platform for 

achieving greater financial 

inclusion in Nigeria and 

other parts of Africa. 

Since then, the platform 

has gained popularity, 

particularly in African 

countries, connecting 

NEWS HOTLINES: 

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08052867058 

Habert, 

Professor of Sustainable 

Construction, Swiss 

Federal Institute of 

Technology, Zurich 

(Switzerland), together 

with Mohsen Ech, 

Research & Development 

Program Manager for 

Infrastructure Solutions, 

LafargeHolcim Innovation 

Centre (France). 

Paxful to boosts financial inclusion 

in Africa through innovation 

bitcoin buyers and sellers 

on its platform, and users 

are able to buy and sell 

bitcoin using over 300 

different payment methods 

ranging from bank 

transfers, debit and credit 

cards, and cash payments. 

The firm noted that 

marketplace has seen 

significant growth in digital 

currency transactions on 

the African continent in 

recent years, with the surge 

largely spearheaded by 

students and graduates 

under 25. 

“Africa leap-frogged to 

the forefront of peer-to-peer 

finance adaptation. In 

2018, our user base in 

Africa doubled, with most 

customers being between 

18 and 24,” said Artur 

Schaback, COO and cofounder 

of Paxful. 

RETREAT—From left: Mr. Greg Anyaegbudike, Federal Team Leader, PERL; 

Mr. Benjamin Ogu Okolo, National Coordinator & Open Government 

Partnership, OGP, Point of Contact Nigeria; Seun Ojo, representing Cochair; 

Edet Ojo, Executive Director; Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami; 

Mr. D. I. Arabi, Director General, Bureau of Public Service Reforms; Dr. 

Anne Nzegwu, Director, Reform Coordination & Service Improvement, 

Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget & National Planning, at the 

stakeholders validation retreat to finalise the 2nd Nigeria OGP National 

Action Plan, at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja. 

TRAINING—From left: President, Western Nigeria Union Conference, 

WNUC, Pastor Oyeleke Owolabi; Secretary, Dr. Ezekiel Adeleye; Secretary, 

West-Central Africa Division, WAD, Pastor Kingsley Anonaba, and 

Treasurer, WNUC, Dr. Amos Ibhiedu, during the closing ceremony of the 

church clerks training for Seventh-Day Adventists, held at Babcock 

University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, yesterday.

C 

M 

Y 

K 


9/11: Trump vows to hit Taliban 

‘harder’ than ever 

PRESIDENT Donald 

Trump warned yesterday 

that what he describes 

as an unprecedented US 

military assault against the 

Taliban in Afghanistan is to 

continue just five days after 

he scrapped peace talks. 

Speaking at a ceremony 

marking the 18th anniversary 

of the 9/11 attacks, 

Trump said that over “the 

last four days” US forces 

have “hit our enemy harder 

than they have ever been hit 

before and that will continue.” 

Trump said the assault 

was ordered after he canceled 

secret peace talks with 

the Taliban over the weekend 

in retaliation for a 

bomb attack that killed one 

US soldier last week. 

New York honoured the 

almost 3,000 people killed 

in the attack in a solemn 

ceremony at Ground Zero 

where hijacked Al-Qaeda 

planes brought down the 

Twin Towers. 

Relatives of victims, police 

officers, firefighters and 

city leaders gathered at the 

National September 11 

Memorial to mark the 18th 

anniversary of the deadliest 

single attack on US soil. 

They held poignant moments 

of silence at 8:46 am 

(1246 GMT) and 9:03 am, 

•Trump 

the precise times that the 

passenger jets struck the 

North and South Towers. 

New York Governor Andrew 

Cuomo, Mayor Bill 

de Blasio, and his predecessors 

Michael 

Bloomberg and Rudy 

Giuliani were among 

those who attended. 

In what has become an 

annual tradition, relatives 

began reading out the 

long list of those who were 

killed, saying a few words 

about those who died, in 

a ceremony that takes almost 

four hours. 

“We love you, we miss you 

and you will always be 

America’s heroes,” said 

one woman after reading 

out the names of her brother 

and cousin. 

Relatives hugged and 

consoled each other and 

left roses at the memorial. 

Some held up placards 

with images of their loved 

ones who were killed. 

Bagpipes played as police 

officers walked into 

the ceremony carrying the 

US flag before the US national 

anthem was played. 

President Donald 

Trump and First Lady 

Melania Trump welcomed 

victims’ families 

and survivors to the White 

House where they marked 

the anniversary with a 

moment of silence. 

Trump was then scheduled 

to head to the Pentagon 

where he was due to 

speak. 

Brexit: Scottish judges 

rule parliament 

suspension unlawful 

BORIS Johnson’s 

suspension of the 

UK Parliament is unlawful, 

Scotland’s highest 

civil court has ruled. 

A panel of three judges 

at the Court of Session 

found in favour of a crossparty 

group of politicians 

who were challenging the 

prime minister’s move. 

The judges said the PM 

was attempting to prevent 

Parliament holding 

the government to account 

ahead of Brexit. 

A UK government appeal 

against the ruling 

will be heard by the Supreme 

Court in London 

next week. The Court of 

Session decision overturns 

an earlier ruling 

from the court, which said 

last week that Mr 

Johnson had not broken 

the law. 

The current five week 

suspension of Parliament, 

a process known as proroguing, 

started in the 

early hours of Tuesday. 

MPs are not scheduled 

to return to Parliament until 

14 October, when there 

will be a Queen’s Speech 

outlining Mr Johnson’s 

legislative plans. The UK 

is due to leave the EU on 

31 October. 

Opposition parties have 

called for Parliament to be 

immediately recalled in 

the wake of the court 

judgement, but Downing 

Street said this would not 

happen ahead of the Supreme 

Court’s ruling on 

the case. 

Downing Street also distanced 

itself from reports 

that quoted Number 10 

sources as suggesting the 

Scottish judges were politically 

biased, and insisted 

that the prime minister has 

“absolute respect” for the 

independence of the judiciary. 

Mr Johnson had previously 

insisted that it was 

normal practice for a new 

government to prorogue 

Parliament, and that it 

was “nonsense” to suggest 

he was attempting to 

undermine democracy. 

But the Court of Session 

judges were unanimous 

in finding that Mr 

Johnson was motivated 

by the “improper purpose 

of stymieing Parliament”, 

and he had effectively 

misled the Queen 

in advising her to suspend 

Parliament. 

They added: “The 

Court will accordingly 

make an Order declaring 

that the prime minister’s 

advice to HM the Queen 

and the prorogation 

which followed thereon 

was unlawful and is thus 

null and of no effect.” 

NIGERIANS AWAITING EVACUATION FROM SOUTH AFRICA TO NIGERIA 

In the wake of last week xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and nationals of other African countriesin South 

Africa, photos here show Nigerians awaiting evacuation from O. R. Thambo Airport, South Africa yesterday.



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COLLAPSED BRIDGE IN BAYELSA—Residents of Elebele Community in 

Ogbia Local Government Area, Bayelsa State using boat to cross to other 

side of the community due the collapse of a bridge in the communities, 

yesterday. Photo: NAN. 


Continues from Page 5 

doubt that the 2nd 

Respondent had his 

educational qualifications.” 

The tribunal held that 

neither the Constitution nor 

the Electoral Act required 

Buhari to attach any of his 

certificates to the Form CF 

001 before he could be 

adjudged to have met the 

pre-requisite for 

qualification. 

It stressed that since 

INEC’s screening process 

required candidates to 

depose to an affidavit to 

attest to the veracity of 

information contained in 

the Form CF 001, there was 

no need for the 

presentation of actual 

certificates. 

The tribunal said there 

was no scintilla of evidence 

to prove that Provincial 

Secondary School, Katsina 

State which Buhari 

attended, was not in 

existence as at 1961. 

“Evidence showed that 

the school actually existed 

and the 2nd Respondent 

indeed attended same. The 

petitioners failed to 

discharge the onus of prove 

placed on them by the law.” 

