A Nigerian newspaper and Online version of the Vanguard, a daily publication in Nigeria covering Niger delta, general national news, politics, business, energy, sports, entertainment, fashion,lifestyle human interest stories, etc
By Elizabeth Uwandu, Kenechukwu Iruoma & Jumoke Kolawole For millions of worshipers at the 2016 edition of the "The Experience", the present economic recession could not hinder them from praising God. From all nooks and crannies of the world, they gathered together at the Tafawa Balewa Square, TBS, dare the present harsh condition to praise God.
With this year's theme: "Revealing Jesus", it was a day of thanksgiving to God for his sustenance and supplication to him for intervention on the current realities.
Artistes including Eno Michael, Onos Ariyo, Sammy Okposo, and Segun Obe thrilled worshipers as they threw the atmosphere into praise, adoration and dance.
As if that, that was not enough, the performance of Samsong and Frank Edwards lifted the Spirit of God as worshipers could not hold back their tears of joy.
Then, the much awaited inspirational soloist, Don Moen, launched the worshipers into another realm of the spirit with his solo renditions where people bow on their knees shouting "Thank you Lord for your numerous benefits".
With the trio of Cece Winas, Travis Greene and Smokie Morful that saw the congregation on their feet as they were trilled to bubbling sensational songs.
Other performance included Donnie Mcclurkin, Midnight Crew, Gabriel Eziachi and Chioma Jesus as well as Tope Alabi, with her ingenious praise and worship to end the sessions.
Performance of the Rock Cathedral Gospel Choir, RCGC and the comedy session made the concert a glorious one.
The height of the experience was the prayer sessions for Lagos, Nigeria and the world at large that was anchored by Pastor Paul Adefarasin, the Convener of "The Experience"; Bishop Mike Okonkwo of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission, TREM and Pastor Mathew Ashimolowo of Kingsway International Christian Centre, KICC, among other men of God that prayed for the good of the nations.
Pointing way out of recession, the servants of God took turn to pray for a revival that would bring back the country's glory and divine intervention of God to see the country through its tough times.
By Ishola Balogun Olusegun Oyegbami, an economist, oil industry player and author of 'Reversing the Rot in Nigeria', in this interview, analyzes how Nigeria slipped into economic collapse, the involvement of some men of God, the anti-corruption war of this administration among other national issues. Excerpt.
What do you think actually went wrong that led us to where we are today?
The over dependence on oil has actually led us into the situation we are in. Before the discovery of oil, agriculture happened to be the mainstay of the Nigerian economy, and it was providing employment for the teeming population. But when oil was discovered, we forgot about agriculture. We have also been running the oil industry in a fraudulent manner, manipulating everything. For now, we are just deceiving ourselves on the fight against corruption. The malaise is still very much ongoing in all spheres of the economy.
That is part of the inspiration for writing a book on 'Reversing the Rot in Nigeria' to return us to rationality and sanity. It is only when we do that, that we can improve the economy.
What are your suggestions to right the wrongs?
Oyegbami
Only if we run the economy on the template of honesty. What has been happening all along is that we claim to be marketing petroleum products but allocating the products to different sections of the country. That should not have happened. We should have allowed market forces to let the products flow round the country. If that had happened, we will not be in the current state. We don't even know how much petrol we are really using as a country, because when you use the country's money to send petrol to every part of the country, so as to maintain equal price, you are encouraging smuggling out of Nigeria and that will not allow you to know how much of fuel the country really needs to run the economy.
In the book, you hit hard on some men of God for shielding politicians. Could you throw more light on this?
When life has become hopeless for people, they want to take any chance at all costs to get their bearings right. It is this kind of hopelessness that the so-called men of God exploit to even render them more prostrate, and that's why I said that politicians have destroyed people's lives, they have made them to become hopeless and now, in "going to God", they have ended up being deceived further and their situation is exploited and the society becomes even worse.
So, my postulation in the book is that there are really no men of God anywhere, anybody who is talking of God is doing it for his own personal benefits, that is why we now have the so-called men of God competing with politicians in the material acquisition of wealth, such that we now have men of God in Nigeria acquiring aeroplanes and building estates, amassing material properties, which is actually in contrast to what the Bible and the Quran teach, that we should build our treasures in heaven and we should help one another to make life better for everybody. But the men of God in Nigeria do not pull punches a bit.
They are running universities where the tuition fees are very high, because the sector is not put in proper shape by government. These "men of God" take advantage of the situation just to make money.
That is why we now have so many churches having universities. The money paid by people through their noses should have been enough to provide standard facilities and quality education if government were sincerely running the sector. But because successive government have failed, because politicians are just after what they can make for themselves, w have been brought to this unfortunate situation.
Religion has been a key factor in politics, and that is why people think a Muslim/Christian ticket will fly in the country than a single religion domination. Can we separate religion from politics?
