Binder1 by GLOBAL MEDIA MIRROR LIMITED

Constitution: FG seeks court injunction against N’Assembly

Probe: Jonathan dares Buhari

...we’re yet to be served –Ekweremadu ISE-OLUWA IGE AND GEORGE OJI Adoke

Vol. 51 N0. 1100 115

ttor ney-General of the Federation (AGF) has requested the Supreme Court to issue an order stopping the

National Assembly (NASS) from going ahead with its plan to pass into law the Constitution of the Federal CONTINUED ON PAGE 2>>

…dismisses allegation of looting, rushed privatisation Jonathan

Tuesday, Tuesday,June April7,28, 2011 2015

P.5

N150

Switzerland uncovers $370m fresh Abacha loot

...envoy assures President-elect to release stolen money

OBIORA IFOH ABUJA

nother $370 million belonging to the late former Head of State, General Sani Abacha, has been found in Luxembourg. This disclosure was made yesterday in Abuja during a courtesy visit by Swiss Ambassador, Hans CONTINUED ON PAGE 2>>

Fuel scarcity looms as tanker drivers threaten strike P.5

New members of House of Representatives during the 2015 Induction Certificate Course on Legislative Studies for new legislators in Abuja, yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

ABUAD @ 5: Pace-setter in quality education P.23-33

News

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Constitution: FG seeks court injunction against N’Assembly CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Republic of Nigeria (Fourth Alteration) Act, 2015, pending the final determination of the suit earlier filed against the move. The application was filed by counsel to the AGF, Chief Bayo Ojo (SAN). The AGF anchored the application on alleged insistence by NASS to proceed with passing the Act into law, notwithstanding the refusal by President Jonathan Goodluck to give his assent. According to the AGF, it is more in the interest of Nigeria that the issues in the substantive suit be resolved one way or the other before NASS proceeds further on the proposed alterations to the constitution. The AGF said: ”Hon. Samson Osagie, Minority Whip of the House of Representatives, said to the whole world at a press conference purposely called on the issue in this suit that despite any case filed against the said Act (which actually is a Bill); NASS would go ahead to pass it into law.” The AGF said the balance of convenience tilts in favour of resolution of the suit before any further step is taken on the bill. In an affidavit deposed to by one Theophilus Okwute, a lawyer in the chambers of Chief Bayo Ojo & Co, attached to the application, he said that he was aware of a press conference held by the defendant. He said: “That I listened to Hon. Samson Osagie, the Minority Whip of the House of Representatives on the NTA 9 o’clock news on 24/04/2015 when he said that NASS would go ahead to pass the (Fourth Alteration) Act (Bill) 2015 into law despite any court action because no order had been made against NASS to restrain it from doing so. “That by that very disposition of the said Hon. Samson Osagie, who spoke to the press as a principal officer of the defendant/ respondent, it is clear that the defendant/respondent is determined to proceed to pass the Fourth Alteration Act (sic) into law despite the pendency of the substantive suit herein. “That fundamental questions were raised by the plaintiff/applicant on the proposed alterations to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria through

the Fourth Alteration Act, 2015 which is in issue in this suit. “That it will be in the larger interest of Nigeria that those issues be resolved before the defendant/respondent takes any further step in giving effect to the proposed alterations to the constitution. “That with the utterances of Hon. Samson Osagie at the press conference earlier alluded to in this affidavit, it is clear that the defendant is determined to ignore

the proceeding before this honourable court on the proposed alteration and proceed to give effect to the alterations to the constitution. “That the defendant/ respondent will not lose anything or suffer any prejudice if this application is granted. “That the balance of convenience tilts in favour of granting this application. “That the whole Nigerian legal system shall be put into confusion if the defendant/ respondent proceeds to give

effect to the Fourth Alteration Act (Bill) 2015 and this suit succeeds such that the constitution remains unaltered, meaning that the Act is void and or no effect. “That the constitution is the basic law of Nigeria and should only be amended following due process.” The Federal Government had gone to the Supreme Court, asking that the proposed amendment to the 1999 constitution by NASS be declared unconstitution-

al. Government claims that the purported Fourth Alteration Act 2015 was not passed with the mandatory requirement of four-fifths majority of members of the defendant. In an originating summons, the Federal Government asked the apex court to make an order nullifying and setting aside Sections 3, 4, 12, 14, 21, 23, 36, 39, 40, 43 and 44 of the Fourth Alteration Act, 2015 purportedly passed by the defendant.

But, NASS said yesterday that it is yet to be served with any appeal filed by the Federal Government, seeking to stall the amendment of the constitution. Fielding questions from newsmen at the opening ceremony of an induction course, organised by the National Institute for Legislative Studies (NILS), for the newly-elected members of NASS at the International Conference Center, Abuja, Deputy Senate President, CONTINUED ON PAGE 5>>

L-R: Chairman, Jaiz Bank Plc, Dr. Umaru Mutallab; Vice President Namadi Sambo and Managing Director of the bank, Mr. Muhammed Nural-Islam, during courtesy visit to Sambo at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

Switzerland uncovers $370m fresh Abacha loot CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Rudolf Hodel, to Presidentelect, General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd). Ambassador Hodel, who said no slush fund from Nigeria is in Switzerland however said that recently, there was another request by Nigeria to the Swiss authority to look for Abacha’s money, adding that after that, some amount was found in an account domiciled in Luxembourg. “That is now between the Abacha family and the government. They have tried to find a deal so that this money can also come back,” he said. Asked how much was involved, the Ambassador said “The recent one is $370 million.” He said that though the Swiss government was not involved in the reparation arrangement, the Nigerian government has however

asked for legal assistance. “When the government makes a request to my government, we work together on it. But this case is different. That is the Abacha family directly with the Nigerian government finding a deal. So, the Swiss government is not involved and the money is in Luxembourg. “They have asked for legal assistance and we have provided them with this information. It is not a classical case and we would have preferred a classical case where we can give the money back and make sure that it is used in the interest of the people. Now it is up to the Nigerian government,” he added. The envoy said his country’s diplomatic relation with Nigeria is a long standing issue. He said: “Our laws are there to help all countries

fighting corruption. We will help this government. If you remember, many years ago we gave back the Abacha money to Nigeria. The situation in Switzerland has changed. The policy is no longer the same. “In the past, people come to deposit money in Switzerland without too much controversy. Now, it is not possible to deposit money in Switzerland because of legal origin. “Before the bank has to prove that the money is illegal, but now, before you deposit money in Swiss bank, you have to prove that you have earned that money legally. If you are a wealthy businessman, you have money in billions legally, but if, for example as a journalist, you come to Switzerland with $2 million and say you earned it because you did a very good job, nobody

will believe you.” Also, the Cuban Ambassador to Nigeria, Carlos E. Trejo Sosawas, said Nigeria is very near to the heart of Cuba. According to him, Nigerians are parts of the roots of the Cuban nation. “More than 80 per cent of people who came to Cuba in the 19th century from Africa came from Nigeria, which means the blood running in the vein of Cuban nation is partially Nigerian blood. So, our coming here means we have come to the home of our forefather,” he said. The envoy noted that in his country, cases of discrimination do not arise. “We don’t have African or European Cubans; we have Cubans,” he said. He said his visit was to deliver the goodwill message from the President and people of Cuba. He said Cuba has

achieved many things in health and the sports industry as well as others which are available for Nigerians in the last 15 years. He added that Cuba healthcare has become one of the best in the world. While responding, General Buhari said the people of his generation would continue to cherish the spectacular performance of two Cuban revolutionary leaders, Che Guevara and Fidel Castro as nationalist per excellence. He told the ambassador that he admire the unique social structure and system of the state especially given the rapid development that has been achieved by the Island nation. General Buhari also expressed happiness at the restoration of normal ties between Cuba and its erstwhile hostile neighbour, the United States of America.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Photo News

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

L-R: National President, Niger Wives Association of Nigeria, Mrs. Roselline Afolabi; Comptroller of Immigration Service, Lagos State Command, Justina Ahmadu and Secretary, Niger Wives Association of Nigeria, Mrs. Anita Bashorun, during a visit to the comptroller in Lagos, recently.

L-R: Chairman on the occasion; Barr. Osaro Isokpan; Vice Chancellor, Covenant University, Ota/ Guest Speaker, Prof. Charles Ayo; Founder/Chairman, The Hayford Alile Foundation (THAF), Apostle Hayford Alile and his wife, Deaconess Pat, during THAF 2015 Annual Lecture and 75th birthday celebration of Apostle Alile in Lagos, yesterday.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

L-R: Commissioner for Market Competition and Rates, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, Mr. Patrick Umeh; Deputy General Manager, Engineering, Mr. Abdul Mohammed and Chairman, Dr. Sam Amadi, during a meeting of consumer advocacy groups in the Nigeria electricity supply industry in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission( NCC), Dr. Eugene Juwah (left) and Commandant, National Defence College, Abuja, Rear Admiral Patrick Agholor, during a courtesy visit to Juwah in Abuja, yesterday.

National News

Xenophobia: Nigeria has not recalled envoy from S’Africa –Presidency Rotimi Fadeyi ABUJA

he Presidency yesterday denied report that Nigeria has recalled its High Commissioner in South Africa

over recent xenophobic attacks, which affected many Nigerians. Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati told State House Correspondents that Nigeria has

only recalled her Charge d’Affaires for routine consultation. According to him, Nigeria does not presently have a High Commissioner in South Africa. He explained that the pro-

Election fallout: Buhari bars AIT

…we are resolving ethical issues with them-Garba Shehu obioRa iFoh ABUJA

ecurity team of the President-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari has stopped the African Independent Television, AIT, from covering all his engagements until issues of ethics and standards are sorted out. The AIT crew, it was gathered, was asked to leave the Defence House, the temporal office of Buhari during the visit of the Cuban ambassador to Nigeria. Although the station’s was informed politely by one of the officials,

the crew refused to leave the venue. Reacting to the incident, Buhari spokesman, Garba Shehu said what gave rise to the measure were concerns over security and ethical standards which members of the family of the Presidentelect raised. “AIT has been asked to stay aside based on security and family concerns. In addition, the Buhari family has decided that they will have to resolve some issues relating to issues of standard and ethics. “We will be talking

with them to try and resolve the matter but for now the station has been asked to stay aside because like I said, there are some family and security concerns. They have been asked to step down their coverage until we resolve the matter with them on ethics and standards,” he said. Shehu however denied that the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA, was also bared. Shehu said the NTA crew are free to attend the events of the Presidentelect and to cover it accordingly.

cess of recalling an Ambassador was a serious affair, saying that nothing like that has happened. Abati said: “Nigeria has not recalled its envoy in South Africa. The Charge d’Affaires has been called

for routine consultation. “Nigeria has no High Commissioner in South Africa for now. The recall of an Ambassador is a serious issue. Nigeria has not done so. “It is not true that Nigeria has recalled its envoy in

South Africa on account of recent xenophobic attacks in that country. “There is a mix up and misinformation on the matter. The truth is that Nigeria has not recalled his envoy from South Africa.”

CBN clarifies naira denominated cards transactions directive tola akinmutimi

he Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has explained its recent circular which reviewed further downward the usage of Naira denominated cards overseas from $150,000 per person yearly to $50,000. In a circular to all authorised dealers and the general public signed by Director, Trade and Exchange Department, Olakanmi Gbadamosi and hosted on the bank’s website, the apex regulatory institution stated that the clarification

became necessary in view of the different interpretations being given to the contents of the earlier circular on the issue. Specifically, CBN stated that for the avoidance of doubt, the circular refers to Naira denominated cards, comprising credit and debit cards, to be used only in overseas. It clarified that debit/ credit cards used locally as well as debit/credit cards linked to customers, Domiciliary Account to be used overseas were not affected by the circular. It therefore advised all authorised dealers to cre-

ate adequate awareness about the position of the monetary authorities on the issue among their customers with a view to ensuring their compliance. The CBN had in a circular Ref No TED/FEM/ FPC/GEN/01/007 dated 13th April, sent to all authorised dealers and the public referred to its earlier circular referenced No TED/ FEM/FPC/GEN/01/009 of September 26, 2013 on the subject matter, saying that the existing limits on the usage of the naira denominated cards for transactions overseas has been reviewed downward.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

News

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Probe: Jonathan dares Buhari

…dismisses allegation of last minute looting, rushed privatisation ROTIMI FADEYI ABUJA

resident Goodluck Jonathan yesterday said the incoming government of General Mohammadu Buhari would be within its rights to review all actions of his government as it may deem fit. The President has also ordered the immediate release of the forensic audit of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) account by PriceWaterHouseCooper (PWC). President Jonathan, through a statement by his special adviser on media and publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, said there is nothing wrong in reviewing the actions of government, saying that the present administration reviewed the actions of previous governments on assumption of office with resultant benefits for policy and project implementation. Jonathan was reacting to allegations by the spokesman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Lai Mohammed, that officials of the Federal Government are engaged in “last minute looting of the nation’s resources, rushed privatisation of key institutions and hurried recruitment into the public service.” He said the present administration considered as most unfortunate and uncharitable, the suggestion by the APC spokesman that the President Jonathan administration was trying to “tie the hands” of the incoming government merely by continuing to discharge its constitutional responsibilities until the end of its tenure. According to him, the President Jonathan administration which continues to do its best to ensure a smooth and peaceful handover over of power, deeply regrets the unfairness and combative frame of mind reflected in Mohammed’s statement. Abati noted that President Jonathan has done his best in the past five years to discharge his constitutional responsibilities for good governance and effective leadership of the nation. “Without any prejudice

whatsoever to the freedom of the incoming administration to do as it pleases, within the confines of extant laws when it assumes office, the President Jonathan administration will continue to discharge its responsibility to govern until May 29, 2015. “In continuing to fulfill the obligations of his office however, President Jonathan has not, and will never condone any form of unscrupulous conduct on the part of state officials. “President Jonathan will also never authorise any attempt to create any problems for the incoming administration as the APC spokesperson, who ought to know that the outcome of the March 28 presidential elections does not imply a cessation of governance, unjustly alleges. “As Alhaji Mohammed threatened in his statement, the incoming administration will be perfectly within its rights to review all actions of the present government as it may deem fit. “We see nothing wrong with that. After all, the present administration reviewed the actions of previous governments on assumption of office with resultant benefits for policy and project implementation,” he said. Abati also said the President was deeply concerned by the continuing suggestions that his administration still has anything to hide about the unproven allegation that about $20 billion is unaccounted for by the NNPC during his tenure. He stated that in order to lay the matter to rest, Jonathan in line with Section 7(2) of the NNPC Act, has directed that the full report of the PWC Forensic Audit of the NNPC accounts be released immediately to the public so that all Nigerians would be properly informed on the matter. In the report, PWC had indicted the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) over allegations of unremitted funds to the Federation Accounts and directed it to return $1.48 billion. He said: “President

Jonathan is also deeply concerned by the continuing suggestions that his administration still has something to hide about the

unproven allegation that about $20 billion is unaccounted for by the NNPC during his tenure. “To lay the matter to

rest, President Jonathan in line with Section 7(2) of the NNPC Act, has directed that the full report of the PWC Forensic Audit of the

NNPC accounts be released immediately to the public so that all Nigerians will be properly informed on the matter.”

L-R: Chairperson, Intellectual Property Committee, Mr. Afam Nwokedi; MTN Ambassador, Mr. Mike Anyasodo; Minister of Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga and Director, Commercial Law, Ministry of Trade and Investment, Mrs. Salman Mann, during World Intellectual Property Day celebration in Abuja, yesterday.

Constitution: FG seeks court injunction against N’Assembly CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

Ike Ekweremadu, disclosed that NASS is yet to receive either the Supreme Court papers or the letter written by the Federal Government. “As I speak to you, there is no court process that has been served on NASS. So, as far as I am concerned, there is nothing in court. “We also read in the papers that Bayo Ojo wrote a letter on behalf of the government, asking us not to deliberate on the matter

pending the outcome of the matter in court. I want to also say that no letter was received from Ojo or anybody whatsoever. It’s just cheer media propaganda. But I want to assure Nigerians that we will resist it,” he said. Meanwhile, Senate President, David Mark, has expressed concern that only a mere 30 per cent of members of the 7th Senate would be returning to the red chamber in June, when the 8th session commences.

According to Mark, this development would naturally necessitate a slow start for the new assembly, unlike in an instance when the number of the returning lawmakers is high. “Obviously, when people are new to a system, it takes time for them to adjust, learn the procedure and even find their way round the NASS building; so, it will be a very slow start obviously. “If the members return-

ing are more, things will start a lot quicker but it will be slow because it will be a learning process for about 70 per cent of the members who are new,” Mark said. On report that there are many bills passed by the NASS that are still awaiting the consent of the President, Mark said: “The President will sign the bills that he wants to sign; the ones he doesn’t want to assent to, he will return to us and we will do the needful.”

Fuel shortage imminent as tanker drivers embark on strike OBIORA IFOH AND UDEME AKPAN

here are strong indications that the downstream sector of the nation’s petroleum industry may witness instability as tanker drivers are set to embark on strike to back their demand for the settlement of a N20 billion debt. The tanker drivers, who are involved in lifting petroleum products from depots and jetties in different parts of the country for the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAM) and National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) have resolved to embark on

the strike any moment from now. The drivers who held a crucial meeting in Abuja yesterday at the expiration of their seven-day warning, said they were still fine-tuning the ways and means of carrying out the strike. Their spokesman, Mr. Abdulkabir Garuba, who confirmed the position of his members in a telephone interview said their services would soon be withdrawn. He said the planned strike would certainly affect the distribution of fuel and other petroleum products across the country. “Tanker drivers play very important roles in the nation’s economy. But unfortu-

nately these roles are not appreciated. It has got to a point where they can no more carry on. This explains why they have decided to embark on the strike,” he said. Investigations showed that there were long fuel queues in Lagos and its environs yesterday following awareness that the tanker drivers were resolute on embarking on the strike. A market survey showed that some filling stations were shut apparently because of fuel supply uncertainty. Our correspondent also noticed that some illegal operators have started selling the product in jerry cans at exorbitant prices

along Ikorodu road in Lagos. For instance, four litres and 10 litres went for as high as N2,000 and N5,000 respectively. The fuel shortage that was observed in Abuja also worsened yesterday as long queues were seen at many filling stations in the city and its environs. The executive secretary of MOMAN, Mr. Femi Olawore who agreed that its association was indebted to the tanker drivers said they would be paid. “We are hoping that the Federal Government would pay our outstanding to enable us pay them too,” he said in a text message yesterday.

National News

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Insurgency: Military denies occupation of Mafa, Marte

…as B’Haram kill 21 in Yobe Ubong Ukpong ABUJA

uspected Boko Haram gunmen shot dead 21 people in Northeast Nigeria, who were trying to return home to recover abandoned food supplies, a local official and a victim’s relative said yesterday. “The men, 21 of them, were stopped at Bultaram (village) by gunmen we believe were Boko Haram, who shot them dead,” said Baba Nuhu, an official with Gujba Local Government in Yobe State. Nuhu and Haruna Malam, brother of one of the victims, spoke to AFP from Yobe capital, Damaturu, where many Gujba residents have fled to seek refuge from Boko Haram violence. Dozens of Niger troops were killed in a weekend attack by Boko Haram militants on an island base in Lake Chad, a Chadian security source said yesterday. Niger’s army “lost 48 soldiers and 36 others are missing,” the source said, adding that some troops managed to escape. Another source, an official from southeastern

Niger, which borders Boko Haram’s main base in Nigeria, said the toll was much higher at 80 dead and some 30 persons missing. He added that just five or six security operatives were able to flee. A third source close to Niger’s army put the toll at “100 soldiers killed, 17 missing and three who managed to escape.” A humanitarian worker told AFP that “there were huge losses” at the military post in Karamga, an “especially remote” island on Lake Chad, where 120 to 150 troops were posted. “The army is trying to find out how many it has lost,” the source added. The AFP could not reach any officials from Niger’s army for comment. It was also attacked on February 20, when seven troops, 15 militants and one civilian were killed in fighting that broke out after Boko Haram’s raid, according to official toll. Niger, along with Chad, Cameroun and Nigeria, has recently launched a joint offensive to end Boko Haram’s six-year insurgency, which has claimed 13,000 lives and caused about 1.5 million people to flee their homes

Jonathan appoints Obi as SEC chairman

…sacks NHIS boss Rotimi Fadeyi ABUJA

resident Goodluck Jonathan has relieved Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Dr. Femi Thomas, of his appointment with immediate effect. A statement issued yesterday by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, said the President has also approved the appointment of Mr. Olufemi A. Akingbade as Acting Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of the NHIS. Akingbade, who hails

from Ekiti State and holds a Masters in Business Administration, was the General Manager, ICT in NHIS until his new appointment. Abati also said Jonathan has approved confirmation of Mr. Mounir Haliru Gwarzo as Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC. Gwarzo, who has been acting as Director-General of the commission, was appointed to the SEC Board as Executive Commissioner in January 2013. Abati further said the President approved the appointment of former governor of Anambra State, Mr. Obi, as Chairman of SEC.

In another development, Defence Headquarters, DHQ, yesterday, declared that all parts of Nigerian territories were intact, fully under troops’ control, denying the rumoured occupation of Mafa and Marte in Borno State by terrorists. In a statement through its Director of Defence Information, DDI, Maj-Gen. Chris Olukolade in Abuja, the military said the claims that terrorists have taken over Mafa and Marte again were the antics and mere wishes of Boko Haram sympathisers, insisting that it was far from truth. “The reports by some media outfits claiming that terrorists are now in control of Mafa in Borno State

are false. “The truth is that an attempt by a group of fleeing terrorists who strayed towards the town and engaged in their typical suicide attack was duly repelled by troops. “Similarly, the claim by some media organisations that terrorists chased out troops and took over Marte cannot be verified as troops were busy elsewhere during the said attack. “However, all efforts to track the terrorists who were reported to have attacked the town have not indicated their presence as claimed. “Surveillance activities are however ongoing although there has been no indication of the large

number of terrorists as being claimed in some reports attributed to anonymous sources. “The terrorists are certainly no longer capable of that level of coordinated action by thousands of terrorists as reported. “Also, troops have not retreated from Sambisa forest as claimed by same sources. “Rather, the operation is progressing and gaining increasing momentum towards clearing all terrorist hideouts in the forest. “It is noteworthy that it is becoming common for stories of attacks on some remote settlements to be fabricated and attributed to anonymous or unidentifiable source in remote places.

“This is apparently the work of terrorist sympathisers or propagandists. “Military operations to eliminate all terrorists hideouts are going on well and the terrorists are being seriously decimated. “They will continue to be pursued and prevented from constituting danger to civilian population in their desperation for survival, suicide or publicity. “The media is advised to ignore fabrication being churned out by some terrorist sympathisers trying to encourage the terrorists who are in disarray. “The truth is that the operation to decimate them from Nigerian territories is progressing well,” the DHQ stated.

Deputy National General Secretary, Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Chief Joseph Okunade, leading a protest at the gate of Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund over non-payment of arrears of 53.4 percent increase in pension by the Federal Government in Abuja, yesterday.

Speaker position open to all parties –PDP caucus

ole Oladimeji, Abuja There was a twist in the struggle to get the speakership of the House of Representatives, as Peoples Democratic Party, PDP caucus, insisted that neither the constitution nor the House rules specify that the ruling party should produce the position. Feelers from PDP caucus revealed that nothing was stopping PDP or other parties from contesting the coveted seat or any of the presiding officers’ positions. It was reliably gathered that at one of the PDP caucus meeting it was discussed that PDP

should produce a common front and try and reach out to APC members, who may want to align with their cause. Going by its numbers, the PDP caucus will play a major role on how the National Assembly leadership emerges.‎ In the House of Representatives, the PDP has about 140 lawmakers, as against the All Progressives Congress, APC’s 200 members. ‎ The PDP members in the incoming 8th Senate would occupy 49 of the 109 seats, while APC has 60 members. Although no PDP member has come out publicly to vie for the position,

there is strong indication that one of its members may be pushed forward to contest against any APC candidate that may come forward. It is also likely that PDP might use its numerical strength to prevent APC foisting any candidate on the House like Speaker Aminu Tambuwal’s emergence against the party’s candidate. While confirming the speculation, House deputy leader, Leo Ogor, told newsmen at the venue of ongoing retreat organised for new lawmakers by the National Assembly Institute of Legislative Studies, that nowhere in the constitution were other

party members prevented from contesting for the position. Citing Section 50 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), ‎Ogor told newsmen that the National Assembly leadership in the 8th Assembly was not the exclusive preserve of the majority APC. He said Section 50(1) states: (a) a President and a Deputy President of the Senate, who shall be elected by members of that House from among themselves; and (b) a Speaker and a Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, who shall be elected by members of that House from among themselves.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

News

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Why Obasanjo’s govt failed on power reform —Atiku

…says Buhari should reverse PHCN privatisation a za Msue KADUNA

ormer Vice President Atiku Abubakar yesterday said the Obasanjo administration in which he played a key role failed to address the power sector problem due to long term measure rather than short term approach to the sector. Atiku noted that failure of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the power sector of the economy, was because the governments adopted wrong strategy in tackling the sector. Atiku opined that the in-coming government of General Muhammadu Buhari should use his political will to reverse the current privatisation exercise by President Goodluck Jonathan in the sector for Nigeria to move on.

Atiku, who was chairman at the 36th Kaduna International Trade Fair's Seminar organised by the Kaduna Chamber of Commerce, Mines and Agriculture in Kaduna yesterday, was responding to a question from the audience. The seminar has as its theme: “Making it in Nigeria: Promoting domestic production for national sustainable economic development." Also, Atiku in response to a question on why private investors were unable to collect licence to build refineries, at least, to cushion the excruciating hardship occasioned by fuel scarcity during the Obasanjo/Atiku administration, said in his eight years as vice president to ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, there was no minister of Petroleum Re-

sources. For this reason, Atiku said he could not answer the question. He, however, noted that in the eight years ex-President Obasanjo doubled as Minister of Petroleum Resources, he was not able to make appreciable input. According to Atiku, the oil and gas sector was solely handled by Obasanjo. He added that at that time nobody knew what was happening in that sector, pointing out that "during our administration, there was no transparency and accountability in the oil and gas industry." The former vice president added: "There was a time we were handed a Ghana-must-go memo on the oil and gas and asked by the president for our input and I refused to sup-

port it." Atiku said Obasanjo's government, noted to have sunk several billions of United States dollars into the sector, took the wrong approach in tackling the power sector. He insisted that rather than adopting a short and medium term measures, the administration went for a long-term approach, which led to waste of several billions of dollars in an attempt to revamp the sector. He said President Goodluck Jonathan took the same step, which accounted for the current epileptic power supply in the country today. "There is need for a political will to reverse the current privatisation in the power sector for Nigeria to move on," he said.

L-R: Representative of Comptroller-General, Nigeria Customs Service, Mr. Wale Adeniyi; representative of Vice Chairman, World Customs Organisation (WCO), Mr. Ebenezer Tafili; Regional Development Officer, WCO, Mr. Bernard Zbiden and Regional Officer for Capacity Building, Mr. Suleiman Sangare, during the 4th meeting of experts of Conference of Directors-General of Customs in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

NJC appeals judgment on ex-Abuja CJ, Gummi Ise-Oluwa Ige ABUJA

ational Judicial Council, NJC, has commenced legal move before Abuja division of the Court of Appeal to void the judgment of a Federal High Court, which set aside the guilty verdict pronounced on former Chief Judge of Abuja High Court, Lawal Gummi, by the council. NJC had found Justice Gummi guilty in July 2013 over alleged violation of Code of Conduct for judicial officers.

The council in a statement issued in Abuja and signed by its spokesman, Mr. Soji Oye, at the time, had specifically said it found that Gummi interfered with the execution of a judgment delivered by Justice Jude Okeke, also of the Abuja High Court. However, while investigation against him was pending before the NJC,‎ Gummi resigned and was turbaned as Emir of Gummi in Zamfara State. He also went to a Federal High Court in Abuja where he challenged the power and jurisdiction of the NJC to exercise disciplinary control

over him on the ground that he had voluntarily retired from service as a judge. He also asked the court to issue an order stopping his probe by the NJC because two cases were pending in courts in respect of allegations for which he was being investigated. But NJC had joined him in court to defend its position, saying the guilty verdict passed on Gummi must stand. In a judgment delivered last month, Justice A. AbduKafarati agreed with Gummi and held that the NJC lacked the disciplinary control over

him, having voluntarily retired from service as a judge. Dissatisfied with the judgment, NJC has filed a notice of appeal at the Court of Appeal in Abuja. In the appeal filed by the council's lawyer, Chief P.O. Jimah-Lasis (SAN), NJC said the trial judge was wrong in his decision. The notice of appeal reads: "The judge misdirected himself in law when he held that Gummi having tendered his letter of voluntary retirement and same acknowledged by the NJC coupled with the fact of payment of three months' notice in lieu of notice.

Abuja streets named after Atiku, el-Rufai, Masari, 185 others OMeIza ajayI

inister of Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Senator Bala Mohammed, yesterday named some streets after some influential figures in the All Progressives Congress, APC, and some other prominent Nigerians, including himself and President Goodluck Jonathan. The three chieftains of APC are former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, governors-elect of Kaduna and Katsina states, Nasir el-Rufai and Aminu Bello Masari, respectively. This was contained in a statement issued in Abuja yesterday and signed by Special Assistant on Media to the minister, Nosike Ogbuenyi. According to the statement, the Federal Government through the FCT administration decided to honour the Nigerians and other accomplished Africans by naming major streets in Asokoro extension, Guzape, Wupa, Wuye and Maitama extension districts as well as expressways and roads after them. He quoted the minister as disclosing this during yesterday's FCT Executive Committee meeting held at his Life Camp, Gwarinpa official residence. According to him, the honorees include President Goodluck Jonathan, Vice President Namadi Sambo, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Senate President, the late Dr. Chuba Okadigbo, former Speaker of House of Representatives

and Katsina State Governorelect, Aminu Bello Masari, former Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Dahiru Musdapha, business moguls, Femi Otedola, Aliko Dangote and several others. "The soon-to-be commissioned inner southern expressway which dissects Abuja city centre was named after President Jonathan while the longest Wuye district boulevard express road measuring 1,730 metres was named after Atiku Abubakar. Another major road in the same district was named after Vice President Sambo. "Other prominent personalities also honoured by naming streets after them in Asokoro extension district include, former Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. Kofi Anan, South African anti-apartheid activist, late Walter Sisulu, former President of Sudan, Gaafar el-Nimeiry, former Minister of State for FCT, late Professor Miriam Ikejiani-Clark, former Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi and 16 others. "Those having roads and streets named after them in Guzape district include former FCT Minister and Governor-elect of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, former Inspector-Gneral of Police, Sunday Adewusi, former Science and Technology Minister, Major-General Sam Momah, former Special Duties Minister, late Alhaji Wada Nas, former Attorney General of the Federation, late Mr. Clement Akpamgbo, incumbent FCT Minister, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed and 60 others," Ogbuenyi said.

South West

OjO Oyewamide AKURE

ndo State deputy governor, Ali Olanusi, was yesterday impeached by the House of Assembly, ending his tenure that began on February 24, 2009. The House also approved the appointment of former Commissioner for Agriculture, Lasisi Oluboyo, as his replacement. Olanusi's impeachment followed adoption of the recommendation of the panel set up by state Chief Judge, Olasehinde Kumuyi, to investigate t allegations levelled against him. The seven-man panel headed by Olatunji Stanley Adeniyan had found the former deputy governor guilty of the seven charges, which bordered on corruption and gross misconduct. The panel in its report stated: "Having found that all the seven allegations established against Alhaji Ali Olanusi, deputy governor of Ondo State, and plac-

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Ondo Assembly impeaches deputy gov …swears in Oluboyo

ing reliance on the meaning of gross misconduct as defined in section 188 (11) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended, we hereby find that the allegation of gross misconduct has been proved against the holder of deputy governor of Ondo State of Nigeria." Majority Leader, Ifedayo Akinsoyinu, moved the motion for impeachment of Olanusi after adoption of the report. The motion was seconded by Oyebo Aladetan, who represents Ilaje constituency II, after which the Speaker, Jumoke Akindele, put the motion into vote. Twenty-three members of the Assembly voted for Olanusi's impeachment, while two All Progressives Congress, APC members abstained.

Akindele directed the former deputy governor to return all government properties in his possession to the permanent secretary in the office of the Deputy Governor. The Speaker gave an alternative directive that the permanent secretary in the office of the Deputy Governor should use all lawful means to retrieve government properties in the custody of the former deputy governor. The new deputy governor, Oluboyo, was later sworn in by state Chief Judge to replace Olanusi. Oluboyo, who hails from Ikare-Akoko in Akoko Northeast Local Government Area of the state, was until his new appointment Commissioner for Agriculture. Kumuyi charged the

new deputy governor to help the governor in the discharge of his duty and smooth administration of the state. The deputy governor was also cautioned not to divulge official secret of the government without authorisation. Oluboyo at the swearing-in ceremony promised to discharge his duties to the best of his ability. However, the state APC chapter has vowed to challenge the impeachment of Olanusi in court, describing it as temporary. The party expressed optimism that it would reclaim the deputy governor's office through legal means. It, however, lamented the allegedly unlawful process of the impeachment, saying it was the height of

impunity by the Dr. Olusegun Mimiko government in the state. A statement issued yesterday by the state Publicity secretary, Abayomi Adesanya, said it was laughable that the House of Assembly could hurriedly impeach the deputy governor and approve his replacement. The party said: "The impeachment of Alhaji Ali Olanusi as the deputy governor of Ondo State is temporary. The whole process of the impeachment was a sham. How on earth will a deputy governor be impeached within five days? "It shows that there were unholy alliance among the state governor, Olusegun Mimiko, the Chief Judge, Olasehinde Kumuyi, and the governor’s stooges who called themselves state lawmakers to embark on illegal process to impeach the deputy governor. "It was clear to the peo-

ple of the state that before the directive of the Assembly Speaker to serve Olanusi the impeachment notice, the embattled deputy governor was not in the state. Without any court order, the Speaker directed them to paste the notice on the quarters of the deputy governor and this is unlawful. "The Chief Judge, due to his relationship with Mimiko (he was Mimiko's best man) has been assisting the governor to executive illegality. He set up a panel that was expected to sit for three months by giving room for fair hearing. But the panel only sat for five hours. "We however insist that the newly sworn-in deputy governor, Alhaji Laisisi Oluboyo, will only be there temporarily as we still have faith in the judiciary that illegality perpetrated by the state Assembly will be set aside very soon."

