HOW BUHARI TREATED #CHIBOKPARENTS AND #BRINGBACKOURGIRLS CAMPAIGNERS

First of all I just want to tell
Taraba people that God had
been merciful to them and no
wonder Ministry of Women
Affairs never does nothing
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 14,
2016

If the @SenAishaAlhassn I
saw today is what is called
Mama Taraba then please
nobody should ever attach
Mama to me ever
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 14,
2016

All @SenAishaAlhassn
showed today is that empathy
is not about gender. She a
female couldn't connect with
parents her male counterparts
did
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 14,
2016

What baffled me the most
was the incompetence
@SenAishaAlhassn kept
demonstrating by saying she
had no knowledge of d march
until last night
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 14,
2016

If d march by BBOG to d
President was not known as
claimed by @GarShehu &
@SenAishaAlhassn then for
crying out loud what is
known to d govt
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 14,
2016

If d march by BBOG to d
President was not known as
claimed by @GarShehu &
@SenAishaAlhassn then for
crying out loud what is
known to d govt
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 14,
2016

If BBOG march that was
announced reported and letter
sent on 31st Dec is not
known by govt official then
how would they know credible
intel
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 14,
2016

After the BBOG Meeting with
the President today I came
out with tremendous respect
for the National Security
Adviser Monguno
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 14,
2016

The NSA Munguno came forth
as one who valued citizens
and connected with the pains
the #ChibokParents were
going through.
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 14,
2016

Even after the President had
gone (That's another matter
entirely ) the NSA did a lot of
damage control. He calmed
nerves and connected
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 14,
2016

The Chief of Defence Staff
and the Minister of Defence
were also great. They
apologised to the parents for
the treatment the day before
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 14,
2016

Chief Of Defence Staff and
Minister of Defence also felt
the pain of the
#ChibokParents and
connected and spoke
soothingly to them
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 14,
2016

Between the July 8th 2015
meeting and the Jan 14th
2016 meeting there was a
huge difference in attitude of
PMB @NGRPresident
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 14,
2016

The President
@NGRPresident walked into
the room angry. He could
barely control it. Now I think
about it. THERE WAS NO
NATIONAL ANTHEM
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 14,
2016

Dr Oby Ezekwesili @obyezeks
stood up and read the BBOG
statement and then pleaded
with the President to allow 2
or 3 parents to speak
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 15,
2016

The parents were full of
praises for the military. And
they talked about the pains of
their daughters captivity
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 15,
2016

During the address by Dr Oby
Ezekwesili @obyezeks and
also the parents PMB
@NGRPresident was fiddling
with his fingers and looking
upward
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 15,
2016

Another time during the
address by Dr Oby Ezekwesili
@obyezeks and the parents
PMB @NGRPresident was
pulling off his nails
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 15,
2016

When they were all done PMB
@NGRPresident addressed us
and it was the same narrative
put out by @GarShehu in his
Op Ed A ray of light…..
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 15,
2016

For the first time ever I saw a
PMB @NGRPresident playing
the role of a victim. He didn't
sound in charge. He was
seeking validation
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 15,
2016

Did I tell you not only were
Press people sent out but
also that our members were
stopped from writing?
@MKabrik would verify that
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 15,
2016

PMB @NGRPresident kept
talking about the fact that
#ChibokGirls were abducted
in the last administration
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 15,
2016

PMB @NGRPresident also
spoke of how Boko Haram
had been decimated and they
were not holding territories
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 15,
2016

PMB said why was he not
being praised. And I was like
Wow! What happened to July
8th 2015 PMB that wanted
harsh criticism #sad
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 15,
2016

PMB @NGRPresident told the
#ChibokParents how
corruption was being fought
and arrests made of people
who looted money meant for
Arms
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 15,
2016

PMB @NGRPresident also
told #ChibokParents how
people with Rolls Royce and
jets were being revered. To
parents grieving their
children?!
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 15,
2016

PMB @NGRPresident said
after the Presidential Media
Chat some criticised his
stance of saying no Intel on
#ChibokGirls
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 15,
2016

PMB @NGRPresident also
said he is sorry he can't lie
by his military training he is
made to tell the truth and
that's it
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 15,
2016

PMB @NGRPresident also
reiterated the fact that they
were waiting for credible
leadership of Boko Haram to
come forward for negotiation
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 15,
2016

PMB @NGRPresident also
said he was doing his best
and if people can't see it too
bad (paraphrase) And he
sounded so much like Gej
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 15,
2016

PMB said he thinks about the
#ChibokGirls sleeping &
waking. #ChibokGirls are on
his mind all the time THE
VOICE &BODY LANGUAGE
DIDN'T JELL
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 15,
2016

PMB @NGRPresident told
#ChibokParents he was a
father and grandfather and he
had lost two children
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 15,
2016

PMB @NGRPresident also
said that he had reached the
zenith of his career as a
military man and also as a
politician
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 15,
2016

