21102019 - BORDER CLOSURE:‘How neighbouring countries worked against Nigeria’

Foreign portfolio 

investment in 

equities shrinks 

by 34% 

From left, MD/CEO, Nigerian Breweries 

Plc, Mr. Jordi Borrut Bel; Her Excellency 

wife of the Governor of Lagos State, Dr. 

Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu; Winner of the 2019 

Maltina Teacher of the Year, Mr. Ezem 

Collins; Minister of State for Education, 

Hon. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba and 

Corporate Affairs Director, Nigerian 

Breweries Plc, Mrs. Sade Morgan during 

the prize presentation to the winner at the 

Grand Finale of the 2019 Maltina Teacher 

of the Year held in Lagos yesterday. 

VOL. 26: NO. 63922 MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2019 

BORDER CLOSURE: 

‘How neighbouring countries 

worked against Nigeria’ 

5 

•Imports must come through ports — FINANCE MINISTER 

•Closure should be sustained pending firm agreements, says CBN gov 

•FG gets $3bn loan for power sector; UK backs Jollof Bond issuance 

•Reps want FG to clamp down on, revoke licenses of DISCOs, GENCOs 

Border shutdown breeding criminality in Seme 41 

DANGOTE BAGS DOCTORATE DEGREE... 

Magu 

breaks 

Nigeria’s 

recovery, 

conviction 

record in 

4yrs 9 

Mr & Mrs 

From left, Ecobank Managing Director, Patrick Akinwuntan, Guest of honour/Chairman Ecobank International, Emmanuel 

Ikazoboh, Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, and President/CE, Dangote Industries Limited, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, during 

the conferment of a doctorate degree award on the industrialist at Ambrose Alli University, in Ekpoma, Edo State.

2 — Vanguard, MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2019

Vanguard, MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2019 — 3

Vanguard, MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2019—5 

POCKET CARTOON 

Managing Director (MD) and Chairwoman of the International Monetary 

Fund, Kristalina Georgieva flanked by the Minister of Finance, Hajia Zainab 

Ahmed (l) and the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, shortly after the 

International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) meeting as part 

of the 2019 Annual Meetings of the IMF/World Bank at the IMF 

Headquarters, Washington DC...over the weekend. Photo by Abayomi 

Adeshida. 

‘How neighbouring countries 

worked against Nigeria’ 

By Emeka Anaeto, Babajide Komolafe, 

Udeme Akpan & Tordue Salem 

THE Minister of 

Finance, Zainab 

Ahmed, yesterday 

explained how Nigeria's 

neighbours worked against 

her interests, and blamed 

them for closure of the 

nation’s borders. 

This is even as governor 

of the Central Bank of 

Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, 

stressed the need to sustain 

the closure of the country’s 

land border, insisting that 

the closure was critical to 

boosting local production 

and employment 

generation which is 

necessary for enhancing 

economic growth in the face 

of slowdown in the growth 

of the global economy. 

The Finance Minister 

also disclosed that the 

Federal Government has 

secured a loan of US$3 

billion from the World 

Bank for the power sector, 

adding it also received 

support of the government 

of the United Kingdom in 

its efforts to issue Jollof 

Bonds as a means of 

raising 

Nairadenominated 

foreign loans. 

Jollof Bond is a 

domesticated version of the 

Euro bond Nigeria has 

been using to raise loans. 

This came as the House 

of Representatives vowed 

to push the Federal 

Government to re-privatise 

some “ineffective” power 

generating, GENCOs, and 

distributing companies, 

DISCOs, in the country. 

Addressing journalists in 

Washington, Mrs Ahmed, 

dismissed insinuations that 

the border closure was 

vindictive against 

neighbouring countries. 

‘Borders won’t re-open, 

unless...’ 

She said though the 

border closure was 

temporary, it would not be 

reversed 

until 

neighbouring countries 

were committed to 

agreement on measures to 

checkmate smuggling of 

goods into Nigeria. 

She said: “Let me give 

you an example. The 

commitments that we have 

with these countries is that 

goods can come through 

your ports to Nigeria, but 

when they come, they are 

supposed to come in sealed 

containers escorted to 

Nigeria for the Nigerian 

Customs to open them for 

inspection as well as 

charges. 

“But that is not what is 

happening; they allowed 

containers to be opened 

and they also allowed 

goods to be smuggled 

beyond the formal borders 

through several illegal 

borders. 

“But now that we have 

commit to the African 

Continental Free Trade 

Agreement, AfCFTA, we 

have to ensure that rules 

are obeyed, otherwise local 

industries will be greatly 

affected. 

“Businesses have been 

suffering due to the 

activities of smugglers but 

with more opening up, 

following our commitment 

to the AfCFTA, this will get 

worse unless we make sure 

now that everybody comes 

back to obey the rules as 

agreed. 

“The border closure is not 

permanent and there are 

lots of discussions going on 

at the technical level and 

at some point, it will be at 

the level of Presidents and 

then real commitments will 

be made and hopefully, 

everybody will comply to 

own side of the agreement. 

“There will be an 

economic impact on the 

side of our neighbours due 

to the border closure. This 

is something that the 

President (Buhari) has 

avoided from 2015. There 

were several engagements 

to try to get them to improve 

but things were getting 

worse. So, it was just a 

measure that had to be 

taken.” 

‘Firm decisions, 

agreements, a must’ 

Speaking in the same 

vein, CBN governor, 

Godwin Emefiele, said: “I 

would caution and appeal 

that before the borders are 

re-opened, some firm 

decisions and agreements 

must be reached where 

protocols must be obeyed. 

“When we say we want 

this to stop, other countries 

must respect what we want 

because it is also meant for 

the growth and the good of 

our country.” 

Explaining how 

smuggling activities across 

land borders undermine 

local production, Emefiele 

said: “Two weeks to the 

closure of the border, I was 

called by rice millers, not 

less than five rice millers, 

were complaining that 

each of them had nothing 

less than 30,000 metric 

tonnes of milled rice in 

their warehouses that they 

couldn’t sell as a result of 

smuggling. 

“I was called by some of 

the poultry farmers that 

we were also financing 

through our intervention 

that they couldn’t sell their 

eggs and poultry items. 

“A week after the border 

closure, the rice millers 

called back to say, 

government thank you very 

much, we don’t know what 

happened, we don’t know 

if it was you that spoke to 

the President. With this 

border closure, we have 

exhausted all our rice in 

our warehouses, people 

are coming to deposit 

money”. 

FG secures $3bn World 

Bank loan for powersector 

Meanwhile, the Minister 

of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, 

who disclosed news of 

Nigeria securing a $3billion 

World Bank loan for the 

power sector, also disclosed 

the outcome of Nigeria’s 

team engagements at the 

just-concluded 2019 World 

Bank and the International 

Monetary Funds, IMF 

Annual Meetings. 

Explaining that the loan 

would come in four 

tranches of $750 million 

each, with the first tranche 

to be approved by April 

2020, she said the $3 billion 

would be deployed to 

upgrade the transmission 

network as well as address 

various challenges in the 

sector, including tariff 

shortfalls and payment of 

previous obligations that 

have crystallised. 

She added that the 

government hopes to 

secure another $1 billion 

which would be deployed 

Continues on Page 41 

By Olayinka Latona 

On Agric Minister's claim that there's no hunger in Nigeria (3) 

I 

want to believe he is 

being sarcastic! 

Nigeria’s debt profile 

has increased by 3.11% 

from $81.27b in the first 

quarter of 2019 to 

$83.88b (N25.70 

trillion), plus our 23.1% 

unemployment rate, 

under a deplorable 

economy with over 11% 

inflation rate as at 

September 2019, there 

has to be hunger in the 

land. 

-McKelvin Jude Oseh 

Youth advocate 

This shows how 

alienated our political 

leaders are from the 

people. Even a foreigner 

that does not reside in 

Nigeria knows of the 

hunger in Nigeria and our 

honourable Minister is 

unaware of it because he 

eats whenever he wants. 

The government knows 

nothing about the people 

and so can’t be of help to 

them. This is what the 

minister’s statement clearly 

shows. 

-Philomena C. Ogburie 

Researcher 

I 

believe that the 

Minister spoke from the 

perspective of a patriotic 

Nigerian and as one who 

has seen only the 

abundance in the 

agricultural sector. He 

needs to further explore the 

land and see that not all 

Nigerians have access to 

crops being produced here. 

The cost of feeding is 

relatively high in some parts 

of Nigeria and obviously, 

not every community can 

afford to produce its own 

food. 

-Adeola Osunkoya 

HR Intern 

How on earth would 

the Minister of 

Agriculture claim that 

there’s no hunger in 

Nigeria? It’s crystal clear 

that a high percentage of 

Nigerians are living in 

abject poverty and as a 

result, most cannot 

afford to feed properly on 

daily basis. Many are 

impoverished because of 

high unemployment 

rate. Only the rich and 

average class can afford 

to feed properly. 

-Ayanlowo Tunde 

Analyst 

Are we quoting the 

minister out of 

context? I can’t fathom 

how one of our country’s 

leaders will utter such a 

statement, it is visible to 

the blind man that 

hunger is flying in the 

air, maybe he doesn’t 

live in Nigeria. The 

minister said: “When 

people talk about hunger 

in this government, I 

just laugh.” Are we 

being mocked? God help 

my country. 

-Afolayanka Semilore 

Analyst 

Food is very cheap in 

Nigeria compared 

to other countries. The 

availability and 

production of food is 

what should be taken 

into consideration. I 

would say there is 

hunger in Nigeria 

because in most parts of 

Nigeria, people don’t 

have access to food 

because of the restriction 

placed on products from 

neighbouring countries. 

-Okoli N. Blessing 

Writer


6—Vanguard, MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2019 

2 drown in 

Bayelsa 

community, 

residents 

protest 

By Samuel Oyadongha 

THE recovery of the corpses 

of two persons, who 

drowned in the Epie Creek at 

Agudama in Yenagoa Local 

Government Area of Bayelsa 

State, yesterday, sparked off 

heavy protest in the area. 

The victims, said to be 

siblings, were identified as Jeff, 

22 and Adeni, 24. 

They were said to have met 

their tragic end Friday night 

when the boat conveying them 

across the Epie Creek 

capsized. 

It was learned that while five 

other occupants of the ill-fated 

boat were rescued, the 

deceased were not lucky as 

they were swept away by the 

swift current. 

The corpses of the victims 

were recovered by the locals 

yesterday, triggering protest in 

the area over “neglect by the 

government.” 

The development caused 

traffic gridlock along 

Agudama-Edepie stretch of the 

Melford Okilo Expressway. 

However, the timely 

intervention of the Police 

prevented the situation from 

degenerating into violence. 

The incident, community 

sources told Vanguard, was the 

third in recent time. 

A resident, Mr. Endwell 

Azibayam, said: “Yearly, people 

from this neighbourhood die 

because of the flood. On Friday 

night about 11p.m., seven 

persons were crossing from 

Mbiama-Yenagoa Road to our 

area when the boat capsized. 

“We managed to rescue five 

persons, but two were swept 

away by the current of the 

flood. Since that day we have 

been searching for their bodies 

until this morning(yesterday) 

when we found them. Because 

the government failed to build 

a bridge for us, we built a 

wooden bridge we managed 

until the flood came and swept 

it away. 

“So the only way we can 

connect to the outside world is 

to cross the Epie Creek with 

the canoe. If not for that reason, 

those boys wouldn’t have died 

in the manner they did on 

Friday.” 

Uncle to the deceased, Mr. 

Julius Diepreye, blamed what 

he described as the 

insensitivity of the government 

for the death of his nephews, 

saying the government have 

continuously failed to live up 

to its responsibilities. 

Julius said: “The state 

government have failed to 

meet its primary responsibility. 

I am not asking government to 

give my family money, but 

relief materials.” 

LAGOS MARINE HOMES: Lagosians making homes under a bridge on the Lagos Island. PHOTO: Lamidi Bamidele. 

7 terrorists killed, 8 crippled by own 

IED in Borno 

By Ndahi Marama 

M AIDUGURI—THE 

Nigerian Army, yesterday, 

disclosed that seven terrorists 

died when their vehicle ran over 

an Improvised Explosive Device, 

IED, they planted for troops in 

Lamba’a Forest along Jakana- 

Mainok Road in Borno State. 

It was also gathered that two 

soldiers and a local hunter were 

killed when some members of 

Boko Haram sect laid an ambush 

on military operation vehicles 

along Maiduguri-Beneshiekh- 

Damaturu Road. 

Col Aminu Iliyasu, the Nigerian 

Army Operations Media 

Coordinator, in a statement 

yesterday, added that eight other 

terrorists were crippled by the 

IEDs. 

He said: “The incident was a 

clear case that can be best 

described as a tactical boomerang, 

as a Toyota Sam Sahara model 

belonging to the terrorists 

stepped on an IED they planted 

against troops in the area.” 

Iliyasu also disclosed that a 

syndicate that specialises in 

smuggling smoked fish from the 

Lake Chad region for sale in some 

parts of Nigeria was busted by the 

troops. 

He said the proceeds from the 

sales are believed to be 

channelled into the procurement 

of foodstuff, groceries, drugs, 

toiletries, vehicle spare parts and 

other items for the sustenance of 

the terrorists’ activities. 

His words: “In a related 

development, troops of Sector 3, 

Operation Lafiya Dole, while 

acting on intelligence, raided the 

residence of some suspected 

illegal fish smugglers near Water 

Board Internally Displaced 

Persons, IDPs, Camp in 

Monguno Local Government 

Area of Borno State. 

“Four suspects were arrested 

and 16 sacks of smoked fish 

concealed in a room were 

recovered. 

“In a similar operation 

conducted by troops of Sector 2, 

Operation Lafiya Dole, on 

October 10 intercepted nine 

vehicles loaded with smoked fish 

consignments at Bukarti in 

Geidam Local Government Area 

of Yobe en-route Hadejia in 

Jigawa State. 

Meanwhile, it was gathered 

By Esther Onyegbula 

A 

16-year-old student of 

Government Secondary 

School (Alapere) Ijanikin, has 

been stabbed to death along 

Palace Road, Vespa Bus Stop, 

Ijanikin, Ojo area of Lagos. 

The victim, Wasiu Abdullahi, a 

Senior Secondary School, SSS, 2 

student’s throat was slit with a 

knife by a former student from 

Government Secondary School 

Oto-Awori, identified as Adewale 

Jamiu. 

It was gathered that on 

Thursday, Fowosere, a friend to 

the slain Abdullahi, beat up 

Adewale because of his phone, 

which the latter took. 

However, trouble started on 

Friday after the close of school, 

that at least two soldiers and a 

local hunter, named Mallam 

Monye, were killed when some 

members of Boko Haram sect laid 

ambush on military operation 

vehicles along Maiduguri- 

Beneshiekh-Damaturu Road. 

Sources said the latest ambush 

took place Saturday evening, but 

the remains of the victims were 

conveyed to Maiduguri yesterday 

morning. 

It was also gathered that the 

attackers suffered the same 

casualties, as many of the 

terrorists were eliminated during 

when Adewale attacked 

Fowosere on his way home at 

Vespa Bus Stop, Ijanikin. 

Abdullahi was stabbed on his 

throat, while attempting to stop 

the two from fighting. 

According to an eyewitness, 

Vivian Tamari, “I was on my way 

to the market to buy food items 

when the incident happened. 

Sincerely I don’t know why they 

were fighting. 

“What drew my attention was 

the loud cry of one the students, 

who was shouting ‘help me, help 

me’ in Yoruba language. He was 

holding his neck with both hands 

while blood was gushing out. 

“As he was shouting, some of 

the market women immediately 

ran to his aid. They pulled his 

uniform and tied it on his neck to 

the encounter. 

A hunter told Vanguard that they 

lost one of their members during 

the ambush 

“Yesterday, Boko Haram 

ambushed our gallant Nigerian 

Army and Borno local hunters 

(vigilantes) along Maiduguri- 

Beneshiekh Federal Highway. 

“We lost one of our active 

members named (Monye ) due 

to lack of protection.” 

At press time, efforts to confirm 

from the Director Army Public 

Relations, Colonel Sagir Musa, 

proved abortive. 

Dropout stabs secondary school 

student to death over phone in Lagos 

AFTER hours of searching for 

a lion, which escaped from 

its cage at a zoo in Kano, the 

animal has been captured. 

Head of the zoological garden, 

Sai’du Gwarzo, told BBC Hausa, 

yesterday morning, that the lion 

was found inside the zoo’s 

premises, in a cage belonging to 

goats. 

The lion had killed and eaten 

all the goats in the cage, he said. 

His words: “The rangers had 

succeeded in locking up the cage 

before the lion was shot with an 

injection which made him less 

harmful before it was captured 

and returned to its cage.” 

There was panic on Saturday 

night around Zoo Road in Kano 

metropolis, when the lion escaped 

from its cage. 

reduce the bleeding as they 

rushed him to a nearby private 

hospital, Ademola Hospital, 

located beside Cele Bus Stop.” 

However, Abdullahi bled to 

death before he could get medical 

attention at the hospital. Police 

officers from Ijanikin evacuated 

the corpse to Badagry Mortuary. 

It was learned that the teenage 

suspect, Adewale Jamiu, who 

dropped out of school has been 

on the run since the incident. 

Confirming the tragedy, 

spokesman of Lagos State Police 

Command, DSP Bala Elkana, 

said investigation was ongoing 

and that the case had been 

transferred to State Investigation 

and Intelligence Department, 

SCIID, Panti, Yaba, for further 

investigation. 

Missing Kano zoo lion found in goats’ cage 

It was gathered that the 

incident happened around 9p.m., 

when the rangers were trying to 

put it back to its cage after they 

returned it from a national 

agricultural show in Nasarawa 

State. 

Many residents and motorists 

abandoned the busy Zoo Road 

late Saturday and yesterday 

morning for fear the missing lion.


It's the devil, says woman that burnt girl with knife 

By James Ogunnaike 

A 

35-year-old woman, 

Monsurat Olusanya, has 

been arrested for allegedly 

inflicting injuries on a four-yearold 

girl with a hot knife, in 

Tiluwalase community, Owode 

Ijako area of Ogun State. 

The suspect, who blamed her 

action on the devil, said the victim, 

Fathia Ogundimu, who is her 

niece, spilled her soup. 

Vanguard gathered that the little 

girl had been living with the 

suspect for close to a year. One of 

the residents, said to have seen 

the victim writhing in pains last 

Friday, approached her to know 

what was wrong, only to discover 

the injuries on her back. 

The angry resident took the 

victim to Sango Police Division, 

consequent upon which the 

Divisional Police Officer, CSP 

Godwin Idehai, detailed some 

detectives to the scene to effect 

Olusanya’s arrest. 

Spokesman for Ogun State 

Police Command, DSP Abimbola 

Oyeyemi, who confirmed the 

arrest, said: “The suspect, who 

accused the girl of mistakenly 

pouring a pot of soup away, put a 

knife on fire and used the hot 

knife to inflict injuries all over her 

body. 

“Not satisfied, she bit the little 

girl on her stomach and lips. 

“On interrogation, she admitted 

being responsible for the injuries 

on the victim’s body, but pleaded 

for leniency, claiming the devil 

pushed her to do it. The victim 

has been taken to hospital. 

“The suspect, who is a mother 

of three, is currently being 

detained at Sango Division, 

while the biological parents of 

the victim have been contacted 

to come and take custody of 

their daughter. 

“Meanwhile, the 

Commissioner of Police, Bashir 

Makama, has directed that the 

suspect be charged to court as 

investigation is concluded.” 

... with Emma'nKen (08163121378) 

SAP is natural to every 

Nigeria-born Nigerian. 

Oh! Except politicians 

Ikotun-Egbeda Road, Alimosho Local Government Area, flooded after a downpour, yesterday. 

PHOTO: Lamidi Bamidele. 

12 die in Ondo, Abia road accidents; 

council boss, 3 others injured 

By Dayo Johnson Akure 

& Ugochukwu Alaribe 

NO fewerthan 12 people were 

confirmed dead in two 

separate auto crashes in Ondo 

and Abia states, with the 

Transition Committee Chairman 

of Isiala Ngwa South Council 

area, Abia State, sustaining an 

injury in one of the accidents near 

Umuikaa Junction, along the 

Enugu-Port Harcourt 

Expressway. 

In the Ondo State accident, five 

persons died at Awoyaya KM 17 

Ife Garage, Ondo town, Ondo 

State. 

Three others that were injured 

in the crash, which involved a 

Sharon Volkswagen with plate 

numbers LAGOS KTU 706BW 

and a trailer, were rushed to the 

trauma centre in the town. 

Eight persons were said to been 

in the vehicle driven by one 

Sunday Dickson, aged 47 years. 

Eyewitness account said the 

crash occurred at about 4a.m., 

yesterday. While the driver of the 

private Volkswagen vehicle, 

Sunday Dickson, died on the spot 

with four others, the driver of the 

trailer reportedly fled the scene. 

The state Police imagemaker, 

Femi Joseph, confirmed the 

accident attributing it to over 

speeding. 

Also, no fewer than seven 

persons lost their lives in the 

By Chidi Nkwopara 

OWERRI—A mixture of 

confusion and mourning 

has enveloped the sleepy rural 

Umuaro, Umunumo autonomous 

community, Ehime Mbano Local 

Government Area of Imo State, 

following the murder of 65-year 

old Mark Munuhawu by his first 

son, Ikechukwu Munuhawu. 

Sources, yesterday, had it that 

Ikechukwu hit his father with a 

shovel. 

An indigene of the community 

said: “What we are seeing now is 

the effect of a family squabble that 

started about a fortnight ago. 

“Ubia, which the deceased man 

was called by everyone in the 

community, had an open 

confrontation with his son, 

Ikechukwu.” 

Vanguard was also told that as 

the confrontation raged, 

Ikechukwu, in the full glare of his 

siblings, slapped his father. 

ghastly auto crash involving the 

Transition Committee Chairman 

of Isiala Ngwa South Council 

of Abia State, Chief Ike 

Anyatonwu, near Umuikaa 

Junction, along the Enugu-Port 

Harcourt Expressway. 

Vanguard gathered that the 

council boss’ SUV had a headon 

collision with a 14- 

passenger bus, which got both 

vehicles crushed. 

The two vehicles had rammed 

into each other as one lane of 

the road had been closed to 

traffic, due to ongoing 

rehabilitation works on the 

highway. 

Man kills father in Imo 

The source added: “That 

instantly angered his three 

brothers, Ugochukwu, Ifeanyi 

and Chinemere, who promptly 

rose to their father’s defence. 

Having been overpowered in the 

process, Ikechukwu left the scene 

in anger.” 

Ikechukwu then laid an 

ambush for his father, a 

commercial motorcyclist. On 

sighting him, he allegedly threw 

a broken bottle at his father, but 

missed. 

In the villager’s words: “Seeing 

his son discussing with friends, 

Ubia stopped to tell his side of 

the story. Midway into his 

narration, Ikechukwu hit his 

father in the neck with a shovel. 

“Sympathisers quickly rushed 

him to St. George’s Hospital at 

Nkwo Umunumo Market, but the 

doctor instantly referred the 

patient to the Federal Medical 

Centre, Umuahia, where he 

eventually died.” 

He might be one of the few that 

have honour. So don't hide. Get a 

share of the estacode. Sorry, loot


SOS: Traffic gridlock along Mile 2-Apapa-Expressway, as motorists were trapped for 

hours, yesterday. Photo: Lamidi Bamidele. 

Four banks failed CAR requirement 

in 2018 — NDIC •Says N15bn lost to fraud 

By Emma Ujah, 

Abuja Bureau Chief 

FOUR Deposit Money 

Banks, DMBs, failed to 

meet Capital Adequacy 

Ratio, CAR, requirements last 

year, Nigeria Deposit 

Insurance Corporation, 

NDIC, disclosed this in its 

2018 annual report 

distributed to the media, in 

Abuja, weekend. 

The organisation did not 

name the affected banks. 

It said, however, that the 

banking industry average 

CAR increased to 15.26 per 

cent in 2018 from 10.23 per 

cent in 2017, above the 

regulatory minimum 

requirement of 10 per cent 

and 15 per cent for banks with 

national and international 

authorisation, respectively. 

The corporation said: “The 

increase in CAR could further 

be explained by the 44.88 per 

cent increase in the total 

qualifying capital from 

N2.201 trillion in 2017 to N3. 

189 trillion in 2018 and 

complemented by the 2.89 

per cent decline in Total Risk 

Weighted Assets from N 

21.520 trillion in 2017 to N 

20.898 trillion in 2018. 

“The number of DMBs that 

failed to meet the minimum 

Capital Adequacy Ratio 

threshold remained four as 

reported in 2017. The 

recapitalisation requirements 

declined from N1.57 trillion 

in 2017 to N704.88 billion as 

at December 31, 2018.” 

Frauds 

The NDIC reported an 

increase in the number and 

frequency of frauds in the 

banking industry in the year 

under review. 

There were 37, 817 cases 

in 2018, against 26, 182 cases 

in 2017, representing an 

increase of 44. 42 percent. 

Similarly, the amount 

involved increased from 

N12.01 billion in 2017 to N38. 

93 billion in 2018, an increase 

of 224 per cent. 

The corporation said the 

actual amount lost to frauds 

in 2018 stood at N15.15 

billion, as against N2.37 

billion in the preceding year, 

showing a worrisome 

increase in losses to bank 

frauds. 

N15.79 credit 

The organisation said total 

credit extended by banks in 

the year under review 

decreased to N15.29 trillion, 

representing a 3. 9 per cent 

reduction from the N15.92 

trillion given out as credit by 

the banks in 2017. 

According to the NDIC, the 

oil and gas sector received the 

highest amount of credit in 

2018, standing at N4 . 66 

trillion or 30.46 percent of total 

credit given by the DMBs. 

The second highest 

exposure went to the 

manufacturing sector, which 

received N 2. 25 trillion, 

representing 14.71 per cent. 

Government came third ion 

that ranking with N1.34 

trillion or 8.78 per cent; 

followed by General 

Commercial which got N 

1.14 or 7.44 per cent per cent. 

The corporation said that 

Finance and Insurance , as 

well as, General Sectors 

received 6.49 per cent and 6 

per cent , respectively. 

Non-Performing 

Loans 

Similarly, the Non- 

Performing Loans also 

witnessed a downward trend, 

as it stood at N1.79 trillion, 

down from N2.36 trillion, 

representing a decrease of 

about 25. 15 per cent. 

The NDIC noted that 

although the NPLs ratio of 

11.7 Per cent was a significant 

improvement over the 14. 84 

per cent recorded in 2017, the 

ratio remained high, when 

compared with the industry 

maximum prudential 

threshold of 5 per cent . 

On the liquidity position of 

DMBs, the NDIC revealed 

an industry average of 51.8 

per cent, which was higher 

than the prudential liquidity 

ratio requirement of 30 per 

cent. Industry Liquidity 

Ratio average in the 

preceding year was 45.56 per 

cent. 

Borno South elders back Ndume on 847 

soldiers buried in Borno cemetery 

•Say accusations against him misplaced, unconscionable 

THE Borno South 

Concerned Elders, 

BSCE, has defended the 

position of the Chairman, 

Senate Committee on Army, 

Senator Ali Ndume, that there 

is an evidential proof that 847 

slain soldiers were buried at 

a military cemetery in Borno 

State. 

The group also faulted 

claims by Amnesty 

International of a hidden 

mass burial, and condemned 

what it described as 

unwarranted attack and 

spurious allegations targeted 

at Ndume over his recent 

disclosure on the 847 slain 

soldiers. 

Ndume had revealed that 

the committee discovered 

during its recent fact-finding 

mission to the northeast that 

847soldiers had lost their lives 

and were buried at a military 

cemetery in the state, adding 

that there was no evidence 

of any secret mass burial as 

claimed by some 

organisations working in the 

region. 

However, the disclosure 

generated reactions, 

including a rebuttal by Army 

spokesman who had since 

recanted. 

He was also viciously 

attacked by a group, National 

Democratic Front, NDF, 

which described his 

revelations as an attempt to 

divert attention from “his 

dishonourable contributions 

to Boko Haram.” 

The group in a statement 

signed by the chairman, 

Alhaji Yakubu Kwanyang, 

yesterday, described the 

attacks on Ndume as 

“misplaced and 

unconscionable.” 

It maintained that the figure 

quoted by the senator was 

clearly written on the roll-call 

of the dead at the said military 

cemetery as factual proofs of 

the claim dating back to 2013. 

Kwanyang described as 

unfortunate comments 

credited to one Dr. Bolaji 

Abdulkadir of the National 

Democratic Front, who rather 

than address the substance 

of the committee’s findings, 

resorted to name-calling and 

spurious accusations. 

He said: “Our initial 

reaction was to ignore the 

unwarranted invectives since 

it is clear that the author is 

largely ignorant of the 

situations in Borno and the 

role Sen. Ali Ndume has 

played and is still playing to 

restore hope and better the 

lots of our people. 

“While we appreciate 

honest and constructive 

criticism of public officers, 

especially the elected ones, 

we consider it irresponsible 

for anyone or group to 

engage in falsehood to make 

disparaging statement that 

impinges on integrity of 

Senator Ali Ndume and the 

institution of the Senate. 

“For posterity, let me restate 

here that it is nonsensical to 

associate Sen. Ali Ndume 

with Boko Haram. As he had 

said before, he was not just a 

direct victim of Boko Haram’s 

atrocious activities, having lost 

members of his immediate 

family, including his sister’s 

husband, he lost other 

innocent members of his 

constituency in Borno south 

to the murderous activities of 

insurgents." 

Banking services: FG directs 

MTN, others to suspend N4 

charge on USSD access 

THE Federal Government 

has asked MTN Nigeria 

and other mobile operators 

to suspend the N4 charge 

per 20 seconds on USSD 

access to banking services. 

The directive was issued by 

Minister 

of 

Communications, Dr. Isa 

Pantami, yesterday, after a 

twitter user, Mustapha Hadi, 

tweeted at Pantami, 

requesting he acts on the 

claim. 

MTN had sent a message 

to its mobile customers that 

with effect from October 21, 

2019, N4 will be charged on 

every 20 seconds spent while 

using USSD access to 

banking services. 

“Yello, Please note that 

from October 21, we will 

charge N4 per 20 seconds 

for USSD access to banking 

services. Thank you,’’ the 

company had said in the 

message. 

Pantami, in a statement 

signed by his spokesperson, 

Mrs. Uwa Suleiman, asked 

the 

Nigerian 

Communications 

Commission, NCC, to 

ensure that the operator 

suspended such plans until 

he was fully briefed. 

He said:“The attention of 

the Federal Ministry of 

Communications has been 

drawn to the viral text 

message allegedly sent by 

the Mobile Network 

Operator, MTN Nigeria and 

other mobile operators 

notifying subscribers of a four 

naira (N4:00) charge per 20 

seconds on USSD access to 

banking services from the 

21st of October 2019. 

“The office of the Minister 

of Communications, Dr Isa 

Ali Ibrahim Pantami, is 

unaware of this 

development and has, 

hereby, directed the sector 

regulator, the Nigerian 

Communications 

Commission, NCC, ensures 

the operator suspends such 

plans until the Minister is 

fully and properly briefed.’’ 

Atiku’s allies worry over delay 

in constituting Presidential 

Elections Appeal Panel 

By Omeiza Ajayi 

ABUJA— ALLIES of 

former Vice President 

and Presidential candidate of 

Peoples Democratic Party, 

PDP, in the last general 

election, Alhaji Atiku 

Abubakar, have raised 

concerns over the delay by the 

judiciary in constituting the 

seven-member Presidential 

Election Appeal Panel. 

The former vice president’s 

men, under the aegis of 

Democracy Vanguard of 

Nigeria in Diaspora, DVND, 

made their position known in 

a statement jointly signed by 

Leonard Ishiguzo, Yakubu 

Mohammad and Timothy 

Sule; Director Outreach, 

North America Coordinator 

and President of DVND 

respectively. 