Police in Ogun rescue abducted 5-year-old boy Femi OyewesO ABEOKUTA

O Assistant Route Commander, FRSC, Ijebu-Ode Unit Command, Mr. Adebola Olotu (right) addressing campus shuttle drivers of Tai Solarin University of Education during a public awareness campaign in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

Seme customs generates N2.5bn in Q1

igeria Customs Service, NCS, Seme Command, yesterday said it generated N2.5 billion revenue in the first quarter of 2015. The command's spokesperson, Ernest Olottah, told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Badagry that the revenue was higher than the N2.1 billion generated during the same period in the previous year. He attributed the increase to the command's enlightenment

programmes in the surrounding communities. "Within the first quarter of the year, the command collected N2,583,548,432.53 as revenue, which was an improvement over N2,133,776,367. 31 collected in the same period in 2014. "The increase was achieved through motivational effort of the command's Area Controller, cooperation from our stakeholders and result of the command's enlight-

enment programmes in the surrounding communities. "The revenue feat could have been higher but for the reduction in the volume of imports which some importers attributed to unfavourable exchange rate regime and apprehension towards the elections," he said. Olottah said the command made a total of 200 seizures with Duty Paid Value, DPV of N42.8 million in the first quarter. He added that seized

goods included bags of rice, vegetable oil, narcotics, second hand shoes and bags, among others. The spokesman revealed that pursuant to Vehicle Import Transit Regime, 8,419 vehicles were cleared and the customs duty paid was N1.3billion. "The public can be assured of a facilitated environment for legitimate trade at Seme,'' he said. Ollottah advised Nigerians to shun smuggling and related vices.

gun State police command yesterday rescued a five-year-old minor identified as Abraham Adeyemi, who was allegedly kidnapped and dumped at a Four Square Gospel Church in Mowe, within Obafemi/Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State. The Command's Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Muyiwa Adejobi, told journalists in Abeokuta that young Adeyemi, who is in Nursery One, was reportedly kidnapped somewhere in Lagos State before being dumped at Mowe. Adejobi, who spoke in the company of the youth, explained that the pastor incharge of the church in Imedu-Nla, Mowe, found the boy crying within its premises and took him to the police station at Mowe. The PPRO, who explained that the case was about the fourth ‘kidnap and rescue’ of minors, added that the police have since commenced investigation to identify the boy’s parents to no avail. He also said the police

discovered a paper on which a phone number was written with the aim of possibly contacting the parents of the boy. Upon interrogation, young Adeyemi gave the name of his school as New Way Nursery and Primary School, but could not identify the address of his parents. The boy further said neighbours often called his father "Baba Sarah," and his mother as Mama Sarah. Explaning further on rescue efforts on the boy, the PPRO said: "The boy mentioned that their house is close to one canal. So, we presume the boy is from Lagos as we don't have any canal in Ogun. Canals are common in Lagos, which is why we believe the boy must have been kidnapped from Lagos and was dumped in Ogun." However, the police appealed to the church to step up security arrangement within its premises to guide against any such ugly incident. It also advised parents to monitor their children at every church service to guide against kidnap.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

South West

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Ogun signs $3bn contract for rail network Femi OyewesO ABEOKUTA

gun State government yesterday signed a contract agreement with China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) for construction of intra- and inter-city railway network across the state. Signing the multi-billion naira railway network contract agreement, which held at the governor's office within the state’s Secretariat complex in Oke Mosan, Abeokuta, was part of commitments of the present administration in the state towards transforming and enhancing transportation of persons and goods. Construction of intra and inter-city rail project was aimed at linking towns and villages in the state as conceptualised by Gover-

nor Ibikunle Amosun’s administration. The railway project, which is expected to be completed between eight and 10 years, will traverse the three senatorial districts, covering and also connecting locations within Abeokuta metropolis. National Mirror gathered that the project's worth was put at $3 billion and will be executed in phases. It is expected to link areas such as AbeokutaSagamu-Lagos: AbeokutaIlaro-Agbara Industrial Estate-Idiroko-Papa AlantoLafenwa in Abeokuta, as well as Abeokuta-SagamuIjebu Ode-Ikorodu. Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Barrister Adeoluwa Taiwo, signed on behalf of government while chairman of the construction firm handling the project, Cao Bao Gang,

signed for CCECC. Speaking on the project, Governor Amosun explained that its completion would take pressure off the roads as well as boost commerce and industry in the state. Speaking further at the event which had in attendance, the Chinese Consul General, Lin Kan and Gang, among other top echelon of the Chinese company, Governor Amosun described the rail project as one that would totally redesigning the landscape of Ogun State. He reiterated that his administration would continue to initiate projects that are capable of enhancing infrastructural development of the state. While urging CCECC to work round the clock and ensure the project reaches an appreciable stage before

the state’s 40th anniversary, Governor Amosun pointed out that the rail network would engender the desired development of the state. “Today, no doubt, is an important day in the history of our dear state. This agreement signing with the Chinese company, when completed, will complement our road infrastructure all over the state. Apart from the infrastructural development that it will bring to our state, it will also create jobs and ease the transportation of persons and goods across the state. “Like I always emphasise, without functioning and proper infrastructure we cannot develop. This step we are taking today will help in technology transfer and bring positive impact on the lives of our people."

Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun (2nd right), Secretary to the State Government, Barr. Taiwo Adeoluwa (right), Chairman, China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC), Mr. Cao Bao Gang (2nd left) and Chinese Consul-General in Lagos, Mr. Lin Kan, during the signing of memorandum of understanding on the Light Rail Network project for Ogun State at the Governor's office in Abeokuta, yesterday.

550 killed in Lagos fire disaster in five years Francis suber

stimated death recorded in various fire incidents in Lagos metropolis between 2011 and 2015 has been put at 550 by Lagos State government. This was disclosed yesterday during the yearly ministerial briefing of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Culture at Bagauda Kalto Press Centre, Alausa Secretariat, Ikeja, Lagos. Lagos State Commissioner for Home Affairs and Culture, Oyinlomo Danmole, who disclosed this, also noted that 6,541 fire calls were received in the last five years, while 498 people were rescued alive from fire incidents. The commissioner also said the cumulative estimated properties lost during the period under review was N200.59 billion, while cumulative estimated properties saved was N645.87 billion He said rescue calls in the last five years amounted to 397, while collapsed buildings were 59. Of the 8,278 calls received in the period under review 1,278 turned out to be false, an offence punishable under the law. Danmole added that 2015 has been busier for the state’s fire service. In the first three months of the year, 524 fire calls were recorded in addition to 20 rescue

Lagos procures 100 vehicles for traditional rulers

agos State government on Monday said it has procured no fewer than 100 vehicles for the use of traditional rulers and chiefs in the state. Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. Ademorin Kuye, made the disclosure at the 2015 ministerial press briefing held at the state’s Secretariat in Ikeja. He said the vehicles, which have since been presented to the traditional rulers, were to ease movement of the beneficiaries in the discharge of their duties. Kuye said the govern-

ment was committed to the welfare of the obas and chiefs in the state, and it would continue to take steps to demonstrate that commitment. He said government was building new palaces and renovating old ones to enhance the comfort of traditional rulers, explaining that the palaces of Alara of Ilara, Ayangburen of Ikorodu and Suenu have just been furnished for the comfort of the respective traditional rulers. Giving other statistics, Kuye said the government processed no fewer than 44 applications for recognition and upgrade of chieftaincy

stools in the last one year. The commissioner said the state's Chieftaincy Standing Tribunal of Enquiry has commenced inquiry into applications for upgrade to obaship from various divisions. He said government gave approval and recognition to seven new chiefs and Baales in Epe/Ibeju division of the state within the period under review. He gave names of the new chiefs as Prince Adewale (Iwajoba of Akodo), Rafiu Bello (Baale of OkunIse), Raufu Mustapha (Baale of Okun-Tiye) and Raufu Alaka (Olisa of Orimedu).

Others are Lamoriu Adekoya (Apebi of Orimedu), Babatunde Lamidi (Aro of Orimedu) and Kabiru Ganni (Losi of Orimedu). The commissioner said Governor Babatunde Fashola has presented staff of office to Prince Mufutau Ogunnukan of Muja Ruling House as the Adegbajo of Odo-Igbajowo in Eredo Local Council Development Area. “Chief Adisa Awoyemi, Oroja of the Fafunmi Ruling House, has also been presented staff of office as Oba of Meiran in Agbado Oke-Odo area of the state, " he said. According to Kuye, no

fewer than 27 chieftaincy matters have been referred to the Standing Tribunal of Enquiry for adjudication. On boundary issues, Kuye said the government successfully resolved the boundary and land conflicts involving the Onilogbo of Ilogbo-Eremi, Phillip family and Bambgose Idolabumo Ruling House of Ilogbo-Eremi in Badary area. He said government also received the report of the committee set up to look into the remote and immediate causes of the civil disturbances between two groups in the Ijede Local Council Development Area of the state.

calls and three collapsed buildings. In all, 20 people were recovered dead and four recovered alive. Emergency services salvaged properties worth N36.6 billion; property estimated lost amounted to N6.1 billion. Stating that the statistics were not pleasant, the commissioner said a lot of Lagos residents still take fire safety precaution for granted. Notwithstanding, he gave credit to Lagos Fire Service and the state government that equipped fire fighters to record modest success in fire and rescue operations in the years under review. The commissioner said Governor Babatunde Fashola’s administration "in recognition of the huge population of the state and the risks associated with such human and material endowment, has intensified its investment in fire-fighting and prevention through provision of modern equipment, capacity building for its officers and construction of additional fire stations in some parts of the state." Besides construction of additional fire stations, provision of new fire trucks, work tools and personal protective clothing (PPC), the commissioner expressed appreciation to the governor for upward review of hazard allowance for fire fighters from N833 to N5,000. Aside fire and safety issues, the Ministry of Home Affairs and Culture, during the period under review, also received applications from the Ministry of Interior, Abuja, for further processing either for Special Immigrants Status (SIS) or full naturalisations. In all, 85 applications were received out of which 71 appeared for interview and 45 were considered and recommended to the appropriate federal agency for ratification. Others were granted provisional approval pending provision of more documents in furtherance of their applications.

South East

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Anambra gets 20 new magistrates, deputy chief registrar Charles Okeke AWKA

t was a historic moment for the judiciary in Anambra State as the state’s Chief Judge, Justice Peter Umeadi, yesterday sworn in 20 new magistrates and one deputy chief registrar for Anambra State High Court. The 20 new magistrates, who took the statutory oaths during the ceremony that took place at State Judiciary headquarters in Awka yesterday, were Arinze Ijeoma Juliet, Kanu Onyeka Moses, EzebiloNnedu Obiamaka, Igbokwe Ijeoma, Nwakamma Chika P, Chigbo Chizoba Cathrine, Esq; Maduakor N.G.C, Ani-Nnaka Lovet Nwadi, Ezeudeka Stella,Esq; Onyekwuru Gladys O. Moneke, Nduka Victor Chidimma, Onunkwo Ijeoma Ebere, Stanley-Udo Chizoba, Adumah Nnamdi Martins, Eke Peter Nnamdi, Okosi Maureen Eyiuche, Udeze Uzoma, Agwunobi Rebecca, Anyaegbunam Nonye and Ogugua Ifunanya Clara. The new deputy chief registrar of Anambra State

High Court, Barrister Agbasionwe Eugene Agbasionwe, also took oaths of office and allegiance administered on him by Justice Umeadi with the help of chief registrar of State High Court, N.D. Ezeani. Both the new magistrates and deputy chief registrar, who were sworn in yesterday to commence duty, were drawn from lawyers with varying degree of experience. Speaking during the event, which attracted relations and friends of the new appointees, Justice Umeadi, who said this was the first time such a large number of magistrates were appointed at a time in Anambra State, noted that they harvested the best from among those who originally applied for the job, to make Anambra State and its judiciary one of the best in the country. Justice Umeadi said the bulk of the new magistrates would be deployed to specialised courts, like the revenues and sanitation courts, which would be established after the enabling law has been passed by the House of Assembly.

Igbo group lobbies Buhari for SGF position FranCis ekpOne ONITSHA

s transition to the new administration gathers momentum, an Igbo youth group operating under the umbrella of Nation of Ndi-Igbo Youth Forum (NNYF) yesterday called on the incoming government and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to consider prominent Igbo stakeholders for key positions in the government. The group admitted that the people of the South East shot themselves on the foot in the area of key positions in the National Assembly, but urged President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), and other stakeholders of the APC to zone the position of Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) to the area as a way of running an allinclusive government that would be free of bitterness and rancour. Addressing newsmen in Awka, national coordinator of the group, Comrade

Ndubisi Ani, appraised the contributions of Ndigbo in the emergence of the President-elect, but bemoaned some politicians from the zone whom he said were afraid of being in the opposition. Comrade Ani, however, tipped former chairman of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, for the SGF office, insisting that he has all it takes to hold the position and as one of those, who according to him, has maintained his stand with the opposition since 1999. “We see Dr. Onu as a principled and disciplined gentleman, who has the requisite experience and somebody who had served as first governor of Abia State. “We have not come to appraise the performance of APC in the South East, but it will be unfair if we fail to recognise any positive change... and we hereby categorically state that the President-elect should endeavour to carry along all geopolitical zones of the country when he assumes office on May 29,” he said.

Anambra State Governor Willie Obiano (right) congratulating three newly ordained Bishops, Bishop of Ijesha North, Venerable Dr. Isaac Iwabi Oluyamo, Bishop of Niger West, Venerable Captain Johnson Nwaohalama Ekwe and Bishop of Gwagwalada, Venerable Moses Bukpe-Tabwaye, after their consecration at All Saints Cathedral, Onitsha, on Sunday.

ENSUBEB reassures on quality education Dennis agbO ENUGU

espite alleged contract scam in Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board (ENSUBEB), the agency has reassured stakeholders that it would continue to maintain quality education in schools in the state. The board has also restated its commitment to paying salaries promptly to its over 12,000 teachers, volunteer teachers, school supervisors, non-tutorial staff

Chris njOku OWERRI

eneral Manager of Imo State Environmental Transformation Commission (ENTRACO), Chief Emeka Osuorji, yesterday narrowly escaped death when a trailer carrying bags of cement rammed into his office at Okigwe Road, Owerri. Unfortunately, two passers-by were crushed to death while several persons, who were at the bus stop, were severely wounded.

and other service providers in the state. Public relations officer of the board, Mrs. Eberechukwu Nnaji, in a statement yesterday, said ENSUBEB was distressed by recent "false propaganda" against it, adding that it was surprised and alarmed that the Enugu State House of Assembly moved a resolution based on wild and unsubstantiated allegations by two former board members. The House of Assembly had last week invited

the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to commence investigation into the board. Nnaji wondered why a legislative house that believes in due process would pass a resolution that portrays ENSUBEB in bad light based on allegation from two of its nine members. She noted that the two former board members took active part in all board activities, including board meetings, tender committee deliberations, bid open-

ings, training workshops, project monitoring and other committee assignments, noting that the other board members were disappointed at what could have motivated the two former board members to file the allegations. Said she, “We therefore, appeal to Enugu State House of Assembly and other relevant agencies to thoroughly investigate issues concerning ENSUBEB before taking decisions in the interest of children of the state.”

GM, staff escape death

…two crushed, others wounded in auto crash Those dead were covered by the debris of the fence the trailer rammed into before destroying part of the office wall where the GM’s personal assistant and two secretaries were sitting when the accident occurred. An eye-witness and a staff of the commission, Mr. Jude Nnagboro, told National Mirror that the trailer marked XB 882 HAL, belonging to Ibeto Group,

was coming from Okigwe in high speed when it lost control, thus crashing into the commission’s building and eventually resting on the GM’s office. According to the eyewitness, the accident, which happened about 12 noon, chopped off the two legs of one of those wounded. “The trailer’s driver, who acted on impulse and fear, ran away but was later arrested.

Chief Osuorji, who was full of praises, thanked God for saving him and members of his staff. “I was in the office when the accident happened and the impact of the crash was deafening. Two people were taken to hospital, two persons were killed while several others were wounded,” he said. He advised drivers to always reduce speed when they are getting into a city.

Anambra gets 1.5 million dozes of vaccines for immunisation FranCis ekpOne ONITSHA

nambra State UNICEF consultant, Diden Gbofeyin, yesterday revealed that the Federal Government has made available about 1.5 million dozes of vaccines for the 2015 second round of the National Immunisation Plus Days (NIPDs), which he said has been dis-

tributed to the 21 local government areas of the state. Gbofeyin also said that UNICEF and the World Health Organisation (WHO) are partnering with the government in the area of training of health workers and payment of stipends, among other logistics. Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State, while flagging off the second

round of NIPDs at Umunachi Health Centre in Dunukofia Local Government Area, said the aim of the exercise was to deliver OPV and other routine immunisation antigens, which, according to him, is aimed at reducing to the barest minimum the burden of vaccine preventable diseases like measles, wild polio and yellow fever, among others. Obiano, who was rep-

resented by Secretary to the State Government, Sir Oseloka Obaze, however, urged mothers and care givers to avail themselves of the opportunity of the four days exercise to make sure their children were vaccinated, pointing out that the exercise would be carried out in all government health centres and other designated posts in the state.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

South South

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Glo bags telecom award

L-R: Executive Director, Thompson & Grace Investment Ltd (T&GIL), Engr. Ekemini Amos; President/Managing Director, Dr. Isaac Thompson Amos; Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development & Monitoring Board, Dr. Ernest Nwapa and GM Monitoring, NCDMB, Engr. C.P. Okorie, during the commissioning of T&GIL multi-million naira engineering facilities in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Political killings: PDP sues Amaechi, Odinkalu, others …wants judicial panel declared illegal Dennis naku

PORT HARCOURT

ivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has dragged Governor, Ritimi Amaechi and others to a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt over the setting up of a judicial commission of inquiry to look into the killings during the last general elections in the state The party is, among others, urging the court to declare that the recently constituted commission of inquiry set up by the governor is unconstitutional and violates the principles of natural justice. In suit number FHC/ PH/FHR/256/2015, the

state’s PDP is also asking the court to declare that by virtue of the provisions of section 214 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and section 4 of the Police Act, the power to investigate allegations of crime, including inquiring into politically motivated killings in Rivers State is vested on the police. Respondents in the suit are Chairman of the commission, Professor Chidi Odinkalu, nine other members, Governor Rotimi Amaechi, Attorney General of Rivers State, Mr. Wogu Boms; Inspector General of Police and the state’s Commissioner of Police. The party further urged the court to restrain the commission or its mem-

bers from investigating any alleged politically motivated killings, insisting, among others, that it is the responsibility of the police. Legal Adviser to the party, Mr Benjamin Eke, also alleged that the first respondent, who is Chairman of the Commission of Inquiry, Professor Chidi Odinkalu, was not fit to head the body because he already had foreknowledge of the subject matter of the purported inquiry, having reportedly heard allegations and counter allegations of the various parties in the state relating to political violence and killings in his capacity as Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission. "He (Odinkalu) cannot

come to the task of presiding as chairman of the Commission of Inquiry in this case with neutrality and impartiality necessary as an arbiter," he said. Eke also said the 2nd respondent, Sir Samuel Egbe, was also not fit to be a member of the commission because he was allegedly appointed permanent secretary in the state’s civil service by the 10th respondent, who is the governor, adding that the 6th respondent, Mrs Asivosuo Oriye, is an employee of the state’s Ministry of Justice under the supervision and control of the governor and the 11th respondent, the Attorney General of the state, was also not fit to serve in the commission.

27 parties ready for Rivers council poll —RSIEC Dennis naku

PORT HARCOURT

ivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, said 27 political parties have indicated interest to participate in state’s local government election scheduled for May 23, 2015. The commission said of the 28 registered political parties in the country, 27 have collected and submitted expression of interest form to it.

RSIEC Commissioner incharge of Media and Public Affairs, Miss Ibiso Dakoru, disclosed this in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Monday. However, the state’s chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, said it will boycott the election, adding that the required 90 days notice stipulated by the Electoral Act was not taken into account by Governor Chibuike Amaechi for the conduct of council election. The statement said the election would hold in 22 of

the 23 local government areas of the state. The statement reads: “The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, has received Expression of Interest forms from 27 political parties for the local government council election in the state scheduled for Saturday, May 23, 2015, in 22 of the 23 local government councils. “Of the 28 registered political parties in the country, 27 have collected and submitted Expression of Interest forms to the commission.

“The political parties are to submit the date, time and venue of their primaries to RSIEC headquarters between Monday, April 27 and Tuesday, April 28, 2015. “The commission is committed to free, fair, transparent and credible local government council election and urges all parties to abide by the rules. “It also assured of the commitment of security agencies and other stakeholders in ensuring a peaceful election in the state," the statement said.

ational telecoms operator, Globacom, on Saturday bagged three awards at the 2015 edition of Beacon of ICT Awards, which was held at Eko Hotels, Victoria Island, Lagos. The company won best telecoms company of the year, most innovative mobile player of the year and undersea cable company of the year, which were keenly contested by several other telecommunication companies. Organisers of the event, publishers of Communications Week, explained that an online poll conducted between December 2014 and March 30, 2015, in which about 900,000 respondents participated, showed that Globacom surpassed other nominees to emerge tops. Globacom’s revolutionary role in the telecommunications industry earned it the best telecoms company award. The company’s continued investment in novel technology for boosting service delivery also contributed to the award. Presenting the award

to Globacom, Mr Gbenga Adebayo, Chairman of Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria, noted that the company had remained the pride of the country in the industry ever since its per second billing innovation. Globacom earned the most innovative mobile player award for pioneering most innovations in the telecoms industry. The organisers lauded Globacom for introducing innovative voice and data services, distinguishing itself as industry leader. Ken Nwogbo, publisher of Communications Week, pointed out that the online respondents considered the emergence of Glo 1 as a major bandwidth provider in West Africa before voting Globacom the undersea cable company of the year. He also explained that “The Beacon of ICT Awards was instituted to reward the vision and enterprise of individuals and companies that have contributed to the growth of the ICT industry.

Amaechi plotting to stop Wike's swearing-in, says PDP Dennis naku

PORT HARCOURT

eoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday alleged that Governor Rotimi Amaechi was plotting to stop the swearing-in ceremony of Governorelect, Nyesom Wike. The party said the outgoing governor plans to secure a court injunction from Awka, Anambra State, to stop Wike from being swornin on May 29, 2015. This was contained in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Monday and signed by Barrister Emma Okah, Chairman, Media and Publicity of Rivers State PDP Campaign Organisation. The statement reads: "Rivers PDP says Rivers State Governor Chibuike Amaechi and APC are plotting to secure a court injunction in Awka, Anambra State, to stop the swearing-in of Rivers State Governorelect, Nyesom Wike, on May 29, 2015. "The plot is to shop for and buy a judge outside Rivers State, who will agree to do the dirty job since the ju-

diciary in the state has been paralysed by Amaechi’s administration. "We (PDP) further accuse Governor Amaechi and the APC of leaving no stone unturned in planning to carry out the governor's threat that he would not handover to Chief Wike. "However, in the face of this provocation, the PDP urges the people of Rivers State to remain calm as the governor-elect will be sworn in on May 29, 2015, as ordained by God like his colleagues in other states. "The wish of the enemies of Rivers people to cause constitutional crisis and chaos is not the wish of God for Rivers State, noting that light will surely triumph over darkness," it said. However, Chief Press Secretary to Rivers State Governor, Mr. David Iyorfor, could not be reached to react to the allegation by the PDP, as he refused to pick calls put across to him. But Rivers State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Dr. Davies Ikanya, said the party was not aware of the allegation by PDP.

North

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Collapsed pedestrian bridge kills 3 ABDULGAFAR OLADIMEJI KANO

emaining part of the pedestrian bridge that collapsed last Sunday at Sheikh Mahmud Jafar road in Dorayi quarters, Kano State, leaving three people dead, yesterday completely gave way and almost killed a tricycle operator.

L-R: Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah; German Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Michael Zenner and Commandant, 1 Div., Maj.-Gen. Kenneth Osuji, during inauguration of Nigerian Army Peace-Keeping Medical Centre in Jaji, Kaduna State, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

19 slain Nasarawa villagers buried IGBAWASE UKUMBA LAFIA

here were uncontrollable tears by sympathisers yesterday at Demekaa village in Keana Local Government Area of Nasarawa State as 19 villagers allegedly killed by Fulani herdsmen received mass burial. The 19 villagers, of Tiv ethnic extraction, were massacred on Sunday morning by suspected Fulani militia even as reports said dozens were still missing. The mass burial at Demekaa, one of the affected villages, witnessed heavy presence of security operatives, who stood at strategic locations to prevent further breakdown of law and order,

while the burial ceremony lasted. Gunmen had at the weekend invaded three Tiv villages in Keana, killing over 19 persons. A fleeing resident, Mr. Tyovenda Adenger, told our correspondent that the attackers had barricaded the Keana-BakinKogi-Benue border road and opened fire on their victims just as they were said to have divided themselves in groups and simultaneously razed down the affected villages. National Mirror further gathered that some of the fleeing residents from Tse-Uosu, Demekaa, Boutsa, all in Keana local council, who took refuge at the palace of the paramount ruler of Keana chiefdom, Emmanuel Elayo, had to be relocated

to the divisional police station as the suspected Fulani militia threatened to attack the palace if the fleeing residents were not released to them for further attack. Sources alleged that the incident was a reprisal attack as some yet-tobe identified persons who had allegedly attacked some herdsmen at Daudu area of Guma local government area in Benue State. However, one of the survivors, Mr. Boniface Kwaghngee, in a chat with our correspondent, had wondered why the Tiv people of Nasarawa could be killed because of an incident that happened in Benue. Another fleeing resident, Mr. Iorwuese Adum, who narrowly escaped

the attack alleged that the attack was a conspiracy against the Tiv community in the state as he lamented the inability of the state government to issue a public statement condemning the ugly incident two days after the attack. “It has become so glaring that there is a grand conspiracy against our (Tiv) people. I remember when a team of military personnel invaded an insurgent camp in Keana town last year, the state government was quick to openly condemn the action of the military,” he lamented. The Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Nasarawa State command, ASP Usman Numan, confir med the incident.

PDP drags Kwankwaso to election tribunal ABDULGAFAR OLADIMEJI KANO

eoples Democratic Party, PDP, has filed a petition before Kano State Election Petition Tribunal, challenging the emergence of Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso as senator-elect representing Kano Central on the platform of All Progressives Congress, APC.

The PDP in its originating summons had informed the tribunal that the process through

which the senator-elect emerged standard bearer of APC contravened provisions the Electoral Act 2010, as amended. The petitioner claims that APC informed the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, that it would stage a primary election on December 8, 2014, but failed to do so. The petition further alleged that the announcement of Kwankwaso as senator-elect

was in contrast to the actual number of votes cast, noting that its senatorial standard bearer, Senator Bashir Garba Mohammed secured the highest number of votes at the March 28 senatorial election. According to the petitioner, over 60 per cent of Kano voters are illiterates, arguing that it was impossible not to have recorded invalid votes, urging the tribunal to declare as invalid the votes scored

by Kwankwaso and declare Mohammed senator-elect for Kano Central. In its petition, PDP stated that the substitution of Abba Yusuf with Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso contravened provisions of the law, adding that Yusuf did not resign his position as Commissioner for Works as enshrined in the law prior to seeking APC ticket as senatorial candidate before being substituted by the senator-elect.

The eastern part of the pedestrian bridge collapsed at 5:15pm, killing three persons. Part of the bridge that was left standing, however, crashed on a tricycle, with the operator escaping death by the whiskers. Spokesman of Kano police command, ASP Musa Magaji Majia, yesterday confirmed the incidents. According to the police spokesman, workers at the construction site had barred motorists from passing through the area

as construction work was ongoing. However, a taxi driver on sighting a tricycle operator on his way underneath the bridge, tried to do same when the incident occurred. Three persons were confirmed dead in the initial incident, while four persons were injured, though no casualty was recorded in yesterday’s incident. Majia said personnel of Kano Road and Traffic Agency, KAROTA, had been charge to take over traffic diversion to other routes to avoid another tragedy. He said: “Our men, a team of mobile police men, have been drafted to that area to monitor events and take measures to avert any ugly incident.” He said the police command had also commenced investigations into the matter.

Consumers must challenge electricity operators, says NERC CHIDI UGWU ABUJA

o effectively address complaints arising from electricity tariff setting, metering and billing by power firms, electricity consumers must be organised and should contend with operators in the sector, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, has said. According to NERC, there is need to have a consumer advocacy organisation that can easily build technical and political capability to effectively challenge other organised interests in the electricity market. Chairman of NERC, Dr. Sam Amadi, disclosed this yesterday in Abuja during inaugural meeting of the Nigerian Electricity Consumer Advocacy Network. He stated that despite the noble intent and progressive actions of the commission, outcomes were still not fair to consumers, stressing that “until consumers are organised and therefore able to contend against operators, the democracy bargain in the Nigerian electricity market will remain

deficient.” Amadi said, “The organised consumer advocacy is not just focusing on challenging operators in tariff setting and such other commercial activities like metering and billing. It should also step up as a major contributor to big debates about building smart grid, clean energy, privatisation and modernisation of electricity grid. It should also be involved in debate about the constitutional framework for energy policy in Nigeria.” National Coordinator of Electricity Consumer Enlightenment Initiative, ECEI, Ganiyu Makanjuola, at the event said the network would help provide a unifying front by which the consumers can press for their demand. He noted that the amount of electricity generated in the country was abysmally low and unable to meet the demand of all segments of consumers at the moment. He urged NERC to encourage operators to go into embedded generation which would help address specific segments of electricity consumers need.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

SUPER TUESDAY

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Politics

Buhari’s success’ll depend on cooperation from NASS –Boroﬃce

2015 election and resurgence of progressive politics in S’West In this analysis, OJO OYEWAMIDE looks at the just concluded general elections and the resurgence of progressive politics in the South-West geo-political zone of the country

he outcome of the just concluded general elections in the country confirmed the tight hold of the progressives on South-West politics. The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, regarded as the nest of conservatives, tried hard to win the soul of the geo-political zone, but all its efforts crumbled like a weak pack of cards. Before the polls, not a few observers predicted that the part of the country would be a battleground between the PDP and the All progressives Congress, APC. The SouthWest was seen as a swing zone that would determine the direction of the electoral pendulum. Analysts had predicted a very close contest between the two leading political parties in the region, after foretelling which of the other five zones of the country would go to each of the parties. The belief was that the South-West was open to any of the two parties that worked very hard to clinch victory. Chieftains of the PDP in the zone exuded so much confidence that they considered victory a foregone conclusion. Their confidence found justification in the headway the PDP had made in the zone. By October last year, the party, which hitherto controlled no state in the zone, had secured two in its kitty. Governor Ayo Fayose had dislodged former Governor Kayode Fayemi from the Ekiti Government House. Also, Ondo State governor, Olusegun Mimiko, had come down from the fence on which he had been sitting to join the PDP. Mimiko, who was elected on the platform of the Labour Party, LP, had so fraternised with the PDP that observers wondered where his soul belonged. The confidence of the PDP leaders was also rooted in the endorsement of the second term bid of President Goodluck Jonathan by prominent groups in the zone. Groups such as Afenifere and Odua Peoples Congress, OPC, passionately and openly declared support for the PDP presidential candidate. Afenifere, a Yoruba socio-cultural group, predicated its endorsement of Jonathan on the report of last year’s National Conference organised by the President. Afenifere was of the view that only Jonathan could implement the recommendations in the report, which, according to the group, would go a long way in resolving some issues affecting the country. OPC was so sure of its influence on the Yoruba people that its coordinator, Otunba Gani Adams, boasted that the group would secure seven million votes in the South-West for President Jonathan in the presidential election. Governor Mimiko, who was the South-West coordinator of the Jonathan campaign, also promised to garner 1.5 million votes for the President in Ondo State. The governor was so sure of PDP victory in the Sunshine State that he was ready to bet with a group of journalists on the Election Day that the APC would not have up to 20 per cent of the total votes cast in the state. Thinking that the party had a popular gubernatorial candidate in Jimi Agbaje in Lagos state, the PDP expected to win, for the first time since the return of democracy in 1999, the highly desired state.

TOP STORY Jonathan

Buhari

DESPITE THE EFFORTS OF THE PDP, MAJORITY OF VOTERS IN THE SOUTH-WEST DECIDED TO TAKE SIDE WITH THE APC. THE APC PRESIDENTIAL STANDARD BEARER, BUHARI, COASTED TO VICTORY IN FIVE OUT OF THE SIX STATES IN THE ZONE After the rescheduling of the Presidential and National Assembly polls from February 14 to March 28, the PDP intensified its efforts to capture the zone. President Jonathan became a regular visitor to the region, meeting traditional and religious leaders as well as various groups. But keen observers of the politics of the zone saw the strategy as a belated and inefficacious one. Part of the strategy was the national conference bait thrown at the South-West people by Governor Mimiko. The governor organised post-national conference summits in Akure, Ibadan and Lagos, where the impression was given that the implementation of the conference’s report was in the interest of the Yoruba race. Prominent Yoruba leaders, who were invited to the summits, argued that the implementation of the conference recommendations was what Nigeria needed to get out of the woods, and that voting for the APC presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, would sound the death knell for the report. As if President Jonathan believed in the efficacy of the bait, he presented the conference report to the Federal

Executive Council, FEC, which subsequently approved it. The approval came, months after the conclusion of the National Conference and when the general elections had approached, fueling suspicion about the President’s sincerity. The people of the South-West saw through the game and refused to swallow the bait. They were already tired of the PDP government at the center.

Triumph of progressives It was a fierce battle between the PDP and the APC for the soul of the zone. Both political parties deployed a lot of resources, vigour and energy in the epic battle. While the PDP aimed at making further inroad into the region, the APC wanted to maintain its hold on the jugular of the highly enlightened and most politically sophisticated part of the country. Despite the efforts of the PDP, majority of voters in the South-West decided to take side with the APC. The APC presidential standard bearer, Buhari, coasted to victory in five out of the six states in the zone. In Ekiti where he did not win, Buhari was able to secure more than the constitutional requirement of 25 percent of the total votes cast in the state. Buhari trounced the PDP candidate, President Jonathan, in Ondo State, where Mimiko, the PDP SouthWest campaign coordinator hails from. In the National Assembly polls, APC won considerable number of seats in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Gubernatorial election was only held in three of the six states in the zone. The states were Lagos, Ogun, and Oyo. Before the election, not a few observers predicted it would be a tough battle for the APC candidates in these states. Jimi Agbaje, the PDP candidate in Lagos State, was seen as having the electoral capacity to rewrite the political history of the state by defeating Akinwumi Ambode of the APC. But before the last vote was counted, Ambode had carried CONTINUED ON PAGE 45

Politics

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Buhari’s success’ll depend on cooperation from NASS –Boroffice Senator Robert Ajayi Boroffice, was first elected to the Senate in 2011 to represent the people of Ondo North senatorial district on the platform of Labour Party, LP. He has just been recently re-elected to the Senate on All Progressives Congress, APC, platform. The professor of Zoology and pioneer Director-General of National Space Research and Development Agency, NASRDA, in this interview with GEORGE OJI, comments on the Ondo State politics and the in-coming government of General Muhammadu Buhari. What is your reaction to the purported impeachment notice served on the Ondo State deputy governor? I think the action that Governor Olusegun Mimiko is taking now is an act of desperation to have it back at Akoko people who voted massively in support of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the last general election, which is greatly unfortunate. But what I am sure of is that he who sows the wind will reap the whirlwind. The governor himself cannot get away from the judgment of the people. I am surprised at the allegations raised against the deputy governor. Don’t forget that I was in the Labour Party, LP. We knew right from the inception that this man has been completely marginalised; he was not given any responsibility. So, I don’t know how you can now accuse him of misappropriation of funds. As a deputy governor, you may say that there are some funds allocated to his office where you may likely have a permanent secretary, where you are likely to have an accountant and I don’t think he signs cheques himself. I think Mimiko is again being mischievous on the issue of health. Any civil servant that has health issues will take a leave to go and treat himself within or outside the country. The issue of health can only be used against a public officer if he is absent from duties, continuously for six months and unable to perform his duties. There is no evidence that Deputy Governor,Ali Olanusi, has been away from duties for six months or that he is unable to perform his duties. Olanusi was the person going around coordinating the reception for the wife of the President when she visited Akure. He was the one going round reconciling aggrieved members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on behalf of the governor. So, what responsibility was given to him that he did not carry out? I think the governor wants his deputy out because he is angry with Akoko people because they voted for APC and it is really unfortunate. I believe that the truth will prevail. I learnt that those 20 signatories, some were forged, some of the signatures were imposed on the documents, they were not signed by the members of the Assembly. The truth will come out because I hope that eventually some of the affected members of the House of Assembly will come out to dissociate themselves from this shameful act. I hope the Akoko people are watching, they are listening, the traditional rulers, the opinion leaders, I hope they are watching how an Akoko son is being humiliated by Governor Mimiko. This man was the chairman of PDP in Ondo State when LP was formed. He left his chairmanship and joined the LP to give credence to the party, to make it credible as a party, to stabilise it. I think he has contributed immensely; his name has been used because the name Olanusi, former chairman of PDP, now a member of the LP, was able to sell the party, to package the party. For him to be treated like this, I think it is unfair. Why have you fingered the governor as being responsible for this impeachment? We all know, he has tried it several times. You think the House will want to impeach the deputy governor without the connivance of the governor? Don’t forget that they ran for election on the same ticket and there is no way any member of the Assembly will want to impeach him without getting the approval of the governor himself. You also alleged that some of the lawmakers that signed the impeachment notice their signatures were forged? That is what I am saying. I hope those who were involved will come out and dissociate themselves from the allegation

the line. So, discipline in public offices is one that I expect to see within a very short time. The in-coming President has also spoken of his desire to run a very fiscally disciplined administration. Assuming that on that premise, he comes here and touches the finances of the lawmakers, how are you going to react? It is the government that produces the budget and it is well debated at the committee levels and sub-committees levels and it is eventually passed by the National Assembly. We have government organisations that are responsible for determining the salaries and allowances of the public officers. As long as it is done the normal way, of course we are going to cooperate with him. This is because noting is done without good reasons. So, for us as legislators, no sacrifice will be too much for us to make. So, I can assure you that there will be no problems at all, and I don’t think that the President will do that.

Boroffice

and say that this is not their signatures. I am sure they will come out and also say that they are not part of this sham.