In the first place, religion is divisive. Religion is not actually helping society to get it right. The problem we have in Nigeria is that we are almost 50:50 Muslims to Christians in our religious orientation. This is a big negative influence in our developmental process. In any society where everybody is looking towards a direction, they tend to make more progress, than when you now have religious dichotomy. These religious men especially the pastors are not supposed to be in charge of our political space. Imagine if a pastor is a politician, obviously he would think more of the Christians in terms of orientation, therefore the support from Muslims will be limited or they may even be antagonistic to him. So, it will not help the corporate political progress.
Religion should not be allowed to have too much influence on our political life, it should rather be a private thing, and if you are a religious leader, help your society to improve morality. But we cannot mix politics and religion successfully, that is my take.
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Sunday called on Muslims to offer special prayers for greater peace, unity and continuous progress of Nigeria, as they join their counterparts across the world to celebrate Eid El Maulud, which is the birth of Prophet Mohammed.
The Governor, in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Habib Aruna, enjoined Muslims to follow the exemplary leadership of the Holy Prophet by promoting peaceful existence.
While imploring Nigerians to shun ethnic, political and religious differences and work towards building a safer and better Nigeria, Governor Ambode said the celebration of the birth of the Prophet should renew the faith and bond of unity as one people and one nation irrespective of diversity.
"On the occasion of the commemoration of the birth of the holy Prophet, it is imperative to reflect on his teachings and uphold his legacies of unity, integrity, peaceful coexistence and love for one's neighbour, which are indispensable in our quest for meaningful development and the profitable management of our diversity," he said.
Governor Ambode also urged Muslim to internalize the virtues of honesty, selflessness, charity, tolerance, good neighbourliness, justice, equity and fairness which Mohammed (PBOH) preached, saying such will go a long way to engender national development.
"I want to seize this occasion to urge all Nigerians to commit themselves to making a greater effort to imbibe these qualities and values as they celebrate the Prophet's birth".
"I wish all our Muslim brothers and sisters in Nigeria and Lagos in particular a happy Eid-el-Maulud", he said.
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted sunny and hazy weather conditions over the central states of the country on Monday.
NiMet made the prediction in the Weather Outlook by its Central Forecast Office in Abuja on Sunday.
It added partly cloudy were likely over Lafia and Makurdi in the morning with day and night temperature of 28 to 38 degrees Celsius and 11 to 23 degrees Celsius respectively.
The agency predicted cloudy morning with sunny intervals over the southern inland and coastal cities and isolated thunderstorms over Benin, Warri, Obudu, Calabar, Eket, Port-Harcourt and Ijebu-Ode during the afternoon.
It also predicted that the region would have day and night time temperatures of 33 to 35 degrees Celsius and 21 to 25 degrees Celsius respectively over the region.
According to NiMet, northern states of Nguru, Katsina, Kano, Sokoto will be under the influence of dust haze conditions with visibility range of two to five kilometres.
"Other parts of the region will experience dust haze conditions with visibility above five kilometres with day and night temperatures of 34 to 38 degrees Celsius and 13 to 22 degrees Celsius respectively.
"Fresh dust have been raised over the source region with the dust in suspension expected to cause further deterioration in visibility to some parts of the north like Kano and Katsina," NiMet predicted.
Some of survivors of the Reigners Bible Church that collapsed on Saturday in Uyo have appreciated God for saving their lives.
Speaking to Vanguard at Anua Hospital Anua Offot in Uyo LGA Mrs Eno Etim (44) from Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, said she lost consciousness after a heavy rod fell on her back.
Narrating her ordeal she said” I was inside the church and everything was going on normal. She stated that a lady was called to lead in the praise and worship when the governor entered.
“According to her, as they began dancing, the building fell and she did not know how she got to the hospital. After the governor came in and the church welcomed him the next thing was praise and worship.Collapsed structure of Rune Reigners Bible Ministry, a new generation Church located on KM 1, Uyo.
” As that was going on we heard the church roof breaking and started falling on people. That was all I remembered. I don’t know how I got to this hospital. It was after a while that I regained consciousness.
“I still feel pain in my back and all over my body. But I am grateful to God because I am not better than those that passed away”
She said that she is a member of United Intercessors Network adding that Pastor Akan Weeks was one of the leaders.
Her niece, Nkoyo Ekong, said she was in the house when Etim called her that she should meet her in the hospital because she was involved in the church accident.
Also Emem Akpanitiat, 22, who sustained injury on her head, legs and arms said the doctor said she would be transferred to UUTH.
The Mortuary attendant of the hospital Ofonnimeh said no dead bodies were brought to the hospital.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed issatisfaction at outgoing Gambian President Yahya Jammeh rescinding his earlier decision of Dec. 2, in which he conceded defeat to President-elect Adama Barrow.
Ban, in a press statement issued by his spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, called on Jammeh to respect the outcome of the Dec. 1 presidential election.
“The Secretary-General is dismayed by the Dec. 9 statement by President Yahya Jammeh of The Gambia rejecting the outcome of the Dec. 1 Presidential election.