The Presidential Election 

Petition Tribunal, PEPT, had 

on September 11 dismissed 

the petitions filed by Atiku 

and PDP, and upheld the 

victory of President 

Muhammadu Buhari 

during the poll, but PDP and 

its candidate headed to the 

Supreme Court where they 

filed a 66-point submission 

to challenge the judgment 

of the tribunal. 

However, the pro-Atiku 

group noted that the 

statute of limitation for 

appeal at the Supreme 

Court was 60 days, adding 

that since the tribunal gave 

its judgement on 

September 11, “the appeal 

is yet to be heard and the 

expiration of the statute of 

limitation is on November 

11, 2019.” 

The DVND accused All 

Progressives Congress, 

APC-led administration of 

forcing the judiciary to “ 

technically delay the 

constitution of the sevenman 

justices to preside 

over the case.” 

The group also aligned 

with PDP caucus in the 

House of Representatives, 

which said “there are also 

alternative plans to jettison 

the historical precedents of 

the courts by choosing the 

judges according to 

positioning in the court to 

a style of staccato 

nomination by 

determining judges who 

will be favourable to the 

whims and caprices of 

APC. 

“A credible, clear, crystal, 

conforming situation that 

allows the Supreme Court 

to function without any 

abysmal interference from 

the executive will foster law 

and order and will bring 

back the trust and 

confidence Nigerians have 

in the judiciary.” 

The group also 

commended Abubakar for 

shunning violence after the 

polls, saying his resolve to 

seek redress through the 

judiciary showed that he was 

a true democrat who loved his 

country more than his 

personal ambition. 

The group said: “We want 

to applaud Atiku Abubakar, 

who deserves encompassing 

encomium for successfully 

stopping his electors and 

voters from taking the laws 

into their hands, which 

demonstrates his strong 

democratic principles and his 

belief in the judiciary. 

‘’This is a constant, credible 

and compelling evidence that 

Mr. Atiku Abubakar is one of 

the most endearing and 

qualified candidates in the 

election."


DIASPORA FESTIVAL: From left, Dr David Anderson, President, Bridge Leader Network 

and The Jogbe of Badagry demonstrating the use of old time shackles for slaves during the 

Atlantic Slave trade (3rd right); Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO, Nigerian in Diaspora 

Commission (2nd right) and other tourists from USA and Jamaica during the tour of historical 

areas relating to the old days Trans Atlantic Slave Trade at the 2019 Diaspora Festival in 

Badagry, Lagos, weekend. Photo: Lamidi Bamidele. 

Magu breaks Nigeria’s recovery, conviction 

record in 4 yrs 

•Nets N939.5bn for FG, sends 1636 to jail for 

By Soni Daniel, 

Northern Region 

Editor 

FOUR years after being 

named acting Chairman 

of Economic and Financial 

Crimes Commission, EFCC, 

the record of the number of 

corrupt Nigerians convicted 

by the commission under 

him and the value of assets 

recovered from the convicts 

has emerged. 

Top Nigerians lawyers 

conversant with the 

intricacies of prosecution and 

recovery of looted public 

assets, have hailed Magu 

for his uncompromising 

stance on corruption and the 

fearless approach in the 

discharge of what they 

describe as a ‘tough job’. 

HEALTH TIPS 

By Sola Ogundipe 

Muscle cramps 

A muscle cramp is a sudden 

and involuntary contraction of 

one or more of your muscles 

and can cause severe pain. 

Though generally 

harmless, muscle cramps can 

make it temporarily 

impossible to use the affected 

muscle. 

Long periods of exercise or 

physical labour, particularly 

in hot weather, can lead to 

muscle cramps. Some 

medications and certain 

medical conditions also may 

cause muscle cramps. 

Muscle cramps usually 

disappear on their own and 

are rarely serious enough to 

require medical care. 

However, see your doctor if 

your cramps cause severe 

discomfort, are associated 

with leg swelling, redness or 

skin changes, or are 

associated with muscle 

weakness or aren't associated 

with an obvious cause, such 

as strenuous exercise. 

Older people lose muscle 

mass, so the remaining 

muscle can get overstressed 

graft, as top lawyers speak 

Documents obtained from 

the commission by 

Vanguard, last night, 

indicate that the commission 

has successfully prosecuted 

and convicted no fewer than 

1,636 persons and recovered 

hundreds of billions of naira 

in various currencies. 

The breakdown of the 

figures shows that the 

commission recorded the 

highest number of conviction 

in 2019 with 882 as at 

October 11, followed by 314 

in 2018; 195 in 2016; 190 in 

2017; and 103 in 2015. 

Similarly, the commission 

recorded the highest number 

of convictions in Lagos with 

187, followed by Port 

Harcourt with 153, while 

Ibadan and Abuja followed 

more easily. Athletes who 

become fatigued and 

dehydrated while 

participating in warmweather 

sports frequently 

develop muscle cramps. 

Muscle cramps also are 

common during pregnancy. 

You might be at higher risk of 

muscle cramps if you have 

diabetes, or nerve, liver or 

thyroid disorders. 

Drink plenty of liquids 

every day. The amount 

depends on what you eat, 

your sex, your level of activity, 

the weather, your health, your 

age and medications you 

take. Fluids help your 

muscles contract and relax 

and keep muscle cells 

hydrated and less irritable. 

Stretch before and after you 

use any muscle for an 

extended period. If you tend 

to have leg cramps at night, 

stretch before bedtime. Light 

exercise, such as riding a 

stationary bicycle for a few 

minutes before bedtime, also 

may help prevent cramps 

while you're sleeping. 

with 121 and 103 

respectively. 

Enugu, Gombe, Benin 

and Uyo zones followed 

with 67, 65, 54 and 50 

convictions. 

The zone with the least 

conviction is Sokoto with just 

one, followed by Makurdi 

with two, Maiduguri, 15, 

Kano, 16, while Ilorin and 

Kaduna tied at 24. 

The anti-graft agency also 

recovered cash worth 

N939.51 between 2015 and 

2019. 

In 2018 alone, the 

commission recovered 

various amounts in different 

currencies. These include: 

N216.46billion, $67.30 

million, £873,278.09, 298,055 

euro, R391,838 and 

D10,135. 

Between January and 

September 2019, the 

commission recovered 

N63.73billion, $14.04million, 

£4.65million, 53,325 euro, 

2,800 Yen, 294,950 Riyald, 

15,200 CAD and 36,000 

CFA. 

Reflecting on Magu’s 

performance, senior lawyers 

rated his work high and 

asked him to remain fearless 

and uncompromising as he 

has been doing to checkmate 

corruption in the country and 

save money for 

development. 

One of such lawyers, 

Mallam Yussuf Alli, a SAN, 

said: “Going by the statistics 

of the number of cases the 

EFCC has prosecuted in the 

last four years and the 

humongous amounts 

recovered in the same 

period, it can truly be said 

that the organisation is 

pulling its weight." 

Also speaking on the 

development, Mr. Charles 

Candide-Johnson, SAN, 

pointed out that Magu had 

dramatically increased 

credibility and necessary 

visibility of public 

prosecution in Nigeria. 

A constitutional lawyer, 

Daniel Bwala, stated that 

Magu had by his 

performance, proved to be 

the right person for the job 

and should be encouraged 

by all Nigerians to do more 

in the fight against graft, 

which is retarding Nigeria’s 

progress. 

Over 500,000 spaces in 2018 

admissions not utilised —JAMB 

THE Joint Admissions and 

Matriculation Board, 

JAMB, has said over 500,000 

spaces were not utilised in the 

2018 admissions in tertiary 

institutions in Nigeria. 

The board disclosed this in 

its weekly bulletin released, 

yesterday, in Abuja. 

The statistics by the board 

for its 2018 admissions in the 

country’s tertiary institutions 

showed a total of 1,126,025 

quota for universities, 

polytechnics, colleges of 

education and innovation 

enterprise institutes (IEIs). 

According to the bulletin, a 

total of 585,498 quota, out of 

the total sum, were utilised, 

while a total of 527,815 slots 

were not utilised in the 2018 

admission process. 

The board’s Head of Media, 

Dr Fabian Benjamin, in a 

telephone interview with 

NAN, explained that the release 

of the official statistics 

became necessary in order to 

ensure transparency. 

He added that it was also 

meant to do away with 

misleading information about 

the entire previous processes. 

Benjamin noted that the 

board hoped to utilise 80 to 90 

per cent of the available spaces 

for the 2019/2010 admission. 

He said the over 300,000 

candidates, who met 

admission requirements, had 

so far been offered placements 

into universities for the 2019/ 

2020 academic session. 

The JAMB spokesman 

explained that the board’s 

projection for this year’s 

admission was to ensure that 

candidates utilised more 

available spaces, unlike in 

2018 where about 40 percent 

of spaces were not utilised. 

No amount of attacks’ll stop 

review of broadcasting code 

—Lai Mohammed 

MINISTER 

of 

Information and 

Culture, Alhaji Lai 

Mohammed, has said no 

amount of attacks, sponsored 

or otherwise, will stop the 

implementation of approved 

recommendations on reform 

of broadcasting code. 

The minister stated this at 

a meeting with Online 

Publishers in Lagos 

yesterday. 

He said: “Let me be 

straight: No amount of 

attacks, sponsored or 

otherwise, will stop the 

implementation of the 

approved recommendations. 

“Only non-patriots and 

anarchists will kick against 

measures aimed at putting an 

end to fake news and hate 

speech, especially in our 

broadcast industry. 

“Only those who are guilty 

should be afraid of the efforts 

to sanitize the broadcast 

industry. Responsible 

broadcasters have nothing to 

fear. 

“This is not a move to stifle 

free speech or gag anyone. 

But purveyors of fake news 

and hate speech should not 

expect to sleep easy.” 

The minister had on 

October 10, announced 

President Muhammadu 

Buhari’s approval of the 

review of National 

Broadcasting Code and 

extant broadcasting laws to 

reflect stiffer penalties for 

violators of broadcasting 

regulations. 

Mohammed, who 

inaugurated the National 

Broadcasting Commission, 

NBC, 

Reform 

Implementation Committee, 

added that the president also 

endorsed the implementation 

of reforms to end monopoly 

in the sector. 

The minister, however, 

noted that since the 

inauguration of the 

committee, there have been 

attacks, many of them 

sponsored, from some 

quarters. 

“As I speak, plans are 

ongoing to launch more 

coordinated attacks, with a 

view to truncating the 


approved recommendations,” 

he said. 

He stressed that no 

responsible government 

would sit by and allow fake 

news and hate speech to rule 

the airwaves. 

The minister stressed that 

fake news and hate speech 

have the capacity to exploit 

the national fault lines and 

trigger a national 

conflagration. 

He reiterated that the 

federal government would 

continue to evolve ways to 

tackle the menace. 

The minister recalled that 

he launched the National 

Campaign Against Fake 

News in July 2018 in Abuja. 

Falana writes Lawan, says no 

need for loans if we recover 

$103bn oil sale loss 

HUMAN rights activist, 

Femi Falana, SAN, has 

asked the National Assembly 

to work with anti-graft 

agencies to recover “$103.7 

billion lost on oil sale.” 

In a letter to the Senate 

President, Ahmad Lawan, 

Falana said if Nigeria could 

recover the money lost to oil 

sale, there would be no need 

to seek foreign loans. 

Nigeria, according to the 

Finance Minister, Zainab 

Ahmed in Washington, 

yesterday, has secured $3 

billion loan from World Bank 

for the power sector. 

But Falana said Nigeria lost 

a larger part of the proceeds 

from oil as a result of the nonimplementation 

of the Deep 

Offshore and Inland Basin 

Production Contracts Act. 

In the letter dated October 

18, Falana said in 2015, he had 

raised the alarm that both 

government and international 

oil companies in the country 

failed to stick to the agreement 

for an upward review of 

loyalties whenever crude oil 

was sold beyond $20 per barrel 

in the international market. 

He said: “In his reaction to 

our allegation of economic 

sabotage by the public officers 

who deliberately refused to 

implement the Deep Offshore 

and Inland Basin Production 

Sharing Contracts Act the 

immediate past Minister of 

State in the Ministry of Petroleum 

Resources, Dr. Ibe 

Kachukwu admitted that the 

non implementation of the law 

by some unnamed public 

officers had led to a loss of oil 

revenue of over $60 billion. 

“But due to the reluctance 

of the Federal Government to 

enforce the law, the 

governments of Akwa Ibom, 

Bayelsa and Rivers states 

instituted an action at the 

Supreme Court in 2016 to 

compel the Federal 

Government to recover the 

accrued royalties. 

“In the judgement 

delivered in the case on 

October 18, 2018 the Supreme 

Court directed the Federal 

Government to recover the 

royalties that had not been 

collected from the international 

oil companies for the past 18 

years. Based on the 

judgement of the apex court, 

the Federal Government has 

demanded the immediate 

payment of the sum of $62 

billion by the defaulting oil 

companies. 

“If the National Assembly, 

under your able leadership, is 

prepared to resist pressures 

from vested interests and 

muster the political will to 

recover the said fund, Nigeria 

will have no business begging 

for foreign loans from China, 

African Development Bank 

and the World Bank."

10 — VANGUARD, MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2019 

THANKSGIVING—Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde (middle), his wife, Tamunominini, and his 

Deputy, Rauf Olaniyan, dancing during a Special Thanksgiving Service at Winners Chapel, Basorun, 

Ibadan, yesterday. 

APAPA: Task team, NURTW, others on 

extortion spree as gridlock worsens 

•Police helpless as motorists, commuters stranded for hours 

•We've concluded our assignment—Task Team source 

By our reporters 

LAGOS—AFTER few 

weeks of respite 

following the decongestion 

of the Apapa-Oshodi 

gridlock between Ijesha 

and Berger Yard by the 

Presidential Task Team, the 

chaotic situation on the 

expressway, caused by the 

menace of articulated 

trucks, has returned with 

full force, taking its toll on 

commuters and motorists, 

who ply the road. 

On May 22, 2019, 


Buhari had issued a 

directive for the immediate 

decongestion of the Apapa 

gridlock and the restoration 

of law and order to Apapa 

and its environs. 

The directive mandated 

the immediate removal of all 

trucks from the bridges and 

roads within the Apapa 

axis. 

But yesterday’s gridlock 

grounded all human and 

vehicular activities along 

the Oshodi-Apapa 

Expressway, as motorists 

and other road users were 

stranded in traffic for several 

hours due to activities of 

trucks and articulated 

vehicle operators, who took 

over the entire expressway. 

In fact, the situation 

appears to get chaotic each 

passing day since last 

week, as the Task Team 

officials seem to have 

compromised with truck 

drivers who believe that 

because they have settled 

the officials, they have the 

right to take over the entire 

service lane meant to serve 

motorists and commuters 

plying Apapa axis. 

Yesterday was particularly 

chaotic for motorists and 

commuters, who were 

navigating the Apapa axis 

from Mile 2, as the entire 

expressway was on 

lockeddown. 

Not even pedestrians 

could navigate their way to 

their destinations as trucks 

moving towards Tin- Can 

occupied every available 

space on the only service 

lane that serves road users 

without consideration for 

others. 

Task team, NURTW on 

extortion spree 

The Task Team officials 

seem to have lost control of 

the situation as tanker and 

truck drivers behaved 

unruly on the service lane 

without being called to 

order. 

It was indeed pathetic, 

yesterday, as motorists 

spent an average of four 

hours between Mile 2 and 

Berger Yard. 

Some Vanguard staff, 

who got to Mile 2 by noon, 

did not get to the office till 

about 4 pm. 

While in the lockdown, 

our reporter observed how 

money exchanged hands 

between truck drivers and 

officials of the Task Team 

and officials of the National 

Union of Road Transport 

Workers, NURTW in the 

heavy downpour yesterday. 

The extortion, however, 

caused lawlessness on the 

road. 

The situation also 

becomes uncontrollable at 

night after the Task Team 

officials have collected 

money from truck and 

tanker drivers. 

The truck drivers park 

indiscriminately at every 

available space on the road 

without consideration for 

other road users. 

It was also observed that 

the task team officials 

pretend to be controlling 

the truck drivers. 

Besides, some miscreants 

at Mile 2 have taken 

advantage of the gridlock 

to attack motorists and 

commuters on the road. 

Investigations carried out 

by a team 

of Vanguard reporters, 

however, revealed that the 

gridlock, which eased off a 

few weeks back, resurfaced 

due to the massive 

extortion. 

Investigations also 

revealed that Naval 

personnel, members of the 

Presidential Task Team, 

National Union of Road 

Transport Workers, 

NURTW, National Union of 

Petroleum and Natural Gas, 

NUPENG and the police 

stationed in all the strategic 

sections of the road, were 

involved in the extortion. 

The ongoing extortion 

spree has spread to Old Ojo 

road, Satellite Town where 

naval personnel took over 

the control of traffic 

completely thereby, 

sidelining policemen 

entrusted with the 

responsibility of controlling 

traffic. 

Task team, Navy, Police 

trade blames 

Inquiries made at the 

NIMASA area of Kirikiri 

revealed that both the police 

and naval men were at 

daggers drawn over who 

would control the chaotic 

traffic situation. While some 

truck drivers laid the blame 

on officials of the 

Presidential Task Team for 

releasing trucks for loading 

indiscriminately, thereby, 

compounding the already 

bad situation, an official of 

the Task Team hinted that 

their problem is the naval 

men and policemen who 

have prominently 

positioned themselves at 

strategic areas where they 

are busy extorting money 

from trucks and tanker 

drivers. 

Agitated motorists and 

commercial drivers 

told Vanguard that the 

whole area has been 

militarized to the extent that 

both navy and army 

personnel are seen openly 

escorting motorists and 

tankers against traffic after 

the payment of an agreed 

sum of money ranging from 

N5000 to N10,000. 

They disclosed that truck 

drivers pay more along the 

road linking old Ojo in 

Satellite with Kirikiri and 

from Second Rainbow bus 

stop to Mile-2 Bridge and 

up to Berger Yard bus 

stop. 

Motorists lament 

A motorist, Mr. Adeyinka 

Alabi, said: “I have been 

stranded in gridlock for the 

past 3 hours to move from 

Mile-2 end to Berger yard, 

Kirikiri Road. The entire 

road was completely 

blocked as tankers and 

container laden vehicles 

took over the road without 

any movement. 

“The driver of a 

container-laden vehicle, 

who was driving in front of 

me, due to the lack of 

movement, abandoned the 

vehicle on the road. The 

driver later resurfaced 

about 30 minutes later 

before we could move 

again. There was no 

security personnel to control 

or remedy the ugly 

situation. Many people are 

left to grind their teeth in 

agony.” 

We’ve concluded our 

work— Task-team source 

An effort to speak with the 

Vice-Chairman of 

Presidential Task team, 

Kayode Opeifa, was 

unsuccessful at press time 

as he was unavailable for 

comment. 

But a senior official of the 

team, who spoke on the 

condition of anonymity, 

told Vanguard that: “Our 

job is completed in Apapa. 

What we are doing is just 

extra work. You can read the 

presidential order. 

LASTMA is to enforce 

traffic management in the 

area henceforth.” 

ASUU mobilises members 

against FG over IPPIS 

By Ola Ajayi 

I Academic BADAN—THE 

Staff Union 

of Universities, ASUU, 

yesterday, disclosed it has 

started mobilising its 

members against the 

federal government over 

planned imposition of 

Integrated Personnel 

Payroll System, IPPIS. 

The leaders of the Union 

had summoned an 

emergency National 

Executive Council meeting 

of the Union where they 

agreed that the leadership 

of the Union at university 

levels should begin 

mobilisation of members 

across the country for action 

against President 

Muhammadu Buhari-led 

government. 

APC, PDP trade words over 

Ekiti cargo airport project 

By Rotimi 

Ojomoyela 

A Peoples DO-EKITI—THE 

Democratic 

Party and the All 

Progressives Congress in 

Ekiti State, yesterday, 

engaged in verbal war over 

the ongoing construction of 

agro-allied cargo airport in 

the state. 

Governor Kayode Fayemi 

had laid the foundation for 

the Ekiti Airport, aimed at 

boosting the state’s 

agricultural, tourism and 

educational endowment, a 

couple of days ago. 

The PDP described the 

airport project as another 

‘silly approach’ to transform 

the state’s economy, saying 

“Governor Fayemi is not just 

insensitive but cruelly 

demonstrating curable 

ignorance of the reality of 

the yearnings of Ekiti 

people.” 

But in a swift reaction, the 

APC said the criticism was 

a “display of viciousness 

and ignorance”, noting the 

opposition party was a 

retrogressive agent who 

could sacrifice the growth 

of the state at the altar of 

petty politicking.” 

The PDP State Chairman, 

Chief Gboyega Oguntuase 

dismissed the airport 

project as “insensitive, illconceived 

and anti-people, 

President Buhari had 

reportedly directed that any 

worker not on the IPPIS 

would no longer receive a 

salary. 

The Chairman, University 

of Ibadan Chapter 

Professor Deji Omole, said 

that the union was not 

against accountability but 

would resist the attempt by 

the government to violate 

existing laws and 

autonomy of the University. 

Omole said ASUU has 

offered to help the federal 

government design the 

appropriate template that 

will factor in the 

peculiarities of university 

lecturers in the IPPIS but 

the government seems bent 

on using the world-bank 

designed exploitative 

template. 

amidst excruciating 

economic hardship 

occasioned by the alleged 

incompetence of Fayemiled 

administration.” 

Oguntuase said: “It is a 

silly approach to economic 

restructuring. It is crystal 

clear that Governor Fayemi 

doesn’t understand the 

yearnings and plight of the 

people. 

“I wonder when people 

are suffering and all roads 

in Ekiti state are in 

deplorable condition and 

Fayemi-led government is 

embarking on a white 

elephant project. This 

shows that the APC was 

insensitive to the plight and 

yearnings of the people. 

“Airport is not the 

immediate need of the 

primitive economic realities 

in Ekiti where young girls 

are now venturing into 

prostitution to make ends 

meet. What are they talking 

about and how do we 

answer before God?" 

PDP should bury its 

head in shame — APC 

The APC Publicity 

Secretary, Ade Ajayi said: 

“It is time the PDP faced 

reality and cooperate with 

Fayemi in moving Ekiti 

forward rather than playing 

politics of bitterness at the 

detriment of the state."

Vanguard, MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2019 — 11 

Teachers lament youths’ 

hatred for teaching profession 

...as Fayemi pays N4bn UBEC counterpart funds 

By Rotimi 

Ojomoyela 

AAcademic DO-EKITI—THE 

Staff Union 

of Secondary Schools, 

ASUSS, in Ekiti State, 

yesterday, expressed worry 

over declining interest in 

the teaching profession by 

the youths, due to the 

impression that those in the 

profession are poorly 

remunerated. 

This came as Governor 

Kayode Fayemi disclosed 

that payment of 

counterpart funds by his 

administration will facilitate 

the transformation of basic 

education in the state. 

The teachers regretted 

that this accounted for a low 

level of enrolment for 

education-related courses 

in all Nigerian universities, 

especially in the Joint 

Admission and 

Matriculation Board, 

JAMB, examinations. 

The Chairman of the 

Trade Union Congress, 

Music producer accuses Shoprite of copyright violation 

By Henry Ojelu 

ABUJA—AN 

Abuja 

based music 

entrepreneur, Mr. Faruk 

Adamu, has accused South 

Africa retail outlet, Shoprite, 

of 

copyright 

infringement. 

He also accused the 

Nigerian Copyright 

Commission, NCC, of 

alleged failure to 

investigate and compel the 

management of Shoprite to 

pay him his 60 per cent 

rights to a jingle he made 

for the company. 

Mr. Adamu’s claims were 

contained in a petition 

TUC, in Ekiti State, who 

also doubles as the 

Chairman of ASUSS, Mr. 

Sola Adigun, said this in 

Ado Ekiti while honouring 

60 ASUSS members who 

recently retired from the 

state teaching service 

commission after 35 years 

of service. 

Expressing sadness over 

the perceived strong 

aversion the youths have 

for the teaching profession, 

Adigun said: “Obviously, 

the manner other 

professions, including 

military are able to attract 

young persons, the 

teaching profession is not, 

because it has been made 

so unattractive, yet, the 

future of the society 

depends on the quality of 

knowledge acquired by its 

young generation who are 

molded by reluctant and 

unmotivated teachers.” 

Adigun said: “I blame the 

development of society’s 

poor perception about 

teachers and government 

written to the Public 

Complaints Commission 

(PCC) titled “Petition 

against the Nigerian 

Copyright Commission 

(NCC) For failure to 

reinstitute criminal charges 

against 

Retail 

Supermarkets Nigeria 

Limited (SHOPRITE) for 

copyright infringement/a 

request to investigate an 

alleged fake contract of 

employment presented by 

Retail Supermarkets 

Nigeria Limited 

(SHOPRITE)”. 

Adamu said he had 

agreed with an artist, 

Friday Emeh, also known 

unfriendly policies towards the 

teaching profession and education 

generally. 

“The theme of this year’s 

Teachers’ Day celebrated a couple 

of weeks ago, which centred on 

Young Teachers, the feature of the 

Profession showed that the 

government was already aware 

of this ugly trend.” 

Citing reasons for the ugly 

trend, Adigun frowned on what 

he described as a discriminatory 

treatment against teachers, 

saying it was wrong to peg 

teacher’s terminal grade on level 

16, whereas their counterparts in 

the Civil service with the same 

qualification retire at Grade level 

17. 

Fayemi pays N4b 

UBEC counterpart 

funds 

Meanwhile, Governor Fayemi, 

who was represented by the 

Deputy Governor, Otunba Bisi 

Egbeyemi, disclosed that 

payment of N4 billion counterpart 

funds to the Universal Basic 

Education Commission, UBEC, 

will change the face of basic 

education in the state. 

The governor disclosed this in 

Ido Ekiti while commissioning a 

block of six classrooms at Ekiti 

Parapo College as part of activities 

marking the first anniversary of 

his administration in office. 

as G-Kase, who was under 

his management to 

compose a jingle for 

Shoprite to boost the retail 

outlet sales. 

But according to him, 

South Africa owned retail 

store was making use of the 

said jingle without fulfilling 

their financial rights. 

He observed that the 

inaction of the NCC in 

failing to make seizure of 

the said jingle from 

Shoprite since it was 

reported prompted the 

continuous use of his work 

to date. 

Adamu claimed that he 

had approached the NCC 

Ondo govt, PDP in verbal 

exchange over Akeredolu’s 

absence 

By Dayo Johnson 

AKURE—THE Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP, 

and the Ondo State 

government were 

yesterday, engaged in a 

war of words over the 

alleged ill health and 

absence of Governor Rotimi 

Akeredolu in the last three 

weeks. 

Governor Akeredolu, who 

proceeded on his annual 

leave, was expected to 

resume on October 4th but 

failed to do so. 

However, the governor, 

on Saturday, made a 

surprise appearance in 

Abuja to receive the African 

Governor for Innovative 

Leadership Award by the 

African 

Stride 

International, in 

conjunction with the 

Centre for Africa 

Development and 

International Studies. 

Governor Akeredolu and 

RE-LAUNCH: From left—Aare Hope Gbagi, Head of Sales, Intercontinental Distillers Ltd., IDL; Mr. 

Paul Obazele, Nollywood Producer/actor; Chief Patrick Anegbe, Managing Director/CEO, IDL; 

Nancy Isime, Nollywood actress; Mr. Umoren Akpan, GM, Audit/Control, IDL, and Mercy Johnson- 

Okogie, Nollywood actress, during the Re-launch of Teezers, and Company's Customer Awards, in 

Lagos. 

We’ll end Oyo’s reliance on federal allocation —Makinde 

I BADAN—GOVERNOR 

Seyi Makinde of Oyo 

State, yesterday, expressed 

the determination of his 

administration to improve 

the state’s Internally 

Generated Revenue, IGR, 

through enhancement of 

tax collection procedures. 

This resolve, Makinde 

noted, was targeted at 

ending the state’s reliance 

on federal allocations. 

In a statement by the 

Chief Press Secretary to the 

Governor, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, 

quoted Makinde as 

making the declaration 

during a thanksgiving 

service held at the Living 

Faith Church, Bashorun, 

Ibadan. 

He said an increased IGR 

will engender his 

administration’s resolve to 

fulfill his promises in 

Education, Health, Security 

and Economic expansion, 

through the Agric value 

chain. 

He said: “We want to 

ensure that the era of going 

cap in hands to Abuja to 

beg for allocation will soon 

be over in Oyo state. 

“We want the people of 

Oyo state to be able to have 

dividends of democracy 

right on their doorsteps. 

“The four cardinal 

programmes of this 

government include 

education that is why free and 

qualitative education has come 

to stay in Oyo state. 

“For our WAEC Students, we 

should be starting intervention 

lessons for them shortly. 

“We also want to fix our health 

care delivery system and to 

improve the security system, as 

we want all of us to operate in a 

secure environment, so that we 

can be safe to pursue our 

aspirations.” 

to investigate the matter but 

an agreement was reached 

by both parties to settle the 

matter out of court because 

he had the video proof of 

the infringement. 

He noted that the 

management of Shoprite 

refused to honour the out 

of court agreement which 

made the matter to be taken 

to the court. 

He, however, said the 

court delivered a no-case 

submission due to the 

statement given by the 

NCC that contradicted his 

artiste’s written 

statements. 

his wife Betty, according to 

his media handlers, “cut 

short an official 

engagement to receive the 

Chief of Staff, Chief 

Olugbenga Ale, Head of 

Service, Mr. Dare 

Aragbaiye, other cabinet 

members as well as the 

Chairman of the Ondo 

State Council of Obas, the 

Olugbo of Ugbo, Oba 

Fredrick Obateru 

Akinruntan after receiving 

the award. 

We demand 

Akeredolu’s health 

status—PDP 

But the PDP Director of 

Media and Publicity, 

Zadok Akintoye, in a 

statement, demanded the 

true health status of the 

Governor. 

Akintoye said the people 

of the state are worried that 

the governor and his 

deputy Agboola Ajayi were 

absent during last week’s 

meeting of the Niger Delta 

governors with President 

Muhammadu Buhari. 

The statement reads: “The 

import of the absence of Mr. 

Governor and/or his 

Deputy at the meeting of 

Niger Delta Governors with 

the President last week, 

underlines our concern, as 

Ondo state (being one of 

the Niger Delta states and 

a major stakeholder in the 

happenings at the NDDC) 

was not adequately 

represented. 

“We take note of a report 

by an online news medium 

(Roving Reporters) which 

published an alleged 

rumor that the absence of 

our Governor, Rotimi 

Akeredolu, SAN, from the 

public, maybe due to food 

poisoning and ill health. 

“If true, we express our 

concern on the state of 

health of the governor and 

do wish him quick and 

perfect recovery. 

"Our party also wishes to 

request that the true status of 

the health of the Governor is 

made known to the public as soon 

as possible and that if he is 

incapacitated in performing his 

duties, the Ondo House of 

Assembly should ensure that the 

process of governance is not 

impeded by the Governors’ ill 

health. 

“Once again, our prayer goes 

to the Governor and we wish him 

perfect recovery (if this allegation 

is true).” 

Gov not poisoned 

—Ondo govt 

But reacting to the PDP’s 

allegation, the Information and 

Orientation Commissioner 

Donald Ojogo denied the ill 

health or alleged poisoning of the 

governor. 

Ojogo said that the exigencies 

of office had kept him (Akeredolu) 

in Abuja for a while and would 

soon return to the state. 

He said: “These are 

insinuations of those that do not 

mean well for the state. He is 

entitled to his annual vacation. 

