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8 — SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 23, 2019 Enugu State Governor, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (left) consoling Senator Ayogu Eze of the All Progressives Congress (2nd right) and his wife, Nkechi, during the funeral service for Senator Eze’s late father-in-law, Pastor Cyril Odoh Ugwuoke, held at Township School 1, Ogrute Enugu-Ezike, Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area, yesterday. Politics cannot come between us, Ayogu Eze tells Ugwuanyi By Ikechukwu Odu The Enugu State’s All Progressives Congress, APC, candidate for the last gubernatorial candidate in the state, Ayogu Eze, has said politics cannot come between his friendship and that of the governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, irrespective of their party affiliations. Eze, who confirmed that there have been “turbulent, fervent and stringent”, political tussles between them, said those things were as a result of politics and would not come in between their friendship. He spoke at Ogrute, Friday, during the interment of his father-in-law, Pastor Cyril Odo Ugwuoke, adding that no politician in the state is as humble as the governor. “Ugwuanyi’s ability to reach out and make peace at all cost is outstanding. His ability to build network is commendable. It is not surprising that since he assumed office in the state, peace and development have been witnessed in key sectors of the state’s economy and he has been able to pull our people together,” he said. Though, he said all expectations have not been met, he said he believes, Ugwuanyi, will not disappoint the people of the state. “I want to re-emphasise that he would continue to be my friend. Those who met him in Igbo-Eze North Council Area, met him in my house, so, he remains my good friend. Though, I will continue to be a member of APC, I urge all of you to continue to support him. So, if you see us together, don’t be surprised because our friendship has been reinvigorated. He is just PDP for today and I am APC for today. “I may have stepped on toes through my actions and inactions, I want everyone I have offended to forgive me so we can work towards the development of our state,” 2023: Why another northerner will succeed Buhari — APC chieftain By Dirisu Yakubu A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief Jackson Ojo has advised the South to forget their dream of producing the President of Nigeria in 2023, saying at the expiration of his tenure, President Muhammadu Buhari would handover to another northerner. Ojo stated this yesterday in Abuja in a chat with our correspondents. The APC chieftain while counselling the South to build a common front ahead of the next election cycle noted that South lacks the capacity to politically engage the North in a battle of supremacy. In his words, politicians of South-West extraction currently agitating to replace President Buhari in 2023 lack the visibility and national acceptance to make good their dream saying, “who is there in the South that has the national clout? There are some people in the South-West that are making noise today, wanting to be President. The truth is that they he said. The former senator equally thanked Ugwuanyi, for his support during the burial. The event was graced by Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; Senator Chuka Utazi, Pat Asadu; Simon Atigwe, among other prominent politicians in Enugu North Senatorial District. FG responsible for 80% of Nigeria’s N25.7 trn debt — DMO By Tordue Salem, Abuja THE Debt Manage ment Office (DMO) has told the House of Representatives that Nigerian’s total debt profile is now N25.7 trillion with the Federal Government’s borrowing taking about 80 percent of the total debt burden. The Director-General of the Office, Ms Patience Oniha, while addressing the House Committee on Public Account on yesterday in Abuja, stated: “As at June 2019, our debt profile is at N25.7 trillion; this includes the Federal, states governments and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). “We call it the total public debt, out of this total, the Federal Government is responsible for 80 per cent of the debt,” she said. Oniha said that external borrowing accounts for about 32 per cent of the total debt while the 68 per cent is domestic. She explained that the DMO is agency of government which began operations in 2000 following the country debt management problems of the country which lead to the debt relief. Oniha said that the agency is responsible for the management of public debts and its mandate includes contracting debts on behalf of the Federal Government. According to the directorgeneral, this is clear under the Fiscal Responsibility Act and provisions in the DMO Act. “If you look back several years, over 85 per cent of budget deficits are funded by borrowing which the DMO undertakes as approved by the Federal Executive