“The Secretary-General calls on President Jammeh and all political actors and their supporters to fully respect the outcome of the election and to resolve all disputes that may arise from the electoral process through established legal procedures in an expeditious and transparent manner.”
The UN chief reiterated his earlier call for a peaceful, timely and orderly transfer of power, in full respect of the will of the Gambian people as expressed in the election. The secretary-general urges all stakeholders, including defence and security forces, to refrain from any statements or actions that may lead to violence or unrest, according to the statement.
Rescue workers in Nigeria hunted for survivors Sunday inside an evangelical church where the roof caved in on worshippers a day earlier, killing at least 60.
This came as AFP quoting Gallup International said that Nigeria is the world’s second most religious country, with a notable rise in the number of evangelical churches.
Emergency services in the remote southeastern city of Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom state, raised the toll to 60 “confirmed” dead.
Hospital sources said 200 others had been treated for injuries.
The Reigners Bible Ministry was packed on late Saturday morning when the roof — which was still under construction — collapsed on the congregation.
The state-run Nigerian News Agency said “between 50 and 200” people could have died, but state police said it was too early for casualty tolls as rescue operations were still under way.
The incident took place at around 11:00 am, some 30 minutes into the service, a survivor told local media from his Ibom Specialist Hospital bed.
“Suddenly, the roof from the middle fell on worshippers. The governor was quickly rescued. But others were not that lucky,” he said.
– ‘Shocking incident’ –
Akwa Ibom state governor Emmanuel Udom, who survived the disaster, declared two days of official mourning and said a ceremony honouring the victims would be held on Monday.
“We have never had such a shocking incident in the history of our dear state,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
Police, soldiers, firefighters and volunteers joined with construction workers to dig through the rubble inside the building.
“Rescue team members are doing their best to rescue all the victims trapped at the collapsed building,” police spokeswoman Cordelia Nwawe said.
Uyo’s university hospital said all its doctors had been called in to manage the emergency, and the head of the regional branch of the Nigerian Medical Association called for a blood drive to help the victims.
“We still need more blood. You must not underestimate the number of lives that your blood donation will save,” Aniekeme Aniefiok Uwah said in a statement.
– Growing number of evangelicals –
Police spokeswoman Nwawe officers were being “particularly attentive to keeping the situation under control and keeping looters from accessing the accident site.”
President Muhammadu Buhari expressed “the deep sorrow of his family, the government and the entire people of Nigeria over the many deaths and injury recorded following the incident,” his spokesman Garba Shehu said in a statement.
According to Gallup International, Nigeria is the world’s second most religious country, with a notable rise in the number of evangelical churches.
In September 2014, 116 people including 84 South Africans, were killed in Lagos in the collapse of a church belonging to the famous televangelist TB Joshua.
The inquest verdict attributed the collapse of the six-storey guesthouse to structural failures and said it did not have planning permission.
The preacher is due to face charges of criminal negligence but the trial has yet to start.
The Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministry, one of the largest Pentecostal churches in Nigeria, has one of the largest church auditoriums in the world with a seating capacity of 500,000.
Japanese champions Kashima Antlers booked their place in the FIFA Club World Cup semi-finals after defeating Mamelodi Sundowns 2-0 at the Suita City Football Stadium in Osaka on Sunday.
Second-half strikes from Yasushi Endo and Mu Kanazaki set up a last-four meeting for the J.League champions with 2016 Copa Libertadores winners Atletico Nacional.
The host club's fans, decked in red and black and equipped with giant flags, created plenty of noise throughout the encounter.
A pocket of buoyant travelling Sundowns fans were also keen to make themselves heard.
In the first half, Sundowns looked like they would be causing Kashima problems with their blistering pace.
Khama Billiat went past Gen Shoji on seven minutes before cutting inside the box and playing in striker Leonardo Castro, but the Colombian was unable to make a clean connection.
Billiat was close again moments later for the CAF Champions League winners, forcing Hitoshi Sogahata to make a stretching save after another surging run.
Kashima Antlers midfielder Yasushi Endo (C, #25) celebrates his goal during the Club World Cup football match between Kashima Antlers and Mamelodi Sundowns in Suita, Osaka prefecture on December 11, 2016. AFP
Percy Tau followed up with this as he relentlessly charged through the middle of the park and forced Sogahata to make a strong one-handed stop.
Sundowns – also known as Masandawana – continued to looked the dominant side in attack throughout the first half.
After some nice link-up play, Samuel Mabunda launched a powerful effort from outside the area which looked destined for the top corner, but Sogahata was quick to react again.
After a rather subdued performance in the first half, Kashima started to come to life after the break.
An Endo header from the centre of the area being scrambled away by defender Ricardo Nascimento.
He went close again soon after, but saw his strike hit the top of the netting moments later.
Shoma Doi received the ball in the centre of the area on 56 minutes and while he turned and got his shot off towards goal, his effort was headed away by Tebogo Langerman.
