Binder1 by GLOBAL MEDIA MIRROR LIMITED

NHIS launches programme for cancer, diabetes MARCUS FATUNMOLE ABUJA

Alhassan

Vol. 51 N0. 1075 115

he National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS, yesterday introduced a health in-

surance programme that will address the treatment of chronic conditions such as cancer, diabetes, hypertension in the country. Chronic conditions are

not covered by any of the scheme’s programmes currently running in the country. Speaking with National Mirror during a workCONTINUED ON PAGE 2>>

4 DAYS TO GO

Jonathan’ll give women 45% positions in govt –Patience P.11

Tuesday, Tuesday,June March 7, 2011 24, 2015

Obama calls for free, P fair, peaceful polls

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GEORGE OJI AND ROTIMI FADEYI resident Barrack Obama of the United States of America, yesterday urged Nigerians to approach the coming general elections in a peaceful manner devoid of any form of violence. His appeal came in a special message, five days

ECOWAS tasks Nigerians

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Vote without sentiments, Buhari tells Ndigbo P.4

Osun guber: Appeal Court reserves judgement on Omisore’s suit ECOWAS Chairman and President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama (left) addressing Pressmen on Nigeria’s General Elections after a meeting with APC Presidential Candidate, General Muhammed Buhari, in Abuja, yesterday.

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FG launches Devt Bank with N300bn capital …to provide 200,000 new loans for SMEs

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Again, court stops deployment of soldiers for elections

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Don’t drag us into politics, EFCC warns politicians P.6

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Tuesday, March 24, 2015

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NHIS launches programme for cancer, diabetes CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

shop organised by NHIS in conjunction with VESTA, a UK-based group, for Health Maintenance Organisations in Abuja, Dr Folabi Ogunlesi, said health insurance is expected to be universal, covering all the segments in the sector. “The NHIS Plus is a health insurance programme for a particular segment of the population of Nigeria. “One of the things that the NHIS has been mandated to do is universal health coverage. “In other word, there should be no discrimination; everybody has to be covered. You will notice that most of the programmes you have been hearing about have to do with school children, vulnerable adults, formal sector, but nobody has actually talked about the five percent of Nigerians; the very wealthy people. They too need health insurance like the poor people. “So, NHIS Plus is actually directed at the top five percent of the population. Why are we going after them? It is for two reasons. One, if we can bring everybody under the umbrella of the NHIS, it is very symbolic that we are all in need together; that is the first thing. “The second thing is that there is no programme yet in Nigeria that allows you to have comprehensive care, including if you want to go abroad. So, the NHIS Plus is a comprehensive programme. “You don’t have to be in top five percent to enroll, but, I suspect that the premium is a health insurance programme, there has to be a premium. “That premium will be pooled as part of the health insurance fund. It is not going only for those people. There is going to be a bit of cross-subsidisation and risk equalisation as a result of this programme,” Ogunlesi, a Nigerian, who works with the VESTA Group said. Earlier in his remark, Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme, Dr Femi Thomas, said only about

N1.9trn was needed to achieve universal health insurance in the country while, according to him, about N2.8 trillion was being spent on health yearly by the citizens. “What we waste is more than N1trn. When the situation is like this,

it means something is wrong somewhere,” he said. According to him, 62.8 per cent of the nation’s citizens still pay out of pocket. He explained that the nation could achieve Universal Health Coverage, UHC, without additional fund-

ing from government. He said NHIS is designed to reach all people in the country, given the fact that health is on concurrent list of the constitution. He directed states to make the programme mandatory.

“States can come out with their own health insurance programme; they can pass law to make it mandatory. If they all make it mandatory, then the programme will be mandatory nationwide… They can have their own health insurance body,”

he added. Thomas tasked the HMOs to re-strategise their market drives to reach out to major institutions in the country to enroll people, especially the universities, where he said four million enrollees could be registered.

President Goodluck Jonathan (right) with President John Mahama of Ghana at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, during Mahama’s visit, yesterday. PHOTO: STATE HOUSE

Obama calls for free, fair, peaceful polls CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

to Saturday, March 28, Presidential and National Assembly elections. Describing the country as “A great nation,” Obama said, “Now you have a historic opportunity to help write the next chapter of Nigeria’s progress—by voting in the upcoming elections. For elections to be credible, they must be free, fair and peaceful. All Nigerians must be able to cast their votes without intimidation or fear. “So I call on all leaders and candidates to make it clear to their supporters that violence has no place in democratic elections and that they will not incite, support or engage in any kind of violence before, during, or after the votes are counted. “I call on all Nigerians to peacefully express your views and to reject the voices of those who call for violence. And when elections are free and fair, it is the responsibility of

all citizens to help keep the peace, no matter who wins.” Obama stated that having built the largest economy in Africa, the coming polls present Nigerians a historic opportunity to write our next chapter of progress. According to him, if Nigeria gets the elections right, it will go a long way in helping the country overcome one of its greatest challenges of the Boko Haram insurgency. “Successful elections and democratic progress will help Nigeria meet the urgent challenges you face today. Boko Haram—a brutal terrorist group that kills innocent men, women and children, must be stopped. Hundreds of kidnapped children deserve to be returned to their families. “Nigerians who have been forced to flee deserve to return to their homes. Boko Haram wants to destroy Nigeria and all that

you have worked to build. “By casting your ballot, you can help secure your nation’s progress,” Obama added. The American president praised Nigerians for all the progress of the past years, including the fight for independence, which he attributed to joint efforts and urged that the citizens should in the same spirit approach the coming polls. “Together, you won your independence, emerged from military rule, and strengthened democratic institutions. You’ve strived to overcome division and to turn Nigeria’s diversity into a source of strength. You’ve worked hard to improve the lives of your families and to build the largest economy in Africa. “I’m told that there is a saying in your country: ‘to keep Nigeria one is a task that must be done.’ Today, I urge all Nigerians-from all religions, all ethnic

groups, and all regions-to come together and keep Nigeria one. “And in this task of advancing the security, prosperity, and human rights of all Nigerians, you will continue to have a friend and partner in the United States of America,” Obama concluded. Also yesterday, the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, said the country must ensure that the general elections are transparent, free and fair. ECOWAS Chairman and Ghanaian President, John Dramani Mahama, who met with President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday in Abuja, stated that the elections would be another indication to the world that Nigeria is a democratic country that is ruled by tenets of good governance and rule of law. Mahama said that ECOWAS expect that there would be no post election

violence and that all parties involved in the election would accept the results in good faith. “I have extended my solidarity to the Nigerian people through my brother President Jonathan, to see that the whole of ECOWAS, not only ECOWAS, but the international community is in solidarity with Nigeria to have a very transparent election so that the democratic process will be better entrenched,” Mahama said. He explained that ECOWAS would continue to monitor the situation and do everything possible to stand in solidarity with Nigerians to ensure successful elections and that the country would continue to play its role in the sub regional body. “Nigeria is a very important member of ECOWAS. The largest economy, the largest nation in the ECOWAS region and so Nigeria’s safety and secuCONTINUED ON PAGE 5>>

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Photo News

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

L-R: Director, Consumer Affairs, Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Mrs. Maryam Bayi; Director, Public Affairs, NCC, Tony Ojobo, and Vice President, Trade Fair, Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, Barrister Jasper Nduagwuike, at the just-ended Enugu International Trade Fair.

L-R- Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Midwestern Oil and Gas Company Limited, Charles Odita; Chairman, Jite Okoloko; Partner, Fides Company /Secretary Eroton Exploration and Production Company Limited ,Theodore Junior Ezeobi, and Group Managing Director, NNPC, Joseph Dawha after the completion and signing ceremony for Transfer of Shell, Total and Agip 45% interest in OML 18 to Eroton Exploration and Production Company Limited at the NNPC Towers in Abuja, yesterday.

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L-R: Strategic Account Manager, MTN Nigeria, Mr. Steve Nwabuani; MD, MBA Microfinance Bank, Mr. Bode Ajayi; Senior Manager, Corporate Segment, MTN Nigeria, Mr. Olutayo Egunjobi; Head of IT, Chanelle MFB, Mr. Samuel Inyang and Group BDM, MFI & Channels, CWG Plc, Mr. David Olatilo, during MTN Xaas Forum in Lagos, at the weekend.

GMD/CEO, UBA Plc, Mr Phillips Oduoza (left) and Chairman, UBA Plc, Mr. Tony O. Elumelu, during annual UBA CEO Awards organised by the bank in Lagos, recently.

National News OBIORA IFOH AND CHRIS NJOKU

ll Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate, Maj. Gen Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday in Owerri, Imo State capital, appealed to Ndigbo not to vote for President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on ethnic, tribal and clannish sentiment. Addressing both political and religious leaders from South East at a town hall meeting held at the International Conference Centre, Owerri, Buhari said no amount of sentiment could justify returning Jonathan to power after 16 years of which his party, PDP, had failed to deliver dividend of democracy to the people of the zone. According to him, Jonathan has spent six years as president without having the vision and will power to tackle the endemic issues of corruption, insecurity and high rate of graduate unemployment

Don’t vote for Jonathan on sentiment, Buhari tells Ndigbo in the country. The APC presidential candidate said Igbo, known for their business drive, have been drained by the PDP. “The collapse of the economy has affected your businesses and we cannot allow the PDP to continue in power for another four years. It is time to say goodbye to a party that has reduced Nigeria to ridicule before the international community,” Buhari said. He warned that a fresh mandate for the PDP to pilot the affairs of the country for another four years would spell unmitigated disaster. Gen. Buhari regretted that while the value of the naira had plummeted beyond imagination, prices of oil had dwindled while insecurity, unemployment

and corruption had become the order of the day. Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, in an address said the forum was meant to build a bridge of friendship that would traverse all nooks and crannies of the country, stressing that the Igbo are ubiquitous, building bridges of unity and contributing to the economic development of the nation. The governor recalled that the Igbo made invaluable inputs in the election of past presidents and ensured that they would repeat the feat this weekend by voting massively for the APC, even as he dismissed insinuations in some quarters that Buhari would Islamize the country if elected president. He urged the youths to resist security operatives

who may want to work to rig the elections. Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, in his address, noted that the PDP-controlled Federal Government had not budgeted for capital expenditure in the past 16 years. He said lack of jobs, infrastructure and the Boko Haram insurgency have brought the nation to her knees, stressing that the PDP was reading the nation’s development map upside down. Other party members at the event were Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, Senator Chris Ngige, former governor of Anambra state, Chinwoke Mbadinuju, Deputy Governor of Osun State, APC governorship candidates in Niger, Abia, Delta, Enugu and Plateau states as

well as former Education Minister, Prof. Chinwe Obaji. Meanwhile, APC yesterday alleged that the PDP is planning to manipulate the elections using what it called “the modified Ekiti rigging strategy.” Disclosing this in Lagos, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed recalled that a Captain in the Nigerian Army, Sagir Koli, exposed how the administration used the military to rig the governorship election in Ekiti on June 21 2014. “According to Sagir, soldiers were put at the behest of designated PDP officials at each of the 16 local governments in the state to work with the officials to rig the election. “Once the PDP officials pointed out any APC lead-

er in a particular local government, such leader was either arrested and detained or simply hounded into hiding. “APC leaders who were arrested also had the funds in their possession, including money to pay party agents and for other logistics, confiscated as they were detained till well after the election,” he said. The spokesman said his party now has additional information on how Ekiti election was rigged, saying it was not just the military that was involved but the entire gamut of the security agencies; the police, State Security Service, SSS, and Civil Defence. “They were all constituted into a task force that was deployed to each local government and placed under the command of the PDP,” he added.

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Tuesday, March 24, 2015

FG launches Devt Bank with N300bn capital TOLA AKINMUTIMI

resident Goodluck Jonathan yesterday formally inaugurated the Development Bank of Nigeria, DBN, with an initial capital base of $1.5bn (about N320bn). Major development partners including, African Development Bank, ADB, World Bank, Agence Francaise de Development, and KFW Entwicklungsbank of Germany are providing support to the new bank. Specifically, Jonathan said that the bank would provide medium to long term lending to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, MSMEs, of up to ten years tenor and a moratorium period of up to 18 months. According to him, the 18 months moratorium

is to enable MSMEs have a repayment-free period before they start repaying the loans. The capital base of $1.5bn is expected to increase to $5bn (about N1trn) in the medium term and up to N2trn within the next 10 years. By government’s projections, the DBN is expected to provide about 200,000 new loans for SMEs within the next five years as well as support the job creation agenda of the Federal Government with each MSME creating an average of five new jobs. The President said: “This launch of a brand new financial institution, the Development Bank of Nigeria, DBN, represents a defining milestone in our administration’s efforts to empower more micro, small and medium en-

terprises across our land. “MSMEs form the backbone of the Nigerian economy; the men and women who own and operate them are true reflections of the strong Nigerian spirit of enterprise and the vigorous work and ethics that define us as a nation and a people. “Our recent GDP rebasing exercise confirmed the importance of MSMEs sector to our national economy. Currently Nigeria has over 17 million of these businesses, which contribute over 45 per cent of our GDP and employ about 66 per cent of our labour force. “Today we celebrate these great men and women, who keep our communities ticking with the impact of their hard work and practical ingenuity.” While acknowledging the support of the devel-

opment partners for the national financing initiative, the President said the government would ensure financial discipline and the adoption of international best practices in the operation of the bank. “We are pleased that the DBN will not go the way of similar established institutions because of the participation we are getting not just about government putting money, but money from the private sector and especially from our development partners. “We know that the ADB is a success story but our DBN will be a major success story for Africa,” Jonathan added. According to him, the challenges faced by the sector should be addressed in order to harness the benefits of development in terms of

growth both in GDP and employment and also assist in the rapid industrialisation agenda for the economy. In her remarks, the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, explained that the establishment of the bank would guarantee a robust financing for MSMEs She projected that within the next year, about 20,000 beneficiaries would be offered loans by the bank. Okonjo-Iweala said: “I share in the President’s belief that the most valuable change we can make as a government is ensuring that we break this jinx so that small businesses can actually have a full-fledged institution that will provide this access. “Not just access, but access in a manner that does not stifle them but instead grows them; access that gives them space to afford a decent life while nursing their businesses; access in a manner that will not take substantial portions of their profits away from them; access to the sort of finance that empowers

them and their communities. “Simply put, access to credit means financial inclusion, financial inclusion helps convert people’s dreams to reality. This is the reason why we are here today, this is the reason why the President is also here, to launch the flagship bank that gives all Nigerians a chance not only to dream, but to also see that dream become reality.” The Vice President of ADB, Solomon Asamoah, who spoke on behalf of the donor agencies, said the new bank will help to address funding gaps for Nigerian MSMEs and the problem of unemployment in the country. The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, also assured the apex bank’s support for the DBN to channel funds to the SMEs. “We will ensure they get the required support in channeling the badly needed funding for the SMEs in unrestricted way. “As the DBN are said to have succeeded in other countries, it will succeed here because they have taken global success stories to improve on them,” Emefiele said.

Obama calls for free, fair, peaceful polls CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

L-R: Executive Secretary, Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, Saratu Umar; Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga; Managing Director, Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, Uche Orji, and Minister of Finance, Dr.Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, during the Presidential Launch ceremony of Development Bank of Nigeria in Abuja, yesterday.

ECOWAS to hold anti-terrorism meeting

conomic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, said yesterday in Abuja that it plans to organise a stakeholders meeting aimed at addressing terrorism challenges facing the region. Prof. Abdoulaye Maga, ECOWAS Director of Education, Culture, Science and Technology said this during an interview with journalists. He said the meeting

with a theme “ECOWAS Education for Peace through Inter Religious Dialogue”, is scheduled for October in Niger Republic. He said the forum was crucial in ensuring a lasting peace in the region. According him, the forum became necessary in view of the continued dangers posed by terrorists to the socio economic wellbeing of West Africa and beyond.

He said the forum would further identify aspects of ensuring peace through adequate sensitisation of the people and inter religious dialogue among faith groups. He said the sensitisation programmes would target secondary and tertiary schools in the region. “The sensitisation will start with students in schools as stakeholders because they are the fu-

ture leaders. “It will also be extended to religious groups, traditional leaders, governments at various levels to brainstorm to see ways of ensuring peace in our communities,” he said. Some of the African countries that have experienced significant levels of terrorists’ activities include Mali, Nigeria, Niger, Uganda, Cameroun, Kenya, Somalia and Algeria.

rity is the safety of and security of the whole of ECOWAS region and so I stand on behalf of all the Presidents of ECOWAS and wish that all Nigerians will come out and express their votes and their votes would count towards electing who becomes the next leader of the country,” he said. Mahama said he would also meet with the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to know the state of preparedness, saying that the shift in the earlier dates of the elections would have given the body the opportunity to ensure that voters are not disenfranchised and that the results of the elections are accepted. According to him, five countries in the sub-region, including Nigeria

are going through elections this year. He stressed that ECOWAS has been involved in ensuring that the elections are held in a peaceful and transparent environment. ECOWAS, he added, has put in place long term electoral observer missions in the affected countries. Mahama explained that the missions have been monitoring the process in the lead up to the elections, saying that ECOWAS was working together with the electoral commissions and authorities of the five countries based on the several monitoring reports already received from the observer missions. The ECOWAS chairman stated that the regional body had tried to ensure that obstacles to free and fair elections are removed so that the results would

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Tuesday, March 24, 2015

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Again, court stops deployment of soldiers for elections WALE IGBINTADE

ustice Ibrahim Buba of a Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday restrained President Goodluck Jonathan and the Service Chiefs from deploying soldiers for the general elections. House of Representatives member, Femi Gbajabiamila, had urged the court to declare deployment of soldiers for elections unconstitutional. President Jonathan, the Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Air Staff, the Chief of Naval Staff and the Attorney-General of the Federation are the respondents. Delivering judgement, Justice Buba held that they cannot deploy sol-

diers without the National Assembly’s approval. The court held that even President Jonathan does not have the power to deploy soldiers at a whim. The judge dismissed the issue of jurisdiction raised by the defendant and held that Gbajabiamila had the legal right to demand an interpretation of the constitution by the court. Justice Buba stated that he was bound by the recent Court of Appeal decision, which nullified soldiers’ deployment for elections, adding that he was also persuaded by the judgment of Justice Mohammed Rilwan of the Federal High Court, Sokoto. He said: “The armed forces/military have no role in elections. The time has come for us to estab-

lish the culture of democratic rule in the country and to start to do the right thing, particularly when it has to do with dealing with the electoral process, which is one of the pillars of democracy. “In spite of the behaviour of the political class, we should by all means try to keep armed personnel and military from being part and parcel of the electoral process. The state is obligated to confine the military to their very

demanding assignment, especially in this time of insurgencies by keeping them out of elections. The state is also obligated to ensure that citizens exercise their franchise freely and unmolested,” Justice Buba said. On whether Gbajabiamila has locus standi, the judge said: “The plaintiff is at liberty to approach this court and seek reliefs whether they are beneficial to him or not. In the instant case, the plain-

tiff is a Nigerian; he has a right of franchise, so it will be beneficial to him. “This court will not dabble into academic issues. The instance Originating Summons has merit. The court shall proceed to answer the questions for determination in favour of the plaintiff that the deployment of the armed forces by the first, second, third, fourth and fifth defendants during elections violate the provisions of the constitution.

“Accordingly the declaratory reliefs sought are granted. Any militarised voting pattern is anti-democratic and not in consonance with constitutional democracy and civil rule.” Besides, he said any election which is militarised through deployment of soldiers where there is no insurrection is “antidemocratic” and not in consonance with constitutional democracy and civil rule.

June 1 enforcement of speed limit sacrosanct –FRSC CHIDI UGWU ABUJA

ederal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, has restated its resolve to commence enforcement of the speed limit laws on June 1, 2015, saying the date remains sacrosanct. Corps Marshal and Chief Executive of the FRSC, Boboye Oyeyemi, who disclosed this yesterday at a joint press briefing with transport stakeholders, noted that the enforcement became necessary as studies conducted by the organisation show that speed-related factors alone accounted for about 50.8 per cent of crashes in Nigeria last year. Oyeyemi said that over the last few months, FRSC had paid advocacy visits to the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, Nigeria Association of Road Transport Owners, NATO, the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, RTEAN, the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Petroleum Tankers Drivers Association, NUPENG-PTD, among others, with a view to imparting to them the novel idea, which he said had been discovered to be a simple antidote to the pervasive rate of crashes and fatalities in the country. “As part of the corps strategic initiative with the transport associations, we

also resolved to demonstrate our commitment to the success of the forthcoming enforcement of the law on speed limiters by allowing stakeholders to show good example through their members' installation of the device in their vehicles. So far, I am satisfied with the level of compliance by the relevant stakeholders with the innovation. “This is expected to continue in earnest in the drive towards the enforcement date of 1st June this year, when all commercial vehicles are expected to be fitted with the speed limiting device, failure of which would lead to arrest, prosecution and punishment. As I have said repeatedly elsewhere, the June 1st enforcement date remains sacrosant because we cannot keep changing dates of effecting this novel idea that has been discovered to be the simple antidote to the pervasive rate of crashes and fatalities in the country,” he said. According to the FRSC boss, effective collaboration with the stakeholders resulted in 49 percent reduction in the rate of crashes, and 42 percent in fatalities was achieved in the last Ember months special patrol period, adding that the synergy also resulted in reduction of road traffic crashes by 24 percent and fatality also reduced by 8 percent in 2014.

L-R: National Coordinator, Society Empowerment Advancement for Development (SEAD), Olukunle David Sotade; National President, Madam Esther Gbonkumor and Secretary, Mrs. Stella Oboko, during a press briefing on sensitisation of the electorate towards free, fair and credible 2015 general election in Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO: SAMUEL ADETIMEHIN

Don't drag us into politics, EFCC warns politicians …absolves Soludo in N750m polymer contract scam OLUFEMI ADEOSUN ABUJA

hairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Lamorde, yesterday warned politicians against dragging the commission into politics through their alleged utterances. This is even as the anti-graft body exonerated former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Professor Charles Soludo, of any complicity in the alleged N750 million Polymer contract scam. Lamorde disclosed this in Abuja during public presentation of a special publication of the EFCC entitled: “Red Alert on Scam." “Red Alert on Scam” is an initiative of Media and Publicity Unit of the commission, conceived as an enlightenment publication

to educate members of the public on the antics of fraudsters, with a view to helping them avoid falling prey. The EFCC boss, however, used the occasion to send a strongly worded warning to politicians, who had formed the habit of dropping the name of the commission in order to score political points to desist from it. In a tacit response to last week’s alarm raised by the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, that the commission was planning to arrest its leader, Lamorde stated that there was no truth in the claim. APC's spokesman, Mr. Lai Mohammed, had last week raised the alarm that the party had uncovered plan by the commission to effect the arrest of key leaders of the party over 'cooked up' corruption charges. The chairman who dis-

pelled the allegations told journalists that the commission had been neutral since the campaigns began, adding that the EFCC would not be dragged into politics barely few days to the polls. He said: "They said there is an order to arrest the leadership of the party. We do not want to get involved in any political discussion. We have tried to remain neutral since the campaigns started. Let us do the last lap peacefully." "Corruption has become an issue in this political campaign. We cannot stop people from talking. The irony of it is that some of them talking about corruption are standing trial. They are busy playing to the gallery. It is unfortunate. They do not see themselves first. "Some of them have no business taking about corruption. They are corruption personified. We want to

remind them that they still have their day in court. If the media had been covering these cases in court, these politicians would not have been talking? The criminal justice administration of the country has to be looked at. You cannot fast-track criminal cases in court. On the involvement of the former CBN governor, Charles Soludo in the N750m currency scam, the anti-graft commission explained that the commission could not find anything linking him to the scam after a thorough investigation into the matter. "We invited Charles Soludo in respect of the printing of currency notes. From the investigation conducted, we did not find anything Soludo was involved in. Our partners from UK wanted certain information. So, Soludo has been exonerated."

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Rt Hon Emeka Nkem Ihedioha, CON I, Mulikat Adeola - Akande, the Leader of the House of Representatives, felicitate with our amiable Deputy Speaker, Rt Hon Emeka Nkem Ihedioha on his Golden Jubilee Birthday. I wish you many happy returns of the day and pray for Almighty Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s protection as you celebrate. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Signed: Hon Mulikat Adeola- Akande, OFR Leader of the House

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Tuesday, March 24, 2015

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Judgment distortion: Court threatens to jail YDP chieftains ISE-OLUWA IGE ABUJA

federal high court in Abuja yesterday gave a sevenday ultimatum to national officials of the Young Democratic Party, YDP, to call a press conference to retract the misrepresentation of its judgment delivered on March 4 over status of the political party or be jailed for contempt. The trial judge, Ahmed Mohammed, gave the warning yesterday during proceedings in an application brought by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to stay

execution of judgment in the case. He said he would not take anything less from the party officials. National Mirror recalls that YDP had filed a suit marked FHC/ABJ/ CS/736/14 against INEC over its failure to register it as a political party more than 30 days after it had filed application for the purpose. It argued that section 78 (2) of the Electoral Act 2010 did not empower INEC to keep quiet over such an important application for more than one month without offering an explanation as it applied in the instant case.

Giving judgment in the case, the court held that INEC had not discharged its constitutional obligation of informing the plaintiff why it had not been registered as a political party. The effect of INEC's action as clearly spelt out in Section 78(4) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) is to deem the plaintiff as a duly registered political party, the court said. Consequently, the court ordered INEC to issue Certificate of Registration to the new political party. But the political party

had gone ahead to call a press conference during which it added that the court had ordered INEC to include its name on the ballot and be allowed to participate in the 2015 poll. The party had further stretched the judgment import to mean that the election would have to be further postponed to allow it conduct its primaries so as to have candidates to vie for the 2015 general elections. Apparently not satisfied with the purported judgment, the electoral body approached the same court to

file a notice of appeal and a motion for stay of execution of the judgment. When the matter came up yesterday, presiding judge Mohammed did not hide his resentment with the plaintiffs, berating them of wrongly misrepresenting the judgment of the court. The judge, who was visibly angry, said his attention was drawn to the recent press conference by officials of YDP where they said the court had ordered INEC to include its name and logo in the ballot papers and boxes

as well as shift election date by six months to enable the party hold primaries. At yesterday's proceedings, the court ordered the party to call another press conference in order to retract its earlier "misleading interpretation" of the court's decision on the matter. Justice Mohammed further warned that failure to retract the misleading judgment before March 31 would compel the court to commit YDP's national officials to Kuje Maximum Prison in Abuja for contempt ex-facie curiae.

Emirates Airline, staff arraigned over $1.7m theft

federal high court in Lagos has fixed April 2 for arraignment of Emirate Airlines and five officials of the company over alleged theft of $1.6 million belonging to one Prince Chu Ikem Orji. The staffers are Abayomi Adekanbi Abiola, Isiaka Adegoke Adedeji, Awonubi Abayomi, Obinna Onyeukwu Onyenso and George Ikpekhia. Others charged include Pathfinder International Limited and Nigerian Aviation Handling Company, NAHCO Plc. The accused persons are facing an 11-count charge bordering on stealing, fraud, obtaining money under false pretence, willful destruction of evidence and failure to report an international transfer of fund. The accused persons were alleged to have on December 19, 2007, at the Murtala Muhammad In-

ternational Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, stole four bags with tag number EK 428682, EK 428683, EK 650162, EK 650161, containing the sum of $1.6 million belonging to Prince Chu Orji, on the promise of keeping them intact for onward delivery to him at Guangzhou, China. They were also alleged to have conspired together to fraudulently defraud the victim of the bags containing the said amount by willfully destroying the evidences by deleting the baggage details in the system with an intent to prevent it from being used as evidence. The offences, according to the prosecuting counsel, Michael Osong, are contrary to and punishable under sections 516, 390, 442, 421, 419, 123 of the criminal code Act, Cap C38 and 15(2), (b) and (3) of the Money Laundry Act, Cap. N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

Governor Godswill Obot Akpabio (standing) addressing the wife of former Speaker of the state, Mrs. Inem Okon Uwah and son during condolence visit to the family on the death of the former speaker, the late Hon. Okon Uwah.

Confab report: A’Ibom delegates reject proposed new state OMEIZA AJAYI ABUJA

elegates of Akwa Ibom State to last year's National Conference have rejected the recent acceptance of the conference report by the Federal Executive Council, FEC, in which it granted approval for the

creation of Oil Rivers as one of the new states proposed by the conference. Former Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Nduese Essien, stated the position of the delegates yesterday in Abuja. Speaking on behalf of the delegates, Essien said at no time did delegates re-

PDP spent N1trn sponsoring hate campaign against Buhari –APC OBIORA IFOH ABUJA

ll Progressives Congress, APC, yesterday said about N1 trillion has been spent by the Goodluck Jonathan-led administration to sponsor hate campaign against its presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari. The party also declared that Saturday's presidential election was a referendum on PDP government,

especially the government of President Jonathan. Addressing journalists in Abuja, Director of APC Presidential Campaign Organisation, APCPCO, Garba Shehu, maintained that "it is unconscionable and the height of betrayal of public trust that a government that should preside over the husbandry and judicious use of our national patrimony is superintending over its massive squandering in a futile attempt to stop the

idea of change." Shehu maintained that despite the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, smear campaign, "no amount of sponsored negative media propaganda can stop this idea, which time has come." He recalled statements credited to a pastor, who "confirmed that N7 billion was given to pastors to spread unfounded allegations of Islamaphobia and scare mongering against General Buhari and other

APC leaders." He wondered that rather than spend money on improving the well-being of Nigerians, "billions have been sunk into bottomless pit of illogical and unreasonable negative campaign of calumny." Shehu stressed that such extravagance has brought about excruciating pains even in the purchase of kerosene which government claimed was sold at N50 per litre, whereas it goes for N150.

solve to create an additional state from the current Rivers and Akwa Ibom states during the lifespan of the conference. According to him, such moves were against the agreement reached during the conference and therefore, called on those concerned to resist the suggestion. The former minister said at no time was such a matter discussed either at the plenary or committee level of the conference, but that it was surreptitiously included in the conference report for implementation. “Having taken notice of the illegal inclusion, we had raised concern. Akwa Ibom delegation to the conference had raised the issue at its meeting at the home of leader of the South-South, Edwin Clark and it was agreed that a statement be issued disclaiming the purported inclusion of Akwa Ibom

in the proposed Oil Rivers State," he said. Essien added that the South-South leaders, including Clark and Air Commodore Idongesit Nkanga had signed a petition addressed to the conference leadership, disclaiming the purported inclusion of Akwa Ibom State in the proposed Oil Rivers State. He therefore advised those engaged in the current scheme to desist forthwith, especially as the general elections approach. “Those engaged in the wicked plot to cause disaffection and bad blood among the peace-loving people of the Niger Delta should therefore beware. We hereby request the presidency to issue a statement correcting this false impression before March 28 in order to allay the fears of Akwa Ibom people," Essien advised.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

South West

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Saturday poll: Ballot papers, other materials arrive Oyo tomorrow —REC Kemi Olaitan IBADAN

esident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Oyo State, Ambassador Rufus Akeju, yesterday said the ballot papers and result sheets meant for the state would be delivered tomorrow. He said this at a crucial meeting with security chiefs tagged: "Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, ICCES, at the commission's office in Ibadan, the state capital.

The REC noted that the meeting was to conclude and finalise all strategies concerning security before, during and after the elections, adding that he would personally receive the sensitive materials with party officials in attendance before they are moved under tight security to various INEC offices in the 33 local government areas of the state. Akeju said: "On Friday sensitive materials will be moved to the 351 registration area camps, the poll officials will also be moved to the camps in order to ensure timely arrival at the voting

points on Saturday, March 28, 2015." He assured that in order to ensure credible polls, "the state will receive a large number of both local and foreign observers, who are willing to traverse the state to see the voting procedure, the voters in action and adequacy or otherwise of our security arrangement." He added that the commission had packaged documents that would assist security agencies in the task of mobilisation and deployment of personnel. Security chiefs in attendance included the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police,

Nigeria Customs, Director of State Security Services, Federal Road Safety Commission and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps. Commissioner of Police, Mr. Muhammed Katsina, said security chiefs were there to ensure free, fair and credible elections, adding: "An atmosphere credible to all voters and members of the public will be provided.” The police boss added that the closed-door meeting was a continuation by all stakeholders to ensure credible polls in the state, noting that another meeting with other security chiefs would be held in his office today.

L-R: Ogun State All Progressives Congress (APC) Deputy Governorship Candidate, Mrs. Yetunde Onanuga; Olu of Ilaro and Paramount ruler of Yewaland, Oba Kehinde Olugbenle; Governor Ibikunle Amosun; Chairman, Ogun State Housing Corporation, Alhaji Bashiru Fadairo; Special Adviser to the Governor on Housing, Arc. Olajumoke Akinwunmi, and Governor’s wife, Olufunso, during the commissioning of fully serviced gated Plainfieds Estate at Presidential Boulevard, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, yesterday.

Ogun youths rally for Amosun's re-election Femi OyewesO ABEOKUTA

ver 2,000 youths from across 20 local government areas of Ogun State yesterday staged a solidarity rally to drum up supports for the re-election of Governor Ibikunle Amosun. The youths, who organised themselves under the aegis of Ogun Youths Forum, OYF, carried placards bearing different inscriptions such as "SIA is the best man for the job", "Ogun Youths say SIA must continue beyond 2015", "Ogun youths support SIA", among others, to sensitise electorates in voting the incumbent governor for another term.

The rally, which took off from the M.K.O. Abiola International Stadium, also saw the youths moving to Isabo, Ijaye, Sapon, Itoku and other major streets of Abeokuta metropolis before terminating at the Government House in Isale Igbehin area of the metropolis, where they met with the governor. Speaking with journalists, state chairman of the forum, Afolabi Orekoya, said Amosun had developed the state, ensuring cleaner and safer environment, improved education sector to earn their support and votes in forthcoming general elections. Orekoya explained that the forum was a non-gov-

ernmental convergence of youths, who are professionals in their respective fields of endeavour, but would not shy away from supporting and encouraging a performing governor like Amosun in order to encourage him to do more. “We are here to sensitise our people to go and collect their Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, and also come out to cast their votes en masse for Governor Ibikunle Amosun." “So, we are in agreement with him to further develop Ogun State. We are young professionals and we are supporting his good work and re-election bid. We are calling on our people to come out on March 28 and April 11 and

cast their votes rightly for General Muhammadu Buhari and Senator Ibikunle Amosun. “In the last three and a half years, Ogun State has witnessed tremendous transformation in terms of developmental projects of Amosun, he has been able to touch so many parts of the state positively. “Look at the road network in the state. They were not there since the return of democracy in 1999. We, the young professionals, having been convinced that the governor meant well for the state and the people, felt we should identify with him, support his re-election so that he can do more.”

NASS, not Jonathan, can implement confab report —Rep abiOdun nejO ADO EKITI

ouse of Representatives member, Hon Bimbo Daramola, has said only the National Assembly has the power to discuss and approve implementation of the report of the National Conference. Daramola, an All Progressives Congress, APC, lawmaker seeking reelection in Oye/Ikole Federal Constituency of Ekiti State, said the powers to implement the reports or otherwise resided only in the National Assembly, and not in the Presidency. The lawmaker, who spoke at Ire Ekiti yesterday during his campaign tour of the federal constituency, was reacting to President Goodluck Jonathan's pledge to implement the National Conference reports during his second term in office. Daramola described the president's pledge as “mere campaign gimmicks,” saying: "For anyone to boast to traditional rulers and uninformed voters across various zones of the country that he would implement those reports if re-elected is not only misleading, but also a decoy to gain cheap popularity and undue political sympathy.” The APC candidate, who enjoined Nigerians and

Ekiti electorate not to be deceived, told voters who had collected their Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, to use them wisely by voting for APC candidates. While assuring the people that he would do more if re-elected, Daramola said there was no town or village in his constituency that did not benefit from one project or the other in his first term in office. According to him, towns such as Ara/Ikole, Omu and Osin, which had for long been deprived of potable water, were provided with the commodity through motorised boreholes funded by him. Besides, he said 40 solar panel poles electricity were provided to supply light to two towns of Oye and Ikole-Ekiti. The lawmaker said no fewer than 26 persons were also given gainful employment in various government ministries and establishments through his personal influence. In the areas of health and Agriculture, he said that 1,000 indigent persons were supported with N14.5million through payment of their hospital bills while a multi-million naira “Joan Taiwo Daramola memorial Hospital”, named after his mother was built at his home town in Ire-Ekiti to serve the rural populace.

PSC to monitor officers on election duties dare aKOgun

olice Service Commission, PSC, has said it will monitor the conduct of police officers on electoral duties in the forthcoming general elections. Commissioner, Police Service Commission, retired Justice Olufunlola Adekeye, disclosed this at a one-day sensitisation seminar in Lagos yesterday. She stated that in line with the resolution of the commission to enforce constitutional and statutory mandate as the force’s civilian oversight agency, the police must not only operate within the ambit of the law, but must be accountable for its actions on electoral duties. She said: “In prepara-

tion for the 2015 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, set up the Inter-agency Consultative Committee on Election Security of which the PSC is a member. “As one of the observer groups approved by INEC to participate in the elections, there is a better coordination and synergy in security preparations for the election, this is part of the commission’s contribution towards a free, fair and transparent electoral process in Nigeria,” she added. Reiterating the pivotal role of security agents in ensuring security during elections, she pointed that if the security agencies played the role effectively, the integrity of the electoral process will be protected.