You have just been re-elected to the Senate for the second time but under a new party. In fact, you have now joined the ruling party. So, what do we expect moving forward as a member of the ruling party in the National Assembly? Point of correction, we are governing party, not the ruling party. We are not here to rule or to lord it over to Nigerians, we are here to govern and let this country experience good governance for a change. You know our slogan is change; change from business as usual, which this present outgoing government is noted for to something different. In all ramifications, we want to be different, we want to join the civilised comity of nations in doing things right. So, we have a lot of issues to address. But what I want to say is to plead with Nigerians not to expect that things will change immediately. The destructions that has taken place in six years, may take 20 years to repair or heal. So, Nigerians must be very patient with the General Muhammdu Buhari administration, because we will have to analyse into details the problems that we have; to go into the bases of the problems and then begin to proffer solutions to them. So, it will take time. But what we have done now is that since APC has taken over, some of these problems will be halted so that no further damage will be done. I am talking, for instance, about leakages in the purse of government, either in customs or internal revenue or in oil revenue. All these leakages will stop and it will bring in more revenue for the government. So, these areas are some of the things we can do within a short time. The issue of refineries, I am sure, the in-coming President will address it, because he built some of those refineries when he was the Minister of Petroleum. Once we can do that and we reduce our dependence on importation of refined oil, you are also going to cut off some channels of leakages and halt corruption. Of course, we are going to have a government that is disciplined, because General Buhari himself is an epitome of discipline and this will percolate down to everyone because once you see the man insisting that things must be done the right way, everybody will join

I am not talking about official salaries, but other allowances like the huge quarterly thing you lawmakers take home? People talk about these allowances as if you take it and put in your pockets and go home. As a legislator, I have to maintain a minimum of six offices in my constituency; one in each local government, staffed and funded. Until recently, I had to employ somebody to clean my office; I buy my stationeries, I fuel my car. When I was in the ministry as a Director General, all those things were done by government; my telephone bills were paid for by government, electricity bills were paid by government, I had official driver, my car was fueled by government, my trips abroad were paid for by government. Then, I did not have any office in my local government. When you look at all these, you will discover that things are different now. People talk about countries like United States of America and the United Kingdom, but I always remind them that the cultures are quite different. When I stay here in my office, you can’t imagine the number of calls I pick every second, every minute and every hour and my electorates are asking for things that normally people in the US and the UK will not ask for. People want to bury their parents, people want to pay school fees, people want to pay hospital bills, they are on us because it is easier to reach us than reach the governor or the president. So, we bear the brunt, we are the people they see as politicians and they want us to solve all their problems. So, when you know what the responsibilities of a legislator are, you will be amazed and you will have pity on us. How then can we change the orientation of the electorates in this direction, because as a legislator, you are supposed to come here and make laws, you are not here to provide constituency projects? But the people do not see it that way because of poverty. They will tell you that we voted for you and we are here to demand our rights. They will tell you to roof their buildings and houses for them; you will have to buy vehicles for them. So, the level of poverty and political education is very low. We are here to make laws; we should be allowed to make laws. But we cannot go to the people and tell them that we are here to make laws. If you do that, you will not come back if you want to come back. So, when you look at our responsibilities, it is so enormous that many people are afraid to go to their constituencies because immediately you land, they have a way of communicating with themselves with this new telephone technology and within one hour, your house becomes a big market; they must feed and when they are going you must give them some money for transportation back home. So, it is not easy at all, people should pity us.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

A PUBLICATION OF NATIONAL MIRROR NEWSPAPERS

Ateke Tom spits fire, says Buhari can’t stop amnesty High Chief Ateke Tom is leader of the defunct Niger Delta Volunteer Force and one of the ex-militant leaders who benefited from the Federal Government’s amnesty in 2008, following agitations for a better deal from the oil resources in the Niger Delta. In this interview with DENNIS NAKU, he speaks on General Muhammadu Buhari’s victory at the March 28 presidential election and the implication of President Goodluck Jonathan’s decision to concede defeat and congratulate the former. The ex-creek warlord also spoke on the disruption of governorship rallies of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Okrika before the general elections and his impression of the chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, and his relationship with Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. Excepts. What is your view about the victory of Mohammadu Buhari at the presidential election? First, I congratulate Buhari for his victory. He is now our (Nigeria’s) president-elect. I also congratulate him for his resilience and perseverance because this is not the first time he is contesting election to become President. We want good leadership and I am prepared to work with him. I pray that God should grant him wisdom to lead Nigeria in the right direction. Let him treat all Nigerians equally. Former militant leaders in the Niger Delta enjoyed a cordial relationship with the out-going President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan administration. What are you expecting from the Buhari government? I expect Buhari to dialogue with the true leaders of the Niger Delta and should not be taken in with the self-styled leaders of the Niger Delta who are only interested in advancing their personal interest to the detriment of the greatest majority. Buhari should ask us what our problems are in the Niger Delta. He should not scrap the amnesty programme which to a large extent has reduced militancy in the region. We know what we fought for before amnesty was offered to us (excreek warlors) under late President Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua. So, the amnesty programme should be sustained under Buhari. Some ex-militants in the Niger Delta were threatening to return to the creeks if President Jonathan lose the presidential election. What is your position on this? For me, I am not going back to the creeks. Some people have been saying that militants may return to the creeks because our brother Dr. Jonathan lose the presidential election. It is not true. As an exmilitant leader, I want to say categorically that I will not go back to the creeks and as far as I know no militant in his right mind will return to the creeks. I am one of the

Buhari

Ateke Tom

what? All we need is for General fullest. We are tired of gas flarBuhari to address the problems ing in the Niger Delta. We will of the Niger Delta. expect Buhari to implement the UNEP Report on the environmenAnd what are the problems? tal clean-up of Ogoniland. We Our youths need employment need government funded microWhat about other ex-militants not in government as well as in the scheme to assist our small and under your command? Just take my word no ex-mili- multinational oil companies. The medium scale business men and tant will go back to the creeks. We oil companies also need to give women to kick-start their busiare ready to work with General our people contracts. Oil compa- ness. Under Buhari we look forBuhari. All we ask for is that he nies should treat their host com- ward to a safer and more secure should invite us for a dialogue panies with some respect and ac- Niger Delta so that everyone who and we will tell him what the real ceptability. Yes, Jonathan is our live in the region to go about his problems of the Niger Delta are. brother and he was president, or her legitimate business or rouWe live here and we know our but that does not mean that ev- tine engagement peacefully. problems. I am personally appeal- erything that the late President ing to our youths not to go back to Musa Yar’Adua conceptualized How would you assess the the creeks with anyone because under the amnesty programme performance of the Independent Buhari will be forming the next has been fully implemented. We National Electoral Commission, government. What are we going to hope that Buhari will implement INEC, in the just concluded gendo in the creeks? Go the creeks for the amnesty programme to the eral elections? Let me be frank with you, the Chairman of INEC, Prof. AtahE LIVE HERE AND WE KNOW hiru Jega has tried. He did well OUR PROBLEMS AM PERSONALLY and I congratulate him. Let me tell you, in Nigeria, try as you APPEALING TO OUR YOUTHS NOT TO GO may, politicians will always want to outwit themselves at the polls BACK TO THE CREEKS WITH ANYONE to emerge victorious. We can only BECAUSE UHARI WILL BE FORMING pray and hope that the conduct of elections will get better with ex-militant leaders in the Niger Delta, so take me seriously when I tell you that ex-militants will not go back to the creeks.

THE NEXT GOVERNMENT

each election. I know that with time elections in Nigeria will get better than it is today. I also commend and congratulate all those who supported Jega and President Jonathan to make sure that violence did not erupt across the country after the results of the presidential election were formally declared. How do you view President Jonathan‘s decision to concede defeat? President Jonathan’s decision in conceding defeat and congratulating Buhari has ushered peace in Nigeria. I commend and congratulate him. He has demonstrated that he is statesman and a patriot. I wish we all can put the interest of Nigeria first that way Jonathan has done. I thank God for giving President Jonathan the wisdom in conceding defeat. I have always advised our youths that they should not allow any politician to influence them into taking up arms to kill their political opponents. If our youths want to show their support to any politician let them register as voters if they are eligible to do so. On the day of the election, they should pick up their Permanent Voters Cards, PVC’s, and go to their polling units, vote quietly and go back to their homes. They should not put their lives in danger for any politician. I told our youths recently not to be deceived by politicians to shoot and kill anyone so that they can be elected. Most of these politicians have sent their wives and children abroad. So, why must any politician hire youths to carry guns to ensure his or victory while their families are safe in foreign capitals? Any young man who takes up arms in defence of a politician is on his own. When he is arrested the politician who hired him will disown him. Some of the youths are married; they have children; they have parents, too. If they die carrying guns in support of one politician or the other who will take over the responsibility of taken care of their families? Any youth who fails to adhere to this admonition may not be able to regret it. Politicians will only take their families along with them to government house, while the youths will be left to lick their wounds. As a leader, my duty is to advise them to do what is right and proper. We cannot achieve anything in an atmoCONTINUED ON PAGE16

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Ameachi vows to stop Wike’s inauguration

Withdrawal of suits against Buhari not surprising –Ikimi THEOPHILUS ONOJEGHEN WARRI

DENNIS NAKU

PORT HARCOURT

he Peoples Democratic Party, PDP yesterday alleged that Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi was plotting to stop the swearing-in of the State Governor-elect, Chief Nyesom Wike. The party said the out-going governor plans to secure a court injunction from a court in Awka, Anambra State to stop Wike from being sworn-in on May 29, 2015. This was contained in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Monday and signed by Barrister Emma Okah, Chairman, Media and Publicity of the Rivers State PDP Campaign Organization The statement reads, “Rivers PDP says the Rivers State Governor Chibuike Amaechi and APC are plotting to secure a Court Injunction in Awka, Anambra State to stop the swearing-in of Rivers State Governor- Elect, Chief Nyesom Wike on May 29, 2015. “The plot is to shop for and buy a judge outside Rivers State who will agree to do the dirty job since the judiciary in the State has been paralysed by the Amaechi admin-

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

A fish pond affected by crude oil spillage from Kolo Creek manifold in Otuasega, Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

istration. “We (PDP) further accuses Governor Amaechi and the APC of leaving no stone unturned in planning to carry out the Governor’s threat that he will not handover to Chief Wike. “However, in the face of this provocation, the PDP urges the people of Rivers State to remain

calm as their Governor-elect will be sworn in on May 29, 2015, as ordained by God like his colleagues in other States. “The wish of the enemies of Rivers people to cause constitutional crisis and chaos is not the wish of God for Rivers State, noting that light will surely triumph over darkness,” it said.

xecutive Director, Centre for the Vulnerable and the Underprivileged, CENTREP, Mr. Oghenejabor Ikimi has described withdrawal and subsequent striking out of two of the three suits seeking to disqualify Nigerian President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari as no surprise. Ikimi said withdrawal of the cases did not come to Nigerians as a big surprise, since the verdict on the eligibility of the Presidentelect, General Buhari was actually given by 15 million Nigerians who voted to elect him on March 28. CENTREP in a statement in Warri said the former military head of state was eminently qualified to vie for the highest political office in the country while calling on other plaintiffs with similar case to do same without further delay. Hon Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Abuja Federal High Court had last week struck out the suits after counsels to the plaintiffs indicated interest to withdraw the cases. The statement reads: “Our attention has just been drawn to the withdrawal of two out of the three

eligibility Suits filed against the President- elect, Maj Gen Muhammadu Buhari by their respective Plaintiffs and counsel, pending before Hon Justice Adeniyi Ademola at the Federal High Court in Abuja, which were to the effect that the President- elect was not qualified to vie for the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. “We submit that the above withdrawals did not come to Nigerians as a surprise, since the verdict on the eligibility of the President- elect, Maj Gen Muhammadu Buhari was actually given by 15 million Nigerians on March 28th, 2015 at the polls.” In light of the withdrawal, the group however restated its earlier position saying that “we state without fear or favour for the umpteenth time that the President- elect, Maj Gen Muhammadu Buhari is eminently qualified educationally, physically and mentally to occupy the highest political office in the land.” It added further that “we call on others, with similar cases in court to withdraw same, since no weapon formed against the mandate given to the President- elect by Nigerians would prevail and any tongue that shall rise against the above mandate shall the Lord condemn.”

Ateke Tom spits fire, says Buhari can’t stop amnesty CONTINUED FROM PAGE15 sphere of violence. We must all resort to peace to attain growth and development in our state and country. Is it true that the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, asked you to assist in making sure that the All Progressive Congress, APC, did not hold their gubernatorial rallies in Okrika, where both of you hail from? Two APC rallies billed to hold at the Okrika National School Field, were aborted by youths who shot sporadically to scare away members and supporters of the APC? How can the First Lady ask me to assist her in disrupting the APC rally in Okrika? I no longer have arms and ammunition. I publicly embraced amnesty and I did so by submitting all my arms and ammunitions. Where does anyone expect me to get guns with which I will arm youths to disrupt political rallies? How can I be preaching peace and then go behind to encourage violence? That allegation is false. It is propaganda against Okrika. How I wish you were here for the election. Okrika was very peaceful. There was no single incident of violence. What happened in Okrika was a

clash between two political parties. Why are people mentioning my name? I am not a politician. For me, Okrika was the most peaceful local government in Rivers State during the just concluded general elections. Did the President’s wife, Dame Patience appeal to you to make sure that no other party except the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, dominate the political landscape in Okrika? Why will Mama Peace do that? Why will she ask me to ask boys to stop any rally? Mama Peace was among those who took my guns during the amnesty programme, so why would she ask me to stop any party from campaigning in Okrika? Where do they expect me to get guns from? I am not as young as I was when I was in the creeks. As a leader in the Niger Delta I have so many responsibilities. I am not interested in fighting with anyone. My main interest is to work in concert with other good natured Nigerians to reduce poverty in the Niger Delta. Why should I be wasting my time trying to prevent political parties from holding rallies? We are now in a democracy and political campaigns are one of the

attributes. Even though I am not a politician, I appreciate that politicians have a duty to campaign for votes and am very sure that our laws allow politicians to hold rallies. I wish politicians will leave me out of their quarrels. How can anyone expect me at this stage of my life to start shooting a gun to disrupt political rallies or to cause disaffection among politicians? If I go back to shooting guns where would I have the moral authority to counsel our youths in the Niger Delta? My position is simple: I want to work with General Buhari and other leaders of the region to improve the welfare of my people and not to cause disaffection among any group of people. This is my pledge! What is the relationship between you and Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi? I know that Governor Amaechi does not like me as a person but I hope our president-elect will be able to make him understand the need to make peace with me and anyone that may have caused him any pain in the past. To err is human and to forgive is divine. For me, I have forgiven all those who wronged me one way or the other in the past. As the saying goes:

your worst enemy could be your best friend! It is not impossible that one day Governor Amaechi and I may make up our differences if only for the utmost good of our people in the Niger Delta. Governor Amaechi and some of our leaders made me popular because of the accusations leveled against me during the Niger Delta struggle. I was not really known in the past. I was a fisher man who also dug sharp sand in the creeks. I was contented with my vocation until all sorts of labels were hung on me. So, people began asking: who is this Ateke Tom? And that was how I became famous. One thing about me is that I love people. I don’t like being alone. Anytime you visit me you will always see people around me, so the erroneous impression is that those seen around me where being recruited by me for militancy. If you observe, I am always been called names or even antagonized during the period of elections and that is because I am popular among my people. And that is unfair! Today, I am a man of peace and my people will attest to that. But you had ex-militants working with you in the past? Oh…that was during the struggle. All that ceased after we

embraced amnesty. Before then, I was a fisherman and I prospered from fishing. The digging of sharp sand was also very lucrative then. All I do now is to focus on my legitimate businesses so that I can attend to my family and be able to fund my work in philanthropy. Money is nothing when you cannot impact positively in the lives of those around you. Nigerians should learn to forgive their neigbour and be their brother’s keeper! If you come across Governor Amaechi now how would you react? First, Governor Amaechi is my brother, and I am sure we will both embrace ourselves. Sincerely, I commend him for his struggles to attract development to Rivers State. His struggle to get the Soku oil wells returned to Rivers State did not go unnoticed by the people of Rivers State. Again, I commend Amaechi for banning Okada because it was being used by criminals as a quick means of escaping after stealing and robbing innocent people. We should be honest to applaud people when they have done well. As for his impression about me, I leave that to God.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Views

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Chibok girls as metaphor for our social decadence BILKIS BAKARE

t is more than a year now that over 200 girls were abducted from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State. The development has remained indelible in the minds of parents and empathizers alike. The drama that unfolded after the dastardly act made Nigeria a laughing stock in the comity of nations. Initially, the Federal Government had dismissed the tragedy as one of the propaganda by ‘haters’ of the administration. It took global protests involving the First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, Professor Wole Soyinka, Dr Oby Ezekwezili and the civil society organizations, using the hash, #BringBackOurGirls# and the video clips of the girls in captivity in the Sambisa forest to jolt President Goodluck Jonathan into action. Despite the nation’s military claim of knowing the location of these girls and assuring Nigerians of rescuing them alive, all the promises turned out to be mere ruse. This further heightens the people’s fear about their security. It is common knowledge that public safety is a sine qua non for a viable and sustainable society. Interestingly, as the recently conducted general elections were approaching, the security forces intensified their efforts at securing lives and properties as well as the territorial integrity of

the nation in the north eastern part of the country, but all these are fizzling out now. More children and vulnerable members of the distraught communities have been abducted. In fact, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), some 800 000 children have since been forced to flee their homes, recruited by armed groups or attacked, as a result of the conflict between Boko Haram, military forces and civilian selfdefence groups in northeast Nigeria. Available statistics by UNICEF reveal that the number of out of school children in Nigeria has increased from eight million in 2007 to 10.5 million in 2014, the highest figure in the world. Boko Haram has targeted schools, destroying or severely damaging many, living up to their alias ‘western education is sinful’. Similarly, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) reports that one out of every five Nigerian children is out of school, topping the group of 12 other countries accounting for 47 percent of global outof- school children population. The sizeable number of these children is in the northern part of the country, especially the north east. Nigerians did not just wake up to find themselves in this mess. It is the accumulative result of national problems ranging from bad leadership, corruption, unemployment, illiteracy and wrangling among the political class. The desperate, intolerant and ruthless contests among

DURING THE RECENT FIRST ANNIVERSARY

OF THEIR ABDUCTION, CAMPAIGNERS HAVE REPLACED THE HASH

#BRINGBACKOURGIRLS# WITH #NEVERTOBEFORGOTTEN# political parties, political leaders and their followers have often resulted in violence, security breaches, killings and destruction of property. In Nigeria, politicians will do anything to win elections, including disrupting the peace enjoyed by the citizens. The perpetrators of this unrest have a way of escaping from their actions, leaving the vulnerable members of the society to bear the brunt. In the words of Dalai Lama “a lack of transparency results in distrust and a deep sense of insecurity “. There is lack of transparency on the part of our leaders, leading to the led believing that their leaders are insincere and lacking empathy. For instance, the extant Freedom of Information Act is expected to address this, but the effect of the law is yet to be felt by the citizens as governance is almost still shrouded in mystery. In the face of flagrant display of affluence by those in power, the underprivileged in the society have no option than to show their grievances by wreaking

violence such as kidnapping, ritual killings, public properties vandalism and lately insurgency on the country. According to the World Bank statistics on employment in Nigeria, youth unemployment rate in the country is 38 percent, but realistically, 80 percent of Nigerian youths are unemployed, with secondary school graduates mostly found among unemployed rural population. What seems to be more worrisome is the fact that the nation’s higher institutions continue to churn out more than 150,000 graduates annually with no jobs to keep pace with the expanding working age population. Unfortunately, these unemployed youths are now the tools being used to destabilize the country. It is becoming worrisome that after a year the Chibok girls were abducted, attention has now been shifted away from rescuing the girls. During the recent first anniversary of their abduction, campaigners have replaced the hash #BringBackOurGirls# with #Nevertobeforgotten#. What this mean is that the campaign to bring the girls back might have lost its steam. It is important for us all to keep the hope alive by increasing the tempo of the protests and also charge the Federal Government to step up efforts at not only rescuing the girls, but also to addressing social and moral decadence in the country. Bakare is of the Features Unit, Lagos State Ministry of Information & Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja.

Revisiting electronic voting option ALEX O. AKPODIETE ATAWA

ow that the elections are over we should be looking ahead to the 2019 general elections. However, before these major elections, we must first deal with Bayelsa and Kogi governorship elections in August 2015 and December 2015 respectively. These two states promise to be battlegrounds for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the new opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The electorate in Edo, Ekiti, Osun, Ondo and Anambra states will at subsequent dates pick their respective governors. Governorship elections were held on April 11, 2015 in the following 29 states of the federation - Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara. Some years back, I wrote a piece titled “Electronic voting for dogs and baboons”, a reaction to the controversial statement attributed to the now President-elect. In that piece, I inquired as follows: “What puzzles a lot of us and the countless courageous elderly village women, who stood in line and withstood the elements, to register to vote in early 2011, was why the same technology/ methodology (biometrics) was not em-

ployed for the actual voting a few months later? The unknown answer to the villagers is that Section 52(1) (b) of the 2010 Electoral Act says: “The use of electronic voting machine for the time being is prohibited.” One wonders if the same honourable members of the National Assembly that passed the Electoral Bill into law were not the same one that approved the huge sums of money for the DDC machines used in the voters registration exercise. Did it not occur to them that they were giving to Nigerians something with one hand while taking it away with the other hand?” In all humility, it will seem as though INEC heard me partially because in the buildup to the 2015 general elections, the nation’s apex electoral umpire decided to utilize the pseudo-electronic voting by introducing the smart card readers (SCRs) to authenticate voters who had permanent voters cards (PVCs). The deployment of the PVCs and SCRs was fraught with problems because of inadequate training of ad hoc INEC’s staff. The most serious was the malfunctioning of the SCRs. Assuming the pervasive problems with the SCRs are resolved, it now begs the question, why can’t we have complete electronic voting? Pessimists will postulate that those who are afraid of losing elections are the ones against electronic voting. Otherwise, if you are sure of getting the people’s mandate, you will support electronic voting. If as we approach

ANOTHER BENEFIT OF ELECTRONIC VOTING IS THAT IT WILL MAKE IT DIFFICULT, IF NOT

IMPOSSIBLE, TO INFLATE VOTES

2019 and we really seek to move forward in our democracy, then we must support complete and full electronic voting system. Also, with electronic voting, we will no longer need our bifurcated electoral process. In other words, accreditation and actual voting will seamlessly appear contemporaneous. Furthermore, reporting of results will be instantaneous. An unbiased observer will admit that delayed collating and release of results encourage fraud. The gap in time makes it susceptible to introduction of fraud and its twin brother called rigging. Most civilized nations do not have segmented voting process. In fact, even those that have hailed our use of card readers are miffed by the two-prong voting system of Nigeria. In a recent story in Vital News titled “Separation of Accreditation, Voting Periods Will Reduce Fraud”, we read that “the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, has explained his rationale and preference for separating accreditation from voting, especially with the introduction of

the controversial SCRs. He stated that the separation of accreditation and voting periods reduced fraud in the voting process, including double voting. I will respectfully disagree. The lapse of time actually allows for manipulation of numbers. Another benefit of electronic voting is that it will make it difficult, if not impossible, to inflate votes. Those questionable “Sokoto votes” or riverine numbers will be a thing of the past. The 8th National Assembly will have a majority of APC lawmakers. If they are really progressive, they should progress towards sponsoring a bill to allow electronic voting. The deliberate speed some lawmakers used to authorize use of PVCs could be applied to allow electronic voting, unless there are other ulterior motives for maintaining the status quo. In conclusion, Nigeria needs electronic voting. Electronic voting, for all intents and purposes, will be a panacea to election fraud. Think about it! Rev. Akpodiete Atawa, a public affairs analyst, wrote from Asaba, Delta State and can be contacted through 08138391661 or Profatawa@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, April 28, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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

A nation’s odious bail system

t a time in the recent past when the commercialisation of bail became a ridiculous shame that impugned whatever remained of the integrity of the nation’s highly discredited police establishment, it was very common walking into any police station and seeing posters announcing that ‘bail is free’. That claim has, however, remained stranger than fiction till this day. Behold, oozing from the underbelly of such claim is the stench that has continued to compromise the nation’s justice delivery system, especially criminal justice: bail is wantonly commercialised. It is dispensed to the highest bidder most times, while the lowly that cannot afford the cost rot in one prison or the other as an awaiting trial suspect. The police are empowered to grant bail to suspects in lawful custody. Section 17 of the Criminal Procedure Act (CPA) and Section 42 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) concede such powers to them. The law says where a suspect is arrested without warrant he should not be detained for more than 24 hours, provided measures have been taken to ensure the suspect appears in court as agreed. Section 18 of the CPA em-

powers the police to release suspects on bail before their charges are accepted, especially if the police are not able to conclude their cases on taking suspects into custody; and where there is want of evidence to prosecute the suspect, Section 19 CPA stipulates that such suspects be discharged. Legal experts argue, however, that bail conditions are not specifically prescribed; but that for bailable offences, certain conditions ought to be met. But under whatever known prevailing conditions, the police are never generous with bail not heavily paid for. Even bail bond sheets are for sale! But perhaps worth grieving for the more was the recent revelation by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mahmud Mohammed that magistrates serve as ready accomplices to the police in engraving the shame through the imposition of impossible bail conditions on suspects; even when the police fail to do a good job of the investigation and prosecution of the cases they rush to the courts. A large number of persons are routinely detained without any charge, while many others are held pending further investigation, the CJN said. This was why he cautioned magistrates to stop

April 28, 1969 Charles de Gaulle resigned as the President of France. De Gaulle (November 22, 1890 – November 9, 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958; and served as its first president from 1959 to 1969. De Gaulle came to the fore in the interwar army as a proponent of mobile armoured divisions

IN NIGERIA, BAIL AND, INDEED, JUSTICE ARE AT THE BECK AND CALL OF THE PRIVILEGED indulging the police by admitting to bail suspects whose cases the police were not ready to prosecute. “…A corollary to this is the imposition of such bail terms which an accused has no real hope of meeting. I wish to use this medium to counsel magistrates to judiciously and carefully exercise their discretion to remand; and consider alternatives to detention where possible; and to set reasonable bail terms as appropriate”, Mohammed advised. Bail is the constitutional right of an accused person. But paying for it and attaching stringent conditions for its procurement, two vices encouraged by the police with complicit magistrates, like the CJN pointed out, have not only repeatedly robbed suspects of the right of being admitted to bail, but have littered the nations prisons, all of them, with a huge number of awaiting trial suspects. Figures credited to the Nigerian Prisons Service (NPS) last year showed that out of a total of 56, 785 inmates being held

ON THIS DAY April 28, 1978 President Mohammed Daoud Khan of Afghanistan was overthrown and assassinated in a coup led by pro-communist rebels. Khan (July 18, 1909 – April 28, 1978) was the Prime Minister of Afghanistan from 1953 to 1963. He later became the President of the country. He overthrew the monarchy of his first cousin, Mohammed Zahir Shah; and declared himself as the first President of Afghanistan in 1973.

nationwide as at June 2014, 38,743 or roughly 70 percent of them were awaiting trial persons. Reckless disregard by the police and the judiciary of Section 35 (4) (a) of the 1999 Constitution has been fingered as the major reason prison congestion has become the incorrigible bane of the nation’s justice delivery system. The provisions of the said section state unambiguously that suspects shall be tried within two months from the date of detention. But that has scarcely been the case; and the major casualty is the non-privileged and the common man, as the enlightened and informed rely on the said Section 35 (4) (a) of the Constitution to challenge the infraction. In Nigeria, bail and, indeed, justice are at the beck and call of the privileged. We agree with Human Rights Watch which says “…long-term failure of the Nigerian authorities to address police bribery, extortion, and wholesale embezzlement threatens the basic rights of all Nigerians. The impunity has been there, unpunished. Can the CJN’s observation make the difference this time? Are there guarantees that compromised magistrates who ‘kill and share with the police’ will be punished?

April 28, 2001 Dennis Tito of the United States became the world’s first space tourist. Born August 8, 1940, Tito is an American engineer and multimillionaire. He was the first space tourist to fund his own trip into space. In mid-2001, he spent nearly eight days in orbit as a crew member of ISS EP-1, a visiting mission to the International Space Station launched by the spacecraft Soyuz TM-32; and was landed by Soyuz TM-3.

Business Tuesday, April 28, 2015

FG, EU sign N325m grant to aid Borno children, adolescents

Weak naira exchange rate, threat to aviation business –NANTA President 31

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

PFAs invest N172.4bn in state securities –PenCom

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

Aero Contractors

FTZs linkage with SMEs‘ll fast-track Nigeria’s industrialisation drive –Experts In the last two years the Federal Government has stepped up efforts to reposition the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) to anchor and drive its industrialisation quest. However, analysts say the efforts would not achieve the desired targets except government connects the scheme to the Medium and Small Scale Enterprises, OLUFEMI ADEOSUN, writes.

part from being the most populous and largest economy in Africa, Nigeria is also endowed with abundant resources such as raw material, energy resources, large labour force, and large domestic market needed to drive its industrial development. Sadly, the country has failed to fully explore this competitive advantage for economic development because of absence of a onestop agency to drive the industri-

alisation process. It is therefore no surprise that despite all these human and natural resources the nation is endowed with, the contribution of the manufacturing sector to the Gross Domestic Product, GDP, remains a paltry three per cent. This is just as the sector’s employment capacity is estimated at a mere two million. These figures, according to business analysts, contrast sharply with those in some other de-

veloping countries. For instance, available statistics indicate that China’s real sector accounts for 30 per cent of the country’s GDP while the employment capacity of the sector is put at 100 million. According to them, Nigeria has for over two decades relied on the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Agency, (NEPZA) to drive this industrialisation agenda through the instrumentality of Free Zones Scheme. Unfortunately, the scheme has

failed to bring about the expected benefits to the Nigerian economy due to various constraints, including but not limited to inadequate infrastructure, in-fighting among relevant agencies and poor understanding of the FreeTrade Zone,(FTZ) concept. Although, NEPZA Managing Director, Mr.Olugenga Kuye admitted that the free-zone scheme not produced the desired results, the agency, is being repositioned CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

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

Business

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

FTZs linkage with SMEs‘ll fast-track Nigeria’s industrialisation drive –Experts CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19 to assume its new status as the major driver of the nation’s industrialisation process as espoused in the Nigerian Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP). Kuye, in his statement in the latest issue of “Industrialisation Digest”, a Quarterly Newsletter of NEPZA, stated that “in the spirit of President Goodluck Jonathan’s Transformation Agenda to industrialise the country through diversification of the nation’s economic base and reduce the over dependence on oil, the Authority has been identified and entrusted with the responsibility of being the agency of the Federal Government to drive the industrialisation process through the establishment of industrial cities, clusters and parks throughout the country. As a matter of fact, there is going to be a paradigm shift in zones operations in Nigeria to effectively deliver on this expanded mandate which has been dovetailed into the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP). As part of the strategies to fit in into its new role, the NEPZA boss added that the agency and the entire zones operations were currently being reformed and repositioned to ensure efficient service delivery so that the investors and the nation as a whole could reap the much expected gains of the zones scheme like China, Singapore, Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia United Arab Emirates. According to him, these are some of the countries that have successfully utilised the scheme to transform their economies from relatively under developed nations to emerging economic power. Giving an update on the investment profile into the country during the 4th Annual Media Seminar for Trade and Investment Correspondents and Editors, Kuye stated that the Free Zones scheme had attracted over $3.5bn in the last two years. This he said, was an improvement on the $10bn investment into the zones polled between 1922012. Apart from that, he also put the expected investment into the Free Zones at $81bn. The breakdown is as follows: General Electric (GE) of USA, Calabar Free Trade Zone – US$1billion, Gas Revolution Industrial Park at Ogidigben, Delta State US$15billion, Dangote Refinery and Fertilizer Park at Lekki, Lagos – US$9billion, Abuja Centenary City – US$18billion, Nigeria International Commerce City – US$38billion. Speaking further on the strategies being adopted to rev up investment profile into the Zones, he said, “We have in place an aggressive promotional and marketing strategy designed to attract local and international investors.Currently, discussions are ongoing with some investors from Netherlands toinvest in our agricultural sector. Our focus is on high profile investors and their value chains. “We have just completed a nationwide study of all industrial estates in the country. We have identified their needs such as power, road infrastructure and we are going to target specific funds to these estates and get then running. “The road to industrialization may be tedious and challenging, but with the present repositioning of NEPZA in line with Nigerian Industrialization Revolution Plan, we shall get there with consistent, progressive and productive delivery.

Aganga

Awolowo

IT APPEARS THE SMALL SCALE INDUSTRIES ARE NOT GIVEN LIFELINE AND AS SUCH THEIR IMPACTS ON THE

NIGERIAN

ECONOMY ARE NOT BEING FELT

Ukaoha

“In the next few years when these recently licensed zones become fully operational, you will be rest assured that our dream to become one of the 20 most industrialized nations of the world by the year 2020 must have been achieved. However, the President, National Association of Nigerian Traders, Mr. Ken Ukoha, stated that as laudable as the efforts to reposition the operation on the Free Zones scheme may appear, they would still not translate into increasing the contribution of manufacturing to the nation’s GDP as long as the scheme remained detached from

the MSMEs which constitute the mainstay of the Nigerian economy. He said, “First of all, I need to say that MSMEs are very relevant when we talk about EPZs. It was initially created to facilitate the growth and development of the nation’s industrial sector as in the case of China, Germany and Singapore, Netherland, to mention but a few. While Nigeria has invested so much in the zones the benefits have not been achieved. Most of the companies operating in the zones are foreign companies. “While it is the responsibility of the SMEs to provide services to these companies, they not leaving up to the expectation because they are stiffen by government policies which seem to only favour big enterprises within the zones. The big enterprises are given tax incentives and tax holidays.

These companies tend to produce everything from the scratch thereby leaving no chance to the small companies. “Because of that it appears the small scale industries are not given lifeline and as such their impacts on the Nigerian economy are not being felt.” In order to give adequate primacy to small business operators with a view to enabling them play the needed roles in the zones, Ukoha recommended a reduction in the tax incentive volume to big companies; increase the incentive to local SMEs and the enforcement of local content law. Also speaking, an Abuja based industrialist, Mr. Ayo Opadokun, stated that except federal government shelf political consideration in the granting approval for license for the establishment of FTZs, no amount of reforms would make them virile. According to him, in the last few years the licences have not been issued based on business consideration as it in other climes, but mainly on political sentiment. For instance, he stated that out of about twenty six free zones, only ten which mainly owed by the federal government and private sector, were said to be operational. He said it was not granting NEPZA the power to pilot the industrialisation process of the country that would do the magic, but a deliberate effort on the part of government to eli minate all sentiments in the granting of licences. According to him, “The road to industrialization may be tedious and challenging, but with the present repositioning of NEPZA in line with Nigerian Industrialization Revolution Plan, we shall get there with consistent, progressive and productive delivery. “In the next few years when these recently licensed zones become fully operational, you will be rest assured that our dream to become one of the 20 most industrialized nations of the world by the year 2020 must have been achieved. Opadokun, who lamented the disconnect between the free zones and small businesses in the country, however charged the federal government to remove all impediments in the way of smooth operation of the zones, adding that except the issues of adequate power supply and other amenities are addressed, the industrialisation quest through the instrumentality of the scheme would remain a mirage.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Business News

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

FG, EU sign N325m grant to aid Borno children, adolescents TOLA AKINMUTIMI

he Federal Government and the European Union (EU), have signed a financing agreement for the grant of N325 million for a communitybased psychosocial support and protection of children and adolescents in Borno State. Minister of National Planning, Abubakar Sulaiman and Head of the EU delegation to Ni-

geria and the ECOWAS Commission, Michel Arrion performed the signing of the financing agreement The programme, which is under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) would be implemented by the United Nations Children ‘s Fund (UNICEF) in collaboration with the Borno State Government. In his remarks at the ceremony, Minister of National Planning, Abubakar Sulaim-

an, said that the project would complement the on-going 10th EDF Support to Immunisation Governance in Nigeria, especially the eradication of polio and also commended the EU for their various support to the country. According to him, the programme will also restore confidence and improve access to health and education to residents by helping to restore the psychological well-being of

children and adolescents who have been exposed to traumatic and distressing conditions The EU Head of delegation in Nigeria, Michel Arrion, explained that the programme would provide psychological first aid to 45,000 children affected by insurgency in Borno State, adding that those that require sustained support to recover from trauma would be referred to specialist services. Accordingly, the envoy said

that the programme which would last for one year, would also be implemented in collaboration with the Borno State Government, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and other nongovernmental organizations. The focus is to strengthen the institutional framework for planning and provision of psychosocial support to 11 local government areas in Borno State, he added.