“When his daughter was 

getting married, he had to cut 

short his annual vacation to 

attend to domestic issues. His 

leave ended on October 4. When 

he came back, a series of meetings 

were already lined up. 

“He had to stay back in Abuja 

to attend the meetings. He 

cannot just be jetting in and out 

of the state, hence his reason for 

staying back in Abuja. 

“The same scenario that 

played out with the imaginary 

wedding of the president that 

never took place is being played 

out in Ondo State. They are a 

totality of unsubstantiated lies.” 

Why we allowed people to initiate 

devt projects —Gov Abiodun 

By James 

Ogunnaike , 

A BEOKUTA— 

GOVERNOR Dapo 

Abiodun of Ogun State, 

yesterday, hinted that 

people of the state were 

allowed to list priority 

projects they want in the 

2020 Budget, saying his 

government is about 

people. 

Abiodun further noted 

that the Town Hall 

Meetings provided a 

unique opportunity to 

initiate developmental 

projects that would have a 

direct positive impact on 

the people. 

The governor stated this 

at June 12 Cultural Centre, 

Kuto, Abeokuta, venue of 

the Ogun Central Town 

Hall Meeting, held to 

harness the inputs of the 

people of the state in 

preparation for the 2020 

Budget and Medium Term 

Expenditure Framework 

2020-2022. 

Abiodun, while 

appreciating the people for 

their huge participation 

and inputs, said their 

contributions had validated 

his position that the process 

would facilitate 

participatory democracy for 

all-inclusive governance, 

assuring of even 

distribution of democratic 

dividends to all parts of the 

state.


CARNIVAL CALABAR DRY RUN: From left, Bangladesh High Commission to Nigeria, 

Mr. MD. Shameen Ahsan; Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State; his deputy, Prof. 

Ivara Esu, and Consular General of Belize, Central African Republic in Nigeria, Ambassador 

Ifeanyi Ifedi, during the flag-off of the first Carnival Calabar Dry Run 2019, in Calabar, 

yesterday. 

Arms stockpile: Oshiomhole raising false 

alarm to rig Bayelsa election—PDP 

BAYELSA State Chapter 

of Peoples Democratic 

Party, PDP, has condemned 

the National Chairman of All 


APC, Mr Adams 

Oshiomhole, for making 

wild and miserable 

fabrications about arms 

stockpile against PDP 

State Chairman of PDP, Mr 

Moses Cleopas, said in a 

statement, yesterday, that 

Oshiomhole and other 

leaders ofAPC were making 

the wild allegations as a plot 

to justify a plot to deploy 

soldiers to rig the 

forthcoming gubernatorial 

election in the state in their 

favour. 

Cleopas said Bayelsans 

would resist any attempt by 

APC to deploy soldiers to rig 

the gubernatorial election as 

they did in the last National 

Assembly election in the 

state, where soldiers killed 

and maimed innocent 

people. 

The PDP chairman called 

on Nigerians to ignore the 

APC allegations, which 

according to him, were 

inspired by the desperation 

of the party to cause 

mischief. 

Cleopas said it was absurd 

and ridiculous for 

Oshiomhole and his deputy, 

Yekini Nabena, to make wild 

allegations about arms 

stockpile against PDP when 

the Bayelsa APC has a sordid 

reputation that reeks of 

violence. 

Cleopas said Oshiomhole, 

who is making the wild 

allegations, would not go far 

into the past to recall how he 

hurried out of Bayelsa State 

to avoid being kidnapped by 

the leaders of the APC 

during their primaries in 

2015. 

He stressed that Bayelsans 

and Nigerians were aware 

of the fact that APC was a 

party of militants and cultists 

in Bayelsa State with a 

sickening penchant for 

violence. 

Cleopas said the botched 

attempt to kidnap and 

behead the Deputy 

Commissioner of Police in 

charge of the Special Anti 

Robbery Squad, Mr. Kola 

Okunola, by APC militia in 

Brass for refusing to rig 

election in February showed 

clearly that the APC’s 

politics in Bayelsa is 

anchored on violence. 

The party chairman added 

that the APC colluded with 

compromised soldiers to kill 

Government House 

photographer, Mr. Reginald 

Dei, and a PDP Ward Leader 

at Oweikorogha, Southern 

Ijaw Local Government 

Area, in February this year 

without any arrest or 

prosecution because of the 

Carnival Calabar: Ayade preaches 

humanity, calls for end to wars 

GOVERNOR 

Ben 

Ayade of Cross River 

State has called on nations 

of the world to put an to wars 

and crises all over the globe 

and embrace peace. 

Ayade, who spoke through 

his deputy, Prof. Ivara Esu, 

made the call, yesterday, in 

Calabar during the flag off 

of the first dry-run of the 

2019 annual Carnival 

Calabar. 

He said the theme of the 

carnival “Humanity” was 

chosen to draw the attention 

of the world to be humane 

and to live in peace with one 

another. 

The governor, who said 

kindness should rule the 

mindset of people around 

the world, added that peace 

cannot thrive in a hostile 

environment. 

He said: “As we flag off the 

2019 Calabar carnival, the 

theme has been designed to 

see people as human beings 

and not as robots. 

“We call for an end to wars 

and crises all over the globe 

irrespective of religious, tribe 

or ethnic group. A human 

being is a human being 

irrespective of status in the 

society. 

“We should be kind to one 

another. That is the focus of 

this year’s carnival and we 

hope that the bands will try 

to interpret the theme in 

their colourful display.” 

Speaking also, Mr Gabe 

Onah, Chairman of Calabar 

Carnival Commission, said 

the 2019 edition marks 

another circle in the anals of 

the history of Calabar 

carnival. 

Onah said before the flag 

off, the commission had taken 

Calabar Carnival to Accra in 

Ghana and other parts of the 

world, maintaining that the 

festival has become the 

largest street party in Africa. 

pitiable politicisation of 

security in the state. 

Cleopas added that three 

suspects arrested out of 

seven armed thugs of the 

APC, who attempted to 

assassinate the Special 

Adviser to Governor Dickson 

on Youth Affairs, Bobolayefa 

Owoupele, have been 

released by the police in a 

most suspicious manner. 

Bangladesh High 

Commissioner to Nigeria, 

Amb. Shammed Ahsan, said 

he was happy to be invited 

for the carnival. 

He described Calabar as 

an accommodating and 

friendly city that is most suited 

to host the carnival which 

has an international outlook. 

Western Delta varsity, Wema 

Bank sign MoU on cooperation 

OGHARA — Western 

Delta University, 

Oghara, Delta State, has 

signed a Memorandum of 

Understanding, MoU, with 

Wema Bank Plc to introduce 

the institution to the Electronic 

Bills Payment (eBillsPay) and 

WebPay platforms to enable 

students and other residents 

of the university community 

receive payment and other 

transactions through the 

platform. 

The bank also agreed to 

provide a School Portal 

Solutions through its 

technical partner (Upperlink 

) to the university. 

The MoU will also bring 

the WDU and the bank in a 

close relationship that will see 

the bank aiding the university, 

especially it’s Finance and 

Business departments and in 

several other areas. 

The MoU was signed at a 

short ceremony in the office 

of the Vice Chancellor of 

Western Delta University, Prof 

Cecilia Okobia; Dr. Henry 

Oghoator, Dean, College of 

Social and Management 

Sciences, who also doubled 

as chairman of the 

implementation committee for 

the speedy and successful 

completion of the agreement 

process and the officials of 

Wema Bank led by Mr 

Damola Bolodeoku, Head, E- 

Business and Payments, 

Wema Bank; Mr Bryan 

Igbinedion, Regional Legal 

Officer and Mr Edah 

Emmanuel, Regional Head, 

South South of Wema Bank 

Plc. 

Speaking to newsmen 

shortly after signing the 

MoU, Prof Okobia explained 

that the strategic partnership 

with the bank would bring 

transparency to the 

institution’s financial 

management, create easy 

opportunity for students and 

other human population in 

the university community to 

pay their bills and other 

transactions. 

Court grants appearance of key 

ex-militants witnesses in suit 

against FG over exclusion 

By Onozure 

Dania 

A 

Federal High Court 

sitting in Yenagoa, 

Bayelsa State has grant leave 

to four key witnesses to testify 

in the suit by 19 aggrieved 

ex-militants from three states 

of Niger Delta against the 

Federal Government, the 

Presidential Amnesty 

Implementation Office and 

the Amnesty boss over their 

alleged exclusion from the 

programme. 

The aggrieved ex-militants, 

Asenekiri Oyinle, Angiama- 

Owei Oyindoubra, John 

Government, Henry 

Gomoromo, John Sawyer, 

Trydi Okpeke, Dollar Motor, 

Selebi Ayowei, Bobra Angese, 

Ekerebi Umber and others, 

had dragged the Federal 

Government and Amnesty 

Office before the court over 

issue of non-inclusion. 

The ex-militant leaders, in 

the suit, are contending that 

“the Amnesty Committee 

erred by refusing to include 

them in the ongoing amnesty 

programme after series of 

A-Ibom govt reiterates 

determination towards 

realisation of sea port 

By Chioma 

Onuegbu 

UYO —AKWA Ibom 

State government has 

reiterated its determination 

and commitment towards the 

realisation of the Ibom Deep 

Sea port project. 

State Commissioner for 

Economic Development and 

Ibom Deep Sea Port, Mr. 

Akan Okon, said it was 

unnecessary to join issues 

with critics of the 

government, who are 

insinuating that the project 

is a sham, noting that the 

state government is currently 

awaiting approval of the final 

document on the project. 

His words: “I don’t need 

to convince the critics 

because that is their work. 

Their responsibility is to 

criticise while the 

resolutions from meetings 

with the past and present 

National Security Advisers to 

the President, late General 

Owei Azazi and Col. Dasuki 

Sambo respectively at the 

time. 

“Instead of respecting the 

resolutions and directives 

from the National Security 

Adviser, the Amnesty 

Committee turned down the 

call to include the ex-militants 

and adopted a divide and rule 

tactics with the inclusion of 

three out of the 22 persons.” 

At the resumed hearing in 

the matter, trial judge, Justice 

Jane Iyang, allowed the 

plaintiffs to call their first 

witness, a boat driver and one 

of the aggrieved militants, 

Asenekiri Oyinle. 

Oyinle in his deposition, 

identified the identification 

card issued them by the 

Presidential Amnesty Office 

and the letter issued by the 

Nigeria Police Force to 

acknowledge that they 

submitted arms and 

ammunition as required 

under the Presidential 

Amnesty deal at the time. 

responsibility of the 

government under the 

leadership of Governor 

Udom Emmanuel is to 

continue to deliver on 

projects that will have 

meaningful impact on the 

lives of our people. 

“I am quite sure these 

same critics are the ones who 

criticised the airline, but is 

the airline not flying today? 

If you want to join issues 

with them, you can’t focus on 

what you are supposed to do. 

“As I speak to you, what is 

called Full Business Care, 

FBC, which is the final 

document, is ready and it is 

with the Federal Ministry of 

Transportation, which will 

now present it to Federal 

Executive Council for 

approval. Once that is 

signed, we are good to go.” 

'Delay in inaugurating NDDC 

board will affect forensic audit' 

By Emma 

Amaize 

Y CAMPAIGNERS 

ENAGOA— 

under the auspices of the 21st 

Century Youths of Niger 

Delta and Agitators with 

Conscience, yesterday, urged 


Buhari to quickly inaugurate 

the Niger Delta Development 

Commission, NDDC, Board 

in order not to create room for 

corruption and jeopardise the 

forensic audit of the 

commission that he recently 

ordered. 

The group in a statement 

by self-styled “General” Izon 

Ebi, implored him to lobby the 

National Assembly to confirm 

the nominees, saying: “The 

audit will lead to stalemate if 

the board is not in place 

because the guilty within the 

commission will attempt to 

frustrate the audit to paralyse 

all activities in the 

commission. 

“Mr President should 

prevail on the leadership of 

the National Assembly to 

confirm this new board in 

order for the audit which he 

has proclaimed to be 

effectively carried out. We 

believe that if the National 

Assembly fails to do this, the 

event of the audit will lead to 

a stalemate because the guilty 

within the commission may 

attempt to frustrate the 

investigations."

VANGUARD, MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2019 — 13 

POVERTY DAY: From left—Lady Roseline Idimogu, representing Jude Idimogu; Executive Director, 

Grooming Center, Mrs. Isoken Nwabunka; Chief Operating Officer, Center for Research in Enterprise 

and Action in Management, Mr. Martins Ndigwe, and former Lagos State commissioner for 

Information and Strategy, Kehinde Bamigbetan, at the International Poverty Alleviation Day 2019, 

in Lagos. 

I remain Kogi Dep Gov, Achuba declares 

By Boluwaji 

Obahopo 

L Impeached OKOJA—THE 

Deputy 

Governor of Kogi State, 

Elder Simon Achuba, 

yesterday, said his 

purported impeachment, 

last Friday, by the state 

house of assembly was 

unconstitutional and 

illegal, insisting he 

remained the state's deputy 

governor. 

Briefing, at his private 

residence in Lokoja, 

Achuba said swearing- in 

a new Deputy would 

amount to a continuation of 

illegality, contending that 

the purported inpeachment 

would not stand the test of 

judicial scrutiny. 

Achuba said he had 

already instructed his 

lawyer to commence 

judicial process to end 

perceived executive 

lawlessness in the state. 

He claimed that he was 

treated like a common 

criminal by the police on 

instruction of the governor 

hours after the assembly 

pronounced its decision. 

According to him: “I was 

treated like a common 

criminal when police were 

drafted to prevent entry and 

exit from my official 

residence. My official 

quarter was barricaded by 

the police while electricity 

was disconnected same 

*Your impeachment stands, Kogi Assembly insists 

Friday. I went to put on the 

power generating set, but 

it was also dismantled. All 

my property were locked up 

and I could not have 

access to my office or my 

official residence. All my 

cars were locked up in 

government house too. 

“The Kogi State Police 

Commissioner, CP Hakeem 

Busari called me and told 

me to vacate my official 

residence despite the fact 

that I sent the soft copy of 

the panel report to him to 

let him know that I was not 

indicted”. 

Achuba said he had to call 

someone to pick him from 

the official residence as the 

police prevented him from 

leaving with any vehicle. 

He argued that he 

remained the deputy 

governor of the state, 

stressing that whatever 

decision taken so far by the 

house of Assembly was 

illegal, saying “I am the 

deputy governor of Kogi 

State. Anybody sworn-in as 

deputy is illegal. We cannot 

have two deputy governors 

in one state. Whatever plan 

or decision the house takes 

is illegal. The panel 

exonerated me I was not 

found wanting so why are 

they in hurry?" 

He called on the national 

leadership of the All 


APC, to intervene on the 

present face-off between 

him and governor; 

stressing that the situation 

had escalated and would 

affect the people of the 

state. 

No going back on 

impeachment 

Meanwhile, the state 

house of assembly has 

insisted that Friday 

impeachment of Achuba 

stands, saying there is no 

going back on the 

impeachment. 

Chairman, House 

committee on Information, 

Moses Akande , who spoke 

on behalf of the House also 

accused the judicial panel 

of inquiry of compromise on 

the assignment. 

Akande said, “Based on 

the “Rule of Procedure” 

given to members of the 

panel, their assignment 

was a fact-finding one, and 

not required to give any 

resolution. 

“The panel submitted 

report to us and based on 

the report, we gave our 

verdict. The rule of 

procedure says that the 

Panel is a fact finding panel; 

it is not to give judgment 

and it was in the rule of 

procedure which the panel 

accepted. Members were 

not supposed to give any 

verdict in this circumstance. 

RECRUITMENT: KDSG shortlists 5,351 after CBT 

KADUNA—AS 

its 

recruitment process 

continues, the Kaduna 

State Government has 

shortlisted 5, 351 persons 

for further screening. 

This follows the 

conclusion of computerbased 

tests set for the 13,700 

candidates who scaled 

through the first stage from 

the pool of 41,971 

applicants. 

A statement by Special 

Adviser to the Governor on 

Media & Communication, 

Muyiwa Adekeye, said a 

screening exercise for the 

shortlisted candidates 

would commence this 

week. 

The statement said 

“Persons who are 

successfully screened will 

then be invited for 

interviews by the agencies 

in which they have 

indicated interest. Of the 

13,700 persons on the firststage 

shortlist, 12,887 

registered for the CBT, 

while 12,299 applicants sat 

for the test between 7 

October and 13 October 

2019. 

“The second-stage 

shortlist of 5,351 includes 

2604 entry-level, 2283 

middle-level and 464 

management level 

applicants. Among them 

are 443 candidates who 

earned perfect scores. 

Applicants who sat for the 

CBT will receive email 

notifications regarding the 

status of their applications. 

“Screening of shortlisted 

candidates will commence 

in Kaduna this week. This 

will represent the first 

interaction between the 

applicants and KDSG 

officials in a recruitment 

process that has so far been 

conducted exclusively 

online. Candidates on the 

shortlist will also be advised 

by email on the date, time 

and venue for their 

screening.” 

The decision of whether the 

deputy governor is guilty or 

not guilty is that of the 

House. If you look at Section 

188(11), it says the House 

of Assembly is the only 

authority which determines 

what gross misconduct is. 

It is not for the panel to say 

proved or not proved.” 

On the Panel’s report in 

the public domain, he said: 

“I don’t know where that is 

coming from. Can you 

imagine the Panel 

chairman who said while 

addressing pressmen at the 

assembly complex shortly 

after he submitted the 

reports to the Speaker that 

it is not constitutional for 

him to disclose what is in 

report since he has 

submitted to the 

appropriate channel, how 

come few minutes later the 

whole report were on social 

media even before the 

deliberation of the House 

on the same report? Again 

just to let you know that 

even the report in the public 

domain is not signed, for us, 

we know that the panel has 

compromised in the 

process. 

"In the rule of procedure, 

it was written boldly that the 

Panel shall not give the 

report of their investigation 

to anybody, except the 

House of Assembly." 

Creating jobs, alleviating 

poverty, my priority —Dangote 

…says 'Bag of Goodies' promo is 

to lift Nigerians 

CHAIRMAN 

of 

Dangote Cement Plc, 

Aliko Dangote has 

promised to continue to do 

all within his power to help 

in alleviating poverty and 

spread wealth even as he 

charged Nigerians not to 

lose hope in the country. 

Speaking against the 

backdrop of praises by 

winners in the on-going 

extended Dangote Cement 

bag of Goodies National 

Consumer Promotion in 

Akure and Asaba, who 

lauded the gesture by the 

foremost entrepreneur to 

launch what they call 

'economic life saving 

promo', said his joy was to 

touch as many lives as he 

could within the ambit of 

what God had given him. 

Represented by the 

Dangote Cement National 

Sales Director, Mr. Yemi 

Fajobi at the presentation of 

Saloon Car star prize to a 

block moulder who is also 

a former Local Government 

Councilor in Akure, 

Dangote said most of his 

businesses were driven by 

the desire to touch lives and 

improve the standard of 

living of Nigerians. 

According to him “the 

bag of Goodies promo is not 

just a promo. The 

uniqueness of it is in the 

choice of items being won 

by the people. Our 

company is intentionally 

empowering its customers 

through the promo. The 

cars, tricycles and 

motorcycles are items that 

economically lift the 

customers by creating 

additional means of 

livelihood and improve 

their economy.” 

Dangote noted that the 

company decided to run 

the biggest promo ever in 

Nigeria as a way of 

contributing to the 

economic well being of the 

consumers of its products. 

He said “the promo is to 

reward valued consumers 

for their unflinching 

partnership to ensure that 

our range of cement 

products remains today the 

first choice for construction 

purposes across the country. 

The consumer promotion 

gives opportunity for 

existing and new 

consumers to get a step 

ahead of their struggle for 

economic emancipation by 

winning any of the giveaway 

items, which has 

economic value. We have 

made it so transparent that 

you don’t have to go 

through any raffle draw or 

the so called lucky dip 

associated with many other 

promotions in the country. 

For Dangote cement, you 

win instantly because what 

is revealed in the scratch 

card is what you win.” 

“In Dangote Cement, we 

adhere strictly to best global 

standards in producing our 

range of cement which 

makes them the best in the 

market. Our products; 

BlocMaster, 42.5R, 42.5N 

and Falcon are all top-ofthe-range 

brands 

developed to ensure that 

cement users have a choice 

on the type of product 

suitable for their projects. 

“Much researches and 

tests went into the 

development and 

production of these 

products as we are 

determined to offer 

consumers the best quality 

and experience either in 

building personal houses 

or in commercial 

construction works." 

After presenting the star 

prize of a brand new car to 

the Asaba winner, Simeon 

Egualeonan, he specifically 

commended the people of 

Delta State and Asaba for 

remaining faithful to the 

brand adding that the 

promo was a way of saying 

thank you to the 

consumers. Fajobi stated 

that the first star prize 

winner emerged from 

Warri, Delta State and 

today, a second star prize 

winner has emerged from 

Asaba, the same Delta 

State, an indication that the 

promo is real." 

In her remarks, Dangote 

Cement Marketing 

Director, Mrs. Funmi Sanni 

said “Consumers are at the 

heart of what we do; without 

them there is no business. 

Consumers are important 

and a fundamental factor of 

production without, which 

production process is 

incomplete and our ability 

to remain in business 

becomes impossible. 

“To grow our business, we 

must constantly create 

value in terms of quality 

product and service."


INSTALLATION OF SIR KESSINGTON ADEBUTU AS THE ODOLE-OODUA, 

IN ILE-IFE, OSUN STATE 

PHOTOS: DARE FASUBE 

From left: Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State; Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye 

Enitan Ogunwusi; Odole-Oodua of the Source, Sir Kessington Adebutu, 

and his son, Ladipo, during the installation of Adebutu as the Odole- 

Oodua of the Source, in Ile-Ife, Osun State. 

Chairman of the Installation Planning Committee, Aare Kola 

Oyefeso (2nd left) and Odole-Oodua of the Source, Sir Kessington 

Adebutu. 

Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo 

(left) and former Ogun State governor, 

Aremo Olusegun Osoba. 

Mr Yomi Layinka (left) and Mr Bisi Olatilo. 

From left, Dr Yemi Ogunbiyi; Akarigbo of 

Remo land, Oba Babatunde Ajayi, and Vice 

Chancellor, Obafemi Awolowo University, 

OAU, Ile-Ife, Prof. Eyitope Ogunbodede. 

Shi'ite to FG: Our doors are open 

for dialogue 

By Bashir Bello 

KATSINA — The Islamic 

Movement of Nigeria, 

IMN, otherwise known as 

Shi'ites, has said its doors are 

open for dialogue with the 

Federal Government without 

condition. 

The Interim Leader of 

IMN, Malam Yakubu 

Yahaya, briefing newsmen, 

weekend, in Katsina as 

against the usual procession 

to mark the Arba’een (40th) 

day of the death of Imam 

Hussein, the grandson of 

Prophet Muhammad who 

was killed on the 10th of 

Muharam, said the group 

was not fighting the government, 

claiming it was the 

government that is fighting 

the group by attacking and 

disrupting its processions. 

He claimed that the last 

Ashura procession, about 17 

of its members were killed 

across the country, especially 

in Bauchi and Katsina states 

among others, while over 30 

others were arrested. 

According to him, “our 

doors are open for dialogue 

for the government and whoever 

wants to dialogue with 

us. Our doors are open anytime, 

without condition for 

dialogue. Because we understand 

government, it is 

the government that doesn’t 

understand us. If they seek 

our hands of friendship, we 

are ever ready. 

“We are peace-loving 

people. And we have no 

country other than Nigeria. 

So, we won’t allow anybody 

to use us to destabilise the 

peace of the country. We are 

not fighting the government 

because we understand the 

governmnet but it is the government 

that is fighting and 

attacking us because it does 

not understand our religion. 

"Our religion permits us to 

rally during the observation 

of our various occasional 

events. So, if the government 

agrees that we have a 

religion, it should allow us 

practice our religion the way 

we understand it. If there is 

a law or verse from the Holy 

books that prohibits our activities, 

the government 

should prove it to us." 

OPAAN urges Buhari to 

inaugurate NDDC board 

OIL Producing Areas 

Development 

Association of Nigeria, 

OPAAN, has called on 


Buhari to urgently constitute 

and inaugurate a substantive 

management and board of 

Niger Delta Development 

Commission, NDDC, while 

commending the president 

for the approval to carry out 

the forensic audit of the 

commission. 

A statement by the group’s 

National Chairman, Dr 

Cbiuwevbi Ominimini, after 

the end of its national 

working committee in 

Ughelli in Delta State, 

yesterday, said: "OPAAN has 

noticed that the lawful 

termination of the last interim 

management of the 

commission has created a 

vacuum, which naturally 

created an interregnum in 

the administration of the 

infrastructural development 

of the region, which produces 

huge resources that drive the 

Nigerian economy. 

"The indebtedness of huge 

amount of money running 

into a trillion of naira to 

NDDC as an intervention 

agency by the Federal 

Government calls for a 

question as to whether the 

past Federal Government 

administrations were serious 

with the development of the 

region. As such, we therefore 

call on President Buhari to 

show difference in funding 

the commission optimally and 

also pay the money owed 

NDDC by the Federal 

Government. 

"OPAAN shall continue to 

work and support the free 

flow of the oil but also note 

that a sitting NDDC board 

shall help to sustain the 

current high rate of crude 

and gas production per day."


My mother’s death won’t stop 

fight for Biafra restoration—Kanu 

By Chimaobi Nwaiwu 

NNEWI—LEADER of 

the Indigenous 

People of Biafra, IPOB, 

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has 

announced the passing of 

his mother in Germany on 

August 30, but assured 

Biafrans that the incident 

will not make him relent or 

be discouraged in the 

efforts to restore Biafra. 

He noted that he will work 

harder for Biafra restoration 

to honour his mother’s 

memory. 

In a broadcast, Mazi 

Kanu said his mother died 

before his trip to European 

Union, EU; United 

Nations, UN, in Geneva 

and Japan, yet he 

continued the activities for 

Biafra restoration and will 

never relent. 

In the broadcast, Kanu 

said: “Fellow Biafrans, all 

over the world, lovers of 

freedom, I bring you a 

particularly sad news on 

this day, about the passing 

of my mother, Ugoeze 

Sally Nnenne Okwu- 

Kanu, who died on August 

30 in Germany. 

“And for Biafrans all over 

the world, this very effort to 

restore Biafra continues. As 

I said before, my mother 

died before my trip to EU, 

before my visit to UN in 

Geneva, before my visit 

and travel to Japan. We 

have continued to move on 

and we shall continue to 

move on. 

“Anybody who met my 

mother or had the unique 

privilege of making her 

acquaintance will testify to 

her generosity, but above 

all, her devotion and love 

By Peter Okutu 

A BAKALIKI—IGBO 

Leaders of Thought, 

ILT, weekend, commended 

Governor of Ebonyi State 

and Chairman of South- 

East Governors Forum, 

for Biafra. Not just for Biafra 

as a project, but for all those 

who are within it.” 

When she took ill 

On how she became sick, 

Kanu said: “She saw IPOB 

as her family and did 

everything she could to 

ensure that this very 

struggle is where it is today. 

“As we all know, the 

events of September 14, 

2017 contributed 

immensely to her ill-health, 

which doctors were not able 

to do anything about. 

“Watching and seeing her 

MASS: Vice presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mr. 

Peter Obi (left); Archbishop Valerian Okeke(right) and others after Mass at 

Immaculate Heart Parish, Fegge, Onitsha, yesterday. 

Engr. David Umahi, for his 

leadership initiative, which 

had led to the approval of 

N10 billion naira for the 

reconstruction of Akanu 

Ibiam International Airport 

by the Federal 

Government. 

children being killed— 28 

of them in total— and 

having to see their dead 

bodies traumatised her to 

the extent that she took ill 

from which she never 

recovered. 

“We are grateful for your 

prayers and on behalf of the 

entire Kanu family and 

IPOB worldwide, we are 

particularly grateful for all 

your good wishes and your 

prayers. 

“We ask you to continue 

to pray for us as we also 

continue to pursue this 

noble effort to restore Biafra, 

Igbo Leaders of Thought commend Umahi’s leadership 

Chairman of ILT, 

Professor Ben Nwabueze, 

who was represented by 

his deputy, Professor 

Chiwenyite Ejike, on the 

occasion of a visit by a 

delegation to Governor 

Umahi at Government 

House, Abakaliki, added 

that the visit to see 


Buhari suggested the 

evolution of credible 

roadmaps for the viable 

leadership models for the 

people of South East 

geopolitical zone. 

According to him, “ILT 

have been able to provide 

intellectual perspectives to 

our peoples’ participation 

in negotiations and 

competitions with other 

national groups engaged in 

the Nigeria project. 

“Thus, a national group 

such as ours, which has 

distinguished itself and had 

because that is the only 

way that my mother could 

be honoured; that is the 

only way that she would 

want her memory to be 

honoured and 

remembered. 

“We are going to march 

on relentlessly to Biafra and 

until Biafra is restored, I 

will sacrifice everything to 

ensure that Biafra is 

restored and today, I can 

tell you that my mother 

has been sacrificed in this 

process and we are not 

stopping and we are not 

relenting.” 

made undisputed efforts in 

moulding Nigeria, should 

not accept a position of last 

in the queue in Nigerian 

affairs. 

“So the architecture of the 

Igbo national struggle must 

necessarily be a multifaceted 

one.” 

Welcoming the 

delegation, Umahi 

appreciated the Federal 

Government for the funds 

and expressed hope that the 

Federal Government would 

give more attention and 

assistance to the South-East 

zone in the area of 

infrastructure 

development, road and 

railway construction and 

economic empowerment of 

the region. 

He advised Igbo against 

confrontation of leadership, 

saying dialogue remains 

one of the most effective 

means of negotiation. 

Obi speaks on IGR 

at PDP gov summit 

By Dirisu Yakubu 

ABUJA—THE former 

governor of Anambra 

State and vice presidential 

candidate of Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP, 

Mr. Peter Obi, is set to 

meet governors elected on 

the platform of the party 

in a summit on internallygenerated 

revenue, IGR, 

in Abuja. 

Obi, according to the 

programme of event, will 

deliver a keynote address 

on “The Imperatives of 

Developing Internally- 

Generated Revenue 

Options for State 

Governments in a 

Recessed Economy.” 

According to a statement 

by the Summit Organising 

Committee led by Mr. 

By Chinonso Alozie 

O 

W E R R I — 

GOVERNOR 

Emeka Ihedioha of Imo 

State, yesterday, said 

pensioners in the state 

have started smiling. 

Ihedioha, through his 

Senior Special Assistant 

on Information and 

Advocacy, Adaora 

Onyechere, spoke to 

newsmen in Owerri, 

concerning the 

commencement of 

payment of over 24,000 

pensioners in the state. 

She said: “Following the 

payment of pensioners in 

Imo State by Governor 

Emeka Ihedioha, what it 

means now is that the 

issue of whether pension 

will be paid or not, which 

Udemezue, 28 others to speak at 

African Bar Association Lecture today 

Amember, Council of 

Legal Education and 

lecturer at the Nigeria Law 

School, Sylvester 

Udemezue, and 28 others 

from Nigeria are among 

the 65 speakers from 

Nigeria and other 

countries in Africa; United 

States and Canada billed 

to speak at the African Bar 

Association training 

workshop for the military 

and security agencies. 

The event, which 

commences today, will 

take place in Monrovia, 

Liberia and will end on 

Thursday, October 24. 

Other speakers from 

Nigeria are Col Ukpe 

Ukpe, Major-General 

Yusuf Shalangwa, 

Professor Jerry Agbo, High 

Chief Richard Ohanaruogho, 

George Agu, Dr. 

Clifford Omozeghian and 

Patrick Okon, the event 

which is being facilitated 

by PDP Governors 

Forum is managed by 

Messrs Red Sapphire 

Nigeria Limited, an 

integrated marketing 

communications 

company. 