#ChibokParents that came for
reassurance and empathy got
from PMB @NGRPRESIDENT
I, I, I It was mainly about the
President
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 15,
2016

PMB @NGRPresident was
upset and ended up being
defensive instead of being in
charge and reassuring and
for the first time I saw an old
man
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 15,
2016

When PMB @NGRPresident
had finished he let go of the
mike and it dropped with a
small bang on the table. He
stood up and strode away
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 15,
2016

PMB @NGRPresident walked
out of the Banquet Hall with
no glance at parents shell
shocked . No empathy. No
connection. Just coldness
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 15,
2016

As PMB @NGRPresident
strode away there was no
OBJ to tell him to go meet the
parents as he told him to
greet guests during the
inauguration
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 15,
2016

Today all I heard from PMB
@NGRPresident is about
himself and what he was
doing and achieved and not
what the parents were going
through
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 15,
2016

I left the meeting with the
President resolved to keep
demanding for our
#ChibokGirls
#BringBackOurGirls NOW &
ALIVE #NeverToBeForgotten
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 15,
2016

PMB never complained 2015
budget wasn't by him so he
won't spend the money so
shouldn't complain of
#ChibokGirls abduction
during last govt
— Aisha Yesufu
(@AishaYesufu) January 15,
2016

SEME BORDER: CUSTOMS CLOSES 2015 WITH GENERATED REVENUE IN EXCESS OF N1.4BILLION FOR DECEMBER

The Seme Area Command of Nigeria Customs Service has once again demonstrated an unprecedented zeal in actualising one out of the tripartite core mandates of the Comptroller General of Customs as contained in the CGC's policy thrust.

The  Command consecutively performed excellently in terms of revenue generation, as the performance indicators for the months of November and December hit the roof.

It will be recalled that the Command exceeded her November,2015 monthly revenue target of N1,021,790,667.33 with 25% excess collection . In the month of December 2015, the skyrocketing revenue profile collected was N1,420,219,873.03 which exceeded the monthly revenue target with N398,429,206.30. This  translated to about 40% excess collection. The December 2015 collection also exceeded the November 2015 collection with N146,984,814.12 which represent an unprecedented figure that has never been recorded since the creation of Seme Area Command. The Command also made 17 seizures with a Duty Paid Value(DPV) of N6,967,260.00 for the month of December 2015.

The Acting Customs Area Controller D/C Sabo , H.A attributed the success story recorded in the command to the determination and commitment demonstrated by officers and men of the Command, in strict adherence to import procedures and guidelines and lifting of restriction on rice importation through the land borders which is processed strictly according to the official bench mark price of $470 per metric tonne.

He reiterated that an outstanding performance of this nature over the years have not taken place in the history of the Command.

The Acting Customs Area Controller use the opportunity to call on the stakeholders, the host community and the mass media to support the service in order to achieve its mandate of revenue generation, suppression of smuggling and facilitation of legitimate trade across the frontier and security at the border.

Customs Collects N903bn Revenue For 2015 – Hameed Ali, CG, CUSTOMS

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS)
collected a total of N903 billion in 2015
out of a target of N954 billion,
comptroller-general of the Service Col.
Hameed Ali Rtd, has said.

Ali who stated this while fielding
questions from journalists after the
decoration of newly promoted senior
officers of the Service in Abuja, noted
that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)
policy on the importation of 41 items
denied the Customs revenue collection to
the tune of N240 billion in 2015.

The CGC yesterday decorated six newly
promoted Deputy Comptrollers General
and eight Assistant Comptrollers General.
He said, “If we had added that to what
we have generated it would have
surpassed what we have, so that is the
down side of why we were not able to
meet the target in 2015.”

Ali who expressed the hope that the
Service will surpass its target for 2016 in
view of the tools already put in place by
the management, added, “I hope also
that government will once again look at
those policies and see how they can be
fine-tuned.”

As part of efforts to meeting the 2016
target, the CGC said he has gone round
the various Commands where he urged
officers to work harder as well as help
the agency clear the correct the bad
impression the public has about it.

The newly decorated officers include
DCGs Suleiman Ibrahim Idris, Grace
Adeyemo, Dan Ugo, Paul Ukaigwe,
Abubakar Umar and Austen Warikoru.
The ACGs include Sanusi Umar, Aremu
Olatunji, Chidi Augustine, Azarema
Abdulkadir among others.

While congratulating the officers, he
underscored the fact that their promotion
did not come by way of lobby or
compromise but based purely on merit
from available records.

Charging the officers, Ali said, “I expect
nothing less than the best. I expect from
you henceforth hard work, commitment
and drive for the best. My mission in the
NCS is to make it the best of Service not
only within Nigeria but across the
nations.

“My mission is to make sure we clean
ourselves of all the bad impression that
we carry along, my mission is to ensure
that we meet all the mandate set for us
by the government and I believe that all
of you will have no other mission than to
fall in with that and make sure that 2016
is put on the record as one of the best
years of the NCS.”