There was more danger in the Sundowns box moments later when Daigo Nishi's downward header looked destined for goal but Wayne Arendse valiantly headed the ball off the line.
The J.League side continued to put the South African side under pressure and their persistence paid off on 63 minutes.
A Shuhei Akasaki cross from the right found Doi inside the area, who headed the ball downwards for Endo to convert a low strike past Denis Onyango.
The goalkeeper looked to have had a touch of the ball before fumbling it into the net.
On 69 minutes, Kashima captain Ryota Nagaki saw a thunderous strike from range tipped away by Ugandan goalkeeper Onyango.
But Kashima sealed the deal on 88 minutes, with substitute Yuma Suzuki cutting the ball back to Mu Kanazaki, who slotted the ball home.
The victory helped them set up a meeting with South American representatives Atletico Nacional in Osaka on Wednesday.
By LAWANI MIKAIRU Dana Air Sunday denied a report by a newspaper, Ibom Telegraph, that one of its plane crashed in Lagos area, Sunday.
A statement from the airline and signed by Mr Kingsley Ezenwa, Media and Communications Manager of the airline said there was no iota of truth in the report. He added that the report is entirely false and malicious, as it carries pictures and report of a previous incident.
The statement said ; "Our attention has been drawn to a report insinuating that a Dana Air plane crashed somewhere in Lagos on Sunday, 11 December, 2016. We wish to state unequivocally that the report is entirely false and malicious, as it carries pictures and report of the previous incident."
"At Dana Air, the safety and comfort of our guests and crew is a major priority to us and we will continue to adhere strictly to all local and international regulations in the delivery of safe, reliable and world-class air transport".
"We also regret any inconveniences this may have caused our teeming guests, and we assure them that the issue is being investigated."
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode will on Tuesday host the 10th Edition of the Annual Town Hall Meeting on Security under the auspices of the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF).
The Town Hall Meeting, which would hold at the Civic Centre in Victoria Island, Lagos, would focus on the theme "Optimizing Security Funding in a Recession."
Executive Secretary/CEO of the LSSTF, Dr. Abdurrazaq Balogun, in a statement on Sunday, acknowledged the remarkable achievements made in the outgoing year by the Fund owing to the massive support from donors and partners, a development he said has continued to put Lagos as the cutting-edge in urban crime fighting.
Balogun, however, noted that sustaining the funds in the face of recession might be a tough task, hence the need to fashion out new strategies to help donors and partners continue to see the need for supporting the organization.
According to him, these strategies will form the thrust of this year's meeting, with discussions centering on the economic benefits of maintaining a safe and secured business atmosphere.Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos state
"For us at the Fund, our focus in the past year has been in the direction of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode's tripod strategy of security, job creation and improved infrastructure. With security at the forefront, Lagos State increasingly becomes attractive to businesses and investors, which in turn will generate more taxes and pave the way for more infrastructural development.
"We really cannot emphasize this enough; and this is why a lot of resources has been committed to the Lagos State Police Command and other security agencies in the State, and will continue to do so with the support of our partners and donors", Balogun said. While stating that funding and supporting security agencies was the bedrock of peaceful co-existence in the State, Balogun added that involvement of every level in the society was also critical, from the community level to all corporate organizations.
Those expected at this year's Town Hall Meeting with the Governor are leading donors to the Fund, captains of various industries, heads of various security agencies operating in Lagos and stakeholders in the sector. Among the speakers and panelists include the Assistant Inspector General of Police (rtd.) Ibrahim Manko; Managing Director, Access Bank, Herbert Wigwe; CEO of RTC Consulting, Opeyemi Agbaje; Managing Director of Skye Bank, Adetokunbo Abiru; and Thisday Law Editor, Mrs. Onikepo Braithwaite.
By Henry Umoru ABUJA – AHEAD of 2018 Presidential election, political intrigues and realignment are beginning to shape the political scene, with moves by politicians to form a mega party.
Vanguard gathered weekend that barring any last minute change, politicians and conveners of the new political party drawn from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and the All Progressives Congress, APC, were already fine tuning the name for the new party.
According to a source, the group which would be drawn from all the six geo- political zones of the country would converge on Abuja, the nation’s capital, Monday, December 19th, 2016 to conclude on a name for the new party.
It was however gathered that the members have already come up with a name known as the Action Democratic Party, ADP, just as the source said that if members agree on the name and structure, all the documents would then be forwarded to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to commence the process of full registration.
Meanwhile, Senators from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and the APC, have not taken any position as they have remained aloof against the backdrop that anyone spoken to on the matter, were not ready to come up with any position.
The source said, "The name of the new party is Action Democratic Party, ADP, we will meet on 19th December in Abuja to look at the structure and send to INEC the name. At the meeting, we will determine who would be the pro tem Chairman. Everyone will be invited, those expected are from the six geo- political zones of the country as well as the Senatorial districts. “Our proposed party will come out from the ashes of PDP and APC.”