Council and the National Assembly. “We borrow from various sources, the multi laterals, the World Bank, Islamic Development Bank, the African Development Bank, China Exim and we also issue products in the International market. “Locally, we are also very active in domestic borrowing, we issue treasury bills, Federal Government treasure bonds, “ she said. Oniha said that DMO also serves as an advisory body for the Federal Government on debt management and to put debt at 25 per cent ratio to the GDP. She explained that the agency do not receive any amount borrowed saying that it is paid directly to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) who ensures that the money is used for what is borrowed for. The Chairman of the committee, Rep. Wole Oke (PDP-Osun) said that it was important for parliament to have all the relevant information documented. cannot be President. That is it! Mark my word! APC Presidential candidate in 2023 will emerge from the north. The South-West will be given the Vice Presidential slot. And if the PDP takes its candidate from the South, then they have given the opportunity to the APC to win again. The south does not have the political capacity to fight the North.” Convocation: University of Benin confers LLD honours on Chief Ahonaruogho THE University of Benin will today confer the Doctor of Law (LLD) (Honoris Causa) on a legal practitioner, Chief Richard Oma Ahonaruogho who is an alumnus of the university and a past president of the University of Benin Alumni Association (Worldwide) as part of this year’s convocation ceremony. An associate of the honoree, Chief Kunle Uthman, in a tribute described Chief Ahonaruogho “as a man of several parts, who at various times in his adult life has made indelible marks and impacts in the lives of several persons in different facets of life”. According to him, “in the last two decades, in the Faculty of Law of the University of Benin, the honoree has awarded scholarships to several deserving students and provided laptop computers to graduating students attending the Nigerian Law School. “As part of his non selective acts of philanthropy, he had also sponsored students in the Theatre Arts and other departments. In addition, he single handedly coordinated the building and equipment of a Facility of Law Library for the university. He has also made several other contributions to the university community as a whole in terms of material and infrastructural development” “The staff and management of the University of Benin see in Chief Richard Oma Ahonaruogho a worthy ambassador of the university, who has maintained close contact and liaison with the institution and had on several occasions and instances used his vast contacts and networks of friends, business and political associates to assist in solving numerous problems and challenges when they arose”. Chief Ahonaruogho’s wife, Chief Mojisola Abiola said, “Richard is a responsible husband, he is a family man to the core. He is caring, loving, kind and very dependable. He is ever ready to provide solutions to any challenges that may arise”. Elumelu, 2 other Africans in omnibus edition of African Voices ONE of Nigeria’s best known bankers, Anthony Elumelu, is featured in an omnibus edition of the television magazine, CNN African Voices, airing this weekend. Two Kenyans will also be celebrated in this edition.CNN International introduced the compilation show when the television station started a new series of the flagship programme with a new tagline, Changemakers. The Kenyans featured in the edition are Elizabeth Njoroge, founder of the Art of Music Foundation who deploys the transformative power of classical music to provoke positive change in the lives of young Kenyans and Peter Tabichi, 37-year-old winner of the 2019 Global Teacher Prize. The programme will delve into how Elumelu, now 56, started his career in banking; how his courage and confidence earned him his first job as a salesman at the defunct All States Trust Bank after getting his Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Lagos. The programme tells the story of how he rose through the ranks and eventually became the chairman of United Bank for Africa, Heirs Holdings and Transcorp and how he founded The Tony Elumelu Foundation in 2010 as a major philanthropy in Africa championing the cause of entrepreneurship and sponsoring outstanding entrepreneurs across the continent. Njoroge, a graduate of Strathclyde University, UK, returned to her country home where she founded the Art of Music Foundation. She had earlier bagged a degree in Pharmacy in 1994, and before that, a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry in 1989 from the McMaster University in Canada upon the completion of her Pharmacy degree in 1997.
SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 23, 2019 — 9 SCANDAL: Border closure partial in the North — Residents *Say cross-borders movements of rice, vegetable oil, others persist *Smuggling claims false — Customs By Emma Ujah, Ben Agande & Bashir Bello AS border towns in some parts of Nigeria writhe in pains on account of the prevailing closure of land borders by the Federal Government, the closure is not effective in many similar towns in the North. Indeed, some residents of border towns in Katsina State claimed that despite the border closure, smuggling activities were still rampant in the areas. They said that the border was only partially closed and cross-border movements of goods were allowed by some security operatives at the border areas. However, the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, said claims of borders not being shut in the North were false. It however said the Service lacked adequate manpower to police about 2000 illegal routes in the North. A resident of Jibia, a border town to Niger Republic, Gidado Farufaru, said smuggling persists day and night in the area. Said Farufaru: “There are security agencies all over the border but their impact is negative. If you come with your smuggled goods, and give them a bribe, you will easily go away with your goods. “Actually, I can say that the border is closed but all the businesses that you know are carried out up til now. For instance, the directive banning supply and sale of petroleum fuel to filling stations 20 kilometres close to the borders. You can get petrol in our community and you can get it out of the country. The only thing is that the price is hiked. “And I can tell you that the businesses of rice, vegetable oil, spaghetti and macaroni are going normal. It is a transaction between the security agencies and the smugglers while the community members are left to suffer. “The situation is chaotic, things are very hard. And there are security agents everywhere but you will be surprised how they are doing these businesses. Absolutely, smuggled goods still come in day and night. Although prices have shut up” Another resident, Dauda Jibia agreed that there are smuggling activities in the area. His words: “It is just that they officially shut the border but everything or activities you know that are carried out in the border are still happening. The smugglers follow illegal routes. Even petrol that is banned at the border area is smuggled out. They convey them on motorcycles. A motorcycle carries about 8 - 10 jerricans and about 100 motorcycles go in there like three times in a day. “The measure is just inflicting pains on the people but if the government is ready to check this, they should keep an eye on the border and other illegal routes that the smugglers are using too”. Another resident, Aisha Jibia said smuggling activities still continue in the area except that the level of smuggling now cannot be compared to what was obtainable in the past. “Smuggled goods still move in and out. It is just that the level has reduced.” However, Alhaji Bashir Jibia, a resident, had a divergent opinion. He argued that the border closure measure was strict and there are no smuggling activities in the area. Bashir said the measure had become stiffer after the comptroller newly posted in the state threatened that any security agent caught compromising would be taken to Abuja. Residents confirm smuggling activities along Daura axis On the border closure along Daura axis, three residents corroborated what the member representing Sandamu, MaiAdua and Daura at the House of Representatives Hon. Fatuhu Mohammed, said on the floor of the House. He said that smuggling was still going on and that the border closure was not effective in Katsina. The residents, however, said the lawmaker was expected to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari concerning the border closure which has posed serious hardship on the people of the border communities. It was also gathered that some petroleum station owners affected by the directive to ban supply and sell of petrol 20km to the border, visited the Emir of Daura, Dr. Umar Farooq Umar to express their dissatisfaction with the directive. The Emir assured them that he would forward their complaints to the appropriate authorities. No smuggling at Northern borders — Customs Reacting to the situation, the controller, Federal Operation unit of the Customs in charge of Zone B, Mustapha Sarkin-Keffi, denied that the border closure was not being enforced. According to him, inadequate manpower has hampered effective operations of the customs in the zone. He said: “I am not aware of that because I know the *Why Northern borders are porous *Customs lacks manpower to cover 2000 illegal routes From left: Mr. Ani Charles Bassey-Eyo, co-founder, Axiom Learning Solutions Limited; Theoneste Ntalindwa, eLearning Officer and Researcher from the University of Rwanda; Mr. Charles Senkondo, Executive Director of Tanzanzia Global Learning Agency (TaGLA); Richard Kajumbula, Makerere Univerity; Professor Aziz El Hajir Programme Specialist on Educational Technologies