Slated for October 30, 

the summit is expected to 

draw prominent resource 

persons with tested 

knowledge and expertise 

in IGR and the entire 

financial sector. 

Expected at the event 

are commissioners, 

national/state Assembly 

committees,local 

governments’ chairmen/ 

aides, council chairmen/ 

secretaries, as well as 

heads of state revenue 

boards. 

Pensioners in Imo 

now smile— Ihedioha 

has lingered for many 

years has been put to 

rest. 

“Ending the suffering 

of pensioners in Imo as 

well as solving the 

numerous challenges 

facing Imolites is the 

reason this government 

has come into power. 

“Again, it is now right 

to say Governor Ihedioha 

has put smiles on the 

faces of pensioners, as we 

can confirm from them 

that they have started 

recei-ving their payment 

since last week 

Thursday. 

“We now can believe 

the governor is a man of 

his words and nothing 

will make Ihedioha not 

to fulfill all his 

campaign promises.” 

Mr. Ahmadu Bitrus. 

Others are Ibrahim 

Mark, Monday Ubani, 

Mandy Asagba, Seyi 

Alade, Hannibal Uwaifo, 

Inuwa Abdul-kabir, Osa 

Director and Professor 

Dominic Badaki. 

Udemezue will be 

speaking at the segment 

of Fight Against 

Terrorism in Africa, to be 

moderated by Major 

General I Y Shalangwa 

and Brig.-General Dan 

Kuwali, on the topic 

“Should Human Rights 

of Terrorists and Those 

Who Instigate Armed 

Conflict Be Respected?” 

He will also speak at 

the segment of Rule of 

Law Symposium on 

“Rights of the Accused 

Undergoing Military 

Trial must be Respected: 

What Right?”


INSTALLATION: From 

left—Special Apostle 

Joseph Olagoke, 

General-Secretary, C&S 

Worldwide, Special 

Apostle Odetudun and 

Special Apostle (Pastor) 

Elijah Oluwole 

Atolagbe, at the 

installation service of 

Special Apostle 

Atolagbe as Chairman, 

Kaduna District, Cherubim 

& Seraphim Movement 

in Kaduna, yesterday. 

Photo: Olu Ajayi. 

S-East, S-South APC chair forum backs Buhari's 

NDDC forensic audit directive 

By Elizabeth 

Uwandu 

U MUAHIA—STATE 

Chairmen of the All 


APC, in the South-South 

and South-East, have 

commended President 

Muhammadu Buhari over 

his directive for a forensic 

audit of the NDDC and 

called on Mr. President to 

urgently inaugurate the 

new board to superintend 

Diaspora MOSOP flays acquisition of OML 11 by 

Rivers govt 

By Gabriel Olawale 

USA—THE United 

States of America, 

USA, Eleme chapter of the 

Movement for the Survival 

of Ogoni People, MOSOP, 

has kicked against the 

reported acquisition of 45 

percent stake of Royal 

Dutch Shell Petroleum 

Company's OML 11 by the 

Rivers State Government. 

The group said the 

decision was unacceptable 

and would be resisted by 

the people of Ogoniland. 

They expressed their 

views in a statement jointly 

signed by the Coordinator 

of MOSOP USA, Eleme 

Chapter, Mr. Koida Ejire, 

Secretary, MOSOP USA 

Eleme Chapter, Dr. Owarr 

Chjjor and the Secretary 

MOSOP CTC, USA, 

Godwin Lale Ollor. 

"The attention of 

Movement for the Survival 

of Ogoni People, Eleme 

Chapter USA has been 

drawn to the purported 

broadcast and publications 

over the commission's 

activities for a holistic 

review and reforms. 

This call and commendation 

was contained in two separate 

statements released by the 

Chairman, APC in Akwa-Ibom 

State, Hon. Ini T. Okopido and 

leader South-South Chairmen of 

the forum and his Abia State 

counterpart, Hon. Donatus 

Nwankpa who is the leader of 

South-east Chairmen of the 

forum respectively. 

in various media networks 

by the government and 

Governor of Rivers State, 

Chief Barrister Nyesom 

Wike that the Rivers State 

government has acquired 

45% stake/share of Royal 

Dutch Shell Petroleum 

Company's OML 11. 

"We would like to state 

categorically that this ploy 

to rub the people of Ebubu, 

Eleme, Ogoni and Rivers 

The forum expressed 

satisfaction on the caliber of those 

the President has already 

appointed to take over the task of 

the region's development and 

appealed for their inauguration 

to pilot the affairs of the 

Commission bringing to bear, their 

wealth of experience. 

The Chairmen while 

commending the President for his 

love for the development of the 

Niger Delta region, assured him 

of their unflinching support to 

State at large is unacceptable 

and we will resist this 

oil theft at all cost. 

"We wish to state that 

OML 11 refers to Ogoni 

Mineral License include all 

the oil wells in Ogale, 

Onne, and Ejamaa Ebubu, 

and in other communities 

in Ogoniland as contained 

in the license or deed of 

operation by the company," 

the statement read. 

The group added in the 

statement that it was also 

true that the oil wells 

operated by Shell 

Petroleum company in 

Ogale, Onne, Agbata and 

Ejamaa communities of 

Eleme were not different in 

whole or in part but that the 

same block of OML 11 as 

provided and guaranteed 

in the contract licenses were 

sovereign right of the 

Ogoni people. 

Why business, moguls, investors should fund 

2019 Urhobo Economic summit—Oghenesivbe 

showcasing raw materials, 

products and goods within 

a reasonable period if 

investors shows up as a 

result of the awareness 

generated through the 

activities of the summit, 

adding that industrialization of 

some local communities in Delta 

Central Senatorial District will 

assist greatly in decongesting the 

labour market and raise great 

entrepreneurs in the state. 

He specifically appealed to 

some Urhobo notable investors 

and industrialists especially; Chief 

NDDC: NDMG urges Presidency to inaugurate 

Odubu, Okumagba-led board 

A SABA—THE 

Convener of Niger 

Delta Monitoring Group, 

Dr. Charles Olisa has 

commended the Presidency 

for instituting a forensic 

audit processes to evaluate 

if the output of the interventionist 

agency in terms of 

developmental activities in 

the Niger Delta region is 

commensurate with the input 

in the form of cash and 

resources inflow to the 

agency from inception till 

A SABA—RENOWNED 

s t r a t e g i c 

communication expert and 

Executive Assistant on 

Communications to the 

Governor of Delta State, Dr 

Fred Oghenesivbe, has 

endorsed the Urhobo 

Economic and Investment 

Summit Initiatives and 

urged prominent Urhobo 

business men and women 

to fund the project. 

Oghenesivbe in a 

statement said the summit 

have the potentials of 

date. 

The Monitoring group further 

avers that in line with Standard 

Global best practices, a neutral, 

unbiased and objective board 

should be in place to supervise 

the audit processes. On that 

note, NDMG implores the 

Presidency to inaugurate the new 

board led by Dr. Pius Odubu and 

Olorogun Bernard Okumagba 

without further delay to avert a 

lacuna in the management team, 

and also to ensure a successful 

and transparent audit processes. 

The incumbent Acting Managing 

Director of NDDC have 

been allegedly fingered for job 

racketeering and payment of billions 

of naira for Water hyacinth 

and other Quick win projects 

without following due processes 

and established procurement 

acts. Consequently, the Acting 

Managing Director is among 

those to be investigated. NDMG 

is of the opinion that it is not 

morally right to be a judge in your 

own case, so, it is imperative for a 

new board to step in immediately. 

carry out his holistic reform in the 

interventionist agency. 

The forum is of the view that 

since neither the Chairman nor 

Managing Director designate of 

the newly constituted NDDC 

board has served in the 

Commission in the period 2001 

to 2019 in reference, they will be 

able to dispassionately carry out 

reforms that will revamp the 

Commission and correct the 

inadequacies of the previous 

boards vis-a-viz address the 

infrastructural decay in the 

region. 

Kenneth Gbagi, Olorogun Oscar 

Ibru, Olorogun Brother Moses 

Taiga, Olorogun Otega Emerhor 

and others to assist the organisers 

in driving the summit to fruition, 

and to deploy their 

entrepreneurial ingenuity for the 

speedy industrialisation of the 

state and Urhobo nation. 

Oghenesivbe, a Fellow of the 

Civilian Institute of Democratic 

Administration, FCIDA, asserted 

that Urhobo Economic Summit 

is a straight forward socioeconomic 

remodelling initiatives without 

political or partisan colouration, 

adding that it should be 

encouraged and sustained 

because of its benefits, job and 

wealth creation potentials. 

"Investors should identify with 

Urhobo Economic Summit and 

assist the organisers to raise the 

stakes because of the inestimable 

socioeconomic gains and benefits 

for small and medium scale 

businesses capable of enhancing 

and facilitating the Stronger 

Delta Agenda, devoid of 

partisanship and political divide. 

"I commend the efforts and 

consistency of the convener, 

Kingsley Ubiebi and his team. It's 

only fair that prime investors 

should at the moment identify 

with this laudable project ," 

Oghenesivbe said.


18 — Vanguard, MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2019 

President Muhammadu Buhari presented 

the Federal Budget for 2020 

to the National Assembly on October 

8, 2019. It is expected that this early 

submission should give ample time 

for deliberations and final approval, 

especially as the current leadership 

of the Assembly seems in sync with 

the Executive. 

Consequently, it can safely be assumed 

that the political leadership has 

turned a new leaf in terms of timeliness 

in fiscal planning and execution 

as well as a return to the January- 

December cycle. To the extent that this 

target is met we applaud the government. 

Our perusal of the content shows a 

four-dimensional focus: Fiscal Consolidation, 

Infrastructure and Human 

Capital Development, Incentives for 

the private sector and enhancing social 

investment programmes. 

Again, this focused agenda seem 

laudable at first glance, but budget 

allocations and the minuscule sizes 

suggest a shaky foundation that could 

The positive, negative profile 

of Budget 2020 (1) 

affect progress. 

We would have been slightly comforted 

by the bold effort to match expenditure 

with revenue but for the 

seeming over-reliance on cheap, easy 

target which burdens the tax payers 

with Value Added Tax, VAT, increase. 

We, therefore, call on the government 

to quickly redress this with counterpart 

policy measures that would not 

only cushion the effect of the additional 

tax burden. They should widen 

the tax base to increase revenue from 

taxes. More people must be made to 

pay their taxes. 

This brings us to the erroneous assumptions 

of a new dawn on revenue 

performance, ignoring the lessons 

from the recent dire straits of the government 

over its revenue. On this, we 

note that Federal Government’s revenue 

projections underperformed 

actual collection by 47.8% in 2017. It 

went to 44.7% in 2018 and 41.6% as at 

first half of 2019. 

Surprisingly, government expects 

revenue of N8.2 trillion in 2020, which 

is 17.1% higher than N7.0 trillion in 

2019 and more than twice the actual 

collection of N4.0 trillion in 2018. 

Where would the money come from? 

It appears that this single inordinate 

ambition may become the budget’s 

greatest undoing. As usual the capital 

side of the expenditure profile would 

take the downside effect. Then how 

would it achieve economic growth without 

robust capital expenditure? 

The government never exceeded 40% 

implementation level for capital expenditure 

in recent years. Obviously, 2020 

might go the same way. But it could 

even be worse. The consequential adjustment 

for the implementation of the 

minimum wage is expected to gulp 

over N500 billion in the recurrent expenditure 

profile. 

The implication is a sad devil’s alternative: 

either an abandonment of the 

minimum wage or its implementation 

to the detriment of other overhead 

items in the recurrent expenditure. This 

would eventually lead to total underperformance, 

or under-implementation 

of the recurrent expenditure. 

OPINION 

Revocation of Discos’ licences: Why electricity equipment 

should be protected 

BY INWALOMHE DONALD 

I 

am appealing to President Muhammadu 

Buhari to give adequate protection to electricity 

equipment before the revocation of licences 

of power distribution companies. Electricity 

equipment must be protectedd from vandals 

and internal sabotage before the revocation 

of licences of power distribution companies 

and the implementation of power agreement 

between Nigeria and Siemens of Germany 

Ṫhe Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, 

NERC, recently notified eight power 

distribution companies, DisCos, about the 

withdrawal of their licences as the nation 

continues to grapple with persistent power 

outages and unreliable electricity supply. 

President Buhari needs to establish and inaugurate 

electricity regulatory committees in 

all the states to monitor suspicious activities on 

any electricity installation or equipment, and 

report to state governments and the Federal 

Government. 

Factually, issues of vandalism will be a major 

contribution to the challenges that the discos 

are currently experiencing in Transmission 

Company of Nigeria’s,TCN’s, infrastructure 

and technical limitations in wheeling power to 

the proper areas of a Disco’s geographical footprint 

after revocation of discos licences. 

It is important to protect electricity infrastructure 

before the implementation of Siemens and 

the Federal Government of Nigeria agreement 

for the Nigeria electrification road map. The 

goal of the road map is to resolve existing challenges 

in the power sector and expand the capacity 

for the future power needs of the country. 

The Power Holding Company of Nigeria, 

PHCN, lost equipment worth millions of naira 

to theft and vandalism less than two months to 

the January 2014 deadline for the power generation 

and distribution companies to start operation. 

Materials such as cables and wires, 

among others, could either been stolen or vandalised. 

Electricity cables, transformer winding 

coil, laminated cord, feeder pillar, laminating 

sheets must be secured before licences revocation. 

More than five years after the privatisation of 

the sector, the investors who took over the six 

generation companies and 11 Discos that 

emerged after the unbundling of the PHCN are 

still grappling with the old problems in the sector. 

The sector is plagued with problems of gas 

supply shortages, limited distribution networks, 

limited transmission line capacity, huge metering 

gap, electricity theft and high technical and 

commercial losses, among others. 

As the nation’s power sector remains in crisis 

mode, the Presidency has met with electricity 

distribution companies in a bid to resolve some 

of the issues affecting the electricity supply industry. 

As the clamour to revoke licenses of the 

buyers of the privatised power assets continues, 

the Electricity Generation Companies, GEN- 

COs, have disclosed that they have increased 

Nigeria’s generation capacity from 12,500 

megawatts, to 13,496 megawatts. 

The Federal Government may cancel the licences 

of eight power distribution companies 

as the Discos breached some provisions of the 

Electric Power Sector Reform Act in July 2019. 

In a notice posted on its website, the power sector 

regulator said it intended to cancel licences 

issued to the eight Discos pursuant to Section 

74 of the EPSR Act. 

In the eight-page notice to the Discos, which 

was signed by one of the NERC’s commissioners, 

Dafe Akpeneye, the commission stated that the 

power firms had 60 days to explain why their 

licences should not be cancelled. It said: “Take 

notice that pursuant to section 74 of the EPSR 

Act and the terms and conditions of electricity 

distribution licences issued to the distribution 

licensees by Nigerian Electricity Regulatory 

Commission has reasonable cause to believe 

that the Discos listed below have breached the 

provisions of EPSRA, terms and conditions of 

their respective distribution licences and the 

2016 – 2018 Minor Review of Multi Year Tariff 

Order and Minimum Remittance Order for the 

Year 2019.” 

It identifies the Discos as: “Abuja Electricity 

Distribution Company Plc; Benin Electricity 

Distribution Company Plc; Enugu Electricity 

Distribution Company Plc; Ikeja Electric Plc; 

It is important to protect 

electricity infrastructure 

before the implementation 

of Siemens and the Federal 

Government of Nigeria 

agreement for the Nigeria 

Electrification road map 

Send Opinions & Letters to: 

opinions1234@yahoo.com 

Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company Plc; 

Kano Electricity Distribution Company Plc; 

Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company 

Plc; and Yola Electricity Distribution Company 

Plc.” 

The commission said it considered the actions 

of the aforementioned Discos as “manifest 

and flagrant breaches” of EPSRA, terms 

and conditions of their respective distribution 

licences and the order. It stated that the commission 

“therefore requires each of them (Discos) 

to show cause in writing within 60 days 

from the date of receipt of this notice as to why 

their licences should not be cancelled in accordance 

with section 74 of EPSRA.” 

Further analysis of the notice showed that the 

eight Discos failed to meet the expected remittance 

threshold for the month of July 2019 billing 

cycle to the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading 

company. 

The Federal Government had unbundled the 

Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, 

into 18 firms and sold them to private owners at 

$2.5billion (about N903.750bn) in 2013. The 

assets consist of six generation companies and 

11 distribution companies. “Today, the BPE 

confirms that most of the GENCOs have 

exceeded their contractual obligations. Overhaul 

has been successfully carried out on one of 

the generating units at Jebba plant. Capacity 

recovery process on other unavailable units continues 

which will enable the plants recover to 

full installed capacity.” 

The report noted that the privatisation of the 

country’s power sector had exposed the inherent 

structural weakness in the sector, adding 

that investors, GENCOs are worst hit in the 

electricity market logjam. It further stated: “Historical 

generation data for the period 1st November 

2013 to 31st December, 2,018 shows 

that there has been 75 per cent increment in the 

available generation capability, amounting to 

about 3,169.95mw (4,214.32 in 2013 – 

7,384.27MW in 2018) within this period.” 

The report, however, disclosed that investment 

on generation is at the instance of the off-taker 

(the buyer of the power generated), adding: 

“GENCOs were promised 100percent payment 

of all they are capable of generating by the government 

through its agency called NBET. The 

promise provoked some additional investments 

by GENCOs with its attendant high cost of capital, 

increased regulatory risk, increased debt 

profile. 

*Donald, a public policy analyst, wrote from 

Abuja via inwalomhe.donald@yahoo.com

Vanguard, MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2019 —19 

By Babajide Komlafe 

The Central Bank of 

Nigeria (CBN) is 

expected to sustain its 

liquidity mop up efforts this 

week in response to inflow of 

N565 billion into the 

interbank money market. 

Last week, the interbank 

money market recorded 

inflow of N1.28 trillion which 

occasioned excess liquidity in 

the market. The inflow 

comprised N693.53 billion 

from statutory allocation 

disbursed to the three tiers of 

government by the Federal 

Accounts Allocation 

Committee (FAAC) and N565 

CBN to sustain liquidity mop up 

as N565bn hits interbank market 

billion from matured treasury 

bills (TBs). The matured TBs 

comprised N121.88 

billion worth of matured 

primary market TBs and 

N463.98 billion worth of 

secondary market (Open 

Market Operation, OMO) 

TBs. 

In order to mop up the 

resulting excess liquidity, the 

CBN offered N350 billion 

worth of OMO TBs, which 

was oversubscribed by 214 

percent, with total 

subscription of N1.1 trillion 

while the CBN sold N430 

billion. 

Similarly, the primary 

market TB auction conducted 

by the CBN during the week, 

recorded 421 percent 

oversubscription. Total public 

subscription to the N112.5 

billion worth of bills on offer 

CBN stood at N586.6 billion, 

while the apex bank sold 

N112.5 billion. As a result the 

primary market TBs were sold 

at lower stop rates of 10.8 

percent for 91-Days bills, 

11.0 percent for 182- Days 

bills, and 12.9 percent 

for 364-Days bills, 

compared with previous rates 

of 11.1 percent , 11.6 percent 

and 13.2 percent 

respectively. 

As a result of the 

excess liquidity triggered by 

the inflow, average short term 

cost of funds in the interbank 

money market fell by 643 

basis points (bpts) with 

interest rate on Collateralised 

(Open Buy Back, OBB) 

Continues on page 21 

MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2019 

Foreign portfolio investment in 

equities shrinks by 34% 

•Investment experts divided on outlook 

By Nkiruka Nnorom 

As the bearish 

sentiment in the 

equities market 

continues to hold sway, 

foreign investors have 

reduced their stake in the 

market by 34.4 percent to 

N594.5 billion, from N906.9 

billion in the last eight 

months. 

This is even as investment 

experts express divided 

opinion on the possibility of 

a rebound in foreign 

investors’ interest in the 

market. Some believed that 

the market valuations are 

right and might spike 

interest in the local bourse, 

while others argued that lack 

of market catalyst has 

inspired little confidence in 

foreign investors. 

Meanwhile, Financial 

Vanguard analysis of FPIs 

in the equities market 

showed consistent rise in the 

volume of outflow in contrast 

to inflow. 

A breakdown of foreign 

investors participation 

showed that total 

withdrawals stood at 

N316.19 billion, 12 

percent higher than 

N278.27 billion inflow 

within the eight month 

period. 

For the first quarter 2019, 

Q1’19, total outflow stood 

at N124.25 billion, 21.4 

percent higher than 

N97.63 billion inflow. 

The trend followed the 

same pattern in half year 

Global stock trading platform, Chaka, berths in Nigeria 

to June 30, 2019 as total 

FPI outflow rose to 

N257.82 billion compared 

to N214.97 billion inflow. 

Experts comment 

Commenting on the 

situation, Mustapha 

Wahab, Research analyst at 

Cordros Capital, said that 

the trend might sustained 

following trade dispute 

between USA and China 

which has led to sustained 

investors’ apprehension 

towards the market as well 

as lack of catalyst to move 

the market forward. 

He stated: “Two key things 

are cardinal for us, one is the 

trade war-induced 

uncertainties across the 

global environment. Clearly, 

the impact of that largely 

contributed to the sustained 

investors’ apprehension 

towards most emerging and 

frontier economies. Thus, an 

Continues on page 20 

ECONOMY 

30 

C 

M 

Y 

K


FINANCIAL VANGUARD 

Continues from page 19 

COVER 

Foreign portfolio investment in equities shrinks by 34% 

unresolved trade dispute 

between the US and China 

should leave FPI’s cold-feet 

into Nigeria intact. 

“Secondly, despite the 

attractive valuation story in 

Nigeria’s equities market, 

the uninspiring growth story, 

weak corporate earnings and 

lack of market catalyst has 

inspired little confidence. 

Thus, bias is for capital flight 

to continue in the next few 

months.” 

He, however, stated that 

more market friendly 

policies would reignite 

foreign investors’ interest in 

the market, saying: “An 

institution of a market 

reflective PMS price, should 

help bolster FGN revenue, 

and by extension, drive 

aggressive budget 

implementation, especially 

capital expenditure 

(CAPEX) which has 

historically underperformed. 

The chain effect of that, 

could potentially drive 

economic growth to about 

three percent levels. In that 

case, FPIs will naturally see 

Nigeria as a sound 

investment destination.” 

In the same vein, analysts 

at Cowry Asset Management 

explained that foreign 

portfolio investors (FPIs) had 

diverted their cash away 

from equities market in first 

half of the year due to 

perceived view of less 

commitment by the current 

administration to implement 

market-friendly policies as 

well as the heightened 

insecurity in the northern 

part of Nigeria, which has 

spread to the southern and 

eastern regions of the 

country, but said that FPIs 

and domestic institutional 

investors are expected to 

have renewed interest in 

equities market, given the 

likely indication that the US 

Fed would lower its 

monetary rate to support its 

country’s economic growth 

going forward. 

“We expect that with the 

prospect of softened interest 

rates, especially in advanced 

economies as they 

implement accommodative 

monetary policies to support 

economic growth, we expect 

increase foreign portfolio 

inflows into frontier 

economies such as Nigeria. 

This should boost Nigeria’s 

external buffers and further 

enhance exchange rate 

stability. 

In the same vein, the 

current low fixed income 

yields environment in 

Nigeria, which has 

moderated towards lower 

double digit should make 

investors see the need to 

gravitate towards 

patronizing the local equities 

market. 

“Many companies’ share 

prices are way undervalued 

and their dividend yields 

have become incredibly high. 

This portends good entryprice 

opportunity for 

investors to make a “fingerlicking” 

gains in the near 

term. 

“We may see the falling 

equity prices tending 

towards a possible replay of 

the bearish market in 2016/ 

2017, when the local bourse 

came under severe bearish 

attack and profit-making 

businesses traded below their 

equity values. Only those 

investors who exercised 

enough patience partook in 

the bullish market run, which 

eventually surfaced in 2017 

when the stock market 

returned a whopping gain of 

42.3 percent to investors,” 

they said. 

Also speaking, Mallam 

Garba Kurfi, Managing 

Director/CEO, APT Secuirities 

and Investment, said that 

valuations are attractive 

enougn to lure foreign 

investors back to the market. 

“I see the foreign investors 

coming back if the third 

uqrater earnings are 

released. Guranty Trust Bank 

has relaesed its Q3 report 

with marginal increase in 

profit, but when you look at 

the share price of GTB, it is 

cheaper compared to its price 

this same time last year. 

“When stock prices are low, 

foreign investors will take 

advantage of the low prices to 

enter the market. I see more 

foreign investors coming 

because share prices have 

fallen below their fair value. 

Guinness Nigeria Plc, for 

instance, has not traded at 

N27 per share in the last 10 

years. Nigerian Breweries 

(NB) has not traded at N47 

in the last 10 years. Now, GTB 

is trading at over N26, Zenith 

Bank is trading at N17, while 

First Bank trades at N5 per 

share. Access Bank post 

merger with Dianond Bank is 

trading at N7.00. All these 

show that the prices are right. 

“Once prices are low, 

foreign investors do their 

analysis and come in. Local 

investors don’t do analysis, 

they only follow the market; 

if the market starts going up, 

you will see them putting buy 

mandate. If the market goes 

down, they will disappear as 

well,” he said. 

Continuing, he said: “For 

the first time in many years, 

we have the president 

present the budget before 

December and they are 

working on it. If you 

remember, it was only during 

the military regime that we 

started implementing the 

budget by January. 

“Also, the president ahs 

appointed economic advisers 

whose integrity and 

exposure are not in doubt. It 

is just like getting the right 

people at the right time. I 

beileve that this is also going 

to help the market, and attract 

foreign investors. 

“We are not envisaging that 

the price of crude oil will go 

down. The budget benchmark 

is N67 and it is currently 

trading at N60 per barrel. So, 

if the price of crude oil is 

sustained at N60 per barrel, 

that will be enough to sustain 

our reserve and it will attract 

more foreign investors at that 

level.”



lending falling by 629 

bpts to 5.14 percent last 

week from 11.43 percent 

the previous week. 

Similarly, interest rate 

on Overnight lending 

fell by 657 bpts to 5.86 

percent last week from 

12.43 percent the 

previous week. 

Analysts however 

opined that the 

movement of interbank 

interest rates this 

week will be largely 

influenced by 

anticipated liquidity 

mop up by the CBN in 

response to expected 

inflow of N565 billion, 

comprising N338.5 

billion worth of 

maturing TBs and 

N226.5 billion worth of 

maturing FGN bonds. 

According to analysts 

at Lagos based Zedcrest 

Securities Limited, 

“With combined inflows 

of N565 billion 

from OMO and FGN 

Bond maturities, the 

CBN may look to ramp 

up its mop-up activities 

with multiple OMO 

auctions in the coming 

week. We maintain a 

cautious outlook in the 

interim as increased 

supply could push 

secondary market rates 

higher.” 

Similarly, analysts at 

Lagos based Afrinvest 

Limited said: “ 

In the coming week, 

we expect the CBN to 

sustain its OMO auction 

given that OMO 

maturities worth N338.5 

billion will impact 

system liquidity levels. 

Also, we envisage that 

elevated system 

liquidity levels would 

continue to drive rates 

lower in the secondary 

TBs market.” 

However, analysts at 

Lagos based Cowry 

Asset Management 

Limited expressed 

optimism of further 

moderation in cost of 

fund, saying, “In the 

new week, TBs worth 

N315.99 billion will 

mature via the secondary 

market, which in 

addition to the effect of 

the recently disbursed 

FAAC allocation of 

N693.53 billion, should 

result in boost in 

financial system liquidity 

and resultant 

moderation in interbank 

offered rates.” 

DMO N150 

billion bond 

auction to record 

oversubscription 

Meanwhile, 

the 

D e b t 

Management Office will 

this week offer N150 

billion worth of FGN 

bonds to investors, with 

analysts projecting 

oversubscription due to 

rising appetite for fixed 

income instrument. 

The bond auction 

conducted by the DMO 

in September recorded 

38 percent 

oversubscription with 

total subscription of 

N207.5 billion to the 

N150 billion worth of 

bonds offered by the 

DMO. 

Projecting that this 

trend will be repeated at 

the FGN bond auction to 

be held this week, 

analysts at Cowry Asset 

Management Limited 

said: “In the new 

week, 

Debt 

Management Office will 

issue bonds worth N150 

billion, viz: 12.75% FGN 

APR 2023 (5-Yr Reopening) 

worth N50 

billion, FGN APR 2029 

(10-Yr Re-opening) worth 

N50 billion and FGN 

APR 2049 (30-Yr Reopening) 

worth N50 

billion respectively. We 

expect the bonds stop 

rates to moderate amid 

high demand for fixed 

income securities.” 

Making similar 

projection, analysts at 

Zedcrest Securities, 

said the bullish run 

recorded last week in 

the secondary market 

for FGN bonds, is 

expected to spill over 

into the FGN bond 

auction this week 

resulting 

to 

oversubscription. 

“We expect this bullish 

run to slow down into the 

coming week, as 

investors assess the 

prospect of supply from 

the monthly bond auction 

scheduled later in the 

week. We maintain a 

bullish outlook however 

as the offer amount of 

N150bn at the auction 

might be insufficient to 

meet rollover demand 

from investors receiving 

maturities of N234 

billion.” 


CBN to sustain liquidity mop up as N565bn hits interbank market




CBN battles telcos over 

new USSD charge 

...directs banks to stop patronising them 

THERE were indications that 

a major battle is brewing between 

the Central Bank of Nigeria 

(CBN) and the telecommunications 

operators in Nigeria over 

the new Unstructured Supplementary 

Service Data (USSD) 

charges on customers. 

This hint was dropped by the 

Governor of CBN, Godwin 

Emefiele, in Washinton DC, 

United States of America, as he addressed 

the media at the backdrop 

of the just concluded World Bank/ 

International Monetary Funds, 

IMF, Annual Meetings. 

Emefiele the apex bank has already 

directed banks to stop 

patronising telecommunication 

companies that implement the new 

USSD charges. 

This is coming on the heels of 

the directive of the Minister of 

Communication, Dr Isa Ali 

Ibrahim Pantami, to the telecoms 

to suspend the proposed charges. 

The telcos had indicated their 

intention to charge bank customers 

N4 per second for USSD access 

to banking services, with effect 

from October 21, 2019. 

Expressing the opposition of the 

apex bank to the charge, CBN 

Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele 

said the charge is not necessary. 

Emefiele who spoke alongside 

the Minister of Finance, Zainab 

Ahmed, said that since the telcos 

are adamant on imposing the 

charge, he has directed the banks 

to move their services to any telco 

that is ready to offer the service at 

a lower or no charge. 

Emefiele lamented that the CBN 

had expressed its opposition to the 

proposed USSD charge in previous 

engagements with the telcos 

and the banks, but was surprised 

that instead of vacating the charge 

they increased it by over 300 percent. 

On the need for collaboration to 

achieved the 80 percent financial 

inclusion goal of the apex bank, 

Emefiele said: “About five months 

ago, you are aware that there is a 

drive for us to deepen financial inclusion 

in Nigeria. I had made my 

commitments to Bill Gates Foundation 

that we would deepen financial 

inclusion and by 2020, the 

rate of financial inclusion would 

have accelerated to about 80 percent. 

“At this time, we are close to about 

65 percent moving from about 42 

percent to 65 percent in about 18 

months and we believe that we can 

achieve this 80 percent if everybody, 

that is the banks and telecom 

companies cooperate with us. 

About five months ago, I held a 

meeting with some telecom companies 

and leading banks in Nigeria 

at the CBN office in Lagos 

and the issue of the cost of USSD 

came up. I hear it is N1500 per 

minute and at that time, we came 

to a conclusion that the use of 

USSD is a sunk cost, meaning that 

it is not an additional cost on the 

infrastructure of the telecom companies. 