YOU SHOULD READ THIS: $2b arms procurement: Jonathan finally speaks

For the first time, former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has spoken about allegations of approving a $2billion arms procurement contract.

Jonathan queried, “Where did the money come from? “I did not award a contract of $2.2billion for procurement of weapons,” reports Premium Times.

At the forum moderated by USIP Senior Advisor to the US President and member, NDI Board of Directors, Ambassador Johnnie Carson, Jonathan also shared his views on those elections and their significance in the consolidation of democratic progress in Tanzania.
He also discussed the recent political transition in Nigeria, as well as the prospects for improved governance in the country.

Recall that on Tuesday, a presidential investigations committee into arms procurement under the administration of ex-President Jonathan revealed in its interim report that it found extra-budgetary spending by the Jonathan administration to the tune of N643.8 billion and an additional $2.2 billion in the foreign currency component, all managed and supervised by ex-National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd).

But in a swift reaction, Dasuki had said in a statement Wednesday, said that all contracts and accruing payments were made based on the approval of ex-President Jonathan, adding that due process and military procurement regulations were followed in all the transactions.

Dasuki said: “Nigerians should note that all the services generated the types of equipment needed, sourced suppliers most times and after consideration by the Office of the NSA, the President will approve application for payment.”

But Mr. Jonathan said he never awarded any $2billion arms contract, suggesting that the claims by the Buhari administration were false and unsubstantiated. Mr. Dasuki had also argued along that line.

Mr. Jonathan touched on the contract issue after he stated that he was aware of allegations of huge sums of money that were said to be missing from the Nigerian treasury, but he claimed that some of the figures mentioned are not believable. “Sometimes, I feel sad when people mention these figures,” he added.

Speaking pointedly about his successor, President Jonathan said, “When the President (Buhari) paid official visit to the US, there were some figures that were mentioned that I don’t believe.”

He drew attention to figures like the $150billion alleged to have been stolen in previous Nigerian administrations, but Mr. Jonathan scoffed at the probability of “$150 billion American money” being missing and “Americans will not know where it is,” adding that at any rate President Buhari did not accuse his administration.

“He didn’t say my government, he said previous administrations… “$150 billion is not 150 billion Naira,” he stated, suggesting that “People play politics with very serious issues.”

The former president was equally dismissive of people who alleged that the sum of $59.8 million was misappropriated within a 12-month period while he was in office.

“In Nigeria, if you lose $59.8 million in a year, federal and state governments will not pay salaries,” he said, adding that there is no way Nigerian budget can accommodate such a loss without the country coming to a standstill.

“Of course we brought international audit teams, forensic auditors and they didn’t see that,” he said.

The former President said he does not want to join issues with the new government, “I wanted to keep away from the public for at least twelve months.”

Falae: We won’t refund any money to anybody

Olu Falae, national chairman of the Social
Democratic Party (SDP), says he and his party
are not returning any money to anybody.
Falae, who was earlier accused of collecting
N100 million from Sambo Dasuki, former national
security adviser (NSA), admitted that he
collected the money, but from Tony Anenih of
the PDP and not Dasuki.

Speaking through Abdul Isaiq, the SDP national
publicity secretary, Falae insisted that his party
did not get a dime from the arms fund, but from
the PDP for electoral alliance.

“In terms of refund of money, I want to say here
that those people who are refunding money are
those who got their money directly from the
arms deal fund,” he said.

“Our fund did not come from the arms deal; our
fund came from an electoral alliance with the
PDP and we knew that the PDP had a
fundraising committee that gathered billions of
naira and PDP had been in government for 16
years.

“So, with that, we knew that the PDP had the
capacity to fund the alliance that was formed
with them by the SDP. You don’t postulate what
you don’t have on the ground, you can’t build on
a non-foundation.

“We, as a political party, knew that the PDP was
a capable hand in the electoral alliance which
we entered with them. And we equally knew that
the PDP had a fundraising, where it generated
over N20 billion down.”

The party said it was left for Anenih to explain
how he got the money given to them and not for
them to refund anything of such.
“So, whether the money came from Col. Sambo
Dasuki or his office is what we don’t know and it
is left for them to ask Chief Tony Anenih to
explain.

“We knew that the PDP had been ruling Nigeria
for 16 years. So, this was the basis of our
electoral alliance with them.

“We can’t refund any money to anybody because
the money we got as a party came because of
the alliance we had with the PDP and we have
the agreement note from this alliance.

“If it is possible that the money Chief Anenih
gave us was from the arms deal, it is left for
them to ask Chief Anenih to clarify. As far as we
knew, we did not have any dealing with Dasuki.

“Our office did not ever have anything to do with
the office or person of the National Security
Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki.”

"THE CBN GOVERNOR SHOULD NOT CONTINUE IN OFFICE WHILE DASUKI IS UNDER PROBE" TUNDE BAKARE

“Tunde Bakare, the serving overseer of Latter
Rain Assembly, has warned governors not to
“provoke the rage” of poorly paid workers by
reducing the minimum wage.