South West

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

LASU shut indefinitely

Tunbosun ogunDare

uthorities of Lagos State University, LASU, Ojo, yesterday closed down the institution indefinitely. The closure is not unconnected with the ongoing face-off between management and the various trade unions demanding the immediate sack of

Vice-Chancellor, Prof. John Obafunwa. They accused the VC of incompetency. But authorities attributed the closure to the forthcoming general elections, which begins this Saturday. A statement from the vice-chancellor concerning the development, which he called "election recess," asked all the students and workers to va-

cate the university immediately until they are told otherwise. National Mirror's investigations, however, revealed that the authorities closed down the school after security operatives on Sunday forced open the two entrance gates to the university, allowing vehicular movements in and out of the institution. It was further gathered

that the development annoyed the aggrieved workers, who padlocked the two gates since last week and then embarked on fresh protest. They said they were against the closure and therefore, asked the institution’s authorities to rescind the decision as no school in the country is going on recess for the purpose of election.

L-R: Oyo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Amb. Rufus Akeju; representative of GOC 2 Div. Brig. Joseph Ejeh; Oyo State

nday, September 23, 2013 of Police, Mr. Mohammed Katsina and Director of State Security Service (DSS), Mr. Joseph Okpo, during an InterCommissioner Agency Consultative Committee Election Security meeting in Ibadan, yesterday.

Elections: Lagosians stock foodstuff Dare akogun

erely four days to the March 28 presidential election, residents of Lagos State have begun stockpiling food items and other essential commodities. This is as prices of food items have risen in the past few days in the run-up to the elections. Investigations by National Mirror revealed that the situation was caused by residents’ apprehension about the outcome of the election, should violence erupt and prevent them from buying food stuff from the market. A visit to the popular Mile 12 market by our reporter revealed that trading activities had gone up as buyers could be seen trooping to the market to buy food items. Some of the residents and traders, who spoke with our correspondent, confirmed the development. Mrs. Peace Ada said that since the election campaign started, there has been tension in the state and she had to stock food at home to pre-

vent her family from starving should violence trail the elections. She said if there was crisis, shops and markets may be shut and it would be difficult to buy food items in such situation. For John Amadi, he said the election was generating a lot of tension and he did not want to be taken unawares because of past experience. He said as a result, he had to borrow money to buy basic food items and keep at home. Amadi said since the election campaigns started, there has been violent attacks and killing of political opponents in Akwa Ibom, Imo, Rivers, and other parts of the country, and prayed it should not escalate after the election. Some of the food items now in high demand are rice, beans, yam, fish, tomatoes, among others. A bag of rice which sold for N8,500 last month goes for between N9,000 and N9,500, while other brands of high quality rice sell for between N10,000 and N12,000 in areas like Ikotun,

Ejigbo, Iyana Ipaja and Oshodi. A tuber of yam that sold for between N250 and N300, goes now for between N400 and N500. Adamu Audu, a yam seller at the market, said yam suppliers from the North have temporary stopped supplies until after the election for their safety. He said their major challenge was where to get fresh supplies after selling old stock, adding that those who used to supply them were no more bringing yams and beans from the northern part of the country. He attributed this to the election, which he said was causing tension across the nation. Another foodstuff seller, Ifeanyi Eze, who confirmed the demand for the items in the market, said he was not surprised at the development, adding that his only regret was that he did not have enough money to stock food items in his shop before the prices increased. According to him, during previous elections, panicky residents also stocked food in their homes.

PHOTO: NAN

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Osun guber: A’Court reserves judgment on Omisore's suit ojo oyewamiDe AKURE

n Appeal Court in Akure, Ondo State capital, has reserved judgment in a suit filed by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate in the August 9, 2014, governorship election in Osun State, Senator Iyiola Omisore, against the State Election Tribunal's decision that upheld the victory of Governor Rauf Aregbesola. Counsel to Governor Aregbesola, Akin Olujimi, and that of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Rotimi Akeredolu, urged the court to dismiss the appeal. But counsel to Omisore, Alex Izinyon and Chris Uche, called on the court to set aside the tribunal’s ruling. Izinyon asked the court to allow the appeal, saying the tribunal erred by not making use of the evidences brought before it by the petitioner and the appellant in the matter. He argued that the Election Tribunal failed to rule on the issue of substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act brought before it, stressing that corrupt practices were established

in about 17 local government areas of the state during the election. But Olujimi urged the court to dismiss the appeal, saying the appellants failed to establish any of the allegations made before the tribunal. Stressing that the petitioners challenged 903 polling unit results covering 17 local government areas while only 43 witnesses were called, Olujimi explained that out of the 43 witnesses, about 34 of them based their evidences on hearsay which is not admissible in law. He added that seven of the witnesses who were polling agents had their evidences discredited during cross examination while the two other witnesses who called themselves experts could not produce any biometric evidence. Akeredolu adopted the argument of Olujimi, arguing that the tribunal was right in upholding the victory of Governor Aregbesola, noting that the experts brought by Omisore did not exhibit any special knowledge to showcase them as experts.

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National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

South East

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Cholera hits Ebonyi varsity students AliunA Godwin ABAKALIKI

o fewer 10 students of the Ebonyi State University, EBSU, Abakaliki, were yesterday infected with cholera ravaging host communities of the university. National Mirror gathered that the victims were hospitalised at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, FETHA, after eating African salad popularly known as 'abacha' within the school’s environment. The students, who are studying at the College of Agricultural Science campus of the university, were rushed to hospital when their condition started deteriorating, as it was gathered that the delicacy was infected with cholera. Director, Rural Health, Ministry of Health, Dr. Christian Achi, who confirmed the incident, said the delicacy eaten by the students was infected, resulting from activities of flies with-

in the environment. “This is a case of cholera; the food they ate was already infected following the activity of flies that go around perching on food items and dirty substances. “I want to urge people of the state to cook and eat in their homes; they should not expose their food and cooking utensils to flies. They should maintain hygiene and avoid dirty environment," he said. It would be recalled that six persons were also last month reported to have died of cholera in the state, while eight others were hospitalised. The communities affected included Edomia, Amachi and Ikelegu, while four died in Amachi, Abakaliki Local Government, two died in Edomia and Ikelegu, Ebonyi Local Government Area. Describing the situation as unfortunate, Mr. Achi revealed that eight persons were hospitalised and currently receiving treatment in nearby health centres.

Anambra to review outdated laws

ttorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Anambra State, Mr. Chude Anali, said the ministry has commenced plans to review and update all outdated laws in the state. Anali disclosed this in Awka on Monday while outlining achievements of the ministry in one year of Governor Willie Obiano’s administration. The commissioner told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, that laws in the state were last revised in 1991. He said the ministry had drafted eight Memoranda of Understanding, MoU, and

had prepared 20 agreements and 11 bills geared towards realisation of the vision of the governor. The attorney-general lauded the governor for approving the training of some law officers in specialised legal areas at the Nigeria Institute of Advance Legal Studies in Lagos. According to him, the gesture will ensure continuous legal training for lawyers. He, however, appealed to the governor to equip the law libraries with books as well as provide amenities and furniture in the ministry’s outstations.

L-R: Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola; his Imo State counterpart, Rochas Okorocha; his wife,. Nneoma; Osun State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori, and former Ohaneze President General, Dr. Dozie Ikedife, during the 1st Quarter Progressive Governance Session of the Progressive Governors’ Forum 2015 with the theme, “March For New Nigeria”, at the Banquet Hall, Imo State Government House, Owerri, yesterday.

Jonathan’ll give women 45% positions in govt —Patience …says president remains friend of Igbo

FrAncis EkponE ONITSHA

ife of the president, Dame Patience Jonathan, has urged Anambra women to support President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s second term bid in office, describing her husband as a messiah that has come to save Igbo race from the shackles of marginalisation, stressing that Jonathan will give Nigerian women 45 percent affirmative action if re-elected. The first lady revealed, yesterday at a crowded Peoples Democratic Party, PDP women rally held at Dennis Memorial Grammar School, DMGS, Onitsha, Anambra State that Jonathan delivered on his campaign promises in 2011.

She described All Progressives Congress, APC, as Ebola that would die immediately after the conduct of the presidential election on March 28. In her words: “APC has been changing names and this time, they will change to Ebola, which will on 28 March die after the presidential election and will not resurrect again”. “APC has nothing to offer Nigerians except propaganda, we are not here for propaganda, APC talks and forgets, President Jonathan does not talk like that. Jonathan made us to forget the civil war, Jonathan is our messiah, PDP has come to stay,” she revealed. Recalling that Jonathan gave a state burial to late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, former Bi-

afran war lord, she disclosed that Ojukwu blessed Jonathan before he died. “Buhari was only building prisons to put Nigerians when he was president while Jonathan on his part is building schools for education, Jonathan rehabilitated the hospitals and built new ones, health centres, revived so many ambulances and free medicare for pregnant women,” she said Reiterating her resolve to better the welfare of women, she stated that; ‘’What I am after is the benefit of women, APC did not recognise women,” she continued. Urging the people in the state to continue to vote for PDP like they did in the past, she recalled thus: “In 2011 I came and you promised and delivered and I have come again to ask for your votes

again.” Also speaking, former governor of the state, Chief Peter Obi said: “Jonathan is like tomorrow, Buhari is like yesterday, we don’t go to yesterday, but go for tomorrow. “Jonathan has done a lot for the country and has built Abakaliki to Cameroun road. It is Jonathan forward and Buhari backward, our votes will be 1.5 million, no minus,” he said. Earlier, National Women Leader, Chief Kema Chikwe, recalled the Aba women riot of 1939, saying, “We have come again. We will not allow our eyes to be tied again by APC.” Also contributing, Minister of Aviation, Chief Osita Chidoka, said, “if Buhari becomes president the second Niger Bridge will not be built.”

Ikoyi property: Ojukwu family moves to settle rift wAlE iGbintAdE

he suit filed by Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu, widow of the late Ikemba of Nnewi, his son, Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu against Ojukwu Transport Limited, OTL, and seven others, before a Lagos High Court has been fixed for Case Management Conference, CMC, for possible settlement. Justice Opeyemi Oke fixed April 23 for the con-

ference, having established that parties in the suit have filed and served their pleadings. At the CMC, the case management judge will determine if everyone has filed their papers on time and if the parties had tried to settle the case. During the conference, the trial judge would try to help parties choose a good process for working on a settlement. The suit was originally before Chief Judge of Lagos

State, Justice Funmilayo Atilade, before it was reassigned to Justice Oke for adjudication. Bianca, suing for her two under-aged children, Afamefuna and Nwachukwu (claimants), wants the court to declare that her children are entitled to the possession and occupation of the property known as Number 29, Oyinkan Abayomi Street, Ikoyi, Lagos, until the harmonisation of management and administration of the assets of the first

defendant, OTL. In their statement of claim, the claimants want the court to declare that the threat of forceful ejection from 29 Oyinkan Abayomi Street by the defendants is illegal. In addition, they urged the court to declare that they are entitled to possess the following property, namely: Number 13 Hawksworth Road, Ikoyi (now known as Number13 Ojora road); Number 32A Commercial Avenue, Yaba, Lagos; Num-

ber 30 Gerard Road, Ikoyi, Lagos; Number 30 McPherson Avenue, Ikoyi. All the above properties were alleged to be under the possession of the late Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu - father of the claimants - from the time the properties were released from government acquisition till date. The claimant is asking for an order of court restraining the defendants, their agents or privies from interfering with the claim-

ants’ possession and control of the properties. But, in their statement of defence, the 1st -7th defendants averred that the subscribers of the memorandum of association of OTL (1st defendant) at incorporation in 1952 were LP Ojukwu and Betram Chukwuemeka Obi, adding that the late Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu and one Professor Joseph Ojukwu (2nd defendant) were later appointed as directors in 1953.

South South

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Uduaghan gives N500m scholarships to first class graduates

elta State government has given N500 million to 100 beneficiaries of the 2013 First Class Graduate Scholarship Scheme with Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan challenging parents to ensure proper upbringing of their children. He said parents owed it as a duty to ensure their children and wards were properly brought up in order to achieve a better family unit and better organised society. The governor, during presentation of the scholarship awards to 2013 beneficiaries in Asaba yesterday, said it was impossible for a cultist to bag first class degree in a university. “Please, let us build a better society by prop-

erly bringing up our children at the family level; generally, a child that is properly brought up is an asset to the society. “No matter the position you have attained, personal attention to our children is very important and what we call insecurity starts from the home. Parents, please, we owe the society the duty to cater for our children. “The principle behind the scholarship scheme is that the IQ of the child who makes first-class is very high and the society should not obstruct such child from proceeding for a doctoral degree due to lack of fund. This informed our administration’s decision to inaugurate the scholarship scheme.

“You have to be hard working, you have to be disciplined to be able to make a first-class degree and to qualify for the scholarship as you know there is no cult member who makes first class because they do not have time to study,” he added. He appealed to the beneficiaries to be good ambassadors of the state and urged parents to always allow their children to choose what to study. "In this day and age, parents should allow young people to make their choice; we want to advise that parents should not force children to read a particular course. Times have changed. Allow the children to make their choice because at the end

of the day, they do very well when they follow their passion," he said. Uduaghan decried attitude of some Nigerians who do not see anything good from those holding public office, noting that despite the transparent and accountable attitude of members of the Scholarship Board in the state, their actions were still been unduly criticised with members wrongly accused of corruption. Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Miss Oke Diateke lauded the state government for sponsoring the programme, saying it has challenged Deltans in the universities to strive for excellence and firstclass degrees in particular.

Wife of Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mrs. Unoma Akpabio (3rd right) on campaign tour of wards in Essien Udim LGA, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

2015: Navy begins proficiency drills in Rivers Dennis naku

PORT HARCOURT

s part of its preparations for the March 28 and April 11 general elections, the Nigerian Navy yesterday began a series of proficiency drills on waterways and creeks in Rivers State. Commander, NNS Pathfinder, Port Harcourt, Commodore Godwin Ochai disclosed this while addressing newsmen at Onne waterways in Eleme local government area of

the state. Ochai, who spoke through his Executive Officer, Capt. Sam Bura, explained that the exercise was aimed at showcasing its readiness for the elections. He said the operation conforms to its task of providing maritime security for election officials, materials and the people to ensure peaceful conduct in coastal communities. He said: “This operation is a confidence building exercise that seeks to instill confidence in sea

fearers and the electorate so as to be able to exercise their rights along the waterways. “Additionally, this drills is a demonstration of our readiness to assist the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, with security on our waterways and creeks during the elections that is about to commence. “Our gun boats and personnel are strategically positioned at different parts of the waterways and creeks for rapid response, when called upon.

“Criminals and undesirable elements along our waterways should keepoff completely as we are going to fully dominate the waterways as much as possible.” Ochai said the Navy would collaborate with other security outfits to enable electorates in coastal areas vote for candidates of their choice, adding that the operation and 24 hours patrol of the coastal areas would continue before, during and after the forthcoming poll.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Stranded passengers threaten to sue airline R ichaRD n Doma CALABAR

bout 100 passengers stranded at the Margaret Ekpo Inter national Airport, Calabar, on Sunday, yesterday threatened to sue Arik Airline for breach of contract. The passengers vowed they would stop at nothing to drag the airline to court. Their grievances include cancellation of the flight they booked to take them to Lagos. The aggrieved passengers said the flight was cancelled without any infor mation from officials of the airline, an attitude they claimed was not in tandem with inter national best practices. The Lagos-bound flight that was billed for 5pm was suddenly cancelled by the airline without any justifiable reason. Confusion broke out as soon as it was announced that the flight had been cancelled 50 minutes to departure time, causing angry passengers to resort to protests, which caused ugly scenario at the airport. Some of them, who spoke with National Mirror, stated that they had already contacted their lawyers to file a suit against the airline. The passengers said the reason for the court action was to forestall further occurrence of frustrating passengers. Addressing jour nalists, spokesperson for the passengers, who is a Lagos-based entrepreneur, Mr. Ayo Idowu, said unwarranted cancellation of flight by Arik had become a daily occurrence, hence he decided to take legal action against the company. “We got here before 5pm and they checked everybody in as usual. We waited for more than 40 minutes and they didn’t even have the courtesy of apologising for the delay. And suddenly, we

heard cancellation announcement. “We are worried because more than 70 per cent of the people here were to resume work yesterday, Monday. I met a woman here, who was crying and begging me to speak with her boss on her behalf, because she was going to be fired,” Idowu said. He lamented that after the cancellation, no provision was made by Arik to check the stranded passengers into a hotel pending when another flight would be made available for them to travel to Lagos. The spokesman accused the Calabar branch manager of Arik Airline of being rude to the frustrated passengers. “We approached the manager to explain why the flight was cancelled and she was rude to us, saying we either take our money back or wait till 1pm the following day to board another flight. This is heartless. “For a reputable airline, the first standard thing to do when you cancel flight is to let your customers know 24 hours before cancellation, and if that is not done, you provide accommodation for them. “The passengers and I have concluded plan to drag Arik to court over the development,” he added. The Public Relations Officer of the airline, Mr. Banji Ola in a text message explained that the flight was cancelled due to the absence of lighting at Calabar Airport. “The aircraft operating the flight was delayed out of Lagos because of late fuelling as the fuel truck went for loading and couldn’t retur n on time. By the time the fueling was done it was too late to go to Calabar to carry passengers who were already waiting at Calabar airport. The passengers have been rescheduled for today (Monday),” he said.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

SUPER TUESDAY Why we wanted Jega removed –Gani Adams

14 Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has often tried to innovate ideas that could strengthen the electoral process, one of which is its recent introduction of Smart Card Readers, SCRs, for the general elections. OMEIZA AJAYI writes on the good, the bad and the ugly sides of the SCRs.

The good Some people are resolute in their support for the use of the SCRs as they believe that it will stem the tide of electoral malfeasance in the country. It is believed that the readers would greatly assist in eliminating cases of electoral manipulation, most of which begin at the accreditation stage of the elections. If the status quo remains, then it will be ‘rigging galore’ for many of Nigeria’s desperate politicians. The commission has continually maintained its preparedness to go ahead with the use of the device. It had said that it would introduce card readers for voters’ accreditation in order to verify the rightful owners of the PVCs, adding that the SCR would eliminate impersonation and voting by proxy during the elections. Nigeria currently has about 120, 000 polling units, PUs, and no fewer than 35, 000 voting points, VPs. According to INEC, the SCRs have been deployed in all the 155, 000 PUs and VUs, while the back-up readers have also been sufficiently deployed. As a demonstration of its readiness and apparently to shut up the opposition, INEC recently organised a test-run of the card readers in two states each of the six geo-political zones. The field-testing of the SCRs held in 225 PUs and 358 VPs across 12 registration areas or wards in 12 states of the federation. The affected registration areas were in the follow-

Politics

Renewed LG tour takes Ambode to nooks and crannies

Smart Card Readers: The argument for, against TOP STORY

he Prof Attahiru Jega-led Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as part of measures to execute its mandate, introduced the ‘Permanent Voter Card,’ PVC, with an electronic micro-chip. This was a clear departure from the use of all manner of Temporary Voter Cards, TVCs, in past elections. However, in order to still ensure the fidelity of the process, INEC also came up with an electronic device known as the Smart Card Reader, SCR. Despite its explanations about the need to use the readers for the elections, there have been divergent opinions as to what value it will bring to the process. From the 2011 and 2014 voters’ registration exercise, there were approximately 4.8 million cases of multiple registrations. These multiple registrants had the Temporary Voter Cards, TVCs, and not the newly-introduced PVCs. This is perhaps, the main reason why a section of the voting public has been very vociferous in their demands for the use of the readers for the purposes of accreditation during the general elections. The SCR comes with a highly secure cryptographic technology that is used commonly in devices that are needed to perform secure transactions, such as paying terminals. It has ultra-low power consumption, with a single core frequency of 1.2GHz and an Android 4.2.2. Operating System.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

4 DAYS TO GO

Jega

ing local government areas: Port Harcourt City (Rivers), Abakaliki (Ebonyi), Ado Ekiti (Ekiti), Gassol (Taraba), Kumbotso (Kano), Bunza (Kebbi), Kokona (Nasarawa), Shiroro (Niger), Ikeja (Lagos), Aguata (Anambra), Oshimili South (Delta) and Jama’are (Bauchi). Apart from the field test-run of the SCRs, they have been broadly subjected to simulation quality assurance, integrity and functionality tests and INEC has full confidence in their performances for election purposes. The device has also been subjected to performance and conformance test, both locally and in Texas, United States, laboratories by the Radio Frequency Identification, RFID, Research Centre and found to be of the highest quality grade. Besides all these, and

For the First time in nigeria’s electoral history, electronic voter authentication system, with the aid oF scrs, is being deployed For the

2015 general elections

with additional time resulting from the rescheduling of the 2015 general elections, INEC has directed that stress test be conducted on the SCRs in mock election scenarios – two states in each of the six geo-political zones – ahead of the new election dates. For the first time in Nigeria’s electoral history, electronic voter authentication system, with the aid of SCRs, is being deployed for the 2015 general elections. According to INEC, using the SCRs has enormous advantages. Once configured, the SCR can only read PVCs issued by INEC. Any person that shows up at the polling unit without PVC or with a card not issued by INEC will not be able to vote. This will automatically put paid to fears of a possible manipulation of the election through the use of cloned PVCs. INEC said the SCR reads the embedded chip on the PVC, not the barcode, and it shares a secret code with the PVC; thus making it impossible to falsify the cards. The SCR authenticates the identity of the voter by cross-matching his/her fingerprints with that stored on the embedded chip. No person can vote using another person’s PVC. It also keeps a tally of all cards read, comprising the details of all voters verified as well as those not verified, and transmits the collected information to a central INEC server via GSM data service. Information transmitted to the server will enable INEC to audit results from polling units, as well as do a range of statistical analysis of the demographics of voting. This type of analysis is necessary for development planning. Collation officers will also be able to use information transmitted by the SCR to audit polling unit result sheets and determine whether accreditation figures have been altered. Many questions have been asked as to the legality or otherwise of the SCRs, with some politicians threatening court actions should the readers be used for the polls. However, the use of the SCR for the purpose of accreditation of voters is one of the innovations introduced by INEC to improve the integrity of the electoral process. Many analysts, including the commission’s team of lawyers do not think that the use of the SCR violate the Electoral Act 2010, as amended, or the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended. Rather, they said it adds value to the process in line with the yearnings of Nigerians for credible elections, CONTINUED ON PAGE 45

Politics

Otunba Gani Adams is the National Coordinator of the pan-Yoruba group, Oodua Peoples Congress, OPC. In this interview with journalists in Lagos, he speaks on the recent rally he organised calling for the removal of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, among other issues. AYO ESAN brings excerpts:

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Why we wanted Jega removed –Gani Adams We should not because of elections Waste more lives in this country.

nobody has poWers to create human beings. We should be less

Can you reflect on the rally which you held recently and which has become so controversial? Do you think the rally is controversial? Many have criticised and condemned it It is the opposition that has condemned the rally. In my own opinion, I don’t know how and why they are feeling the pain about the rally that was not against them. The rally was made significantly to register our displeasures about the activities of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, over the distribution of the Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs. Right now, the SouthWest has not gotten up to 5 million PVCs and the election is almost here. Even in some South-Eastern states, they haven’t get up to 18 per cent of the PVCs, likewise South-South. In the North-East, where we have the Boko Haram insurgency, more than 90 per cent of their PVCs have been given to them. There is a Diamond Estate in Ikotun, here in Lagos, they went to the INEC to collect their PVCs, and INEC told them that the system is corrupt. Odogunyan in Ikorodu, more than 80 villages haven’t gotten their PVCs. You remember about three to four weeks ago, the governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, went to INEC office complaining that less than 50 per cent of registered voters in the state have not gotten their PVCs. When you calculate the number of collected PVCs in the entire South West, it is only Ondo State that has gotten up to 70 per cent of their PVCs. And the election will soon come up. Secondly, the issue of registration of under-aged in the North, because we know that many under-aged were registered in the North. And we saw them on the internet queuing to be registered and Jega has not made any categorical statement. You know the cards we are going to use in this election are going to be a permanent one, so the scenario will continue in the next election. The third one is the issue of the 30 per cent polling units illegally created by Professor Jega, which he tactically called voting centres. Why was he creating new polling units less than two months before the elections? If you remember, about two and half months ago, the Afenifere issued a press statement that Jega should not create more polling units. The Southern Nigerian People Assembly, SNPA, also said the same thing. Other organisations lent their voice to the call. But Jega had systematically created those polling units. That was the reason for the rally, the platform we used was not OPC, the platform we used was Coalition of Concerned Nigerians, But coordinated by OPC? No, coordinated by me, Otunba Gani Adams. It wasn’t an OPC affair because we have a lot of Nollywood stars, most of them from Igboland, some of them from the Niger Delta, so definitely you can’t call it an OPC affair. But don’t you think removal of Jega can led to something else? God forbid, God Forbid, what if Jega dies, won’t we move on. Assuming anything happens to Jega four days to the elections; won’t another person take over and finish the elections? We should not fool ourselves.

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desperate about the Way We pursue poWe

Gani Adams

4 DAYS TO GO

The elections would hold, the nation must move on, heaven would not fall. I agree that they should not use the military where we cannot classify as war zones, what of North- East? Can anyone come out in North–East if there is no military? He has to be careful, we don’t need military in the West, we don’t need them in some states in the Middle–Belt, but what of North-East? And do you think you can organise elections in Yobe, Adamawa, Borno and Bauchi without the military? You cannot, who will come out? They will slaughter people, even in Kano. So I think the man is confused because I don’t see his priority in joining issue with the military. He should have allowed the opposition and the ruling party to trash the matter out. Election was held in Syria where there is war, the military monitored the elections there, election was held in Afganistan, and the military monitored the elections. We should not because of elections waste more lives in this country. Nobody has powers to create human beings. We should be less desperate about the way we pursue power, after all they (politicians) are not desperate to liberate Nigeria, but they are only desperate to enrich their pockets.

Can you react to the rumours flying around that you were given N9 billion pipeline security contract? It is not a rumour, it was a statement from All progressives Congress, APC, spokesman, Alhaji Lai Mohammed. It is unfortunate that somebody of the age of Mohammed can issue a statement without substantiating it. He should be integrity personified, how could you mention a figure without concrete evidence? One of the reasons why he issued that statement that Sunday, a day before the rally was to stop our protest slated for Monday so that by the time he says we have collected N9 billion, most of the people that have the spirit to join the protest, their spirit would be weakened by the time he says the protest has economic reason. That was the reason. It is propaganda. The pipeline contract is ordinary security contract, even the utility; some of the packages we included in the contract have never been included in the proposal because they just wanted the pipelines secured for the first three months after which they would now package it as a contract. That was what the Nigeria National petroleum Corporation, NNPC, did. And you can imagine how much we are losing to vandals and oil thefts in a year, more than N1.3 trillion every year. That money that would be given to secure these pipelines will not be up to N3 or N4 billion in a year in the three places assigned. We are talking of Line B, Line Ibadan, Line Ore; the three lines in South-West and the three other lines in the Niger Delta. We are losing not only oil, we are losing lives day by day; the cartel in oil thefts are killing people, pipelines are destroyed, including other Federal Government property and the government has the responsibility to protect our commonwealth. It is the responsibility of the government. They have used various security agencies and they have failed. What they have decided upon is that let us use community security. The choice of OPC is because OPC has structure in every community. The instruction given to us is that we should make sure we employ those who belong to the communities that the pipelines pass through; you understand what I am saying. It does not apply solely to OPC per se; they know we have the structures to do it. So the contract is not N9 billion. It is not N9 billion, it is just a contract on security, a minor security, the only difference is that the NNPC gave us a standard that we must not pay less than N50,000 to whoever we are going to employ. It is another way of employing the youth and that was their standard as NNPC and you must not pay less than N50,000. APC as a party is the one that criticises the ruling party that Jonathan did not create jobs and you can imagine how many people this petty contract would accommodate.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

A PUBLICATION OF NATIONAL MIRROR NEWSPAPERS

Pipeline security contracts to benefit communities, says Kuku SEBASTINE EBHUOMHAN

CHIEF CORRESPONDENT

L-R; Wife of the President, Dame Patience Jonathan; Delta State Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan, and State PDP governorship flagbearer, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, welcoming Her Excellency on arrival at the Asaba International Airport, en-route Anambra State for PDP Women rally on Monday.

Delta, Bayelsa communities begin verification of oil spill victims’ claims OSAHON JULIUS YENAGOA

ommunities impacted by the Bonga 2011 oil spill in Bayelsa and Delta have commenced verification of people impacted by the devastating incident four years ago. Prince George Ibobra, immediate past Community Development Committee Chairman of Koluama 2 in Southern Ijaw Local Government of Bayelsa told newsmen on Monday in Yenagoa that the verification had reached the final stages. Ibobra who represents Koluama 2 on the Spill Impact Verification Committee said that the December 2011 oil spill incident from Shell’s Bonga offshore oil spill impacted six local governments in Delta and Bayelsa. It will be recalled that some 40,000 barrels of crude was discharged into the Atlantic during an operational mishap at

the oil field operated by Shell Nigeria Production and Exploration Company (SNEPCO). The House of Representatives and National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) had in December 2014 recommended a compensation of $3.96 billion for victims of the incident. Ibobra explained that the impacted communities in Delta and Bayelsa had inaugurated a 30 man committee in 2014 drawn from the six LGAs in the two states to conduct the verification of impacted people in Delta and Bayelsa. According to him, Southern Ijaw, Brass and Ekeremor LGA all on the Atlantic shoreline were the worst affected in Bayelsa while Burutu, Warri North and Warri South LGAs in Delta were worst hit in Delta. He said that some groups had taken undue advantage of the ongoing verification to circulate

compensation forms to unsuspecting members of the public across the two states. He advised members of the public to disregard the syndicates who were working outside the affected areas and advised those who suffered impact to approach their community leaders to get verified. “It has gotten to our notice that people are currently circulating oil spill compensation forms in most Bayelsa Communities. “We wish to say that for the purposes of the Bonga oil Spill incident impacted people in Brass, Southern Ijaw and Ekeremor Local Governments in Bayelsa are being verified through their community leaders. “Any other group apart from the Community Development Committee Chairmen is unknown to us and whoever purchases forms from other sources does so at his or her own risk,” Ibobra said. The Community leader said that the committee

was collecting demographic and personal data of impacted fishermen with a view to assisting them to file their claims after a sworn affidavit with Commissioner of Oaths at any high court. He said that the committee had allocated quotas to each of the impacted communities and issued forms accordingly and observed that those circulating forms outside the committee would not be captured. “We are very meticulous in what we are doing and anyone selling forms to the public will be fished out eventually because we have set limits and are working within agreed quota so any extra form cannot be accounted for. “The purpose is to authenticate the claims before they are submitted the SNEPCO for payment because we do not want people to make bogus claims that will spoil the case of those who genuinely suffered impact,” Ibobra said.

he Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Hon. Kingsley Kuku, has explained that the award of pipeline security contracts by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in the Niger Delta would enhance community participation and human capacity development of youths if properly handled by the beneficiary companies. Kuku, who is also the Chairman, Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), stated this in a press release signed by the Special Assistant/Head, Media and Communications, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, on the heels of the controversy trailing the award and protests by some former agitators in Bayelsa State against pipeline security contracts. He stated that for a long time he had advocated such a project for the benefit of oil-producing communities in the Niger Delta. Kuku said, “The communities cannot bear the effect of oil exploration activities and vandalism of pipelines and not benefit from securing their communities and environment. This is a step in the right direction by the NNPC as it will foster peace and security in the region.”

The PAP chairman noted that the award of the contract to two firms in Bayelsa State was in order, and advised those against it to see reason and cooperate with the state government to ensure the initiative succeeds. Kuku further argued that former leaders of the agitation in the region deserved the contract as they played key role in ensuring the protection of oil and gas facilities. He, however, said the insinuation contained in a statement issued by the Bayelsa State Government that former militant leaders had “mismanaged amnesty programme to short change their followers” was wrong because the programme is being managed by the Federal Government through the Office of the Special Adviser to President on Niger Delta. “This is a programme that has positively impacted Bayelsa and other states in the region. It is domiciled in my office as Mr. President’s Adviser on Niger Delta and it is not managed by former leaders of the agitation. Beneficiaries receive their monthly stipends and other allowances directly through their individual bank accounts and not through their former leaders,” Kuku added.

Imoke not selling Chronicle —Aide RICHARD NDOMA, CALABAR

he Governor of Cross River State, Sen. Liyel Imoke at the weekend in Calabar said there is no truth in the report making the rounds in Calabar that he intends to sell the state owned newspaper corporation otherwise known as the Nigerian Chronicle. In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Christian Ita said the purported plan to sell the

newspaper is the figment of the imagination of the author of the report. “Governor Liyel Imoke does not have any plan to sell the Nigerian Chronicle. The governor sees the Chronicle as one of the state’s most iconic brands. So there is no plan to sell it.” The statement therefore, urged the people of the state to disregard the report, stressing that such a report was generated by mischief makers adding that it is completely misleading and based on falsehood.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Poll: Security agencies to synergise against violence in Ughelli THEOPHILUS ONOJEGHEN WARRI

B Royal visit to the Monarch of Ogor Kingdom, His Royal Majestry, Okiemute Onajite Igere 2nd from left; HRM Okiemute Onajite Igere 1; The Ovie of Ogor Kingdom; 2nd right is Olorogun O’tega Emerhor; 1st from Left, APC Senatorial candidate for Delta Central, Hon. Igoda; 2nd right is Barrister Orugbo, APC House of Representative candidate, Ughelli; and 1st from right, APC DTHA candidate Ughelli North Constituency 1, Honourable Sylvester Oniomo.

Family of slain shop attendant demands justice RICHARD NDOMA CALABAR

hen the family of Etim Etok Akpan of Ibong Otoro village in Abak Local Government of Akwa Ibom State gave birth to a set of twins 23years ago, little did they know that they were going to die and live these twins children on earth to face the travail of the world . The couple did not anticipate that they would die one after the other and subsequently one of their twin child will die in an untimely and mysterious circumstance to join them in great beyond. The death of Stanley, one of the of twins early February, is still creating ripples among his relatives, friends and associates. Even though late Statnley became an orphan at a very tender age after losing their father in 2003 and their mother. Death has brought pain and agony to the entire family and those who interacted with him one way or the other. Late Stanley had died prematurely without living to fulfil his dreams on earth. At that time the family jubilated as it was usually done among the people of Akwa Ibom state and Cross River each time a set of twins is born . The birth of these set of twins,kingsley and Stanley at that time brought joy to the Etim Etok Akpan`s family. Like every other children the twins were enrolled in Command Children School 13 Brigade Battalion Army Barracks, Calabar

to enable them acquire primary education. After their primary education, the twins proceeded to Government Secondary School Atu,Calabar to enable them have their secondary school education where they passed out in flying colours. Subsequently Kingsley the elder twin proceeded to the University of Calabar because he gained admission to study Economics. Unfortunately their father late Mr.Etim Etok died in 2003 and their mother Mrs.Doris Etim subsequently died in 2010 leaving very meagre resources that could either sustain them or foot their educational bill. Stanley thought it was wise for him to get himself engaged with a job as a shop attendant with Sparks Shopz in Calabar at least to enable him save some money to actualise his dream of furthering his education like his twin brother Kingsley who is now in 200 level in Economics Department in the university of Calabar. Stan ley’s journey to the untimely grave started this year as he met his waterloo when on February 5,2015 a team of policemen said to be attached to D’5 of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) Diamond Hill headquarters of the Force came to Sparks Shop where he was working as a shop attendant at plot 49 Etta Agbor Road opposite Unical small gate and whisked Stanley away torturing him to death claiming that the deceased, Mr. Stanley Etim was a robber.Stanley’s aunty said.

Stanley`s aunty, Mrs Arit Nyong , who is a Chief Suprintendent at the Medical unit of Nigeria Prisons Services Calabar said the allegations by the police was based on falsehood. The deceased’s aunty alledged that Stanley was murdered by the police officers because the deceased was dating the same girl one “Chichi girl” with one of the police officers, one Uche, Uche the arrow head of the police squad that alledgedly beat Stanley to death. According to her,,the officers ganged up against the deceased with his colleagues to murder Stanley who had a disagreement with chichi girl over a N35 thousand naira which Stanley got from his boss, president of Sparks Shopz, Mr.Stephen Peters to procure diesel oil for the company`s generator unfortunately chichi girl swindled Stanley of the money. Not pleased with pressure from Stanley to get back his money which Stanley alledged ChiChi took from him.Stanley`s aunty alledged that she had received information from a reliable source that the deceased had a fight with the girl when he mounted more pressure to retrieve the money and subsequently “Chichi girl” colluded with another of her boy friend who happened to be a police office i.e Uche and framed up Stanley as a robber perhaps to teach Stanley a bitter lesson of his life daring to share or beat his girl up. According to the deceased aunty when information got to Uche that his girl friend chichi

is being squizzed by his rival Stanley who was so neck deep to recover the N35 thousand Naira which Chichi swindled him, Uche became furious and swung into action mobilizing his colleagues to go after Stanley his rival. “If is it was not a gang up against my son. Why coulden`t Chichi girl draw the attention of policemen who were on duty at Flower Mile junction on that fateful day. I know too well that there was a stationary police van at the Flower Mills Junction (venue of the fight between late Stanley and Chichi) “I am shocked when I learnt that the very police officers who murdered by sister`s son are the same officers who went and arranged with a doctor to carry out a post mortem exercise on deceased`s body without the consent of the deceased family if not that luck ran out of him he could have done the autopsy and got the body burried without our consent. Is it how it is supposed to be?”She asked. “How could an accused become a judge in matter that he is indicted?. Someone is accused of killing our son and the same person is magestically moving up and down boasting that the deceased family should come and pay bail money to claim the corpse,he does all these with impunity as if he is above the law. “All we are saying is that police should give us our son alive the way they picked him from his work place otherwise let justice prevail, ”she demanded.

arely a week to the Presidential election, Security agencies in Ughelli North Council Area in Delta State comprising men of the 222 Battalion, Nigerian Police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC and local vigilante have agreed to work together warning that they will deal mercilessly anyone caught fomenting trouble in the area during the electioneering period. At a combined show of force in Ughelli, the administrative headquarters of the council, the security agencies assured people of the area of violence free general elections while also warning that they are battle ready to arrest any break down of law and order. Addressing newsmen at the exercise, Commanding Officer of 222 Battalion code named Operation Pulo Shield, Agbarho-Otor, Lt. Col. Matthew Oyekola and the Area Commander of Ughelli Police Command, ACP Smart Pedro noted that the exercise was meant to alert members of the public that they were ready for the elections. According to them, they are ready for any security challenges that might arise during and after the general elections, most especially those who are determined to foment and scuttle the exercise in the area. In their respective remarks, they said: “We were able to visit nine out of eleven local government areas under the supervision of the command and in doing this; we have been able to give reassurance to the people of the area that we are battle ready in giving them the needed security during and after the polls. “The army and other security agents are in support of democracy and do not condone any form of electoral violence. Our moral is high and we are in top gear towards achieving the task ahead. All Deltans should come out in their numbers and perform their civic responsibility by voting for the candidate of their choice.”