Why we sanctioned union leaders –SAHCOL OLUSEGUN KOIKI

L-R: Group Head, Strategy and Communications, Sterling Bank Plc, Mr. Shina Atitola; Head, Health, Safety and Environment, Mr. Benjamin Ighomereho; Group Head, Customer Experience Service Group, Mrs. Titi Ogundipe and Chairman, Institute of Safety Professionals of Nigeria (ISPON), Commander Timothy Nwaogu, during a press conference on 2015 World Day for Safety and Health at Work organized by the Bank in Lagos at the weekend.

Final Investment Decision delays LNG train 7 project UDEME AKPAN

he inability of stakeholders to make a Final Investment Decision, FID, on train 7 of the nation’s LNG plant has delayed the execution and delivery of additional LNG to the global market. The Managing Director of the Nigeria LNG Limited, Mr. Babs Omotowa, who confirmed the development , said the project would not start without the FID. The NLNG’s 8.4 mtpa train 7 project is expected to raise the liquefaction capacity to 30.4 mtpa. Omotowa said TSPAs had already been executed with five buyers that have expressed commitment to take delivery of the LNG, adding however that absence of the FID which is now awaiting approval is delaying the take-off of the multi-billion naira project. He said in response to chronic supply shortages of LPG for domestic consumption, NLNG commenced supply of LPG to the Nigerian domestic market in 2007, adding that in order to facilitate domestic supply scheme, NLNG executed sales and purchase

agreements with 15 off-takers. “In line with our commitment to ensure reliability of supply into the domestic LPG market thus helping to grow the market, NLNG committed to make available up to 250,000 tonnes of LPG for the Nigerian market annually,” he said. The NLNG boss explained that the domestic LPG supply scheme was based on a delivered exship model with LPG delivered to the market via a dedicated NLNGchartered LPG tanker, saying that since inception of the scheme in 2007 NLNG has supplied over 650,000 tonnes of LPG.

According to him, the NLNG generated $10.5 billion revenue to the Federation Account in 2014 with prospects of surpassing the amount in the current year. He said the revenue which stood at $9.5 billion generated in 2013 would likely continue to rise in the coming years following increased production and export. Omotowa said: “My position, based on a number of factors, is that liquefied natural gas and by extension companies involved in the production and sale of natural gas still holds enormous potential for growth in the long term.’’

he Skyway Aviation Handling Company Limited, SAHCOL, has explained that last week’s sanctioning of four of its in-house union leaders was based on gross misconduct, which could lead to loss of revenue to the company. The four sanctioned staff are Comrades Aminu S. Kolawole, Chairman and Lawson Imotto, Secretary respectively of both the Air Transport Services Senior Staff of Nigeria, ATSSSAN, and Comrades Chukwu Jude, Chairman and Kingsley Ejiogu, Secretary respectively of the National Union of Air Transport Employees, NUATE. The affected staff were relieved of their On-Duty Cards, ODCs, for agitating for improved welfare packages for their members according to the industry unions. The spokesman of SAHCOL, Mr. Basil Agboarumi in the statement hinted that the company placed much value on the welfare of its staff and as a result since the privatisation of the ground handling company in 2009, its management had ensured that salaries were paid as at when due, while every staff was aware of the move by the Board to carry out a review of staff incentives after the completion of the new warehouse project. He accused the sanctioned

union leaders of publishing inciting and derogatory information on the company’s notice board, discrediting the office of the Managing Director with the intent to incite the workforce against the management. He claimed that prior to the time, the affected staff were invited for a meeting with the management through a memo dated 13th April, 2015, but failed to show up. The statement added: “They also neglected and refused to attend the meeting, which amounted to gross insubordination and willful disobedience to constituted authority as enshrined in SAHCOL’s Condition of Service. In addition, they were invited to appear before a disciplinary panel through a memo dated 22nd April, 2015, and they also refused to attend. “SAHCOL consider these issues extensively and therefore submit that the behaviours of the officers amounted to gross misconduct as the relevant sections of our conditions of service indicate. It is conclusively clear that the four officers in question have turned themselves into a parallel government within the company.” While alleging that some external groups were working against the interest of the company based on its recent achievements, SAHCOL as a law abiding and responsive corporate organisation shall resist this move within the ambit of the law while doing its best to ensure it remains employeefriendly organization.

Cisco tasks stakeholders on ICT talents for growth ISAIAH ERHIAWARIEN

isco has challenged stakeholders in the ICT sector to build diverse talents that will lead the industry into the future. CSR Manager, English West and Central Africa, Imoh Akpan made the remark when Cisco hosted its first ‘Girls Power Tech’ mentoring sessions in Nigeria to mark the United Nations’ Girls in

ICT Day’ He disclosed that the technology industry in Nigeria had never been more dynamic or more exciting stating that “Cisco’s Girls Power Tech allows young women to explore the incredible opportunities available to them in the technology sector and helps to build the skills and the mindset needed to be our leaders of tomorrow.” General Manager, Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone,

Cisco, Mr. Dare Ogunlade, while mentoring a cross section of girls drawn from schools said that Cisco was passionate about building diverse talent that can capture the amazing opportunities of the 21st Century’s Internet of Everything economy. “We are proud to sponsor Girls Power Tech as part of our overall global mentoring efforts and thank our Cisco employee volunteers for inspiring the next generation of ICT talent in Nigeria,”

Ogunlade said. The Cisco ‘Girls Power Tech’ mentoring sessions in Nigeria is as part of a global mentoring initiative to support and complement the United Nations’ Girls in ICT Day’ held on the 23rd April 2015, an annual day of activities organised by the International Telecommunications Union aimed at improving the understanding of careers in ICT among girls. Cisco has supported Girls in ICT since its inception in 2011.

Business News

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Japan supports Nigeria’s disaster reduction programme with $4.5m TOLA AKINMUTIMI

he Federal Government and its Japanese counterpart at the weekend, signed exchange of notes for a $4.5 million Non- Project Grant Aid for the provision of Japanese Disaster Reduction Equipment for Nigeria. The Non- Project Grant Aid will be used for procurement of disaster reduction equipment of high quality made by Japanese enterprises, and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) will fully utilise the equipment to make Nigeria more resilient country in the field of disaster reduction. The Minister/Deputy Chairman National Planning Commission, Dr. Abubakar Sulaiman, signed on behalf of the Federal Government, while Charge’ D’ Affaires Ad Interim of Japan, Mr. Masaya Otsuka, signed on behalf of the Japanese Government. A statement by the Head, Infor-

mation Unit of the Commission, Salisu Haiba, quoted the Minister as saying at the forum that Nigeria has experienced various degrees of disasters over the years, including flooding, fire disasters, disease epidemics, oil spillage, climate change and terrorism. According to him, in most cases, whether natural or man- made, government’s response level may not have matched the magnitude of the negative occurrences which include, draught, desertification, flooding, fire outbreak, disease epidemics and of recent, terrorism, amongst others. The minister pointed out that flooding which remained the most recurring disaster in the country, is usually caused by either climatic or non- climatic factors thus leading to river floods, flash floods, urban floods, sewage floods, glacial lake outburst floods and coastal floods Sulaiman recalled the worst disaster experience recorded in Nigeria in 2012 when 363 people

lost their lives, 2.1 million people across ten states were displaced and 18,282 were injured. It came barely a year after the Ibadan disaster in 2011 which resulted in the loss of scores of lives and properties worth over N20 billion destroyed. Speaking further, he said that the Japanese non- project grant aid was another step by the Japanese Government to assist the country in dealing with natural disasters and also recognition of the importance of improving resilience to disaster as a key factor for sustainable socio - economic development in Nigeria. Charge’ D Affaires Ad Interim of Japan, Mr. Masaya Otsuka, also drew the attention of the audience to the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction cohosted by the Government of Japan and the United Nations, and Nigeria was represented by the Minister of Environment, Lawrencia Laraba Mallam.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Brands position to exploit marketing summit DAVID AUDU

s preparations for the second National Marketing Summit gather momentum, brands and creative agencies are strategically positioning for active involvement in the all important industry event. Specifically, leading brands cutting across different segments have identified with the summit while agencies are also positioning to make the industry conversation resonate by contributing actively and meaningfully to the summit. With the theme “A New Roadmap for Marketing in the Age of Global Oil Glut & Nigeria Advertising in a Generational Shift”, will be chaired by former Governor of Ekiti State, Mr Ayo Fayemi. The issues will be addressed by

Vodacom Business Nigeria wins ICT 2015 awards ISAIAH ERHIAWARIEN

L-R: Ese Amadasun Idowu (Nexz), Ogunrombi Olakunle Koya (K-Peace), Ekeoma Victor Chibuzo (Prime), Akunwa Godson Goodluck (Classiqtunez) and Manuwa Paul (P. Scholes), during the unveiling of Nigerian Idol season 5 top 12 contestant in Lagos, recently.

BA donates treated mosquito net to orphanage DAVID AUDU

o demonstrate its commitment to eradicate Malaria in Nigeria, British Airways, donated sets of insecticide-treated mosquito nets to selected orphanage homes in the country, as part of the airline’s efforts to mark the 2015 World Malaria Day. Regional Commercial Manager, West Africa, Kola Olayinka, who made the donation at the weekend to the Little Saint Orphanage Home in Lagos, noted that British Airways was always committed to its host communities, adding that the donation was to complement

the efforts of the government towards ensuring a Malaria free Nigeria. While describing Malaria as a serious disease, Olayinka said that efforts should be galvanised to complement the efforts of the Health ministry in its crusade to stem out Malaria in the country. He said, ‘‘the easiest way of controlling Malaria is by using the insecticides treated mosquito nets. We are aware of the efforts made by the government to provide the nets in abundance but as a corporate citizen, British Airways will always contribute its quota towards fighting the Malaria scourge.” While receiving the donation,

the Founder of the Orphanage Home, Mrs Bamidele George commended British Airways for the gesture and assured the organisation that the nets would be used for their intended purposes. World Malaria Day (WMD) is commemorated April 25 of every year to recognize global efforts to control Malaria. It is one of the eight official global public health campaigns currently marked by the World Health Organization (WHO), along with World Health Day, World Blood Donor Day, World Immunization Week, World Tuberculosis Day, World No Tobacco Day, World Hepatitis Day and World AIDS Day.

Dr. Josef Bel-Molokwu, a senior Faculty Member of Pan African University of the School of Media and Communications and Mr. Lanre Adisa, Managing Director of Noah’s Ark respectively. A statement signed by the Chief Executive Officer of Marketing Edge, a brands and marketing magazine, Mr. John Ajayi, indicated that industry’s response to the forthcoming summit had been quite encouraging, noting that all necessary things are being done to ensure that it is a worthwhile conversation that will further galvanize the sector for higher productivity. “With a fresh atmosphere of relief and change in the country, we need to pro-actively engage marketing and advertising industry for more profitability and pre-eminent both for players, investors and the national economy”, Ajayi posited.

odacom Business Nigeria has been named as the best Cloud Services Provider of the Year and ICT Infrastructure Provider of the Year in Data Centre category. The awards were received at the Beacon of ICT Awards Ceremony, an event that brought together leaders in the industry to celebrate the success and achievement of individuals and organisations in the telecoms industry over the past year in Lagos, by Vodacom Business Nigeria’s Director Legal Services; Nkechi Newton-Denila. She said that the award was in recognition of Vodacom’s commitment in the provision of world-

class and innovative services leveraging on its local expertise and global track record saying that “We are happy to have received the Cloud Services Provider of the Year and ICT Infrastructure Provider of the Year (Data Centre) Awards. Newton-Denila added that the men and women at Vodacom who work round the clock to enable these businesses stating that this is the fifth BoICT award the company has won in three years. Newton-Denila recalled that Vodacom won the Enterprise Solutions Provider of the Year in 2013 and 2014 and Cloud Service provider of the Year in 2014 and 2015 consecutively adding that the ICT Infrastructure Provider of the Year is the newest addition to the company’s list of accolades.

Nokia denies return to phone manufacturing DAVID AUDU

inland’s Nokia has denied reports that it planned to return to manufacturing phones. In a statement posted on its website, Nokia states that it “notes recent news reports claiming the company communicated an intention to manufacture consumer handsets out of a R&D facility in China. These reports are false,” “Nokia reiterates it currently has no plans to manufacture or sell consumer handsets.” However, Nokia has said it is looking into returning to the

smartphones business by brandlicensing. Nokia sold its phone business to Microsoft last year, but just months after that it launched a new brand-licensed tablet computer, produced under license by Taiwan’s Foxconn, with an intention to follow up with more devices. Nokia has agreed with Microsoft that it will not enter the mobile phone business before 2016. “It would be crazy not to look at that opportunity. Of course we will look at it,” Sebastian Nystrom, the head of products at Nokia’s Technologies unit, told Reuters in November.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

The story of the emergence of (ABUAD) is better told by the visioner, Chief Afe Babalola who on this page narated what gave birth to the global award wining institution today.

he establishment of Afe Babalola University (ABUAD) was inspired by former President Olusegun Obasanjo when he appointed me as the Pro–Chancellor and chairman in council of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) in 2000. When I got to UNILAG I was marveled by what I saw: negligence of duty by lecturers, cultism, ineptitude and all sorts of anomalies were the order of the day. I said to myself that this is not how a university should be run. I took it upon myself that I am going to fix the rot in the university system with the backing of the President who gave me the go ahead. With the help of the university community and its client, we were able to change some things notable among which is the engineering department built by Julius Berger and there was massive development. But at the end of my tenure I asked myself that have I achieved all I wanted to achieve in ensuring that the educational sector of this country is at par with what is obtainable in other climes. But unfortunately the answer is no. When we wanted to start this school, Otunba Alao-Akala, the then governor of Oyo State offered us more than 2,000 hectares of land in Adeyipo village, Ibadan. He gave us some mouth-watering and irresistible offers of free electricity, free road and water. You see, I built the standard Heritage Library in Adeyipo. When that project was about to be comissioned, Akala was there, the Olubadan among many members of the society here also there.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Africa’s fastest growing university The Journey so far

The community announced that 2,000 hectares be donated to Aare Afe Babalola to build a university around the Heritage Library. Akala said if Afe Babalola could take that land, he’ll give us free road, water and all manner of things. It became almost irresistible. The following day, news of the commissioning was everywhere. The Ekiti State Government came. Former governor Segun Oni raced to Ibadan to meet with me: “Sir, you are a bonafide Ekiti indigene, one of the biggest stakeholders in the Ekiti project. Please, whatever it is going to cost, bring that university to Ekiti State, I’ll do exactly what my colleague in Ibadan has promised.” And because of this Yoruba aphorism that “Ile labo isinmi oko”, (East or West, home is the best), I got persuaded. Afe Babalola University, (ABUAD), a private university located in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, was established in 2009. It is worthy of note to state that Afe Babalola University is the first and only university in Nigeria to commence academic activities on its permanent site with all the facilities in place within 8 months and it is often ranked as one of the best universities in Nigeria. The vision of the school ab initio was to pioneer quality, functional and reformative education; changing the state of education from what it has been in the years

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SCHOOL WAS INSPIRED BY

FORMER PRESIDENT

OLUSEGUN

OBASANJO WHEN HE APPOINTED ME AS THE

PRO CHANCELLOR AND CHAIRMAN IN COUNCIL OF THE

UNIVERSITY OF

LAGOS IN THE YEAR 2000

past. To the glory of God, from what we’ve seen, what we have heard, we have more than met the goal. For instance, in less than two years, the

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

National Universities Commission (NUC), the regulatory authority for university education came here and said what they saw was magic and miracle, describing it as a model reference point and benchmark for other universities. It simply means we are doing well. Its Executive Secretary, Prof Julius Okojie, came here when we were putting up our Law College and he said: “Certainly, this is the best in West Africa.” To us if we could earn such accolades in two, three or four years, it certainly means we’re doing well. The All African Students Union said we are the fastest-growing university in Africa. That doesn’t come cheaply. It is as a result of what we’ve been able to do here. I was among those who fought for an airport to be put here. The Federal Government approved of it together with Bayelsa, and two others. As we speak, those of the other states are running. Despite the fact that an amount of N680 million was voted for take-off of the airport, which is just about five kilometers from here, some people said they were not interested and that it was not their priority. The state being a landlocked one is a challenge to us. To cap it all up, in less than four years, the University of Industrial Development in Ghana appointed us as a mentor university. Which means for as long as that relationship is on, the students that graduated from that university will be having ABUAD certificates? For us to be so honoured, we consider it as not being cheap, but as a result of what we have been doing well. To add international flavour, UNESCO came here and told us that we are a shining beacon of excellence in tertiary education. But we are not resting on our oars. What we’ve been able to achieve in five years, by the grace of God and with the cooperation of the hard-working staff, we intend to double in the next five years. By the time we are 10, we will be ranking among the best universities in the world.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

The ABUAD culture

â&#x20AC;˘Way of life for students on campus

tudents are expected to wake up by 6:00am tidy and clean up, because lectures start 8:00 am. Here time is of necessity. What we normally do is that even if you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have lectures you must leave your hostel and study, as there is no room for indolence. The cafeteria opens by 7:30 am so that students can have their meals before going to class, later in the afternoon between 12 and 2:00 pm is lecture-free so that they will be able to relax. And later in the afternoon the students go for sports, and we have what we call talent discovery unit which boasts of 29 different sports and vocations where students with exceptional talent in any sport will be allowed to showcase their talents and improve upon them, if need be, by the school. The essence of this is to maximize the potential of every student both in academics, and extracurricular activities, whereby natural talents hidden in every student will be discovered and serve as an extra advantage apart from academic qualifications. There is also an avenue for leadership and entrepreneurial training later in the day they are expected to be back in the classroom for evening classes, sometime we have lectures in the night. By 10:30pm every student is expected to go back to their hostels and by 12:00 midnight is light out to conserve energy.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Awards, commentaries, commendations In just five years, the name ABUAD is on every lip while awards have poured in like torrents. Yet the university’s management says the sky is the take-off point.

elow are excerpts of some of the notable commendations by stakeholders: “They have set a benchmark for other universities on the e-learning facility, which links the university’s classrooms with other universities across the globe for transfer of knowledge. “The only challenge is that they have raised the bar for others seeking to establish private universities. – Prof. Jubril Aminu, Chairman, Screening Committee on Private Universities of the National Universities Commission (SCOPU). “The university, billed to take off in September this year, would be model for anyone or groups wishing to establish private universities in terms of state-of the-art facilities needed in such institution” – Prof. Amin (Guardian Friday May 29, 2009). The Afe Babalola University has now become a reference point for us in SCOPU. They helped us to raise the quality bar for private universities. Those coming after AfeBabalola University will have a higher hurdle to scale. I am glad all those that visited the University so far have agreed with us. – Prof. Jubril Amin, Chairman, Screening Committee on Private Universities of the National Universities Commission (SCOPU) Nov. 3, 2009. “The vision, concept and implementation of the project are acts of faith almost unknown in our society. The proprietor has brought into the open the lessons and rewards of his very humble beginning.” – Chief Deji Fasuan. “It has been inconceivably enamoring to see gigantic, intelligently conceived and executed project, building, equipment and design. I can only describe what I have seen as wonderful and assuring. The provision being made for Staff and Students are a departure from the neglect that exists for staff and students in all existing universities in our country.” – Prof. Sam Aluko, a renowned

Deji Fasuan

The University in the past five years received many national and international laurels including: -African Man of the Year Award in Education – All African Students’ Union. -The Most Dynamic, Progressive and Fastest Growing University in Nigeria – National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS). -Best Private University in Nigeria – National Association of Nigeria Law Students. -Selfless Contribution to the Growth of Education in Nigeria – Students’ Union Government, University of Jos. -Philanthropist per Excellence Award – Nigerian Union of Journalist. -European Quality Award – International Corporation of Social Partnership – Oxford. -AfeBabalola name recorded in the World Register for Outstanding Scientists of 21st Century – European Business Assembly. -AfeBabalola University as the Best University in Nigeria – Nigeria Female Students’ Association. -Best University of Law Faculty Award – Institute for Government Research and Leadership Technology, Abuja -2011 Socrates Award for “Best Enterprise in Africa” by EBA based in Oxford. -“Safest Campus of the year”, 2011 Association of Heads of Security of Tertiary Institution (AHSOTI) -“Centre of Sporting Excellence in Nigeria Award”, 2011 National Universities Sports League. -Best Female Engineering Student for ABUAD student By Association of Professional Women Engineering of Nigeria -Second Overall Best Student from ABUAD by ICAN (Accounting Technician Scheme, West Africa (ATSWA) -“Best Brain Award by Nigerian Trust Award 2012. -ABUAD is a Centre for United States’ National instruments Ltd LabView in Academy in Engineering. -ABUAD is an accredited Centre for all Compliance Recertification in ICT

President Goodluck Jonathan

Professor of Economist. “In our lifetime and very recent history, the name of Chief Afe Babalola and his actions have become the most genuine industry of hope for an average Nigerian child, the students feel that if one individual has courage to invest this gi-

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo

gantic structure in a state, then Nigeria is yet to be sincere about what attention can be given to education. Chief – you are a great Icon. You have invested in our future and thus, you will spend your life in happiness. Nigerian students will remember you that our founding fathers

Alafin of Oyo Oba, Lamidi Adeyemi

have spoken by speech, you have fulfilled in lifetime by action. As children of this generation, our desire is to be inspired and mentored by those who have laid legacies of history. In appreciation, we say GBOSA! to you. We will publicize your institution and will defend this investment. God bless the day you were born. – Olalekan Smart, President, National Association of Nigerian Student (NANS). “The gesture is notably one of the most outstanding individual contributions towards the realization of the Federal Government’s educational projections, under the Vision 2020-20 programme. I wish to observe that the twin gesture of establishing the University and initiating the Scholarship Endowment Fund, represents, in my humble view, a new challenge in educational philanthropy. It is my fervent hope that many of our financially endowed compatriots will rise to this challenge and aim at least, to match the excellent standards of which we are, today, privileged witnesses.” – President Goodluck Jonathan, GCFR. CONTINUED ON PAGE 31

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

‘What ABUAD has made of me’ ADESOLA AKOMOLAFE, a graduate assistant at ABUAD, was one of the pioneer students and the Overall Best Student of the institution in 2014. She shares her experience in this interview

In the first place, what informed your choice of ABUAD even at a time you were to be among its pioneer students? I had a bunk mate in my Senior Secondary School (SSS) 3 days. She wanted to become a lawyer and her mentor happened to be Aare Afe Babalola. Then, she said a lot of good things about him. It was then she said Aare Afe Babalola was planning to establish a university in Ado Ekiti. It was the good things she said about the man that informed my decision about coming to study at ABUAD. How was life here as a student? Life here as a student was very challenging because I had very brilliant classmates. I had very hard working lecturers that were always ready to put us on our toes. It was a very challenging and wonderful experience. So, what inspired you to excellence that you graduated as the overall best? What really inspired me was the best graduating student at the University of Lagos then, during my first year here, my father came to visit me one weekend and gave me a newspaper to read. He showed me the interview of the lady, I mean the best graduating student and I read it, I pasted the newspaper by my bedside. I was really inspired despite the fact that she studied Geography. She made a CGPA of 4.87 or so then. I was really inspired. I wanted to be like her.

400 Level Law Student, GIDEON KELECHI is the leading student in the Faculty of Law. He explains what makes life difference in ABUAD.

How has ABUAD shapened you? ABUAD made me to become a responsible person. For instance, we had our classes as early as 8am. We were required to leave our hostels as early as possible to attend the classes, we also had to achieve 90 per cent attendance. So, it made me very disciplined to come to class early. Another thing is that we have very good lecturers here. They are concerned about you, everyone believes he or she has a stake in your life. Again, when we were in school, during the long vacation, we usually went for internship in business organizations and then we came back to school to give a report on what we learnt there. Even as ABUAD students, we had a little work experience. That was under the work/study experience that goes on in the school whereby students who are financially challenged can work at any of the school ventures.

for now as being successful. There are other things I would love to achieve aside from that.

After graduation and NYSC, you came back here as a teacher, what has the university made you? This university has given me an opportunity to pursue my career. I have always wanted to be a teacher, to become a professor, and the stepping stone is by becoming a graduate assistant. This university has given me that opportunity to pursue my career especially what I had always wanted to become.

What do you tell them? My advice for ABUAD students is to set their priorities right. They should know what to do at the right time. When they are supposed to be in classes, they should go for the classes instead of staying back in the hostels. Then, when they are surfing the internet, they should always check for the relevant stuff, they should not be on social media all the time. People should not see ABUAD as a place where they lock students up. It should not be seen that way. As I said earlier, people should get their priorities right. What is worth doing well should be done very well. I also encourage parents to send their wards here so that their children can focus on their education and when they get out there, they will become responsible adults.

How are you coping with your success? Well, I would not say yet that I am successful because the sky is the starting point. I would not really say I am successful now because there are lots of great people out thre that I wish to be like later in future. So, for now, I would not really count my achievement

And now as a university teacher, what is it like making the students toe your line of achievement? It is a little bit difficult. This is because most students still see me as a student. It is sometimes very difficult to make them see what I saw. But when I talk to them, and they see that I am making sense, no fewer than 80 per cent of them listen. I think that is a good one.

‘My life in ABUAD’ And you did not entertain any fear of the unknown coming to a strange university! No. I was not afraid of the unknown because I had settled it in my mind that whatever it is that I see, I would take. All I just wanted at that time was to start school. I didn’t want to stay at home anymore.

What informed your choice of ABUAD? My choice of ABUAD was not informed by anything specifically. Actually, it was the work of providence. It was divinely designed for me to be here because I never had an idea of the university, I only got to see it on the news few days before the closure of postUTME. Because I had stayed at home for one year waiting for admission into a federal university, I decided to give it a trial. I never had any pre-information about it.

Who are those people you will like to be like? There is a professor of Accounting, Professor Zedume (UNIBEN) then, Dr Egbekoyi, I look up to these accountants because they are in the academics. Then I also look up to politicians because I hope to go into it one day.

So, how has life been in ABUAD? The truth is that I least expected what I had seen in the past four years of my stay in this university. The experience has been thrilling. It has been educative, instructive and inspiring as well. I said this due to the combination of so many things. Educative in the sense that the academic provisions for us are well profound beyond what I had expected of a private university. My initial position about private university is that they were just glorified secondary schools with nothing really worthwhile to offer except the high fees, but when I came here, I realized that although the fee is a little bit on the high side, but then, you get value for your money in terms of education. It is not just a situation where the fee is high and you get nothing. I know there are many brilliant students on this campus, so what is the secret of your stay on top? For me, I have lived by one basic principle. This is that I don’t let my important things become urgent before I do them. Many students are in the habit of letting things become very urgent, they let examinations become very

close before thay start preparing. But I realized early that the best time to prepare for war is during the time of peace. So, in anticipation of the examinations ahead, I start preparing early enough. Then, I don’t like being disturbed on certain things, so, if the school says don’t do this, I abide. I subject myself to the rules so that I avoid whatever trouble for breakers. One instance is that the school does not allow beards for boys, but as much as l love to see myself in beards looking handsome, I find it as a simple instruction to obey and endure for the next four or five years and when I am out of here, I will now keep my beards as much as I want to. So, I see it as a rule that I have to obey as long as I am here. What has ABUAD taught you? One of the very important things this university has impacted on me is the importance of hard work as a key to achieving success. In fact, the embodiment of the founder, Aare Afe Babalola, teaches this. I am a fan of his so much that I read so much about him, his biography, his achievements and a whole lot of other things and it all boils down to hardwork. One of the very basic things is hard work and persistence. Through hard work, with time, we get to separate those who live their dreams from those who are just existing. As a lawyer in the making, how do you hope to make a change in the profession? Having learned from the best, the offspring of an elephant is an elephant. I have

Guess you would have learnt lessons from the life of the founder? Baba is a very humble person, he is very punctual. He prays for us to be greater than him some day. As a university teacher, what do you hope to do differently? Many things. Right now, I have a blog where I upload my classnotes and assignments. Most students like to surf the internet, sometimes, when you give them notes to copy in class, they might be reluctant to copy, so you tell them to go to your blog, and download the note. In short, I intend to make a difference by bringing in information technology into the educational system.

learnt so much from Aare Afe Babalola, sometimes, he calls me into his warm embrace and tells me some personal things. There was a time he told me that to be a successful lawyer, you need not just intelligence, but you need luck as well. This is something that not everybody hears and I now know that these two factors are key for me to make a difference in the legal profession. So I am combining hard work and prayer so that there would be luck to crown my hard work. I plan to be in the academia. My plan after the first degree is to further my education with probably two masters degrees and doctorate and then come back to dedicate most of my time to academics and combine it with legal practice. I believe that with time and persistence, the picture of what I will do when I become a lawyer will become clearer. Your words for fellow students on excellence To my fellow students, as I fondly say that life is always testing our level of commitment and that life’s greatest rewards are usually reserved for those who show a never-ending commitment to keep acting until they have achieved. This resolve can always move mountains but it has to be consistent and it has to be constant. But as simplistic as it sounds, it is the commonest denominator that seprates the best from the ordinary. My advice to them is to be consistent and constant in whatever they are doing. I also want to encourage my colleagues that ABUAD is a virgin land in the sense that anything is possible. This is a place where ideas are welcome. Whenever you have a good idea and walk up to the management with it, there are always ways of encouraging you and making you bring it to the open.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

I’ve deep passion for f In this in-depth interview, Chief Afe Babalola reveals his commitment to his passion, quality and functional education. He did not only explains it but also gave a graphic illustration of steps taken to achieve what the world is celebrating today. What were the challenges you had to face, especially at the beginning and how were you able to surmount them? I will tell you a story. This is one question that is common. Your colleagues in the press will always ask me this question. It is natural. If there is a success story, there may be certain things that are not working. The only regret I have here is that I did not site this university in Ibadan. You will recollect that I built the Heritage Library in Adeyipo village in Ibadan. When the liberary was bring commissioned, the then governor of Oyo State, Christopher Alao–Akala, was there, the Olubadan was there. There and then, the people of that community offered me land to build a university around that Heritage Library. And Alao–Akala said he would give me free road, free electricity, free water, virtually free everything. The following day, the news was in the media that Afe Babalola wanted to establish a university in Oyo State. Engr. Segun Oni, the then governor of this state, ran to my house in Ibadan with three or four other people. He said Baba, please the place to site that university is anywhere in Ekiti, preferably in Ado-Ekiti. I am from Ado, I am from Ekiti. First of all, I am an Ado man following closely by being an Ekiti man and a Nigerian. I said okay, fine, why not? I came here. The government gave me land here. I am telling you, more than half of the land was waterlogged. You could not access it. And all the promises made, none of them was fulfilled. Free road, free electricity, free this, none of these was fulfilled. I will tell you another story. We are going to cite our own permanent teaching hospital. We are already running with John Horpkin Teaching Hospital in the US. That’s the best university in the world in the last 25 years. They sent representatives here. When they were going, my people took them to the airport in Lagos. At an intersession in Sagamu, the one that goes to Abeokuta, the one

that goes to Ijebu-Ode, they saw a very long queue of cars with people lying on the road. What’s happening? Armed robbery during the day. And they saw people shooting. That was the last time those guys came here. The story I want to make is that some five kilometres away from here, on the road going to Ijan, the Federal Government approved an airport for the state, the same time that of Nassarawa, Balyesia and two others were approved. The government even made an initial budgetary allocation of N680 million for its take-off. But the government of the day here said they were not interested in an airport. The point I am trying to make is that were there to have been an airport h e r e , would t h o s e guys have seen that kind of a thing? So, if this u n ive r s i t y had been set up in Ibadan, perhaps the cost would have been lower. Perhaps patronage would have been more. So, I regret the fact that I did not set this university up in Ibadan because all of the promises made were not met. There’s no doubt that ABUAD today is a world class tertiary institution. Looking back now, has this always been your plan from inception? Do you see your dream coming true? I do not think so, but I thank God that we are achieving our dream. We are making waves by virtue of the awards acknowledgment and ecomiums being poured on us daily including that by UNESCO which described us as a beacon of excellence in tertiary education. So, we are not only achieving our aim,

we are also working harder to make more waves. Let me cite three examples. When we started our law college like I told you earlier on, Professor Julius Okojie

I THANK GOD THAT WE ARE ACHIEVING OUR DREAM. WE ARE MAKING WAVES BY VIRTUE OF THE AWARDS ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND ENCOMIUMS BEING POURED ON US DAILY INCLUDING

THAT BY UNESCO WHICH DESCRIBED US AS A BEACON OF EXCELLENCE IN TERTIARY EDUCATION

came here and went round and when he saw the monumental investment in human and material resources, he said certainly this is the best in West Africa. Our admission quota for law in a year was 50. But when the NUC and the Council for Legal Education came here and they saw what we had done, you know what they did? They increased our annual admission quota from 50 to 180, making it the best in this country. Can I tell you something? Even with 180 student per year, the resources we have here, the facilities we have here, the infrastructure we have in place, 180 people cannot make use of them. We want more. When we started that law faculty, they said it’s because Afe Babalola is a

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

functional education lawyer. That’s why he is paying particular attention to law. When we started our engineering programmes, all of the seven programmes in engineering were fully accredited by COREN and the NUC. In fact, some of the professors who came said whao! One said sir, why do you have to buy all of these equipment? They are too many. We said no, we are not just buying them. We ordered for them before now. More are still coming. And one said I have not seen these m a chines before, I only saw them in textbooks. We are out t o

change the face of education in Nigeria. We are out to bring back the lost glory of education in Nigeria. Let me make mention of our medical programme. We are the only university in Nigeria thus far that secured approval to run medical programmes within five years. I know of universities which have been in existence between 20. 30 years, their medical programme is yet to be accredited. That is due to the seriousness we have put into this school. I don’t want to call it a business. We came out to do the best and we are out to do the best. Perhaps I need to tell you this. I am one of the lucky lawyers in this country, hardworking as usual. For so many years I have been lawyer to the federal government, lawyer to Julius Berger, Mobil, Shell. I made money, good money for that matter. And I asked myself, what am I going to do with this money? Let’s do something that will remain indelible in the psyche of the people. And that is the essence of this university. We have been achieving our aim, but we still have a lot of room to improve. T e rapid Th The development one sees in

THE BEST UNIVERSITIES IN THE WORLD ARE

PRIVATELY OWNED, THE HARVARDS OF THIS WORLD, THE

YALES. IF THE KIND OF COMMITTMENT AND PASSION THAT INDIVIDUALS HAVE ARE CHANNELED INTO THIS KIND OF

VENTURE, THE WORLD WILL BE A BETTER PLACE

ABUAD seems to give an impression that setting up a university in Nigeria could be a very easy task. Is this your experience? It depends on what part of prism from which you are looking at it. No venture of this magnitude is easy or cheap. I told you earlier on that by the grace of God, I have money from my law practice. Because of my determination to change the face of education, I had to sell properties in Lagos, I had to sell choice properties in Abuja, choice properties in the UK and the US. I even sold business ventures just for this place to develop, just for this place to meet the kind of dream I have. It’s not easy, but with determination and focus, we can achieve what we want to achieve. And I want to say this, I am pleading with every Nigerian of means to take a cue from here because the future of this country’s education lies in private and missionary

universities. Check it out all over the world. The best universities in the world are privately owned, the Harvards of this world, the Yales. If the kind of committment and passion that individuals have are channeled into this kind of venture, the world will be a better place. But to answer your question, it’s not a cheap one, it’s not easy. But with determination and focus, you can get to where you want. Sir, what is the level of support you have received so far from the government? I’ve just told you that everything they promised us, they observed in the breach. But we are still hopeful. We thank God that we are doing the little we can here. But we could do more with some support from government. It will make things easier for us. But as at today, God is with us with the little we are doing here. If you have to make a choice now what will you say is the greatest thing ABUAD has going for it today? I want to draw your attention to what somebody, a European said sometime. She came here, she went round ago. She said, I can see that students greet people here. I can see there are no litters anywhere. The answer I gave her was simple, that we address the minds of these students. We inculcate discipline into them. What is not done outside there, we don’t do here. And what is done outside there that is not amenable to discipline, we don’t do here. So, we address their minds from the beginning. I am not too sure of any university where students dress formally to lectures. Each of our five colleges has its own colour. Medicine, like you all know, is red. But we can’t ask them to be wearing red. We asked them to be wearing pink and stuff like that. When you see somebody in pink or reddish cloth, he or she is a medical student. Of course law, white and black everywhere. When you see them, you know them. When you start addressing the minds of youths very early, this kind of result we are getting here is the kind of result you get. So, it is discipline and industry. When you are sufficiently busy, you don’t engage in frivolities.