“But the companies disagreed 

with us and said it was an additional 

investment in infrastructure 

and for that reason, they needed 

to impose it. I appealed to them to 

please review this downwards and 

they refused. 

“I understand that about three 

to four weeks ago, rather than reduce 

it, they went ahead to increase 

President Muhammadu Buhari 

IMF MD - Kristalina Georgieva 

I have told the banks 

that they have to move 

their businesses and 

move their traffic to a 

telecom company that 

is ready to provide it at 

the lowest possible 

rate and if not at zero 

cost and that is where 

we stand and we must 

achieve it 

from N1500 to N4500 that is a 300 

percent increase. I opposed it and 

I have told the banks that we would 

not allow this to happen. The banks 

are the people who give these businesses 

to the telecom companies 

and I leave the banks and the 

telecom companies to engage. I 

have told the banks that they have 

to move their businesses and move 

their traffic to a telecom company 

that is ready to provide it at the 

lowest possible rate and if not at 

zero cost and that is where we 

stand and we must achieve it.” 

CBN, IMF differ over impact of forex 

restrictions on FDI inflow 

THE Central Bank of Ni 

geria, yesterday disagreed 

with the position of 

the International Monetary 

Fund (IMF) on the impact of 

the foreign exchange restrictions 

on Foreign Direct Investment 

(FDI) inflow into 

the country. 

CBN Governor, Mr. 

Godwin Emefiele, while 

speaking at a joint press conference 

with the Minister of 

Finance, Zainab Ahmed, at 

the just concluded annual 

meeting of the World Bank/ 

International Monetary 

Fund (IMF) in Washington 

DC, said rather than impeding 

investment, the restriction 

on forex supply to some 

items should encourage investors 

to set up manufacturing 

firms for those items in 

Nigeria. 

He was responding to comments 

last Tuesday, by Oya 

Celasun, Division Chief, Research 

Department, IMF, 

who stated that the forex restrictions 

imposed on 43 

items by the CBN, is holding 

back foreign investments 

into Nigeria. 

Highlighting the measures 

required to boost economic 

growth in Nigeria, while 

speaking at a press briefing 

on Tuesday Celasun, had 

said: “Other areas are the 

need for tight monetary 

policy and simpler unified 

exchange rate system. Foreign 

exchange restrictions 

have also been distorting 

public and private sector decisions 

and holding back investments.” 

Reacting, Emefiele said 

that the restrictions are on 

items that can be locally produced 

and will encourage 

investors to tap into the 

huge market represented by 

EMEKA ANAETO & 

BABAJIDE KOMOLAFE 

REPORTING 

Zainab Ahmed - Minister of Finance, Budget & National 

Planning 

CBN Governor - Godwin Emefiele 

the nation’s population of 

200 million people. 

He stated: “ I say that (IMF 

claim) is false. If you feel that 

we are restricting access to 

foreign exchange, for the 

importation of items that can 

be produced in Nigeria. 

“If you are a foreign direct 

investor that is interested 

in doing business in Nigeria, 

I will say instead of you 

facilitating the import of 

these items into Nigeria, we 

want you to come and produce 

it in Nigeria. 

“Nigeria is a market of over 

200 million people, so you do 

not have a choice than to 

come, bring your investment 

plans and equipment, come 

and produce that item in Nigeria 

so that Nigerians can 

consume it, you will make 

your profit and take your 

dividend out of the country. 

So, I disagree with that 

position.”



26—Vanguard, MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2019


28—Vanguard, MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2019


Pity Nigerian labour and ASUU 

on minimum wage 

“I dey laugh O! - Fmr President 

Olusegun Obasanjo“ 

The Nigerian Labour 

Congress, NLC, and 

Academic Staff Union 

of Universities, ASUU have my 

sympathies – even as they 

amuse me. When the President 

signed the new Minimum 

Wage Bill passed by the 8th 

National Assembly, NASS, into 

law during the last days of the 

assembly, he also ordered 

“immediate implementation”. 

NLC and ASUU officials were 

ecstatic. Soon, the gatemen 

and messengers will be 

receiving minimum of N30,000 

per month and all will be well. 

I laughed. But, more than that, 

I told them that there would 

be no “immediate 

implementation” of the bill. It 

would require a few months 

and a lot of negotiations before 

anybody will lay their hands 

on the wage increase 

promised.“To be quite candid, 

if one was not aware that 

President Buhari did not take 

into account how the Nigerian 

Presidential system works, his 

orders would have been taken 

differently.“After Buhari made 

his unscheduled departure 

from office in August 1985, he 

went into political and social 

hibernation. Nobody can 

recollect his participation in 

any discussion, workshop, 

seminar or retreat on issues 

affecting the Nigerian State. To 

the best of my knowledge he 

contributed nothing to the 

changes which took place – 

especially the transformation 

from military to civilian rule. 

Despite his ambition to return 

to office as Head of State, it is 

doubtful if he ever assembled 

a group of experts to develop 

a blueprint for governance. All 

the major national and global 

phenomena – climate change, 

the gradual but steady decline 

of crude oil prices, global 

terrorism, the rise of 

nationalism and xenophobia, 

immigration, unemployment, 

gender issues etc - which 

modern world leaders had to 

grapple with are now probably 

strange to him.“He probably 

cannot deliver an address 

extempore on the impact of 

climate change in Nigeria; let 

alone offer his own ideas about 

how to solve them. That 

explains why his campaign 

focused only on corruption 

and security – as if nations like 

USA, China and Japan, are 

automatically free of the other 

problems. To a great extent, 

Buhari, cannot be blamed for 

the fact that Nigeria in the new 

millennium has leaders who 

are intellectually unable to 

function in the world today 

and who will increasingly be 

a mortal danger to us in the 

future. Just Google the 

credentials of the other major 

leaders – including African 

leaders – and the differences 

will be clear.““An institution is 

the lengthened shadow of one 

man.”“Ralph Waldo Emerson, 

1803-1882.“The Federal 

Government of Nigeria, FGN, 

is the elongated shadow of 

Buhari and will be for three 

years and seven months more. 

For those with sinecure 

appointments in the FG or 

well-connected for contracts, 

that is a welcome 

development. For the vast 

majority of Nigerians, it is 

prospect which should scare 

us greatly. We have leaders, 

who unlike their counterparts 

worldwide do not understand 

the basic principles of 

Economics. All his decisions 

are based on sentiments and 

possibly good intentions. 

Unfortunately for the country, 


By Princewill Ekwujuru 

Procter & Gamble 

Nigeria, 

in 

partnership with 

Ministry of Industry Trade & 

Investment (FMITI) and 

the Bank of Industry (BoI), 

has initiated a Small and 

Medium Enterprises (SME) 

Academy program to select 

small and medium scale 

businesses in the country for 

growth. 

The program, which, in 

Ibadan Oyo State, is a followup 

to the agreement made 

with the Federal 

Government earlier in the 

year to leverage the FMITI 

to ensure the growth of, and 

increase in capabilities for 

SMEs across the country. 

The goal of the SME 

Academy is to find 

sustainable solutions to 

unlock the efficiency and 

performance of these 

“The road to hell is paved with 

good intentions of leaders 

whose thinking is not 

quantitative.“The mess which 

has been made of the 

Minimum Wage negotiations 

and attempts at 

implementation started with 

the obvious fact that Buhari 

signed into law a bill which 

entails essentially an 

investment decision. Nigerian 

workers had exercised their 

constitutional rights to request 

for a comprehensive, not just 

minimum, wage review. The 

first step was to determine 

how much increase will result 

from the negotiations, threats, 

posturing etc. The second step, 

is to establish if the same 

percentage increase will be 

enjoyed by all the workers or 

will the percentage increases 

vary? Either way, the agreed 

raise for each staff will have to 

be computed in order to 

establish how much the 

government will be paying for 

wages alone.“Even then the 

work is not completed. Certain 

allowances vary directly with 

the basic wage. Pension is one 

example. Those would have to 

be figured out separately 

before government can have 

an idea of how much the 

agreed new wage will cost. 

Finally, the big and most 

important question becomes: 

can government afford it? 

Governor Kayode Fayemi of 

Ekiti, who was once reported 

to have declared that Ekiti will 

pay, on October 14, 2019 was 

reported to have made a U- 

Turn when he said that 

“governments cannot pay 

money they don’t have.” Truth 

has never been told so 

bluntly.“However, Fayemi 

must agree that Buhari created 

the problem. Even now, the 

FG has no idea how much the 

new wages will cost and 

whether or not it will be 

affordable. That is a mistake no 

modern Head of Government 

will ever make. They complete 

their homework before making 

categorical statements. Buhari 

did not. The consequences are 

now starring us in the 

For the vast majority of Nigerians, 

it is prospect which should scare us 

greatly because we have a 

President, who unlike his 

counterparts worldwide does not 

understand the basic principles of 

Economics 

Vanguard, MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2019-- 29 

face.“Still, Buhari alone does 

not deserve blame. Labour 

leaders, including ASUU, were 

partly responsible for the 

predicament in which Labour 

and workers find themselves. 

The threatened strike might 

fail to deliver the benefit they 

envisage because they had 

been negligent. NLC and 

ASUU leaders sat around 

while Buhari, whose 

government could not settle 

ASUU and several outstanding 

entitlements owed to workers, 

nevertheless, sent four budgets 

asking for N500bn for 2016- 

2018 and N350bn for 2019 to 

run a give-away programme 

called Social Intervention 

Programme, SIP. That was 

more money than the FG 

would have needed to clear all 

outstanding arrears owed to 

ASUU as well as the staff of 

teaching hospitals. Certainly, 

an organisation which has no 

funds to pay its staff should 

have no funds to give away to 

idle Nigerians. But, that was 

exactly what Buhari’s 

government did for four years 

without objection from NLC or 

ASUU.“The threatened strike 

amounts to trying to lock the 

ranch gates after the cows 

have fled. It might not even 

yield the results expected. 

That leads to the logical 

question: what can the two 

parties do under the 

circumstances? The FG and 

several state governments 

have countered the Labour 

threat by issuing one of their 

own. Massive retrenchments 

will follow if Labour insists on 


Minimum Wage bill. That has 

a familiar ring to it. 

Downsizing has always come 

up whenever wage increases 

are demanded by workers. 

Labour has always vowed to 

resist job cuts. Oddly enough, 

despite Labour’s promises to 

resist, job losses follow the 


agreement. Invariably, some 

of those who fought for the 

new wages become the victims 

of it. Governments simply stop 

hiring and let staff reduction 

take place through natural 

attrition. All the staff going on 

retirement are not replaced 

and their work is simply 

assigned to others. Labour 

cannot win – especially when 

the President has secured his 

second term. He no longer 

needs their support.“Even a 

prolonged strike might not 

make Buhari budge. Labour 

should consider that before 

calling the workers out on 

strike. 

P&G, FMITI, BoI to catalyze SME 

sector through skill academy 

enterprises through advisory 

and skills development, as 

these are key constraints to 

the growth of SMEs in 

Nigeria. 

According to the Managing 

Director of Procter & Gamble 

Nigeria, Adil Farhat, he said: 

“The development of SMEs 

through capability building is 

a demonstration of Procter & 

Gamble’s commitment to 

transforming Nigeria’s 

Entrepreneurship 

ecosystem. When we 

decided to impact SMEs in 

Nigeria with support from 

the Federal Ministry of 

Industry, Trade and 

Investment, we were 

interested in developing an 

empowering model that 

would accommodate as 

many entities as possible. 

Our partnership with the 

Bank of Industry is strategic, 

as they have the capacity and 

expertise that would 

accelerate this vision into 

sustainable realities; which 

aligns with our goals for this 

program”. 

Speaking on the objectives 

of the program, the Regional 

Manager (West) of the Bank 

of Industry (BOI), Alhaji 

Kagara Ahmed said: “It is 

important for SMEs to focus 

on knowledge acquisition to 

optimize their people, 

physical resources, 

processes, and products/ 

services in order to 

guarantee sustainable 

business profits. BOI is 

committed to the 

development of SMEs in 

Nigeria because we believe 

that a vibrant SME sector is 

critical to the transformation 

of Nigerian industrial sector. 

The focus of today’s SME 

Academy is to effectively 

enhance the management 

systems of SMEs to ensure 

that their operational 

processes from initiation 

to completion is of quality 

and sustainable standards.” 

Among its other objectives 

ECONOMY 

for the initiative, Procter & 

Gamble aims to provide 

practical guidance designed 

specifically for highly 

innovative SMEs with 

sustainable ambitions that 

are determined to turn 

strong, innovation towards 

total economic activity. The 

SME sector has become 

increasingly important to 

economies around the world, 

with a World Bank Study 

estimating their presence to 

be between 365-445 million 

in emerging markets. It is 

also the leading source of 

employment in NIgeria, 

amassing over 80 percent of 

the region’s workforce.


(08052201997) 

In the World Bank’s 2018 report, 

titled “Nigerians Living 

abroad sent $22bn home in 

2017”, the Bank noted that, the top 

recipients of Diaspora remittances 

were India with $69bn, Chile 

($64bn), Philippines $33bn, Mexico 

$31bn, Nigeria $22bn and Egypt 

$20bn. Notably, however, sub- 

Sahara Africa, attracts the most 

expensive average remittance cost 

at about 9.4 per cent, compared with 

the global average of 7.1 per cent. 

The cost of remittance for Nigerian 

beneficiaries, clearly, exceeds 19 per 

cent as N305=$1 instead of 

N360=$1, is ultimately paid to 

recipients locally. 

Furthermore, in another article 

titled “Diaspora Remittances 2015- 

2018: Positive indication on human 

capital development” by 

Inwalomhe Donald, in The 

Guardian Newspaper of 18 th June 

2019, the author noted that “data 

from CBN, with regard to Diaspora 

remittances, had outpaced oil 

revenue in 2015 as $21.2billion was 

officially sent home, by Nigerians 

abroad, compared with $19.6billion 

oil export proceeds. Similarly, 

Nigeria’s Diaspora remittances in 

2016 and 2017 were $19.7billion and 

$22billion respectively, compared 

with oil export revenue of 

$10.4billion and $13.4billion. The 

Guardian report also noted that 

CBN’S ANNUAL ECONOMIC 

DATA, confirms that “the oil 

revenue was $18billion while 

Diaspora remittance was 

$25.1billion in 2018; this value 

confirms Nigeria as the number one 

African country and among the top 

five countries globally for such 

remittances!” which CBN 

indicated “were equal to 5.6% of 

Nigeria’s GDP in 2017!” 

PWC, an International 

Intervention Conglomerate, also 

reported that 2018 Diaspora 

remittances, was 14 per cent higher 

in 2017, and 7 times the total foreign 

aid of about $3.359bn to Nigeria; the 

PWC report also confirmed that the 

2018 remittances of $25bn 

represented 6.1 per cent of Nigeria’s 

GDP, and 11 times the value of 


Global stock trading platform, Chaka, berths in Nigeria 

By Nkiruka Nnorom 

Chaka, a global trading 

platform that allows 

investors to invest in stocks listed 

in both Nigerian Stock Exchange, 

NSE, and some foreign stock 

exchanges has been launched in 

Nigeria. 

The technology-enabled 

platform, referred to as a digital 

“Investment Passport’’, offers 

investors access to NASDAQ, the 

New York Stock Exchange and 

CBN claims $2.6bn, not $26bn 

as diaspora remittances 

the NNSE and offers over 4,000 

assets and indexes from 

companies such as Apple, 

Alibaba, Google, the S&P 500 

index among others. 

Tosin Osibodu, Chief Executive 

Officer, speaking at the formal 

unveling of the platform in Lagos, 

said the platform provides 

opportunities for local investors 

to explore international markets 

and diversify their portfolios into 

African and global capital 

markets. 

When I enquired 

why Western 

Union and 

MoneyGram 

could not receive 

money from 

Nigerians 

abroad, I was 

told that it was 

due to our tax 

laws 

Accordng to him, the platform 

also offers international investors 

access to invest in local capital 

markets with just a click, thus 

bridging the gap in accessing 

viable investment vehicles. 

“With booming growth in many 

nations around the world, 

investors can now own a stake in 

the growth of other economies. 

Yet, for many Nigerians, this is a 

daunting task. We created Chaka 

to fill this gap, and likewise, give 

the global community access to 

local capital markets. 

“Our goal is to provide 

premium borderless trading and 

investment opportunities for 

Nigerian professionals and 

investors. Chaka facilitates access 

to assets listed on the Nigerian 

stock exchange, American stock 

exchanges as well as global bluechip 

companies from over 40 

countries around the world.” 

“To provide our customers with 

compliant access to the US stock 

market, we have partnered with 

Avanti partners e.Stream to improve broadband penetration across Nigeria 

e 

.Stream Networks Limited, 

a large enterprise internet 

service provider in Nigeria and 

Avanti Communications Group 

plc (Avanti), a provider of satellite 

data communications services in 

Europe, the Middle East and 

Africa (EMEA) have signed an 

agreement to jointly improve 

broadband penetration across 

Nigeria. 

The partnership would see the 

Foreign Direct Investment, but was 

equal to 84 per cent of 2018 budget. 

Consequently, PWC expressed 

concern that “one may never know 

or be privy to the fundamental 

reasons why Nigerian 

Governments have serially failed, to 

harness the significant human and 

material Capital of the Diaspora 

Communities, as catalysts for our 

developmental aspirations, as some 

other countries have successfully 

done”! 

Incidentally, on Saturday, 12 th 

October 2018, Andrew Nevin, the 

PWC Chief Economist, expressed 

this same view on Channels TV, 

Sunrise programme, when he 

emphasized the need to create a 

Special Purpose Vehicle, to 

transform Nigeria’s economy and 

GDP with the significant annual 

harvest from the Diaspora. 

There is indisputable consensus, 

up to this point, between World 

Bank Reports, with CBN and PWC 

official estimates on the value of 

Diaspora remittances. 

Inexplicably, however, CBN’s 

record of the value of these 

remittances, seems to have 

changed radically, in the THISday 

Newspaper report, of Sunday 13/ 

10/2019 titled “CBN Clarifies 

Diaspora Remittances; Says Official 

Inflows is $2.6bn, Not $26bn!!” 

The CBN’s unexpected 

pushback, was published, barely 7 

days after Anthony Ani, who was 

Finance Minister 1993 to 1998, 

queried the present destination of 

Diaspora dollar remittances, in an 

article, titled, “$26bn Diaspora 

Remittances: Where are the 

Dollars?” In that article, Tony Ani 

alluded to the alleged abuses 

identified by a columnist, Henry 

Boyo, in the Punch edition of 

September 9, 2019. 

Curiously, the former Minister, 

suspects that these Remittances are 

massively laundered by Nigeria’s 

firms provide the latest Ka-band 

satellite broadband services to 

end user-consumers and 

enterprises located in rural and 

remote areas of the country. 

Under this arrangement, 

e.Stream Networks will leverage 

Avanti’s newest satellite, HYLAS 

4, which was launched in April 

2018 and would see broadband 

connectivity through 64 fixed spot 

beams and four steerable beams 

banks, and therefore explained that, 

“When in 1995 we at the Ministry 

of Finance, reviewed the country’s 

sources of foreign revenues, we 

found out that nothing was coming 

in from Nigerians in the Diaspora, 

whereas India and Jamaica were 

living on foreign exchange from 

their citizens abroad.” “When I 

enquired why Western Union and 

MoneyGram could not receive 

money from Nigerians abroad, I was 

told that it was due to our tax laws.” 

This development according to 

Etubom Ani, necessitated the 

change in Nigeria’s tax laws to 

accommodate those in the 

Diaspora; expectedly, with the 

enactment of new tax laws in 1996, 

Diaspora remittances have 

increased, exponentially. 

However, the former Minister is 

categorical “that Diaspora 

remittances are not presently 

domiciled in Nigeria and therefore 

observed that there is collaboration 

between CBN, Nigerian banks and 

Western Union/MoneyGram to 

retain the dollar abroad”; 

consequently, Ani advised that 

government must investigate the 

infraction, punish money 

launderers, and recover all past 

Diaspora remittances retained 

abroad!” 

However, in an unexpected 

somersault on its earlier favourable 

reports on Diaspora Remittances, 

Mr. Isaac Okoroafor, Corporate 

Communications CBN’s Director, 

has lately, queried the sources of 

data being referenced by critics; the 

details of Okoroafor’s chat, with 

James Emejo of THISday was 

published on Sunday 13 th 

October, 2019, with the title “CBN 

Clarifies Diaspora Remittances, 

Says Official Inflows Is $2.6bn, Not 

$26bn.” According to Okoroafor, 

the 2018 data, purported to be from 

the World Bank, “had earlier, also, 

been queried by CBN’s Monetary 

Policy Committee (MPC)”, because 

they did not reflect the actual 

amount of inflows from abroad. 

Okoroafor therefore cynically noted 

that “we are looking for the so called 

$26 billion Diaspora cash, because 

such cash will impact positively on 

our reserve!” The CBN Director, 

reportedly also chuckled at those 

bandying such figures and therefore 

suggested that, an understanding 

of the methodology through which 

the data was sourced, could provide 

an insight into why critics’ Diaspora 

figures might be off the target! 

Okoroafor, also claimed that, 

instances of inaccurate statistics, 

further lent credence to the recent 

call by President Muhammadu 

Buhari that homegrown data 

should predicate the 

recommendations of the latest 

Presidential Economic Advisory 

Council! 

Indeed, President Buhari recently 

faulted the statistics on Nigeria 

produced by the IMF/World Bank, 

and described them as wild 

estimates, while Okoroafor similarly 

that add capacity in existing 

coverage or enable reach to new 

areas. 

David Bestwick, Chief 

Technology officer at Avanti said: 

‘It is the biggest and most powerful 

communication satellite that 

Orbital has ever built. This 

partnership will enable eStream 

Networks deliver highly flexible, 

fast and secure broadband 

services with 100 percent incountry 

coverage. Internet 

services can now be quickly 

deployed across areas where fixed 

infrastructure is not available. 

Muyiwa Ogungboye, Chief 

Executive Officer, e.Stream 

Networks, said: ‘Our partnership 

with Avanti will open up new 

frontiers that will revolutionise the 

use of broadband services to 

homes, samll and medium scale 

enterprises and big enterprises.” 

observed that “the IMF and the 

World Bank have recently churned 

out data, suggesting structural 

weaknesses in Nigerian’s economy 

and, consequently, advised 

government to activate urgent 

reforms. Nonetheless, Okoroafor 

noted that these foreign bodies had 

often admitted that their narratives 

were somewhat faulty;” however, 

the CBN Director assured 

Nigerians of CBN’s readiness “to 

correct their mistakes.” 

Okoroafor also suggested that 

“the calculation of remittances by 

these foreign bodies, usually 

include data from inward official 

sources like Western Union, as well 

as money/cash being brought by 

Diaspora Nigerians, coming home 

for any social or family function. 

Consequently, the Director 

explained that, “now, when the 

World Bank sums up the dollar 

value of these various activities, they 

say we receive Diaspora remittances 

of $26 billion. I’m disappointed that 

enlightened people could now say 

remittances is $26 billion, which 

gives the impression as if CBN has 

it in its pocket.” It is however, not 

unusual for the federal government 

and foreign bodies to differ on such 

data; recently, for example, 

government and World Bank also 

differed on the source and value of 

spending on Social safety nets, 

which the World Bank claims is 

funded primarily from 

Development/Aid Partners. 

Finance/Budget and National 

Planning Minister, Mrs. Zainab 

Ahmed, also differed with the World 

Bank, on source for funding social 

investment; the Minister has 

conversely, explained that Nigeria’s 

intervention programmes, include 

pensions, health and disability 

insurance programmes and several 

other programmes that other 

countries put together and 

highlight. 

Ultimately, irrespective of the 

above differences, the CBN should 

defend its earlier report of celebrated 

Diaspora remittances and explain 

why Nigerian beneficiaries of its 

reported modest $2.6bn were not 

paid in dollars by respective banks. 

ECONOMY 

a U.S. based leader in global 

digital trading technology, 

DriveWealth, LLC. Through this 

partnership, we are ensuring that 

Nigerians can own a stake in 

their favourite companies in the 

US”, Osibodu said. 

Seun Oluwole, CEO, Citi 

Investment Capital, said: “The 

partnership with Chaka has given 

us a leverage above every 

competition in the local space. This 

is something we have been 

looking forward to for a while. We 

tried our hands on it six years ago, 

but it didn’t work out. Chaka 

founders have played in those 

foreign markets and with the 

benefit of their partnership with 

foreign broker like ours, it has a 

marriage made in heaven for us. 

“We have the customer service 

here and we have cutting edge 

technology in serving our 

customers. So, when we have 

technology partner that is able to 

open a window for our customers 

to now have varieties of 

investments outside of what 

prevails now, it is quite a leverage 

for us. This will enable people have 

options of exploring other markets 

if markets in Nigeria are down.”

Sense and nonsense: Thesis 

on governance in Nigeria 

A 

trite is that there is nothing 

new under the sun. However, 

governance in Nigeria demonstrates 

that a lot of things can be 

new under the sun. For instance, 

there were widespread announcements 

mainly in the 

ubiquitous social media that 77- 

year-old President Muhammadu 

Buhari was getting married to a 

newly appointed minister. I am 

sure we all knew it was a joke 

because it is no joke running a 

complex country like Nigeria. So, 

adding another woman to a matrimonial 

home with a strong matriarch 

can be quite combustible. 

As I wondered if there are people 

who can beat these Nigerian 

fakers, a video surfaced of a lady 

purported to be the wife of 

President Buhari and First Lady 

of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 

Mrs. Aisha Buhari, shouting 

and creating a scene allegedly in 

the Presidential Villa. I laughed 

heartily at such imaginative video 

following on the steps of the 

fake wedding. But I was shocked 

when this proved authentic. It confirms 

my thesis that there are 

new things under the sun, at least 

in Nigeria. 

I felt quite sad that a lady, 

claiming to be Fatimah Daura, 

would release a video that presents 

the First Lady of a country 

90 

in unflattering light and claim to 

be justified. In the process, Fatimah 

unwittingly, portrayed her 

family as homeless and must be 

accommodated as if the Presidential 

Villa is an internally displaced 

peoples camp. 

My thesis is that domestic policy 

feeds foreign policy; that the 

domestic situation in the Presidential 

Villa could prevent the 

President from running a clearheaded 

foreign policy as being 

reflected in the current closure of 

our land borders. 

Thirty five years ago, then 

General Muhammadu Buhari as 

Military Head of State, in January 

and April 1984, shut our 

land borders with Benin Republic. 

During the closure, I visited a 

friend teaching not far from the 

border. A mutual friend ordered 

for drinks to welcome me. At a 

point I noted that the drinks were 

taking too long. The latter apologised 

and said it was taking that 

long because it was cheaper in 

Benin Republic. Astonished, I 

asked if he sent for the drinks from 

the neigbouring country. He affirmed 

he did. I asked how it 

was possible when our borders 

were shut. He laughed heartily 

and asked rhetorically: “Which 

borders?” He said if I want, he 

could help me wheel a three-storey 

building across the shut border. 

I recall that statement in realisation 

of the fact that as at today, 

we have over 1,000 illegal crossing 

routes on our borders, not 

counting those with homes and 

property straddling our country 

and neigbouring countries. If 

such a move, 35 years ago, did not 

yield positive results, why do we 

think repeating it now will? Of 

course there are those who claim 

the closure is effective as there are 

over 1,000 trucks lined up on the 

Benin Republic border waiting to 

cross into Nigeria. I do not understand 

the logic: these are 

trucks intending to pass through 

the official Seme, Owode and Idiroko 

crossing points and are 

ECOWAS says the 

total trade of the 

region averages 

$208.1 billion with 

Nigeria accounting 

for 76 percent of total 

trade, followed by 

Ghana with 9.2 percent 

and Côte 

d’Ivoire, 8.64 

percent; so, in closing 

the borders, 

Nigerians are the net 

losers 

Lagos, the rains and road infrastructure 

BY ADESEGUN OGUNDEJI 

OF late in Lagos, the rains have 

been torrential with attendant 

effects on the state of the roads, 

resulting in traffic gridlocks. The roads 

under construction are worse hit, as 

they are heavily flooded. Understandably, 

the ever mobile Lagosians are not 

pleased with the mostly rain-induced 

traffic situation. 

When flash flooding occurs, one of 

the negative effects is that it washes 

away the surface of the roads, thereby 

making them almost impassable. This 

often results in avoidable gridlocks that 

make commuting a dreadful experience. 

Flash flooding, which is mostly 

a consequence of the peculiar topography 

of Lagos, is, therefore, one of 

the factors responsible for frequent 

damages of roads in the state. 

Fortunately, the state governor, Mr. 

Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, has responded 

by directing that palliative 

measures should be carried out to alleviate 

the sufferings of the people. In 

the event, over 150 failed portions of 

roads across the state have been 

worked upon. But then, the torrential 

rains won’t let the respite last. 

It was on account of this, that the 

Governor has promised mass rehabilitation 

of roads immediately after the 

rainy season. He pleaded for time to 

ensure that the intervention would 

stand the test of time, as not much 

could be achieved while the rains still 

persist. 

Towards this end, two critical agencies 

of the state government, the Ministry 

of Works and Infrastructure as well 

as the Lagos State Public Works Corporation, 

have been working round the 

clock to make real the pronouncement 

of the governor. 

It will be recalled that in order to underscore 

the importance of free flow of 

traffic on the socio-economic development 

of the state, the Sanwo-Olu administration 

made traffic management 

and transportation the first pillar of its 

development agenda termed 

“THEMES”. 

Thus, one of the earliest tasks of the 

Governor was to issue the very first 

Executive Order on Indiscriminate 

Refuse Dumping, Traffic Management 

and Public Works. This is quite 

germane to the issue at hand. Granted 

that the government has the 

responsibility to ensure that the roads 

are motorable round the year, the people 

also owe responsibility of taking 

ownership of public infrastructure in 

their domain. This will ensure that 

development is extended to all parts 

of the state, since less is spent on 

avoidable repairs. 

Therefore, the appropriate question 

to ask is: After government has 

achieved the rehabilitation of bad portions 

of the roads, what next? Are we 

going to take deliberate measures as 

a people and government to say never 

again shall we leave our roads to this 

level of deterioration? That, indeed, is 

the crux of the matter. 

By topography, Lagos State has a 

very high water level, as the Ogun 

River and its estuaries empty into the 

Lagos Lagoon to further increase the 

volume of water the smallest state in 

the country could cope with. 

The state’s largely swampy parcel of 

land makes road construction and rehabilitation 

a little more challenging 

and costly. The ever-increasing population 

of the State leads to increasing 

demand for property development for 

residential and commercial purposes. 

Many of such developments are on 

poorly reclaimed wetlands. 

Presently, new communities are 


therefore ready to declare their 

goods and pay Customs. They are 

not those intending to go through 

the illegal crossings. Simple logic 

dictates that what we need to 

do is not deny them entry, but 

screen them, confiscate banned or 

illegal goods and impose appropriate 

charges on the rest. 

If the economies of our neigbours 

are so dependent on Nigeria, 

does it make sense to shut our 

borders against them rather than 

take advantage of their dependency? 

The Comptroller-General of 

Customs, Col Hameed Ali (rtd) 

who heads a revenue collecting 

agency, holds himself out as the 

leader of what is essentially a security 

operation at our borders 

and who acts as if in a Nollywood 

film, justified the myopic policy 

on the basis that Customs has 

been making more money since 

the closure began on August 21. 

However, common sense dictates 

that Nigerians cannot but be 

the net losers in this badly scripted 

drama. The Economic Community 

of West African States, 

ECOWAS, says the total trade of 

the region averages $208.1 billion 

with Nigeria accounting for 76 

percent of total trade, followed by 

Ghana with 9.2 percent and Côte 

d’Ivoire, 8.64 percent. So, in 

closing the borders, Nigerians are 

the net losers. 