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Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Still on aggressive enterprise in Nigeria OLUSOLA AKINYEMI

must say that an average Nigerian share this spirit of enterprise. Irrespective of the environmental frustrations, few still grow successful enterprises while major part of the population struggles to sustain their ventures. For millions of those who are unemployed, the spirit is also there but the challenge is where to engage the spirit. It is rather unfortunate that in the midst of so much economic potentials in the country, the youth, which are about 70 percent of the population, are substantially unengaged. Furthermore, Tse mentioned that there are hundreds of thousands of Li Nings, entrepreneurs who have driven one of the fastest sustained national economic growth rate of any country in the world. What readily came to mind is the imagination of hundreds of thousands of the likes of Aliko Dangote, Oba Otudeko, Mike Adenuga permeating every area of economic potential in Nigeria. Not only will the people never struggle with poverty anymore, but the country’s wealth will sporadically increase. I was told by a friend that Nigeria should be able to focus on a major field(s) for economic dominance like ICT or Healthcare or tourism etc. While I do not totally displace this kind of reasoning, I will say Nigeria is more blessed than that. Nigeria prior to the discovery of oil had earned so much from agriculture and mining. The advent of oil ran other

sectors aground. If Nigeria has been so serious about becoming economically vibrant, adding the oil boom to the already thriving agricultural, mining and real sector would have quadrupled the nation’s GDP and per capita income today. The use of technological advancement to facilitate production would have made a phenomenal impact in being a dominant player in the global economy. According to Tse, after 30 years of opening and liberalizing Chinese economy, nowhere else, not even among the mature markets of Japan, Europe, and the United States, offers the same extraordinary range of brands and products as China. For every drink, Chinese companies make their own versions of every international flavor- and many flavors that are not produced elsewhere. For magazines, there are Chinese editions of such familiar global titles as Cosmopolitan, Vogue, and Elle. Driving on the streets are locally manufactured vehicles from almost every global brand carmaker- General Motors (GM) and Ford, Toyota and Honda, Volkswagen (VW) and its subsidiary Audi, BMW and Mercedes, Citroen and Hyundai- plus a host of local auto brands, including Chery, Geely, Brilliance, and Great Wall. Tse stated further that over the next decade to two, the presence of Chinese companies are expected to make restructuring more likely in a wide range of other industries - among them automotive, shipbuilding, chemicals, energy, information technology and, possibly aerospace.

IT IS NEVER ENOUGH TO HAVE A VISION WITHOUT AN ACTION PLAN AND DRIVE TO REALISE IT This is the aggressive spirit of enterprise, this is the China spirit! A country like Nigeria is and will continue to seriously shortchange itself by ignoring every other area of economic potential and remaining un-innovative. At this point, it is essential to consider the role of the government in the cause of economic prosperity of the nation. While some people have severally stressed the fact that the people can prosper in their ventures without waiting for the government, I have consistently maintained the fact that the people will prosper more in their ventures when the government vigorously play a facilitative role in the cause. The role of the government starts with a dynamic vision. Nations around the world that we so much admire and love to identify with had the emergence of economic prosperity with visionary leadership and planning. This is the story of Singapore, South Korea, China, Japan, and Dubai to list a few of common ones. It is never enough to have a vision without an action plan and drive to realise it. Having visionary leadership and the drive of accomplishment is most vital. The vision in context is not a generic one but to initiate and enforce all factors

necessary to propel aggressive entrepreneurship to achieve national wealth. That is the kind of vision that transformed the nations listed earlier. This action plan may be contained in a National Development Plan. Budget, laws, policies and decisions are made on strict compliance to the vision and action plan. This should include provision of infrastructural facilities, access to cheap credit, regulation of product standard, enforcement of local content law, review of impeding laws and policies that tend to frustrate development process among others. By this, the government would have successfully created an enabling environment that will help ventures to succeed. Beyond that, more people will be open to new ideas in untapped areas and resources. Furthermore, the government will be living up to the spirit of its constitutional responsibility as contained in Section 16 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). We have long been hearing that Nigeria is blessed by God, we have long been hearing that Nigeria is rich in resources, we have long been hearing that Nigeria have brains and forces to be a player in global market, but the time has come that we should take full responsibility and dedicate our strength, our best and our all to realise this worthy cause of national economic prosperity. Akinyemi President, Joseph Initiative Ltd, Lagos wrote via olusola. akins@gmail.com

Elections, politicians and Nigerian lumpen proletariat DESTINY ISIGUZO

very society evolves in consciousness and awareness. This is because man is susceptible to change. Right from the emergence of agriculture, which got rid of the Stone Age where man lived in the crudest state of nature. Every society go through phases of consciousness, from the simple to the complex. Take for instance Europe, with their historical revolution after the people have attained a complex level of consciousness. It was the God, the king and noble man, and then the clergy. They were seen as blue blood, direct representatives of God on earth. With their new complex consciousness, they revolted against the kings and the clergy men and realized that these people were mere humans like them. People who have so mystified themselves with power that they appear like demi-gods. The preliterate and the middle-class revolted and there was a usurpation of power. This is the evolutionary process, moving from simple life to the more complex. At the level of simple life, which could be said to be the communalistic society, the level of social organization was simple, privileges were minimal because there was no much differentiation between the people in the society.

Power was more diffused than concentrated because the economic conditions of the society created a situation where there was no need for so much power or too much power. There seems to be harmony. The Nigerian state is one ridden by extreme tussle for power because of the privileges that are accrued to power. There is so much difference between the leaders and the governed. A Nigerian legislator goes home with a monthly bumper pay that can pay the minimum wage of ten thousands others. They are treated as gods with an army of soldiers that can guard a council following them. They are sacred cows and as such, above the law. With their largesse, their town people are ready to give them titles and the media men fawn on them. This is why politics is a do or die affair in Nigeria. Those that have tasted these privileges prefer better death to relinquishing power, and those who have lost power prefer exile to home. The Nigerian political class is a class of political capitalists or rather, political investors who are only concerned with the privileges of power and the dividends that are accrued to it. The APC is desperate to take over power, while PDP is desperate to keep the power. If APC takes over, a new order or a new political gang takes over and power and money will change hands. New set of loyalists will be rewarded and

AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED, THESE ELECTIONS ARE NOT ABOUT THE ORDINARY PEOPLE new set of billionaires will emerge. This means that bread is taken away from some people’s table and placed on others table. And one thing about power is that nobody or group gives up easily. For anyone to relinquish power in a third world country like Nigeria, the person must be pushed out of power. So you shouldn’t be surprised at the tension the upcoming general elections have created; it has affected the stock market. Investors are wise, they wouldn’t want to invest in a party that may likely lose election. Nigerians don’t really have a choice this high-tensioned season. Our choice is between the devil and the deep blue sea. So, when ordinarily people are caught up in violence over this election, I marvel at their level of ignorance. As far as I am concerned, these elections are not about the ordinary people. The elections are about the political class and their well guarded privileges. Things might change if we make political offices less attractive. Reduce the salary of politicians and their allow-

ances to that of civil servants without any special privilege, then you will be surprised at the number of people left in the political class. What we have are political investors, not patriots. Nigeria must do well to return to a communal society where there is very insignificant difference between the leaders and the followers. Only then will the true leaders emerge. I am not saying that there are no true politicians, what I am saying is that they are too few to make any significant difference in the polity. The political system in Nigeria is the one that encourages political investors. If you are a politician today, your fortunes changes immediately. Until we revolve our consciousness to change the status quo, things may not change or be as it ought to be. The Nigerian middle class is a very docile one. Until they change their attitude, we will keep having political investors rather than patriots. The problem is, we are finding it difficult to change our consciousness. Isiguzo is of the Art Desk and could be reached through isiguzocdestiny@gmail.com Send your views by mail or sms to PMB 10001, Ikoyi, or our Email: mail@ nationalmirroronline.net mirrorlagos@ yahoo.com or 08164966858 (SMS only). The Editor reserves the right to edit and reject views or photographs. Pseudonyms may be used but must be clearly marked as such.

Editorial

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

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All the Facts, All the Sides A PUBLICATION OF GLOBAL MEDIA MIRROR LTD BARRISTER JIMOH IBRAHIM, CFR PUBLISHER

SUNDAY OLAJIDE MANAGING DIRECTOR/CEO SEYI FASUGBA DAILY EDITOR GBEMI OLUJOBI SATURDAY EDITOR AYO OLESIN SUNDAY EDITOR BEN MEMULETIWON GENERAL EDITOR DOZIE OKEBALAMA COORDINATOR, EDITORIAL BOARD CALLISTUS OKE EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR ISE-OLUWA IGE ABUJA BUREAU CHIEF AUGUSTUS IMEKAN ACTING HEAD, GRAPHICS

FG’s reluctance on new refineries

he Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) wrote the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, recently demanding full disclosure of details of the contract for three Greenfield refineries and petrochemical plants awarded by the President Goodluck Jonathan administration for $23 billion in 2010. Relying on the provisions of the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act 2011, the CNPP spokesman, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, recalled that on May 13, 2010, contract for the plants was awarded by the Federal Government to the Chinese State Construction and Engineering Corporation Limited ( CSCEC). The facilities were to be located in Bayelsa, Kogi and Lagos states. On completion, they were to add 750,000 barrels per day capacity to Nigeria’s refining infrastructure and create over a million jobs. The CNPP said the abandonment of such critical refining infrastructure stimulated the closure of factories, crash of the naira, gross unemployment, return of huge debt trap and fuel scarcity, among other setbacks. Indeed, reports sourced from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) early last year indicated that the inability of the country’s four refineries - Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemical Company (KRPC),

Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) I and II, and Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC) - to produce at optimal installed capacity was impacting negatively on the nation’s economy. The problem cost the nation $706.521 million, roughly N113.04 billion in February 2014 alone. These outfits have a combined capacity of 445,000 barrels per day. Compare this rather sordid performance with happenings in Venezuela, for example, one of the countries having the largest oil reserves in the world, managed by Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA), the equivalence of Nigeria’s NNPC. Venezuela, as at 2013, maintained 2.8 million barrels per day of total global refining capacity in assets throughout the United States, the Caribbean, Europe, and within, says the globally acclaimed ‘Oil & Gas Journal’ (OGJ). The country had 1.3 million barrels per day of domestic crude oil refining capacity in 2013, all operated by the PDVSA; and the major refining facilities were the Paraguana Refining Centre (955,000 bbl/d); Puerto de la Cruz (195,000 bbl/d); El Palito (126,900 bbl/d); and San Roque (5,200 bbl/d). Venezuela nationalized its oil industry in the 1970s and created the PDVSA. Besides being Venezuela’s largest employers of labour, PDVSA accounts for a significant share of the

March 24, 1980 Archbishop Oscar Romero was killed while celebrating Mass in San Salvador. Oscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdamez (August 15, 1917 –March 24 1980) was a bishop of the Catholic Church in El Salvador. He became the fourth Archbishop of San Salvador, succeeding Luis Chavez. He spoke out against poverty, social injustice, assassinations and torture; but was unfortunately assassinated on March 24, 1980.

VENEZUELA, AS AT 2013, MAINTAINED 2.8 MILLION BARRELS PER DAY OF TOTAL GLOBAL REFINING CAPACITY country’s gross domestic product (GDP), and government revenue and export earnings. During the 1990s, Venezuela took steps to liberalize the petroleum sector. However, when the late Hugo Chavez was elected President in 1999, the country increased public participation in the oil industry. In Nigeria, however, the reverse is painfully the case. The FG, especially under the Jonathan administration, has been unable to invest energy and political will in adding value to the nation’s crude oil. The nation’s oil industry is not only run as a cult, but in one breath, the President tells Nigerians that private investors are not interested in building refineries in the country because of a fuel subsidy regime that is suspect; the Minister of Petroleum Resources; Mrs. Deziani Allison-Maduekwe, says government will not force oil producing companies in the country to go into refining of petroleum products in order to meet local demand; and Okonjo-Iweala sums it up by saying the FG has no interest in investing in refineries.

ON THIS DAY March 24, 2003 The Arab League voted 21-1 in favour of a resolution demanding the immediate and unconditional removal of United States’ and British soldiers from Iraq. Arab League is a regional organization of Arab countries in and around North Africa, the Horn of Africa, and Southwest Asia. It was formed in Cairo on March 22, 1945 with six members: Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Syria.

The existing refineries were even sold for mere pittance during the ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo era. It took the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua to reverse the sale. In yet another breath, the FG gives its National Refineries Special Task Force 60 working days to revive the four refineries; and Allison-Madueke says Nigerian refineries ought to be brought up to at least to the globally accepted 80-90 percent capacity utilisation range. This is sheer confusion on the side of the FG, which has neither been able to pull through the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), meant to sanitise the oil industry, but has been stuck for donkey’s years in the National Assembly, nor find a lasting solution to the stinking oil subsidy frauds and the nation’s wholesale reliance on imported refined petroleum products, which are among the main sources of monstrous corruption in government, unemployment and poverty in the land, as well as irregular supply of petroleum products nationwide, et cetera. Therefore, the government should seize the opportunity provided by the CNPP inquiry to explain to Nigerians why other crude oil-endowed nations are running refineries to the benefit of their economies and citizens, while state-owned refineries are as good as non-existent in Nigeria.

March 24, 2008 Bhutan officially became a democracy, with its first ever general election. The Kingdom of Bhutan is a landlocked country in South Asia at the eastern end of the Himalayas. It is bordered to the north by China and to the south, east and west by India. To the west, it is separated from Nepal by the Indian state of Sikkim, while farther south it is separated from Bangladesh by the Indian states of Assam and West Bengal.

Business

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Environmental Sanitation: Mixed reactions trail ruling on movement restriction

Infrastructural Decay: Stakeholders set renewal agenda for industry’s growth

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Taxation: The Swivel of the Economy (1) 36

NSDP: Tackling Nigeria’s human capital deficit in maritime industry

AIRLINES’ FLIGHT SCHEDULES Dana Air Abuja-Lagos 9am, 1pm, 5.28pm daily Lagos-Abuja 7am, 11am, 1.23pm,3.30pm daily Lagos-PH: 7.20AM, Ph-Abuja9.54am, Abuja-ph: 3.30pm and Ph-Lagos: 5.28pm daily Lagos-Uyo: 9.20am, Uyo-Abuja: 11.07am, Abuja-Uyo 1.05pm, Uyo-Lagos: 3pm daily Weekends Lagos-Abuja: 7.02am, 9am, 3.30pm Abuja-Lagos: 9am, 2.20pm and 5.28pm Lagos -Phc: 11.07am Phc-Lagos: 1.05pm Phc-Abuja: 12.51pm Abuja-Phc: 10.50am Lagos-Uyo: 9.18am Uyo-LOS -3.03pm Uyo-Abuja: 11.07am Abuja-Uyo: 1.05pm

Some cabotage vessels

The liquidation of the Nigerian National Shipping Line NNSL and the challenges faced by the Maritime Academy of Nigeria MAN, Oron, Akwa Ibom State created a serious human capital gap in the nation’s maritime sector. In what seems a proactive response to the challenge the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency NIMASA, created the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme, NSDP, to bridge the human capital gap. Few years down the line, the programme seems to be restoring hope for skilled manpower-driven growth of the sector. FRANCIS EZEM, who recently returned from Manila, the Philippines, where over 1000 of the NSDP cadets are being trained, reports.

ike the Biblical mustard seed, the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme NSDP, an initiative of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency NIMASA, started on a very little scale with doubts and cynicism, with many describing it as an avenue to siphon government’s revenue. But then, realities have continued to show that the training programme may have become a major hub to anchor Nigeria’s strive to become a major provider of skilled sea fearers that will drive the global maritime sector’s sustainable growth in the years ahead. To many industry analysts, the NSDP is seen as a desirable intervention scheme aimed primarily at addressing the short to medium terms manpower need of the Nigerian maritime industry, now

largely dominated by foreigners and also make an inroad into the global seafarers market, amongst other potential value-adding benefits. Available records at the International Maritime Organisation IMO show that Philippines, which currently has a population of 103 million people as at the end of last year supplies about 30 per cent of the world seafarers by exporting over 300,000 seafarers to the international shipping labour market. The country in return earns an estimated $6.0 billion, which is repatriated annually to the Philippines local economy with attendant multiplier effects on the economy. Under the NSDP Programme, Nigerian cadets are being trained in the fields of Naval Architecture, Marine Engineering and Transport Management, among

several other related fields in the United States, United Kingdom, Egypt, the Republic of Philippines, Romania and Singapore, among several others. NIMASA thus, projects to create a pool of Nigerian seafarers to meet local needs and also help in shoring up the manpower needs of the global shipping market, which is also expected to yield over $10 billion annually when all the cadets being trained now are gainfully employed both locally and in the global market. By so doing, Nigeria would have made a name for herself as a leading seafarers’ supplier in the entire African continent. Initially, the programme took off under the counterpart funding arrangement under which the agency took the responsibility of underwriting 60 per cent of the training cost of every sea-

farer’s training cost in addition to monthly stipends, travel arrangement and other sundry expenses etc while each participating state while the participating state government carter for the remaining 40 per cent of the cost. Investigations showed that this counterpart funding arrangement could not yield the expected results due to the apathy of most State Governments, who have refused to key into the programme despite several visits, enlightenment programmes in the 36 states and Abuja by the agency. As at the last count, about 14 states of the Federation have keyed into the programme comprising Kaduna, 36 students, Niger,25, Kog, 25 students, Lagos 25 students, Benue, 16 students, Ebonyi 15 students Ondo 11 students and Ekiti four stuCONTINUED ON PAGE 20

Aero Contractors Lag-Abj: 06.50, 13.30, 16.30, 19.45 (Mon-Fri/Sat/Sun), 12.30 (Sun) 16.45 (Sat) Abj-Los: 07.30, 13.00, 19.00 (Mon-Fri/Sat, 10.30, 14.30, 19.30 (Sun, 18.30 Sat) Lag-Benin: 07.45, 11.00, 15.30 (Mon-Fri/Sat/ Sun) 12.30 (Sun 15.30 (Sat) Ben-Lag: 09.15, 12.30, 17.00 (Mon-Fri/Sat/Sun) 17.00 (Sat) 14.00 (Sun)Lag-Owe: 7.45am, 2pm daily

Med-View Airline Lagos- Abuja (Mon-Fri): 07.00, 08.50, 12.00, 16.30. Abuja- Lagos (Mon-Fri): 09.00, 14.00, 15.00, 18.30. Lagos-Yola (Mon-Fri): 8.50am. Yola-Lagos (Mon-Fri): 13.00. Lagos- PHC (Mon-Fri): 17.00. PHC-Lagos: 19.00. Abuja-Yola: 11.00. Yola-Abuja: 13.00. Lagos-Abuja (Sat): 08.00, 08.50. Abuja-Lagos (Sat): 10.00, 15.00. Lagos-PHC (Sat): 17.00. PHC-Lagos (Sat): 19.00. Lagos-Yola (Sat): 08.50. Yola-Lagos (Sat): 13.00

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Tuesday, March 24, 2015

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NSDP: Tackling Nigeria’s human capital deficit in maritime industry CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19 dents, among others. It was worried by this seeming apathy on the part of the state governments and even private individuals that were encourage to participate in the programme under the counterpart funding arrangement that the agency decided to undertake full sponsorship of some cadets numbering over 5, 000 selected across the 36 geopolitical zones and Abuja Precisely in November 2013, over 500 of the NSDP cadets graduated from the Tenyson College of Maritime Studies in Manchester, United Kingdom while over 400 graduated from the Arab Maritime Academy, Egypt, brining to a total of 5, 000 that have so far graduated from the programme. It was gathered that while some have proceeded for the mandatory one-year sea time training in line with the IMO’s Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping STCW 1978, having completed their National Youth Service Corpse NYSC, others are currently undergoing their NYSC programme after which they proceed for their STCW training, which has been built into the programme. Minister of Transport, Mallam Idris Umar, in what appeared an assessment of the programme, observed that this laudable initiative, which is commendable, could not have come at a better than now time when the administration is driving the Transformation Agenda and focusing on exploring avenues for advancing the economic fortunes of the country, Nigeria towards improving the lot of the citizenry and actualising the programmes encapsulated in the agenda. “NSDP is making steady progress. NIMASA is successfully running the Programme for training all categories of seafarers. So far, over 2,500 beneficiaries have graduated under the full sponsorship of NIMASA”, the Minister said. He also said: “The development, therefore, of a corps of young and quality seafarers is a direct response to the dearth of seafarers globally, and particularly in Nigeria. With the liquidation of the Nigerian National Shipping Line NNSL, the number and quality of seafarers in Nigeria has dwindled significantly. The average age of the Nigerian seafarer today is put at 60 compared to the global average of 35. The need for the Government to intervene became not only imperative, but indeed urgent”. The visibly elated Minister noted that the scheme would also contribute to realisation of the objectives of the Coastal and Inland Shipping (Cabotage) regime, especially as it relates to manning. It was also in a bid to ensure not only that the quality of education being given to the Nigerian cadets that the management of the agency embarked on a working visit to the three Universities where a total of 1, 000 of the cadets are being trained. The three spcialised Universities include Perpetual Help University, University of Lyceum and the Maritime Education and Training Centre of the University of Cebu. Prior to the visit to the universities, the management team paid a courtesy of Nigeria’s Ambassador to the Philippines, Chief Adeyemi Farounbi. The ambassador, who commended the management of the agency for introducing

Jonathan

Akpobolokemi

MY FATHER IS A WELDER, AND MY MOTHER IS A CLEANER. I GRADUATED FROM THE COLLEGE OF FISHRIES AND OCEANOGRAPHY AND A FRIEND OF MINE TOLD ME OF THE NSDP. I APPLIED AND MY NAME WAS SHORTLISTED AND SO TODAY, EVERY OTHER THING IS HISTORY BECAUSE I AM HERE the programme, said apart from helping the build human capacity, which the country is in dire need of, the programme has also further cemented the existing relation between Nigeria and the Philippines He also disclosed that while the embassy has only concentrated on building relations between the two governments, the programme since the last two years when it came on stream, said it has facilitated the building person-person relations, which is also very cucial. “In the last two years, when the programme started, the management of NIMASA or its representatives have visit the country a coupe of times and in the process created personal relationships between the student and even members of staff of the affected universities”, he asserted. He therefore enjoined the management to keep fate with the programme, as is will obviously help in addressing Nigeria manpower shortage in the country.. While comparing Nigeria and the Philippines, he noted that with a population of about 103 million people, the Republic of Philippines controls over 28 percent of the global seafarers’ supply, which is the mainstay of the Philippines’economy.

Some Cadets graduands

“As you know very well, this country does not have oil or other mineral resources like Nigeria but she relies on seafarers export in addition to revenue generation from tourism has been able to develop a lot of infrastructure in the country”, he argued. Director General of the agency, Dr. Patrick Akpobolokemi, while speaking at the event, restated the commitment of the management to enhance and sustain the programme for the benefit of the Nigerian youths. The DG, who was represented by Executive Director, Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services, Mr. Callistus-Obi-Nwabueze insisted that the agency would continue to sustain and make te programme even more robust so that more cadets would be trained. encouragement to the management, which has provided the spring board for the programme, he assured that the agency would continue to do all in its powers to enhance and sustain the programme. “What we are doing in the NSDP scheme is to make huge sacrifice today, which the country would reap maximally in few years to come. We will therefore continue to sus-

Sekimizu

tain and make it even more robust to the overall benefit of the Nigerian nation”, Akopbolokemis also said. Some students who also spoke on their experience under the programme, were full of appreciation to the Federal Government and the management of the agency for the laudable, which has given many of them a hope and a future. Mr. Ikechukwu Nnandi, a part two student at the Cebu Univesity, narrated how he got into the programme just by divine province. “My father is a Welder and my mother is a cleaner in a private hospital in Abia State. I graduated from the College of Fishries and Oceanography and a friend of mine told me of the NSDP and I applied and my name was shortlisted and so today, every other thing is history because I am here”, he said emphatically. He urged the management of the agency to continue with the programme, describing it as a lifeline to many Nigerian youths, who ordinarily would not have had the opportunity to study in a foreign university. Same is the story of Sobai Amos from Delta at the Perpetual Help University, who while commenting on the alleged eviction of some students from class said there was absolutely nothing like that. “The Nigerian Ambassador in the country is constantly in touch with all the schools in the country where Nigerian cadets are being trained and so such a thing could not have happened. Many of us saw it on the internet and shared it with surprise among our friends and colleagues in other schools but we know that there is nothing like that, he insisted. Another cadet, Nwachukwu Theodora, one of the few female cadets lauded that programme, saying that apart from the normal issue of being homesick the first six months after the commencement of the programme, everything has went well so far. “But we will not object to it if the government decides to allow us come home once on vacation in the course of the programme. But we also know that the cost might be enormous considering the flight tickets and other logistics. All the same, it is well with us she also said. These testimonies of the cadets themselves is an eloquent justification for the continuation and sustainance of the programme in the interest of the Nigerian youths.

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Business News

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Nigeria needs N10bn to drive software industry ISAIAH ERHIAWARIEN

he software sector of the Information and Communications technology, ICT, industry in Nigeria needs about N10 billion for it not only to close rank with India but to make over N50 billion within three years, an industry chieftain, Dr Chris Uwaje, has projected. And when done, the industry, he said, will then be able to employ about five million people within the IT ecosystem. Uwaje, a former President of the Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria, ISPON, in an interview with the National Mirror said that a major problem with the sector was that there is no venture capital stating practitioners had to sell personal effects to be able raise fund to development software essential for the growth of the economy.

He disclosed that the sector was expanding sporadically and it is taking a chunk of the IT eco system noting that soon it will be like the judiciary or law that permits every nook and cranny of humanity. According to him, there is no software funded research project in any university in the country stressing that if we have seen that it only on individual thesis levels. He called on government to ensure that Nigerian professors in the software sector are funded to engage in software related research saying that “we must be able to ensure that our professor are involved in research so that they can write international papers to make these things happened.” Uwaje added that the IT big innovations occur not within the software sector but in education saying that “all the big names like Facebook and Google occur in

education but here in Nigeria it resides in the industry. We must bring it back to education. Education is the life wire of information technology.” He explained that Nigerian lecturers much be retooled to play prominent roles in the IT ecosystem since what to do is the product that the software sector will depend on to grow and catch-up with countries like India stressing that “we they are very instrumental to the development and sustainability of the industry of the Nigerian knowledge society

to be able to compete with the rest of the world.” The industry expert said further that although there was curriculum review by the Ministry of Education, government needs to set up a special forum for IT lecturers and computer science teachers to do follow up on the curriculum due to the sporadic speed of the IT sector adding that “this process must be funded beside the paying their salaries. Uwaje while calling for a new thinking of the role of computer science lectures in our universi-

ties, primary schools and secondary schools in respect to IT said that the right place to start to build those that will develop a nation’s software is from the kindergarten. According to him, by the time the kids get to secondary schools their brains are already sharp prepared to absorb the software knowledge noting that at the university they are ready to become entrepreneur developing software that will grow the nation’s economy.

Agric experts bemoan drop in sector’s budget proposal TOLA AKINMUTIMI

ajor stakeholders in the nation’s agricultural sector have bemoaned the substantial reduction in the 2015 proposed budget for agriculture when compared with the 2014 appropriation. This amongst other findings came to the fore during a dialogue session organised by Actionaid Nigeria, AAN, in Abuja. Some of the participants at the event who included, the Small Scale Women Farmers Organisation of Nigeria (SWOFON), affirmed that they hardly get access to any form of agricultural financing, farm inputs and extension services and other support to small scale farmers. Giving his keynote address at the event, the country manager of AAN, Dr. Hussaini Abdu, who was represented, emphasised on the essentials of the budget as it affected the effectual wellness of the citizenry at a whole. According to him, the effective implementation of the 2015 bud-

get itself determines the level of standard of living in the country. Azubike Nwokoye, Food and Agriculture Programme Advisor of Actionaid, in his paper on the budget analysis as it concerns the agricultural sector recommended, that the government should allocate 10 per cent of its budget to the sector. In his analytical presentation, it was noted that ‘the yearly practice of several administrative/bloated overheads, unclear and wasteful allocations within all other agencies and the main ministry’s budget is becoming absurd’. The trend for the last five years in comparison to international commitments shows that the 2015 budget was placed at 0.9 per cent unlike 1.44 per cent which was allocated for the sector in 2014. It was also revealed that while the Federal Government made proposed allocation of N303 million for the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), it still allocated another N4.7million for medical expenses.

L-R: Anabel Leadership Academy’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Nicholas Okoye, Hon. Minister of Industries, Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Olutoyin Aganga and Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) Engr.Ernest Nwapa, at launch of Youth Empowerment Strategy, Oil and Gas Sector in Abuja at the weekend.

UK firms call for decision on investment allowance

NP Paribas Leasing Solutions at the weekend warned that a significant reduction in the UK Annual Investment Allowance (AIA) would have a negative impact on investment, with businesses seeking greater clarity from Chancellor George Osborne on his Budget announcement in this area. The AIA was introduced in April 2008 and allows most businesses, regardless of their size, to claim tax relief on capital investments. Following two temporary rises, the Annual Investment Allowance (AIA) cap was scheduled to fall from the current GBP500,000 (USD740,290) to GBP25,000 on January 1, 2016. During his March 18 Budget speech, Osborne noted that business groups have made clear that a planned reduction in the AIA

cap to GBP25,000 “would not be remotely acceptable.” Although Osborne explained that the limit “will be set at a much more generous rate,” he also said that “a better time to address this is in the Autumn Statement.” Parliament will be dissolved on March 30, ahead of the May 7 general election. The Autumn Statement is typically delivered in December. Responding to Osborne’s comments, Tristan Watkins, UK country manager for BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions, said: “The AIA proved its worth in encouraging business investment. While it is promising that the Chancellor says an allowance of GBP25,000 is too low, businesses would prefer greater clarity for next year. Many businesses would prefer the allowance to

be kept at a six-figure sum; they are feeling more confident now and want the ability to make absolutely transformative investments. We are concerned that a significant reduction in this allowance would have a negative impact on investment.” BNP Paribas said that businesses need to place major orders for investments in capital equipment by the summer, because eligibility for the current AIA of GBP500,000 will depend on equipment being on site and ready for use by December 31, 2015. The firm estimates that had Osborne continued with the previous proposal to cut the AIA by 95 percent to GBP25,000, missing the deadline would cost a business a saving of up to GBP389,500 from its next tax bill.

Nigeria’s IATI membership‘ll enhance devt cooperation -Minister TOLA AKINMUTIMI

he Minister and Deputy Chairman, National Planning Commission, Dr. Abubakar Sulaiman, has described Nigeria’s membership of the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) as a step of

the country towards the creation of a global standard for presenting data on development cooperation financing. Speaking on Nigeria’s new partnership in a statement by his Special Assistant (Media) Abdulrahman Abdulrauf, the minister said the nation was “delighted to join the International Aid Transparency Initiative as part

of steps towards achieving the Transformation Agenda of the present administration and the Nigerian government looks forward to working together with other partners to bring greater transparency to development cooperation.” IATI is a multi-stakeholder initiative that seeks to increase the transparency of develop-

ment cooperation to maximise impact on poverty. IATI has developed an open data standard – the IATI Standard– which enables a wide range of organisations to publish information on their development cooperation in a common, open, electronic format. To date, over 300 organisations have published to IATI. Once published to the IATI

Standard, development funding data can be used in various formats and combined with other information for multiple purposes. Governments can use the timely, comprehensive data to generate budgets and national plans, and citizens can track and monitor use of development resources against reported allocations.

Business News

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

50 youths to benefit from N220bn MSME fund

…as FG flags off Entrepreneurship training for youths

TOLA AKINMUTIMI

he Federal Government at the weekend commenced the screening of Nigerian youths for entrepreneurship training with the launch at the weekend of the Youths Entrepreneurship Strategy in Oil and Gas Industry. Besides, part of the N220 billion set aside for Micro Small Medium Enterprises (MSME) through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) would be utilized to fund the Youth Entrepreneurship Strategy. At least 50 youths will benefit from the fund at the first instance. Addressing the youths at the launch organized by Anabel Leadership Academy in Abuja at the weekend, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, said that government was fully determined to empower the youths in view of

their capabilities to add value to ongoing national economic development agenda. Aganga explained that Nigerian youths form a very substantial segment of the population; hence they must be empowered in order to stem the tide of unemployment, poverty, hunger and squalor. He noted that the federal government had created a window of opportunities through legislation and the youths should take advantage of these opportunities. “Apart from empowerment through entrepreneurship training and certification, you must take advantage of the power reform and industrialization. These are windows of opportunities. The greatest asset you have now is your brain and that is where the future is, he said. According to him, the power of the youth in economic development is very important today so any country that does not tap

the potential of the youths cannot compete globally. ‘It is important we re-invent ourselves and position our economy for industrialization and entrepreneurship’, he said. Anabel Leadership Academy’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Nicholas Okoye explained that as a response to the federal government’s efforts at creating a window of opportunities for the youths to become employers of labor, there must be network of young Nigerians that would take over. Okoye, the conveyer of the launch explained that the empowerment programme would be executed through the Nigerian content fund set aside to build capacity. According to Okoye, the company’s role in the initiative is that of facilitator by exposing the prospective young entrepreneurs to an array of skills that would prepare them to realize their dreams.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Why financial literacy matters for students –UBA boss JOHNSON OKANLAWON

esearch has shown that those who go through life with a high level of financial literacy usually make good and informed choices in life and often end up better financially and materially, the Group Managing Director of United Bank for Africa, Mr. Phillips Oduoza has said. Oduoza, who spoke to students of Girls Secondary School, Amenyi Awka, as part of the celebration of financial literacy day, noted that financially smart people make financially smart families, communities and country, which leads to a higher standard of living for everyone. He took the students through the basic concepts of making money, savings and investments while letting them know their capacity to make informed financial decisions will make them better adults in future. The Principal of the school,

AshakaCem shareholders laud new chairman’s appointment OLUSEGUN KOIKI

L-R: Managing Director, Microsoft, Mr. Kabelo Makwane; Executive Director, Sterling Bank Plc, Mr. Lanre Adesanya and Deputy Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria Limited, Mr. Tony Okpanachi, during the Businessday’s Nigeria Top 25 CEOs award presentation in Lagos.

Experts endorse liquid fertiliser for farmers ADEOLA TUKURU ABUJA

ome experts have recommended the newly produced Alfa Life liquid organic fertiliser for farmers in Nigeria, saying it is cheaper than inorganic fertiliser, safer to use, easy to handle, environmentally friendly and gives higher yields. Prof. Peter C. Nnabude,,who spoke at launch of the fertiliser in Abuja, explained that the product contained all the 17 essential elements required for optimum crop performance and at tolerable limits except N which is short by 0.13 per cent and pH which is considered acidic for fertiliser materials.

Nnabude, a Professor of Soil Science at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, further stressed that the new organic fertilizer was an intervention input that eliminates all hindrances associated with conventional organic manure and possesses all advantages associated with it”. “Just as human health is better addressed by naturally synthesized foods and drugs, the plant and its medium of growth, the soil are better sustained through organically produced nutrient elements. “In all yield parameters considered, Alfa Life demonstrated significant superiority over inorganic fertiliser as a crop production fertiliser “, he said.

The soil expert added that the product had the requisite physical properties and met the specifications for product handling for fertiliser materials, advising the producers however to address the odour issue in the new product. Also,Prof. Ishaku Yoila Amapu from the Institute of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, said Alfa Life is an organic liquid foliar fertiliser that is 100 per cent chemical free and environmentally friendly. According to him, the fertiliser is specifically formulated with Bio-nano technology that originated from Taiwan, Malaysia Bumiputera products with modification according to the local environment.

Mrs. Winnie Ibezim, the thanked the bank for choosing GSS to celebrate the financial literacy day event. She said the school readily accepted to host the programme because of her strong believes that the financial literacy education will turn the students into good financial managers. The Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano said the bank’s decision to celebrate the financial literacy day in the state is highly appreciated and ties in with the state governor’s efforts to promote education in the state. The governor, who was represented by the Senior Special Assistant, Finance, Mr. Tony Oli urged the bank to look into the provision of collateral free loans to skill based business startups in the state to encourage young entrepreneurs that have acquired skills to be able to practice what they have learnt and reduce the level of unemployment in the country.

hareholders of AshakaCem Plc have lauded the appointment of Mallam Suleiman Yahyah as the new chairman of the company. The President of the Independent Shareholders Association of Nigeria, ISAN, Mr. Sunny Nwosu said that the appointment of Yahyah would lead to a transformation of the cement company. He said, “He has a big heart. Even when you have a problem with him, he will call you and say let’s settle. He also understands the yearning of shareholders.” The Chairman of the Trusted Shareholders Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Mukhtar Mukhtar

commended the Board and management of the company on the new appointment, adding that .“Yahyah’s appointment will definitely bring tremendous benefits and the much needed repositioning for greater efficiency in production, human resource management and marketing. Yahyah, whose appointment took effect from 12th March, is a First Class Economics graduate and takes over the mantle of leadership from Alhaji Umaru Kwairanga. He is also the Chairman of Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO), and director in other companies.. Others appointed into the Board are Mr. Anders, Kristiansson, Mrs. Edith Onwuchekwa and Alhaji Rabiu Abdullahi Umar.