30 Against all odds and without reference to years of existence, the National Universities Commission, NUC, was convinced that this institution, which is ahead of its time, is matured to begin its postgraduate school. TUNDE O LOFINTILA

he National Universities Commission, NUC, has approved the establishment and commencement of Postgraduate studies at Postgraduate Diploma (PGD) and Masters’ Degree levels, with full-time and parttime status in Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), the fastest growing private university in Africa and pace–setter in quality and functional education. The approved programmes are M. Sc. Biology, M. Sc. and PGD in Biochemistry, M. Sc. and PGD in Accounting, Banking & Finance. Others are M. Sc. and PGD in Economics and in Mass Communication, PGD in Management as well as Masters of Business Administration. Though only five years old, the University has secured 100% approval for all programmes submitted to NUC for accreditation. In Law, the Council for Legal Education was not just satisfied with the quantum of human and material investment in the College of Law, which has tested and experienced teachers of international repute, but it went a step further to increase the College’s annual admission quota from 50 to 180, the highest so far in this country. Among facilities in the Law College

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

ABUAD begins postgraduate studies are 10 different classrooms, teaching laboratories, one Moot Court, two Law Clinics, state-of-the-art E-Libraries and physical libraries, a staff/students ratio of 1/16, E-software, Lexis Nexis and Compu Law, among others, which can conveniently cater for more than 1,500 students. Similarly, in Medicine, the NUC, the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), and the Special Committee set up by the Hon. Minister of Health all commended the array of high quality equipment in ABUAD’s Medical College and the gigantic and modern buildings and equipment worth over N2.5 billion put up by the Founder. Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, to get the former Federal Medical Centre, Ido-Ekiti, upgraded to the status of Federal Teaching Hospital. The Minister of State for Health, Dr. Khaliru Al-Hassan, was so impressed with what he saw on November 15, 2014, at the Federal Teaching Hospital ,which now has three-storey male and female hostels, dining hall, library, four fully-equipped laboratories, wellfurnished classrooms, auditorium and sporting facilities that he said it will be difficult for any university to match what ABUAD has done in Medicine, which secured full accreditation for its Medical programme, an uncommon feat by any standard. The University’s College of Engineering is a cynosure of some sort. ABUAD’s Engineering College, the

THE APPROVED PROGRAMMES ARE

M. SC. BIOLOGY, M. SC. AND PGD IN BIOCHEMISTRY, M. SC. AND PGD IN ACCOUNTING AND M.SC. AND PGD IN BANKING & FINANCE AS WELL AS M. SC. IN FINANCE

biggest in Africa, which was commissioned by President Goodluck Jonathan on October 19, 2013, is built on a two-and-half hectares of land and has four huge blocks of four floors each and additional four bungalows for a world-class FESTO Engineering Workshop with equipment from the United

States and Germany, a Mechatronics workshop, a Foundry and a Wood Work workshop fully furnished with modern laboratory teaching equipment very rare to find in this part of the world.. Apart from the Provost’s massive office, it has innumerable classrooms, 37 laboratories, several auditoriums, Computer/E-Libraries, 100 Air-conditioning units, a warren of teachers’ offices, accommodation for Post Graduate students as well as thousands of physical books and e-books. Apart from the 37 laboratories in the College of Engineering alone, there are six (6) at the ABUAD/Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti, five (5) in the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, four (4) in the Department of Nursing, seven (7) in the College of Sciences, one (1) each in the Department of Intelligence and Security Studies, Department of Accounting and Department of Banking & Finance, and two (2) in the Department of Tourism as well as two (2) in the Department of Nutrition & Dietetics. All these facilities coupled with the quantum of tested and experienced teachers of international repute must have convinced the regulatory body of the preparedness of the University for Postgraduate Studies, consequent upon which it has advertised for candidates to apply for the various approved postgraduate programmes, which will commence in April 2015.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

on ABUAD in the last five years

Kayode Eso

Prof. Wil

Prof. Julius Okojie of NUC

Prof_Samuel_Aluko_

Justice Ayoola

tative and tansformatory education that Nigeria needs. There is no doubt that the shaping of the direction of education in Nigeria has started. ABUAD is and will remain the leader in this direction. I congratulate Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, for actualizing his vision and the VC, Registrar and principal officers of the university for being a worthy part of the actualization of a promising vision. “ABUAD is established to reform education in Nigeria. I congratulate the students as the agent of that reformation. I urge you to see yourself as an agent of the change.” – Hon. Justice Yinka Ayoola former Justice of the Supreme Court, who led a 14-man team of ICPC Officers to AfeBabalola University on 28th July 2010. The greatest benefit that education confers on an individual is character. Character is determined by three important factors; heredity, environment and training. For the first time in this country, we have seen somebody put into practice these parameters of character moulding. We have in this environment, a conducive atmosphere that will sustain and encourage learning, well stocked library, professionals of high quality, all from the singular efforts of a single person. – HRM Oba Lamidi Adeyemi II

Alaafin of Oyo. With so many initiatives and founded private universities across the continent with the sole intention of strengthening their economic base, Aare Afe Babalola propounded an idea of a univesity that with a clear analysis is not built for profit making intention but also building a world class qualitative structure for the cultivation of deep rooted intellectuals for the growth of our continent. This is indeed AWESOME. – Olufemi Lawson, (Secretary General, AASU Secretariat, Stat Housing Complex, Accra, Ghana). L’universited’AfeBabalola est un egande universite, des quec’est pas ma volonte de louer les univesite’s Nigerianes mai saprisavoir vu les systems, j’acupte. – Dominic Smith, (AASU Secretariat, Accra, Ghana) – Meaning: The Afe Babalola University is one I want to very heartily commend you for your foresight, sacrifice, commitment, singlemindedness, very sharp focus, drive and uncommon physical and mental energy at your advanced age. Your belief in improving the lost of the new generations of young people not only of Nigerian extraction but Africans in general through sound education is extremely strong and has turned into an irrepressible passion

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 26

Happy to be here to be able to see at first hand a unique sample of private university, with finesse, purpose, commitment and self-sacrifice by the proprietor. More like this will change the panorama of tertiary institution and education in Nigeria. It is a model to emulate. – former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR. AfeBabalola University is the fastest growing private University in Africa. – All-African Student Union. The University (ABUAD) is a true reflection of its proprietor. Many believe it is to be an extension of Europe. Anyone who comes in to see the university can only leave with a kind of mind captured in these words: “I wish I can be part of the students, designed for intellectual change. We appreciate Afe Babalola – Ihene C. Williams (University of Benin). A beauty to behold, a true representation of the Founder’s impeccable personality. From its vision, mission and paths, it is clear that in the next few years, ABUAD will be a force to reckon with in the Academia. – Okpobia Oghenekenwe (University of Benin). “I am surprised at this wonderful private enterprise. “I am happy that we have come here at a time when all the news you hear about what people are doing in Nigeria is negative. Here, we can see with our eyes that positive things are done. New things are being done in education. This is an institution which can stand side by side with any educational institution. What we have seen here compares favourably with what we have seen in other parts of the world. This is a pace setter. It raises the benchmark for quality education in Nigeria. It is a challenge to public institutions. It is a challenge to everybody. Aare Afe Babalola has not invested in himself but invested in the future of Nigeria. I think he is worth celebrating. “The visit by impact, members and principal officers of the ICPC to ABUAD has been a fulfilling experience. The infrastructure, teaching materials provided and philosophy of education practiced in ABUAD show the way to quali-

which is being manifested in ABUAD. In Nigeria, millions preach their own sermons on “The Mount” on how the revival of good quality and relevant education can be achieved. You, Oga Afe, beat them all by investing practically all the wealth you have acquired over the years to practice what you preach on education. You had a dream and you are vigorously pursuing it and it is beautifully manifesting and not only are you seeing it but you are living your dream. This is where you have one up on Martin Luther King Jnr. He had a dream which he most eloquently and bravely articulated but he never lived to see the manifestation of that great dream. Some others had to work his dream which has emancipated the blacks and their like in America and in all other areas of the world where racial oppression dehumanized the balks etc. Just think of this, egbon mi, and see how favoured you are by God. Please, thank Him always. Congratulations, sir, Omoluabi, eniaiyi, olufeilu, olufeeko, baba ewe, asiwajurere, enia Olorun. Please, read Matt. 25:31-46. Another passage in the Bible says not all who calls me Lord, Lord will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. You are serving the Lord by filling a vacuum in the field of education in Nigeria, and doing so with godliness as typified by integrity of thoughts, words and action with which you are pursuing the ABUAD project. As you take care of God’s people here on earth, God is noticing and He will, through Christ, Immanuel, prepare a crown of glory for you plus a big mansion in Heaven. Here on earth, you will finish your mission strong. My worthy leader, I am getting rather emotional as I am writing this piece and I must now stop. But please, be assured, I believe very much in what you are and are doing and in my own small way, I will keep striving to impact my world. In o kun o, baa – Remi Omotosho MFR, KJW “Best Private University in Nigeria” – National Association of Nigerian Law Students. “The fastest growing University in Nigeria” compares with great universities, such as Harvard, Yale and Oxford. I have not seen anything like this in Nigeria. Afe Babalola deserves the highest honour of this country” – Hon. Justice Kayode Eso, JSC (rtd). “Afe Babalola University has set a standard for other institutions. The clean environment, wholesome facilities are inspiring” – Dr. Tahir Mamma, Director General, Nigerian Law School. “I am tremendously impressed about Afe Babalola University, heard about it and researched it on the internet. I have now experienced it. It is something you cannot share or understand by reading. It has something that you have to appreciate. It is an outstanding university without comparison” – Prof. WilGoodheer, President, European Business Assembly and President, Rectors of Europe. “It is certainly the best Law College in West Africa”… If there are any three universities I am proud of in Nigeria, ABUAD is one of them” – Prof. Julius Okojie, the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

ABUADâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s amazing infrastructure

An overview of African fastest growing university â&#x20AC;&#x201C;ABUAD

Newly constructed ABUAD Inn

Faculty of Law

Hostels

Standard Science Laboratory

Students cafeteria

College of Medicine and Health Sciences

Printing Press

Insurance

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Micro insurance awareness low in Ghana – Study Meshack Idehen

ack of knowledge and benefits of insurance has been identified as one of the challenges facing the insurance industry, partic-

Felicity Acquah, former Chairperson Ghana State Insurance

ularly in promoting micro-insurance in Ghana. A study conducted on the industry in the country indicated that lack of understanding was higher in the lowincome or informal market where there is a vulnerability to various kinds of risks that cannot be fully covered by social insurance. According to the report of the study conducted by PromIGH, the general lack of awareness has resulted in a low insurance uptake with only 4.1 per cent of the total population having any insurance policy as at the end of 2010, the report identified. PromIGh findings showed that in Ghanamost people were apathetic to insurance products because most of the insurance companies have failed to effectively communicate the benefits of their products to the public, which often results in a negative public perception of insurance. In order to help bridge this gap, the

study disclosed the National Insurance Commission (NIC), in collaboration with the Ghana Insurers Association (GIA) and the German technical cooperation (GIZ), has launched an awareness campaign, dubbed “Promoting Insurance in Ghana (PromIGH)” for the development of the sector in Ghana. The pilot campaign was conducted in 2013 and ran through 2014 in order to test the feasibility and potential effects of a public awareness campaign. It was carried out in 20 communities in four districts, the study added. The Project Manager for PromIGH, Mr Branko Wehnert, who presented the findings of the study recently, said the pilot campaign was aimed at improving access to and usage of insurance products by micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. He said the monitoring and evaluation research suggested that the PromIGH micro-insurance awareness

campaign was successful in increasing insurance awareness, explaining, “The results of the quantitative research showed marginal positive changes in both knowledge and attitude indices. “The qualitative data suggested that participants who heard the radio drama or participated in the road show showed a greater range of knowledge about a more positive attitude towards micro insurance and insurance companies than participants who just heard the radio jingles,” he said. The study recommended that a scaleup of the campaign should consider how to ensure that insurance knowledge was enhanced as the attitude towards insurance was also being improved. “More investigation is needed on how people within various communities learn and acquire knowledge about technical topics such as insurance and which channels are best to communicate,” he said.

Fitch affirms Reinsurance Group of America’s ratings; outlook stable

itch Ratings has affirmed Reinsurance Group of America, Inc.’s (RGA) ‘A-’ Issuer Default Rating (IDR) and the ‘A+’ Insurer Financial Strength (IFS) rating of RGA Reinsurance Company (RGA Reinsurance). RGA’s ratings reflect its strong market position as the largest provider of individual and group life reinsurance in North America and as one of the leading life and health reinsurers in the world; solid long-term financial performance and earnings; adequate risk adjusted capitalization; and ample liquidity. Offsetting these positives are the rapid growth of an asset intensive business; the company’s increased financial leverage; and RGA Reinsurance’s reliance on captives to finance excess statutory reserve requirements. Fitch views RGA’s run-rate profitability as generally good and in line with rating expec-

tations. During 2014, the company reported net operating income of $638 million, corresponding with a return on equity of approximately 12%. However, Fitch anticipates that growth in profitability over the medium term will be constrained by competitive challenges in the company’s core U.S. traditional business, higher mortality and morbidity in select markets, and ongoing low interest rates. Fitch is also concerned about the potential for increased earnings volatility due to a change in RGA’s operating profile. RGA’s current ratings are based in part on the company’s historical focus on traditional individual life mortality risk in the U.S. and Canada, where results have been stable. Fitch notes that, while individual mortality experience is still the dominant driver of operating earnings in the U.S. traditional segment, newer business, including long-term

care, longevity risk and group life and health, account for an increasing proportion of earnings in this segment, and that trend is expected to continue. Fitch views this newer business as potentially riskier. Fitch is monitoring asset growth because of the concern that contraction in RGA’s core U.S. traditional market will cause it to look for growth in riskier asset-intensive businesses and increase its exposure to interest rate risk. Asset leverage (GAAP assets in relation to adjusted equity) was 8x as of year-end 2014. Fitch views RGA’s financial leverage as at the high end of its median guidelines for the current rating. The financial leverage ratio was approximately 30% at year-end 2014. The company’s total financing and commitments ratio of 1.1 xs is also considered high. Fitch believes, however, that the group’s ability to

service its debt remains sound. GAAP operating earnings-based interest coverage was 8.2x in 2014. Fitch believes RGA’s liquidity at the holding company level is strong. The holding company has committed to maintain cash and liquid assets of approximately $300 million. At year-end 2014, the holding company had $623 million in cash and invested assets, or almost 5x projected 2015 interest expense. The next upcoming debt maturity is in 2017. Fitch views the statutory capitalization of RGA Reinsurance as adequate, although the company relies on affiliated captive reinsurance to maintain target capital levels. RGA Reinsurance’s reported risk-based capital (RBC) ratio was 366% at year-end 2014. Source: insurancenewsnet.com

Standard Life warns against Britain leaving EU Union Assurance gets $21.8m capital injection

ead of the insurance group’s fund management arm, Keith Skeoch, has said that financial markets would be unsettled by a vote to quit EU, saying Britain should push for reform of the EU instead of leaving it. Standard Life has added to the business community’s concerns over Britain’s relationship with Europe, saying that quitting the EU is unthinkable. The head of the insurance group’s fund management arm, said: “We have no problem with a referendum. It’s a democracy. Where financial markets would be worried would be if there was some kind of exit from the EU. It is not something to be contemplated, really.”

Skeoch, whose business manages investments worth £195bn, said the EU was the foundation for much of the legislation and capital structure in which financial markets operate. He said European directives provided standards for savings products, which could be undermined if the UK left the EU. Britain should push for reform instead, he said. “The days of the UK being a standalone capital market in isolation are long gone. It’s a deeply interconnected global world and the UK needs to play to its strength from being the main centre of European finance, and that’s good for the economy and for jobs. It’s just as important for the saver and for

the man in the street as it is for the City of London.” “We do believe strongly in single markets because that gives the opportunity for confidence around longer term savings to take place.” Skeoch said he was increasingly concerned about the future of the eurozone as finance ministers meet in Brussels for crucial talks about Greece’s future in the single currency. “There is clearly a very significant concern reemerging at the moment that we are seeing real issues surrounding the eurozone,” he said. “If they have to impose capital controls to keep Greece in, that is really about a twotier euro and is that the beginning of the end?” Ed Miliband, the La-

bour leader, has written to the prime minister asking for more details of his proposed reforms of the UK’s relationship with the EU. David Cameron has promised to hold a referendum on EU membership by the end of 2017, but has hinted the vote could take place next year if the Tories form the next government. Business lobby groups have said most companies in Britain want to stay in the EU to benefit from trade in the single market. Sir Martin Sorrell, the chief executive of WPP and a supporter of David Cameron, has said the prospect of Britain leaving the EU is a concern for business leaders otherwise sympathetic to the Conservatives. Source: FT.com

nion Assurance Company Plc disclosed that it recently secured additional capital injection of $21.8m (N3.7bn) from Greenoaks Global Holdings Limited, as part of its move to transform the firm into a strong player in the insurance industry The company stated that Greenoaks Global had successfully acquired Union Assurance from Union Bank of Nigeria Plc for N7bn late last year. Chief Financial Officer of Union Assurance, Mr Segun Adesanya, in a statement pointed out that the additional capital injection would enable the company to operate beyond the stipulated solvency margin provided by the National Insurance Commission and make it better positioned to execute improved underwriting services. “Our company is consequent-

ly undergoing a transformation exercise. This exercise includes the upgrade of our information technology platform to which we have committed N150m; new products; proposed unveiling of our new corporate identity; brand new offices across Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt as well as the attraction of additional talented and experienced personnel,” he stated. He explained Union Assurance recently reconstituted its board of directors with the pioneer Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, Mr Fola Adeola, emerging as the chairman. “Greenoaks Global Holdings is fast becoming a major player in the insurance markets in emerging economies having also recently completed the acquisitions in Rwanda and Pakistan,” the company stated.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Money CBN, banks rally against bad debtors

In order to curtail the increasing Non Performing Loans, NPLs, in the banking sector currently put at over N42 billion, the Central Bank of Nigeria and Deposit Money Banks, DMBs, are strategising to compel chronic debtors to pay their debts as part of their commitment to sustaining stability of the nation’s financial system . UDO ONYEKA reports.

here are indications that the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN Banks have stepped up action, including planned publication of debtors’ names, to tackle the scourge of increasing nonperforming loan in the banking industry. The CBN’s Director of Banking Supervision, Mrs. Tokunbo Martins, had in a circular issued last week pointed out that there were by banks to give bad debtors three months to square up their accounts, adding that “failure to do will result in them being named and shamed in Nigerian media and being barred from currency and government debt markets. “The Central Bank of Nigeria has observed the rising trend of non-performing loans in the industry. “Banks and discount houses are required with effect from May 1 to give delinquent debtors three months’ grace to turn their accounts from non-performing to performing status. “They must then publish a list of those “delinquent debtors that remain nonperforming in at least three national daily newspapers quarterly”, the statement said. This arrangement may have become necessary due to the rising level of nonperforming loans in the industry and to avoid a repeat of a 2009 industry bailout that cost the government $4bn. In 2009, the central bank rescued several banks that had lent mainly to the oil and gas sector just before crude prices collapsed and as the stock market turned sour, triggering a near collapse of eight commercial banks. The CBN has been battling to support the currency, which it has had to devalue twice despite spending billions of dollars from its reserves to defend the naira. However, demand for dollars, including for debt servicing, has not abated as oil prices and reserves remain low. The CBN at the Bankers Committee meeting early this month said that the level of NPL at N42.86bn was worrisome, even though it was still within the tolerable limit. Martins noted the need to prevent non performing loans, which currently represents 3.5 per cent of the N15trn industry loan book, from hitting the five per cent set limit. “We noticed that some debtors are not ready to pay up on their loans and one thing that we may do is to stop them from getting access to foreign exchange. Another thing is to publish the names of these borrowers that have refused to pay. We believed that in doing this; we will continue to ensure soundness in the banking sector. “We don’t want it to go beyond five per cent and we felt that urgent steps need to be taken to prevent it. We don’t want to go back to the bad situation of the past. What we are doing is to prevent these chronic borrowers from derailing the system. Some of

CBN Gov., Emefiele

UBA GMD/CEO, Phillips Oduoza

It Is an InItIatIve of the CBn, In ConjunCtIon wIth the Bankers’ CommIttee, to address Issues relatIng to the safety of

Customers’ funds, IdentIty theft and other CrImInal aCtIvItIes In the seCtor them and their companies do go from bank to bank, but we are all out to stop them. “The loans we are talking about are not the ones that, Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON has bought. The list we published in the past received positive responses and we believe that this one too will make them to come up and pay their loans. The CBN had said that notwithstanding the economic situation, that banks operating in the country are banks are still very safe due to combined efforts of the banks and financial sector regulators. According to operators, Bank Verification Numbers, BVN, a project initiated by the Bankers Committee is also part of the efforts by the CBN and banks to fight bad debtors. The biometric registration of bank customers will lead to the issuance of a unique identity called Bank Verification Number to all members of the banking public and it is expected to tackle the spate of frauds including those involving customers in the financial sector. Banks issue the BVN to every customer they have registered in the financial system, using the biometric technology. The unique number helps customers’ bank account to be more secure as transaction will have to be carried out with the use of a fingerprint. Director, Corporate Communications, CBN, Ibahim Mu’Azu, explained that the BVN was an initiative aimed at protecting bank customers and further strengthening the nation’s banking system. “It is an initiative of the CBN, in con-

junction with the Bankers’ Committee, to address issues relating to the safety of customers’ funds, identity theft and other criminal activities in the sector”, he said. According to a paper by the Bankers’ Committee, the BVN will also encourage financial inclusion as those who have typically stayed away from mainstream banking due to low literacy levels will be able to open and access their bank accounts using their biometric information rather than traditional identification methods. “The BVN is a unique identifier for each bank customer across the financial industry, making it possible to build and track customer financial history and activity. “It will allow banks to have access to more reliable information that could inform decisions on customer loan and credit applications and other complex transactions. In addition, banks are also now able to reduce identity fraud within the financial industry and increase accountability levels,” the apex bank had said in a statement. Meanwhile, as part of the efforts in tackling bad debts and fraudulent customers the apex bank, recently, warned that any bank which fails to report a serial dud cheque issuer in its return to the CBN Credit Risk Management System, CRMS, and Private Credit Bureaux as required, will henceforth be penalised in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act, LFN 2004 CAP B3 (BOFIA). In a circular to all banks signed by Mrs. Martins, the CBN also said it would sanction the Chief Executive, Chief Financial Officer, CFO, Chief Compliance Officer

Access Bank MD, Herbert Wigwe

,CCO and Chief Risk Officer ,CRO of the affected banks in line with the relevant provisions of the BOFIA. In the circular titled “Need to Implement Measures to Dissuade the Issuance of Dud Cheques in the Nigerian Banking System,” the CBN noted with great concern the impunity with which some customers of banks issue dud cheques on their accounts despite the provisions of the Dishonoured (Dud) Cheques Act of 1977 and CBN’s recent directives to banks’ customers to desist from such practice.” The circular warned that where an bank fails to report a serial dud cheque issuer in its return to the CBN CRMS and Private Credit Bureaux as required, it shall be considered as concealment and misrepresentation of material fact, following which the affected institution will be penalised. Upon CBN’s compilation and dissemination of information on serial issuers of dud cheques based on bank’ returns, they are to recall/cancel all unused cheque books issued to serial issuers of dud cheques. Banks are also to bar the affected customers from using of the clearing system for a period of five years as well as forward the names of Dud Cheque offenders to the three Private Credit Bureaux and the Credit Risk Management System, CRMS. Names of such customers’ names would be listed on the database of the private credit bureaux and CRMS for a period of five years from the date of submission, after which offenders will be eligible for removal. However, if the offender is found wanting after the name is removed, such an offender shall be permanently reinstated in the data base of the three Credit Bureaux and the CRMS. Also, banks are required to bar the serial issuers of dud cheques from accessing credit facilities from the banking system for a period of five years and perform status check on a potential customer from CRMS and at least two Credit Bureaux before onboarding a customer.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Taxation

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Basics of Withholding Tax (1) W

ithholding Tax is an advance payment of income tax. In principle, WHT is a payment on account of the ultimate income tax liability of the taxpayer or company. Withholding tax is not a separate tax on its own and does not confer an exemption from the filing of annual tax returns by the company which had suffered WHT. The tax is normally to be deducted at source when a payment is to be made to the beneficiary. Applicable Tax Law Withholding Tax (WHT) is not a distinct tax type and therefore has no legislation of its own. It is only a mechanism for the collection of other taxes. Consequently, its application is provided for in the enabling law of other tax types i.e. Section 81 of Company Income Tax Act, Section 54 of Petroleum Profit Tax Act, Section 73 of Personal Income Tax Act and Section 13 of Value Added Tax Act. Tax Coverage And Income Subject To Withholding Tax The WHT provisions seek to collect taxes that may otherwise have been lost through evasion and/or avoidance. The aim is to ensure that taxpayers are correctly taxed but it must be understood that transactions that are ordinarily not liable to tax in Nigeria are also not liable to WHT; thus, contracts and supplies of goods and services performed entirely outside Nigeria by non-resident taxpayers will not be liable to WHT. The residence of the taxpayer is generally not relevant for the purpose of determining liability to tax or the application of WHT, but it is important to consider whether the provider/supplier of the goods or services is liable to Nigerian tax. The rate of tax applicable to the various goods and services is provided in later parts of this paper. The introduction of the WHT regime came about in order to address the problem of tax evasion. Although, there is the overriding objective of full disclosure, transparency, predictability and fairness; in the light of these objectives and bearing in mind that the tax is intended as an advance payment of tax, its operation should always be scrutinized to ensure that taxpayers are not overtaxed and Government does not lose revenue. Rents: This includes rental income on both real and personal property. As a general rule, income on a property (rent, hire or lease payments or rights (royalties) situated in Nigeria is liable to tax in Nigeria, the place of pay-

ment notwithstanding. Where a person rents or hires property/services from another, WHT at the rate of 10% will apply. But where a person provides services to another for e.g. air/ land transport service, using its own equipment/facilities, the transaction becomes a contract of services rather than rental or hire. Interest: This is income from investments of every kind. WHT is applicable to income from government securities and income from bonds or treasury bills. Interest on loans paid by a Nigerian company is often not subject to WHT. Dividends: This refers to income from shares. The income is subject to tax whether it is received by a Nigeria company or a non-resident company. The tax imposed is regarded as final tax, but corporate bodies are allowed to recoup WHT deduction where the dividend is to be redistributed as Franked Investment Income (FII). The Petroleum Profit Tax Act (PPTA) however exempts dividends payable by oil producing companies on petroleum operations from WHT imposition. Royalty: This refers to unearned income which accrues to the owner from past endeavors. Permission must be obtained before it can be used. It is payment of any kind as a consideration for the use of or the right to use any patent, trade mark or right/ Consultancy/Professional/Management/Technical Services-These are specialized services rendered by persons with the required knowledge and skills. The mere fact that services are provided by a company which has consultancy as part of its name does not by itself render such service as consultancy. The real content of the services being provided must be examined and if it amounts to a consultancy service, then the appropriate rate would apply; the same treatment applies to Professional/Management services. For instance, if an engineering company is carrying out a construction activity, the proper classification for the services would be ‘‘construction’’ as opposed to Professional/Technical services. Similarly, the use of industrial machinery/equipment to provide a service does not render it to be ‘Technical’ because the industry position requires that only arrangements thatinvolve a transfer of technology should be classified as technical. All types of contract activities and

Iweala

arrangements, other than outright sale and purchase of goods and property’s classification is wide enough to capture every transaction, other than outright purchase/sale of goods and property. The revenue holds the view that majority of the activities carried on in the oil industry are done by way of contractions, and should properly fall under this category. The issue of contracts and transactions, not being conducted in the ordinary course of business has over the years been subjected to series of reviews and amendments, aimed at improving the WHT system in order to achieve efficiency as well as minimize the cost of doing business. The aim of withholding tax is not to compound the problems of producers, manufacturers and those engaged in any forms of activities, other than services. The definition of manufacturing activate as contained in the FIRS information circular No. 2002 appears to have further generated more controversy than expected. The following classification will assist in the understanding of circumstances where WHT will apply in relation to any production activity. Where There Is A Dual Relationship Between Parties In A Business Transaction An example of this contract is where a manufacturer/ producer require raw materials from a supplier for its production. This is a dual relationship between both parties and the transaction will not be liable to WHT. E.g. a farmer supplies groundnut to a manufacturer of groundnut oil; a manufacturer of glass supplies bottles to a bottling company or soft drink manufacturer or an oil marking company supplies diesel directly to a user. Where There Is A Tripartite Relationship Between Parties In A Transaction.

Ag. Executive Chairman FIRS, Samuel Ogungbesan

In a tripartite contract relationship involving a manufacturer, supplier and agent, there could be either two options, depending on the level of financial arrangement. For example, where Manufacturer A, engages Agent C to procure or source for raw materials from Supplier, B, for his production line, there is a tripartite arrangement here. There is nothing preventing Manufacturer, A from dealing directly with supplier B in order to achieve a dual contract relationship. (a) If Agent C is mobilized by Manufacturer B with fund to source for materials for its operation, there will be need to segregate the service cost from the entire contraction, and only the service component will be liable to WHT. (b) If the Agent, C, entirely finances the sourcing of the raw materials for Manufacturer A, the entire contract value will be liable to WHT at the time of payment. Where A Manufacturer Delivers Its Normal Products To Its Distributors And Dealers For Sale In this situation, the income accruing to the manufacturer will not be liable to withholding tax (WHT) as it is regarded as transaction in the ordinary course of business, but the commission earned by the distributors/ dealers will be subjected to WHT. Agency Transactions & Arrangements Agency arrangement implies a contract between a principal and agent. The reward payable for services rendered by the agent is commission, which is subject to WHT of 10%. However, if the principal is a nonresident, any sales proceeds from the arrangement will attract5% WHT, where any of the conditions in Section 26(1) (b) of CITA holds.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Capital Market

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Recapitalisation: SEC hasn’t verified operators’ compliance – Gwarzo The Acting Director General of Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Mr. Mournir Gwarzo speaks on major initiatives since assumption of duty at the first quater meeting of Capital Market Comittee in Lagos last week. JOHNSON OKANALAWON reports. Strengthening and refocusing the SEC We are streamlining the operations of the commission to focus on its core mandates as apex regulator. We believe this will make us more effective and efficient. We have worked on a new organizational structure which will be fully implemented this year.

nance scorecard. During a meeting with the NSE, we have decided to harmonize the scorecard with the NSE’s corporate governance rating system. The end product will be released within this second quarter. E-Filing This is a priority for us. We want to shorten approval periods and enable cost-saving by enabling operators electronically file their returns and applications. We will ensure the work is completed and launched this year. On the direct cash settlement, A market-wide implementation committee for direct cash settlement has already commenced work and will target full implementation within the year.

International relations I was elected as Chair of the Africa Middle East Regional Committee, AMERC, of the International Organization of Securities Commissions, IOSCO at the conference in Oman. We will continue to show leadership among our peers and push for greater visibility for our market. In the same vein, SEC has recently been admitted as a full member of the Islamic Financial Services Board, IFSB. This will go a long way in supporting our efforts to deepen the non-interest market products space. Empowering trade groups and Self Regulating Organisations, SROs As we focus on the big issues, we are committed to empowering Trade Groups and SROs to play more important roles in regulating their members. An example is the new complaints management framework which we have released that ensures investor complaints are dealt with more swiftly starting from the operator, to the trade group or SRO level before reaching the SEC if still unresolved. Demutualization and securitization One of my earliest actions as Acting DG was to get the Minister of Finance to approve the rules on demutualization which had stalled for some time. We have finally released those Rules which should form a good basis for the NSE to proceed on its demutualization plans. We expedited efforts to release the rules on securitization. We hope the market leverages the rules to grow this new product which can have a transformational impact on housing, infrastructure and business financing. On additional disclosure requirements for Oil and Gas exploration and production companies, these rules will cover the technical peculiarities of exploration and production companies so the investor can be better informed in decisionmaking- making. On the rules on fund/portfolio management operations, This is to establish thresholds between retail investors and high networth investors and specify the types of instruments fund managers can invest in. On the rules on unclaimed dividends, we have already exposed these rules and received comments. We will ensure the rules are finalized and released within this quarter. Rules of the Africa Exchange Holdings, AFEX, will be robust, guiding the operations of a commodities exchange. We are meeting with the FMDQ to clarify provisions of these rules which concern short tenured instruments traded on the FMDQ platform We hope to approve these rules within the year. The amendments to Nigerian Stock Exchange rules areas including on inclusion of re-

Gwarzo

Within the first three months of 2015 We have completed and released

rules on natinal investor protection fund the

Which should impact retail investor confidence tail participants in securities lending transactions, listing of Sukuk and pricing methodology is aimed to boost liquidity in the market by allowing retail investors to partake in securities lending,eExpand the Islamic finance space and improve asset pricing. National Investor Protection Fund, NIPF The SEC had incorporated the NIPF since last year. Within the first three months of 2015 we have completed and released the Rules on NIPF which should impact retail investor confidence. Trading in unlisted securities: We released rules mandating the trading of unlisted securities of public companies exclusively on SEC-registered OTC platforms. This should improve the level of price discovery, liquidity, transparency and best practice in our market. Code of conduct We have released Codes of Conduct for operators including rating agencies, underwriters and trustees. No one should be in doubt that there shall be zero tolerance for infractions. We have worked on reviewing all areas of observe lapses in the regulatory framework. So far we have released amendments on areas like mergers and take overs, registration requirements, use of bond issues proceeds and so on. Corporate governance scorecard We have completed work on the corporate gover-

Robust public enlightenment campaign The SEC has done a good deal of public enlightenment on market initiatives like e-dividends, dematerialization and so on. We will be launching a widecoverage, comprehensive public enlightenment campaign across the nooks and crannies of Nigeria soon. Recapitalization of market operators Members are all aware of the gracious extension the SEC Board granted. We set up a market Committee comprising SEC, NSE and Central Securities Commission System, CSCS who have been working with trade groups to address related issues. Based on the latest returns we have received from operators, the level of compliance is encouraging although we will conduct a verification exercise at the end of this recapitalization to confirm compliance. Implementation of the complaints management framework Like earlier pointed out, we have released the rules on complaints management. We will work with all the trade groups to ensure the new framework takes off within this year. Following our internal restructuring, SEC now has a market relation division (Call Centre) which will be launched this year to coordinate the implementation of this framework. Adoption of the global investment performance standards, GIPS. To strengthen our fund management industry and imbibe global best practice we will support Fund Managers Association of Nigeria, FMAN to achieve full adoption of GIPS. Already we have made contacts with the CFA institute, the global association of professionals. On the strengthening the regulatory framework, there are a number of rules we already have in the pipeline which we will be releasing within the year to strengthen the regulatory regimes across the market. Moving forward, we should all focus on the implementation of the three master plan reports to drive market growth. There will be a brief presentation by the SEC on targets for the next three quarters as contained in the master plans. One of those near-term targets is the reduction of transaction costs in our market.

Features

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Dangers of not having exclusive breast

Nursing mothers with their babies

Have you ever thought that babies can be malnourished from the womb? Babies in that condition up to their second birthdays have a higher risk of dying in infancy and if they survive are more likely to face physical and cognitive deficits as well as chronic health challenges for life. Find out in this report by TUNBOSUN OGUNDARE how this can happen, the implications on the family, community and the larger society as well as the solutions and prevention.

rs. Mary Bamidele, 27, is a nursing mother in Lagos. Her baby, Etanami Bamidele, is just five months old this April. During pregnancy, Mary had no sound knowledge of what good nutrition was all about for an expectant mother let alone the baby in her womb. “Although, I was encouraged to eat very well, not on the type of foods, quantity and when to eat them,” she told National Mirror. “So, I ate based on what I could afford to fill my belly and not necessarily for their nutritional values. And that had been my eating pattern all along.” Mary had her ante-natal care at a family church, which operates a maternity home for pregnant members. “My elder sister delivered of a baby there about two years ago and my husband agreed that I should register there, moreso expectant mothers are being specially prayed for at every meeting,”

PHOTO: FILE

APART FROM THE FACT THAT NOBODY TOLD ME NOT TO GIVE HIM WATER YET, I OBSERVED THAT HE WAS NOT SATISFIED WITH ONLY BREAST MILK. BECAUSE AT TIMES, AFTER FEEDING HIM, HE WILL BE CRYING AS IF HE HAS NOT EATEN FOR DAYS she explained. However, Mary had one regular complaint during the period saying: “I used to feel very weak and sometimes it came with internal heat to the extent that I would feel like collapsing. “And that always took me to ‘hospital’ for medical attention.” The caregiver there, who Mary referred to as doctor always emphasized according to her, that “I should always observe some rest and not engage in strenuous activities.” But Mary did not take to the advice. She had to go to school and to work after school hours. “I was in a nursing school and almost done with my programme while at the same time doing a part-time sales at a pharmacy shop where I earned some income to support my family,” she said. “So, while I had wanted to finish my studies which I did about two months to delivery, I also didn’t want to leave my job.” With this experience, Mary still couldn’t eat well and often times she had to go to bed hungry. That was Mary’s nine months experience as an expectant mother for the first time. Though, she had natural birth after long hours of labour, she was very weak and her breast could not produce milk until about eight hours after. And the baby in the meantime was given, according to him, water. On her feeding experience and that of her baby from there, she said there was no significant difference regarding her own while Etanami is being fed with breast milk and water.