On the discrepancy in the 

name on Buhari’s 

certificate, the tribunal said 

it was satisfied that it 

belonged to him even 

though the first name was 

written as ‘Mohamed’ 

instead of ‘Muhammadu’. 

On the issue of server, the 

tribunal held that though 

Section 52 of the Electoral 

Act empowered INEC to 

issue regulations for the 

conduct of the presidential 

election, it noted that 

neither the Constitution nor 

the Electoral Act provided 

for electronic collation or 

transmission of results 

through the Smart Card 

Reader Machines. 

It held that most of the 

witnesses that were 

brought by the petitioners, 

testified that they did not 

know the identity or 

particulars of the said server 

the election results were 

purportedly transmitted to 

electronically. 

Specifically, the tribunal 

noted that the PW-59 who 

claimed to be an expert 

witness, testified that the 

data the petitioners said 

was obtained from INEC’s 

server, was secured from a 

website he gave as 

www.factsdontlieng.com, 

which was purportedly 

created by a whistleblower. 

It noted that the said 

website was created in 

March 12, which was about 

two weeks after the 

presidential poll held. 

The tribunal said it 

observed that apart from 

information the petitioners 

claimed was a replica of 

what was contained in 

INEC’s server, nothing 

else appeared on the 

website. 

Observing that witnesses 

of the petitioners admitted 

that the said website does 

not belong to INEC, the 

tribunal held that Atiku and 

PDP heavily relied on “an 

incredible and unverifiable 

Naira depreciates to N358.5 /$ in 

parallel market 


The naira yesterday depreciated to N358.5 per 

dollar in the parallel market. 

According to naijabdcs.com, the live exchange rate 

platform of the Association of Bureaux De Change 

Operators of Nigeria (ABCON), the parallel market 

exchange rate rose to N358.5 per dollar yesterday 

from N358 per dollar on Tuesday translating to 50 

kobo depreciation of the naira. 

However, the naira yesterday appreciated by 81 

kobo in the Investors and Exporters (I&E) window. 

Data from FMDQ showed that the indicative 

exchange rate for the I&E window dropped to 

N361.99 per dollar yesterday from N362.80 per dollar 

on Tuesday, translating to 81kobo appreciation for 

the naira. 

The volume of dollars traded on the window rose 

by 52 percent to $266.11million from $174.59 million 

on Tuesday. 

source.” 

It held that the petitioners 

relied on hearsay evidence 

that lacked probative value. 

Likewise, the tribunal 

held that the petitioners 

were unable to prove their 

allegation that the election 

was characterized by 

widespread irregularities in 

11 focal states. 

It held that necessary 

witnesses were not called 

to prove “monumental 

allegations” that security 

agencies were used to rig 

the election in Buhari’s 

favour. 

It said the petitioners had 

a duty to prove their 

allegations which were 

criminal in nature, beyond 

reasonable doubt as 

required by law, using eyewitness 

account. 

Maintaining that the 62 

witnesses produced by the 

petitioners were not 

sufficient to establish the 

gamut of allegations in the 

petition, the tribunal held 

that none of Atiku’s 

supporters that were 

allegedly harassed or 

arrested during the election 

was brought to testify. 

The tribunal held that the 

evidence of Alhaji Buba 

Galadima who claimed that 

he was harassed, had 

nothing to do with alleged 

electoral malpractices 

contained in the petition. 

Moreover, the tribunal 

held that the petitioners did 

not tender any voters’ 

register, adding that results 

sheets were merely 

tendered but not 

demonstrated by any of the 

62 witnesses. 

“In the final analysis, I 

have come to the 

conclusion which is 

inevitable and 

unavoidable, to the effect 

that this petition lacks merit 

and was not proved under 

Paragraph 15 of the First 

Schedule to the 

Constitution as required by 

law. 

“The petitioners failed to 

satisfactorily discharge the 

burden of proof. The 

petition is hereby 

discharged in its entirety,” 

Justice Garba held. 

Other justices on the 

presidential tribunal that 

agreed with the lead verdict 

were Justices Abdul Aboki, 

Samuel Oseji, Joseph 

Ikyegh and Peter Ige. 

Meanwhile, after the 

judgement was delivered, 

the petitioners said they 

would appeal to the 

Supreme Court. 

Rulings on 11 pending 

motions 

The tribunal had before 

the verdict, delivered 

ruling on 11 pending 

motions that were filed by 

all the parties. 

Whereas 10 of the 

motions were filed to 

challenge the competence 

of the petition, the 

petitioners equally filed a 

preliminary objection to 

oppose the legal validity of 

APC’s reply they said was 

filed in gross abuse of the 

judicial process. 

In the first ruling, the 

tribunal, dismissed the 

preliminary objection the 

Independent National 


INEC, filed to query the 

non-inclusion of Vice 

President Yemi Osibanjo, 

SAN, as a party to the 

petition. 

In a unanimous decision, 

the tribunal, held that the 

objection was not grounded 

in law. 

INEC had in the motion 

it filed on May 5, asked the 

tribunal to strike out the 

petition over failure to join 

the Vice President, Prof. 

Yemi Osibanjo as a 

necessary party in the 

case. 

It argued that by virtue of 

section 133 and 137(2) of 

the Electoral Act, Prof. 

Osibanjo, was a co-winner 

of the presidential election 

and therefore an 

indispensable party whose 

right to fair hearing would 

be adversely affected. 

INEC contended that 

failure to join Osinbajo as 

an interested party in the 

petition robbed the tribunal 

of its jurisdiction to 

entertain the case. 

However, the tribunal 

dismissed INEC’s 

objection as lacking in 

merit. 

It held that Osinbajo was 

not a necessary party 

whose participation in the 

proceeding was 

indispensable. 

Relying on section 187(1) 

of the 1999 Constitution, as 

amended, the tribunal 

stressed that like in 

governorship election, 

President Buhari was the 

actual candidate and 

therefore the necessary 

party in the petition. 

It noted that both 

President Buhari who is 

Osinbajo’s principal and 

the All Progressives 

Congress, APC, were duly 

joined as the 2nd and 3rd 

Respondents, respectively. 

It described the office of 

the Vice President as an 

appendage, stressing that 

Osinbajo could only be 

regarded as an interested 

party but not a necessary 

party. 

“Prayer of the 1st 

Respondent seeking to 

strike out the petition is not 

well grounded in law, it 

lacks merit, it is refused and 

hereby dismissed,” Justice 

Mohammed held. 

In another ruling, the 

tribunal held that the 

petition was validly and 

competently brought before 

it by Atiku and the PDP. 

The Justice Garba-led 

panel therefore dismissed 

a motion dated April 25, 

which INEC filed to 

challenge the competence 

of the petition. 

INEC had relied on 

Paragraphs 4(5) and 53(5) 

of the First Schedule to the 

Electoral Act, and urged the 

tribunal to strike out the list 

of witnesses and proof of 

evidence attached to 

Atiku’s petition, insisting 

that it was not validly 

signed by a legal 

practitioner. 

It contended that the 

name on the Nigerian Bar 

Association, NBA, seal that 

Atiku’s lawyer, Dr. Livy 

Uzoukwu, SAN, affixed on 

the petition dated March 

18, was different from the 

name he wrote on the 

Supreme Court roll for 

lawyers. 

However, the tribunal, 

said it was satisfied that 

Atiku’s lawyer was validly 

called to the Nigerian Bar. 

It held that INEC failed 

to controvert affidavit 

evidence by Uzoukwu to 

the effect that he was called 

to the Bar in 1982, served 

as the Attorney-General of 

Imo State between 1994 

and 1996, and was 

conferred the SAN rank in 

1999. 

Likewise, the tribunal 

dismissed INEC’s 

contention that it lacked 

jurisdiction to entertain the 

aspect of the petition 

alleging that President 

Buhari supplied false 

information regarding his 

educational qualifications. 