750 million people lack access to clean water supply –Ban Ki-Moon DAVID AUDU

he United Nations Secretary General, Mr Ban KiMoon has said more than one in 10 of the world’s population, about 750 million people, remained without access to improved water supply In a message to mark this year’s Water Day, Moon stated that “among the most urgent issues are access to safe drinking water and sanitation”, noting that despite progress under the Millennium Development Goals, adopted in 2000, some 750 million

people -- more than one in ten of the world’s population -- remain without access to an improved water supply. “Women and children, in particular, are affected by this lack, as not only is their health compromised, but considerable hours are wasted in the unproductive – and sometimes dangerous business of collecting water. The statement noted further that as the UN prepares to adopt a new post-2015 sustainable development agenda in September, World Water Day highlights the essential and interconnected role of water.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Jobs & Career

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Failure to plan bane of career devt – Experts Human resource experts believe that career planning is not a one-off thing and therefore link inability of employees to plan to career stagnation at workplace and low productivity. To reverse the ugly trend, the experts say planning should be engaged in on a regular basis for effective utilisation of skills. MESHACK IDEHEN writes.

or employee’s development expert, Mr. Yinka Olugbodi, the inability of many workers to reach their full potential at work or in their chosen profession has a direct correlation to their lack of regular career planning. and Managing Director of Team Building Nigeria Limited, According to Olugbodi, who is also the Managing Director of Team Building Nigeria Limited, inability of most workers to properly and regularly plan their careers alongside workplace events and on modern proactive trends could have a downside effect on their growth and promotion at work. This is just as he noted that the failure or inability to plan for a career, will have consequences on the employee or his organisation, and on the overall performance of the economy in the short, medium and long terms. Other analysts told National Mirror that large part of growth and development challenges many companies in Nigeria and on the continent are grappling with can be effectively tackled, if the human resource assets in such organisations were encouraged to regularly plan their careers, irrespective of what the outcomes or results may be. A human resource management consultant, Mr. Sunny Agboju, said that many workers were unsure of where their career future lies and that the question of even planning the careers regularly does not occur to them in the first place. Agboju explained that it is only when the inevitable in career growth issues like termination of appointment or relocation to a different industry occurs that the need to plan and re-plan career comes to their minds. While harping on the importance of planning careers by employees, Agboju who is the Managing Director of Prot Consulting Group Limited said available data in the country indicates that the average Nigerian worker will change careers (not jobs) multiple times over his or her lifetime. He said career planning is not a hard activity, or something to be dreaded or put off. According to him, “career planning should rather be an activity that is liberating and fulfilling; providing goals to achieve in current career or plans for beginning a transition to a new career. Career planning should be a rewarding and positive experience”, he said. Outlining successful career planning methods that could be applied to achieve success at work, the Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM), Mr. Sunday Adeyemi, said organisations should make career planning an annual event for all their employees.

Olugbodi

Adeyemi

While you should not dWell on your past, taking the time to revieW and reflect on the path, Whether straight and narroW, or one filled With any curves and deadends Will help you plan for the future Adeyemi said workers often feel the need to plan their careers for a positive change, but always lacked the will to do it. He noted however it was important that employees schedule a sort of retreat for themselves where they can block out all distractions, and then have the time to truly focus on areas of their careers, including what they really want out of it (career) and out of life in the longer term. The CIPM registrar explained thatby making career planning for employees an annual event that such workers feel more secure in their career choice and direction, thus becoming better prepared for the many uncertainties and difficulties that lie ahead in all of their jobs and career endeavours. According to him, it is crucial to map out a career growth path employees. One of the first activities whenever a job seeker take on careeras an employee, is to spendtime mapping out a job and career path, while at the same time considering the last time any sort of career planning was done. “While you should not dwell on your past, taking the time to review and reflect on the path, whether straight and narrow, or one filled with any curves and deadends will help you plan for the future. Once you’ve mapped your past, take the time to reflect on your course, and note why it looks the way it does. “Ask yourself questions like are you happy with your path? Could you have done things better? What might you have

done differently? What can you do differently in the future?” he explained. On his part, Career Development Expert, Mr. Obi Obitunde, pointed out employees should reflect on their likes, dislikes, needs and wants when embarking on career planning. Describing change as a factor of life; he said a practical step is for workers to make a two-column list of major likes and dislikes, and then use the list to examine current job and career path. Obitunde pointed out areas to consider when embarking on a career planning, sayingif your job and career still fall mostly in the like column, then you know you are still on the right path.However, if

Labour House, Abuja

your job activities fall mostly in the dislike column, he said, now is the time to begin examining new jobs and new careers, he added. The career development expert added taking the time to really think about what it is you as an individual employee want or need from your work makes all the difference, as it was imperative to decide if you as an employee must move forward or remain stagnant. “Career planning provides a great time to also examine the activities you like doing when you are not working. It may sound a bit odd, to examine non-work activities when doing career planning, but it’s not. Many time your hobbies and leisurely pursuits can give you great insight into future career paths”, he noted. Insisting making notes of past accomplishments at work is a way to successfully engage in career planning, Human Resource Practitioner and Head of Purple Consult Limited, Mr. Tope Awosegba, said most people don’t keep a very good record of work accomplishments and then struggle with creating a powerful resume when it’s time to search for a new job. He said making note of past accomplishments and keeping a record of them is not only useful for building resume, but also useful for career planning, adding reviewing past accomplishments will reveal forgotten successes, including those which may trigger researching and planning a career shift so that such can be in a job that allows you to accomplish the types of things that make you most happy and proud. He said it was also crucial to look beyond current job for transferable skills when embarking on career planning, saying some workers get so wrapped up in their job titles that they don’t see any other career possibilities for themselves. That in itself is a dangerous situation, he added.

Jobs & Career

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Turning internship into full time job

rganisations seek interns who are motivated and exhibit a go-getter attitude. Employers also want people doing internships in their company who have a strong work ethic and are dependable and work well independently and in a team environment. Many human resource departments report that they seek many of their full-time employees from interns exhibiting these skills who have previously interned with their organisations. Following these tips will increase the likelihood that your internship will turn into a full-time job offer. Meet and greet with everyone you meet-Successful work relationships require excellent communication skills as well as a positive attitude. Your supervisors and coworkers may be immersed in projects and deadlines and not take notice that you are new to the organisation; so make sure you take the initiative to introduce yourself and exhibit a positive and friendly attitude to everyone you meet, from the janitor to the CEO.

Do your research- Make it a point to do research and learn all you can about the company and industry. Your career services office at your college is an excellent place to start. You can also write directly to a company for information, engage in informational interviews, contact the local chamber of commerce, and read local newspapers and business publications to find out more about an organisation. Set personal goals and keep yourself busy- Set personal goals that you want to achieve during your internship and ask your supervisor for things to do. If you find that your work is done, ask for new projects or look to read company literature and/or professional journals. Goal setting is especially important for interns - to ensure that you gain the relevant skills employers are seeking when hiring future full-time employees. Read professional trade journals & magazine- Keep up on employer information and read what the professionals are reading. Learn more about your employer, their competition, and additional information about the industry in general. Are there new trends

Organised labour, others blame Nigerian legal system for contract staffing Meshack iDehen

igeria’s legal system has failed to address the issue of contract staffing, thereby leaving the employees at the mercy of their employers, experts have said. This sad development is unlike what has been observed in countries such as South Africa, Zimbabwe and other developed countries Speaking at a book launch titled ‘Determination of Contract of Employment’ authored by Barrister Femi Aborisade, the General Secretary, Trade Union Congress, (TUC), Mr Mohammed Lawal, said that Nigeria legal system needed to be reviewed with a view to making it comply with the international standard as set by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Lawal, who represented the President of the TUC, Mr Bobboi Kaigama, said jobs in the country were no longer secured as employers opt for short term flexible employment as part of the strategies to save costs and boost profit. In his remarks, Aborisade, said that the motive behind the publication of the book was to explore the ways by which the law can

Director of government relations at the Economic Community of West African States ( ECOWAS),that will be based in Abuja opens up available job vacancies for this week. Coming from www.findjobafrica.com,the job description for the director of government relations includes working closely with colleagues in the sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, Africa and Russia government and strategic projects teams to execute on an agreed business development plan, which includes the following: The incoming will proactively engage with federal and state government entities and major public sector organisations in Nigeria, and similarly in other ECOWAS countries and at an ECOWAS level, building strong relationships, understanding core requirements, communi-

be used to address social problem such as contract employment and the unprecedented grill of unemployment in Nigeria. He expressed concern over increasing disregard for the rule of law by several private sector employers, noting that violation and open disregard for the law is capable of creating atmosphere of industrial anarchy and chaos. Aborisade said: “In doing this, I felt it necessary to establish the international standard establish by the ILO and which is been practice in countries such as South African, Zimbabwe. We are to compare and contrast. “We discovered that the international standard been adopted by the ILO is lacking in the Nigerian judiciary system. In some other African countries, common principles have been jettison in favour by the international standard. Such as no employer has no right to sack any employee without follow the normal procedures. “As I said , the two principle guiding the contract employment which is stated in the ILO recommendation are applicable in order countries, but they are not applicable in the Nigerian legal system”, he added.

Workers sharing views in an office

or is there something exciting currently happening in the field? Internship success requires motivation and a true desire to learn more about the industry. Successful interns take the initiative to learn as much as possible during the short duration of their internship experience. Be prepared to do some grunt workTake the smaller tasks in stride and keep your mind focused on the big picture. You may need to make some coffee or do some filing at

NIMN invests new President DaviD auDu

he National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN) has formally concluded plans to officially invest Mr Ganiyu A. Koledoye, fnimn, as the President and Chairman of the governing council of the Institute. In a press statement signed by Mr Sydney Ogbodo, the Acting Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of NIMN, the ceremony will take place on Wednesday, March 25, 2015 at the upscale De Renaissance Hotel, located on Obafemi Awolowo Way, Ikeja by 4pm. The event is expected to be graced by eminent marketing professionals representing the various sectors and stakeholders of the Nigerian economy. The new President emerged winner during the yearly general meeting held in Kaduna last year after a hotly competitive election with Mr. Tony Agenmonmen of Nigerian Breweries PLC.

Job vacancies

cating and showcasing services and capabilities across the relevant business lines, working with internal and external stakeholders to develop applicable propositions, and winning business with targeted institutions Qualifications required for the position are a bachelor’s degree in economics, business, law, finance or engineering with an MBA or other master’s degree. Seven years’ experience working in sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on advising government and quasi-government customers, prior experience of the Nigerian market and pre-existing contacts/relationships are essential. Still from www.findjobafrica.com is the opening for a personal assistant/secretary for a large firm located in Victoria Island, Lagos. The successful candidate’s activities will be to provide office support services in order to

some point but if making coffee and filing takes up the majority of your day, it’s time to speak with your supervisor about your goals and expectations of the internship. One way to avoid this situation is to make an agreement prior to the internship outlining your responsibilities. Remember there are menial tasks included in all jobs and pitching in and doing your share will establish better teamwork and goodwill among coworkers.

ensure efficiency and effectiveness within the office, managing diaries and making appointments, booking travel arrangements, taking minutes and drafting letters and other documents. Person Specification includes being able to demonstrate experience in as administration/ executive assistant requiring tact/diplomacy, judgment and discretion in handling internal and external contacts (essential) and experience of diary management/researching and booking of travel and accommodation (essential). Others are experience of successfully working with senior management, minimum of 3 years’ experience, excellent organisational skills, ability to multi-task and organise others and excellent oral and written communication skills and ability to professionally represent the

The new president is a graduate of The Chartered Institute of Marketing (UK) from the South West London College, UK. He is also a Master’s of Science (Msc) degree holder in Business Administration from the University of Bath, UK. He was a lecturer in Marketing and Systems Theory at the Centre for Marketing and Management Studies, Tooting Bee. London, UK. He established The Clapham College of Technology, Clapham Common, London UK in 1980. In Nigeria, Koledoye had worked in various capacities in Ebun Nigeria Limited, Churchgate Group, Texlon Group, Coastal Bottlers Limited and Zaria Industries Limited where he was CEO in the last two companies. He lectures at Chartered Institute of Management Accountant (CIMA) UK, Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and is currently the chairman of Harmattan Oil Services Limited, Lekki, Lagos.

MD’s office. From www. Jobberman.com is the vacancy for a writer/ reporter with the job description of writing and reporting news, attending events both local and international .Educational qualifications and requirements are a minimum of 2 years experience working in similar position Candidates must possess BA, BSc or HND in Arts, Social Sciences and other related courses Others are being able to communicate effectively in verbal and written English. A genuine interest in printand ability to work overtime if necessary to meet deadlines Still from www.jobberman.com is the position for a Regional Manager that will be based in Abuja, Nigeria, with the successful candidate expected to drive sales, profitability and gross margin growth:

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Real Estate & Environment

Environmental Sanitation: Mixed reactions trail ruling on movement restriction Uneasy calm have continued to trail the court ruling, which declared as illegal, the restriction of movement during the monthly environmental exercise in Lagos and by interpretation, other states in the country. SYLVA EMEKA-OKEREKE reports.

NSCDC flags off 500 staff housing project 27

s it stands, the court rulings on environmental sanitation exercise in Lagos state may have come and gone, but in its trail are mixed reactions, characterized largely by discordant tunes. Environment analysts and indeed health experts have been divided over the court judgment. While some environment analysts have described the judgment as a welcomed development, others noted that the judgment negates public interest as well as cleaner environment. The Federal High Court in Lagos had

ruled that Lagos state government has no right to restrict movements during the monthly exercise in the state. The ruling was on the heels of a Lagos Lawyer and human rights activist, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, who challenged the state government on such restrictions during the exercise in the state. Adegboruwa had contended that there is no law in force in the state, restricting such movement. Citing Section 39 of the Environmental Sanitation Law 2000 of Lagos state, which the state government claimed empowers

Over 100 Nigerian schools adopted energy-efficient woodstoves –ICEED

the Commissioner for the Environment, to make regulations, the Lawyer argued that, such cannot be the basis for restricting human movements during the exercise on Saturdays, maintaining that no regulation has been made in such purpose. According to him, ‘’If there is such regulations in force, it cannot be enforced on federal highways, under the Highways Act, including the 3rd Mainland bridge, where I was arrested by the Police as well as LASTMA officials’’. After his submissions, Justice MohamCONTINUED ON PAGE 26

Decorating the Living room with Brick wall 29

Real Estate & Environment

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Environmental Sanitation: Mixed reactions trail ruling on movement restriction CONTINUED FROM 25 med Idris of the Federal High Court ruled in his favour. Already, the Lagos State Government had rejected the decision of a Federal High Court, which cancelled human and vehicular restrictions during the monthly exercise. It had already commenced filing an appeal against the decision of the trial court before a Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos, saying the trial judge; Justice Mohammed Idris erred in cancelling the monthly exercise. The State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Adeola Ipaye, said that the judgment was unjust, unreasonable and unwarranted. ‘’We are of course not satisfied with that decision of the Federal High Court looking at the density of Lagos being the highest in Nigeria.”, he said. But after the judgment, proponents and opponents of the exercise have been maintaining their positions on the justifiability or otherwise of the restriction order. An environment analyst, Mike Edeh, while reacting on the issue lauded the court for such ruling, noting that restriction of movements negates the freedom of movement as enshrined in the constitution. He said for the state to keep people at home for over three hours on the last Saturdays of the month is putting people on illegal confinement, describing it as abuse of freedom of movement. In his argument, such restriction can lead to sudden death, as cars are restricted from plying on the road until after the exercise. “I know that the exceptions to such restrictions include ambulance services and those on essential services, but I want to ask, if there is emergency and ambulance is not on sight, what will happen to the person. Is it not death? he queried. “Such restriction of human and vehicular movement is a breach of fundamental human rights on freedom of movement as stipulated by 1999 Constitution as well as African Charter”, he argued. Also, a health expert, Femi Babajide disagreed with the judgment, saying the

REGULATIONS ARE THE MOST COMMON APPROACH TO ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS.

STANDARDS, BANS, PERMITS AND QUOTAS ARE OFTEN FAVOURED BY POLICYMAKERS BECAUSE THEY PROMISE CERTAINTY OF OUTCOME

Jonathan

Attorney General of the Federation, Adoke

Attorney general of Lagos, Ipaye

exercise has made Lagos, the model of other states, saying many states come to understudy the state, wondering why the court should kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. He said, such restrictions during the exercise is only once in a month and for three hours between7a.m and 10a.m. Babajide however supported the state government’s move to appeal the judgment, saying justice must surely prevail. Some experts have argued that neglecting the environment can impose high economic and even financial costs while many environmental benefits can in fact be achieved at low cost, noting that the exercise was in the interest of the general public. Environmental conditions in many areas, according to them, have threatened to reverse the gains made in the public health sector, over the last several decades. ‘’Every human should have a healthy and productive life in harmony with nature. In a tragically degraded environment, human health is threatened. Most cities are faced with problems of growth’’, a source stated. In Nigeria, for instance, environmental

pollution is an important challenge to public health as a result of urbanisation. Nigerians were however advised to maintain good sanitation as poor sanitation and unhygienic behaviour led to the launching of the “war against indiscipline” by Major General Tunde Idiagbon, who said that slums and ghettos were the incubators of epidemic diseases that pose a serious danger to human health. Presently, developing countries are being faced with increasing serious environmental problems that threaten efforts to improve the standard of living and worsen health conditions. In some cities, increased congestion, industrial expansion, and lack of pollution control result in unhealthy levels of pollutants in air and water. Environmental stress, according to experts, is the price of development; hence the widespread environmental damage is likely to hinder developmental efforts and worsen the plight of people living in acute poverty. Despite various programmes by different tiers of government to address the issue of environmental sanitation, many Nigerians still have negative attitudes to-

ward environmental sanitation and do not value personal or environmental sanitation. Most developing countries have long established laws and formal governmental structures to address their serious environmental problems, but few have been successful in alleviating some of these problems Regulations are the most common approach to environmental problems. Standards, bans, permits and quotas are often favoured by policymakers because they promise certainty of outcome. Without monitoring and enforcement, however, this promise may not be realized. However, experience from Nigerian environmental policies and implementation has shown that the traditional commandand-control system to pollution abatement had not produced the desired result both economic and environmental wise. There is hence the need to examine the potential of mixed environmental policies, involving the use of market-based instruments to complement the traditional command-and-control system in achieving economic efficiency in the use of the environment.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Real Estate & Environment

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Surveyors’ board tasks govt on construction costs

MORTGAGE NOTES with Adenike Fasanya-Osilaja

…proposes cost auditing to check corruption

Email: Nike@MVPSolutionsinc.com Fasanya-Osilaja https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=35277333

OLUFEMI ADEOSUN ABUJA A

Dear NMRC, Part 3

et me start by thanking you for your patience with me so far, and promising that this will be my last part of the long letter I have spent the last three weeks writing to you. I just have a couple more questions to ask you, and will wait in hope that you will revert with answers very soon. Regarding the debt - to - income ratios you posted in the underwriting standards, what is the accepted process for income and employment verification in your plan? I confess I am a little confused because, especially for the self-employed small to medium enterprise owner, I have not heard of any standardized mode of income and expense documentation that would accurately provide income information for them. Since you have loan amounts as low as 1.5m Naira, it should be safe to assume that the small business man as well as the junior office employees are your target market for the lower end of your loan products, so please clarify this issue for me. Actually I had to chuckle at your permissible debt-to-income ratios. I did the math, and could not figure out where in Lagos for instance, anyone making 0 to 500,000 naira monthly would be able t afford to own a home in this current market. Also, as I have stated before, I don’t really get the rationale for the Pension fund requirement. Since it is not the norm to save for retirement in Nigeria, will the prospective home buyer need to first set up a fund before they can get a loan to make their purchase? If so, will you be the liaison between the home buyer and the Pension Company? What is the minimum they would be required to have in the bank in order to obtain a loan? Is there a process to ensure that all payments for the retirement funds are made in a timely manner? Please clarify...and please make this one of your most important home buyer education workshops. By the way, you do intend to have home buyer workshops,

do you not? Have you started these already? How many hours of counseling is a first time home buyer required to have prior to contracting on a home? Do you have formal locations for such workshops to hold? What will the workshops entail? In my opinion, the greatest service you could perform for your customers is to educate them fully about the responsibilities that come with owning a home. I hope there will be some down payment assistance programs provided as an incentive or reward for those who take the time to complete the home buyer workshops. Hopefully, such workshops are already in place for implementation prior to loan disbursements. Regarding the mortgage repayments, I read that the borrower is supposed to open up a bank account and have the funds for the monthly mortgage repayments sitting in there for the Lender to deduct. Is there a secure transmission process for this? Since one of our many “specialties” in Nigeria is the art of “mass scamming”, is there a process for earning the public’s trust by ensuring that their accounts are not compromised in the process of direct debiting but the NMRC? What is the plan for communicating pending withdrawals? What happens if the home owner is debited twice in error, causing all their other checks to bounce? I know I have asked some hard questions, but please be aware that these are the very same questions your marketing staff will have to answer over and over again, as your target first time buyers start to even warm to the idea of obtaining a mortgage to own a home immediately. You see, one of the most admirable qualities of the Nigerian, is that we are not given to the notion of “instant gratification”, and prefer to wait until we have our money together through hard work and strong savings habits, before we consider ourselves

deserving of owning a home. Your ability to flesh out your plan, and sell it to one of the most skeptical people ever created, will show how much effort was put into this program, and ultimately how successful it becomes. Finally, allow me to praise your default reporting plan, as well as your refinance criteria. I am very much in agreement with the plan to wait until a borrower is six months before refinancing. A pattern of home owner seriousness should show at that time, and a repayment history should be accessible to all Lenders, to help with refinance underwriting and approval. I also believe in the audit process, as it is the best way to weed out banks that just cannot get their act together, and comply with the NMRC rules and regulations. Nigeria’s mortgage future is yours to mould, and we hope you will do a good job. It is important to conclude this letter by thanking you all so much for the hard work you have put into this laudable program. Again, thank you so much for letting me out forward my questions on your underwriting standards to you, and I am truly excited to see this proxxxxx gram unfold. Sincerely, Adenike Fasanya-Osilaja Comments and questions are welcomed and I hope you will make it a fantastic day.

HOPEFULLY, SUCH WORKSHOPS ARE ALREADY IN PLACE FOR IMPLEMENTATION PRIOR TO LOAN DISBURSEMENTS

ABOUT THE WRITER Fasanya-Osilaja a lawyer and mortgage expert has owned and operated Marvel Ventures Mortgage, Inc. (www.marvelmortgage.com), a Chicagobased Mortgage Brokerage Company since 2000 and has worked in the US Mortgage industry since 1996. She also consults and facilitates industryrequired activities, from set up of mortgage organisations to documentation, training and compliance.

he Quantity Surveyors Registration Board of Nigeria, QSRBN, has warned that the inability of the Federal t Government to check the cost of G construction projects poses seric ous o threat to the nation’s economic developments. d Nigeria is ranked one of the highest in construction costs in h the t world with experts linking the rise to contract splitting and conr tact inflation. t The President, QSRBN, Husaini Dikko raised the alarm during D the t opening ceremony of the 2015 National Project Cost Reduction N Summit , tagged ‘Value-for-Money S Imperatives for Project Costing in I Nigeria’ held in Abuja. N Lamenting the increasing level of o corruption that has over-shadowed the need to analyze the value o for f money in every construction project, especially government p projects, he disclosed that Nigeria p is i listed as one of the highest cost of o constructions in the world, thus raising some questions to be adr dressed. d Dikko added that even with the high cost recorded, they were still h challenges of poor project planc ning and management, which had n translated to a high percentage of t

abandoned and uncompleted construction projects. The President stressed that the best tool against the fight against corruption in the sector, was activating the Value-for-Money principle, which he said could help usher sanity into the system and further create room for socio-economic developments. According to him, there is need to better understand the intricacies associated with projects and infrastructural constructions, so as to quantify the quality of work done as against the expenditure committed in order to efficiently calculate the value for money in public expenditure policies On this note, Dikko maintained that the application of cost auditing as a policy to all capital projects in the country, would assist in determining if the value for money was achieved in the development of infrastructural projects. He said: “Value–for–Money principles promote efficiency in the allocation of resources. It is all about maximizing the impact of each kobo spent on any project to improve the lives of the citizenry. Value does not mean we only do the cheapest things, but we need to get better understanding of what is driving our costs and make sure that we are getting the desired quality at the lowest possible price.

NSCDC flags off 500 staff housing project AZA MSUE KADUNA

he Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, has begun the construction of 500 housing units for its personnel in Kaduna state. NSCDC Commandant General, Dr Ade Abolurin, who disclosed this during the foundation laying ceremony of the project in Kaduna, said it was part of the corps’ welfare package for the personnel to encourage them to serve the nation better. Speaking through the NSCDC Zonal Commander, Zone ‘B’ ACG Madu Hilary Kelechi, the Commandant-General said the project is a 500-unit residential estate, containing two to three bedrooms of fully and semi-detached bungalows. Abolurin reassured NSCDC personnel serving in the zone and other areas, whose interest is to acquire houses in Kaduna through the public and private partnership

scheme He explained that the corps is determined to improve the welfare of officers to be able to protect critical infrastructures. According to him, provision of shelter as a basic need would enhance the capability and performance of officers. The commandant general also stressed the need for continued inter-agency cooperation among security organisations, so as to collectively secure the nation. He commended Governor Mukhtar Yero of Kaduna state for allocating 69.78 hectares of land for the housing project. In his address, Kaduna state governor, who was represented by his Deputy, Ambassador Nuhu Bajoga, commended the NSCDC for the project, saying that it was in line with his administration’s vision of providing affordable housing to the citizenry. “It is a good thing for all employees to have a comfortable place before retirement,” he said.

Real Estate & Environment

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Source: www.homeguides.sfgate.com

Over 100 Nigerian schools adopted energy-efficient woodstoves –ICEED OLUFEMI ADEOSUN ABUJA

xecutive Director, International Centre for Energy, Environment & Development, ICEED, Mr. Ewah Eleri, has revealed that over 100 secondary schools in the country have adopted energy-efficient wood stoves. He explained that this new energy efficiency technology eliminates smoke from school kitchens and helps school cooks breathe better. The programme, which started as a pilot project in the two states of Ebonyi and Niger, is now being replicated in schools in Kwara, Nassarawa, Akwa Ibom, Jigawa and Kaduna states. The clear cook stoves programme is an energy efficient woodstove project supported by USAID-Nigeria and implemented by the International Centre for Energy, Environment & Development, ICEED. Ewah, who spoke in Abuja dur-

ing a lesson sharing workshop on Energy Efficiency Woodstove in Nigeria with the theme,” Scaling up Clean Cooking Energy in Nigerian institutions”, noting that the project would help to improve the health of female cooks in schools and pilot households as well as reducing the wood used for cooking and the emission of harmful gases that cause global warming; while creating jobs and empower small business operators. He said, “Nearly all public boarding secondary schools in Nigeria use wood for cooking. About 30 million households depend d solely on wood as a source of fuell for their daily cooking. Nearly y 100,000 deaths occur in Nigeria an-nually as a result of smoke from m the kitchen. “After malaria and HIV/AIDS,, this is Nigeria’s third highestt killer of mostly women and chil-dren. This USAID supported proj-ect provides an opportunity to o scale up the use of clean cooking g technologies nationwide”. Thiss

project is specifically aimed at reducing the health burden that traditional use of wood in open fire causes.” Narrating her experience, Mrs. Ogbonnaya Akpa, a cook at the Government Technical College, Okposi in Ebonyi state, “When we were still cooking with traditional firewood stoves, smoke gave us a lot of problems. Our eyes would be red and we had a lot of chest pains. Every 30 minutes, we would pour water on our heads to reduce dizziness as the smoke will make

us feel as if we smoked marijuana.” The Principal, Government Technical College, Minna, Niger State, Mr. Lawal Maikano, said the school had been able to save the cost expended on cooking since the adoption of the new cooking method. According to him, what the school is able to save is invested back into improving the quality of food students get. “Students learn better when they are well fed and healthy”, Maikano noted.

Abuja-Kaduna Expressway flyover

London property prices slid

ondon property market has fallen, amid growing concerns over mansion tax being introduced, depending on who wins in the forthcoming general elections in May. Among them is the latest monthly report from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, RICS, which says that property

prices are continuing to fall in London with some 28 percent of surveyors in London reported falling prices in February, the sixth monthly decline in a row. When it comes to the prime market, the RICS report says that sales in this sector have continued to fall for the second month in a row in 2015, with transactions

down 22 percent year on year. Real estate firm W.A. Ellis, reports a 34 percent year on year fall in sales recorded in January and a breakdown of the figures shows that the most dramatic reduction is sales of houses within Belgravia, Chelsea, Knightsbridge and Kensington, which have dropped by 100 percent from 40 sales in

2 y

K p f r i t b

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Real Estate & Environment

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Decorating the Living room with Brick wall

Decorating a room with brick walls may be overwhelming at first, but when you view the brick as just texture and color, you may begin to see the unique opportunity. Most commonly cream colored or traditional reddish clay, brick walls provide a backdrop upon which you can layer colors and textures to create a one-of-a-kind room. Whether contemporary or classic, a living room or bathroom, choose a color palette, artwork and accessories that please your eye and express your personal style.

2014 to 19 in the same period this year. But the most recent report from Knight Frank says that prices in prime central London rose for the first time in five months in February, boosted by price growth in markets with a higher proportion of properties that would not be subject to a proposed mansion

Living Rooms Living rooms with full brick walls may Liv be styled anywhere from urban gritty to Eusty ropean ropea chic, depending on the rest of the home’s home structure and furnishings. A matching ottoman and cream-colored wood side o tables table with darker wood accents tie the room together. Traditional red brick walls create crea an ideal backdrop for a more urban living livi room design when black leather furnishings are added. Light, roughly hewn nis wood crate-style side tables and trunks wo accessorize the room and add storage. ac Architectural elements such as a salA vaged door can be turned into a modern v and a eye-catching table to gather around. Add A artwork in the same gritty style to the t walls by hanging it with specialized clips made for brickwork.

Kitchens Although one’s initial reaction to brick walls may be “cold,” brick in the kitchen quickly warms up with the

addition of living herb gardens, natural lighting from bright windows, and clean surfaces prepped for cooking. Embrace exposed plumbing lines or fixtures, and whether your brick is powdery white or glossy red, add worn wood elements in flooring, an island surface or cabinetry to warm up the room. Bring in shades of yellows, gold and greens in accent pieces -- such as a framed mirror across from a window, a select piece of artwork, or in the textiles in the space. Add open shelving to display clean, clear glassware, and stainless or enamel containers to match your appliances. Place a hand-woven rug on the floor in matching colors to complete the space.

Bathrooms Brick, wood and porcelain go together so well that it just seems a natural combination for the bathroom. Start with wood-grained tile, then top with white fixtures. Use rich, deep colors such as dark reds, blues or deep oranges in towels, rugs and curtains to bring out the earthy quality of the brickwork. Select art-

work that shares some of the same colors. For example, a poster of the cover artwork from “The Hound of the Baskervilles” would set off a red-brick bathroom very nicely.

Bedrooms Cream-colored bricks warm up nicely with dark wood furnishings and cream-colored bedding topped with thickly textured throws in deep browns, dark reds or deep violets. Accents of white and creams on tabletops, in window dressings and artwork add elegance and put the focus on thick textures. Add a thick floor covering to complete the look. Red brick bedrooms can be more modern, sleek and support bold accent colors such as lime green, yellows or bright reds. A headboard in a light wood tone or painted in a bold bright color sets the tone for a contemporary space, and will be supported by matching side tables and coordinating pillows and throws. Accessories in additional bold colors perk up the space when added to a black wood bookshelf, and a red area rug ties the room together.

Africans walk 40bn hrs yearly to fetch water -UNICEF

nited Nations Childrens’ Funds, UNICEF, has estimated that African people spend 40 billion hours walking every year to fetch water. Chief, Water and Sanitation, UNICEF, Kannan Nadar, said about1, 000 of rural dwellers searching for water, die globally every day from diarrhoeal diseases linked to unsafe drinking water, poor sanitation and poor hygiene. This is the reason why this year’s theme on World Water Day is “Water and Sustainable Development”. UNICEF said, ‘’the theme aptly encapsulates the overarching role of water in our lives, be it for human consumption, food production, for health,

tax. But a further look at the Knight Frank figures shows that while this sector has shown a marginal increase of 0.1%, it is the first since September 2014 and annual growth slowed to 4%, which is half of the 2014 average of 8.1%. Experts say that whilst at first glance, these figures may sound

alarming; it is always the same in the run up to an election, particularly when property and potential taxation are on the agenda. Knight Frank shares this view and says that it is a market where activity has been kept in check by the potential of a mansion tax on properties worth more than £2 million.

for power generation, for industry and for the sustenance of nature as a whole, without which life would not exist. For children, lack of access to safe water can be tragic’’. According to the foreign agency, the theme highlights the importance of water to human existence, emphasizing the need to look at the holistic development of the water sector, reducing water wastage and prevent contamination of these increasingly scarce resources. “Everyone, be it the government, the civil society, international development partners and the citizens, including children have a critical role to play in ensuring that water is sustainably used and is available for generations to come” said Kannan Nadar, Chief, Water and Sanitation, UNICEF. UNICEF has been working with the federal ministry of water resources as well as the state governments to promote use of sustainable approaches and technologies for water abstraction and use. It said, in the last two years nearly 2.5 million people gained access to safe water in rural areas through UNICEF support that also included

funding from European Union, EU, and UKAid. Nigeria is yet to meet its target on safe water and sanitation although some 2.5 million people now have access to potable water in rural areas Some 2.3 billion people have gained access to improved sources of drinking water since 1990. As a result, the Millennium Development Goal target of halving the percentage of the global population without access was met in 2010. In the case of Sanitation, nearly 2.5 billion people worldwide still do not have adequate toilets and among them. One billion defecate in the open. With some 70 million people without access to safe water and more than 110 million people without access to improved sanitation, Nigeria is currently not on-track with regard to its attainment of water and sanitation targets. The poor bear the greatest brunt of this lack of access to water and sanitation. For women and girls, collecting water cuts into time they can spend caring for families and studying. In insecure areas, it also puts them at risk of violence and attack.

Real Estate & Environment

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

9% of property buyers are foreigners A

leading banking analyst says his large scale survey shows that about 9 per cent of property buyers are foreigners. Digital Finance Analytics, DFA, surveyed 26,000 households, around 15 per cent of which were first time buyers, and asked them questions about their housing arrangements. The answers to those questions allowed DFA to confidently estimate that foreign purchasers make up at least 9 per cent of the first time buyer investor sector. DFA’s Martin North said that, if anything, that is a conservative estimate. “It’s probably still understated, however, because I still think there’s another segment of investors from overseas who may be getting funding from the Australian banks, but I can’t get any data on that,” he told the ABC’s PM program. Mr North said he has not analysed the broader market in the same way, but believes it would have a very similar proportion of foreign buyers as the first time buyer investor group. The DFA principal said that the proportion of overseas buyers in some markets, particularly the inner-suburbs of Sydney and

Melbourne, would be much higher still and certainly pushing up home prices. “It’s certainly enough to move the dial in my view, particularly in Sydney where a significant proportion of these transactions happen,” Mr North said. “In other states I think the statistical representation is quite a lot lower but its growing so, for example, in Victoria we’re seeing it moving up quite significantly in some postcodes.” Martin North said the other clear trend in his study was for local first home buyers to increasingly buy an investment property rather than move in to their purchase. The report estimates that 35 per cent of first time buyers were investors with mortgages, 57 per cent were owner occupiers and 8 per cent did not take out a mortgage to purchase. Mr North explained that many buyers who felt locked out by high prices in the areas they want to live were buying investment properties to get a foot into the market and a share of any capital gains. “This is a significant and very worrying trend in my view, because essentially what we’re seeing is a skew much more towards the investment sector, people look-

Middle East property remains strong, despite oil drops

iddle Eastern investors’ have sustained their appetite for global property assets, particularly in London, despite lower oil prices, according to a new report. HSBC Tower, the New Scotland Yard site and the Savoy hotel, all in London are just a few of the prestigious properties acquired by Middle Eastern investors in the last year, the report from international real estate firm JLL reveals. The Sovereign Wealth Funds of Gulf Co-operation Council, GCC, countries are the region’s most prolific overseas investors and allocated US$4.5 billion to global real estate in the final quarter of 2014, according to figures from JLL. Of this, over 80 percent was spent in Europe and more than US$3 billion flowed into London. Private wealth, too, has made its way into Europe’s most prized property assets. However, while their preoccupation with European cities is well documented, Middle East sovereign investors are beginning to seek assets outside of Europe in a bid to ‘rebalance their portfolios’, according to Fadi Moussalli, head of JLL’s Inter-

national Capital Group, MENA. ‘The region’s extensive purchasing power has been fuelled by fiscal surpluses from hydrocarbon exports and this has offered investors access to deals in the world’s gateway cities,’ he said. Historically, the UK has received lion’s share of Middle East investment, followed by France, Germany and the United States. These mature markets have provided a safe haven for Middle Eastern capital but competition from cash rich Chinese investors is forcing these groups to step outside of their comfort zone, Moussalli pointed out. ‘During the global financial crisis Middle Eastern groups were able to acquire property deals that no one else could. Today, there is far more liquidity in the market, not just from Asia but from some US Private Equity Groups and other non-Arab Sovereign Wealth Funds,’ he explained. He pointed out that trophy assets may rub the egos of the region’s billionaires but suburban office assets and logistics facilities are also proving popular in this current climate.

ing to gear, looking to speculate on future property price growth,” he said. “There is a significant extra number of first time buyers who’ve gone directly to the investment sector, rather than buying an owner-occupied property, a high proportion of those are go-

ing to take a loan that is interest only.” The study estimates that 36 per cent of these first time investors have taken out an interest-only loan, which is considered much riskier than regular loans, because none of the principal owed to the bank is being paid down.