Interestingly, Mary is aware of exclusive breastfeeding. She was told where she delivered and at Ojokoro Maternity Centre, a government-owned primary health centre in Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government area of the state, where she registered for the post-natal care. But she was not educated properly on the right practice of the method. “I was told at both places to feed my baby with breast milk and water for the first six months after which I could introduce complementary feeding until he is weaned,” she said. Now, Etanami is being fed all along with breast milk and water, the practice which is contrary to the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendation on exclusive breastfeeding for newborn below six months. Even at that, it sounds strange to Mary that what Etanami needs for now is only safe breast milk except the use of oral rehydration solution, syrups of vitamins, minerals or medicines when necessary. “Apart from the fact that nobody told me not to give him water yet, I observe that he is not satisfied with only breast milk. Because at times, after feeding him, he will be crying as if he has not eaten for days. And really, I don’t see my breasts producing milk that will be enough for him. Even now, they are no longer producing much milk like before,” she noted. That is not only Mary’s challenge. Her boy is already on complementary feeding saying six months of waiting is too long. Why? She said: “I will soon start my three-month internship programme and I

Minister of health, Alhassan

want him to get used to cereal food before I take him to my aged mother to help bottle feed him until I return home.” So, as far as Mary is concerned, real six months exclusive breastfeeding and the continuous breastfeeding till the boy is two years old or more is not feasible. “Except I want to lie, I don’t see myself practising the two methods in their real sense when I know I have to work and support the family financially. After all, our mothers didn’t feed us with only breast milk during our times and yet we grew up normally,” Mary argued, referring to herself and the journalist. All the same, she pointed out, Etanami at times, has been quiet down with cold and cough but not all the time. Sharing similar experience is Mrs. Oluwaseyi Taiwo-Oguntuase, a journalist with Daily Independent Newspaper. Like Mary, Oluwaseyi, an expectant mother of two told National Mirror that she equally had no sound knowledge of the importance of the first 1,000 days in a baby’s life. She eats according to what the family could afford while she also finds six months

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Features

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

feeding for babies under two years exclusive breastfeeding impossible. But unlike Mary who is feeding Etanami with breast milk and water, Oluwaseyi observed exclusive breast milk rule strictly when she was nursing her two children who are now five and three years old. “But I did that for only four months-three months of my maternity leave and additional one month after resumption- before I introduced complementary feeding to them till they were about two years old,” she explained. “And they don’t fall sick all the time.” These illustrate a few experiences of millions of Nigerian nursing mothers. Sadly, many of them don’t know that the quality of their diets, especially when pregnant and breastfeeding has direct implications on their children’s health and development. Some even take junk foods and alcoholic substance like normal meal while family tradition forbids some from eating certain foods notwithstanding their nutritional values. However, every period is important but scientists say the most critical stage in a child’s life is from conception up to their second birthday otherwise refers to as the first 1,000 days of life. This is because almost everything about their mental and physical developments is largely determined in-between this period by the quality of breast milk available to them. Science has proved that safe breast milk contains all the nutrients that babies need for their normal development and immunes to fight common childhood ailments such as diarrhoea, pneumonia and cold. The benefits are not limited to these. Health experts have equally pointed out that safe diets coupled with good hygiene during this period has a profound impact on their learning ability in school and to rise out of poverty in future, which in turn will translate into higher productivity and economic wellbeing for the family, communities and the larger society. The National President of Nutrition Society of Nigeria, Prof. Ngozi Nnam, told National Mirror that anything contrary to these may lead to severe or acute malnutrition, the consequences of which she said oftentimes permanent. According to her, about 65 per cent of children’s brain and tissues develop within 24 months of life and lack of necessary nutrients during the period will thwart their normal growth. Today, malnutrition (a state of deficient and imbalance intake of nutrients) is one of the leading causes of child deaths not only in Nigeria but globally. UNICEF in its recent report put the figure of children who died due to malnutrition at the global level at about 2.6 million each year while about one million others suffer lifelong physical and cognitive impairments. Malnutrition, especially the severe type according to Prof. Nnam, who also teaches dietary at the University of Nigeria (UNN), Enugu campus, could manifest in form of stunting, wasting (kwashiorkor) and micronutrient deficiency. She explained that stunting, wasting and micronutrient deficiency occur when a child is too small for his age just as it is common among the Chinese; weight too low for height as common in the northern part of Nigeria and in countries fighting war like Somalia and Sudan; and weight too low for age, respectively. “And none of these is good because even

BUT I DID THAT FOR ONLY FOUR MONTHS

–THREE MONTHS OF MY MATERNITY LEAVE AND ADDITIONAL ONE MONTH AFTER RESUMPTION–

BEFORE

I INTRODUCED

COMPLEMENTARY FEEDING TO THEM TILL THEY WERE ABOUT TWO YEARS OLD

Wrong way to feed newborn

if a child’s diet improves later in life and other health issues are resolved, damage done during this period is largely irreversible,” she emphasised. A consultant paediatrician and immediate past Senior Special Adviser to Osun State Governor on Health, Dr. Olasunkanmi Isamotu, who put the standard average weight for a baby at birth irrespective of sex at 3.5kg, also reaffirmed the importance of quality diets to their normal growth. He explained that an underweight or overweight baby will face problem in crawling, talking and walking. However, the Federal Ministry of Health survey conducted nationwide in 2013 put the figure of malnourished children in the country below five at about 41 per cent. The survey further showed that the burden was higher in the Northern states-close to about 80 per cent- of the child population despite that the region produces most of the available staple foods in the country. Similarly, the country’s office of UNICEF estimated that 1.1 million children below five are threatened with malnutrition in the country also with those in the northern region mostly affected. Confirming this position, a nutrition specialist at the Kaduna Field Office of the world agency, Dr. Florence Oni sometime ago at a two-day meeting of the Zonal Committee on Food and Nutrition (ZCFN) in Minna, Niger State painted the horrific state of children below five in Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara States, saying their conditions were as bad as eight children dying per minute. She recalled that a survey in Katsina State conducted by the state government, for instance, revealed that more than half of children below five who died there were linked to chronic malnutrition. But how can these be tackled in Nigeria where thousands of babies are born daily? The scientists and health experts proffer answer, saying the way out begins with young girls long before they are conceived. “And the approach is simple and cost-effective irrespective of family income and status,” Dr Florence Uchendu, declared, in an interview

with National Mirror. Uchendu, a senior instructor at the School of Health Sciences, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) said though everybody irrespective of sex and age needs safe balanced diets to stay healthy and live long, women in their reproductive age deserve special consideration. Just like Prof Nnam, she reaffirmed that “it is the quality of foods they eat before and during pregnancy and breastfeeding that will give them necessary nutrients to pass on to their babies in their first 24 months of life and beyond.” If they lack this, she maintained, there will be problem. Interestingly, these foods abound in the country. Uchendu classified them into two groups- plant sources such as yam, plantain, rice, beans, maize, vegetables, pineapple and tomatoes, among others and animal sources which include but not limited to fish and chicken, eggs, meat and milk. She noted that appropriate and timely consumption of the two will supply all the six nutrients-carbohydrates, fats and oils, proteins, vitamins, mineral and water- required to keep both the mothers and their babies away from hospital. She explained that fruits and vegetables which are considered to be non-energy giving foods for instance, will supply vitamins (A, D and C) and minerals (calcium, iron, iodine and zinc) that the body and its various organs need to grow and function well. All other foods including yam, rice, cassava, plantain, egg, beans, chicken, beef, red and vegetable oils, butter, water and so on, she added, will supply energy and heat to the body as well as building and repairing the tissues. However, the scientist pointed out that while the body needs about 75 per cent of the first group, 25 per cent of the latter would be enough to form the balanced daily diet of every person. “To obtain and maintain good health therefore, mothers as well as their babies would have to eat edible foods that contain generous amounts of vitamins and minerals,” Uchendu restated, arguing that when every mother understands this through education, public enlightenment, among other means, the better it is for the society. “But the work does not end there,” Dr. Oyeniran Oyewole, a senior lecturer at the Department of Health Promotion and Education, University of Ibadan, told National Mirror. “It required concerted efforts of all –family members, faith-based and corporate organisations, civil society groups, governments and the society in general.” Each of these agents, according to him, has their respective roles to play to bring

about the collective desirable change in the system. “But governments in particular at all levels,” he pointed out, “have a lion share of the roles.” According to him, government would need to demonstrate political will by committing adequate resources to promote good nutrition and hygiene, particularly among vulnerable mothers and children. He however argued that the most appropriate period for such intervention was at the earliest stage of life when children brains and other organs are being developed and not when they are already above five years old and in schools as the practice today by the Federal and various state governments giving one free meal to students in basic class. “Government should be more concerned about how these children are well fed right from when they are in the womb up to when they are matured to go to school. That is when they and their mothers need the best of care and support as any damage done during this period will be costlier to the society,” he explained. Another way out of the problem in his view is for the nursing mothers and their husbands to be well-enlightened about the appropriate diets for their babies. While disagreeing with parents who believe that only the rich can afford nourishing diets, the don explained that even if such a view is true to some extent, the right application of resources is the most important. The right combination of safe and cheap staple foods with lots of vegetables and fruits for example, he insisted, would still give necessary nutrients even more than the expensive ones that are not in right combination, to the body. With about N500, a prudent mother according to him will prepare a safe balance diet for a sizeable family. Uchendu of NOUN agreed with him while she condemned grinding of foods such as rice or amala by some mothers, particularly the illiterates with their teeth while eating and smuggle it into their babies’ mouth, saying such practice is wrong and harmful. For working mothers like Oluwaseyi, a journalist who has no opportunity to practice six months exclusive breastfeeding, Uchendu urged the private sector to key into the six months maternity leave for the nursing mothers as applicable to government workers. She also suggested that health workers, especially in private hospitals, faith-based homes as well as primary health centres where larger percentage of pregnant and nursing mothers seek help should endeavour to upgrade themselves with right knowledge and skills that will help them guide their patients appropriately. Another measure in her opinion is for governments at all levels to encourage farming to boost production in order to make foods more accessible and affordable in the market while companies producing baby foods to fortify their products with vitamin A. Though, the measures are not limited to these, Professor Nnam and Doctors Uchendu and Oyewole believe that should those identified ones be put into practice, the country would reduce to a barest minimum if not totally eradicate malnutrition among nursing mothers and babies as well as the other members of the society.

Global Business

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

More central banks meet, but ability to pilot economies in doubt T

Volkswagen chairman Ferdinand Piech quits in power struggle

ost central banks have been easing policy since the start of the year and are set to do more, but it still isn’t clear whether that new activism, which has pushed stock markets to record highs, will help the global economy much. Several meet this week to set policy, including the U.S. Federal Reserve, the Bank of Japan and Sweden’s Riksbank, which all have turned to government bond purchases as stimulus after running out of interest rates to cut. Yet recent easing -- and the halving of oil prices, which was meant to be a windfall for consumers -- have not changed the global outlook much, according to Reuters polls of hundreds of economists published last week. The Fed shut its quantitative easing (QE) program just over six months ago. But it seems likely it will be forced to wait until later this year, instead of June as was expected a short time ago, before raising rates from record lows. A disappointing start to the year from another punishing winter and trade disruption at West Coast ports, together with a rally in the dollar that is now restraining inflation and U.S. exports, is chiming a familiar refrain: low rates for longer. Few expect the Fed to use its twoday meeting as a launching pad for what will eventually be the first interest rate hike in nearly a decade. Wages

German stock building

and inflation still are not rising significantly and even hiring has had a setback. Many, however, expect the central bank to make it clear in its policy statement on Wednesday that it is inclined to take the first solid opportunity it can find to set extraordinarily accommodative interest rate policy back on a more normal path. “Further labor market progress, moving to a ‘more balanced’ outlook and gaining confidence in the inflation outlook would send clear smoke signals that lift-off is only shortly ahead,” wrote analysts at BNP Paribas in a note to clients. What does not appear any more balanced is the global growth picture, nor does trading behavior in

world financial markets. Just this week, Wall Street re-captured its record high on the Nasdaq struck during the last technology stock boom. German stocks have soared more than 20 per cent this year in anticipation of European Central Bank sovereign bond purchases, which began last month and have hammered the euro and bond yields about as much as they have boosted share prices. The euro zone outlook certainly has brightened over the last several months. But the still-modest growth will not bring down high unemployment, and the risk remains real Greece, which is running out of cash to pay its debts, may be forced to default.

US SEC’s stock market club locks out brokers

he U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is convening a group of financial industry veterans for the first time next month to consider stock market reforms, but one group will be conspicuously absent: retail brokerages. The SEC’s 17-member Market Structure Advisory Committee includes representatives of fund companies, an exchange, off-exchange trading venues, dealers, and academia, among others. The group,

Jo White

which meets four times a year, will review old rules, and advise the SEC on a range of new regulations designed to make sure the market is as stable and fair as possible. Still, given that the SEC has said its main priority is to protect retail investors, the omission of retail brokers raises questions, because without their point of view the panel may recommend changes that favor institutional investors, analysts said. Retail investors place around 16 percent of all U.S. stock orders. “There’s a missing gap of protecting retail order flow,” said Larry Tabb, chief executive of capital markets advisory firm TABB Group. That gap was also noticed by committee member Joseph Ratterman, president and chairman of No. 2 U.S. exchange operator BATS Global Markets. He said he mentioned his concern to SEC Chair Mary Jo White shortly after the committee was announced and that she asked him, along with committee member Jamil Nazarali, from market making firm Citadel Secu-

rities, to formally represent retail interests. Citadel and BATS do not directly interact with retail investors, and their interests sometimes diverge from retail brokers’. The SEC declined to comment, and hasn’t said how it chose the committee members. The major retail brokerages, including Charles Schwab Corp (SCHW.N), TD Ameritrade (AMTD.N), E*Trade (ETFC.O), Fidelity and Scottrade, also declined to comment on the record. Once the regulator made the names of the panel public, some retail brokerages began lobbying for a seat at the table, but were told that the process would not be restarted, according to people familiar with the matter who did not have permission to speak publicly. “We were kind of shocked,” said a senior executive at one retail brokerage. “I mean, if you’re going to talk about market structure and how it impacts investors, you might want to have someone who deals with retail investors.”

he chairman of the carmaker Volkswagen (VW), Ferdinand Piech, has resigned after a power struggle with chief executive Martin Winterkorn. Mr. Piech had criticised his chief executive in an interview with the German news magazine Der Spiegel, but did not specify the issue at stake. Mr Winterkorn has been widely tipped as VW’s next chairman. Mr Piech and the Porsche family control 51 per cent of VW. Volkswagen is the biggest car manufacturer in Europe. On 17 April, Volkswagen’s fivemember governing board gave its backing to Mr Winterkorn. Board member Wolfgang Porsche, a cousin of Mr Piech, said he had given his “personal opinion” without clearing his remarks with other family members. Mr Piech, 78, is a former VW chief executive. His wife Ursula has also resigned her seat on the board. “The members of the steering committee came to a consensus that, in the light of the past weeks, the mutual trust necessary for successful cooperation was no longer there,” the board said a statement. The carmaker added that deputy board chairman Berthold Huber would serve as interim chairman. “The uncertainty had to be ended today,” said Mr Huber. “The

Piech

steering committee was and is conscious of its responsibility to Volkswagen and its many thousand staff.” During his eight-year tenure as chief executive, Mr Winterkorn has overhauled VW and made it one of the world’s most successful carmakers, industry analysts say. He had been seen as a close ally of Mr Piech until relations became strained, reportedly over difficulties in breaking into the lucrative US market. “Mr Piech’s departure represents a seismic shift in Volkswagen’s power structure, and could foretell drastic changes in how one of the world’s largest automakers operates,” said Karl Brauer at automotive research group Kelley Blue Book. In 2014, VW was the world’s secondbiggest carmaker by sales, behind Toyota and ahead of GM.

The rumble in Riga: How the EU lost patience with Varoufakis

hen Yanis Varoufakis warned his fellow euroarea finance chiefs of the dangers of pushing his government in Athens too far, Peter Kazimir snapped. Kazimir, Slovakia’s finance minister, launched a volley of criticism at his Greek counterpart, releasing months of pent-up frustrations among the group at the political novice. They’d had enough of what they called the economics professor’s lecturing style and his failure to make good on his pledges. The others at the April 24 gathering in Riga, Latvia, took their cue from Kazimir -- they called Varoufakis a time waster and said he would never get a deal if he persisted with such tactics. The criticism continued after the meeting: eight participants broke decorum to describe what happened behind closed doors. A spokesman for Varoufakis declined to respond to their descriptions. “All the ministers told him: this can’t go on,” Spain’s Luis de Guindos said the following day. “The feeling among the 18 was exactly the same. There was no kind of

divergence.” The others who provided an account of the meeting in interviews asked not to be named, citing the privacy of the talks. Varoufakis’s isolation raises the stakes, which include a potential default and keeping the euro indivisible. After more than five years as a ward of the European Union, Greece is virtually out of cash. The aid pipeline is shut until Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, elected Jan. 25 promising to push back against budget cuts, bends to EU policy demands. Alluding to the political conflict, Varoufakis borrowed a line from a 1936 speech by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. “They are unanimous in their hate for me; and I welcome their hatred,” Varoufakis said on his Twitter account on Sunday. The quotation is “close to my heart (& reality) these days,” he wrote. The breakdown came as Greece heads into a week of heightening fiscal tension. The first of two International Monetary Fund payments is due on May 6 and the government still doesn’t know if it has enough money to pay pensioners and state employees this week.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Prophet warns Buhari, APC on religious discrimination THEOPHILUS ONOJEGHEN WARRI

L-R: Chairman on the occasion, Col. Joe Achuzia (rtd); Secretary-General, Lower Niger Congress, Mr. Tony Nnadi and President, Mr. Fred Agbeyegbe, during presentation of referendum on self-determination by the Lower Niger Congress in Port Harcourt, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

Army chief seeks cordial relationship with Delta communities THEOPHILUS ONOJEGHEN WARRI

n a bid to curb insecurity problem in the country, Nigerians have been called upon to support activities of security agencies in their domain by assisting officers with intelligence reports and contributing to their welfare to stem criminality from the society. Brigadier General O. Laleye, of 4 Brigade Command, Benin City made the call on Sunday at the commissioning of a state of the art army guard post at Ajagbadudu/Koko junction donated by S.

O. Solodems Nigeria and Ghana Limited to 19 Battalion, Nigerian Army in Koko, Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State. According to him, security personnel would perform effectively better when they are supported by their host communities through the provision of information and equipment that will assist them to ensure a peaceful society. Brig. Gen. Laleye while accepting the security post commended the cordial civil/ military relations between security agents and residents of the area, calling on well-meaning individuals, groups

and corporate bodies to contribute their quota to the development of the military. He noted that there are many ways Nigerians could help the security personnel perform their duties such as the provision of information and intelligence to the security agencies, ensuring that there is civil/ military relationship between the host community and provision of facilities that will enable officers carry out their duties such as S.O Solodems has done. “What the community gets in return is service that is unparalleled because by the time soldiers

are well rested and taken care of, you will be amazed as to how well they will perform their duties”, he said. Speaking during the ceremony, Chief Executive Officer, Solodems Nigeria and Ghana Limited, Sapele, Chief Solomon Odemero Ojairefe Agbagi, noted that security is everyone’s business stressing that security issues should not be left to the government alone and appealed to other well-meaning Nigerians to rise to the challenge to play their role in ensuring the safety of lives and properties in their communities.

DESOPADEC, EGCDF donate science materials to Warri schools THEOPHILUS ONOJEGHEN WARRI

n a bid to encourage science education, equipment estimated to worth several millions of Naira have been donated to four schools in Egbema kingdom, Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State. The materials were jointly donated by the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC, and Egbema Gbaramatu Communities Development Foundation towards improving the science education among riverine communities in the state. The beneficiaries are Oloduwa Secondary School, Opuama, Ogbinbiri Secondary School, Ogbinbiri, Ogbudugbudu Secondary School, Ogbudugbudu and Tsekelwu Secondary School,

Tsekelewu. General secretary, EGCDF, Mr. Jude Ebitimi Ukori, said the donation of science equipment to the four schools through the EGCDF was a major boost to the foundation, since it matches the foundation’s set goal of bringing even development to the Egbema and Gbaramatu communities. According to him, “the EGCDF received the items last year, and now we are delivering them to Oloduwa Secondary School, Opuama, Ogbinbiri Secondary School, Ogbinbiri, Ogbudugbudu Secondary School, Ogbudugbudu and Tsekelwu Secondary School, Tsekelewu. “The science equipments aimed at improving the standard of teaching and learning of science subjects in our communities. So I advised the school authorities to make judicious use

of the equipments to improve on the standard of teaching and learning of science subjects in our schools”. Ukori explained, “Chevron Nigeria Limited has been the sole sponsor of the Foundation and the funds provided cannot actualize the great dreams we have for our communities, hence, we appreciate the kind gesture of the DESOPADEC in partnering with the Foundation to alleviate the sufferings of the people of our communities”. “We are optimistic that the victory of Senator (Dr.) Ifeanyi Okowa, Governor-elect, Delta state and Barr. Kingsley Otuaro, Deputy Governor-elect in the April 11 polls, will improve our efforts of partnership with the government, in a bid to transform our riverrine communities. We want to also call on other gov-

ernment interventionist agencies to follow the steps of the DESOPADEC to impact more on the riverine communities”, he added.

head of May 29 handover date, popular Warri based cleric and General Overseer, Christ Mercyland Deliverance Ministry, Prophet Jeremiah Fufeyin, has called on President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari to carry all parts of the country along irrespective of their political or religious affiliation when he officially assumed office. Prophet Fufeyin made the call during a three day Crusade titled, “I must Carry My Samuel,” held at the Mercy City Permanent Site, weekend, saying that fervent prayers from Nigerians saved the country from being thrown into crisis in the just concluded general elections. According to him, recent political events have shown that Nigeria has truly demonstrated its leadership role in Africa. “I know that God Almighty will intervene during and after the general exercise. I am also glad that Nigeria has remained peaceful since after the election,” said the prophet. While commending the maturity and peaceful disposition of President Goodluck Jonathan for accepting defeat in good faith, the Cleric however predicted a hitch-free May 29 Handing-over ceremony. He added that: “I am seeing this country enjoying an enduring peace and harmony because of the maturity and good leadership example exhibited by our present leaders.” Fufeyin insisted that Nigeria remain the biggest democratic country in Africa and now getting more global respect from all nations of the world. Fufeyin however, noted that the crusade which attracted thousands of Christians from within and outside the country was specially designed to heal all wounds and affliction being experienced by mankind.

Abducted Bayelsa LG chairman regains freedom OSAHON JULIUS YENAGOA

he abducted Chairman of the Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, Hon. Anya Abah has regain freedom after spending a week in the kidnappers den. The local government chairman of the President Goodluck Jonathan’s home council who was abducted on the 22nd of April, was released by his abductors at about 8.45pm on Sunday along the Ogonoko waterside in Abua/Odua Local Area of Rivers State.

According to the spokesman of the Bayelsa State Police Command, Butswat Asimin, the abducted local government chairman was abandoned by his kidnappers following attempts by the special force of the State Anti-Kidnapping squad to invade their hide out in the area. According to Asimin,”our policemen were on ground after adequate intelligence gathering. We beefed our searchlight on the area because of earlier intelligence gathered. The kidnappers got scared and abandoned their victim.”

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Court freezes former lawmaker’s accounts

Oil spill response workers recovering crude into plastic tank during clean-up efforts following oil leak at Kolo creek manifold in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

Kolo oil spill: Environmentalists fault Shell’s investigation OSAHON JULIUS

YENAGOA

nvironmental Rights Action/Friends of Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has called for a fresh Joint Investigative Visit (JIV) of the Kolo Creek manifold Spill site in Otuasega community, Ogbia local government area of Bayelsa state. ERA/FoEN, an environmental rights group in its field report on the spill incident made available to NIGER DELTA NIRROR in Yenagoa said the JIV did not document all the impacted sites around the facility. According to the report signed by Mr Alagoa Morris, ERA/ FoEN’s Head of Field Operation in Bayelsa several plantain and banana plantations, fishponds and farmlands damaged by the spill were not captured in the JIV report. “There is the urgent need for all Stakeholders to return to the impacted environment to reappraise and re-document the JIV Report; especially as it relates to volume of spilt crude, spread and impacts. It therefore called for a Fresh Joint Investigation Visits, JIV, to include all other stakeholders. “The Regulatory agencies; especially the Bayelsa State Ministry of Environment, should take all necessary steps to reinvestigate this matter which is of common communal interest. “In line with the polluter pays principle; Shell should be prepared to compensate victims of

this major spill. The time oil companies hide under the sabotage clause to escape liability should be over. “This should be legally challenged as Shell ought to have a CCTV within the Manifold environment to monitor movements around the facility,” the report stated According to Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) the leak within the Kolo creek oil field operated by the firm in Ogbia LGA, Bayelsa discharged some 27 barrels of shell’s crude blend into the environment on April 15, 2015. A statement from SPDC’s Spokesman Joseph Obari had restated that the spill was caused by Sabotage. “Report of the Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) at the Kolo Creek Manifold spill which occurred on April 15, 2015 has attributed the leak to sabotage of the facility. “The investigation team, which visited the site on April 16, found that unknown persons had cut out a section of the metal protection to the manifold, removed components of the pressure control system and opened the isolation valves. “It resulted to a spill. The volume of spilled oil was estimated at 27 barrels, affecting mainly the manifold grounds and part of the surrounding vegetation,” the statement read in part. ERA/FoEN urged the victims of the spill in Otuasega community to maintain a peaceful disposition while seeking redress from

Shell. Reacting to the development, Mr Iniruo Wills, Bayelsa Commissioner for Environment said that the state government would verify the reported exclusion of impacted sites. “We have to look the information and verify it and if it is true that the impacted area was larger than what was originally captured, we shall find a way of addressing these concerns. “All parties have a duty to make sure that they are included, nobody can hide under the cover of technicalities to say that a fact that is reality will not be captured. “We have to look at it and address it one way or the other even

if it means paying another visit, another JIV to expand the scope, we cannot leave those people outside the net of justice,” Wills said. It will be recalled that a pipeline leak within the Kolo creek oil field operated by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in Bayelsa is discharged crude into the environment two weeks ago. The leak according to residents of the area was leaking from a crude trunk line connecting the Kolo creek fields to SPDC’s pipeline network had flown into the communities and devastated farmlands and vegetation in the area.

ustice Yunusa Mohammed of the Federal High Court in Lagos, capital of Lagos State, has ordered eleven Nigerian banks to freeze the accounts of a former female member of the House of Representatives, Doris Uboh-Ogunkoya. The court order arose from a lawsuit filed against Ms. Uboh-Ogunkoya by Sterling Bank Plc, alleging that she and her company had defaulted on a substantial loan. Justice Yunusa Mohammed of the Federal High Court in Lagos, capital of Lagos State, has ordered eleven Nigerian banks to freeze the accounts of a former female member of the House of Representatives, Doris Uboh-Ogunkoya. The court order arose from a lawsuit filed against Ms. Uboh-Ogunkoya by Sterling Bank Plc, alleging that she and her company had defaulted on a substantial loan. The lawsuit, which was filed by Dada Awosika on behalf of Sterling Bank, also lists the former legislator’s company, Dagasteel International Limited, as codefendant. Doris Uboh-Ogunkoya Ms. Uboh-Ogunkoya was a House of Reps member from 2007 to 2011. She also ran unsuccessfully as a senatorial candidate of the Labor Party in the March 28, 2015 elections. An affidavit by Mr. Tunji Bajowa, an official of Sterling Bank, disclosed that Ms. Uboh-Ogunkoya and her company received loans of $1,600,000 and N100 million to finance a contract awarded to Dagasteel by different bodies, including the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SDPC), the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), and the Pipelines and Product Marketing Company Limited (PPMC). Sterling alleges that both Ms. UbohOgunkoya and her company did not service the loans.

Deltans urged to support Uduaghan on DESOPADEC bill

enin City. The people of Delta State have been urged to unite and lend total support to the efforts of Governor Emmanuel Ewetan Uduaghan to reduce communal crisis and ensure that those from oil producing communities get the full benefits of their natural resources. A chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State, Chief Ladina Yebu, made the call after commending Governor Uduaghan for the effort he made to prepare a new bill that is right now before the Delta State House of Assembly, intended to correct the defects of the Act that presently regulates the activities of the Delta State Oil Producing Area Development Commission. It might be recalled that Delta State is one of Nigeria’s largest

crude oil and natural gas producing states. Even as the natural resources might seem like blessings especially in terms of huge revenue accruals, it has also become sources of communal frictions as communities struggle to overcome undercurrent deals and short changings that leave them perpetually under the stronghold of underdevelopment. In the search for permanent solution and better deals for oil producing communities and members of such communities, Governor Uduaghan recently introduced a bill intended to amend the Act that regulates the commission’s activities by correcting anomalies of the law. The effort has, however, been challenged by those who are feeling threatened by the bill under consideration. Addressing the media in his

home in Benin City, Yebu, a member of an oil producing area and former Special Assistant to the Governor said, “I commend the Governor for his courage and relentless efforts geared towards revamping the Oil Producing Area Development Commission in order to put it in the position to discharge its set goals for the benefits of the people of the oil producing areas in the state.” “My commendation and full support become necessary in view of the fact that the Governor has placed a bill before the Delta State House of Assembly to correct many defects that have been observed in the former law that established DESOPADEC, where many things were found to have been working against the smooth and effective operations of the Commission.”

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Politics

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Sokoto guber: Court to determine Tambuwal’s fate May 26 ISE-OLUWA IGE

Federal High Court sitting in Abuja yesterday fixed May 26 to rule on whether or not the suit challenging the emergence of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, as the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Sokoto State is still competent after the real gubernatorial election in the state had held. The trial judge, Justice Elvis Chukwu, fixed the date yesterday after taking arguments from parties in the case The ruling will decide whether the electoral victory of Tambuwal is written either in ink or pencil. When the matter came up yesterday, Tambuwal, who is now Sokoto State governor-elect, told the court, through his counsel, Jibril Okutepa, SAN, that the suit filed by Senator Umaru Dahiru challenging his candidacy as APC gubernatorial candidate in Sokoto has become an academic exercise and that the court should decline jurisdiction to hear and determine the matter. Okutepa, in paragraphs 2.40, page 7 of the plaintiffs’ written address, stat-

ed that reliefs E to G which would have conferred utility value on the plaintiffs are no longer tenable due to effluxion of time and occurrence of events. He said: “The suit has become academic and when a court lacks jurisdiction to entertain a matter, it does not have the inherent jurisdiction to give life to the matter. “I want the court to hold that the suit has become academic and should decline jurisdiction. Let the plaintiffs wait till 2019 to try their luck.” Counsel to the 2nd defendant, APC, in the suit, Sunday Ibrahim Ameh, SAN, aligned himself with Okutepa’s submission and adopted the written submissions of the 1st defendant in the matter and added however that reliefs A to D of the plaintiffs seek only constitutional interpretation. He said any declaration by the court will have no constitutional or electoral significance to the parties before the court because election had already been held and a winner had emerged. Plaintiffs’ counsel, Chief Awa Kalu, SAN, urged the court to hold that the matter is still competent, insisting that there is a reasonable cause of action.

L-R: Member, House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora Affairs, Hon. Famurewa Ajibola; Chairperson of the committee, Hon. Abike Dabiri– Erewa and South African High Commissioner in Nigeria, Amb. Lulu Louis Mnguni, during the presentation of resolution of the House of RepresentaPHOTO: ROTIMI OSASONA tives on the Xenophobic attacks on African immigrants in South Africa, in Abuja, recently.

Ondo PDP commends House members on deputy gov’s impeachment EBERE NDUKWU

ndo State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has commended the state House of Assembly for its impeachment of the deputy governor of the state, Alhaji Ali Olanusi, saying the party takes absolute cognizance of the impeachment. In a press release made available to newsmen, Ondo State PDP director of publicity, Ayo Fadaka, said that by removing from office a man who not only discharge his responsibilities with levity and

mostly in abeyance, but also view with disdain his oath of office to bear true allegiance to the government he was an integral part of, the parliament displayed its commitment to good governance that will be bereft of undue encumbrances. He added that the attitude of the deputy governor was unbecoming of a senior citizen who should ordinarily serve as a shining example to younger generations who look up to him for inspiration. He said: “The concept of gubernatorial candidates having running

mates as enshrined in the Presidential system of government indicates that a governor must have loyal and trustworthy deputy that will view issues from the same perspective as his boss and work in unison with him in all ramifications. Thus the moment Olanusi, decided to chart a new and independent course for himself, he should have honorably resigned from office, rather, he began to nurse phantom ambitions of how he will covet the position of his boss, this to say the least is dishonorable and treacherous.

“With the impeachment of Olanusi and his replacement by Alhaji Lasisi Oluboyo, who until his appointment was a commissioner in the administration, government will continue to power on seamlessly and progress will continue in our state.” Fadaka, however assured the people that peace will continue to reign here in the state, asking the people to discountenance all the uninformed threats to the contrary as Nigeria is in a democracy that is thriving and orderly.

ma of his new status to “avoid psychological torture inherent in his hate campaign against APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu”, adding that he should be discrete in his utterances on the feud between APC lawmakers and Governor Ayodele Fayose. Reacting to Babatope’s interview published in a national newspaper yesterday, where he called them charlatans, the lawmakers regretted that at an old age of close to 80, Babatope could sit in court of jealousy running down junior fellows and supporting a lawless governor who is daily re-writing the nation’s Constitution to the chagrin of the world. The lawmakers questioned his integrity as a top Nigerian in crisis management, saying that

it was regrettable that a supposed statesman could succumb to partisan emotions while his country crumbled under the weight of illegal acts of brigands in government. They asked why Babatope should support impeachment of Ondo State Deputy Governor Ali Olanusi, over trumped-up minor charges while warning against the impeachment of Governor Fayose who they argued committed graver offences. The statement reads: “A question mark is being put on the integrity of Babatope as a leader, if he could support Ondo impeachment but he is now calling Ekiti lawmakers names for questioning Fayose over a treason charge by changing the leadership of the Assembly with seven members,

contrary to the prescription of the Constitution. “Babatope’s past role in Ekiti Government House is still fresh in our memory with special reference to the allegation that he once participated in the supervision of thugs to unleash mayhem on our members. Up till now, he has not refuted that allegation and we wonder why it is when to support violent acts like we have under Fayose that Babatope makes headlines on Ekiti issues.” They advised the PDP leader to leave Tinubu alone, saying fate had put the APC leader in a position to take Yoruba progressives to the national politics for the first time in history where true Awoists will be calling the shots along their fellow progressives from other parts of the country.

Osun lawmaker-elect assures constituents of good governance Ekiti APC lawmakers to Babatope, take rest from post-defeat stress BOLADALE BAMIGBOLA OSOGBO

he lawmaker-elect for Ifedayo state constituency of Osun State, Azeez Olanrewaju, has assured his constituents of his commitment to good governance. Speaking with newsmen in Osogbo, Olanrewaju stated that the trust reposed in him by the people has placed huge burden to perform up to expectations on him. He said the electorate has deep trust in the All Progressives Congress, APC, as well as, its candidate which was the reason they voted for it, despite being lured with money to vote for other parties, assuring that the trust of the people would not be compromised. He said the people of Ife-

dayo have shown that APC, apart from being a progressive party, is the only party that have the interest of the masses at heart, adding that it would continue to stay by the people. He said: “We as a party, know the trust the people of the constituency have in our party, hence, we would not do anything to hamper the responsibility the electorates reposed in us.” He therefore promised to dedicate himself to serving the people and fully commit self to quality lawmaking that can enhance lives of the masses, especially in his constituency. He commended the people of Ifedayo and his campaign committee for their steadfastness, despite all odds, in the build up to the election, saying he would repay them by working to ensure good governance.