Many states have been saying they can no longer
afford to pay the N18,000 minimum wage
because of dwindling revenue.
But Bakare said politicians should instead reduce
their own salaries.

Bakare also accused CBN of contributing
negatively to the Nigerian economy in more ways
than one.
In his state-of-the nation address titled
‘Roadmap to successful change’, the pastor
outlined eight major steps that Nigeria must take
to execute the change the nation voted for.

Quoting Polybius, a Greek historian, Bakare said:
“Those who know how to win are much more
numerous than those who know how to make
proper use of their victories”, advising President
Muhammadu Buhari and the Nigerian people on
the way forward.
The summary of our assessment of the entire
framework of governance and public policy is
that without restructuring, this administration
may achieve little or no significant and
sustainable success,” he said.

“The government must examine carefully, the
argument of economists that sound monetary
policy including proper management of the
exchange rate regime by the CBN would
eliminate the need for subsidies.

“The intricate connection between monetary
policy on the one hand and the fuel subsidy
debate on the other, makes the management of
the CBN a major concern.

“To the discerning, the CBN currently contributes
negatively to the Nigerian state in more ways
than one. Firstly, the CBN has become a conduit
for politicians to drain the nation.

“Otherwise, how can a letter of barely two
paragraphs addressed to the current CBN
Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, by the then
National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo
Dasuki (rtd.), become the Authority to Incur
Expenditure (AIE) leading to cash flow of $47
million (US dollars) and several millions of euros?
“In decent climes, the CBN Governor cannot
continue in office while the NSA is accounting
for his alleged misdeeds.”

CBN IRREGULARITIES AND FOREX POLICY
He alleged that the CBN is promoting corruption
by removing a section that controls currency
minting by the CBN decree of 1991.

“Secondly, another negative contribution by the
CBN is the needless obscurity it has created
regarding currency in circulation. It was not so in
the past. For instance, S. 43 (2) of the CBN
Decree (now Act) No. 24 of 1991

stipulates: Without prejudice to the provision of
S1 of this section, the President may direct the
Auditor General of the Federation to conduct an
examination of the Bank, and submit a report
thereon relating to the issue, re-issue, exchange
and withdrawal of currency notes and coins by
the Bank and the Bank shall provide all
necessary facilities for the purpose of the
examination.

“This vital sub-section was completely removed
in the current CBN Act 2007, thereby making it
possible for the CBN to decide the printing of
the Nigerian currency, amounts to be printed,
currencies to be destroyed (of which the CBN
staff can take as much of such dirty notes as
they like and inject back into the system while
keeping all of us in the dark) without any check
and balances stipulated in S. 43 (2) of the
previous CBN Act No. 24 of 1991.

“The CBN is not a privately controlled banking
agency…the wealth of the Central Bank of
Nigeria belongs to the people of Nigeria, not the
governor or the staff of the CBN. Our foreign
reserves could be used to drive infrastructural
development with a view to building a strong
local industrial base.

“It is important to add, that rather than mere
devaluation of the naira, a strong local
productive base, that widens Nigeria’s foreign
exchange window is a lasting solution to the
lingering currency crisis.”

LION GROWS TEETH ON FOREHEAD

A mountain lion killed in the US state of Idaho had a set of fully formed teeth growing out of its forehead, wildlife officials say.

The lion was legally shot dead by a hunter on 30 December.

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game says the teeth could be the remnants of a conjoined twin which died in the womb, or possibly a kind of tumour.

Biologists in the region have never seen anything like this particular deformity before, it says.

The lion was hunted after it attacked a dog near the town of Weston, Idaho. The dog survived, but a hunter set off in pursuit and killed the big cat a few hours later.

A conservation officer checked the lion's body, as required by law, and found the set of teeth, as well as what appeared to be a set of whiskers on the left side of the animal's forehead.

Mountain lions, a native species of big cat, are relatively common in Idaho. They are elusive animals which seldom come into contact with humans.

They are territorial and require large swathes of wilderness to thrive, according to the US National Wildlife Federation.

In winter, their prey species, such as deer and turkeys, move down from the mountains to escape colder temperatures, often gathering at the edges of villages or towns.

This can put predatory mountain lions into conflict with people, livestock and pets, says the Idaho Department of Fish and Game

LAGOS GOVT TERMINATES BRT AGREEMENT WITH NURTW

The Lagos State Government has terminated
operations of the first BRT cooperative run by
the National Union of Road Transport Workers
from the Mile12 to CMS BRT corridor with
immediate effect.

This is contained in a statement u by the
state’s Commissioner for Transportation, Dayo
Mobereola, on Thursday in Lagos.
The commissioner said the government’s
decision had been communicated to the
operator on Thursday.

Mobereola said the decision was premised on
the inability of the operator to offer good public
transport services to commuters on the all-
important BRT corridor.