The report finds that 41 per cent of first time investors take on a loan paying both principal and interest, 11 per cent are overseas buyers who do not need finance, 3 per cent are local buyers not needing finance, 6 per cent got finance from their parents and 3 per cent got the money from elsewhere.

South-Africa property

Global property to be taxed under black money law

ndians that undisclosed property abroad will have to pay tax and penalty on the basis of the current market value of the asset, and not at the purchase price, as per the new black money bill. However, the tax and penalty would take into account the partdisclosure, if any, made by the taxpayer with regard to the purchase of the concerned property. Giving an illustration on how the tax would be charged, ‘The Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets (Imposition of Tax) bill 2015’ says that the tax liability on an overseas property would be computed on the basis of its current market price, and not the price at which it was acquired. The illustration provided in the bill, which seeks to deal ef-

fectively with the black money stashed abroad, talks about an overseas property supposedly purchased by an Indian in 200910 for Rs 50 lakh, whose current market value rises to Rs 1 crore in 2017-18. “A house property located outside India was acquired by an assesses in the previous year 2009-10 for Rs 50 lakh. Out of the investment of Rs 50 lakh, Rs 20 lakh was assessed to tax in the total income of the previous year 2009-10 and earlier years.” “Such undisclosed asset comes to the notice of the Assessing Officer in the year 2017-18. If the value of the asset in the year 201718 is Rs one crore, the amount chargeable to tax shall be- Rs 60 lakh,” said the illustration appended to the chapter on Basis of

Charging Tax. The calculation takes into account that tax assessment was made on an amount of Rs 20 lakh after purchase of the property, meaning a non-disclosure of assets worth about Rs 30 lakh at that time. Since the total value of the property has doubled to Rs 1 crore, in the same ratio, the quantum of undisclosed asset also doubles from Rs 30 lakh to Rs 60 lakh. The undisclosed assets according to the Bill would include the overseas property in the name of the assessee and those in which he is the beneficial owner. It would also include the property about which the assessee failed to give explanation about the source of investment to the tax officials.

US housing market rebounds

any home owners in the United States, US, at the bottom third of their markets are finally in a position to sell, according to the latest index data. Owners of the country’s lowest valued homes emerged from 2014 in a stronger position than previous years, with home values up 6.8% year on year, the latest quarterly report from Zillow shows. Properties in the lower third of home values bottomed out in January 2012 with a median

value of $84,100 but by December 2014 they had bounced back to a median value of $101,400. While home owners in the bottom price tier are still 17% below their pre-recession peak values, this is a distinct improvement from the 31% value loss they suffered when home values hit rock bottom in January 2012. Returning value means many with lower valued homes who had been in negative equity are now able to sell or refinance, boosting low end inventory, which has

been tight for the past few years. Going into the home buying season in 2015, buyers can expect to find more homes on the market and less competition from all cash bidders, the report also points out. Metros with the biggest jump over last year in low end inventory are Las Vegas, with 66.% more low end homes on the market in December 2014 than December 2013, Riverside, with 47.3% more and Washington D.C. with 45.7% more.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Aviation

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Infrastructure Decay: Stakeholders set renewal agenda for industry’s growth Aviation stakeholders and professionals gathered in Lagos recently at the Aviation Executives Business Forum, AEBF, organised by the Ministry of Aviation to discuss the future of the sector and chart the way forward for the sector. OLUSEGUN KOIKI writes.

takeholders in the nation’s aviation industry and other development experts agree that the need for massive investments in infrastructure and equipment developments in the sector is long overdue. To them, this massive funding of critical operations infrastructure is necessary for the industry to compete with its contemporaries in Dubai, Singapore and Ethiopia and possibly target the level of infrastructure capacity in leading industries like those in the United Kingdom, Unites States and Brazil among many others. Available official statistics indicated that the sector contributed just 0.04 per cent, which is about N59 billion to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product, GDP, in 2013 compared with the 5.4 per cent of Singaporean industry’s contribution to the country’s GDP. The stakeholders consisting of airline operators, ground handlers, concessionaires, private terminal operators and professionals in the sector have identified lack of national carrier, Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul, MRO, facilities, policy summersaults, poor airlines’ management, insufficient financial support to airlines and vast decay in airport infrastructure as some of the challenges militating against the sector’s sustainable growth over the years. For the sector to attain its potentials, participants at the one day Aviation Executives Business Forum, AEBF, said that the Federal Government needed to encourage private participation through workable and open agreements. The Minister in his presentation: ‘Economic Stimulus for Aviation Outlook and Strategy,’ said that the country’s aviation industry required at least $50bn in investments in the long term by 2043 to be able to cater for air passengers and users of the airport. He predicted that the industry’s traffic would skyrocket to 110 within the same period from just 14.5 passengers’ traffic in 2013. In the short term, Chidoka explained that the sector would need about $5 billion and 12 million passengers in 2018 while another $7 billion and 25 million passengers were projected for the mid-term in the same year, adding that for the sector to meet the expectations of people, Government hoped to stimulate increase foreign direct investment into the industry, amongst other strategic imperatives. He also identified weak regulation, poor incentives for private sector participation and under-utilisation of the Bilateral Air Services Agreements, BASAs, as some of the challenges confronting the nation’s aviation industry. Besides, he mentioned the under-financing of domestic airlines by financial institutions, untapped regional opportunities to become a hub of West Africa and weak corporate governance as other challenges that are preventing the airline sub-sector from growing. Chidoka said that players in the sector required a new way, packaging and thinking of

Participants at the one day Aviation Executives Business Forum organised by the Ministry of Aviation in Lagos. Minister of Aviation, Chief Osita Chidoka (in red cap).

The resulT of challenges is ThaT They have also added up To poor performance across The counTry’s aviaTion indusTry,

huge indebTedness, underserved regional markeT and significanT gaps in flag capaciTy carrying out aviation businesses to be able to push the sector forward, just as he lamented that problems had led to loss of economic activities, huge indebtedness, loss of economic opportunity, low capacity to take advantage of the growing market potential and the inability of the sector to contribute to GDP. The Managing Director, CBO Investment Management, Mr. Bex Nwawudu in his paper, ‘A sector in need of investment,’ noted that air passenger traffic in Nigeria has more than tripled between 2004 to 2013, from just four million passengers a year to approximately 14.64 million a year. Nwawudu noted that $870m has been invested in the past five years in upgrading and remodelling airport infrastructure across the country. In his statistics, he informed that cargo movement increased from 65m kg in 2003 to 175m kg in 2011 while aircraft movement increased from 171,452 to 257,067 within the same period. He however declared that Nigeria required a total investment of $5bn in order to bring its aviation infrastructure alongside international standards. The industry player also observed that the

contribution of aviation to the country’s GDP was still very low when compared it to aviation sector in Brazil, India, Singapore, Egypt, and South Africa, stressing that if properly optimized, the sector in Nigeria should contribute more to GDP given the population of Nigeria and also the fast growing economy, which has increased business and leisure travel across the country. He explained: “The Federal Government through the Ministry of Finance has done a great job over the last few years in supporting the development of businesses and enterprises in the aviation sector. Apart from executing PPPs, concessions and contracts, the Ministry of Finance and Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, created the Power and Aviation Intervention Fund in 2009 with N360bn. “The finance ministry via its vehicles in a bid to protect the Nigerian aviation sector from crisis has intervened in the past by providing low interest, long term funding to finance operations”, Nwawudu added. The Chief Executive Officer, CEO, Overland Airways, Capt. Edward noted that business aviation was perhaps the most elegant aspect of air travel with high premium on comfort, taste and flexibility.

Boyo, who spoke on the topic ‘Business Aviation Marketplace: Regulation, Growth and Opportunities’, recommended that business aviation as a major contributor to economic growth and development should be given adequate political support to thrive, calling for the review and implementation of the policy and regulation of that aspect of aviation. He also emphasized that operators must decide to obey regulations, and ensure that their licenses and certificates were used for the purposes approved by the NCAA and not engage in illegal operations like hire and reward. In his paper titled ‘Global Update Discussions: Putting the Nigerian Aviation Market in Context, another aviation analyst, Mr. Farouk Gumel, noted that all the government of countries that have succeeded in making aviation viable, all decided to make it a priority sector and made substantial investments to develop the sector. Gumel believed that for aviation in Nigeria to be viable, government needed to make the sector a priority by creating an environment that enables and encourages investments. Managing Director, Infrastructure Bank Plc, Mr. Adekunle Oyinloye advised the Government to collaborate with private investors in the provision of aviation infrastructure especially at a time the price of crude oil has continually been on the decline. He noted that with the rapidly growing population, increasing demand for air travel, dwindling oil revenues, exchange rate volatility, escalating rehabilitation and maintenance costs, it was imperative for the Government to transition from the traditional model of infrastructure delivery to private sector driven approach.

Aviation

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

New initiatives‘ll make airlines adaptable to best practices – Dati StorieS: oluSegun KoiKi

he General Manager, Corporate Communications, FAAN, Mr. Yakubu Dati has said that the recent launch of the Aviation Passenger Services Portal, APS, and the Aviation Commits Initiative, ACI, by the Minister of Aviation, Chief Osita Chidoka is geared towards improving the services rendered by airlines to passengers. He said that since the launch of the new initiatives, the airlines especially the indigenous carriers had been more responsible to the passengers who he described as the mainstay of the industry. The Minister launched the APS, on December 6, 2014 and ACI on 3rd February 2015 in Lagos at a gathering with stakeholders, professionals and airline operators. Dati told journalists at the weekend in Lagos that passengers were also protected under the new advocacy and enforcement of Customers Bill of Rights Policy initiatives,

which he said has further been strengthened by Chidoka with his introduction of Key Performance Indicators, KPI, for monitoring, evaluating and improving performance of aviation workers. He said, “Passengers have been able to keep the airlines on their toes by promptly reporting any erring airline for appropriate sanctions. This initiative (APS) has in no small way assisted passengers to be the centre of the concern of all aviation stakeholders. “Chidoka also launched a sector- wide initiative Aviation Commits where all stakeholders in the industry commit to improve service delivery to the public. Aviation parastatals, service providers and stakeholders were made to publicly commit to render prompt and reliable services to the public.” On corruption, Dati also explained that in order to check the “low level corruption” in the aviation industry, especially the airports across the country, the minister signed a Mem-

Dati

orandum of Understanding, MOU, with the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, and directed FAAN, to partner the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, to check malpractices and enhance the delivery of efficient services. This is just as he hinted that about two weeks ago, the minister directed the immediate implementation of the Aviation Revenue Automation Project, ARAP, project within 60 days to plug leakages and by so doing, making the sector more competitive.

American Airlines’ CEO seeks review of aviation trade pacts

oluSegun KoiKi

merican Airlines Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Doug Parker, has called on the United States Government to review aviation trade agreements with Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The industry chief’s position was based on allegations that three stateowned airlines in the Middle East had unfairly received billions of dollars in government subsidies and Parker, who made the call at the Annual Aviation Summit in Washington, DC, however said that U.S. carriers can compete against any airline in the world, pointing out however that the carriers could not be expected to compete against foreign airlines with “bottomless resources.” Earlier this month, American, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines accused Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways, collectively known as the

Gulf carriers, of reaping more than $40 billion in government subsidies over the past decade. The U.S. carriers claimed that the subsidies also violated Open Skies agreements: bilateral treaties designed to liberalise and establish regulations for aviation markets. The U.S. has signed more than 100 such agreements since 1992. “Their government owners have fueled their operations and their rapid growth with over $40 billion in subsidies and other unfair government-conferred advantages,” the U.S. carriers said in a recent report on the subsidies. Those subsidies have “tilted the playing field” to favour the Gulf carriers, Parker said. In response, the U.S. carriers have urged the Federal Government to re-evaluate its Open Skies agreements with Qatar and the UAE. Parker said that if the Gulf car-

The Airport Police Commissioner, Dorothy Gimba (Right), in a handshake with the Managing Director of Skyway Aviation Handling Company Limited, SAHCOL, Alhaji Olu Owolabi (left) during Gimba’s visit to the company at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos.

riers had nothing to hide, “they shouldn’t be afraid to open their books. They should encourage their governments to participate in the consultation process.” The Gulf carriers are among the fastest growing in the world. But their growth threatens to cut into U.S. airlines’ routes, which would cost revenue and jobs, according to American, Delta and United.

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Airside shegzzy4live2000@yahoo.co.uk 08186007273

Where is AviationSquare table?

t a time in this industry, a Non-Governmental Organisation, NGO, known as Aviation Professionals Squaretable, took the centre stage on every issue. The coordinator of the group, Capt. Shehu Usman who was said to be the former personnel in the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, was a massive supporter of the activities of Ministry of Aviation even when most analysts and professionals in the sector see such programmes differently. In fact, to the NGO, all the policies and programmes of the ministry was right with-

out any blemishes. But, for over a year now, the Squaretable has been in the wilderness of sort and no longer comment even on thorny issues in the sector. Its voice is gradually disappearing from the consciousness of stakeholders in the sector, which the Airside is not comfortable with. Airside and other concerned stakeholders in the sector have missed the contributions of the Squaretable on issues and will appeal to its promoters to wear their thinking caps and make their voice known.

Why FG should reward the Patolviki cleaner

particular cleaner with Patovilki Industrial Planners Limited, Miss Josephine ugwu was reported to have returned the sum of N12m left behind by a passenger in the toilet of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos to the security personnel within the terminal. The media was agog with the story when it broke. The attention given the lady led to the honouring of her by the Lagos State House of Assembly, but ironically, the Federal Government or its institutions where the money was recovered and where the lady in question works have kept mute on her unprecedented act. Airside is not comfortable

with this loud silence of the Federal Government or its agency. Airside says this act of Ugwu must not go unnoticed and the Government should reward honesty and not kleptomaniacs in the system. If it were to be in other climes, the lady in question would have been praised to the high heavens, rewarded with national honour and compensated with better and improved job. Airside says the time to reward those who make this country proud, rather than politicians who loot the country with reckless abandonment is now. This woman must be recognised.

British Airways wins awards at Superbrands 2015

ritish Airways emerged winner in the Business and Consumer titles at this year’s Superbrands awards held in United Kingdom. The airline won two awards in the Business and Consumer titles. An online media statement from the consultant of the airline in Nigeria stated that the airline also secured the Consumer Superbrands title last year, but noted that this was the first time any carrier had secured both the top titles. Google was the last brand to win both categories in 2008. With these honours, British Airways beat Apple, Virgin Atlantic, Microsoft and Visa to the top business brand slot and Rolex, BBC, Microsoft and Nike to the best consumer brand accolade. The UK’s Consumer Superbrands the statement stated are chosen by the British public

in a national survey of 2,500 adults, while the Business Superbrands are chosen by a panel of marketing experts and 2,000 individual business professionals from across the UK. Commenting on the awards, the company’s Executive Chairman, Keith Williams, expressed appreciation to the customers for helping the company to secure the top spot, saying that “everything we do is for them so to be recognised by both travellers and businesses alike means an enormous amount to all of us at British Airways.” Also, the Chairman of the Superbrands Council, Stephen Cheliotis, noted that British Airways had consolidated its brand strength and not only retained top spot in the Consumer Superbrands survey, but also taken pole position in the Business Su-

perbrands survey for the first time. He added, “To lead both surveys is remarkable, especially considering over 1,500 wellknown consumer brands and 1,200 business brands were analysed. British Airways’ overarching ‘To Fly: To Serve’ positioning and daily focus on exceptional service clearly continues to resonate with flyers, while the brand is also benefitting from recent investments in its planes, lounges, marketing and technology.”

A Boeing aircraft

Insurance

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

IFC partners AIICO on insurance services delivery T he International Finance Corporation, IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, has announced an agreement to provide a $20m convertible loan to AIICO Insurance Plc, to support its expansion activities across Nigeria. The expansion of insurance services will help to increase economic security, and create the development of new asset pools that can be invested in other to support economic devel-

opment, including job creation. AIICO Plc will use the loan facility to increase its agency network and retail centers and increase its reach and footprint across the country. The facility will also enable AIICO further strengthen its information technology platform to achieve greater efficiency in claims processing and customer services. “AIICO Insurance Plc offers life and non-life insurance products to

NICON Insurance House, Abuja

individuals, households, and businesses with a focus on value creation” said Edwin Igbiti, Managing Director, AIICO Insurance Plc. “Partnering with IFC will help AIICO expand its activities further to meet the needs of the consumers who require more options. It will improve AIICO’s operational efficiency and strengthen the economic security and prosperity in Nigeria.” IFC’s global insurance strategy aims to increase the penetration of insurance in under-served markets, promoting diverse products and developing long-term partnerships with institutions that can help expand its developmental goals. Eme Essien Lore, IFC Country Manager for Nigeria said that availability of insurance coverage was an important enabler of managing economic risk and promoting security of consumers and private businesses, adding that the Corporation’s support to AIICO’s expansion reinforces its commitment to improving social stability and economic growth in the country. IFC encourages a diverse range of insurance products, including property, health, agro, life, micro insurance and pensions and also mo-

MTN, Mansard float insurance scheme for SMEs

perating within a country determined to create an enabling environment for Small and Medium Scale Enterprises, SMEs, MTN Nigeria and an indigenous insurance provider, Mansard Insurance have unveiled an insurance scheme for SMEs in Nigeria. The idea is to provide the necessary affordable insurance solutions that SMEs need in order to run their operations with peace of mind. The new service will be made available under an MTN product called ‘Y’ello Biz’ and interested SMEs can subscribe for the service with N300 ($1.51) a week in order to enjoy N1m ($5000) mansard insurance cover for their businesses

according to a report by Venture Africa. Reports indicate that the insurance package covers registered SMEs against fire, flood and other risks. Also, the Y’ello Biz can be bundled with voice, data and SMS services, as it is from the stable of the MTN Y’ello Cover; a suite of insurance services offered by MTN to its network subscribers. Yomi Onifade, Director of Retail Business at Mansard Insurance, indicated the willingness of the financial services provider to undertake the scheme and contribute its quota to promoting SME development in Africa’s largest economy. “Mansard was pleased to extend its customerfocused insurance services to the

SMEs, covering some of the most frequently occurring business hazards,” he said.

bilizes additional resources through global and regional insurance companies, other developmental financial institutions, and financial investors. AIICO Insurance PLC is a major player in life assurance and annu-

ity services market and offers life, non-life insurance, pension management, health insurance and asset management. It is the second largest insurer in Nigeria by gross premiums and has maintained a top three position over the last five years.

TAC to complement CBN’s financial system strategy –Fola Daniel

he Commissioner for Insurance, Fola Daniel, has said that the National Insurance Commission, NAICOM, initiated the Takaful Advisory Council to complement the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN’s Financial System Strategy, FSS, 2020 and the National Financial Inclusion Strategy. He made the comment at the inauguration of TAC in Abuja recently. Daniel explained further that the TAC was also established to advise and guide the Commission on all Sharia matters regarding the Takaful undertakings and expressed his personal conviction that the inauguration was another step towards the implementation of the Takaful guidelines”, he said. The Minister of State for Finance, Bashir Yuguda, who inaugurated the council, said the Council, of the National Insurance Commission, NAICOM, was to ensure a financially inclusive insurance sector. The council will provide Sharia compliant insurance policies that will complement Nigerian banks that practice Islamic financing. Yuguda said that for an economy to thrive, there must be a viable insur-

ance sector, adding that the policy is not only about pulling of risks but also strengthening of government and the entire economic structure. “What the government is trying to do is to develop policies and programmes that will not only impact on the insurance sector but will help the economy of the country.We believe this is a new chapter for the industry; it will help generate more income for the sector and we believe it will also deepen the industry”, Yuguda added While urging Nigerians to give the team all the necessary support since government would also avail the council maximum support, the minister also urged the inaugurated Council to collaborate with the government and deliver on their task. In his comments, the Chairman of the council, Prof Dawud Noibi, said that an economy could only be effective when it was inclusive, noting the Federal Government’s reason for setting up the council. Noibi commended the Commission and the Federal Government for the appointment of the team and assured that the team will commitment to achieve the set goals.

People chose conscientious exercise over high payments

A Commissioner for Insurance, Fola Daniel

ccording to a study conducted by both Stanford University and the University of Michigan Health System, people who had to choose between exercising more or paying 20 percent higher health insurance premiums, most often chose to increase their physical activity via an Internet-tracked walking program. Scientists evaluated those insured by Blue Care Network and enrolled

them in a pedometer-based study as a requirement to receive discounts on their insurance payments. After one year of monitoring participants, researchers found that nearly 97 per cent had either met or exceeded the average goal of walking 5,000 steps each day. In fact, even those participants who were most resistant and who disagreed with exercising purely for financial reasons found the program was a powerful incentive.

Insurance

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

How insurance industry can increase premium generation, GDP growth Tope Awofeso is a Senior Manager in Leadway Assurance. He spoke to TAYO ELEBIJO on what could be done to boost insurance penetration and enhance the industry’s contribution to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product. Excerpts: there, they are not effective.

What do you think could be done to make more Nigerians embrace insurance? There are a lot of things that can be done, for instance, awareness is one of those things. And also we need to let them have faith in the industry because in the past the public have lost faith in the industry. They don’t really believe in the industry. If you talk about insurance, most people seemed not to be clear with it; continuous education is very key. The believe system we have in this country, being an African country, is that people tend to cater for themselves. If there’s any case of uncertainty, they would rally around one another without recourse to insurance because they may not have known that with little premium contribution they pay, they will be able to take care of the uncertainty covered in the insurance policy. Probably if you see any one that has benefited from that, you know how word of mouth can travel; something happened to this person and see what the insurance people did for him. This will encourage more people to have trust in the industry and would make them want to take insurance policy. Investors are coming to Nigeria based on their perception of that the country‘s huge market. Do you think the industry is taking advantage of this? Yes, population is a great advantage. That is why you have the investors from South Africa and other parts of the world coming to Nigeria because they saw the potential advantage that population is the key to their investments in insurance and other sectors. By giving continuous education, we can now develop products that would meet the needs of the average Nigerians, especially in the life policy area. Taking up life policy with little premium contributions that can benefit you in future and leveraging on the population of the country. So, population is a key factor to play with. What in your opinion can the government do to help develop the industry further? The government is a key player in the insurance industry for now. They are the highest buyers of the insurance products. So there is a saying that charity begins at home. If the government is also paying its fees, they would have been living as an example but there are lots of compulsory insurance or policies that even the government doesn’t take up. So, if the government can also live by example, then the followers will also have no choice but to follow in the government’s step. If probably you are working in a government establishment and know that my institution is taking a life policy for me, and I am encouraged in my work, I can also replicate the same system to my family that don’t have that kind of benefit. When those operating smaller businesses see this, they would be encouraged to do the same. So it’s living by example. If we have a government that can live by example, we will go a long way. Are you saying that the governments are not doing enough to provide insurance cover for civil servants? Yes! Even though they are still the highest insurance policy buyers, we don’t have enough figures of policy buyers from the government establishments because they depend on the budget. If you go to them, they will say, the budget is not ready. Even in some states, insurance is the last thing they want to discuss. They don’t even consider it as priority. So if the government can take insurance as priority, because it’s very vital and key to the industry. That is why insurance did not have de-

What happens to the houses already completed, are you saying that they do not need to take insurance cover? They need to take insurance too. You know there has been quite a number of building collapse cases in the country, particularly in Lagos in recent times. You will notice that the houses were never insured. If the house owners had taken insurance policy, the insurance companies would have carried the risk on their shoulders. At the end, the house owners could get as much as it will be enough to build another house, depending on the amount of contributions paid as premium. But the building collapse cases have lost everything they have invested in the collapsed property without any compensation because the buildings were not insured no remedy.

Awofeso

We are noW concentrating on the so called untouched people in the country With insurance policy that Would cater for their needs.

the

jumbo accounts is very

competitive because it’s the same account you have been rotating all the

While, everybody Wants to come to the same account served contribution in the Gross Domestic Product, GDP. What came out as the GDP contribution from the industry was very small. Another point is, if government can come out with the enforcement because there are lots of building projects going on for instance and a compulsion is in place that people must insure every stage of the property project, people will be forced to obey. For instance, there are many compulsory insurance in Nigeria, but how many people are obeying them? There’s insurance that if you are building your house, at least a storey building, you must take a building policy. If you carry out a survey of houses across the country especially those buildings that are coming up, they will tell you they are not aware. Even though we have the law, the ideal will power to back up the law is not there. We believe that it’s in conjunction with the government and the players that will make the law work. One of my strategies is to work with the Local Government officials around here. I have been meeting with them because I want to use their own authority. I told them they are the representatives of the government, make it compulsory that people should insure their buildings, so they must take policy to cater for the workers on site in case of any accident. So even though the laws are

In essence, are you saying that you want the government to put the enforcement machinery in motion if it wants insurance to grow? Yes! The government needs to do this quickly because foreign investors are also watching. They want to come to Nigeria but first, the best practices must be put in place. For instance before you drive your car out, on the road, you’re expected to have motor insurance; at least a Third Party. It costs just N5000 but how many people even bother to take it. If they had to at all, they would rather prefer to pay N1000 to get a fake type. This very challenging to the industry and it’s only the government that can solve the problem and use the insurance industry as a spring board to create millions of jobs opportunities as it’s done in other parts of the world. The government would need to empower the law enforcement agencies especially the police. Although, there’s a new development now; the police can now check your number plate on their own phones when they stop you. They are trying to put all vehicles in a data base so that when the police stops you, your information could be accessed on their phone right there in your presence. With this, I believe that people will be forced to come forward for their vehicle insurance policy. Could you speak on steps you think could be taken to further attract foreign investments into the industry? If those already in the country are recording profits from their investments, definitely other investor s would be encouraged to come. Like I said before, the contribution of the industry to the GDP was very small but if the industry can come up with different products that can make people to buy the policy that will benefit them, it will be encouraging. The era when insurance companies would concentrate on the big establishments is over. We are now concentrating on the so called untouched people in the country with insurance policy that would cater for their needs. The jumbo accounts is very competitive because it’s the same account you have been rotating all the while, everybody wants to come to the same account. Every underwriter wants to come to NNPC and other government agencies. But now, we are being forced to look elsewhere. So Leadway Assurance is one of the leading insurance companies which has been in operation for over 40 years now and we are one of the insurance companies that paid the highest claims in the industry even if you take the total claims paid in the industry, Leadway would take 40 per cent while others would share the remaining 60 percent. We have been able to achieve this through our excellent services, integrity, openness, and customer service.

Money

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Stakeholders count costs of financial crimes to economy As financial fraud continues to rise experts harp on collaboration among key stakeholders. UDO ONYEKA reports.

he revelation that financial fraud is on the increase in spite of several efforts has led to a call for collaboration between banks and financial sector supervisors in the fight against the ugly trend in the global economic system. The Chairman of Nigeria Electronic Fraud Forum, NeFF, Mr Dipo Fatokun, while speaking at the first NeFF general meeting for the year titled, “e-Fraud: Shining a Light on Insider Abuse”, gave the hint of the increasing worrisome dimensions of financial crimes on a global scale. Fatokun, who is also the Director of Banking and Payment System, Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, said that in most of these fraudulent or sharp practices, insider involvement had become a common phenomenon. He said that as part of efforts to deal with the menace, the forum had created an avenue for information exchange and knowledge sharing on fraud issues among key stakeholders to foster collaborative and proactive approach to tackling the challenge and limiting occurrences and losses. According to him, this will proffer solutions that restore public confidence on card usage and electronic payments in general. The Head, Information System Security, Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System ,NIBSS, Olufemi Fadairo, said that 2014 was quite alarming in terms of fraud as it recorded very high volume of fraudulent transactions, noting that the unreported cases were far higher than the reported cases of frauds perpetuated in the system. He said that internet and Automated Teller Machines, ATMs remain the most popular channels for e-fraud while Point of Sales, PoS, terminals had been discovered to be the preferred channel of cash out for fraudsters. Fadairo disclosed that based on NIBSS statistics in 2014 there was 1,461 fraud volume, with attempted value of N7.8bn and actual loss value of N6.22bn. “For the previous year, the fraud volume recorded was 855 with attempted value of N19.15bn, while actual loss value was N485.19m. The data showed an increase of up to 78 per cent in the volume of fraudulent cases in 2014, while the value of attempted fraudulent transactions reduced, but there was a huge increase in the moneys that were actually lost to fraudsters. Fadairo said the percentage of actual lost value as against attempted fraud value increased from 35 to 80 per cent within one year. According to him, the fraudulent cases help to emphasise the need for more security measures in handling payment cards as individuals, and improved security practices as corporate bodies to help minimise fraud rates.

Zenith Bank MD, Amangbo CBN Gov, Emefiele

CIBN President, Osibogun

The cyber ThreaT landscape is consTanTly evolving and we expecT new forms of

ThreaTs and aTTacks (including zero day

aTTacks) To emerge wiTh each passing day He hinted that financial fraudsters were increasingly adopting sophisticated techniques in the approach and that stakeholders in the industry have to collaborate more and think ahead and creatively if efraud must be successfully tackled. Also the report that a huge loss of about N159bn through cyber crime between 2000 and 2013 indicates that stakeholders collaboration is highly needed. Many analysts have said that the increased acceptance of e- banking by bank customers has brought about increasing incidences of fraud especially through payment cards and the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN and banks are faced with the challenge of curbing the menace. Apart from the issue of collaboration the CBN in order to tackle has made sure that all banks, Switches and Processors receive the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards, PCIDSS, certification. The PCIDSS is a set of standards and security due diligence practices issued by a global information technology security regulatory body to help ensure the safe handling of payment card data. Also the CBN, in order to minimise financial fraud through electronic payment channels, directed banks to install on their ATMs technologies that can forestall this trend. The CBN which observed growth in the adoption of e-payment by Nigerians, also observed an upward increase in the number of frauds in the banking system banks on the provisions of section 3.2 ‘ATM Operations’ and 3.4 ‘ATM security’ of the Standards and guidelines on ATM operations in Nigeria and also install risk mitigating devices on their ATM terminals on or before June 1, 2014. The apex bank had last year in an effort to fast track the adoption of e-payment, released the guidelines on electron-

ic payment of salaries, pensions, suppliers and taxes in Nigeria. This means, “Deposit Money Banks are to dishonour payment instructions for all forms of salaries, pensions, suppliers and taxes payment not transmitted on a Bank approved straight through electronic payment and collection platform issued by organisations with more than 50. “This means payment instructions and associated schedules are no longer to be transmitted to DMBs by all public and private sector organisations through unsecured channels, such as paper- based mandates, flash drives, compact discs ,CD, email attachments , etc. The guideline stated that, “The objective of the end-to-end electronic payment of salaries, pensions, suppliers and taxes initiative is fully aligned with the core objectives of the National Payment Systems Vision 2020, NPSV, which is to ensure the availability of safe and effective mechanisms for conveniently making and receiving all types of payments from any location and at any time, through multiple channels. However Head of Shared Services Office at the CBN, Chidi Umeano, said the apex bank has recorded a significant reduction in card-related frauds since the changeover from magnetic stripe based payment tokens and channels to Chip and Pin-compliant channel and tokens. Umeano said that there had been a reduction of more than 70 per cent drop in card fraudulent incidences in the country. He said CBN was making headway in transforming the sector into a cashless society. “The policy urges a moderate shift from usage of cash to usage of cards”, he said. However experts have advised banks and other service providers in the elec-

tronic payment business to upgrade their security systems in compliance with the PCIDSS, so as to guard against fraud in the industry. Domestic Payment Division, Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr Emmanuel Obaigbona, said compliance with the necessary security measures would deepen the cash-less initiative. President, Information Security Society of Africa, Nigeria ,ISSAN, Mr. David Isiavwe, had at a recent forum observed that the proliferation of e-channels which has brought banking services closer to customers has further increased the risk of cyber crime hence, companies must find a more comprehensive approach to protecting their employees, core networks and IT infrastructure. “Without any doubt, companies’ assets are now increasingly becoming information-based and intangible. Indeed, most physical assets now rely heavily on information as technology now allows companies to offer more information / digital products than ever before. As these products become increasingly intangible, there is a greater need to ensure that they are safe for use by customers and staff alike as well as the general banking public. “The cyber threat landscape is constantly evolving and we expect new forms of threats and attacks (including zero day attacks) to emerge with each passing day. “We therefore need to be proactive rather than reactive. We need to carefully x-ray our processes and operations to see what we are not doing right; what areas need to be further inoculated and what urgent practical steps we can take to ensure that our IT infrastructure is secure and can support the business objectives and strategies of our respective organisations,” Isiavwe said. Even as many have noted that insider involvement could be traced to the rise in banks and financial crimes, many banks have taken the issue training very seriously. Also the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, CIBN, has reiterated the need for adequate training for banks personnel, hence it recently accredited some banks training schools

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Taxation

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Taxation: The Swivel of the Economy (1) E mbuka a nna

n 1651, Thomas Hobbes during Britain’s Civil War, published a legal theory based on the ‘social contract’. According to him, prior the to social contract, man lived in a state of nature - man’s state of nature was one of a chaotic condition of constant fear and life in the state of nature was solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short. To overcome these hardships, man entered into two agreements: •

Pactum unionis

•

Pactum subjectionis

Under the pact of unionis, men sought protection of their lives and properties. This resulted in the formation of a society where people undertook to respect each other and live in peace and harmony. With the second pact of subjectionis, people united together and pledged to obey an authority and surrendered the whole or part of their freedom and rights to an authority in exchange for a guarantee of protection of life, property, social amenities and to a certain extent, liberty. Thus, the authority of the government or the sovereign or sate came into being. This authority also includes making policies, one of which is the fiscal policy. Fiscal policy describes two actions by the government. The first is taxation- by levying taxes the government receives revenue from the populace. Taxation is a transfer of assets from the people to the government.The second action is government spending. This is in fulfilment of pactum subjectionis and may take the form of wages to government employees, social amenities, security, roads, free or discounted health care, education, transportation or electricity.When the government spends, it transfers assets from itself to the public. Since taxation and government spending represents reversed asset flows, it is nearly given that taxation is the swivel for a sustainable, efficient and effective economy. History and Principles of Taxation in Nigeria The history of taxation in Nigeria goes back to pre-colonial rule. There was a system of taxation in existence in the form of contribution of compulsory service, money, farm produce, goods and labour, which were essentially meant to support the various monarchies. Mainly, these taxes were levied in the form of ground rent,

palm fruit tax, farm produce tax, cattle ownership tax, etc. The modern tax system in Nigeria was first introduced in the year 1904 by Lord Lugard as community tax in the then Northern Nigeria. He later made changes, which resulted, to the Native Revenue Ordinance of 1917 in Northern Nigeria. The ordinance was extended to the eastern part of Nigeria in 1929. During colonial rule, taxes were imposed on individuals and corporate entities through a series of promulgations by the colonial power. In 1940, two major legislations were passed; these were the Direct Taxation Ordinance No. 4 of 1940 and the Income Tax Ordinance No. 3 of 1940. The Direct Taxation Ordinance of 1940 applied to all citizens except those in Lagos Township. The Income Tax Ordinance No. 3 of 1940 applied to expatriates and to Nigerians living in Lagos. The Income Tax Ordinance was passed in 1943 repealing the 1940 Ordinance. The 1943 Ordinance together with the Direct Taxation (Amendment) Ordinance 1943 continued to apply until 1956. In 1956,the Eastern Region passed the Finance Law No. 1 of 1956. The basis of computation of tax provided in the Finance Law No. 1 of 1956 was basically the same as in the Ordinance of 1943. In 1956 tax allowances were provided for married taxpayers, and additional allowances for families with up to a maximum of three children. It also introduced the Pay-As-Your-Earn (PAYE) system of taxation. The Eastern Region Finance Law number 1 became operative in the region on April 1 1956, thus abrogatingthe application of Direct Taxation Ordinance in the Region. Another law was passed in 1962 repealing the 1956 Law. The Western Region departed from the Direct Taxation Ordinance by passing the Income Tax Law in 1957. The PAYE system was introduced in the region by the Income Tax (Amendment) Law 1961. To ensure uniformity in both the application and incidence of taxation on individuals throughout Nigeria, the Income Tax Management Act (ITMA) was enacted in 1961, thus repealing all previous laws applicable to individuals, and making the main provisions applicable to all individuals throughout Nigeria. In the same vein, the Companies Income Tax Act (CITA) of 1961 was also promulgated. Subsequently, ITMA 1961 was repealed and replaced by Personal Income Tax

system is said to lack economy. Principle of Certainty: This principle states that the amount to collect as tax, the time of payment, the mode of payment and the place of payment must be made clear to the taxpayer, so that the taxpayer is not left at the whims and caprices of the tax authorities. In other words, the taxpayer should be fully informed about taxes to be able to arrive at a conclusion as to the amount of tax payable by him with reference to the provision of the tax law, as well as, to prevent him from being subjected to cheating by unscrupulous people and dishonest tax officials. Ogungbesan

Act (PITA) 1993, which came into being through Decree No. 104 of 1993, while the CITA of 1961 was repealed by the enactment of the CITA of 1979. The tax Acts which went through series of amendments, reassessments and reviews, are now included in the Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004. Thus, codifying them as PITA CAP P8 LFN 2004 and CITA CAP C21 LFN 2004. Principles of Taxation These are the rules, qualities, conditions, standards or yardsticks by which the quality of a tax system is measured and by which a good tax policy can be formulated. Adams Smith was noted to have been the first person to mention the principles of taxation, which he called the canons of taxation in his book “The Wealth of Nations” in 1776. Although Adams Smith mentioned only four principles, scholars that came after him made some generally accepted additions. Some of these principles include the following: Principle of Equity: This principle states that a good tax system should be as just as possible by ensuring that all persons who ought to pay the tax are covered by the tax and that each taxpayer pays exactly what is just and equitable considering his circumstance and ability. There are two types of equity i.e. vertical and horizontal equity. Vertical equity is the unequal treatment of taxable persons with varied taxable income. While horizontal equity is the equal treatment of taxpayers with the same taxable income. Principle of Economy: This principle states that the cost of collecting tax should not be too high so as to outweigh the benefits derivable from the imposition of tax. For example if it costs a government N9 million to collect tax revenue of N10million, the tax

Principle

Convenience:

This

principle states that tax should be imposed at a time, in a manner and at a place that the taxpayer is in position to pay, so that collection of tax would be easy for the tax administrators. For example, a salary earner should be asked to pay tax when he receives his salary and not at the middle or the end of the month when the salary may have been exhausted. This is why PAYE is deducted at source, because it is more convenient than requiring the taxpayer to pay after collection of salary. A farmer should be asked to pay tax when he harvests his crops and not when he is doing the planting or clearing the farm. Principle of Simplicity: This principle states that a good tax system and the tax law should be as simple as possible, both in interpretation and application. This requirement is particularly important in developing economies where the rate of illiteracy is high and where the culture of record keeping has not been imbibed by most small scale entrepreneurs. Principle of Neutrality: This principle states that a good tax system should neither distort the consumption habits nor the production decisions of a taxpayer. In other words, a good tax system should not interfere with people’s willingness to work, produce, consume, save and invest. Principle of Efficiency: This principle states that a good tax system should make it difficult for tax evasion (i.e. should make it difficult for nonpayment of tax or illegal reduction of one’s tax liability). Principle of Flexibility: This principle states that a good tax system and tax law should be such that it can be easily amended when the need arises, without unnecessary protocol.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Capital Market

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Shareholders link equities sell-offs to foreigners’ stake StorieS: JohnSon okanlawon

ome shareholders have attributed the massive sell-offs to dependence on foreign investors, claiming that the Exchange was disconnected from retail shareholders. Data from the Exchange showed that foreign portifolio transactions at the nation’s bourse which was N124.5bn at the end of 2014 decreased to N99.1bn (about $0.60bn) at the beginning of 2015, down 20.39 per cent from December 2014. Domestic investors conceded about 4.48 per cent of trading to foreign investors as Domestic transactions decreased from 51.76 per cent to 47.76 per cent, while foreign portifolio transactions increased from 48.24 per cent to 52.24 per cent over the same period. Total transactions decreased by 26.49 per cent from

N258.08bn in December 2014 to N189.7bn in January 2015, while foreign portifolio investment inflows accounted for 25.3 per cent of total transactions whilst outflows accounted for 26.9 per cent of total transactions in January 2015. In comparison to the same period in 2014, total foreign portifolio transactions increased by 10.52 per cent, whilst the total domestic transactions decreased by 1.83 per cent. “Foreign portifolio investment outflows outpaced inflows which was consistent with the same period in 2014. Overall, there was a 4.26 per cent increase in total transactions in comparison to the same period in 2014,” the data showed. The Publicity Secretary, Independent Shareholders Association of Nigeria, Mr Bayo Adeleke, said that the

bears were having a free reign in the market due to the dominance of foreign investors. The President, Progressive Shareholders Association of Nigeria, Mr Boniface Okezie, said that local investor’s confidence in the market has been dashed due to government’s policies. Okezie said that foreign investors were given more attention in the market against the domestic investors. The Managing Director, APT Securities and Funds Llimited, Malam Garba Kurfi, said the operators were engaging local investors to increase their participation in the market. Kurfi said that pension fund administrators should see the development as an opportunity to increase their position in the market.