Colonel Ali says: “We are 

strategising on how best the goods 

can be handled when we eventually 

get to the point where this 

operation will relax for the influx 

of goods.” The question is: do you 

think first before closing the borders, 

or you first close the borders 

then start thinking or “strategising” 

on what should be done? 

Our leaders claim the borders 

were closed because of smuggling. 

How can we rely on our neigbours 

to check smuggling into our country? 

Why would they deploy their 

resources, including immigration 

and security, to check smuggling 

into Nigeria when that is our primary 

responsibility? 

If we claim our petroleum products 

are smuggled to neigbouring 

countries where they are sold at 

far higher prices, does common 

sense not dictate that we take advantage 

of such a situation by running 

fuel stations in such coun- 

springing up across the state, especially 

in Ikorodu, Epe and Badagry corridors 

where land is still available. The 

implication of this is that, instead of 

infrastructure development coming 

before properties are built, infrastructure 

come after communities have 

been founded mostly with little or no 

regards for physical and urban development 

plans of the state. 

Thus, as pressure mounts on government 

to provide infrastructure in the 

new communities, the ones in existing 

communities are subjected to 

abuse, resulting in quick deterioration 

The notion that storm 

water will wash away refuse 

is wrong and misplaced; 

irrespective of the velocity 

of the flood, it will not 

carry the refuse farther than 

the downstream 

of such facilities and the need to re-fix 

them. This is the bane of the Lagos 

road infrastructure. 

We must, therefore, make concerted 

efforts to educate and enlighten our 

people on the dangers of turning the 

drainage channels into receptacles of 

refuse. For instance, the notion that 

the storm water will wash away refuse 

is wrong and misplaced. Irrespective 

of the velocity of the flood, it will not 

carry the refuse farther than the downstream. 

The moment the drainage channel is 

silted or clogged anywhere and inhibits 

the free flow of water, it stays on 

the roads for unnecessarily long time 

Send Opinions & Letters to: 

opinions1234@yahoo.com 

tries? 

If we claim arms are being 

smuggled in, why don’t we use the 

scanning machines installed in a 

place like Seme rather than 

searching vehicles manually and 

causing unnecessary delays? 

As for drug smuggling, a sure 

way of detecting them all over the 

world, is the use of canines. But 

has any Nigerian seen our National 

Drug Law Enforcement 

Agency, NDLEA using canines 

whether at our airports, borders 

or seaports? Even on the road, all 

you see are NDLEA operatives 

fretting with guns and manually 

checking vehicles. Is there something 

wrong with our decision 

makers? 

As for rice smuggling, if it is 

true that we are self-sufficient in 

rice production, why have our 

local farmers not used this opportunity 

to flood the markets? 

The fact that with the closure, the 

average price of a bag of rice has 

increased from N15,000 to 

N24,000 is an indication of the 

difference between reality and the 

propaganda that we are self-sufficient 

in rice production. 

It is sad that we are endangering 

the people-to-people relationship 

that has existed from precolonial 

times; that we are rubbishing 

the ECOWAS protocols 

on free trade and endangering 

the regional and continental 

economic integration our forefathers 

fought so hard for. We 

should not assume that our brothers 

and sisters in the region are 

incapable of retaliating. Even if 

they do not shut their borders, 

they can restrict our goods or traders 

as Ghana has tried to do for 

six years now. 

If we want good neigbourliness, 

let us start by treating fellow Africans 

with respect not behave 

like bullies. Let us put on our 

thinking caps 

and affects the pavement of the road. 

In essence, our indiscriminate waste 

disposal is a major threat to the 

lifespan of roads. The quest for land 

has also led many to compromise 

drainage channels and canal bank 

ways, thus making drainage cleaning 

difficult. 

Also worthy of mention is alleged 

destruction of the roads by in-traffichawkers 

to slow down traffic to enable 

them ply their trade. It has been severally 

alleged that some hawkers dig 

the pavement of the roads at night. 

Roads rehabilitated during the dry 

season have been found to develop 

craters overnight without any rainfall. 

This act of sabotage is part of the heavy 

price we all are paying with dire consequences 

for time and health management. 

One only hopes that appropriate security 

agencies will be on the look out 

to deal with such unlawful acts and 

bring the perpetrators to book. Evil triumph 

when evil doers are not brought 

to justice. 

Indiscriminate parking of vehicles on 

our roads is another threat to the 

lifespan of the roads because apart 

from inhibiting free flow of storm water 

into the drains, the portions of pavement 

that fall under the vehicles take 

time to dry, thereby weakening the 

asphalt. 

Therefore, it has become obvious that 

we owe ourselves the responsibility of 

helping the government to make life 

easier for us by playing our parts in 

the management of public infrastructure 

and utilities. For now, one hopes 

that the rains subside early enough for 

comprehensive road repair works to 

commence. But then, we all need to 

work assiduously towards preserving 

public infrastructure across the state. 

*Ogundeji is Deputy Director, Public 

Affairs, Lagos State Ministry of 

Works & Infrastructure 

C 

M 

Y 

K




COMMISSIONING: From left— Executive Director, Stanbic IBTC Asset 

Management, Babalola Obilana; Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC Asset 

Management, Dele Sotubo; Baale of Otubu Morohunfolu, Alhaji Lateef Salako 

and Chairman, CDA, Shittu Okanlawon, at the commissioning of a borehole 

by Stanbic IBTC Asset Management on Oshidehin Street, Otubu-Ogba, Lagos. 

Edo 2020: Owan West leaders adopt Obaseki 

for 2nd term Ekpenkhio, Sir. Peter 

By Alemma Aliu 

BENIN 

CITY— 

LEADERS from the 

eleven wards from Owan 

West local government area 

yesterday said they are 

backing Governor Godwin 

Obaseki for a second term 

because according to them 

he has not derailed from they 

were told three years ago that 

he would do as governor. 

Speaking to journalists 

after in Benin City where 

they are going to drive the 

Obaseki/Shaibu second term 

project in Owan West, the 

leaders said they were representing 

the views of the 

people of the area. 

Among the leaders were 

former Speaker of the state 

House of Assembly, Hon Joe 

Eguaboi, former Deputy 

Speaker, Hon Omon 

Ezomon, Hon Blessing 

Agbebaku, Legal Adviser of 

Edo APC, Ohioma George, 

Commissioner for Environment 

and Sustainability, 

Dame Omona Oni-Okpaku, 

Hon Ojo Asein, Hon Jinfred 

Obaidiku and Hon 

Inumidum Idehen 

Special Adviser to Obaseki on 

Strategic Planning and 

Programme Management Office, 

Dr. Uyi Oduwa-Malaka, recalled 

that Oshiomhole introduced 

Obaseki as someone who would 

tackle issues such as “carrying out 

difficult political reforms, blockage 

of financial leakages, war against 

hooliganism, institution of a new 

social order, human capital 

development and sustain the 

tempo of infrastructural 

development.” She said Obaseki 

has not deviated from these 

things. 

Chairman of Owan West local 

government, Mr. Frank Ilaboya, 

said all the leaders of the locality 

have resolved to deliver on the 

mandate. 

On his part, Ekpenkhio, said 

Obaseki’s developmental strides 

have touched all parts of the 

state. 

“From Edo North through Edo 

Central to Edo South, Obaseki 

has touched all parts of the state. 

The development is visible. Look 

at infrastructure. Roads are being 

tarred. Industrial park is coming. 

“Go to Agenebode, Sobe and 

Warrake, farmers there are happy. 

That is why we want to give him 

the second term so that there will 

be more dividends of democracy. 

Go to any primary health centres, 

nurses and doctors are on 

duty.” 

Unemployment: 

Look 

beyond 

white collar 

jobs, Ibekwe 

charges youths 

By Olasunkanmi 

Akoni 

LAGOS—AS part of 

measures to reduce 

unemployment in the 

country, a multi-level 

marketing and 

manufacturing company, 

Norland Nigeria, has 

advised jobless youths in 

the country to explore other 

means to make a living 

rather than seeking white 

collar jobs. 

Mrs Anthonia Ibekwe, 

Co-founder of the 

organisation, gave the 

advice, weekend, while 

speaking with newsmen 

during the Norland’s 

second anniversary 

celebration and awards in 

Lagos. 

Ibekwe said that the 

number of formal jobs was 

shrinking in the country, 

urging youths to explore 

many opportunities outside 

the formal settings to be 

engaged and lead 

productive lives. 

“Many youths are 

unemployed today, 

because they believe they 

must work in offices, and so 

they are searching 

endlessly for white-collar 

jobs. 

"There is nothing wrong in 

looking for jobs in offices, but the 

reality is that the jobs are no more 

there. 

“Our youths should explore 

many opportunities outside the 

formal setting, instead of 

remaining unemployed, looking 

for what is not sure,” she said. 

The Norland co-founder said 

the organisation had touched the 

lives of many in various ways 

since it came to the country two 

years ago. 

Ibekwe said the company, 

through its health and lifestyle 

products, had improved the 

wellbeing and living standard of 

many Nigerians.


Automobile dealers to sue Customs over 

sealed garages 

By Henry Ojelu & 

Jane Echewodo 

LAGOS — A group of 

automobile dealers in 

Lagos State, yesterday, 

threatened to drag the 

Nigerian Customs Service, 

NCS, to court over the 

unlawful sealing of their 

business premises. 

In a letter to the 

Comptroller General of 

Nigeria Customs Service, 

through the law firm of 

Ubani & Co, the group 

condemned the September 

30, 2019 raid and sealing 

of their offices by customs 

officers saying that the 

action of the agency was a 

demonstration of gross 

irresponsibility, 

unprecedented impunity 

and abuse of power. 

They maintained that all 

the cars in their business 

premises were duly cleared 

and appropriate duties 

paid to the federal 

government. 

The group, in the letter 

forwarded to the Senate 

President, Speaker of 

House of Representatives 

and Attorney General of the 

Federation, also warned 

that if their business 

premises are not opened in 

the next 14 days with a 

compensation of N10billion 

for businesses loss during 

the period of closure, they 

would have no other option 

but to approach the court 

for redress. 

Part of the letter which 

also serves as a pre-action 

notice reads: “We must 

state here with all sense of 

responsibility and 

patriotism that the action of 

ABUJA—THE Federal 

Inland Revenue 

Service, FIRS, has 

established a tax office 

dedicated solely to the 

administration of taxes for 

Non-Resident Persons. 

In a Public Notice 

signed by the Executive 

Chairman of FIRS, Tunde 

Fowler said that FIRS has 

identified non-resident 

taxpayers as an important 

segment of the tax-paying 

public to devote to them 

specialised attention. 

Fowler said: “The 

devotion of attention to this 

Nigeria custom officers in 

this regard is a 

demonstration of gross 

irresponsibility, 

unprecedented impunity 

and abuse of power. 

“Though the Nigerian 

Customs & Excise 

Management Act gives you 

the power to examine, 

mark, seal and take account 

of any goods …, In this 

case, you did not examine, 

mark, seal and take account 

of the particular vehicles 

identified as not being 

properly cleared, but rather 

sealed up the entire 

premises without any form 

of examination or 

inspection of papers. 

“No law under our law 

books, including the 

Customs & Excise 

Management Act, 

empowers you to take the 

steps you have taken in the 

manner you have taken it. 

“The action of the 

Nigerian Customs is not 

only lawless but very 

oppressive. The moment 

when Federal Government 

agencies elevate the pursuit 

of revenue above the right 

and welfare of the citizens, 

Nigeria is doomed, but 

God forbid that things 

degenerate to that level." 

FIRS sets up tax office for non-resident 

segment of taxpayers is to 

enhance tax certainty, 

promote voluntary 

compliance, reduce tax 

disputes and avoid the 

incidence of double 

taxation. 

”In view of the foregoing, 

the FIRS hereby notify all 

non-resident persons 

operating in Nigeria and 

the general public that: 

Non-Resident Persons’ Tax 

Office, NRPTO, which will 

handle all tax affairs of nonresident 

persons 

(individuals or corporate) 

has been established; The 

NRPTO is located within 

the International Tax 

Department at FIRS 

Building, Ikoyi, Lagos. 

"As from 1st January 2020, 

all non-resident persons 

liable to tax in Nigeria shall 

submit every return, 

correspondence or inquiry 

relating to all the taxes 

administered by the 

Service to the Non- 

Resident Persons’ Tax 

Office; and Tax files of nonresident 

persons shall, 

thenceforth, be domiciled at 

the NRPTO.” 

Employment slots scam: SERAP 

tasks ICPC, EFCC to probe 

Senate, MDAs 

By Olasunkanmi 

Akoni 

LAGOS—THE Socio- 

Economic Rights and 

Accountability Project, 

SERAP, yesterday, tasked 

the Independent Corrupt 

Practices and Other 

Related Offences 

Commission, ICPC, and 

Economic and Financial 

Crimes Commission, 

EFCC, to investigate 

allegations that principal 

officers and members of the 

Nigerian Senate were 

using their official positions 

to get job slots from 

government agencies for 

personal interests. 

SERAP also urged the 

anti-corruption agencies to 

“probe allegations that 

some ministries, 

departments and agencies 

are selling the employment 

slots at their disposal with 

a single slot being sold for 

as much as N1.5 million.” 

SERAP, in a petition dated 

October 18, 2019, by its 

Deputy Director, Kolawole 

Oluwadare, said: “This 

alleged preferential 

treatment in Nigerians’ 

access to government jobs 

is a textbook case of 

cronyism, patronage and 

corruption. 

“The public interests are 

best served when public 

employees are recruited 

based on their skills, 

competence and expertise 

rather than as a reward for 

political, social and other 

similar connections.” 

In the letter sent to ICPC 

chairman Bolaji 

Owasanoye and EFCC 

Acting Chairman Ibrahim 

Magu, SERAP said: 

“Unless the allegations are 

urgently investigated and 

suspected perpetrators 

brought to justice, the 

effective and efficient 

performance from the 

public workforce, 

competence in government 

services and functioning of 

Ministries, Departments 

and Agencies will continue 

to be negatively impacted. 

“These allegations show 

the face of public 

recruitment in Nigeria in 

recent decades, which has 

typically been that of 

political influence, 

cronyism, patronage and 

corruption."




OSA MBONU-AMADI 

08070524223 

osaamadi@yahoo.com 

Bidemi’s recollections of his 

childhood environment 

By Osa Amadi, Arts Editor 

Joseph Bidemi is an impression 

ist whose works are heavily in 

fluenced by his childhood experiences, 

especially the story of his 

mother who died giving birth to him. 

As a result of that, he became passionate 

with portrayal of women’s 

faces in many of his paintings. He 

has also painted quite a number of 

sceneries which are memories he 

harbors of his childhood environment 

like the one used in this story. 

“I am an impressionist by style. My 

work borders on emotion. I play with 

colours –laying patches of colours 

together to create forms and images,” 

he says. 

Coming from a polygamous family, 

Bidemi says he experienced a lot 

of negative emotions when he was 

growing up. “It was the longest wait 

of my life to get liberated. By that, I 

mean just getting out of what I called 

a cage where I saw constant emotional 

and verbal abuse. You can 

imagine a father having about 13 

children. 

“So the only way to put them under 

control is to verbally abuse them, 

to make them feel intimidated. Most 

fathers in polygamous homes are 

very hard to please. Being the last 

born anyway, I experienced a little 

bit of love and attention, even 

though it was a divided attention.” 

Bidemi’s father was a successful 

businessman who wanted him to be 

a doctor, but the boy who started 

drawing when he was two years old 

loved art. When his father saw his 

interest, he encouraged him to pursue 

his dream. Facial expressions, 

emotions, and body language are fa- 

miliar features of his works, featuring 

his series: “Insecure”, “Unveiled 

(xiv)” and “The Royal Guard”. 

Bidemi’s art is known for its dynamism 

in colour with special emphasis 

on portrayal of women’s faces. 

Women play a central role in his 

compositions, which also allows him 

to connect with everyone and everything. 

The artist is also greatly mused by 

the anthropology of emotion. He enjoys 

the distinct movement of the palette 

knife which he uses to achieve 

tactile realism juxtaposed with 

subtle lines and bold strokes of vi- 

brant colours. He was born and bred 

in Jos, Plateau, his mother’s home 

state. He comes from Oyo State but 

resides in Lagos where he is currently 

practising as a full-time studio artist. 

He graduated in 2012 from 

Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, 

Kaduna State, with a Bachelor’s degree 

in Fine Arts, specialising in 

drawing and painting. Bidemi’s 

works are privately collected in Nigeria 

and internationally. He also 

has a couple of his works in the collection 

of King Mohammed VI of 

Morocco. 

Olubunmi’s new children’s book promoting hand 

washing habit 

Did you know that every year more 

than 60,000 children under the age 

of 5 die of diarrhea? (Water Aid 2018). 

Did you also know that many of these 

deaths are preventable with proper hand 

washing practices? 

The new children’s picture book by 

Olubunmi Aboderin Talabi, Why Do You 

Wash Your Hands? is targeted at promoting 

the importance of hand washing 

amongst children, parents, teachers and 

families. 

Global Hand Washing Day is usually 

marked in the month of October to promote 

the simple hygienic practice of 

washing hands with soap and water, in 

a bid to curb the spread of communicable 

diseases typically passed from one person 

to the next via hands, such as 

Olubunmi 

Aboderin 

Talabi 

chicken pox, diarrhea, and so 

on. 

According to the 

UNICEF, hand washing with 

soap has been cited as one 

of the most cost-effective interventions 

to prevent diarrhealrelated 

deaths and other diseases. 

For Talabi, this is a major 

reason why the book was 

written. “Why Do You Wash 

Your Hands was written for 

children under the age of 9. 

It deploys a fun and pictorial 

style to help children and their 

parents understand the importance 

of regular hand washing 

and learn the different occasions 

before or after which they 

should wash their hands” she 

says. 

She further reveals that the 

book is in line with the International 

Year of Indigenous 

Languages. In 2016, the United 

Nations General Assembly 

adopted a resolution proclaiming 

2019 as the International 

Year of Indigenous Languages. 

This is to “raise awareness of 

the consequences of the endangerment 

of indigenous languages 

across the world, with 

an aim to establish a link between 

language, development, 

peace, and reconciliation.” 

“The book is not only being 

launched in the month of Global 

Hand Washing Day, but 

comes in a compendium version 

that makes it the first indigenous 

Nigerian children's 

picture book to be published 

simultaneously in four different 

languages – English, 

Hausa, Igbo and 

Yoruba,” Talabi further added. 

According to Clever Clogs 

Books, the compendium version 

in four languages is a 

limited edition, single print, 

collector’s item. Readers and 

book collectors can get their 

hands on it at the book launch 

on the 26 October 2019 in 

Lagos. 

Yusuf Abubakar’s 

antidote to violent 

extremism 

By Prof Muhammad K Isa 

The book titled “In God’s Name we Fight; embracing 

and renouncing violent extremism” by Yusuf 

Abubakar Mamud speaks to young Nigerians 

especially those living in Northeast Nigeria. The 

author used very unconventional style to narrate the 

story of radicalization and de-radicalization. The 

inherent objective of the book is to communicate to 

the Nigerian youth the ills of imbibing violent 

extremist behavior and to illustrate to the government 

of Nigeria and the world at large some tips useful for 

de-radicalization. 

Abubakar used a simple method to narrate the story 

in such a way that it will easily appeal to the average 

Nigerian youth who is not keen about reading 

nowadays. This therefore informed the size of the book 

which is less than 60 pages. Abubakar deliberately 

made the chapters very short and infused a bit of local 

language in the storyline in order to attract even those 

who are not intellectual but can read and write. It is a 

known fact that countries adopt different deradicalization 

and counter violent extremism 

strategies. In Nigeria, our counter violent extremism 

strategy is espoused in the National Action Plan for 

Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism. The 

book tried to explain in loose language that these 

national strategies often do not help to address the 

pains of the victims. Instead such strategies are 

weaved to evolve an elitist class in the fight against 

violent extremism. 

It is obvious from the book that the author argues 

for a more flexible strategy of preventing and 

countering violent extremism that will accommodate 

local people as the frontline responders. The argument 

of the book is that violent extremists are ordinary 

people who may be ignorant or psychologically 

unstable. Their victims are the vulnerable poor 

women and children in local communities. The book 

suggests that Nigerian Government seem to busy itself 

with complicated intellectual analysis instead of 

looking at community-based strategies. 

The last chapter of the book is a masterly summary 

of the entire narrative 

designed primarily to 

capture the real 

message which is the 

need to change our 

strategy in preventing 

and countering violent 

extremism in Nigeria. 

The central theme of 

the message is that 

love, empathy and 

dialogue from the 

family, religious 

leaders and civil 

society groups would 

go a long way to 

addressing the 

challenges of violent 

extremism in Nigeria. 

*Prof Muhammad K Isa is of the Department of 

Local Government and Development Policies, 

Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria 

Benin art, iconography and semiotics 

…exhibition opens Oct. 26 

A 

solo travelling exhibition 

on Benin iconography and 

semiotics, Uhunmwen whe 

ehinmwen by Princess 

Theresa Oghogho Iyase- 

Odozi of Green House Art 

Empowerment Centre, in 

collaboration with Crowne Art 

Gallery will open on October 

26 at The Hexagon, Crowne 

Art Gallery, GRA, Benin City, 

Edo State. Special guests of 

honour at the opening are Edo 

State Commissioner for Arts, 

Culture and Diaspora Affairs, 

Hon. Osaze Osemwengie-Ero 

and Enogie of Evbubanosa/ 

Abudu Prof Gregory I. 

Akenzua, 

The exhibition, which is a 

follow-up to the interactive 

session held in June in Lagos, 

was initiated by Princess 

Theresa Oghogho Iyase- 

Odozi, and focuses on Benin 

art, iconography and 

semiotics. It consists of five 

main components: mixedmedia 

paintings, art 

installations, textiles, an 

empowerment workshop 

and publication of an art 

journal. The travelling 

exhibition will run for four 

weeks before moving to 

Lagos and later to Abuja 

in 2020. 

According to the artist, 

one of the main objectives 

of mounting the exhibition 

is to honour His Royal 

Majesty, Omo N’Oba 

N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo 

Ewuare II, Oba of Benin, 

in appreciation of his 

commendable efforts to 

revitalise Benin cultural 

heritage and project it to 

the world at large. 

“We are also inspired by 

His Majesty’s plan to 

establish an academy for 

art, culture and tourism to 

be named the Benin Royal 

Academy of Performing 

Arts. Consequently, we 

would like to use the 

opportunity offered by this 

Exhibition to honour him 

on the occasion of his 2019 

birthday celebrations. 

“Another key objective of 

the exhibition is to create 

awareness and publicise 

appropriations of the rich 

Benin icons found on 

artefacts dating as far back 

as the 16th Century which 

are now being deployed by 

the exhibiting artist in her 

endeavour to revive the 

waning culture of Edo batik 

clothing,” she said. 

During the exhibition, the 

artist will present some of 

her findings in visual art 

appropriations in the 

creation of her Edo batik 

clothing line and reveal the 

myths surrounding the 

popular Ebe Ewere leaves 

used during the Benin 

Igue Festival.


Remembering the late playwright, Ken 

Saro-Wiwa 

By Prisca Sam-Duru 

At the Startup/Funders Roundtables and 

Entrepreneurship Conference 2019, 

held at the LCCI Conference and Exhibition 

Centre, Alausa Ikeja recently, memories 

of late playwright and environmental 

activist, Kenule Saro-Wiwa reverberated 

all through the duration of the event. 

The highpoint of the conference which held 

courtesy of Global Entrepreneurship Network 

in Partnership with Ogoni Liberation 

Initiative, was the presentation of the book 

titled “Complete Statement by Ken Saro- 

Wiwa to Ogoni Civil Disturbances Tribunal: 

The Complete Story” 

Presenting the book to the public, the President 

of the Ogoni Liberation Initiative, Mr 

Douglas Fabeke stated that the book which 

was presented alongside a calendar, titled, 

“The Ogoni of My Dream”, documents statements 

by Ken Saro Wiwa prior, during his incarceration 

and before he was finally hanged in 

Port Harcourt, by the then Military ruler, Gen. 

Sani Abacha. He noted that it corresponds 

with what Ken Saro-Wiwa lived and died for 

which was why the principles he laid down are 

documented in the book, adding that “The compendium 

will give the entire world the exact information 

about the struggles of the Ogoni people.” 

“The book helps to understand Ogoni 

issues very well. If it had been available early 

•L-R: Mr. Clement Ucho, Mrs. Comfort Aruosa Osamwegie, Mr. Dougla Fabeke, and 

Mr. Seye Soneye at the event in Lagos. 

enough, the world would not have swallowed 

the much available misconceptions and lies 

about Ken and the Ogoni people. We presented 

the book because a lot of people 

misunderstood what Ken Saro Wiwa did and 

why he died and so, when we researched 

and got some of his materials, we decided 

to put them together so that people will know 

these things, the reason he campaigned for 

Ogoni and what has happened in Ogoni. So 

read the book and you will be well informed.” 

Fabeke said. From all indication, the Ogoni 

people in Niger Delta region seem to have 

finally found a way out of the daunting challenges 

that have bedevilled them over the 

years. These challenges stemmed from the 

discovery of oil and its resultant environmental 

pollution that has degraded the region. The 

people believe it has come to the point where 

entrepreneurship skill development will replace 

dependency on oil for any meaningful development 

to take place. 

That, being the focal point of the presentation 

of the book on Saro Wiwa, Fabeke disclosed 

that the Initiative is making a ten year plan in 

entrepreneurship as an alternative to oil so as to 

bring development to the area. The vision he 

said will reconnect Ogoniland again to the world. 

And in line with this, the initiative in collaboration 

with Global Entreprenuership City Network 

also launched a 10billion naira investment 

fund in Education, Agriculture, health, ICT development, 

youth empowerment, entrepreneurship 

skill development etc. 

The essence of the conference according to him 

was to build an entrepreneurship platform that 

will transform Ogoni land into the Dubai of Nigeria 

by attracting investors. “Ogoniland has been 

in crisis for so many years but there are things we 

can do that can bring in funders, industrialists, 

not just oil but entrepreneurship to begin manufacturing 

that would generate employment for 

not just Ogoni people but Nigerians who qualify 

for the jobs. It is intended to also boost the economy 

of the country and turn things around.” 

“Every year Nigeria graduates youths into the 

labour market which is the reason for entrepreneurship 

development skills. The inclusion of 

over 500 peace ambassadors some of which participated 

in the workshop is a sign that Ogoni 

people want peace since no business thrives during 

war.” He intoned. 

He also revealed that a High-tech Polytechnic 

is being set up as part of plans to breed a crop of 

skilled individuals as well as increase the literacy 

level of the area. 

•Otunba Segun Runsewe, DG, National Council for 

Arts & Culture (left) with Hon. Ogbeide Ihama during 

the inspection of the facilities at Oba Akenzua Cultural 

Centre, venue of the 2019 NAFEST opening today in 

Edo State 

Hotels in Benin booked up 

for 2019 NAFEST 

By Osa Amadi, Arts Editor 

THE Director General of National Council for 

Arts and Culture, Otunba Segun Runsewe 

disclosed yesterday that most hotels in Benin 

City have been booked up by visitors in preparation 

for the 2019 National Festival of Arts & Culture 

(NAFEST) which kicks off today in Edo State. 

Speaking in a press conference yesterday at the Oba 

Akenzua Cultural Centre, venue of the NAFEST, 

Runsewe said: “Edo State has a population of 3.6 

million people. We are coming into Benin with over 

500, 000 visitors and to impact on the people, change 

the economic platform of Edo State, particularly Benin 

City. And we all know that Edo is the cradle of culture 

in the history of this country, right from the colonial 

days till now.” 

The national event formally starts today, 21 October 

till 26 October 2019. 

The NCAC DG later conducted Honorable Ogbeide 

Ihama round the facility and later the team moved to 

the Oba’s palace, The Omo N’ Oba N’ Edo Uku 

Akpolokpolo whose 3rd Coronation anniversary 

celebration coincides with this year’s NAFEST being 

hosted by Edo State. 

When US-based Anthonia Akinbola exhibited Culture of Forced Migration 

By Chukwuma Ajakah 

FROM her base in 

Queens, New York, 

Nigerian-born 

textile artist, Anthonia 

Akinbola, August 30- 

September 7, 2019 held an 

art exhibition tagged 

“Culture of Migration”. 

Anthonia’s contemporary 

vision of history and 

today’s migrant life is 

couched on cotton fabric 

exploring sub-themes, 

around the history of 

Migration. Anthonia 

captures a flow in her direct 

application batik dye 

painting by using 

captivating dye colours to 

express movement. Her 

expression is depicted in 

faces, slave ships, historic 

buildings, religious 

symbols, language, food, 

culture and iconography. 

Reminiscing that the 

Statue of Liberty was 

originally intended as a 

symbol of friendship, 

embracing immigrants as 

they troop in and out, 

Anthonia’s work captures 

the plight of people of 

diverse races as many lives 

are lost in the process of 

migration. 

Born in Abeokuta, Ogun 

State, Nigeria, Athonia 

started off with traditional 

indigo, adire and batik 

designs. Batik painting as 

a contemporary art medium 

is uncommon. Her 

experience within her 

family in the area of 

traditional textile art 

enabled her to create many 

innovative aspects of the 

medium. She presents 

these through her mother, 

who runs a private school 

where she invites local 

artists to design Saris as 

gifts for expatriate teachers 

from Pakistan and India. 

Anthonia’s realization that 

this medium had the 

potential to create new 

pathways inspired her to 

become the host of 

Feminine Scope, a craft 

based television programme 

for housewives. 

The textile artist holds a 

degree in Art Education 

and Textile Design from 

Yaba College of Science 

andTechnology, Lagos, 

Nigeria. After her 

education in Nigeria, she 

moved to Columbia Mo 

where she received a 

bachelor’s degree in 

Education, majoring in 

Fine Arts. While in 

Columbia she did 

community works for two 

decades through visual 

arts, partnering with 

public schools, Infopower 

International and other 

community organizations 

where she facilitated 

workshops and exhibited. 

She also participated in 

some group exhibitions as 

a member of the Art 

League, a professional Art 

Organization in Columbia. 

In 2012, she moved to New 

York where she has been 

teaching batik workshops 

through Infopower 

.International and has held 

workshops and other 

professional outings at 

various settings such as 

the Brooklyn Textile Art 

Center and the South East 

Queens Park Association.


From Afe to ABUAD: A Legacy of Leadership 

BY M. OPEYEMI 

BAMIDELE 

AN age-long adage ac 

knowledges the fact 

that some men are born 

great, many achieved 

greatness while some had 

greatness trusted on them. 

Interestingly, any keen 

reader of his enviable story 

in the last five decades 

or more, would of course 

readily admit that Chief 

Afe Babalola is a unique 

profile in dramatic trajectory 

from grass to grace. In 

other words, ‘Aare’ is an 

ebullient and iconic personality 

who did not have 

the childhood luxury of 

being born with a silver 

spoon. He does not even 

fall in the category of those 

young men who had fortune 

smiling on them on a 

platter of gold. But, today, 

he is a highly respected 

professional giant, an 

award winning technocrat, 

a renowned legal luminary, 

a successful business 

mogul, a superb elederstatesman, 

a revered 

community leader, a compassionate 

and 

unrelenting philanthropist 

and, above all, a life 

coach and mentor to many 

accomplished gentlemen 

and ladies of repute. 

Born 90 years ago in a 

humble agrarian family in 

the ancient city of Ado- 

Ekiti in Ekiti State of Nigeria, 

Aare Emmanuel Afe 

Babalola has carved a 

niche for himself in the 

lexicon of success and 

social transformation, 

even though he did not 

pass through a formal secondary 

school education. 