EBERE NDUKWU

he 19 All Progressives Congress, APC, House of Assembly members in Ekiti State have advised Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, chieftain, Ebenezer Babatope, to take rest after the crushing defeat his party suffered from APC in both his Osun State and federal levels to enable him cope with the rigour of sound thinking to contribute positively to the growth of democracy in Nigeria. The lawmakers, who stated this in a press statement made available to National Mirror by the Special Adviser to Speaker Adewale Omirin on Media, Wole Olujobi, called on Babatope to take his heart away from the trau-

Politics

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Obiano’s visit to Buhari, an embarrassment to S’East –Igbo group OBIORA IFOH ABUJA

A L-R: Permanent Secretary, Lagos Ministry of Home Affairs and Culture, Mrs. Grace Oladimeji; Commissioner in the ministry, Mr. Oyinlomo Danmole and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Strategy, Mrs. Oluranti Odutola, during a news conference to mark the 8th year of Governor Babatunde Fashola’s administration in Lagos, yesterday.

Lagos blames INEC for delay in LG elections FRANCIS SUBERU

agos State government has blamed the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for its inability to conduct elections into the various offices at the state’s 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas, LCDAs, in the state. Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. Ademorin Kuye, who said this yesterday during a ministerial press briefing, noted that it is still impossible for the state government to state categorically when the local government elections will be held. He said: “I cannot say when the elections will be conducted. You will agree

ABIODUN NEJO ADO EKITI

Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, senatorelect in Ekıtı State, Hon Duro Faseyı, has urged the 19 All Progressives Congress, APC, lawmakers in the state House of Assembly to consider a round table discussion for the amicable resolution of all their grievances to move the state forward. Faseyi, a former House of Representatives member, said the plot of the APC lawmakers to impeach Governor Ayodele Fayose was akin to setting the state on fire. In a statement in Ado Ekiti yesterday, Faseyi described

with me that since the last registration when INEC gave us the PVC, the entire PVC has not been totally released. We still have some outstanding left with the electoral commission. “There is no way the state electoral commission; LASIEC can conduct any election without having the appropriate voters register for the state. And this register is still in the custody of INEC. “It has not been released to the state; the moment it is released to the Lagos State government, then we can start planning on when the local government election will be held.” Kuye blamed the recent loss of the All progressives Congress, APC, to the opposition party in some local council areas in the state to money and ethnic politics, saying the performance of

the council executives has nothing to do with the loss. He said: “The allegation that lack of performance of the former council chairmen led to APC losing five House of Representatives and eight House of Assembly seats, is not true. “This was because the last election was dictated and influenced by money politics. The party in power especially the President brought a lot of money into the state. President Goodluck Jonathan was in Lagos several times abandoning his office in Abuja. “During their times in Lagos, they were distributing money to people. Aside that, another factor was ethnicity. One will notice that in the area where APC lost, they are areas dominated by certain persons from certain part of the country.

“They voted because they felt that the President, who also contested during the election, comes from their own region. We cannot say that the performance of the former council chairman led to the loss.” Kuye said he believed the new government and legislatures will put national interest above partisan politics and allow for upgrading of the status of the LCDAs in Lagos State to full local government areas. “This was because what happened in the last 16 years was the act of promoting politics above national interest. And I believe that this will be corrected by the change that has come into the country. I expect that the 37 LCDAs will be given prompt attention and their name will be included in the country’s constitution.”

Impeachment: Senator-elect urges Ekiti lawmakers to embrace amicable resolution the last minute impeachment threat against the governor as “unnecessary vengeance and political error.” He stated: “What we need in Ekıtı now is nothing but the peace that will propel a sustainable growth and development for all of us especially the unborn generations and anything contrary to this will be a deliberate sabotage against our future”. Appealing to the APC lawmakers to “accept the olive branch offered by the governor and come to a round table for amicable resolution of all their grievances in order to

move the state forward,” he added: “The development in Ekıti State calls for serous caution and understanding because we have no other place to call home than Ekıtı, hence the need for all parties in the ımbroglıo to see the amicable resolution being canvassed for by the governor as a great sacrifice for peace to reign.” He said the impeachment move is a plot to draw back the state and leave the people in penury with the masses suffering most. He stated: “What I will advise our people to see to is the

development of the state and how to alleviate the sufferings of the masses and not to compound it through obnoxious plot because we have had Governors removed from office in the past, but the burden has always been on the innocent masses, hence the need to consider their plight in whatever we do”. Faseyı praised the governor for the move towards the peaceful resolution of the crısıs, saying: “The action has shown him as a true and ordained leader to govern the state at this moment”.

socio-political pressure group, Maka Odinma Anambra, MOA, has enjoined Anambra state governor, Willie Obiano and other leaders of the South East to stop embarrassing the zone by their cavalier and shameless attempt to jump onto the General Muhammadu Buhari victory train, which they naively refused to board only few weeks earlier. Irked by last Friday’s visit to the President-elect by Governor Obiano, wherein he pledged to give General Buhari the same hundred per cent support which he gave to President Goodluck Jonathan, MOA wondered whether it was the same man who throughout the electioneering period urged his party members not to vote for Buhari but also a party belonging to the Hausa/Yoruba ethnic nationalities. It said in a statement signed by its Secretary, Emeka Nwazue: “It is either Governor Obiano’s mathematics does not add up, or in desperation to display unbridled loyalty, he mixed up the figures. Pray, if he pledges to give the General the same 100 per cent support which he said he gave to President Jonathan before, during and after the general election, then it goes without question that he obviously gave General Buhari zero support during the election that won him victory.

“For a man who openly said before the election that any Igbo who votes for APC is an enemy, and who also used machinery of his government to suppress the interests of General Buhari and his All Progressives Congress, APC, candidates in both the presidential, National and state Assemblies’ elections barely one month ago, to seek to benefit from his perfidy clearly foregrounds the new abyss into which leadership appear to be sinking in the South East geo-political zone, especially Anambra.” Contending that while it was alright for Governor Obiano to pay a courtesy visit on President-elect Buhari, there is everything wrong in attempting to Nicodemously foist on himself the leadership of the Igbo race, or it’s elected officials as his posturing during the visit suggested - especially as those who assiduously worked for the glory which he seeks to appropriate, such as Governor Rochas Okorocha, Senator Chris Ngige, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu and the Hon. Afam Ogene, amongst others, have not embarked upon the kind of boot-licking adventure which he undertook. MOA added: “As a matter of fact, we urge Obiano to remain in the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, which he steadily decimates with each passing day, instead of seeking to pollute current attempts at strengthening the APC in the South-East geo-political zone.”

Buhari’s Benue coordinator raises alarm over recruitment by Suswam HENRY IYORKASE MAKURDI

enue State coordinator of the Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organisation and Buhari Support Organisation, BSO, Chief Silas Ikpa, has raised the alarm over mass recruitment allegedly hurriedly being carried out by the outgoing administration in the state. Ikpa pointed accusation finger as Governor Gabriel Suswam, while speaking with National Mirror yesterday, expressing concern at the burden likely to be car-

ried by the incoming administration in the state. Chief Ikpa further hinted that over 500 fresh appointments into civil service were reportedly being procured flagrantly by the outgoing administration without due recourse to the incoming administration, urging the people to desist henceforth. He said: “It is rather appealing and unfortunate that at this crucial moment when salaries of civil servants in the state were being indebted, someone could add more burden on the state treasury just to spite the incoming administration.”

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Politics

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

2015 election and resurgence of progressive politics in S’West CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 the day. While he polled 811, 994 votes, Agbaje secured 659, 788 votes. In Oyo State, many had thought it was over for the APC candidate, Governor Abiola Ajimobi. He found formidable opponents in two former governors of the state, Adebayo Alao Akala of the LP and Rashidi Ladoja of the Accord Party as well as a former Senate Leader, Teslim Folarin of the PDP. But Ajimobi broke the age long jinx and became the first governor in the history of Oyo State to be elected for another term in office. Ajimobi garnered 327, 310 votes, Ladoja 254, 520, Akala 184, 111 while Folarin scored 79, 019 votes. Governor Ibikunle Amosun retained his seat in Ogun State, after shrugging off the threat of the PDP candidate, Gboyega Isiaka. Amosun scored 306, 988 votes while Isiaka got 201, 440. Senator Kamarudeen Odunsi of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, scored 25, 826 votes. In the House of Assembly election, APC won majority of the seats in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo and Osun. But PDP secured more seats than APC in Ondo and Ekiti state. The outcome of the general elections showed that APC which has been identified with progressivism is the preferred political party in the South-West.

Tinubu

Mimiko

Ambode

Agbaje

by the country’s electoral body. Not a few people saw the party as another offshoot of the Action Group. AD won all the six states in the zone in the 1999 governorship election. But by 2003, the party had exhausted its relevance in the geo-political zone. It lost five of the six states in the region to the PDP. Only Lagos State survived the tsunamic invasion. Many people have ascribed the electoral defeat to an alliance between AD leaders and former President Olusegun Obasanjo. However, it was a temporary setback for progressives in the region. They regrouped under the leadership of former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and people of the zone started to witness the resurgence of progressive politics.

tion on the platform of the LP. The Tinubu progressive bloc wrongly assumed that Mimiko was one of them. Before the 2011 general elections, AC had metamorphosed into the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN. The progressives widened their coast by winning Oyo and Ogun, wiping off the relevance of the PDP in the zone. Still in search of a more effective platform with which they could sustain their hold on the politics of the South-West and displace conservatives from power at the center, the Tinubu team joined forces with some politicians in other geo-political zones of the country. The defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, and ACN and a faction of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, merged to form APC. Within two years of its formation, APC has dislodged PDP from power at the center and ended its 16-year rule. Tinubu described the victory of the APC presidential candidate in the March 28 election, General Muhammadu Buhari, as Nigeria’s finest moment in its political history. He said: “It is a moment when hope is reborn, faith is rekindled and a fresh fire of patriotism is released for the task ahead. I congratulate General Buhari, Nigeria’s President-elect, on his hard won victory. I salute our gallant party leaders and members for running the long distance to victory. To millions of Nigerians, I say this – the APC seeks not power for its sake, but for the purpose of bringing a better life to our people and re-building our country. This is also democracy’s finest moment. Nigerians alive today have witnessed the beginning of an era of change. They made this happen and they are the true celebrants and they are deserving. Together, we share this victory. Side by side we would work together to bring our country back.” Praising Tinubu for his role in championing the cause of the progressive politics in

Resurgence of progressive politics in SouthWest The people of the South-West geo-political zone are known for progressive politics. Since the days of their late leader, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the people have always been on the side of the progressives. In the first republic, majority of the Yoruba people supported the defunct Action Group, AG. In the second republic, the people opted for the Unity Party of Nigeria, UPN, which was then regarded as an offshoot of AG. The aborted third republic was not different as the South-West people gave overwhelming support to the Social Democratic Party, SDP, which was one of the two political parties decreed into existence by the Ibrahim Babangida military government. The National Republican Convention, NRC, was the second party. By this time, Awolowo had left the stage. But his name still exerted a lot of influence in the zone. It was his name that his followers used to mobilise the Yoruba people to the defunct SDP. The late business mogul, Chief MKO Abiola, presumably won the June 12, 1993 presidential election on the platform of the SDP, but the Babangida government annulled the result of the election, a development which ignited a protracted crisis in the country. During the regime of the late General Sani Abacha, the people of the South-West did not identify with any of the five political parties that existed then. In fact, one of the prominent Yoruba political leaders then, the late Chief Bola Ige, described the five parties as five fingers of a leprous hand. Most traditional Yoruba political leaders did not participate in the Abacha political transition programme. They were rather in the trenches fighting for the upholding of the result of the June 12, 1993 presidential polls which was won by Abiola, a Yoruba leader. When the country returned to democracy in 1999 after a prolonged military interregnum, the people of the South-West zone were mobilised to support the Alliance for Democracy, AD. The party was one of the three political parties that were registered

Role of Tinubu progressive bloc The unity of the progressives was the greatest victim of the defeat that the Alliance for Democracy suffered in the 2003 election. Since then, the progressives have broken into two tendencies. One is led by Tinubu and it comprises a new generation of politicians. The other is mostly populated by old politicians, especially Afenifere leaders. When AD could no longer serve as an effective platform, Tinubu and others pulled out to form the Action Congress, AC. The new party was used to re-launch progressive politics in the South-West. Those who contested the 2007 governorship election on its platform lost in a controversial manner. The election was characterised by unprecedented electoral frauds. But Tinubu and his team decided to fight the electoral heist by approaching the various election petition tribunals in all the states where they felt cheated. At the end of the legal battle, the party retrieved the mandates of its gubernatorial candidates in Edo, Ekiti and Osun states. The team also helped Governor Mimiko recover his own in Ondo, though he contested the elec-

a recent piece, Special Adviser, Information and Strategy, to the Lagos State governor, Lateef Raji, said the APC national leader remains a force to be reckoned with in the contemporary political landscape of Nigeria. Raji said: “Prior to the successful merger of the various political parties that transformed into the APC, merging of political parties had not been a successful venture in the country’s political terrain. In the Second Republic, for instance, the progressives led by the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Alhaji Aminu Kano, Alhaji Waziri Ibrahim and others tried fruitlessly to form a formidable progressive inclined political party that could wrestle power from the then ruling National Party of Nigeria, NPN. Several meetings were held by these frontline leaders of the progressives at that time but with insignificant success. “It was, perhaps, this history of failure by the progressives to forge a common front that initially made political observers and pundits to be skeptical of the feasibility of the APC project. Indeed, some prominent PDP members swore by their mothers and grandmothers that the merger was not going to work. However, with the unwavering and calculated focus of a lion in pursuit of its prey, Asiwaju and his fellow progressive leaders, who are today’s heroes of democracy, forged ahead like Trojans who are sure of their destination. ”In order to achieve the long-term mission of the progressives in the nation’s political landscape, ACN, with its relative success must die. Thus came the death of the ACN. The funeral ceremony took place in Lagos. But other deaths were equally recorded along the way. The CPC as well as the ANPP also died. However, these parties did not die in vain. With their death came the birth of the APC, a formidable opposition party. At last, the progressives were ready to confront the PDP for the political soul of the country. In a most keenly and fiercely contested presidential election in the political history of the country, the PDP bit the dust, thus, ending its 16 years of infamy and impunity-laden grip on power at the centre. “Many who do not really know him bear false tales about his person. Others hate him just out of vicious envy and jealousy. But those that are privileged to know him are conscious of his unquestionable patriotic zeal and uncommon commitment to the emancipation of the downtrodden. He has been betrayed by many who used his political influence and benevolence to achieve political success. But for Asiwaju, there is a price to pay for every prize that one desires; the more invaluable the prize, the more thorny the price.”

Sustaining the grip The victory of APC in the South-West in the last general elections did not come to some keen observers of the politics of the region as a surprise. APC governors are seen to have lived up to the expectation of the people. But the defeat of the party in Ekiti in last year’s gubernatorial election still defies any reasonable explanation. Former Governor Fayemi could be said to have done his best for the state, yet, he lost to Governor Fayose. This points to the fact that the party still needs to do a lot to understand the electoral behaviour of the people of the zone if the progressives are desirous of sustaining their relevance. They must also continue to strive to satisfy the yearnings and aspirations of the people.

Politics

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Saraki’s election victory challenged in court WOLE ADEDEJI ILORIN

wara State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP senatorial candidate for Kwara-Central senatorial district, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, has gone to court to challenge his defeat by the incumbent Senator Bukola Saraki. Abdulrazaq in a petition before the National Assembly Election Petition Tri-

bunal sitting in Ilorin, the state capital, is challenging the election of Saraki, the All Progressives Congress, APC candidate. Saraki, a former governor of the state ran and won for a return ticket to the red chamber of the National Assembly and is however currently struggling tooth and nail to become Senate President in the next session of the National Assembly. While ironically enjoy-

Ukwa-Ngwa Professionals congratulate Ikpeazu DEBORAH DIDI

kwa-Ngwa Professionals, UNP, a leading organisation of the Ukwa-Ngwa nation has congratulated Abia State governor-elect and an illustrious son of Nkwa-Ngwa, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, on his resounding victory at the polls. A statement signed by Chief Theo Nkire, on behalf of UNP, said: “Yours is the victory of light over darkness; the victory of truth over falsehood, a victory for fairness, equity and justice. “We salute you, Dr. Ikpeazu, for your uncommon candour in the face of all provocation. We salute all Abia people for their ability to decipher the truth from falsehood and decision to stand by the truth at all times.” UNP also commended the outgoing governor,

Theodore Orji, for “keeping faith with the UkwaNgwa people and for standing by us to the end.” Inviting all Abia people and indeed, all friends of Abia State at home and in the Diaspora to join hands with Ikpeazu, as he grapples with the gargantuan problem of moving Abia State to its pride of place as the number one state in Nigeria, Nkire said: “We know that together we can do it; we extend our hand of fellowship to all men of goodwill and in particular, the opposition, the skeptics and all those who did not believe in our ability to make it. Dr. Ikpeazu has promised to run an all inclusive government. He will be magnanimous in victory. “So let us trust him; let us believe in him. With your support and the support of all of us, Dr. Ikpeazu is sure to deliver on his mandate.”

ing mass support from home to emerge as the number three citizen of Nigeria, if his aspiration to preside over the Senate sails through, Saraki is on the other hand being challenged by the PDP candidate at the election petition tribunal. Abdulrazaq and the PDP, in the petition, reference number: NAT/LEG/EPT/ IL/2/2015 and dated April 13, alleged that the election of Senator Saraki was invalid “by reasons of corrupt practices or non-com-

yo State chapter of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria, VGN, under the able leadership of Comrade S. A. Olajide has congratulated Senator Isiaka Abiola Ajimobi for his re-election in the last general election in Oyo State. Olajide also extends the same congratulatory message to the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly and others elected into various position

respectively. VGN said that following their re-election, a high optimism for a better Oyo State is in the offing, adding that Ajimobi would justify the renewal of confidence bestowed on him by the people. Speaking with newsmen at VGN headquarter in the ancient city of Oyo recently, Comrade Olajide said the people of the state were happy in the improvement Governor Ajimobi has brought to the state in the past three and half years of his admin-

by the petitioners included an order of the tribunal to inspect the electoral materials before the pre-hearing session. The tribunal headed by Hon. Justice J. J. Majebi was also begged to listen to listen their prayers, urging it to grant them, their counsel, or agents to inspect and make copies of all polling “documents or packets relating or pertaining to the March 28 Kwara-Central senatorial election comprising of Ilorin West, East, South and Asa local gov-

ernment areas of Kwara State.” The petitioners also sought for a “leave and order of the tribunal permitting their forensic experts to inspect, by way of machine/electronic scanning, all ballot papers and other electoral materials which were used for the conduct of the senatorial election in Kwara Central. The tribunal, however, granted all the reliefs while it is expected to begin its sitting yesterday, Monday, April 27.

Zonal Chairman, All Progressive Congress, APC, Bauchi South Senatorial District, Alhaji Musa Adamu (left) and Bauchi State House of Assembly member-elect, Alhaji Mohammed Tukur, during a briefing on support for elected Hon. Yakubu Dogara’s bid to occupy the office of the Speaker of the PHOTO: NAN House of Representatives, in Bauchi, recently.

Yenagoa youths clamour for governorship position OSAHON JULIUS YENEGOA

head of the November gubernatorial race in Bayelsa State, youths in Yenagoa,

VGN congratulates Ajimobi, Speaker, others, expresses optimism OLAJIDE OMOJOLOMOJU

pliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act.” Abdulrazaq, who further alleged that the election was characterised with abnormalities, manipulation and irregularities, the APC, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC and the state Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC as respondents respectively. Praying the tribunal to declare Saraki’s election void and declare Abdulrazaq as the winner of the polls, other relief sought

istration, noting that it was why the people renewed his mandate. Governor Ajimobi is the first governor to be re-elected in the history of the Pacesetter State, which means the people of the state are impressed with the democratic dispensation they are enjoying, because they believe he will do more and that is why the victory is well deserved. He also advised the governor to justify trust and confident reposed in him by the good people of the state.

under the aegis of Coalition of Epie/Atissa Youth, has called on prominent sons and daughters of Yenagoa to come and contest for the governorship position, saying it is time for a son of the soil to govern the state. This call is coming ahead of the moves by political gladiators in the state to unseat the incumbent governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson, who himself has began clandestine meetings with political stakeholders in order to consolidate. At the end of an enlarged meeting held at the Sorrentina Hotel, Yenagoa at the weekend, the Epie/Attisa youths group headed by Egba Utovie, said though past governors have done their best, a Yenagoa man will do better for the people of Yenagoa and Bayelsa State at large. The group therefore used the opportunity to call on prominent personalities like Senator

Emmanuel Paulker, Prof. Steve Azaiki, Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Allison Madueke, Chief Diekivie Ikiogha, Barrister Godknows Powell, Chief Lambert Ototo and others who are from Yenagoa to come out and contest for the governorship come November. They based their argument on the fact that no indigene of Yenagoa, where the state capital is located has produced the state governor since the creation of the state in 1996. Already politicians in the state have begin preparation for what observers have said will be the mother of all election in the state, especially now that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has lost out at the center to the All Progressives Congress, APC. Meanwhile there are noticeable crack in the fold of the PDP in the state following the victory of the APC during the March 28 Presi-

dential election as mass defection is set to hit the party in the state. National Mirror gathered that the decision by prominent PDP members to move into the APC was informed by the new political profile of former Governor Timipre Sylva and the rising disenchantment by members of the PDP over the disciplinary stance of Dickson over alleged anti-party activities. It was gathered that the early defection and regrouping by loyalists of Sylva was based on the battle to unseat the PDP in Bayelsa during the gubernatorial election in 2015. While most of Sylva’s former aides are considering ways to seek forgiveness from their former boss over alleged political betrayal after his removal as governor, others are seeking defection to the APC as part of an alleged plot against the second term bid of Dickson.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Capital Market

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Index drops further by 0.5% JOHNSON OKANLAWON

igerian bourse saw decline in value of equities as profit taking continued, particularly on shares of blue chip companies. The stock market had since last week continued to witness sell offs as investors take advantage of bullish rally that pervaded the local bourse after peaceful general elections to cull profits. Consequently, the AllShare Index dipped 168 basis points or 0.49 per cent to

close at 34,317.72 as against 34,485.72 recorded the previous day while the market capitalisation of equities depreciated by N88 billion or 0.75 per cent as market sentiment remained in the limbo. Meanwhile, a turnover of 200.9 million shares worth N2.2 billion in 4,148 deals was recorded in the day’s trading. The banking sub sector of the financial services sector was the most active during the day (measured by turnover volume); with 94.7 million shares worth

N887.9 million exchanged by investors in 1,458 deals. Volume in the sub-sector was largely driven by activities in the shares of UBA Plc and Zenith Bank Plc. Also, other financial services sub-sector of the financial services sector, boosted by activities in the shares of FBNH Plc, followed with a turnover of 26.04 million shares valued at N185.6 million in 1,458 deals. Beverage manufacturer, Cadbury Nigeria Plc gained five per cent to

close at N42.00 per share Custody Insurance Plc followed with a gain of 4.81 per cent to close at N4.14 while Dangote Flour Mills Plc added 4.74 per cent to close at N5.08 per share. On the flip side, shares of Splat Petroleum Plc led the losers with a loss of five per cent to close at N378.10 per share. Livestocks Feeds Plc plunged 4.76 per cent to close at N2.20 while Guinness Nigeria Plc dropped 4.74 per cent to close at N160.04 per share.

FCMB posts N5.8bn pre-tax profit in Q1 JOHNSON OKANLAWON

CMB Group has announced a profit before tax of N5.8 billion for the first quarter ended March 31, 2015, an increase of four per cent from N5.6 billion recorded in the same period of 2014. According to the result presented to the Nigerian Stock Exchange yesterday, net interest income stood at N18.1 billion, for the three months, an increase of eight per cent, from N16.7 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2014. Analysis of the result showed a non-interest income of N6.16 billion, for the first quarter 2015, an increase of nine per cent from N5.63 billion in 2014. Operating expenses up six per cent to N16.5 bil-

lion, for the three months ended March 2015, from N15.5 billion for the same period in 2014. Analysis of the balance sheet showed that loans and advances up 18 per cent to N582.2 billion in March 2015, from N493.7 billion in March 2014, down six per cent year-to-date, from N618.0 billion in December 2014. Total assets up 20 per cent year-on-year to N1.19 trillion in March 2015, from N992.4 billion in March 2014 and up two per cent year-to-date from N1.17 trillion in December 2014. Customer deposits up 11 per cent year-on-year to N759.6 billion in March 2015, from N687.3 billion in March 2014 and up four per cent year-to-date, from N733.8 billion in December 2014.

The capital adequacy ratio rose to 21 per cent in the first quarter from 19.1 per cent in the same period of 2014, while liquidity ratio increased to 41.0 per cent, from 33.3 per cent in the three months of 2014. Loan to deposit ratio stood at 76.6 per cent in the quarter, from 1.8 per cent in the first quarter of 2014, while cost to income ratio dropped to 68.1 per cent, from 69.4 per cent in the three months of 2014. Speaking on the result, the Managing Director of FCMB Group, Mr. Peter Obaseki, noted that the business environment in the first quarter was subdued by the political activities and a degree of un-certainties which have largely cleared-out. He said that the monetary stance remains tight with inflation creeping

oth the Nasdaq and S & P 500 closed at new record highs after US tech firms reported strong first-quarter profits. The price of iron ore also gained 6% on Friday to $57 (£37) a tonne, its highest price since midMarch. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index closed up 1.33% to 28,433.59, while the Shanghai Composite jumped 3.04% to 4,527.40. Chinese shares continued their bull run, with state-owned firms leading the gains, after state media reported that the government would cut the number of conglomerates it controls

The index has failed to break the psychological barrier of 6,000 since hitting 5,996.9 in early March. Shares of heavyweight miner BHP Billiton were up 1.6% in early trade, thanks to the higher iron ore prices. Shares in Australian internet service provider iiNet jumped 13% after rival M2 Group said it had made an indicative offer to buy the firm for $1.6bn Australian dollars ($1.25bn; £825m), topping an approach from TPG Telecom. South Korea’s Kospi index ended down 0.1% at 2,157.54. The benchmark index

Source: NSE

Inter-Bank Rate Naira

US Dollar

N197.00 Market indicators All-Share Index 34,317.72 points

up to 8.5 per cent as at the end of March, broad money supply, MM2, annualised, contracted by 10.23 per cent. “It is against this background that we report first quarter growth in gross revenue and profit after tax of 16 per cent and nine per cent and in actual terms, N39.3 billion and N5.3 billion respectively. While return on average equity fell by 2.1 per cent year-on-year, we expect this to recover in the subsequent quarters based on strong capital and liquidity positions,” he added. He explained that the activities of the commercial and retail banking group resulted in a 15 per cent year-on-year growth in revenues, though profit after tax grew by a modest four per cent year-on-year.

Chinese shares lead Asian market gains through mergers and acquisitions. Investors also ignored data that showed profits at Chinese industrial firms fell 0.4% in March from a year ago, while profits declined 2.7% in the first quarter. Japan’s benchmarkNikkei 225 index closed down 0.2% to 19,983.32. The dollar bought 119 yen, up from 118.99 yen in New York. In Australia, shares were higher, with the resources sector taking the lead. The benchmark S&P/ ASX 200 closed up 0.8% to 5,982.7 - closer to the key 6,000 level.

Market capitalisation 11.66trn

Stock Updates GAINERS COMPANY

OPENING

CLOSING

CHANGE

% CHANGE

CADBURY

40.00

42.00

2.00

5.00

CUSTODYINS

3.95

4.14

0.19

4.81

DANGFLOUR

4.85

5.08

0.23

4.74

WAPCO

93.00

93.50

4.10

4.59

AIICO

1.14

1.19

0.05

4.39

TRANSEXPR

1.17

1.22

0.05

4.27

PORTPAINT

3.84

4.00

0.16

4.17

COSTAIN

0.84

0.87

0.03

3.57

NAHCO

6.50

6.72

0.22

3.38

CONTINSURE

0.88

0.90

0.02

2.27

CHANGE

% CHANGE

LOSERS COMPANY

OPENING

SEPLAT

398.00

378.10

-19.90

-5.00

LIVESTOCK

2.31

2.20

-0.11

-4.76

GUINNESS

168.00

160.04

-7.96

-4.74

STERLNBANK

2.36

2.25

-0.11

-4.66

VONO

1.08

1.03

-0.05

-4.63

31.23

29.85

-1.38

-4.42

NPFMCRFBK

1.39

1.33

-0.06

-4.32

TOTAL

162.45

155.50

-6.95

-4.28

UBA

5.32

5.10

-0.22

-4.14

SKYEBANK

2.68

2.58

-0.10

-3.73

FGN Bonds

Bid

Description

has fallen for two consecutive sessions after hitting a near four-year high on Thursday. Rate (%) Inflation

8.2

MPR

Crude oil price

$58.96

CLOSING

Offer

Price

Yield

Price

Yield

13.05 16-AUG-2016

1.31

99.35

13.57

99.50

13.44

15.10 27-APR-2017

2.00

102.51

13.62

102.66

13.54

16.00 29-JUN-2019

4.17

106.61

13.84

106.91

13.75

16.39 27-JAN-2022

6.75

110.59

13.91

110.89

13.84

14.20 14-MAR-2024

8.88

101.16

13.96

101.46

13.90

10.00 23-JUL-2030

15.24 68.25

15.47

68.55

15.40

Closing Market Prices of April 27, 2015

Treasury Bills Maturity Date

Bid

Offer

Exchange

Rates (N)

30-Jul-15

11.37

11.71

WAUA

270

15-Oct-15

12.38

13.15

USD

197

07-Apr-16

12.46

14.13

EURO

214

CFA

0.32

YEN

1.64

SWISS FRANC

NIBOR Tenor

Rate (%)

202

O/N

9.1250

13.5102

POUNDS STERLING

293

14.8155

SDR

273

16.0000 The Fixings of April 27, 2015

Capital Market

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Stock exchange daily equities summary Equities as at April 27, 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, April 28, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Community Mirror Group donates water filters to Kwalitta community 50

The kind of leadership brought upon us by the PDP, whether it is documented or not can never be forgotten in our history. President-Elect – Gen. Muhammadu Buhari

Don urges policy on integrated waste management S

Youths protest power outage in Badagry

rof. Oladele Osibanjo, the first Vice President of the Waste Management Society of Nigeria, WAMASON, has urged the Federal Government to develop a national policy on integrated waste management. He made this suggestion in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sideline of a summit on waste management in Lagos. Osibanjo, who is also the Director of the Basel Convention Regional Coordinating Centre for Africa, University of Ibadan, said there was no national policy on waste management in most developing countries like Nigeria. ``The problem we are facing as a developing country is that we have no national policy or national law that makes waste important. ``What we have is piece-mill legislations at the local, state and federal levels, which is not integrated. ``With that, we find out that infrastructure is very weak, and that is being exploited. “So, we have to cope with all the waste we are generating, practicing waste disposal rather than

Rubbish dumped in drainage at Gwagwalada Abuja, yesterday.

waste management,’’ he said. Osibanjo said that the due to poor practice of waste management, every public dumpsite in Nigeria is a potential toxic dumpsite, due to weak public awareness on dangers associated with wastes. ``The danger we face now is that the waste are getting more complex with mixture of industrial,

medical, house and waste chemical, which result to crude pollution that affects the earth and the ground water. ``There is need for high level of awareness, especially at the local council level, where they lack the knowledge and the know-how on how to manage and handle wastes,’’ Osibanjo said.

PHOTO: NAN

He called for the ratification and domestication of the Basel Convention Law to save the Nigeria from menace of indiscriminate dumpsites. He said that the four `Rs’ of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Repair should be encouraged so that Nigerians can embrace the practice.

Thunderstorms wreak havoc in Osun BOLADALE BAMIGBOLA OSOGBO

hunderstorms that accompanied a heavy rain, during the weekend, wreaked havoc in many parts of Osogbo, Osun State capital, destroying buildings and electrical installations. The areas affected by the thunderstorms include Oja Oba, Igbona, Ago Wande, Ibokun road among others where roof of many buildings were removed and electric poles damaged. In many parts of Osogbo, the rain which started late Saturday evening was light and barely last for 10 minutes, while in other neighbourhoods, it was heavy and fierce with thunderstorms. Checks by Community Mirror during a visit to the affected areas on Sunday revealed that the areas worse hit by the thunderstorms were neighborhoods with old buildings.

Along Ibokun road and Oja Oba, roof of many buildings were blown off and walls of some old buildings pulled down by the thunderstorms. However, at Igbona and Ago Wande areas, some new buildings were affected, while some electric poles were also forced out of positions by the thunderstorms.

When contacted, the regional manager, branding and communication, Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, IBEDC, Kikelomo Owoeye, confirmed that some installations of the company, were affected. She said at Oke Ijetu area, the feeder of the company had to be switched off, because of loss of some lines, to forestall any ac-

cident. She added that some areas within the state capital were in darkness because of some lines that were affected, assuring that the management of IBEDC, was working towards restoring supply to the affected areas as soon as possible.

ome youths in Badagry area of Lagos State, yesterday converged on the office of the Eko Electricity Distribution Company,EKEDC, in the area to protest over poor supply of electricity in the community. The youths, who started the protest by 11:00 a.m, blocked the entrance of the EKEDC office, burning tyres and chanting songs. They were seen carrying different placards with inscriptions like "Don't turn Badagry to darkness," "Don't you want light in your life?", "Stop giving us bills" and “Leave here if you can't give us light". The protest resulted in heavy traffic as the protesters blocked a side of the road on which the EKEDC office is located. Mr. Olayinka Okoya, the leader of the group, told newsmen that there had been no power supply in Badagry for the past three weeks. "We have had more than enough of this. They do not give us light yet they bring bills at the end of the month and the bills are as high as N120, 000. "Despite the fact that we do not have light, officials of EKEDC would come to our houses and cut us off even after we pay bills for power supply we do not get. "We have been living in darkness for the past one month; we have complained several times, yet nothing has been done about it, so decided to protest to express our grievances.

Traditionalists congratulate Ajimobi over poll victory KEMI OLAITAN IBADAN

raditionalists in Oyo State under the auspices of Traditional Religion Worshippers Association, have congratulated Governor Abiola Ajimobi and other elected public office holders in the state over their victory in the just concluded elections. The association in a congratulatory message sent to Sena-

tor Ajimobi, a copy which was made available to journalists in Ibadan, urged the governor and others who won the elections not to betray the confidence reposed in them by the electorate. A statement signed by the Chairman of the association, Surveyor Dasola Adefabi, also enjoined the governor and other elected representatives in the state to fulfil their campaign promises, urging the governor not to forget the as-

sociation and its members in the distribution of dividends of democracy in the state. While praying for the governor for God's guidance and mercy to steer the affairs of the state to make it a true pace setter state, the association saluted the courage of the people of the state for conducting themselves in a good manner before, during and after the elections. "The members of the above

named organization, under the umbrella body for all organizations of traditional believers in the state use this medium to congratulate His Excellency, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, on the success achieved at the polls during the last gubernatorial elections. "We also wish you the best while steering the administration of Oyo State, the Pacesetter towards prosperous greatness", Adefabi said.

Community Mirror

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Group donates water filters to Kwalitta community

reen World Matters Limited, an NGO, on Tuesday donated 200 units of ceramic water filters to Kwalitta Village in the Gwagwalada Area Council of the FCT to protect them from further drinking of contaminated water. The Chief Executive Officer of the Group, Ms Ladi Faruk, while presenting the items, said the gesture was borne out of the desire to impact positively on needy communities. ``When our chairman saw a report on Channels TV about the water problem in Kwalitta community because X he suggested that we should come and help them because our company does water purification, environment cleaning, energy and waste management.” She also demonstrated to the women in the community how to use the device properly. Earlier, the Director, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr Moses Aba, noted that the lack of proper environmental sanitation and hygiene was a major cause of water contamination in rural communities. ``This is why we cannot talk about having clean and safe water without reminding ourselves of sanitation and hy-

giene. ``Many deaths, particularly of age five and below, can be prevented, if we keep to the sanitation rules. `` I wish to appeal to traditional and religious leaders to ensure community ownership of the facilities for lasting use.” The NOA director com-

mended the management of the NGO for the donation. On his part, the Chairman, Gwagwalada Area Council, Mr Abubakar Jibrin-Giri, expressed the council`s appreciation for the gesture. Jibrin-Giri, who was represented by the council`s Supervisory Counsellor for Education, Mr. Ishaq Kaura, said the

A truck pusher collecting refuse in Lagos.

council would send health officials to educate the community on the use of the equipment. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Kwalitta community is located about 15 kms away from Gwagwalada with a population of approximately 3,500 people. NAN also reports that the people are mostly farmers

PHOTO: SAMUEL ADETIMEHIN

Monarch petitions Obiano, police over brothel

he traditional ruler of Amaokpala in Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State, His Royal Highness, Igwe C. Okeke has petitioned the State Governor, Willi Obiano and the Police Commissioner over the opening of a brothel close to his palace.