“The market offers higher potential in terms of dividend yield when compared with interest offered by banks,’’ he said. He attributed the development in the market to developments in the foreign exchange market and unfriendly policies of the Central Bank of Nigeria. Kurfi said the trend would not persist because most stocks were trading below their fair value. However, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, Mr. Oscar Onyema had last week advised investors to take position on stocks despite declining oil prices, naira value and the security situation in the country. Onyema noted that despite the markets sharp downturn

in 2014, it is not all doom and gloom for 2015. Although, he said, many anticipate volatility through the first half of the year, some stock prices are at their lowest since the May 2013 sell-off, and some are below book value, thus, presenting domestic investors with no currency risk, an opportunity for cautious longterm investing. He said, “We expect that as the year progresses, underpinned by a successful election with no or low levels of violence, a tighter grip on the security situation in northeastern Nigeria, and a more certain macroeconomic outlook for oil prices, interest rates and the naira, the market’s attractiveness could improve rather significantly.

“On the fixed income side, government bond yields hovered between 11.0 per cent and 12.5 per cent throughout 2014, and this will remain an attraction for investors seeking high riskadjusted returns.” On the $1trillion market capitalization, he said that its target to reach a $1trillion market capitalization by 2016 was scuppered by the world’s biggest equities decline this year. According to him, the objective is no longer possible because of the current realities facing the bourse, saying that the challenges to the naira, the fall in oil price and uncertainties due to an election year have caused a selloff in the market.

Stanbic IBTC launches access card

tanbic IBTC Bank has launched a priority pass, a customized card that gives holders access to unique benefits at over 700 airports. A statement from the bank explained that the card allows members access to over 700 airport lounges in more than 120 countries and 400 cities worldwide including Nigeria. The statement quoted the bank’s Chief Executive, Mr. Yinka Sanni, as saying that the launching represents another milestone in the drive to move customers forward by continuously introducing value-added products and services that suit their lifestyles, whilst giving them access to financial options wherever and whenever they want it. According to him, the product is another step towards leveraging innovation and evolving technologies to serve customers better. “At Stanbic IBTC Bank, we are poised to always avail the best solutions to enhance the lives of the people we serve. This product is yet another manifestation of this quest,” he stated. The bank’s Head of Personal Banking, Joyce Uredi stated that the introduction of the card is as a result of the personal banking team’s

constant work to meet the lifestyle needs of their customers. She said, “Banking is fast moving beyond just financial needs and becoming about creating an experience that fits the lifestyle of our customers. With the increased demand for a specialised brand that compliments the status of our customers whilst speaking to convenience, Stanbic IBTC has decided to take the front seat in providing this. “As we choose our credit holders carefully, there are no restrictions to how far we are willing to go to give them a great experience which not only defines their lifestyles but also makes banking a pleasure. This is another way by which we are moving our clients forward”. She stressed that the priority pass also provides holders other benefits including unlimited access to all registered lounges regardless of the class of travel or airline members are flying in; privileged access to over 60 United States Airport VIP Lounges; complimentary refreshments and snacks; access to internet and conference space and excellent working and leisure facilities as well as complimentary newspapers and magazines.

Trading floor of NSE

Abu Dhabi’s invest AD shifts funds to Egypt as stability returns

bu Dhabi Asset Manager Investment AD, part of Abu Dhabi Investment Council, said it’s boosting investments in Egypt on expectation that the country’s renewed political stability and economic reform will help drive growth. The North African country now accounts for 35 per cent of Invest AD’s $50m Africa equity fund, up from 10 to 15 per cent last year, portfolio manager Sherif Salem told Bloomberg. According to him, Nigeria is five per cent, down from 30 to 35 per

cent. “The market is already factoring in quite a positive outcome. The trigger was political stability. From an economic standpoint, it’s been reassuring in the past six to eight months, the implementation of economic policies and investments that have been promised,” Salem said. Egyptian authorities have taken steps to attract investors including reducing energy subsidies, lowering income tax and devaluing the pound. The country this month secured billions

of dollars in investment commitments at a conference billed by the government as a milestone in efforts to revive the economy. While Egypt is recovering, Nigeria is struggling with Brent crude prices having halved since June. Electoral officials have also delayed a presidential poll set for February 14 by six weeks after the government said army couldn’t guarantee voters’ safety in the northeast, where a six-year insurgency by Islamist group Boko Haram has killed thousands.

Gulf states’ backing of the Egyptian government played an important role in improving sentiment, Salem said. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Oman pledged more than $12bn, half of it as deposits in the central bank. Salem said he expected a return of 10 to 15 per cent from the Egyptian market this year. “A lot of things can happen but what I can see is a positive outlook,” he said. Invest AD manages fixed income and equity funds in the Middle East and Africa.

Features

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Olumo: The age long rock that

Picture shows Mrs. Adenike Idowu, proprietor and pupils of Solid Rock Foundation Nursery and Primary School, Abeokuta at Olumo Rock.

FEMI OYEWESO, ABEOKUTA

raversing about 80 …… square metres area of land in between the Itoko and Ikija communities in the Abeokuta metropolis, Olumo Rock comfortably seats on a parcel of land fenced to safeguard remnants of the ancient and indigenous settlers who have over the years, defiled successive government directives to quit the area. A direct road from the popular Itoku Kampala market leading to the site, though tarred, yet arrogantly fails to welcome any modernization from the Governor Ibikunle Amosun led administration as buildings on both sides all depict antique. The monument is also gated with strong iron rods neatly standing upright both left and right to prevent free entry. There are also two pillars which suspended the heavy arc in which its nomenclature was boldly inscribed. Welcome to Olumo Rock; the Egba monument that will continue to remain relevant as far as the people of Abeokuta live. If you are in Abeokuta, the capital city of Ogun state and you have not visited Olumo Rock, then you haven’t being to Egbaland. Whoever is visiting Abeokuta needs to “pay homage” to Olumo Rock because of the significant role which the monument had played in the lives of Egbaland and its inhabitants from where they derived the name of their city Abeokuta, the city beneath the rock! Situated in the heart of the city within the Abeokuta South local government, the 137 feet Olumo Rock has played host to many tourists among those who earnestly craved to know the misery behind its perplexing existence which shielded a clan from being wiped out during the Yoruba civil wars of 1830s and eventually turned same tribe into a dynasty which the colonialists was forced to reckon with. Aside from the archeologists who wanted to sustain or probably re-write history to conform with the modern trends, Olumo Rock has also on daily basis, been hosting several fun seekers who troop in to the rock for the purpose of thrilling their loved ones. This is also in addition to other tourists both within and outside the Yorubal-

and who wanted to reinforce their beliefs in African traditions and sustain the good aspects of the “local content” in their children rather than continuously romancing the American war films already filled with fictions and magic. Reasons for this set of tourists’ action are confirmed in their longing and desire to worship at the igun shrine; the god of longevity. Again, in conformity with the truth in the saying that “history makes a man”, sons and daughters of Egbaland, who did not want to be disconnected with their root are equally not left out among the several visitors who thronged the site of the monument to ascertain the confounding story told to them by their fore-fathers about the impenetrable strength of the Egba soldiers of the 17th Century who fought and won the Yoruba civil wars to sustain their area. History of the Egba people in connection with Olumo Rock In an interaction with the curator of the site, Mr. Adebola Akeem Oluwafemi National Mirror gathered that the rock provided a shield for the displaced Egba people from the Old Oyo Empire following the Yoruba civil wars in the 17th Century. Adebola told National Mirror that three (3) people: Egba Gbagura, Egba Oke – Ona as well as Egba Igbehin which was later to be called Egba Ake all migrated from the Igbo Egba (Egba Forest) which had existed around the 14th to 15th Century and finally settled in Egbaland. Hitherto, the Alaafin of old Oyo Empire had been ruling other areas of Yorubaland which included the Igbo-Egba, the original home of the Egbas, through his emissaries called Ilaris. Over the years, the Ilaris were said to have gone out from the normal to abnormal and so, began an arbitrary representation of the Emperor, Alaafin Abiodun. They were molesting the wives of the Egba people and also killing them. The development forced the Egba people to revolt against the Ilaris which would literarily mean that the people had revolted against the Emperor, Alaafin Abiodun. Lisabi Agbongbo – Akala, one of the strongest Egba men, was said to have led the revolution by turning one of the vibrant groups, Egbe Aaro; an organisation where the Egba people used to assist each other into a military organisation around 1775 to 1780. However by 1775, Lisabi led

A shrine at the rock

a revolt against the tyranny of the Ilaris which resulted in the massacre of six hundred emissaries. He had taken years to plan the revolt. He cleverly formed Egbe Aaro, a system where able bodied men, in turn, help each other to carry out a task be it farming other jobs. Legend has it that Lisabi was the hardest worker and he never asked for Aaro for over three years since he set up the group. On a night, he summoned the group and told them that the task he was asking was for them to massacre the Ilaris. Two factors influenced the acceptance of the task. Firstly, Lisabi never asked for anything before in spite of his industriousness at others’ tasks. Secondly, everybody resented the Ilaris as a result of their highhandedness. The uprising automatically triggered war with the Oyo Empire and the Egbas were forced to leave their ancestral home to sojourn beneath the Rock which was later to be called “Olu Fi Mo”and now, Olumo Rock that served as fortress for them during the many years of the wars fought between 1821 and 1828. The most internecine was the war with the Dahomians, led by the famous King Gheso of Dahomey Empire in the present day Republic of Benin. Olumo Rock served as watch post for Egba warriors as sentinel climbed the whole 137 feet rock to monitor movement of intruding forces. The rock placed the Egba army under the leadership of Lisabi at vantage position from where they were able to ambush and unleash surprisingly victorious attacks on their enemies. That however, accounted for their many victories. Till date, some of the many apartments where the Egbas lived still exist beneath the belly of the Olumo Rock which now bear tale of the bygone years. During the war years however, the wounded Egba soldiers were taken to the belly of the rock beneath where they were treated and other fighters too hid themselves. The post civil war settlements of the Egbas however, made them to coin the name of their new town as Abeokuta. It simply came into being after the people reunited and expressed the exclamation at each other saying “Ha! Abe Okuta lee sa pamo si” in their Yoruba language which means “so, you hid under the rock?!” As a matter of fact, a visit to the Olumo rock today attests to the fact that three (3) of the original rooms used by the Egba

warriors still survived till today. History also has it that the Egba people decided to name the rock as Olumo in expressing their gratitude to God for putting an end to all the wars. Of course, “Olu” means a short for of calling God, Olorun or Olu-Orun while “Mo” was the shortened form of ended. “Olu Orun Fi Ogun mo” Olu Fi Mo; Olumo” God has ended the war. These however, explained why the Olumo Rock remain very unique to the existence of the Egba people who hid themselves beneath the rock,” Abe okuta ti Oluwa ti f ’ogun mo”; Beneath the rock where God put an end to the wars. Abeokuta of Olumo Rock! Olumo Rock as a cultural and tourist center Olumo Rock today, still houses the tradition, practices and customs of the Egba people which had existed with them during the period they were at the Igbo Egba (Egba Forest) before the massacre of the over 600 Ilaris and the consequent rebellion against Alaafin Abiodun which forced them to take abode beneath the rock. There was the myth that Olumo Rock favoured the Egba people to live a long life. This belief however, made the women who survived the civil wars to invent a god called “igun”, the god of longevity. As expected also, the custodian of the practice and worship of the “igun” god of longevity was the exclusive preserve of a 128 years old woman, Madam Sinatu Aduke Sanni who is nicknamed as “Iya Olomo”. National Mirror gathered that several women who are praying to God for the fruit of the womb do converge with Madam Sanni, the Iya Olomo at the shrine beneath the Olumo Rock to worship the igun god. The attendant effect of such worship at the igun shrine however, normally resulted into such women getting pregnant and bearing children. Aside from worshiping at the igun shrine, there are some other points where the real practices of the Egba people usually take place till today beneath the Olumo Rock. These however, accounted for why the Olumo Rock still serve as cultural center where not only fun seekers visit, but also those Africans whose belief are solid in the African gods still patronise the Olumo Rock. At present, the management of Olumo Rock exists as an Agency under the Min-

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Features

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

portrays the culture of the Egba istry of Culture and Tourism and is managed by the General Manager, Mr. Kola Anidugbe The immediate past administration of Otunba Gbenga Daniel as the governor of the state, took steps towards ensuring that the cultural values of the Rock is maintained. To that end however, the state government then gave out the management of the Rock out under the concession arrangement to be managed under the Public Sector Participation (PSP) arrangement. Upon assumption of office in May 2011, the present Senator Ibikunle Amosun led administration felt that the monument ought to be managed by the state in order to ensure that the collective patrimony of all sons and daughters of Egbaland is adequately taken care of. Today, the management of Olumo Rock exists as an Agency under the Ogun state Ministry of Culture and Tourism and it is being managed by the General Manager, Mr. Kola Anidugbe who is saddled with the responsibilities of overseeing the affairs of the Rock as a tourist attraction center. As tourist attraction center, management of Olumo Rock provided guides for those who throng then Rock to ascertain some of the myths about the rock, particularly the igun god of longevity as well as the “bedroom flats” beneath the rock where the Egba people lived. There are also three (3) Galleries within the complex of the Olumo Rock set up by the General Manager, Mr. Anidugbe. The first is the contemporary Art Gallery for both indigene and non-indigenes to showcase their art works for commercial purpose. The Art gallery also serves to promote the art works aside from generating income for the management. The second is the Historical and Cultural Gallery which essence is mainly to showcase the tradition and artistic work of the Egba heritage. There are also paintings that reflect the Olumo Rock from the raw stage to the modern stage. Within this gallery, regalia of masquerades in Egbaland and other artifact were on display which daily promotes the Yoruba culture and preserve history as well. The third gallery however, is where the crafts and souvenirs were available for sales. There are beads, adire tie and dye, as well as other items mainly to generate funds for the management of the Olumo Rock complex. Are people still visiting the place? Till date, several visitors still throng the Olumo Rock complex either on academic excursions of just to ascertain some of the mythologies they have been told about the

THIS PLACE IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE

STATE GOVERNMENT ALONE.

IT SHOULD ALSO BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

rock. Mr. Kazeem Sulaiman was one of the tour guides at the rock who conducted National Mirror round some of the attraction centers at the rock. Sulaiman, who explained that he had been working as tour guide, also stated that the complex usually records the highest number of patronage during weekends and holidays. The tour guide further stated that many of the tourists preferred ascending the 137 feet rock through the staircases than going through with the elevator provided by the immediate past administration of Otunba Gbenga Daniel. As at the time when National Mirror visited, students from the Solid Rock Foundation Nursery and Primary School, Abeokuta led their Head Mistress, Mrs. Abiola Adenike Idowu were on excursion to the site. Mrs. Idowu in an interview with our correspondent explained that herself and some of the management staff of the school decided to lead the school children to Olumo Rock in order to add more to the knowledge of the students, particularly on what they have read about the happenings in the ancient times in Abeokuta. “The experience has been so pleasant and as you can see in the children, they have really enjoyed their visit to the rock”. “We have been able to know how they came about the name, Olumo Rock; the meaning of “Olumo”. We have been able to also establish some of the materials used by our forefathers and different types of pottery all at the galleries”. Aside from the nursery school children and their tutors, Engineer Adeoye AbdulWaheed was another tourist who led some school children from the Nasfat Islamic Faith on a sight-seeing to the rock. “We are here with some of our children from the NASTRIAL Ahmmadiyah Islamic faith of the ages between 7 and 15 years just for them to see the beauty of nature bestowed on Egbaland by Allah. Thas is why we are here”. Mr. Wilfred Osarobo an Edo state indigene was another fun seekers who visited Olumo Rock in company of his wife for sightseeing. Speaking with our correspondent, Osarobo said he was at the rock to also ascertain some of the mythologies he had been told about Olumo Rock. The couple, who arrived the Olumo Rock complex around 11a.m, defiled the scourging sun and climbed the staircases at the rock to catch fun. “This is a nice historical site. One of those things we see that are blessing to Nigeria as a tourist center. This I hope would be one of the best sources of revenue to Abeokuta and Nigeria in General if properly utilised”. “From what I have seen so far, I think the government both at the federal and state levels here are not doing enough considering the potentials in this monumental structure. If you look at it very well, I expect the federal government to do more than we are seeing now. I could observe that this place is not properly maintained. There are lots of lapses I could see”. Against the backdrop of agitations for the diversification of Nigerian economy,

Engineer Adeoye Waheed, extreme right, in brown shirt with staff and pupils of Ahmaddiyah Islamic Primary and Secondary Schools, Abeokuta at Olumo Rock.

Another shrine at the rock

Osarobo advocated that the management of Olumo Rock should not be the sole responsibility of the state government but that the Federal Ministry of Culture and Tourism should acquire the monument for further development and revenue drive. “This place is not supposed to be the responsibility of the state government alone. It should also be the responsibility of the federal government. So therefore, the federal government should put in more efforts to develop this place and make it more attractive. For me, I think it is under-maintained”. Osarobo, who disclosed that he obtained an entry ticket of N1, 400 to enable himself and his wife enter the complex, also stated that he looked forward to hearing the news that the federal government of Nigeria had upgraded the site to an international standard that would further attract foreigners. Olaomotobi Odubayo: A Sagamu born banker, Tobi Odubayo was also a tourist who visited Olumo Rock in company of his fiancé, sister, Mrs. Bukola Odofin Aiyenero and her two children. Being a work-free Saturday, Odubayo and his household were visiting Olumo Rock from Lagos where he works. The banker explained that he had once visited the Olumo Rock but decided to bring the family to visit the monument to also see for themselves, what Abeokuta and Olumo Rock really stand for. “This is their fourth time of coming to Abeokuta, but I felt they should come and know Olumo Rock too because myself, I have being here before”. Odubayo’s sister: Mrs. Aiyenero who

spoke with our correspondent explained that she just “wanted to feel at home; have fun also expose her children to real African culture undiluted”. “I came to visit the lastborn of my mother here in Abeokuta and I think it’s important to experience happenings at the Olumo Rock”. Has Olumo Rock generated the needed revenue for the state government? As earlier stated, the management of Olumo Rock complex is presently under the dictates of its General Manager, Mr. Anidugbe who was unavoidably absent as at the time (Saturday) when National Mirror visited. Efforts are still on-going however, to get the GM comment on the revenue drive as well as the revenue target of the complex. That notwithstanding, our correspondent observed that since the Ibikunle Amosun led administration withdrew the concession arrangement which the administration of Otunba Gbenga Daniel hitherto entered with former managers of the complex, the new management may be finding it difficult to meet its revenue target. Although our correspondent observed an impressive tourists patronage, the final say as to whether the complex is generating the needed revenue however, lied with the management of the complex. National Mirror further gathered that part of the revenue drive of the management of the complex was the introduction of the three (3) Galleries which purposes were to generate fund for the management of the place.

Global Business

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

ADB add to supporters for Investors eye data as stocks IMF, China-led development bank approach records L I nvestors enjoying near-record levels for major stock indexes will scrutinize housing data and other economic indicators in the coming week for hints about the timing of U.S. interest rate hikes to see if the rally will continue. Concern about the Federal Reserve’s path of rate increases and the soaring U.S. dollar have resulted in big swings in the S&P 500 on a daily basis, even though overall expectations for volatility remain low. Bolstered by reduced expectations of approaching rate hikes, the S&P 500 .SPX and Nasdaq Composite .IXIC came close to record closing highs on Friday. “Any piece of economic data that

Obama

speaks to the pace of job creation or inflation will be watched very closely. That’s the driver,” said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at Wunderlich Securities in New York. That makes economic updates due in the next few days all the more important, strategists say, including February new home sales on Tuesday and February durable goods orders on Wednesday. With Wall Street bracing for the first Fed rate hike since 2006, the S&P 500 on average this year has fluctuated 24 points per session, its most volatile since December 2011, according to Thomson Reuters data. After U.S. consumer prices in January fell their furthest in six years due to low gasoline prices, Tuesday’s February Consumer Price Index is expected to be up 0.2 percent, according to a Reuters poll USCPI=ECI. The U.S. economy’s growth prospects and the outlook for rate hikes have also been clouded by the strong dollar. The greenback’s 20 percent surge over a year has caused about 50 companies to reduce earnings expectations for

the first quarter, and more could be on the way. On Friday, the dollar .DXY was off 1.5 percent against a basket of major currencies and registered its biggest weekly decline since 2011. Expectations for first-quarter earnings are already off to a poor start. For every company that has pre-announced earnings above Wall Street’s expectations, 5.5 others have pre-announced below expectations, according to Thomson Reuters data. That’s the worst ratio since the same point of time in the first quarter of 2014, when the ratio was 7.2 to 1. Investors also worry about falling oil prices LCOc1 CLc1 and how much of the recent drop is attributable to global economic weakness as opposed to oversupply. Energy companies account for 8 percent of the earnings of S&P 500 companies but volatile crude prices reverberate across the economy. Some investors worry that consumers are not spending money freed up by lower gasoline prices on more goods and services. “They’re saving it or paying down debt,” said Bucky Hellwig, senior vice president at BB&T Wealth Management in Birmingham, Alabama. “That’s why everyone is nervous.”

How Europe and U.S. stumbled into spat over China-led bank

istorians may record March 2015 as the moment when China’s cheque book diplomacy came of age, giving the world’s number two economy a greater role in shaping global economic governance at the expense of the United States and the international financial institutions it has dominated since World War Two. This month European governments chose, in an ill-coordinated scramble for advantage, to join a nascent, Chinese-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in defiance of Washington’s misgivings. British finance minister George Osborne, gleeful at having seized first-mover advantage, stressed the opportunities for British business in a pre-election budget speech to parliament last week. “We have decided to become the first major western nation to be a prospective founding member of the new Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, because we think you should be present at the creation of these new international institutions,” he said after rebuffing a telephone plea from U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew to hold off.

The move by Washington’s close ally set off an avalanche. Irked that London had stolen a march, Germany, France and Italy announced that they too would participate. Luxembourg and Switzerland quickly followed suit. The trail of transatlantic and intra-European diplomatic exchanges points to fumbling, mixed signals and tactical differences rather than to any grand plan by Europe to tilt to Asia. That is nevertheless the way it is seen by some in Washington and Beijing. As recounted to Reuters by officials in Europe, the United States and China who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject, the episode reveals the paucity of strategic dialogue among what used to be called “the West”. It also highlights how the main European Union powers sideline their common foreign and security policy when national commercial interests are at stake. China’s official Xinhua news agency reflected Beijing’s delight.

“The joining of Germany, France, Italy as well as Britain, the AIIB’s maiden G7 member and a seasoned ally, has opened a decisive crack in the anti-AIIB front forged by America,” it said in a commentary. “Sour grapes over the AIIB makes America look isolated and hypocritical,” it said. Of the main U.S. allies in Asia, Australia appears close to joining, though no formal decision has been made, and Japan and South Korea are considering the possibility.

China president Xi Jinping

eaders of the IMF and ADB, speaking at a conference in Beijing, said they were in talks with or happy to cooperate with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), a $50 billion lender to be majority funded by China that is seen by some as a rival to these established international financial institutions. The United States, concerned about China’s growing diplomatic clout, has urged countries to think twice about signing up and questioned whether the AIIB will have sufficient standards of governance and environmental and social safeguards. Some 27 countries have already signed up to participate in the AIIB, China’s Finance Minister Lou Jiwei told China National Radio on Saturday. It will provide project loans to developing countries and is slated to begin operations at the end of 2015. The United States’ key strategic

IMF, MD, Lagarde

allies in the region, Australia, Japan and South Korea, are also considering joining the proposed Beijing-based bank. Early opposition to the AIIB from Western countries partially dissolved after Britain said this month it would join, with France, Germany and Italy swiftly following suit. Canberra could formally decide to sign up to the AIIB when the full cabinet meets on Monday, Australian media have said.

Airlines face court threat over customer services

An aircraft in mid-air

hree airlines are facing legal action over complaints about how they handle passengers hit by flight disruptions. The Civil Aviation Authority said Ireland’s Aer Lingus, Britain’s Jet2 and Hungary’s Wizz Air had failed to change their consumer policies in line with its requests. Andrew Haines, chief executive of the CAA, said passengers have “every right to be disappointed” by the trio. Jet2 told the BBC that the CAA’s ruling was “materially inaccurate”. A spokeswoman said the company was paying compensation for disruption in line with previous court rulings and that airlines were “entitled” to limit to two years the period in which claims were made. She added: “No enforcement action has been taken. Given the misapprehensions of the CAA, Jet2.com expects that following the mandatory consultation process the CAA will not wish to take the matter any further.” The CAA says a Court of Appeal ruling means that passengers should have up to six years to take a claim to

court. Aer Lingus said the Irish airline was engaging with the CAA to address its concerns, while Wizz Air said it was currently reassessing compensation cases. The move by the CAA follows a sixmonth review of passenger disruption policies. It examined how airlines handle compensation for flight delays and offer information to passengers about their customer rights. The CAA said it had launched enforcement action against the three airlines and will seek a court order unless they comply. The allegations against the airlines are: • Aer Lingus and Jet2 have failed to give satisfactory evidence that they proactively provide passengers with information about their rights in line with the requirements set out in European regulation. • Jet2 and Wizz Air have failed to satisfy the regulator that they are consistently paying compensation for disruption caused by technical faults, despite a Court of Appeal ruling clarifying that airlines must do so.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Ogonis have no replacement for Shell â&#x20AC;&#x201D;MOSOP president Comrade Legborsi Saro-Pyagbara is the president of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP). He spoke to Adamu Usman Attaboh in Port Harcourt explaining that Ogoni people are yet to endorse any company to replace Shell among other sundry issues. Below are excerpts of the interview.

Can we know you? I am Comrade Legborsi Saro-Pyagbara- the president of MOSOP. Looking analytically at the way President Goodluck Jonathan became the President of Nigeria, we can say he benefitted from the Ogoni struggle. What has he done for the Ogonis? It is true President Jonathan is a beneficiary of the Ogoni struggle of the 1990s one way or the other. The response to his candidacy was because he was seen as someone from the minority and the Ogonis championed the cause of the minorities in this country two decades before he came on the scene. So his emergence is not due to militancy alone but to the collective struggle of the Niger Deltans championed by the Ogonis in the 90s. In terms of what he has done, I think I should leave that to journalists to find out because the issues involved in the struggle are quite clear and open and if there is any group that followed it from the beginning, it is the media. Okay then. As a journalist, I know the Petroleum Minister- Deziani Alison- recently released funds for the clean-up of Bodo and some parts of Ogoniland. Is this not one of his achievements? No, Deziani did not give the go ahead for the cleaning of Bodo. We have a UNEP report. The assessment was commissioned by the Federal Government in 2006 and the report was out in August 2011. As an organization, we have been involved in national and international advocacy for the implementation of that report. That whole campaign snowballed into the meeting we had with the government on 8th August, 2014 and some resolutions were reached between the Federal Government led by Deziani and the Ogonis. Ogonis agreed everything needed to be put in place, the creation of a stakeholders committee to look into the implementation of the UNEP report, HYPREP, the need for the Ogonis to be involved in the workshop being planned in Gene-

va, the confidence building measure to be put in place etc. These were the issues we resolved in the meeting. To be fair to the government, at that point, the government actually conducted a confidence building workshop in September 2014 which was followed by another in October and then the nomination of Ogonis to participate in a technical workshop in November. Our worry is that since after that meeting, we have not seen a marginal or clear follow up to what happened in Geneva. It was agreed the implementation of the report will take place in the first quarter of this year. We are getting to the end of that quarter and nothing has been done. There has been a deacceleration of the process maybe partly because the key actors are currently involved in ongoing campaigns but I think we should have gone beyond this stage. I also know as a journalist that after Ogonis successfully ejected Shell, we see a situation where Belema Oil- an indigenous company- is coming to replace it. What is the position of MOSOP to this move? Em, as far as we are concerned, the government has not given any license to any company to take over from Shell, and the Ogonis have not endorsed any oil company. There may be sections of the community doing one or two things but as a people, we have not done so. Decisions like that are taken at the Ogoni Congress and as far as I am concerned, the congress has not met to decide that. Anyone doing so is doing so based on his understanding. As a matter of fact, it is what happened at the last congress also based on the information we had that a company was jostling to come in, that led to us creating a committee to investigate this issue and develop certain criteria that any company must meet before Ogonis can allow it to do anything. It is not our role to give licenses. That is purely a Federal Government responsibility. The only thing the Ogonis can give is what you call social li-

Members of Edo Delta Catholic Community, celebrating St Patrick Day at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Abuja on Sunday

cense or the freedom to operate in the area which is a consequence of the company having a good social programme for the people and that is why we think that any reasonable company should engage the people honestly and not engage in false promises. If you ask me, I think Ogonis performed a miracle by getting Shell which is richer and more powerful than the government of some countries to vacate Ogoniland. How did you achieve this? It was through our public protests. We protested against Shell and it was a multi-pronged approach. We protested locally and internationally and we were committed to the fact that once you destroy the Ogoni environment, you have destroyed our people and when you pollute the Ogoni environment, you have polluted our lives and the source of life is water and water is life. If water is completely destroyed then it means you have destroyed us and at that point, there is no difference between dying instal mentally or facing the firing squad. That was the sort of resolve we had to move forward and, of course, over 2000 souls were lost in the struggle including some of the very best in the Ogoni society all because of Shell. So, that sense of community is still there. Looking at the gubernatorial flag

bearers of the political parties in Rivers State, none is from Ogoniland. What have you got to say about this? Well, every time it is right to make a case for your people but I do think, as far as that campaign is concerned, we had a just cause as far as political justice and representation is concerned. The fact we did not get to our ultimate destination does not invalidate the campaign. I have spoken to all the major actors and the first thing I tell them is you stole the Ogoni mandate and they feel a sense of revulsion. They all know but like everything, we do not expect total victory at the first call. The project is still alive and we believe it is not over until it is over. Looking at the candidates, who do you advise Ogonis to vote for? I cannot say anything outside the Ogoni Congress. We examined the political situation at the last meeting and resolved not to endorse any political party. We advise them to use their votes to demonstrate their anger by voting according to their conscience during the election. You were recently given an appointment in Switzerland. Can you tell us about it? I was appointed by the Secretary General of the United Nations- Ban Ki Moon as a member

of the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for the Indigenous People and when we finally gathered, I was made chairperson of the board. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great! What is the implication of this appointment? The UNVFIP is one of the oldest funding mechanisms within the UN system. It was established in December 1985 to provide travel grants for indigenous people to attend UN meetings. In a space of 30 years, the fund has expanded at different period. Apart from funding indigenous people, we also train them... How would this promote the cause of MOSOP as an organization? In several ways. One, it is giving visibility to the cause of the Ogonis since one of them is a member of the group. Secondly, it will provide support for the Ogoni people to attend meetings of the UN that has become one of the areas for advocating the rights of the Ogoni people. What advice do you have for the Ogoni people and the government.? My advice particularly at this time is they should not allow themselves to be sacrificed on the altar of politics. We want an Ogoni that is violence- free at this time and the government should allow free and fair election.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Deeper Life introduces CBT in secondary schools THEOPHILUS ONOJEGHEN WARRI

L-R: Representative of the paramount ruler of Alesa clan, Chief Obarikee Whyte; Group Executive Director, Engineering and Technology Directorate, NNPC, Engr. Adebayo Ibirogba; Group General Manager, Research and Development, NNPC, Engr Chika Chime, and Executive Director, Services, Port Harcourt Refinery Company, Chief Ralph Ugwu, during the commissioning of Pipeline and Production Marketing Company Ltd/Port Harcourt Refinery Company access roads in Rivers State recently.

eeper Life High School owned by the Deeper Life Bible Church has introduced the use of Computer-Based Test, CBT, in all its campuses across the country saying that the initiative was to inculcate basic computer skills on students nationwide. At the formal inauguration of the programme in Warri, Delta State, Head of Information and Communication Technology, Mr. Isaiah Lucky said all 16 campuses of DLHS across the country have all embraced the CBT. According to Lucky, the initiative was to inculcate on the students the requisite computer skills to be able to withstand computer challenges in future, noting

Bayelsa LG workers threaten strike over unpaid salaries, allowances

OSAHON JULIUS, YENAGOA

he austerity measures introduced by the Federal Government in the wake of the oil price plunge is beginning to have its toil in Bayelsa state, as some council chairmen have resorted to owing workers’ salaries while others cut salaries by half. Niger Delta Mirror findings showed that the development had pitted the council workers against their chairmen as they (workers) have vowed to resent the sad development with every means at their disposal to make their chairmen pay them their salaries and allowances. One of the workers measures, it was learnt, was their resolution to

shut down operations of local governments in the state. It was further gathered that the workers had resolved to proceed on strike as from Friday (this week) if their salaries were not paid in full. Our findings also revealed that allowances of council workers in some LGs had not been paid for over a year, while in councils where they managed to pay, the allowances were reduced by almost 70 per cent. Some of the council workers, who confided in our correspondent, said when they confronted the authorities over the matter, they said they could not pay salaries becauss of reduced allocations from the Federal Government. They said that in some LGs,

council chairmen managed to pay salaries of junior workers for February, but told the senior employees that they could only pay half and that those who did not want the half could go to wherever they know to get justice. A senior employee of Yenagoa LGA, who did not want her name in print because of fear of victimisation, said when they confronted the Chairman, Mr. Walson Jack, who told them the council did not have money to pay full salaries. “Our chairman told us he did not collect complete allocation hence he could not pay us full salaries. When we told him we were not going to collect half salaries, he said we were on our own. “We discussed the issue with union leaders and they told us

that if by Friday, our salaries were not paid in full, we will proceed on industrial action. We are waiting. The strike is inevitable. “ She said another thing that angered workers was that the cut in salaries only affected them but political appointees and councillors were paid in full. “We find the threat of the chairman curious. He and his political appointees have collected their own in full. The same thing applies to councillors. Why is our different? For almost a year now, our allowances have not been paid. Initially, they started by reducing it, but now, we are getting nothing,” she said. Another council worker in Ekeremor LG, who gave his name only as Ebi, said the situation was the same there.