According to him, this has led to incessant
complaints by members of the public over poor
services provided by the operator.
He said the state government was against the
non-operation of stipulated frequency schedules
and operation of buses below 50 per cent fleet
capacity contrary to the agreement.

Mobereola also stated that the breaches which
the operator had indulged in and failed to
remedy despite being notified prompted the
government’s decision.

The notice of termination of franchise
agreement was followed by series of meetings
where government maintained its position on
the need for the operator to vacate the corridor

ONE LAGOS FIESTA: DE VOICE PUBLISHER CO-ANCHORS MEGA SHOW

BABY KILLED AS LASTMA CREATE SCENE ON LAGOS ROAD

A five-month-old baby has been
reportedly killed and several others
injured after an official of the Lagos
State Traffic Management Authority
attempted to arrest a commercial
bus driver for violating the traffic
law around the Awoyokun end of
Ikorodu Road.

The yet-to-be-identified culprit was
said to be among a team of traffic
officials from the LASTMA’s
Anthony office. We gathered that the
bus driver had picked up a
passenger by the roadside when the
officials began trailing the vehicle.

DE VOICE gathers that one of the LASTMA officials was
said to have jumped into the front
seat in a bid to arrest the driver.It
was learnt that the driver, whose
vehicle was filled with passengers,
continued driving in a bid to evade
arrest.

In the ensuing struggle, the LASTMA
official allegedly pulled out the
ignition key as the bus crashed into
a stationary refuse truck.

Badagry: Mob invades suspected ritual killer’s den in Atinplomeh

Residents of Big Daddy Street in the
Atinplome, Bagadry area of Lagos
State recently stormed an
uncompleted building in the area,
which they suspected to be a ritual
killer’s den, after a female victim
raised the alarm.

It was learnt that at about 12am,
while a carnival went on in the
area, a woman in her late 20s,
whose name had yet to be known,
had run into the party with her
throat partly cut, while blood was
streaming out of her body.
DE VOICE gathered that the
lady, who later became unconscious
and was rushed to a private hospital
in the area, told the partying crowd
that an Alfa, a cleric later identified as
Mallam Sheu, had tricked her into
the uncompleted structure before
slitting her throat with a knife.

The matter was said to have been
reported at the Morogbo Police
Division, and some policemen came
to the scene, but the Alfa was said to
have fled the uncompleted
apartment

"PUBLIC SPEAKING IS A PROFESSION IN HIGH DEMAND", OLUNIKE

The Managing Consultant, World Class Compère
Academy, Mr. Oladele Olunike, speaks on how
to build a public speaking career in this
interview with IFE ADEDAPO

Can public speaking be regarded as a
profession?
Public speaking is any craft that requires people
to speak before an audience (often live
audience or through the electronic media) and
there are quite a gamut of professions,
occupations and or vocations that can be
classified under public speaking.
There is no one profession that you can address
as public speaking, neither is it appropriate for
any individual to present him or herself as a
public speaker. It is erroneous.
The professions that can be classified under
public speaking include: professional speaking;
comedy; poetry presentation; drama; oration;
radio presentation and television programme
presentation.
If the aforementioned are classified as public
speaking, then it is incorrect for one person to
address himself or herself as a public speaker
except he or she is practising all of the earlier
listed.
What is often meant when people mention
public speaking or address themselves as public
speakers is professional speaking. A
professional speaker is an individual trained in
the art and act of speaking professionally to
inform, instruct and inspire or educate, entertain
and elevate an audience.
Can professional speaking skills be acquired or
are they inherent?
In my short personal and professional life, I have
believed, practised, taught and learnt that
professional speaking is a skill; and like any
other skill, it can be learnt or acquired.
Having a natural speaking talent may boost this
most sought-after skill in the 21st century global
business world.
Ironically, many are talented but are still
frustrated. Why? Talent without training turns to
trash. Regardless of one’s natural speaking
talent, without training, there will be no reigning.
No one will pay you for just your talent but your
skill. Skill, which is talent that has been forged
through the furnace of training, is what will
drive your impact and draw your income.
In addition, one may not have the prerequisite of
a natural speaking talent and still be able to
learn or acquire the professional speaking skill.
How? What one lacks in talent, one can make up
for in love-for or interest in professional
speaking.
There are very successful professional speakers
today around the world who from the outset of
their career lacked the boosting prerequisite of
natural speaking talent, but were armed with
loads of goading interest in professional
speaking which, garnished with training, fueled
their flight to the zenith.
So you may have the talent but if you lack the
training you won’t be reigning. Anyone that
lacks the talent but has acquired training has no
limitations.
What business opportunities exist in
professional speaking?
As earlier stated, public speaking includes
professional speaking, comedy, poetry
presentation, drama, oration, radio presentation,
television programme presentation. All these
professions can be built as business.
There are endless opportunities to practise as
professional compère or master of ceremonies
if one is well trained, well packaged and knows
how to market his or her craft irresistibly. There
are a million and one events, every time,
everywhere and every place.