It held that contrary to 

INEC’s argument, such 

issue could be effectively 

ventilated before an 

election tribunal, stressing 

that it does not fall within 

pre-election matters listed 

under section 285(14) of the 

1999 constitution. 


since it could be litigated 

before it, it was therefore 

not caught by the statute of 

limitation that made it 

mandatory that such issue 

could only be challenged 

within 14 days after 

President Buhari tendered 

his Form CF001 to INEC. 

It held that by virtue of 

section 31(5) and (6) of the 

Electoral Act, the ground D 

which had to do with nonqualification 

of Buhari to 

contest the election, was 

both a pre-election and 

post-election issue that 

could be determined by 

both the tribunal and 

regular court. 

Nevertheless, the tribunal 

agreed with INEC and 

struck out several 

paragraphs of the petition 

it said contained 

allegations against 

agencies and individuals 

that were not joined as 

parties in the matter. 

It held that the 

paragraphs which indicted 

the Nigerian Police Force 

and the Nigerian Army, 

were liable to be struck out 

since they contained 

serious allegations of 

crime, corrupt practices, 

cannot 

make 

pronouncements against 

such persons in violation of 

their right to fair hearing 

under section 36 of the 1999 

constitution. The motion 

therefore succeeds only in 

part. Prayer 7 and 8 are 

accordingly granted”, the 

tribunal held. 

It equally struck out the 

petitioners’ reply to INEC 

which included depositions 

relating to the issue of the 

disputed “Server” through 

which result of the 

presidential election was 

allegedly transmitted 

electronically. 

It held that contrary to 

provisions of Paragraph 

16(a) and (b) of the First 

Schedule to the Electoral 

Act, the petitioners, 

introduced fresh facts that 

were not in response to 

INEC’s reply to the 

petition. 

In another ruling, the 

tribunal, dismissed 

President Buhari’s 

contention that Atiku was 

not qualified to challenge 

his re-election. 

The tribunal held that the 

argument which President 

Buhari canvassed in a 

preliminary objection he 

filed on May 14, was 

“diversionary, incompetent 

and academic.” 

It held that none of the 

parties disputed the fact 

that Atiku duly participated 

in the February 23 

presidential poll. 


Buhari ought to have filed 

a cross-appeal to query 

Atiku’s eligibility. 

The APC had insisted 

that Atiku is a Cameroonian 

and not a Nigerian by birth. 

Meanwhile, the tribunal 

declined to strike out 

President Buhari’s entire 

reply to the petition for 

being incompetent. 

The tribunal said it had 

the discretion to consider 

the reply on its merit. 

Relying on Paragraph 

16(a) and (b) of the First 

Schedule to the Electoral 

Act, the tribunal struck out 

aspects of the petitioners 

processes relating to 

witness statement of former 

Aviation Minister and 

National Collation Agent of 

the PDP during the 

presidential election, Chief 

Osita Chidoka. 

Chidoka, who appeared 

as the star witness for the 

petitioners, had among 

other things, tendered 

documents to support the 

allegation that result of the 

presidential poll was 

electronically transmitted to 

INEC’s central server. 

The tribunal held that his 

evidence introduced fresh 

facts to the petition. 

It equally dismissed 

aspect of the petition that 

accused the Vice President, 

Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, 

of using the TraderMoni 

scheme to buy votes. 

The tribunal held that it 

lacked the jurisdiction to try 

anyone for spending 

unappropriated public 

funds. 

It will be recalled that 

INEC had on February 27, 

declared that Buhari won 

the presidential contest 

with 15,191,847 votes to 

defeat his closest rival, 

violence, unlawful 

interference in the electoral 

process, made against 

those that could not defend 

themselves. 

It said the criminal law 

does not recognize 

vicarious liability. 

“Anyone who violates the 

law must be made to carry 

his own cross”. The court Continues on Page 42


Continues from Page41 



Atiku, who it said polled a 

total of 11,262,978 votes. 

Data from server 

However, in their joint 

petition marked CA/PEPC/ 

002/2019, Atiku and his 

party, insisted that data 

they secured from INEC’s 

server, revealed that 

contrary to the result that 

was announced, they 

defeated President Buhari 

with over 1.6million votes 

The petitioners 

maintained that proper 

collation and summation of 

the presidential election 

results would show that 

contrary to what INEC 

declared, Atiku, garnered 

a total of 18,356,732 votes, 

ahead of Buhari who they 

said got a total of 16,741,430 

votes. 

They alleged that INEC 

had at various stages of the 

election, unlawful allocated 

votes to President Buhari, 

insisting that the 

announced result did not 

represent the lawful valid 

votes cast. 

Atiku and PDP further 

alleged that in some states, 

INEC deducted lawful 

votes that accrued to him, 

in its bid to ensure that 

Buhari was returned back 

to office. 

Aside challenging the 

outcome of the election in 

11 states of the federation, 

the petitioners, alleged that 

President Buhari lied about 

his educational 

qualifications in the Form 

CF 001 he submitted to 

INEC to contest the 

presidential poll. 

Though the petitioners 

initially said they would 

produce 400 witnesses to 

prove their case, they 

however closed their case 

on July 19 after they called 

a total of 62 witnesses and 

tendered over 40,000 

documents. 

The petitioners, through 

their witnesses that 

comprised information 

technology experts and 

polling/collation agents, 

insisted before the tribunal 

that result of the 

presidential election was 

electronically transmitted to 

a central server, using the 

Smart Card Reader 

Machines. 

Even though INEC 

which was sued as the 1st 

Respondent, failed to call 

any witness, it vehemently 

refuted the claim that 

results were electronically 

transmitted. 

The electoral body told the 

tribunal that the 1999 

Constitution, as amended, 

and the Electoral Act, only 

made provision for manual 

collation of results using 

the Form EC8 Series. 

INEC said it decided not 

to call witnesses in the 

matter, having realized that 

the petitioners presented a 

very bad case. 

It argued that the 

petitioners failed to, by way 

of credible evidence, prove 

beyond doubt that the 

election was allegedly 

rigged against them in 11 

states of the federation. 

On his part, President 

Buhari who is the 2nd 

Respondent, on August 1, 

closed his defence after he 

produced seven witnesses 

that testified before the 

tribunal. 

Through his witnesses, 

President Buhari 

maintained that he validly 

won the presidential 

election, even as he 

tendered a Cambridge 

Assessment International 

Certified Statement of West 

African School Certificate 

issued in 1961, as well as 

photographs he took with 

his classmates in Katsina 

Provincial Secondary 

School, to prove that he has 

the requisite educational 

qualification. 

President Buhari had on 

the day he adopted his final 

brief of argument through 

his team of lawyers led by 

Chief Wole Olanipekun, 

SAN, argued that no law 

in the country stipulated 

that he must produce his 

certificates to prove his 

eligibility to contest the 


He contended that the 

1999 Constitution, as 

amended, only required 

him to be educated. 

President Buhari 

therefore urged the tribunal 

to dismiss the petition as 

grossly lacking in merit and 

substance. 

APC sought dismissal of 

petition 

Similarly, the APC which 

is the 3rd Respondent, 

sought the dismissal of the 

petition, even though it did 

not call any witness. 

The APC argued that the 

petitioners failed to call 

sufficient witnesses, 

especially Polling Unit 

Agents and Voters, to prove 

alleged electoral 

malpractices and noncompliance 

with the 

Electoral Act across the 

federation. 

The party further argued 

that Atiku did not disprove 

the allegation that he was 

not eligible to contest the 

election in view of the fact 

that he was originally from 

Cameroon and not a 

Nigerian by birth. 

Nonetheless, the 

petitioners, through their 

lead counsel, Dr. Livy 

Uzoukwu, SAN, urged the 

tribunal to hold that they 

successfully made out case 

to warrant Buhari’s sack. 