Council tasks security agencies on illegal oil bunkering in N’Delta OSAHON JULIUS, YENAGOA

iqued by the continued illegal oil bunkering activities in the Niger Delta, the Chairman of Nembe local government Area in Bayelsa state, Mr. Benneth Eminah has called on the security agencies in the area to be more proactive in combating the crime. He however, said some measure of success have been recorded since the setting up of the committee against illegal oil bunkering and theft, but regretted that some highly placed people are involved in the illegal

business, calling on them to have a change of heart. The Chairman, while speaking with Niger Delta Mirror disclosed that some security agents that guide and keep surveillance on the water ways are aware of what is happening but will only pretend as if they don’t know, lamenting that even when they are informed, they would start asking for evidence. “Most of the times when they are called that a batch is passing with illegal crude they will pretend as if they don’t know what you are talking about only for them to ask for evidence later”, he lamented.

Eminah stated that illegal oil business would continue to flourish in the region until the high and the might who are involved in the business stop, and the security agencies on the water ways become alive to their responsibilities, revealing that most of the security agents want to be transferred to Bayelsa state because of the money they make from the oil to the detriment of the locals. The Council boss who noted that there is no community in Nembe that oil is not found, described the Niger Delta region as the goose that lays the golden egg. On the forth coming Presidential election, he enjoined every Nigerian especially people from

the South to give their support to President Jonathan, pointing out that the people of the region have suffered from neglect and injustice, and should reverse it by supporting President Jonathan. Eminah stated that environmental hazards and oil pollution associated with oil related activities in the Niger Delta is better imagined than experienced, calling on all those clamouring for change to have a re-think. He however, expressed doubt on the effectiveness of the card reader, maintaining that places like the Niger Delta and some other communities where networks are not easily accessible would have people disenfranchised.

that technology had gradually taken over the world. He explained that the students are restricted to certain programmes, adding that their laptops were scrutinised to ensure they were not exposed to unhealthy things. He also disclosed that plan was underway to run Local Area Network to accommodate over 200 computers in the Warri campus. He said: “The initiative will give the DLHS students greater edge over their counterparts in other schools who might not be privileged. In addition, the project will reduce the workload of the teachers, increase accuracy and efficiency. “What we are trying to achieve is to help our teachers and students to pursue education in a technological ways in the 21st Century.”

Ndokwa community decries abandoned road project THEOPHILUS ONOJEGHEN WARRI

elta community of Abala in Ndokwa East Local Government Area has expressed displeasure over the continued abandonment of an 18kilometres road project cited in the area since it was awarded by the state government to Inter-Bau Construction Company many years ago. The people of the area lamented that the bad state of road has led to poor economy and rural-urban migration as the standard of living of the people have become expensive and difficult. Speaking on behalf of the community, the Warri Branch Chairman of Abala Development Union, ADU, Chief Pius Nwaefulu lamented that only a paltry 35% of the job have been done saying that they have been thrown into great pains as the people are mainly farmers . Nwaefulu appealed to the state government to look into ways of improving social conditions of the people Abala Clan especially the completion of the 18km road network leading to the area, adding that when the road is completed and commissioned, cost of transportation will reduce and products price also reduce. Despite the situation, the Community leader, Nwaefulu has called on the people of his clan to massively come out and vote for Dr. Okowa during the forthcoming general elections.

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Politics

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Renewed LG tour takes Ambode to nooks and crannies 4 DAYS TO GO

…as APC guber candidate says he’ll consolidate on progress in Lagos OLAJIDE OMOJOLOMOJU examines the impact of the renewed tour of local governments by the Lagos State All Progressives Congress, APC, gubernatorial candidate, Akinwunmi Ambode, on the rescheduled gubernatorial poll on April 11.

umultuous crowd, enthusiastic reception and genuine interest to identify with the man who has come to embody the concept of continuity in the governance of Lagos State characterised the renewed tour of the local governments by Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, the Lagos state All progressives Congress, APC, gubernatorial candidate. The central message from the Epe-born candidate in the last few weeks that his campaign has regained momentum after the postponement of the election is clear and unequivocal: the need to use the next four years to consolidate on the remarkable progress being witnessed in Lagos State by retaining the state for APC in the gubernatorial poll slated for Saturday April 11. When the campaign train reached Seme border/ Badagry and Ibeju-Lekki respectively, it was a spectacle to watch. The road-show, which mesmerised the whole stretch of the Mile 2–Badagry expressway, was perhaps the first by any candidate to reach the border town of Seme. From Topa road and its environs, people - young, old and the physically challenged - trooped out to welcome Ambode, who had worked for three years in the late 1980s at the Badagry Local Government. Chants of “Sai Buhari, Sai Ambode” rented the air. And the APC standard-bearer did not disappoint them, promising that not only will his administration complete the multi-billion naira Mile 2-Badagry expressway and the light rail project, but will also ensure that the Badagry division, which is one of the five divisions that make up Lagos State, will be empowered to witness rapid development, especially in the areas of infrastructural development and job creation. He said: “The future of tourism in Lagos State is here. This is also an important base for agro-economic development. Our administration will place a lot of attention in these areas to ensure that Badagry Local Government and every area around here experience a new layer in the type of developments they are already witnessing.” And with people like Chief Sunny Ajose, a former Head of Service, HoS, in the state, leading other party stalwarts to welcome and take Ambode’s train, which included his running mate, Dr. (Mrs) Oluranti Adebule, on a door-to-door campaign through every nook and cranny of the local government, it was not in doubt that the former Accountant General is the preferred candidate of the people. As if the Badagry/Seme border crowd was not enough, several thousands more welcomed Ambode at Ibeju-Lekki, where he had yet another opportunity to urge the people of Lagos State to allow the “progressive governance that APC is known for” to continue in Lagos. For Ambode, who had a 27-year meritorious career as a civil servant in Lagos State before venturing into the private sector as an entrepreneur and management consultant, the reason why continuity is sought for the ruling party in Lagos State and change at the federal level is simple: “while the whole world acknowledges the giant strides of the last 16 years in Lagos, due to the people-oriented programmes and creating management of resources, which are succeeding in making Lagos a true mega city-state, the international community, like most Nigerians at home and abroad, are unanimous in rejecting the current maladministration that is going on in Abuja.” To the Fulbright scholar, therefore, while Lagos is working and deserves continuity, the government at the centre needs the type of change that a Buhari-Osinbajo

At eAch locAl government And town

visited, there were royAl blessings in AbundAnce for the

Ambode-

Adebule teAm thAt hAs demonstrAted its firm belief in consultAtions And government of inclusion Ambode

ticket promises, in order to redirect the affairs of the nation that is rapidly falling apart. According to Ambode, with the freefall that the Nigerian economy is witnessing, Nigeria would be said to have failed, if it were a company. Lagos State, he stated, could not afford to let a candidate of a party that has failed Nigerians at the centre inflict the state with the same type of incompetence and inexperience. His good news for the people of Ibeju-Lekki was that his administration will provide a new airport and seaport in Epe, in order to bring development and prosperity to more people in the state. But unlike the Badagry-Seme border road-show, the Ibeju-Lekki event was a mega rally, where Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola, SAN, simply asked the citizens to allow Ambode’s impeccable profile and rich experience to work for them as the next governor of the state. Earlier, it was Surulere that welcomed the University of Lagos-trained accountant, first with a town hall meeting at Aguda, where Ambode reiterated his promise to establish an Office of Civic Engagement when elected. Borne out of the conviction that artisans and people in the lower middle class constitute the majority in the state, the office, he explained, would serve as an effective liaison between the governor’s office and the people, adding that just the way indigent students are rewarded with scholarships when they display excellence, skillful artisans should also be able to benefit from the state government in the area of honing their skills, either at home or abroad, in addition to having access to the proposed N25 billion Employment Trust Fund. Ambode’s campaign train had earlier berthed at Ajeromi-Ifelodun, Apapa, Ifako-Ijaye and Epe. Each townhall meeting entertained more than 20 questions, because Ambode believes that it is the people’s needs that will shape his programmes and policies, when elected, hence the need to give as many people as possible the opportunity to air their views. And at each local government and town visited, there were royal blessings in abundance for the Ambode-Adebule team that has demonstrated its firm belief in con-

sultations and government of inclusion. Rather than slow down, Ambode’s campaign has regained momentum, totally refusing to lose steam, in spite of the six-week postponement of the general elections from the original February 14 and 28 to March 28 and April 11 for the presidential and gubernatorial elections. Director of Media and Communications for the Ambode campaign, Steve Ayorinde said: “It is about the message and the method.” According to him, 24 hours is sometimes not enough to further push out the message of continuity and Ambode’s though-out plans that aim at empowering the 20 million citizens of the state in the next four years. The busy campaign schedule, Ayorimde said, simply shows the strength and popularity of the APC and the candidate and the team’s position not to take anything for granted. The renewed campaign, he explained, is an everyday affair that is broken down to mega rallies, town hall meetings, road-shows and door-to-door campaigns and strategic consultations. Ayorinde said: “Mr. Ambode is on a familiar ground, he was the only aspirant that toured every local government in the run-up to the primary election last year. And his promise then was that he would knock on every door and campaign on every street. This is why the party’s rallies took him round all the five divisions and 20 local governments before the elections were postponed. “With these additional six weeks due to the postponement, he is back on the road getting acquainted with the people all over again and the massive turn-out and acceptance confirm the obvious that this is the man of the people who is destined to serve.” He added that the rallies and town hall meetings, which will run till April 9, perfectly compliment the world-class communications campaign by the APC candidate that is widely acknowledged as arguably the most impactful in this electioneering process.

Politics

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

APC to PDP, Jonathan: Don’t repeat Ekiti rigging in forthcoming polls Olajide OmOjOlOmOju

ll Progressives Congress, APC, has warned the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and the Goodluck Jonathan administration not to repeat the rigging strategy deployed in the June 21, 2014 Ekiti State gubernatorial election in the forthcoming March 28 and April 11 polls.

The party in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed said that it was “compelled to alert Nigerians, local and foreign election observers and indeed the international community to the strategy being employed by the PDP-led Jonathan administration to manipulate the elections, using what we call the ‘Modified Ekiti Rigging Strategy’.” Mohammed said that

contrary to the generally held view that the military was used to rig Ekiti election, “it was not just the military that was involved. It was the entire gamut of the nation’s security agencies: The police, the State Security Service, SSS, and the Civil Defence. “They were all constituted into a task force that was deployed to each local government and placed under the command of the PDP.

We have the names of all the servicemen involved in the criminal act, as well as their service and telephones numbers. On the morning of the Ekiti election, not one APC leader was a free man or woman. They were either in detention, in hiding or on the run, because the task force carried out its duty with brutal efficiency.” APC added: “In view of the global outcry over the Ekiti show of shame, there

is a plan to slightly modify it for Saturday’s election, hence what we have now termed the Modified Ekiti Rigging Strategy. “Since indications are that the military is no longer willing to be used for such an illegal act, and other security agencies know they will be under the searchlight on election days, those who are averse to a free, fair, credible and violence-free polls have simply come up with the plan to sew military and police uniforms for their party thugs to wear on election day so they can rig the elections for the PDP! “A large number of uniformed personnel on Election Day will be those donning fake uniforms and ranks, and their mandate

4 DAYS TO GO

will be to rig for the PDP and terrorise opposition members and supporters.” It said ethnic militias across the country; MASSOB in the South East; OPC in the South West and former militants in the Niger Delta, have been mobilized to rig the election in favour of PDP. It said: “Mobilized under the pretext of a N9 billion pipeline contract, the marching order given to the ethnic militias is to destabilise the election in their respective regions, thus rendering it inconclusive. After all, the PDP knows it cannot win a free, fair and peaceful election. The highly disruptive and armed protest by the OPC in Lagos last Monday was a dress rehearsal for the plot.”

PDP chieftain condemns attack on party members ayO esan

L-R: Executive Secretary, Amuwo Odofin Local Government, Deaconess Modupe Ajibola-Ojodu; Board Chairman, Lagos State College of Health Technology, Dr. Biola Tilley-Gyado; Member, House of Representatives, Badagry Federal Constituency, Hon. Rafeequat Onabamiro and former Lagos State Deputy Governor, Princess Serah Adebisi Sosan, during All Progressives Congress, APC, Badagry Division Women Forum special prayer session for the National Leader of APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu on his 63rd Birthday Anniversary, in Ojo, Lagos yesterday.

Corporate Forum backs Jonathan’s second term bid ayO esan

non-gover nmental organisation, NGO, the Corporate Forum has called on well meaning Nigerians to support the second term ambition of President Goodluck Jonathan so as to ensure the continuity of his transformation programmes. Addressing a press conference in Lagos yesterday, the chairman of the Corporate Forum, who is also the Chairman of

the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, Otunba Funso Lawal said President Jonathan has been able to bring a breath of fresh air to all sectors of the economy and the polity through his transformation agenda, hence his adoption by the Corporate Forum as its presidential candidate. He said that through an interactive session that the Forum had with President Jonathan in January, it was able to assess him on his various programmes and that his

score cards have revealed that he has established outstanding reforms in all sectors. Specifically, Lawal said the signing of Freedom of Information Bill into an Act, successful wrestle of Ebola virus out of the country; reintroduction of railway after it has been in comatose for over 20 years and the reform in agricultural sectors are good developments in the country which must continue for another four years. Lawal said: “For 30 years the railway system

was in comatose but he has revived the railway system and the train is plying Lagos to Kano, as well as Port Harcourt to Enugu now. In the agricultural sector, almost 50 to 60 per cent of rice we consumed in the country is now produced here and in the next four years we will be exporting rice to neighbouring West Africa countries.” Lawal called on people across party divides to vote for continuation of Jonathan’s transformation programmes.

chieftain of Lagos State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Barr Oladotun Hassan has condemned the attack carried out on PDP members by people suspected to be political thugs when the party held Peace and Freedom March last Sunday in support of its candidates, including President Goodluck Jonathan, Mr. Jim Agbaje, senatorial candidate for Lagos Central, Dr Ade Dosunmu, among others. He said the attack was carried out on PDP members during the march at Obalende area of Lagos by people suspected to be Northern thugs and political miscreants saying that “they were heavily armed with guns and machetes and left over 20 of

Borno PDP factions ask Imam, others to respect court order inusa ndahi MAIDUGURI

ome factions of Borno State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has appealed to Muhammed Imam, the party leadership, members and supporters to strictly “abide and respect” the ruling of an Abuja High Court on the successful affirmation and emergence

of Alhaji Gambo Lawan as the party’s gubernatorial candidate for the April 11 elections. Addressing a news conference in Maiduguri yesterday, a PDP chieftain, Alhaji Umar Mustapha Kaleri said that with the court’s ruling on substituting Mohammed Imam with Lawan, party members and supporters are to remain

focused and continue to support PDP gubernatorial candidate to bring about the much desired change in the state. His words: “We wish to as well categorically clarify that PDP in Borno State has become one indivisible entity of committed, tested, trusted and experienced party men and women of common vision and trans-

formational programmes. This is simply to say that nothing like old and new PDP exist; rather it is a strong united party.” Kaleri however warned against the spread of “rumours and falsehood” about PDP’s gubernatorial candidate, Lawan; its plans and programmes in Borno State for the people. Tendering a copy of the

court order on substituting Imam with Lawan by Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, at the news conference yesterday in Maiduguri, Kaleri said: “The Abuja High Court also ordered PDP not to recognize or deal with Imam as PDP gubernatorial candidate in the forthcoming elections on Saturday, April 11.

our members critically injured and currently receiving treatments at various hospitals in Lagos.”. Hassan called on law enforcement agents to immediately investigate and prosecute any culprits found to have been involved in the attack against the PDP members who he said were peacefully marching to support their candidates and were not violent in their approach. He called on Lagosians to vote enmasse for PDP in the coming elections and ensure the desired freedom from those presently governing Lagos State. He said: “We are calling on all Nigerians irrespective of religion, race and political ideology to unite and vote for the re-election of President Jonathan and other PDP candidates in this year’s elections.”

“The court further ordered that the PDP and INEC, their representatives, agents or official are however called on to take all necessary steps and actions in favour of Lawan as PDP gubernatorial candidate for Borno State and that Lawan be allowed to contest the gubernatorial elections in the state on the platform of PDP.”

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Politics

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Smart Card Readers: The argument for, against

A voter being accredited with a Smart Card Reader during the test run in Taraba State

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 and accords with international best practices. Whereas the Electoral Act prohibits the use of electronic voting, the SCR is not a voting machine and is not used for voting. It is used only for accreditation of voters, and only accreditation (and not voting) data is transmitted by it. The INEC staff operating the SCR will scan the PVC of each voter to verify its genuiness before allowing the voter to get accredited. It takes an average of 10 to 20 seconds to authenticate a voter. INEC has consequently extended the accreditation time by over an hour in order to make up for the time lost during authentication and verification. The accreditation of a voter, using the SCR, is estimated to last an average of 10 to 20 seconds per voter. Even if we double this time to 20 to 45 seconds for planning purposes, and working on the basis of a maximum of 750 voters per voting point, and using a generous projection of 70 per cent voter turnout (the average being 54 per cent from past elections), which equates to 525 voters, the card reader will need 6.5 hours to process all the voters. This is well within the operating time for the elections as well as the battery life of the SCR. The other issue has to do with the battery life of the SCR. It has a 3200mAh battery, which can last for about 12 hours in continual usage when fully charged. The device hibernates when not in use to save and lengthen its battery life. With accreditation time only lasting from 8am to 1:30pm, there is no fear of the battery running out. Even at that, INEC says there are many back-up SCRs as well as batteries for each polling unit. Besides, it is not every INEC personnel at the polling units that is allowed to operate the devices. The likelihood of the machine being abused is minimal. Only an Assistant Presiding Officer, APO, at the polling unit has the responsibility to operate the SCR. Poll officials that will operate the SCRs have received extensive hands-on training and are well equipped to handle the task. INEC has also outlined the operational procedures in its ‘Approved Guidelines and Regulations for the Conduct of 2015 General Elections’. Going by the results of tests already conducted, INEC said it is highly un-

A Smart Card Reader in action

One Of the pitfalls Of the recent test-

run Of the card readers was that they failed tO verify many Of the

pvcs by way

Of identifying their fingerprints

likely that the SCR will fail on Election Day. Still, INEC has drawn up serial intervention plans in the unlikely event of the SCRs failing. Should there be a challenge with battery power for the device; INEC said it has procured more than 35,000 back-up batteries that can be rapidly deployed. If the device itself fails in the course of accreditation, the commission said it has procured more than 26,000 spares that can be rapidly deployed in replacement within the scheduled accreditation hours of 8a.m. to 1p.m. Whatever time is lost on these scheduled hours in the course of replacement will be added and accreditation extended beyond 1p.m. to compensate for the lost time. In the extremely unlikely and isolated event that a faulty SCR cannot be replaced within the scheduled accreditation hours, INEC has come to a firm agreement with political parties that the exercise be repeated the following day rather than revert to manual accreditation. These procedures, which registered political parties have agreed to, have been written into the ‘Approved Guidelines and Regulations for the Conduct of 2015 General Elections’. One of the pitfalls of the recent testrun of the card readers was that they failed to verify many of the PVCs by way of identifying their fingerprints. On this, the commission said it has come to an agreement with registered political parties on what to do: namely that if a voter’s PVC has been read and

it is evident that he/she is the legitimate holder of the card, but the fingerprints cannot be authenticated (or he/she doesn’t have fingers), the Presiding Officer, PO, of the voting point will complete an incident form and the voter will be accredited to vote. Party Agents and observers would be there to witness to this. To prevent fraudulent use, INEC says the SCR is configured to work only on Election Days. In addition, the device is configured to specific polling units and cannot be used elsewhere without requiring reconfiguration by authorised INEC personnel. In some countries where the SCRs have been used, there were some few noticeable challenges. The challenge with a few of the SCRs in Ghana, for instance, during the country’s 2012 general elections, was the battery power, apparently because the affected devices were not fully charged. It was in learning from this experience that INEC designed the SCRs to be used in the 2015 elections with 12-hour battery life in active usage, and also procured more than 35,000 units of back-up batteries. The imperative of adequate charging of the SCRs is underscored during the trainings of election personnel. INEC said the supposed technology failures during Kenya’s general elections in 2013 had nothing to do with SCRs, as the country used computer poll books for accreditation. The challenge was rather with the electronic system used in transmitting results, and not card readers.

The bad The use of the card readers may have some low points especially with the series of protest from some partisan interests. Fair enough, the issue of non-recognition of fingerprints has been addressed by INEC. However, in many cases, such incidences led to serious delays. Aside the machines, it is important to get people with the right attitude to operate them. In Nasarawa state, where the field-testing also took place in Kokona, the Emir of Lafia, Isah Agwai, called on the INEC, to re-train its staff on the use of the SCRs for the general elections. The traditional ruler said the call became necessary due to the inefficiency of some of the staff during the finger-

4 DAYS TO GO

print verification, but he was however quick to add that the demonstration by INEC had dispelled rumours and fears of the public over the SCRs. The device is a relatively new technology that has not been tested or tried in any kind of mock election or previous formal elections prior to this time. Perhaps, INEC would have used the readers in the conduct of the Ekiti and Osun gubernatorial elections. Many still doubt the efficacy of the SCRs especially with reports that the PVCs of Senators Chris Ngige and Enyinnaya Abaribe, were rejected when INEC chairman, Jega went to the Senate chambers to demonstrate the use of the SCRs. In many rural areas, INEC officials arrived late for the field test-run of the readers. The devices are programmed to start working as from 8am. This is the time when accreditation is expected to start simultaneously across the polling units in the federation. When officials are not provided with better means transportation and they arrive their units very late, much of the valuable election time would have been lost in such areas.

The ugly Newspapers yesterday carried a disturbing headline: INEC card reader stolen in Zamfara! INEC in Zamfara State lost one SCR during the training of ad-hoc staff in Anka Local Government Area of the state last week. The SCRs are hand-held. Except security is fool-proof, they can be readily snatched. The fact that INEC says it will cancel elections in such units is not good enough as many people would be disenfranchised for no fault of theirs. INEC should work closely with security agencies to ensure that the devices are not snatched.

Politics

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Northerners urged not to disappoint Buhari ObiOra ifOh ABUJA

resident of group of Igbo grass roots leaders in the Northern part of Nigeria, known as Association of NdiEzes in the 19 Northern states and Abuja, EzeUdo Uche Egenti, has asserted that President Goodluck Jonathan has been unfair to Igbos since he assumed office in 2010. Egenti who spoke to reporters in Abuja yesterday also advised the electorate in the North not to let down the All progressives Congress, APC presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, in Saturday’s presidential poll.. Egenti who led the two groups of Igbo associations

- NdiEzeUdos and the Igbo Delegates Assembly, IDA, to endorse the candidature of General Buhari, explained that the groups arrived at that decision when they realised that that is the only option for Ndigbo to regain its political relevance in Nigeria. He argued that a person, who is neglected by others, cannot afford to neglect himself, adding: “We have watched the trend of political events in this country for quite some time and come to the conclusion that our people have been in the wilderness for too long. Those who used our numerical strength to gain political ascendancy have taken that support for granted and we cannot afford to reward such fel-

lows with another round of unsolicited solidarity this time around.” Asked to explain what he meant, Egenti said: “President Goodluck Jonathan has been very unfair to the Igbo people, without whose support, he would not have won the 2011 presidential election in the first place. In terms of infrastructural development in this country today, the South-East geo-political zone comes last. Our federal roads are not paid any attention by his government. All we get in return for the massive support we gave him is lip service. Some Igbo sons and daughters who served in government were booted

out with ignominy while their counterparts from other parts of the country who committed worse infractions, are treated with kid gloves or rewarded with national awards. “Look at the case of former Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, who was sacked for purchasing two cars at inflated prices. Now compare her story to that the Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison Madueke whose corruption cases have become legendary, yet she is seen as an untouchable in this government.” He also complained about how other prominent Igbos such as Festus Odumegwu, Bath Nnaji

and others were disgraced out of office just to appease some other ethnic war lords in the country. He said: “Has anybody told us what crimes both Odumegwu and Nnaji committed to get the type of humiliation they got from President Jonathan? The only reason is that he did it to appease some other vested interests that are operating as ethnic war lords.” He complained further, that “even the so called 16 new federal universities that have become Jonathan’s campaign plank, how many of them are located in Igbo land?” He added that applications by some Igbo persons

4 DAYS TO GO

for licenses to establish private universities have been turned down by this government while those from other Nigerians are granted, saying: “Why is Jonathan treating Igbos as second citizens in Nigeria? Why has he continued to remind us that we fought and lost a civil war yet his actions portend danger of another civil war which some would want Ndigbo to be part of ? We say a capital no to this.”

I’ve not defected from APC –Kwara deputy gov WOle adedeji ILORIN

wara State Deputy Governor, Elder Peter Kizira, yesterday denied defecting from the All Progressives Party, APC, to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, amidst wild speculations that he had done so. His Rivers State counterpart, Chief Tele Ikuru, however left on Sunday over what was said to be fallout of the choice of Dr. Dakuku Peterside as against him by the state APC, as gubernatorial candidate. The rumour about Elder Kizira’s defection which was said to have originated from a posted news on a social media was reported to have unsettled the ranks and file of the ruling APC in the State on Sunday. But a statement by the Chief Press Secretary, CPS, to the Deputy Governor, Timothy Nathaniel said: “The rumour existed only in the imagination of those having the wishful thinking. Such insinuation is not only false, malicious but quite unfounded as there are no reasons for him to consider leaving the fold of APC. “The Deputy Governor’s relationship with the governor and other stakeholders has been more than cordial. It is therefore shocking that disgruntled and mischievous elements

could promote such insinuations.” Nathaniel said Kizira “is a principal stakeholder in the Kwara project and the government has performed creditably well in turning things round on the positive lane for the good people of the state. He added: “He remains a committed and active member of APC in the state. It is strange that while prominent Nigerians are daily dumping the PDP for the APC to join others in the assignment of rescuing the nation, uninformed people would suggest an inconceivable idea of him joining a party that is on the verge of going into extinction.” “The defection story is therefore a clear manifestation of loss of hope by the Kwara State PDP leaders since it is clear that the party is faced with an imminent colossal electoral loss in the coming election.

Oyo State Labour Party, LP, gubernatorial candidate, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala, during a rally in Ogbomoso North Local Government of the state, PHOTO: NAN yesterday.

Kwara deploys election materials WOle adedeji ILORIN

ndependent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Kwara State had deployed election materials to all the 16 local government areas of the state in readiness for next Saturday’s presidential election. Also, the state Police Command will be deploying

its 5,000 officers and men while the Air Force is said to be deploying 20 men and officers for the election. The State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ajayi Okasanmi, DSP who confirmed this in Ilorin said the men and officers had been fully prepared for the national event. Okasanmi added that to be fully set for the election, the

policemen went for adequate update training and exercises. Sources in the Kwara INEC on Monday said INEC had recorded 76 percent of the Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, distribution. Meanwhile, strange presence of army personnel in the 16 local government areas of the state on Sunday caused some anxieties among the citizens.

IGP’s position on voters’ presence at polling centres null and void –Atunwa dare akOgun

peaker of Kwara State House of Assembly, Barr Razaq Atunwa on Saturday described as “null and void” the directive by the Inspector-General of Police,IGP, Sulaiman Abba that voters should leave the polling units after casting their votes.

Atunwa, who is also the Director-General of All Progressives Congress, APC, gubernatorial campaign in the state, posited that as a constitutional lawyer, the statement credited to the IGP is of no effect in law, saying voters have the right to remain at polling units after casting their votes. It would be recalled that the Independent Na-

tional Electoral Commission, INEC, chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega had overruled IGP’s order, saying voters can witness the process of election from the beginning to the end. However, Atunwa who is vying for Asa/Ilorin West federal constituency seat told newsmen during a campaign in Ilorin West that he aligns with

Jega, saying the IGP got it wrong. According to him, “the law permits you to remain within the vicinity of the polling booths even after casting your votes. In as much as you have your PVC, you are entitled to be at that polling unit without time-limit. The IGP, I am afraid got it wrong. I stand with Jega on this matter.”

The matter however made the state government to call on the on the citizens not to exercise fears. A statement credited to the state governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed titled ‘Special Announcement from the Kwara State Governor’ asked the citizen to be “calm and law abiding.” The statement reads; “My good people of Kwara State. For many years, we have lived in harmony, regardless of our differences. Our people are friendly and peaceful. “And so, as we prepare to vote for leaders of our choice in the forthcoming elections, I urge you to remain calm and law abiding. The Army and other security agencies have been deployed to all the 16 local governments to keep the peace and protect you. Your safety is guaranteed.”

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Capital Market

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Power Minister commissions Omatek’s energy saving bulb JOHNSON OKANLAWON

inister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, yesterday hailed the innovative product of Omatek Ventures Plc, saying it was capable of assisting to solve the problem of power wastage and consumption in the country. Omatek has installed energy efficient light-emitting diode (LED) lightings at the Nigerian Stock Exchange that would help to save energy cost by over 75 per cent. Nebo, who spoke after an inspection tour of the lightings at the NSE in Lagos, said, “I would like to congratulate Omatek on this very innovative way of finding solution to a massive national problem of power consumption and wastage of power. “ I want to congratulate the Managing Director of Omatek, Mrs. Florence Seriki for the thoughtfulness that got her to go to the Exchange to sell the idea. But if the idea was being sold and not bought by the

stock market, we would not be here today so I also want to congratulate the CEO NSE for his foresight, visionary leadership and his adaptation and adaptability to new technology.” According to him, what he saw at the NSE is a giant leap, as it is in tandem with Nigeria new renewable energy and energy efficiency policy. He explained that the Exchange has taken the bull by the horn by allowing this process of LED process of lighting, adding, “We are very happy about this project, we are also happy that the stock exchange is also working with Omatek to integrate the solar component.” Nebo added that Omatek has shown that everyone, not just company, every Nigeria can cut power consumption by anywhere from 70 to 90 per cent. “For a hundred watts of regular bulb, if you have a five watts of LED, it will serve you the same purpose, give you the same luminosity so at the end of the day,

the whole country would benefit and what we are saying is this: If the whole of the country put LED in use, it will free us 1,200 megawatt of power for industry, manufacturing, SME and industrial revolution will further boom. So, this is a clarion call to all Nigerians to begin the process of modification of making all our offices LEDified, all homed LEDified. In fact, new housing estate shouldn’t get approval until they demonstrate that they will use LED all through because that is the only way we can save a lot of energy we waste a lot in this country,” he said. Seriki said the company has decided to reduce consumption in every household using Omatek LED bulb. “We are using the NSE as an example to tell the whole world that this is happening in Nigeria. Nigeria has joined the league though Omatek in being a 24/7 machine and in joining those that have embraced the energy reduction and

Equities rise further by 0.6%

rading in equities closed on a positive note on the Nigerian Stock Exchange yesterday, as some investors took advantage of lower prices of stocks. The All Share Index appreciated 0.58 per cent to close at 29,505.47 points, compared to the increase of of 0.31% recorded on Friday to close at 29,334.23 points. Market capitalisation gained N57bn to close at N9.85trn, compared to N30bn recorded on Friday to close at N9.79trn.

Anaysts at Meristem Securities Limited said, “Although the outcome of yesterday’s market was unanticipated, we think speculators are taking advantage of the low stock prices amidst the uncertainties. “We expect the outcome of the MPC meeting on 24th March to further dictate the direction of the market for the week.“ Continental Insurance Plc led the gainers’ table with four kobo or 4.82 per cent to close

at 87 kobo per share, followed by United Bank for Africa Plc with 17 kobo or 4.82 per cent to close at N3.70 per share. MC Nichols Plc added seven kobo or 4.73 per cent to close at N1.55 per share, while Diamond Bank Plc appreciated 17 kobo or 4.70 per cent to close at N3.79 per share. Fidelity Bank Plc was up six kobo or 4.65 per cent to close at N1.35 per share. Conversely, UB Capital Plc shed 27 kobo or 16.36 per cent to close at N1.38 per share, while Chemical and Allied

Dollar resumes slide, stock prices rebound

he dollar fell further yesterday, adding to its steepest weekly drop in three and half years after the Federal Reserve indicated last week that a rate hike is likely to come later rather than sooner, a view that helped drive up oil prices and US stocks. The US energy shares were among the biggest gainers on Wall Street as crude prices rebounded on the weaker dollar. The euro rose 1 percent and the dollar index, which measures the

greenback versus six major currencies, lost almost as much. Gold rose for a fourth day to a two-week high, while copper prices in London hit their highest since January 9. A weaker dollar boosts the purchasing power of commodity buyers paying with other currencies. Traders and investors are focused on when the Fed will tighten policy, viewed as most likely in September or October. “The market has been in a back-and-forth motion for

the last couple of weeks, caught between the potential for rising interest rates and its impact on the dollar and the feeling by investors that the economy is gaining some strength,” said Rick Meckler, president of hedge fund LibertyView Capital Management in Jersey City, New Jersey. However, equity traders are maybe a little bit too focused on the dollar’s moves, while the impact a stronger greenback has on corporate earnings is not entirely clear, Meckler said.

consumption savings policy. “So we have made sure we reduced lighting and power consumption from between 70 to 95 per cent and this has helped tremendously in most of the schools and homes,” she said. Seriki explained that the 60 watts bulb in Nigeria is being replaced by Omatek 6.7 watts bulb, noting that It is white with five years duration. “ What we are saying to Nigerians and Africans is that this is a solution for manufacturers and factories. There would also be retail products that would not require installation that consumers can go to the shop to buy by themselves. “They range from 12 watts. Our LED bulbs have actually solved security and fire problems solved fire problems because they don’t blow up. We are also commissioning retail ones for everyone to buy I think we are all entitled to have light,” she added.

Products Plc lost N2.29 or 6.31 per cent to close at N34.00 per share. UACN Plc declined N1.80 or five per cent to close at N34.20 per share, while Cadbury Plc shed N2.05 or 4.97 per cent to close at N39.23 per share. Paint Manufacturing Company Plc dropped seven kobo or 4.93 per cent to close at N1.35 per share. A total of 611.7 million shares valued at N5.62bn were exchanged in 3,271 deals. Rate (%) Inflation

8.2

MPR

Crude oil price

$58.96

Source: NSE

Inter-Bank Rate Naira

US Dollar

N197.00 Market indicators All-Share Index 29,505.47 points Market capitalisation 9.85trn

Stock Updates GAINERS COMPANY

OPENING

CLOSING

CHANGE

% CHANGE

CONTINSURE

0.83

0.87

0.04

4.82

UBA

3.53

3.70

0.17

4.82

MCNICHOLS

1.48

1.55

0.07

4.73

DIAMONDBNK

3.62

3.79

0.17

4.70

FIDELITYBK

1.29

1.35

0.06

4.65

INTBREW

17.20

18.00

0.80

4.65

WAPCO

80.40

84.00

3.60

4.48

STANBIC

26.00

27.14

1.14

4.38

UBN

9.01

9.40

0.39

4.33

ETI

17.30

18.00

0.70

4.05

CHANGE

% CHANGE

LOSERS COMPANY

OPENING

CLOSING

UBCAP

1.65

1.38

-0.27

-16.36

CAP

36.29

34.00

-2.29

-6.31

UACN

36.00

34.20

-1.80

-5.00

CADBURY

41.28

39.23

-2.05

-4.97

PAINTCOM

1.42

1.35

-0.07

-4.93

ETERNA

2.65

2.52

-0.13

-4.91

NAHCO

4.99

4.75

-0.24

-4.81

COSTAIN

0.64

0.61

-0.03

-4.69

HONYFLOUR

3.00

2.86

-0.14

-4.67

MAYBAKER

1.55

1.48

-0.07

-4.52

FGN Bonds

Bid

Description

Offer

Price

Yield

Price

Yield

13.05 16-AUG-2016

1.40

96.38

16.00

96.53

15.87

15.10 27-APR-2017

2.10

98.46

15.97

98.61

15.88

16.00 29-JUN-2019

4.27

99.79

16.04

100.09

15.94

16.39 27-JAN-2022

6.85

101.98

15.89

102.28

15.82

14.20 14-MAR-2024

8.98

91.78

15.95

92.08

15.88

10.00 23-JUL-2030

15.33 65.00

16.25

65.30

16.17

Closing Market Prices of March 23, 2015

Treasury Bills Maturity Date

Bid

Offer

Exchange

Rates (N)

25-Jun-15

13.78

14.28

WAUA

270

24-Sep-15

14.80

16.00

USD

197

17-Mar-16

13.38

15.42

EURO

214

CFA

0.32

YEN

1.64

SWISS FRANC

NIBOR Tenor

Rate (%)

202

O/N

9.8750

15.6251

POUNDS STERLING

293

16.6405

SDR

273

17.5155 The Fixings of March 23, 2015

Capital Market

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Stock exchange daily equities summary Equities as at March 23, 2015 1st Tier Securities

1st Tier Securities Sector

Company name

No Of Deals

Quotation(N)

Quantity Traded

Value of Shares(N)

Sector

Company name

No Of Deals

Quotation(N)

Quantity Traded

Value of Shares(N)

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Community Mirror Nyesom Wike has been giving one million dollars monthly to the wife of the president; he has been doing this to gain political favour from the presidency and to retain favour. Governor of Rivers State – Chibuike Amaechi

Victim berates LASEMA's attitude to emergencies FRANCIS SUBERU

victim of a near-catastrophic experience on Lagos waterways Bose Adelaja has opened up on his ordeal, exposing Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA's) lackadaisical attitude towards emergencies. Bose, a journalist told Community Mirror that she was not impressed at all with the rate and level of response of the Lagos state emergency agency when the latter was contacted after the 22-seater passenger boat she boarded suddenly fell into an emergency situation at the middle the sea. Bose had on Monday March 16, 2015 boarded 'Peter and Paul', a 22-seater passenger boat from Bayeku in Ikorodu heading for Victoria Island but the boat developed a fault midway, endangering the lives of the 22 passengers onboard. She said; “The journey was smooth and interesting at the beginning, the Sea was calm until ten minutes into the journey, whena sudden and dreadful sound came from the rear and the wave from the front hit the boat and the journey was halted in the middle of the large Sea.