LAGOS GOVT. DEMOLISHES OSHODI MARKET OVERNIGHT

The Lagos State Government on Wednesday
demolished the Owonifari Market at Oshodi
which has been in existence for more than 40
years.
According to the Commissioner for Information
and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, the move was
geared towards the need to sanitise and
beautify the Oshodi area and bring
transformation, in particular, to the Owonifari
area, as well as the entire bus stop terminal,
which had been constituting a menace and an
eyesore in the locality.
Ayorinde said, “The Owonifari area will be
transformed into an ultra modern bus terminal
with new bus shelters that are befitting of a
structured park in a mega city.”
The demolition was directly supervised in the
earlier hours of Wednesday by the Lagos State
Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode.
Also on the ground to supervise the demolition
were the Commissioner for Environment, Dr
Babatunde Adejare, officials of Kick Against
Indiscipline, the police and some other top
government officials.
Iht was further learnt that the affected traders
and shop owners had been relocated to the new
Isopakodowo Market at Bolade Area of Oshodi.
The demolition was completed at about 7.45am

2016 still feasible for Badagry mega-port take-off?

With just a few weeks into year 2016 there
are doubts that the proposed Badagry mega-port
slated to take off in 2016 will still see the light of
day.

The multi-million dollar facility is the
brainchild of APM Terminals in conjunction with
consortium partners who chose it to be sited in
the ancient city of Badagry, Lagos State.

Ever
since the proposal was made in 2012, nothing
again has been heard of the project. RAY
UGOCHUKWU of NEWSWATCH NEWSPAPERS  reports.
A mega-port like the proposed one for Badagry,
Lagos, is usually a sophisticated and complex
port environment with different infrastructural
facilities for many businesses. These include
multiplicity of berths, industries, airstrips or
heliports for landing and take-off of aircrafts,
rails and truck terminals, among others. In a
nutshell, such a facility is best described as
ports and industrial estates rolled into one.

Port as NAGAFF dream

The first group to advocate for the
establishment of a deep seaport in the Badagry
area of Lagos State was the National
Association of Government Approved Freight
Forwarders (NAGAFF) some seven years back.
Then, the association had considered the vast
population of the country standing at over 150
million people, which depends mainly on goods
from abroad of which over 90 per cent is
shipped in through the sea. Apart from such a
facility helping to curb congestion at the
existing few conventional ports, cost of doing
business in such a place would be competitive
considering the fact that it would be a natural
port that would require little or no dredging.
As if hearkening to the yearnings of NAGAFF,
some groups have come up with the Lekki Free
Zone in Lagos that includes a deep seaport,
the Ibaka deep seaport in Akwa Ibom State,
the Olokola deep sea port in Ogun/Ondo states,
among others. All these proposals are
expected to be executed under the public
private partnership (PPP) arrangement.

APM Terminals with gauntlet

In all these, the most remarkable is the
Badagry Mega-port, which the Danish shipping
giant, APM Terminals along with its consortium
partners, is planning to establish. It has even
gone ahead to fix a date for the take-off of the
first phase of the project in 2016. For the
company, it is part of its greenfield mega-port
project development in Nigeria.
The project, to be married with a Free Trade
Zone at Badagry, 55 kilometres (km) (34 miles)
west of Apapa and the Port of Lagos on the
Republic of Benin-Lagos Expressway, will be
the first of its kind in Africa. At full build-out,
the deep-water full-service port would have
seven kilometres (km) of quay length and 1,000
hectares (2,470 acres) of dedicated yard.
The complex will include state-of-the-art
facilities for container, bulk, liquid bulk, Roll-On
Roll-Off (Ro/Ro) and general cargo as well as
oil and gas operations support, and a barge
terminals. Plans for the adjoining Badagry Free
Trade Zone will include a power plant, oil
refinery, industrial park and warehousing and
Inland Container Depot (ICD) functions.
APM Terminals Africa-Middle East Regional
CEO, Peder Sondergaard, in one of his visits to
Nigeria in 2012, summarised the vision.
“We are actively working with state and federal
governments on the permission process”. “The
Nigerian Ports Authority, Lagos State and the
Nigerian Federal Government have been
supportive and positive”, he had said. Then
Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar, had
cited the proposed Badagry Port project as an
example of a public-private partnership
development, which would help to address
congestion.
In addition, he said it would establish Nigeria
as a maritime trading hub for West and Central
Africa. The Benin-Lagos Expressway is
currently being upgraded to a 10-lane highway
which will facilitate cargo movements to and
from inland destinations in the region.

Identities of project promoters

The promoters of the project, APM Terminals,
is currently one of the largest port and terminal
operators in Africa and in West Africa in
particular, where APM Terminals Global
Terminal Network include nine facilities in eight
West African nations, including Apapa
Container Terminal and the West Africa
Container Terminal in Onne, Rivers State. APM
Terminals Apapa, which assumed operations at
Lagos Apapa Container Terminal in 2006, is
now the busiest of such facilities in West
Africa.