Lagos – Port operations in the country have been hit by hike in import duties of vehicles and rice as well as the introduction of a fish quota system by the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Seaport operators stated this in a statement on Sunday in Lagos and decried the effects of prolonged low activities at the ports.
According to the operators, the ports have also suffered from the restriction of 41 items from accessing the official foreign exchange window by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The National President, National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA), Mr. Lucky Amiwero decried the current hike in import duty on vehicles in 2014/2015 from 10 per cent to 35 per cent with an additional surcharge of 35 per cent.
He said the policy had brought the total tariff to 70 per cent, adding that this had negatively impacted on operations at the ports.
Amiwero said this had also led to massive revenue and job loss.
He said the arbitrary import duty hike led to the diversion of vessels carrying vehicles to the ports of neighbouring West African country, thereby boosting operations in those ports, especially the Port of Cotonou, at the expense of Nigerian ports.
"The development has also negatively affected the operations of dockworkers, licensed Customs agents, freight forwarders, truckers and others,'' the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quotes Amiwero as saying.
According to him, the reduction of activities by 70 per cent in the operation of terminal operators who pay the Federal Government based on cargo, through earnings and shipping companies, has drastically affected their activities.
The Customs agent said that presently, Nigerian ports had lost about 80 per cent of their vehicle cargoes; as a result of this hike, which has done more harm than good to the economy.
"It (hike) has promoted smuggling and led to huge loss of government and private sector revenue to the advantage of the ports of neighbouring countries.
"It is estimated that no fewer than 5,000 jobs and about N30 billion is lost annually to the policy,'' NAN quotes Amiwero as saying.
Signals that Nigeria was on a journey to recession came early this year when the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) announced that the country recorded a decline of N793.5 billion in the 2016 first quarter merchandise trade to close at N2.72trillion from N3.51trillion in the fourth quarter of 2015, the first time in the last seven years.
The bureau attributed the decline in the first quarter activity to a sharp drop in both import and export trades.
Data at the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) showed that 341 vessels entered Nigeria in September 2016, the lowest in nine months and a fall from 400 recorded in August 2016.
Cargo throughput also dropped from 6.3 million tonnes in January this year to 5.6 million in September, which is also the lowest in the year.
The statistics also showed that a total of 3,347 ocean-going vessels have called Nigeria so far this year, estimated at about 100.15 million tonnes.
The breakdown showed that the Lagos Port Complex Apapa received 318 vessels in the third quarter as against 301 in the second quarter.
Tin Can Island Port received 406 vessels in third quarter, against 368 in the last quarter; Rivers Ports, 80 ships against 84 in the previous quarter; Onne received 152 vessels against 163; Calabar Port, 51 against 52; while Delta Port received 132 against 109.
Experts have blamed the drop in cargo volume and huge loss of revenue by port and terminal operators on the anti-trade policies, which were making the country unattractive to investors.
Break bulk terminals at the ports are struggling to pay their bills and meet their financial obligations to NPA due to the plethora of banned products and the hike in import duties.
The hike in import duty on rice; the restriction imposed on the importation of fish and cement, are all taking a huge toll on the income of the break bulk terminals as their revenue has dipped by over 60 per cent.
The imposition of 100 per cent import duty on rice and an additional 10 per cent levy have had the most debilitating effect on the break bulk terminals as handling of rice cargo accounts for more than half of their revenue.
The restriction of 41 items from the CBN foreign exchange window has also taken a huge toll on port operations.
The Director, Research and Advocacy, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Mr Vincent Nwani, said, "There must be an urgent review of the CBN's policy on the restriction of access to foreign exchange placed on 41 items''.
According to Nwani, about 16 of the total items in the list, serve as critical raw materials for intermediate goods produced in Nigeria, especially as the country lacks the capacity for optimal production of the items.
LCCI and the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) said the decision is hurting the manufacturing sector in such a way that could no longer be ignored.
LCCI and MAN said this had led to the closure of many companies and relocation of others from Nigeria to Ghana and other neighbouring countries.
The two bodies said this had also led to drastic reduction in the volume of cargoes handled at Nigerian ports, with affected port terminals losing about 60 per cent of their cargoes to the CBN restriction policy.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Customs and Excise, Senator Hope Uzodinma, said the upper legislative chamber would review some of the country's trade policies including the contentious hike in tariff of some imported goods.
Uzodinma agreed that most of the country's policies favoured only neighbouring countries.
He said 85 per cent of cargoes landed in Cotonou Port, Benin Republic, found their way into the Nigerian market.
"We have seen that some of the trade policies are skewed and they are favouring more foreigners than Nigerians. We want the opposite to be the case.
"In doing that, we will change some of the policies that have not helped local empowerment,'' Uzodinma told stakeholders in Lagos at a recent forum.
The Director-General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Mr Muda Yusuf, said the drop in imports was directly related to the CBN foreign exchange policy, which needed to be reviewed.