Uzoukwu said it was 

absurd for INEC to claim 

that it does not have an 

electronic storage device it 

kept data from the last 


Aside pointing out 

discrepancy in the name on 

the Cambridge certificate 

Buhari tendered before the 

tribunal which bore the 

name ‘Mohamed’ instead 

of ‘Muhammadu’, the 

petitioners noted that 

witnesses and the military 

board, denied that Buhari’s 

set in the Army were ever 

asked to surrender their 

certificates for safe keeping. 

Specifically, the 

petitioners sought the 

following reliefs: “That it 

may be determined that the 

2nd Respondent (Buhari) 

was not duly elected by a 

majority of lawful votes cast 

in the said election and 

therefore the declaration 

and return of the 2nd 

Respondent by the 1st 

Respondent as the 

President of Nigeria is 

unlawful, undue, null, void 

and of no effect. 

“That it may be 

determined that the 1st 

Petitioner (Atiku) was duly 

and validly elected and 

ought to be returned as 

President of Nigeria, 

having polled the highest 

number of lawful votes cast 

at the election to the office 

of the President of Nigeria 

held on 23rd February 

2019 and having satisfied 

the constitutional 

requirements for the said 

election. 

“An order directing the 1st 

Respondent (INEC) to 

issue Certificate of Return 

to the 1st Petitioner as the 

duly elected President of 

Nigeria. 


determined that the 2nd 

Respondent was at the time 

of the election not qualified 

to contest the said election. 


determined that the 2nd 

Respondent submitted to 

the Commission affidavit 

containing false 

information of a 

fundamental nature in aid 

of his qualification for the 

said election”. 

In the alternative, “That 

the election to the office of 

the President of Nigeria 

held on 23rd February 

2019 be nullified and a 

fresh election ordered.” 

Buhari’s objections 

In his preliminary 

objection however, 

President Buhari argued 

that every aspect of the 

petition grounded on or 

relating to electronic data 

purportedly retrieved or 

downloaded from INEC’s 

server were liable to be 

struck out, “same being 

incompetent and not rooted 

in any existing legislation”. 

He said: “That there were 

no incidences of corrupt 

practices at the election of 

23rd February, 20l9, as 

alleged by the Petitioners; 

and that the declaration and 

return of the respondent 


Republic of Nigeria is valid 

and in compliance with the 

provisions of the 

Constitution, the Electoral 

Act, and all other Laws, 

Rules, Guidelines and 

Regulations, regulating the 

election. 

“That the election of the 

respondent as the elected 


Republic of Nigeria is valid 

and was conducted in 

substantial compliance 

with the provisions of the 

Electoral Act. 

“Contrary to paragraph 

17 of the petition, the 

respondent states that the 

petitioners scored a total of 

11,262,978 votes, trailing 

far behind the respondent 

who scored a total of 

15,191,847 votes, with a 

margin of 3.328.869 votes”. 

Contending that he 

validly earned the number 

of votes that were credited 

to him by INEC, Buhari, 

said there was “nothing 

affecting the integrity of the 

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election as there was 

nothing untoward on the 

Form ECBDM and no 

calculation errors can he 

revealed by any genuine 

forensic examination or 

statistical analysis in 

respect of the election”. 

“The 1st respondent was 

duly elected by the majority 

of lawful votes cast at the 

election to the office of the 

President, and shall at the 

trial, rely on [NBC FORMS 

3C8 MA) and ECBE, 

issued by the 1st 

respondent at the election. 

“The respondent further 

states that he did not only 

score majority of lawful 

votes cast at the election 

into the office of President 

of Nigeria at the election of 

23rd February, 2019, 

convincingly, but also had/ 

has the requisite 

constitutional spread of 

one-quarter of the total 

number of votes cast in 

more than two-thirds of the 

States of the Federation,” 

President Buhari argued. 

A travesty of justice, says 

PDP, heads to Supreme 

Court 

•Says it is shocked that 

justices took over 

respondents’ roles 

The Peoples Democratic 

Party, PDP, Wednesday 

rejected the judgement of 

the Presidential Election 

Petition Tribunal, PEPT, 

describing it as provocative, 

bare-faced subversion of 

justice and direct assault on 

the integrity of the nation’s 

justice system. 

The party expressed 

shock that the tribunal 

failed to point to justice 

despite “the flawless 

evidence laid before it, 

showing that President 

Buhari was not only 

unqualified to contest the 

election but also did not 

score the majority of valid 

votes at the polls.” 

In a statement by its 

spokesman, Mr. Kola 

Ologbondiyan, the PDP 

said it was unreasonable 

“that a court of law could 

validate a clear case of 

perjury and declaration of 

false information in a sworn 

affidavit, as firmly 

established against 


Buhari, even in the face of 

incontrovertible evidence.” 

The statement continued: 

“The party is also rudely 

shocked that the court took 

over the roles of the 

Respondents’ lawyers who 

clearly abandoned their 

pleadings by refusing to 

call witness in defence of 

the petition. The court raked 

up all manner of excuses 

to make up for the yawning 

gaps occasioned by the total 

absence of any evidence 

from the Respondents. 

“Nigerians and the 

international community 

watched in utter disbelief 

when the tribunal ruled that 

one needs not provide a 

copy or certified true copy 

of educational certificate 

such individual claimed to 

possess, contrary to 

established proof of claims 

of certification. 

“The party notes as 

strange that the court even 

went ahead to provide 

rationalizations in favour of 

President Buhari, even 

when all hard facts before 

it shows that he did not 

possess the claimed 

educational certificate and 

that the Army was not in 

possession of his West 

African Examination 

Council, WAEC certificate 

as claimed in the affidavit 

he deposed to in his 

Presidential nomination 

form. 

“The PDP also described 

as shocking that the court 

approved the flawed 

declaration of President 

Buhari as the winner of the 

election despite evidence to 

show the perpetration of 

illegalities, manipulations, 

alterations and subtraction 

of valid votes freely given 

to Atiku Abubakar by 

Nigerians.” 

The party further added 

that “the pervading 

melancholic atmosphere 

across our nation since the 

verdict is a direct indication 

that the judgement has not 

fulfilled the desires and 

expectations of Nigerians. 

“The PDP however 

encouraged Nigerians to 

remain calm and not to lose 

hope or surrender to 

despondency or self-help, 

as our lawyers are upbeat 

in obtaining justice at the 

Supreme Court. This is 

more so as the tribunal itself 

admitted that there are 

several errors in the 

judgement.” 

‘I wasn’t worried all 

along’ — Buhari reacts to 

tribunal verdict 


Buhari described the ruling 

of the presidential election 

petition tribunal as a victory 

for Nigerians who trooped 

out to overwhelmingly elect 

him for a second term in 

office. 

Speaking shortly after the 

tribunal upheld his victory, 

the President said he was 

not worried about the 

petition filed to challenge 

the outcome of the election 

because he knew that 

Nigerians elected him. 

“Good conscience fears 

no evil report. I was 

unperturbed all along, 

because I knew Nigerians 

freely gave us the mandate. 

We are now vindicated,” 

Femi Adesina, presidential 

spokesman, quoted Buhari 

as saying. 

Adesina said Buhari 

dedicated the victory to 

God, and to Nigerians, 

while also commending the 

judiciary for “dispensing 

justice without fear or 

favour.” 

He said the President has 

extended a hand of 

fellowship to those who had 

felt aggrieved at the 

outcome of the election, 

and went to court, noting 

that it was within their 

democratic rights. 

“It is time for the country 

to move forward as one 

cohesive body, putting 

behind us all bickering and 

potential distractions over 

an election in which 

Nigerians spoke clearly 

and resoundingly,” he was 

quoted to have said. 

Ruling in order, Atiku/ 

PDP’s case, complete 

waste of time — APC 

The ruling All 

Progressives Congress 

APC has hailed the 

judgement of the 2019 

Presidential Election 

Petition Tribunal which 

affirmed the electoral 

victory of its candidate, 


Buhari. 