Future cargo estimates

Industry analysts have predicted that Nigerian
container volume, which totaled 1.4 million
TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) in 2011,
would outstrip existing port capacity by 2017.
At present, approximately 85 per cent of all
Nigerian non-oil cargo passes through the ports
of Lagos.
Over the next three decades, Nigeria’s annual
container traffic is expected to grow to 10
million TEUs. With 170 million people, Nigeria is
the largest country in Africa by population, and
the sventh largest worldwide. By 2050, the UN
has forecast that Nigeria’s population will have
risen to 289 million, following only China, India,
the USA and Pakistan in global population
ranking.
Lagos is the second largest city in Africa (after
Cairo) with a population of 10.2 million, and is
home to an estimated 60 per cent of Nigerian
manufacturing outfits. The Nigerian economy,
also the second largest in sub-Saharan Africa
after South Africa, driven by oil exports, has
been forecast by the International Monetary
Fund (IMF) to expand by 7.1 per cent in 2012
and 6.7 per cent in 2013.
Support from authorities
Meanwhile, both the Nigerian Ports Authority
(NPA) and the Lagos State government have
expressed their support for the multi-billion
naira project.
Interestingly, soon the perennial traffic hiccup
associated with the Badagry – Mile Two route
especially around the Okokomaiko area, would
soon be a thing of the past. This is because of
the massive road reconstruction embarked
upon by the state government that would see
the highway transformed into a 5-carriage way
for each lane. In addition to the expanded road,
there would be train facilities for both cargo
and passenger movements on both sides of the
highway. This would no doubt enhance the
lifting of cargo from the mega-port.
Advantages of the mega-port
When completed, the facility would boost inter
port competition as its counterparts in the
Apapa area would not want to be run out of
business, hence they would improve on their
services to retain or attract more customers. It
is expected that cost of doing business in the
mega-port would be at its lowest ebb since
much money would not be wasted on constant
channels dredging being a natural port as is
the case with others.
Also, if the economy of scale with which the
port would base its operations is strictly
applied, cost of transactions would definitely
come down to discourage smuggling through
the numerous unapproved routes within and
around Seme. This is because all the factors
that have encouraged the illicit business, would
have been elimated.
This would engender economic boom for both
the state and the country as a whole.
Employment generation potentials of such a
complex cannot be over emphasised as
thousands of jobs would be created in port
operations and ancillary services.
Again, with the siting of refinery in the
complex, availability of petroleum products in
Lagos and environs would be guaranteed
thereby eliminating the constant fuel shortages
usually exprienced by residents.
Envisaged challenges
One major challenge the complex poses if not
adequately regulated, would be that of short-
changing of Nigerians by foreigners as being
witnessed in the concessioned terminals of the
ports. The pre-concessioned thinking envisaged
gains that have been wiped out by highthe cost
of clearing of goods at most of the terminals
where there is no competition. This has made
it imperative for the institution of a
Commercial Regulator that will oversee the
business operations in all ports to ensure that
shippers are not ripped off.
Another setback for the luadable initiative is
the absence of transport intermodalism in the
country. A system that depends almost entirely
on road mode is not the best. It would mean
that in the absence of water and rail modes, all
cargoes emanting from the mega port would
have to rely on the dilapidated Nigerian roads
to get to their destinations. This is a huge
minus to a great effort. It is hoped that the
Federal Government’s desire to resuscitate the
rail system would come to fruition before 2016
when the project’s first phase would have
commenced.

Disturbing silence from promoters

Despite the seeming challenges the project
may face if not properly handled, observers
believe that the advantages far out-weigh the
disadvantages, meaning that the project is
worth the while.
However, with the proposed 2016 take-off date
of the first phase of the project almost around
the corner, with the promoters showing no sign
to commence action, the enthusiasm the
proposal elicited is whittling down. Industry
watchers had expected physical action on
ground at the site many months back from the
promoters.
Attempts to reach the lead partner of the
consortium, APM Terminals, were not
successful as the leadership could not be
accessed for comments. However, a source at
the Apapa office of the company that would
not want its name in prints, told our
correspondent that the project was still very
much on course, adding that the ‘ground’ work
was on. It made it known that for a huge
project of such a magnitude that involved a lot
of international interests, much consultancy
works and feasibility studies were required
before actual construction could commence.

Conclusion

Industry watchers have advised that all hands
from the state, Federal Government, the
community and all, should be on deck to get
the mega-port dream actualised considering its
huge benefits to the country. No words have
been heard from the facilitators, APM
Terminals, as to the challenges that have
stalled the commencement of initiative.
Industry watchers are all ears to be intimated
of such.
They however, add that with such a facility in
this part of the sub-region, Nigeria would
naturally be the shipping and economic hub it
has been longing for. They have therefore
warned that allowing the project to slip away
from Nigeria through acts of omission or
commission, would spell doom for the
economic interest of the most populous black
nation in the world.