A vehicle involved in a collision with a road median along Ijegun-Jakande Estate express way in Lagos at the weekend. PHOTO: ABIOLA ABDULHAMMED

Nobody knew what transpired until when the local captain cried out holding his head with his hands shouting in vernacular "Mo gbe! Engine Oko ti jabo si'nu Omi" (am in trouble! The boat engine has dropped into the Sea) and that was when it dawned me and other passengers that there was danger. "As a metro reporter whose beat encompasses emergencies, I quickly dialed the General Manager Lagos State Emergency Management Agency Femi Oke -Osanyintolu to intimate him of the ugly scene. Quickly but he

only listened to the complaints but was silent and never came to our rescue. "At that time, the boat had started spinning round at 360 degrees on the sea. In a way to calm down the tension on my co-passengers though I was under tension too, I quickly announced that they should be calm as LASEMA has been contacted for rescue. "Then the tension reduced. Before LASEMA, I have tried the South-West spokesperson of National Emergency Agency NEMA, and National Island Waterways Agency NIWA but they

could not be reached as they were out of the country. "As there was no response from LASEMA, one of the passengers got through to the terminal and a rescue boat was sent and we passengers eventually got our relief. That was when the passengers began to comment that despite the information to LASEMA boss, he showed no concern not minding the delicate situation on ground," she said. Attempts at getting LASEMA boss, Femi Oke-Osanyintolu to react to these allegations proved abortive as his number was not reachable.

Rainstorm: Residents lament losses KEMI OLAITAN IBADAN

esidents of Ibadan, the Oyo state capital affected by last week's rain storm are still groaning over the great loss suffered during the violent storm which destroyed property worth several millions of naira. It will be recalled that the rain which also wrecked havoc on electric poles, cables and other power installations was the first major rainfall in the city in the year. Other properties destroyed include farm lands, and buildings where many rooftops were blown off. As at yesterday, damaged electric poles and cables were still scattered all over the places on major roads and streets of Ibadan, while electricity supply is yet to be restored to the affected parts. Local government areas mostly affected by the violent storm

Assembly candidate outlines plans for constituency

which lasted for about 40 minutes are Ido, Ibadan South West, Ibadan North West, Oluyole and Ibadan North amongst others. Many residents in Gbekuba, Apata, Owode, Bembo,OmiAdio, Dugbe, Academy, Odo-Ona Elewe, and other communities in the city while speaking on the development pleaded with the

management of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company ( IBEDC) to hasten action on the repair of the damaged electric installations and restore power to the areas. Not less than 10 buildings were counted at Omi-Adio that was destroyed by the rain storm while several rooftops were

blown off at Ido town, Apata and Bakatari areas of the city. While some victims are still battling to repair their rooftops and other parts of their buildings damaged during the storm, families who do not have the financial strength to repair their damaged buildings have relocated.

27 cult suspects in police net HENRY IYORKASE MAKURDI

ver 27 suspected cult members have been apprehended by the law enforcement agents at Katsina-Ala local government area of Benue state and subsequently transferred to the state headquarters of the command. The police source who spoke to community mirror on condition of anonymity disclosed

that the suspected cultists were arrested at the weekend within the township in possession of dangerous weapons including axe, daggers as well as cutlasses. The suspects it was further gathered that were mainly youths in the age bracket between 14 -18 years and were found terrorizing innocent citizens in the town. The menace of cultist activities leading to constant clash between one group and another

had sent many inhabitants to relocate to the neighboring towns for the fear of unknown. National Mirror checks revealed that only a forthright ago over ten cases of cult activities resulting to mayhem and violent clash were reported in the area. Efforts to get the comments of the state police public relations officer Mr. Austin Ezeani were futile as several attempts on his mobile line could not return.

head of the April 11 House of Assembly elections, All Progressive Congress candidate for the Lagos State House of Assembly Mushin Constituency 2 Hon. Sobur Olayiwola Olawale ‘Omititi’ has promised to make changes in legislation that would bring development to the people of his constituency. Olawale noted that if given the opportunity to serve he will contribute in the formulations of laws that would be of immense benefit to the people pointing that being a grassroots politician he is conversant with the challenges of the people he aspires to represent. Omititi who was a onetime Special Assistant on Transportation to former Governor Bola Tinubu says that his experience in public service through political participation will enhance his private assistance to the people. He lamented that the people of the area is lagging behind in terms of empowerment and infrastructural development in the state, promising to draw the attention of government to bring desired empowerment and improve the life of the common people in Mushin. He revealed that he has been running a free computer training to the people of the constituency free of charge since the year 2002 graduating over 1500 beneficiaries yearly, and payment of WAEC and NECO fees for students. “They will get a good and quality representation, selfless service the kind they have not experienced before. I will bring governance to their doorstep.

Omititi

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

World News

“In this (accord) you are getting a robust and complicated deal that enables Iran to preserve capabilities and allow it to remain a threshold nuclear state” –ISRAELI STRATEGIC AFFAIRS MINISTER, YUVAL STEINITZ

Senegalese court jails ex-president’s son for corruption Paul arhewe

WITH AGENCY REPORTS

he son of Senegal’s former president Abdoulaye Wade was jailed for six years for corruption yesterday, dealing a blow to his hopes of running for office and deepening fault lines in the country’s political landscape. The court in the capital Dakar, which found Karim Wade guilty of hiding funds in offshore companies in the British Virgin Islands and Panama, also fined him 138 billion CFA francs ($228 million). Raising the political stakes ahead of the verdict - read out as police patrolled the city’s streets in large numbers to counter possible protests - the opposition Senegalese Democratic Party (SDP) chose Wade on Saturday as its candidate for a presidential election that could take place as soon as 2017. In detention since April 2013, Wade, 46, denied wrongdoing and branded the trial a witch-hunt, something the government denies. He and lawyers boycotted the end of the trial. Prosecutors had demanded a seven-year prison term and a 250 billion CFA franc fine for Wade, known as the ‘minister for heaven and earth’ during his father’s government as he controlled several ministries.

Karim Wade (C), son of Senegal’s former president Abdoulaye Wade, attends a rally by his father’s political party Parti Democratique Senegalais (PDS) in Dakar

“The crime of illicit enrichment being proven, Karim Wade: six years in prison and a fine of 138 billion CFA francs,” judge Henri Gregoire Diop said. Opposition supporters inside the specially created Court for Repression of Illicit Enrichment (CREI) protested loudly after the verdict. “I no longer want to be Senegalese,” shouted one woman. “This verdict is shameful.” Wade’s father left the court

without commenting to the media. His son and his legal team had accused the judge of bias, which Diop had strongly denied. “The CREI is the armed wing of the government put in place explicitly to execute a political adversary,” Cire-Cledor Ly, one of Wade’s lawyers, told a news conference after the hearing. They would appeal the verdict before the Supreme Court, he added.

Singapore’s nationalist leader Lee Kuan Yew dies at 91

ee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s first prime minister, died on Monday aged 91, triggering a flood of tributes to the man who oversaw the tiny city-state’s rapid rise from a British colonial backwater to a global trade and financial centre.

Lee Kuan Yew

U.S. President Barack Obama described Lee, who ruled Singapore for three decades, as “a true giant of history” whose advice on governance and economic development had been sought by other world leaders down the years.

In his lifetime, Lee drew praise for his market-friendly policies, but also criticism at home and abroad for his strict controls over the press, public protest and political opponents. Lee had receded from public and political life over the past few years, but was still seen as an influential figure in the government of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, his eldest son. “The first of our founding fathers is no more. He inspired us, gave us courage, and brought us here,” a choked Prime Minister Lee said in a live television address. “To many Singaporeans, and indeed others too, Lee Kuan Yew was Singapore.” The government declared a period of national mourning until his funeral on Sunday.

Tsipras, Merkel display goodwill, little sign of debt progress

reek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and German Chancellor Angela Merkel put on a public display of mutual goodwill yesterday, appealing to Greeks and Germans to set aside recrimination and national stereotypes and work for a better European future. Yet despite warm words on the new leftist premier’s first official visit to Berlin, it was unclear if they had narrowed differences on economic reforms Greece must implement to win urgently needed fresh cash from its creditors. The two leaders were due to discuss the reforms in greater depth over dinner. Tsipras insisted he was not in Germany to solve Greece’s pressing liquidity problems but to find common ground to move forward in the euro zone. He condemned as an “unjust provocation” a German magazine cover depicting Merkel amid Nazi officers by the Acropolis in Athens. And in a rebuke to his own justice minister, he said no one in Greece was considering seizing or auctioning off German property for war reparations.

AFRICA BULLETIN

South Sudan releases more child soldiers A nine-year-old girl was among hundreds of child soldiers freed in South Sudan over the last three days, part of the largest ever release of child fighters in the world’s youngest nation, the United Nations said yesterday. It is the third release by the South Sudan Democratic Army (SSDA) Cobra Faction since its leader David Yau Yau signed a peace deal with the government in May. On Saturday, 654 children were registered with the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF), bringing the total number of children freed by the militia group since January to 1,314. “Because there are so many of them, it became impractical to release them all on one day,” John Budd, a spokesman for UNICEF in Juba, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Some 250 children, including four girls, were released on Saturday, with the remainder freed on Sunday and Monday. The children exchanged their weapons and uniforms for civilian clothes at a formal ceremony in Lekuangole, a town in Pibor County in Jonglei State, UNICEF said.

Kenya to beef up security on Somali border to block militants Kenya plans to build a new road, more border crossings and barriers on its 700 km (420 mile) border with Somalia in an attempt to thwart attacks from the Islamist militant group al Shabaab, the interior ministry said yesterday. Kenya is under heavy pressure to improve security after numerous militant attacks that have killed well over 200 people since 2013, mostly in the border counties of Mandera and Lamu. The al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab group has claimed responsibility for much of the bloodshed and has vowed revenge against Kenya for contributing troops to an African Union force battling the militants in Somalia. “The idea is to ensure that there are clear border entry points,” said Mwenda Njoka, a spokesman for Interior Secretary Joseph Nkaissery. “It’s not that you’re going to put up a 700 km wall.” Njoka said authorities had sent surveyors to the crime-ridden border region, which is awash with bandits and gunmen and includes hundreds of kilometres of dense forest and marshes. Njoka said the project should begin this financial year but could not say how much it would cost, when it would be completed or how many additional patrol guards would be deployed. It was also not immediately clear whether the planned new road would run the full length of the border with Somalia.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

North 51

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Okpala’s regime promoted nepotism, ethnicity at NECO —NASU PRISCILLA DENNIS MINNA

on-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU, has accused outgoing Registrar of the National Examination Council, NECO, Professor Promise Okpala, of promoting nepotism and bulkanisation of staff along ethnic lines. Describing his administration as the worst since inception of the council, chairman of NECO branch of the union, Abdulhameed Rabana, at a

press briefing in Minna also said Okpala gave an exaggerated assessment of himself at a valedictory session he organised at NECO headquarters four days ago. He explained that contrary to what he told his listeners at the valedictory lecture, the Registrar left behind a bloated staff strength with very low morale from 1,400 in 2007 to 4,000 through appointments that flagrantly violated due process. He said: “Okpala was only famous for postings characterised by nepotism

and directed at staff considered as opposing his administration. The unions’ problems were compounded by the appointment of a professor, who had no requisite experience in running examination bodies. And now, rather than sourcing Registrars for NECO outside, we pray the council staff are allowed to grow through the ranks to become managers of the affairs of their own system and colleagues as is the case of WAEC and NABTEB.” He also said that before the outgoing Registrar took

over leadership of NECO in 2007, enrolment figure of candidates for its SSCE stood at 1.6 million, which has currently dropped to over 900,000, while the external exam crashed from 600,000 to 60,000 at the time of his exit. Rabana further expressed the concern of the union at the huge sums of money Okpala lavished in putting in place his valedictory programme, even when NECO was unable to pay staff salary increment for 2014, while reducing staff DTA to 40 per cent of what he met on ground.

Buhari will win poll —Wife ABDULGAFAR OLADIMEJI KANO

ll Progressives Congress, APC, presidential standard bearer would secure the mandate of Nigerians to rule, his wife, Aisha Buhari, has said. Aisha, who dismissed campaign against her husband by some opponents that he was too old to face the rigors of office, said such campaign was diversionary and the handiwork of mischief makers. Aisha, while addressing teeming members of APC women supporters from Kaduna, Jigawa, and Katsina, who converged on Kano for a town hall meeting at the Coronation Hall of the Kano State Government House, asked the women to vote out PDP from power. She said the ruling PDP, since 1999 had only succeeded in impoverishing Nigerians: “Vote for free health, free education, stoppage to kidnapping and unwarranted killings,” she pleaded. General Buhari’s wife, who spoke in vernacular said: “We are not in Kano to

campaign, but to say thank you, Kano is strategic in Northern Nigeria and whoever you embrace politically is highly favoured. “The First Lady referred to us as Almajiris, I want to appeal to you women to come out massively to cast your votes for APC to prove a point to her. “Fellow women, you must rise and be self-reliant, 25 years ago, I could not speak good English, I took up the challenge, went back to school, today, I am not just a holder of higher qualifications from reputable institutions, I am a trained security expert from the Nigeria Defence Academy and also a successful business woman. Arise, fellow women, learn a trade, the challenge of broken homes confronts most of you, you must rise to the occasion, you are witnesses to how Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso has helped thousands of widows and divorcees to remarry, vote APC at all levels to guaranty continuity of these laudable programmes in Kano and Nigeria as a whole,” she said.

5 killed, scores injured in Taraba herdsmen attack JUSTIN TYOPUUSU JALINGO

Yobe State Governor, Ibrahim Gaidam (right), handing over copies of the 2015 Finance and Appropriation Bills to Speaker of the House of Assembly, Adamu Dala Dogo, at the House Chamber in Damaturu, yesterday.

FG spends N21bn on vaccine …seeks N16bn to bridge funding gap MARCUS FATUNMOLE ABUJA

he John Hopkins International Vaccine Access Centre, IVAC, yesterday said it cost about N9,000 yearly to immunise a child in the country. Country Programme Lead for IVAC, Dr. Chizoba Wonodi, stated this in Abuja at a stakeholders’ engagement on raising women’s voices for sustainable vaccine as part of activities marking the 2015 International Women’s Day. She said it would be of huge economic benefit if the country invests much

in its children’s vaccination programmes. According to her, if Nigeria invests N68 billion in RI vaccines, the country will realise three trillion in economic gains. She continued: “Nigeria needs a sustainable mechanism that is not affected by donors or market forces for paying for her vaccines.” She also said on vaccine financing in the country: “Government’s share of vaccine programme cost in 2015 is about N21 billion ($105million). This is expected to rise to N36 billion ($185 million) in 2016 and then to N68 billion ($341 million) by 2020.”

Meanwhile, the Federal Government at the event said it was strategising to bridge its funding gap of N16 billion on immunisation in the country for this year, adding that it would spend N21 billion on the programme this year. Director Advocacy and Communication, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, NPHCDA, Dr Adamu Nuhu, disclosed this at the event. He said that GAVI would contribute N19bn for the programme this year. According to him, GAVI would contribute N37 billion for the programme in 2016 while Nigeria would

commit N29 billion to it. He explained that the costs of the newer and more effective vaccines that are available globally were on the rise and that it was no longer sustainable for government to handle it alone. His words: “The Federal Government of Nigeria, through the NPHCDA, provides potent vaccines, free of charge, against the killer childhood diseases and also plans to introduce other new vaccines such as Human Papilloma Virus, HPV, vaccine, which prevents cervical cancer. There are however, large funding gaps that threaten the programme.

unmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen yesterday killed at least five persons and wounded dozens when they attacked Ananum village in Donga Local Government Area of Taraba State. An eyewitness, Ages Tarza, told National Mirror that gunmen numbering over 200 invaded the village and started shooting sporadically, killing five persons while many escaped with bullet wounds. Tarza said Fulani herdsmen have been attacking Tiv villages in the local government for some time now with little or no government protection. “Instead of providing security for us, security personnel have been arresting and detaining our people, who are innocent and have not arrested a single Fulani man. Few days ago, robbers attacked and killed a Fulani man and our people were arrested and detained. “The herdsmen attacked two of our villages, Ana-

num and Wahanye, and reduced them to rubble,” he said. He added that after the attack on Saturday, the Council Chairman, Captain Douglas Ndatse, in company of security men inspected damages in Ananum village, just for the attackers to return on Sunday to do more damage. Tarza, who is also Chairman of Tiv Cultural and Social Association, TCSA, in Donga Local Government Area of the state called on government to find lasting solution to the problem. Confirming the report, Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, ASP Joseph Kwaji, said gunmen invaded Ananum village on Saturday and Sunday and burnt some houses. He added that before the attack, a Fulani man was slaughtered in the village which prompted the attack. Kwaji said before police could arrive the scene, the gunmen have already fled. He however, said that investigation into the matter was ongoing to bring the perpetrators to book.

North

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Polls postponement has doused tension –Shema JAMES DANJUMA KATSINA

atsina State Governor Ibrahim Shema yesterday said the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC’s shifting of polls has doused tension across the country. Shema disclosed this during a courtesy call on

his office by officials of the Head of International Observation Team from ECOWAS in charge of North-West zone. The governor said voices of reason had necessitated shifting of the polls, but expressed confidence that people of goodwill would give helping hand to ensure successful conduct of the polls.

Yobe gov presents N80.6bn appropriation bill INUSA NDAHI DAMATURU

obe State Governor Ibrahim Gaidam, yesterday presented an appropriation bill of N80.6 billion to the House of Assembly for scrutiny and subsequent passage into law for the 2015 fiscal year. Presenting the budget to the House, the governor said the current figure represents a decrease of N22.2 billion or 22 per cent less than of last year’s. Gaidam said the reduction in size was because of the downward projection from the federation account. He said N37 billion was allocated to capital expenditure, while N43 billion was for recurrent expenditure, which represents 46 per cent and 54 per cent, respectively. The budget, which would be financed through internally generated revenue, statutory allocation, value added tax, ecological fund and excess crude oil, according to him, is aimed at upgrading the performance of infrastructural facilities and identify areas of job creation, among others. Giving highlight of the 2014 budget, the governor said so much was recorded despite the insurgency that claimed several lives in the state and consoled those who lost loved ones and property during the series of attacks. With the current improved security, he assured that a lot more would be achieved with

the aim of improving the lot of the people.

He said despite challenges that might be facing the country, Nigeria would come out stronger and better compared to the last polls. He said other African nations were looking unto Nigeria to lead them in maturing the democratic process, and that the country cannot afford to fail these nations. Head of the observation team, Sani Adamu, said the aim of the body was to monitor and ensure peaceful, credible and transparent elections in member states. Adamu said Economic

Community of West African States, ECOWAS, plans to monitor elections in the coming months in several countries, including Guinea Bissau, Burkina Faso, Togo, Nigeria, and Cote d’Ivoire. He said they were going round to discourage undemocratic ascension to power and ensure credible and result-oriented polls in affected states. He said financial and technical assistance would also be given to electoral bodies of such states for conduct of free and fair polls.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Respect Jega’s office, Saraki tells presidency WOLE ADEDEJI ILORIN

enator Bukola Saraki has advised the Presidency and the political class in general to respect the office of Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof Attahiru Jega,. Saraki gave the advise while accompanying Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State on a campaign tour of Baruten Local Government Area. He said failure to heed the advice could jeopardise conduct of credible elections. The lawmaker, who is

also former governor of the state, also rejected calls that Jega should be compelled to proceed on terminal leave. He said, “Politicians as players in the electoral process must allow INEC as an umpire to discharge its responsibility without interference, fear or favour.” Also, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship candidate, Senator Simeon Ajibola, assured traditional rulers in Kwara South Senatorial District that dilapidated roads linking their various communities would get attention once he is elected.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sport

I don’t see any difference between this team and the one at the World Cup in terms of competition –Brazil Coach, Carlos Dunga

D’Tigers win SA invitation

Flying Eagles after lifting the 2015 AYC trophy in Dakar, Senegal on Sunday

We’re happy going to W/Cup as champions –F/Eagles EVEREST ONYEWUCHI

igeria’s Flying Eagles are excited at going for the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand from May 30 to June 20 as African champions. Flying Eagles pipped the hosts Junior Teranga Lions 1-0 in the final of the Africa U-17 Championship on Sunday, in Dakar to lead the African quartet going for the World Cup. The Nigerian captain who won both the championship’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) and highest goal scorer awards, Musa Mohammed, said the Eagles are happy leading Senegal, Ghana and Mali to New Zealand. “We are happy with our performance as champions. From the beginning, we promised ourselves not just the ticket for the FIFA U-20 World Cup, but to

qualify as African champions. We are happy to achieve both. We played a more compact game based on the tactics of the coach since it was a final match,” Mohammed told cafonline.com. Also, speaking on Nigeria’s success, Coach Manu Garba said he felt great and elated leading the Flying Eagles. “I was part of the team that won the same competition in 1983 as a player and I’m happy to win it as a coach. The difference is the goal of the tournament which was scored by No. 7, Bernard Bulbwa. This team is the future of Nigerian football. We have only two players from the Nigeria Premier League with the rest from academies, which is a good sign for the development of Nigerian football,” Garba said. Similarly speaking on Africa’s participation in the World Cup, Senegal’s coach, Joseph

NFF pledges support to Garba, wards

JOEL A Koto, said, “Our performance ABUJA JAYI showed that Nigeria is not superior to us and I believe we won’t disgrace ourselves at he Nige ria Foo tball Fe the FIFA U-20 World Cup. We comed th deration e victor (NFF) y give the players about 10-days ious Fly esterday The dele ing Eag welgation, w les team dent, Ba rest and after begin preparahich wa b rrister S ack hom s led by eyi Akin e . mor nin tions for the FIFA U-20 World N FF 1st V wunmi, g aboar ice Pres flew into d an Ar nected a iCup.” ik L agos ear Airline nother A ly in the flight fr rik fligh o m Yesterday, FIFA concludWhile w t to Abu Dakar, a elcomin ja. nd contional T g the pla ed the New Zealand 2015 eam bac y e r s a n k d a o fter a su fficials can You draw to formally place the of the U ccessful th Cham -20 Nacampaig pionship Dr. Moh African representatives in n at the in Sene ammed 1 9 g th a S l, a AfriN n usi, com which e FF Gene their groups. ar ned th mended ral Secr e th e ta m e ry, FIFA U-2 m for th a trophy Group A: New Zealand, eir hard 0 World and tick Cup in N work et to pa He prom Ukraine, USA, Myanmar e rticipate w Zeala ised tha nd. in the ration to t the NF Group B: Argentina, F would ward th e s u W p orld Cup port the Speakin Panama, Ghana, Austria . team’s p g to new repaGarba th smen at Group C: Qatar, Coanked N the brie f ig r e e th r ception, ians for e tour na lombia, Portugal, Sentheir su Coach M ment in pport an anu Senegal “I want d prayer egal to thank s d u r ing lo all Nige oked be Group D: Mexico, rians fo yond th r e th A d Y e espite th ir suppo C in Sen Mali, Uruguay, Serbia rt; this te egal. We e fact th am at we d did not squad. Group E: Nigeria, id not g lose any o to Sen match “Our foc egal wit Brazil, North Korea, us now h the fu will now Cup in N ll Hungary be the su ew Zeala nd,” Ga m m e r’s FIFA rba said Group F: Fiji, GerU-20 Wo . rld many, Honduras, Uzbekistan

Sports

NFF confirms Uyo for Eagles, Cranes

he friendly match between Super Eagles and Cranes of Uganda has been confirmed for tomorrow at the Akwa Ibom International Stadium, Uyo, according to the Nigeria Football Federation. NFF also reconfirmed that the Government and people of Akwa State are excited about the game, which pits the three-time African champions against the 1978 Africa Cup of Nations runners-up. “We have been discussing with the Government of Akwa Ibom State over the past few months and nothing has changed,” NFF President, Amaju Pinnick, said yesterday. “We appreciate the keen interest of Governor Godswill Akpabio in the development of Nigeria football and also the good people of Akwa Ibom State for their hospitality at all times. “We have never had any problem with the Government of Akwa Ibom State. They are desirous of hosting big games at the marvelous venue that everyone calls the Nest of Champions.” The delegation of Uganda’s Cranes, which arrived in Abuja aboard an Ethiopian Airline flight yesterday, as well as players and officials of the Super Eagles, are expected to be accommodated at the Le Meridien Hotel in Uyo for the match which kicks off at 6pm.

Pinnick

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

How Chelsea will lose EPL title

–Pellegrini

anchester City Manager, Manuel Pellegrini, believes League leader Chelsea will soon drop points, allowing his side to win the title this season. The Blues were narrow 3-2 winners over Hull City on Sunday, with City registering a 3-0 win over West Brom the day before as the Etihad side remained six points adrift of Chelsea, who still has a game in hand.

Manuel Pellegrini

“I don’t think they are a winning machine all the time,” Pellegrini said. “I’m sure from now until the end of the season every team will drop points, so it’s important to return to our normal performance and win our games. “After that we’ll see what happens with Chelsea. Maybe we can win all the games and maybe we can retain the title.” Pellegrini insists that wins for City

would keep the pressure on the London club as he eyes first place. “The important thing is to make them feel pressure,” the Chilean further said, adding, “We depend now just on these last eight games to at least finish in the same position we are now.” City leads third place Arsenal by just one point, with Manchester United also just one point further back in the last Champions League qualifying spot.

Partnership: Globacom, Man United revel in extension W est African Telecoms firm, Globacom, and English Premier League side, Manchester United Football Club, have signed an agreement to extend their brand partnership for another five years. Globacom, the biggest supporter of football in Africa, entered a strategic partnership with Manchester United in 2009 that would see both global brands collaborating for promotion and projection. They have since collaborated on several projects including the hosting of Globacom subscribers in Old Trafford, home of Manchester United, to watch the team’s Barclays Premier League home games and European Champions League matches. The agreement also provides for the Glo Soccer Academy, a reality TV show created by Globacom, which gives aspiring

young footballers in West Africa opportunity to win a oncein-a-life-time trip to the UK to train with Manchester United Soccer Schools coaches in the UK. “Manchester United is pleased to be extending its relationship with Globacom. Over the past six years, the partnership has given ambition and inspiration to the youth of West Africa. We are looking forward to building on this achievement during the next phase of our partnership,” Manchester United Group Managing Director, Richard Arnold, said. “The launch of the mobile app with Globacom represents another step forward for the partnership and is a fantastic way for our followers to stay in touch with what’s happening at the club. With nearly 50 million followers on the African continent we’re thrilled that our regional partner is help-

ing us to get even closer to our fans,” he added. Regional Chief Marketing Officer for Globacom, Mr. Ashok Israni, also described United as one of the biggest clubs in world football. “It has a rich culture of excellence and a huge fan base not just in Nigeria and West Africa, but also all over the world. We are, therefore, proud to be extending our association with the club,” Israni said.

Adenuga

The extension of the partnership coincides with the release of Manchester United’s new Club app which will be made available on app stores in Nigeria, Ghana and Benin Republic. The club’s app offers the most comprehensive mobile access, giving fans the latest club news, exclusive videos, match highlights, live in-game updates, player profiles and much more.

AYC 2015 success:

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sports

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Akanni hails Awoniyi, others

Taiwo Awoniyi

He, however, called on the Nigeria Football Federation to enable the team have early preparation for the FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand in May. “I think the coach can still give room to players like Kelechi Iheanacho and Chidiebere Nwakali who could not make it Senegal so that a solid team can be guaranteed,” Akanni added. “Series of friendly games should also be arranged to strengthen the squad ahead of the World Cup because at this stage, nothing should be taken for granted. “I see the team winning the World Cup is properly prepared for the New Zealand battles.”

MERCY JACOB

ormer chairman of the Lagos State Football Association, Mr. Waidi Akanni, has praised the Flying Eagles for winning the trophy at the African Youth Championship ( AY C ) concluded in Dakar, Senegal on Sunday. The former Nigerian international told National Mirror that the junior national team had lived to expectation as a collection of reigning FIFA U-17 champions. “They have been together for some time now and from the beginning of the competition they followed a game pattern that saw them being victorious,” Akanni said.

Okpekpe 2015: Pam gears up Queens, Angels meet in prewith Splash title AFOLABI GAMBARI

N Oyedeji

D’Tigers win SA invitational

JOEL AJAYI ABUJA

igeria’s basketball team, D’Tigers, has emerged champions at the 4-Nation invitational challenge tournament in South Africa. The Olumide Adedeji-captained team defeated Mozambique 72-59 in a reversed fixture that pitted the two top teams together in the final game. Mark Mentors player, Stanley Gumut, was voted as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament after a scintillating display that got the fans captivated all through. Ngeria’s unbeaten run in the tournament will boost the team’s morale towards the second leg of Afrobasket 2015/All African Games qualifier against Bukina Faso in Lagos.

Meanwhile, President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, Mallam Tijani Umar has said that the next priority is to see Nigeria qualify for the 2015 Nations Cup in Tunisia. D’Tigers are expected back in Lagos today.

igeria’s leading marathoner, Deborah Pam, has sent a strong warning signal to her competitors at the 2015 edition of the Okpekpe Road Race with an excellent performance at the seventh edition of the Ibadan 42 km marathon tagged ‘Splash FM Integrity Race’ held last weekend. The Plateau State-born athlete, who emerged the best Nigerian woman during the last two editions of Okpekpe race, won the Ibadan marathon in a record time of 3hrs, 3mins and 23secs.

“I have been consistent at the competition for the past two years, but I don’t want to settle for less again,” Pam said. “I want to become the first Nigerian athlete to win the Okpekpe race and I will be going back home to intensify preparation for the competition,” she added. Meanwhile, the Coordinator of the race, Yusuf Alli, has urged indigenes of Okpekpe community to actively participate in the annual race. “We are really looking forward to the locals winning something and hopefully represent Nigeria at the Olympics,” the former Nigerian athlete said.

season

he Nigeria Women League Congress for the 2015 season billed for today will witness an exhibition match between League champions Rivers Angels and Confluence Queens. The encounter will hold at the FIFA Goal Project Technical Centre, Abuja. Pelican Stars pulled out of the 2013/14 Nigeria Women Premier League Champion of Champions Challenge against Rivers Angels. Coach of Confluence Queens, Musa Amorley (Baba Anini) was quoted by the club spokesperson Tosin Ojo, yesterday as saying the Lokoja side was ready to confront the Angels.

How father supports my tennis ambition –Quadri PAUL EREWUBA

F Oyinlomo Quadri (left), receiving her prize after defeating Angel McCleod in the U-16 final of the maiden MP Tiger Tennis Championship, at the Lagos Country Club, Ikeja, Lagos

emale tennis sensation, Oyinlomo Quadri, is not just one of Nigeria’s most talented kids in recent time, but she is also as ambitious. The youngster, one of the country’s representatives at the ongoing African Junior Tennis Championship, AJTC in Tunisia, has expressed her desire to

be among the very best in the world in no distant future. In a chat before her departure for the North African country, the double gold medalist at the recent Lagos State Secondary Schools Sports Festival, Ibile Games, sees herself doing really well in table tennis in the near future. “My father actually encouraged me to play the game because my siblings play for the

country,” Quadri says. “I used to play with them and dad thought that I could probably be as good as they are or even do better. So, I started training hard with them and that has taken me to where I am today. Quadri, who competes mainly in the Girls’ U-14 event, defeated U-16 specialist Angel McCleod, in the U-16 Girl’s event of a recent tournament, before they both left Nigeria for the AJTC.

WORLD RECORD

Fastest inverted rope climb - 5m

N150

Vol. 05 No. 1075 Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Tuomo Kostian (Finland) climbed a 5 m (16.4 ft) rope feet first until his whole body cleared the measured distance in a time of 13.7 sec.

Pacification of North East in perspective

fter six years of indifference in the face of a rampaging terrorist group, which its trade marks have been maiming and killing of innocent and defenceless citizens, destruction of properties worth billions of naira and annexation of territories of the Nigerian state, the Nigerian armed forces with the cooperation, contributions and support of the military of neighbouring countries of Benin, Cameroon, Chad and Niger under the auspices the Multinational Joint Task Force (MJTF), have finally found a common ground to combating this regional menace. Boko Haram, a serious globally acknowledged dastardly terrorist group, has consumed an estimated number of

Guest Columnist

Sunday Onyemaechi Eze

15,000 people and left 1.6 million persons displaced, according to Mohammed Adoke, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, at the session of the United Nations Human Rights Council held in Geneva Switzerland. With the deadly routing of the insurgents from hitherto occupied territories and villages in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, it is earnestly hoped that the scourge of this ragtag group, who elected to turn civilisation upside, will soon be over. This understanding, courage and resolve to jointly confront the Frankenstein monster head long are in line with the reality on ground that the sect is no longer a Nigerian phenomenon. Therefore, it is trite to jointly contain the ripple effect of the hydra-headed problem, which has started rearing its ugly head in the contiguous countries before it gets out of hand, as what affects one nation affects all. The deadly blows inflicted on the group by the well coordinated military aerial and ground assaults simply deflated the once dreaded invincibility of the sect as the insurgents scamper for safety in the face of superior fire power of the military. In fact, no one tells the lame of an impending war. The gusto and reality of superior fire power of the military even forced members of the sect to disguise as women in their desperate bid to escape arrest or the inevitable death, which they had imposed on people for six years running. Happily, we have continued to listen to and watch the good news streamed in the media and read with pride the press statements issued by the Defence spokesman, Major General Chris Olukolade, on re-

BOKO HARAM INSURGENTS ARE NOT SPIRITS BUT HUMAN BEINGS LIVING WITHIN OUR COMMUNITIES markable progresses made. The best in the Nigerian military can only be achieved with the desired motivation and support from all stakeholders (neighbouring states, the people and government alike) in setting genuine agenda to end the Boko Haram onslaught or its semblance in the region. The success recorded in this military campaign and the established momentum should be sustained and not allowed to suffer any setback that will award the group another edge to restrategise and stage a surprised backlash. Officers and men of the MJTF who have placed their lives on the line for our comfort are flesh and blood and need our support to regain the lost pride of our region. Boko Haram insurgents are not spirits but human beings living within our communities. It is, therefore, our duty to report suspected individuals in and around our vicinities to law enforcement agencies. This is because it is edifying for communities and individuals to genuinely partner with MJTF by volunteering credible information that will frustrate the activities of the insurgents. The sect was able to survive and acquire its notoriety in savager and hypocrisy because the environment where it thrives tends to sustain and accommodate it to the detriment of the regional interest.

In the words of Franklin Roosevelt, “let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not the president and the senators and the congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country.” The incentive of promotion to soldiers that recaptured Baga should be a unified gesture which should be extended to all gallant regional soldiers fighting insurgency in the north east. In as much as Nigeria cannot promote another sovereign military force, a suitable incentive should be designed for that purpose in conjunction with other states. However, why these joint proactive measures were not taken before now is gravely disturbing. It calls to question why African nations have thrown away the African renaissance and eventually forgot our well acclaimed culture of good neighbourliness. The formation of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in 1975 was predicated on the need to promote “…better relations among member nations… by ensuring a stable and secure political environment in which (their) peoples can live in freedom…under the law and in true and lasting peace, free from any threat to or attempt against their security…” The community could not accomplish these lofty goals as it is fizzling out of reckoning. This West African situation was described by Robert Kapalan, a journalist, in his book, “The Coming Anarchy” as “…the symbol of worldwide demographic, environmental and societal stress, in which criminal anarchy emerges as the real “strategic danger.” To this depressing scenario he added the picture of a region beset by “…the withering away of central government, the rise of tribal and regional domains, the unchecked spread of disease and the growing pervasiveness of war.” The scourge of Boko Haram has reminded the region of the urgent need to once again be its brother’s keeper. Eze wrote from Kaduna via sunnyeze02@yahoo.com

Sport Extra

ormer Manchester United chief executive, David Gill, says he is standing for FIFA vice president in the May election because of what he calls an urgent need for reform in the world governing body.

Election: Why I’m contesting for FIFA VP-Gill Britain is guaranteed a FIFA vice presidency but, for the first time, UEFA members will vote to appoint the candidate in Vienna today. “My personal view is there needs to be a change of presi-

dent,” Gill said yesterday. Gill, 57, was United’s chief executive between 2003 and 2013, his time at the club coinciding with that of the club’s most successful ever manager, Sir Alex Ferguson.

If elected, Gill will replace 71-year-old Northern Irishman Jim Boyce, who has held Britain’s vice presidency since 2011, after the FIFA presidential election. Incumbent Sepp Blatter

will be challenged by Asian Football Confederation Vice President Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, former Portugal international Luis Figo and Dutch FA President Michael van Praag in those elections.

Gill

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