A clearing agent and member of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Mr Dom Obi, blamed the present government for not reviewing the anti-trade policies of the past administration.
He said that until government revisits the policies, the trend would continue and the impact on the ports would become progressively worse.
President of the Save Nigeria Freight Forwarders Association of Nigeria (SNFFIEC), Mr Patrick Osita Chukwu, said "the only way to bring cargo back to Nigerian ports is by reducing the Customs duty payable on imported vehicles and rice and by lifting the foreign exchange restrictions imposed by the apex bank''.
"If you reduce tariff, it will create a big incentive for importers. No importer wants to burn his fingers.
"A lot of them are moving to Cotonou now but if you reduce the tariff by half, they will all come back because the reduction will help them defray the heavy expenses they incur when they import here," NAN quotes Chukwu as saying.
According to the experts, reducing Nigeria's Customs duties on selected imports to the level charged by other countries in the West and Central Africa sub-region will not only help in reducing smuggling through the land borders.
"It will also return the era of boom at our seaports and boost government revenue through the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS),'' the experts said.
Ilorin – Mr Maruf Olarewaju, Kwara Coordinator, Odua People's Congress (OPC) on Sunday warned members of the congress in the state against fomenting trouble that could dent the image of the group.
Olarewaju, who gave the warning at the state congress of the group in Ilorin, explained that the incumbent leadership of the group in the state was determined to rebrand the image of the group.
Olarewaju, who spoke on the sideline of the congress, promised that the leaders of the group in the state would soon come up with empowerment programme for its members.
"We are trying to bring in some innovations for our members for them to know that OPC is now a different group.
"OPC's name was dented some years back. People believed it was a group of hoodlums and thugs that foment trouble,'' he said.
The coordinator told NAN that since his assumption of office in 2006, he had changed the wrong perception, adding that the former leaders failed to explain the mission of the group to their followers.
He said: "since I know the people of Ilorin and what they stand for, when I assumed office in 2006, we had to go back to the drawing board to find out what the people of Ilorin want.
"We noticed there was a communication gap; the past leaders failed to explain the mission of OPC.
"So we started to package the group and mobilise the people to correct their wrong impression of the group."
Abuja – The Presidency has reacted to media reports on the purported appointment of Mrs Amina Mohammed Nigeria's Minister of Environment as Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, saying "she remains our Minister of Environment.''
In a tweet on Sunday in Abuja, Malam Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President assured that Nigerians would be fully informed on any development concerning the matter.
He said: "There is a lot of exuberance on the net concerning a UN job for Mrs Amina Mohammed. She remains our Minister of Environment.
"If there is anything on this that is released officially, we will let Nigerians know.
"I am pleased to know that she enjoys so much goodwill.''Amina-Mohammed
The social and traditional media outfits had reported that Amina Mohammed is set to be appointed UN Deputy Secretary-General.
A tweet by Pamela Falk, CBS news reporter for the United Nations, said that the world body would soon release a statement confirming the appointment of the Nigerian Minister of Environment.
She is expected to be deputy to Antonio Guterres, who will assume office as UN Secretary-General on Jan. 1, 2017.
Mohammed was appointed minister of Environment by President Muhammadu Buhari in Nov. 2015.
She was also recently appointed by President Buhari to serve in the African Union (AU) Reform Steering Committee as the Nigeria's Representative.
Mohammed, who hails from Gombe State in North-East, had formerly served as adviser to the outgoing UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. (NAN)
Abuja – Plans are underway to transport petroleum products by rail to some parts of the country, Mr Goddy Nnadi, General Manager, Corporate Services, Petroleum Equalisation Fund (PEF), has said.
Nnadi made the disclosure on Sunday in Abuja in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
"We are moving into something else. Our pipelines are not effective because of age and vandalism and so the emphasis now is moving petroleum products by rail.
"As we speak, members of the committee (looking into the option of using railway to transport petroleum products) are in Lagos to collaborate with Railconnect, a private company and the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).
"NRC has a lot of rail tanks that are lying idle; if you go to Apapa there are lots of these tanks along the rail lines but because nobody bothers to use them they are there.
"If we switch to rail, the pressure on our roads will be reduced,'' he added.
Nnaji said that in 2005, Oando Petroleum Company tried the rail option to transport petroleum products, but the exercise was not successful.
"I think they are willing to try again. A lot of marketers including Pipelines and Products Marketing Company are collaborating with us.''
The GM explained that the rail option would not make tanker drivers redundant, adding that it would instead complement their jobs.
He said: "the Nigerian economy is growing and the more it grows, the more you need the rail option. In the next one or two months, we hope to kick-start the project.
"It will not be very fair to say that the country's rail service is not effective. Trains have been moving from Lagos to Abuja so cargo trains will be useful.''
PORT HARCOURT- SENATOR Magnus Abe has been declared winner of the senatorial elections in Rivers south east senatorial district.
Professor Gideon Onukwuisi said Abe who is the candidate of the All Progressive Congress, APC defeated his closest rival, Senator Olaka Worgu of the Peoples Democratic Party.