For a man who only 

managed to acquire a 

basic formal education to 

have risen to the 

prestigious status of an 

excellent university administrator 

and a highly 

celebrated entrepreneur 

in the nation’s education 

sector, it is instructive that 

the compelling lessons 

and principles of his 

greatness should not only 

be celebrated but must 

also be emulated, 

especially by all wellmeaning 

youngsters of 

this generation. 

Unique life experience 

Afe Babalola had a 

unique life experience at 

his tender age which must 

have shaped his life commitment 

to industry and 

generosity. He lost his two 

parents when he was extremely 

young. Due to the 

economic hardship he had 

to contend with, he braced 

up for life conquest rather 

than accepting the tragic 

twist of fate. The young Afe 

Babalola made up his 

mind early enough to face 

the realities of life with a 

view to ruling his world as 

a consummate warrior. His 

determination to conquer 

his environment and earn 

himself an enviable placement 

among his peers 

prompted him to pursue his 

academic studies most diligently 

and relentlessly to 

enable him build an excellent, 

cutting-edge professional 

career in life, to create 

wealth in a legitimate 

manner, to help the needy 

and to contribute meaningfully 

to the upliftment of 

Nigeria and the world at 

Afe Babalola 

large, such that his name 

and his lofty legacies might 

be written in gold on the 

sand of time. 

Aare Afe Babalola attended 

Emmanuel Primary 

School, Ado-Ekiti, where he 

obtained his Standard Six 

Certificate. He is always 

proud to say that the very 

qualitative primary education 

he had was what served 

as a strong springboard for 

his subsequent educational 

attainments. After working 

for years as a pupil teacher, 

Chief Babalola enrolled for 

the Senior Cambridge 

School Certificate examination 

by private study from 

Wolsey Hall, Oxford. He later 

obtained the A’level Certificate 

of London University 

before he proceeded to 

London School of Economics 

and then the University 

of London where he obtained 

a second Bachelor’s 

degree in Law. Chief Afe 

Babalola was called to the 

England Bar in 1963. Same 

year, he became a Member 

of the Lincoln’s Inn, London. 

Armed with the requisite 

Chief Afe Babalola 

is a unique 

profile in dramatic 

trajectory from 

grass to grace 

certification to pursue a 

sprawling and volatile legal 

career with an informed bias 

in Constitutional Advocacy 

and Criminal Justice, Baba 

Afe started off as a Litigation 

Officer in the law firm 

of Olu Ayoola and Co. 

situated in Ibadan, the capital 

of Oyo State, Western 

Nigeria. However, given his 

penchant for freedom and 

the passion to conquer and 

dominate his professional 

world without let or hindrance, 

he established his 

own legal firm, Afe Babalola 

and Co. (Emmanuel 

Chambers) in 1965, while he 

was barely two years at the 

Bar. Over the years, by dint 

of hard work, professional 

focus and consistency as 

well as a very unique style 

of service delivery, Chief 

Babalola rose to national 

prominence and became a 

household phenomenon in 

the nation’s justice sector, 

having, at various times, 

served as an indefatigable 

and most brilliant Legal 

Consultant to the federal 

and state governments, political 

juggernauts, corporate 

bodies and several royal 

families across the nation 

for the settlement of sundry 

legal and constitutional disputes 

of national and international 

pedigree. To this 

extent, in 1987, the Legal 

Privileges and Awards 

Committee of the Inner Bar 

deemed it fit to elevate him 

to the highest rank in the 

legal profession in Nigeria, 

Senior Advocate of Nigeria 

(SAN). 

The most intriguing character 

of Babalola ’s personality 

is that in spite of his 

career accomplishments as 

a prominent legal practitioner, 

he felt that what could 

make him a fulfilled man 

was to have an ample opportunity 

to contribute morally, 

financially and educationally 

to humanity; both 

through his private philanthropic 

initiatives and also 

through government institutions. 

This was the insatiable 

passion that former 

President Olusegun 

Obasanjo saw in him when 

he appointed him in 2001 

as the Pro-Chancellor and 

Chairman of the Governing 

Council of the University of 

Lagos. Having performed 

meritoriously in this enviable 

public duty for four 

years, he was reappointed 

for another term of four 

years. So, he held the position 

till 2008 during which 

he emerged and was decorated 

as the Best Pro-Chancellor 

of Nigerian Universities 

consecutively in 2005 

and 2006. He was also a 

former Chairman of the 

Committee of Pro-Chancellors 

of Nigerian Universities. 

Remarkable contribution to 

nation building 

Today, by the special 

grace of God, Chief Afe Babalola, 

the Aare Bamofin of 

Yoruba land, holds degrees 

from several universities, 

including Ekiti State University 

for the award of 

Doctor of Letters (LL.D) in 

2002; LL.D of the University 

of London; LL.D of the University 

of Lagos; LL.D of 

the University of Jos; LL.D 

of the Federal University of 

Technology, Akure (FUTA); 

LL.D of the Kogi State University. 

In fact, he was the 

first African to be conferred 

with Doctor of Laws (Honoris 

Causa) of the University 

of London in 2015. 

Given his monumental 

philanthropic gestures and 

remarkable contribution to 

nation building in Nigeria, 

he was conferred with the 

prestigious National Award 

as Officer of the Order of 

the Federal Republic (OFR) 

and subsequently as Commander 

of the Order of the 

Niger (CON) by the Federal 

Government of Nigeria. 

Over the years, having 

been a consistent benefactor 

to the nation’s education 

sector, making contributions 

to the standardization 

of quality and the provision 

of enduring, world-class 

infrastructural facilities 

such as lecture theaters, auditoriums, 

faculty buildings, 

libraries and laboratories; 

and having garnered 

extensive skills and 

copious experience in university 

administration, 

Chief Afe Babalola 

envisioned the need to establish 

a First Class and 

up-to-date university to 

serve as a benchmark in 

academic standards and 

facilities for other universities 

in Nigeria. 

*Senator Michael 

Opeyemi Bamidele is 

Chairman of the Senate 

Committee on Judiciary, 

Human Rights 

and Legal Matters.


‘How neighbouring 

countries worked 

against Nigeria’ 


as loans to the electricity 

distribution companies, 

DISCOs. 

She stated: “We had very 

productive meetings with 

the World Bank group, and 

the country’s team on the 

power sector in Nigeria. 

The discussion was centred 

around the power sector 

recovery program wherein 

we received an update on 

the outstanding issues 

covering sustainable fiscal 

support, policy as well as 

regulatory environment. 

“We also discussed 

extensively on the need for 

the sector to be more 

operationally efficient, and 

also the infrastructure 

investment that would be 

required to ensure the 

power sector is restored to 

full productivity in a 

manner that is sustainable. 

“We identified the 

imperative of solving two 

critical problems. One, 

which is operational 

efficiency and two, 

revamping associated 

infrastructure in the power 

sector to ensure that the 

overall success of the 

intervention in the power 

sector are achieved 

“We made two sets of 

requests to the bank. The 

first is technical assistance 

from the Bank to 

implementing agencies, 

especially the Nigeria 

Electricity Regulatory 

Commission, NERC, on 

the review of the 

performance improvement 

plans of the distribution 

networks and, two, we 

asked for technical 

assistance on business 

continuity regulation as 

well as to the Ministry of 

Finance in the assessment 

of contingent liabilities in 

the power sector and 

options for dealing with 

them. 

“Most importantly, we put 

a request for financing of 

the sector at the range of 

$1.5 billion to $4 billion. At 

the end of the day, it is like 

we would be looking at the 

funding size of $3 billion 

that will be provided in four 

tranches of $750 million 

each. 

“Our plan is that the team 

will be able to go to the 

World Bank for the 

approval of the first tranche 

in April 2020.” 

‘How the $3bn’ll be used’ 

Speaking further on 

utilisation of the loan, 

Ahmed said: “The $3 

billion that we are trying to 

raise from the World Bank 

is for financing the power 

sector. This financing will 

include right now, the gap 

between what is provided 

for in the current tariff and 

the cost of the businesses 

themselves because, there 

is a tariff shortfall; but it 

would also enhance our 

ability to pay the previous 

obligations that have 

crystallised that we have 

not yet been able to pay. 

“Some portion of it will be 

for the transmission 

network and if we are able 

to expand the facility to $4 

billion, the additional $1 

billion is for the distribution 

network. It will help us to 

exit the subsidy that is now 

inherent in the power 

sector. 

‘’It is supposed to reform 

the sector, to restore the 

distribution business side 

of the sector, especially on 

a stronger footing so that 

they are freed up enough 

to go out and raise 

financing to invest in 

expanding the distribution 

network.” 

...UK supports Jollof 

Bonds issuance 

Speaking on the support 

of the United Kingdom for 

the federal government 

efforts to raise additional 

foreign loans through 

Jollof Bonds, the Minister 

said: “We held a number of 

bilateral meetings. One of 

the bilateral meetings was 

with the United Kingdom 

Minister of State for 

International Development. 

We also participated in the 

United Kingdom 

investment summit to 

explore further areas of 

corporation. 

“I am happy to announce 

the willingness of the UK 

authorities to support our 

infrastructure financing 

through the possible 

issuance of Jollof Bonds. 

Already, a working 

committee is being set up 

to interface with Nigeria on 

this possible Naira 

denominated bond. 

“The CBN will be leading 

in this effort, while we will 

also explore all options in 

this regard at the next UK 

investment summit that 

will be holding in January 

2020. 

“We met with the 

representative of the Island 

of New Jersey, we explored 

areas of mutual corporation, 

even the possibility of 

signing an agreement on 

the avoidance of double 

taxation as well as asset 

repatriation. 

“The Jollof Bond (some 

countries call their own 

sala bonds, essentially 

these are bonds that are 

issued offshore but 

denominated in the local 

currency and the 

importance of such a bond 

is that it protects the 

country, the issuer from 

exchange rate exposure. We 

are contemplating such a 

bond. 

“There have been 

proposals made to us not 

just by the UK government 

but also by Deutsche Bank 

and today also by the World 

Bank to look at that as 

another instrument to raise 

financing for the national 

budget. 

“In the past, we have 

issued Eurobond which 

had done well but we are 

considering this option 

because it could be cheap 

and even if it is not, it will 

be more cost effective 

because we are protected 

from exchange rate 

differential risk.” 

FG heading for clash 

with GENCOs, DISCOs 

In a related 

development, the Federal 

Government, lawmakers, 

Electricity Generating 

Companies, GENCOs, and 

Electricity Distribution 

Companies, DISCOs, 

appear to be heading for 

collision as the House of 

Representatives moves to 

implement its plan in the 

power sector this year. 

Specifically, the House 

has vowed to push the 

Federal government to 

reprivatise some 

“ineffective” power 

generating, GENCos, and 

distributing companies, 

DISCOs, in the country. 

The House’ plan to move 

against the management of 

the privatised power 

companies, is contained on 

page 32 of the “Legislative 

Agenda of the 9th House 

of Representatives, Federal 

Republic of Nigeria 2019- 

2023”, made available to 

Vanguard. 

Under the Power Sector 

section of the seventeenpoint 

Agenda, subtitled 

“Legislative intervention”, 

the House said it would 

“enable the federal 

government to actively 

exercise control over 

privatized, yet inefficient 

power companies and 

encourage and assist 

capable market players 

and investors, take over 

ineffective ones”. 

The lawmakers also want 

power companies to 

AS the closure of the 

Seme border entered 

its 86th day today, the 

development is beginning 

to breed petty thieves and 

other criminal acts within 

the Badagry-Seme axis. 

Stakeholders who spoke 

to Vanguard over the 

weekend said that there 

has been an upsurge in the 

rate of stealing and 

burglary, shops are broken 

into and goods carted 

away. 

A visit to the border by 

Vanguard showed a once 

boisterous town now 

looking like a graveyard. 

Seme border town before 

now, is a town that never 

sleeps because of the high 

level of activities at any 

point in time of the day. 

Apart from the 

presence of some relevant 

agencies of government 

like the Nigerian 

Immigration Ssrvice, NIS, 

the Nigeria Customs 

Service and others, the 

border is calm and devoid 

of its characteristics of an 

international passage into 

and out of Nigeria. 

Speaking on the 

development Mr. Tony 

Nweze, who run an 

electronic and telephone 

accessory shop, said that 

distribute electricity directly 

to consumers, or where 

they must send to the grid, 

“there must be guaranteed 

payment for power 

supplies from the federal 

government”. 

It stated: “This House 

will pass a legislation that 

will support full 

commercialisation of the 

industry to attract new 

capital and advanced 

technology.” 

The House document also 

showed it was set to 

encourage renewable 

energy as an alternative 

through legislation. 

The document added: 

“The House will make laws 

that would expand the 

energy source mix for 

power generation and 

mandate significant 

government investment in 

renewable energy sources 

and infrastructure. 

“The House will revisit all 

efforts and commitment to 

renewable energy, with the 

intent to develop a viable 

alternative distribution to 

the national grid. Nigeria 

potential capacity in 

renewable energy will be 

expanded and utilized, 

especially solar, 

geothermal, and wind that 

is in abundance in various 

parts of our great country.” 

The House regretted that 

some renewable energy 

companies were yet to be 

cleared because of 

bureaucratic red tape. 

“Currently, only a handful 

of licenses exist in the 

country and regulatory 

bottlenecks are hampering 

take off,” it lamented. 

The lawmakers also 

warned that “If we are to 

meet the set target, there 

would be a need to review 

existing legislation in order 

to attract more players into 

the green energy industry.” 

Investigation by 

Vanguard showed that the 

Border closure now breeding criminality 

within Seme—Stakeholders 

By Godwin Oritse 

Managing Director, Emotan Global Ventures, Josephine Aburime-Shine (L); 

Gov. Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State (3rd, R); Minister of Mines and Steel 

Development, Mr Olamilekan Adegbite (4th,R); Minister of State for Mines and 

Steel Development, Dr Uchechukwu Ogah (2nd, R); and other participants during 

an exhibition at the 4th Annual Nigeria Mining Week in Abuja. Photo: NAN. 

besides the low sales 

recorded by traders and 

other businesses, the issue 

of theft and breaking into 

shops has further 

compounded the 

frustrations people are 

going through as a result 

of the closure of the 

border. 

Nweze also said that 

before the border was 

closed, he could sell up to 

ten items in one day 

adding that he can barely 

sell three now. 

He said: “Since the 

border was shut, there has 

been an increase in crime, 

sometimes they break into 

peoples’ shops, sometimes 

they steal peoples phone. 

“A woman’s phone was 

stolen two hours before you 

came there is hunger in the 

land and these criminals 

are trying to survive.” 

Similarly, a licensed 

Customs Chief Chinedu 

Jonathan Ushi, said that the 

frustrations occasioned by 

the closure of the border 

have reached an 

unbearable limit lamenting 

that businesses have been 

lost to the closure. 

Ushi also said that even 

the animals around the 

Seme border town can also 

feel the pinch of the 

development because some 

of them are beginning to 

lose weight. 

He explained that the 

border closure affects 

everybody both local and 

international traders. 

Ushi said: “Everybody 

here is affected by the 

closure of the border, goats 

and dogs and even know 

that all is not well within the 

border area. It is not only 

human beings that are 

affected. 

“Today makes it two and 

a half months that the 

border has been closed, 

masses are crying. This is 

where the transaction takes 

place, look at those trucks, 

they have been here in the 

last ten weeks. 

“This one is carrying dry 

pepper, the other one is 

also carrying pepper. One 

of the trucks carrying 

Onions was sold as auction 

because the Onions got 

spoilt on the truck due to 

the closure. 

“Billions of Naira have 

been lost to the closure, we 

appeal to government to 

help us, see what can be 

done to re-open the 

border.” 

Asked what will happen 

if the closure continues for 

another two months, he 

said that many people will 

die and more armed 

robbers will emerge. 

“Many people will die 

House of Representatives 

has also summoned 

stakeholders, including the 

DISCOs, to appear before 

it on Tuesday, October 21, 

2019. 

Executive Director, 

Research and Advocacy of 

Association of Electricity 

Distributor, ANED, Mr. 

Sunday Oduntan, who 

confirmed the development 

in a telephone interview 

with Vanguard yesterday, 

said: “I don’t know about 

withdrawal of licences. I 

know that NERC issued an 

order to eight DISCOs, 

asking them to explain 

within six weeks why their 

licences should not be 

cancelled for their low 

remittance level. 

‘’The House of 

Representatives has 

invited all parties to the 

national Assembly for 

Tuesday morning to 

discuss the way out.” 

and the situation will 

create a lot of robbers, as 

more people will become 

hungry. 

Even for the two and half 

months that the border has 

been shut, a lot of families 

are crying, people are 

frustrated and people have 

relocated and a lot of 

people are begging to 

survive.” He stated 

A food vendor, Madam 

Moji Oke who spoke to our 

correspondent in ‘Yoruba’ 

Language said that before 

the border was shut, she 

cooks a big cooler of rice 

and sell to visitors and 

others that come to 

roadside shop to eat. 

Oke said she hardly can 

cook and sell only four 

‘Derica’ cups of rice in one 

day. 

She said business is very 

bad adding that since the 

border was closed she 

stays out up until 1 a.m. 

and sometimes 2 a.m. to sell 

a small quantity of cooked 

food. 

An Okada rider, 

Mohammed Lookmon said 

that there are motor bikes 

lining up waiting for 

passengers that are not 

coming. 

Another Okada rider, 

Bello Mohammed told 

Vanguard that some of them 

have a gentleman’s 

agreement with officials of 

NIS get travelers across the 

border for fee.

42— VANGUARD, MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2019 

ANTI-GRAFT WAR: More former governors 

will be jailed soon — SAGAY 

•With 70% recurrent expenditure we're digging our grave 

•How to make governance cost-cutting measures effective 

Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against 

Corruption, PACAC, Professor Itsejuwa Esanjumi 

Sagay, SAN, in this interview, speaks on the nation’s high 

cost of governance, why we must reverse the 70:30 budget 

allocation in favour of capital expenditure and the way 

forward for the country among others. 

By Olayinka Ajayi 

On cost of governance 

The cost of governance 

is extremely high. The 

PACAC mentioned it to 

President Buhari that something 

has to be done about 

it. We have the concurrent expenditure 

going to about 70 

percent, and the capital expenditure 

which is supposed 

to be for infrastructural development 

going as low as 30 

percent. We can never develop 

as a country going by 

such lopsided, up-side-down 

ratio. It should be 30 percent 

concurrent, and 70 percent 

capital. That is the way to develop. 

We have to go further. 

Maybe the number of people 

employed by the federal 

government is too high, we 

should cut down on salaries, 

and the National Assembly, 

particularly, should cut down 

on their allowances because 

what they are earning right 

now is unconscionable. They 

admitted to N15 million a 

month in a country where 

the minimum wage is 

N30,000 per month. These 

are the issues we seriously 

need to talk about. But the 

issue is that it shouldn’t be 

done in a confrontational 

manner. The President, the 

heads of National Assembly 

and the Chief Justice of Nigeria 

should get together 

from time to time and agree 

on how they can cut down on 

recurrent expenditure. 

On the governance costcutting 

measures announced 

by the Federal Government, 

last week including review of 

the salary of lawmakers, governors, 

political office holders, 

and estacode of ministers, 

etcIf you look at it, the 

average civil servant is not 

earning too much. They are 

like university staff, they are 

earning adequately. Where 

we have problem is corruption. 

The way they siphon 

money meant for development, 

money they collect 

from contractors and other 

crafty ways civil servants siphon 

money and how they 

corrupt politicians that take 

over as their ministers. 

These are the areas we need 

to address. Their official 

earnings are not too much 

but the money they are getting 

surreptitiously does not 

belong to them. It belongs to 

the state. So, money is not 

being expended on what it 

was voted for. So, that is what 

is running us down. 

On critics' allegation that 

PACAC is not sincere with 

President Buhari about corruption 

within his administration 

I don’t know what they 

mean by that. If they can 

identify such people in the 

Buhari-led administration, 

why do they have to wait for 

my committee? Why are they 

tongue-tied? Who is silencing 

them? If they know any 

corrupt official in Buhari’s 

government let them say it. 

Why wait for my committee? 

Are they not citizens? I was 

outspoken before I was appointed 

to this position. I 

express my views on major 

national matters as I still do. 

So nobody is stopping them. 

Let them identify the people. 

Seems they know so much 

let them speak out. 

Former Deputy Publicity 

Secretary of the All Progressive 

Congress, APC, 

Timi Frank, recently fingered 

the office of the Vice 

President as being corrupt... 

Timi is a bloody irresponsible 

loud mouth. He is a 

person who should not be 

countenanced in any decent 

society. 

But he claimed he has 

facts... 

His sanity is very much in 

question. 

•Professor Sagay 

Do you think your committee 

has done enough in 

proffering solutions corruption? 

We have done tremendously. 

We have done a lot. 

Don’t forget that PACAC is 

a think-tank, and we are not 

an anti-corruption agency. 

We do not investigate, we do 

not interrogate, we do not 

prosecute, and we only empower 

those who are doing 

that to make them more efficient, 

and also advice in areas 

where the battle against 

corruption would be more 

efficient. We train anti-corruption 

agencies on how to 

prosecute. We even train 

judges on how to handle corruption 

cases. We also provided 

manuals on prosecution, 

sentencing, and plea 

bargaining. We have submitted 

various bills to the National 

Assembly. One of them 

is bill to establish a special 

crime court mainly for corruption. 

We also submitted a 

bill that has gone very far 

now on proceeds of crime act. 

We were the ones who advised 

the government on the 

Whistle Blowers Act. This 

The EFCC has got 

two former governors 

behind bars and the 

non-high profile 

persons who were 

convicted since 2015 

are around 700 to 800 

persons. But people 

don’t talk about them, 

they are waiting for 

the big politicians. 

But I can tell for free 

that more are in the 

pipeline. 

has brought in so much 

money for the country from 

whistle-blowing. So, we have 

been very busy as we have 

done a lot of work. It will take 

about nine months to read 

what we have done in the 

last five years. 

Look at the whole issue of 

non-prosecution of asset recovery, 

that is recovering asset 

without necessarily prosecuting 

the person who 

fraudulently acquired them. 

You know the law considers 

them innocent until they are 

found guilty, and apart from 

that, you have to prove beyond 

reasonable doubt; and 

you are aware that they have 

senior advocates who drag 

these cases for months and 

even years. So what we have 

done is to go for the assets. 

When I say we, I mean the 

anti-graft agencies. And the 

law favours us in that regard. 

So the onus is on the people 

who own the assets to come 

and prove their ownership. I 

can tell you that in 99.9% 

cases they don’t show up and 

N1.2 billion was frozen and 

nobody came out to claim 

such money. Recently, $ 40 

million worth of Jewelleries 

belonging to Mrs. Diezani 

was seized by the the Economic 

and Financial Crimes 

Commission, EFCC. The 

non-prosecution we introduced 

to the anti-corruption 

agencies has worked very 

well. The anti-graft agencies 

have got over a trillion naira 

through the medium. 

Why has PACAC not come 

up with name-and-shame 

those that have squandered 

the wealth of the nation? 

There is a lot of debate 

about whether it would not 

be a breach of persons who 

were not actually convicted 

to name and shame them. 

But you are right because 

the proposal is already being 

made to that effect because 

conviction in Nigeria 

is difficult. You know the 

EFCC has got two former 

governors behind bars and 

the non-high profile persons 

who were convicted since 

2015 are around 700 to 800 

persons. But people don’t 

talk about them, they are 

waiting for the big politicians. 

But I can tell for free 

that more are in the pipeline. 

Do you think these antigraft 

agencies are truly on 

their toes? 

Absolutely. I mentioned 

earlier of non-prosecution 

asset recovery. That one has 

worked very effectively and 

we have improved their capacity 

to prosecute through 

manual and trainings. We 

also introduced them to how 

to draw criminal charges 

among others. The impact is 

already being felt and it will 

continue to get better with 

time. 

On the way forward for the 

country 

Nigerians just have to be 

patient. Corruption is pervasive. 

You and I know that 

from the messenger to the 

governor, corruption is actually 

everywhere. What we 

are dealing with now are politically 

exposed persons. In 

other words the big wigs. 

The next thing we are trying 

to do is to establish an anticorruption 

culture to let it 

sink down so that everybody 

will see it as part of their culture. 

And for this, we may give 

incentives to people who do 

things that are worth emulating, 

like somebody who 

sees dollars in a taxi and returns 

it to the owner. There 

is need to lionise people like 

that for others to emulate. It 

is impossible to prosecute 

the whole country because 

the level of corruption in Nigeria 

is deep and every sector 

is involved. I, as a lawyer, 

know that to file a case, 

the clerks, the mini registrars 

have a cut. To get a 

judgement, the secretary has 

to get her own share of illegal 

money and everybody is 

complying because you want 

your judgement so that you 

can appeal, if necessary. So 

we still have to sit down and 

work out the strategy that 

will reach all these people. 

Right now we are trying to 

suffocate the corrupt political 

big wigs.


BISIRIYU 

I, formerly known as Bisiriyu 

Adewunmi Mary, now wish 

to be known as Omotayo 

Adewunmi Mary. Former 

documents remain valid. 

General public take note. 

ONWUMERE 

I, formerly known as Chima 

Linus Onwumere, now wish 

to be known as Jacob Linus 

Iyiakaimo Chima. All former 

documents remain valid. The 

general public should please 

take note. 

VENATIUS 

My name was wrongly written 

as Ubah Steve Chiamaka, 

instead of Ubah Venatius 

Chiamaka Steve. All former 



take note. 

AJIBOLA 

I, formerly known as Miss 

Omobolaji Oyenike Ajibola, 

now wish to be known as Mrs. 

Omobolaji Oyenike Solomon. 

All former documents remain 

valid. The general public 

should please take note. 

IJEOMA 

I, formerly known as Mrs. 

Magdalyn Chiweta Ijeoma, 


Ikechukwu Marychristy 

Chiwetalu. All former 



take note. 

BALL 

I, formerly known as Miss Ball 

Michelle Efemena, now wish 

to be known as Mrs. 

Oghorobada Michelle 

Efemena. All former 


General public please take 

note. 

ODUSOGA 


Odusoga Abiola Abosede, 


Ogunsua Biola Abosede. 

Former document remain 

valid, general public please 

take note. 

SUNDAY 

I, Agwaniru Christan Sunday, 

hereby confirm that my name 

was mistakenly written as 

Agwaniru Christan Chioma. 


valid. General public take 

note. 

ONYA 

I, formerly known as Ejim 

Mmaghiri Onya, now wish 

to be known as Nnenna Ejim 

Okoro-Omaka. Former 


General public take note. 

STELLA 


Okenwa Ginikachi Stella, now 

wish to be known as Mrs. 

Onuorah Ginikachi Okenwa. 

All documents bearing my 

former name remain valid. 

Relevant Authorities and 

general public take note. 

CHILAKA 


Chilaka Lilian Ginikanwa, 

now wish to be known as 

Mrs. Ezeribe Lilian 

Ginikanwa. All former 



note. 

NZEKWUE 

I, formerly known as Nzekwue 

Rosech Chiedu J. now wish to 

be known as Nzekwue 

Christopher Rosech Chiedu. 


valid. General public please 

take note. 

JACOB 


Oghenevwede Jacob, now wish 

to be known as Mrs. 

Oghenevwede Bode. All former 



take note. 

JACOB 

I, formerly known as Jacob 

Arusuayene Omasheye, now 

wish to be known as Great 

Arusuedafe Omasheye. All 

former documents remain 

valid.General public please 

take note. 

OGBU 

I, formerly known as 

Miss Ogbu Eucharia 

Somtochukwu, now wish to be 

known as Mrs. Nwajiobi, 

Eucharia Somtochukwu. 

Former documents remain 

valid. General public take note. 

SOWEMIMO 


Olutoyin Olufunmi 

Sowemimo, now wish to be 

known as Mrs. Olutoyin 

Olufunmi Olayinka. All 




AKPODIETE AROBOTO 



Olayinka Oluwaseyi Aroboto, 

Mrs Akpodiete Ovwigho 


Helen, now wish to be known as 

Olayinka Oluwaseyi David- 

Onorhere Ovwigho Helen. 

Afolabi. All formal documents 

Former documents remain valid. 

remain valid, general public 

General public please take note. 

please take note. 

EKPEI 

I, formerly known as Grace 

Ekpei, now wish to be known 

as Okwudishu Grace 

Keliojoalu. All former 



take note. 

SAMUEL 


Idongesit Samuel James, 


Idongesit Kingsley Esset. 


valid. General public take 

note. 

OGIERIAKHI 


Ogieriakhi Osagunmwenro 

Sandra, now wish to be known 

as Mrs. Akpaeva 

Osagunmwenro Sandra. All 


valid. General public take note. 

OLAWALE 


Gbemisola Elizabeth Olawale, 


Gbemisola Elizabeth 

Oladipupo. All former 



take note. 

AKEEM 

I, formerly known as Olawale 

Akeem Olalekan now wish 

to be known as Olawale 

Olalekan. All former 



note. 

EFEMENA 

I, formerly known as Otobore 

Emmanuel Efemena now wish 

to be known as Otobore 

Emmanuel Omonefe. All 



take note. 

EMASHEMIGBA 


Joyce Emashemigba, now wish 

to be known as Mrs. Joyce Ede 

Henry Uche Ogbekene. All 



take note. 

ORJI 

This is to confirm that Ugorji 

Ignatius Obinna, Orji Tony 

Ifenakwe and Orji Anthony 

Ifenakwe is one and the same 

person. All former documents 

remain valid. General public 


DAN-ABIA 

I, formerly known as Barr. 

Imoh Inyang Dan-Abia, now 

wish to be known as Barr.(Mrs) 

Imoh Iniobong Oku. All 




OGWUMA 


Egwuonwu Chinenye Ogwuma, 


Egwuonwu Chinenye Gloria. 



take note. 

EMMANUEL 


Angela Emmanuel Usungedo, 


Mrs. Angela Blessing 

Jackson. Former documents 


take note. 

UZOSIKE 


Uzosike Ugochi Appolonia, 


Azubuike Ugochi Appolonia. 




NDUKA 

I, formerly known as Nduka 

Winner Obioma, now wish to 

be known as Chinkata Winner 

Obioma. All former 



take note. 

DIKE 


Dike Pauline Ndidi, now wish 

to be known as Mrs. Ogwogwo 

Pauline Ndidi. All former 



take note. 

YOHANNA 

I, Yohanna Mathias wish to notify 

the general public that in my 

National I.D Card my name was 

wrongly wrtten as Yohanna 

Gamaniel, instead of my correct name 

as Yohanna Mathias. All former 

documents remain valid. General 

public please take note. 

MEZU 


Mezu Jennifer Somtochukwu, 


Asinugwo Jennifer 

Somtochukwu. All former 



take note. 

KODJO 

I, hereby confirm that the 

name Amenyo Joshua Kodjo 

and Kodjo Mansah refer to 

me. My true and correct name 

is Kodjo Mansah. All former 



NUNGWAN 

This is to confirm that Paul 

Kwantiyak Nungwa and Nungwan 

Paul Kannaya refer to one and the 

same person. I now wish to be 

known and addressed as Nungwan 

Paul Kannaya. All former 

documents remain valid. General 


ELVIS 

I, formerly known as Irefu 

Elvis Bodurin, now wish to be 

known, addressed and called 

Irefu Eveshoyan Bodurin. All 

my documents remain valid. 

General public should take 

note. 

OJO 

I, formerly known and 

addressed as Miss Ojo Faith, 

now wish to be known and 

addressed as Mrs. Ahweyevu 

Faith. All former documents 



EGUZOROIBE 


Eguzoroibe Juliet Ogechi, now 

wish to be known as Mrs. 