at ISESCO‘s department of Education in Morocco all panelists at the eLearning Africa 14th International Conference on ICT for Education, Training & Skills Development held in Abidjan, recently. border drill exercise has been recording a lot of successes. You know that in the North, unlike the other parts of the country, are so porous. If you check from Jigawa up to Niger and Kwara, there are over 2000 illegal routes. We don’t have the manpower or the capacity to cover all these routes at a time. These smugglers are also becoming very sophisticated. They monitor our movements. That is why the FOU has been working in the hinterland so that when they evade us at the border, they can always move up in the hinterland. “I will not say the border closure in the North has not been effective but the porous nature of it has made it impossible for us to cover it 100 per cent.” Customs dismisses smuggling claims The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Deputy Comptroller Joseph Attah, in a telephone interview dismissed claims of on-going smuggling at Northern borders. According to him: “The joint border patrol codenamed “EX-SWIFT RE- SPONSE”, is not being carried out by only officers of the Nigeria Customs Service. The teams consist of officers from various security organizations. How does anyone think it is possible to bribe all those people with N2, 000 or N3, 000 and then the border would be opened for anyone to smuggle in goods? “I have been to various zones, in the South East, South West and in the North, in the course of our sensitization meetings and the complaints are the same. To claim that borders are opened in some parts of the country and closed in others is unthinkable. “Bear in mind that the officers are from across the country. It is not possible to see only officers of Northern extraction working in borders in the North and officers from the South working at Southern borders and mind you the Commanders of the operation Ex-Swift Response are senior officers. “Those who are making claims should go to the borders and they will see things for themselves. The situation in Jibia is as it is in Seme. The complaints of long queues at Seme are the same in Jibia.” Our leaders should learn from life of Squirrels — Don By Dayo Johnson, Akure A Professor of Psychol ogy, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ondo State, Olukayode Afolabi has described as pathetic, the way Nigerian leaders have squandered the nation’s resources. Afolabi raised this concern while delivering the Institution’s 15th Inaugural Lecture, entitled, “Burying Nuts: A Psychosocial Activity of the Squirrel in an Individualized World”. According to him “ While other leaders in the Western world (with some few ones in Africa) are busy burying nuts, ours are busy “swallowing all the nuts” that are meant for all of us. “ There is no doubt that the future of Nigerian youths is already mortgaged. Our youths are growing through adversity yet; a bright future is not certain. Nigerian leaders must begin to bury the nuts that will eventually germinate for everyone to benefit from.” “There is a great lesson to learn from the activities of the squirrel. Our society and the people therein need to have a good plan for the future. “ The squirrel’s cheerful activities are a reminder for us to play and enjoy life. Their propensity to hide nuts is a lesson in being prepared. “The way the squirrel faces the daunting task of burying and later finding nuts teaches us that we have to face our problems as individuals and as a nation, instead of sitting on them. “ Sure, the squirrel can sit down and wait for winter, hoping he can scout around for food by then. But instead, it prepares for it carefully and strategically!” Afolabi stressed the need for individuals to think more like squirrels and have back-up plans for life emergencies they could face. “Squirrels know they will face trying periods when food is scarce, particularly in early spring time. The squirrels save for future." Prince Ned Nwoko Foundation set to host 3rd Golf Tournament in Delta State Pcum HILANTHROPIST politician and hubby to screen goddess, Regina Daniels, Prince Ned Nwoko is touching lives through sports as his foundation, Prince Ned Nwoko Foundation is staging it’s third Golf tournament on Saturday,November 3rd, 2019 at the Royal Golf Course in Delta . The multimillion Naira project we gathered was *Prince Nwoko part of his contribution to sport development in the country and lots of prizes will be won at the one-day event. Also, we reliably gathered that the Prince Ned Nwoko foundation brought in some foreign coaches, football agents and scouts to Abuja for the soccer star project which is a football talent hunts for grassroots players, to select 40 players among the young talents and take them to Europe. This is not unconnected to his vision of helping people to achieve their dreams.
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