APC which described the 

petition by the Peoples 

Democratic Party PDP and 

its presidential candidate, 

Atiku Abubakar as a 

complete waste of time, 

praised the tribunal for 

Continues on Page 43

Continues from Page42 

dismissing “in its entirety” 

the petition filed by the duo. 

APC made its position 

known in a statement by its 

National Publicity 

Secretary, Mallam Lanre 

Issa-Onilu. The party 

noted that “with today’s 

legal affirmation of 

President Buhari’s election 

victory, the APC 

congratulates the 

President; the Vice 

President, Prof. Yemi 

Osinbajo SAN, all members 

of our great party and, 

indeed, all well meaning 

Nigerians on this 

landmark judgement.” 

The statement added: 

“The APC congratulates 

the Judiciary for refusing to 

succumb to the opposition 

party’s subterfuge. We 

note the painstaking efforts 

and thoroughness of the 

Justices of the Presidential 

Election Petition Tribunal in 

arriving at their decision. 

Today’s judgement, no 

doubt, would go down in 

the annals of our nation as 

the longest and detailed, 


Nigerians divided over ruling 

By Clifford Ndujihe, Dayo Johnson, Dapo 

Akinrefon, Vincent Ujumadu, Dirisu 

Yakubu & Boluwaji Obahopo 

THE polity was divided 

yesterday with the 

President Election Petition 

Tribunal’s upholding of the 

election of President 

Muhammadu Buhari of the 

All Progressives Congress, 

APC, in the February poll, 

while dismissing the 

petition of Alhaji Atiku 

Abubakar of the Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP. 

Among those who spoke 

on the judgement were 

governors, elder 

statesmen, party leaders, 

socio-political 

organisations and the 

Coalition of United Political 

Party, CUPP. 

Okorie congratulates 

Buhari, says justice has 

been served 

National Chairman of the 

United Progressive Party, 

UPP, Chief Chekwas 

Okorie, congratulated 

President Buhari on his 

victory, adding that the UPP 

has been vindicated on its 

August 17, 2018 decision to 

support Buhari. He said 

justice has been served and 

it is victory for democracy. 

While urging Buhari to 

accept his victory with the 

magnanimity of a forgiving 

father, Okorie advised 

Atiku Abubakar not to 

appeal the decision at the 

Supreme Court and save 

the county further 

distraction. 

In a statement, Okorie 

said: The United 

Progressive Party and its 

leadership felicitate heartily 

with President Buhari on 

the resounding landmark 

verdict of the Presidential 

Election Petition Tribunal 

which upheld the election 

of President Buhari in 

February, 2019. Justice has 

been served just as this 

victory is essentially victory 

for democracy. 

‘’On 20th November, 

2018, the leaders of our 

Party led by our National 

Chairman, Chief Dr. 

Chekwas Okorie were 

granted audience at the 

Presidential Villa, Abuja, to 

meet with the President 

where the Party conveyed 

its resolution not to present 

a Presidential Candidate 

on the platform of the UPP 

in order to focus our 

attention and energy in 

campaigning for him. He 

won the election with a 

margin of nearly four 

million votes to his closest 

rival. We sincerely advised 

the Peoples Democratic 

Party and its Presidential 

Candidate, Alhaji Atiku 

Abubakar to accept the 

outcome of the election in 

the spirit of sportsmanship. 

Unfortunately, they opted to 

proceed to the Tribunal with 

their petition against the 

election of President 

Buhari. True to our 

prediction, they have only 

succeeded in distracting 

the attention of the Nigerian 

people unnecessarily. We 

hope that their 

misadventure will be 

allowed to rest at this point, 

and save the nation of 

further distraction. 

In congratulating 


Buhari, we urge him to 

accept his victory with the 

magnanimity of a forgiving 

father. He should remain 

focused in carrying out the 

onerous responsibilities of 

his office.’’ 

Atiku’s lawyers can 

appeal—Afenifere 

Also reacting, the pan- 

Yoruba socio-political 

organization, Afenifere, 

said Atiku’s lawyers still 

have an option of 


spanning almost 10 hours. 

“The judgement by the 

five-member validates the 

decision of most Nigerians 

to do away with the past as 

expressed in their 

overwhelming votes in the 

2019 elections. 

“The PDP and Atiku’s 

petition was largely hinged 

on the educational 

qualification of President 

Muhammadu Buhari and 

tales of an Independent 

National Electoral 

Commission INEC server 

and allegations of electronic 

transmission of election 

results. This was rightly 

dismissed by the tribunal 

for lacking in merit. 

“From the outset, our 

party was not perturbed 

over the PDP and Atiku’s 

petition, which will go 

down in Nigeria’s history 

as the most frivolous in the 

history of election petitions. 

In fact our position has now 

been justified that the PDP 

and Atiku’s petition was a 

complete waste of time. In 

their puerile efforts, they 

insisted on taking the 

appealing the ruling. 

Afenifere’s National 

Publicity Secretary, Mr. 

Yinka Odumakin said: 

“The Tribunal has given its 

verdict. The lawyers to the 

petitioners have to study it 

and know if there are 

grounds to appeal as they 

have one leg still open to 

them.” 

If judiciary is 

comfortable with state of 

affairs, we wish the luck 

– Ohanaeze 

On his part, Mr. Chuks 

Ibegbu, national 

spokesman of Ohanaeze 

Ndigbo said: the 

Ohanaeze NEC, Imeobi 

and stakeholders will meet 

to take a position on the 

ruling. 

‘’Ndigbo belong to 

different political 

persuasions. Nigeria is 

bigger than any individual. 

Before the elections, we 

took a position that 

portrayed the interest of our 

people and we have no 

regrets about that. We 

should move on and keep 

praying for Nigeria. 

‘’The fate of the nation is 

in the hand of the judiciary. 

Most advanced and 

progressive nations of the 

world were shaped by their 

patriotic judiciary. 

If our judiciary is 

comfortable with our state 

and believe their ruling is 

the best and just for us, then 

we wish them good luck. 

We are all here.’’ 

It’s judgement foretold – 

Ikokwu 

Second Republic 

politician, lawyer and elder 

statesman, Chief Guy 

Ikokwu, said the refusal of 


Buhari to assent to the 

Electronic Transmission of 

Election Results Bill 

prepared grounds for 

manipulation of the polls 

and the verdict delivered by 

country on a circus and 

wild goose chase. 

“Going forward, APC’s 

victory at the presidential 

polls and the election 

tribunal represents our 

collective desire as a 

people to remain focused 

on the progressive growth 

and development of our 

country’s economy, fight 

against corruption, and 

providing security. 

“Consequently, we have 

taken a bold step by 

rescuing our nation from 

the satanic era of PDP, when 

our collective interests were 

being corruptly traded 

among a few pillagers. 

“We note, unfortunately, 

the continuous efforts being 

made by the unpatriotic 

elements in PDP, having 

held our country down for 

nearly two decades, to 

truncate our movement 

towards greatness. We, 

however, remain resolute in 

this journey being ably led 

by President Buhari. The 

APC administration would 

lead this country to the 

fulfilment of its destiny”, 

the ruling party pledged. 

Vanguard, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019 —43 

the tribunal, yesterday. 

He told Vanguard on 

phone: ‘’The tribunal’s 

judgement has already 

been foretold by the failure 

of President Buhari to give 

assent to the electronic 

transmission of results bill, 

with all the money the 

National Assembly voted 

for it. This gave room for 

manual transmission and 

manipulation of the results. 

The All Progressives 

Congress, APC and 

President Buhari had 

programmed that the 

election will not be free and 

fair by refusing to give 

assent to the electronic 

transmission of results." 

It’s a sad day for our 

country –Obaze 

PDP candidate in the last 

governorship election in 

Anambra, Mr. Oseloka 

Obaze said Nigeria had 

missed the opportunity to 

move forward. 