According to the traditional monarch, the erection which shares a perimeter fence with his palace is not just an affront on his person and position but also a desecration of the community’s traditional institution. Igwe Okeke stated that he was made to believe by the owner of

the property that the building was a students’ hostel only for him to discover that the place was turned into a brothel upon completion. “How proper is it for the palace of a traditional ruler to be surrounded at all times and invaded by sights and acts of

Police raid robbers in Ogun

o fewer than eight suspected armed robbers have been apprehended by the Ogun State Police Command in separate operations across the State, while different types of weapons were recovered from them. The bandits were nabbed between Sunday and Wednesday at Ago Iwoye, Ota and Ibafo areas of the state. In Ago Iwoye operation, police detectives stormed the robbers’ den located along Ijesha Road, and arrested three suspects. Before their arrest on Sunday, the gang were said to have terrorised residents of Ago Iwoye and its environs. The three arrested suspect’s are- Balogun Akin,

Olayemi Mustapha and Mohammed Kola. Items recovered from the arrested robbers includetwo locally-made guns, live cartridges, complete set of army camouflage uniform, and some masks used during robbery operations. In a similar operation, three suspected robbers, who have been terrorising residents of Ota and Ibafo community of the State, were rounded up by an AntiRobbery squad on Wednesday. The Ota divisional police team, led by DPO, Muideen Adisa, a Chief Superintendent of Police, got a tip-off that some hoodlums usually take refuge in an area in Ijoko-Ota, after carrying out robbery operation.

On raiding the hideout on Tuesday, a member of the gang identified as Peter Babalola, was apprehended with one Pump Action gun. According to the police, the suspect during interrogation said he was a member of the gang that operated in the Ota area of Ogun State. Also the Police operatives in the State foiled a robbery operation at old Kara in Ibafo on Wednesday arresting one Onyeka Ude, and Ikechukwu Bernard, while other members of the gang escaped in the process. The state Police Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, while confirming the series of arrests, said members of the community in the area aided in apprehending them.

crime and immorality, acts that are incompatible with our traditional ethos. “My opposition and that of Amaokpala people hinge on the fact that it disrespects and mocks the traditional institution of Amaokpala,” Igwe Okeke said.

Emir tasks politicians on good governance

mir of Lafia, Alhaji Isa Mustapha Agwai, has advised elected politicians to make policies and programmes that would impact positively in the lives of the electorate. The emir gave the advice while hosting Abubakar Imam, the House of Assembly memberelect, representing Lafia Central, at his palace in Lafia. The traditional ruler advised elected politicians to fear God and abide by their campaign promises to deliver the muchneeded dividends of democracy to the people. “Rather than using public funds made for provision of infrastructure to acquire wealth for yourself, it is better to abide by your campaign promises to the electorate to provide things that will make life better for them. ``Politics is about telling the masses what you can do for them and ensuring that all the electioneering pledges are fulfilled thereafter, not by enriching yourself and members of your immediate familily,” the royal father said. He expressed appreciation for the visit and advised the politician to operate an open-door policy and carry everybody along in the discharge of his assignments. The emir also called on the people of the state, especially Lafia residents, to support the current administration for the overall development of the state. Earlier, the member-elect said the visit was to pay homage, and thanked the emir for the support during and after the election.

Foundation celebrates Wealth Festival AYO ESAN

lokun Festival Foundation last Monday celebrated this year’s edition of Wealth Festival amidst pomp and pageantry. The festival which took place in Agege Lagos drew a wide audience including traditional rulers and the high and the low in the community and was the fourth edition. Speaking at the event, the Chief Promoter of Olokun Festival Foundation and National Coordinator of the Oodua People’s Congress, OPC, Otunba Gani Adams said festivals are significant aspects of Yoruba Religious worship and social activities

saying each deity has in Yoruba land has its festival. He said Aje is the deity of wealth and money, adding that, Aje is the guardian goddess for wealth, profit, wealth creation and sustenance among the Yoruba race. “It is the Yoruba’s deity in charge of the economy, as the god of wealth and money, Aje is the guardian goddess for wealth, profit, wealth creation and sustenance among the Yoruba race. It is the Yoruba deity in charge of the economy, as the god of wealth in Yoruba belief, Aje confers riches on his worshippers”, he said. Adams said the deity, in fact supervises all activities that relates to money and the economy.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

World News

“We have to be united to tackle this crisis. This is not only about northern Africa. We know the people trying to cross the sea come from as far as Asia, Afghanistan or the Middle East.”. –NATO’S HEAD, JENS STOLTENBERG PAUL ARHEWE

WITH AGENCY REPORTS

epalese officials scrambled yesterday to get aid from the main airport to people left homeless and hungry by a devastating earthquake two days earlier, while thousands tired of waiting fled the capital Kathmandu for the surrounding plains. By afternoon, the death toll from Saturday’s 7.9 magnitude earthquake had climbed to more than 3,700, and reports trickling in from remote areas suggested it would rise significantly. A senior interior ministry official said it could reach as much as 5,000, in the worse such disaster in Nepal since 1934, when 8,500 people were killed. Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport was hobbled by many employees not showing up for work, people trying to get out, and a series of aftershocks which forced it to close several times since the quake. Home Minister Bam Dev Gautam was supervising aid delivery and arranging for passengers to leave the country. Government officials said they needed more supplies of food, medicines, specialized rescue services and body bags. “The morgues are getting totally full,” said Shankar Koirala, an official in the Prime Minister’s Office who is dealing with the disposal of bodies. Families lit funeral pyres for

Nepal quake: Death toll rises to 3,700, many flee capital

A man being freed from a collapsed building in Kathmandu on Saturday

the dead in towns and across the countryside. Many of Kathmandu’s one million residents have slept in the open since Saturday, either because their homes were flattened or they were terrified that aftershocks would bring them crashing down. Yesterday, thousands streamed out of the city. Roads leading from Kathmandu were jammed with people, some carrying babies, trying to climb

onto buses or hitch rides aboard cars and trucks to the plains. Long queues had formed at the airport. “We are escaping,” said Krishna Muktari, who runs a small grocery store in Kathmandu, standing at a road intersection. Meanwhile, the extent of Nepal’s disaster was only just emerging as reports of devastation began to come in from other parts of the country.

Al-Bashir wins Sudan’s elections in landslide

udan’s President Omar alBashir has been re-elected with 94% of the vote, according to official results. The country’s main opposition parties boycotted the elections, saying they would not be free and fair.

Bashir casts his ballot at a poling station

Turnout was officially 46% but BBC says many believe the real figure was even lower. Bashir, who has been in power since 1989, denies International Criminal Court (ICC) charges of ordering a genocide in the Darfur conflict.

Pro-government militias were accused of ethnic cleansing during the Darfur conflict Western countries, including the US, Britain and Norway, criticised the polls for not being free and fair. The African Union monitors said that basic freedoms and human rights would have “enhanced” the polls. Most Western countries will not accept the elections as meaningful, but 71-year-old President Bashir can count on support from the likes of the Arab League, and Russia, says our correspondent. The ICC arrest warrant for Mr Bashir relates to the Darfur conflict, which began in 2003, and in which the UN estimates 300,000 people died and more than two million displaced.

Museveni orders training for Ugandan youths to tackle al-Shabaab

resident Yoweri Museveni has order security agencies to re-introduce military training for Ugandan civilians to counter the threat from al-Shabaab. Writing in the state-owned New Vision newspaper, Mr Museveni said that although al-Shabaab was “defeated”, Ugandans need to guard against attacks. Uganda has more than 6,000 troops in Somalia as part of an African Union force battling the Islamist militants. In 2010, al-Shabaab bomb attacks in Kampala killed at least 76 people. In the 1980s and 1990s, Ugandan school leavers used to perform two years of national service before attending university. President Museveni said he had already given instructions to the relevant security agencies to launch the programme, focusing initially on the most vulnerable areas in the country. He did not give many details about the scheme, but Ugandan army spokesman Lt Col Paddy Ankunda said that there were no plans to arm the civilian population.

AFRICA BULLETIN

Burundian police battle anti-govt protesters Police in Burundi have clashed with thousands of protesters angered by President Pierre Nkurunziza’s decision to run for a third term in office. The government has banned protests and shut down the main independent radio station, accusing it of trying to disrupt the peace. Police have fired tear gas and water cannon, while protesters have set up barricades in the capital, Bujumbura. At least three people were killed on Sunday as police dispersed crowds. Mr Nkurunziza, a former rebel leader, has warned that anyone who wants to create problems for the governing party would find himself “in trouble”. Former Burundian president Pierre Buyoya, who was involved in the peace process that ended more than a decade of ethnic conflict, has warned that Burundi could return to war. Under the constitution, presidents can only be elected to two terms in office but Mr Nkurunziza’s allies say his first term does not count as he was appointed by parliament.

Sudan accuses UN peacekeepers of killing seven civilians in Darfur Sudan has accused a peacekeeping force in Darfur of killing seven civilians in three separate incidents last week, threatening to exacerbate the government’s strained relations with the international mission. The African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) denied the allegations, saying the peacekeepers had responded in self-defence to two attacks on April 23 and 24, which it said had left four assailants dead and six peacekeepers wounded. UNAMID has been deployed in Darfur since 2007 with a mandate to stem violence against civilians in a conflict that has seen the International Criminal Court issue an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir on charges of war crimes and genocide. Sudan asked UNAMID late last year to prepare to leave amid a dispute over attempts by the mission to investigate an alleged mass rape by Sudanese soldiers in the Darfur town of Tabit. The government denies any wrongdoing by the soldiers. The foreign ministry said in a statement that peacekeepers in Kass, 85 km (50 miles) northwest of Nyala, killed five tribesmen pursuing bandits who had stolen one of their vehicles on April 23.

North

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Nigerians should celebrate 16 years of PDP govt –Aliyu PRISCILLA D ENNIS MINNA

L-R: Director, Disaster Risk Management, NEMA, Alhaji Alhassan Nuhu; Secretary to Adamawa State Government, Mr. Ibrahim Wuye; District Head of Jimeta, Alhaji Muhammadu Baba-Paris and Executive Secretary, Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency, Alhaji Haruna Furo, during a multi-stakeholders meeting on internally displaced persons’ home-return process in Yola, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

NLC tasks Borno on N18,000 minimum wage INUSA NDAHI MAIDUGURI

igeria Labour Congress, NLC, Borno State chapter, has called on the state government to implement the N18,000 minimum wage for local government workers in the state. Chairman of NLC, Mr. Titus Ali Abana, in an interview with newsmen in Maiduguri said though Borno State government is doing its best considering security challenges facing

the state, but much still needed to be done in the area of workers welfare, especially the implementation of minimum wage and re-engagement of workers of Borno State Hotels, International Hotels and the state’s Housing Corporation. Abana, who was just re-elected at the weekend said: “We also want to appeal to the state government to pay the outstanding 18-month minimum wage arrears for primary school teachers and local government staffs.” The NLC chairman

also appealed to Governor Kashim Shettima to give priority to workers welfare. He urged the governor to look into the case of workers disengaged from Maiduguri International Hotels, Borno Investment Company and the state-owned revenue generation agency that is now moribund. “Even though these workers were supposed to work and generate salaries for themselves, the government should still look into the possibility of bringing them into the mainstream ministries

and pay their salaries because of the situation in the state,” Abana said. According to him, the NLC will continue to struggle for better working condition for its members by ensuring good welfare packages and conducive working environment. Abana also urged the state government to allocate owner- occupiers houses to the state’s workers in the 505, 202, 303 and 707 housing estates in the state to ease accommodation problems.

Aliyu setting booby traps for incoming govt, APC alleges PRISCILLA DENNIS MINNA

ll Progressives Congress, APC, Niger State, says it has uncovered plans by Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu to set booby trap for the incoming government. The party stated that the first move towards this direction was a plan to embark on mass recruitment of workers to so that the next administration would be weighed down. This was contained in a statement signed by chairman of the party in the state, Mr. Mohammed Iman. He said: “We received with shock the grand plan of the outgoing government, which we con-

sider wicked, callous and selfish, which has further shown that he has no interest of the state and the entire workers of Niger State at heart. “We are also surprised that the governor has come up with the idea of recruiting for one University of Education in Minna, the question is where are the structures for the University of Education beyond hiding under the TETFUND projects of the College of Education, Minna? “If the governor can recall vividly, he would know that it was not the way he inherited IBB University, Lapai, when he assumed office in 2007. You don’t establish an institution for the sake of it, but for the fact

that it meets the aspiration of the people and the structures on which it is being established. “We therefore, want to bring to the notice of all Nigerlites that the plan of the out-going government is to create fresh trouble apart from the ones earlier caused by mismanagement, for the incoming APC government.” Iman stated that another area uncovered was the sharing of 2015 Hajj seats before expiration of his tenure on May 29 , 2015, which it also considers selfish and greedy and deliberately done to create problems for the next administration. However, Chief Press Secretary to Governor

Aliyu, Mr. Israel Ebeji, in a swift reaction described the allegation as shallow, shameless, unfortunate and counterproductive. He said it was regrettable they have decided to embark on cheap blackmail to unveil their sinister agenda against the people, saying the incoming APC administration intends to reduce workforce in the state’s civil service. Ebeji said the establishment of the new university was done in the best interest of the state and the entire North, adding that the North has a deficit of qualified teachers and the new university will set the pace in grooming teachers in the region and beyond.

iger State governor, Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, has said the political tsunami that swept the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP administration out of power in the just concluded general elections calls for celebration of democracy after 16 years of the current political dispensation. He also urged Nigerians to pray for the success of the incoming All Progressives Congress, APC administration to succeed or else the people will suffer. Aliyu, who stated this during commissioning of projects at the state’s College of Education in Minna said: “God made some of us to see the victory of APC, before the elections. “After the political tsunami that cleared my party out, we should celebrate Nigeria’s democracy after 16 years. Politicians must pray for APC to succeed, because the failure of APC will be the suffering of Nigerians. We must congratulate APC; there must be viral alter native for people to give their

views.” In view of the massive defection of members of the PDP to APC, he warned against such move, saying, “Nigeria must not be a one-party state and that election is about Nigeria, not about individuals.” “PDP must go back to the drawing board, leadership is not about arrogance; leadership must listen to the people.” Speaking earlier, Commissioner for Education, Mallam Danladi Abdulhameed, listed projects to be commissioned toward effective take-off of the state’s University of Education to include the university clinic built at the cost of N36 million, mini-stadium, N50 million, male hostel, N100 million, micro-teaching laboratory, N160 million. Others, according to him, are the university’s’ multi-purpose hall constructed at the cost of N140 million, senate building, N100 million, among others. He then urged the state gover nment to release the approved take-of f g rant and running cost of the new university to facilitate its smooth commencement.

Benue governor-elect off to China HENRY IYORKASE MAKURDI

enue State governor-elect and former Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Dr Samuel Ortom, yesterday embarked on a seven-day visit to China at the instance of two firms from the Asian country. It was gathered that the governor-elect’s visit was at the instance of Hongye International Limited and CGC. The two companies requested the presence of Ortom to tour their facilities with a view to exploring entrepreneurship and possible transfer of investment opportunities in his

state. While on the trip, Ortom is scheduled to visit Agro and coal-powered plants as well as water treatment plant, airport, road construction, dredging, and irrigation facilities, among others, in four provinces and Beijing after which he would pay a courtesy call on Nigeria’s ambassador to China. The delegation includes Chief Audu Ogbeh, the All Progressives Congress, APC, Board of Trustees member alongside other chieftains of the party from the state. Ortom and his entourage are expected back in the country on May 6.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Certainly Bafana Bafana are coming good. With a little patience we will soon see the best of them –Former South Africa international, Benni McCarthy

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sport

Oshodi bags C’wealth board job 55

Line-up of Super Eagles that lost 1-0 to Uganda in Uyo last month

Okocha tasks Keshi on Super Eagles PAUL EREWUBA

ormer Super Eagles captain, Austin Jay-Jay Okocha, has urged the team’s re-appointed coach, Stephen Keshi, to put behind him any memory of his past assignment that will deter his progress and focus on building a new team that Nigerians will

orld’s leading brand, NIKE, is to supply kits to the value of $750,000 (about N150million) to the various National Teams of Nigeria in the first year of the contract recently signed with the Nigeria Football Federation. Details of the contract, signed at The Soho Hotel, Richmond Mews, London last Thursday showed that the products value would increase in the second year, with American company NIKE commit-

be proud of. Okocha further urged Keshi to think big as he continues to challenge for higher honours in the global game. “Now that he has put pen to paper, Keshi has told everybody that he wants to get to work ‘immediately’, so he can right the wrongs that saw Nigeria miss out on this year’s continental cup and qualify for

the 2017 event. And to do that, he will have to top a group that also includes seven-time Nations Cup champions Egypt, Tanzania and Chad. “That’s the kind of attention I would like to see in order for the football in Nigeria to improve from the organisational level. We just need to get the right structures in place so that the light can shine for

good,” Okocha said. Though he lamented lack of consistency in Super Eagles play, the former Bolton Wanderers midfielder said, “Keshi’s appointment could be the first step to changing things, but I would also like a focus on ensuring the best players are kept in the system and come through at the highest levels. We’re a big country with a

lot of talented players, but we have to make sure that these youngsters can kick on. “If we’re going to do that, we must give them support and encouragement. If we don’t give them the right backing, then it’s just going to be the same old story. Let’s try and protect this emerging generation of players and help them mature.”

NIKE ships first N150m kits to NFF ted to supplying kits to the value of $1million to the Nigeria National Teams. In a statement yesterday, the NFF said that NIKE will also supply kits worth the sum of $1million to the National Teams in the year 2017 and 2018. The three-and-half year contract was signed by NFF

President Amaju Pinnick and General Secretary, Mohammed Sanusi, with Tina Salminen, NIKE’s African Football Sports Marketing Director, representing the American behemoth. There are also various bonuses specified for any of the National Teams that qualifies for major international cham-

pionships, with the Super Eagles to earn up to the sum of $500,000 at the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals in Russia. “We are comfortable with the contract, because NIKE came across during the negotiations as being fluid and ready to listen to our demands. That is always the key aspect; you always need a partner with a

listening ear. “Nigeria football is happy to associate with a global leader and I am much convinced this is just the beginning. As we go along, NIKE may also be willing to partner with some of our domestic Clubs and even the League Management Company,” NFF President, Amaju Pinnick, said

Sports

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Zenith B’ball League: Why clubs get 70 per cent –NBBF

Eagles Job:

Oparaku

faults Keshi’s re-appointment MERCY JACOB

ormer Super Eagles defender, Mobi Oparaku, yesterday said re-appointed Coach Stephen Keshi should not have been given the job, insisting the gaffer has nothing more to offer Nigeria. The 1996 Olympic football gold medalist told National

Mirror that the Eagles’ job had outgrown Keshi, saying the country needed who he called world class coach to chart a new course for the national team. “I did say before that the football administrators don’t have good intention for our football that is why the Eagles have been reduced to the level they are at the moment,” Oparaku said.

Keshi

“For instance, I don’t see the reason why they held Nigerians to ransom for ten months without a coach, only to return Keshi to the post. “The truth is that we have won the Africa Cup of Nations three times and should aim doing better than second round at the World Cup. A coach like Keshi can’t achieve this for us. “It is not that Keshi is not

JOEL AJAYI ABUJA

P good in his own right. But he just doesn’t measure to the challenges of taking the Eagles higher in a setting where there are Germany, Spain, Brazil and so on. “I have no issue with him as a person but the fact is that the Eagles will remain stagnant with him in charge and it is only a matter of time before the reality dawns on us.”

LMC clarifies player contract regulation T he League Management Company (LMC) yesterday said the rule stipulating minimum of three years contract for players was introduced to stem problems that were identified after a careful study of the situation that prevailed in the past. Chief Operating Officer of the LMC, Salihu Abubakar, who responded to issues raised by the Association of Professional Footballers of Nigeria (APFON), declared that the minimum of one year contract advocated by the umbrella body of players affected clubs and players negatively. “The LMC met a situation in the league where a large number of player contracts lasted for a period of one year only. This adversely affected the stability and commercial viability of the clubs as well as the welfare of the players,” Abubakar said. The LMC refuted the claims by APFON that the regulation on contract duration enslaves players noting that, “…contrary to your claim that the rule enhances enslavement and abuse of players’ rights, the rule actually enhances stability in the employment of players. Note that the rule does not prevent players from being transferred to another club after one season upon mutual agreement between both clubs and agreement of personal terms

between the player and the transferee club.” Abubakar outlined some of the problems that plagued the previous contract regime to include mass exodus of players at the end of every season, adverse effects on clubs and players arising from payment of sign on fees, inability of clubs to focus on nurturing and developing players. Also listed are seasonal large scale alterations to team line-ups which discouraged fans’ followership, unilateral and indiscriminate termination of players’ contracts and payment of seasonal wages as against annual wages. The LMC further said it was to resolve these problems for the mutual benefit of the clubs and players that the three-year minimum contract rule was enacted and pointed out that the FIFA regulation cited by APFON permitted national associations to vary the minimum and maximum periods of contract duration where it is consistent with national laws. “We note that your letter conspicuously failed to identify any harm or disadvantage to players or clubs, caused by the provision in the League Rules which stipulates generally that player contracts shall be for a minimum of three years. The said provision, having already been in force one full season, has not been the sub-

Irabor

ject of any complaints from any player or club,” the LMC posited. The league body assured APFON that the provision limiting the player contracts in the Nigeria Professional Football League to a minimum of three years was made in cognizance of the labour laws and employment in Nigeria with the aim of enhancing job security and protecting the rights and interests of the players they represent. According to the LMC, the three-year minimum contract provision is without prejudice to the right of both parties to terminate the contract by mutual consent before the date of expiry, as enshrined in the Rules and also exempted some category of players from the three- year minimum contract. “It does not apply to players who have played professional

football for a total of 10 years or more-they may be contracted to play for not less than 3 months at a time; or players under the age of 18 years whose contracts must not be for more than 2 years.” Abubakar reminded APFON that it has in the past enjoyed the support of the LMC on players’ development and enlightenment, adding that APFON has unfettered access to the LMC and are always free to seek formal clarification on any issues before going to press and sending letters to clubs/players which can create unnecessary problems within the system.

resident of Nigeria Basketball Federation Tijani Umar says the federation has resolved to give 70 per cent of the Zenith Women league sponsorship funds to clubs to enhance competition and financial stability. Umar, who made this disclosure in Abuja at the weekend, noted this year’s tournament would expose the clubs and prepare them for the full league next year. “The winner will get N1.2million this year, second will receive N1million while the third will also get N800, 000,” Umar said. Representative of Zenith Bank, Mr. Ufot Essien, commended the Nigeria Basketball Federation for its effort to add value to the championship. “On our part, we will continue to provide the platform for women basketball players to showcase their skills,” Essien said. Teams that will participate in this year’s league include GT 2000, FCT Angels, First Deepwater, Oluyole Babes, Dolphins, AHIP, Immigration and Zamfara. Others are Taraba Hurricanes, Nassarawa, Plateau Rocks, IGP Queens, Sunshine Queens, Coal City Angels, Benue Babes, First Bank, Delta Queens and Customs.

NBBF Boss, Umar

Wolves beat Heartland in replay PAUL EREWUBA

arri Wolves yesterday at the Warri Township Stadium beat Hearland 2-0 in a replayed Week 6 match of the Nigeria Premier Football League. The match, slated for Sunday, was moved to yesterday morning due to the waterlogged pitch that resulted from a heavy down pour. Ichull Lordson and Gbolahan Salami’s goals ensured

victory for the home team. Meanwhile, Dolphins Coach, Stanley Eguma has promised to make his side work harder to guarantee what he called a respectable position on the log after the Port Harcourt side’s 2-0 loss to Akwa United in Uyo on Sunday. “Loss of concentration cost us the game but I think it wasn’t a bad game,” Eguma said, adding, “We must work harder for subsequent games.”

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sports

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

5 1 0 2 China

NFF N2.8bn:

‘What Lulu wants from Jonathan’

Oshonaike

makes 1st round, meets world champion

igeria’s Olufunke Oshonaike has been handed the biggest task of her career after she was drawn in the first round against world number one and reigning world champion, Ning Ding, in the ongoing 2015 ITTF World Championships holding in Suzhou, China. Oshonaike made it to the main draw after playing the game of her life to become one of the un-

A Oshonaike

seeded players that qualified into the main draw of the championship. The Nigerian star, who defeated players from Costa Rica and Mexico, had a tough duel with Tunisia’s Safa Saidani, whom she defeated 4-3. Compatriot Kazeem Makanjuola failed to advance to the main draw after losing his second group match 4-3 to Argentina’s

Pablo Tabachnik. But Africa’s most decorated player, Segun Toriola, defeated Switzerland’s Weber Lionel 4-3 to book his place in the main draw. Toriola had won his two group matches against players from Algeria and Qatar. He will meet Chinese Taipei’s Sheng-Sheng Huang while compatriot Aruna Quadri will take on India’s Soumyajit Ghosh.

...Oshodi bags C’wealth board job

he Commonwealth Table Tennis Federation (CTTF) yesterday at its election held in Suzhou, China elected President of Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), Wahid Oshodi, into its board of directors, sequel to Oshodi’s ef-

Oshodi

forts at reviving the fortune of table tennis in addition to the crucial role played by Nigeria in the process. The board is the highest ruling body administering table tennis in Commonwealth nations and comprises 12 members with England’s Alan Ransome as Chairman. As the second African in the board, Oshodi, who is also the Lagos State Commissioner for Youth, Sports and Social Development, has joined South Africa’s Audrina Mcdonald, who is the treasurer on the board. In addition to Nigeria and South Africa, other nations on the board are Canada, New Zealand, Malaysia, Barbados, Scotland, Cyprus, Singapore and India. “My election has confirmed

the relevance of Nigeria among the Commonwealth nations and this is another call to serve,” Oshodi said shortly after his election yesterday. Prior to this election, Oshodi is also a member of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) nomination committee. The ITTF has also commended Nigeria for the strides recorded in recent times in the promotion of table tennis, even as the 2015 Lagos Open was adjudged to have been viewed globally by 105 million people. Meanwhile, the Annual General Meeting of the board has named India as the host of this year’s Commonwealth Table Tennis Championship to hold in Gujrat from October 27 to November 1.

Ikpea delights in Palsy growth IFEANYI EDUZOR

ational Adviser of Cerebral Palsy Football Association of Nigeria, Reverend Samuel Ikpea, has described the recent Coaching Education/Workshop organised by the International Federation of Cerebral Palsy Football as capable of confirming Nigeria as one of the 40 countries where the game is played in the world. Ikpea, who is also the Secretary General of Nigeria Football Supporters Club, told National Mirror that the workshop organized by Jurrius Rene from Netherlands and his Spanish counterpart, Paul Reina, both international instructors with

the world body, had enhanced awareness of the sport in Nigeria, even as he solicited corporate support. “I am very happy that the sports which started in the country in 2012 is now recognised globally,” Ikpea said, adding, “I enjoin corporate bodies to emulate Pow-

er Horse who has partnered with us to develop the sport.” National President of the body, Jude Uwazie, assured that that the team known as “Power Eagles” would soon be reckoned globally, saying Nigeria was set to attend an invitational tournament in Spain in June.

Cricket: Owerri captain harps on progress IFEANYI EDUZOR

aptain of Oweri Cricket Club, Chiaka Kingsley, has described the team’s victory over Ebonyi Cricket Club to claim third position in the 5th SouthEast Cricket Tournament tagged “Chuma Anosike Cup” as signifying cricket growth in the zone.

The Oweri club outplayed the Ebonyi team by 2 runs at the cricket pitch of Government College Umuahia. “It was a tough outing for us and we deserved to be in the final,” Kingsley said. “It wasn’t too good for us because we hoped to be in the final but found ourselves playing in the third place match,” the captain added.

n Abuja-based football stakeholder, Kelechi Nwabuko, has enjoined President Goodluck Jonathan to revisit the issue of alleged missing N2.8billion left behind by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Board led by Alhaji Sani Lulu Abdullahi in 2010 before he leaves office on May 29. Nwabuko told President Jonathan to endeavour and address the issue of the alleged missing huge sum which Abdullahi, popularly called Lulu left in the coffers of the NFF as at the time he was controversially impeached from office and succeeded by Alhaji Aminu Maigari. The concerned stakeholder said that Lulu had written to the President on the issue that borders on corruption at the Glass House without any intervention to unravel the truth. “The issue has continually been echoed by a man who was in the saddle at the Glass House for four years; Alhaji Abdullahi who was president of the NFF from August 2006-July 2010. The former NFF president had in various public statements and even letters to Mr. President calling for an inquest in what happened to the colossal amount he left in the coffers of the NFF, but this appeared to have sadly fallen on deaf ears. “The man, since five years he left office has consistently maintained that his persecution and prosecution today is an aberration because those who stole the country’s football money are walking free and tall on the streets while he that managed the country’s soccer with Spartan dedication and discipline is being persecuted, out of malice ostensibly because of his refusal to be used as a pawn to siphon the commonwealth by some of the country’s sports leaders in the course of his service to the nation,” Nwabuko said. He added, “For a man who met a debt of N300million on assumption of office, to leave such a staggering amount (N2.8bn) at the time he was removed in controversial circumstances deserves a better deal. In one of his statements, Alhaji Abdullahi, who holds the exalted title of Omachi Atta Igala said that contrary to the report of Senator Heineken Lokobori, who was the Senate Committee Chairman on Sports, who alleged at a public sitting that his NFF-led Board mismanaged N 2.16bn, ‘the truth is that the total sum of approximately N2.8bn was

Lulu

left in the various accounts as at the time of my impeachment. “The amount in question included $8m USD (or N1, 248, 000, 000) of the exchange rate at that time, which was an amount due from Nigeria’s participation in the 2010 FIFA World Cup Finals in South Africa; $5.5m (N858, 000, 000) the marketing funds remitted to the NFF by FIFA which was lodged in NFF/LOC account in First Bank, while funds in the FIFA account was put at $1.65m (N257,400,000) and the NFF money available in UBA and Afribank was N430,000,000. That was not all. Alhaji Abdullahi said that the Presidential Task Force (PTF) set up to raise money for Super Eagles’ 2010World Cup Finals in South Africa by the late President Musa Yar’Adua should also account for ‘over One Billion Naira (N1bn) realised from funds generated for the 2010 Africa Nations Cup and 2010 World Cup because it is evidenced that none was remitted to my led-board for the budgeted purpose.” Lulu, had in one of his letters to President Jonathan stated: “In pursuit of justice we followed due process in accordance with FIFA/NFF statutes by formally challenging all these allegations and illegalities up to the level of the International Court of Arbitration on Sports (CAS) in Zurich. We only withdrew this in February 2011, because of respect for (Issa) Hayatou and in the national interest. For the sake of fairness and equity, the agreements reached with the CAF leadership, especially as they relate to withdrawal of all cases in court, including the one against Lulu, Amanze Uchegbulam and Bolaji Ojo-Oba instituted by the EFCC should be honoured, while the issue of the more than N2.8bn left in the coffers of the NFF should be looked into and handled with all diligence and dispatch by President Jonathan.”

WORLD RECORD

cakes dribbling sold in eight FastestMost marathon two hours basketballs

N150

Vol. 05 No. 10100 Tuesday, April 28, 2015

The most cakes sold in eight hours is 14,534 and was achieved by Maria Michel, Chris Mintz and the Running Rarebits (all Canada)

Probing the relevance of National Manpower Board Act

igeria had once been referred to as the Giant of Africa. The epithet was earned by the substance of her political relevance in the continent, increased oil wealth, riches in mineral resources, progressive economy, and ebullient manpower with growth in the standard of living of the people. Our national experiences over the years have, however, witnessed geometric retrogression in substance, the basis upon which the reputation “the Giant of Africa” was earned. It will be self-deceit not to admit the poor state of the nation vis-à-vis our potentials. Our nation still struggles with poverty, corruption, unemployment, degradation of public properties, bad management of

Guest Columnist

Olusola Akinyemi

public investments, poor health system, collapse of the education sector, and insecurity among others. While, we struggle with these, it is imperative to know that we also seek solutions towards redressing our national challenges. Nigeria has a number of documents that contain auspicious avenues to finding our path back to national greatness, but not much has been done in implementing the letters and spirit of such documents. The National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategies (NEEDS) is one which I objectively consider laudable. Another is the National Manpower Board Act. For this piece, I want us to consider the National Manpower Board Act Cap N57, Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004). This law was initially birthed by Decree No. 18 of 1991 on the 30th May, 1991. The law established the National Manpower Board to among other things, determine and advice the Federal Government on the nation’s manpower needs in all occupations. I will only try to state out some of the provisions that I consider essential to note. Section 1 of the Act dwells on Establishment of the National Manpower Board; Section 2 on membership of the Board; Section 5 on functions of the Board; Section 6 on matters the Board could make input, and Section 7 on the Board’s duty to liaise with professional bodies. I single these key sections of the Act because they are germane to its efficacy. I leave details of the scope of each of the sections for lack of pace.

THE EDUCATIONAL SECTOR IS NOSE-DIVING BECAUSE WE DO NOT HAVE PEOPLE THINKING AND WORKING AT IT For readers who could a bit further to get the Act and look at these sections, they are likely to be jolted by the realization of how the objective adherence to the provisions of this law by the Board would have contributed immensely in building our nation. I even doubt if the federal ministries with the operationalisation of the Act are aware of this national assignment given to them. This can be substantiated with the fact that in 2013, there was a partnership between the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) to host entrepreneurship and career fairs that will train over 1, 000 university and secondary school graduates between the ages of 18-35. There was an inter-ministerial committee inaugurated by the FMITI to this effect, and it also engaged over 15 federal ministries, departments and agencies and more than 30 companies from the private sector. From the foregoing, it is crystal clear that there is alignment between the aims of establishing the Board and the objectives of the engaged federal ministries, departments and agencies and players in the private sector in the move of the FMITI.

This law has established the indispensable role of education in building a formidable manpower to advance our national experience. If we have public leaders that are working hard enough to overcome saboteurs of our national growth, our nation would have advanced far beyond our current state. I say this bearing in mind the fact that there is no field of expertise around the globe that a Nigerian is not a part. So if this is, how much more will the nation have advanced with an efficient National Manpower Board. The educational sector is nose-diving because we do not have people thinking and working at it. One of my reservations to this Act is with respect to the location of the operational zonal offices. It is inconceivable that such offices will function efficiently and effectively in such locations where they are relatively far from essential establishments to relate with in carrying out their responsibilities. Most of the professional bodies have their headquarters in Lagos and Abuja; most labour force of the nation are in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and some others than the ones provided for in the Act. Not locating an establishment such as this in some essential places may cause its natural death. While policy makers try to use the establishment of public institutions to facilitate development in some location, the nature of the task of the Board is so enormous than for it to be sited far away from congenial institutions necessary for the successful accomplishment of its purpose. This may necessitate a review of the Act for optimal operation. This is a wakeup call is for all parties concerned to rise up to this national responsibility clearly stated in the National Manpower Board Act starting from the President to the Ministries of Finance, Education and Employment, Labour and Productivity, among others. Akinyemi, President of Joseph Initiative, wrote from Lagos via Olusola. akins@gmail.com

Sport Extra

loyd Mayweather Snr says he wants his son, Floyd Mayweather Jnr, to retire from boxing after he comfortably beats Manny Pacquiao in next Saturday’s bout in Las Vegas. Mayweather Snr, a former

Boxing: Quit the ring, father tells Mayweather fighter who trains his son, is not impressed by Pacquiao and says the showdown will not be an era-defining clash because the Philippines fighter is not on the same level as the unbeaten American.

“This era is closed and it is done as Pacquiao is done,” the elder Mayweather said yesterday. “Manny is not on Floyd’s level. He is mere an opponent and nothing more, nothing

less,” he added. Mayweather Jnr, who is famed for his swagger in and out of the ring, goes into the bout with a record of 47 wins and no defeats, with 26 wins by knockout.

“This is a gambler’s game and I don’t think Floyd should be gambling too much,” the father further said, stressing, “I hope he walks away after this fight.”

Mayweather

Printed and Published by Global Media Mirror Ltd: Head Office: Mirror House, 155/161 Broad Street, Lagos Tel: 07027107407, Abuja Office: NICON Insurance House, Second Floor, Central Business District Area, Abuja Tel: 08070428249, Advert hotline: 01-8446073, Email: mail@nationalmirroronline.net. Editor: SEYI FASUGBA All correspondence to PMB 10001, Marina, Lagos. Printed simultaneously in Lagos, Abuja and Akure. ISSN 0794-232X.