Ex-FIRS boss to head Lagos employment fund board

The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi
Ambode, has appointed a former Chairman of
the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Mrs. Ifueko
Omoigui-Okauru, to head the Board of Trustees
for the N25bn State Employment Trust Fund.
The fund is geared towards addressing the
challenge of youth unemployment and
promoting wealth creation through
entrepreneurial development in the state.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the
governor, Mr. Habib Aruna, said he also
approved the appointment of nine others to
serve as members of the Board of Trustees of
the fund.
Other members of the Board are Mr. Dele
Martins, Mrs. Bilikis Adebiyi-Abiola, Mr. Otto
Orondaam, Mrs. Olufunmi Daudu, Mr. Tunde
Bank-Anthony and Mr. Micheal Popoola Ajayi.
The Commissioner for Wealth Creation, Mr.
Tunde Durosinmi-Etti, and his counterpart in the
Ministry of Finance, Dr. Mustapha Akinkunmi,
are part of the Board, while Mr. Akintunde
Oyebode is to serve as Executive Secretary of
the Board.
Ambode had signed the bill establishing the
fund into law on Tuesday, explaining that the
move was in line with the promise he made to
the people during his campaign for governor.
He said he was optimistic that the Fund would
address the challenge of unemployment and
promote wealth creation through entrepreneurial
development.
According to him, an annual contribution of
N6.25bn will be injected into the Fund by the
State Government for four years totalling N25bn.
Also on Wednesday, Ambode inaugurated a new
board for the Lagos State Law Reform
Commission.
The governor restated the commitment of his
administration to deepen democracy and rule of
law especially by carrying out periodic review of
obsolete laws in the State to bring them in tune
with current realities for relevance and
effectiveness.
“This is a major project which the new Board
has a responsibility to deliver in record time. It
is very vital to the success of our drive to
attract investors to our State,” he said.
The Chairman of the board is Prof. Gbolahan
Ellias (SAN), while the Executive Secretary is
Mrs. Ade Adeyemo.
Dr. Omogbai Omo-Eboh, Mr. Demola Sadiq and
Mrs. Tola Akinsanya are members of the Board.

GOV. AMBODE TO GIVE N25bn LOAN TO JOBLESS LAGOSIANS

The Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode,
on Tuesday signed the N25bn Employment Trust
Fund Bill into law, declaring that the state was
ready to tackle unemployment.
The governor, who signed the bill at the State
House, Ikeja, said the occasion represented a
milestone for his administration to tackle the
problem of unemployment.
He explained that such would be done through
granting of soft loans to individuals for the
purpose of making them self-employed to create
wealth.
He promised to work hard to address
unemployment and promote wealth creation
through entrepreneurial development.
Ambode said, “During my campaign, one of the
promises I made to Lagosians was to establish
an ETF scheme to address the challenges of
unemployment in the state.
“Each year, the government will inject N6.25bn
into the fund for a period of four years, making
it N25bn cumulatively.
“A board of trustees made up of core
professionals will be announced in due course to
manage the fund. More information on the
operations of the fund will be revealed in due
course.”
Ambode had in November 2015 sent the ETF
Bill to the state House of Assembly for
approval. It was meant to be administered as
soft loans to residents of the state who desired
loans ranging from N100,000 to N1m, or more.
The Ministry of Wealth Creation and
Employment, which was created in June by the
governor, will oversee the affairs of the
scheme.
About one per cent interest rate will be charged
on the loan to take care of administrative
expenses.

GOV. AMBODE TO N25bn LOAN TO JOBLESS LAGOSIANS

The Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode,
on Tuesday signed the N25bn Employment Trust
Fund Bill into law, declaring that the state was
ready to tackle unemployment.
The governor, who signed the bill at the State
House, Ikeja, said the occasion represented a
milestone for his administration to tackle the
problem of unemployment.
He explained that such would be done through
granting of soft loans to individuals for the
purpose of making them self-employed to create
wealth.
He promised to work hard to address
unemployment and promote wealth creation
through entrepreneurial development.
Ambode said, “During my campaign, one of the
promises I made to Lagosians was to establish
an ETF scheme to address the challenges of
unemployment in the state.
“Each year, the government will inject N6.25bn
into the fund for a period of four years, making
it N25bn cumulatively.
“A board of trustees made up of core
professionals will be announced in due course to
manage the fund. More information on the
operations of the fund will be revealed in due
course.”
Ambode had in November 2015 sent the ETF
Bill to the state House of Assembly for
approval. It was meant to be administered as
soft loans to residents of the state who desired
loans ranging from N100,000 to N1m, or more.
The Ministry of Wealth Creation and
Employment, which was created in June by the
governor, will oversee the affairs of the
scheme.
About one per cent interest rate will be charged
on the loan to take care of administrative
expenses.