He said: “Today 

(yesterday) is a sad day for 

our country, Nigeria. This 

is a huge missed 

opportunity to right the ills 

of this nation. Nigerians 

should be extremely 

disappointed with the 

ruling of the Presidential 

Election Petition Tribunal. 

“This judgement runs 

against the weight of the 

evidence presented. Of 

course the tribunal has 

spoken and being law 

abiding, we respect their 

prerogative opinion, but we 

do not accept it. 

“Definitely, this ruling is 

subject to appeal and I am 

certain that our candidate, 

Atiku Abubakar, his 

running mate Mr. Peter 

Obi and our great party, 

PDP, will seek redress at the 

Supreme Court.’’ 

Judgement, provocative, 

fraudulent – CUPP 

On its part, the CUPP 

described the ruling as 

fraudulent and provocative 

to the sensibilities of 

Nigerians. 

In a statement issued by 

CUPP spokesperson, 

Ikenga Ugochinyere said: 

“From the totality of the 

judgement, the PEPT 

panel has lost the rare 

opportunity presented to it 

by the petition of the 

consensus opposition 

candidate, Atiku Abubakar 

to put an end to electoral 

fraud, leadership 

incompetence and the 

imposition of an unfit 

leader on the people. 

“By their judgement 

today (Wednesday), 

majority of Nigerians who 

had believed, though 

erroneously, that the 

judiciary was indeed 

independent have been 

brazenly awakened to the 

fact and correct belief that 

the Presidency had 

successfully hijacked the 

judiciary and Nigerians can 

only expect judgements 

and not justice. 

“All credible observer 

groups both local and 

international were 

unanimous in their verdict 

that the election was below 

the standard of the 2015 

election and was massively 

rigged in favour of the 

President. 

“The Court of Appeal 

wasted the opportunity and 

have by so doing, 

endorsed the insecurity in 

the land, mismanagement 

of national resources, 

electoral fraud, forgery of 

documents and certificates 

submitted to the 

Independent National 


INEC and indeed 

threatened the very 

foundations of our 

democracy. 

“Could the court as it had 

done in times past not this 

time also considered the 

state of the nation, mood of 

Nigerians, national security 

issues and taken a decision 

boldly, impartially and 

firmly in the interest of 

Nigerians and Nigeria? 

“Today’s judgement is a 

manipulation of the law 

and the brazen use of 

technicality to stamp 

injustice, rob the people of 

justice and deny the nation 

the chance to have a leader 

that they truly elected in the 

person of Atiku Abubakar." 

It has solidified people’s 

fate in Judiciary – Bello 

To Kogi State Governor, 

Yahaya Bello, President 

Buhari deserves his victory 

and the justices have done 

justice in the case. 

In a statement by his 

Chief Press Secretary, 

Muhammed Onogwu, the 

governor said the 

judgement has 

demonstrated that “the 

judiciary remains 

unimpressed by gimmickry 

and unfair media opinions 

planted by litigants.” 

“The Judiciary has again 

proved itself strong in the 

protection of democracy 

and the rule of law in 

Nigeria. I have never 

entertained any iota of 

doubt about today’s 

outcome because it was 

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clear that Nigerians voted 

overwhelmingly to re-elect 

the President. President 

Buhari is a man of the 

people and a peace-loving 

statesman. 

Perfectly predictable 

– Osuntokun 

In his reaction, Mr. Akin 

Osuntokun, Political 

Adviser to former President 

Olusegun Obasanjo, 

described the Tribunal 

ruling as “Perfectly 

predictable.” 

Osuntokun said: “The 

judgement merely 

worked to the answer that 

was determined the day 

the President committed 

himself to seeking reelection. 

What was the 

riotous and malicious 

orchestrated stampede of 

the hapless former Chief 

Justice, Walter Onnoghen 

out of office all about? Why 

would they go to such an 

extent to muzzle the 

judiciary only to 

countenance the option of 

losing at the courts? It 

amounts to the height of 

credulity for anyone to 

realistically anticipate a 

contrary verdict. 

Nonetheless, challenging 

the fraudulent award of 

victory to Buhari by INEC 

was a necessary ‘evil’; it 

has served the significant 

purpose of exposing the 

dark crevices and warrens 

of the sham election to the 

glare of the whole world." 

Wike, Akeredolu fete 

Buhari 

However, Rivers State 

Governor, Nyesom 

Ezenwo 

Wike 

congratulated President 

Buhari on the validation 

of his election by the 

tribunal. 

In a statement By 

Simeon Nwakaudu, his 

special assistant on 

Electronic Media, 

Governor Wike urged 

President Buhari to use 

his victory to work for all 

Nigerians, irrespective of 

their political leanings, 

and to work towards the 

unity of the country, 

noting that the country is 

divided 

Also, Ondo State 

Governor, Rotimi 

Akeredolu, in a statement 

by Commissioner for 

Information & Orientation, 

Donald Ojogo, 

congratulated the 

President and the APC over 

the judicial victory, 

describing it as national 

victory for all Nigerians.


SOUTH AFRICA: There must be consequences for 

xenophobic attacks against Nigerians — Okorie 

•Says 'Nigeria must be centre-piece of our foreign policy' 

By Olayinka Ajayi 

NATIONAL Chairman of the 

United Progressives Party, UPP, 

Chief Chekwas Okorie, in this 

interview urged the Federal 

Government to make the country 

the centre-piece of our foreign policy 

and to ensure that there are 

consequences for the xenophobic 

attacks against Nigerians in South 

Africa. He also spoke on the tough 

situation in Nigeria, recurring 

exodus of Nigerians and the way 

forward among others. 

ON the xenophobic attacks in 

South Africa and the fate of 

Nigerians there 

It is a matter of serious concern 

that Nigerians abroad are being 

resented and most times targeted 

for attacks. The exodus of Nigerians 

to foreign countries in search of 

greener pastures is also worrisome. 

The hard fact is that the situation 

in Nigeria is excruciating to the 

average citizen leading to the 

extreme option of travelling to 

foreign countries even when such 

adventures expose them to the 

vulnerability of unprovoked attacks. 

However, I recommend that 

Nigeria’s foreign policy should 

make the country its centre piece. 

This is what is trending and that is 

why the President of the United 

States of America, Mr Donald 

Trump is emphasising it every inch 

of the way by always stating 

“America First .” 

If we do not show in concrete 

terms that the lives of our citizens 

and our national interests matter, 

we shall not attract the respect we 

deserve. There must be 

consequences for the recent 

xenophobic attacks on Nigerians 

in South Africa. 

What do you make of the South 

East Governors banning óf 

herdsmen movements from 

community to community in the 

South-East? 

I sincerely believe that the policy 

will go a long way to curb the 

farmers/herders clashes that have 

frequently threatened the security 

and stability of the area. I hope that 

the South-East Governors will 

sponsor bills in their various state 

Houses of Assembly to give legal 

backing to it. 

Such laws should be drafted in a 

manner that it will not be draconian. 

The Hausa/ Fulani communities 

have lived and inter-related with 

Ndigbo for over a century. Some of 

them have held important elective 

political offices while some have 

been appointed into high level 

positions. The policy of controlling 

the movement of livestock should 

not be interpreted out of context. 

What does such move portend 

for our national unity? 

I believe that livestock business 

should be taken to the level of 

contemporary best practices. Cattle 

or livestock markets abound in 

every city and most communities 

in the South-East. The policy 

demands that livestock meant for 

sale should be transported to the 

designated markets. 

The proposed Ruga projects in 

the Northern states where land 

with the right vegetation is 

abundant should be encouraged 

while Nigerians who can establish 

•Okorie 

ranches are free to do so without 

interfering with farmers and their 

farms. In this way, everybody will 

be happy and peace will reign. 

How in your estimation will 

Nigeria be if we lost the legal tussle 

on the P&ID $9.6 billion fine? 