He said Senator Abe pulled 125,930 votes while Senator Olaka had 25,394 votes.
Magnus Abe
Maurice Pronem of the APC was also declared winner of the Khana/Gokhana federal constituency seat.
In Rivers East senatorial district the PDP won in Etche with 6,926 while the APC had 1,258.
Obio Akpor ,PDP, 29,282, APC – 10,630. Ogubolo, PDP 4,578, APC 1,844, Okrika PDP, 2,944, APC 1,352. Omuma PDP, 5,606, APC, 3.052 and Port Harcourt local government area , PDP, 28,305 and APC 9,618
By Dennis Udoma UYO-Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom has declared a two day state-wide mourning from Sunday to Monday in honour of the victims of the collapsed building collapsed at Reigners' Bible Church in Uyo last Saturday.
The two days of mourning by the state government however, coincides with the Federal Government's Muslim holiday on Monday also to mark Eid' Maulud, the birth of Prophet Mohammed.
A statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Ekerete Udoh also directed all flags to be hoist at half-mast within the state.
'The Government of Akwa Ibom State has declared Sunday, December 11 and Monday, December 12, 2016 as days of mourning in honour of the victims of the collapse of The Reigners' Bible Church building in Uyo.
''To this end, all flags will fly at half-mast within the state.
''The 2-day mourning period will be rounded off with a Solemn Assembly at the Banquet Hall of the Government House, Uyo on Monday December 12, 2016 by 4.pm prompt''.
Governor Emmanuel urged all citizens and friends of the state to continue to pray for the speedy recovery of those affected by the tragic incident.
Meanwhile, the official dead toll of the fateful incident as released by the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), has risen to 23, while a huge number of persons sustained various degrees of injury.
State Chairman of NMA, Dr. Aniekeme Uwah in a statement made available to the media said, ''Reports from the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH) show that 21 people were Brought In Dead (BID), while 2 out of the 23 that were undergoing treatment died due mainly to severe bleeding (One of the victims is reported to have been transfused with 9 pints of blood).
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) under the leadership of Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff on Sunday canvassed for the need to reposition the party through a major political surgery.
The party said in a statement signed by Mr Bernard Mikko, the factional PDP Acting National Publicity Secretary to Sheriff in Abuja.
He recalled that there was a general consensus that PDP was undergoing stress and political hemorrhage arising from structural impunity, indiscipline and lack of respect for rule of law.
Mikko said that such action had compromised the party's unity, strength and loss of focus on the key values that engendered public trust and electoral victory for PDP over a decade.
"To reverse these trends, a major political surgery has to be undertaken to get the party out of the grip of some selfish, lawless, and undisciplined individuals.
" The individuals who have used our platform to public reckoning, but now want to make the party an exclusive property of theirs.
"The PDP as you know is the only formidable political institution that has remained so without change of name, slogan or nomenclature.
"The weakness and schisms within the hierarchy of our party today is as a result of violent disregard of our constitution, ethics and rules of engagements of divergent opinions within and outside the party,'' he said.
Alimodu-Sheriff
Mikko said that politics is about building consensus and legitimacy to promote unity through equity, fairness and justice.
"The case before the court of Appeal, Port Harcourt division is essentially to determine the legality or otherwise of the Sen. Ahmed Makarfi led national caretaker committee which has no place in the PDP's constitution,'' he said.
Mikko said that the faction of the party was confident that the Appeal Court would cure the misgivings and error of judgment for which "Makarfi-led caretaker contraption is claiming legality.''
"It is in this regard that we appeal to our supporters not waiver in our determination to reposition our party to greater electoral fortunes.
"They should also discountenance remarks by those who are still insisting on taking the people of the grass root for granted, using the PDP as a franchise for oppression, peonage and graft,'' he said.
Mikko said that the hate speeches espoused by the Markafi-led National Publicity, Mr Dayo Adeyeye, "to undermine the reconciliatory effort by Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff will not succeed.
He said that the wisdom behind the recent setting up of PDP Caretaker Committee in Rivers chaired by Dr Silva Opusunju was to remove the needless friction in governance, instill accountability and transparency in public affairs.
Mikko said that it was also to eradicate impunity, recklessness and adult delinquency in PDP in particular, and governance in general.
"Rivers state is known to be a core PDP state since its creation in May 1967.
"The confusion and violence in the state today is due largely to the emergence of some political leaders through impunity.
"It is due to lack of respect for zonal provisions in Article 7(3c) of 2014 PDP Constitution (as amended) and section 14(4) of the 1999 Constitution of the federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended),'' he said.
Mikko urged teeming supporters and stakeholders to remain focused on the key ideals of the party that have kept the strong and resilient over the years.
The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Sen. Udoma Udo Udoma, has expressed `deep sadness' at the news of the collapse of Reigners Bible Church building in Uyo.