Obikara-Obinna Juliet Ogechi. 


valid. The general public should 


ODUM 

I, formerly known as Odum 

Collins Chidi, now wish to be 

known as Mr. Louis Collins 

Chidi. All former documents 

remain valid. Nigerian 

Breweries Plc, Banks and the 


take note. 

UYIEKPEN 


Uyiekpen Maria, now wish 

to be known as Mrs. Mokpe 

Maria. All former documents 

remain valid. The general 

public should please take 

note. 

OLATUNBOSUN 


Olatunbosun, Olabimpe 

Kudirat, now wish to be known 

as Mrs Oladerin, Olabimpe. All 


valid. The General public should 


DIALA 


Diala Philomina Nkechinyere 

Uloma, now wish to be known 

as Mrs. Abiaziem Philomina 

Nkechinyere Ukachi. All 


valid. The general public should 


EKE 

I, formerly known as Eke 

Ikechukwu Franklyn, now wish 

to be known as Okereafor 

Franklyn Ikechukwu. Former 

document remain valid, general 


CHIGOZIE 


Isaac Peace Chigozie and 

Onyemaobi Peace Chigozie, 


Peace Chigozie Agaren. 



take note. 

ADEBISI 

I, formerly known as Adebisi 

Tunde, now wish to be known 

as Adeyemi-Kayne Tunde 

Oluwakayode. Former 



FOR ADVERT PLACEMENT VISIT TRINITY MALL, BESIDE ZENITH BANK 

BALOGUN BUS STOP, OBAFEMI AWOLOWO WAY, IKEJA, 

OR MURPHIS PLAZA, SANUSI FAFUNWA STREET, VICTORIA ISLAND LAGOS 

Delta 

community 

leaders 

commend 

Setraco on 

speedy 

execution of 

road project 

By Chancel Sunday 

BClan OMADI—TUOMO 

community chairmen, 

under the aegis of 

Tuomo Clan Chairmen’s 

Forum, TUCCF, in Burutu 

Council area of Delta State, 

have commended construction 

giant, Setraco Nigeria 

Limited, over the speedy 

pace of work on the on-going 

Bomadi-Tuomo-Og- 

bobagbene-Tubegbe- 

Torugbene-Ojobo road 

project. 

In two separate statements 

issued by both 

TUCCF and Tamigbe 

community, weekend, and 

signed by Chairman of 

TUCCF, Comr. Yankee 

Ezekiel, Tubegbe traditional 

ruler and Chairman, 

Benson Zenebor, and Bolouderemone 

Disi, respectively, 

they affirmed their 

support for the development-driven 

project in the 

area. 

The community leaders, 

however, frowned at the 

activities of one self-styled 

King Para Ekiye, whom 

they alleged had mobilized 

his boys to dig and 

cut-off the road at the 

Tubegbe axis, last week. 

The statement read, in 

part: “On behalf of the 

chairmen of Tuomo Kingdom, 

I want to wholeheartedly 

thank Setraco Nigeria 

Limited for the speedy 

construction of this road 

project. 

“We the leadership of 

Tubegbe want to state that 

this self-styled King Para 

Ekiye is not acting in the 

interests of our community. 

We want to draw attention 

to an incident, recently, 

when he coordinated 

his boys to dig and cut-off 

the road in our community.” 

But, in his reaction, Ekiye, 

who introduced himself 

as Egbesu priest of 

Tuomo Kingdom, said: “I 

don’t even know anything 

about the issue because, 

it has been long I have not 

been in the community. 

“The issue is that Setraco 

dug a burrowed pit in 

my compound, while constructing 

the Tubegbe access 

road and the vibrations 

of their machines affected 

my building, which 

has been reported to the 

police. 

“Then, why would I mobilize 

youths to dig an ongoing 

road project over an 

issue that both the police 

and the Joint Military Task 

Force are aware of?"

44 —Vanguard, MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2019 

YOUR LUCK TODAY 

By Joshua Adeyemo Phone 08056180139 

LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 22)Third Quarter Moon in Cancer 

form T-Square Aspects with the Sun and Pluto with 

the Sun at the point focus. For you to succeed today you 

will need to ignore pressure from others and assert yourself 

according to your desire. Let others know you are in 

existence. 

SCORPIO (Oct 23 – Nov 21)Legal related issues must 

be taken seriously this is in order to avert trouble now 

and in the near future. Do not divulge your secrets. Ignore 

bad advice and move on. 

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec21)Mid-afternoon period 

may prove a little bit difficult for those of you who are 

not receptive. Reason with your tried and trusted friends 

willing to help you. 

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)Happening within the 

Zodiacal Constellations will bring many people under 

pressure including yourself. Try your very best and protect 

your image. 

L E I S U R E 

TAKE HEART — ELLA RANDLE 

“Everytime you judge someone you reveal a 

part of yourself that needs healing.” 

—Take Heart Quotes- 

Your intrinsic value and worth is knowing that 

no one can make you feel less unless you allow 

it. One should not set a high value on someone 

before they deserve it. You either lose them or 

devalue yourself. —Ella Randle 

TERROR MUDA in “Never say goodbye” 

SAYINGS OF 

OUR PEOPLE 

A pretty 

basket does 

not prevent 

worries. 

~Congolese 

Proverb 

By Kola Fayemi 

AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)Last Quarter Moon in 

Cancer may provide needed solution to some challenges 

within your working arena but not without severe pressure 

on you and yours. 

PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 19)One may need what is very 

close to magical and commanding tongue to convince 

you to disembark on risky adventure along your business 

line. Respect love. 

ARIES ( Mar 21 – Apr 19)As the saying goes ‘’golden 

fish has no hidden place” wherever you may be today 

people will lookout for you in or order to proffer solution 

to challenges. 

TAURUS ( Apr 20 – May 20)Those of you who can not 

avoid travelling today will need to prepare plan ” B” for 

possible alternative in case the real schedule fails to 

materialize. Be practical. 

GEMINI (May 21 – June 20)Third Quarter Moon may 

affect your financial plan the way you may not like as 

anticipated revenue may not come. But if you are consistent 

you will smile eventually. 

DUDU in “ROLLING HOT” “HOT” By A.O.OLAIDE 

CANCER (June 21 – July 22)Last Quarter Moon in your 

Star Sign may prompt some of you to exhibit aggressive 

approach at the wrong time. Moderation and diplomacy 

will bring results. 

LEO (Jul23 – Aug 22)This is another wrong day to give 

in to gambling temptation of any type. You will have 

more to gain if you take good advice from your tested 

and reliable friends. 

VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22)Last Quarter Moon may influence 

some of you to think that there are no more reliable 

friends on the planet earth but, good friends are 

abound. Be more receptive. 

ASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLING 

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

trological 

Counselling, P.M.B 100 

007, 7, Apapa, Lagos 

RULER =INTELLIGENT AND PRACTICAL MER- 

CURY. QUALITY =MUTABLE. ELEMENT = 

EARTH. SYMBOL = THE VIRGIN. GROUP = FEMI- 

NINE. ZODIACAL NUMBER = 6TH 

Virgo is Sixth of the 12 Zodiac signs. Its element 

is earth while its quality is mutable. Earth connection 

is all about practicality while mutable is changes 

and experimentation. That is why you are a practical 

person who care to analyze any situation or thing 

before you can get yourself committed to anything of 

importance. The urge to analyze in your inner-self 

together with innate talent to work hard often lead 

you to pay great attention to details and make you a 

good detective. 

Health and hygiene are other paramount issues to 

you .And whoever appears careless about clean 

environment and good health can never win either 

your friendship or respect. And if care is not taken, 

such person will bring out the hyper-criticality in 

you, so also non intelligent person who fails to exhibit 

the willingness to improve his/her mental quality. 

Although, yours is an analytical mind, at the 

same time, the urge in you to attain a state of perfection 

(by yourself) and your expectation of others to 

be as perfect as well can earn you names, especially 

among the “easy going” type of personalities. And 

if you fail to curb this tendencies, you are more than 

likely to alienate others (your close allies inclusive) 

and you may be nick named “the woman with stinging 

tongue.” 

Although, people may call you any name they so 

like at the initial stage, probably because of your 

realistic and/or practical approach, Virgo being the 

Zodiac sign of virginity and harvest, you are sure to 

reap the fruits of your labour, especially if you take 

spiritual side of life more seriously. 

VIRGINIA 

dadadekola@yahoo.com 

HOME & ABROAD 

By Lawrence Akapa


Brexit: Johnson ‘has the numbers’ 

to pass deal, says Raab 

THE government says it 

will push ahead with efforts 

to pass its Brexit deal, 

despite a major setback to its 

plans. 

Boris Johnson had to ask 

the EU for an extension to the 

UK’s 31 October exit date after 

MPs backed a move to 

delay approval of the deal 

on Saturday. 

But Foreign Secretary Dominic 

Raab said he was confident 

enough MPs would 

back the deal next week, and 

Brexit would still happen by 

the deadline. 

Labour, however, has said 

it will back moves to put the 

deal to a referendum. 

No 10 said the PM sent 

“Parliament’s letter” to Brussels 

- unsigned - and accompanied 

it with a second letter 

- which was signed - 

US forces withdraw from key base 

in Northern Syria 

US forces withdrew from 

a key base in northern 

Syria on Sunday, a monitor 

said, two days before the end 

of a US-brokered truce to stem 

a Turkish attack on Kurdish 

forces in the region. 

An AFP correspondent saw 

more than 70 US armoured 

vehicles escorted by helicopters 

drive past the town of Tal 

Tamr carrying military 

equipment. 

Some flew the American 

stars-and-stripes flag as they 

made their way eastwards 

along a highway crossing the 

town, he said. 

The Syrian Observatory for 

the Human Rights said the 

convoy was evacuating the 

military base of Sarrin. 

It appeared to be heading to 

the town of Hassakeh, further 

east, said the Britain-based 

monitor, which relies on sources 

inside war-torn Syria for its 

information. 

Sarrin “is the largest American 

military base in the north 

of the country,” Observatory 

chief Rami Abdel Rahman 

said. 

It is situated on the edges of 

a planned “safe zone” on the 

Syrian side of the border that 

Turkey wants to keep Kurdish 

forces away from its frontier, he 

explained. 

Sunday’s pullout was the 

fourth such withdrawal of 

American forces in a week and 

left Syria’s northern provinces 

of Aleppo and Raqa devoid 

of US troops, Abdel Rahman 

said. 

explaining why he believed 

a delay would be a mistake. 

The government has vowed 

to press ahead with the legislation 

- the Withdrawal Agreement 

Bill (WAB) - to implement 

the Brexit deal next 

week. 

Having reached a new 

Brexit deal with the EU last 

week, the prime minster had 

intended to bring it to Parliament 

and ask MPs to approve 

it in a so-called “meaningful 

vote”. 

However, in the first Saturday 

sitting in the Commons 

for 37 years, MPs instead voted 

in favour of an amendment 

withholding approval of the 

deal until all the necessary 

legislation to implement it 

had been passed. 

Tabled by Tory MP Sir Oliver 

Letwin, the amendment 

Sudan rape victims insist 

Al-Bashir must face ICC trial 

FOR Jamal Ibrahim, 

whose sisters were 

raped by militiamen in Darfur, 

only the handover of 

Sudan’s ousted dictator Omar 

al-Bashir to the International 

Criminal Court can bring 

peace to the restive Darfur region. 

“Two of my sisters were 

raped in front of my eyes by 

militiamen who stormed 

through our village, setting 

our houses on fire,” Ibrahim, 

34, told AFP at Camp Kalma, 

a sprawling facility where 

tens of thousands of people 

displaced by the conflict in 

Darfur have lived for years. 

“Bashir and his aides who 

committed the crimes in Darfur 

must be handed over to 

the ICC if peace is to be established 

in the region.” 

Lebanese continue protests, demand 

government to fix economy 

TENS of thousands of 

demonstrators have 

gathered in Lebanon’s 

streets on Sunday for a 

fourth day of anti-government 

protests that 

have led to the resignation 

of a Christian party from 

the government. 

Demonstrators, who 

have been on the streets 

since Thursday, have 

pledged to continue 

marching despite the resignations 

late on Saturday 

of four government members 

from the key political 

party, Lebanese Forces. 

Labour Minister Camille 

Abousleiman, one of the 

four to quit the government, 

told Al Jazeera 

was intended to ensure that 

Mr Johnson would comply 

with the terms of the so-called 

Benn Act designed to eliminate 

any possibility of a nodeal 

exit on 31 October. 

Under that act, Mr Johnson 

had until 23:00 BST on Saturday 

to send a letter requesting 

a delay to the UK’s departure 

- something he did, albeit 

without his signature. 

Mr Raab told the BBC’s 

Andrew Marr show that “notwithstanding 

the parliamentary 

shenanigans, we appear 

to have now the numbers to 

get this through”. 

He said there were “many 

people in the EU” who were 

“deeply uncomfortable” 

about a further delay to Brexit 

and urged MPs to “get on, 

get it through the House of 

Commons, and move on.” 

The Kurds have been a key 

ally to Washington in the USbacked 

fight against Islamic 

State group jihadists in Syria, 

but Ankara views them as “terrorists” 

linked to Kurdish militants 

on its own soil. 

A week ago, the Pentagon said 

US President Donald Trump 

had ordered the withdrawal of 

up to 1,000 troops from northern 

Syria as Turkish troops advanced 

into Syrian territory. 

Turkey launched a cross-border 

incursion into Syria on October 

9, after Trump said he 

would pull back US special forces 

in the Kurdish-held north. 

After the violence killed 

scores from both sides and displaced 

hundreds of thousands 

from their homes, a US-brokered 

ceasefire was announced 

late Thursday. 

Turkey has given the Syrian 

Democratic Forces, the de facto 

army of the Kurdish authorities 

in northeastern Syria, until 

Tuesday evening to withdraw 

from a 30-kilometre strip of 

Syrian land along its southern 

border. 

Both sides accuse each other 

of violating the truce. 

Ibrahim, who is from Mershing 

in the mountainous 

Jebel Marra area of Darfur, 

said his village was attacked 

by Arab militiamen in March 

2003 soon after conflict erupted 

in the region. 

The fighting broke out 

when ethnic African rebels 

took up arms against Khartoum’s 

then Arab-dominated 

government under Bashir, alleging 

racial discrimination, 

marginalisation and exclusion. 

Khartoum responded by 

unleashing the Janjaweed, a 

group of mostly Arab raiding 

nomads that it recruited and 

armed to create a militia of 

gunmen who were often 

mounted on horses or camels. 

shortly after the decision 

that they had “lost faith in 

the government’s ability to 

effect change and address 

the problem”. 

Lebanese citizens have 

been suffering from tax 

hikes and dire economic 

conditions in the heavily 

indebted country. 

Lebanon’s public debt 

stands at around $86bn - 

more than 150 percent of 

gross domestic product, 

according to the finance 

ministry. 

The grievances and anger 

at the government’s 

lack of solutions erupted 

into protests on Thursday, 

sparked by hikes in 

taxes including a proposed 

$0.2 tax on calls via 

messaging apps such as 

WhatsApp. 

Such calls are the main 

method of communication 

for many Lebanese and, 

despite the government’s 

swift abandonment of the 

tax, the demonstrations 

quickly swelled into the 

largest in years. 

“It is day four and protesters 

are back on the 

street. It’s not just in the 

capital Beirut, but across 

the country. The message 

they [protesters] are giving 

is of defiance and that 

they will continue to 

demand the resignation of 

the government,” said Al. 

ManUtd 1 – 1 Liverpool 

United end Liverpool 

winning run Lallana 

rescues draw 

Manchester United 

have ended 

Liverpool’s 17- 

match winning run and 100% 

start to the season courtesy of 

a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford. 

The visitors were bidding to 

equal the all-time English 

top-flight record of 18 

successive wins as well as the 

best-ever Premier League 

start of nine wins from nine, 

but in the end they will be 

relieved to have come away 

with a point following an 

uncharacteristically poor 

display. 

United rose to the occasion 

despite going into the match 

having won just twice in their 

last 13 league games, and 

Pogba turns 

up at 

United’s 

clash with 

Liverpool 

walking with 

a crutch, his 

foot in a cast 

Paul Pogba arrived at Old 

Trafford with a crutch 

and his foot in a cast despite 

recently claiming he was 

close to returning to action for 

Manchester United. 

The French midfielder is 

out of the Red Devils’ derby 

against Liverpool but 

recently took to Instagram 

claiming he was ‘almost 

there’ with his recovery. 

But photos of Pogba 

arriving at the stadium to 

watch the game on Sunday 

suggest otherwise, as he can 

be seen holding a crutch and 

his injured foot, which has 

kept him out for the last two 

games, in a cast. 

The midfielder also posted 

videos of him training over 

the international break as he 

looked like he may be close 

to full fitness, but the photos 

that emerged before the 

clash with their bitter rivals 

suggests he may still have 

someway to go with his 

recovery. 

This will come as a blow 

for United fans, who will 

have been hoping for a swift 

return for the 26-year-old as 

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 

struggles for midfield 

options. 

•Pogba 

Marcus Rashford gave them 

the lead in controversial 

circumstances nine minutes 

before the end of the first half. 

VAR was again the talking 

point at half time after allowing 

that goal to stand and denying 

Liverpool an equaliser 

through Sadio Mane, and for 

much of the contest it looked 

as though Liverpool would fall 

to just their second defeat in 

48 Premier League games. 

Adam Lallana’s equaliser 

five minutes from time 

rescued a point for the visitors 

late on, though, leaving them 

six clear of champions 

Manchester City despite 

failing to win in the league for 

the first time since March 3. 

JOSE MOURINHO has 

taken a sly dig at 

Manchester United’s board for 

protecting Ole Gunnar 

Solskjaer who is in “great 

situation” at the club despite 

their poor start to the season. 

Mourinho was sacked the 

morning after a 3-1 defeat to the 

Reds last December, with fans 

predicting his Norwegian 

successor to suffer the same fate. 

But the Special One believes 

Solskjaer is lucky for the 

constant reassurances he 

receives at Old Trafford, in 

Junior Ajayi’s 

goal voted Al 

Ahly’s Goal of 

The Month 

Nigerian forward 

Junior Ajayi has 

won Al Ahly’s goal of the 

month award for 

September. 

Ajayi scored twice for 

the former African 

Champions in their 

Super Cup win over rivals 

Zamalek last month. 

The player’s first strike 

at the Borg El Arab 

Stadium was adjudged to 

be the Club’s best goal for 

the month of September. 

Ajayi is enjoying a 

sterling season with the 

Egyptian giants this term 

, after injury ravaged 

season last year and he 

has two goals to his name 

in three league 

appearances so far. 

OLE THE SPECIAL ONE 

Mourinho digs Man Utd 

board for protecting 

Solskjaer through slump 

contrast to the atmosphere 

under his tenure. 

Speaking on Sky Sports, 

Mourinho said: “They did some 

good PR in the week to make it 

absolutely clear or create 

positive atmosphere for the 

game. 

“I’m going to try and get a job 

like Ole has, and speak all the 

time about the future. 

“I think it’s a great situation, 

three-year contract – the future, 

the young players. I think it’s a 

great job to do in such a giant 

club.” 

Playing for Nigeria means a 

lot to me — Okoye 

Newly capped Nigeria goalkeeper Maduka Okoye says he’s 

happy to make his debut for Nigeria and admitted he couldn’t 

hide his emotions. 

The Fortuna Dusseldorf of Germany goalkeeper said it was a dream 

come true for him to feature for Nigeria’s last Sunday’s international 

friendly game against five-time world champions, Brazil. 

Okoye replaced injured Francis Uzoho in the 63rd 

and helped Nigeria to earn a valuable draw against 

world champions. 

“I thank God for the team and the opportunity 

I’ve gotten to play for the national side of our beloved 

country. I cried after the game. I shed tears when I 

spoke to my father and brother,” Okoye stated . 

“I didn’t expect to play, I was just sitting on 

the bench like the last time in Ukraine and I 

knew I’d have to wait for my chance. I didn’t 

know it will come so soon but things can be 

like that.” 

The 20-year-old is likely be in goal for Nigeria 

in next month’s 2021 African Cup of Nations 

qualifiers with Benin Republic and Lesotho. 

•Ajayi 

•Okoye 

minute 

the five


NFF apologises to Nigerians 

over CHAN 2020 ticket miss 

Channels U-18 

Athletics Classics: 

Amike vows to 

discover more 

talents for AFN 

T 

echnical director of the Channels U- 

18 Athletics Classics, Henry Amike 

says this year's edition of the 

tournament would be used to discover 

more talents that will represent 

Nigeria at future international 

champaionships. 

Amike, a former athlete made this 

statement ahead of the second edition 

of the Classics scheduled to hold 

between 13th and 14th November, 

2019 at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, 

Surulere, Lagos. 

According to Amike, this year's 

competition is expected to be an 

improvement on that of last year where 

key talents like Fatola Adedoyin who 

went on to represent Nigeria at the 

Africa Youth Games was discovered. 

Invited secondary school students 

from both the private and public sectors 

across the six (6) districts of Lagos State 

are expected to attend the two-day 

meet meant for athletes who are below 

18 years.. 

Events to feature in the competition 

includes 100, 200,400 and 800 metres 

races. And also the 

4X100 and 4X400 relay races. 

Alongside long jump, high jump and 

short put. 

Man Utd, 

Newcastle join 

Barca in 

Osimhen chase 

Manchester and Newcastle 

United have joined Spanish 

giants Barcelona in the race to sign 

Nigeria international Victor 

Osimhen, according to various 

reports in the French media. 

French Regional newspaper based 

in Lille, La Voix du Nord has claimed 

that Manchester United are one of 

the teams monitoring the 

performance of the Lille hotshot with 

a view to a transfer to the Premier 

League club. 

The Red Devils are in the market 

for a striker ahead of the reopening 

of the transfer window and have 

been linked with the likes of 

Aleksandr Sobolev, Callum Wilson, 

Moussa Dembele and Mario 

Mandzukic. 

Meanwhile, fresh reports have it 

that Newcastle have set their sights 

on acquiring the services of Nigeria 

international, Victor Osimhen. 

The Chronicles confirmed that 

Newcastle United scouts are keeping 

tabs on the young but exciting Lille 

star. 

•Osimhen 

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has 

apologised to Nigerians over failure of 

the home based Eagles to qualify for 2020 

CHAN after 4-3 aggregate loss to 

neighboring team, Togo. 

NFF 1st Vice President Seyi Akinwunmi begged 

Nigerians not to lose hope in the home based players 

while speaking at the end of the game. 

“I appreciate all our coaches and players for their 

efforts. That does not mean I’m not upset. I can’t 

apportion blame, the NFF too must take it’s share, 

we all do. That’s what it is. 

“We are sorry. We know that many Nigerians 

including myself and people in management 

are all upset about this. But we've come down 

before and come back up. We will come back 

up,” he concluded 

Lack of match fitness 

caused CHAN Failure 

– Ekpo 

•CHAN Eagles 

Ex Nigerian international, 

Friday Ekpo has called for the 

swift resumption of the Nigerian 

leagues as the way to fix the recent 

poor showings of the Super Eagles 

B. 

The Eagles failed to qualify for 

the 2020 African Nations 

Championship, losing 4-3 on 

aggregate to Togo, following 

Saturday’s result in the secondleg 

of the qualifiers. 

The former Nigeria International 

revealed that the outcome of the 

CHAN qualifiers was predictable. 

“We lost the game from the 1st 

leg and the league is one of the 

The Social and Welfare Officer of 

the IBB International Golf and 

Country Club, Abuja, Jummai 

Abdullahi on Saturday emerged the 

overall winner of the 20th IBB 

Ladies Golf Close 

Championship“Jummai grossed 

185 in two days with the nett of 147 

to outshine over 70 participants who 

all poised to lift the trophy 

“Receiving the trophy in the 

presence of many dignitaries which 

include the Minister of Women 

Affairs and Social Development, 

Dame Paullen Tallen, Senator Esther 

Audu, Captain of the Club, Sola 

Awoyungbo, Lady Captain, Nanfe 

Audu as well as a Member of the 

Board of Trustees, Prince Lufadeju, 

the winner, Jummai Abdullahi 

attributed her success to many days 

of practising, hardwork and self 

confidence. “The handicap 18 

amateur golfer promised to work 

more harder to overcome any serious 

challenge during the forthcoming 

Ladies Open Championship.“ 

Other winners of the Close 

championship include former Lady 

Captain, Grace Ihonvbere who won 

Best Gross with 175 score. She also 

received prize for the nearest to the 

•Ekpo 

problems, training is different 

from match day situations, when 

you play competitive games you 

see actual mistakes and correct 

them.” 

But Friday Ekpo believes the 

result gives Nigeria time to work 

on “our game and prepare for 

Future competitions,but the issues 

of the League must be addressed.” 

“The Nigeria football league 

should resume immediately so the 

players can improve on their game 

and also help the Coaches to see 

the best players in the league that 

will help them execute games like 

these.” 

Abdullahi celebrates Ladies 

Golf trophy 

Pin in hole 8 having shot 4.8metres 

as well as Longest drive award in 

hole 7 with 187metres.“ Adebimpe 

Usman's shot of 150 score was 

adjudged as the Best Nett while 

another former Lady Captain, 

Faridah Wada went home with 

Runner up Nett with 176 score.“ 

Ighalo scores as 

Shanghai Shenhua 

beat Dalian Yifang 

Shanghai Shenhua forward Odion Ighalo has 

scored his first goal in the Chinese Super 

League since May when he left to represent 

Nigeria at 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. 

Ighalo grabbed the matchwinning 

effort for the hosts in a 

2-1 win against Dalian Yifang 

at the Hongkou Stadium on 

Sunday, to secure their second 

straight win in the league. 

Yannick Carrasco put the 

visitors ahead in the first 

minute before Giovanni 

Moreno levelled matters in the 

25th minute. 

The 30-year-old Ighalo, who 

recently recovered from an ankle 

injury, then finished off Cao 

Yunding's cross to put Shanghai 

Shenhua ahead in the 38th 

minute. 

The strike was Ighalo's eighth 

goal in the Chinese Super League 

this season and he will be hoping to 

build on it when his team visit 

Chongqing Dangdai Lifan for their next 

fixture on Friday. 

Shanghai Shenhua are 11th in the 

league log with 30 points after 26 matches. 

Chukwueze makes 

cameo in Villarreal win 

Samuel Chukwueze made 

a nine-minute cameo 

appearance as Cameroon's 

Karl Toko Ekambi scored 

the winning goal in 

Villarreal's 1-0 win over 

Espanyol. 

Toko Ekambi's 17thminute 

effort was the 

difference at the RCDE 

Stadium on Sunday as 

Villarreal bagged their 

fourth La Liga win of the 

season. 

The strike was the 

Cameroon forward's third 

goal of the season as Javi 

Calleja's side returned to 

winning ways after their 2-1 

loss to Osasuna before the 

international break. 

Toko Ekambi was later 

replaced by Chukwueze in 

the 81st minute while his 

compatriot Andre-Frank 

Zambo Anguissa, who is on •Chukwueze 

Lagos Open Tennis: Rain forces 

postponement of final 

The heavy downpour in Lagos and its environs throughout yesterday 

has forced the final matches of the 2019 Lagos Open Tennis 

Championship to be postponed till today. 

The matches of both the men and women's singles were supposed to 

start by 1pm, but when it got to some few minutes to 5pm and rain 

failed to stop, the ITF Supervisor, Patrick Kamuhia in conjunction with 

the Local Organising Committee (LOC) announced the postponement 

of the finals which will now begin by 10am today with the women's 

singles. The match between Indian Riya Bhatia and Nastja Kolar from 

Slovenia. 

This will be followed by the men's singles final between Aldin Setkic 

from Bosnia and Calvin Hemery from France. 

Meanwhile, Governor Babajide Sanwolu-Olu of Lagos, who supposed 

to declare the tournament closed on Sunday is still being expected 

during the finals today, so also is the Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr. 

Sunday Dare. 

Before the announcement of the postponement, the Lagos Lawn Tennis 

Club, Onikan was a beehive of activities with the venue already jampacked. 

a season-long loan from 

Fulham, played from start 

to finish. 

The win moved Villarreal 

to sixth in La Liga table and 

they host Deportivo Alaves 

for their next match on 

Friday. 

Zenith Bank/Delta Principals’ Cup: 

5 teams qualify for quarterfinals 

Some quarterfinalists have emerged 

in the ongoing Delta State 

Principals’ Cup football competition 

sponsored by Zenith Bank. 

The zonal stage of the annual 

developmental tournament in its 4 

edition this year started on Wednesday 

and should have produced all the 

quarterfinalist on Friday but for some 

logistics reasons in Delta State. 

However, there are confirmed 

winners from five out of the eight zones 

while the remaining three will be 

decided before Wednesday. 

From Zone H, College of 

Commerce, Warri, from Warri South 

LGA emerged champions ahead of 

Warri North Representatives and 

Uvwie at the Obule Intergrated 

Schools, Sapele. 

Alaka Government Secondary 

School, Ozoro, from Isoko North 

qualified from Zone G ahead of 

representatives from Bomadi, 

Ndokwa West and Patani after two 

round of games decided at the 

Ughelli Township Stadium. In Zone 

C, it was Springate Int School, 

Umutu from Ukwuani LGA that 

picked the last eight slot after edging 

out representatives from Ethiope 

East and Isoko South in zonal games 

decided at the Utagba Ogbe 

Grammar School, Kwale. 

From Zone E, Okotie-Eboh 

Grammar School, from Sapele LGA 

also earned a berth after outplaying 

representatives from Warri South 

and Ethiope West at the Urhobo 

College venue just as Zone F 

produced Ogulagha G/S, Ogulagha, 

from Burutu LGA. Ogulagba earned 

the ticket at the Hussey College Warri 

added of LG winners from Ughelli 

South and Okpe. 

Three more qualifiers from Zones 

A, B and D are yet to emerge to 

compete the eight tickets as the 

quarterfinal matches are billed to 

take place on October 30 in four 

venues yet to be determined by the 

organisers of the competition.


Vanguard, MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2019 

TODAY’S PUZZLE 

Sudoku 

FRIDAY’S ANSWER 

TODAY’S CROSSWORD 

QUICK CROSSWORD 

THURSDAY’S SOLUTION 

How to Play Sudoku 

ACROSS 

1 Flowers not yet opened (4) 

3 Dry Italian cheese grated on 

pasta (8) 

9 Scandinavian language (7) 

10 Paint that produces a shiny 

finish (5) 

11 Broom made of twigs (5) 

12 Remember (6) 

14 Go away (6) 

16 Root vegetable (6) 

19 Punctual (6) 

21 Prayer said at 

mealtime (5) 

24 Wooden shoes (5) 

25 Lit (7) 

26 Soaked (8) 

27 Imitated (4) 

DOWN 

1 Meddler (8) 

2 Put clothes on (5) 

4 Onto dry land (6) 

5 Conjuring (5) 

6 Distended (7) 

7 Fledgling's home (4) 

8 Boil slowly (6) 

13 Magnificent (8) 

15 Intention (7) 

17 Requiring immediate 

attention (6) 

18 Walk with long steps (6) 

20 Harmonious sounds (5) 

22 Behave badly (3,2) 

23 Substance that turns 

litmus red (4) 

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

of the same number). 

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

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

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

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

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

multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination. 

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

08027767834; 01-4544821. Abuja office: 7, Dambata Close, Area 7, Garki, 09-2921024. Ikeja office: 73, Awolowo Way. V.I. Office: Murplus Plaza, 27, Sanusi Fafunwa Street. Asaba: 21, Anwai 

Road. Benin City: 4E, Arusa Street. Port Harcourt: 50, Ikwerre Road; Warri: 102, Efurun-Sapele Road. Advert: advertproduction@yahoo.com; E-mail: editor@vanguardngr.com, 

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

21102019 - BORDER CLOSURE:‘How neighbouring countries worked against Nigeria’

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?