I do not wish to contemplate the 

possibility of Nigeria losing the 

legal battle over the $9.6 billion 

judgement debt. The laudable 

rescue programmes of the 

President Muhammadu Buhari 

Administration will be adversely 

Professor Onje Gye-Wado, former 

deputy governor of Nasarawa State, 

in this exclusive interview with Vanguard 

in Lafia, spoke on insecurity 

in the state, especially attacks by 

suspected herdsmen and the need 

to identify those backing them financially 

among others. 

By David Odama 

YOUR state is also affected by 

the widespread attacks perpetrated 

by suspected herdsmen. 

How do you feel about it? 

What is happening today is completely 

unimaginable, unacceptable 

and cannot be tolerated by any civil 

society. It disturbs me not just me 

but many people, who believe so 

much in the unity of this country. In 

1960, we saw the Union Jack, British 

flag, being lowered and replaced 

with Nigerian flag. We all rejoiced. 

In spite of our differences, we believed 

in oneness. It is unimaginable 

to see a Nigerian raising his 

hand against another Nigerian to 

the point of shedding blood. What 

has been happening in the past few 

years is a tragedy. 

It started with Boko Haram who 

are killing people and saying they 

don’t want western education which 

is an impossible demand. It is like 

telling a man to stop breathing. 

Boko Haram has caused us a lot of 

economic problems. Nigeria slipped 

into recession and to a large extent, 

it was caused by Boko Haram. We 

are spending billions of dollars, 

which we earned from oil derived 

from Niger Delta and South-East to 

fight a group that gave us impossible 

conditions. 

Are you disturbed by the kind of 

sophisticated weapons which the 

herdsmen are said to be using? 

Who are the sponsors of these 

herdsmen? Who are the people providing 

them with weapons? It is 

clear to me that they are bringing 

arms from outside Nigeria and the 

affected with dire social and 

economic consequences. Such 

possibility will make an already bad 

situation unbearable. 

I trust government to do all that 

is possible to save the situation. 

Those who exposed Nigeria to this 

quagmire must be rounded up and 

sanctioned including seizing their 

assets wherever they may be 

located. This should include the 

estates of the accomplices who may 

have died. 

On how former Governor 

Rochas Okorocha is being treated 

by Governor Emeka Ihedioha’s 

Administration in Imo State 

Former Governor Okorocha set 

the stage for his present 

predicament. He played God in 

many circumstances and turned the 

state to some sort of guinea pig for 

all kinds of political experiments. 

There seemed to be a very thin line 

between Okorocha’s personal 

assets and those of the state. Under 

Okorocha, the Imo State Assembly 

was such a rubber stamp that it 

lacked the fibre to query the 

governor on his several 

unappropriated projects and 

expenditures. 

Governor Emeka Ihedioha will 

be disappointing the people of Imo 

State if he failed to go after 

recovering whatever that is 

recoverable of the common 

patrimony of the people, 

mismanaged by the former 

governor. If this task of the 

incumbent governor is what you 

refer to as the embarrassment of 

Governor Okorocha, so be it. 

With the challenges of insecurity 

ravaging virtually the six geopolitical 

zones, is the nation 

drifting into regionalism? 

Nigeria is no doubt tending 

towards regionalism buoyed by 

rapidly increasing ethnic, sectional 

and religious consciousness. This 

may not be as a result of insecurity 

as your question suggests. I believe 

that lack of interest by government 

in the clamour for political 

restructuring of Nigeria may have 

compelled political, cultural and 

religious leaders to seek alliances 

HERDSMEN ATTACKS: Customs, Immigration owe Nigerians 

explanations — Gye-Wado 

•Says kidnapping, strategy to raise funds for insurrection 

•Gye-Wado 

Nigeria Customs, as well as the 

Immigration, have explanations to 

make. Some time ago, a group of 

armed people went to some communities 

in Benue State and killed 

many people including pregnant 

women. They destroyed their 

homes, burnt their farms and many 

villages were sacked. Those who 

carried out the attack said somebody 

from the area rustled their cows and 

they believed the only remedy was 

to kill even innocent people. These 

people continued their adventure, 

destroying many places just the 

way they did in Taraba, Zamfara, 

Plateau, Enugu and Anambra states 

and we were watching them. 

Police are helpless 

They have now gone into kidnapping 

and the information we have 

now is that this kidnapping is their 

strategy to raise funds for insurrection 

because when they kidnap people 

they send the ransom they collect 

to their sponsors to acquire more 

arms. It appears to me that the police 

are helpless in this situation. 

Nigerians can no longer pass 

through the major highways like 

the Kaduna-Abuja road because 

these same set of people have been 

instructed to raise money through 

kidnapping in other to sponsor terrorism. 

What is your position on the increasing 

cases of herders/farmers 

clashes in the state? 

What is happening across Nigeria 

not just Nasarawa State is unimaginable. 

It is not what an average 

Nigerian would want to tolerate. 

It worries me and other Nigerians 

who believe so much in the corporate 

existence of this project called 

Nigeria. In spite of our cultural, religious, 

and political differences, we 

believe in togetherness. 

Nigerians are saying that the 

herders should be disarmed, but it 

seems the government is not willing 

to do that. What is your take 

on this? 

The problem is more serious than 

anybody can imagine. We, the people 

of Nasarawa State are worried 

about this. When I was a child I saw 

cattle rearers with their sticks, bows, 

and arrows. I never saw anyone carrying 

weapons. It means some people 

are sponsoring them. The security 

agencies should be able to tell 

Nigerians who the sponsors are. 

The cattle rearers used to command 

their cattle whenever they strayed 

into farms but that is not the practice 

now. Today, herders carrying sophisticated 

weapons graze on farms 

and kill farmers who challenge 

them. Those sponsoring them have 

a mission which we don’t know and 

the security agencies have been 

unable to tell us. 

They should tell us because cattle 

rearing is not new in this country. 

This is a business that has been 

going on for years. 

Do you agree with claims in 

some quarters that Nasarawa State 

has not been fortunate to have purposeful 

leadership? 

There is no doubt that we have 

had poor governance, especially 

during the military. Many people 

know that I was a lecturer doing my 

work at the university before I became 

the deputy governor of the 

state. Like many indigenes of the 

that support regionalism. 

It may not be a bad idea after all. 

It will still take a coalition of 

regionally strong political parties 

to form a central government in 

Nigeria as was the case in the first 

and second republics. 

What kind of Nigeria do you 

dream and what leadership do we 

produce to get that kind of 

Nigeria? 

I will rather recommend for 

Nigeria a political leadership that 

is a product of credible and 

transparent elections, which can 

only be guaranteed by the use of 

electronic voting system. The 

advantages of this system far 

outweigh its perceived 

disadvantages. In conclusion, it will 

be in the best interest of Nigeria if 

we can reach a national consensus 

to support the people of the South- 

East to produce the next President 

of Nigeria in 2023. It will be a 

wonderful legacy in promoting 

national unity and cohesion if this 

epochal milestone is powered by 

President Buhari himself. 

state, I was also worried about the 

future of the state. When we came 

into the government in 1999, Nasarawa 

State was begging for development 

after its creation in 1996. 

We undertook several innovations 

like the construction of new schools, 

renovation of dilapidated schools, 

the establishment of a university, 

polytechnic and many institutions 

to meet the educational needs of our 

people. Health, industrialisation, 

and roads also received attention. 

Civilian administrations in the 

state have remained committed to 

the development of the state in spite 

of the lean resources available. 

Nasarawa State is divided along 

religious and ethnic lines. Does it 

constitute a challenge? 

Our religious system is just as good 

as the educational system because, 

without education, people would 

not be able to understand religion. 

Religion is not something you just 

grow up to understand. I think education 

should come first. 

Other factors militating against the 

development of the state are ethnicity 

and political egotism. Nasarawa 

State would have been the fastest-growing 

state. It is regrettable 

that with all efforts, and mechanisms 

put in place by the first civilian administration, 

ethnicity, religious inclination, 

and political sentiments 

have continued to slow down the 

pace of development. 