The minister expressed his sadness in a condolence message he sent to the government and people of Akwa Ibom made available to newsmen on Sunday in Abuja by Mr James Akpandem his Media Adviser,
Udoma said appropriate words failed him in expressing his "very deep sorrow'' for the loss.
" I am greatly saddened by the news of the collapse of a church building in Uyo on Saturday morning, where scores of worshipers and guests were killed and tens of others injured.
"My thoughts and prayers go to Akwa Ibom State Governor, His Excellency Udom Emmanuel, whom providence had spared in the disaster.
Udo Udoma
"My thoughts also go to the families of the victims of the disaster and all the people of the state,'' Udoma said.
The minister also expressed sympathy with the pastorate and members of Reigners Bible Church.
"It is my fervent prayer that the Almighty will comfort all those affected and help to soothe their pains and heal their wounds," he said.
Akwa Ibom Police commissioner, Murtala Mani confirmed that 27 people died in the collapse.
He debunked speculations that as many as 60 or 120 worshipers died in the incident.
Mani also confirmed that 37 people were injured and were receiving treatment at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, St Lukes Hospital and Ibom Specialist Hospital and Lifecare Hospital.
Nigeria on Sunday made up for what it could not secure in the final cut for the Africa Player of the Year and Africa-based Player of the Year nominations.
Nigeria got seven nominations in the 13 other categories released by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for the Glo-CAF African Football Awards 2016.
The awards ceremony will take place in Abuja on Jan. 5.
Super Falcons' forward Asisat Oshoala and Super Eagles' strikers Kelechi Iheanacho and Alex Iwobi were among those nominated for honours at the awards.
Oshoala was listed alongside South African Janine Van Wyk, Ghanaian Elizabeth Addo and Cameroonians Gabrielle Onguene and Raissa Tchuanyo for the Women's Player of the Year award.
Oshoala won the award in 2014, alongside being named Youth Player of the Year then.
Cameroonian Gaelle Enganamouit was named Women's Player of the Year 2015.
Iwobi and Iheanacho
In the category of Most Promising Talent award, Manchester City's Iheanacho is listed with fellow Nigerian Oghenekaro Etebo, Guinean Naby Keita, Elia Meshack of DR Congo and Ramadan Soby of Egypt.
Iheanacho scored in four consecutive matches for the Super Eagles — against Mali, Luxembourg, Tanzania and Zambia — and has been impressive for his English clubside.
He scored for the former English league champions in the UEFA Champions League last week.
Etebo was the hero of Nigeria's bronze medal feat at the Rio 2016 Olympics in Brazil, scoring four goals in the 5-4 thumping of Japan.
The Youth Player of the Year award list was headed by Arsenal's Alex Iwobi.
He scored Nigeria's first goal of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, away to Zambia in Ndola in October.
Iwobi has to contest with Ghanaians Eric Ayiah and Sandra Owusu-Ansah, Ivorian Franck Kessie and Mali under-20 player Sidiki Maiga.
Florence Omagbemi, the only person to have won the Women Africa Cup of Nations (AWCON) as captain and coach, contests for the Coach of the Year award.
She has to contend with DR Congo's Florent Ibenge and Uganda's coach Milutin Sredojevic.
Other contenders with her are Nacer Sandjak of CAF Confederation Cup winners MO Bejaia and Pitso Mosimane of CAF Champions League winners Mamelodi Sundowns.
Nigeria's Super Falcons will battle for Women's Team of the Year award with Cameroon, Ghana, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Nigeria's under-23 male team, who were bronze medal winners at the Rio Olympics, will slug it out with four others for the Men's Team of the Year award.
The others include DR Congo who won the 2016 CHAN winners.
Also contending for this award with the Nigerian team is Senegal, as well as Guinea Bissau and Uganda who were nominated for qualifying for 2017 AFCON.
Guinea Bissau are making their debut while Uganda are back among the elites of African football after 38 years.
Sundowns, Bejaia, TP Mazembe, Zamalek and Zesco United are competing for the Club of the Year award.
Gambian Papa Gassama, Egyptian Ghead Grisha and Senegalese Malang Diedhiou are in the race for Referee of the Year award.
Gassama handled the Nigeria/Algeria 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Uyo while Grisha was in charge of the first qualifying match away to Zambia in Ndola.
The categories include Women's Player of the Year, National Team of the Year, Club of the Year, Coach of the Year, Women's National Team of the Year and Youth Player of the Year.
The rest are Most Promising Talent, Referee of the Year, Football Leader of the Year, Fair Play Award, African Legend, Platinum Award and Africa Finest XI.
The winners will be decided by votes from the CAF Technical & Development, Media Committees and a panel of 20 experts, made up of journalists and television consultants.
The Fair Play, Legend and Platinum awards are however not subject to vote, while there will be no votes for the Youth National Team of the Year for this year.
Meanwhile, the Referee of the Year will be voted only by the CAF Referees Committee.
The winners will be announced at the Glo-CAF Awards Gala on Jan. 5.