Nigeria of my dreams 

The Nigeria of old and the Nigeria 

I grew up to meet was different 

and my aspirations for Nigeria kept 

changing as I grew up. If you grew 

up in one part of Nigeria you are 

only left with stories to judge the 

other parts. Therefore, the Nigeria 

of my dreams is one in which we 

would avoid concentrating on our 

differences and see ourselves as individuals 

with a common purpose. 

The Nigeria I knew while growing 

up was not one where resources 

determined what one would become. 

There are a lot of brilliant people, 

who want to do good just as 

there are a lot of people who want 

to bring the country down.

Ukraine coach praises Eagles 

•Tells fans Lithuania not in Nigeria’s class 

The Yellow Men found the 

going tough against the 

Super Eagles and from the 

fourth minute to the 75th minute 

stared defeat in the face but two 

late goals rescued a draw for the 

hosts, following which Ukraine’s 

manager revealed his respect to 

the Nigeria side. 

Coach Andriy Shevchenko has 

appealed to the fans of the Ukraine 

national team, the Yellow Men to 

accept the 2-2 draw against the 

Super Eagles as a good result as 

Nigeria is no Lithuania. A few 

days ago, Ukraine travelled away 

to thrash Lithuania 3-1 in a Euro 

qualifier and more of the same was 

expected by the home fans when 

Nigeria arrived at the Dnipro 

Arena. 

But debutant Joe Aribo gave the 

Super Eagles the perfect start four 

minutes in before Lille hotshot 

Victor Osimhen doubled the 

advantage from the penalty spot to 

shock the home fans. 

Ukraine rallied in the second 

half and two goals in quick 

succession ensured that the 

Yellows avoided a humiliation in 

front of their supporters. 

Shevchenko wasted no time in 

telling critics that his team should 

be applauded as Nigeria, ranked 

33 by FIFA, cannot be compared 

to Lithuania who are ranked 

almost 100 places below the West 

Africans. 

“It is very difficult to find the 

ideal at all. The team is moving in 

the right direction. It is impossible 

to compare today’s match with the 

previous one against Lithuania,” 

Shevchenko told reporters after 

the game. 

Oparaku lauds Olympic Eagles win over Sudan 

Following Nigeria’s U23 5-0 

win against Sudan U23 in the 

second-leg of the 2019 Africa 

U23 Cup of Nations qualifiers, 

1996 Olympic Gold medal 

winner, Mobi Oparaku has 

hailed the performance of the 

team and doggedness to 

overturn a first-leg deficit. 

The former Enyimba player who 

was part of the first dream team 

in 1996 revealed that he never 

entertained any fear over the 

qualification chances of the team. 

“I wasn’t worried about the 

second-leg because I knew we 

had U23 players at home and 

abroad that can play the game, 

plus the coaching crew do not 

play with sentiments, they follow 

due process.” 

On the introduction of fresh legs 

in the second-leg, Okparaku 

said, “the coaches know what 

they want, they reshuffled the 

team after the first-leg defeat, 

and they know best why they 

made their choices.” 

The Heartland technical crew 

member also likened the 

comeback of the Olympic Eagles 

to that of Dream team in their 

1996 qualifiers game against 

Kenya. 

Shevchenko 


New Super Eagles‘ll get 

better – Aghahowa 

Former Super Eagles striker 

Julius Aghahowa has called 

for caution and patience with 

the current team following the 

2-2 draw against Ukraine on 

Tuesday. 

Nigeria threw away a 2-0 first 

half lead to settle for a draw at 

the Dnipro stadium, but 

Aghahowa insists the team’s 

building process is on course. 

“We should let them progress 

gradually, so that they can have 

a strong appearance when they 

get fully into the senior 

national team and hopefully, 

this crop of players will get 

better,” the former FC 

Shakhtar Donetsk player said. 

“You can see some players are 

being selfish a bit because they 

want to do something special 

or something extra-ordinary to 

stamp their place in the team.” 

Super Eagles need more NPFL 

players, Amunike tells Rohr 

Super Eagles Head Coach 

Gernot Rohr gave three 

players their senior debut as 

Nigeria was held 2-2 by Ukraine 

in an international friendly on 

Tuesday. 

Ayodele Aribo, Josh Maja and 

Dennis Emmanuel were handed 

their first international caps by 

Rohr, but former Eagles winger 

Emmanuel Amunike believes that 

the Coach could have done more 

and for home based players too. 

In the 18-man squad selected 

against Ukraine, only one player 

Lille hail Osimhen’s debut goal for Nigeria 

French Ligue 1 side Lille 

Metropole could not hide 

their joy as striker Victor Osimhen 

scored his first senior national 

team goal for Nigeria. 

Osimhen bravely took up the 

spot kick responsibility after 

Samuel Kalu was tripped in the 

box and converted with a lot of 

energy behind the ball and the 

Ligue 1 campaigners described it 

as “nicely done”. 

The French club side on Twitter 

reacted to the latest feat achieved 

by the 21 year-old striker. 

Osimhen joined Lille from 

Sporting Charleroi in the Belgian 

league for a fee believed to be in 

the region of 12 million Euros. 

He has scored four goals in as 

many matches in the Ligue 1 and 

won the August player of the 

month after his breathtaking start 

to the season. 

based in Nigeria made the cut. 

Heartland FC’s Ikechukwu 

Ezenwa was the only NPFL based 

player in the squad, and Amunike 

insists the German Coach can do 

more giving home based players 

opportunities in the Eagles. 

“Friendly games are not all 

about winning, but an avenue for 

you to test new players and the old 

ones if they can fit in,” the former 

Eagles winger said. 

“We must be in a position to 

continue to see how we can 

develop our players, developing 

the the players shouldn’t be only 

the foreign based, even the home 

based, the players in our league 

here. We must give them a sense 

of belonging we must let them 

realize that they are part of the 

project, because it’s a project. 

Osimhen revels in scoring first senior int’l goal 

I 

n-form Lille striker Victor Osimhen has taken to social media to react 

to Nigeria’s 2-2 draw against Ukraine in an international friendly on 

Tuesday evening in which he opened his account for the senior national 

team. Eleven minutes before half-time, the Super Eagles number 21 

scored from a disputed penalty awarded by Italian official Paolo Valeri 

after Samuel Kalu was adjudged to have been fouled. 

Although Osimhen didn’t score from open play, he proved a handful for 

the Ukrainian defence with his physicality. 

Manager Gernot Rohr is on the lookout for a replacement for Odion 

Ighalo, who announced his international retirement after the Africa Cup 

of Nations, and Osimhen is believed to be presently ahead of Racing 

Genk’s Paul Onuachu in his pecking order of center forwards.

46 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019

Vanguard, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019—47

Vanguard, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019 

TODAY’S PUZZLE 

Sudoku 

FRIDAY’S ANSWER 

TODAY’S CROSSWORD 

QUICK CROSSWORD 

THURSDAY’S SOLUTION 

How to Play Sudoku 

ACROSS 

1 Bequest (6) 

4 Emphasis (6) 

8 Injure with hot liquid (5) 

9 Pouch worn with kilt (7) 

10 Large crustacean (7) 

11 Kitchen herb (5) 

12 Vanish (9) 

17 Path of a planet (5) 

19 Without assistance (7) 

21 Easily broken (7) 

22 Parish clergyman (5) 

23 Vigour (6) 

24 Avoided, escaped (6) 

DOWN 

1 Finally (6) 

2 Seized (7) 

3 Trainee officer (5) 

5 Affliction (7) 

6 Nobleman (5) 

7 Unmarried (6) 

9 Sacred writings (9) 

13 Session (7) 

14 Slimmed down (7) 

15 Hot beverage (6) 

16 Revered (6) 

18 Couple (5) 

20 Blacksmith's block (5) 

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

of the same number). 

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

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

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

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

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

multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination. 

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12092019

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